Timberman Race Report 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Ellacoya State Park in Gilford, NH

Despite a delayed start to the race and a snapped goggle strap at the swim start, Timberman was a great race all around and an amazing experience as my first 70.3.  I am very pleased with my experience overall and most grateful to Coach Cliff for guiding me through it!

The weather the 2 days prior to the race were wet and miserable in NH.  Pouring rain and wet roads made it challenging to get excited for the race and of course added to the pre-existing nerves!  The day before the race, Lake Winnipesaukee was choppy and made for an interesting warm up swim.  Nontheless, the weather was certainly on our side on race morning when the clouds parted, the sun came out and stayed with us for most of the day.  As the day wore on, the heat and humidity increased and my run split reflected this.  Steady pacing and a solid nutrition plan made all the difference and got me to the finish line feeling great! 

Here are a few highlights and course commentaries from each leg of the race:

SWIM:
• Delayed race start and a dash to make my wave on time made a slightly hurried start to the race!  It was hard to hear the race announcers as they called in each wave but the hot pink caps in the water were hard to miss!
• Made it into the water with 90 seconds to go and felt a SNAP!  Uh oh…. A kind fellow racer helped tie my goggles and I quickly put my cap over them and started the swim.
• Settled into a rhythm and was able to maintain it for most of the swim.  I was most proud of this leg of the race given that swimming has been my challenge.  I guess spending most of the winter in the pool and those 11,000 weekly yardage workouts from Coach Cliff really made a difference!
• Out of the water in apprx 39 minutes which I was pleased with!  Loved those wetsuit strippers…..

BIKE:
• A challenging, rolling out and back course with a stretch of flat from apprx miles 20-35.  Heavily manned with aid stations that made all the difference!
• It was a struggle to stay conservative on the bike early on as the adrenaline was flowing and it was tough to let other fellow racers pass me when all I wanted to do was speed up and I knew I could!
• This turned out to be the best race strategy for me as on mile 10, there was a tough climb and it did not flatten out until mile 20.
• Lost a nutrition bottle as it launched out of the cage on rough road descent (the side of the road was filled with other water bottles!)  Had to get off the bike and go back and pick it up (could not risk that given the amount of time Coach Cliff and I spent on nutrition strategy!!)
• Eduralytes were very important for this race and I believe set me up well for the run off the bike.  Whenever I was in doubt, I took an eduralyte!!
• The bike course is full of aid stations with great volunteers who passed out Gatorade endurance and water bottles which was great given the heat out on the course. 
• A slight head wind made for a slightly challenging trip back to Ellacoya Park, where transition was set up.
• The last 15 miles proved to be tougher than I had planned for and I was very happy to make the left turn back into T2.
• Rolled into T2 a little later than I anticipated but I felt in great shape for the run which was the goal.

RUN:
• Legs felt surprisingly good off the bike which was a great way to start the final miles of this race.
• Struggled to find a sustainable pace given the heat on the course and it seemed that most other runners struggled with the same. 
• 2 loops of an apprx 6 mile out and back made it easy to know exactly how far you’d gone (or how much you had left!)
• Course full of aid stations and neighborhood volunteers who passed out pretzels, gu’s, enduralytes, Gatorade and water sponges (LOVED the sponges!!)
• I felt great on the first loop and was looking to pick up the pace on loop 2.  This proved difficult with the heat and humidity on the rise.  I was determined to finish strong so stuck to a steady sustainable pace.
• Finished feeling tired but great and was pleasantly surprised to see Chrissie Wellington passing out finisher medals at the finish line!
• Have already started thinking about next year’s race strategy! 

THANK YOU Coach Cliff for your guidance and support!!  I can’t wait to do this race again!!