SAINT GEORGE 70.3 IRONMAN -- A SURPRISINGLY FUN DAY

THE SETUP:  After receiving numerous emails from the race director for the St George 70.3 Ironman race scheduled for May 3rd, my curiosity was raised.  I had not registered for this race, it was not on my schedule, why was I getting athlete updates?  So I checked the web site on April 25th to see if I had a bib number.  I did!  Was it a gift due to my good finish at the 70.3 championships?  Did my tri-club, ONE multisport, hand complementary entries out last year to elite racers and I had not paid attention?Or, had I just registered so early that I had forgot all about it?  It was the latter.  OK, lets do it on short notice (10 days) and minimal training and just have fun with no expectations.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

THE VENUE:  St George, Utah, is at approximately 2600 ft elevation, desert type arid, seasonally hot, and unpredictably windy. The swim is in Sand Hollow Reservoir outside of town so an early morning bus ride to Transition 1 is required.  Transition 2 and the finish is in old town St George resulting is a point-to-point bike leg with a slight net downhill.  The race course has more hills than normal Ironman venues.  I had raced the 2010 version when it was a full Ironman and had a slow race.  I had severe Achilles Tendonapathy at the time and ended up walking the marathon in over 6 hours.  However, race day ended happily the following morning when I got a Kona slot on a rolldown allowing me to race Kona with my son that year. There are numerous sites to visit in close proximity including the Hoover Dam and Zion National Park, which my wife and I visited.

HOOVER DAM

Some Ironman venues are epic, meaning that they have all 4 of the WHHH factors (Wind, Heat, Humidity, Hills).  Kona is a prime example.  St George can have up to three of the factors, Wind, Heat, and Hills.  This year it had only two,  Hills and Heat (90+), as the wind was relatively mild. Consequently the times were considerably faster than 2013.  For example, in 2013, 12 pros broke 4 hrs, this year 25 broke 4 hrs.  I believe the official Ironman website overstates the hills somewhat as my garmin measured 3,250 ft gain for the bike and 1,200 ft gain for the run.  Still, those are pretty large numbers for a half-ironman.







MY FITNESS:  I have been managing uncooperative knees for some time.  Generally I would run only twice a week and up to 9 miles at a time using a jog/walk routine to minimize the pain.  Even biking was problematic on rides over 2 hours.  Generally, I had been averaging about 5,000 yds swimming, 90 miles biking, and 14 miles "running" per week since January.  Not half-ironman training levels.  My last 3 weeks leading up to the race were;  WEEK 3: no training (in CA having fun with grandchildren); WEEK 2: 10,000 yds swimming, 190 miles biking, 15 miles running (making up for the "off" week, and realizing I had a race in 10 days); WEEK 1: 5,500 yds swimming, 70 miles biking, no running (sore knees).  If anything I was well tapered.

MY PREPARATION:  My evening pre-race meals consist of pasta in some form.  This time Stouffers mac and cheese, out of the microwave.  For desert I ate a full bag of spice drops. I drink Gatorade or perform or whatever high sugar, high salt drinks the sponsor is giving out.  I take whatever gels and drinks the sponsor is passing out on the bike and run.  I do take salt capsules with me on hot days to balance out the mineral depletion that occurs from sweating. My feeling is that your fitness and success in a race is 90% due to preparation and 10% due to adaptability to changes in circumstances.  OK, I admit I have a soft spot for good equipment.

MY RACE:  My biggest concern was the run.  My swimming is acceptable and my biking splits have always been the fastest in my age group, but with my sore knees and limited run training I knew the run was going to be slow.  I decided that I would start the run conservatively with a 3/2, run/walk routine and at the turnaround, if feeling good, increase the run proportion.  My swim/bike/run split goals were modest:   40/2:55/2:30 with a finishing time, including transitions, in excess of 6 hours, slower than I had ever raced.  I reminded myself I was not "racing" but "participating".

As it turned out I overachieved.  The swim was unremarkable and the bike a blast, with most riders exceeding 45mph on the downhills.  I averaged just over 200 watts on the bike and 20.1 mph, consistent numbers for a hilly bike course.  My splits were 37:25/2:45:51/2:01:23,  with a total time of 5:33:28 and first place in the 65-69 age group.  I was able to run the last 3 miles, walking only the aid stations, giving me a negative split by 5 minutes.  I declined the World Championship slot as it was never my intention to go even if I qualified.

65-69 AWARD WINNERS

Some observations and funny things that happened during the race.  The water temperature was 60 degrees so I wore a neoprene cap under my swim cap to help keep me warm.  It appeared that there were an abnormal number of tire flats.  I thought the bike course was reasonably smooth and clean so I don't have an explanation.  I had the urge to relieve myself on the bike but restrained myself until I got to a portolet in the transition, after all I was not "racing".  I forgot to take my salt capsule container with me on the run but "found" 3 capsules on the road that some other racer had dropped, and consumed them without hesitation, it was hot.

JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS AT HEART

MY LEARNING'S:  I was honestly surprised with my effort and results.  I finished without any injuries, not even a blister, and feeling physically agile.  Maybe I get too stressed and intense when racing and a lighter more relaxed approach is a preferable way.  Maybe meditation and a holistic approach to life will improve my race efforts?  Maybe, but not gonna happen.

NEW GOAL: USAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND SLAM

I have not posted in a while as there was nothing material to share.  I've recovered from my stumble in the XTERRA desert trail race but I've been sort of "wandering in the desert" of Arizona trying to figure out what I want to do with multisports now that I am drawing a social security check.  While enduring the normal aches and pains that accompany the aging process,  I've been fighting the urge to retire from multisport.

I've been able to run up to two times per week on desert trails, if you can call a 10 min/mile pace running. I've started swimming twice a week and continued to bike twice a week.  While this effort has allowed me to maintain a modest level of fitness, the pain in my knees has made the effort much less enjoyable than in the past.

I have not entered any races and haven't felt the urge to race,  because I know I'm not fit enough to race at the level I expect of myself.  I have started a long series of golf lessons to prepare for the inevitable.

I recently visited a rheumatologist to get a second opinion regarding my knees.  At the first visit he used what looked like a horse syringe to withdraw 35 cc's of milky opaque fluid from my left knee.  Highly inflamed.  At the second visit I got his report.  A flare up of pseudo gout with an underlayment of osteoarthritis and future rheumatoid arthritis.  Treatment is "there is no curative treatment" for pseudo gout.  I can try a medicine that is used for "real" gout that may help prevent a flare up such as I experienced.  The more practical "treatment"  is to just drain the knee when it happens in the future.

2012 USAT DUATHLON and 2011 USAT TRIATHLON JERSEYS

So I accepted the facts and looked for what I could do that would keep me motivated for at least this year.  Recently a notice from the USAT arrived in my email announcing the date and location of the USAT Aquabike (swim/bike) National Championship.  And there is a USAT Aquathalon (swim/run) National Championship also. Since I have already won National Championships in both Triathlon (2011) and Duathlon (2012), why not go for the remaining two multisport event national championships and call it the Age Group USAT National Championship Grand Slam.   Has anybody else achieved this?  If so please let me know.

KISSING BOULDERS

I entered an Xterra trail race in the White Tank Mountains just west of Phoenix this last Sunday because I normally jog in the desert by myself and I thought this would be a more social way to get my exercise.  Well, it turned out that this 20K race was on a very "technical", narrow, rocky trail more suitable for billy goats with almost 2,000 ft of elevation change.  I was very careful and walked much of the steeper inclines.  On a steep descent about 4 miles from the finish I stumbled and fell so quickly I still can't recreate the accident in my mind.  I was in a line of joggers all carefully picking our way down the mountain and suddenly I was "kissing" a large boulder with my jaw and mouth.  I partially broke my fall with my right hand but not before the damage was done.  The runners around me stopped to help but practically there were only two ways out of the mountain:  walk/jog or helicopter.  While I was bleeding profusely, I had not lost conscious nor broken any skeletal bones (at the time I thought I had broken my jaw).  I decided to finish the run to get to the aid station at the finish.  Which I did.

ALL STITCHED AND CLEANED UP

After the medics cleaned up some of the blood it was clear that an emergency room visit was called for. I called my wife to inform her of my predicament and was nervous that she would be upset.  I think that I started the conversation with something like "please don't be mad at me" since I have had similar accidents before and apparently I am a slow learner.  She was concerned but not mad (How stupid is he anyway?).  I decided to drive to the Mayo Clinic an hour away as it is nearer our house and followup would be easier.  Besides, they have my records from my last fall while running in the desert some years ago.

Admission was quick (OK, this profusely bleeding guy isn't here for a stomach ache) and they started the cleanup and assessment.  Three or four broken teeth and possibly broken teeth roots (you need to see a dentist as soon as possible), two deep puncture/tear gashes to the chin that need stitches to stop bleeding (I may get a cleft chin out of this -- I left some skin on the mountain), a lot of abraded skin removed from the chin and lips, massive bruising of the chin and lower lip, and a deep tear gash on the palm of the right hand requiring stitches to tie down whatever skin was left.  My jaw was swollen but not broken.  However, my "bite" no longer matched up as my lower jaw was sticking forward causing my lower front teeth (minor chips) to contact my upper front teeth (very sore, damaged, a little loose) before the back teeth met.  In 5 days the face stitches will be removed (shorter duration results in less scaring) and in two weeks the hand stitches will be removed.

I LIKE HIS NEEDLE WORK

Clearly I had to cancel my golf lesson for Monday morning.

Clearly I was on a diet that could be eaten through a straw.

Clearly I was not going to sleep well Sunday night.

We visited our dentist Monday and received the early dental assessment.  X-rays revealed no cracked teeth roots.  (Yeah, or an instant root canal and dental implants would be required)  I was outfitted with a temporary tooth splint to help stabilize the damaged teeth.  I need to return in two weeks to see in the teeth have stabilized or if any nerve damage has occurred to the teeth roots (discoloration is a bad sign). We'll go on from there.

As the admitting nurse said to my wife "He was doing what at age 67?  Well, he's too old to change now."

I checked the on-line results on Monday and I was first out of 5 in my age group.  I am not alone!

HERE WE GO 2014

As I mentioned in my last post, I needed some time to reflect and evaluate what activities and goals to set for 2014 that will acknowledge that my knees are going to prevent me from doing what my mind wants them to do.  Growing old gracefully is not in my makeup as it probably is not in yours either. While the recommended treatments for rheumatoid arthritis is to lose weight and exercise, I already meet those recommendations.  Unfortunately running is not included in their recommend exercises.

So I've been experimenting with a limited amount of desert trail running/walking as a substitute for run training in the classical sense.  It appears my knees will not let me perform quality speed work or long distance runs, the cornerstones of improving your running performance and conditioning.  I've resorted to the following after 6 weeks of experimentation:  1) Desert trail runs with material elevation changes twice a week following a 3:30 min jog then a 1:30 walk, repeat as needed.  2) Alieve 1 hour before said runs. 3) Ice on knees following said runs.  4) Machine weight workouts twice a week emphasizing the lateral leg muscles (ie, abductors and aductors), calves (eccentric foot drops), quads, hamstrings, gluts. 5) Bike rides twice a week. 6) One rest day per week.  7) At some point I may actually start some pool workouts, don't know when.  I don't follow this routine uniformly each week, but target the workouts around "living".  I have worked my longer "runs" up to 8 miles with 1,000 ft elevation change and can average under 10 min/mile with the run/walk routine.  Not fast but better than walking the whole way.

This gives me the opportunity to digress into the impact of aging on the competitiveness of athletes. I used the USAT Rating system  as a "for example" (visit usatriathlon.org for a complete description of how this is calculated --- basically 100 = par and your time is measured relative to par as a percentage).

The graph and data below demonstrates how age impacts the top performances achieved by the best male triathletes as a function of age (similar results for women).  You could use the USAT Ratings data to literally handicap each athlete by age, similar to the par ratings of golfers.  And,  you can compare the relative effort of a 30-yr old male to that of a 60-yr old male. For example, a 30-yr old would have to be about 21% faster than a 60-yr old (108/89 = 121) on an age-adjusted basis to have out-performed him in a race.

 
Even more interesting is the steady improvement in the top athlete ratings in each age group over time. For example in the 65-69 age group (mine) the top rating has improved over time as follows:  2010 (79.1),  2011 (83.1 - the year I finished first at age 65),  2012 (85.3),  2013 (86.6).  And, these numbers are usually put up by the younger athletes in the age group. So, I'm not only getting slower due to age but faster athletes are entering my (and your) age group.

OK, for 2014 I've settled on two "A"races:  ITU world championship in Edmonton Canada (September 1), and the Arizona Ironman (November).  I don't expect to win my age group in either as I won't be as competent on the run as the other age groupers, but would like to podium.  Besides, at the Arizona Ironman I will be racing with my son in the field which is a treat.  I will fill in the calendar leading up to those races with a variety of events including bicycle races, duathlons, and a few triathlons as my knees will permit.  And some golf.

2013 SEASON, THE GOOD, BAD, UGLY

I have put off this season ending blog in order to collect my thoughts and emotions. Racing triathlons as a baby boomer is often not about winning your age group, but about overcoming age related injuries and challenges while achieving personal goals.  In the 2010 St George Ironman (a race course no longer contested due to the hot, humid, windy, hilly conditions) what kept me going was my desire to finish a race that included my son, and collect that stupid finishers hat that comes with the $650 entrance fee.

In relative terms,  2013 was a successful racing year for me but not without disappointments.  At local triathlon races in Arizona and Minnesota I won my age division with large margins.  The tougher tests are at the National and International races, however.  I placed 2nd at USAT Nationals and 3rd at Ironman 70.3 Worlds.  I also cancelled out of 3 races including the main focus of my 2013 plan, the ITU World Duathlon Championships.

Meanwhile, the World Championship Ironman at Kona had record breaking race conditions this year. My course record for a 65-69 year old American set in 2011 was shattered.  I changed my blog cover photo and caption accordingly.

As Reese Bobby said to Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, "if you ain't first you're last".  Memorable, nonsensical, and full of irony.

Following Ironman 70.3 Worlds in early September I went into training hibernation.  I was emotionally burned out from struggling through a variety of aggravating injuries while trying to build international level fitness.  Cracked ribs, pseudo gout, external compartment syndrome and finally the confirming diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis by the Mayo Clinic following my 70.3 race took the umph out of my emotions and desire to train.

What should I do as I grow older?  How about AquaBikes?  How about USA Cycling?  Both of these could be done without causing me the serious knee pain the goes with pseudo gout and arthritis. Maybe it was time to get more serious about golf?

I decided that I would not apply for "elite" status within my triathlon team, ONE Multisport.  The experience of racing as an "elite" this last year has been rewarding as the team is just a great and encouraging organization for all members regardless of their abilities.  However, I need time to sort out my future motivation and goals without the added self-imposed pressure of living up to an elite status.

My son flew to AZ in November for the purpose of volunteering at Ironman Arizona and registering for next year.  Given that he will be racing at Kona in October, another Ironman so closely bunched sounded absurd to me but he likes to bunch his triathlons.  Ah, youth.  So, like son like father, I also registered not really knowing why.  Maybe to race together again?  Maybe to put a goal out there that will cause me to rethink that golf thing?  Maybe motivation to get serious about resolving my knee pain handicap?

So, goodbye to the 2013 racing season.  Looking forward to what 2014 will bring.

IRONMAN TAHOE -- THE NEW WORLDS TOUGHEST?

A COLD SUNRISE

I lived this event vicariously through my son, Ben Ewers III. He had raced 3 half Ironman (Vineman, Racine, World Championship) culminating with the Tahoe Ironman in an 8 week stretch.   I visited the doc following my half ironman world championship race and haven't moved a swim/bike/run muscle since.  But, through the technology of Ironman Live and cell phones, I kept track of his race as it unfolded.  And, having raced numerous time with him since he started triathlons in high school, I thought I could feel how he was feeling through the technology.  I was exhausted by the time he finished.

It was a beast of a race.  Cold, hilly, altitude, windy and the slowest average finishing time of all official Ironman races. A huge DNF and DNS count.  Only 2 pros beat 9 hrs, and then only by a few minutes. Follow the link below to some interesting stats.

 www.runtri.com/2013/09/ironman-lake-tahoe-2013-results-analysis.html

BE3 lives in the bay area and has been involved in numerous activities in the Tahoe area including downhill skiing, ultra racing on the Tahoe rim trail, and biking the notorious death ride numerous times. He has a huge respect for what the altitude can do to your ability to get oxygen to your muscles.  He adjusted his race targets accordingly.

I saw that BE3 exited the water with a 67:34 minute split and in 308th place, higher than he usually places. And since the top pro time was a slow 51:36 minutes, I was excited that the new wetsuit he was using and some additional swim training was giving him a great start to the race.  Boy, this is cold and people are pummeling me.  I can't seem to get a breath. The wetsuit must be constricting my breathing. I've never felt like this before, I gotta swim to that anchored boat and get outta here.  Am I having a panic attack?  OK, I'll rest holding onto the boat for a while and unzip my wetsuit to make it easier to breath.  Maybe I should quit. The official is calming me down.  I've seen this happen before, especially up here at Lake Tahoe, he states. Take slow breaths he advises, it's the frenetic pace at the start and the low oxygen content at this altitude impacting you.  OK, I'll try to get going again, can you help me re-zip my wetsuit?  Enough break time, those swimming around me are less frenetic and swimming slower.  I can do this. Long slower strokes.  I've found my rhythm and am moving past these slower swimmers. It's just not gonna be my day. I need to readjust my expectations and goals.  Just finishing safely after this scare.

BE3 WITH ALEXA AT START

Ironman live showed him moving into 104th place at the 4.2 mile split on the bike.  What!  How did he pass 200+ fast triathletes in 4 miles of biking?  I started to check the transitions.  BE3 took 5:34, which appeared long to me. Then I checked what others were taking.   Very long transitions, many in excess of 12 minutes.  It occurred to me that complete clothes changeover must be the norm, as the early morning temps were near 30 degrees. I checked the live video feed for transition 1.  Everybody was heavily clothed and carrying their shoes without bikes.  A long transition run also.  So how did he transition so fast?  Did he know what his placing was?  Quick text to his wife Sandra. Found out she had to leave after the swim as Alexa and Bella were freezing. Boy, was that swim a scare.  It's really cold and I'm wet. Dam, there are no chairs open in this crowded transition tent, that swim pause put me among the masses.  I'll plop down on the ground and change.  My hands aren't working, I'll use gloves and just put a base layer under my trisuit for the rest of the race. The trisuit will dry out quickly on the bike and as the day warms up I'll be just fine.  


By 41.1 miles on the bike he was 55th overall and 4th in his age group, the highly competitive 40-44. At age 44 he is at a relative disadvantage, but if he qualified for Kona 2014 he would race in the 45-49 age group, a small relative improvement.  Quick check of his bike pace.  Actually very conservative (slow) and well within his pre-race plan.  And, yet, he was screaming up the leaderboard. Had to be a tough course. Crap, my power meter just froze up and I'm no longer getting reads. Must have gotten soaked by the rain. I'll have to bike purely by feel. I'm cold, bad decision to not take a windbreak. I'm biking harder than I want to, but I have to in order to not freeze.  It's difficult to eat my nutrition as it's frozen hard. Oh well, maybe I can make top 10 in my age group.  

Approaching the finish of the bike leg BE3 had moved into 39th overall (many of them pros) and holding onto 4th in the 40-44 age group.  Two guys in his age group are way out in front of the rest. He has a chance for 3rd if he races smart.  His times are still conservative with the bike, actually slow. There are 10 splits on the bike course.  Many parts of the bike course are repeats, so I started comparing these splits. There did not appear to be much fatigue fade setting in.  Still, the bike times seemed slow overall but his relative placings were great.  I text Sandra.  Does BE3 know where he is?  No, she's going to catch him on the run segments.  I tell her he's doing great.  Go go go.  He brings in a 5:41:33 bike split. Under 20 mph average? Must be very hilly. Another leaderboard check shows that only 3 guys broke 5 hrs.  Where is everybody?  I haven't seen another biker for 12 miles?  At the last turnaround the guy shouted out 40th place?  Must be wrong or 40th amateur at best.  I've done everything wrong.  Must have lost 4 minutes on the swim, under dressed for the weather, power meter froze up, biking too hard, can't get food down, relieved myself frequently on the bike, ugh.  Can't wait for the run. I'll just try to bring it home healthy. 

FUN ON THE RUN

Like the bike course, there are frequent splits on the run, 8 in total, and some of these are repeats also.  Running is BE3's strength as he basically trains for ultra trail runs and tries to squeeze in some swimming and biking as he approaches a triathlon race.  That's why he clumps his triathlons into short time periods.  His run splits look like he planned. Thinking of the line from the Kenny Rogers country western song --"you never count your money when your sittin' at the table"-- I try to not get too excited for him.  At 13.1 miles he moved into 34 overall and 3rd age group.  At 22.6 miles 34th and 2nd age group.  Am I glad to see Sandra and Alexa and Bella. Bella wants a hug and a lift? Great? What, I'm in what place? Wow, everyone must be hurting. Not that many more miles to go, but I'll have to walk some of the aid stations.  I am so cold, even on the run, it doesn't make sense to me as its warmer now? The patches of sun sure feel good.

Yea, he's done!  3:31 run split.   Only 6 pros broke 3 hours. 10:28 final time.  37th overall, 10th amateur, 3rd age group, KONA bound!  I need to go to the med tent.  I am really cold.  What is my core temp?  95 degrees?  I can't eat a thing. 


In an Ironman there can be a whole series of emotional and physical swings.  Unlike shorter triathlons, there is the opportunity for redemption for miscalculating equipment, nutrition, pacing as long as you persevere and keep your wits about you.  It's tough being the parent of an Ironman, even if you are an Ironman.

3RD AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 70.3 -- A BRUTE OF A RACE

A young looking group of Podium finishers

Well, the Ironman World Championship 70.3 (c'mon, it's a Half Ironman), held in the local of Henderson, Nevada, deserves its reputation as one brute of a race venue.  Fortunately, the forecast of 103 degree heat for the September 8th race was interrupted by a late summer monsoon that brought rain that lasted through most of the bike leg.  [A monsoon in the desert southwest sounds like an oxymoron, but for the residents, compared to their normal dry and hot weather, it feels like a monsoon.  Every year in late summer moisture from the south makes its way north and most of the 6 or 7 annual inches of rain fall in that so-called "monsoon" season.] But, once the rain passed, the humidity remained and it warmed up to the mid-80's for the run.

Besides the usual heat, there are the hills.  2800 vertical climbing on the bike and since it is a point-to-point bike with the ending elevation about 800 feet above the starting point, the bike entropy is not zero. You get to climb but you don't get to descend all the way.  And the run has about 200 feet of climb and descent each of the 3 laps.

Entry into the 70.3 Worlds was by qualification at one of the approximately 50 qualifying races held worldwide.  My 65-69 age group typically had one qualifying slot per race.  Due to attrition or passed slots, by the time the bib numbers were assigned, there were 34 entrants in this age-group, 15 of which made their home outside the USA.  Don't think they came here just for the weather.

I had traveled back to Arizona from Minnesota some 10 days prior to the race to attempt to get heat acclimated.  My Internet research had indicated that 10 days of training for a minimum of 90 minutes per day in the heat would get you most of the way there.  I had followed that plan for the Ironman World Championships in 2011 and it proved effective.  It was the hills that were tough for me to get a handle on since my summer training terrain in Minnesota was on relatively flat ground (like 60 mile bikes with 150 foot total climbing!).

My son was going to join me again for this race so we were able to share race strategy and targets. After some consternation I settled on :40/2:50/2:00 for the swim/bike/run segments plus transitions giving 5:35 assuming a good race and the milder weather.  Part of my concern was my arthritic knees which made run training for the past two months difficult and a sprained back that occured 7 days prior to race day. Fortunately, neither was a significant issue on race day.

Early morning Lake Las Vegas during the monsoon

The swim was in Lake Las Vegas, a man-made lake with water from Lake Mead pumped up into it to maintain its water level.  Average water temp this time of year is low 80's, no wetsuits.  There were wave starts and the 60+ males had an early start in wave 4 departing at 6:44.  The swim was uneventful, I held a good line, was not hassled but was surprised by my slow split, 44:25.  I had turned in a 41minute swim at Racine 70.3 in much worse conditions.  Just not a good swim.

The rain was pretty heavy during parts of the bike which I responded to by being very cautious on turns and descents.  At mile point 25 I was not feeling great but only putting out 209 average watts, way below my Racine 70.3 numbers of 220 watts.  I decided to ease up some thinking that the hills were impacting me more than I had imagined.  I finished at an average of 200 watts and with a split of 2:52:47. I only consumed 4 gels and 2 1/2 bottles of fluid on the bike, partly due to the steady rain on the course.  I relieved myself 3 times on the bike, not a good sign, hoping the steady rain would cleanse everything.  [Having to relieve oneself is a sign of over hydration. Water is not getting through the cell membranes into the body so the bladder flushes the excess out in trying to establish a better water-to-salt-minerals balance.  Sometimes ingesting more salt minerals resolves the problem.]  I did manage to take 4 salt capsules with water.

Not in a happy place at this point

I decided in the bike/run transition to go sock less on the run as my socks were soaked (see above) and full of mud from the bike.  I had no spare socks in the run bag (error).  The first mile of the run was horrible as I was not able to get a rhythm, and I realized that I had some small gravel in my shoes which I left there.  I resorted to my planned jog/walk routine that was necessary for me to complete the half marathon, as my longest training run this summer had been 7 miles utilizing a similar jog/walk routine (the only approach my knees tolerated).  At this point I knew there were some of my age-group competitors in front of me but I didn't really care as I was already into "finish" mode.

Finding that happy place

I did notice one competitor gaining ground on me at each turn around.  Not too much I could do about that during the early miles but follow my plan and see what happened.  Besides, I was in "finish" mode and not in contention anymore to win; a podium finish was the new goal. What happened is he passed me with three miles to go starting an uphill section.   I tried to stay with him but he slowly moved away until he graciously walked through an aid station with less than 2 miles to go.  That allowed me to catch up and I remained behind him until there was about 1 mile left with a small uphill remaining followed by a long downhill finish.  I decided to push it and either open enough gap to discourage him or fail in trying.  I did not want another close finish either way.  I didn't look back, he didn't catch me.  My split was 1:59:56. I placed third with an overall time of 5:44:03 including some slow transitions.  My son placed 23rd in the highly competitive 40-44 age group in 4:44:13.

My knees and back survived just fine and I feel healthy.  I've scheduled a September evaluation at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota to evaluate my knees.  I have avoided this clinic visit for some time as I am afraid I will not like the analysis and recommendations.  But now its time to rest and recover and discover.