Nevada Silverman Race Report

On Sunday I did the Silverman Half-Iron distance triathlon. Here is my report...

My family and I arrived late Friday night. I went to the expo to pick up my packet Saturday morning. Now, for this race I had registered in the Clydesdale under 39 division for which six months ago that would have been no problem. However, as many of you have seen I have lost some weight and have been bouncing around in the mid 190's. So when I was ready to step on the scale at the wight in I was prepared to be booted from the division. However, the scale came in at 202! Fantastic, it is amazing what a big breakfast can do. Next it was to Lake Mead to drop off the bike and gear bags. That evening I went to a Vegas buffet and fueled up with meat and vegetables and got to bed early. The next morning was at the race venue at 7:20 for the 8:30 start.

The swim course was a 1.2 mile loop with a in the water mass start of about 400 people. I got my position right up front. The horn sounded and we were off. I was able to get out in front quickly and follow the lead kayak for about the first half mile. I was in a small pack of about 6 or 7 swimmers. Rounding the first buoy I got dunked by a relay swimmer for not yielding left. I thought, what the hell. At the second buoy the pack got more spread out and the kayak went faster. The lead guy just took off. Coming into the swim finish I was in 5th place overall at 26 minutes. I was pumped as that was my time goal. I did a quick transition and it was on the bike.

I did not quite know what to expect on the 56 mile bike leg. I was worried about wind more than the hills. For about the first ten miles I was moving along well. Then for the next ten miles lots of cyclists started blowing by me. I think this is where I lost some focus. At the turnaround at mile 25 or so, I put it back together. At mile 35 I was feeling good and eating and hydrating as scheduled. At mile 38 I got to meet the "Three Sisters". They are a series of three hills that are a few hundred yards long but with an 18 degree incline. I really did not think they were all that bad. The bad part was next. At about mile 40 or so there was an incline that seemed to go on forever. It was at a point in the race where you start to question why you are out there. From there to about mile 50 was a big mental challenge. I could not get my bike moving faster than 16 mph no matter what, it was frustrating and I know I was not bonking because I was not being passed and was able to keep up with cyclists around me. Even the last few miles had hills. I was looking forward to the run. The bike course was just never ending and brutal. It required a lot of concentration going both up and down hills. I came in to T2 with a bike leg with 3:30. If I had to do the bike over I think I would have not had a HED3 on the
front as it was difficult for me to handle on downhills with crosswind.
I did not feel stable so I took some descents slow.

I spent a few minutes in the changing tent. For this event I put on the compression socks. I know they look goofy but I think they worked. On the run and I felt fantastic. One thing that I immediately noticed was that I was passing people and was able to do so the whole way. I did the "walk run" where I did a speed walk though each aid station. I took lots of water, one over my head and a big drink. I think I was in the low 80's on the run. My strategy worked well. The run course was a real challenge with lots of uphill the worst being from about mile 4-7 being all up. I just kept moving along until about mile 12.5 where I had some crazy muscle pain in my right leg. Ouch, it really hurt but I walked it off for about a minute and ran to the finish. My half marathon time was a 2:12.

The finish line was fantastic it was like a party! I finished in 6:16. I was 126th overall and got 3rd place in the Under 39 year Clydesdale division. For this race I had my best swim time in a half iron distance, best half marathon time in a half iron distance, and my 2nd best time overall for a half iron distance.

Some nutritional notes. One of the things that has really held me back on previous races was not eating enough food before the race and on the bike. However, I was able to overcome it this time. I had a good dinner the night before and good breakfast that morning. Before the swim 2 GU. On the bike 9 GU, 1 uncrustable bbj, 1 banana, about 40 oz GU2o, and lots of water. On the run it was 3 GU, 1 banana, some chips, and lots of water with some diluted gator aid. In past races I had fallen apart and run out of energy but not this time.

Overall, the Silverman is a fantastic event. Well organized and really athlete focused. It is challenging and it absolutely 100% lives up to its claim to being the worlds toughest half and full iron distance races. I will do it again.

Next up for 2010 the Superfrog Half in Coronado and IM AZ.....