Chelanman Half

[jrplatt]

Very short version (extra long version to follow in a few days):

Swim- best water I ever swam in

Bike- scenic, good road conditions, a few good climbs

Run- HOT!:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[ShawnB]

Good job to all of you guys. That's a serious Half, even without the blast furnace off the bike.

I must say I was very happy to be floating in the lake as you guys were headed out for the run!

[lkinkade]

Chelanman 1/2 IM 2009 Race Report

Felt like this was a really strong race for me. Last year I had done Grand Columbian in 6:43 and 4 years ago I did Troika in 6:24. The big improvements were the run and the bike.
6:20:29.1 Swim 35:55 T1 2:13 Bike 3:36 T2 2:01 Run 2:03

Breakfast
1 1/2 bagels with creme cheese
3 cups tea
some electrolyte drink

Swim- 10 mins before start had a gel and water
Didn't warm up since I was busy chatting with Porter, Porter's Mom, Stacey, Alexis, and Gerry. Positioned myself one row back far to the left. Lots of contact in the beginning but just held my spot. There was a buoy line so once things settled down I kept it in site but tried to stay a least a length or two away. Since the water was so clear it was really easy to keep an eye on the line. I have done other races where you can only see it if you are swimming right on it. Half way through the race I realized that my BFF was swimming right next to me. Good incentive to not slack off ;-). Came out of the water feeling good and ready for the fun to begin.

Bike- 1 3/4 bottle Infinit and 2 gus w/ caffeine, 2 cliff blocks- lots of water
Started out nice and easy, of course getting passed by lots of people. Tried to pick out the people I planned to pass on the run. This is always one of my favorite past times since I get passed by so many people. I have made huge improvements in biking but it is still my weak link. This was an easy out and back with some rolling terrain. On the first ascent it was beautiful. I could see the grape vines on the hillside with the background aerial view of the Lake Chelan. This was my favorite moment in the race when I was just really happy to be there. The song “Steady as she goes” started playing through my head and became my mantra on the hills. I am a notorious sandbagger so I was saving my legs for the run. During the race prep they had told us the gravel was being paved that morning. Unfortunately they were wrong. I made it about half way through but had to get off and walk my bike the remainder. Didn’t want to fall and injure myself so close to Canada. There was one big descent towards the end with a crazy U type turn. Slowed down considerably since I wasn’t sure what to except. My Garmin is showing the ride at 58 miles.

Run- 300-400 calories gel and lots of water!
I got off the bike feeling good but concerned about the heat. At every water station if there was a hose I had them spray me down. First time they did it was such a shock to my system I thought it might send me into cardiac arrest. People would be standing outside their homes with hoses. I made sure to take advantage of these every time. I got a little bitter one time when a guy was hogging the hose. I was going to ask him where his soap was since he was taking such a longer shower. But I bit my tongue and just kept on running. At the turn around point I was so relieved that I almost hugged the volunteer there. I was kind of feeling like the sloppy drunk who gets a little too friendly. Came to my senses and just told her thank you. At every aid station I was dumping water on my head. I could hear my shoes squishing as I ran. I was very happy with my smart wool socks. Even though they were soaking wet I did not get any blisters. I’ve decided it is some strange form of mental torture to run in the blazing heat next to a nice cold lake. The entire I just kept wondering if it would be acceptable to take a quick dip. For the first 80 mins I really kept up a decent pace right under 9 min miles. In the last 40 mins this slowed down but I just kept pushing on. I passed lots of people walking who were obviously experiencing heat exhaustion. I probably wasted alot of time in the aid stations but I think it really made a difference by keeping wet and cooler. AHR on the run only 153!

Great community support, lots of volunteers and fairly well organized. My only complaint was the food at the end. When I walked up there was a cluster of skinny 13 years olds scarfing down the food. Not a bagel in sight. Luckily my friend had some recovery drink and I opted for that instead.

Thanks to Ben for all the great coaching. I’m really happy with my progress and wondering what I might be able to do next year.
-Lee Ann

[alexis]

Great job Lee Ann!!!! you totally rocked it out there! it was so great to see you on the course!!

[porterb]

Great race and good job to everyone--hot, hot, hot.

My own (and very wordy) race report is up on my blog at:

http://portez.blogspot.com/

Hey and I've got some good team pictures--how do I put them up on the forum?

[Heidi]

Good race report Porter, very entertaining. Everything I've read so far, makes this race sound pretty challenging.

Cool blog too. I especially like your use of the word ameliorate. :)