Kinetic Half-Ironman Race Report:

April 19th, 2008
Lake Anna State Park, VA
Weather Conditions: Perfect for race conditions: mid-50’s in the morning, 80 at end of race, light wind, sunny

This race is one of the first Half-Ironman races in the southeast. It is a good test to see how your early season condition/training has progressed. The race director requires that everyone wear a wetsuit during the swim. The lake water temperature is typically in the mid-50’s but fortunately, on race morning it had climbed up to a warm 63 degrees.

The swim started in waves and was a two-loop course. The water felt great with a full wetsuit on and the water was clear and smooth. My swim started off great. After warming up to the water, it was cruise time. I weaved my way through the traffic and got out of the water not the least bit tired and ready to hit the pedals.

One of the beauties of this race is the bike course. The course isn’t flat or too hilly. The hills are rolling, with two short climbs, several turns, lots of farmland, and perfectly positioned aid stations. Additionally, unlike a lot of other races, the road surfaces are in great condition. The bike leg was utilized as time for me to focus on my nutrition for the run. I ended up drinking 5 water bottles, ate a 3 GU packets that I had in my GU flask on my frame, and several Ecaps. The temperature was climbing, the sun was out and I did not want to start the run dehydrated or cramping. Overall, the bike leg was about as perfect as I would have hoped for during this stage of the season. I was very happy with my average speed and the condition I was in starting the run.

The run is a 3-loop run all in the park. Here again, not a completely flat course but they throw in two short but really steep hills to keep you awake (and make your hamstring yell at you!). During T2 I ate another GU and a handful of Ecaps again. This course is great for fast runners. You could tell immediately who the “running rabbits” were once the run started. The first two laps were pretty uneventful. I took two cups of liquid at every aid station, stopped at one to fill my hat with ice, and tried to take in the surrounds and scenery of the park. The beginning of lap 3 was when my left leg shin-splint started acting up again and I was forced to throttle back quite a bit. The force of my leg hitting the pavement started to feel like a hammer was hitting my shin, and I didn’t want to make it any worse. The season just started and we all need to keep ourselves healthy, to date I am still nursing it back to health.

By the time I crossed the finish line, I was ready to just sit down. The race is truly one of my favorites in the area. The Set-Up Events race director does a wonderful job with the course and the aid stations. I highly recommend this race to anyone who would like to try an early season Half-Ironman.

Race Statistics:

Swim: 34:58(83rd)

T1: 3:01(94th)

Bike: 2:43:49(61st)

T2: 1:14(27th)

Run: 1:58:15(78th)

Overall: 5:21:16(67th)

Train Hard, Race Harder