Lake Geneve 1/2 Ironman

As Natalie and I negotiated our way to Fontana, WI on Friday evening, I thought about how busy the weekend was going to be. First, completing the 1/2 on Saturday and then driving up to Madison to get ready for the Ironman (spectating) on Sunday. Getting back to the Lake Geneva race. I was a bit nervous going into this race because of the lack of organization that this race is notorious for. The race started earlier than most at 6:15 a.m. and the sun was barely peaking up over the horizon. I made my way over to the swim start with about 200 compadres and listened to the pre-race announcements.



The swim started out fine (mass start) and I was about 10 people back after about a 1/2 mile. Nothing new as I am not that strong of a swimmer. The rest of the swim was all about concentrating on my breathing and form. I departed the water in about 5 position and knew that I was right where I wanted to be.

Swim time: 32:00

I was not familiar with the course, so I was happy to sit back for the first 35 miles or so and wait to reel some folks in. I took over the lead at about 37 miles and was averaging around 23.7 mph, which I was very comfortable with. I came across the leader and exchanged the lead twice before taking the final say in the matter. At about mile 45, there was one heck of a head wind and that caused me to back off of my wattage until I came within 6 miles from transition. Once at about mile 50, I thought about conserving my energy for the hills, but there really weren't many.

Bike time: 2:21:xx

The run started off well as I didn't know what to expect, but then I saw this hill, and I knew that I maybe in trouble. I took it easy and backed off my pace just to maintain a nice cadence and not blow up my heart rate. I liked the fact that this was a two loop course because I could re-con the course on the first loop and push myself harder on the second...if there was energy in the tank. I was averaging about a 6:35/pace and was feeling really good. The hills were mostly at the beginning, but it certainly was a tough 1/2 marathon. I came to the turn-a-round point and looked at my watch to start figuring out the splits of the second place runner. I saw somone that I had passed on the bike and noticed that I was about 6 minutes up over second place. I continued to push on in a conservative manner and ended up with a new PR!

Run time: 1:26xx

1/2 Ironman total: 4:22:xx
1st overall

I was very pleased with this race as I kept my heart rate low and felt my legs were really strong!
Next up will be some information on my training routine as I am done with any races until Hawaii. I do want to mention that we ended up going to IMWI on Sunday and the times were wicked fast. I am glad I didn't have to try and qualify for IM Kona this year, as it would have been a tall order.

Pete