112 Mile Leg

My bike segment for the most part was relaxed and I managed my effort quite well.  My strategy included biking easy for the first 25 miles in order to ease into the pace and then, bike moderate for the balance of the 112 miles.  I was told that many people mismanage the bike leg and bonk on the run (there were hundreds of people walking the marathon) as the result of burning up their legs on the bike and not having enough energy saved for the marathon. 

Spectator support is unreal.  Often times there were hundreds if not thousands of people cheering us on.  There’s an iconic series of hills, some 10 miles, that resembles Tour de France.  The fans gather on the hills from bottom to top, dress in costume, blow horns, ring cowbells, hold signs, and cheer each athlete up the hill.  The energy is contagious!  I saw my two cheering squads (family & bike club) numerous times…they gave me much needed encouragement and lifted my spirit.  It can be quite stressful and a very long day for spectators to navigate the course in an effort to catch a  glimpse of their athlete.  I wore a special GPS tracking devise that allowed my family to better track my position and progress on the course. 

By design my goal was to average 17.5 mph. Knowing that this pace was well below my ability I figured it would allow for strong legs on the run.  My bike computer indicated a 17.2 average at mile 82.  Feeling good I decided it was time to pick up the pace for the remaining 30 miles. All was good until mile 110.  Two miles from being done with the bike segment, my back tire blew as I rounded a corner causing a fishtail and a near crash…what are the odds of that?!  Fortunately, I was prepared for a bike mechanical, and had the tools, replacement tube, and C02 cartridge to fix a flat tire. Unfortunately, I was visibly flustered and struggled for some 12 minutes with the repair.   The delay caused my average bike split to fall well below my goal pace.  Nonetheless and somewhat surprising, I remained calm and kept a positive spirit!  My goal was 6:24 and my actual time including the flat tire was 6:41.