Getting Back in the Mix at Pigman Half IM

Last weekend I ventured due East to race one of the classics, Iowa’s famed Pigman.  This race has been on my radar for several years and it did not disappoint!  Quick back-drop on how I found myself on the start line of this race…Going into this season I had my sights set on racing some big ultra trail races including the San Juan Solstice 50 Miler and Run Rabbit Run 100.  The early Spring races were going smoothly and I was successfully managing my long mountain runs.  Well maybe not so successfully, as I ended up with a running injury and was off running from the end of May to early July.  During this time I continued my swimming and actually dusted off my TT bike and started biking to maintain fitness.  I was really surprised how much fun I was having back on the bike.  This, in addition to some inspiration/motivation from my friend Kathy, had me eyeing a few late season 70.3 events.

I had a very solid build up to this race and felt like my swim and bike were progressing well.  The run was coming along in good order, but certainly not in top form, and was the biggest unknown for me going into the race.

The swim was straightforward in a small lake and I positioned myself at the front.  That lasted for about 50m before I was swimming solo at what seemed like a rather pedestrian pace.  I exited the water in 8th or 9th place and was looking forward to getting on my Valdora PHX2.  I had a specific watt range based upon my training and rode a very consistent, manageable effort.  The legs held up well throughout the first half and I was able to pass a couple of other athletes.  Nutrition was spot on with First Edurance EFS Liquid Shot and EFS/Carbo Max fueling the effort.  I caught another guy within the final 10k and started thinking about the run.  Exiting T2 I knew I had some big gaps to close and I just tried to focus on my form and fueling.  This was the best I have felt on the run portion in quite some time and I was pleased to record one of the faster run splits of the day.

Huge thanks the the race director, volunteers and sponsors for making this such a fun event!  It is one I highly recommend as it has maintained the local, grass-roots feel of triathlon and is exceptionally well-run.  I had a blast and felt like I did when I was knee high to a grasshopper playing in my first soccer game 🙂

Keep it smooth,

Brad