My First Half Ironman Triathlon

Sunday October 4, 2009
Montauk, New York

For the last 3 months I have fretted over this race which was my athletic goal for this year and I am so glad it is finally over and behind me. Yesterday, I participated in my first half ironman triathlon in Montauk, NY - the Mightyman Half Ironman. The race begins with a 1.2 mile swim in a lake, followed by a 56-mile bike over rolling hills, and then wrapped up with a half marathon (13.1 mile) run. I had never raced this distance before. I finished the race in 7 hours and 22 minutes, which came a surprise to me as I was not sure if I had the ability to finish within the (enforced) race time limit of 8 hours.

My friends Marc and Tiffany (who is 4 months into her pregnancy) drove me over to Montauk, NY on Saturday afternoon. It is a 3-hour car ride from Staten Island. We reached there by 3:45pm and after checking into our respective hotel accommodations, we had an early dinner at 5:30pm. I opted to go to bed early at 9pm as I had to rise at 3:30am and had to report to race site by 5:30am.

The weather in this part of the world had been somewhat cold, cloudy, dreary and wet for several days prior to the race. That was a cause of worry to me. Since I had never raced this distance before, I didn't want any additional weather-related challenges to face that day. Surprisingly, although it did rain on Saturday afternoon, on Sunday the clouds dissipated and the weather was mild and sunny. I was delighted.

I woke up at 3am but rolled out of the bed at 3:30am. After coffee and a bagel with peanut butter and jam, I biked over to the race site at 5:30am. The ground was wet and muddy. It was pitch dark. Thankfully I brought my flashlight with me. I set up my bike and my transition area and then climbed into my new wet suit. My wave of athletes were to jump into the lake at 6:48am. It was humid. My turn came to step into the lake, I felt the water and it was cold. It stung my body as I immersed myself into it. They blew the horn and off we went. I began swimming but something was not right. The cold water was distracting. It crept into my wet suit. I was unable to focus on my breathing and just then I lost control over my breathing completely. I struggled in the water. I fought the distraction and tried to re-adjust the focus. The systematic breathing pattern, essential for swimming especially in a race, went awry and I knew it right away something was going to go very wrong. I began to swallow water. Panic began to set in. I flipped over. It did not help. I flipped back and continued to swim very slowly and that too did not help. I felt "tightness" in my chest. Just then I saw a chap on the kayak close-by. I motioned to him and he came to my rescue. I held on to the kayak for about 4 long minutes. He and I chatted briefly. My breathing settled down and I felt better. Good enough to resume the swim. I swam the remaining portion of the entire distance (1.2 miles) but at a very slow, cautious pace because I didn't want to take any chances with a reoccurrence of the incident that had just occurred. I finished the swim in 59 minutes. I emerged from the water slightly fatigued and dizzy. I ran to my bike and struggled to get out of my wet suit. One of the officials helped me out of it. Jumped on my bike and off I went on a 56-mile ride.

The bike portion involved two loops of a 28-mile route. It meandered over hills, highways, residential areas, narrow streets and sections next to the ocean. It is a visually arresting route but very challenging. Biking is new to me. I learned biking here in the US about 4-5 years ago and I am still not completely comfortable on a bike. When I bike, I am always on the edge and slightly nervous. Recently, I had "aero bars" installed on my bike and had the gears moved to the front of the bars. I did this to help me rest my arms on the bike when I go for long bike rides. However, I didn't quite realize that "aero bars" require some adjusting and with the race merely 2 months away, I had the twin challenge of adjusting to the bars and training for riding 56 miles. I would wake up early weekend mornings and go biking in Staten Island to develop a level of comfort with the new contraption. As I completed the first loop yesterday morning, I got familiar with the terrain and knew what I had to encounter when I ride it again to complete the second 28-mile loop. Some of the hills were rather challenging but I was rewarded with vistas of the glistening ocean water under the bright sun, after overcoming those hills. We rode through some of the most expensive neighborhoods of Long Island, NY, lined with mansions and properties which were eye-poppingly stunning, often leaving me awestruck as I peddled past them like a maniac. I finished the bike portion in 3 hours and 55 minutes, much faster than the 4.5 hours I had anticipated.

Getting off the bike was a huge relief because then began my favorite portion of the race which I am most comfortable with - running. We were required to run 13.1 miles. After briskly changing into my running shoes and cap, I darted out of the transition area to commence the half marathon. The run portion was two loops of approximately 6.5 miles. I began running and was very happy to have the swim and bike sections of the race behind me. I had no idea how tough the run portion was going to be. They made us climb every hill in that region! I managed to sprint through the first loop, climbing the hills with ease, but struggled in the second loop. The sun was shining bright upon us and I was beginning to feel dehydrated. Energy levels dipped at times. I kept running, never stopped, however, did slow down considerably when it became excruciatingly laborious to place one foot in front of the other. Pain shot through my feet, thighs, glutes, calves, hamstrings. Now I knew why they call it the "Mightyman" - it requires all your might to finish it. As I crossed every mile of the second loop, my heart leapt with joy because I knew every stride was getting me closer to the finish line and the attainment of my goal for 2009. I kept going and then I saw the finish line a few hundred feet away from me. A groan escaped my lips. I threw my body forward and pushed hard and just then I saw a very pregnant Tiffany waving at me. I was so happy to see her. A familiar, smiling face, waving at me joyously - I was over the moon at the sight. I ran past the finish, my name and race number was announced over the loud speakers and almost instantly a feeling of calm began to set in. I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 18 minutes. I had done it! It was over. I was engulfed with euphoria. I had covered a distance (a total of 70.3 miles) in one day - a feet I could never have imagined possible just a few years ago. Warm hugs, smiles, words of praise and encouragement flowed profusely from Marc and Tiff....sounds which came together and blended into this one sublime feeling of joy.

This has been a tough year for many of us but we have and continue to, push hard through it, just as I did those last few miles of this race. As I struggled on the route, I thought of the challenges we face in life and as I overcame the challenges along the race route, it made me dwell upon life and its own struggles. I wanted to end this strife-riddled year with a race that would be challenging for me. Crossing the finish line brought me hope.

I have many more distances to cover and you all will be there with me, I hope.....

Cheers!
Deepak