Back to White Lake

One week to go before my first race of the season! It’s back to the ol’ tried and true White Lake Half Iron – a race I used to love, grew to hate, and now I’m going back for more! Flat and fast, this race has a great course for setting personal bests, but lately it’s been known for being a hot weather race. And I absolutely suck in the heat. Last time I raced here I was doubled over and puking at mile 6 of the run when my good buddy John Royal came running by and said, “Looking good, Bruce!” I dropped out right after that.

Can't beat the fancy shack we all stay at when we go to White Lake! Here, the Vincinator emerges from his lair.

It’s the run course that bugs me. When it used to be a short out-n-back done twice through some nice, somewhat shaded neighborhoods I had a blast, but when they changed it to a single out-n-back around the lake with zero shade this race lost its luster to me. Well, that and memories of puking.

Now, 10 pounds lighter than my best race weight and two months of Ironman distance training behind me I’m pretty dog-gone pumped and eager to test myself out there again. And, to throw icing on the cake, early weather forecasts for next Saturday are predicting highs in mid-70’s and scattered rain. For me, that’s perfect!

Lots of competition to motivate me too: Dan Young, Kit Phillips, Jay Carmine, Marty Gaal. I love these guys and I love doing battle with them, even though I’d put my money on them every time. But it’s early in the season and I usually come out of the gates with more mojo than later in the year, and as pumped as I am going into this season I just might have a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for the brothas! Not that I’m contesting the win, because that’s not gonna be realistic. But going sub 4:30 is a big personal goal, and I’d like to place as high as I can, which I hope to be top 10.

My first White Lake Half, back in 2007, went really well. Look at how eager I was to get out on that run course that year!

Gotta have a plan though, so let’s lay this down.

Swim Leg:

I need to throw down a sub 30 minute swim. This is a 1:25/100 yd pace, which is my goal for the IM as well. This is my first test to see if I’m on track. Of course lots of factors here: are the buoys placed accurately, will it be wetsuit legal, etc? At any rate, much of the competition will leave me on the swim – Marty, Dan, and Jay are all much better swimmers than me. That’s just the way it is. I’ll have to swim my own pace, and latch onto any feet I can find.

Bike Leg:

This is a little bit of an unknown at the moment. I tend to go between 2:23 and 2:24 for flat half iron distance bike legs. I’d take that, but sitting in this comfy chair it’s easy to think maybe I can throw down something faster. I’ve not had much high intensity cycling so far this spring, but I’ve had some whoppers on the endurance aspect of things with two 100+ mile sessions already tagged. I want to be prepared for the usual headwind that hits at mile 30, and I plan to have something ready to give me a boost at that moment like a Gu Roctane with caffeine or something. The final 26 miles of this course are crucial as the headwind saps your will to perform all the way to the dismount line. If you’re amongst competitors at this point, it can be a big psychological blow if you can manage to ride away from them here. Perhaps the endurance rides I’ve done lately for IM training will help me feel fresher than usual at this point. But probably not.

At any rate, I hope to close the gap on the fast swimmers during the bike ride. And any extra I can put on them before the foot race will be a bonus.

Run Leg:

My nemesis. If it’s hot and humid, it’ll be all I can do to put it out of my mind and run my own race. I’ll be trying to draw as much energy as I can from knowing I’m showing up to the dance with 10 pounds less of me to tote around the lake. Mentally, I’ll need to break the run down into two 6.5 mile segments – first, focusing on getting to the turnaround quickly, and then after that, hanging on to the finish with hopefully enough energy for a late mileage surge if I can find the gumption. If I can stay focused and find a zone I’m hoping a sub 1:30 half marathon will seal the deal to a perfect race.