New Orleans 1/2 IronMan
Last November when I was setting the ‘09 schedule inaugural half IronMan New Orleans seemed so far away. 10 weeks of warm weather training, 21 h of driving later, Sean, Marcello and I arrived and unfolded ourselves out of cars to meet Bobo’s in-laws for what would end up being a spectacular 4 days in the Big Easy.
Crime, Mardi Gras, Partying, Hurricanes, we saw none of those, but what the city was spread thickly with was character. Lots of color, ’southern hospitality’ exceeded even my expectations. I’ll start with a race report and get you more on that later. Long time associate Bobo had graciously let us stay with his In Laws, and we had a great, but too brief, visit with Ken and Linda.Race – 2 Days. Get in some light training with 
Ken and Sean to get the blood flowing. Colorfully narrated driving tour of the city ‘the superdome doesn’t have a roof because it’s built next to the thuggy part of town. Every guy gets his new gun and wants to shoot as something – Blam, Blam, Blam’.
Race -1 Day previewed all the courses get in some shorter workouts with a few pick-ups. While I am packing my gear from the transition and getting my Specialized set with my HED. race wheels I hear trumpet, good live jazz trumpet, music wafting in an open window, reminding me where I am.
The ‘Plan’ (normally I publish these a day before the race. Here it was to have a solid swim, steady bike, and strong run. More than anything it was to get a feel for my currant fitness and
Swim: 1.9 (plus?) km murky
My Xterra Vendetta wetsuit is easily more buoyant, and more flexible through the shoulders than anything I have ever swam in. My age group had 2 waves, I’m in the 1st following the pro women. After a very calm swim start I find myself in a 
lead group of three. I surge coming into the swim finish and am first amateur ashore (woo hoo Xterra Wetsuit).
Bike: 90km flat with breeze
The course is really really flat save a few overpasses. There are a lot of cops out and it is a very well closed venue. Flat courses like this are really tough because you are in one static tucked position for the entire duration. Hills let you shift around, and engage other muscles, but not here it’s head down and ride for 2h10 min. I hit my wattage goals, passed all the pro women (they had a 8min head start) a bunch of the pro men (Sean saw a gator, I didn’t) and I’m 1st age grouper out of 2900 to rack my bike and head out.
Run: 21km flat finishing in the French Quarter
The first 7km passed really well. It was great to see that Canuck, and good guy Brent McMahon was making up time on race Leader Macca. At around the 8km marker I cease to feel chipper and am not going too well. Ohh it was a long run leg. However I do manage to establish a course record 
Race plan execution: Well I had a solid swim, could have gone a little quicker. Bike. In all likely hood 3-4 minutes slower would have resulted in a 12 minute faster run split. Across the board people who had quick bikes suffered on the run This 
was my first ever 1/2 IM with a power meter on the bike leg. Knowing that bike at x power results in run at pace y. Next go around will be x-7 watts for a better run.
Post Race:
One thing that New Orleans is NOT is cookie cutter. Roads radiate out from the meandering Mississippi creating a web like pattern. Architecture is cool and unique from house to house.
People talk about Katrina like 2005 was last week. Though reminders in the form of still vacant buildings, battered trees, fresh renovations, and lumpy roadways remind locals of the perils of a life below sea level.
Everyone knows the elevation of their house (Ken’s land is 5 above the flood level, house 1.5 below flood level). When you had 11 feet of water in some parts of town … that
was high land, and he was able to drive out from work over the the bridge past the superdome.
We took the street car downtown to spend a little time on Bourbon St. That place really is one of a kind. Even on a Sunday night there was lots going on. It’s a neon mix of clubs, (you name the type) trinket/ t-shirt shops and strip clubs.
Being Crawfish season Bobo & Lukin sent us off with an authentic southern send off. I never would have imagined that the 5 of us could have mawed through 12 lbs of seasoned & spiced critters, potatoes, and corn so quickly. I’m not a huge seafood person but this was fantastic.
As I finish writing this we are pulling into Clermont FL for 4 weeks of higher intensity training leading up to St Croix 1/2.
Other:
- New Orleans is awesome.
- If you have never been, sign up for a race there, and spend a week.
- The event itself had some issues, but I am sure that they will be getting worked out for the next edition.
- I had the 2nd fastest 1st Transition on the day
- 9th fastest on the bike
- 14th fastest 2nd Transition
- A Black woman on the run course ‘loved my hair’
2 Comments
rhysblog on April 7th, 2009
way to get ‘er done Nat. Keep building form and St. Croix is yours!