Welcome to Mike's Tri Adventure
My name is
Mike Coughlin and I am a triathlete from Sudbury, Ontario,
Canada. In 2001 I started training for triathlons for
fun and fitness. I discovered that the sport also provides
great opportunities to learn about yourself and meet fascinating
people.
This winter,
I decided to follow my triathlon dreams and train full
time for 5 months, visiting several triathlon hotbeds
and training my body and mind to be stronger than ever.
Along the way I look forward to meeting interesting people,
seeing some new places and taking the experiences as they
come. I designed this website to write about these experiences
for myself, friends and family.
Friday,
December 23, 2005
Wednesday,
December 21, 2005
Race Reports
– Taupo Half Ironman
When planning my triathlon adventure, I
noticed that there was a Half Ironman held on parts of
the Ironman New Zealand course on December 17. Yes, it
was only 2 weeks after my arrival in New Zealand and I
would hardly be in race shape, but I figured "why
not?"
I traveled to Taupo on New Zealand's North
Island with my new American friend and training partner
Brandon Del Campo. Neither of us felt we were particularly
ready to race a half IM, but we had planned to train straight
through this event. A 2 hour run and a ride of one lap
of the IM course were on tap the day before the race.
A few observations from the bike ride:
There are cemeteries all over the place
here, and in strange places like on the side of a hill
in the middle of nowhere and on a residential lot between
two houses.
The rumours about the roads here are true. No real potholes,
but a fairly rough chip seal surface. I'm very glad that
I picked up a comfy carbon Aquila tri bike from Bialkowski
Trysport before coming down here.
The rumours about the lack of driving skills down here
are also true. Taupo is known for tourists and logging
trucks, and both were available to make things interesting
on our training ride.
The IMNZ bike course is a lot flatter than those I have
been used to riding. Sure there are some rollers and a
few short climbs, but there will be a lot of time spent
on the aerobars. Good motivation to practice the aerodynamic
cycling position I found in the wind tunnel – I
am about halfway there right now.
After the ride, we signed up for the race
and settled in early since the start was 6:30am the next
day.
Race morning dawned damp and dreary –
nothing new since it has been that way since I got to
this country. I had heard that Lake Taupo was cold, and
there was no exaggeration there – the water took
both my breath and the feeling in my feet away. The point
to point swim was in shallow, crystal clear water and
I found a few good drafts that kept me working hard enough
to stay warm and hit dry land in under 32 minutes.
Onto the bike and it was obvious we were
in for one wet ride. The organizers had made it clear
that there would be a zero tolerance approach to drafting,
and people were taking that seriously for the most part.
I kept my head down in my aero position and hammered away,
pleasantly surprised that my legs had some power at the
end if a hard week. Easing off in the last hour of riding,
I looked forward to having a decent half IM run for a
change. Somehow, I had still managed to ride my way up
into 9th place.
Onto the run, my legs felt good but my bladder
sure didn't. I jumped behind the first big tree and took
care of business – my second pee stop of the day.
Learning to pee on the bike has quickly become a training
priority, as I was passed by a runner during that time
who had also passed me during my first stop on the bike.
Back out on the run, I was moving well in
the cool rainy weather. The course is a 2 loop out and
back along the lakefront with a nice mix of sidewalks
and footpaths. About half of the route has narrow two-way
traffic, which made for some interesting dodging maneuvers
as the course filled up. The rain continued and everyone
was beginning to look like a drowned rat. At the beginning
of the second loop, I was passed by a second runner just
before we both passed a fading cycle specialist.
As the second lap progressed, the gap to
the runner who passed got longer and then stabilized off
in the distance. As usually happens, I had mentally written
him off as simply a faster athlete. However, as we got
into the last few km I had to admit he was coming back
to me, and that with a serious push I might catch him.
Usually when catching another runner near
the end of the race, I find myself timing it so that I
reach them just before the finish line. This never works
because they inevitably kick at the end leaving me still
chasing at the line. I knew I had to dig deep early and
catch him before we got near the finishing chute.
The last 2km felt like a car chase in downtown
Manhattan as we each dodged and weaved our way through
the heavy two way traffic. The dramatic effect was heightened
as the skies opened further and unleashed an absolute
downpour on us. With about 500m to go, I rolled up behind
him and tried to catch my breath – unfortunately,
he looked back and I rolled up on his shoulder:
Me: This is going to hurt, isn't it?
Him: Let's do it, mate.
And with that, the pace picked up and the
game was on. An attack, a counter attack, and finally
an all-out push for the finish. I managed to gap the other
runner and simply ran as hard as I could to the finish,
securing 9th overall in a time of 4:25:47 – a nearly
14 minute Personal Best. I staggered at the line, knowing
I had given my all. Brandon came in a few minutes later
with his own significant personal best time, and the second
fastest run of the day.
The race itself was great, but everyone
here knows that the best part of the Taupo Half Ironman
is the after party. The winners each receive a big stuffed
animal and about 250kg of beer – with the stipulation
that they can take none of it home with them. Needless
to say, we all partied until the wee hours which is a
nice change from the "race and go home" habits
of most triathletes.
On Sunday, we woke a little later than normal
and took a well deserved day off, enjoying the beautiful
Taupo and Rotorua resort areas. In fact, it was actually
sunny for a change! We returned back to Christchurch with
an in depth knowledge of the IMNZ course and increased
confidence in our training and fitness. We also learned
just how well you can perform at the end of a hard training
week.
Follow your dreams!
Mike
Taupo Half
Ironman – Top 10 Results
Place First Name Last Name Team Bib Swim
T1 Bike T2 Run Finish
1 KIEREN DOE 744 00:25:37 00:01:06 02:14:40
00:00:58 01:14:21 03:56:41
2 ANDREW YOUNG 731 00:27:56 00:01:13 02:12:14
00:01:15 01:23:39 04:06:18
3 JAMIE WHYTE 707 00:28:16 00:01:01 02:20:16
00:00:56 01:22:05 04:12:34
4 GREG STEWART 633 00:29:39 00:01:01 02:20:22
00:01:21 01:23:58 04:16:20
5 BEN COTTER 247 00:30:41 00:01:05 02:21:20
00:01:10 01:23:20 04:17:36
6 ANDREW MACKAY 451 00:26:48 00:01:46 02:27:59
00:01:59 01:19:42 04:18:13
7 SHANON BARNETT 169 00:28:18 00:01:04
02:26:23 00:00:53 01:23:34 04:20:12
8 CLINTON THOMAS 658 00:32:34 00:01:08 02:26:23
00:00:58 01:23:12 04:24:15
9 MIKE COUGHLIN 248 00:32:06 00:01:53 02:24:56
00:01:13 01:25:40 04:25:47
10 GREG THOMPSON 659 00:34:50 00:03:34 02:25:51
00:01:36 01:20:08 04:25:58
Full Results: http://www.half.co.nz/%5Ced%5Csite%5CedResults.asp?nID=1010&race_ID=INDIVIDUALS&format=HTML
--
Mike Coughlin
Coach/Mentor
The Discomfort Zone
'Where true potential is discovered'
Read more at Mike's site...
Click
Here to Access Mike's Tri Website
