Race Coverage

Carney Wins Carney Island 140.6...

Monday, 01 April 2019 23:10

By David Carney

HITS-Ocala Race Report - Triathlon is a wonderful sport.

It may very well be the most giving and influential activity I have participated in. It gives you self awareness and promotes growth in all areas of life. All your weaknesses and shortcomings are revealed and exposed during the process of training and racing. If your diet is poor, if you are not sleeping enough, if you are stressed, if you are in a unhealthy relationship, if you come in a contact with a negative person, you will know immediately. This is the awareness I need so I can make changes to ensure my spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health is good.
November 28th I signed up for Ironman Madison and I want to crush it to be honest. Shortly after I realized I need a practice run at this distance to fully understand tactics, nutrition, pacing, and gage where my fitness is at. So, I come across a 140.6 race at Carney Island Park in FL March 30th, okay game on. Seems like the perfect place and it really was. I enjoyed every minute of this event and the best part is I got to share it with my brother as he raced the sprint distance. It was his first tri so I got to support and encourage him as he lit his triathlon candle. His candle is shining and Big Sexy will be racing Chisago Lakes Sprint July 28th.

SWIM: Gun goes off at 7 sunrise was 7:18 open water start and on the countdown we all have our goggles up saying where is the buoy, too funny. It takes me longer then most to settle in for 2.4 miles and find it and today was no different. Second lap my right calf is cramping, what, why, am I in trouble, stopped for a second to try and stretch, no help started swimming and soft kick seemed to get rid of it but still freaked a bit on this. First time I used the wetsuit strippers and I loved it, why have I not used em before? Unofficial time here thinking 1:18 which means I need help on the swim and lots of room to improve here....

BIKE: Relaxed T1 put socks on and off I go on my bike for 112 miles (The Dark Knight - I love Batman) Not sure what to expect here due to minimal outdoor rides. Roads are very poor condition and no shoulder so I really can't choose a preferred line. I figured flat but lots of rollers and some good sized hills. Second lap I faded but power numbers were good and I took over the lead at mile 85. The kind gentleman was very encouraging as I passed him. Stayed in aero as much as I could but I rode the horns more then I wanted and gave up time here. Unofficial time here 5:13

RUN: T2 My big brother was nearby and I got to hear about his race as I put on fresh socks and my runners. Got up gave my brother a big hug took a selfie and off again. Feeling decent but really not knowing what to expect I now run 26.2 miles. Check the picture, Saturday we discovered 22 miles of the run was gonna be on a sand trail. I got hot, really pissed off, no mention of this, some hard pack some soft as as a beach. Eventually I realized my ignorance and embraced the trail run as it put me in a scenic environment seeing armadillos and turkeys and hearing critter move around in the bush which freaked me a bit, I dont know the habitat here. This made for a tougher run and required much more effort but very enjoyable. Mile 8 on the run I saw the gentleman I passed on the bike, again he was so encouraging and told me I was gonna win. I was really confused questioning his tactics as I was leading by maybe a quarter mile but then I remembered how triathletes support and encourage each other. Felt several spots on my legs that I thought could flare up and be a issue but nothing materialized. Faded pretty hard last 6 miles but never felt like I could not push if I needed to. Unofficial time here 3:48, again at spots I was playing sand volleyball on this run, too funny.

My time is not a winning time especially in MN where the talent is huge but on this day at Carney Island Park with a very small field 10 hours and 33 minutes was good enough to win the 140.6 mile race. Sharing the tape with my bro is rather special. The courage he showed to toe the line for his first tri is far greater then what I did. Health and Happiness people. LET'S GET IT

Try Triathlon people you will not regret it. Come watch a race I bet it sparks a candle. Team triathlon is a great option too, if you wanna race as a team then I wanna race with you.