Clare L. Deming

I started this triathlon journey almost two years ago when I watched my brother, sister-in-law, and cousin complete the Ironman 70.3 in Racine, Wisconsin. All of the race excitement and their hard work made me wonder if I could ever complete the same feat. In a few days, I’ll find out.

My brother in his signature flag shorts in Racine.

When I started trying to dabble in triathlon, I didn’t know if I’d be able to run very far, or for repeated training sessions after my previous ankle injuries and surgeries. I had to take it pretty slow, but I gradually built up the miles and fitness.

From my first triathlon (Rock Hall Sprint) in Maryland to a better effort in the NJ State Triathlon, I feel like I have continued to improve in all parts of the sport. My brother and the rest of my family was there cheering me on, as well. That first day was particularly tough, and their support was very much appreciated.

Cheering me on in Rock Hall.

And now: Eagleman. In four days I will race my first Ironman 70.3.

Eagleman is a 70.3 mile race on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, along the Chesapeake Bay. That means that I will swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles back-to-back. I have done each distance individually at different times, but all together? I expect it to be a special type of hell.

Oh, and it’s traditionally hot, sunny, humid, and windy at Eagleman every year. The forecast is currently calling for a high of 87°F, high humidity, and some sun and clouds. The wind will be tougher to forecast.

Why did I pick this race, you may now be asking? Well, it was reasonably close to home and fell on a weekend that I was free. Oh, and my brother needs revenge upon the course. He raced in Eagleman last year and did not finish. Apparently the run is brutal, with full sun and radiating black asphalt. Unless you’re really fast, you will enter the lava fields of Eagleman in the full heat of noon. At least the entire course is flat.

I thought this would be a good time to think about my goals for Sunday. I feel ready for either a wetsuit or non-wetsuit swim (this will depend on the water temperature on race day). There seems to be a good amount of overlap between my fencing leg muscles and cycling muscles, so the bike segment will be the strongest part for me. I have to resist the temptation to push too hard on the bike.

Running is still pretty tough for me, but I have completed two half-marathons (13.1 miles) in preparation for Eagleman. My running goal is to run the entire run, only walking to hydrate at the water stations. If I try to drink while running, I will probably choke or drown. I want to finish strong, and I’m hoping that I don’t puke.

For specific times, here is how I break it down:

• Swim – under 1:00 hour, ideally 0:45 minutes, but this could change depending on wetsuit vs non-wetsuit swim
• Bike – 3:00 – 3:30 hours, but this is where I feel like I’m guessing the most. I could probably do it in under three hours, but then will I be able to run?
• Run – 2:30 – 3:00 hours. My PR for the distance is closer to 2:22. I blame short legs.
• Transitions (the part where I swap out equipment between each event) – 5 minutes each? depending on whether I need a bathroom break or not.

So on the high end, I should finish in 7:30, but would really like to be done in under 7 hours. If things go surprisingly well, could I be closer to 6 hours? I have no idea.

Oh, and you can track my progress on race day, if you’d like. The main Eagleman site should have live tracking. My bib number is #1362 and my swim wave begins at 7:36 a.m.

I’ll check in again after the race!

See my Eagleman race report here.