It was a long week to get to finish a 70.3. We went down to beautiful White Lake, NC the first time on the 6th of May for White Lake Half I. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating and the swim got cancelled. 
I decided to not go on the run for various reasons, the bike however ended up being a good training ride. I was then able to shower and run out to the run course and hand out water and cheer on friends, which is always a nice experience.
It was an easy decision to go back for the 2nd weekend to complete a Half before my big race in July. The race start got delayed again due to fog, which was also the reason why the swim was cancelled the first weekend. This time however the race director did a great job managing the situation and we started the race 40 min late.
The swim didn’t exactly go as planned, since I had been working hard all winter and was expecting an improved time compared to last year. I learned a few important things that will be helpful at the longer races!
The conditions on the bike were a little different for White Lake Half II compared to the weekend prior. This time we had a wind from the S to SSW, which essentially means you have a head/side wind for the majority of the race, compared to winds from the NW a week earlier. It felt like my legs weren’t fully there after the hammer fest the previous Saturday. The focus 
was on having a steady and consistent effort for the whole 56 mi, and being able to put on a decent run. Since we had started late, the sun was beating down pretty nicely already on the bike and continued to provide nice and warm conditions on the run. The run was unspectacular, the focus again was on keeping a steady pace at a low effort, preparing myself for the longer races in the season.
Overall I am quite pleased with my race, although the time may suggest differently, but this was in preparation for Roth and was not the A-Race of the year.
There will be a time for a PR on the half distance 🙂
Stay tuned,
Steffen
