Ironman Racine 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Racine, Wisconsin
United States
WTC
80F / 27C
Total Time = 5h 41m 25s
Overall Rank = 580/2002
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 77/214
Pre-race routine:

Ate 1 banana
5 bites of deli sandwich
1 bottle of water

Event warmup:

Nothing! Ha.

Long walk up the beach to wait for the wave swim start.
Swim
  • 42m 28s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 12s / 100 meters
Comments:

I started at the back of my wave and had no physical altercations for the entirety of my swim. I held on to a couple of people trying to pace with them because I knew I would be too cautious and go slower than I could have. I only did this twice anyway and had my own swim and finished just fine. Of course I went too conservatively in hind-sight.
What would you do differently?:

After compling the swim and then finding how much energy I had for the remainder of the day/race, I know that once I get into the groove of the swim I can start putting in more of an effort and finish a lot stronger on the swim and still have energy left.

...Next time
Transition 1
  • 03m 1s
Comments:

Long T1 time was due to the long run up the beach and into the Transition area. I felt pretty good going through the motions of getting into my bike gear and I was mentally sharp on through the hill out of Transition.
What would you do differently?:

I knew I had to deal with my stuff and the possibility of rain while out on the bike (more on that factor during T2) so I had a plastic bag over my transition back and running shoes. Without having to deal with that I may have been another 10 seconds faster.
Bike
  • 2h 48m 51s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.90 mile/hr
Comments:

I took advantage of the water given at the aid stations and made sure to bathe in almost a whole water bottle for the next few miles after each one. The sun was out at that point and I wanted to make sure to keep my body temp down as long as I could.
I only ended up drinking 1 of my 2 water bottles that had fuel in them. I started drinking the second near the end of my bike but only a little bit.

Overall: This was a great bike. My first time biking over 45 miles and I held almost 20mph pace. I very happy with that.
What would you do differently?:

Possibly fuel better to try and stave off the tightness and cramping that I had on the run. I think it would be do-able to try for a 20+mhp average with enough brick training.
Transition 2
  • 02m 30s
Comments:

This is when the downpour happened! As soon as I got off my bike at the dismount line, the sky just opened up and it was a flood of water in Transition.

When I removed my back from on top of my shoes to put my socks on and the shoes on I had to fight to get everything on since it was all getting dretched. Not the best time in T2 but I was a memorable one.
What would you do differently?:

Bring Moses or Jesus with me to part the skies and avoid the deluge of rain.
Run
  • 2h 04m 35s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

Two very steep hills to make it over right out of transition (which you had to do again as you left for your second loop), that was really hard on the quads which were already screaming from the bike. I tried to be just a bit conservative to start the run in case I was going to develop any cramping issued (which I did on the 2nd loop).

I unfortunately had a very bad 2nd loop. According to my HR monitor, I pulled over a total of 11 times to stretch my hamstrings/butt during that last loop. My body just siezed up near the end and it seemed like I only got about a minute of running in before I had to pull over to stretch. I kept yoyo-ing the same people over and over again catching up to them only to have them pass me while I stretched. This proved to be disheartening but I just chalked it up to a long day and realized that I'd still be pretty happy with a sub-6 hour day for my 1st Half Ironman!!!
What would you do differently?:

Not cramp
Post race
Warm down:

Not too much, just a bit more stretching. I hydrated like crazy during the run as well as the bike so I wasn't hungry or thirsty. Pretty neat after being out there for so long.

I felt pretty good (except for the backs of my legs) and I was mentally with it afterwards. Joked and had fun the rest of the day and the drive home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I didn't train nearly as much as I wanted or needed to. Once or twice a week won't cut it for what I deem to be a 'good day'. That said, I'm pretty psyched about my finish time and experience in the race. I can't wait to try it again soon with the possibility of really following my training plan. I wonder what I could do with more dedicatoin. That's a great feeling to have looking forward.

Looking back I have to say thanks to the Ironman race director, staff and local support. My girlfriend/sherpa, and the great people I met this year and on race weekend. You all have my utmost gratitude and deepest thanks.

Event comments:

As for the race evaluation, I wish I would have at least spectated the previous years before WTC came in and took over. For my first Half Ironman, this was a great experience and would recommend the course and the event to anyone.
Come prepared and expect to have even more fun.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-11-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:28 | 1931 meters | 02m 12s / 100meters
Age Group: 100/214
Overall: 858/2002
Performance: Average
Suit: Full Orca Equip
Course: Point to Point course that was very well marked.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:01
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:48:51 | 56 miles | 19.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 108/214
Overall: 727/2002
Performance: Good
HR peaked around 157, and averaged 151. Talk about not pushing it.
Wind: Little
Course: Mostly country roads, some shared with auto traffic on a few portions where we went onto the populuar County Highways. Police handled everything superbly and even shouted out directions, distances to aid stations and turns ahead. A few hills thrown in there but I didn't feel like any of them lasted long enough to really damage the pace or sap energy.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:30
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
02:04:35 | 13.1 miles | 09m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 73/214
Overall: 558/2002
Performance: Below average
Heart Rate was kept pretty low compared to training runs.
Course: 2 loop course, wound around/alongside the lake front.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %<1%
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4