Wildflower Triathlon - Long Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Bradley, California
United States
Tri-California Events, Inc.
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 35m 28s
Overall Rank = 303/1963
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 51/249
Pre-race routine:

We drove down from Portland, Oregon leaving on Wed afternoon. We stayed the night in Williams, CA and then drove the last 4 hours to Lake San Antonio in the morning arriving in camp around 1:00 on Thursday. After getting camp set up I went for an easy 3 mile run just to get my legs moving a little from the long drive. On Thursday I did another 2.5 mile easy run with a buddy from my club. We then got our bikes ready and went for a spin. We ended up seeing Macca on the ride and rode behind him for about 5 miles. Not a bad way to spin out your legs with a 2 time Ironman World Champ. That evening we went down to the water and went for about a 400 yard swim just out to the first buoy and back. It felt nice to get into the water prior to the race and be able to practice a little sighting. I tried to stay off of my feet for the rest of the evening and stay hydrated. Actually got a pretty good nights sleep of about 7 hours.
Event warmup:

Rode my bike the mile or so down to transition at about 6:45. My wave didn't go until 8:20 so that left me with plenty of time to get all setup. My nerves were not as bad as they have been on my last few races. I got my transition all setup and into my wetsuit with about 20 minutes to go then went down to the waters edge to watch the pros start.
Swim
  • 39m 8s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 51s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was by far the best swim that I have had to date. I have been getting into the pool a lot more often over the last few months then I did last year and I feel like it is finally paying off. The start was a little rough because that is a lot of people in such a tight spot but I did a good job of just defending my space and trying to stay relaxed. By the first right hand turn things had started to thin out quite a bit. I have never been able to really draft off of someone effectively so I didn't even try. I just focused on staying long in the water and trying to really swim straight.
What would you do differently?:

Not much of anything. I think this swim was just about right for my ability level right now. It was 8 minutes quicker than my last half ironman last Sept.
Transition 1
  • 02m 48s
Comments:

I moved with a purpose but didnt try to rush things to much. Wetsuit came off pretty easy and I was off on the bike without any real incident
What would you do differently?:

I could probably focus on moving a little quicker. Also putting some sunscreen on would have been a good idea. I got a pretty good burn on the bike.
Bike
  • 3h 02m 48s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.38 mile/hr
Comments:

My goal power was 210 and I hit it almost right on the money. My main goal for the bike was to keep my power and heart rate under control and have a good solid bike and try to set myself up for a good run. I stayed in my seat on basically all of the climbs and just downshifted and spun up them the best I could. I am new to training and racing with power but feel like overall I executed my plan pretty well. Took in 500 calories of Heed and 300 calories of Gu also took in about 4 bottle of water. I had to pee pretty bad most of the bike ride. I tried to relax enough to pee while on the bike but wasnt able to. I also stopped at one porta potty to try to go but after holding it so long I couldnt get it out and didnt want to waste a bunch of time standing there trying.
What would you do differently?:

I could probably push my bike pace a little bit harder and still have a solid run. Also learn to pee on the bike. The pressure was bothering me for sure.
Transition 2
  • 03m 17s
Comments:

Came to a complete stop and did an easy dismount. I wasnt 100 percent sure what my legs would feel like so I took my time a little. Put some socks and my running shoes on grabbed my hand bottle and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Take a second to put some sunscreen on.
Run
  • 1h 47m 27s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 12s  min/mile
Comments:

Left transition at a good clip and focused on just keeping my heart rate in check. I had my Garmin set to tell me anytime my HR got above 168. I was able to move at a good pace on the flats while keeping it below that and I would run the hills until it alarmed and then change to a fast power walk. I noticed that a lot of times the hills were so steep that my power walk was just as quick if not quicker then peoples run. I truly felt good and strong almost the entire run. My stomach felt good and I was doing a good job of taking in water and Gatorade at every aid station as well as 2 gu's.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Overall I was really pleased with my run. This was 16 minutes quicker then my last half Ironman run time which was on a much easier course. My main goal for this race was to finish strong and feeling good and that happened for sure. Looking back after I finished I realized that I could have picked up the pace from about mile 8 on but I didnt during the race for fear of blowing up.
Post race
Warm down:

Ate some food and then wandered out to find my wife who was taking pictures of me finishing. We sat in the grandstands for a while watching the other finishers and waiting for my buddy to finish. Overall I felt really good. My feet were a little sore but my legs felt pretty good.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just time and experience. I think the more I race and start to understand my limits the faster I will be able to go. I really enjoy racing the 70.3 distance. I would also like to shed another ten pounds or so which I feel would make my run a bit stronger.

Event comments:

Wildflower was an awesome experience. A very challenging course but they really put on a great race and I love the challenge. I am planning on going back again for sure.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-05-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:08 | 2112 yards | 01m 51s / 100yards
Age Group: 176/249
Overall: 1301/1963
Performance: Good
Suit: TYR full sleeve
Course: A one lap course that formed kind of a rectangle.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:48
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:02:48 | 56 miles | 18.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 66/249
Overall: 391/1963
Performance: Average
Average Heart rate:156 Max heart rate:170 Average Power: 212
Wind: Some
Course: A very challenging course with a couple of big climbs. Total elevation gain was 5,345 for the course. The middle section was mostly flat with a few rollers but had a pretty good head wind.
Road: Rough  Cadence: 82
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:17
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:47:27 | 13.1 miles | 08m 12s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/249
Overall: 252/1963
Performance: Good
average heart rate: 161 maximum heart rate: 177
Course: a very hilly course with 2,033 feet of climbing. The course was 70 percent dirt trails with some climbs that were so steep that you had no real option but to walk.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5