Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Miami, Florida
United States
MultiRace
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 33m 3s
Overall Rank = 114/595
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 13/34
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30am.
Breakfast: PB&J sandwich + banana. Popped a couple salt stick tables.
Event warmup:

Got in the water 15 min before start and swam to the first buoy and back.
Swim
  • 34m 33s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

Started at the back and had to pass a lot of swimmers. Found a good drafting partner after the 2nd buoy and completed the first lap in 16 min. On the second lap, it took a while but was able to join up with another group and get back in a good rhythm.
What would you do differently?:

Start swim at the front and stay with the lead group.
Transition 1
  • 03m 1s
Comments:

I left my socks in my run shoes instead of my bike shoes so there was a moment there where I could have been more efficient. I lost a few seconds messing with my sunglasses. Wetsuit came off really fast (I love my De Soto two piece). I ran my bike with my shoes on which turned out was a good idea because there was a long portion with sharp rocks and dirt just before the mount line.
What would you do differently?:

Put socks inside my bike shoes and leave the shoe straps open wide.
Use rubber bands to keep pedals parallel to the ground.
Leave sunglasses opened inside the helmet.
Bike
  • 2h 44m 57s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.37 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew from the weather forecast there was going to be a 15-20mph wind from the E. I studied the course map to determine wind direction on each segment. My strategy was to go hard in in the tail wind, keep a good pace in the crosswinds and hang on in the headwinds and maintain my RPM and HR.
There were stretches of road where I was going 24-30mph in the tailwind, 20-22mph in the crosswinds and 15-17mph in the headwind.

I decided to skip the second bottle exchange and I ran out of water with 5mi to go but it didn't seem to affect me that much. I've already drank about 50 oz up to that point. My nutrition was 16oz of concentrated Infinit (650 calories) + 1 Powergel (30 minutes before reaching T2) and about 5 salt sticks.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. My time was consistent with my level of training and the conditions on the course. I guess I need to train harder in order to go faster :)
Transition 2
  • 01m 59s
Comments:

Ran with bike. Shoes, helmet off... run shoes on (Yankz laces), visor and out...
What would you do differently?:

Not much...
Run
  • 2h 08m 38s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

Had metatharsalgia about 10 days before the race so I stopped running and recovered about 80% before the race. Most likely was caused by the increase in run volume in the weeks before the race plus my Newton shoes were worn out pretty bad at this point.

I was expecting it to flare up again sometime during the run but to my surprise it wasn't an issue. I bought a pair of medium weight smartwool socks and they did an awesome job at keeping my feet cool and absorbing some of the impact.

I walked the aid stations to make sure I was getting everything. I used the Powerbar chews (1 every 10 minutes) I alternated between water and Cytomax between aid stations and had some orange slices.I popped about 5-6 salt sticks.

Last couple of miles I was running on willpower as my legs were shot.

What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Post race
Warm down:

Water + Pizza!!!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing. Had a pretty good day, beyond my expectations.

Event comments:

It was my first half and the end of my first season as a triathlete. I chose this race over the branded 70.3 Miami because of the timing and the good reviews from past participants. Was a good decision.

Race organizers did a good job. Great volunteer team and awesome atmosphere. Will definitely come back next year. Maybe not for the 1/2 Iron as I'm probably going to do Ironman 70.3 Miami next year but for sure I'll sign up for the International.






Last updated: 2012-11-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:33 | 2112 yards | 01m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/34
Overall: 60/595
Performance: Good
Avg HR 169
Suit: De Soto T1 1st Wave
Course: 2 laps along the perimeter of the lake. Fresh, cold (by S FL standards) clear water. Best swim ever, worth it do do this race for the swim alone!
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:01
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:44:57 | 56 miles | 20.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/34
Overall: 135/595
Performance: Good
Avg HR ~150
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Totally flat in rural / farmland Miami with two ~13mi loops at the end before returning to transition.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:59
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:08:38 | 13.1 miles | 09m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 17/34
Overall: 185/595
Performance: Good
HR ~165
Course: Some small portions through the zoo, service roads, parking lot etc... Some segments were off-road with gravel and sharp rocks... frustrating at times especially towards the end when my feet felt like wooden blocks. I HTFUd...
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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