Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon - Triathlon


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
75F / 24C
Total Time = 5h 18m 53s
Overall Rank = 538/2462
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 57/226
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4 and had a cup of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal, and a bagel with PB and jelly. Put on sunscreen and finished up getting gear ready. Got everything into car and left hotel at 5. Parked at Mace's school and took bus into event. Set up transition area and talked to a few other guys at the bike rack. Had plenty of time between transition closure and my start time to take in the sights and use the porta potties.
Event warmup:

Watched the pro men and women start and then watched them come out of the water. Did some light stretching and waited for my wave to go off.
Swim
  • 41m 30s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 58s / 100 yards
Comments:

Being this is only my 2nd triathlon I did OK with the swimming, especially since my previous long distance swim had only been .75 miles. I did run into a few people and hit a few with my feet. I feel I did more zig zagging than going straight, so that needs to improve. I did try to sight more often(about every 5th to 8th stroke), but still would find myself going to the left more. I usually swim around a 1:45/100 yard rate, so I know I added extra distance with my zig zagging.
What would you do differently?:

Find out what's wrong with my stroke that causes me to not go straight in open water.
Transition 1
  • 02m 50s
Comments:

With the transition area swampy I had a little problem getting my wetsuit off. My wetsuit did get caught on my heels so that took longer than usual to get off. Getting socks on and putting on bike shoes was more difficult because of soggy transition. Helmet and sunglasses went on quickly. Grabbed bike and tried to find the least muddy area to run through out of transition. Had to dodge someone that fell getting onto their bike right outside of T1. Did a sloppy flying mount, but was just trying to stay away from others. Took a little longer to clip in because of mud on bottom of cleats.
What would you do differently?:

I would have liked to have gotten my wetsuit off quicker, but the condition of the transition area made it more difficult.
Bike
  • 2h 32m 25s
  • 56 miles
  • 22.03 mile/hr
Comments:

1st 30 miles I averaged 22.87 mph. last 26 miles I averaged 21.16 mph.
I felt good for the first 40 miles, but could feel I was getting slower during last 16 miles. I was hoping I could keep a 22 mph average, so I was happy that I accomplished that. You think a flat course will be easier, but you never get a chance to rest during this course. It's constant pedaling the whole time. With that being the case, I probably went too hard for my bike fitness and cooked my legs. Since I just started riding again only 5 months ago(from 30 years off), I'm really happy with that time and speed.
What would you do differently?:

Get better bike conditioning. Go at an easier pace so as not to cook my legs for the run.
Transition 2
  • 02m 1s
Comments:

The area coming in to T2 was a quagmire. I picked up my bike and carried it through the mud and passed several people doing this. I got my bike shoes and helmet off quickly and decided to put on new socks because of slogging through the mud coming in. Grabbed race belt and visor and out of T2.
What would you do differently?:

I didn't put in a silicone spacer between my toes that I normally run with for longer runs. That was a mistake. Also I think I got my right sock wet before putting on that shoe.
Run
  • 2h 00m 7s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

This is the worst I've ever felt during a run. I just didn't have any legs to go at the pace I was hoping for. I usually run an open half marathon around a 7:00 to 7:15 pace, so I was hoping I could run this half at near an 8:00 pace. It just wasn't gonna happen as it took nearly 3 miles before my legs felt somewhat responsive. I wanted to walk in the worst way, but kept shuffling along between water tents. I did walk through the water areas and took in plenty of fluids(probably too much initially). I felt better after mile 7 when I was just getting ice and chewing on that between water stops. My HR got down to where I wanted it around this time(about 152). I did stop at a porta potty about half way through for about a 1 minute break.
What would you do differently?:

Sip on drinks instead of gulp them down. Not cook my legs on the bike portion.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line and sat in a chair for over 5 minutes. Took in water and then walked around some until I went over to food tent to get some grub.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Going too hard on the bike.

Event comments:

I'm really happy to have completed my first Half Ironman triathlon. Doing this on essentially 5 months of training makes it even more satisfying. I should have trained harder for this(especially biking), but these are the lessons you learn doing it the first time.




Last updated: 2013-06-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:41:30 | 2112 yards | 01m 58s / 100yards
Age Group: 99/226
Overall: 865/2462
Performance: Below average
Suit: Huub sleeveless
Course: 3 sides of a rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Below average Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:50
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:32:25 | 56 miles | 22.03 mile/hr
Age Group: 53/226
Overall: 472/2462
Performance: Good
Wind: Little with gusts
Course: 1 loop
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:01
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:00:07 | 13.1 miles | 09m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 57/226
Overall: 538/2462
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4