Florida Challenge Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Clermont, Florida
United States
Sommer Sports
88F / 31C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 42m 8s
Overall Rank = 305/418
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 44/56
Pre-race routine:

Light breakfast
Event warmup:

Ran about 1/2 mile & swam a few strokes.
Ran into Kendall, James & Jig...& met Jessica from Tampa
Swim
  • 38m 23s
  • 2078 yards
  • 01m 51s / 100 yards
Comments:

Lousy swim, started bad & just felt like there was more drag than usual. Didn't do a good job of navigating as I kept wandering wide of the swim lanes that are closer to the bouys. My left goggle lens kept filling with water & had to stop a few times to drain it.
What would you do differently?:

Probably should have worn the wetsuit.
Transition 1
  • 02m 43s
Comments:

My family was here including my sister & family from Sarasote...they said they were cheering loudly as I exited the water but among the light headedness & commotion, I never heard them!
No rush here, put the socks & shoes on & hit the road.
Bike
  • 3h 04m 39s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.20 mile/hr
Comments:

Tough course that I rode 2 weeks prior. I took it easy the 1st 30 miles & resisted the temptation to hammer it harder. Just before Buckhill the front small chain ring threw the chain twice & had to stop & fix. Then I stopped almost immediately again to use the porta-potty which I took as a good sign that I was hydrated.
Headed up the Buckhill rollers & the damn bike threw the chain again on one of the climbs! Had to dismount, re-attach the chain & go again...I lost my temper a little (slammed the bike down on the wheels) because I was really climbing well passing everyone & then, boom, I'm pedalling nothing! BTW - I aplogized to the bike...after the race
I get through Buckhill to Sugarloaf & very gingerly shift to the 25 cassette on the small chain ring & it holds up the hill. On the backside the bike develops a skip in chain, it's worse in some of the gears than others. The last 20 miles I kept shifting gears to try & minimize the skipping - payback for slamming it down!
Consumed a Cliff bar in the 1st 1/2 of the ride then grabbed a banana sonwhere in the last 10 miles...a banana never tasted so good!
I'm guessing I finished in 3:10 give or take?
What would you do differently?:

Talk more nicely to the bike?
Transition 2
  • 03m 53s
Comments:

Once again, no hurry. Had a bottle of ice water in the thermal part of the transition bag & poured it over my head...felt great. Changed into a running shirt & off we go...
Run
  • 2h 52m 31s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

What can I say - Until you experience it, it's a tough run to prepare for physically & mentally. I wanted to run to each aid station & that worked for 4 miles then it was periods of random walking/running. Around mile 8 I had developed a side stitch & just walked until it subsided then restarted the "Minneola Shuffle." This continued off & on for a couple miles.
What would you do differently?:

The experience is lesson in mental toughness & I still suck at running & promise to work on it during the off-season.
Post race
Warm down:

I finished, slow but finished!
Saw Jig at he finish line, I had to keep walking around, if I sit down, I'm not getting back up for awhile.
Watched James & then Kendall cross the finish line.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Me?

Event comments:

Hurricane Wilma tried her best to affect this race. There were more issues than normal at a Sommer Sports event & both Wilma and the departure of some SS staffers during the prior week created some poor organization experienced by the full IM participants. Some of the aid stations were out of water & some of the aid stations abandoned during the evening hours as full IMers came around.

I'm taking a few weeks off from training & then plan on working on some things over the winter. Over & Out...


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-09-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:23 | 2078 yards | 01m 51s / 100yards
Age Group: 27/56
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: Inverted triangle, 1 lap
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:43
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:04:39 | 56 miles | 18.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 38/56
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: 1st 30 miles have some gentle rollers, then a series of short but steeper climbs on Buckhill, a steep climb on Sugarloaf then rollers back into transition. Not the optimal course for a flatlander like me!
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:53
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:52:31 | 13.1 miles | 13m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 47/56
Overall: 0/418
Performance: Below average
Course: A coule of hills to run then out around Lake Minneola.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 3