EagleMan Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
75F / 24C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 45m 24s
Overall Rank = 779/1170 M
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 108/141
Pre-race routine:

Alarm at 0330. Filled my bottles, ate a powerbar and 350 cal of SE - the usual pre-race breakfast. Picked Glenn up at his house at 0430 and we were off to Cambridge. The morning really flew by - lots of sights and sounds to occupy the down time being such a big race. Hung out with Glenn, Shelly, Ernie, Jason and some other BTers. Went over and checked the pro's bike rack out.
Event warmup:

Watched the pros come out of the water while waiting for my swim wave. Talked with Shelly and Jason for a while then we were in the water. I swam maybe 50 yards or so to get some blood flowing then just sat in the water to stay warm. It felt pretty good to be at the start line at Eagleman.
Swim
  • 31m 28s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 29s / 100 yards
Comments:

I started to the inside where there weren't many people. Everyone seemed to want to line up to the outside for some reason. Once I got underway I wished I had moved outside a little for some calmer water - it wasn't rough, but I was definitely catching the brunt of the chop compared to those to my right. I tried to move over a little, but the entire first leg was pretty physical. Some guy who was on my feet for a little while would actually grab my leg every time he hit me - like he was trying to pull my chip off or something. I waited for him to do it one last time and kicked as hard as I could - that was the end of that. Overall, my navigation was suspect out the outward leg, but dead-on after the turnaround. Form felt sloppy and I never felt like I got into a steady pace. My time was good, though so no complaints.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 03m 10s
Comments:

T1 felt like it took forever. Had some contact lense problems after I ran through the water the fireman was spraying at the swim exit, but that straightened out. I felt like the swim took no effort so I was really encouraged heading out on the bike with 5 minutes in the "bank" against my goal to be through T1 in 40 minutes.

AG: 54/141
Overall: 304/1170
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 2h 53m 26s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.37 mile/hr
Comments:

This did not go as I had hoped. The first half was fantastic. My HR adjusted well from the swim. I quickly found a good steady pace but was immediately getting passed by seemingly hundreds of people. At times on the downwind leg I was going 23 mph and guys were blowing by me like I was sitting still. I guess I'm not as good on the bike as I thought. Everything was going well - I was eating and drinking a lot and my stomach felt good. Everything was going ok, until I came up on the last bottle exchange on Egypt Rd. and when I went to chuck my bottle, I realized it was still 3/4 full. I had forgotten to drink almost anything in the last 15 miles. Stupid mistake. I really felt like the headwind on Egypt Rd. sucked the life out of me and I was really uncomfortable in the last 10 miles. I really thought I'd have a better bike than this. Plenty of room for improvement here. This was slower than my Diamondman bike split last year and I've ridden a lot more. What's up with that?
What would you do differently?:

Drink more and ride more.
Transition 2
  • 02m 35s
Comments:

Kinda funny that I ranked exactly 304/1170 on both transitions. What's the odds of that? I came out of T2 in exactly 3 hrs 30 min. so I had eaten up all the time I had put in the bank on the swim with my slow bike.
Run
  • 2h 14m 49s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Here's where I paid for my hydration mistake on the bike. I carried a bottle of gatorade out of T2 with me to be sure I started the run with plenty of hydration. It sucked carrying the bottle while running, but this would turn out to be a good decision. I really felt like crap in the first 4 miles - just like I felt at Diamondman last year. I stayed positive as best I could and refilled the bottle at each of the first 3 aid stations and drank all of it - more than 60 oz. of water in the first 40 minutes of the run. I walked a couple times to get my HR down and to get as much water down as possible. All of the sudden, I started feeling good. I still couldn't push really, but my legs came around and I felt like I could actually run. I guess I had finally gotten rehydrated enough. I ran a solid steady pace all the way to the finish and enjoyed every minute of it. I knew my 5:30 goal was out the window so I just enjoyed being where I was and plodded away. This was the first triathlon run I've ever done that I felt good and enjoyed the moment. It made my day. I still walked the aid stations and drank two full cups at every one. The cramps were lurking in the last two miles so I was never able to open my stride even though I felt good enough. The last mile was the highlight of my life as a triathlete thus far - seeing and hearing the finish was too sweet for words.
What would you do differently?:

Hydrate even more.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked off some pretty nasty cramps that set in the second I crossed the line. Chatted with my parents, Marianne, and the Crabs. Tracked Shelly down in the medical tent and talked with her for a while. I had hoped for a massage, but the wait was >45 minutes so I didn't even bother. Packed up and went over to the CMS post-race party where we hung out and cheered for the last few athletes as they passed.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hydration. I also accept that my body does not do well with longer distances. I trained as well as I could. I missed my goal time by quite a large margin, but I still got a new HIM PR by 20 minutes. Plenty of room to improve so I'm looking forward to 2008 already.

Event comments:

Here's my best memories from the day:
*Seeing all the pros running into T1 - especially Ficker/Legh/Bell/Badmann
*The huge white swim start bouys with the huge Eagleman logos
*Lots of people cheering at the bike dismount
*Two volunteers on start and finish of the run cheering me on like crazy b/c I was wearing a CMS jersey
*Sean Reinke on the run course by himself, beer in hand, cheering like a madman
*Hitting my stride around mile 5 on the run
*Seeing Glenn and Shelly on the run
*Passing a few runners in the last miles that had most certainly passed me on the bike.
*A girl sitting on the hood of a white car a half mile from the finish cheering for every single person that went by.
*Seeing and hearing the finish line in the last mile and making the last two turns.



Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-09-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:28 | 2112 yards | 01m 29s / 100yards
Age Group: 46/141
Overall: 365/1170 M
Performance: Average
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Out toward the bridge, then home to the boat ramp at a slightly different angle. Talking to a person that was on a jet ski monitoring the swim, I learned that the second orange bouy had deflated overnight, hence the turn was one sharp turn around rather than a two-turn rectangle type course. She said the ebb tide was really strong and we were flying coming home.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:10
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:53:26 | 56 miles | 19.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 105/141
Overall: 823/1170 M
Performance: Below average
Wind: Some
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:35
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:14:49 | 13.1 miles | 10m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 118/141
Overall: 853/1170 M
Performance:
Course: Out and back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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