Ironman 70.3 Augusta - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Augusta, Georgia
United States
Premier Event Management
85F / 29C
Overcast
Total Time = 8h 22m 3s
Overall Rank = 2515/2529
Age Group = Clydesdales 40+
Age Group Rank = 69/70
Pre-race routine:

Drive the Bike course, walked the Swim course, found my rack spot in Transition.
Event warmup:

Nothing.
Swim
  • 32m
  • 2143 yards
  • 01m 29s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was only my second Open Water Swim, my first with a wetsuit. Forgot to let in a little water around the neck and the first 200 yds. so my breathing was constricted. Finally remembered to let in a little water and then my breathnig was fine.

I also have a problem with any type of goggles I use leaking water, and it happened again. Had to stop and roll over and drain the water and re-seal, but then got bumped or kicked and they came loose and leaked again. Rolled over a second time but didn't get a good seal, and finally after stopping and rolling over for a third time was able to drain the water out and get a good seal.

By then I was upset and my breathing was out of control, starting to panic a little, then realized I couldn't breathe well. It was then I remembered to let in a little water around my neck.

Once I got all those issues taken care of I fell into my rhythm and the swim became quite easy for me, was at the end much sooner than I expected and feeling much fresher than I expected.

Had a couple of sighting problems, swung way left almost out of bounds once and a saftey boat had to point me in the right direction, then started to veer too far left again later on but caught it and corrected it in time.

Came up the boat ramp and unzipped the wetsuit, cap off, goggles off - no problem. Stopped for a few seconds to grab sunglasses from my daughter (lost mine that morning in Transition somewhere) and also to put on my flip-flops. I have very sensitive feet and there was about a 100 yd. run down a rough road to get into Transition, so put on flip-flops.

Crossed timing mat and there were wetsuit strippers there, laid down and they quickly removed my wetsuit, up and headed to bike rack.
What would you do differently?:

Not forget to let in some water into my wetsuit before I start. Would also like to figure out how to get a good water-tight seal on my goggles the first time trying.
Transition 1
  • 09m 34s
Comments:

Spent too much time in T1, but since this was going to be 4 times as long a bike ride in an event as I've ever done before, wanted to make sure I had everything and that I had plenty of fluids and fuel with me.

The Race Results doesn't display my Age Group rank per each event and them overall, so these rankings I posted are my Ranking within my Division, so for the Swim I was 55 out of 70 Over-40 Clydesdales.
What would you do differently?:

Not stress too much about the upcoming bike ride and get through T1 a lot faster.
Bike
  • 3h 53m 46s
  • 56 miles
  • 14.37 mile/hr
Comments:

Need to lose weight, increase my pace, drink more fluids and earlier on during the course, and also found out I need to supplement with salt tablets.

The Race Results doesn't display my Age Group rank per each event and them overall, so these rankings I posted are my Ranking within my Division, so for the Bike I was 68 out of 70 Over-40 Clydesdales.
What would you do differently?:

Drink more, take in salt, have the bike serviced so that the brakes won't rub and to make sure my chain is good and tight. Also pump the tires one last time before leaving for the Swim start.
Transition 2
  • 10m 21s
Comments:

Really took my time, not able to move fast at all as I was cramping up. Had to sit down to put on my running shoes. Plus took a couple of minutes to drink some fluids, eat a few bites of banana and PB&J sandwich, and use the porta-potty.
What would you do differently?:

Of course be faster, have drank enough fluids and fueled properly on the Bike so that I wouldn't have to waste time doing it in T2, maybe avoid the porta-potty and learn how to piss my bike.
Run
  • 3h 36m 24s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 16m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

Didn't take in enough fluids and especially not enough salt/sodium early on during the Bike course. I sweat so much and lost so much salt that my legs were cramping badly.

I knew from my training that I sweated a lot and lost a lot of water, that is what limited my long training runs to 8-10 miles, just couldn't carry enough water with me. I figured taking gels and using Heed electrolyte mixture would replenish my sodium and potassium well enough, but apparently not.

Had to walk the first 5-6 miles and eventually someone gave me some packets of table salt. I started taking a packet every 10-15 minutes with some Gatorade. Tried running after each dose but would still cramp but able to go a little further each time.

Finally after the 3rd or 4th dose of salt I was able to run and not cramp, so was able to run most of the last 7 miles. Took 1 short walk break of about 1/4 a mile and then a couple hundred yards break with about 1/2 mile to go (I wanted to make sure I had energy to run it in and not cramp at the finish line - hey, gotta look good for the Finish Line Photo!)

Anyhow, really upset and frustrated with myself for not hydrating correctly and not getting enough sodium back in me, I really expected to do much better on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Take in more fluids earlier during the event, and start taking salt tablets as well.
Post race
Warm down:

Just walked a couple of minutes and did a lot of dancing around and goofing off. Ate 3 slices of pizza and a bottle of water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Cramps - got too dehydrated and lost way too much salt.

Event comments:

Overall a very good event - loved the community and the support of the local citizens and volunteers. Plenty of water stations on the run, sufficient on the bike as well.

Wish there had been more for post-race activities and food and beverage. Only cheese pizza was left when I came in and nothing but water left to drink.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2009-01-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:00 | 2143 yards | 01m 29s / 100yards
Age Group: 55/70
Overall: 70/2529
Performance: Good
Suit: Yes
Course: 1.2 mile swim down the Savannah River.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 09:34
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:53:46 | 56 miles | 14.37 mile/hr
Age Group: 68/70
Overall: 70/2529
Performance: Average
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: This course was way more hilly than what the preview described it as. Somone living in the area had placed a dashcam in their car and drive the route and posted the video. From the video it appeared to be a ridiculously flat course - Not So!! Lots of rollers and the bad thing is that for a lot of the downhills you couldn't take full advantage of the momentum because there was either a stop sign/intersection or a turn at the bottom or near the bottom of the hill. There was also several steep and/or very long hills that just grind you to death (at least it did for me, trying to pedal nearly 260 lbs. or meat up a hill). The intersections were well monitored by police or volunteers and traffic for the most part was a non-issue. The city of Augusta and Aiken County were very gracious and accomodating and I appreciated their courtesy. And again, I didn't drink in enough fluids, although I thought I did. Didn't realize it till the last 5 miles when I started to cramp, and then on the run where I had to walk the first 5-6 miles because of cramps. Finally, had to stop once to adjust brakes, they were rubbing the wheel, then with about 6 miles to go my chaim just mysteriouly popped off - had to stop and put that back on. Oh, one last thing, I didn't pump the tires late Saturday night or first time Sunday morning, I had pumped them Saturday morning before my warmup ride and figured they would still be full. Wrong, during T1 I started to worry about the tire pressure since I would be out for 56 miles, stopped by the bike tent and sure enough - only 90 psi in front tire and 95 psi in back tire. Pumped them to 120 psi ... I think I may have prevented a flat by doing this. Also another reason T1 took so long.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 10:21
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Below average
Running
03:36:24 | 13.1 miles | 16m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 67/70
Overall: 70/2529
Performance: Bad
Course: The course was Awesome!! Totally flat and up and down the heart of downtown Augusta. Plenty of cheering spectators and great scenery, smells, sights, music, etc ... you could see most of the entire field of runners during the whole run couse. Had nice patches of shade along the run, plenty of water stations - although a few ran out of cups and some only had water (ran out of gatorade and ice), but overall plenty of fluids and gels and bars on the stations.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4