Ironman Kansas 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Lawrence, Kansas
United States
81F / 27C
Precipitation
Total Time = 4h 34m 54s
Overall Rank = 53/1451
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 8/231
Pre-race routine:

We rented a sweet travel trailer and "camped" the night before with TriSean. So we were right in the campground and just a short walk away from the race expo area. Got up at about a quarter to 4 and had the usual breakfast of a small bowl of cereal, 2 cups of coffee, and a banana.
Event warmup:

Short walk from the campsite to T2 to drop off run gear. Then another short walk down to T1 and the beach start. We got there with plenty of time to spare, but it still felt like manic panic for some reason. Pee'd in a bush, pounded a Red Bull, pulled on the wetsuit, and was ready to roll.
Swim
  • 35m 51s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 52s / 100 meters
Comments:

This swim was just ok for me. I was really hoping for a sub-34, and all the swimming I've done suggested that I was capable of it. The announcer said that my wave was the largest wave with nearly 300 participants so I was expecting a rough swim. There was the usual bumping, but it wasn't bad at all. Had some guy on my feet for a few hundred meters that was smacking my legs on every pull. It was mildly annoying but not a big deal. Swam hard left, quit kicking, and got inside the bouey line and he was gone. Stayed on course pretty well. Only veered off once, but quickly corrected.
What would you do differently?:

I really need to do a serious swim focus. Looking into working with Meg's coach and possibly Masters. I feel like it's my weak link right now.
Transition 1
  • 02m 24s
Comments:

Ran right by my bike twice. What is it about racing that make you lose your mind in transition? T1 was pretty long so I left my shoes clipped in and ran barefoot.
What would you do differently?:

Run straight to my bike. I saw a bike with a giant fake flower taped to the rack. Maybe I'll do that next time. Seriously, with transitions this big I will sacrifice "cool" for intelligent any day.
Bike
  • 2h 24m 36s
  • 56 miles
  • 23.24 mile/hr
Comments:

The plan was to ride at exactly 85% of FTP. After downloading my data my normalized power was 2.25 watts above that. So I'm pretty happy with the pacing. I also ran 7 minutes faster than my previous best in the run so I think that's my "magic" pacing number. The course was definitely a tough one so I had a rough idea of what I wanted for a time, but I wasn't going to glue myself to it. A few crowded spots and a couple of what seemed to be organized draft packs. Normally that pisses me off, but I just raced my own race and chose to ignore it. Overall I feel like rode a well executed bike in relation to my current fitness level, so I'm happy with the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not stop to pee!!!
Transition 2
  • 01m 15s
Comments:

Once again I missed my spot, but not a big deal.
What would you do differently?:

Another large fake flower
Run
  • 1h 30m 48s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 06m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

Left T2 and quickly got into a comfortably hard pace. Took in a gel every 3 miles and chased with water. Started to heat up so went to dumping water on the head and stuffing sponges in clothes. Going into the second lap I stopped to pee again. Think I may have taken in too much liquid throughout the race. My shoes got waterlogged and squished water with every step. Got some cramping in the calves around mile 11 and tried really hard to push through them. The wheels fell off shortly thereafter and was pretty happy that it happened late in the race. I'm super happy about this run. Prior to this race my fastest half-iron run was 1:37 and the one before that was like mid-1:40's. Dime had it right when he said we've finally figured out this "running off the bike" thing :)
What would you do differently?:

Maybe more salt on the bike, but I wasn't anticipating it getting so hot on the run. Woops! I wish I would've gone sub 1:30, but it's something to shoot for!
Post race
Warm down:

Pretty dizzy right after the finish line. So Meg grabbed me and I sat down. After I got sorted out the feeding frenzy began. Everything I deprived myself of over the previous 12 weeks was consumed within a 3 hour period. Probably one of my favorite parts of racing.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I would say I "almost" raced to my ability. I know I can go faster than this. Dime told me after the race that if I got what I wanted everytime I raced there would be nothing to chase. Makes alot of sense.

Event comments:

A really good buddy of mine (Linford) sent me a text message prior to the race. It basically said "Your body knows what to do, now get your head out of it's way". Very good advise from a great friend! This course was awesome and I'm super psyched to be going to the World Championships at Clearwater.




Last updated: 2009-04-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:51 | 1931 meters | 01m 52s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/231
Overall: 0/1451
Performance: Average
Avg HR:165 Max HR:174
Suit: DeSoto First Wave
Course: Rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:24
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:24:36 | 56 miles | 23.24 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/231
Overall: 0/1451
Performance: Good
Avg HR:154 Max HR:178
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Hilly and windy.
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:15
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:30:48 | 13.1 miles | 06m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/231
Overall: 0/1451
Performance: Good
Avg HR:165 Max HR:170
Course: Pretty flat with one decent sized hill. 2 loops
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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