5430 Long Course Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Boulder, Colorado
United States
5430 Sports Corp.
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 35m 2s
Overall Rank = 51/1250
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 5/129
Pre-race routine:

Stayed in Louisville the night before, but still got up at 3:30. Had a bowl of cereal w/ banana and a cup of coffee. Got to the Rez a little later than planned, but still had plenty of time. Checked my position in the transition area a half dozen times to commit to memory.
Event warmup:

Not much. A few strokes in the water, but that's it.
Swim
  • 35m 48s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 51s / 100 meters
Comments:

Pretty uneventful swim. Lined up in front on the outside. Drilled it for the first few hundred meters and then settled in. Not too much jostling compared to recent races. Got to the first bouy and didn't have a decent set of feet to get on so I started sighting on every 8th pull. Started catching the previous wave at the second turn and after that it seemed like the course was littered with people to swim through. After the final turn bouy it was like rush hour traffic. Swam all the way in until my hand hit ground, stood up, hit my watch and saw my lap split at 34:40. I was happy with that cuz I was really shooting for a sub 35 minute swim.
What would you do differently?:

Not much I'm happy with my first sub 35 minute half iron swim. Although the official split includes the run up to transition.
Transition 1
  • 00m 59s
Comments:

As I was heading up to T1 someone bumped me and I thought "Dude the freaking swim is over give me some space!" Then I realized it was DickDime. Got to transition, ran straight to my bike (small personal victory in itself), stripped wetsuit to ankles, grabbed glasses and helmet while I was down there, stood up and put helmet on while I was kicking off the wetsuit, and jammed outta T1. Went super smooth.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, nada, zip, zilch!
Bike
  • 2h 21m 31s
  • 56 miles
  • 23.74 mile/hr
Comments:

Just after transition I passed my good buddy Mark Dillard. He looked great despite having run over 34 miles the day before (totally nuts!) Pressed on and Dime passed me at the first hill. My first instinct was to press forward and stay the legal 3 bike lengths behind him and hold steady until my heart rate came down. He was stomping hard and I said to myself that I really need to just race my own race. So I settled down and let him go. I had a hard time getting into a groove and felt like I wasn't capable of throwing down the watts I normally push for this distance. I'm not sure why but I'm speculating that it has something to do with how much training I did leading up to this race and not being fully recovered. I also raced and won the short Splash & Dash on Thursday night so that may have contributed to my fatigue. Either way this was not a break out performance for me on the bike. I wanted a sub 2:18 and ended up with a 2:21. I'm a little disappointed, but I'll get over it. Lesson learned. Not an "A" race. When I get to Clearwater I will be firing on all cylinders.
What would you do differently?:

Arrive with fresher legs.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Went smoothly ran straight to my spot, got my gear, and got out.
What would you do differently?:

Can't complain. T2 Went well.
Run
  • 1h 35m 39s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 18s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew this course was not as fast as the Kansas 70.3 run course so I prepared myself for a slower split. I did however feel a lot better on the run than on the bike. I just found a rhythm and stuck to it. Kept my turn-over high and did everything I could to stay focused. I honestly thought about nothing else but running as I hard as I my body would allow. I passed my mate Steve (Breckview) near the end of lap 1, held out my hand, and got the low 5. Shortly after that I felt a huge rock in my shoe and stopped to pick it out. I lifted my heel up and my hamstring immediately seized. I let out a yelp, dropped my leg and just ran with the rock in there. It did not hurt at all when I was running. The second lap was good. I was able to push harder than the first. Managed to get my HR a little higher. By the final few miles I was definitely at the max of my ability.
What would you do differently?:

I'm happy with my run.
Post race
Warm down:

Jumped in the Rez and stretched my messed up hammy.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fatigue

Event comments:

This race hurt. It hurt a lot more than Kansas, and I was 8 seconds slower here. But here's the weird thing... my sense of accomplishment, my satisfaction with the performance, and just the overall feeling I get from this race is higher than any previous HIM/70.3 I think it's because I was hurting and wanted to hurt more. I wanted to know that when I finished I gave everything I could possibly give. That despite placings, pr's, or long-time rivals I was able to push myself to a level that's more spiritual than it is physical. Sounds cheeseball but I'm writing this 2 days later and still feel the same way. I'm sad to see Barry is not putting this race on next year. If you've read any of my previous race reports I always talked about this race or that race being in my top 5 or top 10. 5430 Long Course is my #1 favorite race and now it's gone :( Oh well I still got the Pikes Peak Marathon this weekend! See you guys at 14,00 feet :)




Last updated: 2009-04-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:48 | 1931 meters | 01m 51s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 299/1250
Performance: Good
Avg HR:157 Max HR:163
Suit: DeSoto First Wave
Course: One loop. Rectangle.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:59
Performance: Good
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
02:21:31 | 56 miles | 23.74 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 37/1250
Performance: Average
Avg HR:151 Max HR:177
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: 2 Loops around Rez. Mild elevation gain.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
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
01:35:39 | 13.1 miles | 07m 18s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/129
Overall: 70/1250
Performance: Good
Avg HR:163 Max HR:171
Course: 2 loops of rolling dirt roads.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 5