Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Oceanside, California
United States
Ironman North America
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 11m 31s
Overall Rank = 424/2142
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 81/317
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3AM, had my breakfast of veggie sausage & quinoa, plus a banana and coffee. Loaded up the car and headed down to O'side. Ate a couple more Powerbars before my swim wave started.
Event warmup:

No swim warmup at O'side.
Swim
  • 37m 27s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

A very average 70.3 swim for me. Slower than practice, per usual, but given my low swim volume coming into this race, I'll take it.
What would you do differently?:

Get more swim volume in prior to race day.
Transition 1
  • 04m 44s
Comments:

Took my time in transition this year and it shows. I was expecting it to be a little cooler when I exited the water, so I swam with no tri top under my wetsuit and the time it took to get it on while wet in T1 shows. Other than that, it was an average transition.
What would you do differently?:

Throw caution to the wind and go back to spending the first several miles of the bike cool, with a wet tri top.
Bike
  • 2h 42m 19s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.70 mile/hr
Comments:

I went a little softer on the bike this year because I wanted to push the run. I also hadn't put in as much bike volume as normal because I've been working a lot and was worried about bonking. In retrospect, I would have preferred to have just gone for it on the bike and matched or exceeded my 21.3 mph avg from last year - I definitely had it in me, and then some. There was a little wind for the last 15 miles of the bike, but other than that, conditions were ideal. I had forgotten how many rollers there were on the back side of the course.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 04m
Comments:

A decent transition - once again, I took my time getting my run gear on and situated to be comfortable on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Speed up a little.
Run
  • 1h 43m 1s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

A decent run for me. Couldn't quite get my pose position down due to my legs being a little rubbery from the bike, but still managed to keep decent, consistent pace. Started to get a couple of blisters around mile 9, but shifted my foot strike a little and it held off the carnage. The run was much better for me, which is a direct result of the amount of running I've been doing for the last 8 months. At no point did I feel close to bonking or needing to back off. I'm definitely in good shape for CdA if I can keep my bike/run where it is and build a little more base.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder.
Post race
Warm down:

Eat. Drink. Hobble.

Event comments:

Good race. Should have gone through T1/T2 a little faster and I would have beaten last year's 5:10:01 (I missed it by exactly 90 seconds). This race was a progress check to see how badly my missed training due to heavy work commitments has affected me, and I was pleased to see that I still have the ability to skim the 5 hour mark in a HIM, despite about a 40% drop in training. All in all a great race - I shall be back again next year. I LOVE this race.




Last updated: 2009-04-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:27 | 2112 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 177/317
Overall: 1059/2142
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vector Pro X2
Course: Out and back starting at the boat jetty in O'side harbour.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:44
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:42:19 | 56 miles | 20.70 mile/hr
Age Group: 80/317
Overall: 380/2142
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Fast front 30 miles, then 20 miles of rollers concluding with a fast 10 miles back into O'side.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 100
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:00
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
01:43:01 | 13.1 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 82/317
Overall: 389/2142
Performance: Good
Course: Flat out and back, two loops of 6.1 miles
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
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] 4