Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
73F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 10h 33m 59s
Overall Rank = 171/2345
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 14/
Pre-race routine:

Ate about 500 calories worth of bagels and cereal bars.
Event warmup:

Nice long walk to the swim start and then fifty feet of jogging to the end of the dock.
Swim
  • 1h 13m 14s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Spent the first five minutes dealing with leaky goggles and maybe ten minutes before I started feeling comfortable. I gulped down about a pint of river water before I finally started rolling up higher to breathe better. Started to get cramps in my legs with about 300 yards to go but was able to shake them loose every time. A little slower than I was expecting but I didn't push the swim at all.
What would you do differently?:

Seal my goggles better.
Transition 1
  • 04m 33s
Comments:

I didn't exactly rush through but I didn't waste any time either so this transition went as well as expected.



What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 5h 39m 38s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.79 mile/hr
Comments:

Ok, maybe practicing on a few more hills would have been a good idea. South Bend is pretty flat and I was completely unprepared for the hills. I started cramping up at about mile 70 but fortunately only had problems with one leg at a time. I could actually see my quads knot up and then a fist sized lump would start wiggling around in my thigh. The crazy thing is that never really had to slow down because I was able to stand up and coast every time a downhill came along and the cramp would go away.
What would you do differently?:

Train in the Rockies?
Transition 2
  • 05m 19s
Comments:

Hand your bike off and run to the changing tent. How cool was that!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 3h 31m 17s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

A decent half marathon followed by a death march. I spent miles 14 through 16 working one leg cramp out after another. One thing I've learned after thirty plus years of running is that to be good at it you better learn the art of the limp. I don't mean running through pain exactly but just learning how to adjust your stride to take pressure off problem areas. I started doing a kind of shuffling run for the last ten miles and managed to stop the cramps. I also walked through every aid station ("mmm gatorade, mmm coke, mmm water, sure I'd like oranges, bananas and pretzels") I may actually have weighed more at the end of the race than at start. Darn it, where are the body fat scale people when I needed them.
What would you do differently?:

skip the leg cramps.
Post race
Warm down:

beer

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I've been riding a bike for about a year so maybe another years worth of riding would help. Of course that will also mean I'll be another year older so it might be a wash.

Event comments:

Congratulations to everyone who finished!




Last updated: 2009-05-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:13:14 | 4224 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/2345
Performance: Below average
Suit: no
Course: Ohio river swim. A little hard to navigate but really cool swimming under the three bridges.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
05:39:38 | 112 miles | 19.79 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/2345
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Rolling hills with pretty good roads.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:19
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:31:17 | 26.2 miles | 08m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/2345
Performance:
Course: Double out and back and flat, great run course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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