Ironman World Championships 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Clearwater Beach, Florida
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
70'sF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 28m 19s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 81/220
Pre-race routine:

First and foremost I want to state that my whole goal going into this race was to race a clean and ethical race to the best of my ability. I chose not to join any of the numerous draft packs on the course. I also chose not to "legally" draft anyone's wheel. I wanted to see what I (and only I) was capable of doing on a truly fast course. I told my bro' Linford a few weeks prior that it takes me about 270 watts (normalized) at elevation to average 25 mph, and that I would post my SRM power file to my blog after the race to show I raced a clean race. After downloading the data I held 271 watts normalized and averaged 24.82 mph. If anyone would like to see the power file, as previously stated, it can be found on my training log and I would be willing to email the raw SRM data file to anyone who requests it. So now on to the race.
Event warmup:

Nothing really. A few arm swings, but being a TT start we weren't allowed to warmup in the water prior to the race. So I kissed my wife and my unborn daughter (Meg's belly) and got on with it.
Swim
  • 32m 57s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 43s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a great swim for me. Megan asked me about my goals and I said 33 minutes, so making my first time goal is a great way to start a race. Sighting was only slightly difficult going out, cuz of the sun but I stayed on course. Never really found a good set of feet to get on. Only minor bumping at the first turn buoy. Concentrated on my breathing and grabbing a lot of water. Sighted every 5-8 strokes. Very happy with this swim. Next year I plan to break the half hour for this distance. :)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

Slow transition, but there was a 1/4 mile run from the beach to transition. So I can't complain. Wetsuit strippers got my suit off in a jiffy. Grabbed my transition bag, headed for the tent, pulled my gear out, and a volunteer stuffed my wetsuit for me.
What would you do differently?:

Speed it up
Bike
  • 2h 15m 22s
  • 56 miles
  • 24.82 mile/hr
Comments:

For the first 30-45 minutes I was feeling awesome, but thinking about Dime and how he should be here for this. I was staying on my target power output and feeling comfortable. Taking in fluids and just happy to be racing in the sun in November. I made a turn onto one of the numerous highways and saw a massive peloton. I thought well I expected this. Forget it and just do your own thing. Not long after that I made the same turn as the group and saw another group behind me. I put my head down, spiked my power a little, and tried to stay in front of them. Saw another pack shortly after that which honestly looked about 50 riders strong. Managed to stay in front of both packs until the bridge and then they just blew past me. One guy in the pack asked me how it was going and I replied "Going well, but you guys are an 'effing joke". He didn't like that much. I told Meg I thought I could do 2:15 here and nailed it (by myself)!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I'm happy with how I raced.
Transition 2
  • 03m 5s
Comments:

Not much to comment on. Just handed my bike off. Got my shoes on. Stopped to pee and was on my way. High fived my awesome wife on the way out.
What would you do differently?:

Not pee in transition, but running in pee soaked shoes sucks!
Run
  • 1h 33m 41s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 09s  min/mile
Comments:

Got outta T2 and really just concentrated on a high turnover. My HR was abnormaly high, but I felt alright. I hit the bridge and my quads started to cramp a little bit. I thought "Ok this isn't good, but it's not bad either. I can still run on these legs." About 3 miles in Michellie Jones passed me and I tried to keep her in my sights for the rest of the lap. Did a decent job too. I paid the price for that on the second lap. My turnover turned into a lope and I went into damage control. The tongues on my shoes weren't centered and I could feel my Yankz laces rubbing the skin off the tops of my feet. I started hitting the Coke at the aid stations and before I knew it was making my final climb up the bridge. I started smiling at the Ford Motivational Mile and kept it on my face till the finish. Meg has the only picture of me smiling in a race ever!
What would you do differently?:

Chillout! My average HR was the same as what I do for an open half marathon. I should've have slowed down early and my pace would've been more consistent for the whole race. I missed my goal time on the run by 3 minutes and I really think poor pacing was to blame.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat down! Does that count? Stretched a little.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Pacing on the run, but all other splits were as predicted. Just got a little greedy too early.

Event comments:

Not much to comment on. As I said I'm happy with my performance, and although my placing wasn't all that great I can say unequivocally that I am not a cheater. I raced to the best of my ability. My average HR for the entire race was 164. I've never pushed myself that hard in a 70.3. 2009 is done. I've got a couple weeks unstructured and then on to base building for Ironman St. George.




Last updated: 2009-06-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:57 | 1931 meters | 01m 43s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/220
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 161 Max HR: 166
Suit: DeSoto T1 First Wave
Course: Rectangular, counter clockwise, and into the sun on the way out.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance: Average
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
02:15:22 | 56 miles | 24.82 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/220
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 159 Max HR: 172
Wind: None
Course: Flat, fast, kinda boring.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 82
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:05
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:33:41 | 13.1 miles | 07m 09s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/220
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Avg HR: 172 Max HR: 179
Course: Not as fast as I thought. Going over the causeway twice was tough.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4