SOMA Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Tempe, Arizona
United States
The Red Rock Company
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 43m 25s
Overall Rank = 332/806
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 58/104
Pre-race routine:

Ate a banana and a bar and drank water.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 31m 44s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

Overall the swim went well. The new wetsuit worked great no chafing on the neck and it was very comfortable (however, I do have some chafing on the underside of my arms where they rubbed against the seam of the wetsuit). Good solid smooth swim. Main goal was to just take it smooth and to not expend too much energy.
What would you do differently?:

Now that I know what to expect for the rest of the race I would perhaps go a little bit faster but maybe not.
Transition 1
  • 02m 20s
Comments:

Good fast transition (but not too fast).
What would you do differently?:

I would perhaps take advantage of the wetsuit strippers but then again maybe not.
Bike
  • 3h 02m 3s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.46 mile/hr
Comments:

I am happy with my time but I HATED the bike course. The course required one to do 3 hairpin turn arounds per lap for a total of nine and had far too many sharp turns. I may have liked the bike course more except on the first lap I was almost t-boned by a cyclist going the opposite direction who proceeded to blow through the corner and just miss hitting me going the opposite direction while he proceeded to swerve into traffic. There must be a safer way to set up a course.
What would you do differently?:

I'm happy with the bike time. It would be nice if I could manage to use the aerobars one of these days but the legs just were not having any of it. The bike is improving just need to keep working on it.
Transition 2
  • 01m 34s
Comments:

Little wobbly when I got off the bike but the transition was fast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 2h 05m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 36s  min/mile
Comments:

My longest run ever which gives you a pretty good indication of what I should have done differently. I went out a little too fast (and/or I should have continued ingesting gels on the run). Given I have had limited practice with fueling on the run I was very conservative since the goal of today was to finish.
What would you do differently?:

I would train more for the run and practice fueling while I train so that I can have confidence in my fueling strategy and stick to it. I would also train wearing a visor or something because the sun really was starting to wear on me.
Post race
Warm down:

None. Waiting for Mike and Steve to cross the line. If either one of these two guys ever learns to swim they are going to be waiting a very long time for me to cross the line.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Things I would do differently:
1) The heat wore me down on the run, I really need to try to protect myself more from the sun.
2) I need to continue training for the run and practice fueling during the run.
3) Not being able to use the aerobars on the bike and being unsure how hard I could push on the bike and still finish the run since I have done very few runs off the bike this year.

Event comments:

I'm happy with my performance the time is a starting point to work from. I need to pay more attention to bike speed and to training for the run. The new nutrition strategy on the bike seemed to work well although I might have benefited from a 4th bottle on the bike.

Overall the race was good but they had too major problems this year that were not present last year. First, bike registration took way too long (2+ hours stuck in the sun the day before the race). I ended up getting a sunburn just trying to register. Second, the bike course was dangerous. After the first loop it was considerably safer since everyone knew what to expect but I was almost taken out by someone going the other direction which is just plain wrong.




Last updated: 2005-10-31 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:44 | 2112 yards | 01m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/104
Overall: 35/806
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Vengeance Sleeveless
Course: Out and back loop.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:20
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:02:03 | 56 miles | 18.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 82/104
Overall: 535/806
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: 3 loops with a lot of hairpins and tight turns.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Below average Cornering: Below average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:34
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:05:47 | 13.1 miles | 09m 36s  min/mile
Age Group: 60/104
Overall: 354/806
Performance: Average
Lap 1: 8.21 Lap 2: 8.20 Lap 3: 9.12 Lap 4: 9.15 Lap 5: 9.15 Lap 6: 9.10 Lap 7: 9.40 Lap 8: 9.53 Lap 9: 10.08 Lap 10: 10.16 Lap 11: 10.30 Lap 12: 10.35 Lap 13: 11.41 (1.1 miles)
Course: 2 loops around the Tempe Town Lake.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4