Ironman 70.3 Boise - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Boise, Idaho
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 47m 18s
Overall Rank = 771/1227
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 23/45
Pre-race routine:

Not a bad nights sleep for a change before a race. Not having to get up early helps. Cold cereal and 2 waffles with Hammer gel for breakfast about 8am. Set up T2 at 10am. Liquid lunch at 11am-2.5 scoops of Hammer Perpetuem in 24oz water. Head up to race start at Lucky Peak about noon with my wife, 16yo son, and 21yo daughter. I hit the portapotty. As I'm setting up T1 I realize I forgot my 5oz flask of Hammer Perpetuem paste for the bike. T1 will close in 35 minutes! Daniel runs down the mile long dirt road to the car, drives home breaking all speed limits, and brings back the flask. While I'm waiting I take a gel with some water. Stephanie, who is a runner, meets him at the bottom of the road and runs the flask to T1, pushing herself harder than she really should have. She runs up to me just as I was giving up and walking out of T1. She is pale and totally spent. T1 closes in 1 minute. I put the flask in its holder on my bike and head for the swim start. My wave goes 9 minutes after the pros. My kids are my heroes today.I head into the holding area with the other 55-59yo men wearing baby blue caps and we help each other with our wet suits. I meet up with Steve, a friend from work, who beats me in every local race (not today!!)
Event warmup:

No warm up.
Swim
  • 55m 41s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

As you can see from my rank in both AG and overall, the swim is not my strongest event! The best thing about the swim was it was sunny, there was minimal waves (although they picked up a bit about halfway thru due to the wind picking up), and I swam 20 minutes faster than last year!!! Always a great releif to get out of the water. Legs felt pretty good.
2009 AG Rank-30/30 (I wasn't last this year!) 2009 Overall Rank-1191/1246
What would you do differently?:

I still have a goal of becoming a better swimmer. Will take more lessons this fall.
Transition 1
  • 06m 29s
Comments:

My time was obviously terrible. The strippers had a little bit of trouble getting my suit off. The rocks in the parking lot they used for T1 were terrible. At the bike I couldn't get my socks on then couldn't get my shoes on! I did practice quite a bit in the back yard doing it standing up(on the grass). I would have forgot to put my race belt on if it hadn't fell out of the bag I was putting my wet suit in. It was great to have my wife and 2 kids their at the fence just 50ft away cheering me on. I could actually talk to them while I was getting set to ride.
What would you do differently?:

Eventually I sat down to put my socks and shoes on. Next time I will just sit down when I get there. Time was 1.5 minutes slower than last year! It's wierd how I always feel a bit "goofy" for several minutes after getting out of the water. At least it was warm and sunny.
Bike
  • 3h 17m 18s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.03 mile/hr
Comments:

As I mentioned above, the wind was brutal. By the time I got back down to Hwy 21 off the bridge and turned back into the wind on Warm Springs, the wind was starting to really aggravate me! On top of that they routed us off the road and onto the green belt down a short but steep winding path and then back up again after crossing under the bridge, and onto Warm Springs again. This was so bikers coming down from the swim did not cross paths with those on their way back over that same bridge heading to Bown Crossing...I think it was also so they did not have to close Warm Springs in both directions. Anyway, it was a dangerous detour and it really slowed us down. A friend of mine fell their going down that windy path. The second danger zone was Bown Crossing intersection onto Boise Ave. Drivers were not paying attention to the police officer and he was having a real hard time keeping everyone safe. Once again my wife and kids were their to cheer me on and taking videos! Bergeson Ave goes right thru my neighborhood so it was good to see some friends I didn't expect. Federal Way was the home stretch but once again the head wind was brutal.
2009 AG Rank-21/30 2010 AG Rank-19/45 (I like that!)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing different as far as my riding. I would have mixed my Perpetuem paste a bit thinner. I even knew better from a previous experience. I also would have put 1-1.5 scoops of HEED in each bottle instead of 2 scoops. I would also not carry that 3rd bottle unless it was quite a bit warmer than it was. The best thing about the ride was actually doing it 3 minutes faster than last year, when it was miserably wet and very cold. I assumed I really blew it on the ride, because of the wind, until I saw my stats the next day.
Transition 2
  • 02m 29s
Comments:

This was a great transition, for me. I was 3 minutes faster than last year. This "may" have something to do with it being nice and warm and my hands not freezing so that I couldn't even tie my shoes! This year I had my shoes already tied! One of the best things about T2 was my other daughter Melissa, who couldn't make it to T1 or the bike route, was standing right at my spot right next to the fence cheering me on. I didn't expect to see her so it was a nice surprise!
What would you do differently?:

Ask the guy walking in front of me to move over sooner than I did.
Run
  • 2h 25m 20s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

As I mentioned, the wind beat me up pretty bad. I was pretty spent by the time I started running. I kept the best pace I could. I walked the water stations and drank at each one. I took a shot of Hammer gel from my flask (diluted with water) every other station, so about every 2 miles. We were always running by runners on the other half of the path so I passed Paul, Tim, Joe, and Amber. When Amber passed me it was just after the turnaround so, of course, she passed me from behind and gave me a pat on the back and told me I was looking good. It was a real morale boost to see my family again at the turnaround cheering me on and taking videos. I played cat and mouse with a guy for the entire run. We ran together for a while and chatted. I passed him for the last time about 2 miles from the finish. I told him he could do it and he responded with "I feel like I'm going to pass out". I'm sure he didn't but I couldn't turn back now to check! The end was in sight. I couldn't wait to be done. There was my family right against the fence as I came down the shoot. I was alone so there was no mistake who I was when the announcer said "And from Boise now crossing the finish line is Tom Wenzel". I gave my biking buddy Gregg a hug as he handed me a water bottle...thanks for volunteering Gregg, especially after riding that Bob Lebow Century today!
2009 AG Rank-21/30 2010 AG Rank-23/45
What would you do differently?:

Try harder?? Don't know that I could have. Walk less during water stations? Maybe.
Post race
Warm down:

Space blanket over shoulders..walk around while talking to family and drinking 2 bottles of water and 2 scoops Hammer Recoverite in 20oz water.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fighting so hard against the wind on the bike. Would I go easier on the bike to save some strength for the run? Probably not..I'm strongest on the bike and I just don't think I would have gained appreciable time on the run by riding easier.

Event comments:

I'll never say a race like this was easy, nor would I say it was fun. It was very hard and painful but I am very proud of my accomplishment. Will I do it next year? If you asked me last Saturday...no. Now?...likely.




Last updated: 2010-01-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:55:41 | 2112 yards | 02m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 42/45
Overall: 1156/1227
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca S3-Mandatory
Course: Triangle course in Lucky Peak Lake. A different course than last year. Looking out it does not look as long as it was last year. Maybe that's because I have a bit of experience or it is just an optical illusion.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:29
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:17:18 | 56 miles | 17.03 mile/hr
Age Group: 19/45
Overall: 645/1227
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: They changed the bike course a bit this year..much better and would have been much faster if it had not been for the wind. The head wind was brutal and the side wind was not much better. The amount of tail wind was minimal compared to the head and side wind. It had to be blowing 25-35MPH the entire race! 1581ft climbing.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:29
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:25:20 | 13.1 miles | 11m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 23/45
Overall: 769/1227
Performance: Below average
Course: Green Belt along the Boise River and plenty of shade. Very nice path to run on..no danger zones.
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5