Port of Tauranga Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Tauranga, Bay of Plenty
New Zealand
Triathlon New Zealand
24C / 75F
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 17m 21s
Overall Rank = 535/750
Age Group = 31-40
Age Group Rank = 134/???
Pre-race routine:

The last month (Xmas and New Year) has made the last phase tough but I managed to get some quality speed work in around Xmas partys etc.

The last 3 days were spent completely resting with the only form of exercise being a walk around the run course the day before the event.

Diet during the last week was excellent (believe me when I say that this was a miracle- ask anyone who knows me!!!) Fluid intake was perfect if not a little too much in that the body was starting to reject fluids.
Event warmup:

I was pretty relaxed on the morning of the event- I had mentally rehearsed this, my first Half Ironman, a hundred times and I had covered every conceivable scenario- except putting my timing chip on my leg!! Yes I left it at my parents home and realized 1 hour before the start- Thats how I got my temperature and blood pressure up-. Wife to the rescue and all was well with 30 minutes to the start.

Warm-up consisted of pacing up and down the sea shore and some trivial stretching and light swimming in the ocean.
Swim
  • 41m 7s
  • 2000 meters
  • 02m 04s / 100 meters
Comments:

Happy overall as have only been swimming for 3 months.

Lot to learn but a good litmus test.

What would you do differently?:

I started at the back of the course out of fear. Next time I would move further up as its hard work battling through the whole field throughout the swim. Need to have a bit of confidence in swim ability and look at correct start positioning.
Transition 1
  • 02m 5s
Comments:

FORGOT TO PUT CARBO SUPPLEMENTS IN BIKE JERSEY!!!!

I had to re-enter T1 to get my carb supplements. DUFUSS!!!!
What would you do differently?:

Don't talk to mates over the fence and get distracted. It could have ruined my whole race.
Bike
  • 2h 57m
  • 90 kms
  • 30.51 km/hr
Comments:

O.K. but more thought needed. As the wind increased I should have pushed a higher gear with the tail wind to cover for the loss of speed in the head wind- I figured this in lap 3 of 4 but hope that going forward I will have the experience to see this earlier.
What would you do differently?:

Read the wind better and try to think of ways to maximise speed.
Transition 2
  • 01m 23s
Comments:

OK- Bit sloppy really. More planning required.
What would you do differently?:

Think more before I got there. Spend time over the last 15 minutes planning what, when, why, how etc.
Run
  • 2h 30m
  • 21.1 kms
  • 07m 07s  min/km
Comments:

Absolute shocker. Felt physically sick in the first 10 minutes and this lasted for the first lap. NOT ENOUGH LONG BRICK WORKOUTS- I had done the long ride then 15min run straight after but had never done the long cycle and long run workout and I really suffered. A good day went down the toilet really fast.

The best advice I could give the newby is to train on the long brick workout strategy. And lots of it cos me not doing it really stuffed my whole day!!

The slowest half marathon I have ever done!!
What would you do differently?:

Train long bricks. Train long bricks. And then, train long bricks.
Post race
Warm down:

Nil- Sorry folks but I celebrated the completion of my first Half Ironman and soaked it all in. And yes I suffered a bit the next day.

I was in bed asleep by 7PM afer a 7AM race start so I was pretty well had it!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Carrying 10-15KG too much fat. Not enough endurance brick workouts. Not enough recognition of wind conditions. Not enough transition planning.

Event comments:

Great race with the likes of Cameron Brown and Joanna Lawn present so a good field. Great for a newby to be on the course with top athletes but I now realise that Ironman events are a big step up from a sprint TRI.

Awesome experience and with 12 months to IM New Zealand, lots to thing about and plan. Great to finish and achieve a great result.

I look forward to a long winter of brick endurance workouts.




Last updated: 2005-12-14 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:41:07 | 2000 meters | 02m 04s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/???
Overall: 0/750
Performance: Good
Cleared from my doctor re a major shoulder injury 3 months earlier I was rapt to beat goal time by 4 minutes. HR was around 145-150 throughout which I had expected so pleased overall with the result. Note: Learn to bi- lateral breath as the 8 litres of sea water I swallowed did not help my cause. Overall, happy with the result. Need to look at navigation though........
Suit: Orca
Course: 2 triangle laps of 1200m then 800m with 100m run between laps.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 23C / 73F Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Bad
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:05
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
02:57:00 | 90 kms | 30.51 km/hr
Age Group: 0/???
Overall: 0/750
Performance: Good
Ave HR was 152 B/M. Happy 4 laps on a flat straight course paralleling the beach.
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: Flat and fast- I was happy with post 30 KPH but the Pro's were closer to 45 KPH. 4 Laps, no traffic and good crowd support.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:23
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:30:00 | 21.1 kms | 07m 07s  min/km
Age Group: 0/???
Overall: 0/750
Performance: Bad
HR 150+ during the secong half but over 160 during the first half!!!!!
Course: 2 Laps of hilly then flat course. (1KM flat, 3.8KM hilly then 5.7KM flat per lap)
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %0
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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] 5