Ironman St. George - Utah - TriathlonFull Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
St. George, Utah
United States
WTC
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 34m 17s
Overall Rank = 409/2000
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 59/227
Pre-race routine:

Since this was my first IM I took a nap the day before thinking that my nerves would keep me up that night, I was right. Went to sleep around 1am and qoke up a little later than I'd planned. Once I was up I slammed a peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwhich and made another which I cut into halves (one for my bike special needs and another for my run special needs). I headed to the shuttle area and only stood in line for about 10 minutes before I ws on my way to the transition area (20 miles outside of town. I had a checklist for getting things ready and once I was there, I began to knock them out one by one. At this point, nerves set in and I was a little overwhelmed. I just reminded myself that I didn't spend all of those long hours on the trainer this winter to be intimidated at the start line. I was ready.
Event warmup:

They called us into the water and I immediately let the cold (59 degree water) into my wetsuit and began moving the arms to get the blood flowing. Then...boom!
Swim
  • 1h 15m 59s
  • 3862 meters
  • 01m 58s / 100 meters
Comments:

Navigation was tough since I was not early into the water...lots of traffic to navigate through but I just tried my best to protect my head and swim defensively.
What would you do differently?:

I would have gotten into the water much earlier and started more toward the beginning. With this being my first IM, the start happened before I even knew what was going on and I was cought behind huge groups of people. This was definately a slow swim for me, but I could have cared less, I was done with the first leg of my first Ironman!
Transition 1
  • 12m 5s
Comments:

The changing room was way too small and there was hardly any room to sit and change. Since it was very chilly I decided to change completely into a new set of tri shorts and a tri top. Also, I put on arm warmers, used th restroom and stopped to have sunscreen aplied.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I know that's a really slow transition time, but my plan was to take it slow and make sure I was ready for this incredibly challenging bike.
Bike
  • 6h 27m 9s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.36 mile/hr
Comments:

At some point within the first 20 miles I accidentally ejected my electrolyte tablets while getting ride of some trash from my pocket. This would come back to haunt me. However, I realized this and took on bananas when available. You have got to be smart on this course, if you make a mistake regarding pace and effort level, you will pay dearly! I rode within my limits and felt pretty good. Having said all of that, I was SOOOOO ready to get off the bike once I was finished.
What would you do differently?:

I would have paid more attention to what I was throwing away, haha!
Transition 2
  • 06m 52s
Comments:

I had never raced IM and it was a little weired having people hand you your gear and being put into a changing tent etc...but very thankful for everyone of those volunteers!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing ;)
Run
  • 4h 32m 12s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

This was my big question mark. I was always a good runner but I've never really dialed in a good run in a triathlon no matter the distance. My plan during training was to have great bike fitness so I was a fresh as I could be for the run, and it paid off big time. My intention was to start very modestly and see what happened. As I started out I could not beleive how good I felt. I settle in to a nice pace and since I started feeling some twitches within my quads, I decided I would walk the uphills and run the flat and downhill sections. At this point I could not stand to eat another gell and gatorade was not pleasing at all. Since my electrolyte tablets were MIA I had to intake more gel, accelorade and food so my stounach was starting to fill up and slosh as I ran...this was a bit nauseating. I was reaching for whatever I could at this point...broth, cola, pretzels and potato chips were all on the menu for the rest of the day. My first 13.1 miles was clocked at 2 hours and the second was clocked at 2:32. I have no idea how I managed to hang on during the run without cramping but I was thankful. As I came up on mile 25 my eyes started to well up with tears as all the sacrifice, the hours, the missed social events, the early mornings, the sore legs...all of it was finally about to be justified. I was just so happy, I've never experienced anything like this ( I am not married and don't have kids). It was satisfaction personified. I managed to hold back the tears as I pulled my sunglasses off and threw my hands in the air...I was an IRONMAN!
What would you do differently?:

I finished, as far as I'm concerned...nuff said ;)
Post race
Warm down:

My catcher showed me to pizza, a massage, and my gear. Even though it was only 7:30 I decided to stay till midnight and watch the final finisher come in. I had heard that this it is an amazing experience to see the finale and even though my feet were on fire, I decided I could sacrifice for a bit longer and watch it all go down. I'm so incredibly glad I did...the whole city was in a roar and many cried along with the finishers...it was the most inspiring thing I may have ever seen.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My stoumach was too full during the run and the slosh of the liquid and gel inhibited my ability to run the entire course.

Event comments:

THis was the first year for this race and my first IM...so there was plenty of room for errr on both sides. However, they nailed it. But what really made this race was the beautiful scenery and the people. I WILL come back to this city for a visit outside of triathlon. It's a georgeous city with incredibly nice people. They were patient with all the road closures and unbeleivable nice. I was constantly stopped and congradulated by the locals as they pass me afterward on the street. I just cannot say enough great things about the race. If you're looking to do an IM, and you want one of the toughest courses in the world...look no further.




Last updated: 2010-05-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:15:59 | 3862 meters | 01m 58s / 100meters
Age Group: 79/227
Overall: 680/2000
Performance: Average
Since the tempeture was 43-45 degrees I did not wear my HR monitor for the swim...I wanted everything dry for the bike.
Suit: Full Xterra Vector 3
Course: One loop, Counter clockwise...the lake was surrounded by a beautiful mountain scenery.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 12:05
Performance: Average
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
06:27:09 | 112 miles | 17.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 55/227
Overall: 420/2000
Performance: Good
Averaged 142 for the bike and paced very well. Cycling is my strongest discipline but I did not want to attack the bike. I simply wanted to use the bike fitness I's built up to prepare myself for the run...especially since I'd never bike that far, and then ran that far...there were a lot of questions marks, internally, and I wanted to error on the side of caution.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: The bike was hard, pretty darn hard in fact. Everyone I've talked to that has done multiple IM's said this was by far the hardest. But I knew all of this going in, so I simply trained that way. On this course you just have to develop a pacing plan and ride within your limits. I'd driven the course two days prior and took about 8 pages worth of note on every climb, descend, crack, etc. But again, to sum up, yeah...it was tough!
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 06:52
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
04:32:12 | 26.2 miles | 10m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 55/227
Overall: 409/2000
Performance: Good
Course: The run was hilly, but just as much downhill as uphill. The run climed into a desert reserve and had kind of a death march feel to it...but the difficulty only made me more focused.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %4
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5