Ironman 70.3 Miami - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Miami, Florida
United States
Paramount
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 50m 20s
Overall Rank = 1342/3000
Age Group = 40-44 M
Age Group Rank = 265/
Pre-race routine:

dressed up in new race gear and packed bags the night before. wake up at 3AM for a protein shake, sleep another 30 min
at 3:30 got up again and drank some water and CCD mix
I realized post-race that I forgot to eat breakfast, did have 1 gel about 90 min post start but nothing else, this could have played a role inmy time
Event warmup:

not much chance to do anything but stretch and look for my tri friends Boom, Lester and some more from Puerto Rico - there are about 100 athletes from PR here today.
Swim
  • 1h 00m 20s
  • 2200 yards
  • 02m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

wish the organizers had placed 100 mtr markers, it sucked to be drifting nowhere. Got right calf cramp at 40 mins but shook it off and kept going (delay 90 sec)
What would you do differently?:

1. eat breakfast
2. WEAR THE DAMN WETSUIT IF ALLOWED!
3. practice the swim course or at least be sure to know the correct landmarks BEFORE getting on the water
Transition 1
  • 03m 30s
Comments:

actual transition took 0:58 but T was located 0.3 mi from water exit
change was excellent
What would you do differently?:

I still need to practice riding mount and click on pedals on the fly
after 1 attempt (to fall?) I put my bike against the railing, unclipped both pedals and put them on before getting started. This may have slowed me down 15 secs or so.
Bike
  • 2h 46m 8s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.22 mile/hr
Comments:

i was doing really well, consistently passing lots of riders (more so in the first half) I was trying to take advantage of the tailwind (avg 22 mph), then the headwind kept my avg speed around 18 mph.
I did lose one of my energy bottles early on the ride but managed with the one + water + gatorade + a few gels. I also took some electrolytes powder directly into my mouth - this was an awful thing to do but a necessary thing as I could feel the cramp coming - seems like it was just too late.
cramp delayed me for 90 secs.
Time was right on target with plan.
What would you do differently?:

1. take more electrolyte fluids,
2. carry an extra bottle with only powder mix for weight on one of the extra frame racks
3. train more speed/tempo - i can pull hard but can't sustain too long.
Transition 2
  • 04m 57s
Comments:

quick getting to rack (0:57) but taking my time to put socks, shoes and fuel belt on while checking out the number of bikes already in and gauge my position
What would you do differently?:

nothing - this was my first HIm and i enjoyed every suffering minute
Run
  • 2h 53m 29s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

What a killer, but like Macca said once - if it was easy, everyone would be doin' it. As the heat of noon came on to us I found my self walking up and barely jogging the rest of the course- getting a miserable 13:24 pace
What would you do differently?:

1. plan for hills
2. practice running hills
3. racing in Florida, never mind the flats - train for hills
Post race
Warm down:

warm-down? other than swallowing a bottle of gatorade nad laying motionless on the ground for 15 minutes - Nothing

What limited your ability to perform faster:

THE DAMN BRIDGE!!! My lack of hill training

Event comments:

first the good, then the bad and close with the ugly:
1. THE GOOD: a challenging race, more challenging than expected - even tho this was my first HIM, i could not have planned for THE DAMN BRIDGE.
2. THE BAD: cheap goodies, disorganized, late bike dropoff, not enough bike racks for all, missed any kind of entertainment on the course.
3. THE UGLY: out of supplies on the second water station? C'mon! Someone forgot to build a way to exit the water until the last minute? How about a closed piece of water for practice the days before the race?
I give this race an A for challenge, but a D to the organizers.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2010-11-01 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:00:20 | 2200 yards | 02m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 297/
Overall: 0/3000
Performance: Average
per GPS reference my swim was 3.15 mi long however it loses both satelite and HRM signal everytime it goes underwater.
Suit: no
Course: the only buoys were the 3 turn markers - this made it EXTREMELY difficult to navigate a straight line. As a consequence I ended up swimming much longer than needed (dist & time)
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 81F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
02:46:08 | 56 miles | 20.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/3000
Performance: Good
Avg pace 2:57/mi (avg speed 20.2) does not consider the 90 secs stopped with cramp, otherwise it avg sp would have been 20.4 mph
Wind: Some
Course: out and back course in downtoen and then residential miami areas. Some potholes and many corners but manageable. Some bad smell near turnaround point. First water station at mi 14 was well supplied while the second near turnaround was out of water when I (as well as the rest of the athletes behind me) got there (AWFUL), the return trip was headwinded. I had to stop for 90 secs at mile 50 w a good cramp on the right calf. There were packs of 20+ riders at times, i did not come across more than 1 marshall on the course
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:57
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:53:29 | 13.1 miles | 13m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 265/
Overall: 1342/3000
Performance: Below average
the suffer-fest started from GO but I felt better as I warmed up and loaded with much needed liquids that I missed on the bike. Then, the monstruous bridge. Its not that it was too tall, but going across EIGHT times felt like a bad joke that never ends. Seriously, I came prepared for FL terrain and am sure most other people did too. I am not complaining about the challenge, I am stating that we could have been made aware and given the chance to prepare accordingly. This set me back another 30 minutes
Course: .75 mile flat, next 1mi up and down bridge (repeat) + 1/2 mi to turnaround this times 4. mostly on concrete roads - not for the weak knee.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3