Ironman 70.3 Muncie - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Muncie, Indiana
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
89F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 59m 5s
Overall Rank = 1335/1530
Age Group = F 35-39
Age Group Rank = 73/84
Pre-race routine:

My husband and I stayed in Muncie the night before. After the pre-race meeting on Friday, I checked my bike in and went the hotel. Surprisingly, I slept pretty well. We were up at 4:30. He has this cute ritual where he french braids my hair before any kind of race. Then, I had a bowl of steel cut oats about 5:00 and we headed to the transition area. By that time, I was a basket case of nerves. This was my first HIM and I was feeling pretty intimidated by the people around me. I set up my transition (double checking everything 5 times) and we headed down to the water.
Event warmup:

I swam about 300 yards. I was really nervous about the swim and wanted to get comfortable in the water. It was definitely a big help.
Swim
  • 52m 46s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

I know by most standards, this was a slow swim, but I was really pleased with it. I expected to take a full hour. I was kind of frustrated that the timing mats were at the top of the shoot. The shoot was a really long run up hill. According to my watch, my time out of the water was 51 minutes.
What would you do differently?:

I definitely need to spend some time with a swim coach. I am signed up for a stroke improvement class next month and think it will be a big help in the next race.
Transition 1
  • 05m 13s
Comments:

I really was in no hurry to get out of transition. I was more concerned with making sure I had everything with me and that I had time to catch my breath. I kept reminding myself.... slow and steady is the theme of the day.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 3h 14m 45s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.25 mile/hr
Comments:

The start of the bike was amazing. I was cruising along at 23 miles per hour, thinking this was going to be my best bike ever. What I didn't realize, and found out quickly at the turn around, was that we had about a 10 mile per hour tail wind at the start. As a result of the wind, I was either going 20+ miles per hour or 14 miles per hour. There was not a whole lot of in-between. On the bike I ate 1 gel, 1 power bar, and had 2 scoops of heed.
What would you do differently?:

Just keep riding harder and longer.
Transition 2
  • 05m 55s
Comments:

Again, I took my time with the transition. I had to stop and use the port-a-pot which cost me a little time. I also changed socks and put compression sleeves on my calves.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe speed up a little.
Run
  • 2h 40m 27s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 15s  min/mile
Comments:

This was the slowest, hardest, most painful 1/2 mary ever! The first 2 miles took me 30 minutes. My legs were ok, but I was extremely sick. I was dizzy and had terrible upper GI cramps. I really didn't think I was going to be able to keep going. The heat was absolutely awful, and I had not really trained in those conditions. I started feeling a little better by mile 3 and was able to choke down a gel. That helped rally me some. As the course went on I felt better and was able to run more. I employed a walk-run strategy with the cones. The cones were about 100 feet apart and I would walk 1 and run 2. At every aid station, I poured ice down my shirt and water over my head. On the course I had 3 gels, 2 oranges. lots of water, and some coke.
What would you do differently?:

I definitely need to do more hill running. I also think next time I will be more prepared for the feeling immediately after the bike.
Post race
Warm down:

I ran to my husband and cried. I honestly could not believe I had made it. Even though I wasn't very fast, it felt like the greatest accomplishment of my life.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat was probably the biggest limiting factor. I also did something wrong with my nutrition. My stomach was just a mess on the run.

Event comments:

I feel AMAZING! I cannot wait for the next one. I feel like I learned so much and can't wait to fine tune the effort.




Last updated: 2010-11-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:52:46 | 2112 yards | 02m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 1307/1530
Performance: Good
I felt really good the whole time. I definitely gained speed as the swim went on.
Suit: Regular Tri Separates
Course: This is a rectangular shaped course on a super flat, smooth lake. The lane was nice and wide and extremely well marked with buoys and boats. The set up made spotting easy.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 88F / 31C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:13
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:14:45 | 56 miles | 17.25 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 1336/1530
Performance: Good
I really tried to keep my pace at a level where my HR stayed around 145. I held this pretty well most of the time. When I had to pass (which did happen, yeah!), it went up a bit.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: This was a great course! It is really flat and well-surfaceed road. My only complaint was toward the end of the course. It wound through neighborhoods on some rough roads.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 89
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:55
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:40:27 | 13.1 miles | 12m 15s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/84
Overall: 1241/1530
Performance: Below average
I started off REALLY slow and still couldn't get my HR under 165. This was just a brutal run over all. By mile 3 or 4 my HR was under control and I was able to start moving. Miles 6-10 were great and then miles 11-13 were really tough.
Course: There is not a flat spot on this course. It is all rolling hills. The best part was the volunteers. There were incredible aid stations at least once every mile.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %5%
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5