Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Galveston, Texas
United States
EndorFUN SPORTS
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 43m 11s
Overall Rank = 1345/2199
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 40/82
Pre-race routine:

Got up early and headed to transition to beat the traffic. Set up transition, ate my usual bagel with peanut butter. Putzed around for 3 hours until my swim wave started at freakin' 8:15.
Event warmup:

No swim warmups, so none.
Swim
  • 43m 56s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 05s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim was way choppier than I anticipated, and this was my first open water swim in salt water as well as my first open water swim since October's Longhorn 70.3, so my time was not as fast as I would have liked. Some stupid woman kept grabbing my right calve and pulling me backwards! Some other stupid woman kept zigzagging in front of me, I swear she did it on purpose lol I swam smack-dab into a buoy (par for the course with me though).
What would you do differently?:

Get in more open water swims, practice sighting, learn how to get people the hell OFF OF ME in the water.
Transition 1
  • 04m 28s
Comments:

I really don't remember this transition lol except that I do remember asking someone for some shampoo in the fresh water shower after the swim.
What would you do differently?:

Practice the transition a few times, I do remember that I was very flustered.
Bike
  • 3h 20m 32s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.76 mile/hr
Comments:

Cross/Tail winds on the first half made it very hard getting to the turn-around. I was extremely disappointed in my pace (15.5) at that point. The bike is my strong point, and I really wanted to have a better time than my first 70.3 last October so was hoping the bike would be a strong one. The 2nd half coming back was cross/head winds, so my average was raised up to 16.8 for the entire 56 miles, but was still over 1 mph less than my Longhorn ride (in which I was injured and was much hillier).
What would you do differently?:

Need more rides outside, practicing in the wind. I opted for the trainer way too many times this winter to avoid the elements.
Transition 2
  • 03m 17s
Comments:

This transition was pretty much a blur as well. I did stop and get sunscreened, but it didn't seem to help as I was thoroughly FRIED when I got done and am now peeling. Fabulous.
What would you do differently?:

Practice this transition a few times before race day.
Run
  • 2h 30m 58s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

Ugh. Went out too fast, got overheated after about mile 3.5 or so and had to stop at nearly every waterstop to pour water over my head and sponge myself down. Drank too much water trying to get cool and had to use a porta-potty (which I never do in races). Had hoped for a much better run time, but it wasn't to be this day. The heat and humidity are not my friend.
What would you do differently?:

Get more runs in - I missed a few the couple of weeks prior to race day, and I could really feel that.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat on a curb and stretched a bit, drank more water. Pulled my shoes and socks off to discover a huge blood blister on my baby toe and another under my 2nd toenail thanks to my shoes being soaked from pouring the water over my head.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Missed training runs, the heat and humidity.

Event comments:

My only complaint was that there was no real food when I finished except for potato chips, pretzels and bananas. The pizza was long gone by the time we got there due to our late wave start and my slowness. BUT, there was BEER! So I did have a few of those. Had to replenish my carbs, ya know?




Last updated: 2010-11-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:43:56 | 2112 yards | 02m 05s / 100yards
Age Group: 35/82
Overall: 1297/2199
Performance: Average
Suit: Wetsuit over Tri-suit
Course: Rectangular, I think?
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Below average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:28
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:20:32 | 56 miles | 16.76 mile/hr
Age Group: 36/82
Overall: 1331/2199
Performance: Below average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Out and back along the seawall in Galveston. Nice course if not for the %*#@ wind!!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 84
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 03:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:30:58 | 13.1 miles | 11m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 40/82
Overall: 1345/2199
Performance: Below average
Course: 4 lap route around the grounds of Moody Park. Very flat and lots of crowd support the entire way. Volunteers were awesome although they kept fibbing and saying I looked great!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: 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: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4