Myrtle Beach Triathlon - Halfmax Distance - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
United States
Ultramax Events
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 55m 46s
Overall Rank = 217/298
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 6/18
Pre-race routine:

Flew on the self named "Clown Plane" with 12 teammates to the race on Friday. Got a short ride on the run course to check out the new layout, checked in Fiona, had a team dinner with the whole gang and off to bed in our wonderful room at the host hotel. Up at 5:30, ate the usual (minus coffee) got into and out of transition with bike nutrition and tire duties, went back to the room to get off my feet and chatter with the girls till the start which was pushed back a bit.
Event warmup:

None. No place to properly warm up for the swim as it was a marina start (there was a spot, but I never got over there) and just waited with my teammates to get in the water for the start.
Swim
  • 35m 30s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

They talked a bunch about the serious current, but it didn't affect me at all really.(Thank you Lake Erie swims!) I got pushed off course a little but not horrible. The brackish water wasn't nearly as bad as I expected (no salty taste at all) and it was not a pretty color (think coffee...black rich coffee) but who cares! The timing mat was at Transition and it was quite a hike, so I am pleased with the time.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Felt calm and comfortable throughout the whole swim.
Transition 1
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

I got crap from my captain because all the sprinters from the team were cheering me but I didn't look up, smile or acknowledge them. I was super focused on NOT losing my lid or goggle like at REV3. The run was actually in the swim time as the mat was at transition so, considering that, it was pretty slow. I dried off a bit, got my feet wiped and hung my wetsuit on the rack.
What would you do differently?:

Hustle of course. My head was NOT in the game at this race, so I was pokey in transition for sure.
Bike
  • 2h 50m 54s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.66 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm sitting here just shaking my head. I was not excited to race, I dropped my chain and had to get off the bike in the first 4 miles, I just did not have the mental strength to do battle with the wind, and for the first time I can recall racing, I didn't care. My bike is my happy place, but it was not a happy bike. After seeing my first loop split I decided I could negative split...just need to ride tempo and that should happen. That lasted about 5 minutes, then back to who cares. Bahhhhhhh
What would you do differently?:

On this day, not much. In future races, a lot. :)
Transition 2
  • 02m 27s
Comments:

stunk it up in here too. Really had to go potty, and no potty in transition. Bummer! Grabbed my stuff, jammed a gel, a couple salt tabs, and my inhaler (so glad I grabbed that) and finally lumbered out.
What would you do differently?:

Again, on this day, not much, in future races...a lot! Speed up of course!
Run
  • 2h 25m 9s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

Worst run ever at this distance. EVER. I had hoped for a good run since the bike was so not happening. Nope. Not even close. I think I ran my dream pace for the 1st mile *looking for the portapots! I had to go!!!* but that was it. My head was so off...I just did not care...at all! It was so tempting to just walk off the course. 3 loops on the run didn't help either. :( Usually seeing my teammates is very energizing to me. I get pumped seeing them and cheering/being cheered by them, but not today. I have never wanted to quit a race before, and the only carrot I had over my head was the fact that I could qualify for worlds in Spain If.I.Just.Finish. Even having that thought made me angry at myself, yet I still wanted to quit. I came upon a gal walking and the first thing she said was she'd never had to work so hard to NOT dnf a race. I concurred, and low and behold there was my coach off in the distance...we picked it up and ran a bit together. At this point I was off of my strategy of walking a full minute per mile and was walking at the half mile point too. Coach ran with me a bit, then went back to push Ranger to catch me. He did of course,and we ran that last bitch of a mile in together with no walking. Just like the TTT...gosh I love that Ranger. Somehow he made the hell of that last mile doable. :)
What would you do differently?:

Again, on that day, not much. I had to use my inhaler on the second loop, made too many pit stops again and I was so off mentally I am just happy I finished. On another race day a lot. I realized (yet again) I spent 7 minutes of my run in the loo. I have got to figure out how to stay out of the loo on longer runs! Seriously...7 minutes!
Post race
Warm down:

Terese and Tyla were there to cheer Ranger and I on at the finish, thank heavens. They helped us get our drinks and race tickets with our times (I was shocked that my crappy effort landed me in 6th) and walked with us to get some food and back to the rooms. I was complete toast. I took a shower, drank my recovery drink, got dressed and went back to see Andrea finish her very first HIM.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Goodness, my lousy head! I think I'm a tad burned out, over raced, not excited. I wasn't geeked to race REV3, but it was fun. This race I was kind of apathetic about. Clubs was exciting, but very different from last year and missing some of my very favorite people. The field was MUCH smaller...last year 42 in my ag...this year, 94 women overall including the non qualified spots! I knew I only had to finish with 11 qualified racers in my ag, not exactly stimulating. I'd been sick and foolishly didn't dial back my training (fear of worlds I guess). The wind on race day was worse than last year, and I just didn't want to kill myself and fight it. I just was.not.into.racing. And man did it show.

Event comments:

So now I've had the worst race of my life. Now I've experienced the low. It took me several days to find the good stuff in there. Some help from my friends and teammates and a little time off helped me realize a few things: What comes up, does indeed come down on occasion, and that's ok. I'm glad I had this wake up call at clubs and not at Worlds! Now I've got my crappy race out of the way, and I can do better at Worlds. Mentally, I got stronger, because I wanted to quit so much, but managed to finish. We all get by with a little help from our friends (and Coach!).

With all the grumpy feelings I had, I really did have an awesome time with my team...we won (hey...I even got extra points for the team with my crapper race!) the USAT Division 3 National Title, which was awesome! Everyone enjoyed eating the Club Crack I'd made for them (and I enjoyed watching my mates munch!), we had a great post race dinner together and a bunch of us watched the Tigers game at the Kenar's room which was full of shenanigans, laughter and margaritas.




Last updated: 2011-01-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:30 | 1931 meters | 01m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 2/18
Overall: 0/298
Performance: Good
Suit: Quintana Roo SuperFull
Course: Marina start in the intercoastal waterway...out of marina, turn left (with current) to a rectangle basically with the lions share against the current, back into the marina and out stairs to exit the water
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:47
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
02:50:54 | 56 miles | 19.66 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/18
Overall: 0/298
Performance: Below average
avg hr 148 avg watts 148 Both were TOO LOW! HR should have been at least 10 beats higher and watts about 20 higher.
Wind: Strong
Course: Same course as last time...mostly flat and fast on the expressway on good roads...2 loops just like last year.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 87
Turns: Below average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:27
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:25:09 | 13.1 miles | 11m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 12/18
Overall: 0/298
Performance: Bad
1 9:03 161hr 2 9:34 155 3 9:46 162 4 10:02 162 5 9:58 165 6 10:29 163 7 10:47 158 8 12:18 153 9 10:28 163 10 12:16 153 11 11:26 152 12 11:11 152 13 10:45 161 .1 10:39 170
Course: 3 loop course on flat somewhat shaded path. Flat, boring, and much less confusing than last year.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
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] 4