Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas - TriathlonFull Ironman


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The Woodlands, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 14h 22m 19s
Overall Rank = 1417/2662
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 168/250
Pre-race routine:

I was about to sleep about 4 hours. Off and on sleep from 2 a.m. until 3:45. Up and showered, had a muffin (took awhile to choke down) and a couple of breakfast bars on the way to transition. Set up the bike and made the walk over to the swim start. Romain Guillaume sat down next to me before the swim start. Not having a clue who he was I asked him what his Texas 70.6 time was thinking it would be an age group type of time. WRONG! I then realized I was talking to a pro but he never made out like he was better than us slow pokes. In fact I found him very approachable and friendly. If he wasn't wearing #22 you would think he was a normal participant. He has a fan in me! Gu 15 mins before start and some light stretching
Event warmup:

Really? It's an Ironman
Swim
  • 1h 30m 43s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 09s / 100 yards
Comments:

Was able to get into the water and over to where I wanted to be with about 2 mins to spear. The water felt good and I was surprised how calm I was before the gun going off. I guess it hadn't sunk in that it was all really about to happen. 18 months of dreaming and 6 months of hard training was about to pay off. I expected more contact than I experienced for sure. I just kept my cool when contact happened and swam towards open water. I keep to the buoy side and ran the inside of the course. I was worried about having room in the channel, but I was just slow enough I avoided the majority of the traffic
What would you do differently?:

Nothing other than move faster
Transition 1
  • 07m 24s
Comments:

I purposely took my time...what's the hurry? I did hadn't paid attention to where the strippers would be and wasn't prepared by the time I got to them. They were great and helped get my zipper down and pulled the suit right off
What would you do differently?:

Unzipped and get it around my waste before getting to the strippers
Bike
  • 7h 01m 32s
  • 112 miles
  • 15.94 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew what certain parts looked like because of the in-laws living so close, so I wasn't surprised by much other than just how quiet some parts of the course are. The aid stations were great! I knew I was in for a long day so I just spun the hills and took my time on the downs. I also picked out a couple of fast women to follow. My thinking was that women are more consistent at keeping to a preset speed, and by following them I would keep from going out too hard. I followed "Pink socks" for about 40 miles until she dropped her chain. She was a great pacer because she had nothing to prove when someone passed her, and thus kept me from overdoing it. From mile 60 to 90 I followed "Blue Shirt" and help keep my mind off being tired. By mile 100 I was mentally ready to get off the bike, but still feeling strong.
What would you do differently?:

Learn to pee off the bike
Transition 2
  • 05m 40s
Comments:

Happened across two volunteers from my pool back home who took my bike and gave me high 5's. That really lifted me and woke me up to making sure I was ready to run the 26.2
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 5h 37m
  • 26.2 miles
  • 12m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

It is Houston... It is May... no surprise... it was HOT!! I knew I would not set a PB so my ONLY goal was to finish. When I left T2 I knew I could walk the entire run and still finish in under 17 hours, so I was in no hurry to jeopardize that! I decided that I would walk the hills and jog the rest until I just couldn't manage my body temp. There were a few times that stayed back a little to visit with other runners, but mostly I was just trying to enjoy the day.
What would you do differently?:

Run it in October?
Post race
Warm down:

Free Bird chicken burrito...didn't want to stay down but I managed. Walked over to get the bike and went home to enjoy my tasty frosty beer in my Ironman Texas glass.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat/humidity wasn't going to let anyone go fast!

Event comments:

I do feel that it should be either earlier or later in the year. I understand why it is May, but I will do a different race before doing IMTX again!




Last updated: 2011-05-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:30:43 | 4224 yards | 02m 09s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/250
Overall: 0/2662
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU sleveless
Course: Out and back in the lake, then a hard right into the channel. I did "run aground" in the channel, but pushed off hard and got into deeper water. The clarity was low, but the course was well marked with buoy's so it wasn't over
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 07:24
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
07:01:32 | 112 miles | 15.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 188/250
Overall: 1693/2662
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: The bike course was beautiful!!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:40
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
05:37:00 | 26.2 miles | 12m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 156/250
Overall: 1417/2662
Performance: Average
Course: 3 laps in and around The Woodlands. Some slight hills, but for the most part flat and hot course
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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