Barb's Race - Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Guerneville, California
United States
Vineman, Inc.
73F / 23C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 04m 30s
Overall Rank = 88/447
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 19/67
Pre-race routine:

Went up on Thursday with other CCTCers, there were at least 10 of us doing the race. We went swimming at Johnson beach on Friday morning, did the race meeting and check-in thing, then pretty much relaxed for the rest of the day. I spent some time in the hot tub and had a nice pre-race dinner of organic shells & cheese with zucchini from my garden. Went to bed early and slept better than I usually do before a race, although after about 1:30 I was waking up every hour or so.
Event warmup:

We were out the door before 5 to hit Starbucks on the way to the river. 5 of us packed into my truck (2 were doing the full aquabike). It was nice to get there early and not have to stress about having enough time for everything. I leisurely set up my transition area, hit the port-o-potty twice, put on my wetsuit, and hung out at the beach for a bit before they let my wave into the water. In the minute or so before the horn sounded, I enjoyed the moment, marveling at the fact that once again, I was at the starting line of a 70.3 - always an awesome feeling.
Swim
  • 36m 59s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 45s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim start was pretty crowded. I had seeded myself right in the middle and got stuck in the pack for at least 4 or 5 minutes, so I just stayed calm and waited for a chance to break out. 15 minutes in, the waves were all mixed, since they were only 3 minutes apart - my wave was in between 2 half aquabike waves and the other 2 Barb's waves. I hit the turnaround a little after the 20 minute mark. For the first couple hundred yards of the return leg, my hands were hitting the bottom, so it was hard to get a full stroke. It seemed much less crowded after the turnaround, and I was able to spend a lot of time by myself in open water. Before I knew it, I was on my way out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, except maybe seed myself a bit closer to the front. This swim was a PR by at least 3 minutes. I have no idea why that happened.
Transition 1
  • 03m 24s
Comments:

I love wetsuit strippers! That guy had my suit off in no time, then I ran down to my rack spot, did my no-frills T1 thing, shoved all my stuff in the bag, and took off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing!
Bike
  • 3h 08m
  • 56 miles
  • 17.87 mile/hr
Comments:

For the first few miles, there were a lot of cyclists sharing the road with cars leaving the river, so it was pretty congested and it took awhile to get going at my desired pace.

I tried to keep my pace right on the line between comfortable and challenging, although at some points I gave it a little more effort. I did ride a bit more conservatively on some of the sketchier sections of the course - there were several patches of very rough road, and the course was littered with bottles. Being fairly strong on hills, I powered up them and passed many people. Aside from some annoying lower back pain, I felt very good on this ride.

I stuck to gels and water for the first two hours, then had a giant banana, which was the most glorious thing ever. After that I had a little more gel, then sipped gatorade mixed with water.

Side note - I had been forced to do some rather invasive work on my bike in the few days leading up to the race. Fortunately, everything functioned perfectly.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing - it was a great ride, and I left plenty in the tank.
Transition 2
  • 03m 33s
Comments:

It was kind of a long run from the dismount line to my rack. I made it as quick as possible, putting on my visor and race belt as I ran out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 12m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

Coming out of T2, I figured out that I could break 6 hours with a 2:08 run, so I needed to be running better than 10-minute miles. I tried to keep a 9:30ish pace, and for several miles I did this and felt very good. My feet were hurting a bit, but I had plenty of energy, the weather was cool, spirits were high, and I was feeling good. I took gatorade at the first couple of aid stations, and then started to alternate with water. Even though it was still cloudy, I was dumping water on myself and getting sprayed when the opportunity arose. Coming back after the first turnaround, I started to see other CCTCers.

About 6 miles in, I had my first coke. Then at the next aid station I had a banana, and more gatorade. I also had water, and I think this combo in a 10-minute period was a bit much. I was starting to hurt a bit more coming back into the finish area, but still optimistic about coming in under 6 hours. I ran toward the chute, then got my purple wristband and was routed back out for my 2nd loop.

About a mile in, I was really starting to suffer. I started to become nauseous and could feel my heart rate increasing, and I had to slow down. I wasn't sure where the turnaround was and started becoming frustrated, especially when I turned a corner and saw a hill. Fortunately, the turnaround was at the top of the hill - no timing mat, just a woman telling people with purple wristbands to turn around. I tried to pick up some speed coming down the hill, but at that point I could barely run. I forced down a bit of water at the last couple of aid stations, kept shuffling along, and tried to recover a bit so I could run faster during the last half mile. This strategy worked, my mood improved, and I celebrated a bit in the finish chute as I crossed the line.
What would you do differently?:

I think I needed a more structured plan for nutrition and hydration on the run. Also, I think I may have gone a bit too hard during the first 10 miles. Still, my time that was less than 3 minutes off my PR for even a standalone half marathon, so I can't complain too much about that.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my medal (I think from Barb herself) and then made my way to the food tent. I figured I had about 10 minutes before my fellow CCTCers started coming in, so I got a giant plate of food and tried to take it over to the finish area. However, I was told by a volunteer that I couldn't take food out, so I inhaled my burger in about 2 seconds, and shoved fruit and a giant cookie into my back pocket. My crew started coming in, and we hung out, watched everyone finish, and then did the gear shuffle before going back to the condos to PARTY!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Following my post-Wildflower laziness and birthday week, I only did about 6 or 7 weeks of specific training for this race. I didn't really have any expectations going into it, and taking into account my 6:57:XX PR for the distance (at Wildflower), I set 6:30 as a loose goal time (factoring in the easier course). I truly left it all out on the course during this race, and I was really pleasantly surprised with my results. Even considering the wonderfully mild weather, I had no idea I was capable of doing this well. Now I am certain that with continued luck on the health front, a sub-6 70.3 is in my future.

Event comments:

This is a well-run race with a very positive and encouraging atmosphere. I would recommend it to female 70.3 newbies as well as veterans. It was my 6th, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Good times with my club as well - I had a ton of fun with the CCTC crew!!




Last updated: 2011-05-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:59 | 2112 yards | 01m 45s / 100yards
Age Group: 24/67
Overall: 129/447
Performance: Good
Suit: XTerra Vortex 3 full
Course: Out and back in the Russian River, very shallow in some areas.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:24
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:08:00 | 56 miles | 17.87 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/67
Overall: 92/447
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Point-to-point, pretty flat with some rolling hills. The roads were very rough, winding, and/or tight with car traffic in some places.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:33
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:12:34 | 13.1 miles | 10m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 29/67
Overall: 0/447
Performance: Average
Course: Rolling hills, two out-and-back loops, the first one 8.7 miles and the second 4.4 miles.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4