Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
93F / 34C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 42m 45s
Overall Rank = 125/1849
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 24/162
Pre-race routine:

Rolled into town on Friday at 2 and went and got my packet. Settled in at the house, went for a short swim without the wetsuit and then over to a pre-race dinner with Cambridge Multisport at a local restaurant. Got a great night of sleep and on Saturday morning I got in my pre-race brick nice and early and felt good. Went and got a couple movies and picked up some groceries and then had my feet up and relaxed the rest of the day besides racking my bike at around 4:30. Dinner at the house, nice and low key. In bed at 9, was up by 3, but laid in bed til 4. Got to transition at about 5:45, set up my stuff, helped Christine with her stuff and that was that.
Event warmup:

Wading in the water to pee. Sitting in the shade with Mike and Christine and waiting until the last possible second to put my wetsuit on. Oh and I peed behind a fence at one point, too. Sipped on gatorade and water most of the morning and had a GU 30 minutes before my wave went off (7:50)
Swim
  • 26m 57s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was spot on. I started towards the outside a bit from the front row. Hit the gas pretty hard at the get go and got a clean break from the pack. There were a few guys nearby and I jumped on some feet. I stayed on his feet for the whole swim. Guy was swimming straight from buoy to buoy and was a perfect pace for me. He navigated through the traffic of previous waves really well, too. Wish I could find someone to draft off like that all the time!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing at all on this. Best ranking and time for this race so far. Current was pretty favorable this year - flood tide is what you need - not a raging ebb like the past 2 years. Guess it's a flip the coin kind of deal from year to year.
Transition 1
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

No problems here. I had to put my race belt on, otherwise everything was just fine. Wetsuit came off easily.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe put race belt on under wetsuit but I had some salt tabs in the pouch...
Bike
  • 2h 33m 8s
  • 56 miles
  • 21.94 mile/hr
Comments:

I put in a lot of work on the bike this offseason. It's always been a bit of an achilles heal for me and in a half it really starts to rear it's head. So I kicked my ass on the trainer regularly and racked up a lot of TSS and threshold work (thanks TrainerRoad), did hill repeats and rode a lot of miles with some guys who want to hammer.

I've ridden this course many times now and I know a lot about it in terms of the winds and the road surfaces and what the turns are like, and where the eagles live and where the swamp rats are and all kinds of shit about it like what kind of beer the locals prefer (Bud Light 10 ounce cans) and that Sunday mornings at 7am in April are a quiet place in the wildlife refuge where you can see plenty of fresh roadkill. I've also learned that a course like this doesn't really favor a smaller/lighter rider like me so I've made sure to have every aero and rolling resistance cheating goodie I could get my hands on.

Anyway, I got going out of town just fine. This was a good steady/solid ride for me. I put it in a gear where I had to work fairly hard but where I wasn't burning many matches. There were the usual clowns blocking and drafting here and there but I did see a bunch of marshals handing out cards. I stuck to my normal nutrition plan for a hot race 1x600 calorie bottle of Infint and a bottle of water and 2 GUs. I replaced the bottle at each aid station. Just before I got to each one I drank what I wanted to and dumped the rest down my back. The back end of this course is always a bit of a drag. It always will be. Every time I train on this course I confirm that, every time I race this course I confirm that. It is what it is. Just gotta keep the mind as positive as you can and push onward through the wind and shitty roads.

On the way back into town I spun my legs out and had 2 guys in the age group pass me but I go them back on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Not much - can't wait for the next offseason to repeat that bike madness again! My fastest split on this course by 6 minutes and felt really good coming off the bike.
Transition 2
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

This was fine. Socks and shoes on, hat on, and that's it.
What would you do differently?:

Guess I could be a little speedier.
Run
  • 1h 38m 52s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 33s  min/mile
Comments:

The past 2 years I've survived this run and did ok. This year it was a bit cooler, a bit less humid, and I'm in a better place mentally for dealing with heat and fighting those demons.

Got going out of transition and a guy who passed me late in the bike was right there. He pulled away in the first half mile but I took notice of him for some reason. Anyway, first couple miles were right at 7:15, and then I settled into about a 7:30 pace with a few seconds at each aid station tacked onto that to get ice and fluids. Was staying on top of that as I knew that it was warming up quickly. I stuck to mostly gatorade but mixed in water a couple times when I felt like my stomach was slowing down with processing. I was steadily passing folks and felt better as the run progressed. I took full advantage of the slushy machine and had 1 to eat, 1 in my hat, and 1 down my trisuit. By mile 8 I was really into a good groove and clicking off the miles and marking folks ahead. I was 37th in my AG off the bike and moved up to 24th on the run. At mile 11 I spotted the guy who started the run with me. I passed him before the mile 12 aid station, but took on fluids there and could tell he was right behind me as people were cheering for him by calling out the team name on his kit. Not that I was racing for anything besides 1 spot in our age group ranking, but I decided to make sure to empty the gas tank at that moment as I got the impression that he didn't want to be passed late in the race. I put the pedal down and that was that.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I even split this (49:41 first half, 49:11 second half). Didn't fade at all and left it on the course.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in chute and traded some stories. Drank a few waters and gatorades. Got some food, got cleaned up and changed. Hung out with Mike in the shade and shot the shit for awhile.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not much. I ran faster at Kinetic last month but that was under really nice weather conditions. Today I was a bit slower, but I ran just as well IMO.

Event comments:

Cant say enough good things about this race. It's relatively local for me and I have a great place to stay nearby. The organization is awesome. They treat the athletes really well. The course can really test you in a lot of ways and the competition is top notch. Can't wait to do it again - even if it will be 99 degrees.




Last updated: 2011-08-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:26:57 | 2112 yards | 01m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/162
Overall: 58/1849
Performance: Good
Suit: QR Hydrofull
Course: Choptank River.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:47
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:33:08 | 56 miles | 21.94 mile/hr
Age Group: 50/162
Overall: 320/1849
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: One loop through the hinterlands south of Cambridge.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:02
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:38:52 | 13.1 miles | 07m 33s  min/mile
Age Group: 22/162
Overall: 130/1849
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back through Cambridge. First 3 miles are in the neighborhood. Then you head out onto farm roads without shade.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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] 5