Ironman 70.3 Branson - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Branson, Missouri
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
Precipitation
Total Time = 7h 49m 56s
Overall Rank = 520/713
Age Group = 45-50
Age Group Rank = 54/55
Pre-race routine:

Woke up off and on all night, tented out at Table Rock State Park. Rained all night since Friday. Got up at 4:30, had a cinnamon roll, gatorade, and a muscle milk on the way to T-2 to park the car. Put on Wetsuit legs at campground, just in case the drizzle was colder than I expected. The compression and warmth felt great!
Event warmup:

None, just looking to finish, wasn't looking to set and WR.
Swim
  • 42m 27s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 01s / 100 yards
Comments:

Didn't drink too much lake water. Had a guy on my left that swam too much to his right, clawing at me most of the race, so I dropped back and got on his left, and he didn't affect me anymore. He'd be alot faster if he didn't zig-zag. Was shooting for 40-42 min so it was a great swim. Didn't panic, but was pretty tired getting out of the water to run up the hill.
What would you do differently?:

Get in the pool between the July and 2 months later in September. (Injured)
Transition 1
  • 04m 44s
Comments:

Should have turned my Garmin on before the swim. wasted a little time waiting for it to find sputnick. Still no rain at this time, so the race was looking pretty good.
What would you do differently?:

Turn Garmin on before the swim.
Bike
  • 41h 12m 40s
  • 56 miles
  • 1.36 mile/hr
Comments:

Holy Buckets! What a race for my first HIM! The first really great hill I flew down and passed 2 people with cool TT bikes on my Trek road bike. I wasn't passing up free speed by touching my brake! EVERYONE passed me going uphill. The only people I passed going uphill were fixing flats! It was loads of fun in a sadistic sort of way, but I didn't get off to walk, and I didn't have a flat tire. But I think my front brake was rubbing most of the way (there's where all my speed went..._) i was really looking forward to the last 7 miles because they were all down hill. I expected to pick up some time on them. But the torrential down pour started just as I got to the top of the hill. CRAP! 100lb tires and 1/4 inch of rain water rushing down the road was a little like ice skating. One downhill had a sign that said "use Extreme caution", and that sign was put up when the pavement was DRY! So I only squeezed out about 16mph on that section.
What would you do differently?:

Ride ALOT more!
Transition 2
  • 03m 42s
Comments:

Downpour with glass is not any fun. I think I was slowed down bu biting 3 holes in a trash bag and pulling it over my head! (no something I normally do in transition.) I didn't even bother to put on soaking wet socks, I just put on my squishy shoes. Re-adjusting my race number on top of my Cinch-Sak also took a little time.
What would you do differently?:

Look to see where the race course went from transition, so I wasn't lost leaving transition.
Run
  • 2h 46m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

It rained the first 9 miles for me. If I had run faster it would have rained the whole race...... The trash bag was a great idea to hold off hypo-thermia, and by the 2 mile mark I was actually getting some feeling back in my fingers, and they were starting to pink up a little bit. Running through the rushing water in some of the parking lots and cross streets was a leap of faith that there wasn't a pot-hole ready to take you out. Or getting swept away by the current in ankle deep gutters on cross streets. I just kept thinking "it doesn't get any better than this!" My time was slow, but I left ALOT of leg out on the bike course, and I didn't walk more than the aid stations when getting water or GU. the last 3 miles were pretty rain free, so I stripped off my trash bag and ran a blistering 13 minute something mile. Extremely happy to be a finisher. And since it was my first, it was a PR! After all the injuries I've had this summer just finishing and beating one other finisher in my age group was worth it!
What would you do differently?:

No Kidney stones in July, No anemia, N pulled muscles ....
Post race
Warm down:

Walked down to get my bike, put it in the car and turned on the heater full blast!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

No training to speak of since July 21st. Two full weeks off, hten hit and miss for the next 6 weeks

Event comments:

Volunteers were Fantastic. The weather was crappy, but they were right there supporting us. Would like to do it again, but I think I'll train more and take a few days off after to make the drive home. 26 hours with only 2 hours sleep was a little rough. Especially when I race for almost 8 of the 26.




Last updated: 2011-09-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:27 | 2112 yards | 02m 01s / 100yards
Age Group: 37/55
Overall: 406/713
Performance: Good
Suit: QR
Course: Clockwise rectangle, long going out and back.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:44
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
41:12:40 | 56 miles | 1.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 52/55
Overall: 0/713
Performance: Below average
Wind: Cross-winds with gusts
Course: Wow! Long steep hills. Bring some extra leg with you when you do this course!
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Bad
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 03:42
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:46:23 | 13.1 miles | 12m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 54/55
Overall: 0/713
Performance: Below average
Course: Mostly flat and partly flooded. 3&1/2 loops Finish on the boardwalk in front of the fountain.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4