Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
Sunny
Total Time = 11h 46m 24s
Overall Rank = 726/2921
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 153/527
Pre-race routine:

After a so-so night of sleep I woke up at 5:00 and ate a quick banana and bagel. Left the condo at 5:30 and made it to transition by 5:45. Made some last minute changes to transition bags, put on my wetsuit and walked down to the beach.
Event warmup:

No warmup at all. Waited with my parents and sister on the beach and soaked it all in until the cannon went off.
Swim
  • 1h 12m 59s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

Lined up to the right to start the swim which worked out pretty well. There was some bumping going on out to the corner buoy but not that bad. The water was crystal clear so I was able to find a good pacer and followed those feet all the way through lap 1. Finished lap 1 at 35:02 which was about 3 minutes faster than I had planned. Lap 2 was much less bumping but also not as much drafting opportunities. While I had seen many jelly fish most had been too deep to touch until about 300 yards from shore when all of a sudden I see a huge pinkish jelly about 6 inches below my face! My heart skipped a beat as I could feel my toes gently touch its squishy top....luckily I wasn't stung. 2nd lap was 37:58 for a total time of 1:13...about 6-7 minutes faster than what I had planned.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Maybe start even further to the right to get more clean water.
Transition 1
  • 12m 25s
Comments:

It was a long run to the changing tent and complete chaos inside. There were no chairs available when I arrived so I just started changing in the aisle. I did a complete change which cost me some time but I wanted to make sure I was comfortable over the next 6 hours.
What would you do differently?:

I might consider wearing my bike shorts under my wetsuit to save some time but I would be weary of chaffing.
Bike
  • 6h 08m 44s
  • 112 miles
  • 18.22 mile/hr
Comments:

Realized in the first mile that my bike computer was off considering it was showing my cadence was 290 and I was going 28 mph. This threw me off a bit since I really like to keep a narrow cadence range. Luckily after about 20 miles the course turned and instantly all the numbers became normal. I think the sensor was off just slightly. Stayed right on schedule with my nutrition and coming out of aero to stretch my back and neck. There were times when I could have put it in a higher gear to pick it up about 1.5 mph but I wanted to make sure not to overcook it on the bike and have it cost me on the run. It was also great to see my family cheering me on several times along the route....it really gave me something to look forward to about every 20 miles.
Transition 2
  • 07m 44s
Comments:

Volunteer took bike right away but I did have to find my own bag. Tent was much less crowded and less frantic. Full change again since I again wanted to make sure I was comfortable for the next 4 hours.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe just move quicker but then again it's just nice to relax for a minute after 6 hours on the bike.
Run
  • 4h 04m 32s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Started the run 7:40 into the race and quickly did the math that I would need to run 10 minute miles to finish under 12 hours. Ran the first mile in 9:45 while trying to see what my legs had left in them. Felt pretty good so I decided to pick it up and ran around a 9:30 pace for the next 6 miles. Legs kept feeling better and better so I dropped the pace again to 9:20. Ending the first lap with everyone cheering and seeing my family got me pumped up and the adrenaline was flowing which had me running a 9:10 pace all the way out to mile 20. At this point my quads started cramping so I started putting enough electrolytes in me to fuel a horse hoping my quads could just hold on for another hour. I backed off the pace a little bit until mile 24 at which point I could see the hotel lights and knew there was no way I was walking at this point. The last 2 miles flew by and before I knew it I was headed down the finishing chute with a huge smile hearing "You are an Ironman!"
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I ran a great race and pushed it just enough to not cramp up but still run at a fast pace.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat on a bench and ate some pizza while talking with my family. Quads were really starting to hurt so I went and got a massage which helped. Got back to the condo and took and ice bath and some Alleve.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My goal time was 12:30 but in the back of my mind knowing that I could go under 12:00 if everything went well. Swim and run went faster than expected and bike was right on target. Came in at 11:46 with a huge smile and really couldn't have asked for anything more.

Event comments:

The volunteers were really amazing at this race. Several times they stepped in and helped and did everything with a smile and great attitude. They really made it an overall great race experience.




Last updated: 2011-11-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:12:59 | 4156 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 181/527
Overall: 0/2921
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Sleeveless
Course:
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 12:25
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
06:08:44 | 112 miles | 18.22 mile/hr
Age Group: 265/527
Overall: 0/2921
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong
Course: Pretty flat course with long sections of headwinds.
Road:  Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 07:44
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:04:32 | 26.2 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 101/527
Overall: 0/2921
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5