Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
92F / 33C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 07m
Overall Rank = 340/2600
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 38/280
Pre-race routine:

Stayed at hotel Friday and Sat nights. Short ride and run Saturday morning. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner the night before, and banana/cheerios/gatorade for breakfast.
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 32m 21s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

"Swimmers one minute!" literally one second later, the horn goes off. Guess he meant one second. I had positioned myself close to the right side buoy, near the dock, so this would be on the inside of the right turns. I also remember the WTC official at the brief, stating that the yellow buoys were course markers, and you could go on either side of them. The only ones you had to be on the left side for were the ORANGE ones. At the first buoy, a lifeguard was guiding everyone to the outside. Grrrr... As a result, it seemed like things took a long time to spread out, or maybe I was just a really average swimmer...
What would you do differently?:

Work on siting more, get some more open water time in.
Transition 1
  • 04m 47s
Comments:

Gave up trying to do the put-shoes-on thing on the bike. Wanted to have socks on anyway, and I didn't want to trash them running through transition. Coming out of the swim, I had to pee, so I figured I might as well get it out of the way there, not really ready to pee on the bike, at least not for a HIM. Also re-applied sunscreen.
Bike
  • 2h 26m 31s
  • 56 miles
  • 22.93 mile/hr
Comments:

OVERALL:
Wow. Very happy with 23 mph, 78% FTP average.

Data/power notes: First year with the tri-bike and power meter, and only the second race. Plan was to keep average power at 80% of FTP for the course, and it came in at 78%, so that seemed to work pretty well. Very happy with the speed I held as a result, 23 MPH. Breaking the "no changes" rule, I tried using the "alerts" feature on my 310XT, to keep me in the power band. The watch was going off like crazy, I couldn't tell if it was above or below. Ended up pulling over since I couldn't make that change while moving, at least safely. ALSO, forgot to reset and start the timer on the bike GPS. Missed some data on that one, but the 310XT was in multisport mode, so it got it all.
Hydration:
Need to work on this some more; need to have a spare cage for bottle exchanges, if I'm going to take fluids at aid stations. Amount of hydration was good.
What would you do differently?:

Consider starting with an empty bottle cage, or with a disposable bottle.
Transition 2
  • 03m 24s
Comments:

Didn't bother with flying mount/shoes clipped in, etc. Also had to pee coming out of the
What would you do differently?:

Consider going with one cage empty or one with a disposable bottle, to do bottle exchanges
Run
  • 1h 59m 57s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

They said it would be hot, and it delivered. Coming off the bike, I felt pretty good considering I had just pushed for 56 miles. The wind also was pretty calm, so it suddenly got a lot hotter compared to the bike. Tried using a microfiber cloth, so I could wrap ice in it, to wring out over my head. Worked reasonably well, though it just didn't seem to be enough. Considering the heat, there wasn't much more I could do. You either handle the heat or you don't.
Post race
Warm down:

Kept walking, went straight to the firehoses

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat on the run, crowded swim.

Event comments:

This was my first "real" HIM, i.e. one with a swim. I learned after signing up that this race drew more competitive athletes, and it didn't disappoint. The course is flat and fast, but hot. I wasn't able to run much the last few weeks due to ankle issues, so I didn't feel quite ready for the run. I t didn't matter anyway, since the heat was holding back any real effort. On cooling, I brought a small hand towel, that seemed to work pretty well. Soaking it with ice and water, I'd wring it out on my head.




Last updated: 2012-01-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:21 | 2112 yards | 01m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 44/280
Overall: 385/2600
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless
Course: Course was an out and back doing three sides of a rectangle.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:47
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:26:31 | 56 miles | 22.93 mile/hr
Age Group: 26/280
Overall: 217/2600
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Flat, stuck in traffic initially, then pretty smooth sailing.
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:59:57 | 13.1 miles | 09m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 38/280
Overall: 340/2600
Performance: Good
Course: Hot. With chance of more heat, and sunlight.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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