Grand Rapids Triathlon - Half Iron Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Grand Rapids, Michigan
United States
Tris4Health
HOTF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 02m 41s
Overall Rank = 164/298
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 28/40
Pre-race routine:

Up at 5:00, bowl of cereal with banana. Start is only a mile from my house so just rode down with my stuff and got set up. I like to be early so I can relax and just enjoy the atmosphere.
Event warmup:

Putting on wetsuit was warm up enough.
Swim
  • 41m 8s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

I have spent much more time in the pool this year and felt pretty strong on the swim... unfortunately I made at least one bad decision that lead to a few problems. Started to head to the start and thought last year my sighting was great and never had any issues so grabbed my clear goggles (think they are much more comfortable). As we make the turn, it's straight back into the sun and I could not see a thing! Just tried to follow anyone I saw but know my navigation was terrible. I really got into trouble about 200 yards from the finish. I somehow managed to end up too far left and was about 1/4 of the way into the oncoming sprint start. I am honestly thankful to be alive and if you did the sprint and are reading this, am sorry if I got in your way. After getting hit pretty good a few times, I just dived as deep as I could and went lateral. Came up and was almost clear thank goodness. With all that, my swim time was actually better than last year and I felt good the whole swim (although a bit freaked out). Note for next year... stay right!
What would you do differently?:

Tinted goggles and stay right.
Transition 1
  • 03m 7s
Comments:

Cool, wetsuit strippers... never had done a race with those. LOVE IT! I actually thought I took my time. Put on socks and bike gloves and wanted to get my heart rate down. Not too bad time wise.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 3h 02m 1s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.46 mile/hr
Comments:

First race on my new bike... overall thought it went well. I was honestly hoping to be a bit faster but need to put in more time. I tried not to push too hard and thought I managed a relatively comfortable effort. I think my hourly splits were pretty close. I drank well but stomach didn't want anymore sugary gel or sport beans so might have been a little shy on the calory intake.
What would you do differently?:

More training and bring a non-sweet calory alternative on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 02m 23s
Comments:

Pretty uneventful...
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 14m 2s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

Not sure how disappointed to be about this run. I should be around 2 hours so was about 1 minute per mile slower than normal and had to walk way more than usual. How much time was due to heat versus poor performance, who knows. I had a feeling right away that the run would be a struggle and just never got a good rythem. It was hot but I honestly never felt super hot, just never felt strong on this run. I usually pass a ton of people and don't get passed much so was a bit down on myself. Volunteers and aid stations were awesome... so many people helping and being positive.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure if there was a difference I could have made or or if it was just slower due to the heat.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat down for a minute, then went and cooled down by going into the river. Grabbed a little food and made the now very long mile journey back home... as nice as it was biking down in the am, the bike/walk home kinda sucked.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I think the heat more than anything but need to train more and train in the heat much more.

Event comments:

I enjoy this race and can't thank all the people to volunteered enough.




Last updated: 2012-03-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:41:08 | 2112 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 36/40
Overall: 217/298
Performance: Average
Suit: Xterrra Vortex 3 Full
Course: Out and back.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:07
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:02:01 | 56 miles | 18.46 mile/hr
Age Group: 32/40
Overall: 201/298
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course: Out and back
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:23
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:14:02 | 13.1 miles | 10m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 25/40
Overall: 136/298
Performance: Below average
Course: Double out and back
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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] 5