Marquee Triathlon - Half Iron Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
Red Rock Co.
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 26m 9s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Stayed at a hotel in Tempe. Woke up at 4:30 and slowly got ready. Decided to walk to Transition rather than driving. Not sure if that was a good thing or not since it was over a mile walk with my racebag. I figured it would be a nice easy warmup.
Event warmup:

The walk to the race was along the North Side of Tempe Town Lake and was very peaceful since it was still dark and I was looking at Sundevil stadium and the Mill Ave bridge all lit up across the lake.
Swim
  • 51m 30s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

First OWS in the new wetsuit. I knew the swim was going to be weak for me as I have been learning some new swim techniques. I didnt expect to be fast, but thought that I would be comfortable. For whatever reason, I couldn't get comfortable and felt way to constricted. They were talking about the water being cold. I was never cold at any point in the water, but never got comfortable at all. When I was swimming I felt good for a couple hundred yards and then my HR would shoot up. Switched to sidestroke several times. Note to self, adjust midsection before getting in the water. Had an issue with one of my gonads getting squeezed REALLY REALLY badly when kicking in sidestroke on my left side. Being a bit cold would have been a good thing, as I could have gotten some shrinkage. First time I have ever wished for shrinkage and I couldn't even get it!
What would you do differently?:

Needed to do an OWS with new wetsuit. Should have adjusted wetsuit better prior to getting in the water. Should have worn clear goggles. Tinted didn't work well for some reason. First time I have ever been uncomfortable in an OWS.
Transition 1
  • 03m 21s
Comments:

Wetsuit strippers were awesome. Seriously don't know how that woman got my suit off that fast. Transition went well.
Bike
  • 3h 14m 42s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.26 mile/hr
Comments:

After the swim being so negative, I was really looking forward to getting on the bike. I headed out and got settled fairly quickly. Was feeling pretty good just a couple miles in. Wind was in my face more than expected, but it was bearable. Little did I know that a mini disaster was about to strike! So made the turn onto Beeline Hwy and started pedaling strong. Going along about 21 mph and all of a sudden my left elbow rest on aerobar broke. The outer portion broke off and I swerved and almost ate it. Saved it by grabbing the bar with my left arm and slowed down to assess what the hell happened. HR was sky high and I was pedaling along at like 10mph trying to figure out what to do. All those negative thoughts from the swim started creeping in and I was thinking about just calling it a day and limping back to pack up. I pulled the pad off and took the broken plastic piece and jammed it under the unbroken piece. Tightened up the velcro and said WTH I will give it a try. It wasnt really comfortable but I was able to pull my elbows in really hard and use about 40% of the rest on the left arm. I decided to do one loop and see how it was going. Slowed me down but I was gonna finish this race dangit! So now I was going again. Got positive thoughts flowing and was still hoping for a 3hr bike split. After the turnaround, I started hearing a noise with the bike. Thought it was a brake pad rubbing, but stopped pedaling and the noise stopped. Two other riders passed me and were helping me look for the source of the noise..No luck. Frt Derailluer was rubbing a bit so I looked for a stick. Found a stick. Pulled over and slightly bent it away from the chain. Started riding again. Noise was still there and was changing pitch now. Felt like I was pedaling harder than needed but not so much that I could pinpoint the source of the drag. Starting 2nd loop I knew my 3 hr bike split was gonna be tough to do but the wind felt like it had died down. Had been eating gels and drinking cytomax pretty much on schedule. One bottle every hour and 2 gels with a water washdown from aero bottle. Made the turnaround and started back to find out the wind had changed direction and was now blowing at me on the way back. That sucked! I was standing up every few miles at the end cause my body was cramping from the goofy position. So finished with sore shoulders from having to squeeze my arms in the whole time. Was not a comfortable bike ride at all, but it was still my longest bike ride in aero ever! Note: So after race was over and I was taking my bike apart I found the source of the noise. One of the 2 allen bolts that holds the rear dropout to the frame had backed out and into the cassette on my rear wheel. Metal shavings everywhere. Looks like I need one new screw and maybe a new cassette. That probably caused a bit of drag!
What would you do differently?:

Obviously not having bike problems would have been a big help. Don't know what else I could have done. I knew I was pushing it to do a HIM on the bike mileage I had training but wanted to feel what it was like so I just need more time in the saddle. Also need to up my power on some of my rides
Transition 2
  • 03m 13s
Comments:

Didnt really run into T2. Just calmly walked to my stuff and threw on shoes. Love my Brooks Pure Connects. No socks and they felt awesome. Was so happy to be off the bike!
Run
  • 2h 13m 22s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt good on the run overall, but was having a hard time pushing HR up. I started getting some soreness in my left knee, so I was walking at all the aid stations on the 1st loop. Was running a 8:45 pace and walking aid stations. I was telling some of the volunteers who were smiling/cheering that they needed to stop because I was trying to suffer and they were making it enjoyable! 2nd loop was walking aid stations plus a little more. After mile 10 I was just thinking run 2 mins walk 1 min.
What would you do differently?:

Didnt have hardly any running in the month prior to this race so I was not at all disappointed with my run time. Kinda bummed I had to walk so much though. Was only running about 14mpw for avg for the previous 6 weeks.
Post race
Warm down:

Left knee was sore. Walked around and drank water. Orange and worked my way over to transition. Saw Todd and asked how his race went.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

1. Swim ability and the wetsuit situation 2. Bike problems 3. Run mileage but expected for this race. Keeping the negative thoughts at bay after the horrible swim and then the bike issues. Considering that this was essentially my 4th tri ever I wasn't too disappointed, but know what I have to do to get where I want to be.

Event comments:

Red Rock always does an awesome job with their races. I would do Red Rock races everytime if it was up to me! Rio Salado Sprint(Red Rock again) in 3 weeks and IMKS 70.3 on June 10!




Last updated: 2012-04-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:51:30 | 2112 yards | 02m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
HR was 170 by halfway.
Suit: Xterra Pro Full Sleeve
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 64F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Bad Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:21
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:14:42 | 56 miles | 17.26 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 171/
Performance: Below average
Was trying to keep HR under 155 for 1st loop and 160 for second loop. Succeeded with this!
Wind: Some
Course: Love the course out Beeline Hwy. 2 loops and nice to see people going by the other way.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 87
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:13
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:13:22 | 13.1 miles | 10m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 134/
Performance: Average
Hr was really really low for me on a run. I was having a hard time pushing it to 160+
Course: Flat and fast minus the turnarounds. 2 loops
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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