MI Titanium - Half Iron Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Grand Rapids, Michigan
United States
Tris4Health
89F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 24m 28s
Overall Rank = 19/151
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 3/13
Pre-race routine:

Race check in was on Saturday afternoon. It took me about 50 minutes and was there at 5:00. There was nobody else in line so I got through very quickly. The pre-race meeting was at 5:00 and everybody was jam packed in that room which made this very easy. The expo was very good and since it was going to be HOT tomorrow I picked up a pill dispenser for my endurolytes.
I listened to the pre-race meeting for about 2 minutes. There was absolutely no room to see anything so I just took off. I drove the 5 minutes to the transition area and was one of the first to drop my bike off. I was also able to look over everything and take a look at the swim course. The lake was beautiful and reports were that it was very clear. This got me excited to race.
Event warmup:

I was up at 5:00 and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana. I had everything ready to go the night before so all I really needed to do was make my nutrition bottles and head out the door.
I sipped gatorade on the 45 minute ride to the venue. It was very easy to find a parking spot and I was at my spot about 6:30 which gave me an hour before they closed transition. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything setup and then I headed down to watch the full distance athletes go off at 7:00.
The half atheletes did not go off until 8:15. The only thing that concerned me was that it was going to be HOT and we would be running right in the heat of the day.
Just before transition closed up I got the wetsuit on up to my waist and headed over to the swim start. I got a good 15 minute swim warmup done and waited for the start. Also noticed the first IM athletes made the turn for lap 2 in about 30 minutes. Immediately thought the swim might be a bit long.
Swim
  • 37m 14s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 46s / 100 yards
Comments:

We started the swim in about 2 feet of water and people were really spread out across the beach. I started right on the buoy line and went out pretty aggressively. Quickly I was on the feet of faster swimmers and had very little contact. I was able to take a direct route to the first buoy and was out very well.

I was definitely more aggressive with my swim pacing in this race and it cost me more than it was worth. I was aggressive with my 2 beat kick and was swimming pretty hard. The second and third leg of the triangle were the longest portions. The second leg was tough to site the final turn buoy. I was able to follow swimmers and never got off course. The water temp was good and I was comfortable in my sleeveless at this temp.

The final leg to the beach I was on my own and still swimming fairly hard. I was able to catch some feet for the last 300 meters into shore so I did not have to site as often. Once I made it to the beach I was really gasping for air. Never had this happen to me before. I knew I swam hard but not quite that hard. I was kinda struggling into T1. This put some doubt into my head as to how this race was going to play out.
What would you do differently?:

Swim at a more comfortable effort like I did at Grand Rapids half.
Transition 1
  • 01m 38s
Comments:

This was probably the worst transition I have ever had. After grabbing my bike my sunglasses popped out of my shirt so went back and grabbed those. As I was running with my bike my water bottle popped out of my cage between the bars so went back and got that. As I was picking up the water bottle my sunglasses fell out again. What a cluster fock!
What would you do differently?:

Get a bottle that fits snug in my cage and find a better spot for my sunglasses. The glasses always fog up in transition so I do not put them on until later.
Bike
  • 2h 41m 54s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.75 mile/hr
Comments:

I had never rode or driven the bike course so really did not know what to expect. The elevation data that they provided on the course map was not overly concerning so thought I would be fine. The area where I train is very flat with some gentle rollers. I have never been in my small front chainring more in the 2 years that I have owned this bike then I was on this course. There were some tough climbs.

Once on the bike I made certain to get my heart rate down. I was shocked how jacked my heart rate was from that swim. I took the first 2 miles very easy before settling in. Cannonsburg Road was excellent pavement and a nice wide shoulder with some longer gradual rollers. I was starting to feel a little bit better but my stomach was a little shaky.

Lincoln Lake road had some very tough climbs where I was in my weenie ring on the very last cog. It was hard not to sky the heart rate on some of these climbs. I was not able to keep my heart rate low enough with all the climbing and burned my matches in the middle portion of this ride. I had the same nutrition plan as Grand Rapids taking Infinit and endurolytes but my stomach was not happy. I think it had more to do with the hot weather and effort level than the nutrition.

Once we made the turnaround at the half way point is when I realized how sticky, humid and hot it was getting. I told myself that I needed to ride way more conservatively on the second half of the ride or it is going to be a painful run. I wish I would have listened! As much as I tried to keep it easy the hills just keep coming at you. There was a roadway on the course with a mile of fresh chip seal and that sucked even worse on the way back.

Once back on to Cannonsburg I really dialed it down as much as I could to setup some sort of a run. I was ready to get off the bike. My stomach still felt like crap and it was getting hotter. I rolled into transition knowing it was going to be a brutal run.
What would you do differently?:

Dial the intensity back and get acquainted with the race terrain prior!
Transition 2
  • 01m 20s
Comments:

This transition went better but I was not looking forward to running!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 2h 02m 20s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

I came out of transition and immediately saw the family. Glad they were there. I made the left turn on to Plainfield and knew it was going to be a brutal run. I felt horrible. It was hot. I ran the first mile and then was already walking. I thought if I could just walk for a bit and get the heart rate down that I would get it together and be able to run something decent. Nope! The only thing really holding me together was that I wanted to bring Keelyn across that finish line so no way was I going to quit right here. Not every race can be great so I just needed to get through it.

I took sponges and tucked then into my shirt and water over the head at every aid station. I was really only able to run a 1/2 mile at a time for the first 6 miles or so. Surprisingly, nobody had passed me yet and I had passed a couple people. When I was running I was at 7:30 pace. The course had very little shade and it was lonely out there as well.

I made it to Three Mile road and once there I was able to start running in longer stretches. Once I made the turnaround at Three Mile I was able to run fairly well and thought I might be able to salvage something. But, once I got back out to Grand River everything went south again and just did not have any energy. I got passed by a group of 3 people in the last 2 miles. I passed another guy in my AG with a mile to go and ran the last mile to the finish.

It was fun to run down Plainfield there towards the finish. I made the turn into the finish and saw my family, picked up Keelyn and carried her across the finish line with me.
What would you do differently?:

Dial down the Swim & Bike Pacing!
Post race
Warm down:

I was gassed at the finish. I took in alot of fluids and doused myself with water. It was uncomfortably hot just standing around.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Humbling race. I wanted to race a little harder and not leave anything out there at this event but comletely failed. The weather, course, and intensity I chose to race at destroyed me on this run.

I realize I cannot race this distance the way I want to on 8-10 hours/wk of training. Need to find a way to get some long rides in or stick to Olympic distance short term.

Event comments:

Great first year race that will only get better. I will be better prepared next year!




Last updated: 2012-04-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:14 | 2112 yards | 01m 46s / 100yards
Age Group: 3/13
Overall: 18/151
Performance: Below average
Suit: Blue Seventy Helix Sleeveless
Course: Triangular course in Versluis Lake - beautiful lake with clear water.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:38
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:41:54 | 56 miles | 20.75 mile/hr
Age Group: 4/13
Overall: 0/151
Performance: Bad
AHR: 157 Target (150-152) LOL. Dist: 56.7 miles Speed: 21.0 mph
Wind: Some
Course: Hilly out and back course - Cannonsburg Road to Lincoln Lake Road. A mix of short steep climbs and longer gradual climbs.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:20
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:02:20 | 13.1 miles | 09m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/13
Overall: 0/151
Performance: Bad
Course: Out and back course on Grand River Avenue and Three Mile Road - fairly flat with some gentle rollers.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 1
Good race? No
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