Ironman 70.3 Branson - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Branson, Missouri
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 17m 26s
Overall Rank = 67/882
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 14/112
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5. Hotel was by T2 so walked there and set up. Then hit the shuttle to T1. Got T1 set up, hit the porta potty, and put on my wetsuit just in time to walk down to the staging area for my wave. Timed it perfectly so I didn't have to stand around freezing too long.
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 35m 12s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 40s / 100 yards
Comments:

I thought I had been through some rough starts before, but I got thoroughly beat up for the first 5 min. of this swim. Not sure how it happened with only about 110 in our wave, I must have been in the worst spot possible. Once we got out of the initial pounding, the swim wasn't too bad. I swam too far out left on the return leg and lost my draft buddy. I was hoping to swim around 32 min. but cant really complain since I have swam less than 25k yards this year total.
Transition 1
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

Pretty long transition area. Felt pretty solid. I did leave my wetsuit on until I got to my spot just for the warmth.
Bike
  • 2h 55m 17s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.17 mile/hr
Comments:

I had 4 training rides on this course over the summer and have ridden the highroad multiple times the last few years, so I fully knew what to expect here. I swapped to an 11-28 cassette to go w/ my standard crank for the race, which was a great idea. I pushed this ride fairly hard knowing that my run was going to be a bit slow due to an achilles issue from earlier in the week. I could feel a bit of fatigue creeping in on the last two climbs on the highroad, but felt pretty much exactly how I had planned. I was good to go by the time I hit the landing. Nutrition: 4 Gels / Water

The no passing bike path portion sucks.
What would you do differently?:

Probably push even harder on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 01m 17s
Comments:

This is a blazing transition for me. Found my spot, racked my bike, changed shoes, removed helmet, gone. Pretty simple.
Run
  • 1h 42m 46s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

Goal was to run 7:15s for as long as I could. First mile was 6:30 of course. I always feel like I am crawling when I get off the bike, so I always run the first mile too fast. Hit mile 2 at 13:30, so I knew I was settling in. Felt really good through about the halfway point, but my achilles was really starting to ache. Drank coke and water from every other aid station. Other than the aid stations, I didn't do any walking out there which is a first for me. Goal time pre-injury was 1:38, so I am happy with my 1:42. I can't really say the injury slowed me down much, but it was on my mind the whole run.
Nutrition - ~6 cups coke / Water / ~2 cups gatorade
What would you do differently?:

I need to learn how to pace the beginning of these runs.
Post race
Warm down:

Got a big fat hot dog at the finish which was DELISH and exactly what I needed. Went and found the family and waited for others that I knew to finish.

Event comments:

I love this race. The lake is clean, the bike course is challenging and beautiful, and the run course going through the landing and by the river is fantastic. When I did this race in 2010, I completely blew up on the bike ride and never got it back. I said I would come back for redemption and I feel like I got it. 6:25 in 2010 to 5:17 in 2012. Also set HIM PR which was previously 5:25 at Kansas. Very proud of that given how much more difficult this race is.




Last updated: 2012-04-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:12 | 2112 yards | 01m 40s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/112
Overall: 0/882
Performance: Below average
Suit: Xterra Vortex 3 Full
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 02:54
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:55:17 | 56 miles | 19.17 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/112
Overall: 0/882
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Long climbs, screaming descents. That's about it.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:17
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:42:46 | 13.1 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/112
Overall: 0/882
Performance: Good
Course: Flat, 3 loops around branson landing
Keeping cool Drinking
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] 5