Ironman 70.3 Augusta - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Augusta, Georgia
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
79F / 26C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 04m 52s
Overall Rank = 483/3335
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 8/198
Pre-race routine:

Woke up hungry after a big pasta dinner at Macaroni Grill. Had a sandwich of peanut butter, bananas and a little cookie butter to sweeten it up. Headed to transition where our bikes had spent the night, and set up. My bike was on the very end of a rack, so it was a great transition spot. Used the bathroom a bunch of times (port-o-potties on triathlon days are pretty foul) and walked to the swim start while eating a powerbar and drinking some gatorade.
Event warmup:

Walking a mile to the swim start. Did not get to jump in the water until 2 minutes before my wave started.
Swim
  • 30m
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 25s / 100 yards
Comments:

Panicked a little at the start when I realized my goggles had come unglued from the seal and were just hanging there. I was able to push them back in and they did hold up for the swim. Note to self- always check goggles. Anyway, got in the water and all 200 of us were off. I used to panic at the drop of a hat in the water, but I've gotten to where I really enjoy the chaos. Took a few kicks (to the face, shoulder and belly) but nothing painful and finally got into a groove. Started out going in a straight line but then made the mistake of drafting which led to lots of zig zagging. The river was surprisingly clear. There was a bit of seaweed, nothing major. Still, I'm a weak swimmer so I was thrilled with finishing in the top third of my age group. Would have LOVED to break 30:00 and missed it by less than one second!
What would you do differently?:

If I had to do it over again I would not have drafted.
Transition 1
  • 04m 36s
Comments:

This transition involved about a 200m run on the grass up an incline. There were wetsuit strippers that were incredible and had my wetsuit off in about one second. Did not rush through transition. Had a drink of gatorade, and jogged the bike on the grass about 100 yards to the bike out.
What would you do differently?:

I could have hurried a little but in a 70.3 it was fine.
Bike
  • 2h 41m
  • 56 miles
  • 20.87 mile/hr
Comments:

I was delighted with my bike. I was pretty conservative, and it was easy to keep from going too hard because of all the traffic the first half. I've never seen anything like it. You would weave in and out of people constantly. I think I wasted more energy maneuvering than I did pushing the pedals. Some of the roads were very rough, and there were bottles, sunglasses, cages, tubes, etc. all over the road so you had to be on the lookout. I throughly enjoyed the ride, and never felt like I was pushing it.
What would you do differently?:

I think I fueled too much because I finished feeling too full. Had 24 oz GU brew, and another 30-40 oz water but it was a cool day and I may have over-hydrated. Also, had two honey stingers, a gel and a small "chunk of energy." Had another gel entering transition.
Transition 2
  • 02m 36s
Comments:

Smooth transition. Had a gel and two salt pills.
Run
  • 1h 45m
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt bloated when I started the run. Also, my Garmin watch stopped working (due to a full database) and I pulled over about 100 yards in and fixed it. That probably took a minute. Anyway, I went out WAY too fast on the run. My first 3 or 4 miles were 7:18 to 7:20 and I had planned on 7:35. About mile 6 the wheels started to fall off. My stomach was too full and I was belching a little and couldn't get comfortable. And then the pain set in. My legs suddenly felt like it was the last 4 miles of a marathon. Everything hurt- hips, quads, knees, feet, etc. One mile in there (mile 7) was a 9:13 pace. But then I was able to lock into an 8:20 or 8:30 pace and make it to the finish line, where I suddenly felt MUCH happier!
What would you do differently?:

Check Garmin before the race. Not fuel quite as much on the bike. START SLOWER. Never had to pee during the race so that was a nice bonus
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in the grass stuffing pizza down my throat.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not swimming straight in the swim. Not checking Garmin. Going out way too fast in the run probably coast me 5 minutes and kept me from breaking 5 hours. Over-eating on the bike.

Event comments:

Excellent race! Best volunteers ever! Highly recommended! I can see how these half Ironman races are addictive:-)




Last updated: 2012-08-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:00 | 2112 yards | 01m 25s / 100yards
Age Group: 65/198
Overall: 0/3335
Performance: Good
Suit: sleeveless Orca Pflex
Course: Downriver and current-aided, point to point. Makes for some very, very fast swims.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:36
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:41:00 | 56 miles | 20.87 mile/hr
Age Group: 9/198
Overall: 0/3335
Performance: Good
Website said I was 14th in my bike age group but I only counted 8 in front of me and I know they had some other mistakes on the run results yesterday that have since been fixed.
Wind: Some
Course: Gently rolling with only a couple fairly significant hills. Still, not steep enough to justify using the easy gear.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 02:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:45:00 | 13.1 miles | 08m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 9/198
Overall: 0/3335
Performance: Below average
Course: Pancake flat, loop course through Augusta's riverfront with cheering crowds.
Keeping cool Good 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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5