Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
90F / 32C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 12m 42s
Overall Rank = 460/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 69/
Pre-race routine:

The night before the race went front desk at the Galt House for direction on where to microwave my oatmeal and was instructed to just bring it down in the morning to heat it. Well 0500 comes around the lady at the front desk essentially calls me liar claiming I was never told they could heat it up. Long story short, the on duty manager finally unlocked the employee kitchen for use. Kinda of a crappy way to start the day but it all worked out.

No real jitters just ready to finally race.
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 1h 14m 55s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

Got in the water and went to work. The water is murky and dirty. Of all the river swims I have done this was really the dirtiest. I hoped to be out of the water by 1:10. A lot of people claim the course was long, but I will just blame it on not swimming a straight line. I got out of the water feeling great.
What would you do differently?:

Get as close to the front as possible, this is more for the bike than the swim. DO NOT wear anything with White, it will forever be stained and demoted to practice gear.
Transition 1
  • 04m 59s
Comments:

Made up for the long swim with my transition time. I allocated 8:00 mintues for T1 so I was one minute behind of where I wanted to be for my secondary goal.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 5h 54m 5s
  • 112 miles
  • 18.98 mile/hr
Comments:

Here is where getting to the front of the swim start would pay off. The out and back portion of the course is too narrow for the speed you get on the downhill (I hit 46mph) and the amount of bikers there are on both sides of the road. The sooner you can get that behind you the better. Lots of blocking on this portion (sometimes three riders wide) Very few riders seemed to carry speed up the hills and severe log jams were being created. Very frustrating.

Just after the third water stop on the first loop I dropped a chain for the first time ever. As I made my way to the shoulder of the road I was clipped by another rider. I landed in the ditch and he tumbled in the road. Still not sure whose fault this was but there was no finger pointing after it happened. We were both just surprised our bodies and bikes were unscathed. Jumped back on the bike and went back to work.

Fortunately, I did not hit any tacks, but on the first lap you could tell something was not right with amount of people on the side of the road. I saw several flats on the second lap but not nearly the as many as on the first.

I was really looking forward to the last 24 miles back to town and was hoping to up the avg MPH on this portion but a slight head wind took care of that notion pretty quickly. So I just settled in and finished five minutes ahead of my target of six hours.


What would you do differently?:

Not crash. I saw the race flash before my eyes. After five months of training a DNF due to a broken bike would have crushed me. We were very lucky the race gods were smiling down on us at that moment.
Transition 2
  • 07m 17s
Comments:

I allotted 8 minutes so I was pretty happy.
What would you do differently?:

Stretch a little better.
Run
  • 4h 51m 26s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 07s  min/mile
Comments:

This is where it got rough. I was hoping for a 4:15 run. As I settled in I shifted my goal to hold a 10 minute mile which felt really good. Started having a spasm/cramp in left abdominal muscle towards my groin and could not shake it. I forced myself to go to the bathroom around mile 5-6 which seemed to alleviate the pain. By mile 8 it was back with a vengeance and I saw my sub 12 beginning to slip. I started living off coke, water and chicken broth. This concoction would become my elixir of life. By mile 22 the pain in my left side began to subside and my run was back. I ended the last 1.2 with a sub 9 minute mile.
What would you do differently?:

I believe I should have taken in more sodium (Salt tabs) towards the end of the bike/ start of the run. I think this would have eliminated the spasm issue in my left side. I ran/walked a couple miles beside Pro Jared Woodward who finished with a 4:40 run. I am by no means comparing skill sets with Mr. Woodward, but it was interesting to see that everyone copes with similar struggles. This really helped me to deal with my 4:51.
Post race
Warm down:

Just happy to sit down until I had to stand up.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Salt.

Event comments:

The finish line is awesome. I finished with a 12:12 so at least I was in the ballpark of my expectation. The heat really challenges your nutrition plan and course management skills. First IM in the bag and ready to ride some MTB for a little while.




Last updated: 2012-09-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:14:55 | 4156 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 77/
Overall: 512/
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: Time trial start
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 84F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:59
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
05:54:05 | 112 miles | 18.98 mile/hr
Age Group: 71/
Overall: 437/
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Hilly. The hilliest 2600 feet of elevation I have ever ridden, but fair. The out and back is sketchy.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 07:17
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:51:26 | 26.2 miles | 11m 07s  min/mile
Age Group: 69/
Overall: 460/
Performance: Below average
Course: Flat
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4