Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon - Triathlon


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
81F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 53m 16s
Overall Rank = 256/2200
Age Group = M50-54
Age Group Rank = 15/140
Pre-race routine:

Long couple of days of driving to get to the race. Approx 7-8 inches of rain from Friday until Saturday around noon when things finally began to clear.
This was an "A" race for me and while I felt fresh going into the race I didn't feel sharp. May have been the crash 2 weeks before the race or that this was already my 6th race of the season. Frankly, Missing some key workouts due to the wreck hurt my prep for the race but I was rested and ready to go on raceday.
It was clear at bike check in on Saturday that Eagleman draws alot of serious racers. Very few casual racers just looking to finish. Lure of Kona slots brings out a top notch field of AG athletes.
Event warmup:

Was able to get a short ride and swim in the day before the race. Race morning I was up early to get a parking spot close to the race venue. Got to transition when it opened. Soggy transition area. The usual set up and visitng with folks. My age group went off around the 7-8th wave so not too bad. Was able to get a short swim in before wave took off.
Swim
  • 37m 34s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 47s / 100 yards
Comments:

Thought I was pushing a steady moderate pace but just didn't seem to be making much progress. Dissappointed with time coming out of the water but I figured we were all swimming the same course so nothing I could do except move forward.
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster. I certainly lost some time with my sighting on a couple of occasions.
Transition 1
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

What a mess. 50-75 yard run out of transition to bike mount line was really muddy. I picked up bike to keep from getting mud etc. in the gears. Shoes were a mess by the time I mounted the bike. Lots of folks stacked up at the bike mount line putting on shoes etc. What a mess
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Did the best with the conditions. Surprised I wasn't slower.
Bike
  • 2h 22m 57s
  • 56 miles
  • 23.60 mile/hr
Comments:

Goal was to build into race with power around 225 watts. For the bike I ended up at AP222/NP224. Right on target. The course was there for the taking given minimal winds so I figured I would push it even though HR was higher than I knew it should be if I wanted to have a good run. Knew the run would be tough regardless so took advantage of the opportunity to have a good bike split......I'd pay for this later.
What would you do differently?:

Should have backed off a bit. So hard to know whether a 3-4 minute slower bike split would make for a 5-7 minute faster run. Thats part of the game in the longer races. Effort did not seem all that hard but I should have realized I was pushing harder than I should given where HR was. It was an A race so felt I needed to take advantage of the opportunties when they arose.
Transition 2
  • 02m 18s
Comments:

Back through the mud to T2. Again picked up the bike as pushing it through the slop would have been harder. Took some extra time to wipe some of the mud off my feet. Put on socks then shoes on and out.
What would you do differently?:

Again, given all that I did I'm surprised I wasn't slower.
Run
  • 1h 48m 25s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

As I was heading out on the course Andy Potts was heading in to win the overall. Should have asked him to do a relay :) Legs felt pretty good initially and I figured I would shoot for 8 min mile pace to include walking through water stations. That would usually be a pretty conservative pace for me for HIM. Stopped at the first mile to pee and maintained sub 8's through the first 3-4 miles. Then my time in the water stations lengthened and my run pace slowed. Water/Gatorade at every aid station and ice down shirt/shorts. Gu at mile 3 and again around 8 or 9. This was not so much a 13.1 mile run as it was a survival slog between the aid stations. Stopped at every aid station except at mile 12. Walked a few times and contemplated DNF at times. Found myself trying to do the math of how much I could walk and still finish sub 4:55 or sub 5. Not exactly a positive outlook at times. Nothing left at the end. Totally spent!
While it may not have beed as hot as some Eagleman races it was still hot and very humid and it took its toll on me..
What would you do differently?:

Backed off on the bike a bit? But, if you are really racing the run is going to hurt at any triathlon. Knew it would be hard regardless of what I did on the bike and was just hoping to find some magic on the run to have a strong race. Probably should have taken in more fluids on the run (thought I did) as it was several hours after the race before i needed to pee.....likely dehydrated.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in the chairs at the finish line for about 10 minutes drinking Gatorade and cooling down. Got a massage and some food. Checked results. Turns out I would have had a Vegas 70.3 slot if I had stayed around for awards/rolldowns but I had already decided I wasn't going to Vegas even if I got a spot.

Cleaned up. Got to the car and drove to visit family 4 hours away. Doing the grandpa walk by the time I got out of the car :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Can't really complain. It was a solid but not spectacular result. I've made good progress. Just need to keep working hard. I learn something everytime I race and like the HIM distance even though its hard on an old man. Previous HIM in April at Galveston was 4:47. Felt like this was a harder effort...maybe the pain is just more recent.

Event comments:

Race was well done. Transition area was a mess but not much you can do about the weather.
Lots of really serious racers. Quality of field was very high. Guess the Kona slots bring all the heavy hitters in.





Last updated: 2013-04-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:34 | 2112 yards | 01m 47s / 100yards
Age Group: 30/140
Overall: 486/2200
Performance: Below average
Suit: Desoto 2 piece
Course: Long leg toward the marina. Right turn toward shore then right turn to the finish. Times were slow and I was 3-4 minutes slower than last HIM. Apparently we were swimming into the current on the long leg. Some talk about the course being long but I suspect the current was the reason for the consistently slow times across the board.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:02
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:22:57 | 56 miles | 23.60 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/140
Overall: 147/2200
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Basically a big loop after leaving Cambridge. FLAT
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 88
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:18
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:48:25 | 13.1 miles | 08m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/140
Overall: 0/2200
Performance: Below average
Course: Wound through neighborhood for the first 2-3 miles then out on the blacktop to the end of the world then turn around and return the same way..
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
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