Ironman Racine 70.3 - Triathlon


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Racine, Wisconsin
United States
Ironman
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 49m 59s
Overall Rank = 1641/2270
Age Group = W 25-29
Age Group Rank = 76/101
Swim
  • 42m 49s
  • 2000 meters
  • 02m 08s / 100 meters
Comments:

This swim was nuts!!! The waves were incredible with strong winds from the East blowing us towards shore. The first section out to the turn buoy was really just about surviving going head on into waves. Had to switch my breathing from using every other side to just R side to keep my face out of the waves. However, this was by far my best open water swim to date. I felt very calm and just kept chugging through a swim where the race had to pull 150+ people from the water and several people were just abandoning the swim either before the start gun or in their first 100m. Extremely proud of myself for sticking with it, and clearly I did much better vs the pack at the swim than anything else.
What would you do differently?:

Honestly, nothing. Best swim I've ever had, and think I learned a lot about staying calm and pushing through for future races. The time doesn't reflect what a success I think this was.
Transition 1
  • 08m 17s
Comments:

Took my time in T1 because I felt pretty disoriented from the swim. Had wetsuit strippers but was slowed down because they yanked my chip off with my suit. I was right next to the bike out/in which was really nice to not have to go far with my bike, and I managed to get clipped in easily and straight up the hill right out of transition without tipping over!
What would you do differently?:

Next time I will actually practice doing a transition. Maybe it was the swim, but it was hard to think through what order to do things.
Bike
  • 3h 25m 46s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.36 mile/hr
Comments:

I was really excited early on on the bike and clearly had a much better front half of the race. I don't think I was drinking enough but it was cooler than expected so I didn't feel as thirsty. About half way through my L hamstring started to feel extremely tight, so that was when I really started to slow down as I tried to stretch it out on the bike.

I realize it wasn't an average performance for the field, but for me it was and I was happy with it!
What would you do differently?:

For next season I want to work much more on cycling, because I felt like I was just cracking the surface. In particular need to work on cornering, climbing, and overall speed.

Also, I really want to get real aerobars :)
Transition 2
  • 05m 41s
Comments:

Again, I took my time. I was trying to get some nutrition in and put my shoes and socks on.
What would you do differently?:

Can't really think of any one thing that would have been my time suck here, but I think I'll practice for next time.
Run
  • 2h 27m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

I was extremely proud of my run. At the end of the bike I was realizing that it could be right on the nose if I hit/miss breaking 7hrs and decided that I just wanted to have fun and not worry about it! So I ditched my Garmin in T2 and just went out to enjoy myself. I kept telling myself to dig for forward progress but really felt good the whole time. I think the critical decision I made was to walk through every aid station, and at least get ice to shove down my bra and water to sip or swish with. I think mentally I just enjoyed it a lot, I made sure to chat with anybody around me who would chat for a second and enjoyed the view. May have been my happiest part of the race. Plus, I saw a rainbow over the finish line as I hit the mile 10 mark! It obviously wasn't the easiest run I'd ever had, but I did feel like I had a little bit to kick in at the end, I did a great job working through the miles and not getting ahead of myself, I was passing a lot of people, and think it was one of the stronger race runs I've ever had mentally! Plus - believe it or not, It's a half marathon PR for me!!!! Don't know who else can say that about their first half Ironman! :)
What would you do differently?:

Honestly, besides training for speed in the off season, I was thrilled with the run. I stuck with it, I kept a positive attitude, and had a great race plan getting through the first five miles, the second five miles, then the final 5K. That plan really helped me stay in it mentally.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

The swim obviously slowed me down and led to a slower T1, then my hamstring tightness on the bike slowed that down a little bit. But overall, I really gave it my all to push just the right amount without burning out.

Event comments:

I loved the race!!!! I thought it was wonderfully organized, and the volunteers and the police were great and right on the job. I thought the aid stations were well done and just the right amount apart on the run.




Last updated: 2013-07-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:49 | 2000 meters | 02m 08s / 100meters
Age Group: 51/101
Overall: 924/2270
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU v:3
Course: Point to point swim in Lake Michigan. Swim out ~200m then swim south along the shoreline to a last ~200m turn into transition.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 08:17
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:25:46 | 56 miles | 16.36 mile/hr
Age Group: 78/101
Overall: 1702/2270
Performance: Average
30mi split: 1:46:55, 16.84 mph 56mi split (remaining 26mi): 1:38:51, 15.78 mph
Wind: Headwind
Course: Crazy course with a lot of turns. No idea how else to calculate it. All on rough rural roads.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Bad Cornering: Bad
Gear changes: Average Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 05:41
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:27:23 | 13.1 miles | 11m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 76/101
Overall: 1641/2270
Performance: Good
First 3.4mi: 34:13, 10:12" pace
Course: Two loops on an out and back along the beach and shoreline of Lake Michigan. Two decent hills on the loop, but otherwise flat to small rolling hills. Hillier than what I expected/trained for.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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] 4