Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

It was a comfortable swim, with nice water that seemed a lot less gross than last year. It was crowded, and I was with other yellow caps the whole way. I lined up inside, left, next to the buoys to see the crowd since I breathe right, then swam "tangents" to the far right after turning back down the harbor.

My sighting was fine, and since I was in a pack, drafted most of the way. There was more contact than last year for me, but nothing bothersome. I was at the inside at the turn buoys, and was happy with my lines. As a non-swimmer, I was happy with things, and spent the whole time thinking about kicking ass once I got on my feet.

I don't have the numbers for just T1, but my total transitions kicked ass and I was 9th in the AG. It was all about run training, and I flew like a deer once the volunteer unzipped me, passing the long stream of people recovering from the water.

I helped a guy on my rack who was stuck in his wetsuit, but it took zero time and effort since I felt good. I went with the plan to wipe my feet with a towel, put on socks and plastic bags, then stashed the gear in the swim bag. I unracked and took off to a thwap, thwap, thwap sound since I forgot my number belt hanging from the bars. That took just a second to fix.

I was racked near the entrance to T1, and ran hard, passing like crazy to Bike Out. I made a point of shooting through a gap of mounting cyclists, and did my usual flying mount about 20 feet past the crowd.

It would be hard to shave time with this, but someday I might start getting into my shoes on the bike.

As a veteran cyclist, I put zero mental energy into training for the Oceanside bike leg, and in the race only made a point of keeping my pace up early-on with the goal of still running well. It was a big advantage to know the course, and that helped me go 1/2 mph faster than last time. I was at an average of 19.5 mph when I got to the base of the first (steep) hill, and got back most of that after the climbs.

I had more than enough fuel, and just the right amount of Gatorade in the two bottles. I packed enough 100 cal fig bars in the bento box for one every 5 miles, but had three left over for the run, and I didn't need those.

I didn't see anyone walking up the first hill this time, probably because I was there in an earlier wave, and a few minutes faster on the bike.

For next year, I'll actually put more priority on bike training, and do another 1/2 mph. It was nice to keep track of my average this year; next year, I'll hit the first hill with a 20 mph average, knowing that I'll be at about 19 at T2. Fingers crossed about the headwinds ;)

Like lightening. I was fast running through T2, and fast swapping shoes. I grabbed a couple of gels.

I was in socks from the bike, but next time I'll take them off, since they became full of water and felt super heavy.

It was a solid run, but my last HM (my first one ever) spoiled me, and I was bummed that I wasn't flying the entire time. The first 10k was about right at a 7:49 pace, and I went about 8:52 for the second half.

My only major goal this time was to have a great run, and I'm satisfied now, but was *really* frustrated when I was at a 9:00 pace that I wasn't sub-8, and knowing that I was losing 5 or 10 minutes over my dream run. The WTC splits tell the story, I was about 73rd in the ag off the bike, flew by about 25 people in the first 7 miles, and stayed about where I finished in the ag for the final 6 miles. It was *a lot* of fun to keep passing people on the first loop, and a lot less fun when that stopped ;)

There were a bunch of people just in front of me, and a slightly better run next year would move my run split up to about 12th in the ag.

This was a nice pay-off, and is excellent experience. Last year, I was barely a runner, and tickled to run a 9:30 pace the second time ever I'd run 13 miles in one day. Last year, it became obvious that I could make the most time on the run, so in September, I started running diligently, running every day for over 6 months, with average volume of 135 miles per month. I'm a cyclist, but my friends now make me admit that I'm a runner ;)

Since this was my first ever HIM as a "runner," I learned a lot, and I know that a few easy tweaks will take a lot of time off my split next year. Having said that, this run was *hard work* and the next time I put in this much effort, I'm going to make certain I shave off at least 7 minutes.


No socks! From dumping water on myself at every chance to stay cool, my feet felt like bricks. Also, I'm making a bee line to the cold sponges at every aid station next time.

The usual "warm-down," for a tri, snacking and drinking. I *loved* the chocolate milk, but the food station was about the worst ever, with a huge, slow line to get soft tacos, one of which must have had chunks of shredded rubber. Bring back the pizza!


Two things were limits for me this time, bike training and run experience. This next year, I'll up my bike miles and intensity, and dial-in my run training.

Results

Here's how I finished in the ag splits:
swim - 51.6%
bike - 38.9%
run - 13.9%
transitions (both) - 5%

Tips for next year: take electrolytes before the swim since I cramped in the harbor and after the race. Cover the shoulders after the swim or bring sunscreen on the bike. Train to run even or reverse splits since I gave up 7 minutes the second 6 miles.

The goal for next year is to have an even better run of 1:45 or better. A 1:45 would be in the top 15 of the ag, a 1:40 in the top 8 or 10.


This is a wonderful race, and WTC does an excellent job organizing volunteers. It's a quality event, I love it, and it's become my main race of the year.