Ironman 70.3 St. George - Triathlon


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St. George, Utah
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
95F / 35C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 53m 32s
Overall Rank = 1534/2653
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 59/119
Pre-race routine:

Got up early, had my usual banana and 1/2 bagel with peanut butter
Event warmup:

Picked up new friend and fellow BTer Katie and had Jerome drop us off at T2 to catch the shuttle. The bus ride was full of nervous chatter and laughing. Great ride up--not to mention I got to share a seat with a very cute and very fit young man from Poland! Swoon! Got everything set up with the bike, etc. Did some pro-stalking--pretty neat to see them up close and personal. Their bikes are amazing! Watched the pro men and women take off and then joined my group of purple headed 40-44 year olds!
Swim
  • 49m 58s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 35s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was the only part of the entire day that didn't go well. I had to keep messing around with my goggles--couldn't get a good seal and had to stop a few times on the way out to the swim start. When the horn went off for my age group I wasn't even to the starting buoys yet, that made me mad, but I didn't panic. I just got my goggle situation straightened out and went on my merry way. A few places were rough with some of the men catching up from behind--feet and elbows, etc, but whatever--I did the Dory and just kept swimming!
What would you do differently?:

Made sure my goggles were good to go before I started swimming. That was frustrating.
Transition 1
  • 06m 21s
Comments:

Want to cut this transition time down in my next race.
What would you do differently?:

Tried harder to pee while I was swimming so I didn't have to stop at the Port-a-Potty!
Bike
  • 3h 17m 28s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.02 mile/hr
Comments:

AMAZING! GORGEOUS! TOUGH! I loved, loved, loved the bike course! I had a perma grin the entire time! I loved the climbs, especially the climb up to Snow Canyon! It was amazing and tough and I had a blast! The whole time climbing up that canyon I kept thinking 'there isn't anything else I'd rather be doing than this right now!' I can't say enough about it--I was awesome on the climbs, kept my heart rate in check and chipped away, passing younger dudes and fancy bikes on every climb. Little ol' me and Ruby kicked ass up those climbs! The downhills were a blast as well--I was shouting thank you to all the volunteers on those downhills. Like I said, total perma-grin the whole time!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing! With the heat really coming on I decided early to keep my heart rate in check and push hard enough to work but I wasn't going to kill myself. Plus, I knew the run was EVEN HILLIER! So wanted to save something for that.
Transition 2
  • 08m 1s
Comments:

Another slower transition, need to work on that
What would you do differently?:

Tried harder to pee on the bike so I didn't have to stop at the Port-a-Potty!
Run
  • 2h 31m 36s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 34s  min/mile
Comments:

Wowzers! What a tough run. Some parts were so steep I could walk faster than I could run. I really kept my eye on my heart rate--when it would creep into Z3 I would force myself to slow down. The mantra I kept repeating to myself was 'stay in your wheelhouse, you're not in your wheelhouse" and then when my heart rate would slow to Z2 I'd say 'you're in your wheelhouse kid, you're in your wheelhouse!" I have no idea why or how that came to me, but it kept me going the entire race. There were two great moments on the run: one, a lady told my to dump ice in my sports bra and reach in every so often to chew on a piece--brilliant! The second was the lady at mile 11 handing out popsicles--best lime popsicle I've ever had! The finish was AMAZING! All downhill through the chute. I had the biggest smile on my face!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, considering the course and the 95 degree heat--I did an amazing job!
Post race
Warm down:

Found my hubby and talked his ear off about how much fun I had just had! Then, the best part of the day--I asked him what my overall time was. When he said 6:53 I burst into tears and laughed and cried at the same time. My previous HIM time was 7:02. Leading up to St. George all I heard was 'don't do St. George for time or a personal best...it's too difficult a course and it's going to be too hot!' Na na na na naaaaaaaaaaa! This girl did hit a PR on this mother of a course! So proud of my training and race!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

As always, genetics! Ha!

Event comments:

One thing I really was smart about was hydration. Starting a week out from race time I added 8 oz of plain Pedialyte to every 24 Oz I drank, averaging about 80 oz a day. I did that right up through race morning. I had zero cramping issues, never felt dehydrated and woke up Sunday morning feeling great--I am not sore at all. Definitely my plan for my future races!




Last updated: 2013-09-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:49:58 | 1931 meters | 02m 35s / 100meters
Age Group: 77/119
Overall: 1892/2653
Performance: Average
Suit: QR
Course: Straight out, take left at red buoy, straight until next red buoy, take left and swim in
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 06:21
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:17:28 | 56 miles | 17.02 mile/hr
Age Group: 53/119
Overall: 1521/2653
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: TOUGH! It was pretty much either climbing or downhill--no real flat areas
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 08:01
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:31:36 | 13.1 miles | 11m 34s  min/mile
Age Group: 59/119
Overall: 1534/2653
Performance: Good
Course: BRUTAL! All up or down--no flat sections at all
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5