Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Racine, Wisconsin
United States
HFP Racing
70'sF / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 22m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 45 - 49
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I decided to enter this race a few weeks ago and was one of the last registrants prior to it closing. My goal is Ironman WI and decided that this would be a good step toward that goal, having not competed in a HIM distance. Needless to say I'm a little green at this stuff and I was nervous!

I arrived in Racine on Saturday and registered. Went back to the hotel and laid out my stuff and discovered my tri shorts that were accounted for before I packed my bag, had mysteriously gone to that place where all things go when you are sure you have them. Back to the event location I went much to the pleasure of one of the vendors. Once back at the hotel I readied my bag and all other gear was accounted for.

I hit the sack at 10:00am and proceded to dream up worst case scenarios for the upcoming day, occassionally being interupted by attendees of a wedding that was being held in the same location annoyed that bar time was creating a barrier to their continued merriment.

At 4:00am I decided to give up my quest for REM and had a breakfast of perpeteum. Packed up and headed to the race.
Event warmup:

Did a few warm up minutes in Lake Michigan. The water temp was great and it was relatively clear.
Swim
  • 46m
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 11s / 100 yards
Comments:

As of January this year I couldn't swim a lick, so naturally open water has been an area that I needed to concentrate on and overcome some deep rooted issues. Lake Michigan rollers pose a formidable challenge, and race day was no different. I've been fortunate to have access to Lake Superior and have booked a few yards this season in it. That really paid some dividends for this race. It was a wave start by age group so I hung back a little to avoid the masses. I'm slow due to my experience, but I felt I had a good swim. Because of the rollers it was hard to see the buoys and I went to wide which cost me a few minutes, but for the most part I was comfortable and found a groove. Not bad considering twelve months earlier I would have drowned.
What would you do differently?:

Attempt to sight better and maybe not be so cautious.
Transition 1
  • 05m 34s
Comments:

Okay so I need a little work here. This was only my 2nd tri and I tend to be so happy to have the swim over that I forget the urgency. At least I didn't forget anything for the bike portion.
What would you do differently?:

Practice before time.
Bike
  • 3h 07m
  • 56 miles
  • 17.97 mile/hr
Comments:

This is a flat course that I looked forward to considering I've been training on the Ironman WI hilly loops for the last six months. I found out I missed the variety that rolling courses offer.

I rode okay but i learned a lot of things that will help me improve in the future.

I had decided early on to train with Perpeteum and my intentions were to stay strictly with that based upon my initial experience. Racine was a further testing ground for this intention. I used a concentrated mixture in an insulated 25 oz. bottle and it served me well(more on perpeteum later). I had another insulated bottle of water and an Aero bottle. I will change that routine in the future and rely on course water bottles only. I grew tired of the constant slopping from the aero bottle and the act of filling it back up. I'll continue to use it on my long practice rides, but leave it home on race day.

I need to figure out a better way of doling out Endurolytes to avoid slowing down and potential crashes. I had them in a ziploc in my tritop pocket and that proved to be clumsy. I've since purchased a bento and will be trying that.

I expected to find out that I need to spend more time in my aerobars. In general I need to spend more time on my bike, but I've done what I can to this point(2006-1600+ miles) and can't make up for the rest of my life time. I'll keep working on it and hopefully by IMWI it will be better. Overall, for this point in my training I was pleased.
What would you do differently?:

Ride, ride, ride.
Transition 2
  • 04m 33s
Comments:

Refer to T1. I'm the happy guy in transition with no apparent sense of urgency. I would love to watch a video of myself.
What would you do differently?:

Realise that Christmas is coming some day too.
Run
  • 2h 16m 22s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

My legs felt great and I thought I would have to walk to get started, but this really wasn't the case. Based upon this I now know I probably could have gone harder on the bike. I grabbed a fresh, cold bottle of the Perp mixture for the run and that sustained me well. I will change into dry sock next time, and also stay away from dumping water over my head that ends up in my shoes. I ended up with some hot spots on my feet that did not hurt me in this event, but will at Ironman for the longer run. I actually enjoyed the run and probably could have gone faster. By this time I knew I was going to beat my goal time and decided to take it easy.
What would you do differently?:

Dry socks and no dumping water over my head that ends up in shoes.
Post race
Warm down:

Pasta, Mountain Dew(?), Recoverite and a beer. I was happy with the peformance of the Hammer products throughout the race, and was surprised to actually find out that I was not that hungry. In the past I could eat a horse or two. I was worried about nutrition going into IMWI and this helped me grow confidence in my plans.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Experience.

Event comments:

Well organized and nice people. Good job Racine!




Last updated: 2006-07-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:46:00 | 2112 yards | 02m 11s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Blue Seventy Helix
Course: Point to point
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:34
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:07:00 | 56 miles | 17.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: flat
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:33
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:16:22 | 13.1 miles | 10m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: flat
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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