Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - Triathlon


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Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 19m 29s
Overall Rank = 263/1317
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 57/289
Pre-race routine:

Ranks are men only- looks like I was top 20% or so. Crap, just looked at last year and I was 18% in my AG; 20% this year. Overall I was 20% versus 21% last year. Good news is that I got more "points" this year than last, whatever those mean (but more is better). ha

Got up at 5 and out the door by 5:15 when Scott came to get me. Had 2 weetabix and about 24Oz accelerade and a few GU chomps before the race. And a banana. Drove to the remove lot, got the bus and were at the race site a little before 6. Got the bike wheels pumped and then ran into Bill who was trying to find people to loan a pump to :-) Stood in the port a potty line with him for forever chatting about this and that (and wondering why there are never enough port-a-potties), and then got my business done and went and got body marked. Bill went hunting for pink swims caps (ask him about that one, not me- lol). Then went and stood in the cattle corral waiting for the swim start. Men 40-44 had 3 big waves. Sheesh, lots of old guys who do this!
Event warmup:

No warmup.
Swim
  • 33m 22s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

Decent swim- nothing special. Swam into lots of people from earlier waves and while it is nice to pass people, its also annoying to have to keep going around people. Quite a bit of contact early on and from the random people who just stop in the middle of the swim. I just couldnt aim right today and was off course a bit despite sighting a lot. At one point I swam smack into some guy who was just bobbing in the water. I apologized to Bob; he just stared at me. It was funny that I exited the water about 5 steps behind Scott. I used wetsuit strippers; he did not and he beat me out of T1 by quite a bit. Strippers were sloooow. SCott beat me out of the water by quite a bit last year (he was in a wetsuit, I was not) but generally we swim about the same speed, but it was funny to come out THAT close to each other. It was the start of a strong, strong day for him.
What would you do differently?:

Swim straight. Otherwise a nice swim. Got kinda warm in the wetsuit. I wish the legal temp was 72 or something because 75 is pretty warm for a wetsuit in a long swim, but the time you save is worth the warmth.
Transition 1
  • 02m 44s
Comments:

FAirly slow T1- wetsuit strippers were slow and I was methodical but not quick. Wasted some time at the bike mount when they told me that I was mounting too soon, so I had to mosey up another 20 yards and try again. Overall a trivial time wastage.
What would you do differently?:

Mount later (thats what she said). Dont use the strippers.
Bike
  • 2h 50m 49s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.67 mile/hr
Comments:

Ironman does the results as a rolling placing, so no idea how my bike split ranked as a stand-alone segemnet. All they report is that I was 40th at the end of the swim and 59th by the end of the bike. Really had a nice ride- was disappointed that we had the headwind because I was at about 21.5 average 25 miles in and then just slowed down from there. Felt great in the beginning but held back and didnt cook myself. The course is somewhat challenging- lots of hills but nothing major, but its about as hilly as you can get in this area. So much support out on the course though that it keeps it fun. Hated the packs of cyclists who were drafting- just don't do it folks. I actually wonder if you just ignore that you cheated when you tell your friends about your killer bike split? I like to know everything I did was "me".
What would you do differently?:

Good ride given my fitness, etc. I just need to get stronger on the bike. The single water bottle with accelerade and then Perform from the course worked perfectly. I took 4 GUs along the way. No GI issues. I would do this again unless it was REALLY hot. I always had fluid to toss at the next refill point. Tried to get a GU down every 30 mins and drank sports drink for the rest...and grabbed some water at the aid stations to just change the scenery.
Transition 2
  • 01m 48s
Comments:

Methodical- nothing much to note. The sunblock appliers must have applied the sunscreen to my trisuit because everything that stuck out is burned!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 1h 50m 46s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 28s  min/mile
Comments:

Solid run. Ran easy and controlled until about mile 8. Had a guy called STeve join me around mile 1 saying the run pace was good and he was going to join me. We chatted some, ran some and encouraged each other. It was nice. Then suddenly he was done and waved me on. About mile 8 and old annoying and ery painful upper cal/knee ligament issue flared up. It tried stretching it after a bit but that did nothing so I just bit the bullet and sucked up the (considerable) pain. I saw Scott and Bill several times and BIll finally reeled me in about mile 11. We ran together for a bit - very nice to have his company- and then he was gassed and waved me on. Scott was long-gone. Overall I only stopped to walk the mile 9 aid station and one other, and the minute to stretch. Thats by far the best for me ever and makes me think that the 1:45 that qrkid thinks I should be running is possible. qrkid, you might make me a believer in myself one of these days! Finished strong once I rounded the final turn- that final mile is awesome- tons (I mean TONS) of people lining the street, not just the finisher chute. It really carries you along. I heard :go Louis" and saw Matt Rees (random guy in my neighborhood) sitting having some coffee near the finish. Passed a guy down the chute and finished. I was done. STick a fork in me. And then I heard BEcky and Ryan yelling my name. Right around then Scott came over and told me about his 4:56 day- what a race for him! We chatted for a bit and then Bill finished. So we chatted some more. Then I went off to find some shade and sit in it. Phew, that felt good!
What would you do differently?:

Figure out this tendon thing- its very unpleasant. But thats a PR for HIM and a PR on the run on a tricky course, so pretty happy. I think a 1:45 run is not out of the question for me, but the weather really played along on this race with the relatively cool run temps.
Post race
Warm down:

Warm down? Stretched a bit. Sat a bit.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just overall fitness.

Event comments:

The IM guys took their game up a notch this year- wonderful support, loads of pre-race info, etc. Thanks Brian Myrick for all your responses to questions- it was great. The spectators and supporters/volunteers were amazing- best I have ever had. It was a really fun race, except for the painful parts, but those translate into memories in time, and thats OK.




Last updated: 2014-05-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:22 | 2112 yards | 01m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 40/289
Overall: 203/1317
Performance: Average
Suit: Fullsuit
Course: Sorta triangular. All the site buoys didnt stop me from zig-zagging though!
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:44
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:50:49 | 56 miles | 19.67 mile/hr
Age Group: 59/289
Overall: 363/1317
Performance: Average
See garmin file. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511829645
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Winding course all through Apex and Holly Springs. Lots of small hills. Lots of em. Some bigger ones. The course definitely keeps you honest and you really have to be prepared for the second half where the hills can tear a hole in your quads if you're not careful. Got a nasty little headwind as the day wore on. One guy yelled out to me "did you order this F-ing headwind?". I chuckled and said "no, it was that guy up ahead". Other guy yelled back "what a F-ing douche". I leapfrogged him a few times and every time he had something funny to say, usually about the F-ing wind (his words, not mine).
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:48
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:50:46 | 13.1 miles | 08m 28s  min/mile
Age Group: 57/289
Overall: 263/1317
Performance: Good
See Garmin file: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511829657
Course: Two loops- mainly uphill to mile 3ish, then mainly down into town, and repeat. Aid stations roughly every mile.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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