Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga - Triathlon


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Chattanooga, Tennessee
United States
WTC
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 46m 57s
Overall Rank = 831/2180
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 38/88
Pre-race routine:

We were staying about 5 miles away from the race so I got up at 3:30 to eat (bagel with peanut butter and honey) and get organized. We left the hotel at 4:30 and my wife dropped me off fairly close to transition. The night before, I thought about using my new Ironman backpack for my gear. I eventually decided to use my regular bag but forgot to swap my timing chip to the new set up...what a doofus! I had to get a replacement chip race morning which created a little bit of extra anxiety. Fortunately, getting to the race site fairly early allowed plenty of time for correcting my error and getting everything situated.
Event warmup:

Not much of one except the running back and forth from volunteer to volunteer trying to figure out where to get a replacement timing chip. Oh, and putting on the wetsuit...that's a bit of a warmup...right?!
Swim
  • 32m 29s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 32s / 100 yards
Comments:

In the athlete meeting we were told that there wouldn't be as much current as there was for the 140.6 race last September. I think they said the dam was spilling 26000 cfs last September and they were targeting mid 6k cfs for the 70.3. It looked like a lake out there in the morning but I know we still got a bit of a push on the downriver segment. I felt like I had a solid swim. I got caught up in traffic a couple of times but with only 1 turn buoy, the congestion was fairly minimal.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. The swim went off in a rolling start. I'm guessing I could have found some faster feet to follow if I had gotten there a little earlier to get closer to the front.
Transition 1
  • 07m 14s
Comments:

Pitiful T1. You would have thought I stopped to have a snack. I used a wetsuit stripper but I should have just done it myself...didn't save any time since they were all occupied when I first got to them. The bike was a good ways from the T1 exit but I still think I lost time by being a little too casual when I got to my bike.
Bike
  • 2h 54m 16s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.28 mile/hr
Comments:

I had a solid ride except for having to make a rest room stop. Avg was closer to 20 mph if you take the RR stop out. We were hit by rain for the first 15-20 miles of the outbound leg but, otherwise, conditions were nice for riding. Since this was my first 70.3 I wasn't sure how hard I could push the bike and still be fine on the run. I tried to keep my HR and cadence in a comfortable range but I feel like I left some time on the course. This course was fast. It only had a couple of climbs of significance and they were pretty short. There were a few rough spots that caused some bottle launches (the spots were well-marked) but I made it through all of them without mishap until the very last one. I was only .5 miles away from T2 when I hit one of the bumps and heard my flat kit (had it in a water bottle behind me) hit the ground. I didn't have a safe place to stop at the time so some volunteer ended up with a nice parting gift.
What would you do differently?:

Work on nutrition for race pace efforts. I relied on Skratch and gels which were fine for a while but I had a bit of a stomach issue half way through the bike which led to a rest room stop. I was planning on using Perpetuem for the race but all of my local stores were sold out of it.
Transition 2
  • 03m 16s
Comments:

A bit better than T1...no major issues here.
Run
  • 2h 09m 42s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

Surprisingly, I felt good coming off the bike. The run started off pretty solid but I was still having some stomach issues so I visited the rest rooms probably 3 times on the run. It was pretty cool seeing some people I know and getting/giving words of encouragement. I tried to monitor my heart rate but I should have just gone by feel...felt like I left a bit of time on the course. Maybe, maybe not since my right hamstring cramped briefly at mile 11.5. I walked about 100 yards and it seemed to loosen up so I was able to run it in from there.
What would you do differently?:

More training volume would help. I ran a 1:53 HM last November and 1:58 at the Country Music in April when I was using the latter as a training run. The pit stops didn't help but I probably also wasted a bit of time going through the aide stations (there was 1 every mile!).
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some pizza, met up with my wife and daughter and chatted with some friends about their race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The usual...fitness, pacing, nutrition.

Event comments:

I'll do this race again. I thought it was a fun course...I just need to get faster!




Last updated: 2015-05-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:32:29 | 2112 yards | 01m 32s / 100yards
Age Group: 23/88
Overall: 580/2180
Performance: Good
Suit: Roka Elite full
Course: Upstream swim of about 350 yards then down and across to the finish
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 07:14
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:54:16 | 56 miles | 19.28 mile/hr
Age Group: 46/88
Overall: 929/2180
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course:
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence: 80
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:16
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:09:42 | 13.1 miles | 09m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 33/88
Overall: 833/2180
Performance: Below average
Course: From the athlete guide: Athletes will have a chance to see the Scenic City as they complete two loops through downtown Chattanooga, The Tennessee Riverwalk, Veterans Bridge, North Shore, Walnut Street Bridge and the beautiful Riverfront Parkway. The final stretch will bring down Riverfront Parkway to finish at Ross's Landing along the Tennessee River. Total elevation gain for the run is around 800 feet.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5]
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