Ironman 70.3 Muncie - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Muncie, Indiana
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 07m 33s
Overall Rank = 969/1954
Age Group = 55-59
Age Group Rank = 8/25
Pre-race routine:

Drive to athlete check-in - keep in mind that its a 4 hour drive - plus a one hour time change. Drove the bike and run course, walked the transition, attended the athlete meeting, checked in to hotel in Anderson (25 miles away), ate dinner, in bed by 9pm. Up at 3:45am, ate whole wheat english muffin (tough to get down, too early to eat) and fixed hot tea, left hotel at 4:25am and arrived at transition at 4:55am. Great parking spot (came in from the south - no line and parked close to transition). Ate my yogurt and finished my hot tea in the car.
Event warmup:

Sipped gatorade and ate a banana during and after transition setup (air in tires, body mark, bathroom, filled water bottles, bathroom) - used my inhaler (severe allergies this year), grabbed wet suit and headed to beach. Swam about 100-150 yards, got out and found out they were delaying the start of the race by 15:00. Brought a "throw away" hoody to stay warm in the morning. Nice leisurely set up. I had my head lamp but really didn't need it - IM does a great job of lighting the place up in the dark.
Swim
  • 45m 24s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 09s / 100 yards
Comments:

Gender Rank 338. Nice calm lake, Started in front and to the left a little, stayed away from the crowd. First wave, so really nice to have open clear water. Didn't even mind the other waves swimming through. Congested at the top (shorter) side, but after the turn back to shore it was a straight shot. This was my best swim, so a PR for me (I think the inhaler really helps with my breathing on the swim - so much more relaxed because I'm not gasping for air).
What would you do differently?:

Maybe swim a little harder at times. I was keeping it steady, so it was a comfortable pace.
Transition 1
  • 04m 26s
Comments:

Too bad they don't give awards for transition. I had the 3rd fastest time in the swim to bike transition. Used the wet suit stripper - quick - awesome. Long way to transition - run up a rocky road covered in carpet - watch your step, even though there is carpet, you can still bruise your feet. Due to the long time between breakfast (3:45am) and getting out of the water (8am) - I had left an extra gel in my bike shoes to remind me to eat right away and get some calories going.
What would you do differently?:

nothing.
Bike
  • 3h 05m 38s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.10 mile/hr
Comments:

Gender Rank 310. I'm trying to make some big changes to my bike time and used this race to push both the watts and the HR. Target was 120 Watts and 141 HR (actual 120 watts and 147 HR). There was very little to no wind on the course, it was cool out (59 degrees in the morning, warming up to 79 in the afternoon for the run). Prepared two 24 oz bottles of malto containing 720 calories. Consumed 36 oz plus 4 gels (one in swim/bike transition, 1 top of 1st hour, 2nd hour and at 2:45) for a total of 940 calories. At 127 lbs this equates to 2.5 cal/lb/hr.

Took a salt tablet on the bike at 2:30 mark.


What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This went very well.It was tough to stay focused and not let the power drop, but all worked out.
Transition 2
  • 02m 12s
Comments:

I was #2 for my age group - - - this helps my overall time, so I get in and get out as fast as I can - - practicing before every race insures I don't forget something.
What would you do differently?:

not forget to top off my water bottles -- they were full of ice and made a ton of noise for the first 2-3 miles on the run.
Run
  • 2h 09m 53s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Gender Rank 240. Grabbed my ice cold fuel belt from the little cooler in transition and headed out on the run. Forgot that I had only ice in them (had forgotten to add cold water in the morning) - so they made a lot of racket knocking around the first mile or so, until the ice melted. Apologized to those running near me for all the noise. Took it easy the first 3-4 miles, walking the aid stations only and longer at mile 5 to eat the gel. IT bands were bothering me, so took 2 x-strength tylenol on M1 of the run. Took a gel at mile 5 and mile 10. Kept cool by throwing ice cold water on my head, chest and face - used ice cubes in my sports bra. Steady 9:30 pace for most of the race. Tried to pick up the pace at mile 9, but didn't work so much - the hills were making it tough (wish I had known there was a hill at mile 10-11), so just took smaller steps to keep my HR in check. It was about this time that I noticed people looking over their shoulder at me as I was approaching them, probably because I was breathing pretty heavily and they were wondering if I was okay. The last 100 yards were really tough, I was gasping and wheezing for air and trying to give it that last sprint uphill just wasn't happening. I was hoping to keep it close to 2:00, but very happy with my time. It was only 1:00 longer that my best time (which was on a totally flat course). Nutrition was good, prepared two 8 oz bottles containing 282 calories, consumed 8 oz plus 2 gels for a total of 341 calories or 1,3 cal/lb/hr. Sipped water occasionally on the course. HR was pretty high, so needed to watch my intake carefully. It was 80 degree's at the end of the race.
What would you do differently?:

Check with my Dr. to see how often I can use my inhaler. I checked the weather ap after the race, and sure enough, the pollen count was HIGH. I'm still adjusting to the mid-west air and struggling with allergies/sinus issues - starting to think I may have some sort of exercise induced asthma. My legs were fine, just couldn't get enough air.
Post race
Warm down:

I was SOOOOO excited to see my time (and the finish line pics are pretty cool). I had checked the previous years times and noticed that the top 10 finishers were 6:13 and under, so as long as I finished in under 6:10 - I thought I had a chance at the top 10, maybe even higher. I finished 8th. Super stoked! Walked around, found the food, ate some chicken, applesauce and had a coke. Wasn't terribly hungry - my nutrition was good. Changed clothes in the beach house (nice little facility, showers, sinks, etc) and drove home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

breathing difficulties

Event comments:

Loved the course - although the run is hillier than noted in the IM website.

SWIM: 45:24 AG 15/30, Gender 338/562 OA 1186/1954
BIKE: 3:05:38 AG 13/30, Gender 310/562 OA 1215/1954
RUN: 2:09:53 AG 8/30, Gender 240/562 OA 969/1954

Points 2192





Last updated: 2015-05-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:45:24 | 2112 yards | 02m 09s / 100yards
Age Group: 15/25
Overall: 1186/1954
Performance: Good
one lap!!
Suit: sleeveless wetsuit
Course: rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:26
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:05:38 | 56 miles | 18.10 mile/hr
Age Group: 13/25
Overall: 1215/1954
Performance: Good
Target HR 141, Actual HR 147 (this was an experiment to see if I could push my HR and still get calories in - it worked, although I pushed it higher than coach recommended - it was a cool day out, so I went with it) Target Watts: 120 - Actual Watts 120, normalized watts 123 Cadence 87
Wind: None
Course: beautiful course - except for the 6.5 miles in and out (which are pretty rough) - my garmin did not show as much elevation gain as IM does in their course info. no worries - stayed in my big chain ring the entire time.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 87
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:12
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:09:53 | 13.1 miles | 09m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/25
Overall: 969/1954
Performance: Good
Plan was to run easy the first 4 miles, then try to get 6-6.5 miles per hour (walking :30 after miles 1-9, then run the last 4 miles). Actual HR 153, pace 9:59
Course: hillier than expected out and back course. The website says the elevation gain for the bike is 1,021 ft and the run is 161 ft. So my expectation is that the run is only a FRACTION of the elevation of the bike. However, my garmin recorded 837 ft for the bike and 597 ft for the run and it definitely was MORE than 161 ft of elevation gain on the run. Thinking there is a mistake in the elevation gain for the run. BE PREPARED. The first 2-2.5 miles are net uphill, and then again around mile 10-11 its very hilly - the last couple miles are net downhill - - except for the last 100 yards, which are uphill on grass and gravel - tricky to maneuver when your legs are like jello.
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? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5