Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Oceanside, California
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 01m 13s
Overall Rank = 1032/3253
Age Group = M55-59
Age Group Rank = 29/96
Pre-race routine:

I'm a cyclist, right? I don't even have to train on the bike, right? Well, um, I gave away 22 minutes over last year's bike. My dorky theory going in was that my run miles would help my bike.

You can probably see here which two of the three disciplines I actually spent time on.

My numbers are, s/b/r/t/overall: AG: 20%, 78%, 13%, 5%, 30% back

One of these numbers sticks out ;) I didn't know it was possible to go from 78% back on the bike to 12% back on the run!

Overall in the field, I was, 33%, 67%, 26%, 16%, 43% back s/b/r/t/o

***

I did my usual for Oceanside and slept for 8 1/2 hours like a baby. The alarm went off at 4:30, I drank a mocha, ate fig bars, and parked 1/2 way between the festival and the harbor.

At transition, I did the usual set up, put on the wetsuit, waited in the line, and poured water in a few minutes out. Our wave was in a great spot and got to see the pros out of the water and through transition.
Event warmup:

Nada.
Swim
  • 38m 27s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

11,000ypw the past year paid off!

It was a great swim. There was a lot of contact off the boat ramp and to the start. I expected to line up left, but it was crowded, so I floated over a few yards just in time for the gun. I was about three back, and fully expected the washing machine, but surprisingly it was easy to stay close to the front, zero contact for about 100y. The course got pretty crowded with more contact that a usual Oceanside swim, but I drafted a couple of fast orange caps most of the way. Like every year, I got a cramp at the turn buoy, but it went away this time with a few kicks.

Did I do the fly for a few strokes just to say I did? Yes I did ;) Near the end, I checked behind me to make sure no one was there, and did a half dozen strokes.
What would you do differently?:

It was a great swim, by best 1.2 by far. I can't think of anything I could have done better. I sighted well, I stayed out of trouble, I turned well at buoys, and had a quick easy pace.

Yay masters!
Transition 1
  • 04m 42s
Comments:

Like lightening! My run explains a lot of it, but I'm fast doing this at Oceanside.

I was fast out of the water, and made a point of blowing by as many winded swimmers as possible.

I didn't use the rubber band trick, so ran in my bike shoes. Getting out of the wetsuit, into the number belt, shoes and helmet went fast enough.
Bike
  • 3h 21m 21s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.69 mile/hr
Comments:

Edit: I remember that I pulled my back changing a tire a few days out.

The good: short neoprene shoe covers worked great. I never felt cold, on the bike or once in the running shoes.

The bad: I was slow. Really slow. 22 minutes slower than last year, and in the bottom 1/4 of the ag!

Why? I'm a cyclist, right? My goofy theory that I could ignore bike training and be okay with solid run miles, um, failed miserably. I rode about 45 mpw since January, and it wasn't close to enough. 85 mpw last year gave me 2:59. 65 mpw the previous year gave me 3:02. Those numbers aren't on a straight line, and this year, I found the cliff on that graph.

Being out of the water earlier than ever, and being way slow on the bike was a new experience. I had a big pack of guys in the AG blow by at about mile 15, and it seemed like I got passed by a fast cyclist with a disk every 5 seconds.

Misc problems: I was out of aero with the sore back half the time. I stupidly forgot to check my wheels - the rear brake rubbed for 25 miles until I fixed it, and stupidly, I lost a few minutes instead of stopping for 20s to tweak it. Better still, why not just check the wheels in transition? ;)

An upside is that friends I usually match on the bike crushed me, just because I dismissed the importance of time in the saddle.
What would you do differently?:

Time in the saddle. (!)
Transition 2
  • 04m 7s
Comments:

Again, like lightening. I was out of the shoes near the bridge by the harbor, and things worked about perfectly.

I lost a couple of seconds fumbling with my running belt and hat, but not bad.
What would you do differently?:

Grab the gear, and arrange it on the run!
Run
  • 1h 52m 36s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 36s  min/mile
Comments:

The training was in the bank, and it worked! I've run 45mpw since August, and even with a hard slow bike, the legs worked from T2 on.

My plan to have a belt worked. I had a Gatorade and a Gu flask in the belt. My plan was to be able to ignore the aid stations, and keep the fuel up, just like a marathon. It worked, and I only wanted a little water the last few miles.

The 8:35 pace was a little slower than 2014, but solid. I'm sure I'll have a faster run after I have a faster, easier bike.

Since I'm a newish runner, I'm finally learning how to pace myself and how the legs should feel. Out of T2, I ran mostly based on feel, and saw that I was close to my (good) pace from two years ago. I tried for even splits and came close. I was a little slow at close to 9:00/mi, miles 9-12, but the effort felt right. I spent a lot of time telling myself to run the treadmill, since I've dialed in tempo runs at the gym.

Like always, I had fuel in the tank at the end, and had fun catching and chatting with a riding buddy.

Note to self: wear socks on the run!!!
Post race
Warm down:

I felt way more beat up than anything the last year. I felt ready to go again after the 2014 HIM, and the marathon this year was easy, but it's obvious my legs paid for my low bike miles.

I got the bike from the harbor then got together with my friends from AZ.

It was a fun race, and I feel content simply knowing what my splits are with enough training. It's nice that I can swim!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Time in the saddle!

Event comments:

Here are the results.

WTC always does a good job. The course is well managed. The vols are excellent and well directed. The expo is fun.

"Mandatory" bike check in sort of made sense because a ton of athletes will ride in the dark without lights race morning. Since I have light brackets on the TT bike, I grated my teeth at having to take an extra, unnecessary trip to transition.

The downsides are that Oceanside is feeling more crowded on all three legs. The swim felt more crowded than ever, probably because faster waves have been moved back. Also, yet again, they had rubber tacos. If the college tris can get pizza, so can WTC.




Last updated: 2015-09-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:27 | 2112 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
Age Group: 19/96
Overall: 790/3253
Performance: Good
Suit: 19 sleeved, red
Course: Out and back in the harbor
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:42
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:21:21 | 56 miles | 16.69 mile/hr
Age Group: 76/96
Overall: 1599/3253
Performance: Below average
Wind: Little
Course: The standard Oceanside course.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:07
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:52:36 | 13.1 miles | 08m 36s  min/mile
Age Group: 13/96
Overall: 625/3253
Performance: Good
143bpm avg, 166bpm at the final sprint
Course: The usual two laps along the coast. Like last year the start was at T1 and T2 by the harbor.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4