Ironman Louisville - Triathlon


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Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
55F / 13C
Sunny
Total Time = 13h 30m 19s
Overall Rank = 1438/2652
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 225/352
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30am and had a breakfast of oatmeal and Greek yogurt. Mark, Ben, Drew, and I got to the bike transition to pump our tires around 5:30am. We got in the car to drive to the swim start and found out the line was long. The swim start line was one mile long and ended right by the bathrooms at bike transition. We should not of tried to drive to the swim start but instead just walked. I completely underestimated how long the swim start line would be in the morning.
Event warmup:

No warmup possible in the water, but the walking in the swim start line I suppose got me warm.
Swim
  • 1h 22m 45s
  • 3800 meters
  • 02m 11s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim begins against the current in an area protected by an island. I found some open space without a lot of people towards the right. After the island, I moved closer to the buoy to get ready for the turn into the main part of the river. I arrived at a buoy thinking it was the turn. I looked up and saw there were still two more buoys before the turn. This was a tough moment in the swim because swimming against the current seemed to take forever. I finally arrived at the turn. I looked at my watch it was about 30 minutes. I turned into the main part of the river and I enjoyed the current. During the swim I tried to keep my mind occupied. I did math in my head and I also kept saying over and over the Ten Commandments, Apostles Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. As I got closer to the finish, I moved in a diagonal from the wider part of the river towards the swim exit.
What would you do differently?:

I wish I had more knowledge about how many buoys were after the island before the turn into the current.
Transition 1
  • 11m 11s
Comments:

I got out of the water, and I then moved over to the wetsuit strippers. They quickly stripped me of my wetsuit. I then jogged over to the bike transition. I picked up my bike gear bag. I went into the changing tent. I sat down. I put on my helmet, put on my socks and shoes, and then I put body glide on the important parts. I ate a gu and drank a bottle of water. I left the changing tent and I went to get sunscreen. The volunteer asked if she should avoid any spots that got raw on the swim. I said she could spray it everywhere. At this point I realized my neck experienced some chaffing. Ouch that sunscreen found the raw spots. I ran over to my bike and I jogged to the bike mount line. It was encouraging to see my wife and friends cheering me as I jogged with the bike.
Bike
  • 6h 31m 26s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.17 mile/hr
Comments:

My average moving speed was 17.9, but I was slowed by two things. At mile 13.5 I got my first flat tire in 8 years. Good thing I watched the youtube video on how to change a flat. The second thing that slowed me down was having to go to the bathroom four times. I tried to stay on target in my heart rate and keep my pedal cadence between 80-90. Going through La Grange was fun, because I knew I would see my wife and friends every time I went through the town. The first loop I saw Christi and the other wives, and I got a little misty. It was fun to hear after the race about their experiences of draining the battery in the car and finding Dave from Mt. Clemens.
What would you do differently?:

I wish I had put new tubes in my tires before the race. I also want to figure out how to manage fluids on the bike so that I don't have to pee every 30 miles.
Transition 2
  • 08m 12s
Comments:

After the bike dismount line, I jogged with my bike to the volunteers who grabbed the bike. I then continued to jog towards my run gear bag. I stopped to take off my bike shoes because it was tricky running on the cement in the bike shoes. I didn't want to slip. I grabbed my run gear bag but I also stopped to get the body glide out my bike gear bag. I had planned to have body glide in both gear bags but during the first transition I realized I had put both in the bike gear bag. I went into the changing tent and the volunteer was great helping me dump out my bag. He handed me stuff and helped me put the bike stuff back into the run gear bag.
What would you do differently?:

I want to get better at getting out of my shoes and riding with my feet on top of my shoes so that I don't have to run with the bike shoes on my feet.
Run
  • 5h 16m 45s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 12m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

I had planned to run between a 10-11 minute pace. The first six miles I stayed in that target. I then slowed down to the 12 minute range. I stayed on that target for awhile, but then I walked a couple of miles around 19-20. I made the turn to the home stretch, and I wanted to start running again. I had originally thought I would finish the race under 13 hours and I did the math in my head that let me know I needed to start running again if I was going to finish under 14 hours. The last five miles I ran hard.
What would you do differently?:

I should have done more long runs in m training.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked over to the food and medical tents. I had what I imagined to be a huge bloody blister on the ball of my left food. Medical took of my shoe and sock and said there was nothing wrong with my foot. So then I walked over to the massage tent and enjoyed my massage. The food tent ran out of pizza so I waited for 10 minutes for the pizza. Much of my cool down was defined by walking around after the finish checking on my friends.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I was not prepared for the run nearly as much as I desired. This was my first Ironman distance race. I am so proud of this accomplishment. Completing this race would not have been possible without my training partners and friends Mark, Ben, and Drew. My wife and kids have been great supporters. I am overwhelmed by the number of people that cheered me on throughout all the training and on race day.

Event comments:

The food tent was empty of options by the time I got there. The volunteers at every level were cheerful, helpful, and encouraging. I loved the number of people throughout the course cheering on the athletes.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2016-04-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:22:45 | 3800 meters | 02m 11s / 100meters
Age Group: 276/352
Overall: 1913/2652
Performance: Average
Suit: sleeveless wetsuit
Course: Point to point swim in the Ohio River.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 11:11
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
06:31:26 | 112 miles | 17.17 mile/hr
Age Group: 233/352
Overall: 1484/2652
Performance: Average
Avg hr 144 bpm. Max hr 169 bpm.
Wind: Little
Course: The course is a lollipop. I road out on the stick of River road and HWY 42. Then I turned onto 393 for the loop that we did twice.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 08:12
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
05:16:45 | 26.2 miles | 12m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 225/352
Overall: 1438/2652
Performance: Below average
Avg 137 bpm. Max 179 bpm.
Course: Two loop out and back in the city of Louisville. Nice flat course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4