Ironman 70.3 Muncie - Triathlon


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Muncie, Indiana
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 41m 52s
Overall Rank = 609/2182
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 73/273
Pre-race routine:

I'm a crazy early bird so I was up by 3:15 and took my time getting ready. Since I was early I got a nice parking spot close to transition and checked in my bike. After setting up transition I walked to the bike out/run out arch to find the dismount line then I walked down to the swim area to familiarize myself with it. As I was early I walked back to my car and ate a protein bar, half a bagel, and was switching between drinking a Starbucks Cold Frappacino and Orange Juice. I also got some rest; I was generally feeling good.
Event warmup:

I really don't warm-up for races regardless of distance (i know, i know). I did do more walking around the transition/race area just to move around a bit.
Swim
  • 48m 23s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

First non-wet suit race for me! Anyway, I'm a bit confused about my results here. My Garmin says I swam 2600+ yards, but I just didn't see that happening. I rounded each buoy and maybe veered off near the end, but I could not have been 500 yards off! My time on my Garmin based on the distance I "swam" was 2:00/100yard, which is spot on for what I would typically do a 70.3. Was the swim distance long in the race? Anyway, what makes my time look even more odd to me is that I felt fantastic during the swim; for that matter, I really thought I swam the best I had every done for a 70.3. My breathing, sighting, drafting, calm demeanor....everything was clicking. So regardless of the results for this leg of the race I can safely say that at least I felt good coming out of the water.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I generally thought I did well here, but my official split times do not show it.
Transition 1
  • 03m 17s
Comments:

With no wetsuit to mess around with I calmly got my glasses, helmet and shoes on without drama. Took a swig of Gatorade before leaving transition and I ran with the bike to the dismount line.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. All went well.
Bike
  • 2h 52m 32s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.47 mile/hr
Comments:

I really expected myself to do much better on the bike than my results as my cycle training this year has been going well. Personally, I think what happened is that when I circled around to face the wind during the first loop I just tried to burn my way through it instead of taking a more measured approach. As such, my quads started to feel the pain, I was worried about the run and mentally I got a bit frustrated. So when I faced the wind again I changed my strategy to spin against it and felt much, much better though my split times suffered. I like rolling hills so that didn't have a big effect on me.

Overall, I'm happy with the way I finished the bike, but know that I have to be smarter when it comes to attacking the wind.
What would you do differently?:

Be smarter when going against gusts of wind. Don't let it affect my mental state during the race so that it affects my effort.
Transition 2
  • 02m 29s
Comments:

Found my spot on the rack with no problems. Took of helmet and put on running hat and shoes and picked up a pack of Clif Bloks. Took a swig of Gatorade and ran out of transition while putting on my race belt with number.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Everything went well.
Run
  • 1h 55m 11s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

Well, this was the best run I've done in a 70.3 (PR!). I almost started off too fast, but slowed my pacing down knowing I wanted to finish strong. The rolling hills were nice as they were similar to what I train on back at home. Aid stations were wonderful as I made sure to slow down to drink water, dump ice chips over me, squeeze cold water from the sponges on me and take in orange slices (especially at the end). The sugar in the orange slices for the last 5k gave me a big boost; I will remember that for my future races (especially marathons). I found a husband/wife team to pace off of and it was nice to talk to someone while running (not all the time of course). I came to end feeling great and made sure I had a nice finishing pic......lol.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Everything went well, though I will continue to push myself to get to 8:30 splits.
Post race
Warm down:

After picking up my water I walked down to the shoreline and did some walking loops to get rid of the soreness in my legs. Then I got some food at the Athlete tent as I was a bit hungry. With ice cream available I made sure I got some. Talked to a couple of people about the race and we shared our stories as well as upcoming races - good folks. Did some more walking before finally getting into transition to take a couple of pics, pack up and head on my way home (4 1/2 hour drive to Chicago suburb....argh)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Wind on bike loop; no doubt about it.

Event comments:

Overall I had a good race and I'm glad I tried out this venue. It did feel very "rural" though as the Athlete village was small and the bike loops were very boring. Lots of volunteers and the aids stations were great. As much as I liked this race, I probably will not come here again.




Last updated: 2016-06-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:48:23 | 2112 yards | 02m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 155/273
Overall: 1296/2182
Performance: Good
Suit: None
Course: Single Loop
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 78F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:17
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:52:32 | 56 miles | 19.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 114/273
Overall: 862/2182
Performance: Below average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: A "stick" to a 2 loop course where the loop was basically on a freshly paved interstate. Some of the roads on the "stick" were rough, but overall in good condition. No big hills and lots of rollers. Wind was coming from the North and it felt strong to me (again, strong to me, but not you bike studs out there).
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 96
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:29
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:55:11 | 13.1 miles | 08m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 73/273
Overall: 609/2182
Performance: Good
Course: Single loop course (yay!) on rolling hills. Some shade, but mostly in the sun. Great aid station support at each mile marker.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 3