Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
86F / 30C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 57m 54s
Overall Rank = 1040/1553
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 151/202
Pre-race routine:

This course had the benefit of being fully located at the condo complex where we were staying, so I was able to get ready in my room, then walk down to put my stuff into transition, and then go back upstairs to use the restroom. When we got down to the transition, we received the announcement that the swim was canceled and they were going to do a time trial bike start.
Event warmup:

Got into the ocean for a practice swim on Friday. The waves were pretty large and the tides were pushing. Saturday morning I woke up to find them pulling the buoys along the beach. There were storms off shore that caused massive surf and rip tides, so the swim was canceled.
Swim
  • 00m
  • 2112 yards
  • / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim was canceled due to high surf and rip tides.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Bike
  • 2h 59m 38s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.70 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew going into this that I was massively undertrained because of life getting in the way. However, I went out on the bike trying to find a good pace that I felt I could maintain for the majority of the race. I felt great until about mile 40 when the strain of being in aero the entire time started to affect me. That's also the portion of the course where you start to get affected by the headwind more heavily, so the two items combined to slow down my final time. I was pushing about 21mph for the first half! Coming back over the bridge was like hitting a wall of air, and then the cross winds for the final home stretch were enough to drop my average down to the final 18.7mph. I was still happy with that pace, but I know I could do better once I can get back into my training routines.
What would you do differently?:

Spend more time training again
Transition 2
  • 04m 50s
Comments:

I took too much time in transition. Some of this can be accounted for because of the long transition chute and the fact that my rack spot was on the far side from the bike in, however, I also had my own issues. Unfortunately I still haven't put speed laces onto my running shoes, so I had to stop and tie my shoes. I also had the rare issue of having to hit the bathroom before heading out on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Upgrade my laces so I don't have to stop and tie my shoes would be a huge help.
Run
  • 2h 53m 26s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

With the heat and humidity (and again, lack of training), I knew I was in for a rough one. I went with the plan to run between aid stations as long as possible, but I quickly switched to a 4:1. This actually seemed to work fairly well and enabled me to chew up miles.
What would you do differently?:

Get myself back into shape and lose some of the extra weight I was carrying.
Post race
Warm down:

Once I crossed the finish, I took advantage of the location and dipped my bare feet and shins into the pool. The cool water felt wonderful on my legs and I think really was a good part of the reason that I didn't have any lingering pains.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat and my overall lack of training.

I knew it was going to be rough, and I really feel that this was one of my stronger mental days because I just kept pushing when it probably would have been very easy to throw in the towel after the bike or again after any of the first two loops.

Event comments:

This was a great first effort for IM Gulf Coast. The volunteers were amazing and the course was really nice. It was so cool to have everything right there at the resort. I didn't have to drive anywhere once I arrived in town!
I know people were complaining, but I appreciated that the race director was looking out for our safety and pulled the plug on the swim.
I would definitely go back next year and give the race another try and hopefully get to tackle that ocean swim!




Last updated: 2016-11-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:00:00 | 2112 yards | / 100yards
Age Group: 0/202
Overall: 0/1553
Performance:
Suit:
Course: The swim was supposed to be an out and back swim from the beach with the buoys to the right
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:59:38 | 56 miles | 18.70 mile/hr
Age Group: 145/202
Overall: 886/1553
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: Out and back course mainly along highway 79. Only a couple of hills, otherwise very flat course. Strong crosswind for the stretch into and out of transition riding along the ocean boulevard and then a good headwind coming back in after the turnaround. There was a slight detour from mile 3-5 and then 51-53 due to routing around some road construction, but the roads were all in excellent shape.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:50
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:53:26 | 13.1 miles | 13m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 151/202
Overall: 1040/1553
Performance: Below average
Course: Three loop course with the out-route heading along the ocean and then coming back a block over. The route has zero shade, so the only enjoyable portion is running along the ocean when you get an amazing breeze. The back side of the course is an oven.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4