Ironman 70.3 Lake Placid - Triathlon


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Lake Placid, New York
United States
Ironman
71F / 22C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 5h 29m 5s
Overall Rank = 243/2824
Age Group = M55-59
Age Group Rank = 9/147
Pre-race routine:

The usual, with the added bonus of wicked cold temps. Got up at T-3hrs, shower>begin eating the mandatory 500 calories (boost/pop tart/RK treat/coffee to get the colon going). Took longer than I expected to mix/shake my bike and run bottles. I'm going to have to add in 10 minutes for that. Body marked in the hotel and dress 'race ready' with kit/timing chip/plastic bag vest for warmth/sleeved top with warm clothes over it-sweatshirt/sweat pants/long socks/hat/gloves.
Event warmup:

Yes, I did a swim warmup, although not many did. Air temp was 43 (actually 35 about an hour before) and water was ~71, but the top of the water was colder. I swam 10 minutes in my new Roka sleeveless and loosened up. The water still briefly took my breath away. Got out and went into the warming tent. Very, very nice touch by IM! I could watch the signs and get into the line when I wanted. Rolling start based on your 'expected' time. Seems athletes went in a bit too fast again at the beginning.
Swim
  • 38m 11s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 49s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim is still my weakest event. I started slow and picked it up a bit but still didn't go hard. Followed feet off course, again. Probably should just sight on my own. Held my own in the scrums and on the turns which was a fight. 24 SPM is good for me but there is room for improvement. My garmin said temp was 39 degrees but the air was a little bit warmer pretty quick.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3004300600/1
What would you do differently?:

Wear clear goggles.
Transition 1
  • 05m 4s
Comments:

I SPRINTED from the beach after getting 'peeled'. Apparently it's no longer fashionable or politically correct to get 'stripped'. Passed people by going on the road and off the nice carpet which went all the way from the beach to the transition area, which was ~1/2 mile away. Sat and knew the order of things to go on which was all laid out on my towel-specifically the bottom half so I knew to get all of that onto me. Towel off. Arm warmers (which stuck a little bit)>long socks, leg warmers, bike shoes, hat, helmet-saw I forgot my gloves and put them on and ran with the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not.....a......thing.
Bike
  • 2h 49m 49s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.79 mile/hr
Comments:

I pushed pretty hard but lose some aero minutes certainly. I couldn't stay in aero and my bulky warm stuff did not help. Even my sleeved kit was flopping in the breeze. Garmin said 39 degrees and it felt like it.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3004436673
What would you do differently?:

Wear more aero stuff and stay in the aero position.1
Transition 2
  • 01m 41s
Comments:

I had pulled down the arm/leg warmers to be ready to get all the stuff off my body. It was flying everywhere! Put the run shoes on; race belt w bib/drinks and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Still pretty quick.
Run
  • 1h 54m 20s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 44s  min/mile
Comments:

I did well holding pace and not slowing down too much until the hills. Stayed on nutrition also. Weather helps a LOT. My garmin said 52 degrees.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3004300600/5
What would you do differently?:

try to run the entire thing-including the hills, just to say I didn't stop.
Post race
Warm down:

Finished and didn't want to move. Didn't talk much for 10 minutes. These long course races are exhausting. Ate a little and told my wife of the events of the day. She said there was an 'incident' and thought it was a bike crash. Later learned it was a cardiac arrest with a successful resuscitation!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Run training volume was a slight limiter.

Race results

    • http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/lake-...

    Event comments:

    IM did a great job with the weather curveball. Warming tents were a great idea and the one in the swim transition was super effective. Allowing athletes to stay in the water also helped. I love this venue and was stoked to only have to do one loop-especially on the B and R.




    Last updated: 2018-07-23 12:00 AM
    Swimming
    00:38:11 | 2112 yards | 01m 49s / 100yards
    Age Group: 34/147
    Overall: 773/2824
    Performance: Average
    Felt good. No HR monitor. Knew I'd have to count down 40-50 strokes until the first buoy and that worked well. Stay relaxed.
    Suit: Sleeveless Roka Maverick
    Course: The one-loop, clockwise swim takes place in Mirror Lake, a calm, pristine lake right in the heart of Lake Placid. Easy to sight, do not need mirrored goggles. Can often see the cable below the surface. About 100 yds between big buoys and only ~50 yds to cross over the the return side back to the beach.
    Start type: Run Plus:
    Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
    200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
    Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
    Waves: Navigation: Average
    Rounding: Below average
    T1
    Time: 05:04
    Performance: Good
    Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
    Suit off:     		Yes
    Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
    Jump on bike: Yes
    Getting up to speed:
    Biking
    02:49:49 | 56 miles | 19.79 mile/hr
    Age Group: 5/147
    Overall: 195/2824
    Performance: Good
    Kept one Garmin on the bike to have the metrics I like for race day. Wanted to warm up a bit so I was OK burning a few matches early on, but not too many. I was still cold, especially my feet but my hands were better within a few miles, thanks to the arm warmers. Body/core OK thanks to the plastic bag which worked very well. Held power ok, goal of 190-200 through the first half and push a bit more on the hills. I was actually 195-205 through the entire ride. AP=189/NP=202, VI=1.06, C=81 (with coasting), IF=0.86 (?maybe my FTP was higher than 235w) peak speed only 46.1
    Wind: Little
    Course: Iconic LP course with a few out/n/back's thrown in. Hill at mile 4 and 9 should not be forgotten. Keene descent wasn't as fast this year thanks to all the bulky shit I had on. Couldn't show off my freshly shaven legs at all! Hit only 46 mph on the descent. Down miles 10-15. Flat 15-35, with a few rollers. Steady slow climb from 35>56 with the bears at the end for fun. Fresh pavement was a nice surprise on the Keene descent.
    Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 81
    Turns: Good Cornering: Good
    Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
    Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
    T2
    Time: 01:41
    Overall: Good
    Riding w/ feet on shoes
    Jumping off bike Good
    Running with bike Good
    Racking bike Good
    Shoe and helmet removal Good
    Running
    01:54:20 | 13.1 miles | 08m 44s  min/mile
    Age Group: 9/147
    Overall: 243/2824
    Performance: Good
    Tried to hold ~8:15 pace and no faster for the first 3 miles. Drink on time and keep the feet going. Waited for cramps which never came. New drinking strategy helps but perfectly cool running weather was the main reason. Held pace of ~8:30 to the turn around and tried to keep it as close to that as possible. Accepted the expected slowdown on the back half. Knew I'd have to walk the hill in town but hoped to get back to running speed on the final mile and sprint to the end in the oval.
    Course: The one-loop course will challenge athletes with a tour through the city center. Runners head past the famed Olympic ski jumps, down to the turnaround on scenic River Road and then back up to the turnaround on the shores of Mirror Lake. Net down on the first half and up on the way back.
    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? Yes
    Lots of volunteers? Yes
    Plenty of drinks? Yes
    Post race activities: Good
    Race evaluation [1-5] 5