Ironman Chattanooga - Triathlon


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Chattanooga, Tennessee
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 10h 29m 57s
Overall Rank = 328/2094
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 40/155
Pre-race routine:

It felt so weird sleeping in so late on an Ironman morning. The cancelled swim and expected start time for me around 9:00-9:30 really made for a bizarre experience. Had my normal pre-race breakfast before walking down to the venue and getting ready to go.
Event warmup:

Saw the first starters go off before heading over to my rack to get in line for the time trial start. Got to see Alex in transition which was pretty cool.
Swim
  • 00m
  • 0 yards
  • / 100 yards
Comments:

Cancelled swim.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Bike
  • 5h 28m 17s
  • 116 miles
  • 21.20 mile/hr
Comments:

Loved this ride. The course was quite fast, and with my position in the time trial start, I had a ton of opportunities for legal drafting as I passed people, especially on the first loop. I stuck to my power numbers: Average: 152 Normalized: 159 VI: 1.05 TSS: 260.9. These were actually a tad lower than I was aiming for, so that's even better - undershooting vs. overshooting always lead to better runs. I also stuck to my nutrition plan perfectly, and drank plenty. I peed four times on the bike and once more in T2, which is a sign of good hydration. The overall time and average pace blew away my expectations, and I was really excited to see what I could do on a tough run course.
What would you do differently?:

I thought this was a perfectly executed bike, setting me up for a solid run. But......

Literally the only thing that probably doesn't look great is the high cadence average of 93.
Transition 2
  • 04m 31s
Comments:

Didn't waste time, but also didn't rush. Took a seat, wiped off my feet with a towel, made sure my socks and shoes were comfortable, and peed before heading out. Love the sunscreen volunteers!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I guess if one day I'm going to a Kona spot I should speed up here a little, but I was very happy with this.
Run
  • 4h 57m 9s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

Horrible. Worst blow up of my life. You start out with a hill before hitting the flat section of the course. First mile was OK, but I could tell something was not right. Mile two I was getting cooked in the sun but still running. That's as far as I made it. The next 24 miles were a complete death march. My calves were cramping the whole time. My right knee was really a problem. I felt like I was baking in the heat. Eventually my stomach shut down on me. I would walk every aid station, and also have to walk once or twice in between them. In an effort to limit the damage, I would only allow up to 60 seconds of walking. My moving pace was actually not that bad, but I couldn't maintain it for more than 1/4 to 1/2 mile at a time. As the race went on I had to keep readjusting my goal, and with 4-5 miles left I wanted to try to stay under 5 hours. It was not easy, but I was able to cut down on the walking just enough to do it. What a harrowing experience this run was.

(side note: the overall rank is wrong. Ironman does the results in such a dumb way, showing where you stood after each leg, not your actual rank for each. I was able to figure out my AG spot here, but with so many racers it was too much to comb through the overall)
What would you do differently?:

One of the worst things about this disaster is even with lots of time to reflect on it, I can't figure out exactly why this happened. I paced the bike perfectly, stayed under my power numbers, ate and drank everything I was supposed to, and other than the right knee, felt pretty good to start the run. Just not my day I guess...
Post race
Warm down:

Died in the grass.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Honestly don't know. I usually do so well in the heat, but maybe it got to me today. I've probably never been so disappointed over a race before. I thought my training was really good this year, hitting several 200+ mile weeks on the bike and running really well in races this summer. Back to the drawing board this winter I suppose. Maybe it's time for a coach if I want to level up.

Event comments:

Despite not having the day I wanted, I really enjoyed this race. The venue was great, a very cool city. Bike course was pretty and super fast without being flat to the point of boring. Run course was challenging, but one I was looking forward to take on. I will have to come back one year and hopefully get to enjoy the down stream swim.




Last updated: 2018-11-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:00:00 | 00 yards | / 100yards
Age Group: 0/155
Overall: 0/2094
Performance:
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
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
05:28:17 | 116 miles | 21.20 mile/hr
Age Group: 33/155
Overall: 205/2094
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course: Rolling lollipop course, with two laps of the loop
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 93
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:31
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
04:57:09 | 26.2 miles | 11m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 55/155
Overall: 328/2094
Performance: Bad
Course: First 8 miles relatively flat loop, very little shade, next 5 miles very hilly. Two loops.
Keeping cool Bad Drinking
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