South Carolina Half - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Greenwood, South Carolina
United States
set-up.inc
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 48m 58s
Overall Rank = 149/274
Age Group = 20-24
Age Group Rank = 7/8
Pre-race routine:

I woke up at 4 and ate a sandwhich and a banana, picked up my stuff I had packed the night before and headed out of Columbia. I think the triathlon Gods were telling me not to race today, since I was almost hit by what I suppose was a drunk driver on Route 1 in Columbia. He was driving down my passing lane in an SUV and I had to swerve to miss him, and he never even budged even after passing by me, as I watched him in my rear view mirror. Then when I hit Lexington I was pulled over for having a headlight out (which I knew about and just have not had time to fix). Luckily the cop was nice and let me go with a warning. So then I was off to the race and finally arived around 6:15 to see that it was already packed. I unpacked my transition used the washroom and the race was ready to start.
Event warmup:

Wanted to but long line to bathroom took 30 minutes and had no time after this.
Swim
  • 34m 43s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 38s / 100 yards
Comments:

I really liked this swim. Most people were wearing wetsuits and I guess I regret not having one yet although there really was no need since the water was very warm. I guess it could have knocked a minute or two off my time but is that really worth $250.....OH YES IT IS!!!!!
I had the best navigation I think I have ever had. I kept to the near inside of the pack and was always right next to the buoys as I passed them. I think there was one time I felt myself going off course but it wa a great swim overall! My goal was 40 minutes and I definitely beat that.
What would you do differently?:

Buy very expensive wetsuit!
Transition 1
  • 01m 54s
Comments:

I gave myself 5 minutes in T1 and obviously flew through it faster than I expected. I felt good after the swim and was expecting the next 3 hours on the bike to determine how I would do in the race.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, this was fine
Bike
  • 2h 54m 1s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.31 mile/hr
Comments:

I am very happy with the bike. It is nice to see that the bike has gone from my weakest point to one of my strong points. The first 2 miles were really difficult and I thought I was in big trouble, but then my legs came back and everything went great. I wanted to go below 3 hours on the bike and I beat this goal by over 5 minutes. I looked at the half way point and saw my time was 1:55:45 so I went 1:58:16 on the second half, I thought this was a pretty reasonable split. I kept up with the same people for most of the time, but was passed by a lot of fast riders like usual since I am always farther up because of my swims. I felt fine, ate and drank the right amount, and had a huge smile on my face as I came into the second transition.
What would you do differently?:

I would love to average 20mph in my full ironman next year so a little more distance riding and maybe some hill climbs will help this out.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

Gave myself another 5 minutes for this and went below it again. Felt good at this point but things soon changed for the worse
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 16m 58s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 28s  min/mile
Comments:

This is where everything seemed to fall apart for me. I thought I was going great until I started to run and then I found out how tired I really was. My legs were hurting real bad and I must have developed a blister on my foot during the bike because I felt it as soon as I started to run. The sun was also very hot at this point. I wanted to go 9 min/mile and then I would have broke 5:30, but after 2 miles at below 9 min pace I realized I either had to change my plan or face the possibility of not making it. I decided to start running 300 paces and then walking 100 paces. People probably thought I was crazy as they passed me because I was counting to myself but it helped me pass the time and forget the heat. I cam in just around 2:17, 20 minutes slower than anticipated, but I finished and that is the main goal I had for the day. I started out wanting to beat 6 hours and during the run I told myself to switch back to the original goal and this is what I did. I am very happy to finish and had a lot of fun!
What would you do differently?:

I had a running injury 1 month ago when I was up to 13.5 mile runs, then I had to stop running and did minimal running this month, the longest being 5 miles. I think this hurt me a lot because I did not have my running endurance built up to where I wanted it to be at this point (would have been around 20 mile runs without the injury). I think my run could have gone much better without the injury but thats how things go sometimes.
Post race
Warm down:

I sat on the ground in the tent that sprayed water and then got a drink and stumbled out to the hill around which runners ran the final few meters and then up the hill to finish. I laid on the hill and fell asleep for 50 minutes until someone poked me to see if I was alright. I think I burnt real bad during this and the run since I am pink all over today. I then went and found my parents who just missed me finishing since they had to go to Commerce Georgia earlier in the day and it took them a long time to get to the event. I stuck around and watched people finish, including Scott Rigsby which was an amazing thing to watch (first ever double amputee to finish a Half Iron-man). I also got a massage!!!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heat, running injury.

Event comments:

Excellent race, lots of fun, good volunteers, and the tent that sprayed water that racers could go under after finishing is perhaps the best invention ever created!




Last updated: 2006-09-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:43 | 2112 yards | 01m 38s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/8
Overall: 71/274
Performance: Good
Suit: Cervelo tri-suit
Course: Counter clockwise three parts of a square. We finished at the transition which was about 1 km from the start. I was a good course, real smooth water and very warm.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:54:01 | 56 miles | 19.31 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/8
Overall: 132/274
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: I suppose you call it rolling, but the hills were never long, just at time steep. It was a one loop course so it was nice that you never saw the same scenery. The police and markings were great and coming into and out of the transition was great because of the crowds.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:16:58 | 13.1 miles | 10m 28s  min/mile
Age Group: 7/8
Overall: 179/274
Performance: Below average
Course: Some hills, half in the sun with no chance of shade, some in shade. Lots of drink stations with great volunteers and lots of water, cytomax, and oranges.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5