Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Lubbock, Texas
United States
Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 44m 11s
Overall Rank = 335/783
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 30/65
Pre-race routine:

I did not sleep very well the night before BSLT. I had maybe 5 hours of sleep. Awoke at 4 am. Ate breakfast - Cliff bar, milk, coffee, Ensure. Loaded up at 5 and headed to the race site. The line of traffic to park was long. It took us 45 minutes to go from the park entrance to the parking area.
Event warmup:

Set up transition then went for a run. Ran about a mile. Back to transition and put on my wetsuit. Spent about 20 minutes swimming in the cove until my wave was called. This was a good warmup.
Swim
  • 34m 27s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 47s / 100 meters
Comments:

Having a good warmup really helped my swim start. I easily got into the swim groove and didn't have any of the breathing problems I sometimes have if I don't warmup. The entire swim was fairly physical with lots of bumping and punching going on. I used a trick my swim coach gave me - if someone moves toward you, bumps you or punches you, don't stop swimming, just lean into to them or move toward them. They will just about everytime stop and look up. It worked. I swam well, rounded the bouys fine, drafted when I could (which wasn't often enough). Overall a good swim. This is the second highest (66th percentile) I've ranked on the swim in all of my triathlon races.
What would you do differently?:

Need more OW swim practice. My navigation was off at times. I keep pulling to the right.
Transition 1
  • 02m 16s
Comments:

I had been practicing leaving my shoes on the bike. I did that for this race. I hadn't considered how rough and full of gravel was the pavement in the transition area. This tore up my feet, both in T1 and T2. Then, when I tried to get on my bike I fell over the bike...yep, I looked like a complete newbie. Scrapped my knee and got a chain ring tatoo on my calf.
What would you do differently?:

Put shoes on in the transition area. I could have run faster with my shoes on than trying to run bare foot on that pavement.
Bike
  • 2h 53m 22s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.38 mile/hr
Comments:

I had trouble getting into my shoes. Eventually got into them and headed up the hill right out of transition.

I took it easy the first 10 miles keeping my HR in low z2.

After 10 minutes I started drinking. My nutrition plan was 1 bottle of Perpetuem, 3 GU, 1 Cliff bar, 2 bottles of Nuun. I immediately noticed that my Podium Quest bottle was leaking from the top reservior. That's where I had the Nuun. Something must have happened to it when I fell in transition. After about a half hour, it was empty. So, reevaluate my plan. The weather was cool so maybe I can get by on one bottle of Nuun.

The weather was great - light winds, 80, low humidity, overcast for most of the ride. I was feeling good just riding along. I gradually increased the intensity over the 3 hours of riding. My Avg HR of 147 is the top of my z2; so part of the time was spent in z3.

On the ride I saw Bill and abqkid. Also saw Peggy, Bill's friend. She came flying by at one point. I locked onto her wheel (without drafting) and stayed with her until the last hill where she dropped me. That was fun. I negotiated the hills easily, even the descents.

Overall this was a good ride. I probably didn't have enough to drink, but the weather was cool and I felt fine.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Except maybe stick closer to my race plan. After a while I just rode how I felt like and didn't pay attention to the plan.
Transition 2
  • 04m 36s
Comments:

Flying dismount worked fine. But the gravel on the pavement took a chunk out of the ball of my foot! Shoes and hat on and running out of transition looking for a port-o-let. None in transition. I had to run across to the other side of the transition area, through the spectators to get to it. I had to go, there was no way I was going to run well without going. So, longish T2.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Run
  • 2h 09m 28s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

I got into the run easily. During the first mile I saw Natasha cruising to a 1st place finish. She looked so smooth.

I ran well to the first hill. I took in something at every aid station. At the first I took 3 Endurolytes and water. I figured missing half that first bottle of Nuun on the bike might have put me behind on electrolytes. I walked the hills. After the first hill I started feeling 'gassey', lots of burping. I need to reevaluate my nutrition plan.

I saw Bill on the run. Didn't really notice any other BT'ers. I was too busy trying to figure out why I couldn't run faster. My legs just wouldn't turn over any faster and my HR stayed low at about 152. I really expected to run 9 - 9:30 pace. Not my greatest run.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. More bike training so my legs are fresher for the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around drinking Gatorade, ate some watermelon. Then walked back to where my wife was standing. Saw Bill and Hannah run across the finish line. Cheered jkron in to the finish. He looked strong. Also watched trichic (kelly) come across the finish line. She looked great.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training. I had a good swim and a decent bike. But my run suffered. I think I need more bike training.

Event comments:

This is a great event. Lots of support, great volunteers, well organzied. The Awards Banquet is fun. I really liked watching the AG'ers accepting their Kona slots. The female challenged athletes didn't have any entries, so those slots were allocated to other AGs. But, those new slots weren't announced until the awards banquet. Some of these ladies who finished 2nd or 3rd were so surprised when they got Kona slots. Then there was the winner in the 18-24 AG that turned down a Kona slot! The crowd couldn't believe it.

I'll be back next year.




Last updated: 2006-11-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:27 | 1931 meters | 01m 47s / 100meters
Age Group: 22/65
Overall: 268/783
Performance: Good
Avg HR - 155
Suit: Xterra Vengence - sleeveless
Course: Rectangular course counter clockwise, entry at beach area and exit on cement boat dock area, within 20 yards of the transition area.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:16
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
02:53:22 | 56 miles | 19.38 mile/hr
Age Group: 29/65
Overall: 307/783
Performance: Average
Avg HR - 147
Wind: Some
Course: 56 miles, modified out and back, out of town farm to market roads, limited traffic, flat with 8 challenging hills, ranging from 2.9% - 8.9% grade and a quarter of a mile to 1.2 miles in length.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 04:36
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:09:28 | 13.1 miles | 09m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 38/65
Overall: 379/783
Performance: Below average
No splits. The course wasn't mile marked very well. Last year there were signs. This year no signs. Sometimes the miles were painted on the road, sometimes not. I gave up trying to get splits. The splits I did get showed an Avg HR in the high 140s. That's low z2.
Course: 13.1 miles, asphalt, flat with 3 challenging hills, ranging from 6.4% - 7.6%(not the same hills as found on the bike course) grade. The hills are approximately 300 yards to 880 yards in length. Partially shaded, tough, scenic course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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