Ironman 70.3 Florida - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Orlando, Florida
United States
Ironman North America Athlete Services
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 03m 57s
Overall Rank = 1061/2048
Age Group = W40-44
Age Group Rank = 38/88
Pre-race routine:

Got up about 4:00 when the wakeup call came, after hitting snooze alot. Took a shower to wake up, ate breakfast and packed up what little I had to pack up.
Event warmup:

Setting up transition was it. We weren't even allowed a toe in the water.
Swim
  • 37m 20s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 56s / 100 meters
Comments:

I did ok on this. I was a little winded the first part, but soon caught my groove. I kept veering to the right off course, so next time I think I'd start to the left near the buoys. I tried to "race", but didn't want to use too much energy before my day began. Had to pee the whole time while swimming.
What would you do differently?:

Start toward the inside. Take advantage of drafting.
Transition 1
  • 04m 20s
Comments:

I actually raced this part :) I wasn't the fastest, but I wasn't the slowest...and here's the best part: I peed in my shorts. I had to pee so badly on the swim, but couldn't in the horizontal position, so when I got to my transition area, I squatted down to get all my crap on and just went. I swore I would NEVER pee my pants on a race but I did. It was very freeing!
What would you do differently?:

I did OK on this so I'm good.
Bike
  • 2h 50m 5s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.76 mile/hr
Comments:

I raced this course. Really raced it, but was careful not to hammer it. If I felt my legs burning, I'd back off a bit, but not too easy. I passed a lot of granny climbers on the hills and took advantage of the downhill. I set my watch to beep every 10 min. so I would remember to take a sip of my ultra concentrated Infinit, followed by as much water as I could stand. I went through a 20 oz bottle of infinit (750 calories), about 80 oz of water and a gu. Seemed perfect.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure I"d do much different. I'm quite pleased with this bike.
Transition 2
  • 03m 8s
Comments:

Again, I remembered I was racing and just got down to business. I did stop at the porta-potty to pee for this transition..took about 20 seconds.
Run
  • 2h 29m 6s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

Ouch...started out with an 8:30 mile. Felt good but decided to back off a little for the next couple of miles just to save some for the rest of the run...next split was around 9:15, then 9:30 for 2 miles...then the pain. oh the pain..What has only happened at miamiman and the Virginia beach 1/2...what I believe is IT Band tightness, resulting in stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks knee pain. I stretched, I walked, I put on bio-freeze, I just couldn't run. I tried. When I could run, I ran..then I'd walk, stretch, get up and try again. People are so very gracious. Lots of "are you oks?", "need salt tabs?" "keep going-almost there"..Everyone was in pain. But this pain is not discomfort. Not "I"ll never do this again" kind of pain. This was "I"m so frustrated because I want to run but just can't pain". I tried to run through it. I did. I kept telling myself to keep going, it'd be over in 60 min, 50 min. etc. I so badly wanted at least beat my time from Miamiman, but no dice. My last split was a 16:00 min mile. But I finished. At no point did I ever even consider quitting or wish I wasn't doing it. I felt strong and mentally there (good nutrition and hydration will do that for you). My last HIM (which was my first), I was not in the same place at all, so this was a good feeling. My mental attitude toward racing has done a 180 and I think I may like it now. Pain and all. I WILL do another HIM and I WILL do it in 5:45 or less.
What would you do differently?:

I now know my body is getting older, even if my brain is still in 3rd grade. I have to do more stretching, yoga, massages...I can't beat myself up like I used to!
Post race
Warm down:

Hobbled around in a daze trying to figure out where the massage tent was. I saw no one I knew. I couldn't figure out where the massage was, so I wandered over to the food. Got 2 slices of cheese and went to get an icy cold coke, but they were OUT!!! OUT OF COKE????? I had to drink a Sprite. Found Egg and his lovely family and chatted with him for a little bit while trying to choke down the pizza. IT was good, but I wasn't hungry. Tried to find Jess and Trixie in the spot where I saw them on the run (these girls were a HUGE BONUS!!! They cheered for me better than my family would have and I just met them the night before!) to thank them for their shouts of encouragement...they were gone). Went in search of the massage tent and found something better: Frank, Bill, Ivanka and their entourage all hanging out in the shade! Talked with them for a bit, then decided to go wait in the massage line, which was long. After a guy finished, I asked if it was worth it, and he said he waited an hour and didn't feel it was worth it at all. Hopped out of line and decided I just wanted to go home. I was dirty, tired, and wanted to see my family and my cozy home. I got my stuff from transition and rode my bike back to the parking lot with some ladies I know from local racing at home. Drove home, stopping at a starbucks on the turnpike for an iced coffee..I had a headache-the coffee helped, since I hadn't had any caffeine all day. Drank a lot of water and had to pee sooo bad when I got home. The family was at the door with a little welcome home banner :) I was pretty stiff.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My IT bands.

Event comments:

This is the biggest race, in terms of production, that I've ever done...it was cool to have a little village to wander through, but not much to do or see there. There were tons of volunteers and crowd support, which is very cool. I tried to thank as many people as I could, as I really and truly appreciated their being there. I think I want to do this again...biggest complaint-the run course. It was awful in my opinion. Not sure how they can improve it or if they even care.

I had a great time. My mental attitude was so good for this. I was a little nervous the night before, but it quickly passed and was fine the morning of. It was great to see all the BTers...and let me just say Frank and Bill are world class guys. They have lovely families and are just rock solid dudes. Thanks guys!




Last updated: 2007-02-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:20 | 1931 meters | 01m 56s / 100meters
Age Group: 16/88
Overall: 420/2048
Performance: Average
Suit: 2 piece desoto top/2xu shorts
Course: A big U in a darkish lake. A big U. A darkish lake.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:20
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:50:05 | 56 miles | 19.76 mile/hr
Age Group: 19/88
Overall: 956/2048
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: I really, really like this 56 mile loop course. Rolling hills make for a fun ride for this flat-lander. I'm good on rolling hills. There were quite a few turns and u-turns and a few spots where we rode with the Sunday traffic, so we had to slow down some, but overall this course was the best part of the ride for me. There were parts where it seemed all we had was head wind, then we would turn and fly. I had a blast!!!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:08
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:29:06 | 13.1 miles | 11m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 57/88
Overall: 1384/2048
Performance: Below average
Course: 3 loops...at least 2 miles of each 4.5 mile loop was through an awful grassy section..the drudgery was everywhere, the sun was hot and the ground was uneven...
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 3