Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
Ironman North America
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 55m 41s
Overall Rank = 1373/2277
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 1057/252
Event warmup:

- No warm-up per-se
- Stretched after eating "Triathlete Bible" breakfast
Swim
  • 1h 10m 35s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 42s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was very happy with my swim! It was 5 minutes faster than my targeted time and 8 minutes faster than my Couer d'Alene swim last year. I started at the correct point (inside the buoys and about 3-4 swimmers deep), had a strong start, my heart rate did not get too high, did alterate breathing, etc.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing! The keys to a good swim were: 1) getting new goggles 1 day before the race (old ones started to fog up on practice swims), and 2) doing 2-3/weekly 3,200-4,000 meter practice swims for 2 months before the event. I drank about 15 oz of Gatorade 5 minutes before the swim start, which helped me not cramp-up in my legs (and had to stretch my hamstrings a bit after the first loop since they were tight)
Transition 1
  • 13m 22s
Comments:

My transitions are always slow, as I don't run at all, put suntan lotion on, towel off after showering to get salt off, etc.
Bike
  • 5h 45m 8s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.47 mile/hr
Comments:

I was very pleased with my bike portion! It was 30 minutes faster than my goal time and 55 minutes faster than Couer d'Alene last year (of course, the course is much flater/faster and I did not feel sick like last year on the bike). I ate a PB&J, 2 sports bars, lots of gel, and drank about water bottles and 100 oz of Gatorate in my Camelback. Stopped to use the lav once for 1.5 minutes
What would you do differently?:

Nothing! After a good swim, I decided to go all out on the bike, knowing that I would be going easier on the run (which I walk), and it worked great. I felt strong throughout the bike. There were so many other cyclists on the course that some unintentional drafting especially the first 70 miles was impossible to avoid
Transition 2
  • 08m 46s
Comments:

Not a fast transition, but fine by me
Run
  • 5h 37m 53s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 12m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

As planned, I speed walked 85-90% of run. My run was 22 minutes faster than my 6 hour goal time and 14 minutes faster than Couer d'Alene. As usual, not one walker was faster than me. I did not walk 100% of it since I realized a sub-13 hour Ironman was possible (during the whole race I kept calculating in my head what I needed to do to stay under 13 hours). Ate 1 PB&J, 3 sports bars, lots of gel, alternate H20/Gatorade
What would you do differently?:

It felt like I had rocks in my socks, which I learned at mile 15 was bad blood blisters and nail problems. I used athletic tape to help the blisters a bit, but my feet bothered me a lot for the rest of the run (and still do one week after the race). I drank too much liquid (stopped in lav 3-4 times) and had too many salt tablets. Hamstrings and calves were cramping the second half of the run
Post race
Warm down:

Immediately got a massage due to very tight hamstrings and calves

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Feet on run!

Event comments:

Well run race! Pamama City is a cheap, college beach town - not a nice, classy town like Couer d'Alene, ID. The bike and run course were okay, but not scenic like Couer d'Alene. Despite this, I am very glad I did the race. It is know as the easiest Ironman course in the U.S. and I agree with that assessment. Had a fun time hanging out with and doing the race with 2 good friends: Jim C and Grady C (and Grady's family)




Last updated: 2007-11-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:10:35 | 4156 yards | 01m 42s / 100yards
Age Group: 85/252
Overall: 854/2277
Performance: Good
Suit: Full wetsuit
Course: 2 loops of 1.2 miles
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 13:22
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
05:45:08 | 112 miles | 19.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 98/252
Overall: 884/2277
Performance: Good
Average heart rate was 140
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: 1 loop of 112 miles. Some of the roads were very bumpy (especially the back 30-40 miles). Southerly headwinds of 15-18 mph for most of mile 70-100 (there was no tailwind in the first portion of the ride, unfortunately since the winds were very light then)
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 08:46
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
05:37:53 | 26.2 miles | 12m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 190/252
Overall: 1673/2277
Performance: Average
No heart rate monitor used
Course: 2 loops of 13.1 miles/each, many turns through neighorhoods, a park, etc. (some loose gravel and holes on route)
Keeping cool Good Drinking Too much
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4