USAT Halfmax National Championship - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Boulder City, Nevada
United States
Ultramax Events
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 42m 8s
Overall Rank = 113/315
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 9/22
Pre-race routine:

Woke up super early and drove out to Lake Mead for the start. Drank a Red Bull and just waited for the race to start. Ate a bagel. Hopped around looking for a porta-potty.
Event warmup:

Waved arms in the air. Swam about 30 yards.
Swim
  • 36m 22s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 53s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a pretty good swim for me. Thought it would take my usual :40, but came in well under that. Felt good, and thought I was driving straight at the buoys. Caught a couple of nice drafts. I'm still a crappy swimmer.
What would you do differently?:

Just train more, to get faster....
Transition 1
  • 03m 15s
Comments:

This was the 7th fastest transition in my age group, so I guess it was okay.
What would you do differently?:

Stayed longer in transition and ordered a latte.
Bike
  • 3h 07m 42s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.90 mile/hr
Comments:

Absolutely thought that this ride crushed me, but managed to finish it 9th in age group. The hills were just brutal, particularly at the end. Ran into Mike Wasserman at around mile 45, and after I said, "hello" to him he took off like a rabbit on fire. That monkey can climb!
What would you do differently?:

Might just take this course on a road bike. So much climbing here that aero positioning was pretty irrelevant.
Transition 2
  • 02m 22s
Comments:

Well, I was totally pooped after coming off the bike, and couldn't figure out where my run gear was racked. I went past the rack, turned back, and finally found it. Still, 7th fastest transition in age group, so who knows what those other old goats were thinking...
What would you do differently?:

Remember where my run gear is set up.
Run
  • 1h 52m 27s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

Eighth fastest run in age group, and it was a beast. After being totally beat on by the bike, running down a freakin' hill in blistering heat, only to have the privilege of running back up it was nuts!

Saw Mike Wasserman with about 1.5 miles left to run. Passed him and ran for all I was worth. Stunned to find that he didn't hang with me, and crush me, at the finish.
What would you do differently?:

Bring a climbing rope and just repel down this course.
Post race
Warm down:

Finished a bit disappointed that this was my second slowest half-Ironman ever.

Assumed that I finished way down in the age group rankings, and planned to just head out, but Mike said that he thought this was one of the best races he's ever had, and that we should stick around to see the results. We finished 9th and 10th in our age group, thinking that we both made Team USA (top 10 age group finishers make it).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This course was a beast. I wasn't ready to race with that much climbing. Probably should have ridden the Merckx rather than the Specialized.

Event comments:

This was one of the greatest race experiences I've had. The course was just brutal, and the mental component was intense. I thought that I was done for, only to find out that I still mustered a top-ten age group finish.

This race can make the whole season a joy if it turns out that I'm eligible for Team USA, I think. We'll see....




Last updated: 2007-12-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:22 | 1931 meters | 01m 53s / 100meters
Age Group: 15/22
Overall: 0/315
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman Instinct
Course: Rectangular bad boy with a couple of early turn-in buoys for a sprint and olympic distance race that followed the half.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:15
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:07:42 | 56 miles | 17.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/22
Overall: 0/315
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: Up and down and up and down seriously challenging hills. Happiest sections turned out to be false flats. I had forgotten what a beast this ride was when I did it in Silverman. Huge hill back into Boulder City, that just crushed me. This is a brutal bike course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:22
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:52:27 | 13.1 miles | 08m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/22
Overall: 0/315
Performance: Average
Course: Wicked hot, exposed, nasty run way down a hill, then back climbing. Ugh. Brutal.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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