EagleMan Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I started off to the right a bit and had some space to get into a rhythm without much bumping. I tended to drift off to the left a lot and was constantly making corrections to keep from getting inside the buoys. I' sure I ended up tacking on an extra 100m by the end. About half way through I started coming up on slower swimmers from the previous wave and got my goggles kicked partially off twice down the long back straight. That maybe cost me 5-10sec each but broke my rhythm mostly. Overall I ended up with about my usual swim split (31:36 at Kinetic in April) but felt like it could have been better.

Work on swimming straighter, learn to take advantage of the draft, generally improve my swim fitness...2-3X per week in the pool isn't cutting it if I want to improve.

Long run from the water into transition and then I was racked near the far end from the swim-in but near bike-out. Everything was pretty smooth, don't remember anything specifically that was an issue in T1. My wetsuit could have come off my feet a little quicker and judging by my time/place (77th) I can stand to be a little more efficient in transition.

The heat didn't seem too bad through most of the ride. There was very little shade but cruising at 23-25mph creates a nice breeze. I took a single nutrition bottle with 2 scoops of Perpetuem (260 cal) and 3 servings of Heed (300 cal) plus 2 servings of Endurolytes. The other bottle was plain water. I worked the nutrition bottle through about 45 miles and put down maybe 40oz of Gatorade Endurance plus another 40oz of water so I'm looking at about 130oz of fluids and 750cal which is about right for 2.5hrs. I also popped 200mg of caffeine around mile 40 looking for a little pick-me-up.

This course requires keeping pressure on the pedals 98% of the ride...no downhills to rest. I took some very short breaks to stretch my legs periodically but otherwise tried to stay aero and keep the pedals turning unless I was grabbing fluids at an aid station or making a turn. My power meter has been acting up and it wasn't giving me accurate numbers so I was riding on feel from the get-go. That's not a big deal though, I nailed my bike split at IMFL doing the same thing. I was in the 3rd AG wave of the day and was passing people by the 10s through the first 10-15 miles. Speeds were averaging 24ish and I felt good...seemed to be pacing correctly. There were some light headwinds through a few sections where the speed dropped into the 23pmh range but nothing too harsh. My lower back was getting sore/tight towards the end and that had me pausing to stretch a little more then I would have liked but overall I was staying aero and keeping the pedals turning. My power appeared to be dropping off a little towards the end for the same effort level, assuming my power meter was at least reading consistently off through the ride. My quads were feeling fatigued and a little sore near the end but that is about normal for a race like this.

My bike split is about average for me and I expected a little better given the flat course and relatively light winds but without good power data for feedback I had to ride on feel and didn't want to totally cook myself before the run. I rode 2:24 at White Lake on a similarly flat course with cooler temps last May and went 2:28 on a rolling 2-loop course at Kinetic this past April. I'm a little disappointed with my lack of improvement on the bike but it is possible I was a little too conservative even though it felt about right.

Fix my power meter and get more focused with with my bike training.

Everything was going fine as I rolled into transition and hopped off the bike. There were 3 rows of racks with 2 aisles and I was on the very end (right side) of the middle row coming in from the bike. I put a bright green sack on my gear bag so it would be easy to find my spot. Only problem was that it was nowhere in sight as I ran down the aisle. After stopping still to figure out what was going on I realized that the bike-in actually opened up on the left side of the middle row of racks. I eventually got myself straight but was pretty frustrated by this point. The actual transition part was fine once I found my gear.

Take a little more time to make sure I know where the bike-in is in realtion to my spot.

BRUTALLY HOT. Leaving transition I felt decent but it was pretty hot without the 25mph breezy in my face. Coming through the first aid station I felt a little twinge in my quads and was asking for Endurolytes, E-caps, electrolytes, salts, but they all looked at me like I had 2 heads and one guy handed me a gel. I was almost completely past the station when I quickly grabbed the only thing left...Pepsi. At least it was fluids. I had some Endurolytes stashed in a case in my back pocket so I grabbed a couple to take at the next aid station. It didn't feel like I was going too fast but I pulled up with 2 other guys wearing GPS watches and they said we were in the 6:20/mile range which was probably too fast given the conditions but it felt fine at the time. At the next aid station I was starting to feel the heat and made a point to walk quickly through to make sure I got plenty of fluids and ice. The guys I was with pulled away a little and eventually one dropped back and the other pulled off ahead. By mile 3-4 I was starting to hurt from the heat and my pace was suffering. I couldn't find any obvious mile markers but there were numbers painted on the road. The only problem was that there were typically 2-3 of each number over about 1/4 mile so you never knew which "4" was the mark for Eagleman. Also, the aid stations were spaced a little longer than a mile which usually wouldn't be a big deal but on a day like today one extra aid station plus knowing that you only had to go 1 mile to get to more fluids and ice would have made a big difference. By mile 4 I knew I was toast and my focus was on survival...just finishing. I thought of pulling the plug and walking the entire course. I wasn't going to DNF unless they took me out on an ambulance but I was considering what benefit it would be to my training to keep running in this heat with any chance of a decent time being tossed out the window. The whole point in doing Eagleman was to assess my training and fitness going into the final build for my A race in July. I negotiated with myself and made the decision that I would only walk at the aid stations but then I could walk as long as I needed to get plenty of fluids and ice. I was taking 5-6 cups at every station, dumping ice in my hat and down my suit, water over the head, and drinking as much as I could. Some of those walks took longer to get going again. There were a couple of 9-10min miles in there because I probably walked 1-2min. At one point I peeled my race suit off on top trying to get some cooling. I was also taking my hat on an off. It was blocking the sun when on but the air and my wet head provided a little cooling when off. No matter what I did I couldn't manage the heat and was experiencing a total and complete meltdown like never before. I swear the turn-around took forever and the aid stations seemed to be 3 miles apart. Nutrition, hydration, and electrolytes were all good. I actually urinated 3 or 4 times along the course, usually while walking out the back of the aid stations. I took in 2-3 gels in the early miles but then tossed my gel flask so I didn't have to carry it but kept taking Gatorade at all the stations. Coming down the final mile you can see the finish down along the water and hear the music. That's usually enough to give me one last push but I had absolutely nothing. I managed to pick up the cadence knowing that I could finally stop if I just made it to the finish line. This was without a doubt the most miserable run of my life in a race.

Maybe not running all week had something to do with my legs being dead but I had no choice. Otherwise I suppose some training in warmer conditions might help prepare better for the heat. I'd prefer just not to race in 100 degrees though.

Warm-down...that's a joke, right? I made my way to a row of chairs where they were dowsing us with a hose and sat there for 10-15min trying to get my body temp down. From there I kind of weaved my way through the people to some shade and eventually found the food.


HEAT


I'm torn about my overall rating for this race. I don't want to let my performance color my impression of the event but I honestly have some issues. The run course would have sucked even if it was 75 degrees. It's completely boring with long stretches of straight road. No mile markers...what's with that? How hard is it for a big production like this to invest in some decent markers to set up along the run course? Also, they went a little short on the aid stations on the run. In cooler temps it probably would have been fine but knowing the potential for heat they could get one more aid station in and have them every mile. Otherwise the event appeared to be very well run. Everything went off on time and was organized. They gave out decent shirts and water bottles, although a bit too colorful for my taste. Aid stations had plenty of water/ice/Gator, at least when I went through. Overall it's a good event but they could make a few improvements.