Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Short 2.1 mile run was an out and back. There was one steep hill that I took it easy at.

Nothing.

Don't recall this too much but 1:51 ain't bad.

I pushed myself a little too hard too early, and paid for it during the run. I struggled to get in a rhythm during the first half, but during the second half I started to put together a good bike. Slowly but surely the miles started clicking off. At mile 45 I really started to realize I was going to get through the bike. It's exciting because you keep plugging away and eventually you feel yourself pulling into town. Came into transition and saw my friends and family. I yelled something stupid like 'I'm going to go run a half marathon now'. At that point I probably looked good to everyone, but that would all change at mile 7 of the run.

Be a stronger biker. I didn't train hard enough or get enough volume to be somewhat competitive. While 3:11 isn't bad, it's nowhere near the middle of the pack in this type of race. I really saw how those who train longer, harder, and smarter shine at this level.

Not bad. Felt good at this point and didn't mess around for too long.

I took off out of transition and had some legs which I was excited about. I tried to keep it slow however even slow resulted in my HR being in the mid 160s. Being a rookie at this distance, I told myself that I had to keep a slow pace as I really wanted to finish strong over the last few miles. I definitely still made that mistake though.

I felt ok up until mile 7, at which point the wheels fell off for the most part. I had to stop on and off for the last 6 miles, and at 2-3 points I honestly questioned if I was going to make it to the end. At this point I really pulled myself together and said that I was going to do what I had to do in order to finish, whether it meant a lot of walking or not.

It's pretty wild because the last 6 miles of the race tell it all for the people towards the back. It's extremely quiet, and you see loads of people who are all out there for different reasons. They aren't giving up and they will get to the finish line. Looking back on it now I think that was a pretty cool time, although my fatigue during the race kept me from really enjoying it.

The finish of the race is on the beach, and I was struggling pretty bad as I came where the masses of people were. I crossed the line and felt extremely fatigued. I wasn't out of it or anything, just super tired. I saw my family, who knew I was tired and told me to go sit down. Sat in the shade for 5 minutes and listened to the music and saw others struggling. It was pretty chaotic as you saw a bunch of people get taken off.

Better training and pacing.

Chill.


I wasn't ready to race at the pace I raced at. I trained super slow and pushed my bike and run at an HR I hadn't trained much at. That's a recipe for disaster, and it's the thing I told myself I wouldnt do.

I need more time in this sport and need to get faster. I thought this race would be a stepping stone to IM Wisconsin in 2009, however I've decided that 2009 will be about olympics and I'll see where i'm at in a year from now. I'm trying to figure out how tri's fit into my busy life, as I thought I was going to be about the long distance however I'm starting to think the short stuff may allow me better balance.

It looks like olympics will be the focus in 2009, however the 70.3 left a bad taste in my mouth that I need to fix. I'll do another 70.3 again, but I'm not sure exactly when it will be.


Cool race. For all the complaints I've read I will say they do a good job. Great venue and I love the St. Joseph area. I'd think about doing it again someday.