Ford Ironman 70.3 Hawaii - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Kohala Coast, Hawaii
United States
Ironman
84F / 29C
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 17m 47s
Overall Rank = 513/1073
Age Group = M 35-39
Age Group Rank = 0/158
Pre-race routine:

We've all read about what you should do to properly prepare for a race. Taper, rest, arrive early, preview the course, properly hydrate, etc. Let's just say I didn't do any of those things. Flew from Japan to Arizona last weekend and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out on Sun. Flew to Honolulu on Tuesday and attended a conference through Friday afternoon. Hopped a flight to Kona Fri afternoon, raced through a late check -in, bike pickup (I rented one for this race and actually got on it to ride for the first time coming out of T1), bike drop off, hotel check in and an attempt at sleep...

Showed the morning of without an ankle strap (they gave these out at registration which I didn't attend), then snapped the nosepiece off my goggles 5 min before the start. Just your typical pre-race stuff...
Event warmup:

Just got my heart-rate up through the issues leading up to the gun.
Swim
  • 40m 24s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 05s / 100 meters
Comments:

I haven't been swimming much lately so I had zero expectations for the swim. Just stroke, stroke, stroke and come out in one piece.
What would you do differently?:

Find a good pair of feet to grab onto.
Transition 1
  • 05m 52s
Comments:

Very deliberate about this transition as it's merely a warmup/test for IM Japan.
Bike
  • 3h 12m 51s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.42 mile/hr
Comments:

It's Queen K, it's windy, it's relatively hilly. I'm riding a rented bike that I've not had fitted to me, nor have I ridden it ever before. My initial plan was to bring along my aero bottle, put my Infinit in it and use the other cages for some more Infinit and water. Unfortunately I left the aero bottle in Japan so I was relegated to two regular bottles of Infinit; check that...one (cause this bike only had one cage). Of course I dropped that bottle of Infinit a mere 15 minutes into the bike when I took my first drink and missed the cage... Relied on Gatorade from the aid stations the rest of the bike...

The first third was pretty good. Pushed at a decent pace but slowed for the remainder. The winds were tough, the hills more than I'm used to and the nutrition...not so much...
What would you do differently?:

Plan better. Pace wise I'll still take it on this course and this day. Again...just a warmup for Japan in a mere three weeks.
Transition 2
  • 03m 54s
Comments:

Another deliberate transistion. Another minute here isn't gonna ruin the day.
What would you do differently?:

Nada
Run
  • 2h 14m 46s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

Coming into T2 a sub 6 hour was possible but I'd need to run well the whole time. With Japan in three weeks I didn't want to risk pushing too hard so I bagged that idea and stayed well within a comfort zone. Legs felt fine but the mind didn't want to push. Risk/reward ya know?

Did a pretty good job of cooling down by using water/sponges/ice at every aid station. Got really tired of Gatorade by the end and really wished I had my Infinit throughout the bike and during some of the run. Se la vie.


What would you do differently?:

On this day with what's coming up...nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around a little, grabbed some fruit and another gatorade, went back to the room and showered.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Too much travel, not enough rest, lack of good race day preparation but still I was content with taking what today gave me.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this event and would recommend it to anyone. It's Kona after all! You're on that course! Wow...how much fun this was. Got to see Macca and Samantha, experience the lava fields, the winds...

Just the additional motivation I needed to get a little more serious about training.




Last updated: 2008-05-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:24 | 1931 meters | 02m 05s / 100meters
Age Group: 89/158
Overall: 447/1073
Performance: Good
Suit: Desoto
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:52
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:12:51 | 56 miles | 17.42 mile/hr
Age Group: 109/158
Overall: 527/1073
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Hilly in, out and back on Queen K.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 03:54
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:14:46 | 13.1 miles | 10m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 105/158
Overall: 510/1073
Performance: Average
Course: Relatively hilly run throughout the Mauna Lani Resort.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4