Pigman Triathlon - Long Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Palo, Iowa
United States
Pigman Triathlon
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 34m 40s
Overall Rank = 163/461
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 23/35
Pre-race routine:

I slept fairly well for a change. I woke up a little closer to race time than normal due to the fact that I was only about 15 minutes away from the race site. I ate a clif bar for breakfast and hydrated the best I could. Then I jammed out to some music on the drive there, getting myself pumped up for my first Half. Does anyone else get chills every time they follow a caravan of cars hauling bikes to race site? It's kinda like a giant family reunion except we're the crazy cousins who enjoy the physical pain we inflict on ourselves.
Event warmup:

After getting transition set up I made it to the water and swam a little bit to get loosened up.
Swim
  • 40m 14s
  • 2310 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Overall not a horrible swim, but not great either. The time trial start was interesting and did a fairly good job of alleviating some of the starting congestion. Call me insane, but I sort of missed the initial craziness. Somehow it didn't feel the same. For the initial 500 yds or so I just followed a guy in front me instead of the buoys. This turned out to be a huge mistake as I finally realized he was way off course. I sighted the buoys after that and was fine. My goggles leaked for the first time and I had to stop to adjust them which was irritating. I'm a pretty weak swimmer the way it is without additional delays slowing me down. Oh and I took in a nice lungful of water about 3/4s of the way through. I had to sit and dog paddle for about 30 seconds for the massive coughing fit to pass. Oh well. The swim was over before I knew it and it didn't seem too much longer than an Oly distance swim at the time.
What would you do differently?:

Sight better and try not to hydrate on the swim.
Transition 1
  • 03m 47s
Comments:

Another slow T1. First off, there was a wetsuit laying on top of my transition area. Mad, but still a nice guy, I picked it up and hung it on the bike rack where the assumed owner's now missing bike would have been. Then I stopped to down a couple of Gas-X. I tend to swallow a lot of air (in addition to water) on the swim and it had caused painful bloating and gas in the last race so the Gas-X was a precaution. I lost a few more seconds while I tried to figure out where my socks were. Once I realized they were in my running shoes I got them on fairly quick. Then I grabbed my bike shoes and was extremely upset to find them buckled. I had a few choice words with myself while I took the extra time to undo the straps and put them on. Then I grabbed some nutrition and my bike and was off
What would you do differently?:

Swim faster so I can get to transition before a wetsuit gets tossed on my stuff. No seriously, make everything is set up CORRECTLY!! Ultimately learn how to bike/run sockless, and how to get in and out of shoes on the bike.
Bike
  • 2h 42m 7s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.72 mile/hr
Comments:

I actually really liked the course. It was very similar to what I ride during training, ie rolling hills, although it was lacking a couple of the massive ones that I ride nearly every day so in that respect it was sort of a relief. I kept the pace comfortable (so I thought...) and didn't maniacally try to catch people in front of me or attack the hills. Although I was in the 6th wave so I was passing much more frequently than I was passed. Nutrition went as planned, although I did feel a little full
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really. I certainly didn't feel like I pushed it all that hard considering I was 2 mph slower than my last Oly in which I hammered out the bike as hard as I could, but my run would tell me differently.
Transition 2
  • 01m 39s
Comments:

I thought this went about as well as planned. I took one look at my fuel belt and decided to leave it behind. I'm still not sure if that was the right decision.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This felt speedy
Run
  • 2h 06m 54s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 41s  min/mile
Comments:

Dangit, I'm a runner and this just wasn't right. I felt good coming out of transition and settled into a comfortable pace. After about four miles my quads just started to throb. I told myself no walking. Running (if you can call it that at that point) up the hill to the turnaround point was hard. Back down the hill was almost worse so at the next aid station I allowed myself thirty seconds of walking. Walking the aid stations for a few minutes each mile was how I finished the race and I yelled at myself every time for stopping. I'm not sure now I could've done it any other way.
What would you do differently?:

My run conditioning was exactly where I wanted it to be so I have to blame it on not doing enough long bike/run bricks. I did a 30mi/10mi 3 weeks before the race and felt great, but apparently that wasn't enough.
Post race
Warm down:

Walking/hobbling around for about 10 or 15 minutes while downing a ton of water and powerade. The food was good. Talked to a couple of HIM and IM veterans while I ate which is always and enlightening experience.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of experience and training I guess. I had done plenty of 60 mile rides and 15 mile runs to be comfortable at these distances, but lumped together they hurt me. Mental toughness was a limiter too. Could I have done it without walking??

Event comments:

Well, my first HIM is in the books and despite finishing a little poorer than I had hoped I am still pleased. This is only my fourth triathlon ever and I have alot to learn still. It's funny during the run I was kept thinking I would never do a race of this distance again yet that evening over dinner I was telling my girlfriend all the things I would do differently for the next one. So I either have a short memory, a masochistic enjoyment of pain, an unrelenting strive to be better, or a wicked combination of the aforementioned traits that's going to keep me coming back for more for quite awhile.




Last updated: 2008-05-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:40:14 | 2310 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 23/35
Overall: 251/461
Performance: Average
Suit: Neosport
Course: Long triangular shaped course
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:47
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:42:07 | 56 miles | 20.72 mile/hr
Age Group: 11/35
Overall: 95/461
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Out from the park and then a loop going through 4 small town and back to the park. The hills were many and rolling and the roads had a little too much traffic for my liking
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:39
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:06:54 | 13.1 miles | 09m 41s  min/mile
Age Group: 22/35
Overall: 201/461
Performance: Bad
Course: Downhill out of the park. Out on a county road, uphill at the turnaround, and back.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
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