South Carolina Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Greenwood, South Carolina
United States
Setup Events
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 40m 54s
Overall Rank = 215/415
Age Group = Mstrs Clydes
Age Group Rank = 3/19
Pre-race routine:

Got up early and tried a new breakfast meal for this race: Cold Pizza! Was directed to eat something that had fats and protein in it along w/ carbs. It was goooooood. Also, had yogurt and sipped some G2. Loaded the car and headed out to the park. About 1 hr before I ate a PBJ. Finished setting up my transition area, put on my wetsuit and headed out for a nice swim. It was too dark to take a bike ride, had to pass on that. Also, weirdness abounds as they weighed all participants!?! I also decided to switch from AG to Clydesdale at packet p/u. It turns out that they had a Masters Clydesdale which means that I'm fat, slow and old. Yikes.
Event warmup:

Swam about 300+ or so in the suit. Water was cool and flat. I was getting excited for a hopefully good day.
Swim
  • 38m 20s
  • 2000 meters
  • 01m 55s / 100 meters
Comments:

I recently read a 5 Tips to a Successful Swim article in Triathlete which mentioned easing out on your first 200m while all the other mokes sprinted and died, jacking up their HR and panicking. I decided to try it and while I was bumped around a little more than usual, it basically worked. All of the chafe cleared rounding the first buoy and I was calm with a decent HR. My backstretches of 500 & 800 were good. There was plenty of room to cruise.
What would you do differently?:

I need to trust myself more in terms of swimming straight. At my last race, my starting and finishing stretches were good but my backstretch was awful. I concentrated out there but was picking my head up a little more than I needed. Each time I looked up I was on target for the next buoy. My final 600m was ok. Nothing special and I need to just focus and swim in. This was a PR swim for me at this distance although it basically matched my IM WI first lap last year.
Transition 1
  • 03m 18s
Comments:

A bit pokey on the T1 but I am working toward IM FL so I wanted to simulate a smart, comfortable, complete T w/ no major mistakes.
What would you do differently?:

Freaking wetsuit stuck on the chip leg again. Geezus! I think I'll just hack my foot off at the ankle in T and get better results. Does Zipp sell a carbon hatchet?
Bike
  • 2h 48m 50s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.90 mile/hr
Comments:

I got busted for a 4 min. penalty for Overtaken! Are you kidding me? The two ladies who continued to pass me everytime I passed them damn near knocked me off my bike twice. I finally just zipped by them and guess what? The ref shows up and I can see her writing away. Another friend of mine got clipped for the same penalty from the same ref. Argggh.

On another note, drafting was out of control. I did this race two years ago and it was the same thing when you crossed into Greenwood. I looked back and there were 6 people pacelining me. Where's that ref? Yo, blue, how 'bout that strike zone?
What would you do differently?:

I guess be patient with the passing. I hate the Overtaken thing. If you want to race down a hill and die going up the other side, and manage to get your front wheel in front of me, why oh why do I have to slow down on a hill to help your sorry ass up it? Pass me with authority or relax.
Transition 2
  • 01m 24s
Comments:

Better T2 but not the best. I don't use Yankz anymore so I wait until I exit T2 to tie up. I took a moment to look down at my towel and make sure I didn't forget anything (but I did).
What would you do differently?:

Grab an extra Gu.
Run
  • 2h 05m 3s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 33s  min/mile
Comments:

I took it easy out of transition stopping to tie my shoes which one of them got hung up and I felt like the dumb-ass in kindergarten who doesn't get it. As I started to see that I could PR this course and the event I had to really talk myself into not picking it up too much. While I was exceeding the speed limit some, I remembered that I tanked the run two years ago which cost me breaking 6 hours. This race had many very good runners. It was evident as a lot of people that I passed on the bike were now passing me back. Hey! I'm a Masters Clydesdale for God's sake! My legs grew heavy with about two to go. They changed the course slightly and I thought I was much farther into Mile 12 when the Mile 12 sign appeared. Oops. I felt some cramping start after the 12 marker and did not want to unload and hobble in. For those that know this course, it ends with about a 50 yard run up a very steep hill and I still had to carefully climb it without cramping. This was the fastest I have run a half mary in an HIM.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe, and I mean, maybe back down on the bike just a little and lose more weight. I'd rather be fast and halfway down the AG roster than a podium finish in my Bike Sansi-belt coaching pants clutching a Subway 6".
Post race
Warm down:

I was supposed to ride for 45 mins. I stood over that bike and looked up the hill and ultimately tanked it.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weight, weight, weight.

Event comments:

I have only done this race once before and liked it even though I didn't finish very elegantly. In 2006 I tanked the run because of poor nutrition and hydration. It was still a PR that stood for two years. This race was my PR and a podium finish for third place even with the penalty! My first true hardware. I'm very happy with the outcome here. This was a much better performance than Gulf Coast on a more difficult bike and run. I was using this platform as a dress rehearsal for IM FL. My two concerns are: if I had to turnaround and swim back to get the 2.4 IM length I would've been dead. And, I will need to be much more patient and ride and run within the speed limit to have a successful IM FL.

Great friends attended this race and it was awesome to see everyone do so well. It was a very fast day for many people. The overall experience was great and the volunteers were very patient and it was well organized. I truly would like to come back to SC.




Last updated: 2008-08-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:20 | 2000 meters | 01m 55s / 100meters
Age Group: 5/19
Overall: 216/415
Performance: Good
Suit: Yes
Course: Point to point with some long stretches of 800 and 600m.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:18
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:48:50 | 56 miles | 19.90 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/19
Overall: 193/415
Performance: Good
156 Ave HR which is a bit above the speed limit but my fastest ride at this distance.
Wind: Little
Course: Single loop with moderate hills.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:24
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:05:03 | 13.1 miles | 09m 33s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/19
Overall: 211/415
Performance: Good
163 Ave HR. but felt pretty good.
Course: Man, this run is one of the worst, not quite as bad as Macon but that's like saying one of the Hussein brothers was nicer than the other. Two loops to a back park entrance and return. The middle is in the sun, and of course it was hot. The back park is hilly too, and you had to watch your HR not to jack it up back there even though it was in the shade.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5