Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Oceanside, California
United States
Ironman North America
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 44m 18s
Overall Rank = 1608/2115
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 220/258
Pre-race routine:

I started in the last of 20 waves so I had a chance to wait around for awhile which was great, because I ate a bowl of cereal, used the porta, and didn't start the race till the sun was out.
Event warmup:

No warm up, just light stretching trying to stay calm. Found a neoprene hoodie a pro had discarded so I got a free gift and got to keep the head warm! Took in a gel about 10min prior to my start.
Swim
  • 44m 47s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

Once the swim started I just tried to stay calm and go smooth for the first 200m or so. I was expecting to get thrashed but that was fairly mild. I swam great but after about 400m I was having issues with my wetsuit again (I believe it is just a bit too short in the crotch. TO do any sort of kicking was causing pain as my "stuff" was being compresed so I went with light kicking the rest of way. I noticed my speed dropped off but it was not much so I just went with it. At the turn around I was hit with a wall of sunshine making it hard to see the bouys. There were swimmers around me that were treading and looking and then swimming again...forget that, I saw jetty to the right of me and guess what....the landing is at the end of the jetty so why not just follow that. I did and it worked well. I still tried to sight some just to make sure I didn't go too far right and smack a pier but I was feeling great. Coming out of the water I looked back and saw lots of people still in the water and felt much better ( I was nervous about being one of the last racers on the course). Saw my support crew (Frank and Milagros) at transition.
What would you do differently?:

Thinking about selling the wetsuit and going with a different fit. Just too uncomfortable.
Transition 1
  • 05m 14s
Comments:

I went smooth here. Probably could have saved 60sec but why? I wanted to make sure I was good to go for the next 3+ hrs. This also included a nice little run 2000 deep into transition. Decided the sun was out nicely and I didn't go with the arm warmers I had purchased the day before.
What would you do differently?:

not much, I was happy here.
Bike
  • 3h 17m 11s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.04 mile/hr
Comments:

I was surprised at the 17mph avg, I felt like I was doing greater than that throughout but I guess the hills dropped it some. Seems like the rest of the time I was above 20 unless we were on a false flat. The weather was fantastic, I didn't need the arm warmers and was glad I didn't bring them. Some people had on jackets and a few even in tights which I am sure they soon regretted. For nutrition I had a pre mixed bottle of HEED and 1 bottle with no liquid but 2 scoops of Sustained Energy mix. This was just the right mix I think. The first aid station was at mile 15, I finished the HEED and grabbed water. Between 15 and 30 I drank the water and took down a gel. At mile 30 I discarded the water bottle and picked up 1 bottle of Gatorade. At mile 45 I discarded the Gatorade and grabbed a water. As soon as I saw aid station at 45 I prepared my Sustained Energy by placing the bottle in the down tube holder with cap off and in my mouth. I took a water and immediately shot it in the open container and discarded the bottle. At no time did I have more than 1 bottle of liquid. It seemed to work out well. I was never thirsty and I managed HEED, Water, Gatorade, Sus Energy, and 2 gels total. I am thinking that is about 500-600 calories.
What would you do differently?:

Go faster, which entails greater bike fitness. I will say the long weekend rides were perfect. I had been doing 40-50 rides for the last 4 weeks or so and it felt like training.
Transition 2
  • 04m 50s
Comments:

Transition was smooth I felt. I have very little stuff at transition so it makes it easier. Saw my support crew again coming off the bike which was nice.
What would you do differently?:

Stay an extra 30 seconds and really rub down right foot cramp. Turns out my bike shoes are too narrow, I am still feeling the foot pain 2 days later as I write this.
Run
  • 2h 32m 17s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

For the first lap I was feeling good. Then after around mile 7 I started to do a run/walk mix but it wasn't happening. It was very hard to start up again. At mile8 or so I was not able to take full breaths. The legs felt OK, no soreness really...I just couldn't seem to catch a full breath. It was as if my lungs were fatigued. My HR got pretty low, it was just my lungs that kept me going strong.
What would you do differently?:

I suppose just work on run fitness but more than that it is just the long workout. I need to do some 5 + hour training sessions.
Post race
Warm down:

Post race I was still not able to get full breathes so I did a few minutes in the med tent. I figured it would be good to have them "make sure" I was feeling ok. After about 5-10 I popped out of there and ate about 3 pieces of pizza.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Run fitness and no workouts with 5+ hr duration.



Event comments:

Best race I have done so far. I tried not to get too down on myself and just enjoy it. So what I had to walk a bit...I will be in this sport for awhile. Might as well enjoy it.

Overall this was a fantastic race. It was a sufferfest on the run but I thoroughly enjoyed it, I knew I would finish and I was already calculating how to get better before next time. Figuring out in my head what I need to do to get ready for IM in November. It will be a long road ahead, I just hope I can stay healthy and become an IRONMAN! This is a fantastic sport and I am glad I started doing it...




Last updated: 2008-09-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:44:47 | 2112 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 224/258
Overall: 1747/2115
Performance: Good
Suit: full
Course: Out and back with slight dog leg at end.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 59F / 15C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 05:14
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:17:11 | 56 miles | 17.04 mile/hr
Age Group: 189/258
Overall: 1434/2115
Performance: Good
Avg HR 136 Max HR 160 (on hill)
Wind: Little
Course: Beautiful course in Camp P. I really enjoyed this course. There were I suppose 3 climbs with one being about 10-12 min long around mile 25...that one was tough but I just focused on my breathing and passed about 100 people up that hill. There were a few walking and many loaded down with 3 and 4 FULL water bottles which is just too much liquid weight for me.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: unk
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:50
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:32:17 | 13.1 miles | 11m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 226/258
Overall: 1731/2115
Performance: Below average
when I was actually running I was in the low 150's. When I did run/walk I was avg 130's.
Course: 2 loops out and back along the beach for the most part. There was a sand section they said was about 1/4mile...I think it was a little short of that, but we had to cross it 4 times total and that was a drag...soft sand was no good.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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] 5