Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Providence, Rhode Island
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
Overcast
Total Time = 6h 02m 8s
Overall Rank = 898/1308
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 122/173
Pre-race routine:

Woke up @ 2:30, coffee and oatmeal, checked out of the hotel, and caught the 4am shuttle to the start.

Sipped water at the venue, took a gel about 1/2 hr before my start.

Race started 25 minutes late due to poor weather conditions. Think my wave started at 7:15.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 33m 8s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

This sucked. Water was choppy and rough. Lost sight of buoys multiple times. Sunk into breaststroke for about 45 seconds perhaps 200 yards in just to drop my pace, acclimate to the rhythm of the waves, and try to sight the course.

On the way back, kept aiming towards a lit light post. Treated it like a light house and followed it in.
What would you do differently?:

Relax. On a smooth water day, rushing into the water and taking off fast would have made sense. In these conditions, I should have went in slow and eased into the swim.
Transition 1
  • 02m 55s
What would you do differently?:

Use the wetsuit strippers.
Bike
  • 3h 12m 40s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.44 mile/hr
Comments:

Felt like everyone passed me. Truly disheartening. Then I see from the results I placed in the bottom 1/3 of all racers. That's just awful.

And seriously -- I really looked at some of the people who passed me. Young thin people with 5% body fat, ok. But there really were some larger folks whizzing by me. How in the world can they go that fast?
What would you do differently?:

Ride ride ride and then ride some more in training. My bike was working well, so I can't blame my poor performance on equipment issues.

I just have to devote some serious time to riding.

I guess I'm most peeved at the bike segment time because I felt like I was riding well.
Transition 2
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

Not sure why this took so long. Although I did spend perhaps 20 seconds putting socks on, and then another 15 seconds when I took off and then went back to tear off my long sleeve shirt. Thank God I did, too. The run was hot.
Run
  • 2h 09m 49s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Died, died, died. But I ran College Hill both times. At mile 9, I just wanted to quit, and at mile 11, I almost did.

Sponges are great. Never used them before, and I ended up soaking mine a total of 3 times over the course.

Did I die because of nutrition? Or was I just tired because I'd been up since 2:30? I just did not want to run anymore, but my ego would not allow me to walk it in.

My first 2 miles were at 8:16s, then I dropped my 3rd to an 8:45, and then ran the remaining 3 of the first loop at a 9, which was my goal. For 6 miles, I thought I was going to finish this race in 5:45.

Then I did the second hill, and lost steam.
What would you do differently?:

Should I have conserved energy and walked the hill? But then would I always wonder if I could have run the hill?

Unsure of how to look at this one.
Post race
Event comments:

This was a poor race for me. I had aimed to break the 6-hour mark, which would have been huge psychologically. And then when it looked like I might make 5:45, I was feeling awesome. Then I crashed, and now the race is bittersweet.

I finished, which is always good. I did reasonably well in the swim. I got creamed on the bike and run.

I'm still wondering if I would have finished stronger with a different nutrition plan. Perhaps relying on Perpetuem and then gels was unwise.

I want a re-match with this distance.

As for the race itself: no swag except for a lip balm, few exhibitors at the Expo, and just cookies, bagels, oranges and bananas at the finish. I was too slow for the pizza. But I did notice the VIP booth, which you literally passed on the way to the normal athlete finishing area, was full of tasty treats including shish kebabs.

No finisher's shirt.

I would not do this race again.

It's been 3 years since I ran an IM-branded race. This one was definitely not the standard I expected.




Last updated: 2008-10-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:08 | 2112 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 59/173
Overall: 470/1308
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:55
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:12:40 | 56 miles | 17.44 mile/hr
Age Group: 147/173
Overall: 1061/1308
Performance: Good
Wind: Some with gusts
Course:
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:36
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:09:49 | 13.1 miles | 09m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 111/173
Overall: 841/1308
Performance: Below average
1:00.17; 1:09.32
Course:
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
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: Bad
Race evaluation [1-5] 1