Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
74F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 11h 20m 34s
Overall Rank = 429/2345
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 83/453
Pre-race routine:

Had half bagel, small banana, and bar in the room. Had HEED and a gel before start.
Event warmup:

Just stretching arms.
Swim
  • 1h 26m 29s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 03s / 100 yards
Comments:

Just not great. All around average. Had a little confusion/disorientation with navigation, but nothing too major. Didn't stay on feet well--but hard to in muddy water. I wish this was a below average swim for me, but it was really a realistic result. I have lots of room for swim improvement.
What would you do differently?:

Be a little more aggressive (with pace, with staying on feet).
Transition 1
  • 04m 13s
Comments:

Not bad compared to previous ironman. Had shoes and helmet on the bike; so basically just removed speedsuit, dried arms, sprayed on sunscreen, and put on arm coolers.
What would you do differently?:

Need to get smoother getting feet into shoes.
Bike
  • 5h 53m 51s
  • 112 miles
  • 18.99 mile/hr
Comments:

Still had to pee on the bike a lot. Felt much better after one stop to do it fully and properly. Never had to pee in training this year or in any race other than previous ironman. Don't know what's best. Don't like being uncomfortable on the bike, but don't like stopping (also don't want to risk dehydration or insufficient calories).
Hills were tough. I knew from camp that this course is over 1 mph slower than same effort anywhere I normally train. But I wish that I hadn't faded that much during the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Not a whole lot other than train even more on bike portion, emphasizing hills. For ironman it's really all about the bike on race day. Swim is a warmup and depends on technique more than fitness. The run speed you're left with 8 hours into the race seems to depend on natural run ability more than on run fitness. Plus the speed of an ironman marathon may have as much to do with bike form on race day as it does on run form.
Transition 2
  • 05m 17s
Comments:

OK. Felt slow. Bag knotted, undressed, put on Bodyglide/socks/shorts/new shirt/hat, sunscreen, grabbed 2 FuelBelt bottles. Volunteer very helpful.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Maybe next time I won't change shirt and shorts.
Run
  • 3h 50m 43s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt OK overall. Just had the inexorable slowing that seems inevitable. At the beginning 8 minute pace feels slow, and by the end 9:30 pace feels fast.
What would you do differently?:

Not much during the race. I don't think I started crazy fast. Would try to train more for the bike, especially during off season. I don't think you can really train well for the run before ironman. I think preparing for a fast marathon before starting ironman training is the way to go (like we did for Toledo and Boston). Just can't do much quality run work along with all the bike volume. Over half the race is on the bike, and the marathon totally depends on the form you had for the bike, so I say HIT THE BIKE.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked. Tried to take an ice bath, but hotel machine ran out of ice and hotel water wouldn't get very cold.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

No wetsuit. Lack of swim ability (technique). Poor drafting.
Bike hills. Inability to sustain power on the bike. Bladder discomfort during both bike and run.
Gradual slowing during the run. Not sure how to combat this (more calories? better bike form? run form? more or less hydration?).

Event comments:

Very good venue and great volunteers. I had high and unrealistic hopes after 11:02 IMFL last November. I really thought I could do 10:30s. I was quite a bit more fit (bike especially), and executed well (no real mistakes with pacing/nutrition/hydration). But swim and bike course here were just that much tougher. And maybe it just wasn't an "on" day for me, bike especially. But I'm still proud of the results. Respectable run, respectable overall time.




Last updated: 2008-12-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:26:29 | 4224 yards | 02m 03s / 100yards
Age Group: 210/453
Overall: 1330/2345
Performance: Average
Suit: Blue Seventy speed suit
Course: Upstream though channel to turn, then downstream to swim exit.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 80F / 27C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 04:13
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
05:53:51 | 112 miles | 18.99 mile/hr
Age Group: 127/453
Overall: 632/2345
Performance: Below average
19.12 mph without 1 bathroom stop (at special needs bag). 161w avg. 166w for first 100 minutes. 162w for next 90 minutes. 161w for next 90 minutes. 154w for last 70 minutes (but 20.91 mph for this easier segment). Had about 4 bottles of Infinit (2 plus 1 double concentrated, all on bike) and 1 bottle of HEED (frozen in special needs bag). Only got 1 bottle of water from aid stations. Had Endurolytes, bar, and almost 3 bags of chewables. No gel. Didn't really want to eat or drink anything by the end of the bike.
Wind: Some
Course: Out east from downtown, out and back with steep hills, 2 hilly loops including Lagrange, then back to downtown.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 72
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
03:50:43 | 26.2 miles | 08m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 59/453
Overall: 298/2345
Performance: Good
8:08, ? (overhang), 8:17, 9:21(BR), 8:17, 8:19, 8:26, 8:21, 8:27, 8:38, 8:36, 9:43(BR), 8:43, 8:49, 8:38, 9:03, 9:11, 9:14, 9:21, 9:16, 9:18, 9:25, 9:28, 9:18, 9:17, 8:44 Had 2 small bottles of HEED at start and 2 more from special needs. Had whole gel flask of Espresso Hammer gel. Water from aid stations. Took just a couple hits of gel from 2nd flask before chucking it. For last several miles didn't want to take anything and didn't.
Course: From transition to bridge over river, then out and back repeated twice.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4