Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
Ironman North America
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 03m 15s
Overall Rank = 945/
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 173/403
Swim
  • 1h 11m 45s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 44s / 100 yards
Comments:

Chop and rollers from the southeast
1st lap: Rough
2nd lap: Even rougher
The rough water was a challenge as it was hitting me from an angle at all times. The strong wind kept the chop heavy. After the first stretch to the first turn buoy, I was able to find some good open water about 60% of the time or so.
Turning was pretty good.
What would you do differently?:

Not much...the swim went pretty good considering the chop, waves and mass start.
Transition 1
  • 10m 25s
Comments:

The changing room was absolutely packed and a madhouse. I was able to find an open seat and methodically got ready for the bike. A volunteer was there to take my bag and tie it up for me.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Bike
  • 5h 46m 36s
  • 112 miles
  • 19.39 mile/hr
Comments:

The wind was again an issue, like the swim. When it was a headwind, it made for a long ride. While the course it not hilly, there are sections where the road is a gradual uphill slope. There were sections where the road was sloping up and there was a strong headwind, and that made for tough conditions...and the section where it feels like bombs are going off every 10 feet or so! Holy shit. I was happy my bike held together!

By mile 90'ish, my shoulders were shot from being aero. They hurt. I even consciously stood up quite a bit during the course to avoid the shoulder and back issues.

The last few miles back to T2 were tough as it was straight into the wind.

I was always relieved when I got to turn with a tailwind or at least a crosswind. There were a few sections of the road that were so rough, I thought my bike was going to loose pieces or even break!

I rented some 404's for the race, and I really liked the feel of these on the road.

I was able cleanly grab water and Gatorades from the volunteers at all times.

I only had to stop to pee once, but in the end, that was a bad thing!



Drafting was a joke on the course. I was passed by mini-peletons, and even passed mini-peletons. I saw some guy totally drafting off of some lady, and as I passed him, I yelled "Cheater!" at him (his name was Dan btw...wish I caught his #). Dan, you cheated, and I passed you like you were standing still. :P
What would you do differently?:

Hydrate more.
Transition 2
  • 06m 51s
Comments:

Again, crowded and a madhouse....and again, found an empty chair and got changed fairly quickly with a volunteer there to help out. Ran out and got sunscreened.
Run
  • 4h 47m 39s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 59s  min/mile
Comments:

The first loop (13 miles) was fine....the next 6 miles hurt. I was dehydrated. I was taking liquids at all aid stations on the first loop to try and hydrate, but that led to a sloshy belly. Shit--now I was in a realy catch 22. I started to eat orange slices, and eventually the cola and broth.

I never peed (sorry, TMI) on the run either. Dehydration!

My goal for the race was 12 hours---doing the math on the run, I thought I would get it, but that 6 miles I just mentioned took a toll on me. The last 7 miles, I picked it up quite a bit, but fell short. I was 1.2 miles from the finish, with 8 minutes to go...

With 2 minutes to 12 hours, I knew I wasn't going to make it, so I slowed down a bit and enjoyed the party atmosphere that was on the last mile of the run. Still beat my last IM mary time, but it wasn't quite enough....
What would you do differently?:

Drink more on the bike!
Post race
Warm down:

Talked to my friend, Wendi, at the finish where she was volunteering. Ate a slice of pizza and downed a cola. Stretched some before I went out to meet/greet the family (who followed me on the course all day and kept me going!!).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Dehydration....was trained well.

Event comments:

IMFL is great if you like flat, salt water, warm and some humidity. Great volunteers and crowd.




Last updated: 2009-01-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:11:45 | 4156 yards | 01m 44s / 100yards
Age Group: 88/403
Overall: 579/
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Full
Course: 2 Loops in Gulf of Mexico
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 10:25
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed:
Biking
05:46:36 | 112 miles | 19.39 mile/hr
Age Group: 197/403
Overall: 965/
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: 1 loop.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 06:51
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:47:39 | 26.2 miles | 10m 59s  min/mile
Age Group: 191/403
Overall: 1105/
Performance: Below average
Course: 2 loops
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4