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Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens
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Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens - Triathlon1/2 Ironman
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 Swim
Comments: Started a little slow, sighting every stroke and trying to maneuver into a good space. Found some feet and drafted pretty well until almost the half way point when I developed a cramp in the lower left calf around the Achilles. I'd never had a cramp there before, so it was really strange. Fought through it, but it got worse. Looked for a kayak so that I could stretch and rub it, but there wasn't one in sight. Put up with the pain and kept going, just dragging the left leg and only kicking with the right. After about 300 yards later, it turned into a full calf cramp and the only way to relieve it was to point my toes towards the bottom of the lake - not very hydro-dynamic. Still no kayaks in sight so kept going with the cramp coming and going. About 50 yards from shore, the right calf also cramped. Ended up crawling onto shore and rubbing my calves before I could stand. What would you do differently?: Warm up and stretch. I've never had calf cramps on the swim. I was well hydrated and the only thing I can think of is the lack of a warm up caused the cramps.  Transition 1
Comments: I was hurting coming into T1. When I went to pull my feet out of the wetsuit, the calves instantly cramped back up. Sat down and worked them off, but every movement seemed to bring on the cramps. Had my shoes clipped in and once I mounted, I found that every time I tried to get my feet in the shoes, the calf cramps came back. Finally got my feet in, but it took way too long. What would you do differently?: Leave the arm warmers and a jacket in T1. Even though they didn't seem necessary before the swim, the weather changed quickly and they would have made a big difference on the bike.  Bike
Comments: A cold drizzle started soon after getting on the bike. It didn't take long to start getting cold - especially on the descents. Began to ride the breaks on the downhills after seeing a few crashes and the cold started to make me unstable. Started looking forward to the climbs to warm up, plus I was passing lots of people going uphill - only to have them pass me back on the downhill. The rain finally stopped at about 36 miles. What would you do differently?: Wear the arm warmers if the weather is marginal. Transition 2
Comments: Had trouble racking the bike, the bikes on either side were already racked and taking my space. Also had other people's stuff inter-mixed with mine and had to sort it out. What would you do differently?: Get to T2 before my neighbors.  Run
Comments: The cramps on the swim had a big affect on the run. They didn't cramp, but were so sore and painful it was hard to run. Heart rate and everything else was feeling good and it was frustrating because it felt like I could have had a good run - but I was balancing on a fine line between pain and injury with the left Achilles, so I decided not to push it since I wasn't going to set any records at this point. What would you do differently?: Nothing, a pretty good run given the circumstances. Post race
Warm down: Went to medical and got some ice on the left calf. Stretched quite a bit. What limited your ability to perform faster: The calf cramps on the swim and lack of weather appropriate clothing on the bike. Event comments: Seemed to be a lack of support on the swim course, but the support on the bike course was great - there were lots of people out there to warn about the sharp turns and slick conditions. Overall a very good race for racers and spectators. Profile Album Last updated: 2011-11-04 12:00 AM
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 2012-07-18 12:19 AM |
Veteran  513  Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |  Subject: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens |
| 2012-07-18 2:02 AM in reply to: #4317208 |
Expert 1662   Spokane, WA | Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens Sounds like a tough break with the cramps during the swim. Way to stick with it and make the best of a bad situation. Proud of you for that. I am considering Lake stevens over Boise for next year, what are your thoughts? |
| 2012-07-18 10:28 AM in reply to: #4317208 |
Expert 1535 Coeur D'alene, ID | Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens Congrats on toughing it out Ron! Made my legs hurt just reading about it! You still had a great run split all things considered. Next stop: IMCDA! |
| 2012-07-18 11:34 AM in reply to: #4317208 |
Expert 952 Chicagoland | Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens Wow, tough race! Well done!!!!! |
| 2012-07-18 11:38 AM in reply to: #4317208 |
Master 4452 | Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens Nice job, Ron! I often get calf cramps when swimming, it is NOT fun, so way to stick it out. |
| 2012-07-18 12:57 PM in reply to: #4317243 |
Veteran 513 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho | Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens kevinbe - 2012-07-18 12:02 AM Sounds like a tough break with the cramps during the swim. Way to stick with it and make the best of a bad situation. Proud of you for that. I am considering Lake stevens over Boise for next year, what are your thoughts? I struggled with that decision too - I ended up choosing LS mainly because we had friends and family in the area and it fit better with my son's school and sports schedule. I obviously haven't done Boise, but if I were to do it again next year, I would choose Lake Stevens again. The drawbacks I see with Boise are: - Early June doesn't provide as much time to prepare outdoors on the bike. I didn't really start riding on roads until late April this year. LS gives you another five weeks to prepare. - The weather is so unpredictable in early June - they shortened Boise because of weather this year, and previous years have had weather issues. The weather wasn't ideal at LS either, but the climate is milder and there's much less chance for severe weather. - The swim will be cold no matter the weather - you can deal with cold water, but LS was 73 degrees... just sayin'. From what I hear, the pros for Boise are: - The finish line atmosphere and post race activities are better than LS. Not big factors for me, the finish chute at LS was pretty cool (I attached some photos) and I don't spend a lot of time hanging around after its over. - The bike course is easier. LS was challenging - almost no flat areas and constant up and down with some tricky corners. I personally like the more technical courses, but they do wear you out. - The run course along the river is scenic. The LS course is scenic for about half, the rest through neighborhoods - I don't look much at the scenery anyway. The cool thing about LS was that your spectators could position themselves so that you run by them five times. Another plus for LS is that it's a few hours less driving. I don't think you'll regret it if you choose LS... I had a great time. |
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United States
World Triathlon Corporation
61F / 16C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 582/1017
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 30/52
Woke at 4:15, ate a banana and a bagel with peanut butter and honey. Loaded up the truck and drove to race while sipping Gatorade.
None - and this may be why the day didn't go so well. Got to transition late and was rushed to get setup, no time for the usual half mile run and stretching.