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Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
Ironman North America
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 16h 37m 35s
Overall Rank = 2161/2270
Age Group = W35-39
Age Group Rank = 119/127
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:50 am, ate some yogurt with some Hammergel, went back to sleep. Woke up again at 5:00, loaded up the gear, walked about half a mile from the condo to the race site. Got bodymarked (unfortunately before I saw a BTer who saw my shirt and said "Bodymarking for BTers over here!"), looked for water and couldn't find any, chatted with some people, moved over to the swim site.
Event warmup:

None (other than trying to find the very very back of the start corral with fastcat74 (Bridget)!)
Swim
  • 1h 27m 46s
  • 4156 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

It was really crowded at first and even after the second turn on the first loop. I've never had people try to swim over me in a race like they did in this one. I was able to get into a good rhythm, though, and I felt great throughout. I felt fantastic the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try to get even farther back so I don't have people swimming over me. I thought I was pretty far to the back but I guess I wasn't far enough. Still, since it cleared out by the second loop, it wasn't too bad. Maybe I wouldn't change a thing about the swim.
Transition 1
  • 15m 34s
Comments:

I had to stop the wetsuit peelers from trying to pull the top over my watch, which took some extra time, then the bottom wouldn't come off my ankles. Other than that, transition was good. The woman next to me in the changing tent commented about how easily my shorts went on.
What would you do differently?:

Pack a towel in my T1 bag rather than my morning clothes bag ... it would have been nice to have been a little drier.
Bike
  • 8h 18m 48s
  • 112 miles
  • 13.47 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew I was going to be slow on the bike, but when I had a good swim I knew I would have some leeway and not have to worry about making the cutoff time. This helped me relax a little and not push it too hard. I was able to take some bathroom breaks, which was nice.
For the first 10 miles, my HRM seemed to be going haywire. One second it would show zone 1.9, the next it would say I was in 5.5, then 6.1, which is really weird because I don't have a zone 6 on the HRM. This made me just go by RPE and ignore the HRM, which was probably good considering the tough headwinds at the beginning. HRM finally settled in.
I don't think I ever made up any time from the initial headwinds - the winds must have died down by the time I started going the opposite direction on the loop because I didn't seem to get much of a tailwind.
At the beginning of the bike, a motorcycle pulled up along side me twice. I was scared it was a race official giving me a penalty, but for what I had no idea. It turns out it was just one driver and a guy on teh back with a videocamera - they had some official Ironman insignia but I have no idea why they were recording me, unless I was the only one going slow enough to be captured on tape without it being all blurry.
I did great with my nutrition - had watch set to beep every 15 minutes and was able to drink all of my Perpeteum mix and take in plenty of gels. And I can't remember right now who suggested it, but major thanks to the BTer who suggested the padded envelope and cold packs for special needs - it was great having cold bottles!
I had dedicated part of the bike leg to a friend who is going through chemo, and thinking of her helped me get through what was definitely the hardest part of the day.
What would you do differently?:

I need to totally rethink my bike. A newer lighter one might help, but I need to start gaining some speed. I might try some weights in the offseason to see if that gives me more power. My time was worse than I expected by about 20 minutes but I still made the bike cutoff with plenty of time to spare thanks to a decent swim.
Transition 2
  • 08m 17s
Comments:

I was so happy to get off the bike! I made a decision to leave the fuel belt (loaded with Perpeteum) and just rely on water, Hammergel, and whatever was on the run course because I was just so sick of drinking that stuff.
What would you do differently?:

Turn my Garmin off on the bike before having it racked (fortunately a volunteer did this for me) - I used my old Garmin on the run for pacing since I didn't think the 305 would last the entire race.
Run
  • 6h 27m 12s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 14m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

I started out jogging because I felt really good. After a while I checked my Garmin and it said I was going at an average 10:30 pace. I knew that was too fast for me to hold so I backed down. The water and gel held me through pretty well. It started getting dark when I reached the park for the first time. I started walking around mile 12 when I saw my husband on the course, and I decided to keep walking from there with a little bit of jogging when I felt like it. It was really tough making that turn at 13, though, seeing people go on straight ahead to finish. I ate some fruit on the second loop (you could call this my fruit loop - groan!) which tasted really great and gave me a nice boost. I hit the wall at mile 18. I didn't want to quit, but I wanted to just sit down for a few seconds/minutes. I tried to do the math in my head to see how much time I had to take a break, and when I couldn't figure it out, I just decided to forge ahead. I recovered from the wall at mile 22 and started walking faster.
What would you do differently?:

Start out slower - save some energy.
Post race
Warm down:

Cross finish line with a huge grin on my face then break out into tears. Ate pizza, drank Coke, retrieved bike, banged my shin on the pedal - the only injury for the day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The bike.

Event comments:

I really had fun before, during and after the race! It was great meeting all of you BTers who were there, and thanks to all of you who stayed up late to watch me finish (both live and on the net). I don't think I'll do another iron distance next year, but I will definitely do another one!




Last updated: 2007-11-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:27:46 | 4156 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 94/127
Overall: 1895/2270
Performance: Good
Suit: 2 piece Desoto
Course: 2 rectangular loops with a diagonal walk on second loop to get to buoy
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 15:34
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Bad Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
08:18:48 | 112 miles | 13.47 mile/hr
Age Group: 123/127
Overall: 2243/2270
Performance: Bad
Wind: Headwind
Course: One loop with only a little bit of out-and-back. Road surface was horrible in some areas. Tough headwinds going out initially, then eased up a little bit until mile 48, then a great tailwind for about 15 miles. Then headwind again, then a little tailwind, then nothing.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 08:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
06:27:12 | 26.2 miles | 14m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 112/127
Overall: 2034/2270
Performance: Average
Course: Two out-and-back loops down main road, then into residential area, then into state park
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-11-03 1:28 PM

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Veteran
123
100
Jacksonville, FL
Subject: Ironman Florida


2008-11-03 1:40 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Elite
2998
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Fishers, Indiana
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Congrats Ironman!! Glad you had a great experience out there, way to execute!
2008-11-03 1:49 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Master
1655
10005001002525
NJ
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Congratulations!!!
2008-11-03 3:26 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Master
2468
20001001001001002525
Muskego, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Great Job Ironman.  It was nice to see you smiling as you started your second run loop, you looked like you were having fun and that's what it's all about, right?  Congrats again and it was great meeting you.
2008-11-03 3:51 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Elite
3002
20001000
HURRICANE, Utah
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Way to go Sonya You are an Ironman! 
2008-11-03 4:12 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Elite
3683
20001000500100252525
Whispering Pines, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida

Congrats, Ironman!



2008-11-03 5:51 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Champion
7704
50002000500100100
Williamston, Michigan
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Awesome awesome job congratulations
2008-11-04 1:38 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Extreme Veteran
407
100100100100
Greenwood, SC
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Congratulations on a great race! Will have to look for you on the video highlights!
2008-11-04 1:40 PM
in reply to: #1783969

Veteran
691
500100252525
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Sonya,
It was great meeting you and you had a phenomenal attitude the whole time. You rock.
Rhonda
2008-11-04 4:56 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Master
1480
1000100100100100252525
Plant City, FL
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
It was great meeting you, and CONGRATULATIONS on a great race! You looked great when I saw you on the run.
2008-11-04 5:04 PM
in reply to: #1783969

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Extreme Veteran
333
10010010025
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Great job, Ironman! Sounds like you had a great day out there! I saw you at the finish line coming in and you looked great!


2008-11-05 11:19 AM
in reply to: #1783969

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Extreme Veteran
527
50025
Jacksonville, FL
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
Sonya - Since we've chatted via Facebook - Congrats again. If you want to get better on the bike I would suggest interval training to power vs leg weights. Of course, buying a new, lighter bike is always lots of fun.

Edited by pkingfl 2008-11-05 11:19 AM
2008-11-05 11:53 AM
in reply to: #1783969

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Master
1728
100050010010025
Pulaski TN
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida
It was great meeting you last week! Way to go Ironman!
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