Ironman St. George - Utah
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Ironman St. George - Utah - TriathlonFull Ironman
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Swim
Comments: Let start by saying the water was cold. We are talking it hurts cold. As soon as my feet were in they went numb. I had trouble catching my breath and my face hurt and then it was time to start. I swam out to the start line and got front and center for a clean break. When the gun went off I was able to avoid traffic and find some open space. I did however drift out to the right of the buoy line but it was too far right to be an issue. After the initial start the swim was rather uneventful. I focused hard on my stroke and did my best to stay clear of others. I tried to stay relaxed to not cramp but I felt like my quads could seize at any point. I did my best not to kick and I think its what ultimately kept my legs from cramping. After the last turn for the dock i start to swim a bit harder and pass some folks. I was so relieved to hit the ground and get out. The run up the boat dock was nice as it was lined with tons of fans yelling. I skipped the wetsuit strippers and took my bag to the tent. What would you do differently?: push harder early on but due to cold water was trying not to cramp Transition 1
Comments: water was so cold i had a hard time getting bike clothes on due to shivering. muscles were cramping so did my best to take time getting everything on. due to cold air and climbing into mtns put on extra gear to stay warm. What would you do differently?: not much, cant control the water temp. Bike
Comments: Here is where my hopes of Kona went down the shitter. I wanted to take the first 30miles easy so I could focus on the last 80 to push the bike. However, the first 30 was the ez section and people just blew by me. Once we got out of town the bike got really tough and there was no picking up the pace. Within the first 30min my neck was so stiff. It had to be from the water and I couldnt seem to shake it. My boil on my leg was really tender but I did my best to sit on the seat so it was a huge issue. With the stiff neck I didnt seem to notice the leg issue much. Once we turned out of town at mile 30 the road conditions went to shit. The chip seal was rough and the headwind into the hills was brutal. I did my best to stay aero and not burn the legs up. I swear there were times I wasnt even going 10mph on a slight incline. Once we made a turn towards gunlock to the big climbs the chipseal went from shit to massive shit. I did well on the big climbs and always passed people but the rollers were killing me. Once we hit the switchback the first time I was finally relieved to have a tailwind. i did a good job to keep the HR down as I went up the 1.25mile climb. That was a wicked climb! On the way back to town it was time to fly with the tailwind. I was easily going 40+ mph and closing in on 50. It was scary fast!!!! Before I got back to town I picked up my special needs and dropped my vest and gloves to reduce some warmth and drag. while there I decided to hit the port a potty since I didnt want wet shorts in the cold. When I started the 2nd loop of the bike my lower back was really starting to ache. I would try to get in the drops but the pain was too much and i would pop back up within 30secs b/c trying to pedal hard only pulled on the lower back worse. By this point in the race you were all alone. The course is so rough that everyone is spread out riding their own pace for the most part (there were still some drafters out there). The climbs the 2nd time around went well and I flew back up the switchback again. On the way back to town on the 2nd loop the wind was starting to swirl and I got hit with a few stiff crosswinds so I was holding the bars for dear life. The one highlight of the bike course is the unbelieveable landscape. The mtns and valleys and everything else earthy was awesome!!!! What would you do differently?: More bike training and hope the lower back doesnt lock up. Transition 2
Comments: T2 went much better but still slow due to changing from cycling shorts to tri shorts. Run
Comments: I was so happy to be off my bike and out on the run. The crowds on the run were huge. The streets were lined with people everywhere which made the run fly by. However once you got up in the hills out of town it soon got lonely. I started the run at a nice steady pace. The first 4-5miles are mainly uphill so i tried to keep the HR in the 140s. I was steady passing people and then near mile 3 you turn into a small out and back circle that takes you up 2 short steep hills. This was my first ouch. Since its an out and back you have to go thru this circle at mile 3/11/16/24. Once out of the circle you head back uphill out of town and make a right up a quarter mile climb hitting 11% gradient. To me this was the worst hill. There were longer hills out there but this f'er was steep and it hurt. After I got over the first beast it was more of the same going down huge hills and back up. I really pounded down the hills on the first lap to make up time. The carnage had already begun for most as it was a walkfest on Red Sands Pkwy which is the road in the hills above the town. As usual though the scenery was freakin awesome!!!! I hit the pottie around mile 5 to drop some weight was good from then on out for bathroom starts. Right before the turnaround you do another small loop in Pioneer Park which again has several little inclines that sting the legs. You would have to run thru here around miles 6/7/19/20. On the way back to town i ran with another guy and i pretty decent pace and pounded down the hills. as we neared the halfway mark i started to loose a little steam and the other guy ran ahead. I came thru the turnaround for the 2nd loop in town and the crowds were going crazy for everyone. Then I headed back up hill out of town and the pain in the legs started to really set in and all I wanted to do is walk. I hit mile 15 where you run into the little out and back up hill and i walked that bitch on the inclines. After i came out of the circle it was soon up the 11% grade road and i walked half of that bitch. I then managed to run until the out and back in pioneer park and i walked that bitch too. By then I was at the turnaround for the last 6 miles and the rest of the run was about self pity and coming to grips with my subpar training. Oh yeah, and there was lots of run/walk efforts going on. This was the toughest run course I have ever done but the true killer on the run was my head. It got to me on the 2nd half of the run and I mentally cracked. I never walk on the run until now and it sucked. What would you do differently?: HTFU and run Post race
Warm down: ate some food What limited your ability to perform faster: more strength work on the bike and more longer runs the day after long bikes Last updated: 2009-05-10 12:00 AM
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2010-05-05 10:19 PM |
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2010-05-06 7:53 AM in reply to: #2840284 |
2010-05-06 7:58 AM in reply to: #2840284 |
2010-05-06 10:55 AM in reply to: #2840284 |
2010-05-06 12:39 PM in reply to: #2840284 |
2010-05-07 10:35 PM in reply to: #2840284 |
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2010-05-08 11:34 AM in reply to: #2840284 |
General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
WTC
65F / 18C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 156/1900
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 32/350
up at 3am for breakfast, quick shower, and some light stretching. dropped off special needs bags at 4:30 and took a shuttle out to sand hollow for the swim start. setup bike and then sat in tent to stay warm. took in some more calories via sports drink and smoothie powerbar.
no warmup