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Ironman Wisconsin - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Madison, Wisconsin
United States
Ironman North America
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 9h 48m
Overall Rank = 34/2550
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 6/399
Event warmup:

2.4 mile swim.
Swim
  • 1h 09m 48s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

Mass start mayhem lasted for the first half of the first loop. It was less chaotic, but still packed for the remainder of the first loop. Things were decent for the second lap.

The course was marked on four corners with large red buoys and had yellow buoys in between the red ones on the first half of the loop, and orange ones on the left for the second half of the loop.

After we rounded the first red buoy, I followed what I thought was the mass of swimmers headed for what looked to be the second red buoy. Unfortunately, we were swimming into the sun, and the buoy we were sighting was actually orange. I didn't realize the mistake until I was within ~20 yards of the buoy, and then decided to swim back to the red buoy to round it. No way I was going to cut the course. Unfortunately, none of the rest of the swimmers I was following corrected their error and thus effectively cut the course. I've heard of this happening at IMWI before, but didn't realize what people were talking about until it happened to me. They really need to do something to keep folks from cutting the course.

I'd guess that the backtracking I did to correct the sighting error cost about 1.5 to 2 minutes.
Transition 1
  • 05m 45s
Comments:

T1 at IMWI is long, so I made it a goal to get through it quickly. Passed tons of people running up the helix as fast as I could. Ended up with a speedy T1 time.
Bike
  • 4h 59m 50s
  • 112 miles
  • 22.41 mile/hr
Comments:

Solid ride. Always amazing what a good taper can do. I rode the Verona loop four times in training and best single-loop paces were 21.3 and 20.6 mph. Didn't time the others, but they were slower. Today the ride felt almost effortless and I averaged 22.41! Just rode by RPE and used HR for sanity checks. HR average was 143; capped the hills at HR 155, with most at 150 or lower.

The top amateur bike split was 4:55:51 (he went on to run >4:00 for the marathon). Apart from him, I was within ~2 minutes of the other top riders; there were some studs out there, and I was shocked when I saw that.

I could have shaved some time off my split but decided to settle for a sub-5 ride and save some chips up for the run. Based on previous years' results, I knew that sub-5 on this course was solid. (I thought I was closer to 4:58.5 rather than 4:59.8, so I had less margin to get the sub-5 time than I thought.)

Had lots of fun yelling/jawing with the spectators out on the climbs. They really helped make the ride fun. Every course should have that kind of fan support!

Another highlight was passing Iron Joe Bonness on the ride, one of my athletic heros. I almost fell off my bike when I went by and realized who it was. Would have said hi, but it looked like he wasn't interested in talking -- probably because he gets tired of everyone talking to him all day.
What would you do differently?:

Hard to imagine improving on this. As always, any race split with no crashes + no mechanicals is a blessing. I did manage to cut my finger on a razor blade in my bento box early on in the second loop while reaching for a saltstick capsule.
Transition 2
  • 01m 57s
Comments:

Good transition.

Best part about coming through T2 was hearing Mike Reilly say "Rob Adams is running with the big boys"! What a thrill! I couldn't back it up as much as I would have liked, but that still made my (and Dad and Mary's) day.
Run
  • 3h 30m 42s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt awesome coming out of T2. I had ridden relatively easy and it paid off during the first half of the run. I felt like I could run faster, but enforced a hard 150 bpm cap on my HR, which gave me ~7:30 mpm for the first 13 miles. This worked well, and I felt much more in control for the run than I did last year at IMKY.

Right ankle/lower leg hurt, but not enough to directly slow me down. Unfortunately, the five weeks I took off running to let it heal did eventually bite me. The wheels started coming off around mile 13. My calves started to scream and I had to shorten my stride to lessen the pain. This gradually worsened until mile ~19 when calves started to cramp and I had to start taking walk breaks. The rest of the way was a walk/"run" to the finish.

Average HR for the run was ~145. The "system" (as H-man would say) had more to give, but the calves were too sore to go any faster.
Post race
Warm down:

Overall, the course+fans+family+VOLUNTEERS provided a spectacular day. The volunteers are such an important part of these races. One of the volunteers that stood out to me was a lady ~my age in a wheel chair. Saw her at least three times over the course of the weekend and really appreciated her being there helping out. WTC wouldn't be anywhere without these folks.

My Dad and Mary and Ike were there to see me at various points during the day, which was always a great lift. The amazing Bob B was volunteering at the finish when I rambled through. Talking with him + family + the Wilson's was a GREAT way to finish a great day. Feel fortunate when I finish any tri, and this day was all that^2.






Last updated: 2010-06-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:09:48 | 4224 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 84/399
Overall: 482/2550
Performance: Average
Suit: Wetsuit
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 05:45
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
04:59:50 | 112 miles | 22.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/399
Overall: 20/2550
Performance:
Wind: Some
Course:
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:57
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:30:42 | 26.2 miles | 08m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 10/399
Overall: 69/2550
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2010-09-14 8:18 PM

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Master
1411
1000100100100100
Lexington, KY
Subject: Ironman Wisconsin


2010-09-14 8:33 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Champion
19812
50005000500020002000500100100100
MA
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Congrats on a great IM!

Love what you heard from Mike Reilly say "Rob Adams from Lexington KY is running with the big boys" and you were.

Impressive bike split and great way to get through the run despite your injury and missing key run training.

2010-09-14 8:50 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Champion
7163
500020001002525
Verona WI--Ironman Bike Country!
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Holy Cow, you're one fast dude.  That bike split is terrific and so is the run pace given you had walk breaks.  Congrats.
2010-09-14 8:56 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Master
2301
2000100100100
Rogersville, Alabama
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Great job Big Boy!
2010-09-15 2:26 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Champion
10742
5000500050010010025
Ames, IA
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Impressive stuff out there!  Seeing what you threw down on the marathon has me questioning my own decision to walk the aid stations (I also missed 5-6 weeks of run training leading up to the race).  Nice work!
2010-09-15 3:06 PM
in reply to: #3100578

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Master
1411
1000100100100100
Lexington, KY
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
disturbed275 - 2010-09-15 3:26 PM Impressive stuff out there!  Seeing what you threw down on the marathon has me questioning my own decision to walk the aid stations (I also missed 5-6 weeks of run training leading up to the race).  Nice work!


Thanks for the kind words.  Walking the aid stations isn't a bad idea.  I did that last year at IMKY and actually had a slightly better split than this year (3:27 vs 3:30).  


2010-09-15 4:44 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Master
1376
1000100100100252525
Chicago
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Nice work out there on a tough course.  Congrats on your race. 
2010-09-15 5:10 PM
in reply to: #3098906

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Champion
5495
5000100100100100252525
Whizzzzzlandia
Silver member
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Did you qualify?

Did you stay to find out? It looks like the guy that was 7th in your AG qualified for Kona. As did the guy that was 10th.

Are you headed to the Island???

Impressive. Very impressive. That's one tough course. Nice job.
2010-09-15 6:22 PM
in reply to: #3098906

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2010-09-15 8:07 PM
in reply to: #3098906

Master
1832
100050010010010025
Elgin, IL
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
That was an awesome race!  And it looks like you qualified for Kona even walking the marathon a little . . . nice work!

Congratulations
2010-09-15 8:18 PM
in reply to: #3098906

Master
1411
1000100100100100
Lexington, KY
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
There were 9 spots in M40-44, but I didn't take one.  If I qualify, I'll go when my kids are older.


2010-09-16 8:15 PM
in reply to: #3098906

Extreme Veteran
617
500100
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Wow, those times are something else. You are obviously very talented. If you don't mind my asking,what is your athletic background?
2010-09-17 11:46 AM
in reply to: #3103373

Master
1411
1000100100100100
Lexington, KY
Subject: RE: Ironman Wisconsin
Hey, thanks for the kind words!  I picked up running from age 17-20 and added cycling ages 19-20.  Dropped it all and was a couch/desk potato from 21-37.  Really enjoy being active again.
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