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Ironman 70.3 Syracuse - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Syracuse, New York
United States
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 04m 59s
Overall Rank = 30/611
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 3/74
Pre-race routine:

Tim and I drove up to the Valley on Friday to spend the night and visit with his dad. Brad and Kristin met us up there and we caravanned to Syracuse Saturday morning after a short brick. Finished off the day with packet pick-up, dropping off bikes, riding part of the course, and having a big Italian meal with Brad, K, Earl, Marna, Craig, Amy, Bennett, Heidi, Nate, and Sloan. Made sure everything was in my TYR bag and hit the sack by 9:45 pm.

Up at 4 am after getting up five times in the middle of the night to pee. Don't know what was up with that. Had the usual bagel with PB and then left the hotel by 5:10 am. Tim suggested we avoid the car traffic by taking another route than the RDs suggested, and it was money. We had parked the car by 5:40 am and were in transition area with about 45 minutes until it closed. Got everything set up as I normally do and then waited around for my 7:48 am wave.
Event warmup:

Nothing.
Swim
  • 35m 25s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

RDs announced that the start of the race would be delayed by 15 minutes because of traffic and people not making it into transition by the cutoff time. That meant I was going off at 8:03. Had my wetsuit on by 7 am and hung out with our crew until the guy's start time @ 7:27. Then Kristin and I hung out with Ally until K's wave went off. Picked Ally's brain about her swim strategy, as she is a kick-ass swimmer.

I should mention that between putting on the wet suit at 7 am and 7:48 am when our wave went off, I peed SIX times. That was an insane amount, and I was a bit nervous that I was somehow over-hydrated (although I hadn't drank that much).

By the time they got to my wave, they were back on track and I still went off at 7:48 am. As soon as I hit the water, I bent down and let some into my wetsuit. I knew it was cold and i wanted to get acclimated. Did it a second time to make sure the water worked its way down to my legs. Our wave went off without a hitch and had open water pretty much from the start, as I started wide and cut over to the buoy line when I had the space to do so. I felt good in the water, and my sighting was on point. Turned the first buoy right on top of it and stayed directly on the buoy line for that straightaway to the next turn buoy. Felt like I was able to pick up some speed on the last leg, although the annoying thing was that there was way too much space in between the turn buoy and the next marker....not to mention that I started to catch up to the orange caps, which I kept confusing for buoys. But all in all, I was able to stay close to what I assumed was the buoy line (and it was) for the rest of the swim. Squeezed out a pee before exiting the water. Took my arms out of the sleeves first, then worked on getting my swim cap and goggles off. I noticed the wet suit strippers, and ran to one of them. Layed on the ground and they zipped my suit off so quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 03m 10s
Comments:

The run from the lake to transition was long but at least it was through the grass so easy on the feet. Got into transition and went through my ritual of getting things ready, grabbed my bike and was off. Unfortunately I forgot to put my race number on, so dropped my bike about 1/4 of the way up the isle, ran back for the race belt, and then bolted. Probably cost me 25-30 seconds total. Got to the mount line, took a breath and was off.
What would you do differently?:

Remember the race belt!
Bike
  • 2h 43m 32s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.55 mile/hr
Comments:

Started on the bike with a nice stretch of downhill to get myself situated. First hill came early, around mile 2, and I was astonished to see TWO people already walking their bike. One man had on an aero helmet and a disc wheel. I really could not believe it.....were they expecting a flat course and not prepared for the hills? I even said out loud to another guy riding near me, "Wow, all that race gear and he's walking." Got out of the saddle on the first hill to get the legs warmed up and passed a ton of people. I was a little concerned that perhaps they were smarter than I by playing it safe early on, but I know myself and I am usually good to push. The first 11 miles were rough; lots of climbing and the average speed was only around 18 mph once I was out of that section. But then the flat and downhill sections came, and I felt money.

Nate had commented that he wanted to get to mile 10 before I passed him, so I made a conscious effort to be on the lookout for him. In the meantime, I started counting the number of girls in my AG that I passed. Saw Kristin around mile 6.5, and she was looking good. By mile 10 i had passed 7 girls in my AG. I then was passed by one in my AG, whom I passed back later. By the end of the bike, by my count, I passed 12 girls in my AG, was passed by 2 in my AG (and I was able to overtake them again), and was passed by one other female from another AG.

I think one of the neatest things about this course was the fog. It was very cool to have low visibility. That really helped me to focus on what I was riding at that moment. I wasn't looking ahead to what hill was coming up next; it was just ride here and now. The rain wasn't bad, either. It was mostly spritzing and because the temps were in the 60s, it wasn't that chilly. I had contemplated putting on arm warmers (ie, tube socks) in T1, but I decided not to. I was perhaps a little chilly starting around mile 20, when a lot of the climbing was out of the way, but it wasn't bad at all.

I saw Craig up ahead of me around mile 30. I recognized his riding style right away, and i was anxious to catch up to him. He looked great, and we exchanged a word or two before I was off. I love seeing everyone out there. The miles just flew by. I passed Ally around mile 48ish. Then at the last turn onto Apulia, I saw Heidi and Amy, with Sloan and Bennett. Gave me that final burst of energy to bring it home to T2.

I felt really good the entire ride, and i did a mix of staying in aero and getting out of the saddle on the hills, just to mix things up and stretch out the legs.

Pee'd on the bike twice. First time on a downhill section, around mile 25ish, but couldn't eek out everything in my bladder so went a second time about 40 miles in. Had ~250 cals of Heed and 3 gels, one every 50 minutes.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 01m 18s
Comments:

T2, unlike T1, went flawless. Had my feet out of the bike shoes by the dismount line and just took off running. Unclipped my helmet, and had it off and in my hand while running. Got to my rack and immediately a big grin came across my face, as there weren't that many bikes back. Saw someone in my AG taking off out of T2; she had her name written across her butt (which K and I had just commented the day before that anyone with their name across their butt is scary intimidating), so I tried to be as quick as possible. Put my socks on (I had coated the insides with Vasoline, which is so heavenly for the toes), made sure the backs of the socks were high enough, put on my sneakers, and grabbed the rest of my gear. Put my hat on while running out, and the race belt shifted to have the number in the front.
What would you do differently?:

Only problem I really had was switching my Garmin from showing speed to lap pace. But I did that while running, so it didn't cost me any time. Just aggrevating.
Run
  • 1h 41m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 45s  min/mile
Comments:

The first portion of the course is a tiny out and back, which was good because I got to see the girl in my AG and how she looked running. She looked strong, which didn't surprise me, and I didn't give it another thought after that (until I caught sight of her around mile 8). I just wanted to concentrate on making sure I didn't let another person in my AG pass me. I went aggressive from the start, as I knew the first 3 miles were net downhill. The day before the race, Tim had told me to not get too bent out of shape/worried if my early miles were faster than my goal pace. So I decided to just take the speed while I had it the first few miles and then back off. But after I got through 3 miles @ tempo pace, I was still feeling EXCELLENT and I didn't want to slow down. I started crunching the numbers at what time I would finish in if I could just hold that pace a little longer. Before I knew it, I was at mile 6 and I was almost halfway through. I just kept with the pace as long as I could, which turned out to be all but miles 11 and 12 (which were slightly uphill anyway).

I felt fantastic, and because i felt so good I was saying "thank you for volunteering" through every aid station. I ran with a smile on my face the entire time, and I was just very happy. It also helped that fans and volunteers kept telling me that I looked great, strong, that my pace was really good, etc. Those comments go a long way!!!

So at mile 8, I see the girl with the name on her butt out in front of me. I knew I had to stay strong. She stopped to walk through the aid station, so I thought, "I can catch her." Kept my pace and barreled on. I am within 100 yard of her and I start to wonder, do I just stay behind her so that I catch her by surprise toward the end of the run? Or do I just run my pace? I couldn't stomach the idea of slowing down to run behind her, so I decided to go for it and pass her. I also told myself that if I was going to pass her, I had to pick up the pace and look STRONG, so that she didn't try to pick up the pace and stay with me. So I picked it up and made the pass. I immediately her her say "fuck" so I knew she recognized that I was in her AG. I tried to keep cool and just motor at that pace. I was too afraid to turn around and see if she was responding to my pass. Plus, I figured if I didn't know, I would continue to push.

Around mile 9 my hips started to fatigue. But with only 4 miles left and someone in my AG right behind me, I didn't want to slow down. I dug deep and tried to keep running tempo pace. Miles 10 through 12 were rough, but I hung on tight and just kept running. That downhill after mile 12 clicked came at just the right time. It was a pick-me-up and I managed to get back on to tempo pace. Saw the mile 13 sign and knew I was home! Approaching the finish line, I see Brad in the crowd to my right, and he's cheering for me so loud, with a big smile on his face. It was a nice surprise to see him there, as he and Tim were expecting me 15 minutes later because of the wave times (they didn't realize that my wave ended up going off on time).

I took two gels, one at mile 5 and one at mile 9.
What would you do differently?:

NOTHING!!!!!
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the line and met up with Brad, who was such a champ for escorting me to the massage tent and making sure I had what I needed. Then we walked over to get my dry bag and saw Tim. I went back to the massage tent and waited entirely too long for the massage. Should have went to get a plate of food or to the finish line to watch K come in. I wish I could have watched everyone else cross the finish line. I was bummed I didn't. By the time my massage was over, the food line was extremely long, but I was getting fuzzy in the head and I needed to eat. Got a plate and Tim and I walked over to the results to find out that I had placed 3rd in my AG. I was elated; I couldn't ask for anything better. Had hoped to do 5:12-5:13, so 5:05 was beyond what I thought I could do.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing

Event comments:

Any time I can race with our gang, I am up for it. Even though this course wasn't designed in a way that allowed us to see each other more than a glimpse once, it is still amazing to know that they are out there with you.

I am extremely happy with my result and proud of myself for taking that leap of faith on my running improvements to stay running tempo for duration. I didn't know if I would eventually blow up, but I knew I had to try. I am so glad I did. I really think that part of these things is just believing in yourself. If you think you can, you will.




Last updated: 2010-09-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:25 | 1931 meters | 01m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 19/74
Overall: 0/611
Performance: Good
Suit: XTERRA full sleeve
Course: Clockwise rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 63F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:10
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:43:32 | 56 miles | 20.55 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/74
Overall: 255/611
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course:
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks:
T2
Time: 01:18
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:41:34 | 13.1 miles | 07m 45s  min/mile
Age Group: 4/74
Overall: 0/611
Performance: Good
7.42 7.30 7.29 7.29 7.48 7.47 7.35 7.45 7.47 7.50 8.07 8.11 7.45 0.42 (0.1 miles)
Course: Point to point.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2010-09-20 4:27 PM

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Veteran
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Subject: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse


2010-09-20 9:49 PM
in reply to: #3108635

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Niskayuna, NY
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse
You did awesome! Congrats again.  It was great seeing you guys and "racing" with you!
2010-09-21 10:14 AM
in reply to: #3109013

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Elite
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Quebec, Canada
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse
Awesome race you had there
2010-09-23 9:12 AM
in reply to: #3108635

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Extreme Veteran
488
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Southeast, PA
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse
congrats on a great race. Stellar bike and run. Your T1 beat me even with your mishap. Looking fwd to seeing what you can do at IMAZ.

btw, it wasn't a RD suggestion for the alternate route...I just knew the majority of the other 2000 competitors would be coming from the north and likely using GPS. If they could (and would have) read a map they'd realize there were alternatives.
2010-09-23 10:09 AM
in reply to: #3108635

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Veteran
236
10010025
Reston
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse
Wow. Just wow. You are simply awesome! Kick race! Your drive and motivation is truly inspiring! Good seeing you out on the course...even if it was for a brief moment. Really looking forward to see you throw down in Arizona!
2010-09-24 9:59 PM
in reply to: #3108635

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Master
1471
10001001001001002525
Dunedin
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse
Nice job!  You kicked my azz in our AG.  =)


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