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Silverman - Half Iron - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Henderson, Nevada
United States
74F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 01m 59s
Overall Rank = 345/545
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 4/14
Pre-race routine:

Arrived Thursday, enjoyed a weekend in Henderson visiting with family. This was my 3rd Silverman, so I felt pretty familiar with the routine. I was kind of on autopilot as I checked in, packed and placed my stuff. It made me a bit uneasy, like I thought I was being too complacent and I was going to forget something really basic, like my running shoes. Fortunately, it was all there.
Event warmup:

My spectators and I enjoyed a good night's sleep (with an extra hour), stopped for coffee, and headed to Lake Las Vegas. I had been disappointed about the venue change, but it was much closer than the previous location and things were fairly well organized. I walked around a lot getting my stuff ready, so that was my warmup. Once I ventured down on the dock (about 10 minutes before the swim start) I was immediately shooed into the water by a volunteer. The dock was a couple hundred feet from the start line, so I got a bit of a warmup swim in too.
Swim
  • 42m 52s
  • 2100 yards
  • 02m 02s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was definitely the most physical swim I've experienced. I think it was due to the fact that the lake is narrow, and the number of racers was relatively large. I started closer to the back to avoid getting swam over by faster people, but found it difficult to set my own pace because of the large number of people in front of me at any given time. I got hit in the head pretty hard (twice) and kicked by a guy doing breast stroke. Rounding the first buoy at the turnaround was a violent experience. However, things opened up a bit during the second half of the swim. I still had some contact with swimmers, but I was finally able to swim at my pace.
What would you do differently?:

Start closer to the front (but not too close).
Transition 1
  • 04m 38s
Comments:

I was hauled out of the water by excellent volunteers and then had my wetsuit stripped off. In the tent, I didn't have much to do besides put on my helmet and glasses. For some reason I was a bit disoriented and I hung out for a few seconds before it occurred to me that a volunteer was going to bag up my stuff and I was wasting time standing there. Then I went out to my bike, put on my shoes, and ran my bike up the big winding hill out of T1.
What would you do differently?:

Remember how things work in transition.
Bike
  • 3h 47m 35s
  • 56 miles
  • 14.76 mile/hr
Comments:

My goal for the bike was to maintain a reasonable pace so I wouldn't blow up on the run. I also made sure to have a gel every 45 minutes and drink 2 bottles of Gatorade and some water. I felt good going up the 3 sisters, and mostly succeeded in not letting the headwind frustrate me on the bike path. I started to get a bit impatient and picked up the pace once I got back into Henderson.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 02m 21s
Comments:

I didn't waste much time here. Bike shoes off, socks and shoes on, hat and race belt on the way out. Exactly the same as for a sprint tri (except for the socks).
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 24m 33s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

My primary goal in this race was to actually run the 13.1 without blowing up. I felt fine coming off the bike and settled into a good pace, and I was mostly successful in maintaining it through the whole distance. I think my familiarity with the course helped a lot, because I knew when to expect hills, and knew when they would end. Of course I was feeling the pain, but I knew it was manageable and I continued to push myself.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This run was a success, especially considering that the longest training runs I did were 8 miles.
Post race
Warm down:

Found my family, shoveled down some food, and hung out for a bit before going to collect my stuff. Waddled around Trader Joe's with my sister, then went home and ate more pizza, and managed to suck down just 3/4 of a beer before my post-race adrenaline wore off and I had to go to sleep.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing! My performance was exactly what I thought it should have been, given my training.

Event comments:

This was my fourth race of this distance, and my third time at Silverman. While I still have tons to learn about this sport, I finally feel like I know what I'm doing. It feels good to know that after 3 years of being a triathlete, I'm continuing to improve and achieve my goals. Looking forward to next year!




Last updated: 2010-05-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:42:52 | 2100 yards | 02m 02s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/14
Overall: 315/545
Performance: Average
Suit: XTerra Vortex 3 Full
Course: Out and back course in Lake Las Vegas
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 04:38
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:47:35 | 56 miles | 14.76 mile/hr
Age Group: 6/14
Overall: 358/545
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Lots of hills, great pavement, beautiful desert scenery, and a desolate bike path followed by a traffic-free stretch through the streets of Henderson.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:21
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:24:33 | 13.1 miles | 11m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/14
Overall: 292/545
Performance: Good
Course: Plenty of gradual hills through the streets of Henderson. Great traffic control by police and volunteers.
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2010-11-08 11:58 PM

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Expert
1379
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Woodland, California
Subject: Silverman - Half Iron


2010-11-09 7:21 AM
in reply to: #3202057

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Subject: RE: Silverman - Half Iron

Congrats on finsihsing that brutal race again.

From looking at your comments on the swim start it appears there was no good place to position one's self at the start.

Well done on executing your plan!!

2010-11-09 12:18 PM
in reply to: #3202057

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Master
1696
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Surprise, Arizona
Subject: RE: Silverman - Half Iron

Super race - it was tough out there.  It sounds like you had a solid plan and were able to execute it to a T.  The swim was definitely crowded, but you managed to find some space and make good time.  Great job!!

2010-11-09 12:33 PM
in reply to: #3202978

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Sensei
Sin City
Subject: RE: Silverman - Half Iron
One more under our belts!  How many is that?  I got 4 down!  You have a least that many, right?
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