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Soma Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
The Red Rock Company
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 12m 36s
Overall Rank = 106/525
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 27/128
Pre-race routine:

Woke up about 4:30 am and ate a bagel with Nutella and a banana. At about 5:00 I left the hotel and headed over to the race. Once there, I set up my transition area and chatted with my family. I spent the last few minutes before my wave entered the water getting my wet suit on and eating a GU.
Event warmup:

Not much - swam to the starting line and treaded water for a few minutes while waiting for my wave to start.
Swim
  • 30m 19s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 26s / 100 yards
Comments:

I placed myself up front at the start and then put in a good 30 seconds of fast effort at the gun. This put me in clear water and then I settled in for the distance. I started catching the wave ahead of me at the second sighting buoy and was thick into them just before the first turn. I made a small sighting error when I saw the second turn buoy very close off of my left side and thought it was way too close to be the second turn buoy - so, I headed for it - potentially cutting the first corner. Luckily, I caught sight of the real turn buoy off to my right while taking a breath and redirected. On the way back I started catching up to the swimmers two waves ahead - so, a little more traffic there - nothing major though.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Very smooth transition. Everything went to plan with the exception of hitting the wrong button on my Garmin as I crossed the timing mat. So, I lost a little race time (on my Garmin)
What would you do differently?:

Someday I may race without socks....
Bike
  • 2h 36m 26s
  • 56 miles
  • 21.48 mile/hr
Comments:

My plan was to run 200-210 watts average, eat 6 GUs, drink three bottles of water, and drink two bottles of electrolyte mix. I ended up averaging 209 watts and eating 6 GUs. However, I only drank two bottles of water and one bottle of electrolyte mix.
What would you do differently?:

If I overcooked the bike (see run report) - then throttle back.
Otherwise, nothing different.
Transition 2
  • 01m 6s
Comments:

Very smooth transition. Exactly as planned.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 2h 03m 13s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Here is where it all wet wrong...

My first mile was 7:46. I knew that was too fast and I kept telling myself to slow down to 9:00 (target pace with option to speed up after 1 loop if I was feeling OK)... but, the message just wasn't getting to my legs. Second mile, 8:01 - same thing. Third mile, 8:14 - same thing. Fourth mile, 8:22 - same thing. Fifth mile... BOOM! For miles 5, 6, and 7 - I was just trying to come up with a run/walk strategy that would get me in under 2 hrs for the run. In mile 8, the leg cramps started. From there, it was run until I could feel a cramp coming on (or couldn't mentally make myself run any longer), then walk. I took in water and/or Gatoraid and/or cola and/or orange slices at every aid station and filled my hat with ice to combat the heat. There were a couple of "feeling good again" moments - but, they didn't last long. I just couldn't get myself back on track.
What would you do differently?:

I'd really like to understand what happened here and correct it... Too hard on the bike? Lack of pace control in the first few miles? Not enough hydration (I did pee on the run)? Not enough nutrition? Heat? Lack of training?
Post race
Warm down:

I drank a bunch of water and a Muscle Milk, walked around and talked to my family that was there to see me, and then waited to cheer my friend across the finish line.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of HIM experience? Lack of training? Lack of knowledge? I did the best I could with the tools I had that day. Ironically, I was shooting for a sub 5:30 with the thought that a sub 5:12 might be possible if everything went right. I'm not sure what to think of a 5:12 effort with such a frustrating run... I'm both happy and confused.

Either way, my first (not my last) HIM is now on the books.

Event comments:

Another great Red Rock event!




Last updated: 2011-10-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:30:19 | 2112 yards | 01m 26s / 100yards
Age Group: 5/128
Overall: 26/525
Performance: Good
Suit: 2XU T:0
Course: Long rectangle in Tempe Town Lake
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:36:26 | 56 miles | 21.48 mile/hr
Age Group: 28/128
Overall: 102/525
Performance: Good
Avg HR: 139 bpm Avg Power: 209 W
Wind: Little
Course: Three loop course around the city of Tempe. Frequent turns and turnarounds. Mostly flat with a short section of small uphills and downhills.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:06
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
02:03:13 | 13.1 miles | 09m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 43/128
Overall: 185/525
Performance: Bad
Avg HR: 145 bpm
Course: Flat 2 loop course around Tempe Town Lake.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
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] 4

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2011-10-26 2:03 PM

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Expert
1111
1000100
Albuquerque, NM
Subject: Soma Triathlon


2011-10-26 5:29 PM
in reply to: #3739147

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Master
2538
200050025
Albuquerque
Subject: RE: Soma Triathlon
Great race, Jay! I know you aren't happy with the run, but I'm proud of you. 
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