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Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Galveston, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 45m 53s
Overall Rank = 898/2700
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 81/UNK
Pre-race routine:

Got to the race site on Friday so I could check in without waiting in line and have plenty of time to setup my gear. I got to checkin at 6:30 and I was the only one checking in at the time. It took a total of about 5 min, everything was very organized. Looked at the swim start and transition area and then went to the hotel. Saturday I rode for about 20min on the bike, then checked it into transition, setup my gear at the hotel, mixed my nutrition and placed it in the fridge and then had dinner at Olive Garden. I had salad and pasta. Despite it being 14 miles north of Galveston there were still a lot of triathletes there and we had about a 25 min wait.
Event warmup:

Got to the race site at 5:00am and walked about 1 mile to transition. There were plenty of air pumps to service tires. I put some air in mine and then setup my transition on the ground in front of my bike. By 6:00am there were lots of people running around rushing to get things setup as transition closes at 6:45am. I was done so I went watch Lance Armstrong setup his transition while I sipped a protein shake. At 6:30 I made my way to the swim start. The Moody Gardens bathrooms were open so it was nice to use that instead of a porto potty. I relaxed until about 8:00am and then started to put on my wetsuit. My swim wave started at 8:30am (second to last swim wave) Took a gel, defogged the goggles, put on the swim cap and jogged to the swim start, which was off a pier. We jumped into the water and my goggles came off. With 2 min to the start of our wave I quickly put them back on and then swam to the line where we treaded water until the horn went off.
Swim
  • 36m 9s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 42s / 100 yards
Comments:

I planted myself toward the front of the swim start and there was moderate contact for the first 600 meters. After the first turn I was able to find some room and get a stride going. Overall the swim was great and navigation was easy as the sun was not in our eyes at all. I swam all the way to the ramp, passing several people that were trying to run/walk to the ramp and then ran to the wetsuit strippers. They were quick and I was in T1.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 02m 54s
Comments:

I already had my shoes clipped in and so I just put on my sunglasses, helmet, and race number and then took off running with the bike to the bike out. I ran past all the people trying to get on there bike because there was about 20 of them and I didn't want them to run into me. I jumped on and pedaled on top of my shoes for a bit and then slipped into them and secured the strap.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe try to run a bit faster with my bike
Bike
  • 3h 02m 4s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.45 mile/hr
Comments:

The wind was very strong but I was feeling pretty good. Got to the turn around expecting a nice tail wind but it was still pretty much just a strong cross wind. The roads were very nice for the most part and I enjoyed the bike ride even though I was worried that I was pushing a bit too hard
What would you do differently?:

Train harder on the bike
Transition 2
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

Passed about 10 people by doing a flying dismount. Got to my spot, racked my bike, helmet off, sprayed some suntan lotion, socks on, running shoes on, grabbed my hand held water bottle and took off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I was very happy with this transition.
Run
  • 2h 02m 32s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

My first 2.9 miles was at a 7:50 pace. I was feeling good but it was hot and I thought I might be pushing too hard. At 4.6 miles I had a 7:54 pace and my legs were starting to get really tired. The aid stations were far apart so I was glad to have my hand held water bottle. I still would drink water and perform at each aid station and grab cold sponges when I could. At mile 7.2 my pace slowed down to 9:52 per mile. I was in a good amount of pain and my quads kept wanting to lock up. I just kept running though it because I was worried if stopped to stretch them they would totally seize up. I started drinking the Coke at the aid stations and I thought if helped quite a bit. At mile 8.8 I was holding a 9:44 pace. I was going in and out of pain. I would feel good for a few min and then feel crappy for a few min. 11.6 miles into it my pace was falling off quick. It had dropped to a 10:11 pace and I wanted to walk so bad. I forced myself to keep running by saying to myself, "just make it to the next aid station". I had hoped to be able to push hard to the finish but there was nothing left. I was on my last mile at a 10:56 pace and was fighting with my quads. They wanted me to stop and I was telling them to just go a bit more, PLEASE! They screamed at me the whole way to that finish line and I was saying aloud back at them "shut up!" A few people looked at me a bit funny but I didn't care. I was 100% focused on running and not slowing down any more. That finish line never looked so good! It was like crossing into heaven!
What would you do differently?:

Train harder for the bike leg so my legs can survive the run a bit better.
Post race
Warm down:

My wife had my recovery drink at the finish line for me but I found it really hard to get down. I sipped it and started to feel better after about an hour. I was so out of it at the finish line that I didn't even see my time. An hour later I still didn't know what my final time was. I just felt so good about giving everything I had and my time didn't seem to matter as much. I found out later I had a 5:45 and was happy with that. But even if it was more I would have been satisfied knowing I could not have done any better.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Leg strength on the bike.

Event comments:

Overall this was a great race and I would like to do it again. Well organized, good location, great course. The only negatives are the aid stations could have been closer on the run. But I don't think they expected it to be that hot. So it would have been great if it was 70 instead of 80.




Last updated: 2012-04-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:36:09 | 2112 yards | 01m 42s / 100yards
Age Group: 70/UNK
Overall: 671/2700
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca P-Flex
Course: U shaped course, with 2 left hand turns
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 71F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:54
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
03:02:04 | 56 miles | 18.45 mile/hr
Age Group: 100/UNK
Overall: 1054/2700
Performance: Average
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: 56 miles out and back along the coast
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:14
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
02:02:32 | 13.1 miles | 09m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 81/UNK
Overall: 898/2700
Performance: Average
Avg heat rate was 156. Max HR was 166.
Course: 3 loops around Moody Gardens. Beautiful course with lots of spectators.
Keeping cool Below average 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 Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-04-03 1:34 PM

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Subject: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas


2012-04-04 10:34 PM
in reply to: #4127632

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Member
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2525
Cecilia
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas
Congrats, you got the right idea, ride, ride, ride. In my opinion its OK to miss a swim or run once and a while, but never on the bike. Keep the focus and you'll be ready for IMFL. Good Luck
2012-04-07 2:13 PM
in reply to: #4127632

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Member
103
100
DFW, Tejas
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas
Well done, I thought there might have been too many aid stations on the run as they were a pain in the to navigate thru.
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