Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake : Official Thread (Page 3)

2004 was my last year and my PR at this race is 6:21!!  I am so not ready for this race but I know ALOT more than I did back in 04 so I should be able to kill my PR here.  My only real goal is to treat this like a fully supported training day and finish under the cutoff so I can punch my lotto ticket to Hawaii!!!!

BTW, the cutoff is actually 8.5 hours, not the 8 I was thinking.  I wanted to see if there was a separate bike cutoff (because that will be my worst event of the day) so I was digging around the website and found two different total cutoffs.  I e-mailed the RD's and they verified that the race cutoff is indeed 8.5 hours.  That may be my saving grace to punch MY lotto ticket.  An extra half hour will really help the walking on the run portion!  My hip is still feeling better but there is no way I could run 13 miles right now.   Being injured for two years REALLY hurts the run training.

You don't realize how slow I've been biking. :D

I just hope the chip seal in Lubbock is smoother than what I've been riding on.  My power is lower than it used to be, but the roads are a LOT rougher here than what I rode on in Florida.  As long as the winds don't go crazy and the roads are smooth I might have a chance.  But lately I've been riding about 12mph.  Do you realize how long a HIM bike ride takes at 12 mph????  Last fall I was at least in the 14-16 mph range...if I could do THAT mph on Sunday I know I can finish under the cutoff.  I'm giving myself 45' for swim and both transitions.  13 mph on the bike would be 4:20.  That would leave me just under 3.5 hours for the 13 miles.  I hope to average 15' per mile (walk/run...I am a hopelessly awful walker).  Those numbers would give me less than 10' to spare (I think).

So, it's rather daunting.  It all depends on the bike...every mph I can gain on the bike gives me more time to run.  I can't believe I'm even looking at an over 4 hour bike ride.  My first year here in 04 I took 3:45 to do the bike...and I've been embarrassed by that number ever since.  But the reality is that unless something REALLY weird happens sunday there is no way I'm coming in under 4 hours.   Dang near everyone else will be done.

Well, I think I am going to be there too

I raced last year, struggled in the heat, but it was my first HIM.  I am hoping to beat my time from last year by feeling really unprepared.  It's a long weekend because I have a 9 hour drive one way>>>> Sunday really sucks!

I wish everyone good luck this weekend!

jdicarlo, I'm anticipating a tough day, too.  I was getting great training in, then was away for work in much cooler weather for 4 weeks. Thought I was going to melt on my long ride last weekend...hot and slow. ugh. 

My first year at BSLT (2001), I went 8:03...roughly a 4 hour bike and 3 hour run.  The next two times, I was 6:58 and 7:01 ish.  I'm guessing it might be around 7:30 this year.  At NOLA 70.3 this year, the 13.1 took me a little more than 3 hours...I was melting down.  We can encourage each other, and hopefully, get the best day we can get for where we are right now.

Eddy...I'll be looking for you, too!

I may drive the course Saturday...I've lived in TX long enough that I can practically tell from the car whether a road has really bad chipseal or not.  Though, it's also not that hard to stop and get out and look at it. :D

No support group here...SOLO! :D  And I have to drive myself home 2 hours Sunday afternoon....boo!

That doesn't sound too bad to me...I'll be driving back to Houston Sunday night. Kind of makes for a long day!

I drove myself home after an Ironman once. That hurt.  It was only an hour but I had been up WAY too long to do that! :D

The first year I did this race I drove home about 5 hours...and I was having some gastric distress...it was a looooooooooong day!

...

Ahh, c'mon Jen.  You'll be hom, showered, and sleeping and I'll still be doin the 10 hours bac to Denver

Winds 13-15mph....at least that's been the variation....that's more critical than the temp.

I like wind.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.

We've finally been getting some hot weather in Colorado, so I hope I'm ready for the heat of Texas.

I said that when I first moved back to Texas...I embraced the wind in a "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" sort of mentality.  Now I would kill for just ONE day where the wind isn't ridiculous.  Just ONCE IN AWHILE I would like to ride in normal strength wind.

There's windy....and then there's Texas....everything really is bigger in Texas.

*sigh*  I better just HTFU...I'm gonna be here for several more years....

Just as I typed that my chimney had a good rattle from the wind...classic.

Is anybody considering wearing a swimskin versus a wetsuit (assuming wetsuit legal temp)?  I have a TYR Torque and am thinking about wearing it instead of my full wetsuit.  Last year I wore the wetsuit.  It was fine in the race but I got pretty warm prior to the start.  I'm trying to figure out if the comfort of the Torque and ease getting it on/off (relative to wetsuit) outweighs the added bouyancy benefit of the wetsuit.  I'm a pretty efficient swimmer in terms of energy use/conservation but relatively slow (e.g., my Buffman and Squeaky 1500m swim was 30 minutes in a wetsuit, 62 degree water; and recent 4000m OWS race in TTL in wetsuit in 1.5 hours ).  I've worn the Torque in Oly race before and really liked it.  Thanks.

Also, weather here (Lubbock) today and yesterday was great.  Hope the morning to mid-day is like this on Sunday.

If I had a swim skin I'd probably be inclined to wear it.  But I despise wetsuits.  I am only wearing my wetsuit so that I don't have to worry about the outfit I'm wearing all day.

If I manage to make it to kona and lose enough weight to make it worthwhile I'd really like to get a swim skin.

Just got to town.  Hampton cancelled the reservation I'd had for two months.  I was NOT a happy camper.  I raised a ruckus and they found me a room for the night at a Best Western...but I'm moving back to the Hampton tomorrow....it's closer to everything I wish to be near.

Eddy, you looked great at mile 10 of the run!

I had a nice swim, enjoyed the bike, and then melted down (almost literally) on the run, getting my money's worth out of the race by being (I think) the last official finisher and 2 bags of IV fluids. I'm just not heat acclimated, and was having some nutrition problems. I did not bike too hard, as my legs felt ok after the bike, though I was behind on nutrition and probably fluids due to GI upset.  My gut was sort of gassy/crampy which was exacerbated by running, and by walking so much, I was in the heat of the day that much longer, esp up on the Energy Lab II road.  So it spiraled downward from there.

I'm not too upset, really.  I didn't quit, I was happy with my swim and my rotator cuff holding up decently (though a full IM this year will hurt more), I love the bike course, I love seeing friends out on the course and meeting new ones!  I was happy to finally find Jdicarlo, who clearly did not ride 12 mph on the bike (sandbagger! ) and was happy to see her heading towards validating her Kona spot.  My first post-race IV...and probably a new world record for the half marathon (in slowness...seriously, wtf with the time bleed that happened?).  But it's all in the training bank, another long day, but good times overall!

No, I didn't ride 12 mph.  I somehow managed to bike 3 mph faster than I have in training.  NO idea what happened there.  Maybe the roads where I live just are that rough!

I think shortly after I saw you bets I was reduced to walking.  I walked the last 3.5 miles due to calf cramps.  It's a good thing I biked faster because I wouldn't have finished in time!

I shall return someday...I have a strange addiction to this race.  It was my first tri ever in 2004 and ever since I've dreamed of going sub 6 on it...my PR for the course is a 6:22.  Yesterday I was an hour slower than the first time I did it in 2004.  8 years...and I got slower...so sad.

Congrats to all!  I had a fun day, but was a bit disappointed in my overall.  My hamstring got a bit wonky at about mile 30 on the bike.  Got to mile 40 on the bike and thought I was in good shape, but then there was that slight incline with a headwind.  Cest La Vie.  I will be back for another round for sure.

61 days till Canada.  Best of luck to everyone for the rest of your season!!!