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Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Wilmington, North Carolina
United States
Set Up Events
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 16m 27s
Overall Rank = 25/136
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 2/10
Pre-race routine:

Webb and I and drove down to Wilmington right after work on Thursday, and arrived at the hotel at about 1:30 am. We met my parents Friday morning for breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, Webb and I went to packet pick-up, dropped off my bike, and stopped at the local bike shop. We went to the athlete dinner Friday night (which was fantastic!) On Saturday morning, I got up at 4:30, had some microwavable eggs and pancakes, a Gatorade, an Endurolyte tablet, and drove to T1. We decided to park in a lot on the far side of the bridge so Webb wouldn’t have to fight traffic after the race started. We rode our bikes from the lot to T1. I pumped up my tires in T1, then took the shuttle to the swim start.
Event warmup:

I got to the swim start around 6am, so I had an hour and a half to wait around and watch the sun rise before the start. I had two more Endurolytes because I have a habit of cramping during the swim, ate a banana, finished my Gatorade, and put on my wetsuit.
Swim
  • 1h 04m 23s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 31s / 100 yards
Comments:

My goggle straps were too loose, so when I started swimming, water started leaking in. I tried not to panic as I treaded water and tried to tighten the strap. I tightened it a bit, then started swimming, but they still leaked. At this point, I was doing all I could not to panic. My first ironman and it was about to be over before it started! Would I have to swim the entire 2.4 miles without goggles in salt water? I stopped again, this time realizing that I was so buoyant in the water that I could float, and I really tightened the strap. I started up again and they were didn’t leak, as long as I only breathed to the left. The current was amazing! I highly recommend this race to anyone who is a little less confident with their swimming! I reached the orange buoy that signaled us to turn left towards the docks and headed for home. Towards the finish, I really had to sight often to make sure the current didn’t drag me past the docks!
What would you do differently?:

Buy new goggles, swim with them during many practices, and don’t change the way I put up my hair under my swim cap on race day! And put more BodyGlide on my neck because I have a nice wetsuit hickey.
Transition 1
  • 10m 21s
Comments:

We had to run from the swim dock, across a parking lot, across the street, grab our bags, then run into the changing tent. The pavement was a little rough on my feet, but not too bad. I put on arm warmers because I saw most of the other women putting them on, and one woman was even offering people newspaper to put under their jerseys! The weather was supposed to be nice, so I didn’t worry about putting on other warm clothes.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 6h 37m 21s
  • 112 miles
  • 16.91 mile/hr
Comments:

I took it easy on the bike because I had heard stories of people going out too hard on the bike and then blowing up on the run, and that’s the last thing that I wanted to happen. There was a slight headwind throughout the course, which knocked my average down slightly, but I think the easy swim well made up for it! I stopped at 4 of the aid stations to get water and Heed, and to use the facilities. Taking the breaks really helped relieve my aching parts. I took in about 100 calories every half hour. On the half hour, I would eat either half a PowerBar, or a gel with water, and then on the hour, I would eat 4-5 Endurolyte tablets with a Gatorade/Cytocarb 2 mix. When I ran out of Gatorade, I drank the Heed offered at the aid stations.
What would you do differently?:

I would try not to stop at as many aid stations. Each time I stopped it cost me about 5 minutes, so I probably could knock 20 minutes off my bike if I didn’t need to stop.
Transition 2
  • 10m 21s
Comments:

T2 was inside the Convention Center, which was kind of neat. Volunteers took my bike, and I ran into the makeshift changing tent. I wanted to be comfortable because I wasn’t exactly sure how long the run would take, so I washed my face, and took the time to change all of my clothes, right down to my socks!
What would you do differently?:

I probably didn’t need to change my socks! And I should have put chapstick in my T2 bag (or even my T1 bag) because the wind on the bike really did a number on my lips!
Run
  • 4h 14m 7s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 42s  min/mile
Comments:

I sprinted out of the Convention Center and onto the run. Everyone was commenting on how fresh I looked, and that just made me want to run faster! My watch Garmin took a good half mile to find the satellites, so I had no idea how fast I was going for the first mile. I had to make myself slow down because I had no idea how long the run was going to take. I tried to keep myself at a 9:30-10 minute/mile pace. I ate a gel every 3 miles and took 4 Endurolyte tablets every hour. My legs felt good for the first 15 miles or so, then my knees started aching. Around mile 18 I was beginning to feel a little sick to my stomach and started wondering if I had over-eaten my gels. I made myself eat one more gel at mile 19 (I was still terrified of bonking), and kept running. It started getting dark around mile 20, and I was beginning to feel like I was ready for the run to be over. I had to watch where I put my feet because the path along the lake wasn’t completely level. The run went over a few bridges, which was pretty and a good change of scenery for my feet. At mile 22, I couldn’t contain myself any longer and I just let myself run as fast as I could. I was feeling good and surprisingly comfortable for the distance that I had covered! When I got towards the finish line, I actually had some left in the tank to sprint! I loved the cheering crowd!
What would you do differently?:

My stomach was really upset towards the end of the run, so I would try to figure out how to change what I ate to fix that problem. Maybe more real, solid food instead of gels?
Post race
Warm down:

I walked a block or two to the car, but I really wouldn’t consider that a warm-down. I sat and relaxed for a few minutes after I finished to take everything in. I couldn’t believe after all that work, it was over. Just like that. Webb and my parents found me at the finish line and we hung around for 30 minutes or so. We then went back to the hotel room, I showered, and we went out to Olive Garden for a late night dinner (by this time it was around 10pm). I could only eat a few bites of my meal because my stomach was so upset. I wasn’t hungry at all! I had thought that I’d be starving, but I had to take most of my dinner home in a doggy bag!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Inexperience. I didn’t know how hard I could push myself on the bike or how often I should stop at aid stations. My diet may have also affected my time. I let myself eat whatever I wanted when I was training. If I ever do another full event, I would watch what I ate.

Event comments:

This was my first ironman distance event, and I would strongly recommend this race to beginners. It was a super easy swim, an honest bike, and a very scenic run. The race was really well organized, the food at the athlete dinner and brunch was great, and everyone was really friendly. The lighting on the run was a little scarce, so I would pack a light in my run special needs bag if I did this course again.




Last updated: 2012-10-22 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:04:23 | 4224 yards | 01m 31s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 88/136
Performance: Good
Suit: long sleeve
Course: This swim was a point to point swim in a channel with a sharp left and then a slight jog to the right prior to doing a ladder exit at a marina. From the dock, there was a run along pavement to get to T1. A strong current and the salt water made this a super fast swim.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: High
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 10:21
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:37:21 | 112 miles | 16.91 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 61/136
Performance: Average
Not including time stopped at aid stations, I averaged 17.8 mph.
Wind: Some
Course: The bike course was a single loop. It was advertised as being pancake flat, but there were some lumps in this pancake. There was excellent traffic control, and the volunteers were wonderful.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 10:21
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:14:07 | 26.2 miles | 09m 42s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/10
Overall: 15/136
Performance: Good
Course: The run course was an out and back line around the lake. We ran from the Convention Center, through town, up a little hill, did a little triangle through a neighborhood, then along a path by the lake. The aid stations were well manned with happy volunteers, but they were not at every mile of the run, as was advertised. There was a little of confusion at the triangle part of the course, but if you had attended one of the mandatory athlete meetings, you knew where to go. The lighting was a little scarce when it got dark, and I heard that they had trouble with the generators and therefore couldn’t use as many lights as intended.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2012-10-22 12:08 PM


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Subject: Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon


2012-10-22 12:21 PM
in reply to: #4463544

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2012-10-22 7:16 PM
in reply to: #4463544

Member
28
25
Subject: RE: Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon
Awesome race and congrats on the podium finish!
2012-10-22 7:31 PM
in reply to: #4463544

Veteran
344
10010010025
Subject: RE: Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon
Super job! Congrats on a great race, finish and nabbing a podium.
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