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Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon - Triathlon


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Cambridge, Maryland
United States
Columbia Triathlon Association
82F / 28C
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 53m 42s
Overall Rank = 264/2000
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 28/221
Pre-race routine:

A decent nights sleep, had a larger than normal breakfast, since it would be four hours between eating and my wave start. Figured I'd try to take in a little more ahead of time.
Event warmup:

Tested the goggles and loosened up the shoulders a bit
Swim
  • 35m 42s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 41s / 100 yards
Comments:

After the biblical rains the Friday before, I thought the current would be higher. But I guess this part of Maryland has more wetlands to absorb rain, better than where I live. Great Marsh Park (Transition area) absorbed it's part, that's for sure.

Winds were calm, and the current seemed low. Virtually no waves, at one point it felt like swimming in a pool. Sighting has gotten better since last year, and I thought my navigation overall was better, but it didn't show up in the times.
What would you do differently?:

Not much
Transition 1
  • 02m 55s
Comments:

Mudfest 2013! The ground was still pretty wet from the rains, and 2000 athletes tromping around on defined paths made it worse. Oh well. I was laughing as I approached the mud run, just picked up the bike for a little CX action, was preclipped and in bare feet, and charged on. Some people didn't see the humor in it. While getting out of my wetsuit, I noticed someone running by in socks. Ick.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Bike
  • 2h 27m 4s
  • 56 miles
  • 22.79 mile/hr
Comments:

OK, this was my first time incurring a penalty. I was a little shaken at first, but won't argue the call. I was too close. It wasn't intentional, as we were hitting a lot of traffic, and I just wasn't paying attention to how far back I was from the guy in front of me. There had been a large pack (10-15) in front of me that had been broken up a little earlier, and that was the first time I had seen anyone incur a penalty.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, except try to be more attentive towards spacing. Those touring motorcycles are quiet!
Transition 2
  • 01m 28s
Comments:

Well now, this was a different T2 experience. Since I had gotten the drafting penalty, I knew I would have some time to recover. I didn't know for sure that the tent was at the end of the course, but with roughly 5 miles to go, it seemed like the logical place for it. So I hammered in as much as I could, to make up some of the penalty time. Once in the tent, I put the shoes back on the pedals, finished my water/gatorade, and generally got mentally ready for the run. Once the volunteer cleared me from the tent, I made a dash through the mud, not worrying about the bike, letting it roll (carried it through the mud run on the way out) and looked for my rack. I saw my new Zoot shoes, barely two weeks old, and highlighter yellow, and thought I might as well wait until I got to pavement before putting them on. The feet were already muddy, and there might be a puddle or something I could rinse my feet off before putting on the shoes. I was more concerned with mud inside the shoe, that would grind away the flesh.
Run
  • 1h 46m 39s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 09s  min/mile
Comments:

Last year's Eagleman was my first HIM in true summer heat, and I wasn't quite ready for it psychologically. I had some ideas, like bringing a small towel to wrap ice in, and try to get it on my head. But that didn't seem to help much.

This year I thought I'd try eating the ice, rather than wear it. While it was a few degrees cooler, it did seem like eating ice helped. This is something to continue trying, as I had no side effects (such as cramping) from the cold.

I didn't think about it until after the race, but the four minute penalty, under the shade of the tent, made the beginning of the run not feel so bad. Once I left the park, I started to feel pretty bad, but got adjusted and moved on. Certainly the legs felt fine, with all that time to recover.

After the first couple miles, I got into a routing of hitting pretty much every aid station for ice, and some gatorade. Eating large chunks of ice took a little practice. The half-way point seemed to come faster, and I was feeling pretty good by then. There is a section where the forest is really dense on both sides of the road, and a breeze came through that was almost refreshing.

This was my first race in a new pair of shoes, Zoot Ultra Race 4.0, with the BOA lace system. The BOA is nice, but not really a game changer. One thing I noticed is they still need tuning after running a bit in them, as the steel cord tension balances out throughout the loops. They are less cushioned than most shoes I've worn, but after running 10-miles in them leading up to the race, I've adjusted.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Post race
Warm down:

Was not as bad as other races, though I was glad it was over. Stood under the fire hose, took a quick dip in the Choptank.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Traffic on the bike course. If people wouldn't block, things would go smoother, however drafting would probably be worse.



Event comments:

On the mudfest that was Transition: With the incredible amount of rain the area received 36 hours prior, and being on the water, and named "Great Marsh Park", it's understandable that there would be some mud/wet grass. The transition area was set up differently from last year, that I think resulted in longer runs on grass with the bike, compared to last year. The organizers probably had a reason to change transition set up, but may not have considered the rain situation. They did the best they could given the situation.

By some accounts, this year was worse for drafting, but others said it was a typical year. It sounds like any flat course has the potential, since they spread the waves out, with faster groups starting towards the back, it is naturally set up to bunch up.




Last updated: 2012-11-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:42 | 2112 yards | 01m 41s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 0/2000
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Average Drafting:
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:55
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:27:04 | 56 miles | 22.79 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 0/2000
Performance:
Includes 4 minutes in the Penalty Tent. Speed was 23.6 not including time served.
Wind: Some
Course: Standard Eagleman course
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 85
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills:
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:28
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:46:39 | 13.1 miles | 08m 09s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/221
Overall: 0/2000
Performance: Good
Course: The normal Eagleman death march. Flat, hot, little breeze.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2013-06-18 9:36 PM

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Extreme Veteran
645
50010025
Media, PA
Subject: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon


2013-06-19 10:00 AM
in reply to: #4780530

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Master
3058
200010002525
South Alabama
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon
Nice job! Our finishing times were within a minute...although you would have had me without the penalty. Always tough to be in a late wave and fight through the numbers. Good luck the rest of the season.
2013-06-22 1:39 PM
in reply to: slornow

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Extreme Veteran
645
50010025
Media, PA
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon
Thanks, you too! Having the penalty may not have made much difference in my time. Since it was at the end of the bike, I was forced to cool down a bit, ironically in pretty much the only shady spot in the area, under the tent!

I didn't realize it until after the race, but when I left the tent, I charged out of there through the mud, with no leg weakness. Going out on the run, I had no rubber-leg-syndrome like you usually get for a few minutes.

So that may have helped in my run time. If it was 4 minutes worth, who knows.

But if I had the choice, I'd rather not take the penalty, and will try to be more attentive on distance, especially towards the end.
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