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Ironman 70.3 Miami - Triathlon


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Miami, Florida
United States
World Triathlon Corporation/Miami Tri Events
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 44m 12s
Overall Rank = 177/3133
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 4/203
Pre-race routine:

I am really nervous racing. Too nervous.

I know all the things I am supposed to do and think, but it’s stronger than me. The night before I could not sleep but finally convinced myself to have fun and if it wasn’t fun, then I was doing it wrong.

This helped me fall asleep as I had convinced myself I would have fun

Event warmup:

Got up really early, at transition at 5, set up and went for coffee
Swim
  • 34m 11s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 37s / 100 yards
Comments:

Since Vegas WC I have been working my swim. I was swimming 7500 meters/week pre Vegas and I bumped that to 11000-12000 and it made a big difference.

I swam 1 minute faster than Vegas which was already 1 minute faster than 2011. More importantly I came out of the water fresh.

The swim usually scares me the most pre-race, this time I felt more confident and planned to enjoy it which I did. Several times I thought to myself, "hey this is fun"

It was a really enjoyable swim except for a patch of sea-weed, but other than that, minimal contact and felt good. I focused on my catch

Oh, I almost forgot. Apparently there were dolphins, although I didn't see any


What would you do differently?:

Keep on increasing the swim volume
Transition 1
  • 03m 14s
Comments:

I took my time here
What would you do differently?:

Probably a little more hussle when I reached my bike.
Bike
  • 2h 27m 51s
  • 56 miles
  • 22.73 mile/hr
Comments:

I have a dilemma with bike courses. My weight would favor flat but I hate flat courses. Long periods at constant power kill me. I don’t like heat. So Miami and Florida 70.3 are not great courses for me.

I started off and the intent was to get my HR down by pedalling 30 or so watts under target. That went well and in about 10 min was ready to build up to target.

My HR was a little high for my power. I was ready to compromise on the bike to have a good run. 10 or even 20 watts is not worth it if you end up walking. So I decided I would be slightly less aggressive on my watts target

So I was merrily riding when I observed the formation of a pack. At first it was 3 or 4 guys but soon became 12. They were just slow enough that I ended up catching them but as they grew they became faster. I decided to pass, which I think they interpreted as “hey, a sucker to pull”. In order to pull away I was now putting out 50w over target which was not sustainable. As soon as I backed off to target wattage, they would overcome me. So I would drop back but there is no doubt that even at legal distance you get a benefit.

Soon, a water station broke things up and I had all my own hydration so never stopped. I used the opportunity to pull ahead, stay ahead for 5-10 minutes, but the train would catch me and I would fall back.

There were a bunch of guys my age and a bunch of 25 year olds from the wave ahead. This annoyed me since I was trying for a WC spot and I knew a bunch of my competitors were in that group. They were not pushing hard. It was not a peloton to get speed, it was a peloton to relax.

So my ride was all over the place. Some surges do pull away and some easy spots when they peloton would overtake me and I would have to drop back.

On the way back they pulled ahead considerably and I was able to do my own thing. There was a truck, obviously related to the event that drove by them, was screaming at them for being in a pack, wrote down some numbers but I doubt he could do anything.

I rode a very erratic bike which I guess is like climbing hills
A 1.04 VI on a flat course is crazy.

This part of the race was not fun.

I was drinking 6oz per 15min, 9g of carbs
9x = 81g carbs on the bike = 324 calories in 2.5 hours or 130 calories per hour
What would you do differently?:

Train more at very constant wattage for long periods of time
Or stick to hilly courses
Transition 2
  • 02m 39s
Comments:

Not a bad T2.
There were few bikes on the racks so I thought I was doing well
Run
  • 1h 36m 17s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

I was so mad on the bike I swore I would run the SOBs down.

But I knew that if I did an even run I would have more success so I planned to pace by HR and manage my effort.

My target was 148BPM for the first 5km, then 152, 154 and 156. At first I had to back off my pace significantly to stay under 150.

I ended up being 152, 158, 159, 163 for the 3mile/5km segments with a pretty even pace. The first and last segments were dead even pace.

The hills were hard. I overdo the ups. I put a lot of concentration into capping the ups and I used the downs to bring my HR in check. It was better than usual but not perfect.

Passing people on the run is fun, A death march like I did at Vegas is not fun. Biking within our true capabilities is the key to having fun. Establishing our true capabilities is the tough part.

But a good run is the funnest part of a race like this

I was drinking 2oz of water per mile, 3g carbs
x12 = 36g carbs = 144 calories on the run

I used the aid stations to grab water and ice to pour on myself. I only used my own fluids for hydration

I never looked at my pace. I did have an autolap every 5km and glanced but I did not let if affect me.I did a very even split although I did work the last 3 miles.

I saw an old dude (like me) chasing me down the last 500m so I gunned it. He was getting close but I really dug and he couldn't follow. He was one age group lower than me so it was all good. We shook hands, chatted and I was off.

What would you do differently?:

Slow down on the ups, and work the downs more.
Post race
Warm down:

Went to the med tent to get my blood sugar measured. 178, not bad.

324 bike calories + 144 run = 468 calories total, which is an all time high :-)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lose weight
Ride more
Swim more




Last updated: 2013-10-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:34:11 | 2112 yards | 01m 37s / 100yards
Age Group: 9/203
Overall: 434/3133
Performance: Good
Suit: Huub
Course: Diamond shape
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:14
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:27:51 | 56 miles | 22.73 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/203
Overall: 218/3133
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back. Definite head wind out and tail wind back
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:39
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
01:36:17 | 13.1 miles | 07m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 177/203
Overall: 4/3133
Performance: Good
Course: 2 loops Up and down a bridge 2x so 4 climbs (brutal)
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2013-10-28 5:08 AM

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: Ironman 70.3 Miami


2013-10-28 7:10 AM
in reply to: #4885927

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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami
Nicely done. Further back we had some draft packs but appeared to be mostly MOPers, as they were easy to pass, but did blow up the power trying to get away from two guys that latched onto me. Really fantastic run Marc!
2013-10-28 7:38 AM
in reply to: #4885927

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Master
6834
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Englewood, Florida
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami

Awesome job, as always. I really like your analysis of the run/bike relationship and how much mental effort you put into racing. Congratulations!

2013-10-28 8:14 AM
in reply to: #4885927

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Elite
7783
50002000500100100252525
PEI, Canada
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami

Well done Marc, you did an excellent job managing the conditions to come out with the best possible end result.  That is something I will have to work on!

I must be in my own little world on the bike as I didn't see the draft packs at all.  

2013-10-28 9:54 AM
in reply to: #4885927

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Pro
4482
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NJ
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami

Marc,  great race. The weather (especially humidity) difference from your normal training had to make for a significant challenge on the run. Congrats on the AG placement and MT slot!

2013-10-28 10:17 AM
in reply to: #4885927

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Elite
3779
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Ontario
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami

Nicely done Marc - and congrats on the WC spot for next year.



2013-10-28 10:25 AM
in reply to: #4885927

Master
10208
50005000100100
Northern IL
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami

Nice going Marc!

2013-10-28 12:18 PM
in reply to: #4885927

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Master
1927
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Guilford, CT
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami
Congratulations on a great race! Excellent run to close it.
2013-10-28 12:46 PM
in reply to: #4885927

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Veteran
1677
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Houston, Texas
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami
Congrats, Marc! I love that you told yourself to just have fun....and actually enjoyed the swim! Great to see the bump up in swim volume paying off for you -- not only in being faster, but coming out fresher.

Always nice to see that riding within your capabilities = good run....even if you had to deal with draft packs. NBD, still grabbed that WC spot!
2013-10-28 9:02 PM
in reply to: #4885927

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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Miami
Congrats on the 70.3 slot and a well run race. I always enjoy the analysis of your races.
2013-10-29 3:59 PM
in reply to: #4885927

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