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Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon


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Galveston, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
78F / 26C
Total Time = 6h 53m 38s
Overall Rank = 1648/
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 51/
Pre-race routine:

Got up, applied lube and got dressed. Went downstairs and grabbed a bagel, coffee and water. Made my way across the parking lot to the race site.
Event warmup:

Lots of waiting. I was in wave 18 of 20 and didn't start for more than an hour after the pros went off. I sat in a beach chair for a while and then found a restroom. About 15 minutes before my wave was set to start, I ate a GU and did my warm up stretches.
Swim
  • 51m 21s
  • 2112 meters
  • 02m 26s / 100 meters
Comments:

We found out early that morning that the water temp had drastically increased overnight and we were not wetsuit legal. We were wetsuit optional but if you chose to wear the wetsuit, you would start in the last wave. I was already starting late and I didn't want to start any later. I left my wetsuit in the hotel room and planned the swim with my tri kit.
What would you do differently?:

Push a little harder. I thought I was on pace to swim 2:00/100 but apparently I was going much slower than I thought.
Transition 1
  • 02m 21s
Comments:

Not sure exactly where the timing mats were as they were small cable covered with black tape. I guesstimated where I thought it was so my transition times are from my garmin while the overall times are the official times posted on the website. Went fairly well. slow jog from the water exit and up the carpet, under the shower to rinse the salt off my face and found my bike. Threw my shoes on, helmet on and ran out bike exit. Crossed mount line and hopped on.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe learn flying mount....maybe not. For me that sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Bike
  • 3h 17m 54s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.98 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew we had a slight tailwind at the very beginning but then it felt as if the wind shifted and we had a headwind going out to the turn around. About 12 miles in, the rain started. It was light to moderate. No real puddles on the road which was good. I thought that was going to be great and then we would have a tailwind on the way back in....NOPE. Headwind coming back in big time. On the bridge coming back in, the wind really picked up. We had a head/crosswind that really tested my bike handling. My front tire was wobbling all over the place and I was only riding 404s. Rear tire felt fine. Once i got off the bridge and the cross wind died down, bike handling was much better. About mile 40, the chafing started. I realized that I forgot to reapply lube in T1. By the time I hit mile 50, I was ready to be off the bike. Nutrition went according to plan, 200cal/hour. finished 3 bottles of water on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Knowing now about the headwind coming back in, I would have pushed harder for the first half of the bike. Still, I kept to the game plan for the watts for the first half. I did fall a few watts short on the return trip at the very end.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

screwed up my garmin somewhere in T2. I pressed the lap button too many times and had to stop the workout so I could restart with just a run workout so I could see pace, etc. I miscounted racks and turned in one rack early. Luckily, I caught myself when I was only a few feet down the aisle. Quickly backed out and turned down the next aisle. Racked bike, threw socks and shoes on. Put hat and race belt on as I trotted out.
What would you do differently?:

Pay better attention to bike racks.
Run
  • 2h 39m 16s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

Once I got onto the run course, the rain stopped and the sun came out to bake us. I had a little stiffness when I first got off the bike, but that cleared within a half mile or so. Felt decent. Then after mile 3 or so, my breathing went to hell and I had no energy. Came up on a teammate of mine and we made it the final 2 1/2 loops with run/walk. That was definitely not in the plan for the race, but we survived. This was almost an exact duplicate of my first 70.3. I was hoping for a much better run with my training leading into this race.
What would you do differently?:

Not sure. Nutrition on the bike was spot on and I stuck to the game plan for my power. Fell a bit short on the bike and bombed the run. Had planned on taking a GU every 30 minutes but only one aid station had them. So I supplemented with bananas. Stomach felt fine. Not sloshing or nauseous. I just didn't have the energy
Post race
Warm down:

not much. walked from the finish to the team tent. collected my bags and grabbed my bike and gear from transition. Walked back to the hotel and took a shower. Found more chafing. First salt water swim...learned that reapplication of lube is a must. Grabbed dinner in the hotel restaurant.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

It definitely wasn't my training as my coach and I had prepared well. Not sure what happened when it all fell apart.

Event comments:

Since I was in one of the last waves, a lot of the post-race activities were being taken down as I finished. Tents were coming down, etc. Lots of volunteers on the course. They did a great job of handing off at the bike aid stations. The only negative comment I have is that there were too many spectators walking across the run course with no regards to approaching runners. I had to avoid several people who didn't even realize that they were in the way. Didn't enjoy the multi-loop run course, although it did allow for me to see teammates and friends along the way. Overall, I enjoyed this race but I don't plan on doing it again next year.




Last updated: 2014-08-18 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:51:21 | 2112 meters | 02m 26s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: counterclockwise
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 77F / 25C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:21
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:17:54 | 56 miles | 16.98 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Below average
Wind:
Course: Few turns early in the course. The course was changed at the last minute to avoid a stretch of gravel road that was supposed to be repaved in time for the race but wasn't. Most of the course was a straight out and back. Settled in at the beginning. Plan was to stick to 125-130 watts and keep HR 135-145. I couldn't get my HR below 150 for the majority of the ride. Did manage to get it down towards the end.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:39:16 | 13.1 miles | 12m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course: 3 loops of pure torture.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2015-04-27 4:53 PM

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Subject: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas


2015-04-29 2:48 PM
in reply to: #5111253

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Veteran
2842
200050010010010025
Austin, Texas
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas

Congrats - it definitely got tough out there (hail on the bike, steam bath on the run and such).  Great job gutting it out and finishing a tough race!

Matt

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