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Ironman 70.3 Virginia - Triathlon


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Williamsburg, Virginia
United States
Precipitation
Total Time = 6h 06m 46s
Overall Rank = 840/
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 112/
Pre-race routine:

Some context, training had gone really well until the first week of April when I had some travel (and missed a long bike) then caught bronchitis or similar. I did almost nothing for 2 weeks in what should have been peak training then went into a "taper". I was still coughing on race morning. Also, severe thunderstorms were predicted so a lot of athletes were not sure the race would even happen which was a source of anxiety as well. My expectations of meeting a 6 hour goal were pretty low.
Event warmup:

Ugh, the worst start ever to a race. The walk from transition to race start was at least half a mile. Once in line moments before the start and in wet suit and swim cap, I fit my goggles only to have them snap. After a moment or two of panic, I remembered I brought an extra pair. I ran as quick as I could the half mile back to transition (in my wetsuit and swim cap), to beg someone to let me in to get the extras. Someone took pity on me and let me in, so I grabbed them and started running back. Along the way, I managed to step on a little wire parking flag which somehow wedged between my sandal and foot. I'm lucky it didn't cut me. Turns out, i didn't need to run back as the line to get in 2 at a time was long, but in any case I started the race stressed, hot, and tired.

Swim
  • 44m 35s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

Soooo, often I use the bathroom immediately prior to swim start (in the water, like you do). I didn't realize that this was a dock start where you just jump in and start immediately swimming. So there was that. I could have used a bathroom stop the entire time in the water.

When I first started triathlon, I wasn't sure I would stick with it so I bought the cheapest new wetsuit I could buy (online order, sight unseen, for 80 bucks), We don't have that many wetsuit races in NC, so it hasn't been a huge issue. It's actually not bad material, but the fit is poor - it's just too short through the torso so I can't get good extension on my stroke.

I ended up having a terrible swim. It felt constrained and claustrophobic and I could tell my stroke was terrible. But there wasn't really much I could do to fix it. Despite self-seeding in the back, I got passed left and right. I could feel my elbows dropping without a catch in the water. It was like I hadn't been practicing swimming at all these last few months. Also, it was full contact out there with 2500 people. I probably got hit or touched 20 times.

I decided while in the water that I'd spring for a better fitting wetsuit before doing another long wetsuit legal race.

On the upside, there was a small current to ride along which helped. The water was really cloudy for the most part. Sometimes not only could you not see your hands, but you couldn't really see much light in the water.
What would you do differently?:

Port a potty beforehand. Get a new wetsuit.
Transition 1
  • 07m 12s
Comments:

Had to hit up the port a potty in the transition area before grabbing my bike. It was raining and so I had to fish my shoes out of some bags I brought. On the upside, I tried a tip I had not tried before - using baby powder in the socks to help them slide on easier. It totally worked! My socks went on much easier than is typical.
What would you do differently?:

Not much despite the slow transition time. I could have hustled a bit more.
Bike
  • 2h 59m 20s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.74 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my best bike ever despite the rain, heavy at times. One nice thing about having a bad swim is that I passed tons of people on the bike. Not only the slow people, but plenty of serious looking triathletes with race wheels. I was extremely happy to be able to hold a good speed and finish in 3 hours despite a wet course. One crazy thing is that there was a really dangerous train track crossing area so the RD decided to put a timing mat on the front and back end of the hill it was on. Essentially they stopped the clock while you were in that area. Everyone dismounted and walked across, some people stopped for snacks. Sure enough, my time was adjusted to discount the 3 minutes or so I spend walking through that section.

I think there may be 3 reasons for an unusually good bike:
1. The course was pretty fast.
2. I rode most of the winter on Zwift which gave me power numbers. I think having power data while on there really helped.
3. I had my bike serviced for the first time in the 2 years since I bought it. New chain and a proper cleaning of the cassette really helped.

The course wasn't totally closed. At one point there were bikers passing slow cars that were trying to pass slow bikers.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Great ride for me. I felt like I could power by others pretty well on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 05m 24s
Comments:

T2 was uneventful. I was thankful I had brought a separate pair of running socks as it rained the entire 3 hours on the bike and my feet were completely soaked. Oh, I did have yet ANOTHER bathroom stop in T2.
Run
  • 2h 10m 8s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

I really wanted to finish this race in 6 hours. I had a 3 hour bike, which I needed, and I needed a 2 hour run. The first half was pretty good and I finished the first half in right at an hour or under. Then i hit a wall (or very hilly bridge, actually) and totally gassed out. I think having missed out on a couple of truly long training sessions hurt me here. I did quite a bit of run-walk on the last 4-5 miles and was wiped totally out by the end. It's interesting how you go from having a firm goal (like 6 hours) to just surviving once you hit the wall.

I had some gels, a banana, and salt pills. But the sun was out and it was really humid. Eventually my heart rate went high enough that there was no bringing it down without stopping altogether.
What would you do differently?:

More longer training session. The run was great for the first half, but I didn't have enough in the tank for the last half.
Post race
Warm down:

nothing really. Got in line for the food tent - BBQ was pretty good.

Event comments:

My only previous IM event was in Raleigh. This felt very different. The Raleigh race had the expo in the convention center and a big downtown finish (and charter buses to bring you to the point-to-point start). This felt much more like a local event with tons of people. The expo etc was in a hot tent, the grounds were very muddy (everyone's running shoes were kinda swampy from part of the run in soaked grass). It was a good course, but on the whole it didn't have the same big-ticket feel that the IM Raleigh had. With this one, I kind of wondered where all of the registration money went. Also, why does IM run out of t-shirts.




Last updated: 2019-01-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:44:35 | 2112 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 153/
Overall: 1353/
Performance: Bad
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 07:12
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:59:20 | 56 miles | 18.74 mile/hr
Age Group: 128/
Overall: 1007/
Performance: Good
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 05:24
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:10:08 | 13.1 miles | 09m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 112/
Overall: 624/
Performance: Average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
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?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2019-05-06 11:32 AM

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310
100100100
Raleigh, North Carolina
Subject: Ironman 70.3 Virginia


2019-05-06 12:35 PM
in reply to: #5258446

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Master
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Sounds like a tough day and you didn't miss your goal by much!  Great job.

2019-05-06 12:45 PM
in reply to: #5258446

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Master
7712
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Orlando
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Congratulations on a great, hard race! I feel you on the wetsuit issue - I hate them and don't really have a reason to use one in Florida, but my out of state races seem to always need them!  Great bike time -especially with the rain. How does IM run out of race shirts

2019-05-06 1:05 PM
in reply to: #5258446

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Master
2429
200010010010010025
Falls Church, Virginia
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
Nice job in rough conditions. Sweet that you got your best bike ever in bad rain!
I was wondering how VA70.3 was going to compare to Raleigh. Rev3 Williamsburg had a half that used to be in July, and they sold it to IM who tweaked it a bit and moved it to May. Sorry it didn't have the event feel you were looking for.
2019-05-06 1:53 PM
in reply to: #5258446

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Pennsylvania
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Great job on the bike, bam!  Too bad the swim and the run weren't quite the results you were looking for but you persevered and came very close to your goal, excellent!

2019-05-06 2:10 PM
in reply to: #5258446

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Master
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Atlanta, Georgia
Gold member
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
Congrats on your day! I'm thinking about this race for next year..


2019-05-06 3:55 PM
in reply to: alltom1

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Member
2098
2000252525
Simsbury, Connecticut
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
"in the water (like you do)" LMAO! Right on!

I did that race in 2016 when it was Rev3 and the swim start was the same. That boat dock is horrible. I did a practice swim and nearly killed myself getting out.

Nice job getting past a disappointing swim and hitting the bike hard! That's how it's done!

2019-05-06 7:26 PM
in reply to: mtnbikerchk

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Expert
2811
2000500100100100
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
Congratulations! Tough conditions, but you persevered,
2019-05-07 8:15 AM
in reply to: #5258446

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Master
9705
500020002000500100100
Raleigh, NC area
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Congrats on a great race! So so close to 6 with training interuptus is awesome! You rocked it!

2019-05-07 8:16 AM
in reply to: amd723

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Master
9705
500020002000500100100
Raleigh, NC area
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Originally posted by amd723

Congratulations on a great, hard race! I feel you on the wetsuit issue - I hate them and don't really have a reason to use one in Florida, but my out of state races seem to always need them!  Great bike time -especially with the rain. How does IM run out of race shirts

Did you see how Adam threw shade on race wheels?

2019-05-07 10:27 AM
in reply to: jmkizer

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Alpharetta, Georgia
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

What a stressful beginning, I felt that just reading it! Well done on executing during the rain, then during the humidity. Great job!!



2019-05-07 10:31 AM
in reply to: jmkizer

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310
100100100
Raleigh, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
Originally posted by jmkizer

Originally posted by amd723

Congratulations on a great, hard race! I feel you on the wetsuit issue - I hate them and don't really have a reason to use one in Florida, but my out of state races seem to always need them!  Great bike time -especially with the rain. How does IM run out of race shirts

Did you see how Adam threw shade on race wheels?




Ha ha. Nah, I guess I just assume that people that have those are more hardcore than I am. It's mostly just jealousy. I need to up my game with a power meter, bike computer, decent wheels, and a proper wetsuit. Sounds expensive
2019-05-07 10:34 AM
in reply to: awm007

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310
100100100
Raleigh, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia
Thanks so much to this group. I cannot express how much I appreciate your advice, support, and friendship!
2019-05-08 10:16 AM
in reply to: awm007

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Master
4117
20002000100
Toronto
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Virginia

Nice job - great way to put together a race despite the lead-up with sickness and then having some snafus (like the goggles). things are never perfect so it's how you deal with it that will make the difference! 

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