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Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Oceanside, California
United States
Ironman North America
67F / 19C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 32m 59s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I was really nervous the week leading up to this race, although I knew I put in the training hours and physically could handle the course. My first race this distance though just left plenty to figure out. So the day before the race I thoroughly enjoyed registration and checking out the Ironman store and getting some shirts :) When I got home I spent some time cleaning and lubing my bike (I passed on the tune-up at the shop and tuned/ trued everything myself- maybe this was a mistake as we find out later)
That evening I spent time getting everything ready and packed, a few times, then tried to sleep as much as possible. Woke up at 3 am and had some coffee and toast and an apple. Left by 4 am and got to Oceanside early cuz traffic was gonna suck. By 6 am I had my spot set up and was ready to race. Tried to psyche myself up for the upcoming swim in 60 degree water and my sleeveless wetsuit. That was about the only thing messing with my head.
Event warmup:

Well- 70.3 miles to go there was plenty of time to warmup. I really would've liked to do a warmup swim but this wsn't an option. We literally got about 5 minutes before our wave to hop in, acclimate to the cold water, and be ready to go
Swim
  • 33h 31m
  • 2112 yards
  • 1h 35m 13s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was in the THIRD wave, right after the Pro Women, so I knew it was going to be wide open for us, and throughout the race it would be easy to gauge my position relative to others by who passed me.
This was a deep water wave start which was a first for me. The start was a mess with everyone crawling all over each other- I headed off to the side and finally found some open water and got into a rythym. From that point on I swam great. Felt strong and smotth, literally felt the glide and enjoyed every minute of it. The end came quick- I felt like I could do another lap! Crawled up the ramp and then headed for the 1/4 mile run to transition.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

Damn long transition- went smooth overall but the usual problem of pulling down a shirt over a wet body makes it all roll up by your chin!
Bike
  • 3h 35m 25s
  • 56 miles
  • 15.60 mile/hr
Comments:

Took off on the bike and right away focused on lowering my heart rate. At this point I was doing pretty well and was way in front of many in my AG. A few guys on really nice Tri bikes were zipping past me and I didn't even care. I knew this route and about 30 miles in it gets tougher. I was ready- got into a good pace, drinking as planned and taking some gel. Had 2 bottles of HEED with Endualyte, and a bottle of Perpeteum, water in my aero bottle and gel in my pocket. Made it the first 28 miles in 1:20 and was doing great and thinking about how much this rocked, when my luck began to chane. About mile 30 my chain bound and I had to stop. For the life of me I couldn't figure out the hell was going on, but at this point you're not thinking as a mechanic but more in a panic. I started trying to pedal again, then my rear derailer literally pulled right off the frame. WTF? Now what do I do? I grabbed my bike and ran back about 500 yards to a Marine directing traffic and had him call Race Support for me, but I really thought I was done. I waited, and waited, and actually kept my head and was cool with the situation. Frustrated but not pissed. After 36 minutes the guys from Shimano rolled up and literally came running out of thier car to help me. I got a glimmer of hope as they rifled through thier car for replacement parts- Long story short they got me on the road again in. Eight minutes later I rode off- ON A SINGLE SPEED- with 26 miles and 2 of the 3 climbs left i'm on the road again. Thank god I didn't waste energy being pissed, cause I was gonna need it climbing hills. So I hit the first climb, and as I stood and pumped I literally zoomed up passing many! I was smiling and saying oh well, this is better than a DNF! Slow pumps up trhe hills led to quick spins on the opposite side- Hard to maintain any cadence in rollers with only one gear, but I finished strong and actually was catching back up coming back into transition.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

By this point I was so glad to have made it back, but my mind was no longer as focused. Transition went well and I even remembered to put on sunscreen, but my legs were pretty tired from that ride
Run
  • 2h 16m 12s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 24s  min/mile
Comments:

Okay- made it to the run which I had pretty much given up on when my bike broke, so I was just stoked to be here. But now my legs were tired and my mnd wasn't ready for a half marathon. I picked up one foot, put it in front of the other and got myself going. First 8 miles went well although I was spent by this point and ready to end it. Last 5 miles were tough, and I walked through the aid stations and took advantage of the wet sponges. As I neard the last mile I picked it up and ran hard to my firs IRONMAN 70.3 finish.
Post race
Event comments:

I was overwhelmed by the moment of accomplishment as I crossed the finish line. 21 weeks of kicking my ass and it was soo worth every second I spent swimming, biking and running to prepare for this. Given my own personal circumstances during this race I was especially proud of myself for not giving up or getting pissed when things went south for me. I hung in there, and although my finishing time was about an hour from my goal (which I was sooooo close to accomplishing!!!) I did finish.
Lessons learned
1. Check equipment much closer. I'm not sure if whatever went wrong on my bike was preventable but i'm not a professional. I should've had my bike tuned at the shop. I can maintain it but it should be checked over once in a while by a pro
2. NEVER give up. I hung in there and finished, and it would've been so much simpler to say F it
3. I need to focus on running more. Given my circumstances, again, I didn't do bad and actually finished faster then it felt, but the run was tougher than it should've been for me




Last updated: 2006-09-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
33:31:00 | 2112 yards | 1h 35m 13s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 60F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:35:25 | 56 miles | 15.60 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Varying terrain with some long gradual minor grades, 3 pretty good climbs and a few fun downhills. One long straight flat section where the wind catches you in the face
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:16:12 | 13.1 miles | 10m 24s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course: Basically flat run that paralleled the beach for most of it, so there was a nice cool breeze. Plenty of support, and the cool thing was there were people lining most of the run cheering!
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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] 4

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2007-04-01 11:12 AM

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Expert
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lake forest, California
Subject: Ford Ironman 70.3 California


2007-04-01 11:27 AM
in reply to: #744407

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Pro
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Los Angeles, CA
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Congrats on finishing your first 1/2 IM. Way to keep your cool on the bike and push it through. HA! I had all my gears last year for the bike and had to walk one of the hills. Again, great race and report!!!
2007-04-01 1:31 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Regular
83
252525
Kaneohe,Hawaii
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

Awesome job on a tough day.  Your next one will be much easier. Keep up the good work and get the dance fixed.

 

Aloha,

Matt 

2007-04-01 2:14 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Expert
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5001002525
Central New York
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Have to admire that kind of persistence.

I, too, have been the victim of mechanical miscues on race day. Way to come back from the brink of DNF. You did us proud!

One program note: Your skip split was only a minute off your stand alone half marathon time from Decmeber. That's good good stuff!

Edited by Xan 2007-04-01 2:17 PM
2007-04-01 2:59 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

Jeff - great meeting you yesterday, and great report.  You are a STUD for covering half that course in one gear!!!!!  Excellent IM training to deal with the unexpected and keep your head on straight.

I gotta agree with mile 8, that's where it started falling apart for me.  Great job seeing that sucker through

2007-04-01 3:30 PM
in reply to: #744530

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Expert
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Central New York
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
ChrisM - 2007-04-01 12:59 PM

I gotta agree with mile 8, that's where it started falling apart for me.  Great job seeing that sucker through



No need to thank me for picking up the piano that was sitting there and carrying it in to the finish.


2007-04-01 6:05 PM
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Expert
1169
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Sherman Oaks, CA
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Fantastic job. I don't know what I would do if I had dealt with your circumstances on the dance.
2007-04-01 10:07 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Master
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Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Great job!
2007-04-02 9:21 AM
in reply to: #744407

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Master
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Newbury Park, CA
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

Great swim and a pretty decent bike time considering you were riding a single speed and you had to sit on the sidelines waiting for help.

Well done.

2007-04-02 10:46 AM
in reply to: #744407

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Veteran
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Haddonfield, NJ
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Nice report. Way to hang tough. Congrats!
2007-04-02 11:53 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Great job on perservering through the bike! Nice read on the race report and bestof luck in your upcoming races


2007-04-03 6:43 AM
in reply to: #744407

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Pro
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Evanston,
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

AMAZING race - I'm still trying to wrap my mind around going 26 miles of hills on a single speed!  It's really cool that you managed to have fun doing that, though you knew your original goals were shot.  Way to go with the great attitude and perseverance, AND the training that made it possible for you to finish no matter what.  Fabulous swim too!

Great job!!! 

2007-04-03 3:19 PM
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Expert
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Las Vegas, NV
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

Real nice job on your first HIM. Keep up the great work, you can do it. welcome to the HIM gang! you are one.

Cheers,

2007-04-03 6:04 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Champion
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Carlsbad, California
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Oustanding Effort out there.

So many things can and often do get pear shaped in a race like this and finishing is just as much about dealing with the challenges as it is doing the distance.

Sounds like a very cool solution to a potentially race ending problem

Also very glad to hear that things improved for you on the run. I think just about everyone out there hit about the same spot on the run and started to feel the effects of the concrete and all that had come before.

Those icy sponges were just the best. (I did not expect them but they turned out to be a very refreshing part of the race)

Was nice having pizza for lunch and chatting it up 2 days in a row

Hope to see you at other races around the area and maybe back in Oceanside next year.

Cheers
2007-04-05 9:34 AM
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Member
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Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
way to go, That is pretty cool you where able to fix the bike and still make a not to bad of a time, Sorry I didn't get to meet you and hope see you next year.

Great job and where Ironmen now.
2007-04-05 6:56 PM
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Master
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2000100100100
Gulf Shores, AL
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
What a tremendous attitude! Congrats.


2007-04-05 8:39 PM
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Champion
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MA
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California

Excellent race!!

I love your attitude and way you stuck with it given your bike difficulties. So much of tris is dealing with what is when the unexpected comes up.

Man those hills look brutal and to do it with one gear..I think many would have been walking up instead you were passing folks.

You have the heart and determination of triathlete no doubt about it!! 

I suspect this will be one race you'll remember for a life time...great story to share for many years in the future! 

2007-04-06 6:50 AM
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Orange Park Florida
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
2007-04-07 9:47 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Master
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piece o heaven
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
WOW!!

I M impressed - you had a fantastic mind set for such a problem. Great job pulling it together and finishing! Great RR - I truly am standing and applauding you. I remember the course well and I think I remember you on the side and the Black shimano pulling up with 2 guys running.

Great mental balance
2007-04-09 9:10 AM
in reply to: #744407

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Champion
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Dallas, TX
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Great job on not giving up and letting the bike issues get into your head. For some people, that would have pulled them out of the race... you kept going.

That's something to be proud of.

And... just think... any race you do from this point forward will seem easier... as it can't get any worse than this!
2007-04-11 6:15 PM
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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
These are the kind of stories I like to tell my kids.  What a terrific example you are, both in persistance and attitude.  I'm proud of you!


2007-04-11 9:43 PM
in reply to: #744407

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Master
1303
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Mishicot, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Ford Ironman 70.3 California
Congrats on one of the most motivational races I have read about in a long time!  You did awesome considering what was thrown at you.  I hope your future races aren't that complicated!  Your problem makes me want to read up on bikes!  Well congrats on such a great race and you are now a half Ironman!!!!!
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