Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 59m 35s
Overall Rank = 1302/2435
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4:30 took a shower and then ate. I had two small bagels, oatmeal, orange juice, and a bottle of Gatorade Carb. energy. Headed down to transition just after 5:00. At transition I pumped up my tires and dropped off my special needs bike bag.
Event warmup:

Walked the 3/4 of a mile to the swim start. Once I got to the swim start I walked another 3/4 of a mile to the end of the line.
Swim
  • 1h 18m 7s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 51s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was one of the last people in the water. I think I jumped in just before 7:45. Originally I was worried I wouldn't be able to see too well with my tinted goggles but by the time I was in the water it was pretty bright out. Right away I settled into a nice rhythm and looked for someone to draft off of. However, every pair of feet I found was swimming a slower pace then I wanted to go. Gave up on the idea of drafting and just concentrated on keeping a nice smooth rhythm. Water started to get a little choppier once in the main channel. I had some contact with other swimmers but not near as bad as some of the races I have done. For the most part I felt I had a lot of space. I did get some bad cramps in my left calf toward the end of the swim. It stayed tight until about 30 miles into the bike.
What would you do differently?:

I didn't like starting so far back but I hate standing in line even more. If I knew how late I would have gotten into the water I would have taken my time getting to the start, maybe sleep in a bit longer. Oh yeah, don't forget to put glide on my neck. Always do with a wetsuit but realized a speed suit can give you a nice "kiss" on your neck as well.
Transition 1
  • 12m 22s
Comments:

Really took my time in transition. Changed from suit to bike shorts and jersey. Since this was my first Ironman I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything and I made sure I had put glide in all the right places. I did lose all of my sport beans, Tylenol, Salt Tabs, and Imodium AD. They fell out of my pocket when I was running to the mount line.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure I don't lose anything out of my pockets. Maybe try to go a little faster but my goal was to finish, so I was ok with taking my time.
Bike
  • 6h 57m 41s
  • 112 miles
  • 16.09 mile/hr
Comments:

My plan was to start very slow on the bike and then increase speed later if I could. It was tough to stick with this because I was getting passed so often it made me want to speed up. But I stayed slow and I think this saved me for later in the day. The course was amazing, very fun to ride, smooth roads and beautiful scenery. I picked up special needs bag during my first lap because I needed salt tabs and tylenol, which had fallen out of my pocket during transition. Biggest problem with this was now I had too much of everything. My back pockets were stuffed with powerbars, gels, salt tabs, and an extra tube and co2. The original plan was to skip special needs if I didn't need anything but this early in the ride I didn't know what I would need later. Started to increase my speed as I started on my second lap. I was feeling great and everything I ate agreed with my stomach. Powerbars on the hour, gels on the half hour, bananas at each aid station, and sipping on water and gatorade throughout ride. One close call while passing special needs on my second lap. There was a van in front of me who moved to the left of the lane so he didn't hit bikers picking up their special needs bags. I passed him on the left but cars were coming from the other direction as well. Not sure how I made it through, but I could have touched both the car on my left and the van on my right with my elbows. Started to have a lot of knee pain around mile 68, just after the climb into La Grange. It hurt really bad especially when climbing and I had already taken my only 2 tylenol earlier in the ride. Stopped at an aid station around mile 75 to use the rest room and was given some advil by another racer. The pills saved the day, took enough of the pain away where I could increase my speed and finish the bike strong.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe go out a little faster. I had no idea what to expect because I had not seen or ridden the course before. I wanted to save most of my energy for the hills.
Transition 2
  • 11m 29s
Comments:

Again, really took my time. Changed from cycling gear to running shorts and running top. Made sure to get glide everywhere it was needed. Changed watches so I could run with my Garmin 305. Had the volunteers put some more sunscreen on my neck. Used the rest room before heading out of transition.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing really, I was planning on taking my time.
Run
  • 4h 19m 56s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 55s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt great coming out of transition. Looked down at my Garmin a couple miles into the marathon to see I was running an 8:30/mile pace. I was fine with this but knew I still had a long way to go so I slowed down. Settled into a nice rhythm. I would jog from aid station to aid station. I allowed myself to walk as long as I had a cup in my hand. I used this strategy during my first marathon and it worked well for me. I was amazed at how great my stomach felt. I usually have cramping, bloating, and G.I. problems but not today. I took coke, gatorade, water, bananas, grapes, oranges, gels, a couple of cookies and a few pretzels. My stomach agreed with everything. I also took a salt tab every hour. Finished the first half in a time of 2:04. My original goal was to run a sub 5 hour marathon so unless something went really wrong I knew I would. Made a turn to start my second loop, very hard to do considering you just passed the finish line. I had goose bumps from hearing people finish but knew I still had one more lap to go. Started to get really tired around mile 20. I had been walking through the aid stations the whole marathon but now found it tougher to start running again. Started taking chicken broth along with whatever else I could grab at the aid stations. Pushed myself through miles 20-25. By far the toughest part of my day. As you hit downtown and get close to making a left to 4th street you forget/can't feel any of the pain. As I approached 4th street live I couldn't feel anything. It felt like I just floated toward the bright lights. I got chills and goose bumps running down the shoot. The crowd was amazing and I couldn't stop smiling. An incredible finish to an incredible day.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I ran as I had planned. Everything worked out almost perfect. I never expected to feel so great during the run.
Post race
Warm down:

After getting my finisher photo taken I walked back to my hotel. I relaxed for a bit, took and shower, changed my clothes, and headed back to the finish line to watch others. I stayed until midnight to watch and cheer on others as they finished.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I really felt great all day. The weather was almost perfect. As I continue to race I will work a lot harder on biking, especially hills. This is my weakest area and taking 45 minutes off my bike time would make a big difference.

Event comments:

I couldn't have picked a better first Ironman. Weather was amazing, course was beautiful, and I felt fantastic all day long. Overall an incredible experience, I can't wait to do another.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-10-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:18:07 | 4224 yards | 01m 51s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 758/2435
Performance: Good
Suit: Speedo Fast Skin II Knee Skin
Course: Swim upstream approximately 1/3 of the distance before turning around a buoy and swimming downstream the remaining 2/3.
Start type: Dive Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 12:22
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:57:41 | 112 miles | 16.09 mile/hr
Age Group: 1761/
Overall: 0/2435
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: 30 miles out to two loop circuit and back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 11:29
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:19:56 | 26.2 miles | 09m 55s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 1302/2435
Performance: Good
Course: Run up onto a bridge over the Ohio River then a two loop out and back. The course was very flat.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 5