Gulf Coast Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 10m 51s
Overall Rank = 523/1045
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 66/117
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in PCB from Orlando on Thursday around lunch time. Got race packet, checked out expo and checked into room. Enjoyed the beach view from the hotel, and denied my urge to drink a rumrunner at Pineapple Willy's.
Event warmup:

Pasta dinner on Friday night. Spent too much time on my feet and in the sun, but it was a vacation for my wife and me; and I had to participate in things she wanted to do... The art of compromise.
In the morning - woke up b-4 the alarm at 4:29. Clif bar first then a banana about 20 minutes before our 7am swim start
Swim
  • 35m 1s
  • 2640 yards
  • 01m 20s / 100 yards
Comments:

It was a little disconcerting to see a guy in the wave before mine go down and for Medical to be called. I didn't know what was going on, and feared the worse. Heart attack or whatever. I saw that he was breathing and although in pain, his injury was not life-threatening. Apparently he popped his shoulder doing warm-ups. Hope he is okay.
What would you do differently?:

This was a PR, but I just can't seem to maintain decent form and go 2 strokes per breath. The swells certainly didn't help, but I need to maintain form and not breath every stroke if I want to chop time off of the swim. But, it was a fun swim...
Transition 1
  • 04m 32s
Comments:

I have Fred Flinstone feet so I do not like running barefoot. The transition run is somewhat lengthy so I stashed a pair of shoes in the chute. Not sure if it's legal, but I saw a bunch of people do it, and I've done it before and no one has said anything.
What would you do differently?:

I took my time to rinse & dry my feet off and popped a couple of endurolytes. This slowed me down, but I have come to the conclusion that saving 30 seconds at the expense of possibly forgetting something is not worth it. I need to practice transition during a long brick work-out.
Bike
  • 2h 43m 7s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.60 mile/hr
Comments:

I was afraid I was going to get a drafting penalty; I heard the ref's motorcycle downshift right next to me, but they realized I was on the guy's wheel for only a few seconds before I overtook him. No penalty and the ref made the right call. It was frustrating to see some Relay Bikers ride in a slipstream peloton; but I did not see too much drafting. My hydration was water - good hand-offs with the volunteers (THANK YOU!) and infinit clyesdale blend...
What would you do differently?:

My bike is pretty strong, my run is weak. I tried to be conservative on the bike to save myself for the run. It didn't make that much of a difference. If I pushed a little bit harder, I could've gone sub 2:40. No major complaints. Felt pretty good coming off the bike. The shoulders were a bit sore. Not too bad.
Transition 2
  • 03m 15s
Comments:

Saw the wife while I was just getting off the bike. It was great to hear her encouragement. Changed my socks, hydrated, did a gel, put on my shoes. The nasty part of the race was just beginning. Forgot my endurolytes... that was a big no-no.
Kept my Fuel Belt (accelerade) in a soft-sided cooler. It was nice to have somewhat cold nutrition. I think future races - I'll keep powder and mix with water I get on the course. Not sure.
What would you do differently?:

I had my endurolytes in a pill box in my bento bag on my bike. I took several on the bike without much of a problem. I forgot to get it and bring it with me on the run. Next time I'm going to get an additional baggie or pill box of endurolytes and put them on top of my shoes so I know to bring them on the run. Very annoyed with myself for a rookie mistake.
Run
  • 2h 44m 57s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I am just not a good runner. I can maybe do a 2:10 on a half marathon alone, but in the heat and after the bike, my body just does not respond on the run. Not sure if it's nutrition or lack of condition or the heat or what, but it's extremely frustrating to be respectable on 2/3 of the race only to struggle so much on the most important part of the race.
I'm thinking not taking the endurolytes and the heat contributed to my tough time. I think I did 1 gel coming out of T2 and a gel at around mile 6. But with the accelerade (24 oz total) I thought I was getting enough nutrition. Apparently not.
What would you do differently?:

If I want to break 6, I have to improve my run. I can't control the heat, I can't control the lack of shade. I can control how much I prepare for a race, and how serious I am the days leading up to it. Upon reflection, initially a few beers seemed harmless on Thurs & Fri (I was on vacation after all) but I think it translated into a performance that I was capable of exceeding. I'm not going to beat myself up over it, but I won't forget it come Sept 27th in Augusta.
Post race
Warm down:

Light stretching. Found a chair in some shade and took off my soaking wet socks and recovered. Pizza was gone by the time I hit the tent.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat & forgetting my endurolytes. That coupled with maybe not being as well rested as I should've been.


Event comments:

Any race would be a failure with out all of the volunteers. Thank you for supporting us. I am grateful and think you all were great! The beach was beautiful, the bike course was very good. The run course was decent. I would do this again fo' sho'.

I am certainly proud of doing my 3rd Half IM in 12 month period (Fl Half May '08/ Miami-Man Nov '08 / GCT May'09) and I do this for fun and don't want to lose sight of a great accomplishment. Am I beating myself up for missing a time goal or being a little slow? A little bit. We spend a lot of time doing this sport, and we all want to do it well. I'll break 6 next time...




Last updated: 2009-05-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:01 | 2640 yards | 01m 20s / 100yards
Age Group: 22/117
Overall: 0/1045
Performance: Good
Suit: Nineteen - farmer john
Course: The 3/4 rectangular course had a nice swell heading out. The walk into the surf took a while as well, made a conscious decision to take my time b/c running in thigh deep water causes my HR to sky-rocket. Buoys were clearly noticeable despite the waves. I was surprised that the top of the rectangle only had corner buoys, but they were larger so I spotted them without much problem. Main sighting was from the other racers I was trying to pace myself on.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:32
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
02:43:07 | 56 miles | 20.60 mile/hr
Age Group: 53/117
Overall: 0/1045
Performance: Average
My HR was mid 140's to mid 150's most of the time. Cadence was mid 80's.
Wind: Headwind
Course: Parallel to the beach for several miles then north away from the beach and onto lightly traveled roads. One incline (bridge) that was a piece of cake. Cops / volunteers did a great job of controlling traffic. Road was a bit rough at the out and back portion of the middle of the bike course. Saw some flats, but I was spared.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 85?
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:15
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:44:57 | 13.1 miles | 12m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 86/117
Overall: 0/1045
Performance: Bad
My HR hit the 170's but it was mostly in the mid 160's. According to my HR I wasn't struggling too bad, but I tried to kick my run up a few gears and my body didn't respond.
Course: Out and back course. Basically pure sun and no shade and I was feelin' HOT HOT HOT. Again big shout out and thanks to the volunteers for the aid stations. They were everywhere and everyone was very cool and encouraging. A decent amount of homeowners / vacationers were in front of their places to check us out and provide encouragement... and taunting us with their coolers of beer...
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4