Miami Man 1/2 Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Miami, Florida
United States
MultiRace
81F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 04m 39s
Overall Rank = 497/571
Age Group = Clyde 225+ 40+
Age Group Rank = 3/4
Pre-race routine:

Drove down Sat PM to drop the bike and had to boogie to the hotel to check in. Waited for Jim & Carl to get to the hotel and we had an early bite of pasta. Then I had to drive 90 miles back north to see my daughter's dance performance and then get back to the hotel. Ended up staying up until 1AM getting my gear together. Woke up and had my first cup of coffee in a month along with a granola bar.
Event warmup:

None. Just chatted with the guys. No nerves at all.
Swim
  • 52m 53s
  • 2112 yards
  • 02m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

I had a bottom 15% swim, but I expected that since I didn't swim *once* since my last race in August. I think I may have swum just 6 hours all year. This was a deliberate choice. I swapped all my swim workouts for run workouts remembering how dreadful my run was last year. I'm a crappy swimmer anyway, so I figured I could make a lot more progress on the run than I'd give up on the swim. I figured I'd only lose 3 or 4 minutes off last year's pace, but in reality I was 6 minutes slower. At any rate I felt fine and found a slow rhythm on the second loop.
What would you do differently?:

Train and get lessons. I'm a self-taught swimmer and it shows.
Transition 1
  • 04m 31s
Comments:

My wetsuit got shredded by the strippers, but heck I got 3 seasons out of a used $40 suit so no worries. Took my time in T1.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I could rush thru transition but I was out to have fun and not rush and forget something.
Bike
  • 2h 57m 10s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.97 mile/hr
Comments:

Given the insane winds last year and how blown up my legs were when I got off the bike, I planned to take it real easy on the bike and save my legs for the run. I paced myself like it was an easy Sunday long ride. It was a gorgeous morning so I just wanted to stay cheerful and enjoy myself.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This was an experiment to see what effect an easy bike would have on my leg's readiness for the run.
Transition 2
  • 07m 11s
Comments:

Got my feet outta my shoes in the last 1/4 mile, but had to run over some rough gravel to get to T2. Ouch. Took it slow since I wasn't out to break any records. I was worried about the nasty blister I've been dealing with the last few weeks so I took lots of time to get my feet prepped for the run.

Run
  • 3h 02m 52s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 13m 58s  min/mile
Comments:

At first my legs felt pretty good; way better than last year. Thus far I was racing according to plan: survive the swim and go easy on the bike to leave as much leg as possible for the run. In the 13 weeks before the race my run volume was just a bit higher than last year, but my peak weeks closer to race day were way higher than last year. That said, there was also a lot of missed training in the 2 weeks before the race. At any rate I was very disappointed that I was slower than last year when I worked at, and expected, to be maybe 20 minutes faster.

I felt Ok for the first loop but as soon as I began the second loop trouble started. I started feeling sore in my L kidney and I knew I was dehydrated. My nutrition and NaCl consumption had been spot on, but I hadn't been drinking since peeing at mile 3. I've never peed ever during any race or workout. Ever. So when I peed I figured I was plenty hydrated. I guess not 'cause aside from the discomfort I also noticed I wasn't sweating much and my heartrate was going nuts at low effort. I spent the next three miles walking and shuffling as I drank as much water as I could without getting to sloshy. I think I drank three liters over that span. Walked/shuffled the rest of the way in as my calves started to spasm when I would run for more than a couple minutes. Ended up a lot slower than last year. Blech.
What would you do differently?:

Get lighter, concentrate more on my run over the next year.
Post race
Warm down:

Ran thru the chute and went to the food tent to see what was up. Grabbed a banana and a few slices of pineapple. Remarkably I had a serious appetite when I typically won't eat for hours after a race. Saw Jim & Carl in transition and we walked out together.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Heading in to the race I felt fit, but outta shape. I felt like my run was much stronger but that proved not to be true. Ultimately I was way undertrained for this race. In the 13 weeks leading up to this race I averaged 5.75 hours a week compared to last year's 7/week and I was undertrained last year. I have a litany of good excuses: my wife was traveling constantly so I was busy w/ the kids, I hurt my back & then got sick leaving me w/ zero training in the last 2 weeks before the race. Hey, I'm a busy guy. My biggest problem was weight. I was 210 for this race last year and clocked in at 230 this year, when my plan was to have me at 200 on race day. Next season I have to put weight control and running as my top priorities. I'm disappointed in my performance but in retrospect my expectations were largely unrealistic. You're only going to get as much out of a race as you put in to training.

Event comments:

I love this course and have to give the RDs lots of credit for keeping things fun, smooth, well supported and punctual. It is a great event.




Last updated: 2010-10-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:52:53 | 2112 yards | 02m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 4/4
Overall: 508/571
Performance: Bad
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Two loops, fresh water lake
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 73F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:31
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:57:10 | 56 miles | 18.97 mile/hr
Age Group: 3/4
Overall: 330/571
Performance:
Wind: Some
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 07:11
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
03:02:52 | 13.1 miles | 13m 58s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/4
Overall: 510/571
Performance: Bad
Course:
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
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