Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Galveston, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 16m 46s
Overall Rank = 1382/2670
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 135/216
Pre-race routine:

Went to bed at 9 pm. Woke up at 4 am. Got to venue at 5 am. Ate PBH at 4:30 and had a bananna and OJ at about 7:15. Spent about 30 minutes setting up my transition area.
Event warmup:

No real warm up this time. Decided to focus on preparing for the swim mentally.
Swim
  • 38m 53s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 01s / 100 meters
Comments:

Gun start for wave. Started back middle of wave and waited about 10 seconds after gun to get going. Sighted on individual buoys and started slow to keep HR under control. Worked well and eased into pace. Did freestyle the whole way. Only stopped a couple of times to look and pick lines when started getting too crowded. Sighting was good, would sight after every 3-4 breaths. Stayed on course, pull was even.
What would you do differently?:

Push the pace the last half to 1/4 of the race. Kept a comfortable pace the entire distance.
Transition 1
  • 03m 52s
Comments:

Had wet suit strippers. Good run out of water. Cap and goggles off on transition run and suit to waist by time got to strippers. Weren't supposed to be any but hey, I'll take it! Strippers got suit off in two pulls. Got to bike and got gear pretty quickly. Got out to mount line and aerodrink came off mount after starting off. Tried to reattach and couldn't. Went to stop and pulled too hard on front brake. Endoe'd but not injured to badly. Got up, bottle on and took off.
What would you do differently?:

Not go over the handle bars. May use zip ties during a race or go to a torpedo mount.
Bike
  • 3h 10m 24s
  • 56 miles
  • 17.65 mile/hr
Comments:

Pace felt good. Actually felt like I could push it harder but was glad I didn't because my run times suffered from the pace I was already going. Felt strong and good on the bike. Missed getting a bottle at the second aid station. Stopped on the way back and had one of the volunteers throw one across the road to me.
What would you do differently?:

Get in more of the long rides on training so that my pace could be as high or higher without affecting my run the way it did. Slow down more to make sure I get the needed water bottle so I don't have to stop on the way back.
Transition 2
  • 07m 12s
Comments:

Actually ended up being kinda stiff after the ride so on dismount walked my bike back to rack instead of running. also said I would do this after last low back injury to give my hip flexors time to stretch out before getting out on the run. Spent time waiting in line at bathrooms in transition (2 in line in front of me) and getting sunscreen from the volunteers.
What would you do differently?:

not stand in line for bathroom - go to one on run course that wasn't busy, do own sunscreen in transition and also more long rides to help with stiffness off bike. May be able to run in transition some then.
Run
  • 2h 16m 25s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Course was kind of confusing with all twists and turns. Previewing on Google Satellite helped out. Stopped once on first lap to make sure I was going the right way and was. Lots of aid stations. Used water bottles and perpetuem tablets I was carrying but started using aid station halfway through second of three laps. Ate a bananna segment, didn't help. Was partly cloudy and was nice for the majority of the run. Only got hot when sun came out. Also had sunscreen issues - running into eyes with sweat so was constantly cleaning out of eyes and wiping sweat off forehead. That was a distraction.
What would you do differently?:

Need to find a good sunscreen that works and doesn't sting - don't use course sunscreen. Also, no banannas on course, upset stomach. Don't wait for bathroom find one along the way that isn't busy. More long bikes to get a stronger run finish. Stand alone is 1:47, in tri the run was 2:16 - larger delta than i would expect with more bike.
Post race
Warm down:

walked some after the race and went to the food tent to get something to eat.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

More bike training! Need more long rides to help with the run and also to honor the training goals. For example, keep zone 1-2 rides in zone 1-2 and don't push them into zone 3-4. Also honor length. Went over considerably on some of the shorter rides.

Event comments:

Enjoyed race. Weather was great. Couldn't have asked for much better temps, winds and humidity compared to what it could be. Lots of volunteers so there was good support.




Last updated: 2011-08-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:53 | 1931 meters | 02m 01s / 100meters
Age Group: 90/216
Overall: 10048/2670
Performance: Good
Suit: Yes Xterra Vortex 4
Course: Triangular with 645 meters to first left turn buoy, approx 1100 meters on the back straight and 175 or so meters to swim out.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:52
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
03:10:24 | 56 miles | 17.65 mile/hr
Age Group: 140/216
Overall: 1417/2670
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: Out and back course, generally good asphalt. Lane closures each way except for where two lane and then used shoulders. Partly cloudy with some wind. SSE at about 7-10 (estimated). Not bad at all!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 91
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 07:12
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Bad
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:16:25 | 13.1 miles | 10m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 135/216
Overall: 1382/2670
Performance: Average
Course: 3 loops through Moody Gardens. Course was fine with plenty of aid stations. I previewed the course on Google Satellite though and was still kind of confusing when tired but signage was good anyway. Flat.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4