Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Oceanside, California
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
50sF / 0C
Overcast
Total Time = 7h 42m 4s
Overall Rank = 1996/2235
Age Group = W40-44
Age Group Rank = 88/100
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:45. Usual bowl of cereal. On the road by 4:30 for 1/2 drive to Oceandise. Parked near T2, dropped off run bag, and rode over to T1. With the new double transition format I had checked the night before to make sure that I would be able to fold up by tri backpack and stuff it in the dry clothes bag for T1. I saw a lot of people with the race bags hanging off their bikes. I tried something similar two years ago, became unbalanced and fell, hurting my hip making for an uncomfortable run later in the day. I felt I should stick to the backback, and I was able to pack it in the race-provided bag when the time came. Unfortunately, I also packed my sunscreen and my towel so I didn't have those in T1. I was originally thinking we would just be leaving that along with the wet clothes bag at T1, and didn't quite think things through when I realized we would be dropping them off on the way into the swim.
Event warmup:

My usual - doing the pee pee dance in the porta-potty line twice, and rushing through the chute to catch up with my wave.
Swim
  • 55m 12s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 52s / 100 meters
Comments:

With the race adrenaline going, the water didn't feel as cold as during my weekly OWS's in Mission Bay. The booties and neoprene cap help of course. With the high surf outside the harbor, the swells started sooner and were stronger than in the other two races I've done here. The frequent open water swims I made in the last year helped a lot with the chop. I didn't become frustrated and stop like I would have in the past. One poor girl swimming next to me was vomiting from sea sickness. I felt bad for her, but judging by the position of the kayaker that was sticking with her I'm pretty sure she finished ahead of me anyway. I've become a much stronger swimmer over the past year, but I haven't been able to increase my speed at all. In fact this swim was two minutes slower than the same course two years ago. I was hoping for 50 minutes, but with the chop I'm happy with the 55.
Transition 1
  • 13m 19s
Comments:

I'm always slow in transition, but it was worse this year putting on all the cold weather gear - arm warmers, leg warmers, windbreaker, etc. Not having a towel made getting this gear on even more difficult.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure I have towel and suncreen in T1.
Bike
  • 3h 45m 43s
  • 56 miles
  • 14.89 mile/hr
Comments:

I was glad I took the time to put on the extra clothes in T1. I was comfortable and never warmed to the point that I wanted to remove any of it. Despite the constant drizzle the ride was uneventful. As I approached the second aid station I realized that I hadn't drank or eaten anything since the previous aid station. With the lack of sun and heat it just hadn't occurred to me. Oops. I grabbed a piece of banana from a volunteer, drank some water, and made a note to start drinking my Infinit at regular intervals. Luckily, this lapse didn't seem to impact the rest of my race.

There were quite a few people walking up the first hill, but as usual, I was able to get up it with a bit of effort. This year I didn't get out of the saddle as much as I may have in the past. At the next significant hill there were a few walkers but not as many this time. Then winds on the back side weren't anywhere near where they were the last two years. This along with my consistently increasing comfort on the bike made this part of the ride much more enjoyable this year. The last mile to the new T2 wasn't optimal as it was tight and the guy in front of me was swerving as he was fighting to get out of his shoes. As we approached this stretch it dawned on me that we would have one final short STEEP climb just as we hit T2. Curious how that must feel when you're out of your shoes. Made it up and into T2 without issue. Hit my goal time right on the nose.

What would you do differently?:

Focus more to keep an even pace early and eat and drink consistently.
Transition 2
  • 07m
Comments:

Another slow transition getting all that cold weather gear off, putting on suncreen, and a potty stop.
What would you do differently?:

I don't know, still can't figure out why I'm so slow at this (even compared to others using arm/leg warmers).
Run
  • 2h 40m 50s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 17s  min/mile
Comments:

The weather was perfect and the overcast kept a lot of beach goers away so the boardwalk wasn't as crowded as the last couple years, which was nice because the run path is pretty tight through here. I felt good coming off the bike and kept a pretty steady pace through the run. The weather made it easy to stay hydrated without taxing the system. Only walked one climb up to the street and another back down to the boardwalk, actually ended up doing some freaky crab hop here as something in my leg just wasn't happy. Once I hit flat ground I was off and running again with less than a mile to the finish. I came in five minutes under my goal time.
Post race
Warm down:

Received my medal and hat, gave the volunteers my chip, and grabbed some pizza. Headed back to the finish to meet up with my mom and see a few athletes come in. Headed up to transition to grab my gear and then drove down to Fidel's in Solana Beach for an early dinner. Yum!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This race went well. I came in three minutes under my goal time. I'd like to cut off another fifteen minutes. I'm hoping I can shave at least five, if not ten off my swim with better conditions and continuing open water practice, and I need to work on those transitions.

Event comments:

I really like this race(which is great since it's close to home). The swim is mostly protected, but gets a few (or in this case more than a few) swells to keep it interesting. The bike course is scenic and challenging, and the beach atmosphere of the run course is fun. The volunteers including many Marines are great and the race is well organized. I felt the change to a two transition system was well communicated and went pretty well (alhtough it made the course less than optimal). I definitely plan to be back for a fourth time next year.




Last updated: 2012-04-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:55:12 | 1931 meters | 02m 52s / 100meters
Age Group: 89/100
Overall: 2067/2235
Performance: Good
Suit: De Soto 2 piece
Course: pseudo-rectangular course in harbor
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 58F / 14C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 13:19
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
03:45:43 | 56 miles | 14.89 mile/hr
Age Group: 79/100
Overall: 1963/2235
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Single loop up the coast and back through the hills of Camp Pendleton. Slightly technical over the first few miles, then flat and fast until mile 30, hills through 40 or so, then pretty flat (though often with wind) back to Oceanside. The road conditions are mostly good, but the first portion of the race as some rough spots. Saw quite a few lost water bottles, and reached back to realize my spare had ejected as well. Sorry to the people behind me.
Road:  Wet Cadence: 75
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 07:00
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
02:40:50 | 13.1 miles | 12m 17s  min/mile
Age Group: 85/100
Overall: 1926/2235
Performance: Good
Course: Two loops along the board walk and south along Pacific Street. With the new T2 this year several up and down transitions between street level and the boardwalk were added this year. These short but very steep climbs and especially the descents were a bit tough on those with knee or back problems, etc.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
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