Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - Triathlon


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Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
75-8F / 0C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 58m 7s
Overall Rank = 654/
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 66/
Pre-race routine:

I woke up at 3am, got dressed, and ate a plain bagel with nutella. I drove downtown , set up my T2, then got on the shuttle to the swim start, which was around 45 minutes. Once I got there, I set up my transition area for the bike. Thankfully, everything was ok, as I'd heard that tires were exploding in the sunny parking lot the day before. I'd deflated my tires a good bit, so everything was ok.
Event warmup:

Nate and I ran a mile as a warm-up, then waited in line for the porta-potties. After that, transition was closed and we got in line for the swim. Our wave started about an hour after the pros, so there was a good bit of waiting involved.
Swim
  • 47m 49s
  • 1931 meters
  • 02m 29s / 100 meters
Comments:

The first third of the swim, out to the first buoy, was pretty good. I started out at a reasonable pace, and kept reminding myself that there was no rush. There was a good bit of contact, but nothing major. However, once I rounded the first buoy, the water got really choppy, which I wasn't expecting. It seemed pretty flat at the start, but the deeper we got, the choppier it was. About halfway through the swim, it felt like there were actual waves out there, and you just had to time your breathing with the crest. Rounding the last buoy, I still felt ok, kept on breathing, and headed in.
What would you do differently?:

First off, bring my wetsuit! At the athlete's meeting the day before, the RD said, "Unless a semi-truck of ice falls into the lake overnight, it's not going to be a wetsuit-legal swim." Well, that must've happened, because it went from 79 on Saturday to 76 on Sunday. I'm not terribly disappointed in my time, it's only a couple minutes slower than I expected, but I wish I was on a more even playing field with those who wore one. Other than that, I just need to get a little more OWS training to get a little stronger in the water.
Transition 1
  • 03m 2s
Comments:

It was a long run from the swim to the run just because the transition area was so big, but I felt pretty efficient in there.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, it went as I planned.
Bike
  • 2h 58m 1s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.77 mile/hr
Comments:

I'm really happy with my bike performance; I knew my plan and stuck to it. I hopped on the bike and took it easy for the first few miles, as there was some fairly serious elevation gain out of T1. After 10 minutes, I took my first Gu, and then had one about every 1/2 hour after that. Overall, I just tried to keep my HR down, and keep spinning. I didn't hammer up the hills, and I tried to get some speed going down, max was just under 38mph. I had real problems with managing water, however. The course gave out bottled water, not bike bottles, which I hadn't planned on. So, over the course of the ride, I ended up dropping both my water bottles, and a couple bottled waters, just because I was trying to manage it all. It didn't really affect my performance because I still managed to drink enough and regularly, but I need to plan on a potentially similar situation for Louisville.
Also, I passed so many riders! It seemed like during the ride, I must've passed hundreds of people. They started the older age groups ahead of us, and the whole ride there was just a line of people to pass. It wasn't a particular problem, but I was really surprised at how many people I was passing, without really trying to go hard.
What would you do differently?:

Not a lot, really. My HR was where I wanted it, I hydrated and took in nutrition well, and gained some time I lost on the swim. I could've gone harder, but it would've impacted my run, so I'm pretty happy, really.
Transition 2
  • 02m 19s
Comments:

It was pretty much in-and-out. There wasn't much to fuss over.
What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Run
  • 2h 06m 56s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 38s  min/mile
Comments:

I got off the bike feeling great, plenty of energy and legs felt fine. I tried to keep my pace and HR down, but my first mile was still my fastest. I was doing pretty well through most of the course, but the last 3 miles hurt pretty badly. It wasn't anything in particular, but my body was pretty tired.
I took the first part of the course pretty easy, just pacing myself. Once the steeper hills started, my goal was just to not walk. I couldn't believe how many people were walking; I was blown away. I just kept saying, "I didn't train to walk this race." Seriously, I probably saw 500 people walking. On the way back, I tired to push a little, but didn't have much left in the tank. In retrospect, I know why: I didn't take in any calories at all on the run. I didn't really want any food, so I took in water, but didn't have a gel or anything on the run at all, which definitely caught up to me.
What would you do differently?:

Stick to a plan! I was pretty fastidious about taking in nutrition on the bike, and then just abandoned it on the run. I need to figure out what I can take in on the run that won't make me nauseous.
Post race
Warm down:

haha. I just about passed out at the end. The lady came up to ask for my chip, and I just told her I needed to sit down. My head was spinning. I basically just sat down and poured water on my head.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Overall, I'm happy with my performance, I just need to dial in the run nutrition.

Event comments:

It was a wonderful race. There were tons of volunteers who were extremely helpful and supportive. The finish line was great, and the courses were very representative of the area. They really did a wonderful job for an inaugural race.




Last updated: 2012-08-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:47:49 | 1931 meters | 02m 29s / 100meters
Age Group: 97/
Overall: 1175/
Performance: Below average
Suit:
Course: It was basically a triangle: keep the buoys on your right, and turn right at the red ones.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 76F / 24C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:02
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:58:01 | 56 miles | 18.77 mile/hr
Age Group: 85/
Overall: 878/
Performance: Good
Avg HR-140
Wind: Some
Course: I loved the course. It's just miles of rolling hills, with a few that get your HR up, but nothing serious. The race planners chose a great route, with great scenery and, for the most part, nice road conditions.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:19
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
02:06:56 | 13.1 miles | 09m 38s  min/mile
Age Group: 66/
Overall: 654/
Performance: Below average
Avg HR-153
Course: Man, this was a beast of a run. It's an out-and-back course, with mostly uphill the way out. Then, through the 5-8 mile mark, it's just steep hills. Steep up, then steep down. It wasn't a bad course; it was well-planned and pretty, but some of those hills were killers.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5