Ironman Wisconsin - Triathlon


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Madison, Wisconsin
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
72F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 00m
Overall Rank = 2000/2826
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 233/297
Pre-race routine:

4:00am wakeup. Appleasauce and whey protein. Drove to Madison. Got dropped off at Monona Terrace. Dropped off special needs bags and my water bottles, got body marked, and headed to the swim start.
Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 1h 32m 54s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 12s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim went well. I had been having problems with calf cramps, but had been supplementing with magnesium and potassium, and no problems today. Navigation was okay, but could have been better. I should have tried to start closer to the inside, but still on the back, and tried to get in on some of the draft packs. There was a group on the inside that I saw pretty much throughout the race, swimming about my pace, that if I would have linked up with, I could have saved some energy. Overall, I swam as I wanted and as I expected.
What would you do differently?:

Draft better, navigate better.
Transition 1
  • 14m
Comments:

There is a long transition, it was a long day. I was not going to set any records for speed here. I walked up the transition helix - bare feet plus bare concrete plus 140.6 does not make a good combo. Not eating any paste today. Took my time, got my nutrition.
Hit a portapotty that took a bit longer than expected but left me feeling better. Nothing problematic, just necessary :)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 7h 25m 39s
  • 112 miles
  • 15.08 mile/hr
Comments:

This course is brutal and unforgiving. My goals was to not eat any paste (i.e., not due anything stupid) and run my race. The course makes it all too easy to burn matches and kill the run, and my goal was to avoid that. I kept my heart rate around 130 or in the 120s for most if, and took the climbs as best I could. Shifted early, shifted often, and put the 34-28 combo to good use. Spun out on the downhills, but did not push hard, to take advantage of the speed and spin out the lactic acid.
Had to stop at an aid station to use the potty again, and stopped at special needs to stretch and get sunscreen.
Nutrition was spot-on. Drank plenty, ate every half hour, salt every half hour. No cramps, no upset stomach, no problems.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Not one single thing. The bike split was slower than I wanted, but was exactly what I set out to do.
Transition 2
  • 11m 29s
Comments:

Smooth. Hit the head again, took my time. Had some difficulty getting the big sticky bandages for the nipples on, but oh well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 6h 01m 41s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 13m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

I had a clean marathon - and that's all that matters. I am satisfied with the run.

I kept a good pace - my goal was around 12:00/mile, which I maintained for the first 10 miles or so. After that, between the hills and fatigue, there was only so much more I could do. The course is very oddly shaped and a double loop, and there is one stretch that is on a shaded forest path. Once the sun starts to set, it is a very, very lonely and isolated place. After 7:30pm, most of the spectators and partyers go home, so all that is left is those folks doing the Ironman Shuffle.
About mile 18, I linked up with folks from Illinois, and they were doing honest-to-goodness Grandmom Mall Powerwalking. I joined in, and that stuff works. It was a happy pace between the death shuffle and the eternal suffering of a real jog.
What would you do differently?:

Not much more I could do here - I was beat by a lack of fitness base.
Post race
Warm down:

Kept walking, got my medal, heard Mike Riley say my name.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Fitness base, period. This season is my second in triathlon, and coming off a good 7:30 bike split just limits the ability to really push the body on the marathon. I did jump 36 spots overall on the run.

Event comments:

There were a lot of small screwups and misinformation given by Ironman here, which was frustrating. One would think, after doing this race so many times, it would be all routine by now. I was given four different stories, throughout the week, as to how to pick up special needs bags. At one point, there official story was that it was going to be a wave start. Also, early athlete guide had next year's even in late October. Lots of minor but significant screwups.




Last updated: 2013-09-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:32:54 | 4224 yards | 02m 12s / 100yards
Age Group: 235/297
Overall: 2022/2826
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Single loop
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 14:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Bad
Biking
07:25:39 | 112 miles | 15.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 237/297
Overall: 2036/2826
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Hilly and technical.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 11:29
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
06:01:41 | 26.2 miles | 13m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 233/297
Overall: 2000/2826
Performance: Good
Course: HIlly. Damn hilly.
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4