Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon Speedway Edition - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Homestead, Florida
United States
Multirace
87F / 31C
Sunny
Total Time = 7h 04m 2s
Overall Rank = 73/109
Age Group = Under 40 Clydes
Age Group Rank = 1/1
Pre-race routine:

Up at 4:45, dressed, breakfast (bagel & peanut butter and chocolate milk) and out the door with the family by 5:30. Arrived at the speedway by 5:45. Set up transition, hit the restroom, rechecked transition, then walked to swim start.
Event warmup:

It's south Florida in late May, just being outside is a warm-up.
Swim
  • 41m 39s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 58s / 100 yards
Comments:

Water was warmer than expected, easily the warmest swim I've done. I was surprised by the clarity of the water. The perimeter is limestone which is very visible and the middle is deep and dark. Sighting was difficult on the back half of the loop because of heading directly into the rising sun. I missed a buoy on the 1st lap and had to double back slightly. Also, the new TYR goggles worked great, no leaks, minimal fogging.
What would you do differently?:

Not sign up for a race at the end of spring football. Could not get to the pool once practices started.
Transition 1
  • 01m 13s
Comments:

12/109 - best part of the race for me. I had a great spot, first rack, first bike. Problem was, the bike out AND the bike in were at the complete other end of transition, which meant I got to run the entire length of transition with my bike twice.
What would you do differently?:

SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!!!
Bike
  • 2h 59m 19s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.74 mile/hr
Comments:

I'll be honest, this bike course was the ONLY reason I signed up for this race. Getting to ride my bike on a NASCAR track was the coolest experience ever. I hit 27+ mph on the front straightaway, that alone was worth the price of admission. Getting to ride up the banked turns was icing on the cake. I loved the 3 laps in the speedway, the rest of the course not so much. The remaining course is on very rough secondary roads, mainly used by agricultural businesses and garbage trucks on their way to the 2 landfills the course goes past. Yes, you get not one, but two landfills, AND you get to go past them on the way out and the way back, EACH lap. So do the math, that's EIGHT times you get to ride past a steaming pile of garbage from the most populated city in Florida.
What would you do differently?:

Train more. I basically went into this race with only a 25-40 mile ride once per week. Not enough endurance built up to push as hard as I did.
Transition 2
  • 02m 1s
Comments:

Made the decision to unclip and run in my cleats back to the rack after I started cramping in both quads late in the ride. Did no want to risk a fall in a race that I wasn't going to PR. I also
What would you do differently?:

SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!!!

I'm seeing a pattern there.
Run
  • 3h 19m 53s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 15m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

I now know the true meaning of "death march." I really had intentions of jogging the run, the problem was I had already started cramping on the bike. The heat was brutal and I am still fighting plantar fasciitis so less than 3 miles in, I was resigned to walking. I was able to maintain a 15 min/mile for the first lap but just a mile into the 2nd lap, I developed a nasty blister on my left 4th toe. That slowed my pace down to the point that I knew I would not make my 7 hour finish goal.
What would you do differently?:

Get healthy, see a doctor about my foot issue, lose weight, train, remember to lube the toes, pray for shade, put on deodorant, use Body Glide, etc.....
Post race
Warm down:

None! I crossed the finish line and they handed me my metal and a bottle of water. I had to ask for a Gatorade, which the volunteer just opened the cooler lid and pointed. I politely explained that if he didn't get it for me, he would be pulling my body out of the cooler.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

SUNSCREEN, injury, weight, lack of training, heat, and wind.

Event comments:

While the course was well designed, there were obvious places where corners were cut. The race swag was very low quality and minimal at best. The post race food/beverage was lacking. And for a "destination" race and a very unique venue, there was hardly anything to do for families.




Last updated: 2014-11-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:41:39 | 2112 yards | 01m 58s / 100yards
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 57/109
Performance: Average
Suit: Ryder Bikes team tri-suit
Course: Started on the east end of the infield lake, swam counterclockwise around the perimeter of the lake. On the 2nd time swimming past the exit point, we had to exit and cross a timing mat, then back in for one more complete lap.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 82F / 28C Current: Low
200M Perf. Bad Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 01:13
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
02:59:19 | 56 miles | 18.74 mile/hr
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 47/109
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: 3/4 of a lap around the speedway, then out onto the surrounding roads, before returning to the speedway for another partial lap followed by another out and back on the same roads, followed by one more lap of the speedway. Steady wind was out of the east which gave you a headwind/crosswind on the way out and a tailwind/crosswind on the way back. Wind was deceiving and I feel it took more out of me than I realized.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence: 84
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 02:01
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Bad
Running
03:19:53 | 13.1 miles | 15m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/1
Overall: 73/109
Performance: Bad
Course: Started with a partial lap through the infield before heading out under the track near turn 1. From there, it was a double out and back before heading back into the speedway for another partial infield lap and a trip down pit road. Then it was time for lap 2.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Bad
Race evaluation [1-5] 3