Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Benton Harbor, Michigan
United States
CAPRI Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 29m 50s
Overall Rank = 270/1888
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 44/257
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4 AM, had some oatmeal and bad hotel coffee. Threw away the coffee and stopped at Mickey D's for "better" coffee. Dad took me to transition - thanks Dad.
Event warmup:

I really couldn't, the race went from a Tri to a Du with the swim cancelled. I stripped the wetsuit off and headed to the run start, we were like sardines there so I just stretched. For those who do not know, the wind was blowing from the north about 20-30 knots and those dinky rescue kayaks can't handle those well. The bouys would have been hard to see, but it was the right call - it would have put weak swimmers in jeopardy.
Swim
  • 13m 50s
  • 2310 yards
  • 36s / 100 yards
Comments:

When a tri becomes a Du I have no idea how to log this. I'll just capture the time and move on...
What would you do differently?:

Sacrifice small animals to appease the angry Lake Michigan god... angry lake is bad. Very bad.

My first Du, a few of us at the beginning pondered how to pace this, for 2.1 miles how much time could be made when biking 56 miles after? We decided not much - wise thoughts Jeff, thanks. I ran "comfortably fast". Sounds good?
Transition 1
  • 01m 10s
Comments:

This transition was a run to bike, NEVER did this before! Well, I kicked it in the a$$. I smoke this transition, the one good thing I did was left the running hat and all non-essentials at the transition, all I had to do was jump on the bike. I have never did a race where you bike with the run bib on, so that made it easy not to forget.
What would you do differently?:

Nada
Bike
  • 2h 31m 5s
  • 54.25 miles
  • 21.54 mile/hr
Comments:

This was a fast bike - period. The roads were not all that great. I biked well for me, I was aero most of the time, I did find it easier to sit on my bars with the wind at my back when climbing. Most of my passes were on the hills, I didn't think I was that great a climber. I consumed all 24 oz in the aerobottle, and about 35 oz on the back bottles. I took a few gulps from the oncouse aid water stations, so all totaled about 64 oz. of fluids and three gus. The traffic on the course was bad, the first 10 miles was ok, but when I hit the early waves it was tough not to come close to a wreck. The course managers should rethink the "slower first" mentality.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, it went better than plan and a PR in the bike 2:30 vs. last 1/2 IM bike of 2:45. Wow.
Transition 2
  • 01m 28s
Comments:

Another good transition, in and out and running quickly.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 1h 42m 19s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 49s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a solid run, from last years 1/2IM I crashed at mile 10... NOT this year. The difference was I took some Endurolytes but hydrated well and PACED MYSELF, yippee! Last year I took off way too hard and crashed in the end, this year I practiced cadence for my pace and maintained it for most of the race until mile 10-11, then I was able to pick it back up to finish.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Sat in tent, stood under cooling showers that were awesome. Chugged a gatorade, a Cola, ate two plums, a banana, and just chilled.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing, I matched my abilities to the course well. I finally did a "complete" 1/2 IM... I now "get it". Last year was a learning experience for sure in a bad way, but those are sometimes the best lessons to learn. I ran well and without stopping at any aide stations with a strong bike (strong for me). If there was a swim... well I can't do that to myself now.

Event comments:

Ok, now the downside. I am not angry or pissed about the swim cancellation, that was 110% the right decision. Frankly, I thought the race expo was not great, the parking and registration layout way to cramped and small, and the bike check and registration was not well thought out. I am glad I did this race, but I would rather search for another 1/2IM if it means less people or more organization, I would come back if the on-course congestion could be figured out. Maybe without the swim it was worse than usual, but I do want to say thank you to ALL the volunteers who helped, they put up with some rather rude people when the swim got cancelled, the volunteers are great and I thanked as many as I could before leaving.




Last updated: 2007-11-04 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:13:50 | 2310 yards | 36s / 100yards
Age Group: 45/257
Overall: 0/1888
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: Eh, we didn't swim. We ran on some road. Well, it was a nice road, but was not a lake. No water... road. No swim...
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:10
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:31:05 | 54.25 miles | 21.54 mile/hr
Age Group: 84/257
Overall: 0/1888
Performance: Good
Avg - 153
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Loop out to BFE Michigan, nice berry tree orchards and farmland. Rollers with some open flats. The trees blocked much of the wind and did not on the way back to most of our glee. The roads were rough.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:28
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:42:19 | 13.1 miles | 07m 49s  min/mile
Age Group: 34/257
Overall: 0/1888
Performance: Good
avg 159
Course: Out to the Whirlpool Corp campus, and repeat loop and back. Oh, there is a dandy of a short hill after Whirlpool that I affectionately call "The Bitch". Sorry ladies, but if you ran it tell me I'm wrong. Oh, there's also this lovely patch of sand to run through in the last 100 yrds. Nice.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3