Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Benton Harbor, Michigan
United States
CAPRI Events
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 06m 19s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 2-24
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in St.Joseph around noon on Friday. Stopped by the hotel and then went down by the water for some food. Really cool atmosphere around the downtown area. There were a bunch of shops, great view of the lake, and a ton of triathletes around town. It had a bit of a different feel then usual, as there were a lot more hardcore athletes then the smaller races I am accustomed to.

Got to bed by 10 and was up at 4:30, which was really 3:30 since we were on EST. I walked in the hallway to get some ice and felt like I had just woke up in the middle of the night, which it turns out I really had. Anyways, arrived at the race site early. Jumped on one of the first shuttles and was at transition by 5:30ish. Plenty of time.
Event warmup:

Walked the mile down to the race start along the beach. The minute I saw the water I questioned that we would ever swim since the riptide was pretty bad. Pretty funny how you saw thousands of people making the trek down the beach with the wind blowing all over the place.

After the swim was cancelled we went back to transition to prepare for the duathlon. I got my run stuff on and headed to the run start. This was pretty cool for me because they had the music blaring and I finally realized that it was time to start up.
Swim
  • 21m 3s
  • 2112 meters
  • / 100 meters
Comments:

Short 2.1 mile run was an out and back. There was one steep hill that I took it easy at.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 1
  • 01m 51s
Comments:

Don't recall this too much but 1:51 ain't bad.
Bike
  • 3h 11m 45s
  • 54.5 miles
  • 17.05 mile/hr
Comments:

I pushed myself a little too hard too early, and paid for it during the run. I struggled to get in a rhythm during the first half, but during the second half I started to put together a good bike. Slowly but surely the miles started clicking off. At mile 45 I really started to realize I was going to get through the bike. It's exciting because you keep plugging away and eventually you feel yourself pulling into town. Came into transition and saw my friends and family. I yelled something stupid like 'I'm going to go run a half marathon now'. At that point I probably looked good to everyone, but that would all change at mile 7 of the run.
What would you do differently?:

Be a stronger biker. I didn't train hard enough or get enough volume to be somewhat competitive. While 3:11 isn't bad, it's nowhere near the middle of the pack in this type of race. I really saw how those who train longer, harder, and smarter shine at this level.
Transition 2
  • 02m 28s
Comments:

Not bad. Felt good at this point and didn't mess around for too long.
Run
  • 2h 29m 14s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

I took off out of transition and had some legs which I was excited about. I tried to keep it slow however even slow resulted in my HR being in the mid 160s. Being a rookie at this distance, I told myself that I had to keep a slow pace as I really wanted to finish strong over the last few miles. I definitely still made that mistake though.

I felt ok up until mile 7, at which point the wheels fell off for the most part. I had to stop on and off for the last 6 miles, and at 2-3 points I honestly questioned if I was going to make it to the end. At this point I really pulled myself together and said that I was going to do what I had to do in order to finish, whether it meant a lot of walking or not.

It's pretty wild because the last 6 miles of the race tell it all for the people towards the back. It's extremely quiet, and you see loads of people who are all out there for different reasons. They aren't giving up and they will get to the finish line. Looking back on it now I think that was a pretty cool time, although my fatigue during the race kept me from really enjoying it.

The finish of the race is on the beach, and I was struggling pretty bad as I came where the masses of people were. I crossed the line and felt extremely fatigued. I wasn't out of it or anything, just super tired. I saw my family, who knew I was tired and told me to go sit down. Sat in the shade for 5 minutes and listened to the music and saw others struggling. It was pretty chaotic as you saw a bunch of people get taken off.
What would you do differently?:

Better training and pacing.
Post race
Warm down:

Chill.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I wasn't ready to race at the pace I raced at. I trained super slow and pushed my bike and run at an HR I hadn't trained much at. That's a recipe for disaster, and it's the thing I told myself I wouldnt do.

I need more time in this sport and need to get faster. I thought this race would be a stepping stone to IM Wisconsin in 2009, however I've decided that 2009 will be about olympics and I'll see where i'm at in a year from now. I'm trying to figure out how tri's fit into my busy life, as I thought I was going to be about the long distance however I'm starting to think the short stuff may allow me better balance.

It looks like olympics will be the focus in 2009, however the 70.3 left a bad taste in my mouth that I need to fix. I'll do another 70.3 again, but I'm not sure exactly when it will be.

Event comments:

Cool race. For all the complaints I've read I will say they do a good job. Great venue and I love the St. Joseph area. I'd think about doing it again someday.




Last updated: 2008-04-20 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:21:03 | 2112 meters | / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
HR was in the mid 160s. It should have been in the 140s but I couldn't control the adrenaline.
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:51
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:11:45 | 54.5 miles | 17.05 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
HR in the 140s throughout
Wind:
Course: First half was somewhat challenging with some light hills. Others will say the course was fast, I thought only the last 20 miles were.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:28
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:29:14 | 13.1 miles | 11m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
HR in the 160s, should have been around 150.
Course: Two loops through a fairly flat course with some rollers.
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4