Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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New Orleans, Louisiana
United States
Premier Event Management
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 14m 11s
Overall Rank = 1088/2318
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 110/186
Pre-race routine:

Drove down to New Orleans on Friday. Got there about two, checked into the Doubletree on Canal, went to the pre-race briefings and packet pickup, then just started walking around. Ate at Cafe Maspero, had a dozen raw oysters and a few Abitas at Felix's, and got some good sleep. Saturday, the wife and I just bummed around the French Quarter. Ate at some Italian place in the French Market next to the old Mint. Pretty tasty. I drank a bunch of water and gatorade during the day, dropped the bike off at transition, and got to bed early.

On race day, I woke up around 3:45am, jumped in the shower to warm up and wake up. Grabbed my transition bag and wetsuit and headed up to the transition area at UNO. At transition, which was enormous, I pumped up the tires again (thanks to help from a MS Heat team member who let me borrow his pump because mine conveniently broke), set my stuff out, figured out where then ins and outs were, strolled by transition spot #1 to see Macca setting up, and then got on a shuttle to go to the swim start.
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 35m 28s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 41s / 100 yards
Comments:

I felt like I meandered a bit, especially toward the end. The shore kind of faded in towards you then back away, so it was definitely messing with my head. I felt like I could have gone faster, but it turned out to be a pretty solid swim. It didn't tire myself out too bad, but I didn't take it too easy either. I did draft a guy for a while. In fact, I think we flip flopped on who was drafting who. Anyway, it looks like a lot of swims in my age group were in the high 30s and into the forties, so I'll take it.
What would you do differently?:

Swim straighter, which probably would come with a few more open water swims. I'm comfortable and not afraid of it all, so I think I cheated myself a bit by not getting out there for a few more practices.
Transition 1
  • 03m 30s
Comments:

Transition was enormous. We came out of the water (really had to run about 20 yards in shin deep water), and I removed my cap and goggles as I got close to the shore. The top piece of my wetsuit came off easy, and the strippers took care of the bottom. Grabbed my suit and started about a 75 yard jog to my transition spot. Got the helmet and race number on, put on some some socks, sprayed on some sunscreen, grabbed the bike and ran about 40 more yards to bike out. Jumped on, got in the shoes easily, and took off.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. I wasn't moving as fast as I would in a sprint because I wanted to make sure I remembered everything. Of course, I didn't remember everything. I forgot to put sun screen on my legs. They hurt badly right now.
Bike
  • 2h 49m 53s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.78 mile/hr
Comments:

WAY better than I expected. It just felt good to be on the bike. As for nutrition, I sipped on Gatorade and water when I was thirsty and took at miles 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 45. In fact, those gels were all I ate all day. Other than that, I just rode. I loved the tailwinds, got pissed and rode hard into the head winds, and ended up doing far better than I planned.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing at all.
Transition 2
  • 03m 59s
Comments:

Pretty good transition. Once again, you had to run what felt like a mile just to get in and out of it. I changed socks, put on the shoes, stopped for a pee break, and then got on with the run.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 2h 41m 23s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 12m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

Bleh. My 3.5 mile spit was under 10:30/mile and I felt even better for a few miles after that. I was walking the water stops, walking 60 paces at each mile marker, and feeling good. Then I got to mile 8. I did my 60 paces, but when I tried to start running again, I felt like puking. Every time I tried running, I felt like puking. So, I just kept walking. All the way to mile nine I just walked. Feeling funky, but not cramping or anything. I decided to give it a go at mile nine, and I was able to find a way to shuffle/jog for a few minutes, then start walking again. Eventually, the queasiness in my stomach went down, and I was able to start jogging a bit more than I had to walk. Then I turned on to Decatur, saw the finish in the distance, and forgot about how bad I felt.
What would you do differently?:

Chill on the gatorade in the first few miles. The temps had me worried, so I was downing the stuff. It came back to haunt me.
Post race
Warm down:

Beer and stumbling around. So basically, I was doing the same thing I used to do when I went to New Orleans. I did go to the awards after party. Not because I was getting one or anything, but because they had free Abita beer. Like I would miss that. It turned out pretty cool since all the pros were there to accept their awards (and $$), plus it was the first race Badmaan had won since her crash that left her with two broken shoulders. She got all emotional giving a little speech, and it was awesome just to be there and witness it.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Drinking to much on the run.

Event comments:

About the only thing lacking was ice. The drinks were cool, not cold. Other than that, the entire thing ran flawlessly outside of the weather. I really enjoyed getting back to New Orleans, and I had a damn good time doing this race.

Oh, and greatest finish chute EVER. It was slammed with people like you were doing a Tour de France mountain stage. High fiving everybody, cheers coming from everywhere... just an incredible energy in a really cool spot. I mean, you had the St. Louis cathedral looming to the right, the French Market on the left, and people EVERYWHERE! The last .3 miles made the pain of the first 70 disappear. (that pain came back that night though:))




Last updated: 2008-07-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:28 | 2112 yards | 01m 41s / 100yards
Age Group: 40/186
Overall: 407/2318
Performance: Good
Suit: Full
Course: Point to point. Really odd actually without buoys to swim to then turn.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Below average
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:30
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:49:53 | 56 miles | 19.78 mile/hr
Age Group: 81/186
Overall: 719/2318
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong
Course: Out and back on a closed course. Little bumpy in some spots, but smootha and flat for the most part.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:59
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
02:41:23 | 13.1 miles | 12m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 147/186
Overall: 1628/2318
Performance: Below average
Course: A quick out and back along the lake for some mileage, then a run south to a finish in Jackson Square.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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