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Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Lake Stevens, Washington
United States
WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) (Ironman 70.3)
65F / 18C
Total Time = 5h 17m 4s
Overall Rank = 176/882
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 6/48
Pre-race routine:

I learned a lot by reading other people's race reports, so I decided to add mine to the list.

Saturday we attended the required pre-race briefing. Showed up at 2:03 and were shut out of the 2:00 session. Had to wait until 3:30 for the next briefing (and should have had to wait until 4!). Will definitely plan this out better next time. Couldn't do packet pick up or anything without attending the meeting first, so just had to sit around and wait. Make sure to sit in the back of the meeting so that once the meeting is over you're at the front of the line to pick up packets.

Went to Lake Stevens, did a short tune-up ride, quick run with strides and hopped in the water for a short swim. Racked the bike and drove back home.
Event warmup:

The air temp was pretty cold before the race start, but the water was 15 degrees warmer. Hopped in and swam around for about 5-10 minutes. Did a few short "sprints" to loosen up my arms.
Swim
  • 29m 36s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 24s / 100 yards
Comments:

It was foggy at race start. Sighting was difficult at best, so everyone was bunched up on top of the underwater cable. Swimming through the earlier waves was difficult because I couldn't plan a route around them until I was already on top of them. The stretch back to the beach was difficult because we were swimming into the sun and the fog was still heavy. Luckily I was able to catch a draft off of another girl in my AG. Just stayed on her feet the whole time.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I have no power to change the weather :)
Transition 1
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

Wetsuit got caught on my timing chip and ripped it off, took a few extra seconds to put it back on. Struggled a bit with my arm warmers, but glad I put them on, it was chilly on the bike.
What would you do differently?:

Pay better attention to the timing chip strap/wetsuit.
Bike
  • 3h 00m 47s
  • 56 miles
  • 18.58 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike is not my strength, but I've been working it pretty hard all year. This course has a HUGE risk/reward potential. If you're willing to take a risk and do some big-ring climbs, you can be in a great position to get lots of free speed on the downhill. Push the downhills, and you will be rewarded with having to do fewer climbs. This is not the course for fussy nutrition plans, I'm glad I had just a gel flask and water. With all the constant shifting I wouldn't want to have to worry about wrappers and beans/blocks, etc.

I rode hard, and kept the effort constant by pushing all of the downhills.

Nutrition was spot-on (300 cal/hr) and pacing was pretty even over the course.
What would you do differently?:

Train hills some more, they are still my weakness.
Transition 2
  • 01m 25s
Comments:

Racks were numbered a little goofy, took me a few extra seconds to find my spot. Had to remember to look for my shoes instead of looking for my number.
Run
  • 1h 43m 3s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

Just settled into a comfortable pace as soon as possible. Took about 3 miles for my legs to feel settled. Having the course broken down into 4 segments was really helpful mentally, and passing through the big crowd helped keep my spirits up. Pacing was pretty good, just tried to keep the effort steady and not push too hard, too early. Ignored my watch most of the race because the hills affected the mile splits. Ran hard into the finish because I knew there was another girl in my AG right behind me.

What would you do differently?:

Not much, this was my half marathon PR.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around for a bit. Ate a little bit, drank quite a bit of water and gatorade.

Stuck around for AG awards and rolldown. The Clearwater slots were rolling down really far. Got my slot :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The bike. The hills just take a lot out of me. Need to spend more time focusing on climbing skills.

Event comments:

My only issue with the course was that for both the run and the bike the miles aren't posted for the second loops. All the signs are out up to mile 25 (bike) and 6 (run), but nothing after that. Its a minor detail but it did annoy me.




Last updated: 2009-08-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:29:36 | 2112 yards | 01m 24s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/48
Overall: 49/882
Performance: Good
Suit: DeSoto Black Pearl Full-Sleeve
Course: Counter-clockwise, long stretch out, short middle segment, long stretch back in
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 69F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:14
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:00:47 | 56 miles | 18.58 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/48
Overall: 358/882
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Short "out" to a loop, twice around the loop, then back to T2. Lots of rolling hills.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:25
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:43:03 | 13.1 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/48
Overall: 180/882
Performance: Good
Course: A loop and an out and back, twice. Loop climbed up to an industrial park, then downhill. One big hill on the out and back.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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

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2009-08-17 2:02 PM

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Veteran
183
100252525
Bellingham, WA
Subject: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens


2009-08-17 2:13 PM
in reply to: #2353742

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New user
40
25
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens
Great job! Congrats on Clearwater! Way to go!
2009-08-17 2:30 PM
in reply to: #2353742

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Regular
104
100
Monmouth, Oregon
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens
Great Race!!! I tried to stay on the rope but soon discovered there were too many people there. I was swimming through some and others were trying to swim through me so I got off to the side a bit. It seemed a little smoother. I wish I could have found someone to stay behind that would have been very helpful.

I also thought it was odd with the mileage markers. Since, I hadn't done the race before it started me wondering if it was actually a 2 loop course since the second loop wasn't marked.

Good Luck in Clearwater.
2009-08-17 2:45 PM
in reply to: #2353823

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Veteran
183
100252525
Bellingham, WA
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens
fly_boy68 - 2009-08-17 2:30 PMGreat Race!!! I tried to stay on the rope but soon discovered there were too many people there. I was swimming through some and others were trying to swim through me so I got off to the side a bit. It seemed a little smoother. I wish I could have found someone to stay behind that would have been very helpful.I also thought it was odd with the mileage markers. Since, I hadn't done the race before it started me wondering if it was actually a 2 loop course since the second loop wasn't marked.Good Luck in Clearwater.


I felt terrible swimming over the legs of some people, but I honestly couldn't see anything. The thread about "Who Swims Over People" popped into my head at one point, and I was thinking "I can't believe I'm that person . . . "

Glad I'm not the only one who thought the missing mile markers were odd. What a strange detail to omit. I guess they figured we could do the mental math on the fly?!?
2009-08-17 6:09 PM
in reply to: #2353742

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Veteran
237
10010025
Eastern WA
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens

nice race, a foggy swim sounds interesting...congrats on the rolldown, and a smokin fast run

2009-08-17 6:47 PM
in reply to: #2353742

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Master
1610
1000500100
Kirkland, WA
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens
great job and smokin fast swim/run!  the fog was a bit interesting - i just followed the masses of people as i couldn't see the buoys


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