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Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Galveston, Texas
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
80F / 27C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 43m 1s
Overall Rank = 844/2247
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 84/211
Pre-race routine:

Packet pick-up and bike check-in is on Saturday, with the race on Sunday. Each time I've done this race we've driven down on Saturday, but stayed in a hotel around Webster. This cuts the Sunday morning drive way down, but avoids the hassles of staying on the Island. I think you end up with a better room at a lower price. The trade-off is an extra 20 minutes in the car on race morning.

My wave started 1:15 after the pro start, so we had pleanty of time to sit around after transition closed. Being able to sit on the patio at Moody Gardens and actually use indoor plumbing is a great plus for this race!
Event warmup:

No warm up for this race.
Swim
  • 39m 27s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim was a definate improvement for me. My past 3 HIM swims ahve all been around 45-minutes, so I'm pleased with this time. I felt like I swam much straighter than normal. I've been doing much more swimming than in years past, so maybe with a little more work I can actually become a MOP swimmer!
What would you do differently?:

More time in the pool.
Transition 1
  • 03m 49s
Comments:

Nice easy transition. Not fast, but no major problems.
Bike
  • 2h 47m 44s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.03 mile/hr
Comments:

Good bike course! On race day we had mostly cross-winds, with a slight head-wind. My speed out of town was about 2 to 3 mph lower than my speed coming back to town.

I rode about 5-minutes faster than last year, so I'm happy with the results. From a pacing stad-point, I tried to pace by HR, and stay between 145-150. This worked fairly well and I was still feeling pretty fresh by the end of the ride.

My only complaint about the bike leg of this race is directed toward my other racers rather than the course or the race organizers. Some people don't really seem to grasp that "ride on the right" concept, which I find very frustrating. To ride in the middle of the lane when the course has so many people on it is pretty rude and puts everyone at risk, especially on a windy day.

On the plus side, this is a flat windy course, but almost everyone does a great job in the drafting area. I think I see more "pace lines" form at small sprint races than I do here, even though the large field and flat, congested course would make you think it would be a problem.

Only odd thing I noticed was that the bottle of Perform that I got as a hand-up around mile 40 just had a regular screw cap on it, rather than one your could drink through. It was a little tricky dealing with that cap and I ended up dumping a fair amount of it on me and the bike. Kind of made me feel like one of those people who have trouble walking and chewing gum!
What would you do differently?:

Good ride for me!
Transition 2
  • 03m 46s
Comments:

Normal transition. Nothing spectacular but no major problems.
Run
  • 2h 08m 25s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 48s  min/mile
Comments:

Not a good run, and much worse than last year. I ran almost 10-minutes slower than last year, and I thought conditions were much worse last year. I'm attributing the slowdown to a lack of recent run volume and very little taper for this race. Another possibility is that I biked too hard, but I don't think that was the case. I started on target for the first four or five miles, then just slowed to my normal long run pace and walked through aid stations. Mentally, I just kind of thought of it as my long run for the week.


What would you do differently?:

More run volume! April needs to be a big month in prep for IM-Woodlands.
Post race
Event comments:

This is a great race if you're looking for a "large" HIM on an easy, forgiving course. Salt water wet suit swim, flat bike, and flat run make the significant challanges in this race the weather and the distance, rather than the course. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for that "first" HIM or looking for an early-season HIM tune-up race.




Last updated: 2011-06-15 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:39:27 | 2112 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 93/211
Overall: 1063/2247
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra Full
Course: Point to Point swim in a three sided trapezoid. The salt-water swim is in Offats Bayou, and is protected from most wind directions. Lots of large bouys make sighting fairly easy.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 03:49
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:47:44 | 56 miles | 20.03 mile/hr
Age Group: 75/211
Overall: 616/2247
Performance: Good
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: Out and back course along the coast. Course is extremely flat, with a small hill at one of the bridges. Roads are in fairly good condition, with 95% or more very smooth. Portions of the road are open to traffice, but there is always a single lane or a very large shoulder for the race.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:46
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:08:25 | 13.1 miles | 09m 48s  min/mile
Age Group: 98/211
Overall: 1072/2247
Performance: Below average
Course: 3-loop course that winds its way through Moody Gardens and out onto the airport tarmac. No hills, but can be windy with very little shade.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2012-04-03 5:08 AM

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Veteran
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The Woodlands, TX
Subject: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas


2012-04-03 5:50 AM
in reply to: #4126314

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Expert
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Tallahassee
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas
Congrats on the race, thanks for posting!
2012-04-03 9:18 AM
in reply to: #4126314

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Member
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DFW, Tejas
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas
That's great that you had improvement on the swim and bike.  I had a buddy in the same wave that said the swim course was really crowded that late.  Amen on the staying right, really got a little sketchy when you had to pass in the car traffic lane when three or four wide.
2012-04-03 10:17 AM
in reply to: #4126314

Extreme Veteran
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500
Subject: RE: Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas
Nice effort out there. Congrats on the swim improvement.
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