I completed my first ½ Iron Man (70.3) today! I was really happy with the results. Total time was 6 hours, 11 min. (Swim 1.2 mi (39 min), Bike 56 miles (3:12), Run 13.1 miles (2:12)- Note: times aren’t exact, the official times are posted yet and I wasn’t smart enough to take a picture of the times posted at the event- Remaining time is transition and extra seconds on the events). Event summary: Swim: The swim went pretty well until slightly past the half-way point. I got a pretty bad calf cramp, so I had to stop kicking completely - it came and went several times during the swim and slowed me down a little. I didn’t do too bad swimming straight and only got of course a little a couple times. Water temperature was fine (maybe a little warm). T1: No problem getting out of wet suit (used glide). Forgot to open bike shoes, so fumbled with that for a few seconds (seemed like forever). Bike: It took about 10 miles on the bike to recover from the swim and get my breathing totally under control. The swim cramp didn’t bother me except for when I dropped my water bottle early in the race and had to stop and pick it up. When I un-clipped and stepped down it tried to cramp up, but as soon as I started riding again it was fine. The course was very flat which was nice, except it also meant there were no downhill portions for recovery – so constant work for the whole 3+ hours. There was a slight breeze that was blowing that slowed you down when it was a head wind, but gave a little relief when it was a tail wind. Ate 4 gels (one at each turn around and just before the end) and a few honey stinger chews (like shot block or gummy bears). T2: Went pretty well. Switched quickly to running shoes (stretch laces so I didn’t have to tie them) and used race belt for the number which I put on as I ran out. Run: First couple miles of the run were pretty rough. My legs still thought they were on a bike and my back was hurting a bit. About a mile into the race I thought I had something in my shoe or my sock was bunched up, so I stopped, sat down and took off my shoe. Everything looked fine, so I kept going. I finally realized that my toes were slightly numb from the bike ride still. They warmed up after about 2 miles. My legs started feeling better at about the two mile point, which is about the time I hit the beach stretch where we ran on the sand for about 3 miles. Fortunately the sand was hard packed, so it wasn’t too hard to run on, but it was more difficult than running along the road. After I got back to the road it seemed to take forever to get to the turn-around point. However, after the turn-around and I got to the first water station on the way back I felt pretty good and I ran a couple miles under a 10 min/mile pace. Most of the race I was averaging about 10:15-10:30. I sweat a lot when I run and I could have used a few more water stations along the way. I noticed I performed better for 10-15 minutes after each water station. I managed to keep enough water intake by taking 1 cup of HEED and one cup of water at each stop. I also walked while I was drinking (small reward) and so I didn’t spill water or HEED all over myself and not get enough. By about mile 8 or 9 I thought it would have been nice to have a gel, but the aid stations had run out (sad face). Return trip along the sand was pretty rough. Overall I didn’t walk any of the run, except for the stops at the water station. Weather was ideal. It was overcast with a marine layer from the ocean and a slight breeze. It was a little cool in the morning, before the swim, but felt fine after the swim and wasn’t cold on the bike. Also, although I did sweat quite a bit during the run, I never really felt overheated. Oh, and I am a bit sore now and have one blister on my foot. But, overall it was a great day!
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 02:51:37 +0000
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