1st Raleigh 70.3, 1st ever 70.3
My Race Report
I chose this race because it was IRONMAN sanctioned, and it was in my back yard. This was my very first 70.3 and I couldn’t have been happier with my day. It was a great start to what I hope will be a long career of PR’s in my future : )
Pre-Race
My husband won a pretty big award through work which included an all inclusive trip to Boca Raton Tuesday – Saturday (race being Sunday.) At first I was a little skeptical, but thanks to the teams advice, I got to Boca feeling lucky to take a extra special taper week. Since we were getting back late Friday night, I decided to pack everything I needed for the race before I left for Florida. Printed my checklist, checked it twice, boom. Had a great trip even through it rained the entire time. Flew back in Friday night, switched out luggage, and was on the road first thing Saturday morning (only forgot one thing, bike shoes. I had unpacked them before Tuesday flight to check gears. Bought new ones at expo. Whoops.) Got to registration around 11:00 and met up with an old college friend who happens to work for IM. He ended up being exactly what I needed for what to expect, and for my nerves. (example being race morning at 4:15am I texted him that we were headed to T2 to meet up and he texted back “OK, don’t forget your water bottles!” Rookie that I am, we turned back around to get my water bottles&hellip
The Swim: 40:xx
It was back and forth on whether or not the swim was going to be wetsuit legal. Final verdict came about 15 min before the cannon. 75 degrees, wearing it. I didn’t get much of a warm up only because I didn’t really know when and where to take off for 5 minutes. When the gun went off, I didn’t get into my grove until the turn, about 600 meters (I think.) I was all over the place swimming… almost felt like a cartoon character bouncing off people, buoys, trees. Pretty sure I swam under the third buoy. At the first turn I got myself under control and started focusing on my form, and counting my strokes. This helped a lot, because at the final turn, I noticed some moderate chop, which took me by surprise, but I was in control so I did what I had to. The last 400 meters it began to bottleneck with swimmers. I lost focus here again because of all the high fiving, don’t get kicked in the face thoughts. All in all a successful swim at 40:xx which was what my goal was, and left me feeling like I could have done it again when I got out.
The Bike: 3:12:xx
My goal with my bike was to just have fun! Boy, did I ever. The entire course had amazing support along every mile. I had a smile on my face from start to finish. I don’t think my HR went over 142. I failed at staying in my aero only because I kept waving and screaming thank you! I kept RnP in my head saying “Do what you should, not what you could.” I gave little effort on the hills, and attacked on the fast and flats. In hindsight, I do believe I could have pushed it just a tad more, but I wanted to make sure I saved my legs for the run. Especially since I didn’t know what to expect. I had practiced my nutrition religiously, but before the race, my college buddy told me to listen to what my body was telling me. Best. Advice. Ever. At about 1:40, I had 1.5 bottles of perform (which is WAY more concentrated in course bottle form) and ½ a power bar in me, my timer went off to have another caffeinated gel. My gut was saying “I feel like you have just ransacked a candy store, please no more sugar!” So I skipped it and popped a salt stick instead, and switched out my perform bottle for a water to off set the super concentrated perform. At the end of the bike, I was successfully able to pee in transition.
Nutrition -
- ½ Powerbar
- 2 x Caffeinated Powergels
- 1 Salt stick pill
- 2 btls of Perform
- 1.5 btls of H20
The Run: 2:04:xx
I left T2 ready to rock…. Until I realized the first 10 miles was predominately uphill. At the first mile I realized I left my salt sticks at T2, and I started to get a stitch in my right rib. Ate a gel and prayed it wouldn’t bomb my gut. It worked, a little. Still had the stitch, so I slowed my pace and breathed. At the turn into Meredith College, there was another aid station and an angel holding an enormous box of pretzels. Last second decision, I grabbed a handful. Trying to eat a handful of pretzels at mile 5, in 85 degrees should be a sport in itself. I got them down, and within minutes, my stitch was gone. At this point, I’m not quite sure what happened. I can’t tell if I was going slow because of the heat, exhaustion, or because everyone else around me was walking. I remember feeling fine, even though my HR was at 64 (wait, what? Stupid Garmin) The hills were brutal, and I was slugging up them. I decided to stop the 10 sec walking breaks, and save my recovery for the aid stations. I checked off the miles 1X1, and when I got to 10, it was game time. My goal was to run around a 1:50. Actual was 2:04. I’ll take it as a stepping stone for my next 13.1
Pace Data:
|
4.1 mi |
4.1 mi |
40:12 |
4:41:12 |
9:48/mi |
|
|
|
|
6.5 mi |
2.4 mi |
22:45 |
5:03:57 |
9:28/mi |
|
|
|
|
7.5 mi |
1 mi |
9:54 |
5:13:51 |
9:54/mi |
|
|
|
|
9.6 mi |
2.1 mi |
20:11 |
5:34:02 |
9:36/mi |
|
|
|
|
13.1 mi |
3.5 mi |
31:25 |
6:05:27 |
8:58/mi |
|
|
|
|
Total |
13.1 mi |
2:04:27 |
6:05:27 |
9:30/mi |
|
|
|
Final Recap
The entire race day experience reminded me why I LOVE this sport. I left ready to conquer the next one. I need to focus on running hills, and speed work so I can come back in the fall for my next 70.3 stronger, smarter, and hopefully FASTER! Thanks for all the support team. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Comments
Emily....congrats. Well done. From reading your report, I never would have guessed this was your first 70.3 unless you called it out. It reads like you raced as a veteran. Good job. I'm predicting faster times for you in future races..
PS -- you not the only one to forget shoes. I'm guilty too..