Florida 70.3 race report
Friday: As we are packing our bags for our 1:30 pm flight from Philly to Orlando, my wife and I decided to not take wetsuits ( all reports were indicating the swim was going to be wetsuit legal) because we would have to check a bag, have never done a swim in the wetsuits and so probably not a great idea to do our first swim as part of a race, and some hope that it would not be wetsuit legal.
Saturday: We stayed the night at my sister-in-law and her husband in Orlando. We left Orlando around 11am to go to Clermont ( 30 min drive) to pick up our rental bikes from the Cycling Hub. Great store and $100/ day rentals for a Trek Speed Concept 7.2. We had sent them our bike fit info about a week prior to pick up. Once we got there, they put our own saddles and pedals on. Bikes were already adjusted for our fits. After trying them out, minor adjustments were made and we were good to drive to Haines City (50 min drive). Bike registration and check in were smooth. By the time we got there it was around 3-3:30pm and it was not very crowded anymore. So it all went quick, no big crowds and other crazy triathletes to distract us.
We drove the run course ( except for 0.5 to 1 mile segment that was not accessible by car) and drove the first 5 miles of the bike course.
Had been drinking water all morning, had a big breakfast with egg sandwich, granola, banana. In the course of the afternoon, drank two 32 fl Oz of Gatorade and snacked on Pretzels. Checked into the hotel, dinner at Olive Garden at 7, packed our bag and gear for the morning, went to sleep at 10ish.
Sunday (Race Day)
Alarm went off at 3:30 am. Ate 2.5 cups of unsweetened apple sauce, 1 scoop protein, 1 banana, 24 oz of Gatorade. Sipped on the remained of the 32oz Gatorade until 20 min before my wave start.
Got to transition around 4:45am. Set up the transition area. No problems here. Left transition and walked over to where the swim start was. It was chilly in the morning, and I did not bring long sleeves.
Goals for the race:
- Finish sub 5 :30
- Ride the bike I should, not the one I could
- Run my paces as per the EN guide
- Follow my nutrition plan
- Have fun while racing
Swim: Second to last wave start at 7:46 am. Besides the fact that it is a difficult swim with a bunch of turns (M-shaped swim) that get crowded and that 80-85% of the athletes wore a wetsuit , not much to note. My RR time was 37 min, race time was 39:58. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479866050
T1: no issues here. Applied sunscreen and I had a long run to the bike out. 3:30
Bike: I decided to follow EN protocol going by HR and RPE. I did not have power so I set my watch to only see HR, HR lap (auto lap every 5 miles), total bike time and HR zone. Stayed in mid zone 2 for first 20’, ate ½ powerbar at 20’ and began drinking Perform at 15’ mark, drinking every 15’, 24oz per hour. I started out with two 24oz bottles on the bike and 3 powergels. I only grabbed a Perform at aide station #2, decided to skip #1 and #3. At 20’ mark, increased HR to high zn2, very low zn3. Since I had never really gone by just RPE and HR I decided to not stay in mid zn3 , not knowing how I would feel at the end of the bike. The bike leg was pretty windy, some Florida rolling hills. Rode my own race, did not care who I passed or who passed me. Only negative was that cops were allowing cars on the road who then were stuck behind cyclists which was holding up other cyclist who were going faster. I was looking to go around 2:45, but because of wind and not taking my HR into mid zone 3 I rode a 2:53. I am happy with that and rode the bike I should have. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479866057
T2: nothing special. 3:06
Run: First 3 miles at zn2 + 30” (8:55min/mile), 7 miles at 8:25 min/mile, 3 miles at what I had left in me. Continued to take in a gel every 40’ as long as my body could handle this. Did this until mile 10 when I could not take in a gel anymore. Ran thru all the aide stations, putting an ice cube in my hat, water over my body, quick sip of Perform while on the run (whatever went in my mouth is what I drank). The run is a 3 loop course, with the first 2 miles being fairly challenging with some hills in it. After that it becomes pretty flat. At mile 11, I saw my wife and decided to run the last 2 miles with her. We crossed the finish line together and it was like when we got married. They announced Jan and Melissa Schorpion crossing the line. I have never felt this good on the run in my previous three 70.3’s. Actually I had never gone faster than 2 hours and always ran out of energy at mile 5-6. Run time was 1:57. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479866061
Total time: 5:36:51
I was very pleased with this race. Didn’t go sub 5:30, but set a PR and enjoyed it all.
Thanks to my always supportive wife and thanks to the EN community for making me a better triathlete.
Comments
re: the swim. With my history of getting off course, it's very possible that a M shaped course may have been more than I could handle and may have never made it to the finish chute. Considering that course and sans wetsuit, you're time was pretty close to what you expected, eh?
re: the bike. interesting that you rented. I've always wondered if that little extra cost might well be worth cutting the hassle of bike shipping. Obviously, the x factor is the last second fit. And, my first full was the Great Floridian. I can vouch that the biking is very challenging in that area. Lots of rollers. Rich, I'm sure, would see some of Wisconsin in it. A power meter would be in invaluable down there. 2:53 with obstructions like momentum stopping traffic? Solid!
re: the run. first time sub2hrs? And, you renewed your vows at the finish line?