Ironman Singapore 70.3 (Tomer)
Warning: This report is depressing. Feel free to skip it if you tend to get emotional 
Swim 41 min (2:09’/100m)
2 loops Ocean swim, non-wetsuit legal and pretty choppy. I got punched once but other than that, nothing special. I passed a lot of guys from groups that started before me and felt pretty good.
I swam 32:32 (~1:42’/100m) at my RR so I was bit disappointed with my time but overall, it was all good
Bike 2:38 (21.8 mph)
3 laps bike course was fast and smooth. Since it was a very hot day, I decided to ease off on the bike and save bit more for the run. After looking at the WKO numbers, I realized that I did not ease off as much as I planned, but I was still below my target 80% of FTP.
WKO Data:
Duration: 2:38:16
Work: 1543 kJ
TSS: 162.6 (intensity factor 0.785)
Norm Power: 173
VI: 1.06
Pw:HR: 4.1%
Pa:HR: 2.1%
Distance: 57.383 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 638* 163 watts
Heart Rate: 137 175 159 bpm
Cadence: 30 149 82 rpm
Speed: 6.3 40.6 21.8 mph
*The spike in power was due to me getting angry at a group that flew by me. I chased them up and told them that they are drafting (they kept riding together for the entire bike course,,,)
That was a stupid move but it was a very short effort so the damage was minimal
The Run 2:08 (9:46/m)
By the time I got to the run, the heat and humidity were unbearable. The plan was to run the first 3 miles @ 8:30/m and then 7 miles @ 7:30/m and finish at the same pace, or even slightly faster.
In reality, I knew I was in trouble very early on. I managed to run @ 8:30/m pace for the first 3 miles but then I slowed to about 10/m and could not pick up the pace. Not even if a lion was chasing me.
(I used my Garmin for the swim as well so it ran out of battery 90’ into the run)
At least I ran the entire course and only walked the aid stations (I did think about walking a lot though,,,)
Total time: 5:33 (50th in my 35-39 AG)
Results are not yet posted online so these times are as I remembred from looking at the results sheet on race day
Summary
This was my second HIM event. I did Kansas last year in 5:19 and I was really hoping to go under 5 hrs this time around but instead of improving, I went backwards and now Clearwater seems further than ever before )o:
Anyway, this experience only motivates me to keep on going, train harder and smarter and come back stronger for my next race!
Cheers & thanks for reading,
Tomer
Comments
How did you fare in relation to the other competitors in your age group? This is often a better gauge of race performance rather than pure time.
and...way to rock the Lunar Racers!
Since the official results are not up yet, it is hard to tell how I fared compare to others however, I do know that I was 50th in my AG and that my bike split was 57th overall.
If I remember correctly, the winner of my AG clocked ~4:29,,,
I think you need to figured out what happened where in this race.
Ask yourself:
What did I do 'right'. Could I have done it even better?
What did I do 'just OK'? What could I have done to make it 'right'?
What did I do 'wrong'? How can I avoid this in the future?
Even "bad races" are useful in that they provide important "educational opportunities".
Regardless, in the last photo it looks like you managed a smile and some good company at the race finish.
What were the heat and humidity numbers? We you acclimatized before race day? From Cary above, there is always something to learn along the way, and most importantly it looks like you had fun.
tom
Thanks Cary!
it's hard not to smile when my daughters are around me (o:
What worry me the most is that I don't know what went wrong, or what I could have done differently. I intended to include a lesson learned section but it was left blank...
I followed a solid October OS plan and then jumped into ~8 weeks of Race Prep. I followed my race strategy closely and on paper, did everything right....
The only lesson learned is:
1) Don't select a race in a hot/humid place if your training leading to the race are done in the cold...
2) Don't mix family vacation with races (AKA Trication):
a) go by yourself so you don't have to spend the days leading to the race doing kids/wife stuff (I was in my feet all day,,)
b) race as closer to home as possible (over 24 hrs of flying + a few good hrs of layovers didn't help)
3) Don't schedule a race that doesn't allow you to complete full OS, Transition and 12 weeks of Race Prep
I don't have the exact numbers but it was about 96 Fahrenheit and 90% humidity. I got there on Tuesday so I did have a few days to get used to the weather but the irony is that in the last 2 days it was pouring rain and not so hot. In fact, when we landed, I said to myself, this place is not as nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Of course on race day, it was hotter than hell
When & where is your next race? Let's start focusing on getting your ready to nail it when you get there!
Oh- and the pic of you at the finish with the kids is adorable!
My next 'A' race is Austin 70.3 on October 17.
I'll be doing another "C" race - Amica HIM on May 16 and another Oly in Austin in early September.
If I'll be able to build my run volume & intensity nicely and slowly and stay injury-free then I'm sure I'll do just fine,,,
Hot day! I always dread the first really hot day of running in summer. I get all melty and need ALL the gatorade and salt tabs in the universe. I think you are awesome just for surving this race in that weather and running all the way.
And, adorable children. Adorable.
Last year Kansas was pretty good conditions, with a slightly warm finish to the run. 95 and 90% is some serious heat for those that are not used to it and to only lose 14 minutes in thouse conditions is not that bad. I'm sure there were quite a few people that did a whole lot worse or DNF'd.
Keep your hear up and like others said, look at what you learned. You have plently of time now to recovery and build up for your other races this year.
tom
Singapore is a fun place. English is the official language so getting by is really easy.
the reason I chose Singapore is my Brother moved there 5 years ago and I always wanted to see where he lives.
Places you must visit while in Singapore
Zoo
Birds Park
Orchid Garden
Singapore Flyer
Singapore is only 90' flight from Thailand so right after the race, we all flew to Phuket and spent few days on the amazing beaches of Phuket, Phi Phi Island and had amazing time (I spotted many triathletes on our flight to Phuket)
I will load some pictures later
As far as recommending the race, I would say go for it if you want to visit the area and not afraid of heat and humidity. It's a fun experience, (the organizers are Australians and they are super nice, plus I got to see Craig Alexander and Mecca) but you need to treat it as a fun/training event and don't count on PR if trained all winter in NA. This is generally true for all destination events. You will always have issues with jet lag, weather adjustment, food, etc.
plus, running 21km sounds more impressive then 13 miles
some photos from Singapore & Thailand
Tomer,
As others have said the difference in heat and humidity could cause the slower time. 14 minutes off Kansas is decent. I know you want to go faster but given the lessons learned you mentioned, on your feet all day, 24 hours of flying and not completing the OS are also factors.
The only thing I noticed from your report is that you mentioned that you knew the 8:30 on the run was not possible. If this could have been realized sooner than mile 3 say in transition. Say you decided to run 9' miles or 9:30 to start this might have avoided the 10m miles later in the race, perhaps even picked it up to the 8:30 at the end.
I have never raced in really hot/humid conditions like that so I don't know how my body would react. If this is your first 1/2 in those conditions I think its a decent time and a good race just to get your nutrition right so you can finish.
Gordon