Keith's Raleigh 70.3 Race Report 2014
Raleigh 70.3 completed Sunday. A little background, I did not complete this race last year due to pain from cramps or gas on the run. I went on to finish the Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron distance in October. Yesterday I hit/left transition 2 at the 4:04 mark on track to hit 6:00 hours or just under. My swim was right at my normal. I resolved myself that the swim wont improve much but if I can squeak in an average time every now and then that will be great. Yesterday was 51 minutes in the water.
My bike was 3:05 with an average speed of 18.1 mph. That was right about the same as last year. However, the conditions were less favorable with a headwind the entire way, according to others. Head wind tailwind, I can never tell which it is because I just ride. So I am assuming I benefited from a new specialized shiv fitted properly and more areo helmet. And I was in aero 95 % of the ride. Here is one of my issues. I drank about 12 -16 ounces of water and one bottle of infinity go far with gatorlytes mixed in. The infinti was not completely finished until mile 50 ish. I was never thirsty or hungry and basically drank in anticipation of the run. I felt somewhat bloated. That feeling never left and followed me on the run.
On the run, the bloated/full feeling just hung with me. It prevented me from finding a comfortable pace in the run. I ended up run walking it at 10 min pace while I ran this leg at about 840 last October. I say all of that because I feel like I am plateau-ing prematurely. The two areas I see the biggest potential for improvement are on the bike and run. So as I get ready do my training plan for part II of the season, I want to make sure that I train smarter and use the EN resources more than just for the plan. That probably starts with better use of the one on one coaching forums. Then learning more about race nutrition and how to identify issues before race day. The infinti worked great during the long training rides. Also, it might be time to invest in a power meter so I can effectively do the bike workouts. HR does not work for me.
I am ready to become a good race athlete rather than good training athlete. Oh yeah, my time was 6:19:12
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