Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report
This was my first 70.3 race.
My primary goal was to finish and execute my race plan properly.
Swim: 32:06
I used a Tempo Trainer in my swim cap for the first time in a race. I have been training with one and it really helps prevent me from going too fast on the stroke rate. This worked great for the race, especially since I go out too hard at the beginning of races due to adrenaline and excitement. I lined up on the left side, along the buoy line to get max current. The swim went really smoothly. My sighting was good and there was very little contact.
T1: 4:55
There is a steep boat ramp to go up coming out of the water and a long run around the transition area to the entrance. I jogged/walked it, taking my time to keep from making my heart rate go up too much. Everything went smoothly and I headed out to the bike course.
Bike: 3:11
The bike course was fairly windy at times, but the temperature wasn't too high and overall the weather was nice. My plan was to ride at 140 watts for the first 30 minutes and then go 165-170 watts the rest of the way. I look down to get a power reading and see it registering 50 watts and I am pretty sure I am well over 100. Something is wrong - this has happened before with my PowerTap. I had calibrated it before the swim start, so that should not be the problem. I tried zeroing the hub a few times - twice while moving and once I came to a full stop to do it. Nothing worked. I was pretty pissed - I've been training with power all this time and its on race day when it becomes a useless piece of junk. So, plan B. I remembered Coach Rich talking about feeling the pressure on your feet to gauge how hard to ride, so I used that - remembering what it felt like in training (pressure-wise) and tried to replicate it. I also knew that my avg heart rate for my race rehearsals off the bike was about 140. So, I maintained that heart rate and made sure when I came to hills that I kept the effort in check and did not spike the power. Nutrition: I felt like I did a good job taking in Perform and a gel every hour with a salt stick capsule. I did pee once (at 2nd aid station) and that lasted about 2 minutes! Ultimately, I feel like I rode the ride my race rehearsals predicted. So plan B worked. I cruised into transition feeling good and not over-worked.
T2: 4:15
Run: 2:37:16
So here is where it all came apart and this is what I'm most disappointed with when I think about my race with a more critical eye. Yes, I know my goal was to finish, but I felt 99.9% sure I was going to accomplish that. I really wanted a solid run where I did not slow down and I couldn't do it. I began executing my plan incorrectly to start. My goal was to run 11 minute miles for the first 3 miles and then push it to 10:30 for miles 4-10. My 1.1 miles came in at 10:01 even though I was really trying to go slower. The next 1.9 miles were right at 11, so that was better. At this point, I felt good. Starting at mile 3, I increased my pace to 10:30 and held that for a whopping one mile. Then I slipped to 11:30's for the next 3 miles. Right about mile 8 I guess I hit the wall. I felt drained and weak. I had been taking one cup of Perform at each station, but I did miss one and took water instead with a salt pill. The Perform really made me want to hurl at this point. It was warm and gross. I took Coke once, that was warm and tasted worse. I just wanted something cold to refresh me a little, so I would sometimes mix cold water with perform. I kinda got all over the place on each aid station. From mile 8 to 12, I was not feeling great. I was getting side stitches for awhile and then they went away. My pace slipped to the 13's, close to 14. Once I hit mile 12, I mentally shifted and focused on my one thing, which was to honor all the training and work I've put in get here and to push through the discomfort and not stop until crossing the finish line. I ran it in at 11:19 pace.
Closing thoughts: I feel good that I accomplished my goal of completing a 70.3. I followed the EN plan and had a good time engaging with the team and learning. This is the first time I really experienced "the suck". Previously, I've done two Olympics and a bunch of sprints and while they can (and were) painful too, it's just not the same level of pain and fatigue. During the last month or so of my training, I had reduced my vDot from 34 to 32 due to the fact that I was not able to keep my pace at 34. So, I am disappointed that, even with the slower run paces, I still could not hold the pace. I have Ironman Lake Placid on the schedule for next summer and I'll go through the November Out-Season and hopefully I can build my run endurance up by then.
Comments
One question - how were you doing on calorie intake on the bike? Did you front load your calories or space them out evenly over the hours?