Race Report - IM 70.3 Chattanooga
IM 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report
This was my first triathlon on the season and a tune up race
for IM Lake Placid. This was my fourth
70.3 and by far, the most fun and my fastest HIM. It was a great course with a couple challenging
but short hills on the run. The venue was awesome. Chattanooga has a small town atmosphere with
the nicest people. IM Chattanooga will
go on my to do list.
Results: Finish time: 5:06, placed 23rd/174 in my
Age Group
Swim – Goal: 40 mins or less, actual: 33:27 (1:43/100m)
The swim went very well and was surprised to see my time when I glanced at my
Gramin. The river had a little current
but nothing like last’s year IM. This
was the first time I used a full wetsuit in 5 years. I had some should discomfort off and on but I’m
not sure if it was from the wetsuit. I’ve experienced the same discomfort
during pool swims which usually go away after 10-15 minutes. My plan is to get in weekly swims with my
full wetsuit so I’m comfortable for IMLP.
About 10 minutes before swim start, I realized I didn’t have my HR
monitor…left it in the room. Last year,
this would have sent me into a panic but this year I was like, it’s probably
good I don’t have it. I train by HR on
the bike and have a good feeling for HR and perceived effort.
T1: 7:01
I gave away a good 4 minutes here, which could have put me at 17th in
AG. When I came out of the water I had a
slight dizziness and would not have been able to run straight, so I walked to
the wetsuit strippers as I removed my wetsuit top, swim cap and goggles. Then I did a walk/jog/walk combination to T1. I just didn’t have the mojo to jog…maybe it
was a lack of blood circulation to my legs.
The transition area was narrow and long and of course I was at the
opposite end of bike out, which meant a long jog in my bike shoes. That wasn’t working too well so again, I did
a jog/quick walk/jog combo.
Bike – Goal: Sub 2:45, actual: 2:39 (21 mph)
The moment I mounted my bike all felt good and I want to take off but common
sense prevailed and I did the first 15-20 at a steady pace making sure my HR
came down. We had light rain off and on
for about the first half, which keep the temps nice and cool. The course had lots of rollers, some false
flats, and one steeper hill (not nothing hard) and lots of fast flat
sections. Though I had a very good OS, I
was surprised at the speeds I was hitting with a low RPE. Other than having to maneuver around a couple
vehicles on the course, the bike leg was fun and fast.
T2: 2:38
Another long jog in bike shoes, quick change into my running shoes grabbed my
go-bag (with race belt, gels, cap, sunglasses) and I was out.
Run – Goal: 1:35, actual: 1:43 (7:55/mile)
The run started off great. After the
first mile, I increased my pace and then at 1.5 miles my left quad and
hamstring suddenly cramped without warning.
Normally, slowing my pace would relieve the cramps or even walking, but
not this time. My initial thought was this
will be a long 13.1 mile walk. I stretched
and massaged my muscles for 2-3 minutes and the cramps went away and never
returned. In hindsight, I think the
cramp was my body telling me to start out a little slower and let your HR
settle, which is exactly what the cramp did for me. I eased back to a Z1 pace afraid the cramps
might return. This held my pace back
until mile 6 when I decided to push a little faster. Except for some slight hamstring pain from
the cramp, the rest of the run was uneventful and I finished the last 2 miles
strong.
I had PRs in all three disciplines which is in line with the
training I’ve been putting in: swimming 3-4x/week, good improvement over the OS
and a 1:27 half marathon PR in March. It’s
great to see the hard work paying off. Now,
it’s time to focus on IMLP race prep.
I definitely recommend this race, both the 70.3 and 140.6.
Comments
Keep it one day at a time and IMLP will be here in no time. Take care of business!
Btw looking purely at the splits and what you said about the run and knowing nothing about your relative strengths and weaknesses I would make the observation that your bike is probably where you should focus. Assuming you should have a 90-95' run split that is something you see hand-in hand with a 2:20-2:30 bike not a 2:40. I'm not suggesting that you should have biked faster but rather that there are probably gains to be had on the bike for you. Actually the fact that you beat your estimated bike split by 6 minutes may mean you overcooked slightly on the bike and that could have been a contributory factor to cramping on the run (pure speculation but I had to mention it). We all know that a strong bike allows you to run to your potential, and I'm sure at the IM distance that's magnified.
One final point...I don't see you mention power anywhere. If that implies you don't train with power, I'd suggest for a guy of your ability and placing in AG that you strongly consider getting a PM for the remainder of your IMLP training and for the race. With the prices of used powertap wheels being what they are, this is a $400 decision and no longer a $1,000+ decision. It will take a lot of the guesswork out of pacing the bike and give you the best chance of performing to your potential.
Good luck at IMLP and I look forward to reading your next report!
Strong work - catch you in Lake Placid.
Thought for some free time in this T1 situation: carry your bike shoes to your bike, maybe put them on at the mount line. Personally, I don;t worry anymore about running right away when I get out of the water. I wait for my head to clear, then run past the folks who are jogging away from the wetsuit strippers.
@ Al - Good idea on carrying bike shoes...I'll consider that next time. Thanks.
@ Matt - Great feedback...exactly what I was needing to hear for confirmation of my assessment. My bike time goal was purely based on doing better than last year's Eagleman. I didn't have a good assessment of my bike fitness going into this race and I actually felt I could have gone harder on the bike but was concerned about impacting my run. Running is my strongest leg and I know my bike needs to most improvement. This is my third year doing 70.3s and second year for 140.6. Seems like my bike fitness is a long gradual work in progress. Over the OS this year and last season, I had 15% improvements (per Trainer Road virtual power) but I started each year at the same virtual power level. I'll definitely look into buying a PM. Thank you!
Derrek, nice work, very solid performance! It was also my first time racing in Chattanooga and definitely will be back.