Jim Hogan's IM Augusta 70.3 Race Report - A very good day!
Augusta 70.3 2015 Race Report - Jim Hogan
Finish Time: 5:16:20
AG Place: 11 of 137
Overall Place: 442 of 2645
Things really clicked in Augusta, GA for me on Sunday, September 27, 2015. I know that I could have trained a little harder and a little more consistently but work and life had me going in too many directions. Regardless, I applied the strategies and tactics learned from EN over the past two training seasons and beat my best 70.3 time by 19:45. Yahoo!
Pre-race logistics: It takes a little planning because all the key points of the race are separate; 1) Swim start, 2) T1 & T2, 3) Finish line. If you are not at one of the downtown hotels, your race day setup with be a little more complicated. I was lucky that I had a friend staying at the Holiday Inn Express on Broad Street that was within walking distance of the swim start. Since I was in swim wave 22 starting at 8:54 am and transition closed at 7:15, I was able to spend plenty of time relaxing in their room and did not have to fight for a bathroom at the swim start.
Swim: 24:30 - My swim start was low stress and very well organized and it was easy to stay calm and keep my pre-race plan in place. My plan was to finish under 25 minutes and I did that without expending too much energy.
T1: 4:53 - Since I was fifth in my age group out of the water and the bikes are racked by age group, my area was not crowded. It's a good thing I a reasonably good swimmer. Things went smoothly although I think I could find some time here.
Bike: 2:49:32 - Overcast skies along with a little misty rain made for a great ride. I was reaching for 20 MPH but came up short. I was concerned that my late start would create a real mess during the bike portion of the race, and I was right. The roads were crowded with a lot of inexperienced cyclist so I had to keep a keen eye on everyone around me. On some of the hills, I actually had to move into the oncoming traffic lane to pass since there were cyclist 3 or 4 wide chugging away up the hill. Because of the crowded road, I was constantly passing had to exceed my HR targets more often than I would have liked. My nutrition plan was on target although I added one bottle of water from the last aid station to finish with something other than sugar. I think it helped.
Avg Speed: 19.4
Avg HR: 151
T2: 3:01 - It is a long way in and out of the transition area but still not sure why it took so long. I do remember that the aisle getting to my bike rack was crowded with slower people walking their bikes. Some room for improvement here too!
Run: 1:54:22 - All the interval training paid off as this run was the best result I have had in any long course triathlon. Consistency was the name of the game and I ran my targeted HR from beginning to the end. I loved the city run course and saw a few EN’ers while snaking my way through the city.
Early in the run, a younger guy (everyone is a younger guy to me at this point in my life) says “you are really keep a great pace.” I was sporting my EN Tri-top and there is a good chance he might have heard Coach RIch and Patrick’s Four Keys talk because after I told him I was keeping my HR pegged at my number, he said “ yeah, you’ve got to stay in the box, that’s for sure.” We ran together for 10 miles and I know that he helped me maintain my HR and pace which paid off in finish time. With just over a mile to go, I knew I had enough in the tank to go faster and I took off. In that last 1.5 miles, I passed 3 people in my AG who had nothing left. That felt really good and proof that #WorkWorks and TeamEN Rocks..
Pace: 8:49
Avg Heart Rate: 154
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Comments
"With just over a mile to go, I knew I had enough in the tank to go faster and I took off. In that last 1.5 miles, I passed 3 people in my AG who had nothing left." Ain't it great when that happens? It's really what racing;s all about.