Race report-Musselman Half-Iron ( kinda long..sorry )
Pre race:
I decided to do this race 4 weeks ago after a schedule change in my work schedule. I was in week 4 of general prep of my Ironman training for IMFL
I jumped on half-iron plan last four weeks intermediate. Everything went well. One week before the race I decided to go to my Zipps 808/404 with powertap. I have a wireless cpu my hubby gave me for xmas. My power was not at all the same as my wired mavics. After trying many different things I called Saris who after checking torque's on both wheels figured out that it was my Mavics which was giving me the wrong power ! I did 2 outseasons with it and training for a IM last year ! So now a week before the race I didn't know my FTP so I went out for a quick 20min test which gave me a bit of an idea what my FTP should be now with those wheels. It was hard to take. After working so hard to increase my FTP during the winter ( I had it to 249) and then to realize that I was not there at all more like ( 195's). My silly ego took a hit. I have Kitima to thank who gave me her words of wisdom to snap me back up. Thanks K. I am grateful !
So now I had an FTP to go by and zones, TSS figured out.
Race Report.
Plan was :
Swim with good form, bike to go with TSS of .77-.80, run first 30 at zone 1( 9:55-10-20) and then go to zone 2( 8:55).
Nutrition: Day before good lunch, light dinner, smoothie at 2am( 300cal) , light bf. During race: gel 30min before swim start, Bike: nothing for the first 30, after Infinit ( 160cal/hr), 3 botles total. 60onz water. Aero btle with plain water. Gel if needed at 2:30 on the bike. Run: nothing the first hr, after on the course nutrition. Sodium: 2 s caps / hr on bike, run. Total sodium 800mg/hr bike, 650mg/mg hr run and anything I take on the course.
Swim:
My swim went well. I did not site very well though, my prefered breathing side is the right and every tri I've done buoys are on the left . I should just bilateral swim during tri's . period. Very little bumps from others, obviously since i was swimming so far on the right. Very warm water ( 76) After swimming in the lake you enter a canal which is full of docked boats. Even warmer water and very stinky with gas smells, fish etc. Yuck. My only hits was there when we we're almost done. I got hit on the head really good twice by the same swimmer. I got pisssed at him and yelled a few times but remembered Coach P's advice in the four keys about letting it go and moving on which I did. Glad I rewatched Four Keys before race !
Swim time: 37:15
T1:2:36
Went really well for once. I ran with the bike, wetsuit came right off, was calm and smooth
Bike:' 3:09
Goal watts was 147 first hour then 155 for a TSS of .80. I did alright with watts with a TSS of .77. The bike felt easy the entire time yet I felt I was going really fast. 2 good hills on the course which I made up with slightly above 171( long hill watts). I'm happy with my bike except nutrition. I took only 2 of my 3 bottles and did not take a gel at 2:30 of the bike. So I started the run with only 320 calories in the bank. I was at hr 3:50 by then.
T2: 3:02
I was slow there. Not sure why. Not focused anymore, took off socks when I needed them on. Concerned about my wetsuit location etc. Needed to be more focused. I think I was spacy because of nutrition. I did not turn the Garmin right away which came to bite me on the run.
Run: 2:21. So I started running but my garmin was not finding sattelite. Did not find it till mile 1. I was running a pace which seem easy to me ( at the time. 9:30's) yet not the pace I was supposed to do. 9:55-10:20. I felt so good I thought I would run 9:30's for the first 3 miles. Except it was more like 9:15's. I justified it by telling myself that it was ok because it felt "easy". Around mile 4, the heat was starting to get to me and was getiing in a funk. I could no longer keep up that pace. I was now having problems' with 10:20. I still waited till mile 5 to get nutrition. They had Heed on the course in small cups which we're filled half way. I took one cup. Problably .5 of a cup, so around 45 calories. I told myself to wait till mile 8 to get another one. Meanwhile i'm running but my pace is slow , walking aid stations and the 2 big hills on the course. It took till mile 9 to start to feel better. I got coke there and at mile 10. I also took shot blocks there ( mile 10) . I told myself that I will not break my goal of >6 ( my one thing) but I can go >6:15 if I start to run faster. It will be a PR for me. So I did.
Finished time: 2010: 6:14 2006: 6:49
PR for me for this distance. I would have met my goal if I would have been smarter nutritionaly( I calculated that I took only 600 calories for the entire race, so less then 100cal/hr ! and ran the first 3 miles at the right pace like I was supposed too. I lost focus and discipline during the run. I was kind of mad at myself after analysing the crap out of it today but it was a learning experience and makes me hungry to go back and try it again. It was my B race and a good experience to have before IMFL. I won't do those kind of mistakes there. Sorry for the lenght, it feels good to write about it. This way I can let it go and learn from it ! 
Scott's pic . Not used to the Iphone 
New Range #1:
Duration: 3:08:57
Work: 1607 kJ
TSS: 184.5 (intensity factor 0.765)
Norm Power: 148
VI: 1.05
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 56.634 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 360 142 watts
Cadence: 32 209 96 rpm
Speed: 1:46 14:00 3:20 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 526 130 lb-in
Lap #1 (Run):
Duration: 2:02:11
Work: n/a
rTSS: 187.8 (0.908)
NGP: 9:57 (161.8 m/min)
VI: n/a
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 10.872 mi
Elevation Gain: 3307 ft
Elevation Loss: 3327 ft
Grade: -0.0 % (-20 ft)
Min Max Avg
Cadence: 80 81 81 rpm
Speed: 3:06 0:00 10:58 min/mi
Altitude: 423 860 567 ft
Comments
The fourth discipline is key: nutrition. I personally eat more than most in the 70.3 distance. 250 an hour on bike, so about 750 calories and 1 gel every 3 miles on the run and water and or sports drink at each water stop on the run. Seems to work for me.
Races like you had are invaluable for the future. Next time you will get it just right!!
Carrie
The Mussel run seems easy for the first 3-4 miles as it's flat and along the lake with a nice breeze. The big hill through the corn field comes at mile 7 followed by more rolling hills through neighborhoods without shade. The second half of that run can be brutal with the hills and the heat.
Congrats on your PR---you've come a long way since the TT days
Oh and Nemo did not drink when her watch beeped until I reminded her that we could all hear the beep, yet she wasn't drinking. Now she has my voice in her head when the watch beeps (hee hee hee)