Late race report - 40 minute PR at Rev3 Maine

[Deleted User]

A little late on this race report, but we went on vacation right after the race and things have been hectic since then.  I figured I should post it since it was a full 40 minute PR, and to show that work does in fact work!



This was my fourth half-ironman. Previous races were Timberman and Rev3 Quassy (twice).  Both hillier than Rev3 Maine (especially Quassy!), so that should be taken into consideration, but still very happy with my results at Rev3 Maine.



If you are curious about the race, I would highly recommend it.  This was the first year for it, and it was very well done.  It took place at Old Orchard Beach - a somewhat tacky tourist town with a great beach and very few (any?) good restaurants.  But a great location for the race.  Lots of lodging and camping within walking distance to the race, and a beautiful beach.  My wife and daughter took full advantage of the beach when I was not racing but off doing tri stuff.



Swim was uneventful.  It was the first ocean race for me, and turned out to be no big deal - quite enjoyable actually.  Beautiful beach, and the water was really nice for wetsuits, being in the mid 60's I think.  Got out of the water in 37 minutes, so about 1:45 per 100.  Typical for me, although my sighting was not the best - there are no landmarks in the middle of the ocean!  A very long run to transition of about 1/3 of a mile.



Bike went great.  I'm on the large size (6'1", 205 lbs at race time), and gravity is not my friend.  The fast, flat bike course suited me well.  Off the bike in 2:36, for an average speed of 21.7 mph.  NP = 230 watts (IF = .78), and a VI of 1.03.  Average cadence was 91.  TSS = 157.  Looking at the table, I probably left some on the table for the bike.  My IF was right where I targeted it (78%), but I was off the bike faster than I thought I would be.  It looks like I probably could have pushed the IF into the low 80's, although that would only be true on a flat course.  I suck on the hills (need to drop more pounds).  And my run sucks, so I was being conservative.



On to the run - my weakest sport by far.  Only managed to average 9:30 per mile, and was hoping for 20 - 30" per mile faster than that.  I had planned to pace it using HR, but my HR monitor failed (and that is the second HIM in a row that that happened - I'm having bad luck with the Garmin 910xt HR strap). No HR messed up my head a little since I planned my run around it, but I don't think it had a real effect on my run time in the end.  For race nutrition, I had paid for a Core Diet race fueling plan, which worked really, really well. Very highly recommended - their methods have made a big difference in how I fuel for training and racing and it is really paying off.



All in all a great race for me, and a big PR.  After the race we went to Acadia for a week, with no swimming, running, or biking (other than once around the loop road on my bike - still with disk cover on it! Beautiful ride!).



I am now in the middle of a 5 week run focus before the Nov. OS start.  Following the HM plan on the wiki, with a half marathon scheduled for Oct. 7.  Did a 10K today, and my running is really feeling great - hitting the target paces easily and feeling really good every workout.  It is amazing what quality running you can get in when you take out the big bike rides.  Legs never felt so fresh.  And I ran more miles last week than ever before, including during the lead up to Ironman Lake Placid last year.  This run focus stuff may work...



Quassy Rev3 and Ironman Lake Placid next up in 2013!

MattAaronson

A 40 minute PR is not a PR but rather an order of magnitude improvement in your performance, even considering course differences. So a huge congratulations! Although IF of 0.78 is probably undercooking an HIM bike regardless of other factors, if you are a weak runner then targeting a lower FTP is usually not a bad move. Btw I realize you underperformed the run vs. your expectation, but how did it compare to paces implied by your VDOT? If your goal pace was about MP then missing it by 20-30" per mile is not too bad. Overall it sounds like a great race and with some hardcore run training you'll be rockin' it at IMLP next season!

[Deleted User]

Thanks Matt. Current vdot is 44.6. Data tool gives me an MP of 7:57. I thought that was not going to happen, but was hoping for 9:00 ballpark at least. I just did a 10K this past weekend and averaged 7:18 min/mile. My HIM run just seems too slow, I think. Need to work on that somehow. This run focus seems to be working, and will do another one after the Nov. OS.

Coach Patrick

` Jim, congrats on the great race! You have deftly made some insane progress. One of the easiest ways to work on that half Ironman run is to simply dial the bike back a bit. May be targeted a 242 245 split which would allow you to run that 30 seconds per mile faster. Of course you're doing the work already with the Core Diet folks, so you'll see the benefit of reduced weight and improve nutrition strategy. Can't wait to see what you can do next year!

dotcatlin

I haven't found a lot out there on impact of force on pace in longer races with higher body fat percentage. I also can kill a 5k, which gives me high zones, but when it comes to a HIM, stand-alone marathon or IM marathon, I cannot keep EP or MP, depending. I just know there is something out there that bigger people break down faster, even if a skinny person and bigger person have the same 5k pace. Being lean is really what has to allow a body to maintain pace at a longer distance. I've asked a lot of bigger people if they've ever maintained their paces. Only Patrick has, but he isn't even really that stocky. With continued results on body comp, I'll meet my EP, but don't beat yourself up if your 5k time is awesome and you can't get to EP/MP. I know the real work for me is not improving my 5k time alone, but losing weight, and then using that extra leanness to improve my 5k time! In a way, it seems obvious, but I do have a training partner who has similar 5k times, then on long races, she blows me away at the marathon. There's gotta be an issue with bigger people breaking down faster, etc. Either way, great job! The medal at the end seemed worth it. Wasn't it a lobster claw bottle opener/medal? Sweet!