I'll be racing the Indian Wells 70.3 on December 8th. I've done one Ironman 70.3 before this (Santa Cruz this past September) and had some questions based on the swim start for this event.
Background:
I'd describe myself as a strong-ish swimmer relative to the age group field as a whole, but was a little presumptuous in Santa Cruz and slotted myself with the very first group. The group's estimated pace was 27:00, but I ended up getting out of the water in 28:57. Felt like I had a subpar swim for me based off what I've done in the pool and open water for training. Even though the slower time could be attributed to ocean conditions, I was still passed by maybe 15-20 people (possibly more) from the waves behind me. With the rolling start, I believe 4 people went off from the corral at a time.
Once I got on the bike I was able to really get moving. There wasn't really anyone who stayed with me until after I passed the majority of the Pro Women. Two Every Man Jack guys ride with me once I caught them with about 10 miles to go. I ended up coming into T1 first with a 2:17:55.
For Indian Wells, I expect that I'll be at the front for the age group race on the bike as my in-aero FTP on the trainer has gone up a bit since Santa Cruz. I've also been putting a lot of work into my swim with a couple of 2-a-days thrown in and have made really good progress in the pool. I believe that if I have a good day, and since it's in calm Lake Cahuilla, I could be close to that 27:00 mark.
How should I position myself for this rolling swim start to set up the best possible race? Should I go with the first group at 27:00 minutes? Or line myself up a group behind and potentially have a bit more draft to swim in?
I'm thinking that since the bike is flat and fast there could be an advantage to riding with a few other guys at legal spacing.
Side note: I know the run course is rollers on the golf course, but is there anything else I should know about it? Looks like a decent amount of turns. All on pavement?
Dominic Pollizzi
Background:
I'd describe myself as a strong-ish swimmer relative to the age group field as a whole, but was a little presumptuous in Santa Cruz and slotted myself with the very first group. The group's estimated pace was 27:00, but I ended up getting out of the water in 28:57. Felt like I had a subpar swim for me based off what I've done in the pool and open water for training. Even though the slower time could be attributed to ocean conditions, I was still passed by maybe 15-20 people (possibly more) from the waves behind me. With the rolling start, I believe 4 people went off from the corral at a time.
Once I got on the bike I was able to really get moving. There wasn't really anyone who stayed with me until after I passed the majority of the Pro Women. Two Every Man Jack guys ride with me once I caught them with about 10 miles to go. I ended up coming into T1 first with a 2:17:55.
For Indian Wells, I expect that I'll be at the front for the age group race on the bike as my in-aero FTP on the trainer has gone up a bit since Santa Cruz. I've also been putting a lot of work into my swim with a couple of 2-a-days thrown in and have made really good progress in the pool. I believe that if I have a good day, and since it's in calm Lake Cahuilla, I could be close to that 27:00 mark.
How should I position myself for this rolling swim start to set up the best possible race? Should I go with the first group at 27:00 minutes? Or line myself up a group behind and potentially have a bit more draft to swim in?
I'm thinking that since the bike is flat and fast there could be an advantage to riding with a few other guys at legal spacing.
Side note: I know the run course is rollers on the golf course, but is there anything else I should know about it? Looks like a decent amount of turns. All on pavement?
Dominic Pollizzi
Last edited by:
zestypollizzi: Nov 19, 19 13:35