Where’s all the ChesapeakeMan race reports? I want details… swim, bike, run… percentage of hotties?
Thanks!
I did the Aqua-Velo race as part of my prep for Ironman Florida. This season is my first foray into Ironman distance racing so this event was new territory for me. Conditions were very nice but a tab bit windy. The swim had some serious chop on the far side of the two loop swim. Weather was clear at the start in the mid 60s but it warmed up a little as the day went on. Like usual, part of the bike course had some serious wind but it eventually turned into a tail wind towards the end.
Overall, the race was well organized but could have used an additional buoy on the backside of the swim. Aid stations were well placed on the bike and made good hand-offs. Vigo did a great job announcing for people as they came off the bike. I hope he keeps this race on the schedule next year. I plan on doing it again and going the full 140.6.
Below is my quick RR recap.
Swim: The swim was very rough on the far side of the two loop course. The wind was strong and the chop was smacking everyone around. I swam OK considering my lack of time in the pool the last month. I went out strong by backed off and stayed comfortable most of the way. During the rough stretch, I slowed my strong way down and tried to ride the waves up and down. I came in at the back of a big group around 58 min.
T1: Transition was really nice. A guy helped me with my bag and I had a chair to sit on inside the tent. I must have transitioned fast because I was the first one from the group out on the road (3rd overall).
Bike: I took it easy the first miles of the ride and then settled into a nice rhythm and started my nutrition program. I felt uncomfortable from mile 25-35 for some reason but it slowly went away. I was worried that it was going to be a long day - but that was the only bad patch I experienced during the ride. I drank three bottles of EFS, two bottles of Gatorade, and about two flasks worth of EFS Liquid Shot for about 1800 calories. I took plain water between the bottles and didn’t feel bloated or sick at the end.
I didn’t see many people on course and stayed aero most of the ride. I got out of the saddle to stretch every now and again but overall felt good on the bike. My neck was a little tired from the aero helmet and my wrists were a little sore, but that was it.
I rode my plan and kept the watts around 200 and HR around 138. It was a comfortable pace. After about 80 miles I did pick things up a bit and rode strong to the finish. In the end, I took 4th overall in the AV (with first going to a Canadian Pro) splitting a 5:06. I think one relay also beat me off the bike. Had I done the full race, I would have been first onto the run course!
I did a 5 mile t-run after the race and felt good. I did have to make a potty stop after about a mile but otherwise I was OK. For IMFL, I plan on maintaining my pace (not picking it up after mile 80) and maybe drinking an additional water bottle.
Overall, this was a great dry-run for next month and I’ll likely do it again next year.