one of the heart things about a community is getting to share and support with others. odd yoy raced this past weekend, July 28-30th share with us how it went.
- What race were you in and what were the important conditions that affected the race if any (weather, # of people, course, etc)?
- What was your goal going into the race, how did the race go?
- What did you do best in the race?
- What mistake did you make and how did you learn from it?
- Did any equipment you use work out really well or fail you?
- Upon reflecting on the race, how does it shape your training or strategy for your next race?
- Anything that you want to ask the ST community about regarding your race?
Happy to chime in!
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What race were you in and what were the important conditions that affected the race if any (weather, # of people, course, etc)?
Ironman Canada 70.3 - First time 70.3 for me.
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What was your goal going into the race, how did the race go?
Finishing (which I was sure I would), no real time set as it was my first.
Got super excited on the bike as I was booming along. 3 hours flat for 90k bike
Felt like I could try to be sub 6
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What did you do best in the race?
Bike for sure, German Sports Drink Powder that I call Rocket Fuel - unreal how this stuff works for me.
Swim was a pleasant surprise, 41 min
Run started off fine, Kilometer 16 it started to get hard, 18K - I started cursing, 20K - just get to the f%$$# finish line.
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What mistake did you make and how did you learn from it?
Oh boy…let me list:
a) Swim exit, watch where you step - I hit a rock with my toe, lost balance and fell flat on my face.
Right into the mud, while my name was announced plus right in front of the camera.
Actually hope they caught it, also got a very nice purple toe (ouch)
b) Spend less time in transition. I was discombobulated in T1 and took a full 12 minutes (incl. a pee stop)
That is what killed me doing the sub 6 hours in hindsight.
c) Bodyglide does not survive well in heat.
I wanted to smear some on my feet in T2 and had to realize that it was almost soup.
Fun stuff to deal with.
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Did any equipment you use work out really well or fail you?
$300 used Tri Bike (part carbon, aerobars, etc) - worked out amazingly.
Wet-suit, do not pull too hard when putting it on. 3 minutes before start, ripped a whole in the crotch (small one) when I wanted to adjust it. Can be fixed, but felt strange at first in the water.
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Upon reflecting on the race, how does it shape your training or strategy for your next race?
Can always do more, had a blast though.
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Anything that you want to ask the ST community about regarding your race?
How did you do on your first 70.3?
Anyone did the IM Canada 70.3 and wants to share?
schag001, your post made me laugh. ill bet a slice of cold water on the crotch felt weird. congrats on finishing your first 70.3 and it sounds like it won’t be your last!
Nice thread, I’ll chime in.
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What race were you in and what were the important conditions that affected the race if any (weather, # of people, course, etc)? Greenwich cup sprint triathlon in greenwich, CT (.5, 15, 3 mi distances). Gorgeous morning, slight breeze from north but overall picture perfect conditions. 400 ish participants.
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What was your goal going into the race, how did the race go? 4th sprint race of year for me, was hoping for top 5 overall (was 4th, 3rd, 2nd in other races), and if anything my goal was to ride very hard. Last 4 miles of course were net downhill so I wanted to hammer since if I needed it, I could ease up a tad in last couple miles and still hold good speed. Ended up 6th, but I raced well and had as much speed as I could have reasonably expected.
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What did you do best in the race? I don’t have 1 specialty discipline (mayyybe running, but I wouldn’t say I’m a specialist, it’s just my best of the 3), I’m sorta solid at all 3, and I did just that, I was solid, did good transitions, and avoided any mistakes. I ran pretty well for me, 6:18 avg pace. Didn’t get passed by anyone and advanced 1 place during run. Included a 200 or so yard finish stretch on soft sand beach, it was tough sledding there at the end.
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What mistake did you make and how did you learn from it? Hmm, I’d say one mistake was the way i was breathing during swim…slight chop coming from one side which was my preferable side to breathe on. I’m comfortable with bilateral breathing, but I resisted breathing to the other side bc my sighting is better on my comfortable side, but I got 2 mouthfuls of seawater before I realized I need to breathe on the other side.
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Did any equipment you use work out really well or fail you? New goggles, aqua sphere kayennes, and they RULE. Great tint, great field of view, and no leaks or fogging. If you’re in the market for new goggs, these need to be on thr short list to try.
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Upon reflecting on the race, how does it shape your training or strategy for your next race? I need to continue to develop more strength on the bike. I’m a small fellow, 5 9 and 135 lbs, and I just don’t have the brute strength to ride that fast. I averaged 21.8 mph (no power meter so no gauge there…the 15 mile course had about 650’ climbing, sorta hilly), and I worked hard all spring to take my bike strength to new levels, mostly by doing 2x20s. On perfectly flat bike courses earlier this year I avg’d 22.4 and 22.8 (10 and 12 mile courses), but I want to be able to contend for overall wins at sprint races, and would love to be more in the range of 22+ for lumpy courses and 23-24 for flat while still being able to run well. Gotta do more 2x20s…damn, they hurt!
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Anything that you want to ask the ST community about regarding your race? Can’t think of anything specific, if anyone else did this race chime in!
On Sunday in upstate NY:
1-The Escarpment Run, weather was great, not very humid, sun was out but plenty of shade, about 240 people setting off in waves of 15, single track, technical trail running, all up and down, little flat.
2- I wanted to beat my previous time of 5:13 from two years ago, this was the race that got me interested in trails and ultras. I am very happy with my 4:36 this time, the lack of humidity really helped.
3-Climbing, climbing, climbing- I passed lots of people powering up the climbs.
4- Trying to push the pace on the descents at the end of the course on tired legs and not getting my feet up higher led to two falls in the last few miles.
5- Hoka SpeedGoats worked really well, no blisters, no lost toenails.
6- I have SavageMan in September, this was good hill practice!
7- Nothing to ask but it is a great race in NY for anyone interested.
On Sunday in upstate NY:
1-The Escarpment Run, weather was great, not very humid, sun was out but plenty of shade, about 240 people setting off in waves of 15, single track, technical trail running, all up and down, little flat.
2- I wanted to beat my previous time of 5:13 from two years ago, this was the race that got me interested in trails and ultras. I am very happy with my 4:36 this time, the lack of humidity really helped.
3-Climbing, climbing, climbing- I passed lots of people powering up the climbs.
4- Trying to push the pace on the descents at the end of the course on tired legs and not getting my feet up higher led to two falls in the last few miles.
5- Hoka SpeedGoats worked really well, no blisters, no lost toenails.
6- I have SavageMan in September, this was good hill practice!
7- Nothing to ask but it is a great race in NY for anyone interested.
5:13 to 4:36 is a huge improvement, congrats.