Ironman California 70.3 Oceanside March 31, 2012
Oceanside, CA
Race Totals
SWIM: 36:09 (1:54 per 100m)
BIKE: 2:55:33 (19.14 mph avg.)
RUN: 1:39:22 (7:35 per mile avg.)
This is the big race I have been training for. It
is my second Half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). But my
first one with proper training under my belt. So I really didn’t know what to
expect. As far as goals, my main goal was to be under 6 hours. But for each
discipline, my goals were to be around a 35 minute swim, a 3 hour bike, and a
1:45 run. I met all of those so I am very pleased with my results. It was a fun
packed weekend because I raced with a triathlon team named Nopal Velo Tri club.
We had around two dozen athletes and friends with us. Great teamwork and support.
PRE RACE
RACE DAY EVE DINNER: ROSINAS ITALIAN RESTAURANT- Spaghetti
with meatballs and sausage. Glass of water.
Race Day Breakfast- 3:45am Plain
bagel with 1 tbsp of peanut butter, Gu energy gel, banana, and a cup of black
coffee (Approx. 550 calories)
6:00am Arrived at transition.
Sipping on 1 scoop of GU electrolyte brew (50 calories)
6:59am Race Start WAVE 7
Arriving at T1 to set up
Note: I did not warm up or even stretch. Well,
since I was ALMOST late to my swim start, I guess my warm up would be me
running in panic down the swim chute and navigating my way through hundreds of
other people. When I got to my swim start, they were already at the boat ramp.
That is exactly where we jump in to swim to the in water swim start. With no
time to waste, they were already swimming into the water. I thought that it was
the actual start of the race so I thought to myself “Darn, I’m in the back of
the group so I gotta fight my way to the front”. So yeah, I’m glad I made the
start but would rather have done some kind of warm up and stretching.
Swim (1.2 miles)
The gun
went off and I just said GO! In the 3 triathlons I have done, I hyperventilated
and had to take a little break and slow my breathing down. Usually that happens
from the cold water, or if you are extremely nervous (or both). Swimming in open
water with hundreds of people is scary. You can’t simulate that in training,
only experience will give you more comfort. Well, I guess I am getting more
experienced because I felt pretty good and didn’t have to rest. Just like any
swim start, I got kicked and punched in the face. Football is a contact sport,
but the swim start of a triathlon is like a UFC match in the water. At one
point I swam over some guy and he must have been flutter kicking like he was
drowning because it felt like Floyd Mayweather was throwing blows to my stomach
like he does to a heavy bag! I did find some open spots where I got into a nice
rhythm but at the halfway point it started to get pretty choppy and there were
some nice sized waves we have to swim through. Three quarters into the swim I
hit a buoy and swallowed a full gulp of water. That was delightful. Nearing
towards the end of the swim you can see a long line of spectators surrounding
the harbor and that got me in the zone to finish the swim hard. I started
kicking more to activate my legs to get ready to bike, that helped a lot. I
finished and hit the boat ramp being greeted by all of the spectators.
Swim
Total 36:09
Part of the swim course in the harbor
Just finished the swim, on the way to my bike
T1 (Swim to Bike
Transition)- 4:51
It was a
decent run from the end of the swim to the north end of T1 but I still need to
tighten up my T1 time. I took my time making sure I didn’t forget anything. I
will feel more confident in my preparation next time and I will move more
swiftly.
Bike (56 miles)
I mounted my bike and rode on top of my shoes,
hit a straightaway out of T1 and strapped my shoes on while riding. I am
getting better at that. The first few miles I just took it easy to let the body
get used to being in a different position and to let the blood flow get to my
legs. I waited until about 15 minutes to allow my heart rate to go down so I
can absorb some nutrition better. The bike course was cool. It goes from the
shore of Oceanside up the coast into Camp Pendleton. I saw a lot of Military
Personell in uniform and saw some cool stuff around the base. It was a wet and
cold bike ride. Misty and overcast is not a good combination. My toes were numb
the whole time. My arms were frozen and it was tough to reach around to the
back of my shirt pocket for energy gels. But, the first half of the bike went
fast. Then, the hills came. There were a few tough, steep hills that took some
serious climbing effort and then some rolling hills. The downhills were fun, I
hit 40 mph at one point. At somewhere about ¾ of the ride I caught up to
someone wearing the same jersey as me, it was my teammate Octavio. From that
point on we rode together and passed one another a few times before Octavio led
both of us to T2. It was good motivation to stick with a teammate at the end of
a long bike ride like that. Thanks Octavio! Throughout the whole bike ride I
felt good. My legs were not cramping or showing any major signs of fatigue. I
met my 3 hour goal and my final bike split was 2:55:33. When I dismounted my
bike I was greeted by another teammate ZIYA! Who managed to get a good shot of
me going into T2! Now, time to run.
Bike Nutrition One GU Energy
Gel every 30 minutes chased w/ water (500), two bottles of GU electrolyte brew
(300)
Bike Total 2:55:33 (19.14 mph avg.)
The bike course
T2
(Bike to run transition)- 2:20
I had a
good, quick transition…but after drinking 3 bottles of fluid on the bike meant
a full bladder, which resulted in a trip to the bathroom. I hit the portable
bathrooms in the transition area which took AT LEAST 30 seconds.
Off the bike, time to run.
RUN (13.1 miles)
Coming off the cold bike, my toes were numb as I
mentioned before. I think it took about a mile to get the feeling back in my
feet. Just like every bike/run brick workout, I always want to take the first
mile or two to get my legs under me and transition from cyclist to runner. But
the funny thing is I felt like I was doing that, but my first mile was actually
one of my fastest miles. My main goal was not to cramp early in the run. So I
focused on good form and breathing and to take in nutrition at the right times.
The run course was great because there were spectators EVERYWHERE. The energy
was great, they really supported all the athletes. It was two laps on the strand of Oceanside,
right on the shore. The loops and turns on the course were nice because on the
out and backs, you can see who is behind you on the run and I got to see
several of my teammates and we would reach across the center divider for a
quick high five or a point or thumbs up. That was really cool. There were a few
steep hills that were challenging and I didn’t attack those too hard because I
knew I had to do them again on the 2nd lap. About halfway into the run I felt a slight
twinge in my right Achilles. I am thinking it was from those steep hills since
I never run hills like that. The Achilles is no joke so I hoped it didn’t get
worse, which it didn’t but I still need to closely monitor it. My heart rate
was at 160 at the lowest point. Which I think is too high. That provided me
with a 7:30-7:45 per mile pace. More run training and mileage will help me in
the future. I got off the bike in 14th place in my age group, and I
ran down 5 guys. When I hit the second loop I started thinking when I should
start pushing my pace. I waited until mile 9 to settle into a good rhythm. I tried pushing my legs harder but they just
wouldn’t provide anymore bounce. My final mile was my fastest mile of the half
marathon. At an aid station at about a mile away from the finish I took a sip
of some coke to give me a little jolt! I pushed it hard all the way to the
finish which will result in a full stride finish line photo. No poses for me. As you can see from my mile splits, I had a
nice 2nd half of the run with a nice negative split. I met my run
goal of 1:45 and my final run split was a 1:39:22.
MILE 1- 7:13
MILE 2- 7:49
MILE 3- 7:24
Mile 4- 7:43
Mile 5- 7:33
Mile 6- 7:51
Mile 7- 8:08
Mile 8- 7:48
Mile 9- 7:38
Mile 10-7:34
Mile 11-7:26
Mile 12- 7:15
Mile 13- 7:09
Run Nutrition 3 GU energy gels, few
sips of water and electrolyte drink at aid stations (300 Calories)
Run Total 1:39:22 (7:35 per
mile avg.)
-19 minutes from time
Race
Total
5:18:15
9th
M 18-24
462
Overall
Lessons
learned
-Prepare
for swim start earlier. Warm up and stretch and be with the wave group on time.
-I
believe I can push harder in the race. Maybe a little more in all 3
disciplines. It’s just a matter of experience and trial and error. It is a good
start, I am still fairly new to the sport and am always learning new things.
-For
races that are expected to be cold like this one, I should have purchased arm
warmers. Wearing my gloves and toe covers on the bike would have been nice too.
-More
hill training on bike and run.
-Improve
T1 time.
Upcoming
training
I will
keep the workouts light this week and slowly ease back into my normal
routine. Once I feel good and fully recovered then I will get into some more
serious training. Longer rides with the group and upping my run training. Also
get some good sets in the pool and ocean for the swim.
Next
race
May 12 San
Diego ITU Olympic Distance
FUN TIMES!!!!
Top males of the club. I got fastest swimmer lol