Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report

First let me say Congratulations to all of the finishers of the Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race. This last 9 months has been a long and interesting swim, ride and you guessed it run. I had many workouts where I experienced a training high, and some workouts I would like to forget. Some of my workouts took place at 0F and some at 116F. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Here are the totals for workouts since the "official" 24 week program began. These numbers INCLUDE the 1/2IM
Swim= 72 workouts, 60.89 miles
Bike= 76 workouts, 1,373.4 miles
Run= 78 workouts, 401.1 miles

I missed 4 workouts ALL of them Swims.In this race report I will include details about what happened in my race. There were 3,500 other athletes, but the 1 biggest thing I have taken from Triathlon is that you HAVE to run your own race. Stick to your plan, and don't let another athlete alter your race. Especially at this distance and above.The Swim.I was in the 30-34 guys first wave and we left the dock at promptly 7:45 am. The water was cool, but I was in my wetsuit, so no biggie. The current was swift and it carried us down the river QUICKLY. I used very little effort on the swim. The thing I disliked most about the swim was the amount of twigs, leaves and other debris in the water. I swallowed some of the water and it played a factor later.

Planned Time: 44:00
Actual Time: 30:28
Differential: +13:32

T1.

After crossing the timing mat officially ending my swim I hit the deck and my wetsuit was ripped off by a volunteer, and then I made a sharp right turn and all the way down to the third row from the end. My transition area was 20 spots in. I grabbed my things and hit the road. Decent time considering the fast swim. I'll trade 13:30 for 1:32 any day!

Planned Time: 2:00
Actual Time: 3:32
Differential: -1:32

The Bike.

So the plan was to average 17.5 mph and that would put the 56 miles behind me in 3:15:00. BUT the course was very fast, and over the first 1hr 30min I averaged over 20mph. I followed my nutrition strategy for 2 hours and then I got sick of Gatorade, and at about the 1 hour mark my stomach felt bad. I had swallowed some of the river water and it was upsetting my stomach. (Mental Note: TUMS in the bento box next time.) I stayed on the pedals and tackled the hills and wind with ease, but during the third hour I only took in water to settle my stomach for the run. I was the passer on the bike, and the only guys passing me were the fast hardcore guys on the $$$ Tri bikes. At 2:30:00 I rode out of aero more and stretched out my back. I did hit over 40mph on the bike at one point! and so yourself a favor and buy yourself a speedfil already. That thing was awesome! I feel great about the bike, but how would I holdup on the run??? I did pace over a mile per hour too fast!Planned Time: 3:15:00Actual Time: 3:00:28Differential: +14:32

T2.

I Ran in on the Bike and crossed the mat. I went to the third bike rack to the left and got back to transition. I racked the bike and put on my running shoes. As I left I took 8 endurolytes and grabbed endurolytes and 2 gels for the run. I also squirted sunblock on my hands and dabbed it on my shoulders, face, neck, and arms. I rubbed the sunblock in while running during the first half mile. I did hear a drop leaving transition.

Planned Time: 2:00
Actual Time: 2:59
Differential: -:59

The Run.

So I had 3 issues to contend with. 1. Run 13.1 miles, 2. gauge my stomach situation, and 3 that noise I heard while leaving transition. I had planned on running the 13.1 in 2 hours, however earlier in the race I had banked 45 minutes during the swim and bike, not to mention I was low on calories and the stomach issue hadn't worked out yet. I ran at a 9:45 pace for the first mile, and the stomach felt surprisingly good, but I felt it safe to keep a 9:45 pace. 4 miles in I reached for the endurolytes. The noise... crap I had dropped them leaving transition. at 5 miles I saw Mary Ruth and Eyrleigh. This was the pick me up I needed, and I decided to take 1/2 gel at mile 6, 8, 10, and 12. I do not normally eat this much, but I needed 2 things to finish this race, calories and sodium. At mile 9 I felt like I could run a 9 minute mile, however the cramps threatened my right leg shortly after that. So I kept the 10 min/mile pace until mile 12. I did not want the run to de-rail my race. I knew then I would break 6 hours after I passed Mary Ruth and Eyrleigh. ran the last mile in 8:30.

I had finished my First Ironman 70.3 race! This more than matched any expectations I had going in! I didn;t draw it up this way, but it turned out great!

Planned Time: 6:00:00
Actual Time: 5:49:15
Differential +10:45

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