IM70.3 Eagleman
Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Race Review
Set Up
Woke up at 355 to get some food in me. Ate a bagel with PB and J, and then a honey stringer waffle. Had a cup of coffee to get ahead of any caffeine headaches.
When I got to the race course I didn’t really know how to set up things, so I just looked at other people’s setups to see how they staged their stuff. I was super fortunate to get an end spot for my transition space. No searching required! I put on some sunscreen on my exposed arms and face.
Would have been nice to have headphones for hype prior to starting. Note for next time, bring the tunes to AMP UP.
Didn’t really warm up for the swim besides just wiggling and moving the arms around. Who wants to get in the water early anyways?
Swim [42:13, 1:57min/100]
Honestly had no idea what to expect. Queuing up for the swim was wild. I picked the 43-45 min group since I was hoping to come in below 45min. Out the gate I waded into the water until a bit above waist deep and then dove in. Couldn’t see anything in the murkiness, and that was perfect. Sighting wasn’t a challenge since they had plenty of bouys. The big challenge was how many people there were. I was bashed around, punched twice (accidentally?), and tickled a few folk’s toes (got a handful of foot) throughout the duration. I took corners fairly aggressively, sped up a bit, mainly due to being punched. On the stretch back to the dock I got a face full of jellyfish... the jelly grazed my face and it BURNED. Also got stung on the arm. After a small panic attack I took my angst out on the water and picked the pace up a bit.
T1 [4:55]
I got out of the water and made some jokes about jelly fish with the folks I walked with for the first minute. After reacquainting myself with being vertical I felt it was safe to jog without any HR spikes. I jogged over to my transition space and striped the wet suit off, thanks Rick for the pointers on getting that off quickly. I put on some socks, bike shoes, and set off. I had my nutrition in my trisuit pockets under my wetsuit, great hack! Sun screen.... who needs that! Would later regret…
Bike [2:47:15, 20.1mph]
Goal was to ride around 205W, keeping HR below 155bpm. I had a pretty hard time keeping myself honest to 205W, but when I was able to hold it I was ZOOMING. Nutrition was solid, as hydration seemed great too. Had 4 gels, ate them at about 45 minute increments. Drank both 24oz bottles and drank water from all three aid stations. Used water to cool myself off too. Drank most of bottle (~50%) at last aid station due to dwindling on-bike liquids.
The course was very flat but I was able to take advantage of some lower wind exposed areas to really move thru the pack. I was passing folks for a vast majority of my ride. Played tag with a couple folks.
I hadn’t practiced much aero position riding, since I have a jank aero bar adapter; but I spaced them very wide since my handlebars have a taper in the middle, which helped with handling. Since it was so windy I tried to spend as much time In aero as possible. As a result, I felt some serious back discomfort throughout the ride and considered stopping to stretch 24 miles in... But I prevailed! My legs felt kinda clunky, but they held out. My hips also got incredibly sore. I was almost unable to walk at T2. Miles 1-20 were pretty quick and easy, but I had to start breaking the distance down after that. I broke down things down into 5 mile chucks, since I new 20mph would take 15 min. It was easier for me to swallow that I had 4, 5-mile segments left, rather than a whole 20 miles.
Got stuck behind a car at one point and had to jam on the breaks. Police officer tried to rush the car thru the intersection but the driver kinda freaked out and just stopped.. sigh...
T2 [5:23]
I was in some serious pain coming off the bike. I was unable to move my hips beyond a couple degrees, and hobble-jogged my way back to my spot. Had to sit on ground to get the running shoes on, but didn’t mind the break. I pretightened my shoes and that was a big time saver. I applied some sunscreen at this point, although I’ve since realized it was far too late...
Run [1:50:09, 8:29min/mi]
The run started off very slow. It took me a mile before my legs worked. At mile 2 I stopped to pee, and quickly realized I need to start hydrating more. I then stopped at every aid station for cups of water and to dump water down my back, and on my head. I put ice cubes under my hat whenever I felt inclined too. I ran the race off of HR. Aimed to be below 155bpm. I didn’t get any cramps but certainly felt a few muscles think about it. I was on the edge of a pretty serious side stitch for about 3 miles in the beginning was was able to avoid that by slowing down a tad. As the race went on, the heat got worse almost exponentially. Most of the run was exposed and the ice and water at the aid stations was a necessity. There were even folks with garden hoses spraying people who asked! The last mile I picked up the pace and sent it. I had no idea what my overall time was, but I knew I’d regret it if I left anything in the tank.
Overall:
Crossing the finish line was incredible. Hearing my name announced was surreal as I went through the archway. The supporters and volunteers throughout the course were incredibly. Their cheers and cowbells really helped keep my spirits up and I probably said thank you more times today than there were people in my AG. When I got home I was reading all the texts and messages I received from friends and family wishing me luck and expressing their excitement. It actually got a bit choked up when I read these. This event really put into perspective how blessed I am to have supportive and kind people in my life. I can’t wait for the next race!