My Ironman 70.3 Miami 2015 Race Report
This is my official Ironman 70.3 Miami race Report.
It's been a few weeks since the finish of the race and that has allowed me time to reflect on the result. It had its good parts, it's not so good parts, and it's learning experiences. I finished the race, so I won't say it had BAD parts, but there are definitely some things that were learned in the process of completing this race.
Let's start at the beginning, before the race. Now, being an athlete most of my life (started playing sports in 1st grade through my adult life), I can be very superstitious about things going a certain way. I should have known something was going to happen during the race. Why? Because about 90 minutes into the drive from Clermont to Miami, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet in the bedroom. I was pissed. I thought that was the worst thing that was going to happen all weekend. Ha.
I arrived in Miami on Saturday, in the middle of on and off rain. My bike, driven there by my good friend and teammate Dave, had been there for 2 days already. Once he arrived at the hotel to deliver it to me, I was able to check in to the event. As far as the Ironman Village and packet pickup process, it was smooth. Everything flowed in an orderly fashion, no hiccups, and they even let me check in without my driver’s license, though I did have to answer some questions about myself. Either way, I was thoroughly pleased with packet pickup. I even checked out the merch and saw the shirts with my name on it (listed all competitors). I looked at the finishers’ shirt, but I refused to buy one then, so my wife did. I didn't touch it. Not once (yes, that is part of my superstition). The only thing that went wrong was I forgot my timing chip and had to run back to get it like 10 minutes before it closed. Close call. I checked my bike in, and went to dinner.
The next morning, I was up at 4:30, had a hard time sleeping due to the neighbor in the other room, but whatever. Can't change that. I mixed my supplements, ate my oatmeal and was on my way to get marked and to setup my transition. Again, no real complaints. Everything was smooth, organized, and I knew where my bike was. Perfect.
Nerves were getting to me once I checked in. I was nervous about the swim. I had only swum the distance once, and it was in a pool. I was terrified, and my only goal was to get out of the water by the cut-off (1hr 15min). Then I hear that we get to jump in the water and tread for 2 min before the wave starts (I was in the 6th wave by the way). Surprisingly that helped me calm down. I was able to get a good line in the water, and I adjusted to the temps. That might have been the best thing for me to do prior to the race. The gun went off, and I started swimming. I was waltzing in my head to keep pace, and for at least .5 mile I was side-by-side with another swimmer. Unfortunately, the current was drifting the buoys, so we both ended up off course. Not a big deal though. I got stung by some jelly fish, swan through some seaweed, drank some gas water, but in the end, was out of the water in a record time. I hit the steps in 37min! Holy hell! This was going to be a great race.
On to Transition 1. I nearly killed myself on the slippery wet dock, but once I did, there was a couple hundred yard run to the bike. No problem, I got my bike gear on, and headed out. I think it was just under 4 minutes for it all. I'll take it.
Once I was on the bike, we started through Miami, and I got to see a small part of the city. We were moving fast. I was passing, and getting passed with ease for the first 5 miles. Then came the on-ramp to the highway. I didn't see that coming. That hill quickly stopped my positive momentum, but it was short and followed by a downhill segment. I gained it back. The first half of the bike was fast. Lots of drafting, not on purpose, and lots of pelotons riding (though that was not supposed to be allowed). Either way, the tailwind pushed me to a nearly 23mph for the first 28 miles. Then the turn-around. The wind was strong on the way back, but tolerable for the first 8 miles or so. It wasn't until we turned southeast that it really hit hard. I tried to push through it all, but it was really tough. I wasn't ready for that wind. I approached mile 42, and THAT is where I made the first mistake of the ride.
At mile 42, I ate an Accel Gel energy supplement by Pacific Health Labs, which I picked up from Leanda Cave's table where her AMAZING Ventum bike was displayed, and I don't think I drank enough water with it. It went down easy, and actually tasted good, but the caffeine in it a nearly empty stomach didn't sit well. I just didn't realize that until the run. But I did stop drinking my supplements and went strictly to water (yet another mistake). I managed to finish the bike in just under 3-hours, not bad, but it wasn't as good as I wanted. Either way, on to the run.
I got into Transition 2 and it was quick work to get ready for the run. Switched shoes to my Brooks Running Ghost 7, and got my racing belt and I was off. I tried to pace myself slower for the first bit, I wanted to save myself for the back half of the race, but shortly after I passed my wife at the 1-mile checkpoint my stomach started bothering me. I didn't want my GU Chomps, I didn't want my hydration supplements, I wanted water. Well, that was the bad choice. At the 3-mile mark, my legs started to cramp. I felt every single muscle in both legs cramp while trying to run up the MacArthur Bridge. That nearly stopped me in my tracks, and I had 10 miles to run still. The rest of the run was a combination of a run/walk/cramp. I found myself drinking soda at every aid station to induce some type of vomiting to ease my stomach, and while I didn't vomit, I started feeling better. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid the cramping. I finished the run in 3hours. Not my best half marathon, and will most likely be my worst.
My overall time was 6:39:57 (keep in mind the clock in the pic started at the start of the race, not my wave). What did I learn?
- I need to ride more in 2016. I didn't ride NEARLY enough in 2015, and it showed during this race. - I need to do more brick workouts (Back-to-back workouts). That would have helped. - BASE Performance will be my best friend during long rides/runs in 2016. The salts might have helped reduce/avoid the cramping in my legs. - No supplements that I haven't tried during race day. - And I need to drop about 15lbs going into the 2016 race season.
So while there are plenty of things to complain about, the race was a learning experience. I still crossed the line in under 8hours, and that is a great feat on its own. Just need to learn and look ahead to the next race. What is it? I'm hoping to run REVOLUTION3 Triathlon (REV3TRI) Knoxville and IRONMAN Louisville in 2016. But I have to register. We will see if I can register before they sell out. Fingers crossed.
