IMRI 70.3 Race Report
07-13-09, 02:41 PM
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IMRI 70.3 Race Report
My first Ironman 70.3
Rhode Island
It was a great race, despite the warnings of the cluster f*ck in setting up T1 and T2 50+ miles from one another but it all worked out.
Our morning started very early, actually the day before. My wife and I got up at 4:35am Saturday in Brooklyn, got the car loaded and were on the road to Providence before 6am. This turned out to be a great idea – we hit no traffic and followed a few people with TT bikes on their cars the whole way there at a brisk 80+ mph. It took less than three hours and we arrived just after the expo started, checked in before any lines had formed and were out and on the road for the 50 mile drive to set up T1.
In all my triathlons, I’ve never done one with a “clean” transition. Everything has to be kept in a race-issued bag; nothing can be set up next to your bike. The announcer kept saying “The only thing that should be touching the ground is ONE of your tires.” All I did was drop off my bike. The rest of the gear would be dropped off in the morning. While racking up my bike, I could see the ocean and it looked calm. That would change.
Next we drove back to Providence, dropped of my run bag at T2 and headed to the hotel to check in. The Hilton is less than half a mile to T2/finish and right by the Expo center. The rest of the day was agonizingly un-eventful. The expo was small and there was nothing to really do so we did not go back to it. I'm used to the NYC Marathon expo, so I was disappointed in this one, it really had nothing. We walked around downtown Providence a bit but I wanted to save my legs. I felt like I must be missing something and anxiety started to set in. All that morning rush and by mid-afternoon we had nothing to do. After killing some time, we had a nice dinner and were finally in bed, and ASLEEP by 8pm. Lame.
Fast forward to Sunday “morning.” We woke up at 2:45 am, which is an embarrassingly ridiculous time to wake up but we were both well rested. I'm sure all my friends back home were still out drinking. The Starbucks in our Hilton was kind enough to open at 3am to serve the guests who were racing. I love Starbucks :-)
A short walk to the T2/bus pick-up spot and we were on our way back to the T1/beach. We got there a little before 5am and it was still dark out. I set everything up with my bike; filled my bentobox, checked tire pressure, spare, co2, helmet, etc; all good to go. It had been a storm Saturday night so everything was wet. The calm water had turned to large swells, the kind you hope for when you want to go body surfing. You could smell fear in even the more experienced swimmers and the race staff was frantically trying to get things back into order. The race was delayed 20 minutes as boats and kayaks fetched buoys that had drifted away in the storm and re-set up the course. Then came an announcement that anyone wanting to skip the swim could do a duathlon instead. The ocean was pretty crazy but the storm had moved out to sea. I’m not sure how many people opted out of the swim, but it seemed the majority decided to brave it. I found some of my teammates (Anna, Andre and Lidia) and we chatted a bit before we separated to get our own things together. My wave was now open, I kissed Gwen, said good bye and good luck to Anna (her wave was much later) and I headed to the coral.
Swim
I was wave 6 of 15. Standing in the coral with my wave, an odd calm washed over me. The large swells erased any time goals I had, so I could just go. No pressure. Cannon went off, we dashed and splashed and MAN it was hard going over those waves the whole way out. Sighting was horrible, the buoys were drifting and I’m sure my .6 miles out was a lot closer to .8 miles. The swim was hard, despite the in-coming current, it was going at a 30 degree angle pushing people way off course; the volunteers in kayaks had to help a lot of people and were shouting a lot as people were all turned around. But I made it. When I got out of the ocean, I think it was a foot shallower from all the water we had all inhaled! The coolest part of the swim was just before T1. This was my first race where the volunteers help yank off your wetsuit. I’ve only seen that on TV so I felt pretty awesome. Swim: 40:01. Place: 1022 (ouch!) T1: 3:46
Bike
Got to my bike, off I went, pounded the first 20 flat miles and felt great with just a little crosswind. The bike course was nice, miles 20-30 were hilly but with some good descents. I remembered to eat regularly (Powerbar Lemon bursts, some Powergel and a Cliff bar along with some nasty Perpetum drink thing) and drank a lot of water. I felt good and passed a LOT of people (all faster swimmers I guess). This was also my first race taking water bottles from volunteers while moving. When I race Short Course I’m fine with two bottles and rarely finish them. The volunteers made it easy and ran alongside as you approached so you didn’t lose time. They were usually stationed at the top of a hill so you were going slower. Very well organized.
I started to “feel it” at mile 40 and wanted the bike to be done soon. I didn’t hurt but I was getting really stiff in the shoulders and neck. I’d never ridden hard for 40 miles without a stop; my weekly 50+ mile rides always break midway for a muffin & espresso. Miles 40-45, despite keeping pace, FELT like forever, I was still passing a lot of people though. After mile 50 as we neared the city, things got better again and I started to spin in an easier gear to loosen up my legs for the run. The last 5 miles to T2 were filled with sharp, fast cornering along the streets leading to downtown Providence. I was completely at ease though; turns out all of my dodging peds/cabs in Manhattan finally came in handy. Overall, I managed some nice 40+ mph downhills and with the slow 10mph uphills my course average was a solid 20mph. Riding a road bike without race wheels, I’ll take it. 2:48:42. Place: 552, improving.
T2. I clipped out, shook out my legs, hopped off and ran on the nice mats (my cleats thanked the race directors for extending their lives a bit). I felt amazing. Through the Bike-In, I chose the wrong lane. Brain mush. The number system, which made sense the day before, looked like Chinese now. I had a bit of a hard time finding the spot where my running gear was stashed. I calmed down, breathed and figured out I was over one row, shook out my brain-fuzz and found my rack. I ditched my bike; shoes on (new speed laces were amazing) and off I went. T2 was 2:52.
Run
I knew I’d feel sluggish at first, but what I was not expecting was the intense stomach cramps... and I had to pee. I’ve never stopped at a porta potty on a race, even during my marathons, but I didn’t care about my time and knew I couldn’t suffer through 13.1 miles with a full bladder. The first few portalets were filled. I kept going and found one before the great hill. I felt “better” but still had cramps so I kept a slower pace. After mile one you get to the famed steep hill (I think it’s called College Hill). Generally I push up hills pretty easily – the run is, by far, my strong point. THIS hill was used when the ESPN X-games came to Providence for the Street Luge. It was FAR worse than I had anticipated. Half way up, I decided it would be wiser/not much slower to walk it. Most people were, so I felt fine doing so. I’ve never walked during a half marathon but never swam and biked before one either. The course was challenging, to say the least. Stand-alone, it would be one of the toughest half marathon courses I’ve ever done. After the Luge-hill, there were undulating smaller hills and some false flats. Running down that steep hill seemed like it would be a great way to make up time and I did but I could not pound down it enough to balance out the slow going up it. It was a quad buster.
It was an interesting course; an out and back that you did twice. You run out about 3-ish miles (and up that hill), run back along the route (down that hill) to the T2 area, and then repeat the course again. This is a really good course for spectators; my wife saw me several times and I was infinitely grateful for the cheering and all of the cowbells. Back out again to the Luge-hill (walked the whole thing this time) and to the rest of the hilly course.
My time had slowed significantly on the second loop. I was hoping for a comfortable 1:50 and since I generally run half marathons at 1:30 I felt this was a reasonable expectation. The sun had come out and it was pushing 80 degrees, but I didn't feel terribly overheated. They had a lot of water/Gatorade/Coke/gels/water sponges along the route that helped a lot. My legs never really hurt, per say, and I never felt out of energy but I lost the mental steam to push the pace. I alternated a run walk method with no doubts that I’d finish, but finish slowly. Walking was fine, not painful, just annoyingly slow. Several people passed me (which does not usually happen to me on a run) but I didn’t care. I knew I’d be done soon and was still having a great time. With around 4 miles to go, I saw Anna starting her second loop and she told me to keep pushing it. I never saw Andre but Lydia passed me when I had 2 or 3 miles to go and said something about me flying past her on the bike. I didn't remember seeing her though. I reached mile 12.5 on my Garmin and decided to step it up a notch for the last .6 miles. I felt I could suffer through the end, since I was not crawling yet. The finish starts with another hill, but a molehill compared to the Luge-Hill we had to endure twice. I kept it steady, got to the top, saw my wife with .20 miles (or less) to go and her cheering lit more of a fire under me so I sped up to the finish chute, passing a few people. Done. 2:05:07 (ouch again!) Place: 751
Overall, it was a great race and a great experience. I finished 687 out of 1,308 (1370 started). I had a really fun time. I learned I need to do more Brick workouts, but also that sometimes you just need to slow down and take it all in; you’ll still have a great time. I had no real ambitions other than to finish and was estimating I’d be around 5:30. I ended at 5:40:28 so I was very happy.
Today, I feel fine. Nothing hurts, nothing aches. I’m at work and a bit tired but I got a lot of sleep last night and refueled a lot too.
IMRI 70.3 has slots for people to register early for Ironman Lake Placid, 2010. Originally I planned to register after Rhode Island and do Lake Placid as my first full distance. After this race, I decided to wait. IMLP is a hilly, tough course and while I have no doubt I could do the swim and the bike, I don’t think I’d have enough in the tank for a marathon after all of that. I’ll spend next year training harder and then pick an IronMan, maybe with a flat course! I want it to be a great first experience and I think right now I’d suffer more than I’d want to. So it’s on the horizon, maybe end of season 2010, or start of 2011, we’ll see. For now, I’m feeling great and well accomplished.
Rhode Island
It was a great race, despite the warnings of the cluster f*ck in setting up T1 and T2 50+ miles from one another but it all worked out.
Our morning started very early, actually the day before. My wife and I got up at 4:35am Saturday in Brooklyn, got the car loaded and were on the road to Providence before 6am. This turned out to be a great idea – we hit no traffic and followed a few people with TT bikes on their cars the whole way there at a brisk 80+ mph. It took less than three hours and we arrived just after the expo started, checked in before any lines had formed and were out and on the road for the 50 mile drive to set up T1.
In all my triathlons, I’ve never done one with a “clean” transition. Everything has to be kept in a race-issued bag; nothing can be set up next to your bike. The announcer kept saying “The only thing that should be touching the ground is ONE of your tires.” All I did was drop off my bike. The rest of the gear would be dropped off in the morning. While racking up my bike, I could see the ocean and it looked calm. That would change.
Next we drove back to Providence, dropped of my run bag at T2 and headed to the hotel to check in. The Hilton is less than half a mile to T2/finish and right by the Expo center. The rest of the day was agonizingly un-eventful. The expo was small and there was nothing to really do so we did not go back to it. I'm used to the NYC Marathon expo, so I was disappointed in this one, it really had nothing. We walked around downtown Providence a bit but I wanted to save my legs. I felt like I must be missing something and anxiety started to set in. All that morning rush and by mid-afternoon we had nothing to do. After killing some time, we had a nice dinner and were finally in bed, and ASLEEP by 8pm. Lame.
Fast forward to Sunday “morning.” We woke up at 2:45 am, which is an embarrassingly ridiculous time to wake up but we were both well rested. I'm sure all my friends back home were still out drinking. The Starbucks in our Hilton was kind enough to open at 3am to serve the guests who were racing. I love Starbucks :-)
A short walk to the T2/bus pick-up spot and we were on our way back to the T1/beach. We got there a little before 5am and it was still dark out. I set everything up with my bike; filled my bentobox, checked tire pressure, spare, co2, helmet, etc; all good to go. It had been a storm Saturday night so everything was wet. The calm water had turned to large swells, the kind you hope for when you want to go body surfing. You could smell fear in even the more experienced swimmers and the race staff was frantically trying to get things back into order. The race was delayed 20 minutes as boats and kayaks fetched buoys that had drifted away in the storm and re-set up the course. Then came an announcement that anyone wanting to skip the swim could do a duathlon instead. The ocean was pretty crazy but the storm had moved out to sea. I’m not sure how many people opted out of the swim, but it seemed the majority decided to brave it. I found some of my teammates (Anna, Andre and Lidia) and we chatted a bit before we separated to get our own things together. My wave was now open, I kissed Gwen, said good bye and good luck to Anna (her wave was much later) and I headed to the coral.
Swim
I was wave 6 of 15. Standing in the coral with my wave, an odd calm washed over me. The large swells erased any time goals I had, so I could just go. No pressure. Cannon went off, we dashed and splashed and MAN it was hard going over those waves the whole way out. Sighting was horrible, the buoys were drifting and I’m sure my .6 miles out was a lot closer to .8 miles. The swim was hard, despite the in-coming current, it was going at a 30 degree angle pushing people way off course; the volunteers in kayaks had to help a lot of people and were shouting a lot as people were all turned around. But I made it. When I got out of the ocean, I think it was a foot shallower from all the water we had all inhaled! The coolest part of the swim was just before T1. This was my first race where the volunteers help yank off your wetsuit. I’ve only seen that on TV so I felt pretty awesome. Swim: 40:01. Place: 1022 (ouch!) T1: 3:46
Bike
Got to my bike, off I went, pounded the first 20 flat miles and felt great with just a little crosswind. The bike course was nice, miles 20-30 were hilly but with some good descents. I remembered to eat regularly (Powerbar Lemon bursts, some Powergel and a Cliff bar along with some nasty Perpetum drink thing) and drank a lot of water. I felt good and passed a LOT of people (all faster swimmers I guess). This was also my first race taking water bottles from volunteers while moving. When I race Short Course I’m fine with two bottles and rarely finish them. The volunteers made it easy and ran alongside as you approached so you didn’t lose time. They were usually stationed at the top of a hill so you were going slower. Very well organized.
I started to “feel it” at mile 40 and wanted the bike to be done soon. I didn’t hurt but I was getting really stiff in the shoulders and neck. I’d never ridden hard for 40 miles without a stop; my weekly 50+ mile rides always break midway for a muffin & espresso. Miles 40-45, despite keeping pace, FELT like forever, I was still passing a lot of people though. After mile 50 as we neared the city, things got better again and I started to spin in an easier gear to loosen up my legs for the run. The last 5 miles to T2 were filled with sharp, fast cornering along the streets leading to downtown Providence. I was completely at ease though; turns out all of my dodging peds/cabs in Manhattan finally came in handy. Overall, I managed some nice 40+ mph downhills and with the slow 10mph uphills my course average was a solid 20mph. Riding a road bike without race wheels, I’ll take it. 2:48:42. Place: 552, improving.
T2. I clipped out, shook out my legs, hopped off and ran on the nice mats (my cleats thanked the race directors for extending their lives a bit). I felt amazing. Through the Bike-In, I chose the wrong lane. Brain mush. The number system, which made sense the day before, looked like Chinese now. I had a bit of a hard time finding the spot where my running gear was stashed. I calmed down, breathed and figured out I was over one row, shook out my brain-fuzz and found my rack. I ditched my bike; shoes on (new speed laces were amazing) and off I went. T2 was 2:52.
Run
I knew I’d feel sluggish at first, but what I was not expecting was the intense stomach cramps... and I had to pee. I’ve never stopped at a porta potty on a race, even during my marathons, but I didn’t care about my time and knew I couldn’t suffer through 13.1 miles with a full bladder. The first few portalets were filled. I kept going and found one before the great hill. I felt “better” but still had cramps so I kept a slower pace. After mile one you get to the famed steep hill (I think it’s called College Hill). Generally I push up hills pretty easily – the run is, by far, my strong point. THIS hill was used when the ESPN X-games came to Providence for the Street Luge. It was FAR worse than I had anticipated. Half way up, I decided it would be wiser/not much slower to walk it. Most people were, so I felt fine doing so. I’ve never walked during a half marathon but never swam and biked before one either. The course was challenging, to say the least. Stand-alone, it would be one of the toughest half marathon courses I’ve ever done. After the Luge-hill, there were undulating smaller hills and some false flats. Running down that steep hill seemed like it would be a great way to make up time and I did but I could not pound down it enough to balance out the slow going up it. It was a quad buster.
It was an interesting course; an out and back that you did twice. You run out about 3-ish miles (and up that hill), run back along the route (down that hill) to the T2 area, and then repeat the course again. This is a really good course for spectators; my wife saw me several times and I was infinitely grateful for the cheering and all of the cowbells. Back out again to the Luge-hill (walked the whole thing this time) and to the rest of the hilly course.
My time had slowed significantly on the second loop. I was hoping for a comfortable 1:50 and since I generally run half marathons at 1:30 I felt this was a reasonable expectation. The sun had come out and it was pushing 80 degrees, but I didn't feel terribly overheated. They had a lot of water/Gatorade/Coke/gels/water sponges along the route that helped a lot. My legs never really hurt, per say, and I never felt out of energy but I lost the mental steam to push the pace. I alternated a run walk method with no doubts that I’d finish, but finish slowly. Walking was fine, not painful, just annoyingly slow. Several people passed me (which does not usually happen to me on a run) but I didn’t care. I knew I’d be done soon and was still having a great time. With around 4 miles to go, I saw Anna starting her second loop and she told me to keep pushing it. I never saw Andre but Lydia passed me when I had 2 or 3 miles to go and said something about me flying past her on the bike. I didn't remember seeing her though. I reached mile 12.5 on my Garmin and decided to step it up a notch for the last .6 miles. I felt I could suffer through the end, since I was not crawling yet. The finish starts with another hill, but a molehill compared to the Luge-Hill we had to endure twice. I kept it steady, got to the top, saw my wife with .20 miles (or less) to go and her cheering lit more of a fire under me so I sped up to the finish chute, passing a few people. Done. 2:05:07 (ouch again!) Place: 751
Overall, it was a great race and a great experience. I finished 687 out of 1,308 (1370 started). I had a really fun time. I learned I need to do more Brick workouts, but also that sometimes you just need to slow down and take it all in; you’ll still have a great time. I had no real ambitions other than to finish and was estimating I’d be around 5:30. I ended at 5:40:28 so I was very happy.
Today, I feel fine. Nothing hurts, nothing aches. I’m at work and a bit tired but I got a lot of sleep last night and refueled a lot too.
IMRI 70.3 has slots for people to register early for Ironman Lake Placid, 2010. Originally I planned to register after Rhode Island and do Lake Placid as my first full distance. After this race, I decided to wait. IMLP is a hilly, tough course and while I have no doubt I could do the swim and the bike, I don’t think I’d have enough in the tank for a marathon after all of that. I’ll spend next year training harder and then pick an IronMan, maybe with a flat course! I want it to be a great first experience and I think right now I’d suffer more than I’d want to. So it’s on the horizon, maybe end of season 2010, or start of 2011, we’ll see. For now, I’m feeling great and well accomplished.
07-13-09, 03:21 PM
#2
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Nice report. YOU ARE HALF OF AN IRONMAN 
(I remember thinking that after my first 70.3).
Well done!
(I remember thinking that after my first 70.3).Well done!
__________________
Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you...but don't ever take sides, with anyone, against the family again...ever.
Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you...but don't ever take sides, with anyone, against the family again...ever.
07-13-09, 04:12 PM
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Awesome! I can't imagine trying to do the swim in conditions like that. Good job for keeping your composure during that.
07-14-09, 08:53 AM
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Ha, yeah I was thinking Half an IronMan too.
My wife says I'm an IronBoy ;-)
My wife says I'm an IronBoy ;-)
07-14-09, 02:47 PM
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Hey, nice report...I did RI this weekend also, my first at IM 70.3 distance. That swim was freaking insane man - I had to switch to breast-stroke on the way out so I could site the buoys. I also had my left crank arm separate from the bottom bracket at mile 46, held it on with my leg while I used the right to finish out the 9 miles I had left into T2...then the run murdered me...6:03:31 yikes. I have some seriously mixed emotions about the race...think I might add Austin in Oct, don't think I can wait until 2010 to redeem myself...
Oh yeah, and looking for a new bike myself...
Where do you swim in BK? I use the city pool on Bedford!
Oh yeah, and looking for a new bike myself...
Where do you swim in BK? I use the city pool on Bedford!
07-14-09, 03:15 PM
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Holla! Great reporting. I will be doing my first half on Sunday. I am not ready and not into it anymore (training burned me out mentally and physically) but I will not give up. I will just have fun and go with the flow.
07-15-09, 09:04 AM
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07-26-09, 02:17 PM
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Wicked report! Great reading about how your first 70.3 went - my first is in six days! I'm pretty excited and feel prepared. It's my first tri season but I've been training well and performing very well in races. So we'll have to see! I'll give you all word once I'm back.
Travelmama, how did your Half go? I hope you rocked it!
Travelmama, how did your Half go? I hope you rocked it!
07-27-09, 09:50 AM
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Glad to hear you enjoyed it. My track coach is actually the owner/organizer of the event. You pass my house at about 18 miles in just before you enter Exeter RI on rt102, about 1 mile before the rolling hills begin, just after you passed stop and shop/dunkin donuts.
