Race Report - Ironman Florida 70.3

Introduction

Event: Ironman Florida 70.3
Date: December 11, 2022
Distance: 70.3 Triathlon
Race Priority: 1
Result: 85 of 166 (AG)

Report

On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 = poor, 10 = exceptional), how would you rate this performance?

Why did you rank it as such?

It was my first 70.3 and used the race to learn a lot about the race; preparation, travel, fueling, pacing correctly, etc. I had a goal of 6 hours which was hit but don’t feel like this was an aggressive goal by any means. Essentially, I had fun with this race but there were plenty of mistakes that I can improve upon.

Mistakes

Travel bag for bike was ordered incorrectly and got the wrong size. I had to find a loaner on FB and someone came through for me at the nth hour.
Sleeping at my folks was a terrible idea. Too hot, bad pillows, uncomfortable bed, parents snoring on the other side of paper thin walls led to a few very bad nights of sleep. Better planning here a MUST.
Spacer for my brakes was not inserted as I was getting the bike packed and needed to figure out how to fix it day before the race.
Eating the night before was a creamier pasta which I asked for a lighter sauce but this was the only thing the restaurant had. So I went with it. This might have been the culprit for my stomach issues on the run. Also, I ate too late so made this my lunch/dinner meal and got hungry as I was going to bed.
Nutrition on the run was hard to keep right. Due to feeling like I was about to have to go to the bathroom the majority of the race, I was afraid to take any more salt pills after mile 7 or so and began to rely on only the gatorade offered on the race.

Swim

This was my best discipline in the race in my opinion. I felt calm composed and even though I started out faster than planned, I reeled it in once I got passed the group. I put myself in the group we thought I’d finish with 40-44? min and ended with a 38. I realized quickly that the people around me I needed to get passed so I pushed through. Once I found a nice spot, I focused on the reaching, being on my side, and staying around 80%. The wet suit might have saved time but I ended up doing much better than anticipated.

Bike

I did well staying within the range we targeted. I just always feel so slow on the bike. Nutrition was executed well and maintained 60mg of carbs/hr. I could have done better with water consumption but overall I think I did well for nutrition here.

Run

Building to somewhere between 225 and 250 seemed impossible. It would have been a very light jog. I started off much faster than I wanted due to excitement but was able to reel it in but stayed somewhere around 270 for the majority of the time. Dipping down to 250 on certain areas of the run. I definitely felt the fatigue creeping in but not to a point where it would make me walk.

What was your travel itinerary to the event?

Flew in on Thursday. Stayed with my folks 2 hours away from the event until Saturday, and drove to the event Saturday morning.

Did this affect your performance (positively or negatively)?

Negatively for sure. Staying with my parents was a bad idea. Too hot, bad pillows, uncomfortable bed, parents snoring on the other side of paper thin walls led to a few very bad nights of sleep. Better planning here a MUST.
Going to the race site the day before was also a bad idea as I needed help to get my brake pistons spaced back out. The actual problem wasn’t the issue, it was that I just didn’t have much time to ensure I was prepared for the race. The mechanics looked at me like I was an asshole coming to them the day before the race in the afternoon. I was under the impression that there would be plenty of people to lend a hand but felt the opposite. “You missed cut off a while ago.” was what I got and I ran to get into the water to test it out so clearly I needed to get there earlier to address any issues calmly.

How were stress levels in your life in the days before the race?

This did not go well either. Without going into details I definitely did not manage my environment well to reduce stress. This is a major area of improvement for me.

How were your sleeping patterns in the days before the race?

I had one night where I slept 6 hours straight out of the 6 nights leading up to the race. I had the hardest time getting rest. Before the flight it was getting work wrapped up, then worrying about having everything for the flight, then the bad quarters at my parents. I need to make sure I can get this under control. I can lose sleep easily.

How were your eating habits in the days before the race?

Oatmeal for breakfast
Pasta for lunch
Pasta in the evenings

What were the weather conditions for the race?

I loved the weather. Overcast for the swim and bike which kept the temperatures pretty cool throughout. Sun came out as I started running. But the air was dry and cool. I think it was around 66 avg.

What specific preparations did you make for these conditions (hydration, clothing, etc.)?

Nothing really. Just the wet suit.

Were these preparations adequate?

Yes

What was your warmup routine for the race?

I did some run splits. Warm up exercises I usually do for my runs.

Was it effective?

Yes

What were you thinking about on the start line?

Don’t go out too strong. Remember my technique. Stay calm. Have fun.

Did this help or hurt your performance?

Helped! I don’t think I remembered not to go out too strong but I think that was simply out of necessity but the rest of it really did work. Even though I found myself bumping in between swimmers, I maintained calm and collected and treated the space in front of me as if it belonged to me. People moved. I passed them. Got hit a couple times but nothing too bad.

On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 = poor, 10 = exceptional), what was your motivation level for this race?

Why did you rank it as such?

We talked about targeting a June race next year and this one was to get a taste of what a 70.3 feels like. So I knew I wasn’t breaking any records and knew I was going to have fun and learn.

What was your nutrition plan for the race?

Basically follow the plan outlined in the knowledge articles

Eat plenty of carbs leading up to the day before the race
Pancakes the day/night before along with hydration
Get the carbs I need 4 hours before
90 min before get more carbs and hydration 1500mg
15 min before I had a caffeine gel.
Bike – 2 gels per hour, two water bottles of 1000mg sodium tabs, along with additional water as needed.
Run – electrolyte capsule every 20 min, two gels, gatorade and water as needed

How well did you execute the nutrition plan?

All except:

No pancakes and one pasta meal instead but with cream sauce since it was all the restaurant had.
Run did not feel well and felt liquid sloshing around. Switched about half way through to only taking gatorade/water as needed. I probably felt myself fading as a result.

Could the nutrition plan be improved? How?

I never practiced any of this. I need to practice and get an idea of what I’m going to feel like the next day, including the meal the night before. I never paid attention at all. So practice, practice, practice.

What was your hydration plan for the race?

See above

How well did you execute the plan?

I did well I thought until the run and I think I had too much fluid in my stomach. I peed twice so I thought that was a good sign.

Could the plan be improved? How?

I’m not sure. This too should probably be better practiced. I usually do not hydrate enough during my workouts so clearly an easy step is to just work on practice.

What was your pacing strategy for the race?

2:00/100m
150-160 power
225-250 power and increase if able

How well did you execute the strategy? (List your mile/lap splits, if applicable)

I think coach was spot on about the pacing. It was right around where I held. Pretty much stayed to plan but did not think 225 power on the run was fast realistic for me while I was out there.

Swim – 38:15 (1:54/100m)
Bike – 3:03:35 (18.3mph) Average power 155watts
Run – 2:03:44 (9:27) 258

What do your splits show about your execution?

The swim ended up going really well for me. I think the wetsuit might have helped my pace. But as for the bike and run I was really hoping I could do better but I think the plan was pretty spot on.

What decisions did you make before or during the race that helped your performance?

I was glad I committed to having gels to take throughout the ride. Wasn’t sure how I was going to take any of the nutrition on the run but found an ironman belt that had a pouch that really helped. Opting to wear the new wetsuit ended up being a good decision.

What decisions did you make before or during the race that did not help your performance?

Other than what I had listed above, I am thinking the creamy pasta was a bad idea.

Anything else about the race, positive or negative, you feel is important?

There was something that was on my mind but can’t remember at the moment and will add it when it comes to me.