Week 16 Summary - Steelhead 70.3 RR short

Totals for this week: 10 hours 32 minutes
Swimming: 3:08 (6.14 miles)
Cycling: 4:50 (101 miles)
Running: 2:33 (19.7 miles)


Highlighted Activity:
Location: Benton Harbor, Michigan
Activity: Whirlpool Steelhead Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, Bike Segment
Distance: 56.5 (mi)
First race of the season and sticking with the idea that this entry will also contain a race report, selecting one of the legs of this race was an obvious choice.
Click on map/chart to view details.
For each individual leg, follow the link below:
Swim | Bike | Run

The week leading up to this race was a mini taper with limited time put into biking/running to insure that the weekend's racing would provide a decent gauge of fitness. Work commitments and details surrounding my upcoming apartment move have proven to be more of a distraction than I'd like and have also contributed to lack of training hours this week. Will need to get this back on track and regain focus over the coming weeks.

Whirlpoool Steelhead Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Race Report

Now that's a mouthful, and it's not even the full official title! I don't typically write race reports as I usually find them pretty boring or self-serving, so I'll try and spare anyone reading this the typical "I was totally on pace to go sub-something terribly impressive until...." Whatever. Just because I can run a sub-4 minute mile pace for thirty seconds doesn't mean I can run a sub-4 minute mile. And as much as you might like to weight one part of a race heavier than others, I haven't been to a race yet where they let you pick and choose the parts that get counted. The time you get when you cross the finish line is what you were on pace to do and if this doesn't represent the pace you wanted, it's either a failure in execution or a failure in planning. No more, no less.

The Short(ish) Story:

2006 results:
Swim: 32:24
T1: 3:53
Bike: 2:26:51
T2: 3:37
Run: 1:58:46
Total: 5:05:28
Place: Overall - 277 Div (M30-34) - 54/179
Clearwater Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualification via roll down.

Last year I did this race with a lot less cycling fitness and had a shoulder injury that severely limited my ability to train in the pool. This lack of cycling fitness translated to terrible leg cramps on the run, and my transitions were also very slow. This was all very good news in planning for this year's race as there were lots of areas to improve very easily. My goal was to run a a 4:45 or less. I figured with more consistent swim training a 30-31 should not be a problem. With much improved fitness on the bike I figured at least a 2:30 would be doable and with far less effort than last year. With a 1:40 run and cutting out a couple minutes off my transition times, this would get me there. No problem... right.

Couple minor wrenches in the plan: beach start instead of pier would change the swim venue and add an unknown variable; the transition area had been moved to a sand/grass mix area instead of the parking lot could mean possibly slow(er) transition times; my age group was one of the last waves to start which meant a crowded course and lots of congestion in all three legs; the growth of the this race had an announced 2300 + participants, another unknown.

These variables ended up having minimal effect on my plans, and I was able to meet my overall pre-race goals of 1). a 4:45 70.3, and 2). a possible re-qualification for Clearwater, and 3). probably the most important goal, establishing a baseline fitness level to help formulate some goals for Kona.

2007 results:
Swim: 32:55
T1: 3:36
Bike: 2:23:36
T2: 2:47
Run: 1:40:49
Total: 4:43:40
Place: Overall - 95 (near top %5 for finishes) Div (M30-34) - 23/191
Clearwater Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualification via roll down.

The (too?) full report to follow.


My training digest:
http://kansaiben.motionbased.com/

Have not been very good about keeping up with my daily nutrition journal, but it is what it is.

My nutrition digest:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=kansaiben