I’m starting to drink that kool aid. As a bonus, the shorter distance training/racing doesn’t require nearly as much recovery time (I’m 46).
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Super happy with my first race in a couple of years on Sunday, ATW Grafman (middle distance/half). Came 1st in 4:17:01 
Was a really well-organised race with a great vibe. It was quite windy, leading to a bit of chop in the water and crosswinds all over the shop on the bike.
Did fairly well in the swim and came out with the front pack, but gradually lost a few minutes on the leaders over the bike leg, so definitely a bit of focus needed there over the next few weeks. The course was rolling, and there were definitely some tactical efforts to stay with the front group. I lost both my BTS bottles too. I was trying new cages (Lezyne Flow) that worked well and were super grippy, but it was the bolts that let me down. Both cages lost the top bolt and then swung round upside down. They managed to hold the bottles for a bit before they eventually dropped out. Not ideal (and completely my fault for not checking the bolts), but I made do with what I had. Better bolts and copious amounts of thread lock have now been used 
Came through T2 a few minutes behind the leader, but then had an absolutely cracking run. I was worried I’d overdone it a bit on the ride and had no idea if the run pace was sustainable. Managed to get to the front, and then it was a case of just holding that pace for as long as possible. A massive gamble, but it paid off.
Couldn’t have asked for a better return to racing, and coincidentally the race fell on the second anniversary (sort of) of the fatal crash at IM Hamburg that left me hospital with a broken spine.
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Finally notched my first Ironman 70.3 @ Kona last weekend!
That swim was all-time, we had sea turtles, and fish swimming all around us the whole time it was gorgeous. The bike was also stunning along the coast. The run was brutally hot and a really tough course. Puked up everything on mile 3 from the heat/nutrition and felt so much better after that.
All of the athletes and volunteers were absolutely amazing giving high fives and pumping each other up for every single mile of the 70.3. The energy and vibes had me smiling all day, I love being surrounded by all of you pain-loving-psychopaths!
Ended up w/ a 4:52, hoping to do another next year in the sub 4:30 range. (Baby coming in a month so I am likely done with 70.3’s until next year.)
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Marbella here I come. More to follow in the days ahead.
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What advice do y’all have for cold weather races? Coeur d’Alene looks like it’s going to be cold this year: low 45ºF/7.2ºC, high 60ºF/15.6ºC, 55% chance of rain. Water temperature is currently 68ºF/20ºC.
I’m less worried about the swim, with these temperatures a shortened swim is possible (or cancelled altogether, if the lake turns over and the water temperature drops). I’m more worried about hopping on the bike wet in those temperatures. I’m thinking:
- Skip the one-piece trisuit, wear tri shorts for the swim and put on a long sleeve jersey in T1
- See if I can buy a gilet or rain jacket this week, or at the race expo, in case it rains
- Wear full-finger gloves and/or toe covers
Anything else I should think of? Open to any tips.
You have a good plan.
In the one true cold race I did I was able to put on a long sleeved cycling jersey/jacket. It warmed up enough to remove the jacket for the run. Fortunately, no rain that year.
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I dont have tri experience to draw from with this recco but having ridden and getting completely soaked in the PNW(simulating getting out of a swim) even if its low 50’s you’ll dry off pretty quick. My worry would be your fingers getting cold out on front of the tribars leading to some discomfort. Is there any kind of sock/ glove you can put on the tip of the bars and put them on while you’re riding? That wont take you any time in T1 but send you out there with some extra gear.
Same with no tri experience with this situation but rainy riding, I’d do anything to avoid having to wear a rain jacket. They’re just so slow.
If you think the rain might stay away and you’ll warm up then you could maybe do arm warmers that you could then peel off once you get drier. But definitely long finger gloves. Nothing worse than numb hands while you’re trying to shift and brake.
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I need some advice, and its probably in this thread, but i haven’t found it. Im considering buying a tri bike for a 70.3. The course is moderately technical and very lumpy, no real climbs but still over 1000m elevation. My main reason for thinking of getting the bike is to position myself better for the run. My current bike is a tarmac sl7. Thoughts?
How’d the race go?
Incredible. The cold was a big nothingburger, it turned out to be perfect weather for racing. Got a personal best (5:30:22) and finished 16th in my age group. I’ll post the race report once I’m done typing it up.
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Here’s that race report. I’m still on a high from this race.
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Nice report and finish! Glad the weather worked out even though it seemed like total chance as the day went on.
Did you enjoy the more solo swim experience until you caught the other group? The distance is so individual that having somebody else you’re trying to chase or keep up with can blow you up but also a wonderful motivator to go hard for race day.
Yeah, I think that’s probably part of the reason why my time was a little slower than St. George, but it was nice to just be able to swim and not worry about getting beat up. Drafting and swimming in a big group is something I should get better at, though.
Did a brick workout this week to test my new trisuit (2xu) which performed quite well. A bit tight across the chest/shoulders but unzipping during the run solved that. Getting out of it was incredibly difficult and i popped a few threads in the process.
Ride was just an hour with 4x10 min efforts in TT position, then right into a 10k run. In the first 2 miles of the run I had a lot of tightness in the back of my ribs - anyone experienced this? I’m thinking its due to bike fit and I need to stretch out more or less. Any thoughts?
Eagleman RR short and simple
Swim was choppy but it was my best swim at Eagleman. 32nd Age Group
Bike the first 44 miles were very fast, it sprinkled a few times and kept us cool. I jinxed myself at the turn that heads back to the race site I leaned over to a woman I was passing and said “welcome to the fast part of the course” a nice steady head wind forced me to pull back a little and save for the run.
7th Age Group
Run Instead of using Multisport Mode I created a Garmin Workout to keep me focused on my pace. For the first time in four years it was not especially hot. I carried a small bottle in my rear pocket that allowed me to take gels and electrolytes every 20 minutes, then drank water and coke at the aid stations.
1st Age Group
Finished 4th Age Group.
Tridot RaceX predicted my time to be 5:11:36 actual finish time 5:11:12
Today I did the Tidewater Striders Sprint Duathlon 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, 2 mile run.
11th overall, 3rd Masters. Full Redline the whole way. A very fast and tough top 10. Sixth place male pro at Eagleman won, his girlfriend the swimmer who came out of the water at Eagleman with Lucy female overall win and 4th overall, 10th place was a relay team. Afterwards a very very hot and humid 2 hour recovery ride.
On to IM Maryland then Marbella
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Great job. Sounds like for you and others I’ve read about the tridot race predictor is pretty accurate.
Except for the example they used for Tridot today at IM Frankfurt… predicted a 1:19 swim actual 1:29… I wouldnt call that close… didnt see an update from the bike and run (they probably havent completed it yet)
I am still not putting full faith in RaceX. It is showing for IM Maryland that I will run 8 minutes faster than my best stand alone marathon
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Just trying to get a quick idea of the demographics in here… 
How fast are you?
- Pointy end: winning or close
- Fastest 25%
- Middle: 25% to 75%
- Slowest 25%
- One of the last, just trying to finish
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