70.3 Worlds Race Report

 Short and sweet Vegas recap:

Headed to check in on Sat.

The calm before the storm!

I woke up race morning to look outside and see rain. Not what I was expecting to see in Vegas! Basically it rained all morning and finally decided to clear up when I started the run. It never got too hot, but it did get warm. Anyway, here's the report.

Swim- 37:12
PR swim (wetsuit or non wetsuit). Found feet early on and just drafted. The pace felt easy and I didn't feel like I was using much energy. Thanks to XTERRA Wetsuits for the Velocity-M speedsuit.

T1- 3:15
Uneventful. Nice long run around the lake. My bike was easy to find since there were only a few bikes left on the rack. Then we had a nice run through transition and up a winding hill before getting on our bikes.

Don't I look so happy to be on the bike?

Bike- 2:52:37 (19.47mph)
I should have known from early on this could be rough. As I was mounting my bike, I lost one of my bottles of water. Since I was less than 15 seconds into the race, I decided I should probably stop and get it. From there I rode the struggle bus for the first 30 miles of the race. I was putting out decent power, but not going anywhere. Starting in the last wave, and having a weak swim made for a long, lonely ride. When I got to the turnaround point, I started to find my legs. At this point I knew I was not having a good ride, but I did not look at my watch--I figured that would just put me in a bad mood.

T2- 1:27
Quick and simple. It was nice to not have to rack my bike.

Not looking too happy!

Run-1:28:22 (6:44/mile)
I had gone into the race with the intention of running sub 1:20. I believe in my training and I am definitely in shape to do it. I did an easy loop of the course to preview it, and knew my up and down miles were 12ish seconds apart, so I made a pacing plan accordingly. In the first half mile of the race I knew I was in trouble. I was not feeling very strong but I was going to try and stick to the plan. I threw in a couple surges trying to get things loosened up. First mile 5:45. So I ended up 5 seconds faster than I wanted to be, but I figured with the surges it was okay. The next 2 miles were uphill. I was struggling to hold 6:30 pace...not good. At the start of the downhill miles I felt like I was flying, only to find out I really wasn't. At this point I didn't care about pace anymore, I just wanted to finish. Mentally I was ready to go, but my body wasn't having it. The volunteers were great, and there were quite a few groups playing music and cheering along the way. The crowd energy was great and I tried to use it the best I could. I ended up walking a few times in the last 4 miles, and had my slowest half ironman run.

Total: 5:02:53

Dad & me after the race.

So what do I take away from this? I had a fun experience, and was glad to have the chance to compete with some amazing athletes. My swim is getting "better" although it is far from where it needs to be. However, it is frustrating to prepare for a race and just have an "okay" day. I know I am stronger on the bike than I showed, as well as the run. At this point, the easiest thing to do is move on and get ready for Rev3 Branson in a few days. Branson is not a walk in the park by any means, but I absolutely love the course.