Sticking It Out...
Well....I finished. That is about how it went for me. I ran into the same issue that I always seem to have in Ironman. 4.5hrs into the race (about 80-90 miles) i lose a LOT of power on the bike. This is an issue that I am determined to solve.
Here is a brief recap of the day.
Swim was very easy. I started with Nina and Farris on either side of me. The cannon went off and I couldn't match Farris' speed, but staying on Nina's feet seemed comfortable. She usually makes the front group, so I just stayed put. I eventually found Hillary Biscay and stayed there for most of the race.
With about a kilometer to go, she started to move to the front of our group and I followed until i started to get beat up, so I stayed put in the middle of the group.
We got to the last turn buoy and there was a HUGE acceleration, which I found out later, was from when Hillary realized she could be first woman out. I didn't realize it, but our group then split and a gap of about 45seconds opened up in the last 400m. I now know I need to be at the front to make sure I can go with any gap that opens.
All in all, I am pleased with the swim. Many guys who were in contention, including Stadler, Beke and Marino were in there.
The Bike - Rode pretty hard through town, trying to bridge a gap to a group of 8 guys that were 30seconds up the road. I couldn't do it and they actually stayed there for most of the ride. I then dialed it down a notch once out onto the Queen K. The wind and heat started to come into play at about 30mi into the ride and got tough at times throughout the day, but come on, it is kona, what do you expect!?! I rode steady and just focused on my nutrition...which was spot on. Everything rolled well until i got off the descent from Hawi and started to climb back to the Queen K. At that point, my left side was pretty tight and I had no power.
I stayed positive, told myself it would pass. Well, it didn't really pass and then I got some major hot spots on the bottom of my feet in the last 20mi, which further killed my ride back to Kona. I got off the bike and just told myself to get out and run easy and see how I felt.
The Run - I ran my 645-50 for about 14 or 15 miles and then my pace really slowed. Eventually, about 90min later, I had Hillary run up on me....ran with her to the finish.
The Finish - This was my first kona as a professional and it was important(as always) to finish. It was not how I expected/wanted the day to go...but I learned a lot. My swim is almost there, my body is good in the heat and when I can just solve this Ironman bike issue, I will have a good race.
I want to thank everyone for their support. My friend's Erin, Nancy, Sue and Chloe for coming into town for the race. Jen and Chuck for letting me stay with them in their condo and for driving me around. My family and friends in Madison and around the country, your support is great and of course my sponsors; Timex, Infinit and Blue Seventy for the great support, equipment and gear. (Blue Seventy got my a long john Point Zero 3, the day before the race, which was AWESOME!).
++++++++++++++++++++
I am now heading back to Wisconsin on a red-eye tonight, before packing up again and flying out on Thursday. More details on that trip and my plans, soon.
Here is a brief recap of the day.
Swim was very easy. I started with Nina and Farris on either side of me. The cannon went off and I couldn't match Farris' speed, but staying on Nina's feet seemed comfortable. She usually makes the front group, so I just stayed put. I eventually found Hillary Biscay and stayed there for most of the race.
With about a kilometer to go, she started to move to the front of our group and I followed until i started to get beat up, so I stayed put in the middle of the group.
We got to the last turn buoy and there was a HUGE acceleration, which I found out later, was from when Hillary realized she could be first woman out. I didn't realize it, but our group then split and a gap of about 45seconds opened up in the last 400m. I now know I need to be at the front to make sure I can go with any gap that opens.
All in all, I am pleased with the swim. Many guys who were in contention, including Stadler, Beke and Marino were in there.
The Bike - Rode pretty hard through town, trying to bridge a gap to a group of 8 guys that were 30seconds up the road. I couldn't do it and they actually stayed there for most of the ride. I then dialed it down a notch once out onto the Queen K. The wind and heat started to come into play at about 30mi into the ride and got tough at times throughout the day, but come on, it is kona, what do you expect!?! I rode steady and just focused on my nutrition...which was spot on. Everything rolled well until i got off the descent from Hawi and started to climb back to the Queen K. At that point, my left side was pretty tight and I had no power.
I stayed positive, told myself it would pass. Well, it didn't really pass and then I got some major hot spots on the bottom of my feet in the last 20mi, which further killed my ride back to Kona. I got off the bike and just told myself to get out and run easy and see how I felt.
The Run - I ran my 645-50 for about 14 or 15 miles and then my pace really slowed. Eventually, about 90min later, I had Hillary run up on me....ran with her to the finish.
The Finish - This was my first kona as a professional and it was important(as always) to finish. It was not how I expected/wanted the day to go...but I learned a lot. My swim is almost there, my body is good in the heat and when I can just solve this Ironman bike issue, I will have a good race.
I want to thank everyone for their support. My friend's Erin, Nancy, Sue and Chloe for coming into town for the race. Jen and Chuck for letting me stay with them in their condo and for driving me around. My family and friends in Madison and around the country, your support is great and of course my sponsors; Timex, Infinit and Blue Seventy for the great support, equipment and gear. (Blue Seventy got my a long john Point Zero 3, the day before the race, which was AWESOME!).
++++++++++++++++++++
I am now heading back to Wisconsin on a red-eye tonight, before packing up again and flying out on Thursday. More details on that trip and my plans, soon.
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