For not training at all, I still got a PR!
Class | Gun | Chip | Overall | Age | Zip | Gen | Total | Tot | Tot | Tot |
Position | Time | Time | Place | Place | Pace | Div | Gend | AG | ||
31 | 1:29:03 | 179 | 37 | 78757 | 144 | 420 | 262 | 41 |
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1220200613
Since this was my 5th year doing this race I have some fun data to compare with.
500m | 500m | Bike | Bike | 3M | 3M | |
Swim | Swim | 14M | 14M | Run | Run | |
Pace | Pace | Rank | ||||
Joel 2012 | 12:21:00 | 2:28/M | 47:49:00 | 17.6mph | 420 | 28:59:00 |
Joel 2013 | 13:07:00 | 2:37/M | 45:10:00 | 18.6mph | 401 | 28:48:00 |
Joel 2014 | 12:24:00 | 2:29/M | 46:15:00 | 18.2mph | 342 | 27:08:00 |
Joel 2015 | 11:34:00 | 2:19/m | 45:36:00 | 18.42mph | 445 | 30:33:00 |
Joel 2016 | 11:26 | 2:17/M | 43:12:00 | 19.27mph | 240 | 29:59:00 |
From here lets first focus on the bike and bike pace. I was expecting a big boost here this year with the new bike, and I’m impressed with the numbers I pulled off – even being out of shape and only riding it a few times before race day. My goal on this year’s bike was to find my current threshold and stay there as long as I could. Right about at Cele Road I started to feel like I was going to throw up, and then I just kept it at that intensity for the rest of the ride.
The new bike handles hills much better than I would have expected. My new aero helmet felt good, but I’m going to have to get used to the weight difference, especially the way it pulls my chin up. I was passing more people than were passing me and felt strong the whole ride. For this race, I am very happy with 19.27 miles an hour.
Let’s back up to the swim. I have not been swimming much at all this year. No structured swimming, and only the swim challenge endurance events have been motivating me to get in the lake a few times a month. I will take this faster swim as a sign that just swimming more makes you better. There is decent improvement 11 seconds per 100 meters over the first year.
The run was where I fell apart here, but I expected that. My goal was to do the first half mile at any pace, no goals, then try to descend from 10:30 pace every half mile to 9 minute mile pace at the end. Mile 1 was 10:24, right about on target. Mile 2 was 10:32, about 40 seconds slower than I was looking at. Mile 3, I was able to get back where I wanted with 9 minute mile pace. I attribute this to focusing on the way my body was feeling and pushing myself to a limit I was not yet prepared to push to in the earlier miles. I started talking to myself and telling myself to stay at a certain cadence. The course, as always, was just a little bit short. Again, I haven’t been running much, maybe once a week since the marathon. I haven’t ran in the heat at all this year.
If I would have had some better run fitness, I would have liked to have had my best run pace ever this race, instead of my second worst. If I had been able to cut 1 minute off my run I would have gone from 31/42 to 26/42 in my age group. To place in the top 50% I would have had to cut 7 minutes off. I think that’s possible with training, someday, if I am able to put time and effort into training for sprints.
Overall, during the race, I was able to stay in the moment for most of the race, I did my best to not daydream or focus on future events, but to stay aware of what my muscles were doing and how my breathing was affecting my performance. I am very happy with this race and its good to know that taking time off from post marathon until this race did not have terrible fitness consequences.
(17)
You did great! Almost time for the rematch at Jack’s Generic Sprint! 🙂