SAINT GEORGE 70.3 IRONMAN -- A SURPRISINGLY FUN DAY

THE SETUP:  After receiving numerous emails from the race director for the St George 70.3 Ironman race scheduled for May 3rd, my curiosity was raised.  I had not registered for this race, it was not on my schedule, why was I getting athlete updates?  So I checked the web site on April 25th to see if I had a bib number.  I did!  Was it a gift due to my good finish at the 70.3 championships?  Did my tri-club, ONE multisport, hand complementary entries out last year to elite racers and I had not paid attention?Or, had I just registered so early that I had forgot all about it?  It was the latter.  OK, lets do it on short notice (10 days) and minimal training and just have fun with no expectations.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

THE VENUE:  St George, Utah, is at approximately 2600 ft elevation, desert type arid, seasonally hot, and unpredictably windy. The swim is in Sand Hollow Reservoir outside of town so an early morning bus ride to Transition 1 is required.  Transition 2 and the finish is in old town St George resulting is a point-to-point bike leg with a slight net downhill.  The race course has more hills than normal Ironman venues.  I had raced the 2010 version when it was a full Ironman and had a slow race.  I had severe Achilles Tendonapathy at the time and ended up walking the marathon in over 6 hours.  However, race day ended happily the following morning when I got a Kona slot on a rolldown allowing me to race Kona with my son that year. There are numerous sites to visit in close proximity including the Hoover Dam and Zion National Park, which my wife and I visited.

HOOVER DAM

Some Ironman venues are epic, meaning that they have all 4 of the WHHH factors (Wind, Heat, Humidity, Hills).  Kona is a prime example.  St George can have up to three of the factors, Wind, Heat, and Hills.  This year it had only two,  Hills and Heat (90+), as the wind was relatively mild. Consequently the times were considerably faster than 2013.  For example, in 2013, 12 pros broke 4 hrs, this year 25 broke 4 hrs.  I believe the official Ironman website overstates the hills somewhat as my garmin measured 3,250 ft gain for the bike and 1,200 ft gain for the run.  Still, those are pretty large numbers for a half-ironman.







MY FITNESS:  I have been managing uncooperative knees for some time.  Generally I would run only twice a week and up to 9 miles at a time using a jog/walk routine to minimize the pain.  Even biking was problematic on rides over 2 hours.  Generally, I had been averaging about 5,000 yds swimming, 90 miles biking, and 14 miles "running" per week since January.  Not half-ironman training levels.  My last 3 weeks leading up to the race were;  WEEK 3: no training (in CA having fun with grandchildren); WEEK 2: 10,000 yds swimming, 190 miles biking, 15 miles running (making up for the "off" week, and realizing I had a race in 10 days); WEEK 1: 5,500 yds swimming, 70 miles biking, no running (sore knees).  If anything I was well tapered.

MY PREPARATION:  My evening pre-race meals consist of pasta in some form.  This time Stouffers mac and cheese, out of the microwave.  For desert I ate a full bag of spice drops. I drink Gatorade or perform or whatever high sugar, high salt drinks the sponsor is giving out.  I take whatever gels and drinks the sponsor is passing out on the bike and run.  I do take salt capsules with me on hot days to balance out the mineral depletion that occurs from sweating. My feeling is that your fitness and success in a race is 90% due to preparation and 10% due to adaptability to changes in circumstances.  OK, I admit I have a soft spot for good equipment.

MY RACE:  My biggest concern was the run.  My swimming is acceptable and my biking splits have always been the fastest in my age group, but with my sore knees and limited run training I knew the run was going to be slow.  I decided that I would start the run conservatively with a 3/2, run/walk routine and at the turnaround, if feeling good, increase the run proportion.  My swim/bike/run split goals were modest:   40/2:55/2:30 with a finishing time, including transitions, in excess of 6 hours, slower than I had ever raced.  I reminded myself I was not "racing" but "participating".

As it turned out I overachieved.  The swim was unremarkable and the bike a blast, with most riders exceeding 45mph on the downhills.  I averaged just over 200 watts on the bike and 20.1 mph, consistent numbers for a hilly bike course.  My splits were 37:25/2:45:51/2:01:23,  with a total time of 5:33:28 and first place in the 65-69 age group.  I was able to run the last 3 miles, walking only the aid stations, giving me a negative split by 5 minutes.  I declined the World Championship slot as it was never my intention to go even if I qualified.

65-69 AWARD WINNERS

Some observations and funny things that happened during the race.  The water temperature was 60 degrees so I wore a neoprene cap under my swim cap to help keep me warm.  It appeared that there were an abnormal number of tire flats.  I thought the bike course was reasonably smooth and clean so I don't have an explanation.  I had the urge to relieve myself on the bike but restrained myself until I got to a portolet in the transition, after all I was not "racing".  I forgot to take my salt capsule container with me on the run but "found" 3 capsules on the road that some other racer had dropped, and consumed them without hesitation, it was hot.

JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS AT HEART

MY LEARNING'S:  I was honestly surprised with my effort and results.  I finished without any injuries, not even a blister, and feeling physically agile.  Maybe I get too stressed and intense when racing and a lighter more relaxed approach is a preferable way.  Maybe meditation and a holistic approach to life will improve my race efforts?  Maybe, but not gonna happen.