Since last weekend went so well, i decided i’d like to see what ironman st. George has to offer. I’d heard some good stories about the course, and just couldn’t resist the opportunity to form my own opinion. It would promise some good mileage to help prepare for the upcoming mountain bike tibet trip.
SWIM
I lined up a bit outside towards the front for the swim start, the gun went off, and i settled into a very comfortable pace. For the most part, there was a good amount of open water which i took full advantage off. There were several occasions where things got a bit crowded and i was reminded it is in fact an ironman swim.
The swim course is 1 large loop, similar to canada. The water was a good temperature, though i actually had a couple sections that were a bit warm for my taste. After the first turn, we were swimming into the sun, though the sighting wasn’t to difficult, it did require a little more attention.
I felt strong the entire swim, though i never pushed it, knowing full well i had a long day ahead of me, on one of the tougher ironman courses. I got out of the water feeling pretty fresh and ready to ride. Swim was 1:09:00 (1:49 min/100m).
T1
went well, no blazing times here, but a focused effort to get through without too much delay. 0:05:58
BIKE
the bike course has a 23 mile lead taking you from the swim course and delivering you to the 2 loop portion, with the much talked about climbing. I sat very comfortably in for the first section. Taking in liquid and calories very regularly.
I went through my 2500 calories of carbo pro right on schedule chased by lots of water and threw in a few bananas and gels for variety.
The first loop went well, i pedaled steadily and felt ok. At mile 50, the worst of the climbing is done, and by mile 56 it’s pretty much to a steady descent back into st george. The 2nd loop felt significantly slower, my legs didn’t want to push with any sort of consistency. I put my head down and kept spinning the best i could muster.
Slightly before mile 90, the last of the difficult climbs was complete. I knew there were 1 or 2 more inclines, and a series of fast descents, and paced accordingly. Though i struggled a bit on these last 2 ascents, once i hit the top, i assumed aero and enjoyed the fast descent back into town. 6:06:19 (18.4 mph)
T2
relatively uneventful, except for the fact that my legs where having none of this running portion. I chuckled a bit to myself, knowing full well there was still some run left in me and my legs were mislead.
RUN
It took almost 2 full miles to convince my legs that i fully intended to run the entire distance, no walking. The first 2 miles is a steady climb, with the next 1.5 being a bit steeper, before a small reprieve and a little more climbing. Then you drop down to mile 6.5 and turn around and retrace your steps.
I knew my legs were unhappy and it was a bit warm, so i followed a very simple routine, gel every 15 – 20 minutes followed with water. Every aid station had the same protocol: ice in the jersey, sponges, water, ice, sponges. I carried a water bottle, and would fill it up with ice and water every 3 miles. This worked well.
My first loop went slightly over 2 hours, then my legs and i had a bit of the same conversation as when i first started the run. Seemed like deja vu. I kept turning it over, every so slow and steady, knowing full well this is what i signed up for, and enjoying the fact that my achilles had yet to indicate any signs of stress.
Along the course of the run i crossed paths with 3 or 4 pulse regulars, and some not so regulars. I saw the gap closing slowly between myself and mark, until i caught up with him at mile 24. We proceeded through the last 2 miles to the finish together. 4:24:59 (10:09 min/mile)
All said and done, it’s been a solid week of testing the achilles and it’s come up roses. I’m back to full training volume, still holding off on any type of speed work, as i want to be very sure the achilles is 100% before i put those types of load on it. total time: 11:48:38
No comments:
Post a Comment