Okay, so after getting out of T2 a bit longer than expected but feeling better and a bit less disoriented, I realized a few things:
1. No sunglasses
2. My aero bottle was on backwards which means the straw was way out front instead of close to me- ok, didn't think it was going to be a problem but it proved to be a bit challenging to drink during the day.
The weather started out a bit drizzly, overcast and windy, did I say windy, oh yes I did. Usually this course provides wind on the second loop especially on the 11 mile climb back into town but today it started from the get go, oh well, just had to get used to it and watch my cadence and my watts. The fist 11 miles or so out of town you really need to be careful, you have to be patient, there's a bit of a downhill at the beginning and then there is some climbing to be had before getting to the ever well known 10k decent. If you choose to hammer the first part of the course you will never survive, your legs will crash and burn, so I knew to just back off, catch my breath, get some fluid in, reorganize my thoughts from the swim and get focused. I actually felt really good until we got to the decent and realized that it was raining and the road was really wet and I got a bit scared. I like speed and I like going downhill but not when its raining or when the road is wet, so I road my brakes a lot, which I don't like to do and several women passed me which just pissed me off. After the decent there is a nice long section that you can really motor on but again you have to be patient you can't hammer its the first loop and even if you think you feel good you should back off a bit and save yourself for the next loop ( which I did).
I have to say the first loop was really uneventful, nothing too different than I did in training on a weekly basis, the only things that stand out for me are that made a bit of a difference of my race day where:
1. The new race course powerade bottles I didn't like. The flavor was fine but trying to squeeze the fluid out to put in my aero bottle was almost impossible. I either had to keep the bottle and put it in my rear water holders or stop my bike, unscrew the cap to beable to get all the fluid out. The new bottles are made of a harder plastic and the caps are just terrible if you want to empty the fluid out quickly, I believe an email to Ironman is in order to make changes for the future, I don't think I was the only one with this concern. So obviously I didnt drink as much as I should have, which has never been an issue for me in training.
2. The aero bottle position on my bike was starting to become an issue with regards to getting my fluid in, I should of just stopped and turned it around, but hell no, why would I take 30 seconds to do that, ( what an idiot I was- stupid, stupid me)
3. I only peed 3 times the whole time and it wasn't much, so big red flag going into the run.
I enjoy the climbs on this course, its a challenging course and it keeps people honest, I felt good the whole first loop, my legs felt fresh going into the second, the weather was changing every 5 minutes, wind, rain, sun, clouds, humid, etc.. By all in all not bad. I passed a lot of men and women but a lot of women in my age group passed me which sort of bummed me out. I think once on the second loop another 40-44 AG female passed me and under my breath I said something like, " of course she has to be in my age group" and she turned her head and stuck her tongue out at me. At least I didn't see her for the rest of the day. I wasn't trying to be mean I just was gettting angry that I had so many good cyclists in my AG.
The 2nd loop was uneventful again, I felt good both physically and mentally, I didn't let myself get too negative, the crowds were great, the support from the volunteers is always amazing, I actually look forward to seeing the 3 bears ( the 3 last climbs into town) because I know the bike is almost over.
Anyway, I finished the bike in 6:25 about 25 minutes slower than I wanted but at least I kept my two loops within a 15 to 20 minute difference from each other which I did which probably meant that my overall average was ok and I didn't blow myself up on the first loop. Total avg speed, 17.44mph for 112 miles
Things I learned on the bike:
Take the few seconds you need to fix the simple things that can make or break your ride ( i.e, my aero bottle would of taken less than 20 seconds to fix and I probably would of drank more if it was not such a strain to get out of my saddle everytime and reach over to drink.
I should of stopped once or twice to pour the whole bottle of powerade in my aero bottle, it would of again only taken 20 or 30 seconds. This lack of fluid intake probably started me down the path of becomming significantly dehydrated on the run and all could of been prevented if I just took the time to manage these things on the course.
Being positive and having fun on the bike lets the ride go by faster, I really enjoyed the ride and had fun with it.
Next post will be about the Run, Part 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment