Muncie 70.3 Report

OK, OK, I know I've been putting this off for a while but its only been a week.

Goal number 1 was to finish and I accomplished that and I'm happy.
Goal number 2 was to beat my buddy Bill's first half IM of 4:40:xx. Didn't make that one.

I'm new to the sport and I'm not a complete convert yet. I'm a runner at heart but I do enjoy mixing up the training some. The variety is a welcome change and presents new and unique challenges. I signed up for Muncie several months ago and have been training somewhat haphazardly toward that goal. My life is really busy right now with a 10 month old and our 3 other children. This means that I have to fit the training in whenever possible and skip the workouts when it isn't possible. I find that it is a very time consuming commitment to put the necessary time in on the bike. Anyway, you do what you can and forget the rest.

In the months leading up to the race I was expecting the swim to be a wetsuit swim since I had heard it was a spring fed lake. In case you don't know, the wetsuit makes the swim a bit easier and faster because of the buoyancy and slipperiness it provides. In the days leading up to the race I went online and found that the water was well above the 76.1 degree cutoff for the wetsuit. In fact the water temp was 81 degrees on race day so no wetsuit.

The swim 43:31


I was hoping to swim the distance in less than 40 minutes and I ended up with a 43:31 after a 200 yd run. The actual swim part was probably around 42:30. I lined up near the outside of the start and had planned to swim a wide line to escape the insanity that exists closer to the buoys. I tried to get out a bit faster so that I could have some clear water to swim in but in my effort to get out I didn't sight as well and ended up right in the thick of things near the buoys. It was a real struggle just to survive for a while with people swimming up your legs, struggling to get a clear stroke with your arms and sighting in the bright sun. After the first few hundred yards I was able to get a little bit of breathing room and settle down my breathing some. When the swim was over I was happy to be done and ready for something more familiar. The bike.

The bike 2:34:09


My plan for the bike was to ride between 22 and 23 mph but to not press too hard so that I could conserve some energy for the run. During the first few miles I was moving at a pretty good clip but then we made the turn and I found that the wind had picked up and we were now riding into the wind. This part kind of threw me because I didn't know how hard I should push into the wind. I was trying to keep it comfortable without giving up too much time. In retrospect I think that my only mistake on the bike was not pushing a bit harder on this section. We were riding into the wind for at least 20 miles and near the end I found that my left hamstring was tightening up and I had to come out of aero position periodically to give it a break. Finally we reached the next turn around and we now had the wind at our backs. I was able to really get it moving near 30 mph at times and the hamstring quite complaining with the change. I ended the ride with tired legs and didn't know exactly how the run was going to go.

The Run 1:39:28


My plan for the run was to run between a 1:30 and 1:35 as this was a pretty comfortable pace in normal conditions. I can tell you for a fact that this was definitely not a comfortable pace on a hot day after the swim and ride. I started off the first mile just under a 7 minute pace (downhill). The second and third miles I tried to relax some and the pace fell to around 7:15 right where I wanted it. Somewhere in the next couple of miles the heat the day and accumulated fatigue caught up with me and the run became a slog even though I continued to pass everyone in sight in a pretty convincing fashion. Everyone was dying out there and there were people walking all over the place. The carnage was worse than any marathons that I've ever run. I was really struggling and my pace fell to around a 8 minute miles. At the half way turn around I stopped for water and for a bathroom break. This mile turned out to be about a 10 minute mile. Soon after I started calculating my finishing time and realized that I probably wasn't going to break 5. Had I realized this before the pit stop I probably would have skipped it but all I could do at this point was to press on. I think I finished the run with about a 7:15 final mile and was so so happy to be finished.

Final time was 5:02:46 was good for 199th overall out of 1700 competitors I think. I finished 19th out of 161 in my age group.

The half Ironman is a very challenging distance. For me it ended up being a 5 hour race and in the heat I found it to be a bit more challenging than a marathon. I've learned to respect this event and will definitely need to invest more time into training to maximize my potential. Next goal race for me is Chicago Marathon so I'm back to focusing on running even though I will continue to cycle and swim as cross training.

Thanks for reading...

I can't imagine the swim part of these events. Sounds awful.

Nice job otherwise on a HOT day. Impressive performance for your first!

Great job in tough weather Tim!

Great pictures and great event - I know you had higher expectations, but from where I'm sitting, you did better than could of been expected in the heat and with the first longer distance tri (you smoked the last one too!). As you know, I'm also new to this and have no real idea how to plan a pace so it is interesting that you thought maybe pushing the bike a bit more would of been a good thing.

I think you did awesome and you accomplished a ton. Put it this way, there was about 90% of the field behind you, most of which have probably way more experience than you, that were wishing they could be as good as you!

Your a good inspiration for me!!

Congrats, Tim - I've been waiting to read how it went, and for your first Half IM, I think you did awesome. I can't possibly imagine running a 1:39 half after swimming and biking, and of course, I can't even fathom riding close to 20 mph let alone even faster than that! I'm impressed!!

Thanks for the report Tim and nice race. I'm always curious to see how a runner will do at these longer distance triathlons. It seems your running served you well here. Congrats!!

Very well done, Tim. These races are definitely on my radar at some point so I glad to be able to read and learn from your report.

Great job in not so ideal conditions.

1:39 half, beating Jerry's this morning's run by 10 minutes.

Well done, Tim!

The swimming just seems awful. To many people just pushing there way. Reminds me of NYC subway when I used to travel to work. Except the smell was much worse in the subway! Meanwhile you made a strong effort and it paid off with a very nice time despite not meeting your goal time. Overall a very successful HIM.

Hi Tim, great report. I was looking forward to reading your thoughts and experiences on the 70.3.

The swim sounded tough but that was due to the sighting issue. You'll get better at that. I think you did absolutely great for your first 70.3. If you really put some effort into triathlon training and racing I think you could be a real contender for the podium. Your running back ground would really help in this regard.

I hope you try more events in the future. Good luck with Chicago training.

Tim great report and I'm glad you wrote one up. Like everyone else I have been waiting to hear what you had to say and what your first Tri experience was like. There is no doubt that Randy is correct by saying you could compete in the Tri if you made it a focus. Now I'm not a Tri expert but from what I have seen and read about them most events are won and lost during the run.

There is no doubt that you are a strong runner and that could only help you in these types of events. Although you did touch on how much time and effort it takes to train for Tri's. Anyway again congrats on your first one and best of luck with your future in the sport. Also best of luck with you Chicago training!

Great job!! I can't even imagine what kind of effort each event takes. Takes a strong person! Congrats on a great time!

I can attest to how much time it takes to train for this event...I really missed him. Great job, Tim! And welcome back to "just" running

Congrats! Awesome accomplishment.

Pretty impressive debut, Tim. I can't imagine when running feels like after 3 hours of other competition. Well done!

Wow, that's quite a tri debut! Such long events...ugh. Takes a ton of mental toughness to keep hammering away that long. If you decide to plunge in further to the whole tri world, you are going to do very very well as an AG contender.

Yeah, that whole swim frenzy sounds and looks dangerous. Excellent first time attempt. You are obviously a strong all around competitor, Tim!

Awesome job. Like others have said I can't imagine the swim portion on these races. Congrats.

Dang. My debut HIM goal was a (soft) 6 hour finish. Gonna have to cut it down a bit after seeing how you smoked this race. Nicely done, Tim.

Michael Enright wrote:I can't imagine the swim part of these events. Sounds awful.

Nice job otherwise on a HOT day. Impressive performance for your first!

Thanks Michael, It is awful if you're not a strong swimmer and not smart enough to avoid the congestion. Live and learn.

Jim Lentz wrote:Great job in tough weather Tim!

Thanks Jim.

John Kilpatrick wrote:Great pictures and great event - I know you had higher expectations, but from where I'm sitting, you did better than could of been expected in the heat and with the first longer distance tri (you smoked the last one too!). As you know, I'm also new to this and have no real idea how to plan a pace so it is interesting that you thought maybe pushing the bike a bit more would of been a good thing.

I think you did awesome and you accomplished a ton. Put it this way, there was about 90% of the field behind you, most of which have probably way more experience than you, that were wishing they could be as good as you!

Your a good inspiration for me!!

Thank you John, You're going to do a fantastic job in your HIM.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Congrats, Tim - I've been waiting to read how it went, and for your first Half IM, I think you did awesome. I can't possibly imagine running a 1:39 half after swimming and biking, and of course, I can't even fathom riding close to 20 mph let alone even faster than that! I'm impressed!!

Thanks Michele, it means a lot coming from someone with your resume.

GregC wrote:Thanks for the report Tim and nice race. I'm always curious to see how a runner will do at these longer distance triathlons. It seems your running served you well here. Congrats!!

After thinking about my results, I think I could have done much better had I drank more on the bike. I don't think 5 bottles was enough.

Bob wrote:Very well done, Tim. These races are definitely on my radar at some point so I glad to be able to read and learn from your report.

Great job in not so ideal conditions.

I think you'll love the variety Bob.

Jerry wrote:1:39 half, beating Jerry's this morning's run by 10 minutes.

Well done, Tim!

Thanks Jerry, too bad I couldn't beat you in our 1v1 too. I'll need to focus solely on running to make that happen.

Kenny B. wrote:The swimming just seems awful. To many people just pushing there way. Reminds me of NYC subway when I used to travel to work. Except the smell was much worse in the subway! Meanwhile you made a strong effort and it paid off with a very nice time despite not meeting your goal time. Overall a very successful HIM.

Thanks Kenny, the bright side was that it didn't smell.

Randy E wrote:Hi Tim, great report. I was looking forward to reading your thoughts and experiences on the 70.3.

The swim sounded tough but that was due to the sighting issue. You'll get better at that. I think you did absolutely great for your first 70.3. If you really put some effort into triathlon training and racing I think you could be a real contender for the podium. Your running back ground would really help in this regard.

I hope you try more events in the future. Good luck with Chicago training.

Thanks Randy, Perhaps I can manage to free up some more time to train in the years to come. You haven't seen the last of me. Good luck in your full.

Schuey wrote:Tim great report and I'm glad you wrote one up. Like everyone else I have been waiting to hear what you had to say and what your first Tri experience was like. There is no doubt that Randy is correct by saying you could compete in the Tri if you made it a focus. Now I'm not a Tri expert but from what I have seen and read about them most events are won and lost during the run.

There is no doubt that you are a strong runner and that could only help you in these types of events. Although you did touch on how much time and effort it takes to train for Tri's. Anyway again congrats on your first one and best of luck with your future in the sport. Also best of luck with you Chicago training!

Thanks Schuey, the ride and the run are extremely important and I think it is going to take some more experience to know how hard I can push each.

ChasMcG wrote:Great job!! I can't even imagine what kind of effort each event takes. Takes a strong person! Congrats on a great time!

Thanks Chas.

wendy_miller wrote:I can attest to how much time it takes to train for this event...I really missed him. Great job, Tim! And welcome back to "just" running

I'm back to the simple life. Kinda

healdgator wrote:Congrats! Awesome accomplishment.

Thank You

Dave-O wrote:Pretty impressive debut, Tim. I can't imagine when running feels like after 3 hours of other competition. Well done!

Thanks Dave, it is certainly a different experience.

Chris M wrote:Wow, that's quite a tri debut! Such long events...ugh. Takes a ton of mental toughness to keep hammering away that long. If you decide to plunge in further to the whole tri world, you are going to do very very well as an AG contender.

Thanks Chris, I will certainly do more tri's but it will probably be another year before I do a HIM and a few more years before attempting a full.

fostever wrote:Yeah, that whole swim frenzy sounds and looks dangerous. Excellent first time attempt. You are obviously a strong all around competitor, Tim!

Thanks, Danger is my middle name.

Alex Kubacki wrote:Awesome job. Like others have said I can't imagine the swim portion on these races. Congrats.

Thanks Alex, I'm a survivor of the swim.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Dang. My debut HIM goal was a (soft) 6 hour finish. Gonna have to cut it down a bit after seeing how you smoked this race. Nicely done, Tim.

Thanks Mike, Good Luck with your HIM no matter what goal you set for yourself. Just remember it is a long race.

I think you had quite an auspicious HIM debut, Tim. Nice work!!!

Impressive race, Tim. Congrats! Although I can't imagine drinking 5 bottles on a 2.5 hour bike. You'll actually get used to the melee at the start of the swim, it almost becomes fun.