Race Report - Florida Half Ironman

HOT HOT HOT!

Sorry, team. While I did not wear the team uniform, I still felt as though I represented the team well in Florida this past weekend.

After working for three long days, on my feet, selling TriggerPoint Therapy equipment at the Ironman expo and doing Irish car bombs in downtown Disney two nights out from the race, I was sure I wasn't going to finish the race nor set a PR.

Swim:
The race began with a no-wetsuit swim in 79 degree water at 6:30am. Unfortunately, they thought it would be a good idea to start the Diasbled Wave Competitors directly after the Elite Wave, followed by the oldest males, then finally the M18-24; I regretably kicked a couple amputee competitors in the face as I swam by them... Sorry!
Surprisingly, I set a PR in the water... added arm mobility and crystal clear, no wake conditions led to my 35:08 swim time for 1.2 miles.

T1:
Transition, for as long as the run to it was, came to a surprising time of only 2:43 minutes due to not having to get a wetsuit off. There was a long run (a little over 1/4 mile) into transition that led to a longer than normal T1 time.

Bike:
The 56 mile bike course was very flat (very few rolling hills) which began very fast and I decided to not listen to my PowerTap until half way through the course.... bad idea! I suffered during the last 20 miles where two race packs of 30-40yr old males were purposefully drafting off one another.... This should be a lesson to all: Florida races, due to their flat conditions, typically result in drafting although the rules clearly state that it was a non-draft legal event!
The last half of the bike course did not have ANY refs on the course, and resulted in several race packs of blatant cheaters. So be it; I proudly rode solo and stuck to the rule.
Time= 2:37:19 Av Speed= 21.4 mph Power/Wt= 2.61 watts/kg

T2:
The transition area was quite large in a grassy field next to the horse stable in the Fort Wilderness Lodge in Disney world. This made it easy for those running through transition with cleats on. Yet, I decided to do as normal and dismount barefoot. I ran a quick T2 in 2:00 minutes and ran out as fast as possible... Ya gotta look good in transition as most of the spectators swarm around this area. :-P

Run:
The run was a flat course through the Fort Wilderness Lodge which was a ~4.5 mile loop you had to complete 3 times. The course encompassed 1 mile of asphalt running, 2 miles of grass running which ended up being the worst past of the course, and a 1 mile finish on asphalt once again.
I began the run course around 10:30am when the weather hit hard at 90 degree and 70% humidity. With trees surrounding, there was a stale air that prevented any release from the heat.
The only nice thing about the 3 lap course was that I was able to get elbowed by the leading woman who was on her second lap while I was only completing my first mile and managed to 'get in her way' as she came flying by me. Upon entering the dirt/grassy/unpacked portion of the course, you could feel the immediate, deafening heat that poured upon you. After one lap of misery, I realized the best strategy for battling the heat was NOT cooling your head with water or drinking cold water or chewing ice... Luckily, I wore a one piece trisuit which I packed with cold sponges first followed by cups of ice around my core in front and back.
*OK, Ex. Phys. students, as we all know, cool the core and cool the engine.*This trick worked wonders and allowed me to cruise through the second lap with very few heat related stumbles.
The final lap was quite easy, with little surprises and my best pace, realizing the death march that was approaching in the hot dirt portion of the course. Yes, half the race field walks during the grass portion of the course; it's an unfortunate reality of Florida and this race course.
With little run training this season, working three days on my feet prior to race day, I was quite satisfied with my 13.1 mile run time of 2:18:41 with a pace of 10:36 minute miles.

Overall:
My total time was 05:35:50 with a solid swim and bike time. The run was an unfortunate result of heat, lack of rest, and undertraining.
The race as a whole is an excellent, worth while, destination race that I'd encourage anyone to attempt to finish. While it may be a flat, fast course, the weather is your true enemy. No race in the Ironman circuit is designed to be easy; so yes, just finishing this beast is an accomplishment.
Even the Pros at the event admit that it competes with Kona as one of the hardest races in the Ironman circuit in terms of weather conditions.

As always, I was happy that I was able to train with the UIC Cycling and Triathlon team to prepare for this race and keep the team in my heart as I was racing.

Best of luck training and racing this summer.
Always try to push your personal goals and set records to achieve your best.

Happy Training,
Steve Ratchford