Race Report: IRONMAN 70.3 Florida
Last year, a friend of mine and I signed up to race IRONMAN 70.3 Florida (Haines City) together. We nicknamed it "Swampman" since the swim has been known to have terrible water quality. And it is middle Florida so no ocean or gulf waters but stagnant lake water. This race has a reputation of being hot and humid as well. But it is a local race for me and it is only 30 minutes from Walt Disney World so friends can travel and stay there if needed.
Race Week
Last weekend, we celebrated my wife's birthday with a two day trip to Disney World. I was able to get my training in there so I was not worried. During the week, I came down with a head cold. It progressed quickly but also went out of my system quickly. Taper was a little more of a taper than I would have wanted but it was ok. I started pre hydrating and watching what I ate to ensure I was ready for the race. Now I knew going in that I had totally slacked on my training, completing probably 60% of my total planned volume. This one would probably hurt.
Race Day
We arrived early and set up transition. Transition closed at 6am, which was unusual for a race that started at 6:50. There was a large gap between transition closing and the race start, and an even larger gap to my wave. Early close means an early morning. We wish there would have been a check bag or some place to keep keys because we had to leave transition so early. I could not run back in to put my key in my run pouch. Otherwise, I had to be without access to my car or anything for around two hours.
The swim was one loop in the shape of an 'M'. The water temperature was 74 so the race was wetsuit legal. Last week, there would not have been a chance but being Florida the weather changed and it drifted just below that mark. There was ample support out on the lake and the course was easy to sight. Each buoy was well marked and the turns were easy to see. There was ample space around most of the course to be able to get open water. There was one pesky jet ski that kept zipping around from one of the support crew and that did make some turbulence on the water.
The local clubs and athletes tend to do this race since it doesn't require travel, much like the Maryland athletes tended to always do Eagleman. So this race wasn't too far for me. I convinced a friend of mine from Massachusetts to come down and race with me. She's a much better athlete than me so it wasn't so much a race with me as it was me chasing her down in futility. But it would be a fun weekend for us without too much pressure or trouble, given the earliness of the race.
Race Week
Last weekend, we celebrated my wife's birthday with a two day trip to Disney World. I was able to get my training in there so I was not worried. During the week, I came down with a head cold. It progressed quickly but also went out of my system quickly. Taper was a little more of a taper than I would have wanted but it was ok. I started pre hydrating and watching what I ate to ensure I was ready for the race. Now I knew going in that I had totally slacked on my training, completing probably 60% of my total planned volume. This one would probably hurt.
Lauren (aka Speedy) arrived on Friday. Saturday we headed out to the venue for packet pickup and a practice swim. Since Lauren is from Mass (or as I call it the Arctic), there was little chance of outdoor swims. They had the swim course open with support from 11-2. The temp was around 75 so we got a practice in with the wetsuits just in case it would stay below 76. There wasn't time to ride the course but we did a check ride around the run course instead. We dropped our bikes off at check in and could leave them there overnight. Normally, I wouldn't leave it here in Florida with the constant dew and humidity but that night the dew points were in the 50s. Then we headed back to WDW for some Cape May buffet at the Beach Club.
Race Day
We arrived early and set up transition. Transition closed at 6am, which was unusual for a race that started at 6:50. There was a large gap between transition closing and the race start, and an even larger gap to my wave. Early close means an early morning. We wish there would have been a check bag or some place to keep keys because we had to leave transition so early. I could not run back in to put my key in my run pouch. Otherwise, I had to be without access to my car or anything for around two hours.
My wave did not go off until 7:50. I had a lot of time to wait around. The first few waves did not really have enough light, in my opinion, because the sun did not rise until after 7. I was disappointed that the race staff started so early given the nature of the lake. Typically, there is no swimming in the lake and there is wildlife in the area so I would want my on-water support to be able to see pretty well before officially starting. It would only have taken ten to fifteen minutes of a delay. By my wave, we had good light in the sky. I was ready to go.
Swim (43:19)
The swim was one loop in the shape of an 'M'. The water temperature was 74 so the race was wetsuit legal. Last week, there would not have been a chance but being Florida the weather changed and it drifted just below that mark. There was ample support out on the lake and the course was easy to sight. Each buoy was well marked and the turns were easy to see. There was ample space around most of the course to be able to get open water. There was one pesky jet ski that kept zipping around from one of the support crew and that did make some turbulence on the water.
I started near the front of the wave on the inside. My plan was to stay as straight as possible toward the sighting buoys. A small pack formed about 100m in and I latched onto it to try to draft a little. I had a goal of a sub-40 minute swim but the most important things were to ensure I was efficient and that I did not get hamstring issues. I stayed with the draft group for a little while even though I could have passed them. I rounded all six turn buoys with little issue, which was surprising. My rhythm was pretty good and I was actually quite confident in the swim. I was not blazing fast but I did not stop at all except to sight with a little breast stroke around the peak of the M. Near the exit, there was a hole that if you stood too soon, you would fall back down. I saw it at the practice swim and warned everyone I saw about it. Well, yes, I stood up and fell in the hole. My hamstring siezed up and I had to roll out of the water and onto the ramp and then try to stand. It let up on the way from the swim to transition but it hurt like hell.
T1 (3:59)
Transition was a double level parking lot. One part was parallel to the other but elevated up a hill. In order to go to transition you had to run through the bottom level, up the hill and through the top level to get to the bike out. For those of us on the bottom level, that meant running all that way in our bike shoes and with our bike. I took a minute to massage my hamstring and then headed out from transition. I was surprised how well I took that hill in my bike shoes.
Bike (3:08:26)
The bike course was a one loop ride through the orange groves, small towns, and sand quarries of Polk County. The first part of the course is flat and fast with long straightaways and nice pavement. The second part has all of the elevation (rolling hills) and some sections of poor pavement. When we did practice rides, the main issue was headwinds. The course is fairly open with no obstructions except the orange groves that provide little relief. The wild card would be which direction the wind would blow.
T1 (3:59)
Transition was a double level parking lot. One part was parallel to the other but elevated up a hill. In order to go to transition you had to run through the bottom level, up the hill and through the top level to get to the bike out. For those of us on the bottom level, that meant running all that way in our bike shoes and with our bike. I took a minute to massage my hamstring and then headed out from transition. I was surprised how well I took that hill in my bike shoes.
Bike (3:08:26)
The bike course was a one loop ride through the orange groves, small towns, and sand quarries of Polk County. The first part of the course is flat and fast with long straightaways and nice pavement. The second part has all of the elevation (rolling hills) and some sections of poor pavement. When we did practice rides, the main issue was headwinds. The course is fairly open with no obstructions except the orange groves that provide little relief. The wild card would be which direction the wind would blow.
I started out riding at a steady pace. The beginning was pretty easy to push hard but I knew if I blew up on the first part I could not tackle the rolling hills. The hills weren't steep but they also have no downhill to coast so you still have to continuously pedal to maintain momentum. At first, I was passed by a lot of people. Many were from the young guns (18-29 men) that started in the wave behind me. Those who didn't pass me in the swim surely got me within a few miles of the bike. It was a little downing to get passed by a ton of people in the first few miles. Cycling is probably my weakest link. I settled in to aero and just cruised at a comfortable pace.
The first significant hill came right around mile 25 and I took it pretty well. At this point, I started to pass other people in front of me. For the next 20 or so miles, I continued to pass people and I was not passed by anyone after this point. That was the only thing keeping me going. All of the uber bikers had picked me off and now I was running into the back of the waves in front of me. As soon as we turned back north from Lake Wales, the headwind hit. It was difficult to push through the wind as there was little relief from the wind and hills combined. I hunkered down and pushed through the wind but it was significantly slower than I would have liked. Looking back, I should have tried a bit harder in the first part to bank up some time. But hindsight is 20/20. I finished the bike not quite strong but not completely dead either.
T2 (2:36)
When returning from the bike, you basically did the reverse of T1. So those of us on the lower level again had to run all the way through the top, down the hill and back to the bottom with our bike and shoes. It really was not fair to those on the bottom to have to do that run twice but the age groups were racked together so it really didn't aid any particular people in the age group.
Run (2:19)
The run was a three loop course around the lake in Haines City. It was quite a hilly course for the run with three hills in the first section of the run. Each loop was a little less than 4.5 miles and you had to run the hills 3 times. You don't get a significant downhill either as the other side of the loop is not as steep and is a more progressive descent. The major issue with the run course is not so much the hills but the lack of any shade. It was 100% in the sun. At noon or 1pm, the Florida sun is high and strong. Of course, there were no clouds in the sky either to provide shade. Luckily, the high was only 82 and the dew point still in the 50s so we did not have heat indices over 100 like last year. Otherwise, I may have sat down and not even started.
I went out on the run with a comfortable 8:30-9 minute per mile pace. Being refreshed from finally getting off the bike, I tried to settle in. Once we hit mile 1 and began the ascent up the two twin hills on the run course, I knew I wouldn't hold. It was already hot and I could feel it. I kept going, thinking that if I could just run 40 minute loops, I'd hit the 2 hour mark and be close to 6 hours. The aid stations were well stocked but every aid station had overfilled cups. It is a minor issue but even the coke was filled to the top most of the time. I took k e for my hat from time to time and made sure to drink more water than I normally would due to the sun.
After two loops, I shut down and had to walk the two hills. I figured if I walked them I could afford to then run the rest and I would at least have an ok run. I ended up walking a little more than I would have liked. This was pretty much the slowest half marathon (tri or stand alone) that I have ever run. This run was no joke. It is simple enough on paper but the sun and elevation just becomes relentless due to the three loops.
Overall (6:17:27)
Overall, I met none of my goals. I did not swim under 40 minutes; I did not bike under 3 hours; I did not run under 2 hours; I did not finish under 6 hours; I did not keep Lauren within 45 minutes of my time. So all in all I accomplished nothing for this race. I am not surprised considering I did not really try to train, peaking at 8 hours/week during my peak phase. I ranged from 3-8 hours a week in total training. I ended up 118/180 in my age group, which wasn't bad considering I thought I would have been last. But the important thing is that I had fun. Anyway, this was my last long course event as I take a sabbatical from 70.3 distance for a while.
The first significant hill came right around mile 25 and I took it pretty well. At this point, I started to pass other people in front of me. For the next 20 or so miles, I continued to pass people and I was not passed by anyone after this point. That was the only thing keeping me going. All of the uber bikers had picked me off and now I was running into the back of the waves in front of me. As soon as we turned back north from Lake Wales, the headwind hit. It was difficult to push through the wind as there was little relief from the wind and hills combined. I hunkered down and pushed through the wind but it was significantly slower than I would have liked. Looking back, I should have tried a bit harder in the first part to bank up some time. But hindsight is 20/20. I finished the bike not quite strong but not completely dead either.
T2 (2:36)
When returning from the bike, you basically did the reverse of T1. So those of us on the lower level again had to run all the way through the top, down the hill and back to the bottom with our bike and shoes. It really was not fair to those on the bottom to have to do that run twice but the age groups were racked together so it really didn't aid any particular people in the age group.
Run (2:19)
The run was a three loop course around the lake in Haines City. It was quite a hilly course for the run with three hills in the first section of the run. Each loop was a little less than 4.5 miles and you had to run the hills 3 times. You don't get a significant downhill either as the other side of the loop is not as steep and is a more progressive descent. The major issue with the run course is not so much the hills but the lack of any shade. It was 100% in the sun. At noon or 1pm, the Florida sun is high and strong. Of course, there were no clouds in the sky either to provide shade. Luckily, the high was only 82 and the dew point still in the 50s so we did not have heat indices over 100 like last year. Otherwise, I may have sat down and not even started.
I went out on the run with a comfortable 8:30-9 minute per mile pace. Being refreshed from finally getting off the bike, I tried to settle in. Once we hit mile 1 and began the ascent up the two twin hills on the run course, I knew I wouldn't hold. It was already hot and I could feel it. I kept going, thinking that if I could just run 40 minute loops, I'd hit the 2 hour mark and be close to 6 hours. The aid stations were well stocked but every aid station had overfilled cups. It is a minor issue but even the coke was filled to the top most of the time. I took k e for my hat from time to time and made sure to drink more water than I normally would due to the sun.
After two loops, I shut down and had to walk the two hills. I figured if I walked them I could afford to then run the rest and I would at least have an ok run. I ended up walking a little more than I would have liked. This was pretty much the slowest half marathon (tri or stand alone) that I have ever run. This run was no joke. It is simple enough on paper but the sun and elevation just becomes relentless due to the three loops.
Lap number two. Still holding pace but fading fast at the beginning of those hills. Photo courtesy of OMT teammate Jay Bird.
Overall (6:17:27)
Overall, I met none of my goals. I did not swim under 40 minutes; I did not bike under 3 hours; I did not run under 2 hours; I did not finish under 6 hours; I did not keep Lauren within 45 minutes of my time. So all in all I accomplished nothing for this race. I am not surprised considering I did not really try to train, peaking at 8 hours/week during my peak phase. I ranged from 3-8 hours a week in total training. I ended up 118/180 in my age group, which wasn't bad considering I thought I would have been last. But the important thing is that I had fun. Anyway, this was my last long course event as I take a sabbatical from 70.3 distance for a while.
The medal from the race complete with a flamingo, which according to the wildlife commission there are no active breeding colonies of flamingo in the state and rarely are they seen, except in the keys. The pink birds seen in Florida are roseate spoonbills more than likely.
As for the race, I would say it is not for everyone. If the prospect of blazing sun does not appeal to you, then stay away. This year was a cool year for the race and it was no joke. It can be a tough swim for those who have trouble sighting with 6 turns. The actual park at Lake Eva is fairly small and there is very little parking. The Ironman village set up was a complete mess but they did have some good food vendors in the park, which was needed since Haines City lacks any real food options within a reasonable distance of the park. For me, I'll probably leave this one alone in the future and find something else. Maybe they will pick a different central Florida venue in the future. There certainly are better options out there.
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