Race Report | IRONMAN 70.3 Maine 2018

Race information

• What? IRONMAN 70.3 Maine
• When? August 26, 2018
• How far? 70.3 Miles
• Website? http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/maine.aspx

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	<4:44	Yes
B	Top 10% overall	Yes
C	Top 5% overall	Yes

Training

Picking up after my first ever HIM in May, and after my wedding and honeymoon, I restarted Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 Half Ironman Plan (Level 8) so that it lined up with this race.

I developed some severe shin splints and after an x-ray, MRI, and several doctor visits, I was able to get custom orthotics and some PT to help rehab. However, I was not running for about 7 weeks for most of May and June. I had to ease back into running, which was difficult coming off of some of the best fitness I had ever experienced. Whereas I hit 32 miles/week before my race in May, I was only able to get to low 20s before Maine.

On the other hand, the running injury let me focus more on biking and swimming, both of which were in really good places leading up to Maine. I tried to incorporate some strength training again, but was inconsistent as volume increased.

Gear

This was my first race on my Trek Speed Concept 2018, and I continued to use my Castelli Free Sanremo trisuit, Hoka One One Clayton 2 shoes, Garmin FR935 watch, and Louis Garneau bike shoes. I also love my Injinji toe socks for blister prevention and Zoot PCH running shorts in training!

Pre-race

I drove up to Old Orchard Beach with my parents and wife on Friday. On the way, I had to say yes to a lobster roll for lunch so we hit up a nice little spot on the coast.

We checked in to our AirBNB in Saco about 10 minutes away at a great house with a small pool. I then headed over to the Ironman Village to see what the whole Ironman thing was about. I was impressed with the vendors, check-in process, and merch tent. I got a short run in that evening with a few strides to get the legs going.

On Saturday, I woke up a bit early to check out the swim course in morning conditions to assess the glare, wind, and waves and got about a mile in. It’s a pretty cool course starting under the shadow of the pier. After that, ate some breakfast and checked my bike in. We then drove most of the bike course, which was a good idea since there are some tight turns, and some stretches of rough surface…and it is 1 lap so you won’t see anything twice. Overall, it is a great layout with no major climbs and the second half is generally flat or downhill. We actually found a farmstand while driving the course and picked up some fresh produce for meals!

With three sherpas, it definitely made prepping for the race easier as well. I was able to get a solid pizza dinner in, and probably my usual ~5 hours of sleep that night.

I got to transition around 5:15am, and it was dark. Consider bringing a headlamp, but they did have spotlights. The transition area is in a parking lot, so there were patches of grass separating rows of bikes that gave people extra space to put stuff rather than under your bike.

Swim: 25:xx

Water temp 64 degrees. It was extreme low tide, so there was a good 100 yards extra beach and shallow water to run through, which is why my time was so low. Water can be colder than 60, so we got lucky there. Winds were down, and only some mild rollers once you got out past the breakers. The course is basically a square, going out, left, and back. I was almost able to catch a wave on the way in, and was very happy with my time as I exited the water ahead of most.

T1

Wetsuit peelers were at swim exit to help. After getting the arms off and down to your waist, you sit on your butt and they yank the legs. It is a long run on pavement to transition on cold feet, which was a little rough but not damaging. The temperature was high 60s at this point, and no issues with my visor or anything.

Bike: 2:19:xx

This was my first race on my new Trek Speed Concept, and had only ridden it a few time making me feel a little apprehensive. However, I felt good, and knew I was towards the front of the race. I found a guy in front of me, and used him as motivation to keep up (legally). We passed each other a couple times, until we hit a group of 3 other guys. Soon enough, a pack of 4-5 magically showed up at the same time from behind. I believe most of these guys worked together and I saw at least one get flagged to the penalty box. I was unable to stick with this group beyond about mile 35 (I think they were some of the race leaders eventually), but was very happy with my pace so I kept at it – in fact I was by myself for a solid 30-40 minutes. Being a 1 lap course, I did not have to deal with passing slower folks which was nice! The rolling hills allowed for a nice change of effort and gearing to avoid using the same muscles for 2 hours straight. I kept to the same nutrition as with Monticelloman, but had a bottle between my arms, and one behind my seat.

T2

I wasn’t able to look at my watch, so was unaware how fast I went, but I shaved about 13 minutes off my previous best bike split. I felt pretty good as I quickly slid on my shoes and grabbed my race belt, hat and sunglasses.

Run: 1:37:55

I started out of transition and tried to keep my effort in check as was my usual strategy. There were a decent number of spectators cheering, so that was awesome, but made it harder to go easy. Aid stations were plentiful, and volunteers were great.

Knowing that I was unable to train as much, I was hoping to match my run from Monticelloman. I started out a bit faster, and through the first loop, was probably averaging a little under 7:20. The 2-loop course is pretty fast, mostly shaded (if you’re done by 11am or so), and has a nice chunk on packed gravel trail. There are also two decent, short, hills that keep you honest. I definitely faded a bit, but with 4 miles to go I finally looked at my total time, and saw that I could break 4:30 if I averaged about 7:30/mile. This was a true shock, and gave me a new reason to suffer over the last few miles. As I got closer, I was doing the math and ended up breaking that barrier with seconds to spare. It was a real struggle through the red carpet, but it was cool to experience the IM finish chute for the first time and I managed an arm pump.

Post-race

I easily spotted my family, and they were super excited for me, and the performance. They put in a lot of effort trying to see me at multiple spots, which was nice to have. The finisher medal, finisher visor, race shirt and race bag were easily the best swag I’ve received at any race to date.

I probably needed to take in more calories and sodium during the run, as I was hurting badly after finishing. I have never been that tingly, light-headed, and shaky before, but I was fine walking and talking. I was able to take a turn in the Normatec recovery boots, and I felt like a new man after that – seriously helped a lot.

The post-race food was good, and the lobster bake option is certainly nice (I’d consider skipping that and going to a real lobster pound, but to each his own). What was really cool was the big tent with tables and chairs where athletes and family/friends could hang together as opposed to segregated like some events.

The finish line is a 10-15 minute walk from transition, so logistics after the race are pretty brutal. Old Orchard Beach is a family beach town with lots of people walking everywhere and the central area around the pier gets very congested. Try to plan ahead as best you can, and don’t forget the train tracks that run through town making it tough to get where you need to go in a direct manner.

We then stayed in Southwest Harbor near Acadia National Park for 4 more days eating lobster, drinking good wine, and taking in the amazing scenery until we couldn’t move…great recovery!