Last Minute Sign-Up – IRONMAN 70.3 TEXAS HERE WE GO!

I received an email early Tuesday morning from Team Zoot. The email had a callout to Team Zoot athletes participating at IRONMAN 70.3 Texas, mentioning a team picture before the race. As soon as I read it I thought how AWESOME it would be to meet other Team Zoot athletes in person and race another half-IRONMAN.

Then I walked to work, as I do every day. As I also always do, I began to review my calendar… quickly noticed the weekend was wide open – FREE – and I had a crazy idea. I know it’s Tuesday, the race is Sunday (so in a few days), but my training has me biking and running almost the half-iron distances on Sunday anyway, so… what if…

What if we sign up?

I texted my wife, and casually mentioned… “sooo there’s a 70.3 this weekend nearby… and guess what, our calendar is wide open! And guess what too… my training lines up with the race!… and guess what too too… it can be perfect prep for IRONMAN Texas later this month!”. My wife knows me very well. I’m sure she figured my next message would be “sooo… let’s go?!!”.

It sure was :).

A few minutes later, some logistics and preparation concerns now cleared up, I got the green light go.

I woke up on Tuesday with no race plans for this weekend. A few hours later, I had officially signed up for my second 70.3.

Let’s. GO!

The Race Itself – IRONMAN 70.3 TEXAS

The race itself is a half-IRONMAN, so it consists of 70.3 total miles across swimming, biking, and running. It’s located in Galveston, Texas, and has a saltwater swim (as opposed to fresh water in other races). While I’ve never practiced open saltwater swims, I do feel comfortable in saltwater itself, so I’m not super worried about it.

• The swim: the first part of the race – 1.2 miles (1900 meters) total. In this case, it’s an open saltwater swim in a protected bay.
• The bike: the bike has a total of 56 miles, out and back, along a long stretch of coastal highway/road.
• The run: the run consists of three loops close to the start/finish lines, allowing spectators to support their athletes across multiple points. It’s going to be awesome.

The weather so far seems like it will be great, but challenging!

The temperature isn’t what concerns me most (though it worries me a bit, as I always train in the heat), it’s the wind to be honest. 42km/h headwinds I just know will be brutal! I’ve trained and raced some gnarly winds before in some very hot and humid weather, so while brutal, it should be doable. In any case, I might have to rely on grit and straightforward mental endurance. One stroke, pedal, and step at a time.

Training

I’ve been training for my next full distance IRONMAN in a few weeks, so this lines up well with my current training block and overall plan. My Sunday training session called for a four hour bike ride, followed by a 2 hour run. Though I might not finish the race at those times, they should be very close. Close enough to where I’ll call it both a race AND training at the same time!

It will also be a perfect time to practice transitions “under pressure”. I quote it because I don’t pressure myself at all to be fast during transition, yet I still sometimes forget things because of the race pressure itself! Catch me 10 miles into the bike ride barely turning on my bike computer…

Pacing, Nutrition, Hydration will also all be tested. It’s going to be a great overall start-to-finish test for IRONMAN Texas in a few weeks.

Race Plan

Two days before race day:

• Gear: I’ll be double-checking all my gear, making sure everything is ready, charged with a full battery, and that I’m not forgetting anything. I’ll also give my bike a spa day, cleaning it completely and ensuring it’s race ready.
• Nutrition: I’m drinking lots of electrolytes today and continuing my carbloading plan (enjoying all the pasta and pizza I can find!).
• Recovery: I might go for a shakeout run, very easy Z1-Z2 epic-techno-playlist-run to get the jitters out and start getting pumped for the race.

Pre Race: First and foremost I’m following my many-times-tried-and-true pre-race ritual!

• I’m definitely drinking lots of coffee during this time

Pacing:

• Swim: I plan to stay at 1:55/100m or under. I find that I swim faster with my wetsuit given its buoyancy and hydrodynamic properties, so I might even surprise myself and swim faster!
• Bike: 15mph average would put my total bike time at a bit over 3:30 total ride time. With the headwinds that are forecast, I’ll gladly take it.
• Run: plan to keep a 10:30/mile or better pace. With the weather it should be doable, but we’ll see. It also boils down to proper nutrition and how I feel coming off the bike.
• Total: < 6:45

Nutrition

• Solids:
  • Pre race will be fueled by a large bagel with peanut butter and jelly, coffee, a banana, and some electrolytes.
  • Post-Swim: I’ll have a sandwich after the swim (ham and cheese) and as I get on the bike.
  • Bike: I plan on eating ClifBloks gummies every 10 minutes during the bike, with the last hour fueled by two Maurten solid bars.
  • Run: The run will be fueled by GU gels, with the first half regular gels and the second gels with caffeine (for that extra boost).
• Hydration: With the weather forecast, I predict I won’t be sweating excessively throughout the day, so I’ll take about 1000mg of sodium every two hours, and my electrolyte mix every hour (about one bottle of electros per hour). I’ll alternate this with regular water as needed.
• Post-Race – ALL THE FOOD!

Race Goals

Time: I’d love to finish in under 6:54, which was my first half IRONMAN (Waco, 2023) time. That race had gnarly headwinds and a super brutal cold front that came in the day before. The start was cold, wet, and super windy (even got a Garmin medal for swimming in super low air temps!), and this shouldn’t be too different.

Comfort With Transitions: I mentioned it above, and while I don’t pressure myself TOO much during transitions, I sometimes do forget things and leave them behind due to race pressure. My goal is to once again practice them in real-race-pressure environment where I’ll be able to find out what worked and what didn’t for IRONMAN Texas.

IRONMAN Texas Preparation: I signed up for this race more than anything to mentally and physically prepare for IRONMAN Texas in a few weeks (4/26). My goal is to come out of this race with a solid nutrition and hydration plan – even though I’m sure I’ll have to adapt it to weather conditions – and a pacing strategy that I feel comfortable with.

HAVE FUN: I’ve said it before, but I truly believe it’s a privilege to be able to race triathlon for fun, and it’s one I try to never forget. Therefore, the most important goal, and most important part of every and any race I commit to, is to enjoy it and have fun.

What’s Immediately Next?

I’ll come back with a race recap once the race is over!

For now, I have less than 48 hours to finalize preparations and make sure all my gear is in ready and packed away.

I’m not thinking of IRONMAN Texas this weekend, save for how it will be similar to the race (race goals, etc.). I’m fully focused on achieving my IM70.3TX race goals, completing the race without injury, and HAVING FUN!!

The only way out now, is through the finish line. See you on the other side!

fortitudine vincimus

triathlon_ram

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