Below if my race report from the FirmMan 70.3 that took place in Narragansett on Sunday, Sept 7th.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Ron P.
FirmMan 9/7/2014 – Race Report
“Pain Now, Beer Later” – some t-shirt I saw….
Once again, I signed up for the FirmMan 70.3 the day before the race. I procrastinated, again, waiting to see if it was going to rain. Come Saturday, the forecast called for a 10% chance of rain and a high of 80 degrees. Ok, well, um…..I guess I’m in.
The Swim –
It was a beautiful morning. About 65 degrees with a small North wind. The swim starts about mile north of T1. At the start, you go out about 100 yards off shore, take a right and swim South for about a mile and then turn back to shore to T1. Whether it was the tide or a surface current from the small North wind, I felt like I was moving well without much effort. Sighting was little difficult, because the buoys were yellow and so were the swim the caps, but navigation was fine and, although there’s still room for improvement, I was happy with my time.
Swim Time – 32:23
The Bike –
The bike course was relatively flat. It’s an odd shaped out and back on Rte 1 with a lollipop detour on the way out at the 16 mile mark with some hills. I felt good on the bike. Conditions were good, although there was a lot of little rocks and glass on the road. This race is known for causing flat tires, but I made it through unscathed. My target was to bike a sub 2:40 and I felt really good about it until the last 5 miles when the North wind began to pick up and was blowing right in my face. Miles 54 and 55 were particularly frustrating, but as the course turned East to head back to the beach for the last mile, the wind was no longer a factor and I was happy to make my target.
Bike Time – 2:38:14
The Run –
The run was also a relatively flat course. It’s an oddly shaped course through some residential neighborhoods with a couple of connecting out and back sections. As I ran out of T2 I just wanted to make sure that I ran the whole course. I was feeling good, and just tried to relax and click off the miles. Occasionally, I would look at my watch and realize I was running to fast. So, again, I would just relax and breathe and keep the pace very easy. Unfortunately, this is when the sun came out and it got much warmer than the forecast predicted. I started losing fluids fast. I drank at every aid station, but I couldn’t keep up. When I ran up the small hill at the 11 mile mark my heart rate went up and didn’t recover when I reached the top. I knew, with just 2 miles to go, I could push it to the end, but it was hard and the sun felt hot. When I hit the last mile, I was just in survival mode. I kept saying, “don’t think, just move. You’re almost there.” The last quarter mile-ish is on the soft sand of Narragansett Town Beach. I was just happy I could run this section without falling flat on my face. And, as I crossed the finish line, I had nothing left. About 15 feet across the finish line I sat down the pavement and then laid down for about 5 minutes or so. People were talking to me and I could only respond by nodding. Turns out, I was down 13LBS from when I started that day!
Run Time – 1:49:01
Overall Time: 5:03:50
Overall
I really did have a great day! In a smaller field this year, I got 2nd in my age group and 13th overall. This was my 4th podium finish out of 5 triathlons this year. (-: But I didn’t stick around for the awards ceremony. It was the first full day of the NFL and there football to watch and beer to drink! (-: