Ironman Texas (Galveston) 70.3
RACE REPORT by Jim Peplow
After a strong cycle of training for the "Texas Two-Step" (The Texas 70.3 in Galveston followed by the full Texas IM in The Woodlands only three weeks later), on the Monday before Galveston I had my first uh-oh moment. During an interval run I felt a tug in my right calf. Having a past history of calf issues I knew to instantly stop running and walk it in the rest of the way. A minor calf issue can feel better in just a few days, whereas a more severe one can last a few weeks. I prayed this would be the few day variety. After taking a few days off from running I tried a easy short jog on Friday. I was able to run, but the calf was definitely very tight.
Nothing else I could do now at this late stage but Swim, Bike and then see how it felt during the Run. My thoughts were that if it hurt really bad at the start of the run I might drop out and try to save it for the full 140.6 in three week. More on that later.
The most notable (and talked about) feature of the race, which is centered around Moody Gardens, is the wind on the bike leg which is an out and back course on the scenic narrow strip of land that bisects the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay. Everyone knows it's going to be windy, it's just a question of how windy. Just four years ago the race was actually cancelled mid-race as the winds got so bad it was unsafe to continue. Fortunately this year the winds cooperated blowing at a reasonable 12-14 mph. A tail wind going out and a head wind on the way back.
We arrived in Galveston around noon Saturday and while I was checking in and doing a little course recon Janice spent the day going around Moody Gardens (there are a lot of great attractions there including a Rainforest and an Aquarium). The main exhibits are housed in pyramids (which you can see in the background of my picture of bikes racked in T1.
Race day was overcast with a morning temperature of 70° and an expected high of 78° for the day, in other words, nice racing conditions. The swim start consisted of a 6-foot plunge from the Moddy Garden pier into the very refreshing 73° saltwater bayou. I exited with a swim with a time of 42 minutes, which is pretty typical. My swim split is normally between 40-42 minutes.
After a pretty quick transition I was on the bike and looking forward to the fast, flat ride. I knew that we had the tail wind for the first half of the course so I tried to take advantage of that to gain a bit of time. My split going out averaged 20.5 mph, while my return split average 18 mph, for an overall mph of 19.2 and a time of 2:55.52. My goal is always to beat 3 hours, so I was happy with that effort.
About 20 miles into the ride my sunglasses really started to fog up. I guess it was a combination of the humidity, sweat and dampness. With only my damp tri kit available there was no way to clean them. It was hard to see so I was peaking over the top of the frame. When I reached the aid station just after the turnaround I stopped quickly and asked if anyone had a towel or napkin. Nothing was available so one of the volunteers offered up the bottom of his t-shirt. Unfortunately the tech material of the shirt did little to clear up the foggy lenses. Then a couple of miles down the road I came upon a Race Support Motorcycle. I asked the guy if he had anything that I could wipe my glasses with. We made the high speed handoff and he said he would catch up to me. He pulled over and apparently did a good job because a few miles later he caught up me, handed the sunglasses back and they were great! Interestingly one of the photographers happened to be stationed right there in that intervening space. As I rode by I waived the Shaka sign to him which prompted him to smile. I didn't realize it was during my sunglass-less portion of the ride until I saw this race photo.
Running is by far my strongest discipline in a triathlon. However, because of my calf issue I decided to go out at a relatively conservative pace to see how it felt. It felt okay for the first few miles, but then around mile 7 I felt it tighten up so decided to play it safe and slow down a bit more. Then during mile 9 it started getting so tight I had fleeting thoughts that I may have to drop out. But by this time I knew I had a really good race going and with only 4 miles to the finish I figured even with slowing down a bit more I would still have a good chance at a podium finish. Fortunately, it never got worse and I was actually able to speed up a little for the last mile and ended up with a time of 2:04. Much to my surprise that was the fastest run in my Age Group and propelled me to a 2nd place overall finish. I figured the calf cost me around 7-10 minutes, so I was happy to find out that the guy who won my AG beat me by more than that. I was also glad I didn't slow down anymore as I beat the 3rd place finisher by a mere 11 seconds!
It's always nice to finish on the podium, especially at an Ironman event. Now looking forward to the full IM Texas in less than three weeks. It's going to be an strange mix of recovery, training and taper. Just hope my calf cooperates.
Interesting tidbit after the race. I was speaking to someone at our hotel and he said how much the humidity effected him. I didn't think it was that bad. I asked him where he was from and he said Canada. I guess having lived here for a year as had its advantages, like becoming climatized to the humidity.
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