This past weekend I had a great time participating in the Kansas 70.3 half Ironman competition. Last year the race was called off early due to a tornado threat. Fortunately, this year the weather was less dramatic. Storms threatened early in the morning but scooted south of the race area. The clouds remained though and kept the race cool until just before the run.
My finish time at the Kansas 70.3 was a little slower than the race at Buffalo Springs. However, I felt a lot better at this one. The biggest issue is getting the nutrition factor down correctly. As in the last race, I ended up having to walk a the end. Primarily it was due to not feeling as though I had the energy to continue and not because my muscles were burned up.
During the bicycle ride I ate three Cliff bars, three goo packets, and drank about 1.5 bottles of Gatorade and one bottle of water. I felt great when I started the run, and used my heart rate monitor to keep track of my pace so that I didn’t blow up like in Lubbock. Despite all of these efforts, I gradually got slower and felt like I just ran out of steam. I stopped at all the aid stations and walked through them as I drank alternating cups of water or Gatorade.
I suspect that it might have been a salt deficiency. I might try salt tablets for the next 70.3 and hope that helps. In addition, I might work towards using more liquid calories.
I know I could have swam about five minutes faster if I had used clear goggles instead of the sunglasses version ha. I kept swimming back and forth instead of straight out.
The bike leg of the race was a blast and was about 15 minutes faster than my Lubbock finish. If I can get the swim a little faster and the nutrition thing sorted out, then I think I can make some great progress in reducing my times. All and all it was a fun race. I really can’t wait for the next one.
Cheers,
