High Hopes for a Half Ironman

Well, it's finally race week.

Last year I followed some blog friends and Facebook friends as they completed Ironman Louisville in August. I was in awe. I was inspired. I was....jealous. I wanted that for myself. When I brought it up to Hubz his reaction surprised me: "Why not?" he said. Right, Why not?

So I signed up for Ironman Muncie 70.3. Half an Ironman, but an Ironman nonetheless. In October I bought a bike. In December I bought an indoor trainer. In March I started a training plan. On Saturday, I will finish 70.3.

So how is this race going to look? Here's what I want to focus on in each element of the race:



Swim - 1.2 miles

• Cutoff Time: 1 hour 10 minutes after final wave
• Goal: Under 50 minutes

I think I can do this in about 47 minutes. It's pushing it a little bit and will greatly depend on water temperatures and wetsuit legality. This race is supposed to be a bit of a sighting nightmare but I still think I can manage an under 50 min swim. The cutoff time is 1:10 after the "final wave" which means 1:10 after 7:48. That gives me a total of 1:18 so I'm not particularly worried about missing the cutoff in this instance.

T1  - 4 minutes
Simplicity is key here. They should have wetsuit strippers so I should have an easier time getting my wetsuit off than at Race the Bridge.

Bike - 56 miles 

• Cutoff: 5 hours and 20 minutes after final wave start
• Goal: Under 4 hours 

I'm aiming for a 4 hour finish on the bike.  The final wave starts at 7:48 (only 8 minutes after me). If I finish the swim under 50 and keep transition short I should be able to keep it under the cutoff with time to spare. A 4 hour bike finish would mean holding 14 mph average. That'll be tough considering I only averaged 12.9mph on my 50 miler but I definitely felt I could've pushed it harder on that ride.
T2 - 4 minutes
This transition always seems longer because of shoes and socks. Focus on being purposeful through this transition; focus on bodygliding my feet and toes, grabbing the right nutrition, and shaking out my legs.

Run - 13.1 mile

• Cutoff: 8 hours 30 minutes after final wave
• Goal: 3:00 Hours

This one could be close because I honestly have no idea how my legs are going to feel. I felt pretty good on the run leg on race the bridge...but it was half the distance. Nailing my fuel and hydration on the bike - something I haven't practiced much - will be a key to success on the run. A 3 hour finish means averaging 13.44 min/miles. I want to stick to my 4:1 run:walk ratio, even if the run is a shuffle sometimes.

Overall Goal: 7 hours 58 minutes. 

Ok. Under 8 hours. Sounds reasonable....right?

I'm still trying to nail down my nutrition plan and hopefully I'll be able to post that before the race too. It's up in the air but I'm trying to actually have a menu, so to speak, for the whole day so I don't just bring everything under the sun.

3 Days!!