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Post by trailblazer777 on May 2, 2009 20:45:31 GMT -5
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Post by trailblazer777 on May 2, 2009 20:47:11 GMT -5
Suzy did 5hrs 23 min including a 1hr 51 Half marathon run, 16th in age category...awesome stuff!
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Post by Suzy on May 3, 2009 6:17:39 GMT -5
Thanks everyone who wished me well. I had a great race where everything went right  Here's a copy of my race report from Coolrunning: Well its all over for another year and I'm happy to say I finished my 13th half ironman in what turned out to be perfect conditions. I was worried about the stingers as during my warmup swim there were a few around, but somehow I managed to miss them all and had a great swim in just under 35mins. The water was dead calm, and not too cold. The wave starts seemed to work well and I started off to the left near the jetty to avoid the crush and had a fairly clear swim the whole way. Onto the bike and I was feeling good, the new bike hummed along almost effortlessly and I had to make a conscious effort to hold back and stick to my planned HR. It was tempting to ride harder and try to keep up with the many cyclists flying past me but I knew if I did it would come back to bite me later in the bike or on the run for sure. So I stuck to my plan, focusing on riding to my HR, following my nutrition plan, and doing my best not to be caught drafting on the crowded course. I had a very pleasant ride, coming in under 3hrs as I had hoped, in 2.51. A quick change of shoes and out onto the run course for the business end of the race. My first of 3 laps felt really comfortable as I ran focusing on keeping my HR at the lower end of my range and trying to keep the cadence up. I wore my fuel belt with my own nutrition so I didn't need to stop at the aid stations, but would grab a cup of water at each station and pour it over my head to keep cool. The 2nd lap went by and things were starting to feel a bit more of an effort but I was still moving well. The 3rd lap of the run is always where it starts to get tough so no surprises here but I was determined not to walk. I focused on keeping the nutrition going and the cadence up, and before too long I was only a km from the finish. By then the spectators and the lure of the finish line picked me up for a strong finish with a run time of 1.51. Pre race I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage a 2hr run so I'm pretty happy with that. Overall finish time of 5.23. I can now tell you that pre race I had hoped to go under 6hrs, perhaps close to 5.30 if all went well. I am over the moon to have exceeded that. The race organisation was once again fantastic and this race just keeps getting bigger and better. I'm sorry I didn't meet any other Coolrunners, I hope your races went well and you achieved your goals. My legs a little stiff today but not too bad. I'm now looking forward to a little bit of time off before deciding on the next goal. |
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Post by Nathan on May 3, 2009 8:07:11 GMT -5
WHAT A TIME!!!!!!
Suzy that's a absolutely brilliant time and I'm so happy to hear that the race went perfectly for you. Enjoy the time off.
Nate
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Post by bernadette on May 3, 2009 8:57:32 GMT -5
Congrats, Suzy! Your race report was great - meeting and even exceeding your goals speaks well to your training and to your focus on the day. Out of curiosity, were you using the Perpetuum?
This all makes me think I want to do one someday....but then reality sets back in and I remember I can't swim!
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Post by trailblazer777 on May 3, 2009 11:53:58 GMT -5
I too would like to have a go one day, but have to have a good bike, and would have to work very hard on my swim leg to beat the cutoff...I'm curious as to how that 5.23 ranks in your best times in 13 starts...well done!!!
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Post by Suzy on May 3, 2009 18:18:09 GMT -5
Bernadette - no Perpetuem, decided to go with the High 5 Energy Source with caffeine gels every hour. I've always raced well on H5 and like the taste.
Good question TB - that 13 starts includes about half of them at Rottnest when it was a 2/80/20 race so difficult to compare times. I shall have to dig out my old records to see what my best times are, but certainly this one was my fastest in recent memory.
Hey you two stop procrastinating and start swimming. The sooner you do the sooner you can be on the start line too. As for the bikes TB - you don't have to have an expensive one, there are plenty of 2nd hand bikes to be had for a bargain. I got mine for less than half new price and its in great condition. Love to see you both out there one day.
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Post by robd2 on May 3, 2009 19:01:23 GMT -5
That's a brilliant result Suzy. Congrats!
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Post by Nathan on May 3, 2009 19:13:45 GMT -5
I confess, reading Suzy's report had me thinking I'd like to do the 1/2 next year
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Post by Mark B on May 5, 2009 5:45:14 GMT -5
Well done Suzy, with all your great training and racing you have done lastand this year it is a great reward to you with such a great time. Truly awesome girl!
Hope you recover well and rest well before your next challenge.
Life is well down here riding hard...............
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Post by Suzy on May 5, 2009 8:46:43 GMT -5
Thanks Mark, its great to hear from you. Its been an interesting experiment to see how little I could do and still pull out a good race if I put my mind to it Might see you at Dwellingup. |
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