Finally getting around to writing my race report...too much work and not enough training, so I have put it off.
On to the race....
The old Muncie Endurathon is now owned by WTC and is now known as Ironman Muncie. Other than that, not much has changed in 30 years of the race. Its still flat, its still hot, and its still one of the most well known long course races in the world. So to say I was excited is an understatement!
Leading up to race day, I had been feeling great. My training had really improved and I had shed additional weight which was one of my goals this summer. My swimming stroke has improved a lot and I was excited to see what I could do over 1.2 miles.
My power on the bike had also improved a lot over the last few months. More miles, more interval work, and a better position on the bike plus specific testing to see where my gains were told me that a PR bike split was possible.
Race morning was like any other...lots of expensive bikes in transition, lots of lines in the port o potties, and lots of excitement. I got wish many friends good luck race morning and was excited for their races too. The weather prediction was good for this time of year- partly cloudy, 80 degrees, and humidity wasnt going to be too bad. The race ended up wetsuit legal which was shocking considering that when I swam it the day before, the water was close to 80. The official temperature was 74.1 degrees, but they must have temped it at the bottom of the lake! I still wore my TYR Torque Elite swim skin...
My wave was the male 35-39 age group and we were the 4th wave to go off behind the pro's, women, and men 30-34. There was 188 men in my age group and we all started from knee deep water in a mass start...I was really looking forward to this!
First the male pros went off..it was cool to stand so close to see them fight for position in the draft. Finally, our wave was set to go.... 3....2......1.... BOOM! and we are off. My strategy was to swim the inside of the buoys, to the turn. I figured there would be less traffic this way based off videos and the previous waves... and it was. There's always kicking and clawinig for position in every mass start and this was no different. But after 200 meters, things calmed down...for a bit.
After 500 meters in the water, I began catching swimmers from the previous waves. I thought to myself, either they are really slow or I am really fast. Turns out I was swimming at a pretty fast clip. I hit the first turn and it thinned out. Then I hit the second turn 300 meters later and headed for home. I still felt fast but could tell I was slowing down some. I ran into a lot of traffic from the previous waves while I was swimming for shore. I swam over one dude who was back stroking...sorry about that if you read this!
My goal was to swim about 35 minutes. As I hit the shore, I stood out of the water and it said :39 minutes. I ran to the swim exit and crossed the timing mat in :39:24. 82nd place in my AG. While slower than I wanted, it was still a PR for me in this distance in an official race.
After running through the crowd to transition, I arrived at my bike and took off my TYR Torque Elite swim skin, threw on my helmet and sunglasses, bike shoes, and I was off to exit transition.
T1 3:30
The bike is where I always make up time and my strongest discipline. I was really hoping to ride sub 2:40 for the 56 mile portion of the race. Muncie is always fast and flat, headwind going out, tailwind coming back on a two loop course. Sure enough, the wind did exactly as everyone had said.
By the first timing check I had moved up 19 spots, by the second to 56, and by the third to 53. I completed the first 40k in 1:07 which is exactly where I wanted to be...and then the male pros pass me like I am standing still....well really, I was able to keep up at 28 miles an hour for about a mile but dropped back to an easier 24mph pace. I was going well, no issues on the bike at all. Nutrition was spot on and mechanically, my bike was superb. Some were not so lucky. I remember passing Kate Bevilaqua (Ironman Louisville 2013 Women's champion) on the side of the road and she had a flat. I felt bad for her. After the race, I found out she had two flats. Ouch!
Towards the end of the bike, I took the pressure off the legs a bit for the run. However, I still wanted a decent split. I rolled through the final timing mat in 2:35 for a 21.6mph average. A PR!!
T2 2:05
I was shooting for a sub 2 hour run but I had never raced Muncie before and heard that the rollers sting a little. Sure enough, they did! I started off running 8 minute miles out of transition for the first 3 miles. I felt good and nutrtion-wise, my Infinit mix kept me from cramping and fueled me up. Half way through the run, I had to hit the bathroom! uggh! this set me back a couple of minutes but after thatI kept a steady pace- walked the aid stations and ran between them. All I could take in was coke and water at this point. The volunteers were just awesome. They cheered, they gave you all the ice, coke, and sponges you wanted. Really one of the best parts of the race.
My friend Elise passed me with a mile to go and she really rubbed it in ha ha! I made a point to tell her that I still beat her in total time however...we will have a rematch at Ironman Louisville in a month for sure!
At this point I was achy and ready to cross the line. The suffering had set in about mile 10 of the run. As I approached the final hill, the spectators cheered and yelled, which was really cool. I approached the finishing chute and crossed the line in 5:29! a PR for the 70.3 distance!
What a day it was. My hard work had paid off. I set a PR for the distance and each discipline too.
Swim :35:24
T1 3:30
Bike 2:35:10
T2 2:05
Run 2:09:03
Total 5:29:11
I was so impressed with this race. A lake surrounded by corn fields, woods, and friendly people. Perfect. The volunteers were great. Accomodations were great. I got to race with friends and make new ones. I will definitely be back in 2015 at the old Muncie Endurathon.
Up next is Ironman Louisville August 24th. This will be my 3rd full Iron distance race and my 3rd Louisville. I can't wait! My training is really close to where I want it to be. My goal is to PR this race and leave everything on the course. My training tells me I can go sub 12 and maybe get close to the 11 hour mark. We will see. I have 4 weeks of intense training with high milage fine tuning my nutrition plan, fine tuning my Trek Speed Concept, race strategy, and plan for achieving my goals for this race. I want to go into race week peaking at the right time.
In a month, I will be an Ironman for the 3rd time!
Thanks for reading!
Linden
