When someone hears that I like racing triathlons, the typical first question is “have you done that race in Hawaii?” I finally got the hint and decided to try and qualify for “that race in Hawaii” (a.k.a., the Ironman World Championship). In order to qualify, I needed to determine which race would offer the best chance at qualifying. Ultimately, there were three factors that influenced my decision:
With these three factors, I decided to go for Ironman Arizona including Ironman 70.3 Silverman. To remind myself to sign up on the first day of registration, I created a calendar reminder for 9 am on November 15, 2014 to make sure I registered for the race ready package.
Looking back, I am thankful for signing up for Ironman 70.3 Silverman. It gave me some perspective on the distance of the full triathlon. I did not want to take lightly making the jump from the Olympic to full distance.
Now in Henderson, NV while setting up my run transition bag, I saw female professional and eventual winner Lauren Goss. At the 2013 South Beach Triathlon, I was able to run with Lauren, which helped me get my best run split at the time. Seeing her in transition, she offered solid advice about easing into the run since the course consisted of running up and down a large hill three times. This was good advice particularly for me since we know how much I love hills.
Lessons learned from the race would be two-fold around nutrition and preparation:
Overall, I was happy with the 4th overall age-group finish (i.e., 2nd in the 30-34 age-group category). I decided to let my qualify spot to the 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Australia roll down to the next competitor since my ultimate goal was Kona.
Going into Ironman Arizona the following month, I was unable to find time to incorporate the long runs into my training. The 13.1 miles at Ironman 70.3 Silverman was the longest run in my past training; however, I was confident that I was going to earn a spot for the 2016 Ironman World Championship (i.e., just a little nervous that my legs would fall off when I hit mile 14 on the marathon). Thankfully, my legs kept moving forward, albeit very slowly, during miles 18 to 26.
The swim was freezing (55 degrees), but I wish it was longer than the 2.4 miles as I was feeling good. It was overcast so being cold continued onto the bike. I went out way too fast, but had to put in some effort at the beginning of the 112-mile bike course to get the feeling back into my hands and feet. Since I was dehydrated on the bike course in Nevada, I made a point of drinking and refilling water bottles at the aid stations. Since I was not sweating as much due to the cold and overcast weather, I could have eased back on the hydration. Thankfully, they had portable toilets in T2.
Things went downhill on the run after mile 16. There was a lot of suffering during the second half of the marathon, but I was able to finish with a smile on my face (8th place overall amateur and #2 30-34 AG) and qualify for the 2016 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii!
- Timing of event: the toll the body takes during a full-distance triathlon is tremendous. I wanted to find an event that offered the most time before the world championship in order to give my body plenty of time to recover as well as my mind time to forget the suffering that will be endured at the race. Two options came forward with Ironman Florida and Ironman Arizona offering qualifying spots for the following year’s Ironman World Championship.
- Course degree of difficulty: I do not do well on hills. Whether it be on a bike or on the run, hills are not my forte. Racing at the Columbia Triathlon in May 2014 was a very painful experience due to the amount of hills on the bike and run courses. As a result, Ironman Florida was looking very attractive with nice flat bike and run courses. Unfortunately, I noticed the swim was cancelled due to rough waters the year prior. Since the swim is my strength, I needed the swim to have the best chance at qualifying. This had me leaning towards Ironman Arizona even though it was going to mean longer travel.
- Cost: I had no idea how expensive an Ironman event would cost. To register for Ironman Arizona, the price was listed at $1,500 (i.e., $750 for the race and $750 for the Ironman Foundation). I have no issues donating to charities as I gave ~$15,000 to charities and non-profit organizations last year. Thankfully, Ironman was advertising a “race ready” package that included Ironman 70.3 Silverman in Henderson, Nevada scheduled for October 2015 and Ironman Arizona in November 2015 for $900.
With these three factors, I decided to go for Ironman Arizona including Ironman 70.3 Silverman. To remind myself to sign up on the first day of registration, I created a calendar reminder for 9 am on November 15, 2014 to make sure I registered for the race ready package.
Looking back, I am thankful for signing up for Ironman 70.3 Silverman. It gave me some perspective on the distance of the full triathlon. I did not want to take lightly making the jump from the Olympic to full distance.
Now in Henderson, NV while setting up my run transition bag, I saw female professional and eventual winner Lauren Goss. At the 2013 South Beach Triathlon, I was able to run with Lauren, which helped me get my best run split at the time. Seeing her in transition, she offered solid advice about easing into the run since the course consisted of running up and down a large hill three times. This was good advice particularly for me since we know how much I love hills.
Lessons learned from the race would be two-fold around nutrition and preparation:
- On the bike, I thought I could make it to the second aid station before needing to fill up my water bottle. Short-term it was a good move as I passed the age-group winner as he was collecting a new water bottle at the first aid station. Long-term it was not the best move as I ran out of Gatorade two miles before the second aid station, which was a detriment to my overall performance. Moving forward, I will take advantage of the aid stations to ensure I stay hydrated.
- Even though I eased onto the run taking Lauren’s advice, I realized my run preparation was lacking. I needed to do more mileage and incorporate more hill workouts. Finding the time to put in long runs is difficult, but it is critical to perform at the highest level at the half-distance triathlon.
Overall, I was happy with the 4th overall age-group finish (i.e., 2nd in the 30-34 age-group category). I decided to let my qualify spot to the 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Australia roll down to the next competitor since my ultimate goal was Kona.
Going into Ironman Arizona the following month, I was unable to find time to incorporate the long runs into my training. The 13.1 miles at Ironman 70.3 Silverman was the longest run in my past training; however, I was confident that I was going to earn a spot for the 2016 Ironman World Championship (i.e., just a little nervous that my legs would fall off when I hit mile 14 on the marathon). Thankfully, my legs kept moving forward, albeit very slowly, during miles 18 to 26.
The swim was freezing (55 degrees), but I wish it was longer than the 2.4 miles as I was feeling good. It was overcast so being cold continued onto the bike. I went out way too fast, but had to put in some effort at the beginning of the 112-mile bike course to get the feeling back into my hands and feet. Since I was dehydrated on the bike course in Nevada, I made a point of drinking and refilling water bottles at the aid stations. Since I was not sweating as much due to the cold and overcast weather, I could have eased back on the hydration. Thankfully, they had portable toilets in T2.
Things went downhill on the run after mile 16. There was a lot of suffering during the second half of the marathon, but I was able to finish with a smile on my face (8th place overall amateur and #2 30-34 AG) and qualify for the 2016 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii!