Race Report: Wisconsin Ironman 70.3
A race 4.5 months in the making finally came to pass on September 10th, 2022. I wanted to do at least one more half Ironman before life got too busy to put in the training that a race like this requires. In this post, I’ll share with you my top 3 tips for surviving a race like a Half Ironman.
Train the Course
This doesn’t mean you have to train on the course, but your training should reflect the conditions of the race. You won’t know the weather until 1-2 days before the race, but you’ll know the elevation, the hills, the type of water you’ll be swimming in, and the general high and low temperatures. Now, if you’re doing a particularly hilly course (like Madison) it doesn’t mean every bike ride needs to be rolling hills. Just make sure at least one of your workouts (preferably your long ride) is on a route that is similar in elevation gain to the race. Better yet, make it harder than the race will be!
My mistake for Wisconsin 70.3 was not riding the course in Madison at least once. I live an easy drive away from Madison but didn’t dedicate the time to getting down there with my bike. Luckily I was physically prepared for the hills, but it would have been nice to have a better idea of what’s coming down the pipe. Mentally the last 10 miles were very difficult because they seemed to go on forever.
Luckily, my training races had more elevation change than the race course in Madison. It almost feels sacrilegious to say this…but my training race in Tennessee had steeper hills than I’ve ever biked in Madison.
Nutrition Strategy
When you run a 5k, you can pretty much fuel yourself on breakfast alone. However, when you’re doing a race that takes the better part of a day you need to be consuming calories throughout the day. Rule #1 for fuel is to never try anything new on race day. This means you need to be training with nutrition all along. Whether it’s Gu, HoneyStinger, or a homemade variety, you should be carrying some easily digestible carbs to keep yourself from “bonking” and dropping out of the race. Even better would be to train with whatever they’ll be handing out on the course in case you lose some along the way.
I’ve made the mistake in the past of eating something that required chewing (Graham Crackers). Big mistake, basically choked on cracker dust for the first mile. You’re best off with something liquid that you can easily ingest and wash down with a quick drink of water at an aid station.
General rule of thumb is to take in calories every 45-60 minutes. Bring a variety with you because after 4-6 hours of eating nothing but Gu, your body is going to start asking for literally anything else.
Setting Goals
As a newbie it might feel too early to be setting pace goals. Having clear goals can help you stay motivated and to provide a pulse check throughout the race. Your goal might be to average 14 mph on the bike or as ambitious as 18-20 mph. Without a specific goal, you won’t know if you’re having a great race or if something is wrong. So whether your goal is to just finish or to win, set time bound goals for each discipline and check in with yourself along the way.
This season I set goals for all 3 of my races. In all 3 I finished about 5-10 minutes faster than my goal times. This means not only did I know exactly what I was capable of, but I pushed myself to exceed my own expectations. Accountability for the win!
Interested in doing a Half Ironman? Not sure where to begin? Maybe you’re looking to make your next race your best yet? Get in touch with us at Accountability Partners and let’s help you achieve your goals!
