Race Report - Dam Time Trial 2014

Dam Time Trial, Friday August 8th 2014

The Dam Time Trial is a special event. The race is an 8-mile, mostly flat, out and back USA Triathlon sanctioned bike time trial across Joe Pool Lake dam in Grand Prairie, TX.  Just to make it interesting, the race starts at 6pm at just about the hottest time of the day.  This year as we drove into Lynn Creek Park the car temperature reading was 107F.  Being on the dam there isn't a single yard of shade.  It's a test of what you can do in the heat as much as how fast you are on the bike.

Race numbers had been allocated based on speed with the fastest guys going first.  I got number 8.   I was a little surprised at the low start number but also enthused that I had a good chance in this race.  Racers started at 30 second intervals.   There was a no-show one place in front of me to I got a whole minute to stare up the start hill.  It was a proper time trial start with someone holding the bike, feet all clipped in, ready to hit the gas....

The first couple hundred yards is up a gentle hill to get up to the dam level so accelerating off the start and getting up to speed is already getting the heart rate going.  There wasn't much wind and it was mostly from the side.  My aim was to push as much as I could beyond my FTP of around 220W.  Somewhere closer to 250W if I could manage it.  This race gives a perfect measure of where my cycling conditioning is - right in the middle of race season, no distraction about having to save something for the run.

There isn't really much to say about the ride itself ... I got caught by one rider just before the half way point.  This actually helped as it gave me someone to chase.  There's no drafting in this race but having him 20 or 30 yards in front gave me something to focus on other than the feeling of my heart wanting to pound right out of my chest.  He still slowly increased the gap but I could see we were reeling in the guys in front of us.

I sat up a couple of times to get so air into my lungs.  I felt like I needed to throw up.  I knew I was pushing at my limit.  Once the downhill into the finish came into view I took a few deep breaths and stood up in my pedals to accelerate into the finish.  I had no idea of my time but I crossed the finish line doing about 30mph.  There's a nice long strip of road to scrub off the speed and start to get some breath back.

I stopped my watch and saw that I'd beaten last years time - but not by much. Being an early starter I had to wait for the rest to come in ... but since most of the fast guys were in the low start numbers I was confident I had one of the fastest times in my age group.  

All the racers had agreed at the start not to bother with awards on the night and the organizers promised engraved awards would be posted out - it was too hot to sit around waiting.  So no podium pic.

Time: 19:37.6 @ 24.5mph.

Average heart rate was 183bpm and peak was 190!  I'll be updating my TrainingPeaks training zones after this one.

Beat my personal record by 2.6 seconds but given that the temp was 7 degrees hotter it is really a greater margin than just what the time shows.  2nd place in age group and 11th place overall.  Last year I was 6th in age group and 24th overall.

Three races in August so far, three age-group podiums.

Dirty Rock Off Road Tri / Kiwanis Tri Rock Sprint Tri

A busy weekend ....

Well needed summer rains in Texas meant the Dirty Rock Off Road Tri was moved to the same weekend as the Kiwanis Tri Rock Sprint triathlon.  Both events are held in Rockwall, TX.  I've done the Tri Rock Sprint before, in 2012 when I was still a Clydesdale triathlete but this was my first time in the Dirty Rock.  As a Cat 2 mountain biker and triathlete it should be an event I excel in.

Saturday: Dirty Rock Off Road Tri

More rains meant that we couldn't race on the Squabble Creek trail so the organizers laid out an on-road/off-road circuit using nearby playing fields.  It was a cool dewy morning so the grass sections were wet and likely to get slippy as we were doing three laps of the short 2-mile circuit.  This was going to be a short, fast race.

I had a high start number for the short 150yd pool swim and was expecting some traffic which proved true. I was quickly upon other swimmers. I got an elbow in the face which partially flooded my goggles, but pushed my way through.

Swim: 2:37 (1:45/100yd pace - new PR pace for a swim)

I kept T1 nice and simple.  No socks today - I used waterproof tape around my ankles to inhibit any rubbing of my shoes. This worked great. No glasses either - which proved a good decision with the amount of water and mud kicked up, glasses would quickly have gotten covered.

T1: 46 seconds

With just 6 miles on the bike, I put the hammer down.  I quickly identified some faster lines on corners that others were missing.  Lots of overtaking kept me on my toes as there were a lot of slow riders wandering all over the course.  During one fast passing move I got to close to a thorny branch so I got back into transition with blood trickling down my arm.

Bike: 19:58 (2nd fastest overall)

T2 was going great until my bike slipped off the stand as I was putting my shoes on.  Few seconds wasted picking it up again.  My mtb seat doesn't lend itself to seat-mountain on a tri bike rack.  Shoes on, no socks, grab number and vizor and off ..

T2: 52 seconds

The start of the run was a short trail and uphill on wet grass.  My legs felt heavy - definitely different running after mountain bike rather than tri bike.  But with just a 2 mile run I had to push.  Finally onto the road I kept focused on keeping my pace up and trying to catch the runners in front.  I hauled in one guy towards the end of the run and the downhill grass into the finish line made for a fast finish.

Run: 15:55 (7:58/mile pace - PR pace in a triathlon)

Race time: 0:40:10

That gave me 2nd in 45-49 Men age group, but more significantly, 5th fastest overall!  Everyone faster than me topped the podium for some category or other and quite a few that I beat topped their AG podiums.  One day I'll be that lucky ..... maybe.

Sunday: Kiwanis Tri Rock Sprint Tri

Woke to perfect cool temperatures and felt good to race again.  Same routine. Just 15 minutes earlier.

The Tri Rock is a bigger event with 145 racers.  The Rockwall Aquatic Center is a great location for a tri - plenty of parking and a great 50 meter pool.  A few familiar faces from the Saturday race too.  I planned to do the same and race without socks again.  I got there early and secured a great bike spot, mid-transition on an off-set rack so I had no-one opposite me.  Also I decided to go back to having my shoes already on the bike.  While this makes for a slightly slower few seconds on the ride to get my feet in and fastened, it gets me out of T1 super quick (in theory) - helmet, glasses, bike, GO.

The swim went well - deep pool, wide lanes.  At 300m it was too long to hammer so I just planned to keep it uneventful.

Swim: 6:33 (2:00/100yd pace)

T1 went super smooth as planned and I was in and out in 33 seconds - easily my fastest ever T1.

I probably tried to get my feet into my shoes too quick as the first 100 yds out of transition was slightly uphill.  Once on the road, though, I got quickly settled into my rhythm.  Next time I'll wait a little longer - the bike is more stable at speed which makes getting feet into the shoes less wobbly.

There wasn't much wind on the bike course which is unusual for this route.  Also the wind most often comes out of the south making the out leg from I-30 to 205 superfast.  But on this day it was a gentle NE wind.  On a positive note this would make the predominantly uphill return leg less of a grind.  It was such a great feeling to blast through the traffic signals and stop signs that normally interrupt my rides on John King Blvd.  Even though this was a sprint, I still had to leave a little in my legs for the run.  Brought back memories of one of my first races, slower riders struggling on the uphills while some fast guy steams past them at 25mph, except this time the fast one was me.  Two years training and 30lbs lost make a lot of difference.

Feet out of shoes and a fast approach to transition, nearly blew past the dismount line! Carbon wheels with carbon-specific brake pads don't have much stopping power.

Bike: 34:14 (22.4mph - fastest bike speed of the year)

No bike shoes to worry about - just hang the bike, slip the Zoot Ultra Race 4.0 shoes on, grab number and vizor and go.

T2: 37 seconds.  Beat that!

As ever after a short, fast bike leg, the legs are a little heavy.  But I knew the run was my weakest discipline and there were quick runners in the field.  If I was going to make the podium I had to push to lose a little time as possible.  The run was changed from last time - more compact, twists and turns and some short inclines.  Lots of runners were following the curves around the roads but I kept to my mentor's advice and ran cone-to-cone, no need for unneeded extra yards!

Mile 1: 8:22

In the second mile, I started to feel the two races.  Running was getting harder and it seemed a long way to the finish. Push, push.

Mile 2: 8:26

Finally with the last turns, the Aquatic Center was in sight.  I summoned everything I had left, lifted my feet and ran hard for the finish, my last 0.1 mile at around 7:00/mile pace.

Mile 3: 8:12

Run: 26:05 (official pace 8:22)

A couple minutes slower than my 5K PR recently, but ok for the second race in two days.

Total race time: 1:08:04. 13 minutes 12 seconds faster than my previous time on this course and a sprint tri PR.  I thought I might have been a couple minutes faster but I put it down to two races in two days just sapping me a little.

Despite concerns about being a couple of minutes slower than I expected, it was still good enough for 3rd place in 45-49M age group.  Second podium in two days.  A productive weekend and good preparation for two weeks time when I will be racing the Arkansas Double - Olympic distance on Saturday, Sprint distance on Sunday, personal wager on the line with friends.  The big takeaways from these races were the success of my simplified transitions, without socks or messing with Garmin watches, and if I'm going to challenge for top spot or Masters wins n sprints then I'm going to have to get faster on the run.  A little more swim speed wouldn't go amiss either.

Race Report - Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon

Introduction

This race was a late addition to my schedule this year.  Other members of Team Zoot from Texas and elsewhere were doing the race so I signed up too.  An Ironman 70.3 in Lubbock, TX in summer ... no problem!  This would be my third IM70.3 of the year and my first since my DNF at New Orleans so my key focus was to finish.  It's a tough course so not likely the place for any PRs.

Race Preparation

My race planning has now settled into a regular plan.  Arrive two days prior to the race.  Don't plan on doing anything other than eating, sleeping, picking up packet and driving the bike course.  Hotel was well located for an easy drive out to Buffalo Springs Lake and near to all the restaurants and race HQ.  Went to the movies for a relaxing change of scenery.

Packet pick-up was in hotel in Lubbock.  I was surprise at the low key nature of the race compared to my other two Ironman 70.3 races this year.  Very little in the way of Ironman branding, no big Ironman clothing store, etc.  A lot of people like that about this race.  I was surprised but in hindsight it lends to the appeal of the race.  Small, old school and only those looking for a real challenge turn up.

Driving the bike course is so important at a new race and especially here.  I got a look at the rather daunting climbs on the course.  It would be very easy to try and attack this bike course and blow up spectacularly.  My plan was to watch the power meter closely - stay around 300W on the long steep climbs.  I could easily power up them at 500W but there would be nothing left of my legs for the run.

Race Day

As ever, nice early arrival.  Avoided the traffic queue for parking that started soon after and got a nice close parking spot.  Pre race organization was a little haphazard.  Body markers got stuck in traffic too and there were too many non-racers wandering around transition despite requests from the announcer for them not too.  It's disturbing for my race prep when this happens.

This is a wetsuit swim - only just.  The water was definitely not cold.

Swim

The race start at IM70.3BSLT is awesome.  Wide beach start.  Huge amphitheater for supporters to watch the action.  Amazing scenery with the sun just peeking over the canyon edge.  The water was flat calm.  The beach very gently shelves into the water so you can walk/run/stumble quite a long way.  There were about 150 swimmers in my wave and we got off smoothly as you could expect in a wave start.

The swim has one right turn (into the just-rising sun! Tinted goggles a necessity!) then all left turns around a rectangular course taking you right across the lake.  As promised the water was cooler on the opposite side near the springs that feed the lake.

My swim felt about average for me, though I just couldn't seem to get much open space.  Half way around, several waves were merged together so there always seemed to be traffic.  As it turned out this was my slowest 70.3 swim so far by about a minute.

Swim time: 44:44 (slowest of 3 70.3s this year, fastest 41:46 at New Orleans)

Division rank: 72nd of 118

T1

There was a concrete step just before swim exit that I managed to whack my shin on but otherwise got out easy enough and got wetsuit stripped.  However, the "run" into transition was a narrow path in front of the portapotties and slow walkers backed everyone else up with little room to get around.  I had a long run with my bike to the bike exit at the other end of transition.

T1: 3:36 (fastest 70.3)

Bike

Right out of transition is the first steep climb.  Not a real problem as long as you've selected an easy gear to set off.  I was amazed to see people trying to ride it in aero position (doing approx 5mph!).  There's a steep downhill followed by another climb, longer but not quite so steep.  Once up that climb it became clear the wind was going to be a challenge.  A strong steady breeze out of the south (I think) blowing at around 20mph I would guess and gusting up to about 30mph.

I reality I didn't find the hills a great problem as I have good climbing legs from mountain biking and my power meter to keep me within my target limits.  The wind was the real challenge with long segments directly into the wind meaning you were doing 14mph and pushing just over 200W.  It drains.  I'm so glad I have the power meter because it helps me realize I'm doing "enough" and it's the conditions defining my speed.  I felt like I was steadily moving up through the field on the bike, especially at the top of the long climbs and on the downhills.

I touched 47mph on one downhill but got a shock with a sharp sidewind as I entered the canyon.  I lost confidence and hit the brakes.  Otherwise I would easily have topped 50mph.

One the last ten miles of the bike the cross wind was a real issue.  Lots of people including myself were riding disks and/or deep section carbon wheels.  Looking up the road seeing a line of triathletes with their bikes leaning into the sidewind told me everyone was suffering the same.

My bike split was slower than my New Orleans bike (where I blew up spectacularly) which just shows how tough this course is.  I finished feeling good though.  This was my first 70.3 with the Speedfil hydration system.  Filling it with a bottle at each (10 mile) aid station kept it sufficiently full for me not to run out.

Bike: 3:04:28 (slowest 70.3)

T2

By the time I got back to transition, the temperature was rising significantly.  Knowing what my bike split was it was clear this wasn't a day for records.  So I resolved to take my time through transition and go out well-prepared for the run.  I stopped for a nature break in transition, grabbed some water and set off.  

T2: 3:58 (slowest)

Run

The two miles seemed ok.  An easy-ish sub10:00/mile pace, flat, sheltered although instantly very warm.  But quickly, the lack of wind in the canyon and the first of several steep climbs and it was clear this run was going to be a grind.  Trying to run (or jog) up the hills was sending my heart rate through the roof.  So I walked parts of them.  The wind was little relief, starting to feel like a hairdryer.  There was little in the way of shade either.  It became a challenge of running between the aid stations.  Drinking two or three drinks, ice cloths, ice down the trisuit and then off to the next.  The long straight road past the power station (Energy Lab 2!) seemed to go forever - thankfully there was an extra aid station at the turnaround. Coming back through the mile 9 aid station the road felt sticky .. but it wasn't spilled Gatorade, the road surface was melting.  Their thermometer over the road read 119F.  No wonder it was a struggle.  I had no thoughts of stopping - I kept hydrating and moving along.  The last three miles around the lake were like running in a sauna.  No wind down in the bottom of the canyon, baking hot temps.  Finally I saw the finish line.  No finish line sprint today - just enough strength to drag myself over the line.

As it turned out I was one of the ones who finished in reasonable condition.  The medical tent was packed with triathletes on IVs - many of them clearly in a bad way.  I'd stayed within my capabilities so recovered fast though tired.  Free cold beer was a great idea but all I wanted was food and cold water.

Run: 2:42:25 (slowest 70.3)

Overall I was glad to complete this race.  Definitely a "been there done that" achievement.

Post Race

For the first time, we stayed for the post race party.  It was cool.  Back at a Lubbock hotel.  Drinks. Food. Conversation.  I felt like part of the community.  Chatting with pros, coaches and getting my picture taken with Jordan Rapp.  Felt like a little kid again.

Race Report - Playtri Festival International Distance triathlon, Irving, TX. June 1st, 2014

Introduction

My second Olympic distance tri of the year (or thereabouts) and my first time at this particular race.  I'd heard mixed reports going into the race, of it being a large competitive field but also a lot of first-timers and a crowded bike course.  Since my last tri about a month ago I've reduced training volume to around 8 hours per week and competed in a couple of mountain bike races - both of which I had significantly improved results and times.  I felt strong and well rested going into the race but a little voice in the back of my mind kept saying I'd lost race fitness.  We would see ...

Pre-Race

Arrived nice and early for the race, probably a little too early as I had been warned of parking issues.  Didn't turn out to be a problem at all.  I like to be early anyway. Settles my nerves and lets me get my mind ready. Got my transition set up done, had a walk around the race ins and outs.  Water looked calm and official temperature was 78F - perfect for a non-wetsuit swim.  After cramping exiting the swim in my last race I decided to use Sportlegs to help fight any cramping, four capsules 1hr before race start.  Also my customary Gu Energy gel (orange) 20 mins before wave start time.  

Nutrition and Hydration

I used my normal nutrition strategy of water, a Gu Energy Gel (Orange) pre-swim and two on the bike and two Saltstick tabs on the bike.  I also added four Sportlegs tabs an hour before the race to fight cramping.  I used my awesome Speedfil hydration system which takes 40oz of water and drank most of it during the hour on the bike.  On the run I sipped water and poured cups over my head to aid cooling and had one Gatorade at about half way.  All seemed to work fine in the increased heat and I could skip the final aid station.  Also, had to pee desperately when I finished so I was pretty well hydrated after all that.

Swim

I got into a decent position prior to the off, not the front line but somewhere I could settle into mid-pack.  I'm settled to the fact I'm not going to break any swim speed records this year - I'm very one-paced - so for me it's a matter of trying to find a draft and swimming a tight course without any unnecessary yards.  I managed that, hugging the wall around Lake Carolyn on the Y-shaped course. I lost my draft around one buoy so the last third I swam alone.

1500m swim time: 36:45 

Nearly two minutes slower than my last 1500m but without a wetsuit this time.  This is my first 1500m non-wetsuit swim so to get through it without problem or panics I was happy.

T1: 2:14

I still ride and run in socks so I sacrifice a little time in T1 to get them on, carefully so not to induce a calf cramp.  All worked ok.  I was a little confused at bike exit because the race organizers hadn't been clear on exactly where the bike mount-dismount line was.  Looks like it got sprayed on the floor after race start because I couldn't find it before.  I didn't want to get a DQ for mounting in the wrong place so I double checked I was OK as I got on the bike.  Few seconds wasted but not a huge issue.

Mental note: if I'm not clear on the mount/dismount line ... ASK before the race.

Bike

So .. I felt good.  No cramps.  Fast concrete course.  Not much wind.  So today was the day to let my bike legs loose and see what we could do.  It was a three-lap course so I planned to push my pace on the first two then make sure I backed off a little on the last lap so I could start the run well.

It all went well.  I remember to sit up on the hills, easy gear and a 100+ cadence.  Amazes me to see people struggling in aero up hill at 15mph as I zip past sat up.  As soon as I reach the top, it's back into aero with fresh legs to power me along.  Almost got caught out by an unmarked timing strip just before a corner on the first lap.  Organizers could have put up more of a warning of this as it was hard to spot with the low morning sun and shadows.

Loop 1 (7.2 miles): 18:59 @ 22.6mph

Loop 2: 18:57 @ 22.7mph

Second time over the timing strip, bunny-hopped it.  Lots of riders were being very slow in the many corners but the course was laid out great with wide space available in every corner on the course.  So I would yell at slow riders ahead that I was coming in fast and they got out of the way while I powered through the corners pedaling hard.  Also had the pleasure of whizzing past my family and supporters at full tilt (24mph) which was really exciting to show them my bike speed close up.  As planned I back off on the last half of the final loop.

Loop 3: 19:13 @ 22.3mph

22 mile bike time: 0:59:17 (22.3mph)

T2: 1:38

No problems in transition.  Small run to far end of transition to the run exit.

Run

I caught my Team Zoot team mate Kris just as we started the run.  He'd started in the wave ahead of mine which was supposed to be a four minute gap (apparently it was more like 7) but he's a faster swimmer than me and pretty quick on the bike, so to catch him there I knew I was on for a good time so far.  The run was four loops so I mentally said easy on the first loop, steady on the middle two and if there's any gas left, push it home for the last loop.  There was a very slight breeze but all that meant was on the out leg of each lap it felt like there was no wind at all, uphill.  It got hot fast.  

Loop 1: 12:35

Loop 2: 13:02

Loop 3: 13:34

Loop 4: 12:44

From the last turn down to the finish I upped my pace steadily from 9:00 to 7:30 and crossed the line strong.  Prior to that I'd be worried how the heat was affecting me.  In reality there was plenty of juice left in my legs.  I'm learning to trust my legs with every race 

10K run time: 0:53:49

Although this wasn't a PR, considering how hard I went on the bike and that I had some juice left at the end I was really pleased with it.

Official Race Time: 2:33:18

Place: 7th of 18 in 45-49M age group.

Although this race is a little shorter than a full Olympic, taking that distance into account this was a PR at Olympic/International distance for me.    This is clearly a fast course with a fast surface to ride on in particular.  The course was excellently marked throughout with plenty of well-organized traffic control by the local PD.   There were some issue with the online live race results but it was a creditable effort by RunFar to get results up as quickly as possible and I'm sure they'll iron out their issues. I think I'll seriously consider going back to this race next year.

Race Report - Wiki Wiki Man Olympic Triathlon - Lake Tawakoni, TX

Overview

My first ever podium! One of my objectives for the year was to make it onto the age-group podium at one of my local races.  I did it at my first attempt. Not a huge field (7 in age group) but I bettered my PR on this course by over 15 minutes.

Preparation

In the two weeks since Ironman 70.3 New Orleans where I got dehydrated and was under-recovered from Texas 70.3, I've limited my training to relatively easy workouts with some short effort intervals.  On Saturday, I rested and hydrated .. and pee'd all day ...

Swim

Despite the very threatening forecast, the weather was almost perfect for the race.  Warm, breezy but no rain by race start.  When watching the Sprint and early Olympic swim waves depart I noticed there seemed to be a current pulling swimmers to the right on the outleg.  I made a mental note.  True enough when I started the swim I had to adjust to swim to the left of the buoy to maintain a straight-ish course.  Otherwise I felt the swim went OK and feeling strong turning into the final leg I kicked a little harder.  Here started my first problem - soon I started to sense the onset of cramp.  Exiting the swim, the run was not over the compacted sand that I'd seen prior to the race, but now fully soft sand (after several hundred others had run across it). 

Swim time: 0:34:53.1 - slightly disappointing.

T1

 As I got into transition and peeled off my wetsuit, cramp kicked in fully in my right calf!  I sat for a few seconds while it passed and gingerly got my socks and bike gear on.  

T1 time: 0:03:38.0 - slow due to long sandy run and cramps

Bike

Exiting on the bike was necessarily slow and I took the first few miles easy to give my calf time to recover.  Then turning onto the main road I discovered pre-race comments about the chip seal calming down since last year were, erm, WRONG.  It was a rough as last year.  Under trees it was positively brutal on a tri bike.  This now counts as a big put-off for this race for me.  I'll need some other very strong motivation to come back.  I used my (now working) power meter to keep my bike effort under control - 180-200 watts most of the way.  Otherwise the bike leg was uneventful.  I finished feeling strong but was still worried about what effect that cramp was going to have on my run.

T2 time: 1:12:05.1 (20.6mph) - slightly slower than my Galveston speed?? think I need to be putting lots more training in on the bike to get this improved.

T2

No issues.  No cramp. Grabbed my hat and number and put it on while running.

T2 time: 0:01:11.6 - PR in T2 in any Olympic or 70.3 race.

Run

Started the run at a steady pace to see how I felt.  All good. Pushed it along.  Used the hills. Ran the inside of all the corners (Garmin said I ran 6.15 miles so that clearly works).  After the last turn, with approx 2 miles left I upped my pace and pushed all the way to the line.  Crossed the line fast and feeling strong.

Run time: 0:52:24.8 - a 10K PR in any tri or run race!  Delighted with that.  Fully twelve and a half minutes faster than my run last year (when I committed to myself to fix my running!)

Race time: 2:44:12.8.  My Olympic PR by 15 minutes.  Not quite close enough to the 2:30ish I was hoping for.  Lots more work on swim and bike to get there.

This was enough to put my 3rd of 7 in 45-49 Men for my first ever podium.  And 7th in Male Masters out of 31 and 29th of 69 overall men.  A sufficiently big improvement over last year to be satisfied but definitely more room to improve!

Ironman 70.3 New Orleans - Race Report

Overview

For the first time in my short triathlon career I didn't finish a race.  I've done a great deal of soul-searching, questioning and reviewing to determine what caused it.  What it comes down to is not preparing for the event with the same focus that I did for Ironman 70.3 Texas a week earlier, and also trying to do two Ironman 70.3 races on back to back weekends and not realizing the impact that this never-before-attempted amount of racing would have on my body.

Preparation

It's a long drive from Dallas to New Orleans.  I traveled on Friday - most of the day.  This time, my parents were accompanying my wife and I.  Friday evening we ventured into the French Quarter after packet pickup and enjoyed a fantastic meal (just water, no wine or beer).

Saturday is where I started to get it all wrong.  I ate the usual high carb breakfast of bagels, peanut butter, bananas.  Then we went to downtown New Orleans to enjoy the French Quarter Festival.  A whole day of entertainment with activities spread all across the French Quarter.  The weather was pleasantly warm and dry.  I tried to spend as much time as possible sitting.

In retrospect, between lunch and dinner I drank probably only a bottle and a half of water.  It was warm, sunny and windy.  Plus with the activities being all over the area I probably walked a few miles too.  So much for "resting all day".  Dinner (pasta) was slightly late after a hike back to the car and a round-trip to the remote bike transition area.

Race Day

Nothing unusual. Arrived in plenty of time. Followed my normal pre-race routine.  Felt good and ready to go.

Swim

Probably the easiest open water swim you will ever get at an Ironman 70.3.  The swim is inside a marina so we were protected from the elements and had plenty of landmarks/walls on both sides to navigate without much need to sight buoys.

Swim time: 41:46 (2:01 faster than previous PR)

T1

The run from swim exit to transition was not short.  Wetsuit strippers were a blessing again although far fewer than at Texas so I made sure they knew I was coming.

T1 time: 4:27 (22sec longer than Texas due to the longer run)

Bike

The aim on the bike was to go 10bpm harder than at Galveston, where I took the bike well within my (perceived) capability.  I'd got some water in my goggle right eye on the swim which had caused irritation to my right eye and this continued on the bike, especially with the cross-wind blowing from the right too.  At times it was hard to see from that eye.

For the first 28 miles on the bike I had no issues.  I was hitting my effort level (mid 150's bpm).   Nutrition (Gu every 20 mins, Saltstick every 30 min) all good.  My heart rate always jumps on the start of the bike and takes 15 minutes to settle down.  I don't eat anything during that period but do sip my drink.  In this case I had Skratch Hydration mix in my first two bottles.  I drained the two bottles by mile 27 (on schedule) but the expected drink station didn't appear?  It was supposed to be at Mile 28 according to the Athlete Guide.  I hadn't thought to make a mental note of where it was (or wasn't) on the outleg so had no idea if it was further up or just not there.  I only had flat Coke left on the bike and - possibly terminally for my race - decided not to drink it yet and just wait for the aid station.

Further and further it went.  Speed was still good and heart rate ok but my right eye irritation was evolving into a painful headache.  I wasn't sure why - can't be the irritation causing it?  I kept going.  I didn't really have a good mental picture of the mileage at the turns so when I passed the aid station (on the other side) it didn't register that it was Aid Station 2 at Mile 37 or 38.  I should have stopped and picked something up from them but I didn't and soldiered on.

Mile 36: 1:41:28 (21.3mph) and I knew I only had one more stretch of 6 miles into the wind and the rest was tail or cross wind.

At the Mile 36 turnaround, into the wind, suddenly dehydration really kicked in.  I had nothing left.  Headache, nausea starting, no energy.  I tried sipping the Coke but felt like I'd never keep it down.  At mile 38 I finally picked up Perform and water and tried to get it into me but by then it was too late.  I was really struggling and felt worse with every mile despite the fluids.

I struggled back to transition with a bike time of 2:58:32 and pulled out of the race at that point with a BP of 100/60 - no argument whether it was dehydration!

Extrapolating my data, without the dehydration I think I'd probably have done a bike split of around 2:39:00.  It seems crazy that all that extra effort only gained me about 3 minutes over my Galveston time - which I took at an easy pace.  That is until you consider that I wasn't anywhere near recovered from Galveston just 7 days earlier.  I need no more evidence than this to prove it.

Lessons

My lack of hydration and rest on Saturday caused my early exit of the race.  But insufficient recovery clearly impacted my performance level.  It seems unlikely that I'd have had good energy on the run so overall probably would have been on a par or slower than Galveston.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Rest, rest, rest.

Don't plan big races so close together.  Build a plan and stick with it.  I changed my plan to accommodate my new team and my parents.  If I'm racing, the plan needs to be built around racing, not entertaining.  I have all the evidence I need to show myself the impact of not doing this.

I will come back to New Orleans at some point and exorcise this race failure.

Race Report: Ironman Texas 70.3, Galveston TX April 6th 2014

Race Report: Ironman Texas 70.3,  Galveston TX April 6th 2014

This was my first Ironman 70.3 race and first triathlon being a member of Team Zoot Texas.  The whole race weekend was a fantastic experience and I was very happy with the way my race went.  

Being part of a team that has such experienced triathletes as Christian Wendenburg and Lauren Smith to help guide the less experienced of us along the way is an incredibly fortunate position to be in, as well as the benefit of the great support of the rest of the team and their friends & families for each other.  It has given me constant motivation throughout my training program and I am 100% sure that I achieved a much quicker race time because it.

Preparation

Originally my first 70.3 was going to be Ironman 70.3 New Orleans (next weekend!) but after I was selected for Team Zoot Texas I added the Texas race since the whole team was going to be there.  It worked well as a plan for Texas to be my "B" race where I would go through the race plan and distance prior to the 'A' race a week later.  I registered for the New Orleans race back in July 2013 and put in place a plan to extend my endurance abilities in the following order:

- Build Bike Endurance: Train for and ride the Hotter 'n' Hell 100 bike ride (August 2013), aiming to complete in under 6 hours

- Fix My Running: Train for and run in the Dallas Half Marathon (December 2013)

- 18 Week Half Ironman training plan based on Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible book

- Get Lean: Achieve my target race weight of 184lbs at approx 1.5lbs per week.

I finished the Hotter'n'Hell in 5:48.  The Dallas Marathon got cancelled due to weather but I trained fully for it and ran a 2:07 half marathon in training including some steep hills around Rockwall.  I built a training plan that now covers the whole year from December to November and in the first 17 weeks have logged 154 hours of training.  

I hit my target weight a week before the race.  Now I'm at 184lbs I feel I can continue to lose weight and get into the 170s without much problem.

Coaching & Advice

I don't have an official coach.  I build my own training plan to Joe Friel's system.  I understand a coach would help me improve quicker but it's a cost I can't justify.  Plus there's an extra achievement in self-coaching and I love the learning process of it.  Maybe in the future there's a coaching role for me with others, who knows.

However, this is not to say that I am ignorant of the advice and coaching others have been generous enough to give.  Alan Johnson (repeat Xterra World Championship competitor) took me under his wing and gave me some invaluable advice in the weeks before the race such as:

- The purpose of the bike leg is not to log the best bike split, it's to set you up for the run.  There will be many an athlete that has crushed the bike leg that is then walking on the run.  Just you watch.  Take it easy on the bike.

- Don't have a death grip on the aero bars.  You will expend a lot of useless energy and also ruin your run - your upper body is important for running.

- Sit up on hills.  If you stay in aero on hills you'll overwork your glutes and ruin your run.

- You might be better going from feel and heart rate than your power meter.  There are lots of variables on race day that your power meter doesn't account for - weather, temperature, your bodily and mental condition, how your swim went, etc.

- If you're going to wear socks, put talc in them.  They go on a lot easier when your feet are damp.

- As well as taping your gels to your bike frame, put a loop of tape between them so they don't flap around in the wind.  Having them on the top tube puts them where they're visible so you'll remember to take them.

- Take a bottle of flat Coke on the bike.  It's like rocket fuel.

- Pick up some Roctane gels toward the end of the bike.  If you start using them, stick with them to the end of the race.

- Yell loudly what you want at the aid stations.

- Use the wetsuit strippers.  Pick one that's not busy, probably on the far end of the line and point at them and shout "you" as you approach them.

- If you are susceptible to blisters, put waterproof tape on your heels and feel before the race.  It sticks well during the swim and will last the race.

- Find out before the race where the ice baths are.  Get in one for 15 minutes after the race.

- Above all, enjoy it.

Race Day Plan

My base target (after "make sure you finish") was to beat six hours .  All being well I should achieve this comfortably but it depended on many things.  My estimated times were:

Swim: 40 minutes

T1: 5 mins

Bike: 2:45

T2: 3 mins

Run: 2 hours

Total Estimated Time: 5 hours 33 minutes

Even though I've lost a lot of weight, I'm still kind of big for a triathlete and a lot of this is leg muscles. I've learned to take this into account when estimating calorie and electrolyte intake.  So my race nutrition plan might seem heavily loaded but I wanted to avoid any chance of cramps on the run.

Fluids on bike: Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix (Orange) in aero bottle and one additional bottle on rear.  Flat Coke in one bottle on rear (for final few miles)

Food: 8 Gu Energy gels (Orange), one rice cake and one Clif bar. (sometimes I need something other than gels).  Gels every 20 minutes from 15 mins out.

Electrolytes: 6 Saltstick tablets in Saltstick dispenser.  One every 30 mins plus one just before end of bike.

Aid stations: 1 bottle of Perform at aid station 2. 1 bottle Perform and Gu Roctane gel at aid station 3.  Perform at aid station 4.

The Race

I could hardly be happier with the my race.  I executed my race plan.  I avoided cramps. I started the run feeling fresh and strong.  My power meter had broken on Saturday so I had no choice but to follow Alan's advice and go by feel and heart rate on the bike.

The Swim

At the swim start everyone was looking at the choppy water with trepidation.  My 45-49 L-Z Men wave entered the water off the dock a few minutes before 7:20am.  I'd planned to start outside of the main pack but clearly so had many others and I ended up front and center!  At the hooter we were off swimming directly into the wind and waves.  Instantly I felt my race nerves evaporate.  I was buoyant in my Zoot wetsuit in the brackish water and with all the Total Immersion swim drills I've done I'm a lot more confident with my face under the water.  The open water "panics" didn't materialize and despite the waves I built a steady rhythm, kept my breathing controlled and concentrated on good swimming form.  I'm a lot more aerobically fit than last year and this makes a huge difference on the swim.  I didn't have to rest with breaststroke at all like I have in the past.  My sighting was good and I kept a straight course, which is more than I can say for many others.  I had a number of swimmers come across me at 45 degrees to the race line.   I don't kick much in the swim so it's easy for fast swimmers from waves behind to run into me (in the green water) if they don't watch out for swimmers ahead.  However, touch my feet or swim into my legs and you'll discover I do possess a ferocious sprinters kick which I will (and did) use to defend myself, so swim around me not into me.  They got the message.  At the second turn I felt strong and had lots in reserve so I pushed hard to the shore.  I stumbled on the exit where despite the volunteers saying there was a step it was easy to miss.  Note for next time: get into the water and check out swim exit in the water for real, not just looking at it from the beach. I spotted and shouted to a vacant stripper and was quickly de-suited.  Great.  I was happy the swim was done and I felt good.

My swim time was 43:47.  Around what I'd expect especially given the conditions.  But good to know I've got plenty of speed in reserve for next time too.

T1

I found my bike easy enough, dumped my wetsuit in my bag, quickly dabbed my feet and legs with a towel and then sat to put my new Zoot socks on.  Put my Garmin watch on, helmet, glasses (need to practice putting my Oakley's on with my aero helmet) had a quick mouthful of water, picked up the bike and was off to the bike mount.  I haven't perfected the vaulting cyclocross style bike mount yet so carefully got on the bike.  Even so I had a couple of unexpected balance wobbles as I set off, nearly ending up in the watching spectators!  I suspect it was caused by water in my ears from the swim.  (Note: I carry an eye-drops bottle of 50% alcohol / 50% white vinegar which instantly clears water from ears.  Maybe I'll have a squirt of that in each ear in T1 and with better balance can perfect a faster bike mount)  For once, I remembered to start my Garmin (in multi-sport mode) as soon as I was on the bike.

T1 time was 4:05.  Satisfactory with room for improvement with practice.

The Bike 

I remembered Alan's words to take the first couple of miles very easy.  The wind was at my back and even though I felt I was probably only pushing 150w I was flying along at about 24mph and passing people for fun.  My heart rate jumped up to 160bpm but once I found my rhythm settled down to around 146bpm - mid Zone 2 for me.  It was foggy and earily quiet on the bike (probably because of the slight tailwind too) and there was even some light (well received) rain.  I sailed along to the turnaround without incident but was warily noticing a number of pros repairing flats on the other side of the road ... hmmmm, wonder what could be causing that?  As planned, I had drained my front aero bottle of Skratch plus the other Skratch bottle so I picked up Perform at Aid Station 2. But I found out that Perform bottles don't squirt into my aero bottle like a normal bidon so half of it spilled out over my bike. In future I'll flip the aero bottle lid open.

28 mile split: 1:11:42 (23.4mph)

Of course, with a tailwind the impact at the turnaround is instant and for the five miles back toward San Luis bridge the now off-shore wind got stronger and the rain heavier.  Crossing the bridge was a harrowing experience.  The rain was horizontal had sand in it so it stung the legs and arms.  The wind blew through the holes in the bridge parapet so every few yards there was a straight-line blast of air hitting my front 82mm section aero wheel causing the bike to veer rather alarmingly.  Plus there was now a layer of standing water on the surface which doesn't play too nice with slick tires.  Needless to say I cross the bridge at a very steady pace, sat up, and even so no-one passed me.  As I came down past the toll booth a guy in a truck who'd clearly ignored the "bridge closed" signs was attempting to turn around and head back toward Galveston.  He'd just parked his truck on the right shoulder and then opened his door without looking.  If I'd have been 10 yds closer I could have really had a problem.  Fortunately a very watchful lady police officer screamed at him to get back in his vehicle and close the door.  We are very lucky to have such good protection when we race.

Once off the bridge the conditions eased and I was left with a steady headwind.  I've done a lot of training into the wind around Rockwall in non-aero setup so I could feel the difference the aero wheels, helmet, trisuit and bike setup was having in making it easier to push into that wind.  My pace was good and I started passing a few of the big guys who'd blown past me at 30mph on the out leg.

Then it started.  I'd kept up with my nutrition but now had to pee.  I thought about trying to pee on the bike but it didn't come naturally.  Fortunately I soon got to Aid Station 3 and got a volunteer to hold my bike while I used the restroom for what felt like an eternity.  She was nice enough to empty a bottle of Perform into my aero bottle though :-) .  I set off again feeling much better.  I "smoked" past Shelly from Team Zoot (her words) then not long later got smoked myself by Lauren Smith.  Then I had to pee AGAIN!  So I stopped at Aid Station 4.   I took it easy from there to the end with my heart rate settling down to 142bpm.  I do think I've got plenty more to give on the bike without giving myself problems but I'll up the effort gradually.  Just learning to pee on the bike will get me about 5 minutes!

56 mile split: 1:30:09 (18.4mph) including 2 long restroom breaks

Total bike time: 2:41:51 (20.76mph)

T2

I don't remember much about T2 probably because it went very smoothly.  I need to say that my new Zoot Ultra Tempo 6.0 shoes go on very easily and fasten super quick.  I had a long run in my bike shoes from Bike In to my stall.

T2 time: 2:20

The Run

I was so happy how strong I felt starting the run. I had planned to take it nice and easy for the first couple of miles but I blew through the first half mile at 8:00 pace!  I backed off ... then I needed to pee AGAIN!  There was no avoiding it.  So that added another wasted minute.  After that I was OK.  I was well hydrated from the bike and with the perfect temperature didn't need that much fluid on the run.  At most aid stations I threw iced water over my head to keep cool and took a sip of water.  At half way I stopped to walk for the only time on the whole run.  I took a full cup of Perform and grabbed two Roctane gels.  I took one straight away with water and set off again.  I just kept watching my pace on my watch ... trying to keep it around 9 minute miles.  

When I came around at the end of loop 2 I happened to glance at the race clock.  5:11:00!  I only had to keep a steady pace and I'd finish before that clock clicked over to 6:00:00 which meant I'd be closer to 5:30 than 6 hours. It was a good boost and helped me enjoy the last lap (instead of killing myself to sprint to the line).  The crowds were amazing.  So many people cheering, shouting my name.  I've never been on the receiving end of anything like that - what a privilege. 

It was only the last mile where I started to struggle on the few uphills - my legs were starting to feel like Jello.  I found a run partner who seemed to need some encouragement and we both talked each other through and kept each other's pace up.  Suddenly that was it!  The finish shute!

Run time: 2:00:52 (9:16/mile)

Total race time: 5:32:55 (5 seconds faster than my pre-race estimate for a good race!)

In my mind I'd thought my race target time was a hope rather than a real reality, especially given that this race was a "practice" for New Orleans.  I have plenty of scope to take time off and head towards my target of beating 5 hours eventually.

Post Race

OK so I didn't get around to the ice bath.  Next time. I promise.  It was fantastic to get the finishers medal which I wore proudly.  It was great to have my wife Mandy there to share the experience together.  Having my Team Zoot team mates around to congratulate and support those still running was fun and felt like having a new family.  Having Lauren tell me that the amount of times I had needed to pee was "probably about right" helped me put away any disappointment in having three restroom breaks (just need to learn to pee on the bike!)  I had my first two beers for nearly a month and then we had to depart too soon for our long drive back home.

What was different this time?

After the race I realized there was something profoundly different about this race from any other triathlon I've raced so far.  Not once did I have to think about the mechanics of trying to go faster.  

In the swim I thought about stroke form and rhythm, not about how tired I felt or how short of breath.

On the bike I pedaled easy with a high cadence, never feeling like I had to force the pedals around.  I concentrated on sticking to my nutrition plan, drinking, when my next gel was due, drinking, did I need to eat something solid, when my next salt tablet was due, drinking, when the next aid station was coming up and what I needed to pick up, drinking, peeing, drinking, peeing.  I didn't think about speed, I focused on high cadence and heart rate.  I rode the last few miles like the warm down from a training ride, not a race.

In the run I thought about pace, cadence, gliding rather than striding, drinking, keeping cool, savoring the experience and enjoying the people.  Not how much cramps hurt or whether I was getting blisters.  RUNNING DIDN'T SUCK ANYMORE! 

Finally I think I get it.  Triathlon isn't about doing the best swim/bike/run split that you possibly can, it's about the whole race and how you handle the three disciplines in harmony not independently.  I now have a vision of my roadmap to going faster.  It will involve maintaining discipline to make small improvements each race until I find my limits as an athlete.

Then we'll go and do a full Ironman.

Big thanks to Mandy without whom I'd have been a disorganized mess.