RACE REPORT:
Lets preface the report by saying that I went into this one knowing it would be a "C" race and I wouldn't have great legs. It really wasn't on my radar at all, but we happened to be going to Iowa to visit family and a friend that works for PEM threw a free entry at me and a free place to stay downtown. So WTH, why not, free training race right? I would have Sat. off for travel and Friday wasn't too heavy, though it had some intervals and my legs were feeling the previous 10 days of training at that point. I also have been in the long course mindset, so normally making myself slow down rather than go fast.
I think you're all seeing where I'm going, the race report will be a long list of explanations and excuses. It is what it is. I like to be honest about why I did or didn't perform 100%. I also want to learn from my mistakes and understand what happened. What made having a mediocre effort harder to swallow was that 1) there was prize money and I finished 6th (1st loser...haha) 2) 5th place passed me after making a wrong turn 3) I mentally checked out and thought I was in 7th or 8th place and way out of money. 4) I thought prizes went deeper than 5 places as they had in the past. 5) I missed an opportunity to almost literally run alongside the best runner in the sport of triathlon. I still say Marinda Carfrae pass the opposite way, but much cooler to follow the legend right out of T2.
With all that, I was optimistic as usual and went into it excited that I could knock out another strong performance, at least on the bike. My goals were to test out the sleeve suit with a swim skin. I picked up a ORCA swim skin on sale and this would be my 1st time wearing it. I knew I'd have a slow transition, but it was worth it for the practice.
I arrived at transition very early, as there was no traffic and the drive from my friends apartment to Grays Lake was all of 8-10 minutes....should have slept another 30 minutes. I got set up, chatted for a few minutes with some racers around me, and with a long line at the portajohns, I went ahead and walked around to the swim start to use the bathroom there. I carried a large bottle of sports drink and a gel. I chatted with 3 other racers there early and pretty soon others started to arrive.
For warm-up I swam out to the 1st buoy and back. The water was warm, murky, my back was stiff, but I felt fast in the new swim skin. I met up with my my friends that drove up to watch. Their daughter is the one that works for PEM. We watched the mens race go off, and I headed to the swim corral. It was a small elite wave field. But I figured there were some fast swimmers, but took my chances and lined up near the front. Here I made my 1st mistake and lined up to the right. I pull to the left, and the 1st turn in to the right, so I was right on the race line near "pole position". Overall though I'm pretty relaxed. Nothing to lose or really gain in this race, just enjoy the morning and put in some good work and race!
Gun goes off and it's pretty frenzied. I get his in the goggles pretty quick and they take in a little water. Great, can't sight as well now. I stay relaxed and just keep the turnover high and pull strong fighting to a place to put my arms. I try and go right, and there's someone there...left is the same. I ease off and I start getting run over. I'm pretty much boxed it, so I just try and stay right on someones feet. All of these folks are prolific kickers too...lucky me. I'm stuck and just hang in there. I'm not redlined, but I'm swimming harder than I want for sure.
1st turn thins things out and I find a perfect spot but the the guys I'm following is kicking like it's an open 800M and I'm getting drowned trying to stay there. I finally keep pulling to the left and end up on my own a little off course....as usual. I try and stay within the general draft of that group, but they slowly pull away. I have a feeling that's a 21xx high, 22 low group I'm letting get away. In hindsight, it might have been worth it to push a little harder. OTOH, I knew that I'm have a slow transition with this suit so getting comfortable mattered more. It felt like a steady breeze was coming across us and sighting was hard going into the sun. i put in a few more efforts to close the gap, but was mainly focused on going straight. The last 400y I feel like I found my stroke a little, but too little too late. The swim felt a little long and the finish finally arrived.
Up the hill and into transition. I got the swim skin zipper open on the 2nd try and started peeling down and finding my sleeves. This isn't easy while running, even slow. I end up taking a few seconds at my spot getting the last sleeve on and trying to straighten out the suit a little. It's not fast... at all. I lost maybe 45" in transition.
I get on the bike and HR is really high, my leg are pretty flat and I try and just settle in and focus on staying aero, lean on my advantage. Overall I feel a little bloated and just can't find any power. I ease off to Zone 2 power but it's not helping much. the good news, is at Zone 2 watts, I'm not losing much ground and still passing folks. I get up to tempo for most of the ride and near threshold up the hills, but it takes a focused effort the whole time. I end up riding 79% or 240W NP, I think 235AP. SO very even, but weak. As I mentioned after Steelhead, I suspect my real power numbers are at as much as 10% off due to R/L imbalance. Hard to say. No longer a big fan of single sided meters as I've become more serious about aerodynamics and using Bestbikesplit.com to compare courses and performances. Bottom line, I rode as hard as I could, but legs weren't there, but I still rode sub 1:00 for the 1st time ever in an Olympic. So I'll take it. I did have fun in a few turns and accidentally overcooked one a little, even possibly sliding the rear around just a tad.
Rolled into T2 and decided that I "earned" socks, meaning I was not longer racing and just ready for a 10k tempo run and blisters weren't going to help me in my last few weeks of Kona prep. 2 guys passed me in transition and i set about running nice and steady. My stomach continue to feel a little bloated. Legs felt OK. HR was just above Tempo, but not too high. Breathing was pretty relaxed and I put on a smile and went about the business on finishing up the race.
Most noteable was watching Haskins and Rinny fly past the other way. Going much faster than I was. No catching them. I slowly reeled in 1 athlete. We both figured were were in like 10th place way out of it. We chatted for a minute and I continued on trying to pick it up just a bit. I went out around 6:30 with a goal of starting out at that pace and running 6:00 the last 5k miles. SO out around 20:00, back around 18:45-19:00. I haven't checked my file, but what actually happened, was I went out around 20:30, OK there, but never sped up. I also added 1/4 mile detour making a wrong turn before volunteers stopped my from cutting 1.5 miles off the course, crossing a timing mat and probably getting DQ'd. Oops.
I mentally checked out at that point. IT was getting harder to run tempo and I was still feeling bloated but also felt thirsty and noticed the heat. I kept a steady pace and slowly reeled back in the guy in front of me. I was only 100y back at the base of the hill, but I had a decision, bury myself and out sprint him, or just cruise up the hill and live to fight another day. It was mentally hard because I rarely if ever pass at the opportunity for a finishing kick. It's a habit I started back in high school cross country 23 years ago, and continue today...even in long course.
Final time 2:08, run split 42:xx. My slowest Olympic run in maybe 7 or 8 years. But I will say, it was my easiest Olympic run ever, easiest bike split and not my hardest swim. I give it a "C" for effort, "B+" for having the fitness to go fast without going hard if that counts for anything.
I'm keeping my eye on the prize, and looking forward to Kona. The bike tells me what pace I can ride at just above IM watts. I can cruise on moderately hilly terrain (equivalent to 4000ft uncorrected elevation for 115 miles) IMWI in comparison is around 7500ft uncorrected) with a descent wind and lots of turns. On ward and upward! Last week of solid training!
The Positives!!!
1) I didn't crash on the bike
2) 3rd fastest amateur bike split, 19th overall. Not bad for just over IM watts.
3) I didn't injure myself running too hard or sprinting to the line up that hill for 5th
4) I overall had fun and got to meet and chat with a lot of great triathletes
5) I had a good washing machine swim experience and survived
6) I swam mostly straight
7) I got a solid workout it
8) I ran almost negative splits.
9) I managed the heat well and mentally feel like it wasn't the primary factor
10) I learned about drinking too much pre-race in warm weather.
11) I rode under 1:00 for the 1st time ever.
BESTBIKESPLIT!
Putting my actual wattage in there, it predicted my time within 2 seconds. Spot on a gain. Maybe just luck. But I plugged in 72% for Kona with the weather tool, and it spits out a 4:41. At 75% I get 4:36 with 258TSS. That's still easier than I rode at IMWI. Actually, the same TSS would be a 4:30 @ 0.79... basically a pro level ride. But I think you need to factor in the heat and come up a little lower and the wind gusts will slow things down. I think hitting the same number of calories may prove challenging as well. I want to have a complete race, not a killer bike split then blow up on the run. I figure the wind is about 5' deduct from that estimate.
TRAINING WEEK:
The training week otherwise was pretty routine in terms of just fitting workouts in. Nothing noteable, but good consistency, focusing on run consistency as usual. Really light on swimming and biking.
By the numbers:
Swim: 2h08m, 9,350y
Bike: 6h29m, 139mi
Run: 5h59m, 49mi
TOTAL: 14h39m
TSS: 919
Not a high volume week, as expected with a day off in there and a sprint race on Sunday, but you have to view it as a 21 day stretch, rather than in 7 day blocks. the middle 7 days are soft, but the 1st 7 and last 7 are pretty solid. It's going to be a challenging week, but hopefully it's pays off come race day.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Weekly Wrap-up 08/31/15
Week 1 of my final build for Kona done. It went great. I had my best long ride in a LONG time. 4h49m @ 0.73IF, averaging over 23mph until the wind turned and I bonked hte last 30 minutes. I learned 300 calories per hour at the end of a build week doesn't cut it (glycogen stores not topped off like in taper) for rides over 4 hours. My excuse, I didn't feel like carrying a couple more bars and didn't want to stop and by any sports drink. Very happy with my pace. I was a flat route, but that includes stop signs and a couple bathroom stops, road helmet, 4 bottles, box rims, but good...though worn... tires and latex tube on rear. Lets felt great until I bonked. Overall it was a huge confidence booster. I haven;t had a lot of long rides this year and on most I fell apart pretty early on. I felt like if I hadn't bonked I could have ridden tempo that last hour.
Running feels good. I did step on a scale and I'm maybe 1lb heavier than last year, so I'm making progress overall, but the extra 2-3lbs will probably cost me 5-6' at Kona...maybe. Then again, my energy levels should be more stable. So it's hard to say. I think staying cool, pacing well and being mentally strong will make the biggest difference. IF you feel hot and you focus on the heat, then your performance will suffer. It was moderately hot at Racine and I never focused on it and jsut held the pace my legs gave me.
Swim is still hit & miss. I found a local swim coach that I might have take a look at my stroke and give a few pointers. I can schedule a session through my gym. Yes, it's a little late to make big changes, but I'm not looking for major changes. I've swam faster this winter and one and off, but it doesn't quite "stick". I think the 27xx I swam at Racine was my good stroke and I think that could translate to 59-60 at Kona which would set me up to clear traffic on the bike at Kona a little easier and sooner. If I swim 1:01-1:03, I'll have to burn a match(s) to move up and avoid a drafting penalty.
Big scare this week was not having my tri bike for 6 days. Headset was trashed. Actually, it's been that way for I think 2-3 years. No I'm not kidding. I'm a little embarrassed about that. But headset doesn't specifically slow me down. So drive train, aerodynamics, tires tubes, on top of it. So i was on my road bike all week, and in reality, probably rode a little easier, which wasn't so bad and it set me up for a great long ride. I ended up then skipping the local Olympic distance race (was rainy anyway).
This next week I'm doing Des Moines Triathlon (formerly Hyvee tri). A friend got me a comp'd entry and a couch to crash on. It should be a great change to finally break 2 hours and ride under 60'. I think my goal will be burying myself on the bike and see how many pros I can out split. Then cruise a tempo run with a negative split around a 37-38. Should be fun! the challenge will be the logistics. We're also visiting family in Keokuk, IA, so I go there first, then straight to Des Moines for packet pickup, then bike check, then dinner possibly with some Facebook friends. It will be a C+ to B- race. I'm only 1-3/4 weeks into a block, but I won't have time for any workout on Sat. so it will be GASP! a day off. I think I only have 2-3 of those a year, usually after an "A" race.
Then one final week to get my fitness to a peak again and I'll taper. To clarify, in a base, you raise your overall training load to that you hit a peak CTL for the season. In a Build you do 2 things. You train is a way that's more specific to your race, and you return your CTL to a point right at or just slightly higher than the peak CTL from the base period. What you don't do, is try and hit a new peak. In Build 2, you peak CTL might even be lower than in Build 1..especially if you're doing some 70.3's in a build for an IM. You race yourself out of shape just a little, then use the build to regain that fitness. But it's a fair trade as those races are great workouts, build your confidence, test your fitness and help establish pacing metrics and race predictions.
By the numbers:
Swim: 2h32m, 11,045y,
Bike: 9h53m, 209mi (mostly Road Bike)
Run: 6h09m, 49.8mi
TOTAL: 18h23m
TSS: 1169
SIDENOTE: One of my athletes had a great day at Muskoka this weekend. Did hit his stretch goals, but had a swim PR, comparative bike PR (that's one of the hardest bike courses of all IM's) with negative splits by power. He ran faster than Maryland last year too and paced really smart, targeting negative splits, but faded in the heat.
Also, a local female placed 2nd in her AG and 6th overall and should be headed to Kona next year. She rode a 5:25!!! and had such a lead that a good but not fast 3:56 held off everyone behind. Haven;t seen the final results to see how it all unfolded. IM's website is severely lacking for to track competition effectively.
Running feels good. I did step on a scale and I'm maybe 1lb heavier than last year, so I'm making progress overall, but the extra 2-3lbs will probably cost me 5-6' at Kona...maybe. Then again, my energy levels should be more stable. So it's hard to say. I think staying cool, pacing well and being mentally strong will make the biggest difference. IF you feel hot and you focus on the heat, then your performance will suffer. It was moderately hot at Racine and I never focused on it and jsut held the pace my legs gave me.
Swim is still hit & miss. I found a local swim coach that I might have take a look at my stroke and give a few pointers. I can schedule a session through my gym. Yes, it's a little late to make big changes, but I'm not looking for major changes. I've swam faster this winter and one and off, but it doesn't quite "stick". I think the 27xx I swam at Racine was my good stroke and I think that could translate to 59-60 at Kona which would set me up to clear traffic on the bike at Kona a little easier and sooner. If I swim 1:01-1:03, I'll have to burn a match(s) to move up and avoid a drafting penalty.
Big scare this week was not having my tri bike for 6 days. Headset was trashed. Actually, it's been that way for I think 2-3 years. No I'm not kidding. I'm a little embarrassed about that. But headset doesn't specifically slow me down. So drive train, aerodynamics, tires tubes, on top of it. So i was on my road bike all week, and in reality, probably rode a little easier, which wasn't so bad and it set me up for a great long ride. I ended up then skipping the local Olympic distance race (was rainy anyway).
This next week I'm doing Des Moines Triathlon (formerly Hyvee tri). A friend got me a comp'd entry and a couch to crash on. It should be a great change to finally break 2 hours and ride under 60'. I think my goal will be burying myself on the bike and see how many pros I can out split. Then cruise a tempo run with a negative split around a 37-38. Should be fun! the challenge will be the logistics. We're also visiting family in Keokuk, IA, so I go there first, then straight to Des Moines for packet pickup, then bike check, then dinner possibly with some Facebook friends. It will be a C+ to B- race. I'm only 1-3/4 weeks into a block, but I won't have time for any workout on Sat. so it will be GASP! a day off. I think I only have 2-3 of those a year, usually after an "A" race.
Then one final week to get my fitness to a peak again and I'll taper. To clarify, in a base, you raise your overall training load to that you hit a peak CTL for the season. In a Build you do 2 things. You train is a way that's more specific to your race, and you return your CTL to a point right at or just slightly higher than the peak CTL from the base period. What you don't do, is try and hit a new peak. In Build 2, you peak CTL might even be lower than in Build 1..especially if you're doing some 70.3's in a build for an IM. You race yourself out of shape just a little, then use the build to regain that fitness. But it's a fair trade as those races are great workouts, build your confidence, test your fitness and help establish pacing metrics and race predictions.
By the numbers:
Swim: 2h32m, 11,045y,
Bike: 9h53m, 209mi (mostly Road Bike)
Run: 6h09m, 49.8mi
TOTAL: 18h23m
TSS: 1169
SIDENOTE: One of my athletes had a great day at Muskoka this weekend. Did hit his stretch goals, but had a swim PR, comparative bike PR (that's one of the hardest bike courses of all IM's) with negative splits by power. He ran faster than Maryland last year too and paced really smart, targeting negative splits, but faded in the heat.
Also, a local female placed 2nd in her AG and 6th overall and should be headed to Kona next year. She rode a 5:25!!! and had such a lead that a good but not fast 3:56 held off everyone behind. Haven;t seen the final results to see how it all unfolded. IM's website is severely lacking for to track competition effectively.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Weekly Wrap-up 8/17 & 8/24
Getting caught up once again. I had wrapped up my "Build 1" block with another week of solid work after a short recovery from Steelhead. I didn't quite hit the numbers I was targeting, but I put in some good consistent work. I followed that up with a recovery week leading to my final build for Kona.
Wow, I can't believe I'm <40 days away from stepping on an airplane for the big island. Couple thoughts on that. 1st, Steelhead & Racine proved to me that even if I'm a little heavier and a little behind in terms of training than where I wanted to be, or even where I think I was last year, the consistency of the last 5 years combined with good sense of pacing, seem to rule the day. It seems close to the that it's a matter of having enough fitness, and knowing how hard you can go with what your legs give you that day. I seem to manage solid races even when I'm a notch below my best in my training and how I feel on race day. 2nd, the final month is a little bitter sweet. I'm closing a chapter in my athletic career. I think the realities of balancing training, family and the fact that I'm 37 years old mean that in terms of peak performance, this is the pinnacle of my athletic career. Perhaps 10-15 years down the road I can train with equal or greater volume if I have the hunger to perform, but I won't be as fast as I am now. That sense of mortality creeps in just a little.
In my training these last few weeks I'll keep visualizing myself feeling strong, having a great race. Having a solid swim and riding up to the front of the field with the best in the world. Hitting the run relaxed, controlled, feeling strong yet light with a nice bounce to my step with a ringside seat to the pro race out on the road 10-15 miles up ahead for the men and I figure just 3-4 miles up to the women race.
By the numbers (8/10-8/16):
SWIM: 2h37m, 11,508y
BIKE: 10h56m, 234
RUN: 4h48m, 38.5mi
TOTAL 18h21m
TSS: 1061
By the numbers (8/17-8/23):
SWIM: 1h43m, 7,601y
BIKE: 7h42m, 150mi
RUN: 3h24m, 27.8mi
TOTAL 7h42m
TSS: 749
What's left:
2 Olympic distance "fun" races. Those will pretty much be my "speed" workouts for the block.
3 Long rides between 4 and 5-1/2 hours
3 long runs of 14-16 miles (actually 2, since I did a long run this morning)
A little more swimming.... if possible
My focus is IM pace, with some tempo mixed in on the bike. My medium and long runs, other than the OD races will be mostly z2 pace at IM intensity. I say "intensity" because my pace in 90F, 80% humidity will be slower, but the intensity will be the same. I think realistically I can roll a 7:25-7:35 pace and set a run PR and go just under 9:10 and even that is a stretch goal. I have to be realistic about the wind on the bike and the heat. But hey, why not dream a little. I tend to perform on hard courses and tough conditions.
Sidenote: I'm finally "Ranked" having completed my 3rd race of the season. I'm tied for 12th 35-39 nationally. 2nd (really 3rd, not sure why Dan Stubleski isn't ranked yet) in Michigan. Corey Perez rocked Triple T, which always scores really high. I'm just short of 100 points. 3 more shots at improving my point average. :)
If anyone has any questions on details of my training, race execution, etc, feel free to ask or e-mail... coachmikegirard@gmail.com
Wow, I can't believe I'm <40 days away from stepping on an airplane for the big island. Couple thoughts on that. 1st, Steelhead & Racine proved to me that even if I'm a little heavier and a little behind in terms of training than where I wanted to be, or even where I think I was last year, the consistency of the last 5 years combined with good sense of pacing, seem to rule the day. It seems close to the that it's a matter of having enough fitness, and knowing how hard you can go with what your legs give you that day. I seem to manage solid races even when I'm a notch below my best in my training and how I feel on race day. 2nd, the final month is a little bitter sweet. I'm closing a chapter in my athletic career. I think the realities of balancing training, family and the fact that I'm 37 years old mean that in terms of peak performance, this is the pinnacle of my athletic career. Perhaps 10-15 years down the road I can train with equal or greater volume if I have the hunger to perform, but I won't be as fast as I am now. That sense of mortality creeps in just a little.
In my training these last few weeks I'll keep visualizing myself feeling strong, having a great race. Having a solid swim and riding up to the front of the field with the best in the world. Hitting the run relaxed, controlled, feeling strong yet light with a nice bounce to my step with a ringside seat to the pro race out on the road 10-15 miles up ahead for the men and I figure just 3-4 miles up to the women race.
By the numbers (8/10-8/16):
SWIM: 2h37m, 11,508y
BIKE: 10h56m, 234
RUN: 4h48m, 38.5mi
TOTAL 18h21m
TSS: 1061
By the numbers (8/17-8/23):
SWIM: 1h43m, 7,601y
BIKE: 7h42m, 150mi
RUN: 3h24m, 27.8mi
TOTAL 7h42m
TSS: 749
What's left:
2 Olympic distance "fun" races. Those will pretty much be my "speed" workouts for the block.
3 Long rides between 4 and 5-1/2 hours
3 long runs of 14-16 miles (actually 2, since I did a long run this morning)
A little more swimming.... if possible
My focus is IM pace, with some tempo mixed in on the bike. My medium and long runs, other than the OD races will be mostly z2 pace at IM intensity. I say "intensity" because my pace in 90F, 80% humidity will be slower, but the intensity will be the same. I think realistically I can roll a 7:25-7:35 pace and set a run PR and go just under 9:10 and even that is a stretch goal. I have to be realistic about the wind on the bike and the heat. But hey, why not dream a little. I tend to perform on hard courses and tough conditions.
Sidenote: I'm finally "Ranked" having completed my 3rd race of the season. I'm tied for 12th 35-39 nationally. 2nd (really 3rd, not sure why Dan Stubleski isn't ranked yet) in Michigan. Corey Perez rocked Triple T, which always scores really high. I'm just short of 100 points. 3 more shots at improving my point average. :)
If anyone has any questions on details of my training, race execution, etc, feel free to ask or e-mail... coachmikegirard@gmail.com
Monday, August 10, 2015
2015 Steelhead 70.3 Race Report 08/09/15
Pretty cool to have a major Ironman branded race right in my new hometown. I rolled out of bed at 4:30AM, took my time getting breakfast, doing final double checks, airing up the tires and rolling out of the house. Its dark, but I've ridden this the 3 miles down the road to Jean Klock Park 20+ times before sunrise on training rides the last few months. I know every all the big potholes and manhole covers. Legs felt pretty good. Z2 felt nice and easy. I bypassed the long line of cars and rolled up to the line for transition. I went through the usual checks and transition set-up. I forgot rubber bands for holding my shoes but got a couple from a guy next to me in line.
6:30AM left transition and headed to the bathroom line then headed to the beach to meet up with the family. Around 7:10 I got my wet suit on and warmed up for 5 minutes. Water was on the warmer side. Barely cooled you off. It was going to be a warm swim. Arms felt OK, but didn't have the same snap as Racine. I got back in around 7:30, then headed to the line for my wave. I think it was 14th out of 17 waves. It was going to be 90 minutes of yelling on your left and dodging other competitors. That's just how it goes at these events. I get it, I understand the need to compress the race, but it makes things a little sketchy when you have riders going 15mph, riders going 19mph passing them, riders going 23mph passing that person and I'm the 4th one along doing around 28 mph. I wonder if just going to 5 minutes between waves 6-17 waves would help resolve it. That's only adding 10 minutes to the last wave, but it might make a pretty big difference. That's another 1-2 yards on average between each person. That sounds small, but it's pretty big when it gets congested. It also means it will take another 5-10 miles for the faster age groups to catch some of the earliest waves. It might however make lap 2 of the run more congested, but honestly, I'll take that trade-off.
None of this is possible without support from my family. Love you guys! My 6 y/o daughter had a blast at the beach.
Horn goes off, and I don't know what it is, but I swear that almost everyone hesitates for a split second and somehow I'm already 1-2 steps ahead. I'll summarize the swim real quick. I went too hard with all the dolphin diving and running, swam the 1st 300M too hard and never fully recovered. I never found my stroke and while I swam straight and had a good time overall, it wasn't what I was hoping. My sub 4 dream was already dead, but a sub 4:10 was a there as was maybe a sub 4:05. Traffic on the swim wasn't terrible. About typical. The water was pretty calm so you could see most swimmers up ahead with plenty of time to maneuver. SWIM TIME 31:01
I breezed through T1, hit the flying mount and got to work T1 TIME 2:22. I managed my power output a little to catch my breath, relax and recover from the swim and T1. By the time I reached the bottom of the long hill on the Blue Star Highway I was ready to roll. Plenty of scary moments. I took out a cone and went from slightly annoyed to downright agitated. Much worse than Racine. I think the light tailwind was the main reason. It speeds up the slowest riders and creates more congestion. Last year we had a headwind going out.
When shoulder ended 12 miles in, there's some froze heaves and I hit it hard and lost my aero bottle. It was a shock as I've never lost that bottle before. But it was sweating as in high sight, I foolishly filled it with cold Gatoraide. So now I just had my BTA bottle. So hand offs would be more critical.
After the turn East, the road got bumpy and folks were riding to the left to avoid some of the rougher patches. I've ridden this route 4 times in the last 2 months and honestly, this is stupid. It's not much different. If it's too bumpy, take some air out of your tires, sit up or use latex tubes, but please, please don't obstruct faster riders. I still refused to cross the center line resulting in having to nail my brakes a couple times, and after yelling on your left 3 items in a row loudly, got cussed out. My heart rate shot up, I put in some hard efforts to get around traffic. I finally had to ease up a little. A group of 4 riders rolled past me over the yellow center line. We had just passed an official earlier, so I dropped back. Not to be arrogant, but I knew I was faster, but was just having trouble with lap traffic...and I suspected they were riding over their head. I sat back, but every time we can to a downhill or flat section I was in Z1 or coasting and rolling into the back of the group. I passed them a couple times with some hard pulls, but every longer hill they caught me. Finally as we turned back into a crosswind on a long flats section I made the pass stick and pulled away. What I...and they didn't know, for what it mattered, or didn't matter, was that I was actually the leader on the road by over a minute at that point with Dan Stubleski, arguably the top amateur in the world at the IM distance, was 5 minute behind me in second. I had a real race on my hands.
The last 25 miles I finally had mostly clear road and could finally get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, so did Dan, and he put over a minute into me that last 40k, just like last year. A simple reminder that there are contenders and pretenders, and I was clearly put back in my place. That guy is a machine. But hey, I was 1st off the bike and out of transition by 5 seconds. That lasted probably 200 yards (virtually), and the race was over at that point. BIKE SPLIT 2:06:34 (within 60" of my BBS prediction).
BIKE DETAILS | Division Rank: 1
| SPLIT NAME | DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | RACE TIME | PACE | DIVISION RANK | GENDER RANK | OVERALL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.6 mi | 36.6 mi | 1:21:48 | 1:55:11 | 26.85 mi/h | |||
| 56 mi | 19.4 mi | 44:46 | 2:39:57 | 26.00 mi/h | |||
| Total | 56.0 mi | 2:06:34 | 2:39:57 | 26.55 mi/h | 1 | 1 | 1 |
I should have this screenshot framed. It will probably never happen again in a major race.
I struggled with my socks a little in T2. Shorter ones would go on faster, but I like the long purple to to match my Race Kit and like the coverage and compression on my achillies. T2 TIME 1:57
I came out of T2 and the inside of my quads and 1 hamstring were cramping a bit. I kept easing off and just relaxed, tried to pick up my cadence and recover. 6:15-6:30 felt comfortable, my legs felt good, but not like Kansas last year, but a lot better than Racine. I figured it might be another good race to try and roll some negative splits, so I cruised, took in as much fluids as I could, grabbed a gel then carried it to the 2nd aide station and ate it before getting some water. Around mile 4, around came Dan, right on schedule. I gave him a hard time about taking so long, asked him what his bike split was and he was gone.
Lap 2 I tried to roll on the pace just a little. I grabbed another gel at the same point and kept grabbing water, ice, Gatorade, red bull, coke, what ever was easiest to grab. I hit about the 8 miles mark and realized this was it. This was my last chance at a possible lifetime PR at the distance. I wasn't getting any younger, I might not have course conditions at this event or be able to train at this level again for a few years, so it was now or never, time to suffer a little and take it home. Hit the 10 mile mark and really started to focused. Went up the hill on Benson Rd the last time and I knew it was all downhill from there. I rolled on a it felt like 5:30 pace, but was barely 6:00-6:15. Breathing was heavy and rhythmic, I was into threshold zone at this point... this was all I had left. Hit the chute, did some math and knew I nailed a sub 4:10. I got a small cheer form he crowd when it was announced I was from St. Joseph, MI. I think it took the announcer by surprise to have a local guy place that high. RUN SPLIT 1:26:09 OVERALL TIME 4:08:03. I guess I should have run just a little faster and getting to 1:25 and 4:07....haha.
Looks like I just barely ran negative splits. Pretty happy with how I paced it overall. It's a fairly hilly course and was a humid day.
RUN DETAILS | Division Rank: 2
| SPLIT NAME | DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | RACE TIME | PACE | DIVISION RANK | GENDER RANK | OVERALL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 mi | 1.6 mi | 11:10 | 2:53:04 | 6:58/mi | |||
| 4.6 mi | 3 mi | 19:10 | 3:12:14 | 6:23/mi | |||
| 6.6 mi | 2 mi | 13:19 | 3:25:33 | 6:39/mi | |||
| 9.6 mi | 3 mi | 19:22 | 3:44:55 | 6:27/mi | |||
| 13.1 mi | 3.5 mi | 23:08 | 4:08:03 | 6:36/mi | |||
| Total | 13.1 mi | 1:26:09 | 4:08:03 | 6:34/mi | 2 | 2 | 2 |
This was one of those races that really makes you feel like your hard work paid off, yet at the same time, it makes you more hungry for more. You an now taste that next level. Riding that fast starts to make you dream a little. I had gone into Kona knowing I was get schooled, especially on the run. But now with 2 solid swim/bike splits, I'm thinking that I could ride my way to the front of the amateur race.... before I then get trounced on the run. But it puts a solid time near the top 10 (AG) as a possibility if I can execute and race smart. Either way it motivates me to put in a solid block of training and be as fit as I can when I set foot on the Big Island. Being just a little arrogant, over confident and a bit cocky has worked pretty well so far the last 2 years. Why stop now. Just keep swinging for the fences!
Congrats again to everyone that finished and Dan Stubleski for yet another dominating performance!!!
Congrats again to everyone that finished and Dan Stubleski for yet another dominating performance!!!
Training Update 08/10/15
Before I post my Racine Race report, I have a few week of training summary to post up here. I know it's always more art than science and a matter of listening to your body when you recover from a long course race, then try and turn around, get some fitness back and race another less than 4 week later. The build wasn't ideal and a lot of family commitments took priority, but I came into Steelhead ready to race and set some PR's.
Looking back, it's not the build I wanted, but I think the important take-away, is that I mostly cut out recovery rides and swimming, so my run consistency was great and my key bike rides were there. So in terms of "value" I hit the mark. I think mentally and physically, a slight drop in training load wasn't a bad thing after a long season of training to this point. Psychologically, having a great day at Steelhead will pay off come Kona and that final block of training. that being said, this was the lightest 4 week period of training I've done since the Fall.
By the Numbers:
7/20-7/26
Swim: 2:00/8804y
Bike: 6:42/145mi
Run: 3:22/27.6mi
TOTAL: 12:04/767TSS
7/27-8/02
Swim:2:06/9244y
Bike: 7:37/168mi
Run: 5:54/48.2mi
TOTAL: 15:37/994TSS
8/03-8/09 (including the race)
Swim: 2:42/11866
Bike: 6:56/165
Run: 4:29/37.9mi
Looking back, it's not the build I wanted, but I think the important take-away, is that I mostly cut out recovery rides and swimming, so my run consistency was great and my key bike rides were there. So in terms of "value" I hit the mark. I think mentally and physically, a slight drop in training load wasn't a bad thing after a long season of training to this point. Psychologically, having a great day at Steelhead will pay off come Kona and that final block of training. that being said, this was the lightest 4 week period of training I've done since the Fall.
By the Numbers:
7/20-7/26
Swim: 2:00/8804y
Bike: 6:42/145mi
Run: 3:22/27.6mi
TOTAL: 12:04/767TSS
7/27-8/02
Swim:2:06/9244y
Bike: 7:37/168mi
Run: 5:54/48.2mi
TOTAL: 15:37/994TSS
8/03-8/09 (including the race)
Swim: 2:42/11866
Bike: 6:56/165
Run: 4:29/37.9mi
Monday, July 20, 2015
2015 Racine 70.3 Race Report
Racine 70.3 - 07/19/15
Pre-race
Arrived very early so I wasn't rushed and to avoid parking issues. I made sure to have a couple bottles of water & sports drink to carry to the beach for the 2 hour wait for my wave's start and stretched out my pre-race nutrition accordingly. I waited until about 40 minutes before my start to get on the wetsuit and get it so I wasn't standing around sweating in it. The water was 61F and after the initial shock it actually felt almost perfect with the warm and humid air.
SWIM
I lined up at the front anticipating a sub 30 swim. Minimal contact and slotted right between 2 guys and swam strong but stay well under control right near threshold and quickly eased back to a tempo pace. Neither pulled in front and I didn't want to drop back and have the pace slow down, so we swam together. I lost them just after the 1st turn and in some lap traffic. I did possibly my best job of sighting and swimming straight ever in a OWS. It paid off with a 70.3 distance swim PR by almost 1 minute. Looking at the Pro times, it was a little fast, but not much, a pretty honest swim course. 2 take-aways for me... and these are pretty obvious, but worth repeating as they have a greater impact than swim fitness itself.
I have fast swims when I:
1) Swim straight! I did a much better job of sighting and sighted much more frequently.
2) Swim along side someone else
3) Get into a rhythm really soon, relax, stretch out my stroke and can pay attention to my catch and timing.
Last note on the swim. The last 100 meters was in shallow water. I opted to dolphin dive and swim until it was below my waist. That seems to be much faster than those walking around me. I hit hte beach and saw 1:30 on the clock so i know I came in under 28! Swim PR...nice!
T1
I was careful not to run too hard in the sand off the beach. Its' easy to be pushing well over threshold at that point. Long run through transition. AWA rack was near the exit so a short run with the bike. No shoes on the bike for this race, so I elected to put my shoes on, then run the 30 yards out from there. I haven't run in my cycling shoes in almost 10 years. I find it funny because I fumble more getting clipped on on a flying mount, that I do sliding my feet into shoes held with rubber bands.... oh well. Just another reason I'd like to see an Open Elite wave that goes off maybe 10 minutes after the female pros with the same drafting and other rules as the Pros. Maybe move the Male pro start forward 10 minutes. But I know that presents some challenges.
BIKE
My legs felt great. I settled in around 80-85%, surging a little as needed to get through traffic. I focused on holding a good aero position as best I could, but I had to stay up a little more than I like so I could see down the road further. As anticipated, the roads were a little rough in sections, but excellent in others. A real mixed bag. I dropped my tire pressures just a little and of course run Latex Tubes. I ran around 98 psi front on narrow rim older Zipp 404's and 95psi rear on a wide rim Firecrest 808. I'm running around 167lbs right now (It shows on my run split compared to Kansas last year). My goal in this race was to really lay down a solid bike split, see if my position improvements this winter paid off, push my limits, but still ride within my fitness. Just feel it out. There's a lot of turns on this course. OF course every one has me passing someone at a 10mph+ closing rate. I called out my presence deliberately. I probably sounded like a jerk a little, but if it keep everyone safe and allows me to race, then it's ok in my mind. though I'm not sure most triathlete know what "inside" or "outside" means. It refers to the position in a corner. If I yell "inside", and it's a let turn, I'm passing you on the left and taking a tight line. If it's a right hander, I'm taking a wide line and praying the lapped rider holds their line. I overcooked a few turns but recovered ok.
Then IT happened. The one thing that always goes wrong in a race. Around mile 15 on a left hand turn, I rubbed my elbow pad switching from aero to sitting up for some lap traffic and my right pad came unstuck off the velco. I almost was able to grab it as it was in my lap for a split second, but missed it. For a few seconds I debated turning around. But it would have been unsafe to do at that point on the course. I elected to solider on. I has a nice bruise to show for it. I spend the next 90 minutes or so, managing weighting my right arm over bumps. Hard ot say what it cost me. I couldn't stay as aero, was a distraction and I wasted energy for the run and a modified pedaling mechanics holding myself off the bars. If it was an IM...I would have stopped and used bar tape to fasten the neoprene bag the hold my flat kit in my draft box as a makeshift arm pad. But it was a good mental test. I ended up with the 3rd fastest amateur bike split. Corrected distance average speed was 25.7mph. That beats my previous corrected best of 25.5 at Steelhead.
I consumed about 60oz of gatoraide, 3 gels and a 1/2 bottle of water on the course. Right at 400 calories per hour. As usual, I waited about 15 minutes until I had relaxed, settled in and HR dropped a little to drink anything.
T2
Nailed my flying dismount, one of my better ones in terms of speed and timing. Took a moment to put on socks and off I went. Pretty uneventful. I fumbled putting on my visor and GPS watch while running as usual, but NBD.
RUN
I had to really focus on slowing down. I kept seeing 5:30-5:50 on my GPS and it felt easy. But at the same time I had some cramping in my quads and hamstrings. I felt like somewhere around 1:24-1:28 was all I had in my today. I settled in to around 6:30-6:45 and just listened my legs. I thought this might be a perfect time to see if I could roll a negative split. Really ease off the start of the run and roll into it. The 2 hills in the first mile made that a smart play. I figured I had a solid swim and bike so I could play it safe. The fast guys of the age group, Dan Stubleski hadn't passed me yet, as he started 3 minutes behind. I was getting worried maybe he had crashed or had a mechanical. It turns out he swam a couple minute slower and only biked a couple minutes faster so we were almost even starting the run. That meant it only took him 5 miles to catch me. I wasn't sure where I was at otherwise. But I could see Scott Bowe at the turn around about 7 minutes up. He started 3 minutes ahead, so he had a 4 minute lead. I stayed relaxed, high fived and cheered some of the pros I knew that were finishing, took in as much water and gatoride as I could and dumped Ice down my trisuit and used the downhills to pick up the pace a little. I ate 2 gels, I grabbed from a table on course. One around mile 6 and another at mile 10. It felt a nice bump in energy each time. I ended up running a conservative 6:50 on 1st lap and 6:35 pace the 2nd lap.
At the turn around I took a split on my watch and I had taken 2 minutes off to Bowe so with a surge I might have a chance of bridging the gap, especially with a couple downhills near the finish. The course was getting pretty congested and my patience to passing was wearing thin with folks running side by side chatting. I counted down the last miles, played those games where you tell yourself... OK, 20 minutes left, 15, 10, 5, then the final 1/4 mile kick.
The effort paid off with a 3rd place finish, 22nd overall, 6th Amateur. It was a close fight after 2nd. Only 1 minute up was the 3rd amateur, 1 minute slower and I'm 5th in my age group. On to my home course for Steelhead in 3 weeks!!!
A shout out to TBC's own Jordan Bailey!!! 3rd amateur overall! Awesome race! That means, if he's so inclined, he could get his Elite/Pro status.
Other notes:
My size small sleeved custom printed trisuit, fit & functioned as well as it looked. Not arm flexibility issues, I think my average speeds at the wattage I put on showed it's fast, and it felt very cool. It seemed mostly dry feeling much of the time. The sun coverage was great. You can clearly see the tan lines, despite using sun screen. The sleeves extended most of the way to my elbows.
I also looked at some bike splits. I matched the 2nd fastest split of Dan Stubleski on the 1st segment. I'll have to see where my NP was at that point compared to the rest. That might be my power target in 3 weeks. See if I can hold that.
Can't wait. A well executed race overall always motivates you to push your training a little harder.
Final results:
Pre-race
Arrived very early so I wasn't rushed and to avoid parking issues. I made sure to have a couple bottles of water & sports drink to carry to the beach for the 2 hour wait for my wave's start and stretched out my pre-race nutrition accordingly. I waited until about 40 minutes before my start to get on the wetsuit and get it so I wasn't standing around sweating in it. The water was 61F and after the initial shock it actually felt almost perfect with the warm and humid air.
SWIM
I lined up at the front anticipating a sub 30 swim. Minimal contact and slotted right between 2 guys and swam strong but stay well under control right near threshold and quickly eased back to a tempo pace. Neither pulled in front and I didn't want to drop back and have the pace slow down, so we swam together. I lost them just after the 1st turn and in some lap traffic. I did possibly my best job of sighting and swimming straight ever in a OWS. It paid off with a 70.3 distance swim PR by almost 1 minute. Looking at the Pro times, it was a little fast, but not much, a pretty honest swim course. 2 take-aways for me... and these are pretty obvious, but worth repeating as they have a greater impact than swim fitness itself.
I have fast swims when I:
1) Swim straight! I did a much better job of sighting and sighted much more frequently.
2) Swim along side someone else
3) Get into a rhythm really soon, relax, stretch out my stroke and can pay attention to my catch and timing.
Last note on the swim. The last 100 meters was in shallow water. I opted to dolphin dive and swim until it was below my waist. That seems to be much faster than those walking around me. I hit hte beach and saw 1:30 on the clock so i know I came in under 28! Swim PR...nice!
T1
I was careful not to run too hard in the sand off the beach. Its' easy to be pushing well over threshold at that point. Long run through transition. AWA rack was near the exit so a short run with the bike. No shoes on the bike for this race, so I elected to put my shoes on, then run the 30 yards out from there. I haven't run in my cycling shoes in almost 10 years. I find it funny because I fumble more getting clipped on on a flying mount, that I do sliding my feet into shoes held with rubber bands.... oh well. Just another reason I'd like to see an Open Elite wave that goes off maybe 10 minutes after the female pros with the same drafting and other rules as the Pros. Maybe move the Male pro start forward 10 minutes. But I know that presents some challenges.
BIKE
My legs felt great. I settled in around 80-85%, surging a little as needed to get through traffic. I focused on holding a good aero position as best I could, but I had to stay up a little more than I like so I could see down the road further. As anticipated, the roads were a little rough in sections, but excellent in others. A real mixed bag. I dropped my tire pressures just a little and of course run Latex Tubes. I ran around 98 psi front on narrow rim older Zipp 404's and 95psi rear on a wide rim Firecrest 808. I'm running around 167lbs right now (It shows on my run split compared to Kansas last year). My goal in this race was to really lay down a solid bike split, see if my position improvements this winter paid off, push my limits, but still ride within my fitness. Just feel it out. There's a lot of turns on this course. OF course every one has me passing someone at a 10mph+ closing rate. I called out my presence deliberately. I probably sounded like a jerk a little, but if it keep everyone safe and allows me to race, then it's ok in my mind. though I'm not sure most triathlete know what "inside" or "outside" means. It refers to the position in a corner. If I yell "inside", and it's a let turn, I'm passing you on the left and taking a tight line. If it's a right hander, I'm taking a wide line and praying the lapped rider holds their line. I overcooked a few turns but recovered ok.
Then IT happened. The one thing that always goes wrong in a race. Around mile 15 on a left hand turn, I rubbed my elbow pad switching from aero to sitting up for some lap traffic and my right pad came unstuck off the velco. I almost was able to grab it as it was in my lap for a split second, but missed it. For a few seconds I debated turning around. But it would have been unsafe to do at that point on the course. I elected to solider on. I has a nice bruise to show for it. I spend the next 90 minutes or so, managing weighting my right arm over bumps. Hard ot say what it cost me. I couldn't stay as aero, was a distraction and I wasted energy for the run and a modified pedaling mechanics holding myself off the bars. If it was an IM...I would have stopped and used bar tape to fasten the neoprene bag the hold my flat kit in my draft box as a makeshift arm pad. But it was a good mental test. I ended up with the 3rd fastest amateur bike split. Corrected distance average speed was 25.7mph. That beats my previous corrected best of 25.5 at Steelhead.
I consumed about 60oz of gatoraide, 3 gels and a 1/2 bottle of water on the course. Right at 400 calories per hour. As usual, I waited about 15 minutes until I had relaxed, settled in and HR dropped a little to drink anything.
T2
Nailed my flying dismount, one of my better ones in terms of speed and timing. Took a moment to put on socks and off I went. Pretty uneventful. I fumbled putting on my visor and GPS watch while running as usual, but NBD.
RUN
I had to really focus on slowing down. I kept seeing 5:30-5:50 on my GPS and it felt easy. But at the same time I had some cramping in my quads and hamstrings. I felt like somewhere around 1:24-1:28 was all I had in my today. I settled in to around 6:30-6:45 and just listened my legs. I thought this might be a perfect time to see if I could roll a negative split. Really ease off the start of the run and roll into it. The 2 hills in the first mile made that a smart play. I figured I had a solid swim and bike so I could play it safe. The fast guys of the age group, Dan Stubleski hadn't passed me yet, as he started 3 minutes behind. I was getting worried maybe he had crashed or had a mechanical. It turns out he swam a couple minute slower and only biked a couple minutes faster so we were almost even starting the run. That meant it only took him 5 miles to catch me. I wasn't sure where I was at otherwise. But I could see Scott Bowe at the turn around about 7 minutes up. He started 3 minutes ahead, so he had a 4 minute lead. I stayed relaxed, high fived and cheered some of the pros I knew that were finishing, took in as much water and gatoride as I could and dumped Ice down my trisuit and used the downhills to pick up the pace a little. I ate 2 gels, I grabbed from a table on course. One around mile 6 and another at mile 10. It felt a nice bump in energy each time. I ended up running a conservative 6:50 on 1st lap and 6:35 pace the 2nd lap.
At the turn around I took a split on my watch and I had taken 2 minutes off to Bowe so with a surge I might have a chance of bridging the gap, especially with a couple downhills near the finish. The course was getting pretty congested and my patience to passing was wearing thin with folks running side by side chatting. I counted down the last miles, played those games where you tell yourself... OK, 20 minutes left, 15, 10, 5, then the final 1/4 mile kick.
The effort paid off with a 3rd place finish, 22nd overall, 6th Amateur. It was a close fight after 2nd. Only 1 minute up was the 3rd amateur, 1 minute slower and I'm 5th in my age group. On to my home course for Steelhead in 3 weeks!!!
A shout out to TBC's own Jordan Bailey!!! 3rd amateur overall! Awesome race! That means, if he's so inclined, he could get his Elite/Pro status.
Other notes:
My size small sleeved custom printed trisuit, fit & functioned as well as it looked. Not arm flexibility issues, I think my average speeds at the wattage I put on showed it's fast, and it felt very cool. It seemed mostly dry feeling much of the time. The sun coverage was great. You can clearly see the tan lines, despite using sun screen. The sleeves extended most of the way to my elbows.
I also looked at some bike splits. I matched the 2nd fastest split of Dan Stubleski on the 1st segment. I'll have to see where my NP was at that point compared to the rest. That might be my power target in 3 weeks. See if I can hold that.
Can't wait. A well executed race overall always motivates you to push your training a little harder.
Final results:
SWIM DETAILS | Division Rank: 10
| SPLIT NAME | DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | RACE TIME | PACE | DIVISION RANK | GENDER RANK | OVERALL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1.2 mi | 27:39 | 27:39 | 1:25/100m | 10 | 57 | 76 |
BIKE DETAILS | Division Rank: 3
| SPLIT NAME | DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | RACE TIME | PACE | DIVISION RANK | GENDER RANK | OVERALL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mi | 16 mi | 37:16 | 1:07:53 | 25.76 mi/h | |||
| 34 mi | 18 mi | 42:17 | 1:50:10 | 25.54 mi/h | |||
| 42 mi | 8 mi | 18:17 | 2:08:27 | 26.25 mi/h | |||
| 56 mi | 14 mi | 35:24 | 2:43:51 | 23.73 mi/h | |||
| Total | 56 mi | 2:13:14 | 2:43:51 | 25.22 mi/h | 3 | 15 | 15 |
RUN DETAILS | Division Rank: 3
| SPLIT NAME | DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | RACE TIME | PACE | DIVISION RANK | GENDER RANK | OVERALL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4 mi | 3.4 mi | 23:15 | 3:08:39 | 6:50/mi | |||
| 6.6 mi | 3.2 mi | 21:58 | 3:30:37 | 6:51/mi | |||
| 9.8 mi | 3.2 mi | 21:17 | 3:51:54 | 6:39/mi | |||
| 13.1 mi | 3.3 mi | 21:34 | 4:13:28 | 6:32/mi | |||
| Total | 13.1 mi | 1:28:04 | 4:13:28 | 6:43/mi | 3 | 21 | 22 |
Transition Details
| T1: Swim-to-bike | 2:58 |
| T2: Bike-to-run | 1:33 |
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