Viva Las Vegas

ITU World Championship Long Course Triathlon 2011

Background

The ITU (International Triathlon Union) is the world governing body for the sport of Triathlon. This is the group recognized by the IOC as the sanctioning body for Triathlon in the Olympic Games and World Championship events during non-Olympic years. Along with the Olympics and various world cup events, the ITU sanctions World Championship Age Group events. This past weekend, just outside of Las Vegas in Henderson Nevada, they held the 2011 Long Course Age Group and Elite Championships. The race distances were a 4K (2.4 miles) Swim, 120K (~75 miles) Bike and 30K (18.6 mile) Run.  There were athletes from all over the world competing.  Each country had different standards that allowed athletes to qualify for this race. Athletes in the US had to qualify at one of three races held over the last year.   I was lucky enough to qualify for the event based on my finish at the Pigman race here in the Cedar Rapids area.

In my age group there were athletes from Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, The Philippines and Japan. Here are some pictures of the different contingents from in front of the host hotel the night before the race.

Team South Africa..

Athletes from Cannuckistan were all over the place..

Some Japanese athletes giving me the universal sign for all systems go.

I targeted two races this year; The Hy-Vee 5150 Championships in September and this race. There aren’t many opportunities to race in a World Championship event based on your home countries’ soil so this was an opportunity not to be missed.

After the Hy-Vee race on Labor Day, I took about a week to recover physically and mentally get my head into what was going to be about an eight week build phase for this race.  My intentions going into it were to prepare as thoroughly as I’d ever done so for a race. No excuses. No short-cuts. Thankfully, I was able to maintain my motivation for the entire phase. I was able to keep my eating under control and not miss any workouts due to injury.  Over the eight weeks, my weekly averages were just over 200 miles on the bike, 48 miles running and 10,000 yards in the pool. That equated to about 20 hours a week training……Dottie deserves sainthood for putting up with me.

Race Day

Coming into the race, I was sure that it was going to test my ability to deal with heat. The average temps for Las Vegas this time of year were about twenty degrees warmer than here in Cedar Rapids. To help me get ready for the heat, I spent bike workouts in the basement bundled up in sweats and a jacket. I hit the steam room four times and did a few runs dressed warmer than necessary. I was feeling good about my prep.

37 degrees…..that was the air temp on race morning.  So much for heat training. The air temp in conjunction with 55 degree water temps meant that the swim portion was cancelled. ITU has a formula they use to ensure the safety of the athletes and the aggregate water and air temps didn’t meet their minimums’. And just as importantly, they couldn’t test the water that morning for bacteria..Lake Las Vegas, the lake we were to swim in, is situated at the bottom of a valley surrounded by houses, streets, lawns and a shopping center. It had rained pretty hard the night before the race and all the run off ended up in the lake…yuch! At the time, I was bummed the swim was cancelled. I think I’m at a point in my swim training where it’s to my advantage to have the swim. I’m not Michael Phelps but I can usually pull off a top 5 swim. That puts me ahead of most of field coming out of the water.

Plan B was in effect. Just a bike and a run. There really wasn't going to be any difference in the strategy I had originally planned for the race. I had a watt number and a nutrition plan in my head that I was going to execute..swim or no swim.

The race orginizers decided that the race would start with a bike time trial (TT) start. Every 5 seconds, they sent off a biker. It went pretty smooth. We had plenty of time to get our biking gear organized and warm clothes on. At about 8:20 AM, I was off.

Here’s a shot of us heading up to the start of the bike. We were staged in race number order.

Bike

Ave mph – 19.4 (7th fastest out of 65 guys in my age group.)

Ave heart rate: 144

Ave power – 200

This course was advertised as a hard, hilly and windy course. It was all that. 7000 feet of climbing and wide open desert. I’d never even done a training ride on a course like this. It was going to be a learning experience for me on two fronts. I’d never raced for 75 miles and I’d never raced on a course this challenging. I was confident though and I was looking forward to it.  

Coming into the race, my biking numbers haven’t been headed in the right direction.  I knew that I probably wasn’t going to have the bike I had hoped for. It’s been a long season and I just haven’t been able to hold the power numbers I was putting up in the first part of the year. I was putting the miles in so I was comfortable that I’d be able to last the distance and run afterwards, it just wouldn’t be as fast as I’d like. Based on my recent workouts, the plan was to keep the watts capped at 250 on the hills and average about 210 watts for the ride.

This is just prior to the start. Notice the extremely fashionable jacket. Dottie found it in the women’s wear section of a local dept. store.  $17 bucks later with the sleeves cut off and bam..I’m warm and ready to go.

As you’d expect, I felt great at the start of the race. The pedals turned effortlessly.  I was able to climb out of Lake Las Vegas with ease and kept my power under control. What a great feeling…I was FREAK’N RACING.. About 20 minutes into the race, I was passed by two guys in my age group. My first instinct was to get out of the saddle and give chase. It took me about two seconds to figure out that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. They were flying and I had a plan that I was trying to stick to. So, I just focused on the task at hand and tried to ride my own race. The course makes its way to the Lake Meade Recreational area and then does a half loop around Lake Meade. It was fun and it was not boring. I was either flying down hill at 40+ mph or crawling up hill at 10mph.

After 60 miles I was right at 206 and averaging about 20 mph. I was happy with those numbers and felt pretty good.  No other guys in my age group had passed me and I had reeled in a few. At that point, the course leaves the roads and moves on to a bike path. I never did any recon on this part of the trail (dumb) and wasn’t prepared for the crappy surface and twisty nature of it.  I wasn’t able to bury my head and focus on my breathing, pedal pressure and the powermeter…I had to pay attention to my “bike handling skills” and other bikers.  The focus level should have gone up to compensate and it didn’t. Over the last 15 miles of the course, I crashed once and averaged about 175 watts. Horse bleep! The end result was I averaged just over 200 for the entire ride. As I look back at the ride, I’m extremely disappointed in myself for not recognizing what was going on and reacting to it. I know that if I rode the course again, I’d be faster..no doubt about it. (Lots of good that does now).

I mentioned I crashed….I ride with a Garmin GPS device that tracks my speed and can plot my path on a map. Here the evidence. I was coming down a hill much faster than I should have and just couldn’t keep on the path.  I ended up running into the side of a hill.  No real damage done but it shows the lack of focus.

Once the course left the path and headed back out on the streets of Henderson, I was able to regain some rhythm and tried to work hard for the last 5 miles or so. My sense at this point was that I didn’thave a good ride and would need to make up places on the run.

This was the first race I’ve ever done that had someone grab my bike in T2.  I got off, handed it to one of the volunteers and made my way into the changing tent.

Run

Time: 2:13:48 

Pace: 7:12

3^rd /65 out of age group

This was the longest I’d ever run off the bike…18.6 miles. Unlike the lack of confidence I had coming into the race about my bike, I’d been running extremely well over the last month. As part of a race simulation I’d done two weeks ago, I averaged 7:06 mpm for 12 miles after riding 65. I felt I was ready to go. 

The course was a four loop course.  The first half of the loop was downhill and then you turned around and ran uphill…. Very little, if any, flat terrain to be able to just get in a groove and just run.

When I saw Dottie at the start of the first loop, she told me there were five guys in front of me. I was surprised it wasn’t more considering how I finished on the bike.  So at that point, I was ok with the position I was in and had a good feeling I was going to move up in the standings.

Coming off the bike, because it was so cold, my feet were frozen. As much as I hate the feeling of running off the bike with tired legs, running on frozen feet is even worse. It took about two miles for my running legs and feet to come in.  Once they did, I felt fine for about a mile.. At mile three, I started to cramp in my lower right hamstring.  Oh boy…this was not going the way I’d hoped.  I proceeded to run the next 15 miles in serious cramp management mode.  As the race went on, the cramps struck other parts of my legs. By the end of the race, both hamstrings and my left calf all were giving me problems. There were four or five times when they forced me to stop and stretch. For the entire rest of the race, I was eating pretzels for salt and trying not to over-stride.. In hindsight, the cramps forced me to keep my stride quick and in check. I also think the change from uphill to downhill running form also helped me not completely lock up.   Even though I was cramping, I was motoring along. It was surprising that I was able to keep up the pace.  I couldn’t open it up, but I was definitely running. 

Besides the cramps, the only other notable event happened at an aid station on the third loop. Coming into each station, I was asking for pretzels and water at each of the stations.  At this particular one, I got my cup of water but the pretzel hand off ended up with me holding an empty paper cup and the pretzels going crunch under my feet.  I drank the water and just kept running. About 50 yards past the station, I feel someone running hard to my left. The kid who had originally tried to pass me the pretzels grabbed another cup and hauled ass to catch me. He passed me the pretzels and off I went. At that point in the race, I was pretty out of it and almost started to cry with gratitude. The only problem was that I didn’t have any water to wash the pretzels down. I ran to the next aid station with a “chaw” of dried pretzels stored in my right cheek. My mouth didn’t have the moisture to swallow them and with my heavy breathing, they were coming out of my mouth like little flakes of snow…It took my mind off the cramps for a while.

The run finished with about a mile and half downhill stretch. On a normal day I would have loved that. On this day it was the most nerve wracking part of the race for me. I couldn’t run hard because of the cramping. With each step…I’m not exaggerating when I say each step,  I was waiting for my legs to completely lock up. They didn’t. I was also not thinking as clearly as I could have. The run course was four laps. As the last lap progressed, I became less and less sure what lap I was on and if I should run down the chute or take off and run another lap.  I was pretty sure I was finished but to say I was 100% sure would be lying. If I had to place a number, I'd say I started the lap at 99% and finished the lap at about 70%. I was out of it. I took a chance, got it right, and my legs were absolutely garbage for the next five days.

As I look back on the run, I’m extremely proud of the way I handled it. I did what I could. I’d never cramped before like this and just took what my body was able to give. Thankfully, it was enough.

Wrap Up

First let me start off with a disclaimer. Yes, this race was considered the 2011 World Championship Long Course Triathlon. But, age group world championship events aren’t run the same and athletes aren’t supported the same as what most folks would consider a typical World Championship event.

Age groupers are on their own when it comes to getting to and racing these types of events. USA Triathlon does not offer any support nor do they try to field the event with the best available athletes. They designate qualifying events and whoever qualifies; can go… if they want to.

All the above is true and the fact is this race was the 2011 Long Course World Championships hosted by the International Triathlon Union (ITU). The same organizing body that puts on the Olympics I qualified. I can’t control who shows up and who doesn’t. Do I think I’m the third fastest M50-54 triathlete in the world today…no way, no how. But I was on the podium Saturday night with the US flag. Mind boggling.

One of the reasons I write these race reports is to give myself a record of my race and document what went right and what went wrong.  I’ve got plenty learn from this experience.

As I look back on this race, I’m happy with the result. My goal coming into the race was to be top five. To be on the podium was unbelievable. I disappointed with the way I raced though. Losing focus on the bike was a rookie mistake.  I was locked into the #’s and didn’t pay enough attention to the changing race environment. I also didn’t recon the entire bike course…how stupid is that??

Another take away from this race is the need for salt. Even though it wasn’t hot out, I’m pretty sure my cramps were the result of a lack of electrolytes. The time spent racing was about an hour and a half longer than I’d ever done before so I was in uncharted territory. I read in most Ironman race reports that folks religiously take salt tablets. I’ve never felt the need to as I’ve never cramped in training. All that changes the next time I race long.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. It was therapeutic for me and hopefully a little educational and entertaining for you.

Last but not least……My wife Dottie is the reason I’m able to follow my passion for training and racing triathlon. She’s proud of me when I exceed my expectations and she’s not afraid to pull the rug out from under me when I’m being a dufus…I am one lucky husband, dad and triathlete..

This one hits home..

There are times when you read something and think "Damn, that's exactly what I think too" ....I pilfered this from Dathan Ritzenhien, an American world class runner.



"I realized that I like training, I like to be fit. I like the everyday satisfaction of having done something that most people can't do. It was something I missed a whole lot. So I really do enjoy the training. I don't particularly like it when I'm out there doing quarters (400s) and it's super hard, but I like the satisfaction of having done it every day."

"That's what sometimes separates people who always run and always train and people who maybe move on in life and do something else. I think I'm a lot more likely to be someone like Joan Benoit (Samuelson), who keeps going forever, just because I actually really like it, as opposed to someone who stops and never runs again."

There's a smile in every isle at Hy-Vee.

                             

Over Labor Day weekend, Dottie and I were in Des Moines IA for the Championship Final of the 5150 Series put on by the Hy-Vee Food Stores. The 5150 Series is group of races across the United States and Europe that culminated with the 2011 championships in Des Moines. You had to qualify at one of the earlier series races to compete in these Championships. I qualified at the Memphis in May race.  5150 refers to the total distance of the race in Kilometers…1.5K Swim. 40K Bike, 10K Run.

Hy-Vee and the race management company PEM were just about flawless this weekend. I’ve been tomany races over the years and this one was one of the best I’ve ever attended. Perfect logisitics. Theweather cooperated. The course was fair. The competition was good and the volunteers were enthusiastic and extremely helpful. It was an awesome event.

This was a race that I’ve been targeting since I heard about it late in 2010. When they announced the series and the race, they also announced that there would be prize money/consideration for age group winners. $500 for first place…I had to get me some of that. And, as an Iowan, I wanted to do well in my home state.

We made it to Des Moines midafternoon on Saturday after driving through a rainstorm for most of the two hour trip. As soon as we got to the race site, the weather let up and I was able to get in a nice easy shake out ride and run. I felt great. The fatigue that’s been in my legs for the last three months was gone. Dottie was able to get in her run and we headed back to the hotel for dinner and relaxation. As soon as we left the site, it started raining cats and dogs again. (This is called foreshadowing).

Sunday morning arrived clear and cold. The Weather Channel had the temp at 47 degrees when we woke up at 4:45. I wasn’t looking forward to riding my bike while wet but it was better than 90 degrees and humid. After we parked the car and were walking to the transition area, I mentioned to Dot that because of the rain and cool temps, I bet the swim was going to be wetsuit legal. That was contrary to what we’d heard from the race organization during the week. On the rae website and at the prerace meeting it was mentioned a bunch of times that the race was most likely not going to be wetsuit legal….The website showed water temps in the mid to low 80’s. Well, game time water temp was 73 degrees. Wetsuit legal.  That caught a bunch of folks by surprise and they showed up sans wetsuit. I was lucky enough to think to myself on Saturday morning as I was packing for the trip to just throw the wetsuit in the bag. You never know. That was $250 “you never know”. (More foreshadowing)  Wetsuits are a huge advantage to have on during the swim. They add buoyancy which allows you to ride higher in the water. Higher in the water means less body surface underwater causing drag and you go faster. Those folks who weren’t wearing wet suits today would be severely handicapped in the race.

Swim

We were able to get in the water and warm up prior to the swim so I took full advantage of that opportunity, plus it was warmer in the water, so that was nice. Unlike the practice swims I had over the past couple of weeks, I felt like I had my stroke on. I felt smooth and strong. I finished my warm-up and sat in the water waiting for my wave to start. As I was chatting with a guy, I looked over and saw a group of guys standing on the water’s edge under the start banner waiting for the gun to go off. It looked like they had the same color swim cap as me. My first thought was ..”why the heck did they put the same color cap on two waves”. ….0001 second later, I figured out that was my wave and I was sitting in the water enjoying my last pee. I got my ass out of the water, through the starting gate, over the mat and ran down to the water. Fifteen seconds later, they sent us off. I didn’t have time to contemplate what would have happened if I missed the start. I was too busy swimming hard to try and clear the pack. There were a couple of guys ahead so I tried drafting off of one of them but that lasted about 30 seconds. The water was too cloudy to see their feet and they were swimming much faster that I felt comfortable with. So, I put my head down and focused on the things that were important for a good swim; a quick stroke cadence, good catch and strong underwater pull. I felt great. The only issue came as we were swimming along the back of the course directly into the rising sun. I couldn’t see much of anything and had to be directed back on to the course by a kayaker. That’s a first for me and probably cost me about 30-45 seconds. I didn’t get pissed, I just put my head down and swam a little harder. I finished the swim without any other eff ups..thankfully.

Swim time: 24:41 / 2^nd age group

Here’s a picture Dot took of my wave before the swim start. Guess who’s not in this picture?

Bike

The advice I got from my coach, Daniel Bretscher, was to treat the race as an 18 mile Time Trial. The race is about 25 miles long so I thought that was interesting advice. He went on to explain that the first 18 miles are a net uphill, the last 6+ miles were a net downhill. If I worked really hard the first 18, I could still maintain good speed over the last downhill section even though I may have over cooked myself…It was good advice and it seemed to work to my advantage. I was never passed during the bike and moved well up in the field. This race was also run with my focus on the trusty Quark(powermeter). I had hoped to average around 260 watts for the race. Although I had been feeling great on the bike lately, the watt numbers have been in steady decline since I raced in Memphis. In that race I averaged 261 watts and was hoping to at least match that number in this race.  It wasn’t to be. I averaged about 251. There’s a saying in the bike world... “It never gets easier, you just go faster”.  In my case, it never gets easier; I’m just not going as fast….oh well…it is what it is. On the whole, despite what Mr Quark said, I was really happy with my effort. I kept it on the rivet the whole way and finished the rest of the bike portion pushing as hard as I could. Everything was going just peachy until I dismounted coming into T2. As I swung my leg right leg over the bar and was in perfect position to do a running dismount, I must have squeezed the front brake a little too hard and the bike almost went over itself on the front wheel. Luckily, I was already off so I didn’t fall, but I did lose the right shoe off the pedal so I needed to go back and retrieve it…another 15 seconds lost. Not very smooth

Bike time: 1:01:38 / 24.2mph / 2^nd age group

Bike Nutrition: ~15oz Gatorade.

Run

I found my bike spot and immediately noticed that there was a bike already racked. Dang it, I was going to have to run someone down. I had already mentally prepared myself to run as hard as I could so there wasn’t going to be any change in the plan…I got my Newton’s on and just flew out of transitions. The legs did not feel great but I pushed hard right away. It was not comfortable by any stretch but I was not going to try and ease into the run and wait for them to come good. I didn’t have any gadgets with me on this run. No Garmin, No heart rate monitor. No watch.  This run was going to be a “non-negotiable” run. I wasn’t going to make deals with myself based on a pace or heart rate. I was going to run the entire 10K based on feel and that feel was not going to be pleasant. As I was running to a turnaround just prior to mile two, I had a chance to see the guy who I thought was in front of me. He was about two minutes ahead and looked like he was running strong. His cadence was quick and he just looked like a runner. Oh well, it was going to be really hard to make up that time on him but for whatever reason, I didn’t feel any less motivated to run hard to try and catch him. I just kept working hard. Just after two miles, a female elite and a 33 year old guy came up from behind. I picked it up and hung with them. I felt like I was flying. My cadence was good and I was on my toes. I was thinking to myself that I don’t think I’ve ever run this fast in a Triathlon. We stayed together until just past the 4.5 mile mark. As were running together, for some stupid reason I decided to announce to my two partners that the last time I was on this trail, it was a year ago and I was running in the Des Moines marathon. Let me state right now, when running at your limit, it is not a smart thing to try and string two sentences together. As I finished the last word, I was even more out of breath and my pace slowed noticeably. They started to pull away as I was catching my breath.  It took me about a hundred yards to get back in contact with the.  From now on, I’m keeping my mouth shut and just focus on the task at hand. My pace and cadence lasted until about the 4.5 mile mark. From that point the course went from the flat paved running trail to the streets of downtown Des Moines. There were a bunch of turns and transitions from sidewalk to street back to sidewalk. It also started to slope uphill. I got the wobbly leg feeling and I could feel my stride shorten. I was still working as hard as I could but at that point I didn’t have anything left to cover their push to the finish. They left me and one more guy passed me at about 5 miles. I was just barely hanging on. The last three quarters of a mile are uphill so it was a struggle to maintain any running form. I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other as quickly as I could. As I finished, I was a spent as I’ve ever been in a race. It took me about 90 seconds to get my hands off my knees and recover.  At that point I realized I never passed the guy that I thought was in my age group and figured I was second.

What a letdown.

I found Dot and we talked about the race and the fact that she didn’t think there were any other old guys that finished ahead of me. I told her about the guy I saw and she thought he had a 48 (his age) on his calf. I didn’t put much credence in that as his bike was racked right across from mine. It turned out Dot was right. He was 48 not a 50-54 guys. It didn’t dawn on me during the race but the rack numbers ran down on side of the bike rack and back on the other side. I was racer # 274. He was # 250 something.  

It was the result I wanted. First place. $500 bucks.

Run time 40:14/6:29 pace/ 2^nd age group.

Run Nutrition: Three drops of GU and ~three mouthfuls of water

Total race time: 2:11:03/ 1^st place age group/ 31^st overall.

Post Race thoughts.

As happy as I was with the effort I expended in this race I was equally unhappy with the execution. Almost missing the swim start. Going off course on the swim. The dismount debacle and trying to carry on a conversation with my running partners all cost me time in the race. It was time that I just gave away. Not good.

Now to follow up on the foreshadowing mentioned earlier in this report. During the awards ceremony, I was able to speak to the second place finisher in my age group. I ended up beating him by about 2 minutes. But, he had a faster bike time, a faster run time and was faster in both transitions than I was. The only thing I beat him at was the swim. I was faster than he was by about three minutes. Even though I tried to give it away, he couldn’t overcome the deficient out of the water. I never win races in the water. What happened? Did I suddenly become Michael Phelps? Nope, I wore a wetsuit and he didn’t. He had heard all week about the water temps and decided not to bring one. Big mistake. I don’t know if it actually cost him the race, but I do know he would have been much closer than two minutes behind me at the finish.

This is one of the aspects I love about triathlon. It’s about working hard. It’s also about being smart with your equipment and race execution. As you’ve already read, there’s a million things that can cost you time during the race. It’s not always the fastest guy that comes out on top.

The effort earned me a $650 gift certificate from the bike manufacture Orbea and/or Triathlon product company, Orca. It also earned me shredded legs. I haven’t been this sore after a race since last year’s marathon. It’s a sweet feeling. I hope I can duplicate it in November at the ITU Long Course Championships.

Here’s the scene from the awards area. It was a wonderful urban setting. That’s downtown Des Moines in the background.

Here’s a picture of the finish behind me. It was directly in front of the state capital building.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm truly lucky to be able to train and compete at something I still have a passion for. And to be married to my best friend and partner, Dot.

Muncie 70.3

This past weekend, I competed in one of the oldest running Triathlons in the United States. This was the 31^st running of the event.  I first heard about this race back in the 90’s and always wanted to do it but just never got around to it. I’m glad I finally got around to it.

It was a beautiful morning in Muncie Indiana….low 70’s, calm and low humidity.  The race didn’t start till 8:00 AM so I was never rushed setting up transition and had everything in order with plenty of time to get in a swim warm-up.  Breakfast was two bagels and two 24oz Diet Cokes….hmmmm good.

The Swim

My goal was to keep my stroke count high without getting ragged and stay focused on a good strong catch and pull for the entire swim.  I also wanted come out of the water with my heart rate under control. If I was a sponsored athlete, this is where I would insert the mandatory plug for my new Blue Seventy Speed Suit.  Thankfully, I’m not sponsored so you don’t have to read that. The only issue I had in the swim was with the sun glare on the inbound leg. I could never see the finish and I like to sight on something in the distance and not the marker buoys.  As I was swimming, I noticed that I wasn’t swimming with the same effort as the outbound leg. It dawned on me that because I wasn’t always sure where I was going, I was subconsciously holding back. So, at least for me, good sighting technique not only keeps you in a straight line, it also frees up your brain to let your body push harder…

Swim Time: 35:47 / 6^th out of the water in the age group.

The Bike

It’s not often you get to ride 56 miles as hard as you can with no cars to worry about.  That was the case on Saturday. The Muncie course was flat, fast and on closed roads. If for no other reason, you should do this race to experience that feeling.  Another cool thing about this race for me was the fact that because my swim wave was one of the first ones in the water, it took me about 30 miles to get clear of the field. I rode the last 25 miles by myself.  I probably passed one competitor every mile or so..it was unbelievably stress free riding. Hard; but stress free.

This was my first HIM with a power meter. I had a wattage number in my head that I thought I could hold but wasn’t sure so I also had a heart rate monitor for back up. The watt # I thought I was going to ride at was 230. That’s about 85% of my FTP.   As it turned out, that was too aggressive and it’s a good thing I had the heart rate monitor to keep things under control.  I normally ride with my heart rate in the high 140’s, low 150’s. If I would have pushed to the 230 watt number, that would have driven my heart rate into the mid 150’s. With the hot temperatures and a 13.1 mile run looming, I decided to not push it and use the heart rate monitor as my limiter. Over the course of the ride, I averaged 220 watts and a heart rate of 148. It’s a good starting point for my future races.

The only negative I can come up with has to do with my rear brake rubbing on the disk. I didn’t realize it during the ride. It wasn’t until Dottie and I were walking the bike back to the car did I notice that the disk wasn’t rolling free. Nothing I can do about it now, but it does give me some confidence for the next race. Who knows how many watts were used up in overcoming the additional friction caused by the break rub?

Bike time: 2:22:10/23.6 mph/1^st in the age group

Run

At a race this competitive and the fact that I’m 54 and one of the oldest guys  in my age group means that if I want to win, I have to be sharp and at the top of my game in all three disciplines. Today, I wasn’t sharp on the run. It just didn’t happen. I knew that there were at least three guys who were excellent runners and that I if I came off the bike first, I would be “the hunted”. That’s the way it played out and I couldn’t respond to the pressure. I started out feeling better than I thought I would. The first miles were clunky until I got my running legs under me but I was still able to hold a pace just under 7:00 per mile. Once my legs came around, I was able to run fairly free. The course was a continuous series of testy rollers. Up and down for 13.1 miles.  For the first 6.5 miles I tried to run a pace that I thought I could keep for the entire race. Even though I knew that there were faster runners behind me,  I made a decision to not overdo it early in the race. The temps were in the mid 80’s and there was little shade available. I agreed with Daniel Bretscher, my coach, when he said that the runners who held it together the longest would be the most successful. I didn’t want to implode during the last 3 miles.

The race played out like I thought it would. At the turnaround, I saw the second place guy in my age group about a block behind me. I was surprised he was that close so soon but I stayed positive and put my head down to make him work a little harder to catch me. He finally passed me just before the 10 mile marker and I didn’t have anything for him.  As he ran by, I told that I was waiting for the “capture”

If I had to do it again, I think my strategy would be to work closer to the edge early in the race. I played it safe and ended up getting passed anyway. You live and learn. I would also train at running fast down hills. My quads were gone by mile 11. I went from averaging under 7:00 min per mile to about 7:15’s.  I was hurt'n for certain at the end.

**Bodily Function Alert** If reading about other peoples "bodily functions" makes you squeamish, you may want to skip this paragraph and read about the wonderful volunteers....At mile six in this race, I had a Zen moment. It was amazing. I didn't want to take the time to stop and pee at one of the aid stations, so I pee'd while running. I looked down at my Garmin and I was cruzing along @ a 6:57 pace and I was letting nature take its course. I've never done that before. I hope to do it again.

Another great part of this race were the volunteers on run course….they were awesome.. Always positive and you could tell they were working their asses off to keep the runner supplied with ice, water and Powerbar Perform. I never had to slow down to get what I needed and I never left an aid station thinking I missed something….

Run Time: 1:31:35 /7:00 min per mile/ 2^nd fastest in the age group.

Overall Time: 4:33:23/2^nd Age group finish/53^rd overall

Wrap-up

It was disappointing to not win the age group. I knew it was going to take a perfect race to win and I didn’t have that race. The swim met my expectations. The bike exceeded my expectations. My run let me down…..again. I’ve been the “hunted” off the bike in every race this year. The first two, I had enough to hold the second place finishers off. Today, I didn’t. At this point, I’m not sure what I’m going to do to try and improve my run, but something has to happen. I may have a few pounds I can shave off. I may have to add a day of running during the week. I may have to take a rest and get stronger…I’m still not sure. But, I am sure that my coach will come up with something to get the run back in gear for the second half of the season

And finally, I'd be remiss to write anything about this race and not mention that there were eight fellow Bretscher Multisport athletes competing in it. What an amazing crew. PR's and podium finishes were the order of the day. Daniel B, Dana R and myself ended up on the podium. Paul A and Bille both PR'd for a HIM. Mike K and Julie L also put in yeoman's work and did  the team proud.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it.

Ron

Dot and I DIGGED THE BIG PIG GIG

Dottie and I both race at the 20th annual Pigman Triathlon here in Cedar Rapids today. It was a perfect day. Sun, not much wind and temps in the 70's. This race is the biggest one in the area and was sold out in early March. All local bragging rights and trash talking is solidified for the next 12 months based on the BIG PIG GIG!

Coming into the race, I really wasn't expecting much. This week was the first build week to a five week block of training aimed at preparing for the Muncie 70.3 race in July. To that end, I put in some tough efforts this week. Both my run and bike interval workouts were the hardest one’s I’ve done this year. It was also my biggest bike mileage week of the year. I took it easier the last two days, but I never felt recovered.

Here’s where I say, you can never predict how you will race based on how you feel leading up to the race. I’ve done this race six years in a row with no changes to the course in that time. The 2011 version was the fastest I’ve ever been. 

Swim

The swim is a time trial start and it’s a pretty standard out and back .5K course. My times for today’s swim was within 3 seconds of each of the last 3 years….This year, I’ve swum fewer yards but placed more focus on stroke work. It seems to be helping. The work I’ve put in, I think, is continuing my slow but steady progression…or at least I’m not getting slower as I get older. There really isn’t much to talk about with the swim. I swam hard. Kept my stroke intact and did a good job of sighting.

Swim time: 7:38 - 1:24/100 – 2^nd in my age group

Bike

I did a good long bike warm-up before the race. This was the second time this year I’ve done this and it seems to pay dividends. Both races have had  good bike splits and I didn’t feel the intense burning in my quads for the first 10 – 15 minutes of the race. My last race was an Olympic Distance race (40K) and I averaged 271 watts. Today’s race was 25K so the goal was to hold 280 watts. I worked my butt off but was only able to average 273 watts. I don’t think I could have worked much harder. It’s kind of discouraging to not be able to turn up the wattage for a shorter race, but it is what it is and I got what I got.

I feel confident that I didn’t leave anything on the course today.  The course has one big hill that you climb twice. It kills the ave mph but it’s fun to attack. I made a decision to ride it both times out of the saddle and just hammer it.  Man, that hurt but I was smiling at the top both times because I knew I was working my ass off.

Bike time: 39:01 – 23.9mph – 1^st in age group and my fastest time by about a minute.

Run

After being disappointed with my run at Memphis, I was mentally ready to attack the course today and stay in the discomfort zone for twenty minutes. I focused on keeping good form and a higher cadence as soon as I got out of T2 but it felt like I was spinning my wheels. It sucks to know that you’re working hard as you can, but aren’t travelling across the pavement with any velocity.  I’m guessing the hard effort on the bike had something to do with it.  It took me half of the 5K course to get going. It came at a good time too. Just past the turn-around, I caught a glimpse of the second place guy in my age group about 90 seconds behind me. He’s a great runner and I’m sure was eating into my lead.  As I was able to pick it up, I seemed to be able to hold him at bay for the rest of the run.

 I left it all on the run today. No sandbagging. No lack of effort but disappointed in the time, again. In February, I ran an open 5K in under 19 min. I was hoping to get close to that today.

Run time: 19:53 - 6:24 per mile – 2^nd in the age group.

Overall, I was as pleased with today’s effort. I was rewarded with a good time (for me). Mentally, I didn’t let the fact that I didn’t feel all that great leading up to the race affect how I was going to approach it. I was ready to work hard. I was ready to hurt and give it everything I had. I did that.

I never thought I would see my fastest Sprint race time at the edge of 54. It can be done.

Overall time: 1:09:31 – 1^st age group – 11^th overall

I mentioned Dottie raced today too. She competed well and it always gives me a charge to see her out there. I’m proud of her and the fact that she's willing to get out and race. How many 50+ ladies are willing to get out and put it on the line? Not many.

Thanks for reading this. Train hard.

Race Report - Memphis in May

Dottie and I travelled to Tunica Mississippi this weekend to compete in the old new Memphis in May Triathlon. The race was moved to Tunica from Millington TN this year. All I can say is that you don’t realize the logistics involved in competing in most triathlons until you find a race that basically eliminates 90% of the work. The organizers and host hotel took the logistical worries out of the picture. It was easy to focus on the reason we travelled there….to race.  We stayed at the Harrah’s event center in Tunica MS.  Within 100 yards of our hotel room was the swim start, the transition area, the finish line and most importantly, the food tent.

Here are the details…

Swim

The swim start at this race was in the TT format.  Instead of sending off the swimmers in waves, one swimmer left every 5 seconds. It makes for a less hectic swim start because there’s no getting pummeled by 50 other guys trying to get to the same spot you are. But, as you’ll read later, there is a downside to it.

The lake was shallow. If you needed to, you could stand up on every part of the course. It was shallow, but not swampy. It smelled and tasted clean…the water was just cloudy. You couldn’t see your hand stretched out in front of you as you swam.

We were allowed to warm-up so I got in a much needed 10 minute swim prior to getting in line. It helps me tremendously to be able to wake up the swim muscles and get the blood flowing. I finished my warm-up and walked over the start line and within 5 minutes I was next in line to be sent off.

I felt great from the start. The stroke was long and strong right from the beginning. I was able to keep it right on the edge of a strong effort and working too hard so the stroke goes to hell in a hand bag. The work I spent this winter with the findingfreestyle group, showed itself today. I was pleased.

This course was by far the easiest one I’ve ever had to navigate. I was never off course. The markers were as follows.. An easily identifiable break in a tree line about 600 yards from the start. A huge green turn bouy about 20 yards from the first turn. A four story hotel. A narrow channel followed by another four story hotel. The hardest sighting point was the finish line. There weren’t any banners or flags flying…just an orange buoy at the water line.

Time: 23:44 / 4^th out of 44 in my age group

I don’t usually mention my transitions in these race reports. I’m going to break from that tradition and just say that it’s a REALLY STOOOPID idea to try and put on your Garmin 310xt in T1…I’m too cheap to buy the quick release gadget they have and it cost me at least 15 seconds trying to get the thing strapped to my wrist and buckled up…I’ll be shopping at the Garmin website this week.

Bike:

This was my first race done with a power meter. I’ve been training with one this winter and spring but never used it in a race situation. I didn’t have any watt numbers in mind to try and hold.  The plan was to ride as hard as possible and just look at/analyze the numbers post-race. That was a good plan but I kinda adjusted on the fly.

After the Garmin debacle mentioned earlier, I got on the bike and took off. I felt ok from the start, not great, just ok. Tunica is located on the Mississippi Delta. The bike course was as pancake flat. Even though I wasn’t feeling all that great, I was still holding 23mph…(in the pouring rain).  I took my first peak at Garmin about five minutes in and it was reading 240 watts…way lower than I expected but it was what it was. I didn’t feel like I should go any harder. As the race went on, I felt stronger and stronger. The first half was into a steady breeze and what normally would have felt like 20mph, was 22mph. That was a good sign so peeked at Garmin..it was reading about 260 watts….much better. My legs really came good about 15 miles into the race. The wind was directly at my right side and I was holding 25mph and 270 watts. Even better. As the race turned north back to the finish and with the wind, the mph’s were at about 30 and the watts were still reading 270. I was well in control at 270 + watts. If I was racing without the power meter, I probably would have pushed harder. But the combination of the mph and watt #’s caused me to go conservative…..not a good thing during an Olympic distance triathlon. Next race, I’m going to target 280+ watts and see what happens. Overall, I thought the bike was great and the power meter training completed this winter was evidenced by my finish time and mph’s..both personal bests on an Olympic Course.

Nutrition:  10oz of Power Bar Perform

Time: 59:03 / 25.02 mph  (I think the course may have been short but I was still much faster than last year) / 271 watt average /4^th out of 44 in my age group.

Run:

Did I mention the course was flat? Not a hill in sight. Even though the course and the day were made for a PR, (cool, cloudy and rainy) it wasn’t too be. I left transition feeling not too bad. Not great, but not bad. I was able to quickly get into what I thought was a good, sustainable pace. Unfortunately, it was about 10 seconds per mile slower than where I thought I would be. I was still wearing my Garmin and it was showing my pace as about 6:30 sec per mile. I was hoping to be running 6:20’s. Mentally, I didn’t have it in me to push any harder at that point in the race. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I was smart or just plain weak.

As the run went on, I felt like I got into a groove and my stride smoothed out but unfortunately my pace slowed to about 6:35. I made a deal with myself that I would push it hard at the turnaround and see where it took me. I figured I could at least drop the pace to the low 6:20’s. Again, it wasn’t to be. I picked it up and my pace dropped to the high 6:20’s. There wasn’t anything left. I finished the last 1.75 miles with a 6:25 pace. As I finished, I thought this was the first race where I felt like my run let me down. I didn’t know it then, but that premonition almost came true and cost me the race.

Nutrition: Two Gu’s and about 4 mouthfuls of water

Run time: 43:30 / pace 6:30 per mile / 3rd out of 44 in my age group (Course was long..6:65 miles instead of 6.2)

Closing thoughts: I’m not a fan of Time Trial starts. Because your competitors either start in front of you or behind you, it’s hard to judge where you stand in the race. There’s no excuse for not racing as hard as you can, but I would rather race my fellow 50-54 year old males than a clock.  The guy that finished behind me was only 17 seconds back. He was running me down and I didn’t know it. I wonder how I would have responded the last couple of miles if I had known he was closing. I thought I was running as hard as I could, but you never know.

The race went as well as I’d hoped it could. The finish result met my expectations. The swim met my expectations. The Bike exceeded my expectations and the run disappointed.  Three out four ain’t bad. The goal was to qualify for the 5150 national championship at the HyVee race in September. Check.

Overall time: 02:08:57 / 1^st place, M50-54

I’d also like to mention that Dottie and I had the pleasure of spending some time this weekend with fellow BretcherMultisport athletes,  Andrew and Suzanne Person. What a great couple. Funny, smart and great triathletes..it was a real treat for us. (It’s just too bad Andrew isn’t a fan of Mount Rushmore).

GTWD

It's about this time of year that I begin to feel a lag in the motivational arena....I've spent the last two months feeding off last seasons results and the excitement of putting together the plan for next year. But  February and March are too far out to begin the push for this summer's races. So nothing to get real excited about...I just need to GTWD. Get The Work Done over the next 8 weeks and wait for the weather to break.

Here's a bonus motivational quote I saw this on the Endurance Corner website....

"If you desire the result then you need to be willing to outwork your competition until they leave the playing field." ......Gordo Byrne.

I desire the result