Well another triathlon is finished. This was my 15th. The more sprint races I do the more I like them. Once again the conditions were HOT, HOT, HOT! Saw (and met) some ATC members pre and post race. Got to meet Tor's wife and hang out a bit after the race with him and his family. Also so Brie on her comeback tour, Lara and Natalie and a couple of others from Annapolis. Also met another racer from Edgewater that had been thinking of joining ATC but just a little nervous about coming to a group bike or T3 etc. For all you new members reading this, start coming to some of the ATC training rides, meetings and especially the group open water swims. The open water swims have done the most to help me over the past year. You will meet some great people and you will improve! On to the race.....
THE SWIM
The water temp. was over 80 degrees, so no wetsuit. There was some confusion about this with the Clydesdale division, but I decided from the beginning to not wear my wetsuit. I am getting better and better swimming in the open water WITHOUT a wetsuit. That crutch we all use (know as a wetsuit) is easier to get rid of the more and more I swim in the open water. This was a pretty fast, short swim. It was basically a swim to a buoy, a quick turn around and back to the swim exit. There was a bit of a current going out. Once again I started out a bit to fast and had to slow to get my HR down on the way out. I calmed down made the turn and then started moving to the swim finish with the current helping me along. I actually passed a bunch of people on the return leg, which for me is a bit unusual. I need to give a shout out to David Wendkos. During my last OWS he pointed out a flaw in my stroke and once I remembered to do what he told me, I actually felt much smoother in the water and was definitely moving quicker. I need to practice a bit more, but thanks Dave!! I finished in about 15 minutes, but cost myself at least a minute when I slowed down. I was still very happy with my time.
Leaving the water we had to a climb up a ladder out of the water and run 50yds run to transition. Since my feet are still recovering from the blisters I got doing Eagleman I had placed some Crocs near the swim exit for my run to transition. I'm glad I did! I got to transition and made a quick getaway on the bike. Without having to get out of a wetsuit, transition was a breeze.
THE BIKE
The bike was a fairly flat 8.1 miles out, turn around and come 8.1 miles back. There were a couple of small hills but nothing to worry about. The ride was much like Lums Pond. There was a headwind on the way out. That wind was at our back after the turn around and I really picked up some time on the return leg. At about 7.5 miles the first racer came past me on his return leg. I counted 26 other racers before I made the turn around. There were several groups of riders (I'm sure none were drafting) but I was alone. After I made the turn around I wanted to catch some of those guys (and girls). I was able to catch and pass (7) riders during the last eight miles. It felt great because I am usually the one being caught and passed. I don't know my "official" pace but I finished right about 50 minutes on the bike. I felt very good coming off the bike but now the fun was going to start.
THE RUN
So first the good news. I was able to run the entire race with no pain! No new blisters and no cramping. The bad news(at least for me) is I am still a terribly slow runner. I was watching my HR on the run since it was so hot. My heart rate kept getting up there and my watch was beeping like crazy. So I did have a couple of stretches that I slowed down to get my HR in check. It was a short run with no shade and a small hill at the turn around. As usual I had a bunch of people pass me on the run. I don't like it, but I have come to accept that my ancestors were not runners. I must have come from a flat footed tribe of slow pokes. For me finishing the run, actually running, is a victory. I finished the run in about 34 minutes which is slower than I wanted, but I was in fact running and not walking across the finish line. I did see Brie, Tor, Lara and Natalie (as she sprinted past me) on the run. And while we all were hot, non of us gave up.
My overall time goal was 1:45 and I finished in 1:43:36. I was hoping for a top 3 finish in my division since the big name Clydesdale (Glenn Atewell & Jeff Jacobson) would be absent. I was able to finish 2nd in the Clydesdale division, which may never happen again. My wife and daughter were able to come to the race but missed my finish. They are used to me pulling up the rear of the field and by the time they got to the finish line I was already done. They thought I had gotten injured or something when they didn't see me at the usually 2 hour mark.
This was a fun race. I had forgotten how much fun the sprint races can be. And not having to pre rack your bike or race against 1500 others was nice. This race will definitely be on my list for next year.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
2010 Eagleman 70.3 race report...can you say tough!
Well I finished my first Eagleman 70.3. I was the last Clydesdale (over 200lbs) to finish. My unofficial time was 8:09:48. Of the approximate 2500 entrants, only 1558 finished. I don't know if all 2500 started the race, but over 900 people didn't finish! So, even though my time was nowhere near my personal goal, I am happy I finished. Of the 15 triathlons I have completed this was the toughest. Even tougher than Ironman Florida I completed in November.
Swim
Well the day started off with a big twist. No wetsuits allowed! For many people this caused great angst. For me my wetsuit is like my security blanket. I know I don't really need it, but I like to have it for the swims because I know if I run into a problem it will help me stay afloat. The swims are faster with a wetsuit, so I knew my swim time would be slower than I planned. I no longer fear swimming in open water. I still get a bit nervous but I have really learned to relax before the swims and not start out too fast. This race was no different.
We had to enter the water at a boat ramp and swim out about 50 yds in between two walls. Well let me tell you, that was worse than any swim start. The bumping and hitting each other was crazy in my swim wave. Once we cleared the boat ramp I found a nice clear spot near the back and just waited for the horn.
The horn blew and 248 swimmers in my wave were off. I was about 10 minutes into the swim when I realized I wasn't moving very fast. The current was strong. It was like swimming on a treadmill. I kept looking for the first yellow marker and thinking to myself "is the marker moving". Once I passed the first two yellow markers I started looking for the orange turn bouy at the approximate 1/2 mile mark. Well I would like to make a request to the race organizer. Please don't use a swim cap that is the same color as the turn buoy! My cap was orange so every time I looked I could see 100 orange things bobbing in the water. Eventually I could see the first turn buoy so I just kept swimming and breathing. I reached the 2nd turn buoy and finally thought I would have the current push me back to the finish. Didn't happen! I still kept swimming and breathing and staying calm and relaxed. At that 2nd turn I did see several people walking in the water. While I was going to keep swimming, I knew that if I needed to, I could stand. I finally could see the swim exit and the people cheering. I also started to have leg cramps. I guess without a wetsuit you use your legs more and when I stood up to exit, the muscles in my legs just tightened up. I am by no means an expert swimmer, far from it. If I could give anyone some advice about open water swimming it would be to stay calm and relaxed. Although my time wasn't great, I was pleased to have done my longest open water swim without a wetsuit.
Total swim time 53:06
T1 time 2:45 slow by some standards but good for me.
Bike
I had ridden the bike course a couple of weeks ago and had a nice 3hr ride. When I came out of transition I knew I needed to stay hydrated. My swim time had been about ten minutes slower than anticipated and I was already a bit dehydrated. What I realize now, that I didn't realize during the race, was that the effort to swim without the wetsuit took more out of me than I had imagined.
The first 30 miles of the ride were pretty uneventful except for the near collision with a squirrel at about 5 miles. I tell my clients all the time that if you are driving and an animal runs in front of you it is always better to hit the animal than to swerve off the road and crash and hit a tree. Well the same rule applies on a bike. When that squirrel ran in front of me I had a split second to swerve or hit the squirrel. I was not going to swerve. That fast little squirrel had some quick moves and and came about 4 inches from having his life ended by a 250lb Clydesdale on triathlon bike.
On the bike I was trying my best to keep drinking fluid and eating. Around 40 miles or so I started to feel the effects of the heat and the wind. The effects of the heat and wind didn't hit me all at once, but seemed to be a cumulative effect. I noticed my speed and cadence were slowing. It was at this point I was wishing I had my drafting buddy (Michael Marvin) in front of me to give me break. My legs were hurting and could start to see the sunburn on my arms (I did use sunscreen but not enough). This is the start of the next mental phase of my race. The wind was really in my face now and I just put my head down and kept grinding on the peddles. About this time I saw Jeff Jacobsen fly past me on the bike. He was going strong and it actually help me. I started to pick up my pace a bit. I wanted have strong finish to the bike. The last 5 miles were a blur. I was feeling a bit light headed and needed some cold water. I was also starting to have a blister form on the bottom of my left foot. This has been a problem for me and I really need to find a fix. My bike time was slower than I was hoping, but I finished.
Bike time 3:17:02
t2 9:59 really slow, but let me explain.
My t2 was a perfect example of what not to do. First of all, I was was not able to run my bike in transition. I just felt really light headed and hot. I had planned to take my time and make sure I had Vaseline on my feet and I wanted to put dry socks on. I have a blistering problem in the longer races and was hoping this would help. I was seeing sun burn so I reapplied my sun screen. I also needed to pee. I mean really bad. But I went the wrong direction to the port a potty and had to backtrack. Then after the port a potty I tried to wash my hands (why I don't know) and for some reason rubbed my eye. Well I don't know if it was sunscreen or soap but I couldn't see. I came stumbling out of the john and had to walk back to my transition area to get my towel to try and clear my eyes. The entire time there was a volunteer yelling at me that I was going the wrong way.
This is when I really thought about withdrawing from the race. I was right next to guy who had just done so. I was hot, queasy and had sunscreen burning in my eyes. It is the closest I have ever come to giving up. I actually sat down on the ground. In that moment, I thought about my daughter tracking me online. I was thinking that I could not let her see me give in. I at least had to start the run. If I could not finish the run that would be ok, at least I tried. So with that I was off to the run. All that happened in 9:59.
Run
I left transition to head out for the run and heard and saw Ashley and Ellen. Thanks guys! I was still pretty hot and not feeling that good. I ran about 1/2 mile and needed to walk to get me heart rate down and cool down. I run with a water bottle and I did pour the water on my head but it didn't help much. I started to run again but every time I started to run I would get queasy and and nauseous. When I hit the 2nd aid station they had crackers. I had four crackers and within 5 minutes started to feel a bit better. I was getting water and ice at every chance I could. The neighborhood around the race was incredible. Several parties were going on and the homeowners had their hoses out to spray and cool the racers down. When I got the first "hose down" it really helped. At about 2.5 miles you leave the neighborhood and enter what I would call "death valley". My dreaded blister had formed at this point and I was now walking more than running. I saw Glenn Atwell about this time heading back and asked him how far to the turn around. His response was "I don't know but it is pretty far". I knew I was in trouble.
It was HOT, HOT, HOT. I had to mentally shift from finish in under 7 hours, to just finishing. I knew I had 8:30 to finish the race and I figured even if I had to limp my way back to the finish, I would finish. I had no idea how much the heat can take out of you. I had at least one water bottle at every water stop and my legs were still cramping. I was starting to feel light headed again so I ended up eating some bananas and cookies at the aid stations. I made the 6.5 mile turn around and new I would finish under the cutoff. On the way back I saw Michael Marvin and Fletcher Bauman. We were all suffering the same fate. Heat and cramping. I kept my head down and just kept moving forward.
At mile 8 another problem crept up on me. The insole of my left shoe kept bunching up and pushing on the arch of my foot. I had to take my shoe off every 100yds to fix the insole. After the 10th time I finally just took the insole out and kept walking with an ill footing shoe. I don't know what is going on with my feet and shoes, but I need to get this worked out.
I had planned to try and run (or jog slowly) for the last three miles. Well that didn't work. Every time I started to pick up the pace, my entire lower body would cramp up. So I just kept walking as fast as I could. With about 1/2 mile to go Michael Marvin caught up to me. He was able to walk at a faster pace than me and he went ahead. Finally with about a 1/4 mile to go the blister on my left foot popped and I had a pain shoot up my foot that stopped me right on the spot. I though I might have to hop across the finish line. I was determined to run across the finish line! So I came into the chute to the finish line and I heard the announcer talking about a finisher right before me that had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer one year earlier. Incredible. Well I managed to run across the line and as I hit the timing mat my legs cramped again and I was done.
Run time 3:45:58
I'm glad I did the race and glad I finished. But this a was tough, tough race. A heat index of 101 is hot. I was not prepared for the how the hot conditions would affect me. I treat every race as a learning experience. And this was no different. I should have eaten more and did a bit more run training. The racers that do this race in 4-5 hours are incredible! Not sure I will do this race next year but I am happy to be able to check the "finished" box on my "bucket" list.
Swim
Well the day started off with a big twist. No wetsuits allowed! For many people this caused great angst. For me my wetsuit is like my security blanket. I know I don't really need it, but I like to have it for the swims because I know if I run into a problem it will help me stay afloat. The swims are faster with a wetsuit, so I knew my swim time would be slower than I planned. I no longer fear swimming in open water. I still get a bit nervous but I have really learned to relax before the swims and not start out too fast. This race was no different.
We had to enter the water at a boat ramp and swim out about 50 yds in between two walls. Well let me tell you, that was worse than any swim start. The bumping and hitting each other was crazy in my swim wave. Once we cleared the boat ramp I found a nice clear spot near the back and just waited for the horn.
The horn blew and 248 swimmers in my wave were off. I was about 10 minutes into the swim when I realized I wasn't moving very fast. The current was strong. It was like swimming on a treadmill. I kept looking for the first yellow marker and thinking to myself "is the marker moving". Once I passed the first two yellow markers I started looking for the orange turn bouy at the approximate 1/2 mile mark. Well I would like to make a request to the race organizer. Please don't use a swim cap that is the same color as the turn buoy! My cap was orange so every time I looked I could see 100 orange things bobbing in the water. Eventually I could see the first turn buoy so I just kept swimming and breathing. I reached the 2nd turn buoy and finally thought I would have the current push me back to the finish. Didn't happen! I still kept swimming and breathing and staying calm and relaxed. At that 2nd turn I did see several people walking in the water. While I was going to keep swimming, I knew that if I needed to, I could stand. I finally could see the swim exit and the people cheering. I also started to have leg cramps. I guess without a wetsuit you use your legs more and when I stood up to exit, the muscles in my legs just tightened up. I am by no means an expert swimmer, far from it. If I could give anyone some advice about open water swimming it would be to stay calm and relaxed. Although my time wasn't great, I was pleased to have done my longest open water swim without a wetsuit.
Total swim time 53:06
T1 time 2:45 slow by some standards but good for me.
Bike
I had ridden the bike course a couple of weeks ago and had a nice 3hr ride. When I came out of transition I knew I needed to stay hydrated. My swim time had been about ten minutes slower than anticipated and I was already a bit dehydrated. What I realize now, that I didn't realize during the race, was that the effort to swim without the wetsuit took more out of me than I had imagined.
The first 30 miles of the ride were pretty uneventful except for the near collision with a squirrel at about 5 miles. I tell my clients all the time that if you are driving and an animal runs in front of you it is always better to hit the animal than to swerve off the road and crash and hit a tree. Well the same rule applies on a bike. When that squirrel ran in front of me I had a split second to swerve or hit the squirrel. I was not going to swerve. That fast little squirrel had some quick moves and and came about 4 inches from having his life ended by a 250lb Clydesdale on triathlon bike.
On the bike I was trying my best to keep drinking fluid and eating. Around 40 miles or so I started to feel the effects of the heat and the wind. The effects of the heat and wind didn't hit me all at once, but seemed to be a cumulative effect. I noticed my speed and cadence were slowing. It was at this point I was wishing I had my drafting buddy (Michael Marvin) in front of me to give me break. My legs were hurting and could start to see the sunburn on my arms (I did use sunscreen but not enough). This is the start of the next mental phase of my race. The wind was really in my face now and I just put my head down and kept grinding on the peddles. About this time I saw Jeff Jacobsen fly past me on the bike. He was going strong and it actually help me. I started to pick up my pace a bit. I wanted have strong finish to the bike. The last 5 miles were a blur. I was feeling a bit light headed and needed some cold water. I was also starting to have a blister form on the bottom of my left foot. This has been a problem for me and I really need to find a fix. My bike time was slower than I was hoping, but I finished.
Bike time 3:17:02
t2 9:59 really slow, but let me explain.
My t2 was a perfect example of what not to do. First of all, I was was not able to run my bike in transition. I just felt really light headed and hot. I had planned to take my time and make sure I had Vaseline on my feet and I wanted to put dry socks on. I have a blistering problem in the longer races and was hoping this would help. I was seeing sun burn so I reapplied my sun screen. I also needed to pee. I mean really bad. But I went the wrong direction to the port a potty and had to backtrack. Then after the port a potty I tried to wash my hands (why I don't know) and for some reason rubbed my eye. Well I don't know if it was sunscreen or soap but I couldn't see. I came stumbling out of the john and had to walk back to my transition area to get my towel to try and clear my eyes. The entire time there was a volunteer yelling at me that I was going the wrong way.
This is when I really thought about withdrawing from the race. I was right next to guy who had just done so. I was hot, queasy and had sunscreen burning in my eyes. It is the closest I have ever come to giving up. I actually sat down on the ground. In that moment, I thought about my daughter tracking me online. I was thinking that I could not let her see me give in. I at least had to start the run. If I could not finish the run that would be ok, at least I tried. So with that I was off to the run. All that happened in 9:59.
Run
I left transition to head out for the run and heard and saw Ashley and Ellen. Thanks guys! I was still pretty hot and not feeling that good. I ran about 1/2 mile and needed to walk to get me heart rate down and cool down. I run with a water bottle and I did pour the water on my head but it didn't help much. I started to run again but every time I started to run I would get queasy and and nauseous. When I hit the 2nd aid station they had crackers. I had four crackers and within 5 minutes started to feel a bit better. I was getting water and ice at every chance I could. The neighborhood around the race was incredible. Several parties were going on and the homeowners had their hoses out to spray and cool the racers down. When I got the first "hose down" it really helped. At about 2.5 miles you leave the neighborhood and enter what I would call "death valley". My dreaded blister had formed at this point and I was now walking more than running. I saw Glenn Atwell about this time heading back and asked him how far to the turn around. His response was "I don't know but it is pretty far". I knew I was in trouble.
It was HOT, HOT, HOT. I had to mentally shift from finish in under 7 hours, to just finishing. I knew I had 8:30 to finish the race and I figured even if I had to limp my way back to the finish, I would finish. I had no idea how much the heat can take out of you. I had at least one water bottle at every water stop and my legs were still cramping. I was starting to feel light headed again so I ended up eating some bananas and cookies at the aid stations. I made the 6.5 mile turn around and new I would finish under the cutoff. On the way back I saw Michael Marvin and Fletcher Bauman. We were all suffering the same fate. Heat and cramping. I kept my head down and just kept moving forward.
At mile 8 another problem crept up on me. The insole of my left shoe kept bunching up and pushing on the arch of my foot. I had to take my shoe off every 100yds to fix the insole. After the 10th time I finally just took the insole out and kept walking with an ill footing shoe. I don't know what is going on with my feet and shoes, but I need to get this worked out.
I had planned to try and run (or jog slowly) for the last three miles. Well that didn't work. Every time I started to pick up the pace, my entire lower body would cramp up. So I just kept walking as fast as I could. With about 1/2 mile to go Michael Marvin caught up to me. He was able to walk at a faster pace than me and he went ahead. Finally with about a 1/4 mile to go the blister on my left foot popped and I had a pain shoot up my foot that stopped me right on the spot. I though I might have to hop across the finish line. I was determined to run across the finish line! So I came into the chute to the finish line and I heard the announcer talking about a finisher right before me that had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer one year earlier. Incredible. Well I managed to run across the line and as I hit the timing mat my legs cramped again and I was done.
Run time 3:45:58
I'm glad I did the race and glad I finished. But this a was tough, tough race. A heat index of 101 is hot. I was not prepared for the how the hot conditions would affect me. I treat every race as a learning experience. And this was no different. I should have eaten more and did a bit more run training. The racers that do this race in 4-5 hours are incredible! Not sure I will do this race next year but I am happy to be able to check the "finished" box on my "bucket" list.
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