Monday, June 6, 2011

"D-DAY"... Deer Creek Olympic Triathlon Race Report

First triathlon of the season... my first time racing in the Elite Open category... and I'm thrilled to say it went really well! I took more than 5 minutes off my time from last year on that same course, took 3rd in the Elite Open category, and had my first top 10 overall finish. Even better, I was able to share the day with some old friends who came to race and to watch. One in particular who has made an amazing transformation in the past year - losing 180 pounds and doing his first triathlon Sunday. Truly inspirational!


GOAL: B race - shake off the rust from the winter and see how far I can push myself in the swim and bike to measure the effect on the run, in preparation my A races later this season.

Objectives:
1) Swim all out for the first 4-5 minutes to stay with the fast swimmers, find a group to draft with and settle in / hang on.
2) Bike as hard as possible and find out what impact it will have on the run.
2) Take at least 1:30 off last year's 2:15:33 on the same course


Swim: Goal: 25:00, Actual: 23:52 - 29th overall (I was 55th out of the water in 2010)

My first start in the Elite / U30 wave was a smack in the face, literally! I have swum in some aggressive groups in Ironman racing, but there the pace is less intense. This was a really physical swim, and I was pushing my pace all-out in the beginning to see what I could do, and to see if this strategy would lead me to a draft on a fast group. It did... after 4 or 5 minutes of sprinting, I thought my heart might explode and my arms fall to the bottom of the lake, but as I sighted around, I could see a nice pack of swimmers, and I fell into this pack and utilized the draft as much as possible. Drafting is funny in swimming when done correctly... after a while of hitting the guys feet in front of you, you start thinking it is time to pass him and find someone else, but as soon as you come out of his slipstream, you slow down, and he's 5 yards ahead of you, like that! So you scramble back onto his feet and swim another 4-5 minutes before you do the same thing!

I felt really strong in the swim finally. Confident from the focused work I did during the winter, and that confidence allowed me to keep pushing a pace that felt a bit uncomfortable. This was a "throw away" race... time to experiment and learn what I really can (and can't) do. So I kept the intensity up, didn't back down in the turns where it gets really physical, and ended up not only with a faster swim time (subject to course layout and conditions), but a much better overall rank (29th, vs my consistent 53-56th places in 2010).

When I came out of the water and started running up the long set of stairs toward transition, I peeked at my watch... 22:30... "Oh yeah" - off to a good start! Just then I heard "Let's Go Hagan" - and looked up to see Steve Kauffman (OSU Beta '95) cheering me on. Haven't seen the man in person in 14 years! Cool!!

T1: 0:55... no major issues. Wetsuit off, helmet and glasses on... out the door.

Bike: Goal: 1:05, Actual: 1:03:25 - 5th fastest bike split of the day (I did 1:06:33 in 2010)
After what I thought was finally a great swim split for me, it was on to my strength - the bike. Today, I committed to hammering all out for the full 25 miles, to see what effect that would have on my run. This was an experiment to find out how much I was losing by being afraid of blowing up. That was the real purpose of today's race.

I got going on the bike and took a couple of minutes to settle into a good gear selection and cadence. It was already quite hot and humid, with abundant sunshine. I could feel it pretty early into the bike leg. My one "mistake" for the day, the thing I would have done differently, was bring a second bottle of fluids onto the bike. In the past, I think I've gone overkill, hauling too many bottles only to waste energy to return full ones to T2... or drank too much on the bike and sloshed through the run. But today, was hot and humid and I misjudged that.

Toward the end of the first loop, we were moving through the sprint triathletes and duathletes. Time to keep my eyes open for my friends from high school. I saw Darryl Miller and was able to say "GOOD JOB DARRYL" as I went past. He's awesome. Even for those athletes I pass that I do not know... I always alert them to the pass on the left, and tell them "Good Job". It sounds corny, I know, but they are out there pushing themselves to their own limits and hurting just like we are... we just happen to be going a little faster. I'm especially conscious about being a good representative when I'm racing in my team uniform.

As I started the second loop, I looked at my split time, and knew I had a fast first lap... about 31:30 (1:03 pace vs 1:06:33 last year). How long could I keep it up, I wondered as I went for a drink. uh-oh... drink is all gone, and I still have another 12 miles on the bike in this heat. That was a mistake.

The second lap was more interesting - my legs were starting to feel the intensity of the first lap, and the heat of the day, and the lack of additional hydration... then I caught up to a couple of the faster swimmers. I needed the challenge and the pull to keep pushing myself as fast as I could go. I ate up another couple of positions by passing those who left me behind in the swim. Then, someone passed me. This almost never happens to me on the bike. Someone from team Cincy Express. I wasn't having that. Put on one more gear, and bear down to catch back up with him. He and I passed back and forth politely for the next few miles. This guy was a strong cyclist. Coming into transition, he had about 20 yards on me. I know I rode that last 10 miles faster because of him. Thanks!

T2: 0:46 - bike racked, shoes changed, wonder how the legs will feel!

Run: Goal: 41:00, Actual: 41:14 - 10th fastest run (I did 41:04 in 2010)

Well - I can feel two things as I start the run... the heat (and my lack of hydration) and the effort I put out on the bike. Legs are a little heavy. Let's drink up (I brought the Fuel belt because of the temperature) and get some salt tablets in right away. Legs feel like they are in cement, but I'm pulling an "OK" pace - 6:46 first mile.

Second mile - I'm cooking... so hot, humid and there is no shade from the sun. Really glad I brought the Fuel Belt. Only my second triathlon to carry it. At this point, I can feel the effects of the hard biking on my legs. 6:56 mile. Not good.

Third Mile - I saw my split for mile 2 and decided I'd better drink my fuel belt bottles and get all the hydration in I can now - in a couple miles, what goes in my mouth won't matter to the race anymore. I chugged what I had and took more salt tabs, and an Advil, just in case my Plantar Fasciitis wanted to show up. I started concentrating on catching people on this out-and-back section of the course. 6:49 mile


Fourth Mile - Now that the run is 1/2 over, I have only 3.1 miles to go - or about 21 minutes of pain left to endure. I was melting in the heat, and the lack of proper hydration on the bike was coming to roost. This was the first time I was losing my will to push hard. I was starting to worry that I would cramp up and that wasn't good. The Cincy Express jersey I was chasing wasn't getting any closer. Damn. I still wanted to push myself, but not recklessly and explode. I held a 6:50 pace for this mile as well.

Fifth Mile - Alarm, Alarm - the engine room is overheating! I can feel small cramps in both quads with each step. I don't get this often, but I know it can lead to sudden lock-you-up cramps that can bring you to a dead stop quickly. I took the last of my salt caps, all the fluids I could dump on my head at the last aid station, and held on for dear life. I kept the pace up, but wouldn't surge to try to catch anyone. I just need to not do anything stupid, and I'll finish about 2:10 and have had an incredible day! 6:55 mile

Sixth Mile - OK - 1.2 miles to go. I can handle about any pain for 8 minutes or so. time to hunker down, think about all those troops trying to storm Omaha Beach on D-Day... fighting through the fear, the exhaustion, the hopeless of being pinned on that horrible beach under fire for hours at a time... but finding a way to push on and win. That was my objective. The suffering I was feeling was nothing compared to that. It helped diminish my pain and realign my focus. Today was a great race, and I wanted to finish strong. 6:51 mile. I was holding my pace, despite every signal in my body telling me to slow down or stop.

As I came back into the park for the last little bit of distance - it hit me - I ran a 2:10 Olympic triathlon, on the same course where I did a 2:15 last year. Fantastic! Plus, I knew old friends of mine were waiting to cheer me into the finish. One last little spurt of speed... and then the pain is over!


And so, I completed my first triathlon of the season, and I was wildly exciting! I worked all winter on improving my swim -and it showed in the results - both in time and more importantly, in my overall ranking in the swim. Plus - I hammered the bike from the start to the finish, and while I was in some agony during the run, it really didn't affect my run split compared to last year on the same course.

So, I learned some things toady... I can have confidence in my swim now - but I need to keep focusing on improving it... and I can push the bike harder, and still have a good run. What I thought were my limits, were only "mental" limitations I had put on my racing in 2010 because of fearing a blow-up. This race was a great chance to take chances and see what is possible.

Two weeks until Maumee Bay - a target race for SnakeBite racing team, and the best chance for a new PR on a fast course, with great competition.

After the race, I had time to visit with friends I haven't seen in years! Steve Kauffman, who is doing his very first triathlon next weekend at Wendy's in Columbus, came down to see the race and to visit with me - very cool! Darryl Miller and Jen Johoski Ochsenhirt from my grade school and high school days both raced... and SnakeBite Racing teammates Jason Hendricks, Martha Brennan and Michelle Mead both had great races too and meadeled in their divisions! Brian Carruthers from Cleveland raced as well, and sacrificed his perfect day to help someone who crashed while on the bike - the true spirit of sportsmanship.

See you all in Maumee Bay, Ohio for the next stop on the HFP series!