Great way to end the season... Deer Creek Fall Challenge 70.3

WOW!  Amazing race!  Never felt better in a race before!  My first true 70.3 attempt and it was 4:37:06 good for 6th overall (5th amateur), 1st AG.  Followed the race plan from Coach AJ Baucco (www.baucco.com)  pretty closely and had an amazing experience as a result, especially since this is a new distance for me.  Never suffered in a bad way, felt I had the strength and power to build and build right through the very end.

After a frustrating start to the 2013 season...  August and September were solid.  After 10 years in triathlon (including lots Ironman and Olympic races), I finally made a serious attempt at a 70.3 - with only about 6 weeks of "long course" specific training.  First 8 months of the season was about road racing crits, and olympic tri.

Below is the detailed recap of the race...  it's written mostly for me and my Coach AJ Baucco to review... but provides some insight into the race plan and execution.

Swim 30:38- I started right behind Jim and dolphined right out to the front for a moment... swam hard to the first buoy (200m?), then turned and settled into a good rhythm.  Too good.  Felt like pool swimming, and when I turned to breathe like in the pool, I inhaled a wave and took a lot into my lungs.  about the scariest moment as I couldn't breathe for about 10 seconds, then coughed some out, got some air in, and was able to shake it off and get back into a decent rhythm... but I lost the fast feet.  Off and on solo swimming and drafting.  Kept focus on turnover and good early pull (and not breathing any more water).  Don't have official split yet, but was out just under 30 minutes by my watch.  about 1 minute run from beach to T1.

Bike time: 2:30:48
Out on the bike :  My HR was about 180 when I started out.  Had to work hard (going easy) to bring it down to target rate.  That took about 2 miles/6 minutes.   The targets were 155bpm for first 28 miles and 157 for last 28mi (156 avg).  Actual splits were 156 (21.0avg) for first 28 and 162 (21.7avg) for second 28... a little more aggressive, but also had 2 of the 3 sets of hills in the second 28.

At first I had a really hard time with the low HR target.  It felt stupid slow, and I was getting passed (which rarely if ever happens to me on the bike), which pissed me off, but I stuck pretty close to the plan.   Glad I did!  I passed most of those guys late on the bike or on the run.

Second loop, I worked a bit harder, and my HR followed.  At least no one was passing me now...  Still felt easy and the nutrition was  going in pretty well.  (I kind of figured out during the bike that it must be part of why the low HR is so important...  so the stomach can process what is in it, and take on more fuel... instead of bloating because I can't proces it, and then shutting down my intake, leading to a bonk later.)   Second loop was 156-160 (21.3mph)

Third loop, worked harder still, and this felt more like what I'm used to racing, intensity-wise, and I got to pass back some people, which made my ego happy.  163avg for 3rd loop (22mph)

Rode into transition still feeling pretty good, except the small of my back was getting a bit sore.  A combination of the actual cycling and pushing a lower position on downhills and into the wind, but I have also noticed that is worse when I'm pulling my head up in the swim for lots of sighting, which I think I was doing today in the swim.  Nutrition plan was pretty close.  4 full bottles over 2.5 hours (so I should have drank a little more... I have to work on that some more) and I took a gel at start of bike and every 40min thereafter on the dot with my timer.

Run 1:33:31:
Starting the run, I felt pretty good.  Came off the bike around 12th place from my estimate.  Amazingly, I ran so well and used that to move up to 6th overall.   I'm so used to running fast off the bike because of the short course racing this year, that I struggled to hold the first 1/2 mile (net uphill) at 6:40/mi pace.  I saw this and slowed down to 6:58 (172bpm) for the first mile... I knew I had to keep my HR down, so next mile felt stupid slow, and was 7:15 (175bpm).

The plan was to keep increasing my effort/HR little by little from there, which I successfully did.   The miles splits and HR avg were:
3-7:18, 176
4-7:13, 178
5-7:20, 178
6-7:21, 179
7-7:11, 180
8-7:09, 182
9-7:13, 183
10-7:06, 184
11-7:06, 188
12-7:06, 189
13-7:07, 192

Run nutrition:  I started with a 2 bottle fuel belt of EFS (16oz total).  Sucked on that between aid stations during the first 6.5 mi loop.  I kept right on the gels at 40 min which carried over from the bike.  Clockwork.  Asked for ice, water and Infinit at each aid station (roughly 1 mile between).  2nd loop I went for coke more than Infinit just to keep things mixed up... I had a LOT of sports drink this day!  I took a lot of salt caps on the run too.  Started as 3 every couple of miles as a preventative...  second loop, I could start to feel a few "pings" in my quads.  More salt caps.  last 4 miles, that was my only concern about letting myself fully fly and sprint the last mile...  more 'pings' in both quads, despite another 4-6 caps with about 3 miles to go.   Nothing slowed me down or caused a problem, but I just was wary about trying to go bananas and end up with a cramp I'd have to stop and stretch out or something.

Emotionally:  Swim was good except for the literal near-drowning.  That shook me up for a few minutes...  but I soldiered through.  (What a different day/outcome if I had put my hand up, or couldn't have even done that!!)

Bike was tough for me at first.  Like I said, people I know I could crush on the bike were passing me, and frankly it was embarrassing to my ego.  But I trusted in the plan, and didn't want to mis-execute and not learn from the experience of the day.  Turning up the heat on the last 15 miles was satisfying...  was quite happy to pass a lot of people then and gain some ground and still be fresh for the run.

Run was just plain fun!  Who says that about a 1:33 half mary after a swim and a bike??  I do!  The way I was able to build and build and keep taking spots from people was just a great feeling!  The second loop in particular was great fun as I really got pushing it and the body was able to consistently respond.  My speed may not have drastically increased during the run (7:14/mi first loop and 7:09 second loop)... but seeing the others suffer and slow down and get passed while I felt great was something I've not fully experienced before.



Could I have gone faster on the bike?  Of course.  But could I have held on to the run like this afterwards?  Probably not in my current conditioning state.  That's next.

"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!