Galveston 70.3 Race Report

At last, I was able to put all the training to the test.  Amazing how much training goes into one day of glory!

I went down to Galveston Saturday to check in, drop the bike off, and relax a bit before.  It was nice to have some camaraderie with the Outrival Racing Group and to also spend some time with my parents.  I'm grateful I was able to stay somewhere comfortable prior to racing.  I'm actually glad I got there early since my brake calipers were not releasing.  I wasn't planning on using my brakes too much, but better safe than sorry.  The guys at Bike Barn replaced my front calipers and tweaked the rear and I was in business.  So, I dropped the bike off and then put the feet up before the ORR team dinner.  I stuck with something simple...spaghetti with meat sauce and water.

After dinner I returned to my parents house and mixed up my bottles of nutrition for the next morning.  I went with 1 sludge bottle and 1 regular bottle of Infinit Nutrition (900 calories total) for the race.  I mixed 1 bottle of Energy Lab Execute to sip on after breakfast and through the morning before the start.  Then it was off to bed at 8:30.

I actually slept ok considering it was my first race.  I woke up around 3:30 and then 4 and decided to get up.  Breakfast was a double serving of Rice Cereal, honey, glass of water, a banana, and a plain piece of toast.  Then it was off to transition.  I've never set up for a long race before so I wanted to make sure I had time.

I tried to go minimalist.  I put my shoes down with socks in each slightly rolled up and my gels and salt tabs in my hat for the run.  That's it.  I put my race belt and sunglasses in my helmet and was good to go.  Put my two bottles on board, a handful of Electrosalt, and a few PowerGels.  I aired up the tires to pressure and then began my warm up.  I did a little jogging and stretching and hit the bathroom to be ready.  Here is a picture of my set up.

At 6:30 I put on the wetsuit and walked over the the start.  Opening ceremonies and then it was time.  The pros got a swim warm up, but us age groupers had about 2 minutes per wave.  Looking back I should have swam a bit more than just jump in and wait for the gun.  The good thing was that our wave went off right after the pros, so clean water.  

Then 7:15...BOOM!!  Here is where I panicked.  I thought...go, go, go...go hard for a few minutes to warm up.  Bad idea!  The dark water, cold water, wetsuit, adrenaline, and everyone kicking and swimming made me panic and feel claustrophobic.  The negative thoughts immediately crept in.  I thought to my self...How would I ever do this whole race!  Give me a lifeguard and get me out of here. So, I paused for 20 seconds or so and caught my breath and reminded myself that I had trained for this (not the true open water experience), but I could do the distance.  So I breastroked a bit, counted the buoys, and put my head down.  After that, I got back into my rhythm and the buoys kept coming.  I just had to watch out for running up on people.  Soon, I could see the swim exit and I picked up the pace.  I felt good.  I put my foot down a bit early and WHAM!!  A charlie horse on my left calf.  I picked up my foot, did a few dolphins dives and swam a bit more and stood up slowly.  Still felt the cramp, but nothing that could slow me down.  I began stripping the suit off and ran to the strippers.  1, 2, 3 and they yanked it off.  Pretty easy.  I ran to the bike and race belt, glasses, helmet, and off I went.  Said by to my family and hopped on the bike.  Even with the start issue, my pace came at about where I expected.  Here is a picture of me on my way.  Swim time:  32:30

You can tell I was happy to be out of the water and on to the bike.  I've never raced on my bike nor done a true time trial so I didn't know what to expect.  The race plan my coach laid out was high zone 2 to low zone 3 on the bike.  Well, once jumping on I was at a low zone 4!  Holy sh&t!  How was I going to get it down???  Slow down...NO WAY!  So I kept pedaling according to feel.  One thing Coach Michelle said to me was during race day, feel is more important than data at times.  Hopefully this was one of those times.  Soon after a couple of miles my HR came down to high zone 3 and slowly to mid zone 3, but never below.  I told myself Oh Well.  Go with it.  My actual HR averaged mid to high zone 3 the whole way.  System checks and all felt good.  I made sure to begin taking on nutrition after 15 minutes and then grabbed water at all aid stations.  I have to say that the stuff from Infinit Nutrition rocks and an all liquid nutrition plan is the way to go.  I drank about 3/4 of a bottle from every station along the way to supplement and took a salt tab about every 15 minutes or so.  I felt good.  We also had a slight tail wind on the way out so I went with it.  At the turn (I didn't think to start slowing down early, so I skidded into the turn) I noticed that the trip home would be more of a head/cross wind.  I kept the pace going, but at mile 35-40 or so I began slowing down a bit.  The last 10 miles or so had my slowest splits.  I made sure to stretch the calf along the way too.  At mile 10, no more calf tightness so I couldn't wait to run.  I took a gel at mile 8-6 to be ready and then drank a bit more and stopped.  We had to ride through the airport and boy was that a rough ride.  I lost a bottle (good thing this happened at the end) and when I picked up my bike later in the day my rear tire was flat and gashed.  Several others had this problem.  Overall, I held a high speed than any of my training rides and was happy with my 1st bike leg effort.  Here is a picture of me coming off the bike and ready even though my legs felt like Jell-O.  Bike time 2:40:12

I racked the bike, sat down to put on socks and shoes and ran out as I put on my nutrition and hat.  I looked at the watch and 6:22 for the 1st mile.  Wow!  Could I maintain it?  For the 1st 3 miles I did, but I began slowing down.  I never felt bad or had cramps.  It was just the body doing its thing.  This was a 3 loop course and on the second loop the negative thoughts began creeping in...Why are you doing this?  Slow down!  Take your time.  You want to do IM?  I began battling these and pushed them out with thoughts about my wife, kids, God, how lucky I was to be racing and go so fast!  Then it was a matter of making sure to take on the nutrition.  I took 2 gels along the way (planned) and about 5? salt tabs and drank coke a bit along with water.  I wanted to make sure not to take on too much (coke was towards the 2nd half) and feel bad.  Then finally the last loop and I picked up the pace (at least mentally I did).  I sprinted into the finish with a 1/2 marathon split of 1:27:32!  Not bad considering this is only the 2nd half marathon I have every run (1st was a 1:21:53 in March).  My legs immediately cramped up.  So I walked a bit and said hi to the ORR cheerleaders and my family.  Then I found my way to the med tent and had them wrap my legs.  Here's a picture of me crossing the finish and my legs wrapped.

I race with a watch, but never kept the full time.  However, as I crossed the line looked up and saw 5:00:45 and was like what!  We started 15 minutes after so total time 4:45:45!  WOW!  I always told myself that I wanted to come in under 5 hours, but this was very good.  I am very happy with this result.  I am also stoked that this was my first ever full 3 legged triathlon.

I can't wait to race again.  I can't wait to keep training to get faster.  This was truly an awesome experience.  Maybe I will get a Vegas Spot in my next race (at least that is my goal!).

I want to thank my loving wife and family for putting up with my training and adaptation to triathlon.  I want to thank my awesome coach Michelle Leblanc of Outrival Racing for making me faster.

Here are a few pics of me in the race.

The Woodlands Half Marathon Race Report

Saturday March 2nd 2013 was my official first half marathon.  I signed up about 3 weeks prior thinking this would be a good test for the Galveston 70.3.  The week prior started off as a light taper.  Most of the more intense stuff was at the beginning of the week.  Wednesday I did a Maximum Aerobic Function test (3 mile run a held a few beats below top of zone 2).  I did this early at the local track (4:30 am).

The test went well and gave me a good indication as to what my MAF should be.  I held the 3 miles right at about 6:37 or so.  Not bad and I've come a long way.  Coach Michelle said that my half pace should be somewhere 30 seconds or so faster in mid zone 3.  I was pumped and ready.

I took Thursday off and swam a bit on Friday to calm my race jitters.  Also, energy builds when you don't release it from working out everyday.  However, on my first flip turn, as I was flipping, I don't know what I was thinking or where my mind drifted to, but I whacked both of my heels on the edge of the pool!  It hurt like a mother.  I started freaking out especially since this was the day before the race.  So I took it easier and cut my swim down by 1/3.  My heels looked slightly bruised at the end, but had no real pain.

Saturday morning started early for me.  I slept real good until 3 am and then couldn't really get back to sleep.  So, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and sneaked out the door at about 5 am.  I didn't know if there would be traffic on the way to the race, but wanted to make sure.  BTW, it was cold this morning.    The temperature gauge on the car said about 40-38 or so.  Thus, I sat in my car for about 30 minutes before getting out at about 6 to stay warm.

Gloves on, jacket on, and ear warmer on, I got out and walked over to the Outrival tent to see the other cold runners.  I chatted, but soon decided to start slow running and looking for the restroom.  It didn't take long to warm up.  Everyone talks about how great it is to run in the cold, but I really don't like it.  I'd rather have it warm with some humidity.

The time was approaching and since this was my first real big race (8,000 or so participants), people told me to try and get to the front of the corral.  I was a bit late, but fought my way to the front of the line.  The tip was to not get in the mid part, since it could be frustrating passing people.

The gun went off and off we went.  I was told to begin slower than normal, but that is hard.  I took off at about a 6:15 pace or so and was surprised that I could hold it.  I tried real hard to focus on MY race and not other people.  I quickly started passing people and got passed by some, but didn't worry.  Soon, several miles began passing.  The group started thinning out and soon 30 minutes went by.  I waited until about this point to start drinking and took a gel just in case.  It was surprising how far apart the water stations were from miles 3-6 or so.

Soon, I started passing some of those that passed me early on or took off in front.  After about the mid point I was running alone.  It's nice, but also lonely and can be difficult pushing the pace.  This is where the mental part of racing kicks in.  It didn't take long, but the last mile approached and I picked up the pace to finish strong through the shoot.  A few high 5's to my Coach and team mates and I crossed the line.

Final time was 1:21:50!  My goal was sub 1:25, so not bad.  Came in 7th in my age group and 37th overall (3,700 or so racers).  The 2nd half of the race was a few seconds shorter, but this will improve with time.  Not bad for the first race.  Can't wait for my next one!

One thing I didn't due post race that I should have is run more super slow and stretched more.  My muscles tightened up post race and are just now getting loose.  I'll know better next time.  I did't stick around much since it was freezing (cold air plus north wind are not fun).  It was time to go home, relax with the family.

Here's a picture of me at about 1 mile out.

February Update

I need to try and update this more.  Last fall after my 1st race, I decided to start doing my own training. It was ok for a while as a break.  However, my workouts became very repetitive.  Late December I attended a happy hour with Outrival gain and ended up chatting with my now coach Michelle Leblanc. She recommended that coaching would be a good idea for me since I was basically doing none of the things that someone should be doing to improve.

I have a natural talent for running and other athletics and she saw that in me I guess.  It has been a great decision.  In the month that she has been coaching me, I have yet to repeat a similar workout outside the long runs and bike rides.

My swim (used to range at 2000 to 2500 yards) are now minimum of 3000 and getting into 4000.  I thought I could never swim that much, but I am making it.  Last week was my longest yardage total of about 11,000!  Sounds crazy, but it is a lot for me and I am seeing the improvements in the endurance.

The bike has improved.  Michelle immediately pointed out that my bike training should be about 50% of my weekly volume.  Prior to working with her I was shooting for about 33%.  I also wasn't incorporating long bikes on a weekly basis.  That has all changed and I feel that I have improved and my it shows on my longer bikes.

On the run side, I am starting to go very fast (more than I though I would).  I have brought my mid zone 2 run HR pas to 145 bpm or so at 7 min miles.  That is very fast!  Last Friday, I did a 70 mile bike followed by a 6 mile brick run and came off doing 6:30 - 6:36 miles at the top of zone 2 and a few into zone 3!  Incredible that I could do that.  One of the weirdest things lately has been getting used to this faster pace and having a low heart rate.

The other thing that I have been experimenting with is nutrition.  I referring to both daily and race day nutrition.  On the daily nutrition, I bought Matt Fitzgerald's book Racing Weight, 2nd Edition.  This book is like a bible to me.  Since starting to follow the daily steps on nutrition, I have seen my performance, recovery, and overall health improve.  One of the things I took for granted, was my carb intake.  Since reading and re-reading this book, I have almost doubled my daily card intake.  This has mad a huge difference.

The other nutrition aspect has been race day nutrition.  I had been experimenting in the past with gels and bars on the ride.  As many know, this can be tricky.  Thus, I ordered some Infinit Nutrition a few weeks ago and am loving this stuff.  The consultation was quick and easy and the formula came custom for me.  Many triathletes swear by liquid nutrition and I am a believer now.  It's so easy to drink every 10 minutes and know that my nutrition is coming in.  I throw a salt tab from Energy Lab every 20 minutes to make sure I hit my hourly electrolyte need (per Michelle's race planning worksheets).  I feel great during rides and feel good on the run.

Back to the title of the post, I am doing my 1st half marathon this weekend here in The Woodlands.  I can't wait and I'm pumped.  This will be a good test for the Galveston 70.3 in April.  I hope I can deliver per my training results.

I'll update that later.

Birthday Weekend

Jennifer, kids, and family, thanks for a wonderful birthday weekend.  God, thank you for the incredible weather this weekend.  Perfect timing!

Saturday started off with a nice Outrival group ride.  I cut off after the 2854 bridge and hit the lake and came back for 1 loop at Woodlands before coming home.  I had an early morning party to take the kids to and couldn't go too much longer since I had an immediate run scheduled.

So after 32 miles and a quick transition, I took of for a 4 miler.  I looked down at the Garmin a few minutes into the run and I couldn't believe my pace at 7:10 to 7:00 per mile!  I knew I was going fast, but I didn't feel tired sluggish.  At mile 1 and 2, I began to feel more comfortable at that pace and saw it fall below the 7 a few times.  I finished the run at about 27:30 for 4 miles.  I could have kept going, but needed to shower for the party.

Here is the kicker about all of this...I didn't use a heart monitor at all this week.  I decided (per advice given to me by a friend who finished 3rd in his AG at IMTX 2012 and was the 1st age grouper out of the water that year) to train without it for a bit (1 week).  It felt different and free.  I guess there is this mental connection to the HR monitor that subconsciously tells you to slow down or speed up.  I did non of my workouts with it this week.

Time away from the HR monitor will have to be a plus.

Back to the brick, I could have pushed harder for a race, but I held back due to experience and training.  I want to make sure I can maintain before killing myself.  My confidence shot way up Saturday after this workout.  The bike was also much better.  I pushed harder and the fit is feeling better.

My swim is feeling better too.  Wednesday last week it felt HORRIBLE!!  My arms felt like dead weight and sloppy.  However, Friday turned it around.  My extension was smooth and long as though I was gliding.  My strength was back.  I don't know what it was.  It might have been the compliment I received from Sarah Gray (the Outrival Swim coach on Fridays and pro in Olympic distance).  She complimented on my stroke and asked if I had a swim background.  I said not, since I really don't.  Most had been from my beach lifeguard days in high school.

I can't wait until the Houston Olympic Tri.