Coming off of Rev 3 Cedar Point I had by far my best Ironman recovery to date. Consequently I made the decision to race on just two weeks recovery. I know I am fit and wanted to take full advantage as one of the lessons I've learned the past few years is you cannot take great fitness for granted, it doesn't happen by accident. The Westchester Triathlon was the race I chose to tackle, an olympic distance race with a smaller pro prize purse taking place about 20 miles north of New York City. After driving the course on Saturday and making note of the seemingly endless number of multi-million dollar mansions and exotic cars along the route I did a little internet research and learned that Westchester County NY is the 7th wealthiest in the entire country. That explains it.
Swim: 19:20 8th fastest split
The race venue was beautiful and the swim one of the more enjoyable I've done, in the ocean water of the Long Island sound. With only 9 pro men competing I expected the race to be pretty spread out. I didn't expect 8 of us (plus two women) to all be the same swimming ability and have a large pack the whole way. I exited the water in 8th place but just 20 seconds down on second place.
Bike: 59:12 25.4mph 2nd fastest split
The bike course was very urban, lots of intersections and turns, lots of bad pavement and obstacles, several significant climbs, and a bit of traffic to contend with. After driving the course and seeing it for the first time Saturday I had pretty much written off the possibility of breaking an hour. So I was really happy with the way I rode, I wasn't quite as strong as I was two weeks ago in Cedar Point but I'm still riding very well right now. Out of T1 I was sitting 8th and made my way into 3rd within the first 5 miles. My plan for the bike was just to push as hard as possible and never fall into a comfort zone. I knew coming off of Ironman racing that endurance wouldn't be an issue and I just needed to have the guts to really hurt the whole way. I gave up a little time on a few descents and in a few corners being conservative since I didn't know the course very well but overall still a quality ride, second fastest on the day and by far the hardest 40k course that I've ever broken an hour on. Into T2 in 3rd, two min back of the lead and one minute down on second.
Run: 36:42 6th fastest split
Starting the run I knew that the win was probably out of reach but I believed I could catch second and that's what I set out to do. However I realized in checking my splits through the first few miles that I was not running my typical 10k pace despite my efforts. There's only so much you can ask your body to do two weeks post-Ironman and for me a sub-34 10k might not be one of them. Although I was running 10-15 seconds per mile slower than the effort felt I was visibly pulling back second place, slowly but surely. I focused really hard on bringing him back and with two miles to go I timed the gap at 23 seconds, it was going to be really close. But then, out of the blue and with no warning or prior discomfort, I was suddenly overcome with a sharp, intense, and debilitating pain in my lower left calf. In the span of 10 seconds I went from charging after second to stopped on the side of the road barely able to walk and unsure if I could finish. After being unable to move for a few seconds I started to get things under control and assessed the situation. I had just over a mile to the finish and knew I had a good 3 minutes over 4th. Not enough time that I could walk the whole thing like what probably would have been smart, but enough of a lead that I could afford to limp home. I realized I couldn't really run at all because I couldn't put any pressure on the ball of my left foot but I managed to find a way to limp/gallop at around 8min pace while pushing off the ground with only my heel on my left foot. It was pretty awkward but it got me to the finish in 3rd place with 40 seconds to spare over 4th.
Overall: 1:56:42 3rd place
A decent result which is good but now I'm hurt which isn't good. Post race I could barely walk and it was straight to the med tent for treatment. The pain was so general at the time that I was really worried it was my achilles as I've observed through others how nasty achilles problems can be. But now that things have settled down a bit more I'm pretty certain it is my lower calf, I'm hoping nothing more than a severe calf strain. Monday was a scheduled off day and today (Tuesday) I won't be running, likely not Wednesday either. I really want to race the Pocono 70.3 this weekend and Rev 3 South Carolina on October 9 but won't race either if I'm not 100%. So we'll just have to wait and see how the healing comes along, it seems to slowly be getting better. I'm very fit right now and think I can get on the podium this weekend if I am able to race so am doing everything possible to speed the healing. Below are top-5 results.
1 Jordan Jones 7 19:08 8 0:51 9 57:18 1 0:47 5 34:25 1 1:52:26
2 John Kenny 6 17:43 1 0:50 7 59:41 3 0:52 7 35:21 3 1:54:26
3 Daniel Bretscher 8 19:20 10 0:50 8 59:12 2 0:39 1 36:42 6 1:56:42
4 Patrice Hamelin 4 18:54 3 0:49 6 1:02:06 4 0:43 4 34:52 2 1:57:22
5 Matt Mangen 1 19:00 6 0:56 10 1:02:36 5 0:53 8 36:46 7 2:00:09
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Rev 3 Cedar Point-Triumph in the Face of Adversity
Sometimes the race results don't tell the full story. That was the case at my biggest race of the year this past weekend, the Rev 3 Cedar Point full-Iron distance. On paper it's another solid 5th place, but nothing ground breaking compared to what I've already done this summer. However, with the adversity and total mental breakdown I had to endure for several hours mid-race, and the fact that I went through what I did and still came out with a top-5 finish and new PR, this was by far my best performance of the year, one of my best races ever, and I'd have to say my most proud race result ever. As they say, this is one of those races where you really learn something about yourself.
I went into this race very confident, the most confident I've been heading into a race since my 2008 season. I knew from training I was very fit, I felt I was peaking perfect, in fact everything seemed and felt perfect heading in which is quite rare in my experience. I've never been one to talk a big game so I surprised myself Saturday evening when I made the comment to someone, "this will be my last race flying under the radar". Slept great Saturday night, another rarity for Ironman, most of my typical Ironman nerves were transformed into confidence.
Swim: 51:56 7th fastest split
Not much to report in the swim, it was both good and bad. Good in the fact that my swim training had gone well in the lead up to the race and I am my most swim-fit of year right now. Bad in the fact that I swam alone the entire way, no feet to draft. With only about 16 pro men in this race I knew the race would likely be very spread out as the day wore on so I was mentally prepared to do long solo efforts. All in all it was fine and I was onto the bike in 7th and very much within striking distance of the race.
Bike: 4:51:52 24.3mph
I went in with the attitude that this race was about taking risks and dealing with the results of those risks. I took that attitude onto the bike and set out to make this race mine right from mile 1. I steadily passed, and dropped, riders through the first hour (thank you stagger rule for keeping any packs from forming in the men's pro race) and went through 40k in a hair over an hour. Through the first checkpoint on the bike I had ridden within a minute of the fastest cyclist and was only around 4 minutes off the lead. Things were going exactly as I would have scripted up. Then, while riding solo in 5th place at mile 45, I came to the corner which, unfortunately, played a big role in the men's pro race. Long story short, there had to be a last second course change in the final days leading up to the race, the course was rerouted after being marked, and all arrows were accounted for......except one. The corner didn't feel right to me when I got to it, the entire course was staffed very well and this corner had nobody, just an arrow on the road. I thought about stopping but didn't know if 6th place was 1 or 8 minutes behind, plus the next racer wouldn't know any better than I what to do. I went with my instinct and followed the arrow. The two race leaders went through with a moto escort thus ignored the arrow. Of the next 14 pro men to hit the corner without an escort, about half went off course anywhere from 4-6 miles. One of the unfortunate things that sometimes happens in triathlon is that when there's a problem on the course nobody is aware of, it's the first riders through who "discover" it and it is quickly fixed. This errant arrow was discovered and removed by the time the pro women hit the corner, but of course by then the damage was done. An extra 6 mile loop I rode without even realizing I was off course. To throw salt in the wound, the one and only big climb I encountered all day was during the 6 miles extra I rode. Eventually the loop put me back on the course, I started seeing volunteers again, and I was pretty sure I had ridden correctly. Then I went past the 50 mile marker with my computer reading 56 miles. Not long after I started passing athletes who I knew were well behind me all along. I became extremely angry and enraged, I didn't know what I was angry at, but I could not believe this was really happening. There were so many thoughts going through my head I didn't know what I should do, didn't know what place I was in. I put serious thought into pulling the plug and dropping out. I had entered the Syracuse 70.3 next weekend as a backup plan in case something went awry in Sandusky and I certainly thought this qualified. I decided I should continue on until I found out what place I was in. The last 2.5 hours of the bike were a complete mental collapse, I could not move on from what had happened, I just kept focusing on and asking how this could happen in my biggest race of the year, feeling so sorry for myself-why me, why this race? If this happened in a sprint or a half I could just make up for it in the next race, but Ironman is different, you can't just jump in one the next week, you have to make the races you do count, you can only do so many. I kept telling myself that losing 15 minutes in an Ironman does not mean a lost race, but try as hard as I could, I could not get my mind back into the moment of the race. And then as the pain of Ironman set in around mile 80, my mental state made the difficulty of Ironman so much harder. There was so much negativity going on in my head and I could not get any information about what place I was in or if others went off course too. I just soldiered on. Physically I was starting to feel the hard early pace I set and I wasn't in the mental state to battle, I completely surrendered to the suffering, and faded badly the last hour. Every time I passed a mile marker I was reminded of what happened and that I had 6 additional miles to ride, it was absolutely mind crushing. I checked my computer as it clicked 112 miles and I had ridden it in 4:37, almost exactly what I had targeted for myself the day before. And I had ridden that split in the mental state I was in and while knowing I had to go 118, not 112. I thought about how I should be in T2, how energized and motivated I would have been to come off the bike in that split. Instead I had 6 more miles on the bike. In the end I rode 118 miles in 4:51, 24.3mph. Looking back through the results, and taking away the miscue, I was probably the 4th best cyclist on the day.
Run: 3:01:11 3rd fastest split
In the T2 changing tent I was told 6th place which I didn't believe at first. Then starting the marathon I had several spectators tell me 6th place. Suddenly I became elated and excited that through everything I had the opportunity to salvage a sizable paycheck. The legs were not there initially and it took a while to become a runner. Once I got going I was able to click off 6:30ish pace all the while keeping in mind that my big focus for this marathon was the second half which has been my downfall in my first two Ironmans. Following Lake Placid I did a complete nutrition overhaul (posted in full below) solely geared towards the last 13 miles of the marathon. I missed my official half split but it was 1:27/28. The last 13 miles I relied a lot on coke and caffeinated gels, and I've become a fan of both. I moved up one spot and at mile 21 was just a minute down, and gaining, on 4th place. I ran miles 21-23 really hard but then the wheels came off and I had only pulled back a few additional seconds. One of my big goals for this race was to run my first ever sub-3 marathon and with two miles to go I think I only had run 7:30ish pace to do so. But having gone through everything I had gone through, persevered, and salvaged a good result and payday when I thought there would be none, I decided that I just wanted to take the last 2 miles to myself, smell the roses, and take everything in. There will be more chances to run sub-3 marathons when I'm racing for position. I was really happy, totally relieved, and especially proud of what I had done as I approached the finish. Turning into the finish chute I saw 8:48 on the clock and just laughed that through everything here I am setting my PR and going 4 minutes faster than this same race last year. I ended up running the second half in 1:33/34 which is by far my best split marathon ever, still room for improvement though.
Overall: 8:48:29 5th place
Of those who went off course, 'I think' just 3 finished and those 3 were rewarded with 2-4-5 place overall finishes. All of us were really happy, and not one negative word was spoken from anyone, even Chris McDonald who rode the same 6 mile loop as I and ended up just 5 minutes away from winning the whole thing. From looking at splits and comparing what I saw on my computer I'm pretty certain that I added about 14 minutes to my bike which is funny because I wrote down 8:34 as my finish time the day before the race. I won't waste time and energy trying to figure out where I 'would' have finished or in what time, but who knows what effect being mentally removed from the race for 2.5 hours had or what effect riding 6 additional miles had on my marathon in addition to the 14 minutes. I'm just very proud that I weathered the storm, persevered, and stuck it out. Even with the miscue I finished just 20 minutes off the win. My ultimate goal was a top-3 podium and I do believe that the way I performed was good enough for that. I'm proud that I have my own story of not giving up and the next time someone says to me, "I dropped my nutrition on the bike and my race was ruined" I can tell my story of Cedar Point 2011.
Looking forward, I am very fit right now. I knew that heading in and this race only confirmed it. 48 hours after finishing the early indications are that I've recovered very well from this one, much better than Lake Placid. My soreness is probably just half as bad as Placid and I even rode an hour Monday morning. I give credit to an easier course and being much more fit as the reason I am feeling as good as I am. I'll take this week very easy and then next week get to work on the "4th quarter" of my season. I'm very fit and the focus of the 4th quarter will be entirely racing. Excited to see what I can do. I'm finalizing my race schedule this week but this is what it is looking like:
9/25 Westchester Tri NY
10/2 Pocono 70.3 PA
10/9 Rev 3 South Carolina
then see how I feel and either call it a season or do some combination of the following Florida races
10/30 Miami 70.3
11/5 Ironman Florida
11/12 Clearwater 5150
I want to say a big thanks to all the volunteers and Rev 3 staff for a great race. Congrats to all the participants, especially Bretscher Multisport athletes Dana and Julie. Dana had a fantastic day and went 9:20 which ranked him as the 4th overall age grouper on the day and a PR by over 4 hours! Julie, in her Iron distance debut, put together her greatest performance ever and crushed everyone's expectations with a 11:26, ranking her the 7th overall age grouper on the day! Wow!
Finally I would just like to offer another endorsement for the Rev 3 series. As I've been saying for over a year, unless you have a legit shot and are trying to qualify for Las Vegas or Kona, there are far more reasons to do a race in the Rev 3 series. The Rev 3 experience is unique and fantastic, the venues are very logical (at Quassy and Cedar Point parking is within 200 meters of the start, transition, and finish), courses are fun and challenging, entry fees are lower, and you don't have to commit a full year in advance. Imagine being able to train, assess if you are ready, and then entering without having to risk an injury forcing a DNS after you've paid $600. But what I like most about Revolution 3 is they are in the sport for the right reasons, to promote and further the sport, and give the triathlete the best experience possible. Making money is important with any business, but it is far from the 'only' thing with Rev 3.
Daniel Bretscher Rev 3 Cedar Point Nutrition Report
Breakfast:
4 Powerbars (960 cal)
1 piece dark chocolate 88% cocoa (20 cal)
16oz Powerbar Perform (140 cal)
Prerace:
Perform drink all morning ~16oz (140 cal)
Powergel Double Latte caffeinated gel 20min before start (110 cal)
Total Race AM: 1370 calories
Bike 118 miles:
1 Powergel every 8 miles. 9 Vanilla/5 Double Latte Caffeine. 14 total @ 110 cal each (1540 cal)
100oz Powerbar Perform (875 cal)
~40oz Gatorade (80 cal)
Total Bike: 2500 calories
Run:
One gel every 3 miles. 4 Vanilla/4 DL caffeine. 8 total @ 110 cal each (880 cal)
One cup water/one cup gatorade every mile-first 16 miles (~600 cal very rough estimate)
One cup water/one cup coke every mile-last 10 miles (~400 cal estimate)
Total Run: ~1900 calories
Total Race Calories: ~4400
Total Calories Wakeup-Race Finish: ~5800
Monday, September 5, 2011
Rev 3 Cedar Point-Ready to Race
I am now less than one week away from my biggest race of the year, Rev 3 Cedar Point. I feel really good about where my fitness is at heading into this race, in fact this will be the first race of the entire 2011 season where I am genuinely pleased with my fitness heading in. There is no doubt that I am in my best fitness of the year, and I think I may be in the best shape of my life although I’ll wait until I see the results from this next block of races before I make that judgment. Within about ten days of racing Lake Placid I could feel that my cycling had reached another level and things have continued to progress from there.
Although this will be my third crack at the Ironman distance, this will be the first time I am giving myself permission to really get in and “race”. My Ironman debut, a year ago, was all about experiencing the distance and learning. In Lake Placid I went in knowing that I was not ideally fit and instead focused on executing a perfect race. Although I didn’t execute a perfect race I did execute a good race and the plan worked as I finished 5th on the day when I’m confident there were more than five people more fit than I was at the time. Those first two races, I raced very conservative and against myself. Come Sunday I plan to race the competition and will not be afraid to make some moves and make the race happen. Heading into Lake Placid I completed just two training rides of 100+ miles. Now I’ve completed five. I don’t have a specific race plan for this Sunday, but I know at some point the race will open up and there’ll be an opportunity to make something happen. I plan to take that opportunity.
My goals for this race are as follows:
1. Improve upon my 5th place finish in Lake Placid
1a. Put myself in a position where I have an opportunity to podium (top-3)
2. Run a sub-3 hour marathon
3. Set a new PR (8:52)
The one big thing I haven’t done well in either of my first two Ironmans has been marathon execution. In both my first two races I ran significantly slower than I know I was capable. This was due to both poor execution (running the first half too hard), as well as lack of mental toughness the second half. This will be one of my major focal points for Sunday, barring extreme weather there is no excuse for me not to run a sub-3 marathon. The one major change I’ve made from Lake Placid to now is a complete overhaul of my race nutrition. I’ve seen benefits from this in training and I’m excited to put it to the ultimate test on Sunday. Hopefully implementing caffeine into my nutritional plan will give me the extra boost I need to stay strong the last half of the marathon. That, plus being mentally stronger and making myself suffer like I’ve never suffered before, something I’m mentally preparing myself to do.
Follow me online Sunday www.rev3tri.com. Race begins at 6:50am, hopefully I’ll be finishing around 3:30pm. Wishing everyone racing this weekend a good, safe day.
Although this will be my third crack at the Ironman distance, this will be the first time I am giving myself permission to really get in and “race”. My Ironman debut, a year ago, was all about experiencing the distance and learning. In Lake Placid I went in knowing that I was not ideally fit and instead focused on executing a perfect race. Although I didn’t execute a perfect race I did execute a good race and the plan worked as I finished 5th on the day when I’m confident there were more than five people more fit than I was at the time. Those first two races, I raced very conservative and against myself. Come Sunday I plan to race the competition and will not be afraid to make some moves and make the race happen. Heading into Lake Placid I completed just two training rides of 100+ miles. Now I’ve completed five. I don’t have a specific race plan for this Sunday, but I know at some point the race will open up and there’ll be an opportunity to make something happen. I plan to take that opportunity.
My goals for this race are as follows:
1. Improve upon my 5th place finish in Lake Placid
1a. Put myself in a position where I have an opportunity to podium (top-3)
2. Run a sub-3 hour marathon
3. Set a new PR (8:52)
The one big thing I haven’t done well in either of my first two Ironmans has been marathon execution. In both my first two races I ran significantly slower than I know I was capable. This was due to both poor execution (running the first half too hard), as well as lack of mental toughness the second half. This will be one of my major focal points for Sunday, barring extreme weather there is no excuse for me not to run a sub-3 marathon. The one major change I’ve made from Lake Placid to now is a complete overhaul of my race nutrition. I’ve seen benefits from this in training and I’m excited to put it to the ultimate test on Sunday. Hopefully implementing caffeine into my nutritional plan will give me the extra boost I need to stay strong the last half of the marathon. That, plus being mentally stronger and making myself suffer like I’ve never suffered before, something I’m mentally preparing myself to do.
Follow me online Sunday www.rev3tri.com. Race begins at 6:50am, hopefully I’ll be finishing around 3:30pm. Wishing everyone racing this weekend a good, safe day.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Steelhead 70.3
Three weeks removed from Ironman Lake Placid was my first real race back, the Steelhead 70.3 in Benton Harbor Michigan. With 38 pro men on the list and a flat course I went in expecting a pretty similar race to what we had in Muncie, lots of packs on the bike and ultimately a runner's race. I was looking forward to this race because, although Lake Placid was just three weeks ago, I feel I've made real gains in my swim and bike fitness since then. Running, however, has been a struggle. I've found Ironman recovery to be as challenging and as much a test of patience as actual Ironman racing. I've felt terrible and cut more runs short in the past two weeks than I have this entire year. When I made my Ironman debut last year it was essentially the end of my season. Thus this is my first real experience racing an Ironman with several more months of racing planned. Anyway I went into Steelhead excited to test my swim and bike fitness but with pretty much no confidence in my run.
Race morning Lake Michigan was very angry and the swim was, rightfully so, cancelled. I was happy the event was made into a bike-run and not a run-bike-run since, with my run still not 100% from Lake Placid, the last thing I wanted to do was a long course du. I was excited for the race since, with a time trial start, I was pretty certain it would be a true test of where my bike fitness is right now. Unfortunately the dynamics of the race played out such that it wasn't a true test by any means.
Bike: 2:06:33 26.6mph 9th fastest
The pros started the time trial highest race numbers, down to lowest, in other words slower athletes starting first, fastest athletes starting last. In hindsight I think it would have been a much more fair race had they started us in reverse order, fastest to slowest. I started about two-thirds of the way through, and felt awesome right from the get go. Was riding smooth and strong into a pretty brisk headwind. First 10 miles were solo and then I made my first pass, but wasn't so much stronger that I was able to pull away. Not long after, we were caught from behind by some athletes, but they weren't so much stronger that they were able to pull away even with 10 meters of separation. Continue this trend for the next 30 miles, we continue to roll up slower riders and the draft becomes so strong that nobody falls off the back. 45 miles in I think we had a line of 13 athletes, all of us riding a far faster pace, with minimal effort than we'd ever be able to ride on our own. My experience is that almost all flat 70.3s end up with large packs, but this got to be pretty silly. Anyway nearly half the men's pro field dismounted within 20 seconds of each other, having put out minimal effort on the bike, and having not done a swim I knew the run was going to be insanely fast. Officially it's my fastest ride ever at 26.6mph but only the first 20 miles required any real effort.
Run: 1:14:37 7th fastest
The massive pack was moving out of T2. Just keeping up with everyone I split the first mile (net uphill) in 5:33. The pace stayed hot from there. I went through some periods feeling really good, and others feeling pretty bad. But throughout it all I never ran slower than 6min pace. Officially it's my fastest run split ever by 90 seconds but with no swim, and hardly any real riding I think it hardly counts as a pr. Normally I'd be pretty skeptical about the validity of the course with a split like I had, but it was the exact same course I ran 1:20 and 1:22 on the past two years so I know it's legit. Mainly I was just pleased that having had really inconsistent training runs in the past two weeks I was able to run well when it came time to race, felt pretty good the whole way, and never really fell apart at the end. The fact that the run splits were as fast as they were (12 people ran under 1:16) just goes to show how little effort was required on the bike.
Overall: 3:22:34 9th place
When I crossed the line and saw my run split I was positive I would be top-8 and likely top-5. But I kept seeing more and more cross with similar run splits. Then when the waiting was done for the results I ended up 9th, a mere 22 seconds off the last money spot. Tough to take but that's racing. In all nearly half the pro field finished within 4 minutes of the win which further shows the dynamics of this race. In future time trial starts they need to start the predicted fastest athletes first, slowest last, so that there will be far less passing, and less chance of packs forming than what there was. That and actually put officials out on the course. This is a race I'll put behind me really quick, there's really nothing I can take away from it other than a decent workout, knowing I rode really strong the first 15 miles, and I put together a good run despite feeling terrible most of the week leading in. The only good news is the race didn't take the toll on me it normally would and I should be able to get back to hard training quickly. I've got 4 weeks until my biggest race of the year, the Revolution 3 Cedar Point Iron distance in Sandusky Ohio September 11. I feel really good about where I'm at right now heading into this race, far better than I felt about myself heading into Lake Placid. I'm confident my swimming and cycling will be better than Placid, and my run should be back to 100% by then. Now I really want to crush these next two weeks of hard training to give myself the best possible chance of having my best race on September 11.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Ironman Lake Placid
It has now been 3 days since I raced Ironman Lake Placid in New York this past weekend. Much like my first go at the Ironman distance this past September I find myself still overwhelmed and trying to process everything that took place this past Sunday. Overall I am satisfied and proud of the race I was able to put together and execute to bring home the result I wanted heading in. Although I can still see plenty of flaws in my race preparation and execution, mainly a combination of my lack of experience and a steep learning curve in Ironman racing, this was a big step forward from my first take at the distance. My perception of my race is still changing every day, and my race report would be different any of the last three days and will probably continue to change, but overall it was a great day and another amazing experience in the sport.
Unlike my first go at the distance this past September where I went in with no real plan and just wanted to experience the distance I went into this race with a pretty specific plan and time checks. Having looked through the past 10 years of Lake Placid race results I was amazed to find that almost like clockwork, a 9 hour finish time places 4th overall just about every single year. The race field assembled didn't strike me as overly impressive despite this being a major Ironman with a big prize purse. There were about five "big names" (one of whom dropped out) and after that things seemed to drop off substantially. With all this in mind plus the knowledge of the course having trained on it two months prior I decided on what I thought would be a pretty conservative race plan that would net a 9:00-9:05 finish time which, based on the history of the race, should put me right in the thick of racing for a good top-5 result. I have been running great all year and I knew heading in my bike fitness has improved over the season but is still lacking. I was only able to put in two rides of 100+ miles in prep for this race where ideally I would like to have gotten in 4-5 100+ milers. So I knew I had to really chill on the bike as going too hard would only hurt my weapon, the run. I planned to try to ride a 5:00-5:05 conservative bike split and hopefully be able to follow that up with a 3 hour marathon. Combined with the swim I knew that should put me right around 9 hours which should have me racing for a good result.
Race weekend I tried to avoid the Ironman zoo as much as possible as being around the thousands of people and race madness only makes me nervous and stresses me out. I didn't arrive in Lake Placid until 2pm Saturday, an hour before gear check in ended, and just 17 hours before the start. I want to say a big thanks to the Jacobs and Allen families of Plymouth Indiana for hosting me in their rental home, it was a great homestay that kept me relaxed all day Saturday and having never met me they were very brave to host me!
Swim: 55:21 8th fastest split
Race morning was busy and went by quickly which was nice because I didn't have much time to think about what I was about to undertake. The swim was very uneventful which I think is always a good thing in an Ironman swim. Got off to a great start and right into the thick of things. Swam towards the front of the chase pack the whole way out. Got to the first turns 1000 yards out and got shuffled to the back as I was on the outside around the turns. Swam back in on the back of the group. The swim in Lake Placid is fantastic, it is clear and there's a visible underwater guide cable the entire way. It was super easy to draft and I only had to sight about every 5 minutes. Started the second loop at the back of our group and the pace slowed considerably. I looked up and the guy I was swimming on lost the group in front of him. I made a move to go after them but quickly realized they were gone and decided my best bet would be to just sacrifice a little time and cruise the second half on the feet in front of me. Out of the water in 8th place, couldn't believe how big the crowd was, the entire quarter mile run to T1 must have been 5 people deep. Made it a point to really cruise through transition as it was a long day and I wanted to keep my heart rate down.
Bike: 5:02:37 22.2mph 7th fastest split
A quick transition put me onto the bike within sight of 5th place. I planned to go out really conservative as it was but didn't plan to be in such high position starting the bike. So I decided to go out even easier since I was in good position. Two guys went by in the first 10 miles. Was riding well within myself at the effort I planned but not seeing the speed I expected for the effort I was giving. At the first turnaround 30 miles in I became concerned. The leader was way further up than I expected, and the lead woman was only 4 minutes behind me. I had dropped from 6th to 8th position and could see I was about to drop to 9th. I felt I was in control of the race after the swim but could feel it getting away. The only good news was that every single pro was riding a solo effort and there was nobody working together so I didn't feel as bad about getting dropped and being alone. At mile 35 Jason Shortis came by to put me into 9th and I decided that I had to forgo my conservative race plan and go with him to get back into the race. We started the long climbs leading back into town and the pace felt super hard. I stuck with it and started feeling better and better. By 45 miles I felt the best I had all race and began taking turns setting the pace. Through the half in 2:27 which was right about where I wanted for a 5 hour split. Kept working with Jason until I got dropped on the Keene descent at mile 70. Rode the entire rest of the way solo. Was concerned about the last 20 miles since that's where I fell apart in my first Iron distance race and the last 20 are all uphill, but I think my ultra conservative pace the first 30 miles paid off because I stayed strong relative to everyone else. Caught and passed two guys who were falling apart on the final climbs in the last 5 miles heading back into town. Hit T2 in 6th position with a 5:02 split, pretty much exactly the position and time I had written down I wanted to be before the race. Best news of all is that I didn't feel fried finishing the bike like I felt in my first 140.6, I felt ready to run a sub-3 hour marathon.
Run: 3:04:42 5th fastest split
I always tell the athletes I coach that in any race over 4 hours in length you have to be ready for things to go wrong and the unexpected because unexpected things always happen and troubleshooting is part of the game. I was lucky that I only had one big curveball thrown at me during the race and as it turns out I did it to myself. I hurried through T2 to try to gap the two athletes I came off the bike with. I started the marathon and knew something wasn't right but couldn't figure out what. A minute in I realized I had left my gel flask in my transition bag which was the nutrition I was relying on for the marathon. Oops. I quickly had to improvise and utilize the aid station nutrition which is a bit of a gamble because you never know what flavor the gel will be and some flavors I can't tolerate. Thankfully I made it work although I had to force some of the gels down. Felt great running out of T2, no real lingering fatigue and floated through the first 6 mostly downhill miles at 6:15 pace, passed an athlete to move into 5th position and was putting time into everyone behind me and gaining on 4th. Through 10 miles in 64 minutes feeling great and through 13.1 in 1:26. It's amazing how quickly things can change in a marathon because I went from feeling on top of the world at the half marathon, on cruise control enjoying the massive crowd in town, positive I was going to smash 3 hours, and run down 4th place to feeling on the verge of walking, completely depleted, legs so sore I could barely lift them, hoping I could just finish top-8 in a two mile stretch. My pace went from 6:30 on cruise control to 7:30 and struggling in that two miles. The last 11 miles were just pure raw suffering. Probably the biggest thing I took away from my first 140.6 race was the knowledge of how painful and intense the suffering is in Ironman racing, there's no workout or other race that can replicate the pure intensity of the suffering. I think having that knowledge really helped me to keep it together and manage the last 11 miles despite the discomfort. I made a 1 minute port-a-john stop at mile 18 and then went through a real bad patch from 19-20 miles. Started doubling my nutrition intake the rest of the way and that seemed to help. Through 20 miles in 2:15. Was very concerned about getting run down from behind but thankfully all of my closest pursuers seemed to be going through the same thing and all of the time gaps seemed to hold steady despite significant slowing. My mind went to some bad places those last 11 miles but through it all I kept pushing. The last 10k all I could manage was 8min pace, I've never run with such sore quads in my life, lifting my legs took all the energy I had. Finally made it to the speed skating oval where Eric Heiden won 5 gold medals in the 1980 olympics. Can't say I remember much from the lap around the track to the finish but I made it to finish 5th-the exact position and almost the time I had written down for myself a few days before the race.
Overall: 9:07:05 5th place
Very happy to come home in the exact finish position I had written down for myself a week ago. Not so pleased with my half marathon run splits of 1:26-1:38. Although I did cut 7 minutes off my marathon from last September which was run on a much easier course. Ironman marathons just have a steep learning curve I suppose and I did take a big step forward although I know I had sub-3 in me. Probably needed to go out 1-2 mins slower and then be more mentally tough the last half. I was very fortunate to not lose any positions with the way I ran. Had the field been deeper this mistake likely would have cost me several positions in the final 10k. Got away with it this time and didn't lose any positions. Had a great time at this race, Lake Placid is an incredible and inspiring place to race. I still remain amazed by the undertaking to put on such an event. 4000 volunteers worked from 5am through midnight to make the race go without a noticeable glitch. Ironman racing is a pretty neat thing with an incredible positive vibe surrounding the events and I hope to be back at this one next year. I look forward to the second half of my season now. This first half got off to a very slow start following a long offseason but I have come into good form in the last month. I look forward to starting the second half of the season in race shape and continuing to build the momentum I've found in July. I feel more motivated than I've ever been entering August and if things continue the way they're going I think I can produce career best results the second half of this season. But for now it's time to recover. See you at the races, and congrats to all the participants, Daniel
Unlike my first go at the distance this past September where I went in with no real plan and just wanted to experience the distance I went into this race with a pretty specific plan and time checks. Having looked through the past 10 years of Lake Placid race results I was amazed to find that almost like clockwork, a 9 hour finish time places 4th overall just about every single year. The race field assembled didn't strike me as overly impressive despite this being a major Ironman with a big prize purse. There were about five "big names" (one of whom dropped out) and after that things seemed to drop off substantially. With all this in mind plus the knowledge of the course having trained on it two months prior I decided on what I thought would be a pretty conservative race plan that would net a 9:00-9:05 finish time which, based on the history of the race, should put me right in the thick of racing for a good top-5 result. I have been running great all year and I knew heading in my bike fitness has improved over the season but is still lacking. I was only able to put in two rides of 100+ miles in prep for this race where ideally I would like to have gotten in 4-5 100+ milers. So I knew I had to really chill on the bike as going too hard would only hurt my weapon, the run. I planned to try to ride a 5:00-5:05 conservative bike split and hopefully be able to follow that up with a 3 hour marathon. Combined with the swim I knew that should put me right around 9 hours which should have me racing for a good result.
Race weekend I tried to avoid the Ironman zoo as much as possible as being around the thousands of people and race madness only makes me nervous and stresses me out. I didn't arrive in Lake Placid until 2pm Saturday, an hour before gear check in ended, and just 17 hours before the start. I want to say a big thanks to the Jacobs and Allen families of Plymouth Indiana for hosting me in their rental home, it was a great homestay that kept me relaxed all day Saturday and having never met me they were very brave to host me!
Swim: 55:21 8th fastest split
Race morning was busy and went by quickly which was nice because I didn't have much time to think about what I was about to undertake. The swim was very uneventful which I think is always a good thing in an Ironman swim. Got off to a great start and right into the thick of things. Swam towards the front of the chase pack the whole way out. Got to the first turns 1000 yards out and got shuffled to the back as I was on the outside around the turns. Swam back in on the back of the group. The swim in Lake Placid is fantastic, it is clear and there's a visible underwater guide cable the entire way. It was super easy to draft and I only had to sight about every 5 minutes. Started the second loop at the back of our group and the pace slowed considerably. I looked up and the guy I was swimming on lost the group in front of him. I made a move to go after them but quickly realized they were gone and decided my best bet would be to just sacrifice a little time and cruise the second half on the feet in front of me. Out of the water in 8th place, couldn't believe how big the crowd was, the entire quarter mile run to T1 must have been 5 people deep. Made it a point to really cruise through transition as it was a long day and I wanted to keep my heart rate down.
Bike: 5:02:37 22.2mph 7th fastest split
A quick transition put me onto the bike within sight of 5th place. I planned to go out really conservative as it was but didn't plan to be in such high position starting the bike. So I decided to go out even easier since I was in good position. Two guys went by in the first 10 miles. Was riding well within myself at the effort I planned but not seeing the speed I expected for the effort I was giving. At the first turnaround 30 miles in I became concerned. The leader was way further up than I expected, and the lead woman was only 4 minutes behind me. I had dropped from 6th to 8th position and could see I was about to drop to 9th. I felt I was in control of the race after the swim but could feel it getting away. The only good news was that every single pro was riding a solo effort and there was nobody working together so I didn't feel as bad about getting dropped and being alone. At mile 35 Jason Shortis came by to put me into 9th and I decided that I had to forgo my conservative race plan and go with him to get back into the race. We started the long climbs leading back into town and the pace felt super hard. I stuck with it and started feeling better and better. By 45 miles I felt the best I had all race and began taking turns setting the pace. Through the half in 2:27 which was right about where I wanted for a 5 hour split. Kept working with Jason until I got dropped on the Keene descent at mile 70. Rode the entire rest of the way solo. Was concerned about the last 20 miles since that's where I fell apart in my first Iron distance race and the last 20 are all uphill, but I think my ultra conservative pace the first 30 miles paid off because I stayed strong relative to everyone else. Caught and passed two guys who were falling apart on the final climbs in the last 5 miles heading back into town. Hit T2 in 6th position with a 5:02 split, pretty much exactly the position and time I had written down I wanted to be before the race. Best news of all is that I didn't feel fried finishing the bike like I felt in my first 140.6, I felt ready to run a sub-3 hour marathon.
Run: 3:04:42 5th fastest split
I always tell the athletes I coach that in any race over 4 hours in length you have to be ready for things to go wrong and the unexpected because unexpected things always happen and troubleshooting is part of the game. I was lucky that I only had one big curveball thrown at me during the race and as it turns out I did it to myself. I hurried through T2 to try to gap the two athletes I came off the bike with. I started the marathon and knew something wasn't right but couldn't figure out what. A minute in I realized I had left my gel flask in my transition bag which was the nutrition I was relying on for the marathon. Oops. I quickly had to improvise and utilize the aid station nutrition which is a bit of a gamble because you never know what flavor the gel will be and some flavors I can't tolerate. Thankfully I made it work although I had to force some of the gels down. Felt great running out of T2, no real lingering fatigue and floated through the first 6 mostly downhill miles at 6:15 pace, passed an athlete to move into 5th position and was putting time into everyone behind me and gaining on 4th. Through 10 miles in 64 minutes feeling great and through 13.1 in 1:26. It's amazing how quickly things can change in a marathon because I went from feeling on top of the world at the half marathon, on cruise control enjoying the massive crowd in town, positive I was going to smash 3 hours, and run down 4th place to feeling on the verge of walking, completely depleted, legs so sore I could barely lift them, hoping I could just finish top-8 in a two mile stretch. My pace went from 6:30 on cruise control to 7:30 and struggling in that two miles. The last 11 miles were just pure raw suffering. Probably the biggest thing I took away from my first 140.6 race was the knowledge of how painful and intense the suffering is in Ironman racing, there's no workout or other race that can replicate the pure intensity of the suffering. I think having that knowledge really helped me to keep it together and manage the last 11 miles despite the discomfort. I made a 1 minute port-a-john stop at mile 18 and then went through a real bad patch from 19-20 miles. Started doubling my nutrition intake the rest of the way and that seemed to help. Through 20 miles in 2:15. Was very concerned about getting run down from behind but thankfully all of my closest pursuers seemed to be going through the same thing and all of the time gaps seemed to hold steady despite significant slowing. My mind went to some bad places those last 11 miles but through it all I kept pushing. The last 10k all I could manage was 8min pace, I've never run with such sore quads in my life, lifting my legs took all the energy I had. Finally made it to the speed skating oval where Eric Heiden won 5 gold medals in the 1980 olympics. Can't say I remember much from the lap around the track to the finish but I made it to finish 5th-the exact position and almost the time I had written down for myself a few days before the race.
Overall: 9:07:05 5th place
Very happy to come home in the exact finish position I had written down for myself a week ago. Not so pleased with my half marathon run splits of 1:26-1:38. Although I did cut 7 minutes off my marathon from last September which was run on a much easier course. Ironman marathons just have a steep learning curve I suppose and I did take a big step forward although I know I had sub-3 in me. Probably needed to go out 1-2 mins slower and then be more mentally tough the last half. I was very fortunate to not lose any positions with the way I ran. Had the field been deeper this mistake likely would have cost me several positions in the final 10k. Got away with it this time and didn't lose any positions. Had a great time at this race, Lake Placid is an incredible and inspiring place to race. I still remain amazed by the undertaking to put on such an event. 4000 volunteers worked from 5am through midnight to make the race go without a noticeable glitch. Ironman racing is a pretty neat thing with an incredible positive vibe surrounding the events and I hope to be back at this one next year. I look forward to the second half of my season now. This first half got off to a very slow start following a long offseason but I have come into good form in the last month. I look forward to starting the second half of the season in race shape and continuing to build the momentum I've found in July. I feel more motivated than I've ever been entering August and if things continue the way they're going I think I can produce career best results the second half of this season. But for now it's time to recover. See you at the races, and congrats to all the participants, Daniel
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Muncie 70.3
A week ago I competed in the Ironman Muncie 70.3 in my home state of Indiana. With this being the first professional triathlon race Indiana has hosted in nearly a decade it was a race I had highlighted and had on my mind since the day it was announced. All season long I had planned to be on my A game for this race. Race week we had 30 pro men confirmed and typical July hot weather coming raceday. With hot weather, a flat bike course, and a deep talented pro field assembled I predicted we would see large packs on the bike and ultimately those who could keep it together on the run would have the successful results. The race played out pretty much exactly as I anticipated and my prerace strategy of using the swim and bike just to setup my run seemed to be the optimal plan on this day.
Swim: 27:17 13th fastest split
There's really not too much to write about from the swim, it went pretty much as the swim always does for me. Once everything calmed down and sorted out I was in the second pack, where I always seem to swim. Out of the water we had 8 guys in our group and got word that the lead group was just a minute up.
Bike: 2:08:22 11th fastest split 25.9mph
From the get go the pace was pretty hard on the bike and I did a good amount of pace setting in the early going as I hoped we could catch the lead group. We dropped a couple guys off the back with the hard pace in the first 5k and we ended up with a group of four; myself, two of my teammates, and one other. At the first turnaround 9 miles in we were still a minute down on the lead group of 8. I spent a decent amount of time at the front setting the pace the next 20 miles hoping to catch a glimpse of the lead group. Problem was we were a group of 4 chasing a group of 8. To our credit though our group ended up only riding about a minute slower than the larger group up the road and despite the lack of officials on course I thought everyone was doing their best to ride legal and keep the race fair. At the 30 mile turnaround I was pretty certain that we were not going to catch the lead group, I was a little tired from the hard effort the first half, and I began to remember my prerace prediction that in the end it would be a runner's race. I've been running well all year and didn't want to screw that up by riding too hard with a hot run coming. So I spent nearly the entire last 25 miles sitting at the back of the group and conserving as best I could. 45 miles in I could tell the entire group was tired so I decided to make an effort to breakaway. Went to the front at 50 miles, tried to make a break but the legs were totally shot.
Run: 1:17:36 2nd fastest
Started the run 12th and felt terrible. Two athletes ran away and I couldn't match their pace. Just tried to relax and hoped the body would come around. I took a lot of aid through the first two aid stations and that seemed to really help as the legs started coming around and finally things started clicking. Moved into 10th at mile 4 and set my sights on 8th, the final payout. Just seemed to get stronger and stronger as the run went and everyone else seemed to slow down. Caught 8th at the turnaround and not long after moved into 7th then 6th. Ran several miles in 6th place and was pretty sure that was where I would finish as I could see 5th about 30 seconds in front but he was maintaining his gap on me the entire way. Then, at mile 10 where I typically start to fade I just felt really strong, pulled in 5th place and ran as hard as I could, never faded, to a 5th place finish.
Overall: 3:55:36 5th place
Pleased with my performance and my race execution on this day was near flawless. Been awhile since I've had a good race result and all my results so far this year have been garbage so feels extra good in that respect and helps to validate that despite the slow start, yes indeed I am getting into good shape.
Another one of the big highlights of this race for me was that Bretscher Multisport had its first ever "team race" in Muncie. We had 7 athletes make the trip to Muncie and I think all of us enjoyed the experience a little more because of each other. Triathlon isn't exactly a team sport but with the camaraderie we shared all weekend it certainly felt like one. We started things off with a nice dinner Friday night and then finished off the weekend with a nice team photo and claiming our fair share of hardware at the awards ceremony. Highlights of the Bretscher Multisport athletes include....
Julie: 7 minute PR of 5:12 and 45th overall out of 455 women
Mike: 61st out of 242 in the 40-44 age group and a new "hot weather pr" of 5:23
Ron: Runner-up in the 50-54 age group and 1 minute short of a lifetime PR with a 4:33
Dana: New PR of 4:15, 7th place overall age grouper on the day
Billie: 50 minute PR of 4:51 and 21st of 176 in in the 30-34 age group
Paul: New PR of 5:18, 21st of 127 in the 50-54 age group
Congrats all!
Julie, Daniel, Mike, Ron, Dana, Billie, Paul unveil the team banner
Daniel, Ron, Dana bringing home hardware
Now I turn my attention to Ironman Lake Placid in one week. I'm running phenomenal right now, swimming good enough, cycling I'm still not convinced. Despite Lake Placid being a mountainous course compared to dead flat Muncie I think my race plan is going to be almost identical. I've got to swim and cycle in a way that sets up my weapon: the run. In my one and only go at the Ironman distance I over-rode the bike and ended up running about 15 minutes slower than I thought I would heading in. I did that on a flat course. With Lake Placid having six climbs that are miles in length I expect the bike to be one of my greatest ever tests in patience. For five hours I'm going to have to stay patient and keep my competitive instincts in check. If I have my legs starting the marathon I believe I have the fitness to run sub-3 hours. Today I spent some time looking through the history of Ironman Lake Placid. What I learned is that 9 hours has never finished lower than 6th overall. I plan to aim for around a 5-hour bike split and hopefully that will lead to a 3-hour run split which should put me around 9 hours overall and a rock solid result. I'll be happy to finish top-8 on the day but coming off of Muncie, secretly, I want to match or better my 5th place result from last week. It'll be an adventure no doubt and right now I'm just trying to drill it in my head that yes, I am about to race another Ironman.
Swim: 27:17 13th fastest split
There's really not too much to write about from the swim, it went pretty much as the swim always does for me. Once everything calmed down and sorted out I was in the second pack, where I always seem to swim. Out of the water we had 8 guys in our group and got word that the lead group was just a minute up.
Bike: 2:08:22 11th fastest split 25.9mph
From the get go the pace was pretty hard on the bike and I did a good amount of pace setting in the early going as I hoped we could catch the lead group. We dropped a couple guys off the back with the hard pace in the first 5k and we ended up with a group of four; myself, two of my teammates, and one other. At the first turnaround 9 miles in we were still a minute down on the lead group of 8. I spent a decent amount of time at the front setting the pace the next 20 miles hoping to catch a glimpse of the lead group. Problem was we were a group of 4 chasing a group of 8. To our credit though our group ended up only riding about a minute slower than the larger group up the road and despite the lack of officials on course I thought everyone was doing their best to ride legal and keep the race fair. At the 30 mile turnaround I was pretty certain that we were not going to catch the lead group, I was a little tired from the hard effort the first half, and I began to remember my prerace prediction that in the end it would be a runner's race. I've been running well all year and didn't want to screw that up by riding too hard with a hot run coming. So I spent nearly the entire last 25 miles sitting at the back of the group and conserving as best I could. 45 miles in I could tell the entire group was tired so I decided to make an effort to breakaway. Went to the front at 50 miles, tried to make a break but the legs were totally shot.
Run: 1:17:36 2nd fastest
Started the run 12th and felt terrible. Two athletes ran away and I couldn't match their pace. Just tried to relax and hoped the body would come around. I took a lot of aid through the first two aid stations and that seemed to really help as the legs started coming around and finally things started clicking. Moved into 10th at mile 4 and set my sights on 8th, the final payout. Just seemed to get stronger and stronger as the run went and everyone else seemed to slow down. Caught 8th at the turnaround and not long after moved into 7th then 6th. Ran several miles in 6th place and was pretty sure that was where I would finish as I could see 5th about 30 seconds in front but he was maintaining his gap on me the entire way. Then, at mile 10 where I typically start to fade I just felt really strong, pulled in 5th place and ran as hard as I could, never faded, to a 5th place finish.
Overall: 3:55:36 5th place
Pleased with my performance and my race execution on this day was near flawless. Been awhile since I've had a good race result and all my results so far this year have been garbage so feels extra good in that respect and helps to validate that despite the slow start, yes indeed I am getting into good shape.
Another one of the big highlights of this race for me was that Bretscher Multisport had its first ever "team race" in Muncie. We had 7 athletes make the trip to Muncie and I think all of us enjoyed the experience a little more because of each other. Triathlon isn't exactly a team sport but with the camaraderie we shared all weekend it certainly felt like one. We started things off with a nice dinner Friday night and then finished off the weekend with a nice team photo and claiming our fair share of hardware at the awards ceremony. Highlights of the Bretscher Multisport athletes include....
Julie: 7 minute PR of 5:12 and 45th overall out of 455 women
Mike: 61st out of 242 in the 40-44 age group and a new "hot weather pr" of 5:23
Ron: Runner-up in the 50-54 age group and 1 minute short of a lifetime PR with a 4:33
Dana: New PR of 4:15, 7th place overall age grouper on the day
Billie: 50 minute PR of 4:51 and 21st of 176 in in the 30-34 age group
Paul: New PR of 5:18, 21st of 127 in the 50-54 age group
Congrats all!
Daniel, Ron, Dana bringing home hardwareNow I turn my attention to Ironman Lake Placid in one week. I'm running phenomenal right now, swimming good enough, cycling I'm still not convinced. Despite Lake Placid being a mountainous course compared to dead flat Muncie I think my race plan is going to be almost identical. I've got to swim and cycle in a way that sets up my weapon: the run. In my one and only go at the Ironman distance I over-rode the bike and ended up running about 15 minutes slower than I thought I would heading in. I did that on a flat course. With Lake Placid having six climbs that are miles in length I expect the bike to be one of my greatest ever tests in patience. For five hours I'm going to have to stay patient and keep my competitive instincts in check. If I have my legs starting the marathon I believe I have the fitness to run sub-3 hours. Today I spent some time looking through the history of Ironman Lake Placid. What I learned is that 9 hours has never finished lower than 6th overall. I plan to aim for around a 5-hour bike split and hopefully that will lead to a 3-hour run split which should put me around 9 hours overall and a rock solid result. I'll be happy to finish top-8 on the day but coming off of Muncie, secretly, I want to match or better my 5th place result from last week. It'll be an adventure no doubt and right now I'm just trying to drill it in my head that yes, I am about to race another Ironman.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Rev 3 Quassy
Rev 3 Quassy-Middlebury, CT
Well this will be a different race report from Daniel because it will not be from his perspective. It will be from mine-his girlfriend! (I better do a great job because this may be my last blog entry!)
Swim 26:38 18th Fastest Split
When we got to the race site the outside temperature was around 50degrees so I was crossing my fingers that the water temperature would be 68 degrees. It was 69 so no wet suits today. I hoped that Daniel could stay warm enough though to swim well. Not being able to see much of the actual swim, I can judge how well Daniel competed by his place out of the water. It was about how I had expected it to go, although I had hoped that he would be in a higher position going into the bike section. I have watched enough races to know that the swim portion typically isn’t detrimental to your overall place. For instance, the overall winner of the race swam just 12 seconds faster than Daniel and only had the 16th fastest swim split. I knew that the bike portion would be crucial!
Bike 2:30:58 22.5mph 19th Fastest Split
On Friday, Daniel and I drove the bike course, which was the first time that I have ever done that with him. This is the section of the race that I never see but this course seemed difficult to me-I got car sick from all the hills and turns. As Daniel said, “It is an honest course.” There were some big climbs, technical turns and very few easy portions. I knew the course was challenging when the professionals ride about 15 minutes slower than a typical course. Just like the swim, I can judge his performance on his place. I started to get nervous when more than 10 minutes had passed since the leaders had left transition. Once Daniel arrived in transition, I knew that he did not have a great bike leg and did not put himself in a position to win some money. I did not think it would be possible to pass 9 people on the run. It would have been easy for Daniel to mentally give up at this point.
Run 1:16:04 8th Fastest Split
During the bike portion of the race on Sunday, I ran miles 5-13 of the half marathon course skipping the most challenging part Mile 4-5, which was all up hill. I would not consider this an easy course and I can’t imagine running it after swimming and biking although the conditions were ideal for a runner since almost the entire run course was shaded and the temperature was about 70 degrees at this time. Daniel had a fantastic run and a PR by 55 second! His previous best was 1:16:59 from 2008 at the 70.3 World Championships.
Overall 4:15:47 16th Place
After this race, I believe Daniel should have a lot of momentum going into his training and next race. His bike fitness is lacking compared to the other 2 disciplines right now but I do not think he is too far off. Finally, this was a stacked race full of professionals so if you are looking to travel to the East Coast for a challenging course and to compete on the same venue as World Class Athletes, you may want to consider this race. From my perspective as a spectator, Rev 3 puts on a great race atmosphere!
Well this will be a different race report from Daniel because it will not be from his perspective. It will be from mine-his girlfriend! (I better do a great job because this may be my last blog entry!)
Swim 26:38 18th Fastest Split
When we got to the race site the outside temperature was around 50degrees so I was crossing my fingers that the water temperature would be 68 degrees. It was 69 so no wet suits today. I hoped that Daniel could stay warm enough though to swim well. Not being able to see much of the actual swim, I can judge how well Daniel competed by his place out of the water. It was about how I had expected it to go, although I had hoped that he would be in a higher position going into the bike section. I have watched enough races to know that the swim portion typically isn’t detrimental to your overall place. For instance, the overall winner of the race swam just 12 seconds faster than Daniel and only had the 16th fastest swim split. I knew that the bike portion would be crucial!
Bike 2:30:58 22.5mph 19th Fastest Split
On Friday, Daniel and I drove the bike course, which was the first time that I have ever done that with him. This is the section of the race that I never see but this course seemed difficult to me-I got car sick from all the hills and turns. As Daniel said, “It is an honest course.” There were some big climbs, technical turns and very few easy portions. I knew the course was challenging when the professionals ride about 15 minutes slower than a typical course. Just like the swim, I can judge his performance on his place. I started to get nervous when more than 10 minutes had passed since the leaders had left transition. Once Daniel arrived in transition, I knew that he did not have a great bike leg and did not put himself in a position to win some money. I did not think it would be possible to pass 9 people on the run. It would have been easy for Daniel to mentally give up at this point.
Run 1:16:04 8th Fastest Split
During the bike portion of the race on Sunday, I ran miles 5-13 of the half marathon course skipping the most challenging part Mile 4-5, which was all up hill. I would not consider this an easy course and I can’t imagine running it after swimming and biking although the conditions were ideal for a runner since almost the entire run course was shaded and the temperature was about 70 degrees at this time. Daniel had a fantastic run and a PR by 55 second! His previous best was 1:16:59 from 2008 at the 70.3 World Championships.
Overall 4:15:47 16th Place
After this race, I believe Daniel should have a lot of momentum going into his training and next race. His bike fitness is lacking compared to the other 2 disciplines right now but I do not think he is too far off. Finally, this was a stacked race full of professionals so if you are looking to travel to the East Coast for a challenging course and to compete on the same venue as World Class Athletes, you may want to consider this race. From my perspective as a spectator, Rev 3 puts on a great race atmosphere!
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