Race Day

So pictures are up on facebook, but I wanted to write an extended blog post about the race itself.

I didn't make my goal of 80 minutes.  I finished in 83:34.  I was 139 out of 257 males(54th percentile), I was 24 out of 42 in my age group 30-34(57th percentile), I was 161 out of 397 overall(41st percentile).  I beat both the average and median times which were right around 87 minutes. 

The swim went well despite me taking off WAY too fast, thus spiking my heart rate and giving me breathing trouble.  I settled down though and finished the swim in 15:17, about 2 minutes behind my goal pace.  The extra bodies in the water didn't bother me too much.  I only had a couple collisions, and spotting got easier as I got settled in.  Coming out of the water I didn't feel exhausted which is probably a sign I could have swum harder.

The first transition, I had to strip the wet suit, put on my jersey, put on my helmet and bike shoes, and run my bike to the mounting line.  My goal for this stage was 2 minutes and I accomplished it in 2:03.  The biggest trouble I had was getting my bucket out from under my bike, and putting my jersey on over my wet torso.  I probably could have saved 10-15 seconds there easily.  I think if I switched to a Trisuit for biking and running and a race belt for my bib number I could save another 10-15 seconds. 

My legs felt really good on the bike and at the turnaround I was averaging about 21mph.  If I could have maintained that I would have shaved almost 4 minutes off my time, however that 21 was apparently fueled by a hefty tailwind, which became a monster head wind when I turned around.  I was still really happy with my bike time, 39:14, which matched my goal.

My second transition, I had to dismount my bike, run it to the rack switch my bike shoes for my running shoes and go.  I wanted to complete these tasks in 1 minute or less and I did it in 0:59.  I still think there is some room for improvement on this stage, but only 10-15 seconds at most.

The run was by far my most disappointing leg of the race.  I ran a 26 minute 5k which was a full 4minutes slower than my River Run 5k earlier this year.  I know river run was a fresh race, but I still thought I could muster at least a 24 on this run.  It didn't help that the mileage for the run was not marked and none of the volunteers had any clue what the mileage was at their aid stations.  Even just knowing the mileage I think I could have shaved 1-2 minutes off my time. 

So if I train harder and shave 2 minutes off my swim, 2 minutes off my run, 34 seconds off my transitions I would finish next year's race in 79 minutes.  My biggest place to make improvements is in the bike.  If I could just average 21 instead of 19mph I would shave another 4 minutes off and break the 75 minute mark. 

All of this leads into my next announcement.  I've decided to forego the Quad City Marathon and instead train for the TriHawk Triathlon at the Coralville reservoir.  This course is slightly different, it is a shorter swim, 500m as opposed to 750, a longer bike 15 miles as opposed to 12.5, and a 5k.  What this means is a really hard training regimen on the bike should help me dramatically cut my overall time.  I've got 2 weeks to put together my training schedule.  In the meantime, I'll be lifting weights, riding my bike in preparation for Ragbrai, and running to prep my legs for my other races.  I've also picked up a yoga class on Monday's and Saturdays to help my flexibility. 

I'm setting my goal at 80 minutes for the Trihawk.  My goal is 9 minutes on the swim, 1:30 transition 1, 45 minutes on the bike, 0:45 transition 2, and 23:30 on the run.  Making those goals would put me at 79:45. 

Crunch Time and the Moment of Truth

This is it, week 17, the week of competition.  I've spent the last 16 weeks, that's 4 MONTHS!!!  working towards this coming Sunday.  I've done laps, I've ridden a trainer, a stationary bike, and my bike for miles upon miles, I've run sprints, I've done hills, I've done long runs, I've done short runs, I've run on trails, residential streets, treadmills, and tracks.  I've rented a wet suit, I've tried Gu Gel, Hammer Gel, Cliff Bars, and FRS.  I've practiced transitions, I've mentally run the race and done the transition hundreds of times.  But on Sunday its all for real :)

I've decided that anything less than 80 minutes is a bad day,  I've set a goal of 75 minutes but I would really like to finish under 72 minutes.  However to end up down there everything and I mean everything will have to go right.  Here is my goals for each stage.  These numbers put me under the 75 minute mark and put me within striking distance of 72.  The bike is the stage I can gain or lose the most time, weather(ie wind) will play a huge role in that time. 

Swim: 13min
Tran1:   2min
Bike:   36min
Tran2:   1min
Run:     22min
Total:  74min

I'm spending the week keeping my calories in check and making sure they are useful calories.  No ice cream sandwiches or fudge bars this week.  Lots of fruit, lots of protein, and as the week draws on carbs.  I'm going to try and drink 2 gallons of water per day to make sure I'm fully hydrated, after that its all about staying loose by doing light running/biking/elliptical and lots of stretching.  I've got a Chiropractor appointment for Friday afternoon for one last tune up.   I'm already excited, I can't wait.  I'll post quick results Sunday on Facebook, and I'll have an extended blog post Sunday night or Monday morning. 

Have a great week!