Troika Half Iron Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Spokane, Washington
United States
Troika
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 50m 3s
Overall Rank = 27/238
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 5/14
Pre-race routine:

Woke at 4:30, left at 5:00 for the bus, and arrived at the race start at 6:00 am.

I had a banana and a Baker's breakfast cookie, and I drank enough to pee clear once before the race, then stopped drinking.
Event warmup:

Jogged for 6 or 7 minutes, then did static stretching. My muscles felt good. I planned to stretch my upper body after putting my wetsuit half-on, but I didn't have time.
Swim
  • 33m 23s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

All right, I had two goals of differing likelihood. Plan A was what I would hope for if everything were perfect--I got the perfect swim draft, perfect navigation, perfect transitions, etc. Plan B was what I should be able to accomplish no matter what. The most realistic result was something in between. So here's how it broke down for the swim:

Plan A = 30 minutes (just extrapolating my sprint speed all the way up to 1.2 miles--no problem at all)

Plan B = 35 minutes (just a few seconds faster than what I did last year, when I had a busted shoulder)

Try as I might, I couldn't get to the swim start in time for a warmup, and I didn't get much arm stretching done. In fact, when the race director was announcing "60 seconds to the start," I was putting on the top half of my wetsuit. I barely got it on in time. It turned out that the lack of warmup wasn't too big of a deal, because the swim start wasn't violent and I got a chance to get my rhythm. The big problem was that I didn't have time to lick and wash my goggles, so they got fogged up shortly after the start. I was blind as a bat for the whole swim. I could see swimmers underwater when they were very close, but I really couldn't see anything above water. As a result, my navigation--which is usually my strength--was pretty poor. I'm not sure whether I stayed on course or not, but I was definitely zig-zagging quite a bit. In fact, someone punched me in the eye about halfway through, and I think it's because I zagged toward him at the wrong moment. My goggle filled with water as a result...but I just went with it.

To make up for my blindness, I tried to draft as much as possible. This worked out pretty well, as I was behind feet for at least 3/4 of the race. Not always directly behind them, but close enough to get a draft and follow the bubbles. My drafting wasn't perfect because of the goggle thing, but I was happy with it.

Because I was focused on drafting, I didn't push into the red zone during the swim. I went at a steady reasonably fast place and tried avoid kicking hard, as I would want my legs later in the day. The last 200 meters or so seemed really hard. That shoreline just didn't seem to get any closer, and our little draft line broke up as everyone sprinted to the finish. I had to actually use my eyes to find the finish, so I didn't enjoy that so much.

The swim experience was less than ideal, but my time was pretty good and I was happy with it.
What would you do differently?:

Get ready for the race more quickly. If I could see I think I would have gone a lot faster. I would also push the middle portion of the race, once I got my rhythm going.
Transition 1
  • 02m 11s
Comments:

My goal here was 2 minutes. I was pretty close, but the transition was still slow and had a few mistakes. After the swim running to my bike was pretty tough. I got out of my suit okay, but I got dizzy and lost my dexterity when putting on my bike shoes. It happens now and then during T1.

I perhaps unnecessarily lengthened T1 by putting on fresh sunscreen. It was an aerosol bottle and I just quickly sprayed my legs and arms, but I think the stuff I put on before the race was still there. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
What would you do differently?:

No sunscreen. Also, using tri shoes instead of regular bike shoes would speed it up, but I haven't used my tri shoes for any long rides yet.
Bike
  • 2h 41m 27s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.81 mile/hr
Comments:

Plan A = 2:40, 21.0 mph, 195 W
Plan B = 2:45, 20.3 mph, 185 W

(power values are just made up)

Nutrition plan:
1 GU per hour.
200 liquid Calories (cytomax) per hour.
16-20 oz. fluid per hour.
Half a banana at some point.
This works out to ~300 Calories/hour and ~800 total.

The bike course is point-to-point with some interesting features--some flats, some rollers, a couple horrible climbs, and one super terrifying turn at the end. I'm not very good relative to other bikers on flat ground, but I climb and descend well. So, my overall strategy was to survive the flat parts and reel people in on hills (I actually had a very detailed strategy but I'll spare you the details). Last year I got real dehydrated for this race, so I wanted to especially focus on nutrition as well.

I executed all parts of the strategy very well. The bikers mostly sorted themselves out in the first 15 miles, before the big hills started. From that point on I steadily moved up in the field, albeit slowly, and a few of us were just leapfrogging each other for the last 20 miles. It was fun though, because I was attacking instead of just riding at a constant pace--just like a real cyclist! On uphills I got out of the saddle to cruise by my competitors, and on the downhills I said "53x11" and was gone. When the course hit flat spots the other bikers caught and passed me again.

With 6 miles to go we hit some steep hills, and according to my cyclocomputer I was rocking 21.5 mph--much higher than what I thought would be possible (although I would later find out my computer has a ~1% error in it). So, at this point I decided to shift my focus to the run. I backed off the pace a bit, especially on uphills, so that my legs could rest. I lightened up on how much I was drinking and let the other bikers get away from me. I decided I would see them again on the run, and beating me at the bike would at least make them feel good since we were fighting for so long.

At mile 55 there was an amazingly dangerous turn. The road went downhill and curved to the left, and there was a concrete barricade on one side (with someone's P3C leaned against it for some reason). I went into this turn very fast and nearly slammed right into the P3C at 25+ mph. I grabbed the brakes just in time to barely escape, and having successfully escaped I decided that the curve the most exciting and fun part of the race.

Because of the cyclocomputer error my time wasn't as close to 2:40 as I thought it would be, but it was still a great ride for me. I didn't actually think I was capable of averaging over 20 mph, so this was great.
What would you do differently?:

I bet I could have pushed harder. I also should have drunk a little more. I desperately wanted to avoid stopping for a "natural break", but after all that time in the saddle I was so numb I wasn't sure whether I had to go or not. In the last 10 miles I had to keep checking my shorts to see if I accidentally peed my pants without knowing it. Luckily I didn't. And aren't you glad I included that information?
Transition 2
  • 00m 43s
Comments:

My goal was 1 minute here.

I tried a flying dismount with bicycle shoes for the first time, since I enjoy trying new things on race day. I barely got my feet out of the shoes in time.

This race is sweet because they catch the bike for you. So, I hopped of the bike, threw my helmet at them, popped on my shoes and was off. I believe I even got out of T2 before at least one of the bikers that I let go ahead of me earlier.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 1h 32m 19s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 03s  min/mile
Comments:

Plan A = 1:31:42, 7:00/mile
Plan B = 1:35:00, 7:15/mile (a tiny bit faster than last year)

Mile 1 = 6:55
Mile 2 = 6:32
Mile 3 = 6:45
Mile 4 = 6:43
Mile 5 = 7:09
Mile 6 = 7:16
Mile 7 = 5:56
Mile 8 = 7:10
Mile 9 = 7:33
Mile 10 = 6:52
Mile 11 = 7:03
Mile 12 = 7:34
Mile 13 = 7:57
0.1 at the end = 0:48

Last year I got very dehydrated and blew up on the run, so I wanted to be very careful this time. Made sure I started drinking at mile 2, and I had a couple GU packets with me. The first 4 miles felt really comfortable. In fact, I didn't think I was pushing hard enough, even though my times were sub-7:00. I drank HEED so that my belly almost had all it could carry without cramping, and I poured a lot of water on my head at every aid station. I thought this was going to be a great run, completely without incident, and for the most part it was.

Amazingly, things went south really fast at the end. At mile 11 my brain started to get a little bit foggy, but it wasn't too bad. I felt better for mile 12, but I guess I was still slowing down. Then at mile 13 I really crashed--I was dizzy and disoriented and my muscles didn't really work. I was in survival mode, just trying to preserve my finishing place. I almost succeeded, but got kicked down at the end by someone who came out of nowhere. I was cruising at sub-7:00 pace before mile 13, and my fastest mile, mile 7, was 5:56. Mile 13 was 7:57 and just killed my overall pace.

I was disappointed that my finish time was 4:50:03. 4:49:59 would have looked a lot better! But still, it was a fast run and a great race for me. Last year I blew up at mile 8 and this year it happened at mile 13, so that's an improvement. And I chopped over 14 minutes off of my overall time, so it was a good race.

Here were my overall goal times:
Plan A = 4:44:42
Plan B = 4:58:00
Plan A swim/Plan B bike/Plan A run = 4:49:42

The third option is what I expected to actually happen, and although my swim was weaker and my bike was stronger, I came really close to that time.
What would you do differently?:

I guess I still have room to improve my run nutrition. It's amazing how problems can pop up so suddenly, even if you feel great for most of the race. I think my problem came from the mile 8 aid station. I didn't drink HEED there--instead I dumped water on my head--and I think that HEED might have helped me delay the breakdown a little longer.

I really wish I had gone 4 seconds faster so I could get under 4:50. I can think of at least half a dozen places in the race where I should have been 4 seconds faster.
Post race
Warm down:

I grabbed some water and HEED, and tried to walk around. I couldn't walk much as my head was still really cloudy. I wound up crawling up on a picnic table and almost fell asleep, so I decided to go to the medical tent.

After eating lunch under the watch of the doctors, I felt better, and I eventually stretched out my muscles. They were very tight since I didn't really cool them down.

I stopped at Medical Lake on my way home to take a poor man's shower in the lake. Then I made the long drive home, with several stops for much-needed naps.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swim: goggle problems
Bike: I just don't know my limits yet
Run: I only had 12 miles in my legs and I needed 13.

Event comments:

The race directors and volunteers at this race do a really great job, and Great Harvest Bread Company puts together an awesome meal at the finish line. The bike is really fun, but the run is very hot. You have to make sure you drink a lot or you will pay for it. I was upset last year because I saw a lot of cheaters (drafting, blocking, pacing), but this year it seems like they really got that under control.

If you want to set a PR for T2, you can't beat Troika.

There's just one negative about this race:
The scary turn at mile 55 is pretty dangerous and has surprised me every year. I know a few people crashed there, so they should put a warning sign up as you approach the turn.



Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-06-12 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:23 | 2112 yards | 01m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 5/14
Overall: 40/238
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: clockwise square-lookin' loop. The water was flat and reasonably clear.
Start type: Run Plus: Shot
Water temp: 68F / 20C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:11
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:41:27 | 56 miles | 20.81 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/14
Overall: 69/238
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: The beginning has a couple small hills, but is mostly flat. The middle section has big rolling hills, followed by a very long descent. The very end has steep climbs before a downhill finish in Spokane.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 79
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:43
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:32:19 | 13.1 miles | 07m 03s  min/mile
Age Group: 5/14
Overall: 18/238
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back along a sunny bike trail. Very slow rollers that look like flats can deceive the weary runner.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5