Leadman Tri Bend Epic 250 - Triathlon


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Bend, Oregon
United States
Lifetime Fitness
87F / 31C
Sunny
Total Time = 14h 22m 26s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Arrived in Bend mid-day on Thurs, just enough time to unpack, find a grocery store, pick up dinner and perhaps stop by a brewery tasting room

On Fri checked bike into T1, quick swim in Cultus, set up T2, by the time I was done most of day shot. Just enough time to get home eat dinner and rest.

Up at 3:45 to eat, head into T2 to catch the bus to the swim start. Had to force myself to eat, a mix nervousness/excitement, coffee and the early hour don’t mix well

Event warmup:

None.
Swim
  • 1h 45m 48s
  • 5468 yards
  • 01m 56s / 100 yards
Comments:

• My best overall race swim so far
• Great sighting, kept a straight line
• Watch dug into my skin cutting my wrist
• Stopped to adjust 2x on last lap
o Also happened at IMCDA – Never happens otherwise
• Lake temps perfect (<60’s)

What would you do differently?:

Stupid watch dug into my skin enough to cut me in several places. I had to adjust this 2x during the swim for comfort.
Transition 1
  • 10m 34s
Comments:

wow, this was horribly slow. Out of practice I guess
What would you do differently?:

Go faster.
Bike
  • 8h 55m 52s
  • 138.6 miles
  • 15.52 mile/hr
Comments:

Entire course seems to be in the sun. There were also a bunch of unexpected changes and my own mistakes. All leading up to a pretty epic meltdown.

o Park Service forbid the race from handing out water bottles due to trash from last year. Offered Gatorade only unless you wished to stop and refill from cooler
o Trained all season with varying forms of on course nutrition, but never with “known good” Infinit mix until race day. Turns out concentrated Infinit is an acquired taste gained through consistent usage...

• First summit of Bachelor felt tough at target wattage. I was hoping for recovery on backside of Bachelor before returning to the climb

• ~+20mi of chip seal before starting 2nd summit of Bachelor took rest of energy and desire

• Second summit of Bachelor sucked.
o Sickly sweet combo of Gatorade, Infinit and Payday bars from SN bag on hot day did not go down well upsetting my stomach. Sun never went away. Finally started seeing water, in Gatorade bottles around mile 90 but it was too late.

o With the upset stomach, I largely stopped eating and was having trouble hydrating. Bad news considering there was still 50 mi to go, much of it up hill (about 30 of the 50 still). I was having difficulty maintaining even 50% FTP on the climb.

Heat, altitude, poor nutrition management and failure to lower my wattage goals during the first lap (when it was clear it felt difficult to hit) all lead to a really tough 2nd ½ of the ride. Easily the worst day cycling I’ve ever had. I held 10W higher NP during RAMROD for an additional +4hrs and felt 20x better than when getting off the bike in Bend. I have never felt so crushed after a bike ride.


What would you do differently?:

Not be stupid. Lower wattage when it was clear I wasn't up to hitting race goal Watts. By stubbornly sticking to a plan, regardless of reality, I burned all my matches on the first summit. Rest of the day turned into a crappy slow bike ride
Transition 2
  • 07m 12s
Comments:

Made it into the changing tent with another competitor who also looked to be having a real bad day. We both commiserated for a bit before heading out. No real rush at this point, it was clear I wasn't racing against the clock anymore. Simply marching, very, very slowly towards the finish line.
What would you do differently?:

Not ruin my day on the bike.
Run
  • 3h 22m
  • 13.6 miles
  • 14m 51s  min/mile
Comments:

There was no running going on here. Nearly puked 2x simply from taking in water at the aid stations. Didn't start feeling much better until the sun went down, and by that time the day was pretty well over.

What would you do differently?:

See comments from "T2"
Post race
Event comments:

Absent my own poor race management, the actual race and volunteers were very good. I will do this race again.




Last updated: 2014-03-13 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:45:48 | 5468 yards | 01m 56s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: 2x out and back. Garmin claims 3.2 miles.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 10:34
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
08:55:52 | 138.6 miles | 15.52 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Wind: Some
Course: 136 miles with 7k climbing gain at 4500 - 6500 feet. 87F that day. 2 summit climbs over Mt. Bachelor.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Too hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 07:12
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
03:22:00 | 13.6 miles | 14m 51s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Bad
Course: 2 lap course. Hilly, but no more so than my normal runs around my house.
Keeping cool Bad Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 1
Physical exertion [1-5] 1
Good race? No
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