Please tell me about your, uh, crappiest race! (Page 2)

x2....even if I crap my pants but finish, I'm good.

Sorry to hear that, Teech.

I had two -
1). First race I ever tried - a 10K, the summer before entering Freshman year in H.S.  I didn't make it to mile 2 and gave up.  I didn't know how to race, it was warm out, and didn't have the fortitude at that time.  It was my one and only DNF ever.

2). IM WI 2009 - I had a goal to beat my first IM time, but got GI issues starting somewhere between mile 70 and 80 on the bike.  They lasted until mile 10 on the run.  The "bloatiness" was painful for those few hours, but I was determined to finish despite it.

Sometimes bad things happen in good races.....

During IMKY 2007, I had a minor issue with gas.  It was not a big problem but a very audible one.  And when the course is lined with spectators and runners, it's hard to find any solitude to lower the internal system pressure.  And you know what it sounds like when you are running!  So I told myself, "Well, that's ok....I'm just an anomomous runner among 2000 other runners."  But then I had to laugh thinking "Oh yeah, 6'3" 250 lbs guy in a damn florescent yellow shirt running along farting with every step....yeah, I blend!"  I'm sure on my second loop people were like "Hey look, here comes the glow-in-the-dark-fart machine!"

I'm a pro at crappy Ironmans:

IMAZ 2008   Hit 12 porta potties on the course...three on the bike, nine on the run.

IMFL 2010    Lost count of porta potty stops.

My first Oly last September did not go as well as I had hoped though I would stop short of calling it crappy even though I didn't reach the goals I had for myself.  The swim set the tone for the rest of the race.  The swim is by far my weakness to begin with and I knew I would be slow doing the 1500M but I had no doubt I could complete that distance as I'd done it plenty of times in training. I also am perfectly comfortable swimming in Open Water.  So the race starts and we're swimming right into the morning sun and my goggles are fogging up pretty badly.   After about 100M I look up to site and realize I'm already veering off course.  So I veer back in.  The extra time that took has me falling further behind the pack so using the pack to help site is going to become more difficult.  This happened one or two more times before I reached the turnaround at 700M.  At this point I'm not trusting anything that I'm looking at anymore but at least going the other way I won't have to worry about the sun.  Still at this point I'm not just doing a quick siting, I'm pulling my head completely out of the water to take a look because I"m getting paranoid about going off course, causing my legs to drop, slowing me down even more.  I finally get into an ok rhythmn and start to see the end in site. Maybe 300M to go.  Then my calves and hamstrings start cramping up a little bit.  The remaining 300M becomes a battle to keep the cramps at bay as much as it is to keep moving forward.  I do finally reach the end without needing any kayak assistance but far more spent and at least 5 - 6 minutes slower than I had planned on.

Still as I go to hop on the bike I feel like I need to make up some time lost so I probably push harder than I should have on the bike.  I do do a decent job of making up some time even though in the back of my mind I'm knowing I may pay for it on the run.  Then we reach this monster hill about 3 miles from the end and I approach it in too high of a gear and end up mashing terribly up the hill.  That did my legs in pretty good.  Finished the bike at an average speed of about 20mph, not as good as I normally would do but ok given the hill and the swim misadventures I guess.

Now comes the run and right from the beginning I know it's going to be a struggle.  I had done open 10K's in training at a 7:30 pace before in the past but my legs were toast here.  I ended up briefly walking on 3 separate occasions in the last 1.5 miles of the run. I finished with an 8:30 pace which means I was probably doing under 8:00 per mile before stopping to walk even though it hurt the whole way.  So I guess all things considered that run would have been ok if I hadn't stopped to walk.

That was my first time at that distance so there were definitely some lessons to be learned there that I hope to apply to this year.

I beg to differ.  ANY 5k after heart surgery is a great race!!!

I did a triathlon in Mesa where we swam in the Saguaro lake, rode Bush Hwy and then did a trail run. Well on the trail run, I was first and I was planning on running behind someone who knew the trail. Needless to say I came up at an intersection and did the right turn. That trail ended and there was an Aid Station. The woman at the Aid Station told me that it was an out-and-back run. But she meant out-and-back to that intersection I came from and not the entire course. So I got DQ'ed because I ran the wrong course. DOH! 

Rejoice in the LORD always !!! (Phil 4:4)

Michael.

My worst races tend to be early season.  THe absolute worst one?  Last year at Rumpass in Bumpass Oly.  I am a marginal OWS.....best in smooth wather when I have had a good bit of time to get used to the water.  Last April, when I got to the race site there were white caps on the lake.  I wound up back stroking 90% or more of the swim, almost quit with 300 yards to finish it cause I was having such a crappy day.

My bike was the highlight of my day, and it was only "okay."

My run fell apart, my legs cramped up and then my feet went numb so bad that I finally just took off my sneakers and ran in barefooted the last 2 1/2 to 3 miles (oly distance)

The Rockett's Landing race a couple months later wasn't  a whole lot better, but that one was hampered by my being sick for a while and missing a lot of training.  It was also over 100 degrees out.  I walked 75%+ of the run simply because it was so hot.

Yes, just chalk it up to a bad day and keep moving forward.

Well, if you feel like reading a novelette, i promise you will laugh at some parts

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=131504

it was my first tri, way back in 2008, lol....

i would kill to run a 2hr Half Marathon with no potty breaks. I will say Nice Job, even though you don't think so!!

Not even 2 weeks ago

was on pace for top 10 too

I honestly laughed out loud...that was a great race report.  I love the 'what would you do differently?  Read above and do exactly the opposite'  Funny stuff.  Loved it!  Hope you've had better races since!

a "terrible" race is ultimately dependent on your attitude towards it, but that being said - 

In 2009, I was doing Vineman as a tuneup 4 weeks before IM Canada.  I had a buddy who was doing it as his first IM and I met a bunch of BTers at registration and expected to PR.  I ended up crashing 15 miles into the bike, an ambulance ride to the emergency room, and ended up with a broken shoulder, rib, and compression fracture of my T8 vertebrae.  I ended up DNSing IMC - no refunds.  Also had a crushed top tube on my P3C.  The upside was that I focused more on my ultra running that year and had a decent fall season of running.

one of my first races. the mens swim wave started 5 minutes ahead of the womens. 400yd swim...

a few miles into the bike leg i passed a couple women.. yeah. my swim was that slow.

hmm forgot to post the link I guess;

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=247947

I had more of a pissy race than a crappy one on Saturday...  I toughed it out, but I was in pain for the run (every, single, step, slosh, slosh, slosh).  I sprinted across the finish and as soon as they ripped off my timing chip, I sprinted for the port-a-potty.  Had a repeat on the drive home where there was a 30 mile restroom drought.  I missed 1st out of the Clydesdales by 30 seconds, and I have a feeling were it not for the horrible distracting pain in my bladder I might have been able to pull it off.  2nd place still gets me some hardware though!

The positive is, I learned a valuable lesson: Do not drink a large coffee 2 hours pre-race.

Ironman Japan 2009, I jacked up my nutrition somewhere on the bike and at mile 6 of the marathon my body decided to release the gu.  While I may have missed one potty I'm pretty sure i hit the other 19 on my way to the finish line.  Japanese port o potties are the hole in the ground type so not only do I have to go but I have to squat through it....fantastic.

However, any ironman finish can't really be crappy.