Entry Level to Ironman Fly Tri Racing (Tri Ritter's Group) OPEN (Page 5)

I trained hard and felt ready on race day for my 70.3.  I had been in the open water 4 times already in training and so the swim didn't scare me.  I had done some 3-1/2 hour bike rides but had trouble putting my race clinchers on for the race.  The tires were really tight and I pinch a couple of tubes in the learning curve of installing new tires.  I had abut 40 hard miles on the new tires though and was hoping for the best.  The run was going really well in training.  I just didn't know if I would be able to make up enough time on the run to make up from my weaker swim and bike legs to be able to break 5 hours.  My goal was 40 minutes on the swim. 3 hours on the bike, and 90 minutes on the run.  With 3-4 minutes for transition that put me at 5 hours and 15.  

On race day I finished the swim in 35 minutes.  I got some calf cramps about 3/4th the way into the swim from pointing my toes (I didn't want to swim with runners ankles).  That cost me a minute or more and required me to change my kick, but I was happy to be 5 minutes closer to my 5 hour goal.  At the half way point on the bike ride I was on pace for a 2:52 bike time.  I had been taking it easy and felt that for the 2nd half I could afford to chase down some of the people off in the distance.  There was a gentle down hill section at mile 29.  I decided to go full tilt and was going over 30 MPH when I hit some debris on the shoulder and flatted a tire.  My time I spend changing out the training tires for the race tires paid off because I got the flat changed in under 10 minutes.  I had never use the CO2 to inflate a tire though so I let a guy that stopped to help do that part.  He said to make sure to stop at the next aid station to check tire pressure.  I road very conservative to the mile 40 aid station.  Stopping was a mistake.  Two nice ladies were there passing out water but there was no bike support.  I lost 7 minutes and was give a bike pump with a Schrader valve.  The lady insisted that she used it for Preston valves, but the only way to get the air in was to keep pumping faster than it was escaping.  I though I got the pressure back up to 90 PSI but a mile later when I again was going fast down a hill I got a 2nd flat.  Oops...I didn't have another spare tube and my vintage bike with 650C tubes meant that no one on the course could help.  I had a patch kit,but the hole was at the base of the stem and I couldn't get it to hold.  20 minutes later I decided I would rather run the bike 15 miles to the T2 than to take a DNF on my first triathlon.  SAG caught up with me 3 miles later.  I had run out of water by then.  The extra time on the hot black top trying to repair tubes and the running required a lot more water than cycling with that 20 MPH built in AC.  The SAG mechanic had NOT been practicing changing tires.  He had a 650C tube but fought for 20 minutes trying to change that tube.  I finally took it back from him, but because of the way he had started things, my plastic tire level broke and his metal levers were to big to work with.  We finally got the tire on with only pinching one tube and I was on my way.  There were no more aid station on the bike ride so I went the last 10 miles with no water.  I got dehydrated and my legs started cramping before I got to the run.  I stopped at every aid station for water, sodium pills, and a sponge from the ice bath (it was really hot by then), but playing catch up on hydration is a hard thing to do.  I had to limit my speed to keep the legs from spasming and cramping. I was getting mentally fatigued and missed a turn 9 miles into the run that added a half mile to the run.  

I finished with a 2 hour run time which was actually the #2 run time out of 8 guys in my AG.  Due to it being the first day in the spring with temps over 100 def F. most people ran poorly.  My over all time was 7 hours.  So... not a great race by the numbers, but if things had gone different on the bike it would have been a whole different story.  I was proud of the way I over came the challenges of the day and satisfied that I was physical and mental capable complete a strong 70.3 races.  

Yes this was the HITS series.  I noticed you are from Texas. That is not why I joined the group but is a plus in my book.  :-) 

The only race I have plans for at the moment is the Ironman 70.3 St. George.  It is 4 weeks from now and I don't feel ready.  I have been really busy at work and those days that I go into the office at 5:30 AM (it is normally and 8-5 job) cut into my training time.  I also have been working through most of my lunch break swims. I am adjusting and making the most of the 4 weeks I have left.  :-) 

When was your last race?  When is your next race?  

After 30 years of running from every level from the school fun run to running with a DIV I NCAA Track & Cross Country team I have had training clash with about every experience that life has thrown at me.  Some of the Top pro's have faces the same challenges with staying motivated.  One Elite Pro said that after running a 4:04 mile in highschool his plan was to improve that time 3-4 seconds a year in college and qualify for the USA Olympic team in the mile.  His plans didn't go as expected he was not improving and felt the weight of not living up to everyone's expectations.  He went home one summer and realized that he was pushing himself too hard to meet other people's expectation and was no longer enjoying what he was doing.  He decided to take a break from what he was doing and just try to enjoy running.  He went back to the familiar trails that he had run as a youth and ran them the way he had growing up.  After a few months had a new approach to his training...well had is old approach back.  If you are getting burnt out, don't feel like you have to keep up with someone else's 20 hour a week training plan that spells out to the 9th degree what cadence and heart rate you should be at, what flavor sports drink and gel you should be taking, and which of your 10 closest friends you should be thinking about at every point of the run.  Dial it back and learn to enjoy what you are doing.  If you can't do a 9 mile run at 8:30 pace, then you may be better off doing it at a 9:00 pace (or don't take the watch at all on the run and don't worry what pace you are at), or only doing 7 miles at 8:30 pace, etc.  By getting though those modified work outs today you will get stronger and you may find that in 3-4 weeks that 9 miles at an 8:30 pace is no longer a challenge, you just weren't ready for it yet.  If you can't get through a 35 mile ride at a 19 MPH pace them maybe you should do a 25 mile ride at 19 MPH pace or 35 mile ride at 17-1/2 MPH pace.  Cutting volume or intensity every day won't help you progress, but cutting it when you need to so that you can get through more difficult work outs in the following weeks and build at a pace that keeps you feeling good will.  

I ask about the races, because after you have done one, you know that you want to be better prepared for the next race.  Use that to motivate you.  I ask when your next race is because when it is 10 months out is is hard to see that what you are doing today makes a difference, but when you are 10 days out you wish you could go back and redo some of those days that were 10 months out.  Use your races to keep you motivated.  If I have a race coming up I am going to train because I know that I don't want to perform poorly at the race.  If I don't have anything in particular to train for, then it doesn't really mater what I do and I loose focus. If races are more than 2-3 months out make intermediate goals.  If you have a 70.3 race that is 8 months away you may want to do a 5K race in 2 months, and half Marathon in 4 months, and sprint tri in 6 months and a 70.3 in 8 months.  That way your progress 6 months our counts as does you progress 4 months and 2 months out etc. 

Yes nutrition and sleep are important for recovery time between work outs, but don't go overboard. Keep things simple and have fun.

Oh...do you have a training buddy?  That is the best thing for staying motivated. :-)

This is some very solid advice!! Thank you for sharing!!! 

The race season just around the corner.  I though this might be helpful to help everyone know who has races coming up.

1)      Triritter (William Ritter)

4/10 Texas 70.3
5/8 Komen 5k? 
6/26 Tulsa Triathlon Half Iron
7/4 Firecracker 5k
8/7 Rivercities Tri (sprint)
9/2 UT Tyler Cross Country (alumni) Invitational (8k xc) 
9/11 Rose City Triathlon (sprint)
9/24 Redman Half Ironman
10/30 Austin 70.3
11/6 Oilman Half Iron? (maybe)

2)     Amulyriley (Amy)

IM Wisconsin

 3)     Mbaxter0245

IM 5150 OKC – June

Iowa – September - possible???

Tempe 70.3 – October – possible???

 4)     ChetJ (Chet)

OLY – TBD

 5)     Blakester

10 mile road & Trail Ride April

70.3 – May 22

“A” Race - End of July

Cleveland Tri

Oly – August

Akron Marathon – September

 6)      Sportsmom (Camille)

MS150 bike Ride – mid-April

Oly – later in year

70.3 –later in the year

 7)      Nwhite1024

4/30-Cap City Half Marathon 
5/22-Chatt IM 70.3 
10/?-Hilton Head IM 70.3 

 8)     Kriztufer (Christo)

April 24: Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri 
April 30: Bronx Zoo Run for the Wild 5k 
May 1: Five Boro Bike Tour 
May 22: Olympic Triathlon 
June 19: 70.3 IRONMAN Syracuse 
July 24: NYC Triathlon 
Nov 6 NYC Marathon10k in Tel Aviv Israel

9)     Jimmybags (Jimmy Bagnola)

 4/17 - Dark Side Half Marathon (Disney world) 

5/1 - Flying Pig Marathon (Cincinnati, OH) 
9/11 - Santa Cruz 70.3 
9/17 - Reach the Beach (NH fun run) 

10)  Sorron8 (Justin)

HIM Grand Rapids – 6/12/16

11)  Cody92 (Cody)

tri port Stevens triathlon -  23rd of May

12)  BlueBoy26 (Curtis Hale)

IM 70.3 St. George – May 7th

My main race of the year is in three weeks.  I haven't done a lot of brick training, or any transition training yet.  I used to live in a location where I could cycle and run from my home.  I now have two miles of road that I can run from my home (and do lots of out and back to get up to 12 mile runs), but if I want to do any cycling have to drive 10+ minutes to find a suitable spot.  The place I have been cycling is not a great place to run but doable.  There is a place that is great for cycling and running about 20 minutes from me.  I am wondering what make the most sense to do with my time.  When I was cycling and running from home I had time to do a 45 minute bike ride followed by a 20 minute run 3 days a week a 60 bike rind one day and a 45 minute run one day (plush my long week end training run & ride).  Now that I have to add in travel time I may only be able to do a 25 minute bike ride and 10 run in the time I have available.  If intensity is up is there a benefit from doing these bricks?  Should I do them 1 day a week with two 60 min bike rides and two 45 min run.  Keep them at 3 days a week, cut rotate running and cycling every day and do the brick as part of my long work outs on the weeks end.  I know there is no right answer but wanted to know what people's thoughts were on bricks and race specific training leading up to a race. 

Well...I did my "Metric" HIM 6 days ago (1.2km Swim, 56 km Bike, 13.1 km Run).  The day was the nicest we have had all year with temperatures up in the 80's for my run.  The swim and bike were pretty shaky but it was encouraging to go under an hour on the run on a conservative effort.  I had a lot of problem areas with new equipment and transitions so I made some adjustments and have been practicing with the race equipment all week to smooth out the problem spots.  I haven't been doing any bricks this week.  I have been focusing on mental preparation above all else in my work outs.  One week to go. William what things do you focus on 3 weeks out from a race?  What do you focus on 1 week out from a race.

By the way...I will be in Pahuska , OK June 22-25th for a Pioneer Trek (yes... think covered wagons and the Oregon trail).  I noticed that you are doing the TAT race in Barnsdall, OK that weekend which is about 20 minutes from Pawhuska. I don't think I will be able to pull it off, but would love to go by the sprint distance race on Saturday to meet people.  We will be pulling a handcart 10 miles that morning (we won't be using oxen on this trek or horse drawn Conestoga wagons so the race may be all clean-up before we come through town on our way home. :-)

I raced this week at the Ironman St. George 70.3 event.  My swim time was 43 minutes, my bike time 3hrs. 3 minutes and my run time 2 hrs. It was a tough race.  I was way under prepared and I felt in on all three legs.  My calves cramped up about half way into the swim.  I had to change strokes for about 600 meters which slowed me down quite a bit, but was able to switch back to a front crawl to finish the swim without the legs cramping up.  Early in the bike I could feel the legs cramping so I just stayed relaxed and made sure I was drinking my fluids.  The cramping subsided until about mile 38.  I couldn't get out of the saddle with out the legs cramping so I just stayed in the saddle and focused on keeping my cadence up,  Miles 42-47 were a steep up hill climb through Snow Canyon.  It was a beautiful vista.  I went to an easy gear about a half mile before the canyon because I didn't know how difficult the climb would be since I had never seen the course before.  Things were going well for a while, but not being able to get out of the saddle and starting to fatigue I got into trouble and about 0.6 miles from the top I wasn't able to generate enough power to turn the pedal even one more crank, so I got off the bike thinking I would walk it to the top of the hill, but my legs were locked up and I couldn't walk. I tried to streach, but that was causing spasms so I just took the opportunity to eat a cliff bar and wash it down with some Gatorade.  Then I tried again and was able to walk.  At the top of the hill everything was down hill to the T2, so I was able to get back on the bike and coast and easy 25-27 mph the rest of the way to the T2.  This gave me some time to work out the stiffness in the legs and prepare for the run.  starting the run I was going about a minute a mile slower than what I had trained for, so I decided to take the first 5 miles easy and then re-evaluate the situation to see if I could race from miles 5-10.  At miles 5 I was starting to feel me legs again and felt that I would be okay for the run, but at mile 6 I hit hills and mile legs started cramping up again.  I decided to take a page from the Ultra Marathoners and power walk up the hills and run the down hills and flats.  That didn't last long because I soon started cramping on the flats and down hills too.  By mile 9 I got to the point that I was cramping to even walk, that was when I knew I was in big trouble. I had to get running again or my legs were going to lock up forcem to out of the run.  I decided that I would run mile 9 for my wife.  Legs were cramping, but I wasn't going to walk, because I couldn't give up on my wife's mile.  I was able to work through the cramps and keep going, mile 10 I ran for my brother.  that mile was a lot easier than mile 9.  My 6 year old did the Ironkids 1 mile run the night before, so mile 11 was for her (I am pretty sure she did her mile faster than I did mile 11).  I was feeling good by that time and was able to finish the rest of the run strong  with out any trouble.  At the finish line I even felt pretty good.  I was able to walk around (rather than just fall down).  All afternoon I felt good.  I was able to go up and down stairs with out difficulty, I was able to up from chairs, etc.

 So...I was under trained and my performance suffered for it, but I did finish and was in the top 1/3 of my age group, so I met my goal.  I think I need to do a shorter race next time.  I have just been too busy at work to dedicate the required time for a 70.3 plan. 

Jimmy,

I try to keep my nutrition plan simple.  I am on the high carb diet (all my peers seem to by on a Paleo Diet, a High Fat Low Carb Diet, or some other diet I had never heard of before becoming a triathlete).  So I carb loaded at lunch the day for the race.  I eat light the night before the race.  My family was having a Salmon salad so that is what I eat.   I usually don't eat breakfast on race morning but I had to be to the shuttle from T2 to the swim start at 4:00 AM so I went ahead and eat oatmeal before I left at about 3:30 AM.  My race time was at 7:30 AM so that worked with my nothing for 4 hours before race time rule of thumb.  I don't remember if I took anything before the swim, but I some times break the 4 hour rule and take a 50% orange Juice 50% water mix or a gator aid during my warm up.  On the bike I don't take anything but water for the first 30 minutes to make sure my stomach isn't sloshing from the swim.  Then I start on the EFS in my water bottles.  I carry about 50 oz of EFS on the bike, 20oz of gator aid and 12 oz of water (yes it is a lot, but I don't have to refill at rest stops).  On hot days I will drink all the EFS and that is all I need on the bike.  I carry sodium/electrolyte tablets, energy bars, and Gu in the bento bag as back up.  Since it was only 55 deg's and raining I didn't drink enough to get my calories from the EFS.  At the T2 it looked like I only drank about half of it.  I did eat a cliff bar at mile 47 or so and washed it down with my gator aid when I died going up the 7 mile climb.  In retrospect I think that if I had taken a few Gu between miles 25-40 I may have made it up the hill without dying.  I think I may have just been at the end of my Glycogen at that point because my pace felt sustainable on the bike from miles 1-40.  On the run I took a lot of orange slices.  I was getting about 2-3 at every aid station (every 2-3 miles?).  I didn't take anything else though. I was dead legged (which again may have been from only taking about 500 calories in the first 3-1/2 hours of the race) so I ran really easy for the fist 5 miles.  At mile 5 I tried to ease into something closer to my planned race pace, but I died at mile 6 and end up walking the hills.  I wasn't until after mile 8 that I took any electrolyte table.  That seemed to give me a boost and I took a Gu right after that (or was it two Gu).  Anyways by mile 10 I was feeling good and I got into a rhythm (a slow rhythm) for the last 5K.  So for the entire race I took about 250 Calories from cliff bars, about 250 calories from EFS, about 100 calories from  gator aid, 200 calories from Gu, and 100 calories from orange slices.  So I took in around 1000 calories, but some people do 250 calories an hour so I was on the light side of what some do, but more than what others do.  My stomach was golden.  No upsets, heaviness, or sloshing.  I think that I needed more calories on the bike though since it was a cool day and I wasn't getting as many calories from the fluids.  I probably could have done more calories on the run too.  I am still trying to figure out the refueling thing. They say that too little doesn't hurt you as much as too much but I think I have done too little on both of my 70.3 races.

As far as cramping goes I don't think it was a dehydration or electrolyte loss issue.  It wasn't hot.  I think it was a fatigue thing. It started 1000m into the swim.  I had the same thing happen on the swim of my first 70.3.  Many people report cramps on the swim.  Some have tried to equate it will compression from a wet suit or other OWS conditions that differ from the pool training, insufficient train volume, etc.  I know that I get more air on the open turns in a pool so it could be oxygen deficiency I also get to push off a wall every 15 yards in the pool which I think is the really culprit.  Pushing off the wall breaks up the flutter kick.   I think that constant Flutter kick for 15020 minutes with out changing strokes fatigued the legs and cause cramping.  I think the cramping on the bike and the run were from the stress done during the swim portion and just carried over to the rest of the race since there was no recovery time between legs of the race. 

William,

Did you do the Tulas 70.3 in Barnsdall on Sunday.  I looked for results but I couldn't find anything posted yet.  

I want to hear what you though of this event and how you did.

-Curtis-