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2018-07-22 8:34 PM
in reply to: Hot Runner

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Subject: RE: Race Report--Lake Chelan "ChelanMan"
Originally posted by Hot Runner

That is a beautiful course and one of my all-time favorites, especially the swim (I did the HIM several years ago as my first race at that distance). Great job after so much drama the night before! Yes, I know, I've jumped into the wrong group but I saw "Chelan" on the forum topic--haven't seen anything from our neck of the woods for a long time--and felt like checking it out!


Ha! Glad you jumped in with a comment. It really is an awesome swim. The bike course is pretty wild too...right along the lake until that big downhill section. Hats off to you for doing the HIM. That bike route has WAY to much climbing for me.

Join our group anytime!

Steve


2018-07-22 8:35 PM
in reply to: Rollergirl

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Subject: RE: Race Report--Lake Chelan "ChelanMan"
Originally posted by Rollergirl

Thanks for the race report Steve. Wow, racing on 3 hours sleep! Well done, I can’t do anything on 3 hours sleep!



It's doable with coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
2018-07-24 12:33 AM
in reply to: lutzman

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Subject: RE: Wetsuit or not?
I also posted the same question in the main part of the forum


I have pretty much made my decision but I’d like to hear other opinions on this anyway.

Doing a small event, short sprint (300m 16k 3k) on Saturday in which, based on last year’s result, I could be in with a shot at winning (depending on who turns up on the day of course). This is not my A race, the one I want to win (which will be next month) but it would be nice to get a taste of it to motivate me for the big day.

The water temp will be high (25 C/ 77 F) but they have decided to allow wetsuits. Should I wear mine? Is it worth it for such a short swim?
I am very comfortable in the water and a decent swimmer and do not rely on the suit to keep me in a good position. Would such a short swim without a suit have a big impact on the rest of the race?

What would you do?
2018-07-25 11:48 AM
in reply to: Rollergirl

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Subject: RE: Wetsuit or not?
Originally posted by Rollergirl

I also posted the same question in the main part of the forum


I have pretty much made my decision but I’d like to hear other opinions on this anyway.

Doing a small event, short sprint (300m 16k 3k) on Saturday in which, based on last year’s result, I could be in with a shot at winning (depending on who turns up on the day of course). This is not my A race, the one I want to win (which will be next month) but it would be nice to get a taste of it to motivate me for the big day.

The water temp will be high (25 C/ 77 F) but they have decided to allow wetsuits. Should I wear mine? Is it worth it for such a short swim?
I am very comfortable in the water and a decent swimmer and do not rely on the suit to keep me in a good position. Would such a short swim without a suit have a big impact on the rest of the race?

What would you do?



Hi Natalie:

Not being a strong swimmer myself, I usually opt for a wetsuit when given the choice. The added flotation and improved movement through the water is worth it in my mind. But, I don’t think I’ve worn a WS in 77 degree water. My real question would be over-heating. I was in 70 degree water in my race this past weekend and didn’t experience any over-heating issues. Of course, if you have a sleeveless suit that wouldn’t be an issue. It if was my choice/race, I’d probably go with the wetsuit.

Good luck!

Steve
2018-07-27 7:24 AM
in reply to: lutzman

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Subject: RE: Wetsuit or not?
Thanks for your input. I've decided to go without, mainly due to the heat which is forecast (mid 80's), I don't fancy being too hot from the start!
2018-07-28 11:40 AM
in reply to: lutzman

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Subject: It Sucks When the Doctors get Involved

Sorry for my absence everyone.

I started having some minor pain in my left leg just behind the knee early last week.  The minor pain quickly became a good deal of pain and I finally went to the Emergency Room on Friday morning when I could barely walk.  I was diagnosed with a blot clot in my left leg just below the knee.  I have a history of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and have been on blood thinners for years - which is why they hospitalized me - the doctors didn't understand how I could have developed a new blood clot while on blood thinners.  I'm home now but unfortunately, there won't be any serious training for at least a few months.  I've been told light exercise but no running or cycling until further notice.

The one thing I've learned - reluctantly and through not so good experience - is too listen to the doctors.  Sometimes it doesn't seem like they have your best interest at heart, certainly not your best athletic interests, but taking the larger view, the shortest road to recovery is the path the doctors put you on.

The good news is I'll be sitting here, reading the BT forums.  When I get done, I'll read them all again.  You can help keep me from being excessively bored by bringing on the questions!

Happy training everyone!



2018-07-28 3:17 PM
in reply to: k9car363

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Subject: RE: It Sucks When the Doctors get Involved
Originally posted by k9car363

Sorry for my absence everyone.

I started having some minor pain in my left leg just behind the knee early last week.  The minor pain quickly became a good deal of pain and I finally went to the Emergency Room on Friday morning when I could barely walk.  I was diagnosed with a blot clot in my left leg just below the knee.  I have a history of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and have been on blood thinners for years - which is why they hospitalized me - the doctors didn't understand how I could have developed a new blood clot while on blood thinners.  I'm home now but unfortunately, there won't be any serious training for at least a few months.  I've been told light exercise but no running or cycling until further notice.

The one thing I've learned - reluctantly and through not so good experience - is too listen to the doctors.  Sometimes it doesn't seem like they have your best interest at heart, certainly not your best athletic interests, but taking the larger view, the shortest road to recovery is the path the doctors put you on.

The good news is I'll be sitting here, reading the BT forums.  When I get done, I'll read them all again.  You can help keep me from being excessively bored by bringing on the questions!

Happy training everyone!




Sorry to hear it, Scott. Get better soon!

There was a post on one of the other forums earlier this week by a young man just getting going in triathlon. He stated something along the lines of he was turning 30 and beginning to feel all the aches and pains of his advancing age. What, what? It really made me laugh. I'm like, "Buddy, wait till your 60 and then let's talk about aches and pains!"

Who knew of all the triathlon challenges there would be thrombosis, too? I guess it's just one more chapter the gray guy/girl triathlete playbook. Hang in there!

Steve
2018-07-28 3:39 PM
in reply to: lutzman

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Subject: RE: It Sucks When the Doctors get Involved
Sorry to hear that Scott, hope you can get back to training soon enough.

I did a short sprint (300m/16k/3k) today, fell 2 minutes short of my 56 minutes goal (biking let me down again, (and transitions) I had a good swim and a great run) but that was enough for my first podium (2nd of 42 women), that was fun


2018-07-28 7:00 PM
in reply to: k9car363

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Wauwatosa, WI
Subject: RE: It Sucks When the Doctors get Involved
Hi Scott, sorry to hear about the DVT- that’s really serious - good to know you docs are on it!

I biked the Wisconsin Ironman Course today - basically just the 2 loops (80ish) miles and a 5 mile run. This course is crazy hilly/technical - my second loop was 1.5 mph slower than the first. The good news is the run/walk (10 min miles)was fine afterwards- but I guess the 2nd loop speed is telling me to go slower. I’d love to hit 6 hours on the bike during Ironman, but most likely need to dial it down and shoot for 6:30.

It was hot out there today and I was at Germanfest having a couple of beers yesterday, so maybe not at my best. I’ll ride the course again in 2 weeks.

2018-07-29 9:26 PM
in reply to: Turner100

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East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: Race Report
I’ve been in Monterey on business since Wednesday. So, no swimming or biking for me. However, on Saturday there was a fun run near my hotel, so I entered.

Given my lack of training and 9 minute miles in my last tri, I was expecting to run about a 24-25 minute 5k, or somewhere in the +/- 8 minute range. I ended up at 22:22, although my Garmin indicated the course was slightly short. Nonetheless, I felt pretty good about running a 7:28 mile pace for the distance. And I even won the 60-69 age group!

I haven’t done a pure running race in at least five years. It felt very strange to start a run race with fresh legs that were not mashed from a bike ride. I’m also used to triathlon where the fatigue just continues to build as you run. But it never happened. It was just great to be running a reasonable pace wth a mile or so to go and to be able to think more about pacing and strategy rather than managing fatigue.

The other part that helped is it was a perfect day in Monterey to run. The temp was about 55 degrees with a foggy mist, a bit cold to start but perfect once the gun went off.

So, maybe there’s still hope that I can refind my lost running speed one of these days!

Hope you had a great weekend.

Steve
2018-07-29 9:26 PM
in reply to: Turner100

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East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: Race Report
I’ve been in Monterey on business since Wednesday. So, no swimming or biking for me. However, on Saturday there was a fun run near my hotel, so I entered.

Given my lack of training and 9 minute miles in my last tri, I was expecting to run about a 24-25 minute 5k, or somewhere in the +/- 8 minute range. I ended up at 22:22, although my Garmin indicated the course was slightly short. Nonetheless, I felt pretty good about running a 7:28 mile pace for the distance. And I even won the 60-69 age group!

I haven’t done a pure running race in at least five years. It felt very strange to start a run race with fresh legs that were not mashed from a bike ride. I’m also used to triathlon where the fatigue just continues to build as you run. But it never happened. It was just great to be running a reasonable pace wth a mile or so to go and to be able to think more about pacing and strategy rather than managing fatigue.

The other part that helped is it was a perfect day in Monterey to run. The temp was about 55 degrees with a foggy mist, a bit cold to start but perfect once the gun went off.

So, maybe there’s still hope that I can refind my lost running speed one of these days!

Hope you had a great weekend.

Steve


2018-07-30 12:33 AM
in reply to: lutzman

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Subject: RE: Race Report
Nice work on your run Steve. Wrote a short report of my short tri in the race report section.
2018-08-03 7:06 PM
in reply to: Rollergirl

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East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: RE: Weekend
The weekend is here! Hard to believe we really only have four more legitimate summer weekends before summer gives way to fall and football season is upon us.

I'm signed up for two more Oly races before the season is done. I've got a race next weekend in a location that is about 30 miles out of Seattle. I'll then lay off until Labor Day when I race in a city that is about 40 miles south of Seattle. Then I can put away the wetsuit and hunker down for the racing off-season.

So, I hope you've got some good plans for the weekend. Long run or ride? Lake swim? Whatever it is...make the most of it. Summer is fleeting. In a few short weeks it will be back to school, cooler weather, shorter days....and indoor training.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Steve
2018-08-07 10:38 AM
in reply to: lutzman

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East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: Race Week
Taper down week for me leading up to an Oly distance race called the Lake Tye Triathlon. I've never done this race before, so it will be a new adventure. My wife and I will drive over to Seattle on Friday afternoon and spend the night there. Then it's up at 4:00 to eat breakfast, get coffee and be in the car by 5:00. One hour+ drive to the race on Saturday morning. I should be there with plenty of warm up time.

Then Saturday night we're going to see a concert by Hall & Oates and Train at Seattle Center. So, I'm hoping for a full, fun summer weekend.

I'm reasonable healthy at this point without much in the way of lagging injuries, although my fitness is not where I had hoped when the season started last spring. A new job and extended vacations will do that.

Small steps I guess...that's the reality of being a gray guy.

Hope you have a strong week.

Steve
2018-08-08 12:35 PM
in reply to: 0

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Cypress, Texas
Subject: IM Boulder 70.3 race report

I did IM Boulder 70.3 over the weekend.  I intended to get a race report written before I returned to work but that didn't happen.  Overall I had a decent race.  I traveled to Winter Park, Colorado the week before the race for a family reunion with my parents and all of my siblings and their families.  The altitude didn't seem to slow me down at all in training at 9,000' elevation in Winter Park.  My breathing was in control and my lungs weren't burning.  I did have chapped lips and woke up in the middle of the night with calf cramps one night.  So I was worried about cramps int he race.  I hydrated the best I could and took my electrolyte pills the day before and morning of the race.  

The swim felt really good.  My form seemed to be right on.  I started in the back of the 33-37 minute wave and was constantly passing people without seeing anyone passing me.  I however added a lot of distance to the swim by swimming wide. I have done two clock wise swims and this was my second counter clockwise swim.  The only other counter clockwise swim I did I also swam way wide.  I must drift to the left.  I didn't feel any cramps come on until about 100 meters from the finish of the swim (If I hadn't added 200m to my swim I would have been in the clear).  As I stood up to exit the water my right calf cramped.  So instead of rushing through T1 I had to take things easy and baby the cramp.

I stared out a lot slower on the bike that I normally do. My target Heart Rate was 125-135 BPM and in race simulations earlier this summer my HR would be 150-155 coming out of the water and not come down on the bike to were I would be riding at 140-150 BPM even though in my Threshold bike rides I struggle to get over 130 BPM.   It took 5 miles to get my HR down to 130.  I road easy for another mile to get it down to 125 then had my target at 125-130 for the race.   There was a "no pass" zone for about 2 miles of the race where I think my HR dropped all the way to 99 BPM and my speed dropped from 21 MPH to 14.5 MPH.  I wasn't very happy to have no pass zones in a Race.  I know that Ben Hoffman wasn't stuck behind someone going 14.5 MPH on that stretch so the course really was not a level playing field.  The Transition area were not level either but that is another issue.  This race had the worst transition area I have seen in my 5-6 races.  I did get passed by 7-8 people in the no pass zone which I was also not happy about.  There was a race marshal that called out warnings to the people that apparently skipped the Mandatory athletes meeting and didn't know what the "no passing" signs on the course meant. The race marshal didn't card anyone though and I noticed that they kept passing people after the marshal yelled at them not to pass.  After the no pass zone I played leap for the next 10 miles with 2-3 of the guys that had passed me in the no pass zone.  Then we had a flat section that seemed like a good section to pass people on and I went to the pace that I wanted to ride at.  My HR climbed up to 138 and for about 4 miles and left all my leap frog friends int he dust.  I may have burned some matches but was happy to jump up from 21 MPH to 26 MPH for a few minutes.  I slowed back down to 130 BPM and 21 MPH to save myself for the run.  a few miles later the Velcro on the water bottle between my aero bars came undone.  I tried fixing it while riding but couldn't get it threaded back through the brackets.  So I held my water bottle with one hand and the aero bar with the other for the next 4-5 miles to the last aid station.  I stopped at the aid station to fix the water bottle and since I was inches from the port-a-potty decided to use the rest room too.  I didn't have an urgent need to use the restroom but it was amazing how much more comfortable I was after I was back on the bike.  I noticed that the 3-4 guys who I had played leap frog with for 10 miles but buried in the dust during my 138 BPM surge was right back with me after my rest break.  I stayed with them for the rest of the bike leg (another 12 miles or so).  I ran out of water with about 5 miles to go (combination of poor planning and having the lid on one of my water bottle pop off will I was refilling).  I started to get cramps in my quads with 3 miles to go.  With both quads cramping up I again was taking things slower than normal in the T2.

I took the first mile or so of the run really slow to get to the first add station.  I was disappointing to discover that they didn't have any electrolyte pills or pickle juice.  I had a few electrolyte pills with me but need a lot more.  To took in a lot of water and Gatorade (since the Gatorade was the only thing that was going to help with the cramps) and was on my way.  The legs were felling okay and after they got transitioned into the run they loosened up so I started to speed up to get back on track with the planned pace for the run.  I passed a guy at mile 4 that wasn't going too much slower than me.  He wanted to know if I was in his age group.  I told him I don't pay any attention to the number on the left calf of other people I meet on the course but he was still pretty concern  to have a faster runner over take him.  He was on mile 10 of the run so he eased up when I told him I was on mile 4.  I told him he could run with me but he said my pace was too fast for him.  He ran through all the rest stops and I stopped to get gator aid water and ice water (the ice water was to dump over my head) then walk through every rest stop so he caught me at every rest stop.  We stayed together for the rest of the first loop.  The second loop I needed to negative split.  I had had a nice first loop joking with other people on the course about the pace, the heat, the choices at the aid stations, where they were from, their race attire, their race team, etc.  Lap two was not going to be a jovial run.  It was business time.  At every point on the course I asked myself are you going faster on this section than I did on lap one.  If not I would pick up the pace.  I was stopping at every aid station and taking more and more fluids at every station (I stated with one cup of water but on lap two was doing about 4 cups of water).  I also started to hit the Coke on lap two. I took four GU on lap one but at the beginning of the 2nd lap when I started to speed up felt a little sluggish which I knew was from low glycogen.  The Coke must have done the trick.  After the first aid station on the second lap the sluggishness was gone. I was getting lots of ice water over me at ever aid station that was helping a lot with the heat and so I was able to keep trucking along on the run until about 10 miles in.  At that point I had the right hamstring cramp up on me.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I stepped off the road and massaged out the cramp and noticed I was about 150 feet from the next aid station.  So I limped to the aid station drank as much water and gator aid as I could, drenched myself again with ice water, then ventured out. A fast guy caught up with me as I left the aid station.  He stayed with me for a a little ways and I told him that all was going good until about 100 metes back where I got a cramp.  I told him I wasn't sure how the next 3 miles would go but as my legs loosened up again I pulled away from him and he never caught back up. I eased up just enough to keep my legs loose.  I was still asking myself if I was going faster at that point than I had gone on the first lap. One section I felt I was going slower (but didn't push to keep from cramping any more) but the rest of the time I felt like I was going faster than lap one.  Towards the end of the 2nd lap I saw the Red Bull arch 1/4 mile away and started to speed up to finish strong.  When I got the arch it wasn't the finish line.  I asked the spectators which way to the finish.  They said to keep going.  I did but was worried I was going to miss the turn and end up on a 3rd loop to the run.  I saw another arch 1/4 miles down the path.  This time an Ironman arch I surge on but when I got there that wasn't the finish either.  Again I wasn't sure where I was going and was told to keep going.  with the surges to what I thought were finishes my legs again became to cramp.  I didn't want to have to stop for another 1-2 minutes at that point to massage out cramps.  I was already at a positive split. So I kept going with a hunched over back and lifting my knees like a high knees drill to keep the legs moving.  I quickly came to the split to the finish and was happy to finally be off the running loop (and not be doomed to an endless loop). 

 

So cramping was an issue.  The calves cramped in the final yards of the swim, the quads cramped in the final minutes of the bike, and the hamstrings cramps with 5K to go on the run. I PR'd by 2 minutes but felt that on a different day with better execution I could have taken another 10+ minutes off.  If I could do it over I would have taken about 10 more electrolyte pill with me and wold have road the bike at 133-138 BPM rather than 125-130 BPM.  This was a learning race.  I guess one race a years isn't enough to keep progressing.  I am going to have to do the Redman 70.3 in Oklahoma City in two months after all to show all the progress I have made this year. 



Edited by BlueBoy26 2018-08-08 12:44 PM
2018-08-09 1:21 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Subject: RE: IM Boulder 70.3 race report

Steve - good luck on your race!  Hope you have an enjoyable time this weekend.

Curtis - great race report.  Question for you - have you done Redman 70.3 before?  I'm wanting to do another 70.3 next fall and right now Redman is at the top of my short list.  I've heard good things about it and the timing works out well (assuming it's close to the same weekend next year).  

My training has been good and bad lately.  Up weeks and down weeks.  I've got one race left this year (a sprint in 4 weeks) so I'm just basically maintaining my swim and bike and trying to work on my run.  Already starting to think about next year and what my goals will be.  

Have a good weekend all - I'll be volunteering at a kid's tri on Sunday.  Those are always fun.  
Janet



2018-08-09 2:29 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Subject: RE: IM Boulder 70.3 race report
Curtis—great race report. Thanks for sharing your experience. Lots of good lessons to learn in almost every race!

Steve
2018-08-09 9:25 PM
in reply to: 0

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Cypress, Texas
Subject: RE: IM Boulder 70.3 race report

Originally posted by soccermom15

Curtis - great race report.  Question for you - have you done Redman 70.3 before?  I'm wanting to do another 70.3 next fall and right now Redman is at the top of my short list.  I've heard good things about it and the timing works out well (assuming it's close to the same weekend next year).  

Yes, I did Redman last September.  I liked it better than IM Boulder 70.3.  It is a smaller race.  I think there were only about 20 people in may age group vs the 200 people in my age group at IM Boulder, but it is well organized and run.  I sat next to Iron Deb in the Athletes meeting.  She was fun to talk to but I didn't know who she was until after the race.   I guess she is one of those super Triathletes that does like 10 full Ironman races a year.  She is is super competitive in the age group races.    So there were good people there and the race had a good feel to it.  With the smaller race there is not a lot of fanfare like you have at a larger race.  The course and race support is just as good as and big M-dot race though.  We all got the Race Tats instead of having people with first grade penmanship trying to write our race numbers and age on us.  I still have the tan line on my shoulder for the Redman logo from not getting enough sun screen on in T2.  The swim is fairly straight forward.  It is in a lake with no current.  The Half does one loop and the full does two loops.  The bike course last year was all down hill for the out bound leg of the 70.3 course and all uphill on the way back.  Most people averaged 6-8 MPH faster on the outbound than the inbound.  The bike course was fast (I PR'd by about 20 minutes over the very difficult HITS Marble Falls 70.3 and IM St. George Bike courses), but like most Oklahoma roads the route had tons of bumps and pot holes.  Every bump in the road was well marked with orange paint so I was able to avoid anything that would have been a real problem.  The run was an out and back with very little shade.  IM Boulder 70.3 was loops which are way better than out-and-backs in my book, but the aid station were much better at Redman than the IM Boulder race.  Redman had ice buckets with wet sponges, pickle juice, electrolyte pills, Frozen grapes, etc. none of which were offered at Boulder. :-)  If bumpy roads or small crowds at races are your pet peeves you won't like Redman, but if not you will like the Redman race (assuming that you can roll with what ever weather come on race day because it could be raining, windy, hot, etc which all play into how enjoyable races are).  



Edited by BlueBoy26 2018-08-09 9:41 PM
2018-08-12 4:29 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

New user
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Wauwatosa, WI
Subject: RE: IM Boulder 70.3 race report
Nice Race Curtis, good job powering through the cramps!



I did IM Boulder 70.3 over the weekend.  I intended to get a race report written before I returned to work but that didn't happen.  Overall I had a decent race.  I traveled to Winter Park, Colorado the week before the race for a family reunion with my parents and all of my siblings and their families.  The altitude didn't seem to slow me down at all in training at 9,000' elevation in Winter Park.  My breathing was in control and my lungs weren't burning.  I did have chapped lips and woke up in the middle of the night with calf cramps one night.  So I was worried about cramps int he race.  I hydrated the best I could and took my electrolyte pills the day before and morning of the race.  

The swim felt really good.  My form seemed to be right on.  I started in the back of the 33-37 minute wave and was constantly passing people without seeing anyone passing me.  I however added a lot of distance to the swim by swimming wide. I have done two clock wise swims and this was my second counter clockwise swim.  The only other counter clockwise swim I did I also swam way wide.  I must drift to the left.  I didn't feel any cramps come on until about 100 meters from the finish of the swim (If I hadn't added 200m to my swim I would have been in the clear).  As I stood up to exit the water my right calf cramped.  So instead of rushing through T1 I had to take things easy and baby the cramp.

I stared out a lot slower on the bike that I normally do. My target Heart Rate was 125-135 BPM and in race simulations earlier this summer my HR would be 150-155 coming out of the water and not come down on the bike to were I would be riding at 140-150 BPM even though in my Threshold bike rides I struggle to get over 130 BPM.   It took 5 miles to get my HR down to 130.  I road easy for another mile to get it down to 125 then had my target at 125-130 for the race.   There was a "no pass" zone for about 2 miles of the race where I think my HR dropped all the way to 99 BPM and my speed dropped from 21 MPH to 14.5 MPH.  I wasn't very happy to have no pass zones in a Race.  I know that Ben Hoffman wasn't stuck behind someone going 14.5 MPH on that stretch so the course really was not a level playing field.  The Transition area were not level either but that is another issue.  This race had the worst transition area I have seen in my 5-6 races.  I did get passed by 7-8 people in the no pass zone which I was also not happy about.  There was a race marshal that called out warnings to the people that apparently skipped the Mandatory athletes meeting and didn't know what the "no passing" signs on the course meant. The race marshal didn't card anyone though and I noticed that they kept passing people after the marshal yelled at them not to pass.  After the no pass zone I played leap for the next 10 miles with 2-3 of the guys that had passed me in the no pass zone.  Then we had a flat section that seemed like a good section to pass people on and I went to the pace that I wanted to ride at.  My HR climbed up to 138 and for about 4 miles and left all my leap frog friends int he dust.  I may have burned some matches but was happy to jump up from 21 MPH to 26 MPH for a few minutes.  I slowed back down to 130 BPM and 21 MPH to save myself for the run.  a few miles later the Velcro on the water bottle between my aero bars came undone.  I tried fixing it while riding but couldn't get it threaded back through the brackets.  So I held my water bottle with one hand and the aero bar with the other for the next 4-5 miles to the last aid station.  I stopped at the aid station to fix the water bottle and since I was inches from the port-a-potty decided to use the rest room too.  I didn't have an urgent need to use the restroom but it was amazing how much more comfortable I was after I was back on the bike.  I noticed that the 3-4 guys who I had played leap frog with for 10 miles but buried in the dust during my 138 BPM surge was right back with me after my rest break.  I stayed with them for the rest of the bike leg (another 12 miles or so).  I ran out of water with about 5 miles to go (combination of poor planning and having the lid on one of my water bottle pop off will I was refilling).  I started to get cramps in my quads with 3 miles to go.  With both quads cramping up I again was taking things slower than normal in the T2.

I took the first mile or so of the run really slow to get to the first add station.  I was disappointing to discover that they didn't have any electrolyte pills or pickle juice.  I had a few electrolyte pills with me but need a lot more.  To took in a lot of water and Gatorade (since the Gatorade was the only thing that was going to help with the cramps) and was on my way.  The legs were felling okay and after they got transitioned into the run they loosened up so I started to speed up to get back on track with the planned pace for the run.  I passed a guy at mile 4 that wasn't going too much slower than me.  He wanted to know if I was in his age group.  I told him I don't pay any attention to the number on the left calf of other people I meet on the course but he was still pretty concern  to have a faster runner over take him.  He was on mile 10 of the run so he eased up when I told him I was on mile 4.  I told him he could run with me but he said my pace was too fast for him.  He ran through all the rest stops and I stopped to get gator aid water and ice water (the ice water was to dump over my head) then walk through every rest stop so he caught me at every rest stop.  We stayed together for the rest of the first loop.  The second loop I needed to negative split.  I had had a nice first loop joking with other people on the course about the pace, the heat, the choices at the aid stations, where they were from, their race attire, their race team, etc.  Lap two was not going to be a jovial run.  It was business time.  At every point on the course I asked myself are you going faster on this section than I did on lap one.  If not I would pick up the pace.  I was stopping at every aid station and taking more and more fluids at every station (I stated with one cup of water but on lap two was doing about 4 cups of water).  I also started to hit the Coke on lap two. I took four GU on lap one but at the beginning of the 2nd lap when I started to speed up felt a little sluggish which I knew was from low glycogen.  The Coke must have done the trick.  After the first aid station on the second lap the sluggishness was gone. I was getting lots of ice water over me at ever aid station that was helping a lot with the heat and so I was able to keep trucking along on the run until about 10 miles in.  At that point I had the right hamstring cramp up on me.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I stepped off the road and massaged out the cramp and noticed I was about 150 feet from the next aid station.  So I limped to the aid station drank as much water and gator aid as I could, drenched myself again with ice water, then ventured out. A fast guy caught up with me as I left the aid station.  He stayed with me for a a little ways and I told him that all was going good until about 100 metes back where I got a cramp.  I told him I wasn't sure how the next 3 miles would go but as my legs loosened up again I pulled away from him and he never caught back up. I eased up just enough to keep my legs loose.  I was still asking myself if I was going faster at that point than I had gone on the first lap. One section I felt I was going slower (but didn't push to keep from cramping any more) but the rest of the time I felt like I was going faster than lap one.  Towards the end of the 2nd lap I saw the Red Bull arch 1/4 mile away and started to speed up to finish strong.  When I got the arch it wasn't the finish line.  I asked the spectators which way to the finish.  They said to keep going.  I did but was worried I was going to miss the turn and end up on a 3rd loop to the run.  I saw another arch 1/4 miles down the path.  This time an Ironman arch I surge on but when I got there that wasn't the finish either.  Again I wasn't sure where I was going and was told to keep going.  with the surges to what I thought were finishes my legs again became to cramp.  I didn't want to have to stop for another 1-2 minutes at that point to massage out cramps.  I was already at a positive split. So I kept going with a hunched over back and lifting my knees like a high knees drill to keep the legs moving.  I quickly came to the split to the finish and was happy to finally be off the running loop (and not be doomed to an endless loop). 

 

So cramping was an issue.  The calves cramped in the final yards of the swim, the quads cramped in the final minutes of the bike, and the hamstrings cramps with 5K to go on the run. I PR'd by 2 minutes but felt that on a different day with better execution I could have taken another 10+ minutes off.  If I could do it over I would have taken about 10 more electrolyte pill with me and wold have road the bike at 133-138 BPM rather than 125-130 BPM.  This was a learning race.  I guess one race a years isn't enough to keep progressing.  I am going to have to do the Redman 70.3 in Oklahoma City in two months after all to show all the progress I have made this year. 


2018-08-12 5:00 PM
in reply to: 0

New user
105
100
Wauwatosa, WI
Subject: 4 Weeks to IMWI
Training Update- Saturday Brick

So the bike course at Wisconsin is tough, 5000 feet in elevation and lots of turns, I rode the 2 loops (78 miles) yesterday for the 3rd time and it was my best effort so far. I averaged 18.1 for both loops- which was a significantly better than 2 weeks ago where I slowed on loop 2. The good news is that I finally found enough courage to stay in aero going down most of the hills and took advantage of the free speed.

The run part of my brick was another learning episode with the heat kicking my butt. My splits for the 8 miles were 8:20, 8:20, 8:40, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 11:00, walk, lol. I felt so good coming off the bike and just let myself run - but my HR spiked to 175 and I lost it.

So, note to self, slow down on the bike, and slow down on the run- don’t be a dumb xxx, lol.

4 weeks to go, I’m feeling anxious, nervous, confident and scared shitless.

Edited by Turner100 2018-08-12 5:01 PM
2018-08-12 10:11 PM
in reply to: Turner100

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1508
1000500
Cypress, Texas
Subject: RE: 4 Weeks to IMWI

Originally posted by Turner100 So, note to self, slow down on the bike, and slow down on the run- don’t be a dumb xxx, lol. 4 weeks to go, I’m feeling anxious, nervous, confident and scared shitless.

 

Early in the year I was running long runs at a a pace about a min/mile faster than what my goal pace was for my race.  I thought I was going to crush the run but then summer kicked in and instead of running in 40-45 deg F every morning I was running in 80-85 deg in the morning and 100 degs. in the afternoon. I adjusted my practice pace off the bike back 15 sec/mi, then 30 sec/mi, then 45 sec/mi.  The pace that I could sustain in 100 deg F without my HR climbing is what I choose to go off the bike at the race.  It was about about a minute slower than what I had been doing for long runs early in the year but on race day was about perfect.  I figured it was better to start out too slow and negative split than to run an even split or positive split. Usually on the 2nd half of of the race  it is a struggle to keep going but at that race I felt better on the 2nd half of the run that I ever had before.



2018-08-13 4:12 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Regular
1126
100010025
East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: Race Report--Lake Tye
I completed the Lake Tye Olympic distance race on Saturday. It went about as expected for me. I had a decent race and ended up 2/8 in my Age Group. I was hoping I could win my AG, but I got completely dominated and missed that mark by about 13 minutes to the first place finisher!

I got a bit of an equipment scare to start. When I was packing up for the race I pulled my bike off the trainer and discovered my rear tire was flat. Great. I haven't had a flat tire in forever. Of course, not training or racing much over 3 to four years does decrease the incidence rate of flats. In any case, I pulled a brand new tube out of the box...although it is actually over four years old. Put it on, pumped it up and POW...the tube exploded. I pulled the wheel off and examined the tube which had blown out a starburst hole. I pulled another brand new tube out of the box and put it on. Pumped it up and...perfect. I loaded my bike in the car and started the 3 hour drive to Seattle. On arrival....flat tire. So, now it's off in search of a bike shop open on a Friday night to find a new tube. I found one, bought a new tube, changed the tire for the third time and then worried about flats the entire night! It's always something!

Lake Tye is a nice, well run race. I think about 300 people were entered between the Spring and Oly distances, with about 2/3rds racing the shorter distance. Best of all, they have a big pancake feed after the race which is a real treat. The only complaint I have is the distances are screwed up. According to my Garmin, the swim course was almost 2,000 yards rather than 1640 (1500 meters) and the bike course was 28.8 rather than 40 km (24.8). In the greater scheme of things is doesn't matter, but in this age of really accurate GPS devices, it's annoying they would be that far off.

My swim was pretty much on target. According to my Garmin I averaged 1:37/100 yards, which was right on where I expected to be. Best of all, I came out of the water feeling pretty good.

My T1 sucked. For some reason I couldn't locate my zipper pull on the back of my wetsuit. I fumbled around and finally asked another guy for a zip down. Then I got my wetsuit stuck on the timing chip. Jeez. What a rookie! In any case, a transition that should have taken 1 minute ended up at two.

My bike was OK, but it's really where I lost the opportunity to compete for the AG win. I came out of the water dead even with the AG winner. Lost one minute to him by screwing up in T1, but then dropped about 9 minutes on the 28 mile bike course. Yes, 9 MINUTES. So, at least it's clear where I need to focus my training! I was really thinking I would average 20+ mph. I ended up at 19.5. My legs did feel tired from the start. I'm thinking I should have had a slightly longer taper....but that wouldn't have made a 9 minute difference anyway.

T2 was OK. Struggled a bit with the shoes. I need to practice.

My run was decent. I was pretty steady and ended up at an 8:19 pace, which is about right for my current level of fitness. I lost a couple of minutes to the AG winner on the run as well, but I know how to train my run times down, so I have a focal point for training here as well.

All in all, a fun day. And it was another good learning experience to help focus my training going forward.

I have one more race scheduled in three weeks and then I'm done racing for the year.

Best,

Steve
2018-08-14 1:23 PM
in reply to: Turner100

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Regular
1126
100010025
East Wenatchee, Washington
Subject: RE: 4 Weeks to IMWI
Originally posted by Turner100

Training Update- Saturday Brick

4 weeks to go, I’m feeling anxious, nervous, confident and scared shitless.


Thanks for sharing, Rob. Keep us posted with how your training goes these last four weeks. And definitely give us a race report when you're done.

Good luck!

Steve
2018-08-14 2:27 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Official BT Coach
18500
50005000500020001000500
Indianapolis, Indiana
Gold member
Subject: RE: 4 Weeks to IMWI

Originally posted by BlueBoy26

Originally posted by Turner100 So, note to self, slow down on the bike, and slow down on the run- don’t be a dumb xxx, lol. 4 weeks to go, I’m feeling anxious, nervous, confident and scared shitless.

 

Early in the year I was running long runs at a a pace about a min/mile faster than what my goal pace was for my race.  I thought I was going to crush the run but then summer kicked in and instead of running in 40-45 deg F every morning I was running in 80-85 deg in the morning and 100 degs. in the afternoon. I adjusted my practice pace off the bike back 15 sec/mi, then 30 sec/mi, then 45 sec/mi.  The pace that I could sustain in 100 deg F without my HR climbing is what I choose to go off the bike at the race.  It was about about a minute slower than what I had been doing for long runs early in the year but on race day was about perfect.  I figured it was better to start out too slow and negative split than to run an even split or positive split. Usually on the 2nd half of of the race  it is a struggle to keep going but at that race I felt better on the 2nd half of the run that I ever had before.

If you are going long - 70.3 or 140.6 - this is perhaps one of the best things you can do.  All too often athlete's go too hard on the bike so they're already behind the energy curve when they get to the run.  They, if you stood outside T2, you'd think that an incredibly high percentage of the field can run a sun 1:20 half-marathon or sub 2:45 marathon.  The very best thing you can do is, as Curtis suggests, start out too slow and negative split the run.

It's interesting to note that Curtis said he felt better on the 2nd half of this particular run than he ever had before.  Long course triathlon is about pacing.  Curtis was the beneficiary of proper pacing at this race.

2018-08-14 3:17 PM
in reply to: 0

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Official BT Coach
18500
50005000500020001000500
Indianapolis, Indiana
Gold member
Subject: RE: Race Report--Lake Tye

Originally posted by lutzman

I completed the Lake Tye Olympic distance race on Saturday. It went about as expected for me. I had a decent race and ended up 2/8 in my Age Group. I was hoping I could win my AG, but I got completely dominated and missed that mark by about 13 minutes to the first place finisher!

I got a bit of an equipment scare to start. When I was packing up for the race I pulled my bike off the trainer and discovered my rear tire was flat. Great. I haven't had a flat tire in forever. Of course, not training or racing much over 3 to four years does decrease the incidence rate of flats. In any case, I pulled a brand new tube out of the box...although it is actually over four years old. Put it on, pumped it up and POW...the tube exploded. I pulled the wheel off and examined the tube which had blown out a starburst hole. I pulled another brand new tube out of the box and put it on. Pumped it up and...perfect. I loaded my bike in the car and started the 3 hour drive to Seattle. On arrival....flat tire. So, now it's off in search of a bike shop open on a Friday night to find a new tube. I found one, bought a new tube, changed the tire for the third time and then worried about flats the entire night! It's always something! 

At the risk of sounding like a bit of a jerk, it'd been a couple years since you'd repaired a flat - maybe it was karma allowing you to get some practice and again become highly  proficient at tire repairs before your race!

Originally posted by lutzman

Lake Tye is a nice, well run race. I think about 300 people were entered between the Spring and Oly distances, with about 2/3rds racing the shorter distance. Best of all, they have a big pancake feed after the race which is a real treat. The only complaint I have is the distances are screwed up. According to my Garmin, the swim course was almost 2,000 yards rather than 1640 (1500 meters) and the bike course was 28.8 rather than 40 km (24.8). In the greater scheme of things is doesn't matter, but in this age of really accurate GPS devices, it's annoying they would be that far off.

My swim was pretty much on target. According to my Garmin I averaged 1:37/100 yards, which was right on where I expected to be. Best of all, I came out of the water feeling pretty good.

My T1 sucked. For some reason I couldn't locate my zipper pull on the back of my wetsuit. I fumbled around and finally asked another guy for a zip down. Then I got my wetsuit stuck on the timing chip. Jeez. What a rookie! In any case, a transition that should have taken 1 minute ended up at two. 

Better to shake the rust off at these smaller, local races than at Nationals!  Don't beat yourself up Steve, it's been a few days since you regularly raced.  It's gonna take some time to get back in the saddle.

Originally posted by lutzman

My bike was OK, but it's really where I lost the opportunity to compete for the AG win. I came out of the water dead even with the AG winner. Lost one minute to him by screwing up in T1, but then dropped about 9 minutes on the 28 mile bike course. Yes, 9 MINUTES. So, at least it's clear where I need to focus my training! I was really thinking I would average 20+ mph. I ended up at 19.5. My legs did feel tired from the start. I'm thinking I should have had a slightly longer taper....but that wouldn't have made a 9 minute difference anyway.

T2 was OK. Struggled a bit with the shoes. I need to practice.

My run was decent. I was pretty steady and ended up at an 8:19 pace, which is about right for my current level of fitness. I lost a couple of minutes to the AG winner on the run as well, but I know how to train my run times down, so I have a focal point for training here as well.

All in all, a fun day. And it was another good learning experience to help focus my training going forward.

I have one more race scheduled in three weeks and then I'm done racing for the year.

Best,

Steve

It sounds to me like you had a good overall experience.  You identified a limiter that needs some work.  That's far more than many athletes are able to do.  Winter is just around the corner which will afford a great opportunity to do a focused cycling block and increase aerobic capacity as well as FTP.

Before you know it you'll be challenging new PR's and all of this will be a distant memory in the back of your mind.

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