Completed my first Oly...observations and questions

Thanks for your reply.  I went back through and totaled up the intake (from wakeup time to end of the race) and it comes in at like 1595 calories.  Pre-race intake was 920 calories, so during the 3:15:47 of the race, I took in 675 calories.  I usually train with approx. 200/hour intake, so 200 x 3.25 would be 650 calories during the event.  I know it seems excessive, but I started the season at 183 lbs., and was 163 on race day, so the nutrition plan is still under construction.  Swim time was 44min, bike time 1:28:11, run time 57:00.

Appreciate any and all constructive criticism

Overall goal time was 3:00, but I had not actually seen the bike course.  I had planned on 1:24 on the bike, and I got 1:28.  The swim time was about what I expected based on my current ability.  The run course is where I missed my mark completely, by about 10 minutes.  I usually take in about 200 calories/hour, which is mostly in Hammer HEED bottles and/or Gu gels.

Your race intake may seem on the high side, but if that's how you train with no issues then so be it.  I understand that.  But, what was the 920 for?  I had a diet coke and a clif bar before my OLY.  Not that I should be anybody's standard to follow in ANYTHING, but that seems like a crazy amount of calories before a race.  Even an Ironman!

Congrats on completing your first OLY! 

I don't have much to offer on the swim headache or nutrition/hydration. 

Sounds like your OLY goal was 3:00 and you finished in 3:15.  You set the goal before you saw the course.  When did you set your goal?  Did setting the goal change your training strategy?  How?  If you set the goal a few days prior to the race, then think of it more like an expectation as there really wasn't a chance to change your behavior prior to the race.  So you missed your expected finish time by 15 minutes (?)...I'll bet you can still find people who love and adore you.  You still have a job to pay your mortgage.  You don't lose the title "triathlete" simply because you miss a finish time (or even fail to finish a race).  

Are you going to do the race again next year?  If so, what things will you do differently 3-4 months prior to the race? 

I'm not going to comment on nutrition since I am a walking example of nutrition errors during races.

That being said, I took a look at your logs, mainly in May.  Congratulations on some excellent training!  That being said, what I personally see missing is a weekly long run.  By long, given your obvious fitness level and commitment, I think of 10 or more miles.  Your race is fairly similar to my first oly a few years ago, and if I can point to one thing that has improved my fitness more than any other, it's committing to a weekly run of AT LEAST 10-miles.  I haven't been perfect, but I've been close.

I believe you faded because you need that long run in your aresenal to get your legs used to long efforts.  I know you've got some juicy bike rides in there, but it's not the same.

Again, exceptional training and I'm not knocking you at all.   If I missed long runs in other months, I apologize, I only looked in May.  Again, no reason you shouldn't have been doing them through at least part of May anyway.

I am not disappointed in the time; I am disappointed in my nutrition plan.  I planned for 20mph on a course with somewhat similar terrain to what I train on, but not after swimming for 45 minutes...I planned for 8:00 miles on a course with 4 somewhat significant climbs, that I normally do in the 7:45 range, but not after swimming for 45 minutes BEFORE cycling 90 minutes. 

And yes, I plan to do this one again.  Being my first oly, I had a lot to learn, and learn I did.  My swim will improve.  My bike will improve.  My run will improve.  I'll make my nutrition work for me better.

In response to:

I'm not going to comment on nutrition since I am a walking example of nutrition errors during races.

That being said, I took a look at your logs, mainly in May.  Congratulations on some excellent training!  That being said, what I personally see missing is a weekly long run.  By long, given your obvious fitness level and commitment, I think of 10 or more miles.  Your race is fairly similar to my first oly a few years ago, and if I can point to one thing that has improved my fitness more than any other, it's committing to a weekly run of AT LEAST 10-miles.  I haven't been perfect, but I've been close.

I believe you faded because you need that long run in your aresenal to get your legs used to long efforts.  I know you've got some juicy bike rides in there, but it's not the same.

Again, exceptional training and I'm not knocking you at all.   If I missed long runs in other months, I apologize, I only looked in May.  Again, no reason you shouldn't have been doing them through at least part of May anyway.

Thanks for your reply, and for the comments on the logs.  My training plan did not call for a run longer than 60 minutes at any point during training.  I got in two ~8 mile runs in the last two weeks, and felt very good on those.  I will be bringing my run distance up now however (planning on a half-marathon in November).

This was a compressed race prep, due to a last-minute decision to do the race.  Ideally, I would have liked for my swim to have been much further along before doing this race.

Again, thanks for the comments and suggestions.

In response to:

I generally only take in 200-300 cals for an entire Oly. You don't want to shunt blood to your gut to digest calories on a race that is short enought that you should be going pretty close to your LT for most of it.

Also, taking a couple shot blocks or a gel right before a climb is not going to do anything for your performance up that particular climb. I just mention it because it seemed like that's what you were going for.

I think you hit the nail on the head.  I think my gut shut down on me and I cramped, from too many unconsumed calories.  The gels/shot bloks I took were more for timing to take effect after the climbs, as I felt I was going to need something on the other side of them.  I will be scaling it back for the next event. 

Also, I think I might have listened too closely to the advice at the local tri store about calorie needs on this race. 

I always eat a banana before a race, and had 12 oz. of apple juice before my last sprint with good results (same nutrition plan basically on that race, without the gels or bloks, since it was just a 14 mile flat loop), and still felt a little hungry so had 3-4 fig newtons at 5:15am.  I always drink a bottle HEED between breakfast and race start.  The powerbar is what sent me over the edge on calorie load at the front end.  So typical race morning breakfast is usually 600-700 calories.  My next race will probably be a sprint, so all this is moot, but the race after that will likely be my first 1/2 IM (in 2008), so it will become important again .

Thanks again.

Also known as "vendor".  As in, a business that needs to sell things in order to stay in business.   (I'm saying this tongue in cheek because I've gotten some great help from local tri stores, I just make sure to take their recommendations keeping their interests in mind.)

I hope my comments didn't come across as too pointed.  I rudely forgot to say congrats on your first OLY!  It's a great accomplishment.  I'm very proud of mine even though it didn't go exactly the way I thought it would either.  I think, in time, you'll find that the oddities of the day are what you remember as much as anything else, so relish them.

Also, morey1 converted me to his weekly long run philosophy and I've stuck with it since last fall except for when I've been sick or currently nursing a calf injury.  No matter what training plan I'm ever doing I'll always get in a 10 miler (minimum) once per week.  It helps a lot, both physically and mentally.