Having a race on the same day as the "big dance" (Kona Ironman: the world championship) was great! If it was just another training day for me, I would have felt like I was missing out on the live broadcast, but the race kept me busy! Here's my summary:
I was happy with my swim---coming out of the water 3rd overall in 19:15. In prep for IM AZ, I figured my swim today would be decent as I am swimming more than almost anyone out here, and that always helps for swimming. The course was obviously shorter than 1.5K..there was plenty of chop from the winds across the lake! The 5 minute run up to transition wasn't too bad, but wasn't good for letting the HR settle in before the bike.
The bike course did not have any flats whatsoever, but I held my own considering my IM bike training has been at lower intensity and mostly on flat ground due to the IM course elevation---a few overall places shuffled around on the bike, and I finished the 4 loop bike course in 4th (I was in 2nd until the 4th lap; I was trying to conserve a bit on that fourth lap when two guys slipped by...just a "little bit" though). I tried to be my own bike mechanic last night due to a front derailleur issue and dropped my chain 3 times because of it, but never had to stop to fix it at least. I'll keep the bike shops in business! So overall I was happy here as well, but was in a HR zone I do not work on at all right now (10+ beats higher than my intervals!)--the challenges of the short race during IM training! Normally I ride at a HR below 133, but I started the bike in the mid 150's and settled into the mid 140's as the ride progressed. Getting off the bike I made a HUGE error---I had half a bottle of EFS hydration left, and drank it all a bit too close to transition (about 1 minute before getting off the bik)---the run report below will point out the effects of this ;) I think I made the error because I really didn't have a plan going into this race, and all of the sudden decided to implement this hydration strategy, but didn't realize transition was right around the corner---OH WELL!!! Next time, I'll actually take more than 5 minutes to decide how I should hydrate and eat---I probably didn't need the fluids at all---BUMMER! Prospector Tri Bike Leg by esvans at Garmin Connect - Details This is the data---gotta love the HR decrease---maybe a bit too hard on the swim???? Well, no one passed me until mile 18 at least!
Onto the run, I felt pretty good considering the HR zone I worked at on the bike. I was on the heels (about 10 feet and gaining) on the 3rd place runner (who was the eventual winner---go figure) when I hit the turnaround on the first lap---POW!!! My stomach was turning inside out...I literally had to stop and deal with it, but it didn't end there. That half bottle projected out like a hose on full power. I almost immediately felt better, but the damage was done, I lost about 5 minutes and 4 places in the standings. Luckily I was close to an aid station, took in some water, and got back to running in a minute or so. I hit the end of the first lap and could see where I was at in the race...basically out of luck! The gap to gain a spot was over 90 seconds, so I just held pace and finished up uneventfully in 7th overall. Prospector Tri Run Leg by esvans at Garmin Connect - Details...from 7 minutes in to 10 minutes in you can see my abrupt deviation! My HRM stops when I stop, so the evidence of the vomit is not recorded
HUGE lesson learned today. I honestly think I could have taken the race, considering I was about to pass the eventual winner at a fairly easy pace and how I was feeling other than that 5 minute stent---I'm glad I battled back and got back into the race---which will serve as a great mental piece for IM AZ in 6 weeks. I was glad to keep Sullivan behind me through the debacle--I only lost places during this failure! No excuses though---my competition was fierce and I will be there another day to attack and not give them that "easy" spot I lost to them. I now have a war to settle with myself at IM AZ---no mistakes and I'm going to plan like it's a Board Exam.
My head is down because my coach Chris is going to tell me I know better than that (because I do), but all in all, being my first competitive race in 9 years, I am happy to get back out and get the juices flowing!
Final Splits:
Swim 3rd overall in 19:15
Bike: 7th overall in 1:15:32 did I say it was hilly!!!
Run: 21st overall in 46:51....considering my running background---UNBELIEVABLE!!! 5 minutes standing still will do that, and losing by 4 minutes to the overall leader is not sitting well right now ;((( Until next time....
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