American Triple-T Race Report

Background:

I set off with Scott, Shelly, Slake, Ken, Amy, Leslie, and Chris to take on the American Triple-T in Portsmouth, Ohio. For background on the race, Scott wrote up a nice blog on over on the FCS website. The quick and dirty is that it is 4 races over 3 days and totals around 140 miles, basically doing an Ironman over the course of the weekend. This was on the schedule for obvious reasons and was my plan was to treat this as a "training camp" more than a race. I'm not going to lie, the week leading up to the event was BAD. I had just come off a weekend with another 100 mile ride and a 14 mile run. I was tired and didn't feel like my legs were recovering like I thought they should. On top of that I was dealing with a bunch of other logistical nightmares for other upcoming trips. All of this led to my first full blown Come Apart on Wednesday and KWed had to talk me off of the ledge on Thursday. Of course everything was squared away but by Friday morning my motivation to race was in the crapper. I never realized how much of an affect being stressed out had on the body. Friday finally comes and we take off and get in to town around 3 with the first race starting at 5. It wasn't until I was walking up to registration that I got excited to race. As KWed put it, I found my mojo.

I picked up my packet and jersey (everyone wears the same jersey for the entire weekend) and headed back to the cabin to finish getting ready for the first race.

Note: Usually in race reports I'll put my place against the competition for each segment, but this was a training weekend so I'm going to list how I did against my plan and summarize each race. Oh yeah, this is going to be long.

Race 1: Prologue / Super Sprint (250 M Swim, 4 mi Bike, 1 mi Run)

This race was just fun. The only annoying thing about this race (all of them for that matter) was the 2-person time trail start when there are over 400 people in the race. The races took forever to get everyone on the course. with this first race being so short people were already done before I even started my swim. Even though the race was short I felt no need go full throttle so I cruised through. Nice and easy on the swim, then bike was a short out and back to the main highway and then uphill for a mile or so and then flying back down to transition. Again, I cruised up the hill in an easy gear and didn't work hard. I wanted to run a little faster than I did but my legs didn't weren't feeling great as a result of feeling crappy the whole week. Total time for this race was 26:59.

Race 2: AM International (1500 M Swim, 40 K Bike, 6.55 mi Run)

After a nice dinner and a couple of beers everyone headed to bed for an early morning. We were up and at the race site by 6:45 for a 7:30 start. With the rest of the weekend in front of me, the plan for this race was to keep it nice and easy, maybe push the pace a little bit, but stay in control and not "blow up." Waiting for my turn to start the swim, Baldwin came out to start his second loop of the course and yelled over that the course was short. After getting my shot at it, it definitely was. My swim time was around 25 minutes which was 3 minutes faster than Rumpus. I haven't improved that much in a month. I get out of the water and on to the bike. I didn't get there in time to do any course recon so I was just winging it. This wasn't that bad since I was riding to a particular level of effort and not for time. The bike course was challenging with all of the hills and one big climb at "Thompson Hill." As always, the best part about going up is that you get to come down. The descents through the park's fire roads with switch backs really made you stay focused.

When there are strategically placed ambulances at the bottom of descents, there is normally a good reason why. I made it through the bike feeling fine; 25 miles in 1:22:00 with an average HR of 153. This was half iron pace and right on plan. Next came the first shot at the run course; an out and back on gravely fire road with a stupid amount of climbing for such a short course. My goal here was to run conservatively and get a feel for the course since I had to do it again in the afternoon and twice the next day. The climbs seemed to go on forever and the descents were amazing. I also paced the run to an "easy" level of effort as opposed to a particular pace. The best part about this run is that it was a lot harder heading out to the turn around meaning the return trip was easy in comparison. This would play a huge role on Sunday when I kept telling myself "just get to the turn around." Scott estimated my time for this race at 2:40:00 and I came in at 2:43:18, right on target.

Race 3: PM International (40 K Bike, 1500 M Swim, 6.55 mi Run)

This is where the weekend started to get weird. After the first race every one went back to the cabins and got some food and laid down. I tried to nap but couldn't so I just laid around and watched tv. Its one thing to do a half iron distance in a day, but to do half and then break for 3 hours and then ask your body to do it again is difficult. The other added level of difficulty is the format for this second race. Instead of a traditional swim/bike/run we were biking first, then swimming, then running. Now that I've completed it I understand why the afternoon race is done that way. With the race starting at 3:00 it was frickin hot outside. Jumping into the water after the bike was one of the most amazing feelings of the entire weekend. I digress. The afternoon bike course was different from the morning and was a long out and back with really only one major climb. The morning ride was short, steep climbs. The afternoon ride was a long, gradual climb that seemed to last for days. Here is the elevation profile.

My plan was to go a little easier on this ride and I did in the morning. I came in off the bike 2 or 3 minutes slower. I ran into T1 to put on my wetsuit and swim. Note: plastic bags over your feet allow your wetsuit to slide on effortlessly. I was in my suit in a matter of seconds and headed to the water. Once again the swim was fine as I took it easy. I also had the same approach on the run as I did in the morning. I'm not sure of my specific splits for the afternoon (they aren't posted yet and I did something wrong on my garmin) but I came in at 2:47:00. I was happy to basically have even splits across the board for the day. Time to go back and get ready for the real fun.

Race 4: Half Iron (1.2 mi Siwm, 56 mi Bike, 13.1 mi Run)

I was pretty tired (but not buried) after the Saturday races. I didn't have an appetite but forced myself to eat some chicken and plain pasta. I didn't sleep well at all and 6 am came pretty quick. Packed up all my stuff, ate my usual pre-race food, and got all my nutrition ready for the race. I was a little concerned and feeling like I didn't have enough gel and sports drink for the bike. I headed down to the start for one more go at this and was not even close to feeling great. This day was going to be as mentally challenging as it was physically demanding. The nice thing about this race was that I didn't have to wait at the back of the line to start. By this point no one cared if we started in order so all of us started close together within the first 50 people or so. My swim was steady again and actually felt better than I did swimming back to back days at Rumpus. I got out of the water at 33 minutes. Again, the course HAD to be short. I did not improve by 5 minutes from my last half iron in White Lake. I got on the bike and headed out for the 2-loop course. Within a few miles I hit a false flat and really slowed down. This was crushing considering I was barely into the ride and had a long way to go. I pushed through it and was then greeted by a ridiculous climb that never ended. I made it up and looked at my watch, not even 10 miles in at this point. UGH. I kept moving and took free speed when I could and gave it back when I had to. The descents seemed harder than the day before and I found myself braking more than usual. For the next hour it was climb, descend, repeat. I finally finished the first lap and then my shoulders sank when I realized I had to do that all over again. I could tell I was low on nutrition and had to ration what I had left for the rest of the bike. I got lucky a little over half way through the second lap. I was really starting to fade and had caught up to 2 riders working their way up a hill. We starting talking for a minute and I casually said that I would love some solid food. Next thing i know the guy hands me part of a chewy granola bar and you'd swear I just won the lottery. I could of eaten more but it gave me a nice little boost and I pressed on. The second lap actually seemed a little easier since I knew what to expect and had land marks to tell me I was almost done. Elevation gain for the half, 4350 ft.

Before the race Scott told me to shoot for sub 6 hours for the half. I was at 4 hours going into the run which meant I needed 9 minute miles or better to go sub-6. Having run the course twice the day before I knew what was ahead and I wasn't happy about it. I made it to the first aid station and chowed down on some pretzels and oreos. I needed real food, no more gel. I got another boost on the way out when I saw Ken, Scott, Leslie, and then Shelly. I made the first turn around headed back. I was feeling ok but felt like I was barely moving. I eventually caught up with Shelly near the end of the first lap and we ran in together. You can tell neither of us were very happy.

Shelly told me to go ahead so I did. Finally, one more lap, 6.55 to go and I was DONE. I tried to keep moving the best I could but eventually one of the hills got the best of me. The burning in my quads was unlike anything I've ever experienced so I stopped to walk for a few seconds. I only took a second because I was not going to lose my shot at sub-6. The reason why you never walk is because starting to run again feels worse than before you stopped. It hurt, tough shit, man up and keep running. I made it up the hill and got to cruise to the turn around. The return trip is a piece of cake compared to heading out and once I crested the hill I just came down I knew I was home free. I found whatever it was that I had left and took off. When you realize your that close to finishing nothing hurts anymore. I came off of the trail and made the turn for the finish. I passed 3 more people on my way to the finish and got high 5's from my FeXY teammates who had already finished. It was an amazing feeling to finish what was the most brutal race of my life. Somehow my run was 1:53:00 for an 8:37 per mile and right on "E-pace" with a race time of 5:53:00. And this is what the brutal, spawn of satan run course looked like.

Take-Aways:

No, this was not an Ironman; that is still 9 weeks away. But it was sure as hell a great training weekend and a huge confidence booster for IMLP. My total time for the weekend was 11:50:00 and I'm very pleased with the way I paced myself and how I held back in the earlier races knowing there was still a long way to go. The biggest take away from this weekend is the built in mental toughness training that comes from asking your body to race then rest and then repeat 3 more times. At least at Ironman its just one really long day. I also still need to fine tune my nutrition. At the level of effort I was putting in on the bike, I easily could have carried solid food with me and been fine to eat it on the course. This very well could have cost me a few minutes. I also need to make sure I take in more salt on the run.

Next Up:

Now that this is over its time to take a break. Time to let my body absorb all the miles I've put in this year. No better place to do that than in Spain for Victoria's wedding.

But then its time to get back to business. Less than a month till peak training weekend at the FeXY Coacing Services Lake Placid Training Camp.

Almost there ......

White Lake Half Iron Race Report

Background

This race was prep for Ironman Lake Placid (shocker). Also, after all the training time I’ve logged this year I was interested to see what kind of improvements I have made from Eagleman last year. Since this wasn’t an “A” race we really didn’t taper going into it. Well, I took the previous Saturday off completely and then had a standard light race week to recover and be as fresh as possible for the race. I also worked with Scott and approached this race with a specific nutrition plan; both pre-race and during. Before the race my plan was to take in around 800 calories. This was in the form of a bagel, 2 bananas, an apple sauce cup, a Clif bar, and a bottle of EFS. I was supposed to take a gel about 30 minutes before the swim start but didn’t. I’ve never eaten this much before a race so it either was not going to sit well or it would actually do its job and I wouldn’t lose energy as fast as usual.

Swim/T1

As a means to build more confidence with swimming in crowds (something I’ve always avoided until now), I lined up towards the front of my wave and dead center. Strategically this isn’t ideal, but everything I’m doing is to prepare for Placid. My wave was pretty big since it was Men 34 and Under. My swimming has improved a lot this year so I found myself near or passing people the entire swim. I’ve never been a strong swimmer so it was a nice boost to catch people after the second turn as we headed into the swim finish. This year I’ve improved to a middle-of-the-pack swimmer and about where I was when I exited the water. I looked at my watch as I waited to get up the ladder to the dock and it read 38:15 which was right where I was hoping to be. There was a short run up the dock to get to T1 so my official swim time is a little longer. I entered T1 and got ready for the bike. Swim and T1 were 39.28 and 1:52. (23/42 and 1/42)

Bike/T2

At the start of the bike I was more concerned with my nutrition plan than I was with how fast I was going. I did notice that my heart rate was in the 160s as I headed out. My race plan was to stay in low zone 3 for the ride, which for me is the low 150s. I took a few minutes to soft pedal and settle in so my heart rate would drop a little. In my previous Half Iron I bonked hard on the bike mostly due to lack of nutrition on the bike. I had a plan (300 calories per hour) and I was going to stick to it. I was going accomplish this by taking 2 Hammer gels and drink a bottle of EFS each hour. This worked well as I had no troubles taking in the calories or getting through the EFS. I took in additional water as I came through the aid stations. Volunteers were handing out full water bottles so as I rode through, I’d grab a bottle drink as much as I could in a few seconds and then toss the bottle. There was a 15-20 minute period on the back half of the ride that was annoying. I was stuck behind another rider who got me out of the sweet spot I had settled in too. If I tried to pass, I would use too much energy; if I continued to sit back I’d drop out of zone 3. I ultimately decided to use this time to my advantage. Since the course was pancake flat there weren't any breaks on descents and I was in aero the entire time. I used my time behind this guy to stretch my legs and come out of aero for a few minutes. Then I got tired of playing around so I passed him and settled in again. The second half of the bike was a few minutes slower than the first but this was to be expected with the slight headwind that we faced. I got off the bike and really felt good going into the run (for once). Bike and T2 were 2:37:54 and 1:46 (6/42 and 10/42).

Run

My run plan was to start off at a decent pace for the first half and then see what’s left in the tank and pick it up to the finish. It didn’t quite work out that way. My first half was exactly on plan (7:40-7:45s) but I could feel myself wearing down finally. I had decided I was going to carry a different type of gel with me on the run. At the second aid station I went to take my first swig of it and it tasted like the most disgusting cough syrup I’ve ever had. I immediately tossed the entire flask with the knowledge that there would be hammer gel on the course. My stomach was starting to become unsettled and I didn’t feel like anything but water. I hit the turn around and kept telling myself that the race was almost over. Finally at mile 8 I had to take something besides water. I spotted the hammer gels on the table and grabbed one along with an orange slice. I bit into that orange like it was the last one I was ever going to have. It helped but didn’t give me that boost I was hoping for. I was really starting to tire at this point and my breaks at each aid station seemed to get a little longer with each mile. At mile 9 I drank of couple of sips of flat coke and another orange slice. The second half of the run was about 4 minutes slower than the first half. Nutrition on the run really hurt me here. With some calories every other mile or so I might have been able to maintain pace for the entire run or post a negative split which was the plan all along. Overall I had a very acceptable run at 1:44:41 (3/42) and I’m not going to complain about the 3rd fastest run split in my age group.

Overall

What limited me from doing better? Without a doubt it is my swimming. While I’ve made big strides this year there is still room for lots of improvement. My biking and running has become competitive in my AG but my swimming remains around 5 minutes behind where it should be. This will definitely be the focus of my off season. Ok, now the good part. I couldn’t be happier with the way the race played out. The last Half Iron I did was 11 months ago and I finished in 6:16:32. I absolutely smashed my times in each discipline and finished this one in 5:05:40 which was good for 4th in AG and 45th overall. All of the training and coaching have really paid off and the results are showing it. Next up is a big test: American Triple-T!

April Recap

Bad cliché forthcoming … you’ve been warned.

Time flies when you’re having fun, right? April is over and this was definitely a fun month. The month started off pretty easily as I had my first “recovery” week. I’m sure this wasn’t a recovery week by most people’s standards but it was fewer hours than the 2 previous weeks so I was happy with it. The following weekend was Rumpus Double which I’ve already written about. These “race” weeks are great with maybe 5 hours of easy workouts leading up to the weekend.

After Rumpus we went straight into 2 more build weeks and this was hard. Baldwin talked me into my first 100 mile ride (oh which there will be plenty more in the next few months) which went well. We knocked out a decent bit of climbing and I felt ok. My nutrition wasn’t the best again and I resorted to eating a Natures Valley granola bar with 6 miles to go just make it to through. Top that off with a 30 minute run, quick nap, and then suiting up for dinner and going to Ozio for a friend’s birthday. That was definitely a good day. That Sunday was nasty out and all I wanted to do was stay in bed but was told that I needed to go to the FeXY Open Water Swim Clinic, so I did. The water was warmer than the ambient temperature; there should be rules against this, but no matter, it was a very beneficial and I picked up some helpful information.

The following week was hard. It was a classic example of trying to do everything. It was another build week but I had Bryan and Rita’s wedding in Annapolis that weekend. The week didn’t even come close to going as planned. By the time Wednesday’s track work came around I was getting concerned about the weekend and I was really feeling drained from the previous 2 weeks. I made it through Wednesday but had 2 hours on the bike Thursday of which I did 1:20:00 minutes. I felt like death and fell over on my bed immediately passed out for 40 minutes or so. Friday was even worse. I took off from work so I could get a long ride in and thankfully Chris G rode with me. I was supposed to do 5 hours and we made it through 50 miles and 3 hours. I could barely keep up with him and my legs felt terrible. I didn’t run after and was on the verge of my first “come apart” (KWeds term for an adult temper tantrum). Luckily, I didn’t have much time to focus on it because I had to get ready for the rehearsal. There was supposed to be another long ride on Saturday, but after talking it through I decided that I was going to skip it and take the day off completely. I had a lot to do to get ready for the wedding and I didn’t want to be rushed. I needed this. BADLY. I don’t like skipping workouts or cutting them short but I had no problems with it this time. The day turned out great and the wedding was a lot of fun. With a decent run on Sunday I might have done half of my hours for this week. I was buried and needed to recover a bit. All is well.

Overall it was another great month and they are just ticking away. April had far more ups and downs than previous ones but it’s all good. Next month is pure craziness with White Lake Half Iron, American Triple T, and then Spain for Victoria and Jeff’s wedding.

"I remember a year ago I was standing in the crowd waiting for my chance to break through ... Now it seems I've found ... what it takes to make this dream come true, we'll be here till the end."