Quassy 2013 Report
Rev3 Quassy 2013 Race Report
This was my first 70.3 distance race in over 2 years, and it showed. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on how everything is going to work the actual race does something else.
My pre-race routine was spot on! It was fantastic to meet everyone at the lunch and the tasty sandwich sat well. After lunch dropped the bike off at transition and the mental walk through of the swim-to-bike and bike-to-run. Then off for another light meal before heading back to the hotel to quintuple check the nutrition and gear for the race. Even managed to get into bed early and enjoy 7-8 hours of rest. It was perfect.
Race morning had a quick wake-up at 1am for some liquid nutrition (350 cals), I use Rite-Aid brand Ensure… IMHO it tastes better than the actual Ensure and brings more calories to the table). Then up again at 4am for actual breakfast of a PB / banana / honey sandwich.
Made it to the race site early and got primo parking.
Setting up T0 was smooth. Everything got laid out and strapped to the bike in good time. I decided to go with a bike jersey over a tri-top for the extra sun protection. For the run I planned to swap out the bike jersey for a comfy running shirt as this was sort-of test run of the stuff I’m going to wear for IM-Moo later this year.
One big minus to this set-up was that all of my EN stuff was sitting comfortably in transition when it came time for the group picture. At least I found a spot the back to hide my shame but still get my head in to the picture. ?
Headed down to the swim start for a brief warm-up and ran into Patrick – always nice to chat and share a few laughs with him and my friend Bill who was doing his first 70.3.
Got in a short 5 minute swim to get the initial ZOMG feeling over with, let the heart rate explode and come back under control, and let the wet suit settle into position.
When the swim started I placed myself way, way, way in the back. Looking back this may have been a mistake, but I’m always nervous about my swimming speed and shouldn't be. I came out of the water 33rd in my wave with a time of 34:57.
Note to self: Get in more consistent pool time! This is too slow and that sub-hour IM swim should be a gimme.
Out of the water I took the usual leisurely walk up to T1, peeling out of the wet suit, cap and goggles along the way. Found the bike at T1, threw on the jersey, grabbed the helmet… blah-blah-blah. T1 went quick and smooth. Hit my only T1 snag at the Mount Line when the row of people in front of me came to a dead stop to get on their bikes. For some reason this discombobulated me getting on the bike, but once I got moving I was feeling good.
I’m a “not small” person and the hills kill me unless I decide to blow-up my race and hammer it. That wasn't going to happen to me today! The goal was to keep my Watts in check, going slow (so, so, slow) on the ascents and keeping the legs moving on the downhill. Nutrition plan was Gu Roctane at every :45 of the hour and a full bottle of Skratch every hour for about 220-240 cals/hour. My bike holds three bottles, I started with one water and 2x Skratch. I planned a quick stop at the 2nd aid station to re-mix one Skratch and grab a Gatorade just in case the new flavor would make it easier to keep drinking.
This plan was working great up until just past the 2nd aid station when I hit a bump and ejected the last bottle of Skratch. First time in all my training this has ever happened! I was bummed and now on an all Gatorade diet until the end of the race. Ewwwwww. I think this is where my race fell apart. Gatorade Perform just doesn’t sit well in my stomach and by that time the temps were starting to get up and I really need the hydration. FYI: having nothing but warm water and nasty lemon-lime Perform to wash down Gu is not a winning combination.
At some point I passed Ryan who was having a bad tire change and he badly needed a pump. I stopped and hooked him up and we were quickly on our way! It was worth the minute or two to get him moving again while getting in my Good Deed for the day.
The last few miles of the bike were a struggle but surprisingly I came in EXACTLY when my race rehearsals said I would. Neat! Of course I was hoping for a touch faster, but near the end the Gatorade started to play havoc with my GI-tract and the temps were climbing. It was physically and mentally draining. Still a decent ride.
Note to self: See what can be done to get lighter for IM-Moo. Get new cages for the back wing that won’t eject. Carry more powder mix than you think you need.
T2 was good, just need to remember to take my shoes off with about ¼ mile left on the bike to let my feet wake up before starting the run.
The run was Evil™.
Started off with a SaltTab and mouth full of water, and was feeling good save for the slightly sour stomach. My pace was actually a little faster than I wanted for the whole 13 miles so I pulled back a little knowing I’d need that extra juice at the end. Alas, it was not to be. Around mile 2 my guts started to knot up every time I ran for more than 5-10 minutes. Time to problem solve. I thought it might have been not enough water and/or salt in the heat so I dropped into a run-walk to give my body a chance to catch up while feeding myself more liquids. At the aid station I gave myself 2x full cups of water, splashed water on my arm coolers, and stuffed ice under my cap to stay cool. About a mile later I was actually coming around and shuffling pretty well when I hit that hill. You know the one that went up at a decent angle and never really ended?
I did not enjoy that climb.
Doing a shuffle and walk combo pulled me through the rest 13 miles. It wasn’t pretty. At some point I ran into another EN-er and he wisely pointed out the Quassy run was worse than an Ironman run and this was turning into a fine “long training day”. While I was slow and not feeling well stomach-wise, my legs felt good. I think that was a plus for the day – telling me I go the bike mostly correct. All I know is that either that last mile-ish part of the course was flat / down-hill, or some part of me finally registered that it was indeed the last mile, but I felt I was jogging okay at the end.
Note to self: Find ways to “fix” the stomach on the run when if cramps up. Need a better plan to handle that type of issue on the run.
Overall: a tough day and my finish time was ghastly! Still, no ambulance, I was smiling, and I finished. Guess I can't complain too much.
I don’t think I’d sign up for this one again, but it was a good test in that it pointed things that I need to be ready for mentally and physically in September. The bike was rock solid, but slower than I was comfortable with over that distance. I think I can improve on my overall performance with more training and better body composition. (I have lost about 15 lbs over the last 3 months and plan to lose at least another 10 before September.) That will also help on the run. I’m feeling pretty okay, but not great, about Wisconsin at this point and I’ve got lots of time (and training miles) to get that okay feeling crusing through my veins.
Thanks to everyone at EN for making it a fun day and handing out the “at-a-boys” when we passed on the course. It helped a lot.
Any suggestions on how to fix the stomach on the run, lemme know!
Comments
Thanks Kim!