Auburns Worlds Toughest Half Post Race Help/Thoughts
Alright, looking for some feedback, guidance and advise from
the veterans out there. Yesterday was my first half ironman. I went in with
minimal expectations and really with the large goal of crossing the finish
line. The highlights were, I placed 3rd in my AG M25-29 with a time
of 7:20. (there were only 5 in my AG and the fast stud cooked himself on the
bike so DNFd). It was a pleasant surprise to get 3rd but I
definitely have some work to do. The race was Auburns World’s Toughest Half.
7,000ft of climbing on the bike and 2,000ft of climbing on the run. The winner
did finish in 4:45, but only 3 went sub 5, and most were +6hrs.
My splits were: Swim 39:22 Bike 3:48:21 Run 2:44:48 Total
7:21:28
I’m content with the swim split. A year ago I could barely
make it across a 25yrd pool! The bike is the split I ‘should’ ride, not what I ‘could’
ride, or so I thought. What I’m most disappointed is obviously the run! My Z2
Pace is 7:40. I knew the run course was going to be hard, but the heat and the
steep climbs killed me. I came off running 9:30s on the trails, then at mile 6,
was a HUGE STEEP CLIMB and it mentally broke me. Then proceeded to
deathmarch/jog the final 7miles. I literally thought I was going to finish in
last place, so was shocked that there were lots of folks still behind me and
most times were +6hrs.
My next race is June Lake Half in July. The bike course is
much more tame, but the run course is challenging. It’s also at 8,000ft!~ These
two races were indeed by design, to help prepare for IMLT in September.
Any comments, thoughts are much appreciated!
Comments
My first thought, "Why would anyone pick a race called 'World's Toughest' as their first long distance tri?" Then I saw you;re prepping for IM LT. At least now you know a little bit about climbing on the bike
Second thought…when doing a race which features a lot of climbing on the bike, and then running in the heat on even MORE hills (far worse than anything you'll encounter at Lake Tahoe, or most any other HIM or IM for that matter), the FIRST thing you must do is throw your known training pace and race speed expectations out the window. For one thing, heat requires you to slow down, even on a flat course. A much better way to try "racing" something like this is to use HR as your primary metric (or RPE is you have a well honed one for this set on conditions - doubtful). Your should be aiming to keep your HR in low-mid Zone 2 for the first half, than mid Z2 for the rest. Ignore your pace.
Hydration is also key for an event of this length, you might want to review your calorie and fluid intake on both the bike and run.
I went out for a run after writing that advice. WHile running I realised I had stated the HR parameters for a strong IM run. The conservative HIM run zones might be: start @ mid ZOne 2, and work up progressively during the 13.1 to mid Zone 3. A strong triathlete might be doing the whole thing in Zone 3.