Bill Manard Miami 70.3 RR - First one!
Ironman 70.3 Miami Race Report 26 October 2014 Miami, FL
Summary stats:
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/miami/results.aspx?rd=20141026&race=miami70.3&bidid=2620&detail=1#axzz3HexdaH00
Discipline: time - AG/gender/OA
Swim: 50:24 - 178/996/1193
T1: 5:31
Bike: 3:04:23 - 250/1271/1490
T2:
Run: 2:42:20 - 285/1396/1696
Total: 6:47:59 - 285/1396/1696
Prep/pre-race - My AA race for the season and my first 70.3. In fairly good fitness on arrival, although a few missed key workouts due to work obligations over the past month probably hurt a little. Planning for around 6:15-6:30 finish based on RR times. I started thinking it might be a challenging day when I saw the flags sticking straight out and when I heard the race announcer say "it looks like there's a little current."
Swim - goal 40-42, actual 50:24
The waves were fairly nicely spaced and sized, IMHO. I went out in wave 25 at 0843. By that time, I'd had a chance to see the pros finish in smooth water and to see the chop pick up. Although I'm not that experienced with OW triathlon swimming, I feel comfortable in rough water from diving, so I wasn't too fearful. However, when I finally jumped in at 0840, swam to the start, and had to keep swimming to stay at the starting line, I knew there was probably going to be some fun times ahead. During the front leg of the swim, I saw 3 people get pulled off of the course, likely because of the fairly rough conditions. Hitting the clouds of sea grass and getting entangled in them wasn't the best either, but, again, that's not an unfamiliar situation to me; it's just unfamiliar when I can't grab a knife and cut it off. I felt I was moving at a decent 2:00/100m pace based on feel, which should be MOP, but I seemed to be swimming over a lot of people in waves from before me, which is unusual for me. I kept swimming until the shoreward turn, and that's when I really realized the current was as strong as it was (or so I thought).
During that leg, I had to keep correcting to hit the next turn buoy, which placed me pretty wide on the course (my Garmin had me over 1.3 miles total). I kept pulling to my right and just kept getting farther out, but I was still making good progress. It wasn't until I made the final turn, was swimming beside the yacht moored at the shore, and didn't seem to be making any progress to the bow that made me realize how strong the current had become. I probably started pushing myself a little harder at that point, and because of that miscalculation, I was somewhat winded getting out of the water. Mike Roberts' comment about how many were pulled out of the water, though, made me feel that I'd done fairly well, even though I was nearly dumbfounded with how slow I ended up overall.
T1 - Goal 3:30-ish, actual 5:31
Because I felt a little winded, I took it easy heading to my bike, about 200-300m away, going at a light jog. My bike was parked on the grass, and when I put my shoes on, my cleats immediately sank into the mud. Got everything else on in a smooth fashion, but was stuck fast-walking out to the mount line (right in the middle of a bike aisle, so no quick escape from the mud). I figure the extra 2 minutes were worth it to feel steady coming out onto the bike.
Bike - goal 3:00-3:07 - actual 3:04:23 (1:38:04/1:26:19) - NP 148 (0.76 IF)
Hit the road and saw all of the orange paint marking "irregularities" in the surface. Avoiding those along with the (too many) others on the course for the first 5 miles was a challenge. The "no passing" zones would have been fine if they were obeyed; instead I ended up avoiding cones on multiple occasions as people tried to wedge past when I slowed down for someone in front of me. It's also a good thing I speak passable Spanish (including necessary cursing) to get people out of the way (riding to the left; passing then coasting; the usual), since English was definitely in the minority out on the course in terms of the language of the road.
The 10-15 mph headwind certainly hurt my speed, but I kept my NP just a little below my goal (was aiming for IF=0.79). I still felt a bit off from the swim and figured the difference would only make a couple of minutes difference at the end. Followed my nutrition plan except I got 1 bottle of water behind when I missed a handoff at AS#1 (volunteer turned to talk to someone and moved the bottle as I grabbed, and I'd waited until the second water volunteer), which probably ends up hurting me on the run (more to come). After the turn, with the tailwind, I really started passing people (after being basically static on the front half), as it seemed many were coasting with the wind rather than using it. Sticking with my power goal certainly helped me here; it was easy to tell who was pacing just on speed. On the bridge climbs on the freeway coming back in, it was easy to tell who had burned themselves up earlier on, as I was flying around most going up and coming down. However, if I'd have known the hills were that steep, I'd have kept the 11-29 on rather than the 12-25 I had.
T2 - goal 3:30-ish, actual 5:21
I knew I was a little dry coming into T2 when I stumbled a bit getting off of the bike and felt a little lightheaded. Hit the porta-john and peed a little bit out, but not nearly what I would usually after 3:00 of riding. Walked the whole way through until the porta-john; ran out after that, but still feeling a bit "off."
Run - goal 2:15, actual 2:42:20
Here's where my hydration issue really caught up to me. I took off out of T2 at my planned pace (about 11:00 for the first 3 miles, then dropping). After about 1/2 mile, I started really feeling nauseated and fatigued. I slowed to a walk, started thinking, and realized that it was likely the hydration catching up with me. I went to look at my Garmin to determine if my HR reflected that, and the HR field was blank. I screwed with the monitor for a while before I realized it wasn't going to start back up, and I flipped to using RPE along with pace. However, for the remainder of the run, my RPE was about 2 notches higher than my pace said it should be, continuing to reflect my hydration issue.
I tried to grab sport drink at the aid stations, but as Mike Roberts described in his RR, "cluster fuck" is a generous description. Most local races have better coordination here, without people crossing back and forth across the path. Additionally, quantities were very limited both ice and sport drink, so I was glad I brought salt caps for the run with me. I started hitting water fairly heavily along with salt caps, and by about mile 5 I started feeling a little better. I was barely cognizant of my surroundings when I saw who I assume was Mike (at whom I think I grunted and semi-smiled in response to his enthusiastic "Endurance Nation!") heading out on my first lap as he was returning from his second (I assume, again); I'm sure I looked pretty crappy at that point, but it did get better, even if my pace never did. Each time I tried to speed up, I ended up with a tight calf cramp in my right leg (which always has to compensate for a chronic left leg injury), slowing me to a walk for a while again. At that point, I knew I wasn't going to hit 6:30, and I just wanted to make it to the finish vertically, and in that respect, I succeeded.
Parting shots/lessons learned
Swim - I think I handled somewhat adverse conditions fairly well. I didn't panic, and I finished MOP, which was my hope. I probably should have not pushed against the current as hard as I did toward the end, which would be my primary area of improvement. Working on sighting with a cross current would be a good idea as well to keep from swimming 200 extra yards...
T1 - Probably could have pushed it a little harder, but, especially in the mud, I didn't want to end up face down. I forgot to put an extra bottle to drink at T1, which might have saved me a little bit later on.
Bike - Stay hydrated, even if it doesn't feel too bad at the time! I'd planned my hydration, and then I didn't listen to my training self because I didn't want to slow down. I can't do anything about the poor course conditions, and I think I handled my personal response to them fairly well and kept to my pacing plan. I still need to work on my position fitness a little more, since my back and butt were pretty sore/tight by the turn.
T2 - If I followed my hydration advice, this probably would have been quicker. Overall, I probably could have shaved a minute off.
Run - Check the HR monitor extensively, including changing batteries, prior to future races. Not having that made it harder to check myself out. Keep smiling, regardless of what the course gives you (tight conditions, mud, street people lying on the course, etc.). The tight, turning nature of the course, along with no clear divisions to keep people to the proper side was not something in my control, but it certainly was frustrating enough to keep me from returning.
Overall - From my viewpoint, not too bad for my first 70.3. I was using this to test what I thought I could handle next year, and plan 2 x 70.3 next year, with a plan for a 140.6 in 2016 (which I never thought I'd seriously consider...). The tools I've learned via EN have helped me to get started on this journey, and I look forward to continuing it.
I appreciate any thoughts on this.
Bill
Comments
Bill,
Congrats on your first. You picked what was supposed to be one of the easier 70.3's and got just the opposite. I've done a lot of these things, and many times you get to relax some and enjoy the swim, you get time on the bike by yourself to focus on your watts and the pretty scenery, and you get alone time on the run to get in a rhythm and do your thing. Not here. It was chaos from the start to the finish. Brutal swim. The crap roads, the wind, and the 3,000 other competitors had you facing an obstacle on the bike every 10 seconds. Same for the run - you never had more than 30 seconds of smooth running without running into a crowd, someone on the wrong side of the path, an "aid station," a grandlady walking her dog (I had forgotten about that one), a turn, or a bridge. In terms of mental challenge, this thing was relentless. And on top of that, the wind and heat made it a physical challenge too. You should be proud of conquering this one. The ones that follow should be better by comparison.
And yes, that was me who yelled EN at you, and any enthusiasm you detected in my voice was indeed because I was close to being done with that thing.
Mike
Bill...congratulations on your first HIM, which sounds from all reports like a brutal and poorly supported day. It probably can only get better next time right?!
Reading your report, the thing that sticks out to me as the most glaring problem you had (which you identified and I'm sure will correct) is your bike hydration/nutrition. I too (and the coaches) recommend some sort of electrolyte/sugar drink, rather than water. You need the calories and the electrolytes, especially at the full distance. Also, water tends to just sit in my stomach, and others have noted the same. In your RRs, did you pee (or need to pee) on the bike? That's probably the best way to ensure you're drinking enough. It can be unbelievable how much one needs to drink to accomplish this. I weigh 165lbs and drink 1 bottle Perform every 30minutes to manage one pee (or desire to pee) around mile 60. For the IM, this hydration plan led to 4 pees in 112 miles (maybe a little too much?). The bike is your only opportunity to rehydrate after the swim and ensure you're starting the 1/2 marathon tanked up. This is also one of the many ways EN athletes beat folks who may be as fit and fast, but didn't execute (I'm sure this is the case for me, as I'm not fast but beat people who don't execute in this way and others). You would not start a stand alone 1/2 marathon without being well hydrated, because you know it would affect your performance. Riding at the proper IF (which it sounds like you did well) and with a low VI (not shooting HR through the roof climbing/passing/etc.) and practicing your hydration strategy in every long ride should allow you to drink enough to be completely hydrated starting the run. Contrast this with others around you who overcooked the bike and/or did not drink/eat enough, and you will pass them on the run, even if they're a little or a lot faster than you.
Did you use the calculator/nutrition planning spreadsheet to figure out how much fluids/sodium/calories you would need on the bike? It works well for me and many others. I then practice that consistently in RR and really any ride longer than 2 hours. I had to "practice" drinking as much as called for by the calculator, but most of us can train our gut to handle what we need, but it takes time/practice and some tinkering (some people don't tolerate solids, or gels, or Perform, or Hammer (yuck) or whatever....this is your chance to figure out what works for you).
I apologize if you already know all this or did all of it, but just in case, I hope that helps.
Again, great job on just finishing that nightmare of a HIM. It's also impressive that you're still itching to get back at it....some would just call it a career after that sort of "first".
JL
My "normal" hydration is about 40 oz per hour of electrolyte solution, along with 1 pack of the gel bites (200 kcal) spread over the hour (usually in 2 boluses). This is usually enough to make me pee at the end of 50-60 miles. This race, I barely peed at T2, so I knew I was behind at that point.
Regardless of what I may know, I appreciate the input, and apologies are never needed (unless someone is just terribly condescending, which neither of you were by any stretch). Agree with the "yuck" comment for Hammer/HEED; the HIM aquabike I did 3 weeks before this race had that as the on-course hydration, making me more than happy to grab just water and mix my own...
Thanks all for the input. Even after this experience, I actually found it fun and was energized at the end. Seeing the fitness gains I made this year make me excited to see what more gains are to come over the next year (awaiting my TSR from Coach Rich right now). Got back out on the bike this morning for the first time, and it just felt "right" to be back out there.