Back-to-Back Olympic Race Report in Puerto Rico
Roosevelt Roads Triathlon (double Olympic distance)
Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, Puerto Rico
This was a unique half-iron distance race, as you had to complete back-to-back Olympic distances. So after the first Olympic, you do it all over again. A total of 3K swim, 80K bike and 20K run, plus 5 transitions. Since this was my first half-iron distance, and swimming is my weakest event, my overall race strategy was to take the first Olympic fairly easy, and enter Swim #2 with a Zone 2 HR and fueled well. After the second swim, my plan was to start the bike in Zone 2 and if I felt good, push to Zone 3 after 20 minutes. And then use a similar strategy on Run #2.
Race Preparation:
I’ve raced in 5 Olympics this year, but this was my first half-iron distance. I’ve been training on a HIM plan for 16 weeks, and felt comfortable I had the conditioning to complete it. Also, I practiced doing long runs followed by a long swim, to get used to doing Swim #2. My last Olympic was 4 weeks ago in Puerto Rico, and was a new PR.
Pre-race
I woke up 3:15am for a 6am start time. I ate my typical oatmeal w/raisins and drank 12 oz of Gatorade. I arrived to the transition area about 5am. As I was setting up, I felt my ankles being bit by something. Since it was still dark, I thought they were mosquitos, but when I shined my flash light on my feet, I saw my ankles and sneakers were covered with ants. Apparently, I stepped on a fire ant nest. The ants were in a frenzy biting me, and as I tried to swipe them away, they became even more aggressive and started crawling up my body. They got into my tri shorts, my ear, between my toes…It was a complete nightmare. (later I counted over 50 bites, and about 45 were on my ankles) This really threw my pre-race prep as I left transition as quick as possible. I went down into the water, and this felt much better, but the itching/stinging was still intense. All I could think about was just getting this race started and jumping back into the water.
Today’s lesson #1: always check the ground before setting up your transition area.
Swim #1: The swim took place in a Naval marina, just off the ocean. It was calm, warm salt water, so no wetsuit. My goal was to start out by quickly getting into a rhythm focusing on my breathing. Since the “Attack of the Ants”, I think my HR was raised, but once I jumped in the water, I started to feel much better. After getting into a groove, I focused the rest of the swim on form and swimming straight. I thought this part of the race went very race and exactly as planned.
Bike #1: The bike was an out-and-back, 2 loop course with one big hill, so I had to climb it 4 times. My Bike #1 strategy was to remain in Zone 2 for the full ride, and leave the bike fully fueled. My nutrition plan was to wait 15 minutes into the bike, then eat/drink a gel and bottle of Gatorade about every 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I was having stomach cramps pretty much from the start of the bike. It may have been from swallowing salt water? As a result, I only took 1 gel, but forced myself to drink both bottle of Gatorade. This made me feel quite bloated through all of the bike and Run #1.
Also, my Garmin watch was not reading my HR, and the GPS pace did not seem accurate. During all the “Ant drama”, I forgot to test my HR monitor and sync the GPS watch. (Lesson #2: test watch/HR device during transition set-up. I’ve worn my HR strap before in the water (although only in a pool) and had no problems with it going right into a bike or run. My only thought is that the salt water may have had something to do with it. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?) So instead of using my watch, I tried to estimate my speed and perceived effort by my gear and cadence. I think that helped. My body wanted to go faster, but I held it in check as I figured I was in Zone 2. Despite the lack of HR device (I don’t have a power meter yet) and stomach cramps, I felt I executed this bike portion well.
Run #1: The run course was a 2 loop run along the water, and part of it was on a long pier. My goal was to stay in Zone 2 for the full run, so I could enter Swim #2 feeling good and fueled for the second Olympic. Unfortunately, when I got off the bike and my legs wanted to go fast. Since, my Garmin was still on the fritz, I didn’t know my pace nor HR. I knew I was going too fast, but I did not slow down. This was a big mistake. There was zero shade on the run, and by mile 2 the Puerto Rican sun was taking its toll. For mile 3, I finally slowed it down, but my body was overheating and I began dumping water over my head (note, I still had stomach cramps, and skipped the first two water stations…another mistake). At this point, I was beginning to fear that I might blow Swim #2 and the rest of my race if I didn’t cool down. By mile 4, I made a tactical decision to go to a run-walk strategy until I started to feel better. I did this for two miles, dumping cold water over me at each station, and it seemed to work. For mile 6, I went back into a Zone 2 run, and finished Run #1 feeling ready to tackle another Olympic.
Swim #2: Diving back into the water was actually very refreshing. My goal was to keep a nice steady pace and swim straight. All was going well, when about 200m into it, I got stung across my throat by a jelly fish. It startled me, and I stopped to take a quick minute to collect myself, but then I got back into it. The rest of the swim went well and I even felt like I could swim much farther. Although, I did notice my form getting sloppy, which definitely cost some time, so this is something to work on.
Bike #2: My goal was to start in Zone 2 for 20 minutes, and then if I felt good, push to Zone 3. Without a HR monitor, I did the best I could. About half way through there was a rain shower which cooled things off, and really lifted my spirits. Also, my stomach was feeling better, so I did an extra gel (the one missed from Bike #1), and felt pretty good heading into Transition #5.
Run #2: Similar to Bike #2, I wanted to start in Zone 2 and by mile 3 see if I could push for a strong finish in Zone 3. My legs once again wanted to run fast right out of the gate. But this time, I slowed down right away to Zone 2 (my Garmin finally started working (GPS only)). I was feeling good and executing my plan just right. I stopped at each water station dumping water on my head and putting ice in my hat. The sun was brutally hot, so I decided to stay in Zone 2 for the full run. That said, I finished without walking during the run (only at the water stations).
Overall, I was pleased with my performance. I finished in 6:50, and my Run #2 was faster than Run #1. Despite my one big execution mistake on Run #1, I was happy I was able to adapt and recover from it, and I felt like the rest of my plan went well. Also, Mother Nature threw some new obstacles at me, and I was able to overcome them.
Lesson learned:
1. Check ground area for bugs before setting up transition
2. Test watch/GPS to make sure it is working before race
3. Slow down off the bike until HR/pace is in line with targets
4. Practice nutrition plan in conjunction with OW swims
5. Use every water station to hydrate/cool down
Comments
Well, that was different! I know it was not a laughing matter at the time, but I got a real LOL moment with the fire ants. Then a jelly fish? Along with HR not recording. All in all, getting thru to the end in one piece and running seems to be a worth accomplishment.
Anyway, a good learning experience.