Challenge Knoxville Race Report
Quick Summary: I had a good race and met my goal of not walking except at the aid stations during the half-marathon run. I finished strong did not have the debilitating soreness I had after Ironman Augusta. My run was 11 minutes faster than Augusta on a much tougher run course. I felt good about my performance overall and it was a confidence builder for my first IM at Lake Placid this summer.
Time: 6:54 (swim 47, bike 3:28, run 2:26)
SWIM 47:52
There was no swim warmup allowed for this race. And that became a problem for me. The first 15 minutes were hell. Lots of contact, choked on water, thoughts running through my head like “screw this, get me outta here!”. I was having a hard time getting my heart rate down and my breathing under control. I kept swimming, hoping it would get better. Finally, after rounding the turn buoy, I started to relax and get things under control. I found my groove (what little of a groove I actually have swimming) and the contact with others lessened and I began to get comfortable. It took me 47 minutes to complete the swim, which is about the same amount of time as my race rehearsal. I should have been a little faster with the wetsuit, but I wasn’t.
BIKE 3:28
In my race rehearsal #2, I did not go aggressive enough on the bike. I received advice to push harder, but several factors contributed to me not doing so. (1) an ear infection that's been bothering me for over a week. (2) rain and slick conditions and me being too much of a weenie to pus the pace more (3) wanting to save some extra for the run which was my #1 goal for the race - have a good run and no walking (except aid stations). I did a good job fueling on the bike and I felt like I was in much better shape coming off the bike than in my first HIM (2014 Augusta). My heart rate data on the run is incomplete due to equipment malfunction, but here is the data: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/777604529
RUN 2:26
I felt good as I started my run. The beginning of the run course is slightly downhill, transitioning to flat. It takes you onto a greenway run/bike trail that has some nice scenery and some shade. I tried to keep a steady pace, not too fast. My plan for the run (and primary goal for the race) was to only walk 30 steps max at each aid station to make sure I got the gatorade down and to let my heart rate settle before taking off again. At about the 4 mile mark, the run course transitioned to a nice neighborhood with lots of hills. The weather had cleared up and it became a nice day.
I did have a few EN sightings. First, I met up with Thomas Jones who was our race captain at Augusta. And later, on the run, Kori Martini passed me and we said hi. She KILLED it in 5:09....wow!
I was able to make each aid station according to plan and it wasn’t until about mile 9 that it started to get really hard. It was all hard, don’t get me wrong, but around mile 9 the suck came on pretty hard. I focused on getting to the next aid station. Around this time, I noticed that me and this other guy started swapping positions on the run course. He would run up ahead, then start walking…I would stay steady and pass him, then he would run past me again. He was in my age group and looked really strong (I wondered why he was anywhere near me). So, at about mile 12, he runs by me for the last time and says “Man, you are a MACHINE”. I think he was just referring to the fact that I maintained such a steady pace and didn’t walk. It was pretty cool to have one of the super-fit dudes say something to me like that. So, at about mile 12.5 he was maybe 100 feet in front of me and he starts walking again. I immediately took off, running faster than in a 5k, and I blew by him and ran that pace all the way to the finish. I never saw him again. I don’t know what made me do that, but I guess it was my own little race within a race. As I ran through the finish chute, I saw Nancy, Tony and Allesandra all cheering me on. I crossed the finish line completely spent. I felt like I executed the day well – swim-ok, bike-too conservative, but fueled well, run-just right. Most importantly, for the first time ever, I went 13 miles only walking aid stations...mission accomplished and confidence boosted.
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/777604543 (I forgot to hit stop when I finished)
Lessons Learned
1. Weight matters…a lot. I weighed 11 pounds less for this race than I did for Augusta. It showed on the run and on how fast I recovered afterwards. I’m shooting for losing 8 more pounds for Lake Placid.
2. Mental strength is key. It’s tough to make yourself keep going when you get very tired and soreness/pain starts to accumulate. It’s at this point of the race where you have to have a good reason for putting yourself through more pain to finish.
3. Fueling is critical. I did a much better job of following my fueling plan and consequently didn’t crash and burn at mile 5 like I did in Augusta.
4. I need to trust my bike plan. My plan was to get to 80% power on the bike and I did not for fear of blowing up on the run. I need to trust that I can do 80% and still be ok for the run.
5. Swimming technique needs improvement.I want to get my glaring technique errors fixed before Lake Placid. I really feel like I have the endurance to do two consecutive 48 minute loops at Lake Placid, which would yield a swim split of about 1:36. I’d really like to get below 1:30 for the big race.
6. Confidence built. I feel like this race has built my confidence for the full Ironman. Lake Placid is a tough course with lots of climbing on the bike and on the run. This race has a similar elevation profile to Lake Placid. I think it was a good test and I feel more confident in my ability to complete the big one.
Time: 6:54 (swim 47, bike 3:28, run 2:26)
SWIM 47:52
There was no swim warmup allowed for this race. And that became a problem for me. The first 15 minutes were hell. Lots of contact, choked on water, thoughts running through my head like “screw this, get me outta here!”. I was having a hard time getting my heart rate down and my breathing under control. I kept swimming, hoping it would get better. Finally, after rounding the turn buoy, I started to relax and get things under control. I found my groove (what little of a groove I actually have swimming) and the contact with others lessened and I began to get comfortable. It took me 47 minutes to complete the swim, which is about the same amount of time as my race rehearsal. I should have been a little faster with the wetsuit, but I wasn’t.
BIKE 3:28
In my race rehearsal #2, I did not go aggressive enough on the bike. I received advice to push harder, but several factors contributed to me not doing so. (1) an ear infection that's been bothering me for over a week. (2) rain and slick conditions and me being too much of a weenie to pus the pace more (3) wanting to save some extra for the run which was my #1 goal for the race - have a good run and no walking (except aid stations). I did a good job fueling on the bike and I felt like I was in much better shape coming off the bike than in my first HIM (2014 Augusta). My heart rate data on the run is incomplete due to equipment malfunction, but here is the data: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/777604529
RUN 2:26
I felt good as I started my run. The beginning of the run course is slightly downhill, transitioning to flat. It takes you onto a greenway run/bike trail that has some nice scenery and some shade. I tried to keep a steady pace, not too fast. My plan for the run (and primary goal for the race) was to only walk 30 steps max at each aid station to make sure I got the gatorade down and to let my heart rate settle before taking off again. At about the 4 mile mark, the run course transitioned to a nice neighborhood with lots of hills. The weather had cleared up and it became a nice day.
I did have a few EN sightings. First, I met up with Thomas Jones who was our race captain at Augusta. And later, on the run, Kori Martini passed me and we said hi. She KILLED it in 5:09....wow!
I was able to make each aid station according to plan and it wasn’t until about mile 9 that it started to get really hard. It was all hard, don’t get me wrong, but around mile 9 the suck came on pretty hard. I focused on getting to the next aid station. Around this time, I noticed that me and this other guy started swapping positions on the run course. He would run up ahead, then start walking…I would stay steady and pass him, then he would run past me again. He was in my age group and looked really strong (I wondered why he was anywhere near me). So, at about mile 12, he runs by me for the last time and says “Man, you are a MACHINE”. I think he was just referring to the fact that I maintained such a steady pace and didn’t walk. It was pretty cool to have one of the super-fit dudes say something to me like that. So, at about mile 12.5 he was maybe 100 feet in front of me and he starts walking again. I immediately took off, running faster than in a 5k, and I blew by him and ran that pace all the way to the finish. I never saw him again. I don’t know what made me do that, but I guess it was my own little race within a race. As I ran through the finish chute, I saw Nancy, Tony and Allesandra all cheering me on. I crossed the finish line completely spent. I felt like I executed the day well – swim-ok, bike-too conservative, but fueled well, run-just right. Most importantly, for the first time ever, I went 13 miles only walking aid stations...mission accomplished and confidence boosted.
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/777604543 (I forgot to hit stop when I finished)
Lessons Learned
1. Weight matters…a lot. I weighed 11 pounds less for this race than I did for Augusta. It showed on the run and on how fast I recovered afterwards. I’m shooting for losing 8 more pounds for Lake Placid.
2. Mental strength is key. It’s tough to make yourself keep going when you get very tired and soreness/pain starts to accumulate. It’s at this point of the race where you have to have a good reason for putting yourself through more pain to finish.
3. Fueling is critical. I did a much better job of following my fueling plan and consequently didn’t crash and burn at mile 5 like I did in Augusta.
4. I need to trust my bike plan. My plan was to get to 80% power on the bike and I did not for fear of blowing up on the run. I need to trust that I can do 80% and still be ok for the run.
5. Swimming technique needs improvement.I want to get my glaring technique errors fixed before Lake Placid. I really feel like I have the endurance to do two consecutive 48 minute loops at Lake Placid, which would yield a swim split of about 1:36. I’d really like to get below 1:30 for the big race.
6. Confidence built. I feel like this race has built my confidence for the full Ironman. Lake Placid is a tough course with lots of climbing on the bike and on the run. This race has a similar elevation profile to Lake Placid. I think it was a good test and I feel more confident in my ability to complete the big one.
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Comments
Reid
@Brenda Thanks! Looking forward to hanging with you guys in Placid again this summer