St George 70.3: Just Keep Moving Forward
Race Report: St George 70.3 "Just Keep Moving Forward”
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2016 Results |
2015 Results |
2014 Results |
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Overall Time: 5:55 |
Overall Time: 5:48 |
Overall Time: 6:40 |
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Swim: 44 |
Swim: 44 |
Swim: 46 |
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T1: 4:56 |
T1: 4:39 |
T1: 6min |
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Bike: 3:13 |
Bike: 3:01 |
Bike: 3:27 |
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T2: 5:34 |
T2: 1:47 |
T2: 5min |
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Run: 1:47 |
Run: 1:55 |
Run: 2:15 |
Highlights
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Snow Canyon 2015 |
Snow Canyon 2016 |
This turned out to be my toughest race ever. The weather forecast was possible showers with temperatures in the 60-70s. The wind kicked up during the swim, making it disorientingly choppy. Then the heavens opened up with monsoon rains on the bike, dropping the temperature to the low 40s. I was so cold and wet on the bike that it took all my mental discipline not to shake on the final descent into town at speeds up to 40MPH in driving rain to avoid crashing.
But I kept moving forward and ended up getting a 70.3 run PR on what is arguably the toughest 70.3 run course.
I’m an unbalanced triathlete right now. I have a killer run, on a relative scale, compared to my bike and swim. I can put my run in maintenance mode at 20-25 miles per week, but still over 4-5 runs per week, to give some TLC to my bike and swim leading up to Ironman Boulder. I have a couple travel weeks in there, so I’ll make those big run weeks.
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Phase |
Key Take Aways |
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Swim |
My swim was about 20 seconds faster than last year under tougher conditions. I was freezing getting into the water, and then it got real choppy the second half. I think under the same conditions as last year I would have been about 2 minutes faster. I was much better at sighting and swimming in straight lines. I’ll get lots more open water swimming in before Ironman Boulder.
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Bike |
I was on track for a 3 hour bike at the half way point. Then I hit a wall of rain and got soaked to the bone. I felt the conditions were unsafe and decided the goal was to live to fight another day. However, I came away feeling my bike needs some TLC, certainly compared to my run.
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Run |
This was the easiest 13.1 I’ve run in at least a year. I went at a comfortable Z2 pace until the last 3 miles, since I knew the bike and T2 had killed my time. Stoked to get a run PR and can’t wait to see what I can do when I open things up.
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Transitions |
T1 surprisingly was not bad considering I wrestled with arm warmers for at least a minute. T2 was a disaster. I was so hypothermic I needed help from a volunteer to get my helmet off. I had to lay on the ground and pry my cycling shoes off. Nothing I could do about it. |
Background
St George was the race the inspired me to join EN two years ago. I felt like my race execution sucked. I did one of those traditional triathlon training plans that was loaded with Z1. It was boring as hell, and it didn’t prepare me for a tough course like St George. I had a breakthrough race last year, where I felt like I put together one of my most complete races.
This year St George was my tune up race on the road to Boulder 70.3 and Ironman Boulder. I hadn’t raced a triathlon since Boulder 70.3 in June last year, so I figured there would be some rust to dust off. I focused on running the second half of last year, setting a PR by an hour at the St George Marathon (3:27) and doing my first ultra at Antelope Island 50k. I only rode my bike for fun during that time, and it was surprising how long it took me to claw back my cycling fitness since climbing back on in December.
Race Morning
The weather forecast changed hourly leading up to the race. The day before was beautiful in the morning, turning into a windy mess in the afternoon. I brought winter cycling gear out to Sand Hollow that morning. However, the forecast said maybe some showers, and it looked pretty nice out. So I put the gear in my morning clothes bag. I should have known better – Utah weather is completely unpredictable. The joke is: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will change.” After the 90F sufferfests that last two years, I just couldn’t imagine it being cold.
At least I had the good sense to put toe covers on my shoes and set out arm warmers. I would have given a lot for the winter riding gloves a few hours later.
It was cold but I figured I’d be warm in my wetsuit and throw away socks. After standing around for over an hour since I was in wave 13, I was cold, real cold. I knew it was bad when the 60F water felt warm.
Swim
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Target time: 42min |
Actual time: 44min |
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Target pace: 2:00/100yds |
Actual pace: 2:00/100yds |
I had done a grand total of one open water swim prior to race day two weeks prior in Sand Hollow for a tri camp. However, the start went smooth. I could tell I was swimming in straight lines. I felt like my stroke lost some power because I was so cold.
When I came to the last turn buoy, things started getting hairy. Swimmers would pass in front of me at right angles to my trajectory, making me think I was going in the wrong direction. Turns out I wasn’t. It was so choppy, I had to stick my head way up to sight. It was slow going those last few hundred yards with the water swirling.
T1
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Target time: 5:00 |
Actual time: 4:56 |
Despite being cold, I moved through transition quickly. I lost at least a minute wrestling the arm warmers onto my wet arms.
Bike
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Target time: 3:00 (BestBikeSplit predicted just under 3hrs) |
Actual time: 3:13 |
I knew it was going to be a long day shortly after I mounted and it started raining. I was optimistic that it was just a shower. But it kept going.
The first half wasn’t actually bad. There were enough breaks in the rain to dry out. I hit the half way point at my target time. My power meter was dropping out in the rain. I mostly couldn’t see the display on my Garmin 810 because it was covered in water drops, so I rode largely by feel.
When I came up Red Hills Parkway near Dixie Rock, the heavens opened up, pouring rain and stealing the heat from the air. By the time I got to the base of Snow Canyon I was completely, and I mean completely, soaked. I was shivering from the cold and lost feeling in my hands. It took a lot of mental effort to shift gears. My brakes were useless the rims were so saturated with water. My 810 registered that the temperature dropped all the way down to 40F.
I figured I would warm up on the climb up Snow Canyon. However, the heavens redoubled their effort, making it the most miserable climb of my life. I was frozen by the time I crested and turned downhill toward St George.
It continued raining and there was about an inch of standing water on the road. My brain and body were shutting down the works, so I just hung on and ripped down. I was shaking so violently the entire bike would wobble. I had to focus all my mental energy to stop shaking so I wouldn’t crash on the high-speed descent at 40MPH. Strava says it was my PR descent back to St George of the four times I’ve done it.
I knew it was bad when I finally rolled into transition and couldn’t press the button to stop my Garmin. Seriously, I didn’t have the dexterity to press a button.
T2
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Target time: 2:00 |
Actual time: 5:34 |
I stumbled to my rack spot, as volunteers shouted to be careful because it was slippery. I could barely remember where my spot was located but eventually found it. I got my bike on the rack and then tried to unbuckled my helmet. I couldn’t. A volunteer was walking by and I had her unbuckle it. I laid on the warm ground and pried my cycling shoes off.
I was never so glad as I was to have a dry pair of socks and old pullover in my T2 bag. I slowly put them on along with my running shoes, and felt better right away. I grabbed my go-bag and jogged out, stopping at a porta-potty along the way.
The go-bag is so money. I would not have been able to put on my race belt then. I’m still surprised that this EN gem hadn’t gotten out.
Run
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Target time: 1:45 |
Actual time: 1:47 |
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Target Pace: 8:00/mi |
Actual Pace: 8:11/mi |
I had no idea what to expect after the hypothermic bike. I guessed my time had to be shot after a crappy bike and laying in T2 to change. I decided to just ease into it and see what happened.
After a mile I was warm enough to open my go-bag and gear up. I tossed the bag since I wouldn’t need ice. It stopped raining on the run but was still cool.
I was ripping past other racers running my easy pace. I slowed down whenever I passed someone I knew or wearing SLTC kit to chat for about 20 seconds. I just stuck with an easy Z2 pace, with my HR only going up into Z3 on a couple of the climbs.
When I finally crested the last hill at mile 10, I decided to open things up. I ripped down into town running sub-7:00/mile. It was still pretty easy and didn’t hurt until I came upon the roundabout with a final sprint to the finish. I half danced to the music as I went through the finisher shoot. I was loose and having fun. Not a bad day after all.
The DNF rate was 26.5%. That is higher than the frosty Ironman Tahoe 2013 race and within spitting distance of the hurricane winds of Ironman St George 2012. For a 70.3. That has to be the record, or real close. Glad to cross the finish line when some very excellent athletes did not.
In February last year, I was super stoked to break a 1:45 open half marathon at the Rose Bowl, turning myself inside out. I almost beat that on a harder course on the back end of a 70.3, going easy. I’m so grateful for the improvement and can’t wait to open up my run at Boulder 70.3 next month to see what I can do.
Comments
"My brain and body were shutting down the works, so I just hung on and ripped down. I was shaking so violently the entire bike would wobble. I had to focus all my mental energy to stop shaking so I wouldn’t crash on the high-speed descent at 40MPH. "
Definition of True Grit right there. Coming off that bike, and pulling your self together to improve your run over last year's time, for me, says it all.
I would have caved/folded like a dixie cup under that kind of cold during the bike.
No way to really train and prepare for those kind of weather changes other than doing what you did, maintaining self confidence at all times, rolling up your sleeves, putting your head down and just executing each step of the way.
Gabe, thanks for posting this great report bro! Congratulations!
SS
@SS, thanks for all the encouragement over the last two years! Your KMF phrase helped keep me going. Hope we get to race together again one of these days.