Chris Oubre's IM Augusta 70.3 2016 RR
First some quick notes on Augusta the race venue:
-
- Easy swim
- Honest bike course. More long climbs than rollers. On this bike course there are a few tight turns and on 170 degree turn. Respect it and slow down
- flat and fast run
- Race day logistics with spectators.
- Drop off racer at transition
- Park at swim start
- Racer takes bus to swim start or walks the 1.25 miles to swim start.
- Post race walk from the finish line to transition (~1 mile) to get gear then walk to swim start to get the car (~1.25 miles). Difficult to park closer than swim start.
- St. Paul's church (next to swim start) has coffee, water and restrooms.
- My wife hung out on 7th street an was able to see me on the run 6 times!
My Stats going into the race
- vDot: 51
- FTP: 261
- Race Weight: 168
- Age: 38
- Male
- Training volume for the preceding three months
- Swim: 43.5k yards
- Run: 243.6 miles
- Bike tss: 2271
Race Results
- Time: 5:05:10 (~19' PR!)
- Swim: 33:58 (3' PR on this course)
- Bike: 2:36
- Run: 1:49:01 (10 s from a PR)
- AG Place: 32 out of 253
My race specifics
Lost goggles on the way to swim start. Tried to warm up with cords. Forgot shoes to jog so just jumped around to warm up. When it was my wave's turn I jumped in water and tried to cool off face under water. Didn't get it cold fast enough. The current was 2 knots so I had to hold on to pier to keep from floating away.
The gun went off and I started swimming. It was so crowded. I was jammed right up on people. I'm usually so slow that I swim alone. I finally felt what a draft feels like. Unfortunately the struggle along with my body's reaction to getting into cool water panicked me. I grabbed a hold of the first platform and held on for 40s while my heart rate came back down. Then I got to work. I was able to focus on form more than any other race before. Really kept a stiff forearm. The water was so still that sighting was a breeze. As a result I only swam 1.21 miles! I got out of the water in 33:56 with a 3:12 PR over my 2012 swim time. I know that I pushed hard because my triceps and back were very sore.
I came out of the gate really fast on the bike. I did my best to hold down my watts. The first section is flat and fast. The roads are bumpy chip seal, but nothing crazy. The bike course has three or so legit climbs. They required my smallest gear. Due to my BOP swim splits I'm always passing people. Always. I tend to fade around mile 40. Around that time my legs are starting to fatigue and feel a little crampy. I was prepared this time and had a mental answer ready. I decided to trust my training and stick to my watts. I had to push much harder to get to my target watts but I trusted and pushed. I drank 3.5 bottles of Gatorade and had 5-6 salt pills. I used water to cool me off. I removed my rear bottle cages and just ran a torpedo mount and a down tube bottle.
I had a great spot in transition due to my AWA status. I did a flying dismount on my bike but my bike shoes still on! Doh. I almost tumbled because I forgot to unclip my left foot. I went the whole bike ride and never peed once. Yikes. And I didn't have to while in transition. Double yikes. It was a hot hot day. I had some small trouble with my hat and used the time getting sun screened to fix it.
This run is flat, with only one tiny rise getting out of transition. The run was well spectated. I drank mostly water and had a salt pill every 15'. I took sips here and there of Gatorade. One coke and there red bulls. I ate a few orange slices and one banana piece. My first mile was too fast. My heart rate never came down. I wanted to run the first three miles at 155, but 165-163 was all I could get at the speed I wanted to go. I just pushed. I used the bag trick to carry ice and cool off my arm pits, neck and torso. I kept my arm coolers constant wet. This whole run was heat management. At mile 10 my calves and toes started to seriously cramp. Like trip you on your face bad. I immediately took an extra salt pill. At the next aid station I ate a banana. I tried to dig deep to get a sub 5 finish but all I could do was manage the cramping. My switch to water was coming back to get me. I had avoided GI distress but apparently 4 salt pills an hour were not enough. I will add bananas earlier next time. When I came to my last mile I opened up my soul and laid it bare. Just before the final turn there was a girl crying being half carried by a volunteer. I asked if she needed salt and she screamed yes. Literally. So I just tossed them the rest of my salt pills and pushed. As I came to the final 150 yards there was someone in my age group ahead of me. I thought "I'm either going to beat him or collapse and crawl across this finish line". I was able to run him down and beat him by 14 seconds!!I ran straight into the medical tent. I just needed shade and ice.
What a great race for me. Taking some time off.
Comments
Still trying to figure out if I test to hard or what.
5:05 and a sprint finish to knock down another competitor is a HUGE race bro! Well done holding that line while the RPE escalated! You represented well.
Sincere congratulations!
SS
Best,
Dave