Scott Renick's Augusta 70.3 Race Report
Background:
This was my 3rd time racing Augusta. My first race longer than an OLY as an EN educated athlete.
Friday - Travel day, check in, dinner out with my wife. Excited to confirm I am in the 5th wave having fewer bodies to dodge on the bike and maybe avoid some heat on the run.
Saturday - Sleep in, last minute bike check then dropped it off at transition about 1PM then over to swim start for a quick check of the water. My last time swimming in water was 7/18, all subsequent swim training has been on VASA swim erg. The water felt nice in a full wetsuit.
Sunday - 4 AM wake up, eating by 4:30, driving to transition by 5:15. Surprised to hear the announcement that wetsuits were off for the first time ever, but didn’t let it bother me. Made it back home just before 6 and relaxed then walked over to the race an hour later.
SWIM:
Note - I am a swimming wimp. I’d prefer a clean line, no draft, more work for myself and a slower time than mixing it up in the pack.
They were letting people start in the water (which I didn’t recall from prior races) so I took a seat on the dock to be 2nd wave in and let the faster swimmers go. Immediately realized that the 2 guys in the water in front of me should’ve been the 3rd wave into the water and had to spike my effort to get around them and get a lane. I settled down and soon found a clean line while the pack moved further out into the river chasing more current. I focused on rhythm and stayed consistent for a long time. At buoy 7 of 18 I had to make a detour to dodge a large man swimming slow & violently & beginning at the last 3-4 buoys it became hectic with the back of the earlier waves. Took an inside line to the finish, hit lap and saw 27:xx on the watch. Slower than earlier swims but I was very happy with the result. My wife told me at the finish my swim was 35 of 283 in my AG depending so apparently the VASA works!
T1 - Took it slow per EN advice. Swimskin halfway down, Worked my EN LG Trisuit sleeves on and zipped up. It seemed like we came out of the water at an earlier spot than in the past and had a lot longer run to the racks (a lady next to me concurred). I had a great spot 3 racks from exit so I opted for clean feet in my bike shoes vs running & doing a flying mount.
BIKE:
On 2 prior races here I rode .88 IF/203 TSS and .85 IF/193 TSS. Used Best Bike Split this time targeting .80/179.
Focused on easing into race for the first 20’. Kept reminding myself to let the others pass & not stress. Ate a bar at 20’ then slowly built pace.
On a really crappy section of road about 65’ into the race I realize that the Felt aero bottle on my seat tube that I use as my toolkit has shaken loose & one of the contents is blocking me from getting it locked back in place. After 2 minutes of trying to make it work I stop in the grass on an uphill section and work to fix it. By the time I was done there were a lot of people coming up the hill and I burned some matches picking a spot & getting back up to speed (every subsequent bump thereafter had me checking to make sure the bottle was seated).
I pegged my watts higher than I should have 3x on the front half of the bike (2 climbs and the restart above) and focused on riding smarter on the back half. Kept reminding myself to ride the bike I “should” which maybe forced me to under-bike?
At some point in the 40 mile range I heard a twang, felt something smack my ankle hard and was convinced that the wire on my right shoe snapped. I immediately resolved I can’t control it and will do what I have to do to make it home. After a few minutes realized it wasn’t that and kept plugging along cautiously. In the last few miles I pushed the pace on the way back into town and passed a bunch of people.
Between INFINIT bottles, 2 Clif bloks & gel I exceeded my calorie intake plan, but could’ve taken in more fluid. Finished in 2:47 with .72 IF/142 TSS
T2: Out of the shoes and into transition quickly. Socks/shoes on and running with my gallon zip lock. I DID break the rule and tried something new on race day, Coach P’s Race Saver Bag, which was fantastic!
RUN:
Noticed in first mile my HR was a lot higher than my target, tried to bring it down over first few miles but couldn’t without walking. Realized that despite my early start time there was no relief to be had from he heat.
After the 4th mile I knew that I wasn’t going to be running any record time and adjusted my expectations to run smart and not do any damage with IM FL still coming up next month. I switched my Garmin to just HR screen for the rest of the race so I wouldn’t see my pace and focus on a negative or do something stupid.
I was taking gatorade & coke at the aid stations, with gels mixed in per my plan. Had some minor stomach issues through miles 6-9.
I made a bathroom stop at mile 5.5 & upon exiting the porta-potty I hear “go EN” and met Chris Oubre on course. We chatted for a few minutes before it was clear that he was putting together a better run than I was and I slowed down. The second lap was a grind. I walked more than I wanted to but was able to pick it up for the last few miles & push the finish. In making the turn to the final stretch I was happy to see that no one in my AG was in front of me so I focused on holding off the guys I’d just passed and finishing strong. Time of 1:57 wasn’t what I was hoping for, but what I had in me that day.
AFTERMATH:
For me this was a race about learning. First recognizing & accepting that I wasn’t going to PR, 2nd not freaking out when a few things out of my control happened. I need to force more fluids. I need to use the Fuel belt since the LG suit doesn’t have great pocket options (and I tend to want to carry everything). My bike toolkit incident was a blessing b/c now I can fix it before the next race.
I’m happy I stuck to my plan developed by the things I’ve learned from EN resources & the team. I’ve been taking for a year and was finally able to contribute something (points) to the team. I’m ready for the final push to IM FL.