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Julie Pfeifle ITU Long Course 2017 (Penticton) RR

Julie PfeifleJulie Pfeifle
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Finally getting some time to review and add some edits to my immediate post-ITU Long Course Race Report notes...

 

A little background:

My "real" goal this year is IM Arizona; I started a new job this year and thus, knew that would be my top prio, so... training was sub-optimal.  Thank goodness I have 25+ years of doing this stuff, so my many years of base lets me get away with this, but... it usually isn't pretty.  I've always heard great things about Penticton, so jumped at the chance to qualify at last year's MiamiMan; also knew it would be a great stepping stone to IM AZ, as it's a basically a 3/4 IM - 3k (1.9mi) swim / 120k (74.6mi) bike / 30k (18.6mi) bike. 

 

Pre-race:

Arrived Wed, 8/23, for the Sun, 8/27 race and stayed at an absolutely gorgeous, peaceful bnb about 2 miles from town - perfect!  Did a few practice swims, rode the rough road hill, drove the bike course, and did a few shake-out runs.  Also relaxed... a lot, focusing on staying calm and not worrying about the outcome, but rather executing well.  I’ve had a few long, tough race issues lately with bad pre-race nerves, to the point of starting the race really under-fueled due to pre-race nausea.  Solving this was a big focus of this race! 

 

I was fairly successful at this, mentally staying calm and “good-excited”.  Woke up race morning, sipped Gatorade, ate a banana and some apple sauce, then added my usual protein powder to the apple sauce, and that’s when things went a little south.  Warning... maybe TMI next - had a few dry heaves and then a whole mouthful of apple sauce. Tried to swallow but just couldn't. That was the end of bfast!  So, pre-race, got down 1 banana and 1 cup apple sauce and maybe 1/2 scoop protein powder. 1 gel 20' before swim. 

 

Swim – quite enjoyable - calm and steady, not pushing. Beautiful, flat, clear lake surrounded by hills and blue sky. J

Time - 1:04 (avg 1:57/100 yd), which given my lack of swim training, I felt pretty good about. 27/44 in AG. 

 

Bike – goal was to keep HR in 145 range and 75-80% FTP (tho I haven't evaluated my FTP in a while; guessing it's 150?) Held back 1st 15 miles (mimicking IM pacing + a little.)  Then 2 x laps of 30 miles with 1 short steep rough climb and 1 long gradual mile climb, rollers, and some awesome descents. Both climbs definitely felt longer and steeper 2nd time around. Ate 1 powerbar and 4 (maybe 3?) gels, plus 2 3/4 bottles Gatorade L. No pee.  L

Final stats: avg hr – 144, avg NP – 114, IF - .78

1st flat 15 miles: 18.7mph, avg hr – 141, avg NP – 109, IF - .75, VI – 1.05, 63 – 70 degrees 

1st hilly lap around Skaha: 29mi, 16.8mph, 1:43, avg hr – 145, avg NP – 119, IF - .82, VI – 1.05, 61 – 75 degrees

2nd lap: 1:49, 16mph, avg hr – 143, avg NP – 110, IF - .76, VI – 1.08, 70 – 84 degrees

Time - 4:20 (avg 17.21 mph) 33/44 in AG. 

 

Run* - wanted to run 1st lap of 6 at 145 hr / ~10:00 pace, but just couldn't run that slow (. Felt very under control but hr was 150+ and pace was 9:00-9:30. 1st lap felt great (except for early inklings of blister(S). Ate 1 blok at 2 then had gel at 4. Combo of water (sip + pour over) + on course electrolyte / no cals F2C drink every aid station. Started 2nd lap w uphill mile on Main St. began to fall apart at aid station top of Main. Walked, peed, drank, and drank more.  Temp in 90s. Really trying hard to keep hr below 150 but it crept up to 155 as pace dropped too. Recovered a bit coming back down Main. Ate 2 more bloks, pulled out ziplock and filled w ice. Walking more and more. 3rd time up Main awful (my low of 12:58 pace.) Had to toss bloks; just couldn't stomach sweet anymore. Turned to coke but still not sure how many calories coke is and whether need to supplement.  Spent some relaxing time in porta potty just coz. Hard to leave. On way down Main St., little toe blister popped OUCH!!!  That almost ended my day!  But then I realized it actually hurt less to run than walk so I carried on. Still walking periodically and craving ice, cold water, ice in coke. No more solids or sweet gels/bloks. Best part of run was Mike Ricci on Lakeside(last 3 miles) seeing me struggle, tell me to count my steps - BEST.ADVICE.EVER!!  Brought me home past Canadian in my AG who exclaimed as I passed her for the last time "I'm having my worst run ever". Last 5k – 9:48 pace, which is what I feel like I should be able to run my IM J.  So happy to cross that finish!! 

Time - 3:12 (10:16 pace L) 20/44 in AG. 

 

* kinda pissed... Garmin 920xt would not turn on post-race, so I tried multiple ways of re-starting it and final method did a master re-start... meaning all data was wiped. L so... all run metrics (except pace), noted day after race, were from memory of looking at watch... which I did a lot.

 

Final Time – 8:45 – 25/44 in AG

 

Need to work on:

1.     Shoes or socks. Blisters suck!!  ... esp when they pop during a race. 

2.     Pacing off the bike. I just can't figure out how to go slower!!

3.     Pre race nutrition - gotta keep it down!

4.     Bike nutrition - I think I'm not drinking and eating enough.

5.     Run nutrition – need to figure out what to do when I just can’t stomach gels/bloks anymore.

Thanks for reading (if you’ve made it this far), and will gladly accept any/all feedback!  

 

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Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Julie - a 3:12 run in that heat is marvelous. I went 3:20, and that was running the whole way, being a 10-11 minute Rock Star (with about 5' for a couple of porta-potty stops and ice bag refills). I think you've got a great lead in to Arizona this fall, where the conditions will undoubtedly be a lot more tolerable.

    And, maybe, you don't really need to worry about forcing those calories down just before a race, if you have that level of nerves. Seems like you can take it in just fine *while* racing. (FYI, that sports drink had about 30 cal/cup, according the the guy @ their tent I talked to during the expo.)
  • Paul CurtinPaul Curtin
    Hello Julie -- congratulations on the race, looks like overall you had an excellent day!  A few thoughts on your notes:
    • Pre-race anxiety happens regardless of the race importance (even a meaningless January 5K race); keep the same plan for AZ: relaxing a lot
    • The breakfast thing is a tough one ... maybe try liquid-only such as a Naked Juice ... keep the calorie count low (200-300) knowing you will have a pre-race gel and can start eating on the bike
    • Swiftwick socks solved my blister problems - both the Aspire and Performance models are good
    • Bike hydration: for me drinking only GE leads to dehydration; somehow my system gets fooled; I have to alternate between bottles of GE and water
    • Coke as a sole calorie source late in the race is fine; if you drink 3-4 ounces every mile and run 6 mph, that would yield roughly 180-220 calories per hour
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    @Julie Pfeifle, Two Toms blister powder in the socks. Life changer!
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Julie - congrats on your performance!   Did you start with Gatorade or is that what you are calling the stuff they gave us on the course?  The reason I'm asking is I wonder if you are getting enough calories on the bike, and especially after you lost some of your breakfast.  :)  My bike leg was 3:40 and I had 1 powerbar and 6 gels plus several bottles of whatever that was on the course.  If you only had 3 gels then I took in 300 calories more over a shorter period.  I weigh 148 lbs so probably should have more than  you but you might consider calculating how many calories per hour you are taking in and see if it is enough.

    BTW, great final 5K!  I was so cooked after the first 15K, the second half of the run I was just shuffling water station to water station.  

    Good luck at Ironman Arizona.
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