Rory Gumina IM FL 70.3 Race Report

Rory Gumina

There were many positive experiences with this race, the first one I have ever had to fly to, including:

·         Mojo that came from seeing old EN friends, and meeting new ones!

·         Packing & traveling with bike & gear went smoothly (love Scicon Tri 3.0 TSA bag!)

·         Housing (Airbnb), rental car, food, meals

·         Outdoor riding no issue from winter hibernation (7 months)

·         Chain skipping in smallest cog was fixed by onsite bike mechanics

·         No nutrition nor hydration issues

·         No gators to fend off ... but as @Mariah Bridges shows they were around … yikes!

  

 

Swim: 32.22 (3rd in AG)

·         Raced in full-sleeve wetsuit … rhythm was smooth, but time was a bit above target of < :030

·         Haven’t raced in my Kiwami skin, though used it in the Sat. practice swim … was prepared, but opted for familiar wetsuit once they were allowed

 

T1:  3:55 … slower than hoped, but distance in transition seemed long too

·         Goggles & cap in sleeve, removed top on the run, bottoms at bike

·         Should have had gloves (for sweat) on bike

 

Bike: 2:39.54  (9th in AG)

·         Focused on Watts … avg. 164W … 72% of 228W FTP (measured 1/20/18)

o   2017 Quassy 70.3: 172W avg. (77% of 224W, 3/4/17) … followed by 1:48.05 Run

·         Avg. temp 65⁰ vs 60⁰ for Quassy … tho FL more humid

·         Paid very little attention to HR

o   139 avg. … vs 120 for Quassy

·         Didn’t eat or drink till ~18min into ride

·         Drank ~2 bottles GE but never peed

·         Nutrition (1/2 Clif bar every 30 min, base salt every 5 miles)

·         No mechanicals

 

T2: 3:13 … again, slower than hoped

·         Socks on (lube in toe area), shoes on, start running w/Go bag

 

Run: 2:40.30 (26th in AG) … very unexpected … couldn’t keep HR down

·         HR issues began early in 1st lap

·         Hydration: Walked all aide stations while drinking GE … ice for Run Saver bag

·         Nutrition: Caf gel every 4 miles, starting mile 1 … and Base salt 2 miles after gel

 

Overall: 5:59 (14th in AG)

 

My analysis of what happened is below … but I’m eager to hear other’s insights!:

·         Starting 5 weeks out from the race, work and illness significantly impacted training plan and subsequent fitness, as reflected in PMC chart

·         That fitness “hit”, along with FL humidity, conspired to raise HR while biking … which wasn’t compensated for, given focus on watts

·         Which resulted in being too compromised for the run

 

Fitness for 2018 IMFL 70.3

  

I’m grateful to have completed 2018 IMFL 70.3, and for racing together with EN teammates!

And special thanks, as always, to my sweetie Janet for being there with me!

 

Jeff Horn

@Rory Gumina was great finally meeting you in Haines.  I too had trouble keeping heart rate down.  I haven't had any sun to run in like that yet this season.  

Tim Sullivan

Congrats on the race! Great swim and bike.  I think you got dehydrated. You said you didn't drink till 18 minutes off of the bike.  That's 53 minutes into the race. With the water being hot and you swimming so fast in a wetsuit you were already behind without factoring in the Florida weather. I would drink a bottle immediately starting the bike or during transition. Once behind in liquid I think it's hard to catch up.  How did the effort feel on the bike since your HR was higher than you wanted.  I know for me my watts are lower outside than they are inside due to not wanting my HR to.go crazy.  Thanks for sharing and 14th in AG is still great!

Mark Hickman

@Rory Gumina

What a great swim Rory!  Was great meeting you and Janet, and thanks again for lending me the sleeveless top.  Like Tim mentioned, I hope you meant to say 18 minutes instead of 18 miles!  I was sucking gatorade down from the get; think I drank two bottles in the first hour.  I've always had trouble "remembering" to eat and drink regularly during the bike in previous races, so I was constantly hitting the straw.  It's very possible you're still weren't fully recovered from being sick; I know I've experienced the same thing that I'm just not back to full "endurance" strength for some time.  Definitely something to think about and learn from, or just try different things.

Those low watts makes think I REALLY need to focus on body composition:o)  ...and running 1:48 at Quassy is super legit!  I was super proud to get in just under 6 hours on that course...ooph.

Mark

Sheila Leard

 Didn’t eat or drink till ~18min into ride

·         Drank ~2 bottles GE but never peed

·         Nutrition (1/2 Clif bar every 30 min, base salt every 5 miles

@Rory Gumina  Congrats !! I echo the above comments. I  believe you were dehydrated.You needed at least another full bottle. Also, if you didn't have any water the absorption of your Cliff Bar would be hampered. The GE and Bar is a big osmotic load. 

Jeff Horn

Interesting point about not peeing @Rory Gumina and others.  I would say that my intake during this race was really good for me.  I was well hydrated going into the race.  I peed about 3x the morning before the start, and actually was able to "go" about 100 yards from the finish of the swim (that is a first for me).  I didn't pee on the bike or run.  Don't think I did until I got home later that day.

Rory Gumina

All - huge THANKS for pointing out hydration issue!  Yup I held off drinking at ride start ... probably being too careful to ensure HR recovery from swim I guess.  Is not what I did at Quassy last year (where peed like 5 times on ride ... and had great run!) so that's a great learning for me.

@Sheila Leard - I consciously excluded plain h2o in my Quassy & IMMT hydration plans ... relying 100% on GE (first bottle is my mix from powder, rest is on-course provided).  Also moved to Clif Bars & Gels a year ago to leverage IM course nutrition (if needed). Your comment about osmotic load of those products leads me to think I should add water to my IMLP hydration plan? (even if just as a precaution)

@Mark Hickman - yeah, definitely learning experience ... will be ready to attack IMLP in July!  And thanks for the tip on parking! ... that was $40 well-spent as it removed all Sat. & Sun. parking stress

@Jeff Horn - i've never raced this early in a season, and given Upstate NY winters, certainly not in the sun ... so valuable experience gained!

@Tim Sullivan - aka Mayor ... aka King (nice job on MTB and Ultra!) ... My bike effort felt pretty good (albeit was GREAT to not be riding on trainer!) ... but if I had been watching HR it may have prompted me to back off.  Thanks for your feedback!