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Julien's 70.3 Syracuse Race Report
Main Goal / Background:
I have done 2 flat 70.3s (AC and Eagleman) before but have struggled on both, having to walk large portions of the run. I have wrongly attributed this to low tolerance to heat and general run weakness. The goal this year is IMMT - my first full with completing being the only objective (no time target). I joined EN last september so went through my first OS and then EN Full plan.
Syracuse would test my fitness, provide an opportunity to check race & nutrition strategy as well as getting used to hills. I approached it hoping to feel fully in control. Temperatures were really high (90s) and that was really concerning me.
Before check-in I realized my front derailleur was getting stuck on the small crank. This isnt as poor planning as it looks - I got my bike serviced through velofix, I got them to come back once I noticed that issue 2 weeks back and after recabling and confirming it was good I used my road bike for training to avoid touching the tri bike further until race day. I had the IM bike shop look at it; ended up needing to check in the bike way past deadline but hoping all would be good race day.
Swim: 35:53 (PR by 4mins)
In the pool I am doing ok on the swim (low 1:20s / 100yards) but have faced various issues in previous 70.3 (strong current at AC, orientation, etc). I kept it smooth and didn't push too hard preferring to keep energy for later especially with expected heat.
Bike: 3:18:33 (my PR at AC was 2:48)
About 8mi in the crank got stuck again - in fact the shifter was completely loose. I played a bit with the cable but thought with the hills I would rather it stays stuck on the small gear than on the big one - so I decided to shift my mind off it and only use my rear derailleur. I am not sure I wasted that much time on that since it is so hilly, but it's annoying to say the least and it might explain the 1.2 VI I got.
On the nutrition side I was very disciplined in getting my bottles in and blocks for the first 2hrs, I missed one bottle in the last hour.
Run: 2:08:33 (PR by about 15mins)
I put a cap on my HR based on my avg HR from the bike. Given I felt good I thought better not tempt the devil and kept that throughout the run. I didn't need to walk for the entire run (except at aid station as was the plan) and felt well in control. Being able to do that under that heat and with these hills was definitely a confidence booster.
Overall: 6:14
Biggest thing now I need to get my bike sorted so this isn't a worry - maybe shift to electronic could be an option. I am not too keen to change the bike altogether so close to IMMT after having done fit, etc though installing an electronic can be nearly as pricey as a new bike.
Fitness wise, it feels the plan is working. I felt good and have no muscle pain or recovery issues. Nutrition seems to be ok too (although I was starting to get bloated on the GE at the end of the bike).
I have done 2 flat 70.3s (AC and Eagleman) before but have struggled on both, having to walk large portions of the run. I have wrongly attributed this to low tolerance to heat and general run weakness. The goal this year is IMMT - my first full with completing being the only objective (no time target). I joined EN last september so went through my first OS and then EN Full plan.
Syracuse would test my fitness, provide an opportunity to check race & nutrition strategy as well as getting used to hills. I approached it hoping to feel fully in control. Temperatures were really high (90s) and that was really concerning me.
Before check-in I realized my front derailleur was getting stuck on the small crank. This isnt as poor planning as it looks - I got my bike serviced through velofix, I got them to come back once I noticed that issue 2 weeks back and after recabling and confirming it was good I used my road bike for training to avoid touching the tri bike further until race day. I had the IM bike shop look at it; ended up needing to check in the bike way past deadline but hoping all would be good race day.
Swim: 35:53 (PR by 4mins)
In the pool I am doing ok on the swim (low 1:20s / 100yards) but have faced various issues in previous 70.3 (strong current at AC, orientation, etc). I kept it smooth and didn't push too hard preferring to keep energy for later especially with expected heat.
Bike: 3:18:33 (my PR at AC was 2:48)
About 8mi in the crank got stuck again - in fact the shifter was completely loose. I played a bit with the cable but thought with the hills I would rather it stays stuck on the small gear than on the big one - so I decided to shift my mind off it and only use my rear derailleur. I am not sure I wasted that much time on that since it is so hilly, but it's annoying to say the least and it might explain the 1.2 VI I got.
On the nutrition side I was very disciplined in getting my bottles in and blocks for the first 2hrs, I missed one bottle in the last hour.
Run: 2:08:33 (PR by about 15mins)
I put a cap on my HR based on my avg HR from the bike. Given I felt good I thought better not tempt the devil and kept that throughout the run. I didn't need to walk for the entire run (except at aid station as was the plan) and felt well in control. Being able to do that under that heat and with these hills was definitely a confidence booster.
Overall: 6:14
Biggest thing now I need to get my bike sorted so this isn't a worry - maybe shift to electronic could be an option. I am not too keen to change the bike altogether so close to IMMT after having done fit, etc though installing an electronic can be nearly as pricey as a new bike.
Fitness wise, it feels the plan is working. I felt good and have no muscle pain or recovery issues. Nutrition seems to be ok too (although I was starting to get bloated on the GE at the end of the bike).
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