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Syracuse 70.3 Take-Aways
This was my 4th time doing Syracuse. The course has changed a few times over its history. The run course has changed since the last time I had raced it two years ago. The new course has less elevation gain, which is nice, since the bike course is a monster. Also, for whatever reason, race day always ends up being the first ungodly hot and/or stormy day of the year in the Syracuse area, and this year was no different.
Overall goal for the day was to execute well in all areas. For the swim, that meant no panic attacks, just be comfortable and steady and get through it. The race starts when the swim is over. Since I'm not a strong swimmer, and since the local weather doesn't allow for much OWS prep before a June race, I've been prioritizing bike and run training and doing just enough swimming to get the job done. For the bike, my plan was to flatten the many hills as best I could and maintain about 80% NP on the few flat sections, so that I would have legs to run. For the run, the plan was to negatively split if I could, only walk aide stations as needed to get fluids in, and to make the run my strongest leg of the day. For nutrition and hydration, stick to the plan and execute.
Pre-race take-aways:
The Run Durability Plan works. I did a 100 day streak along with RDP, and for the first time in many years, I have not suffered a leg injury and I'm running the best I ever have.
The winter Zwift racing/FTP/VO2 workouts really work. Mileage on the trainer is irrelevant. So far, that focus on time at intensity appears to have raised my cycling a level above last year.
Spending time planning and practicing nutrition and hydration is as important as all other racing strategies. A high heat warning and air quality warning (ozone) were issued for race day, so the day before, I really focused on drinking a lot of fluids and topping off my glycogen stores in case the heat prevented me from getting in enough calories.
Race Day Execution:
Rolling swim start, and seeded myself with the 46-50 min group. Finished in 48:29 min, calm swim, no freak outs. My Garmin said 1998 m, so I swam a little short for once instead of ridiculously long trying to avoid contact. I was definitely fatigued when the swim was over, and this may have made for a slightly longer T1 (it's also a long run, and I didn't want HR to spike too much). Correct seeding is key, for sure, 13th out of 14th AG. Is what it is.
With the heat and crazy hills at the beginning of this course, it was hard to keep my power and HR in reasonable zones. But, I kept my focus, reined it in when I saw my numbers drifting too high, and focused on eating and drinking to my schedule. Peed twice on the bike, went through almost all of my nutrition and hydration (I brought a little more than I thought I would need), didn't stop once, and was feeling pretty good when the bike was done. 3:15:24, 56.7 mi (the course is long), 17.4 mph avg, IF 0.83, HR 137, pretty much perfect execution, 4th fastest bike AG.
When I started the run, I could not keep my HR in the same zones as my last hour on the bike. The first mile of the run is on grass with a steep uphill climb out of the park. My HR immediately spiked to the high 140's. The good news is, while I couldn't get it to come down and I had to run slower than I hoped because of the heat, it never really went any higher. Many people were walking and I saw a lot of cramping. I carried my Race Saver bag and walked only as much as I needed to, to grab ice, dump water on my head, and drink. The rolling swim start does mess with keeping track of people in your AG. About mile 4, I passed a woman in my AG and she asked if I knew what place I was in. I asked my husband when I saw him at the turnaround for the 2nd loop, and he said I was in 4th place. Second loop, I was consistently holding pace and HR. Around mile 9, I developed a stitch in my side--don't know what that was about, can't remember the last time I've had that happen while running. It slowed me down a bit, but I kept pushing and watching calves for women in my AG. A half mile from the end I passed a woman in my AG walking, so I pushed the pace after I passed her in case she swam as slow as I did! Run was 2:07:44, avg HR 148, and I had the fastest run in my AG with an almost even split for the two loops. 3rd overall in 6:20:39. Like @Sheila Leard I was thinking about @Shaughn Simmons motto of "KMF." You may not know where other people in your AG are or how they are feeling or executing. The race isn't over until you cross the finish line.
Post-Race Take-Aways:
The race kit is awesome! I was a little concerned the longer sleeves on the shirt would be too hot, but I felt great the whole day. And no doubt, the sleeves saved me from the bad sun burn I saw so many people sporting. The one thing I didn't get right was planning for post-race nutrition and recovery. I don't eat gluten and there really wasn't much in the athlete food tent I could eat, AND we had a 4 1/2 hour drive ahead of us to get home and didn't want a long dinner stop. No excuses because we brought a cooler for my husband and I had time the day before to prepare something. The day after the race, my weight was down 5 1/2 lbs from two days pre-race and I'm still not back to pre-race weight. Working now on nutrition and hydration, and the plan going forward to to get back into training for IMLP with a focus on swimming more, especially open water, and executing the last few long bikes and runs.
Overall goal for the day was to execute well in all areas. For the swim, that meant no panic attacks, just be comfortable and steady and get through it. The race starts when the swim is over. Since I'm not a strong swimmer, and since the local weather doesn't allow for much OWS prep before a June race, I've been prioritizing bike and run training and doing just enough swimming to get the job done. For the bike, my plan was to flatten the many hills as best I could and maintain about 80% NP on the few flat sections, so that I would have legs to run. For the run, the plan was to negatively split if I could, only walk aide stations as needed to get fluids in, and to make the run my strongest leg of the day. For nutrition and hydration, stick to the plan and execute.
Pre-race take-aways:
The Run Durability Plan works. I did a 100 day streak along with RDP, and for the first time in many years, I have not suffered a leg injury and I'm running the best I ever have.
The winter Zwift racing/FTP/VO2 workouts really work. Mileage on the trainer is irrelevant. So far, that focus on time at intensity appears to have raised my cycling a level above last year.
Spending time planning and practicing nutrition and hydration is as important as all other racing strategies. A high heat warning and air quality warning (ozone) were issued for race day, so the day before, I really focused on drinking a lot of fluids and topping off my glycogen stores in case the heat prevented me from getting in enough calories.
Race Day Execution:
Rolling swim start, and seeded myself with the 46-50 min group. Finished in 48:29 min, calm swim, no freak outs. My Garmin said 1998 m, so I swam a little short for once instead of ridiculously long trying to avoid contact. I was definitely fatigued when the swim was over, and this may have made for a slightly longer T1 (it's also a long run, and I didn't want HR to spike too much). Correct seeding is key, for sure, 13th out of 14th AG. Is what it is.
With the heat and crazy hills at the beginning of this course, it was hard to keep my power and HR in reasonable zones. But, I kept my focus, reined it in when I saw my numbers drifting too high, and focused on eating and drinking to my schedule. Peed twice on the bike, went through almost all of my nutrition and hydration (I brought a little more than I thought I would need), didn't stop once, and was feeling pretty good when the bike was done. 3:15:24, 56.7 mi (the course is long), 17.4 mph avg, IF 0.83, HR 137, pretty much perfect execution, 4th fastest bike AG.
When I started the run, I could not keep my HR in the same zones as my last hour on the bike. The first mile of the run is on grass with a steep uphill climb out of the park. My HR immediately spiked to the high 140's. The good news is, while I couldn't get it to come down and I had to run slower than I hoped because of the heat, it never really went any higher. Many people were walking and I saw a lot of cramping. I carried my Race Saver bag and walked only as much as I needed to, to grab ice, dump water on my head, and drink. The rolling swim start does mess with keeping track of people in your AG. About mile 4, I passed a woman in my AG and she asked if I knew what place I was in. I asked my husband when I saw him at the turnaround for the 2nd loop, and he said I was in 4th place. Second loop, I was consistently holding pace and HR. Around mile 9, I developed a stitch in my side--don't know what that was about, can't remember the last time I've had that happen while running. It slowed me down a bit, but I kept pushing and watching calves for women in my AG. A half mile from the end I passed a woman in my AG walking, so I pushed the pace after I passed her in case she swam as slow as I did! Run was 2:07:44, avg HR 148, and I had the fastest run in my AG with an almost even split for the two loops. 3rd overall in 6:20:39. Like @Sheila Leard I was thinking about @Shaughn Simmons motto of "KMF." You may not know where other people in your AG are or how they are feeling or executing. The race isn't over until you cross the finish line.
Post-Race Take-Aways:
The race kit is awesome! I was a little concerned the longer sleeves on the shirt would be too hot, but I felt great the whole day. And no doubt, the sleeves saved me from the bad sun burn I saw so many people sporting. The one thing I didn't get right was planning for post-race nutrition and recovery. I don't eat gluten and there really wasn't much in the athlete food tent I could eat, AND we had a 4 1/2 hour drive ahead of us to get home and didn't want a long dinner stop. No excuses because we brought a cooler for my husband and I had time the day before to prepare something. The day after the race, my weight was down 5 1/2 lbs from two days pre-race and I'm still not back to pre-race weight. Working now on nutrition and hydration, and the plan going forward to to get back into training for IMLP with a focus on swimming more, especially open water, and executing the last few long bikes and runs.
3
Comments
Congratulations on your Ice Breaker race
What percentage of BW is 5.5 pounds. Consider that some off that's glycogen loss. My weight is still down and its been a week.
Good take-aways for IMPL!
Those are terrifying facts for your competition that show veteran execution and fire in the heart!
Hard to second guess your plan when you execute the fastest run in your AG.
Well done. Congratulations!
SS
Wow...losing 5.5# in a race, even on a hot day would freak me out. You're like me there's not a lot to lose to begin with. The only times I;ve lost that much, I ended up in the med tent...
As for the weight loss, I didn’t weigh myself until the day after the race, so some of that weight loss might have been from poorly planning my post race nutrition and hydration recovery. Three days out, I feel good and have gained most of it back (been eating and drinking non-stop!)
https://www.syracuse.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/07/syracuse_ironman_703_triathlon_race_has_been_discontinued.html
As for a replacement @Scott Dinhofer I would like to see something in NY or New England to replace it, but I don’t really see that happening. Mid-June is a tad too early for LP 70.3, and there are other logistical issues that would make that move highly improbable. With Timberman also gone in 2016 (I did the last year of that race, too), I don’t have a lot of options. As a school teacher who is bound by a very strict contract, I can’t travel more than a couple of hours for a race between Sept 1 and June 30. Might have to start looking at the Rev 3 and HIITS options.