Ross Randolph 2018 Santa Rosa 70.3 Race Report
This was my first triathlon from inside Endurance Nation and first 70.3 of the 2018 season. I was looking forward to executing my race plan, especially nutrition & power as I have been winging it on RPE and pace until this year. I did this race in 2017. The only change for 2018 was the bike course. I had done several race rehearsals, was familiar with the course and had high but I felt realistic expectations going in. In the end, it was a day full of surprises & unexpected events – including a cancelled swim & near-DNF, but also personal bests and mischief & scandalous mystery on the course. But who can really complain when racing in wine country, right!?
I must say before I go further that I wanted to give many of you in the EN community a big shout-out & thank you for advice received over the past several months. I applied most, if not all, of the advice and it really helped. In fact, the absolute highlight of my day was meeting legendary @Sheila_Leard. I was looking for the EN kit all day and had to catch up to her on the bike (which was no easy task) but enjoyed our quick chat. And later she spotted me on the run & I got a high five just when I needed it most! 😊
The Swim, Adjustment 1.
The swim is perhaps my strongest discipline, but Lake Sonoma had other plans. A marine layer which had been settling in most mornings of race week was there again on race morning. Sighting was poor (couldn’t see the first buoy) and so they canceled the swim and we stripped our wetsuits and got ready for a bike start. This was new for me. I’ve raced in shortened swims (i.e., Motala, Sweden – water temp too cold) but never had one cancelled. And I have never done a duathlon. I had a race plan based on expecting a high heartrate running up the ramp from the swim; now my only heartrate elevation was from pre-race jitters. We left in groups of 5 every 10 seconds. Only issue is my Garmin Edge froze up when I went to start it up. After a few hundred yards and it was safe to do so, I reset the computer and off we went.
The Bike, Part 1. Adjustment 2.
The bike is my weakest discipline and one I was hoping to improve the most on. I rode 2:40 last year, but the course is different this year with an extra hill (Chalk Hill Road around mile 35 which was removed from the 2017 edition). My race plan (assuming I had 30 minutes of swimming first) was to target 170 Watts and HR around 130. Without any swim fatigue I was a bit lost but I did remember some advice I received to have a HR and Power cap in case changing conditions forced it. (I was only expecting to apply that if needed for unexpected hot weather, not a canceled swim.) That advice was very helpful actually; I knew I couldn’t sustain a HR over 145 and power over 200 for 2 ½ hours without blowing up on the run. So that’s pretty much where I aimed to sit for the first 90 minutes of the bike. Result: NP = 210W, Avg = 191. VI was 1.10 which is way too high; even though I tried to power the uphill & downhills evenly, I need to work on this more. One positive was my nutrition execution. My goal was to get in enough liquids and calories to set up a good run. I targeted 2 bottles of GE per hour and 1 shot block every 20 minutes. I set a timer on my bike computer and every 20 minutes took a block. I felt like a lab rat or Pavlov’s dog … and it felt great. Didn’t have to think, just acted. Also, no G.I. distress and worked according to the plan (and just like I practiced in race rehearsal).
The Bike, Part 2. Adjustment 3.
Just after Chalk Hill, around mile 35, is when my competitive race ended. It started ominously … there was another racer in my age group that had been trading places with me for several miles that I saw at the side of the road with a flat. Hate to see that, even with the competition. But I knew the road was bumpy and maybe he hit a pot hole. I had a near-miss myself a few miles earlier when I lost the screw-on cap to my bottle cage storage kit and nearly lost the contents. Then I heard the ‘ping’ and the thump-thump-thump of something in my front tire. It wasn’t a blowout so I thought maybe a rock or something had gotten lodged. (I knew better … I run the racing Conti Grand Prix and have never gotten a rock stuck.) I pulled over and checked the tire. Yep, it was a metal tack – odd, why would there be a carpet tack in the middle of the road out here in the middle of nowhere? It wasn’t losing any air at that point but (stupid me) had to pull the damn thing out to see what it was. Hissss….. Luckily, I had 2 spare tubes & pump. I have only had one flat in a race before and it happened at a sprint triathlon I was doing for fun with my daughter. I wasn’t carrying any tools or tubes and was close enough that I could walk to T2. Couldn’t do that with 20+ miles to go, however. No big deal, right? I forgot to mention that I race with Zipp 808s so they have the extender for the valve stem. As I went to pump up my spare the extender tip broke off inside the valve stem of the spare tube. Uh oh. No problem, I thought. I have extra valve extenders and I also threw another spare tube in earlier that morning just in case. Stupid me – didn’t triple check it was the correct type. I had accidentally grabbed one that doesn’t have the removable valve tip to take the adapter. At this point, I’m starting to think “game over.” I had one last trick to attempt – I didn’t have a patch kit but did have shreds of electrical tape. I wound it tightly but couldn’t get my pump to bite and put any air in. Should have tested the pump. Strike three. I knew there would be bike support at some point because I had seen riders in pairs every 3-4 miles riding in the opposite direction. 10 minutes go by … then 20 minutes. Finally, a cyclist not in the race had a CO2 cartridge & inflator he let me borrow. I was able to get air into the tube but the electrical tape patch left a bulge in the tire I knew wouldn’t hold. I only hoped it could get me down the road far enough to an aid station or bike support. It had been almost exactly one hour since I flatted. The patch got me about 2 miles before it let go. But over that 2 miles I saw at least 5-10 more bikes on the side of the road. That’s more than I’ve ever seen and was beginning to think we were victims of some nefarious act. Disgruntled homeowner? Head of the pack deviant? High school pranksters? Didn’t matter at that point. The age group placing I was chasing was out the window. Actually thought about packing it in; it would have been my first and only DNF. After another 40 minutes, a bike mechanic did ride by. He didn’t have any spare tubes left (had given them all to others suffering similar fate as me) but he did have a proper patch kit. We put it on my original tube that started this mess and voila, back in business.
The Bike, Part 3. Adjustment 4 and The Best Ride Ever!
So, how do you interpret a race result based on one riding over his original plan Watts & HR, only to stop 90 minutes later, take a 90 minute break, then get on the bike and ride another hour? I’m not sure, either, but here’s how it went. Original plan was to start pushing HR and Power after Chalk Hill to try and surge before backing off a bit to set up a run. But after the long break I had fresh legs, hurt pride and I guess nothing left to lose so I put on the gas and left it on the last 20 miles to T2. It was getting hotter – temps were up in the low 70’s after being in the high 50’s most of the first part of the bike. I let my heartrate go above 150 but tried not to let it get above 155 knowing I still wanted to run well. I had lapped my Garmin so have decent data for the last 18 miles. Avg Power = 187, NP = 198. Improved VI versus first 35 miles (much flatter terrain) although still could have done better. Avg HR = 151. So here’s the highlight of my day – somewhere around mile 45-50, I caught up to this really fast lady wearing red. I rolled up next to her (knowing there was only one other wearing EN that day) and said “Hey, are you Sheila?” She responded immediately with a smile. We chatted for a bit before an official drove by and shouted “single file!” … I had lost enough time already – I didn’t need a penalty to boot. She was riding strong and even though we hadn’t ever met it didn’t seem like it. Totally made my day!
Link to Bike File: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2888342791
T2
The bike-to-run transition was the same as last year. While I couldn’t compare other aspects of my race, this one I could. In 2017, my T2 was 3:59. This year 3:44. Every second counts, right? The big difference was the “go” bag suggestion. Previously I had put all my stuff on and then ran out of transition. This year I only put on my shoes and then grabbed a large Ziploc bag which had my race bib, 2 pre-filled water bottles & hydration belt and started running. That’s the only difference. Crazy how much time that saved! Thanks for the suggestion!
The Run – Adjustment 5.
My original race plan had me in “heart rate jail” for the first several miles. Only problem is I wasn’t exactly sure where the prison bars were located … getting off the bike with a HR of 150bpm wouldn’t normally be a recipe for success. I’ve gone sub 1:30 in an open half marathon a few times (personal best is 1:27) but still not sure of my capabilities in a HIM. I ran 1:37 last year on essentially the same course (it was a 2-loop course in 2017 but they changed it in 2018 so each loop was equal length). I had hoped to run 7:00/mile but knew pretty early that wasn’t happening. Maybe earlier in the day when it was cooler, but by now temps were in the 70s and rising. I really like the Santa Rosa run course; most of it is on the flat & fast Santa Rosa marathon course which I did 2 years ago (a great marathon to BQ, by the way!). There is good shade and well stocked aid stations. The only complaint is the trail isn’t super wide and there are several out-and-back sections with 2-way traffic. With 3,000 participants and a 2-loop course it got crowded. I tried my best to push the pace I wanted without being “that guy” who was bumping elbows and creating near-head-on collisions. I’d say I was mostly successful with that but I’m sure one or two weren’t happy w/ the dude trying to push 7 minute miles at that point in the race. Going back over my data file, there is definitely some variance to the splits each mile but one thing stood out. I noticed that I ran the first 6 miles in 43:22 and at mile 12 I was at 1:26:44. Can’t get any more even than that, right? The heart rate told a different story. It started at 155 and rose more or less linearly to 170 bpm by the end. I had aspired to race the last 3 miles but was all I could do to maintain the pace. I wanted to try the rocket fuel (a.k.a., Coke) but waited until Mile 10 to start. Dangerous because I hadn’t practiced with it (other than caffeinated gels), but I thought WTF and I love Coke. I don’t think it made me faster, but definitely kept me from slowing down. In fact, I had enough in the tank to get a finishing kick the last 0.1 mile – didn’t really matter other than to create some separation and get a great finisher photo with my new EN kit on!
Link to Run File: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2887946387
Overall Lessons Learned:
1. Drink the Endurance Nation Kool Aid. It’s delicious. And it works
2. Simulate a flat tire during a race rehearsal. Don’t fake it. Actually change the tire. You might learn something (like whether you have the right tools or spare parts in case you need to do it in a race).
3. There is no such thing as one single race plan; there’s actually several different ones. And the one you execute may be one you haven’t even thought of.
4. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Yeah, like 15 seconds faster in T2 fast. Boom!
5. There really is no such thing as a good bike & a bad run. But maybe you can have a bad bike & a good run!?
6. Seeing an EN kit on course is like a power-up button. Look for it & use it!
I will enjoy a few days of downtime and then plan to get back to work. I have about 6 weeks to consolidate the lessons learned and prepare for Santa Cruz 70.3. If you’ve made it this far, really appreciate you reading the race report and would love any feedback you have.
Comments
This is a great race report and a great race adjusting to all of the surprises thrown your way bro!
I remember the visibility issue in the lake. While our swim was not canceled, I too, could not see the first turn buoy due to the shadow at the time....
Great job having a bike HR cap in mind here. I too race with the 808s and extended valves. I remember the pot holes and shadows very well on the course. Yes, someone threw you a curve ball dumping all those tacks out there for you and you manage the situation well. I have never experienced an IM to date with out surprises honestly. How you handle yourself and the decisions you make under these moments of "WTF?" really say a lot about you, your character and your true race performance. IMO, you really KMF'd here!
Good decision with the COKE at mile 10 and strong finish. Many good decisions under race stress frankly! Keep drinking and applying the koolaid, it does work with practice and experience.
Well done Ironman!
SS
I also have 808s and just recently flatted without the proper gear, only on a training ride thankfully. Had to walk over a mile in my bike shoes and ended up with two huge blisters on my heels that took over a week to be bearable again. I need to make sure I have all the proper gear before my sprint tri this weekend.
Congrats on the finish!
The race Director did the best he could with getting us all on the course but it was crowded! When you passed me on the bike it probably gave you a sense of who I was riding around.
Your race execution 'plan' was similar to mine. I wanted to push the last part of the bike and last part of the run. But with the conditions it wasn't possible. I completely understand why your HR was high. It was getting hot and the run felt like a Fartlek with dodging runners. When I saw you on the run I was so impressed with your stride and look of determination. Red looked good on you!
Santa Cruz will be nice since it's now a closed bike course. Part of me wants to race it. I need to check my SAU bank account.
A friend sent me a link to a local photographer that takes great photos at Northern Cal races. There are three of you on the bike!
https://www.justinluau.com/fullscreen-store-page/comp-jk924v8n/3dc6104a-d528-49aa-aec4-ebcb0c4b89ac/972/?i=972&p=elt2u&s=style-jk925821
-John