Patrick Hayden’s – Boulder 70.3 Race Report
Short:
4:55:01 - 6/187 (40-44), 82/1278 (M), 103/2046 (Overall)
Swim – 40:08, T1 – 4:53, Bike – 2:28:08, T2 – 03:05, Run – 1:38:47
Background
Age: 43, Weight 175
Work/life got crazy a few years back and I became really hit and miss on training, then miss for the last couple years. Started working out consistently again in August of 2018, when I switched jobs, with the goal to get back into the game. Figured I would do a 70.3 (done 5 others), and then get back in the swing of things with fulls (8). Training went well, so targeted HIM Boulder since I have family in Colorado, I had done it before, and I could use it to work out the kinks on the bike, etc. prior to IM Florida in Nov. Going in I didn’t have any hard goals, although based on where I was at in training, I was hoping to go sub 5 hours.
Pre-Race
Spent part of a week with family up in the mountains above Colorado Springs @ 8500 ft where I squeezed in a couple runs, bikes, and a swim, then came into Boulder on Thursday. Registration, bike drop off, etc. was all quick and well managed. Water temp was hovering right below wet suit legal, but the day was looking to be a sunny hot one @ 90+ on a very exposed course.
Got up and to the site by 5:30, setup the transition and was out heading toward swim start with plenty of time to spare, waiting for the rolling start.
Lesson Learned (LL) #1 – If you aren’t taking a bus to the Boulder Reservoir in the morning pass on the left hand turn onto Jay from Foothills Parkway and go up to the next turn and pull a U-turn and catch a right hand turn instead, it will save you 30+ mins on sitting waiting to get through lights to get to parking
Swim - 40:08
Water was barely wetsuit legal, 76.1. Pros went, then we stood around in rolling start, 40 mins later I was in the water and going. They changed up the positioning of the buoys from the past, so sun was no longer in your eyes on the way out, only for the short straightaway from the 1st turn to the turn back. There was little contact in the swim, overall I was fine although lost some focus on the return trip in, and wasn’t kicking enough.
T1 - 4:53
Came out of the water and my quads and hamstrings started to lock up, stumbled for a bit, and went to the wetsuit stripper, which took too long as it got stuck. Made it to the bike and was fine until I decided to try to put my arm coolers on while running (fail), this was a last min add due the weather. Got out and then on the bike.
LL 2 & 3 – Lubricant under the wetsuit to help get it off faster on arms/legs, pre-roll the arm coolers/warmers and slide them on in transition then roll them up/down after I am on the bike.
Bike – 2:28:08
NP 203 / IF .80 / VI 1.04 / HR 147
http://tpks.ws/VYAC7FCE27JQLDFDK2R6U3T6UM
Course was a fast one and I had a number of people to pass who were faster swimmers. This did mean getting blocked several times by people hovering on the left, leaving little to no passing space, saw course marshals at the beginning but not much after the first 30 minutes. Felt good overall on the bike, with little lingering pain from the earlier leg cramps. The course was pretty smooth and offered a lot speed if you were willing to push it on the descents. Took in 1.5 bottles of Skratch, .5 bottle of water, and 1.25 cliff bars, which was less than planned.
T2 – 3:05
In dropped off bike, put on shoes/socks, re-apply sunscreen, grab go back and back out.
Run – 1:38:47
NP 275 / IF .74 / VI 1.01 / HR 156 / Pace 7:33
http://tpks.ws/TBSLG73C3NH4XDFDK2R6U3T6UM
Came into the race thinking in ideal circumstances sub 1:30 would be the goal, altitude and heat I knew would impact. HR started a little high and I could feel some aches around the knees which is a sign that I might start cramping, so I focused in on my HR and body feel, hit the 1st aid station, did a quick port-a-potty visit, and started icing and cooling the body. Then starting aid station 2, started to take salt tab, Gatorade, and Cola every other aid station. While grabbing ice to put under hat, in shirt, or down pants every chance I had. It was a hot day hitting 93 with no shade, so aid stations, were crazy and by lap 2 I was grabbing my own cups from the tables 2/3s of the time as the volunteers did everything to try to keep up. Lap one was fine, but with the heat & fatigue I had to push it on lap 2. Final push to the end seemed to take forever, but then it was done.
LL 4 & 5 – Run course in 95% on unpaved surfaces, i.e. gravel/rock roads, so wear appropriate shoes and be ready for some unsteady footing especially dodging around people and cones if you do a lot of passing. The final turn to the finish still has .4 miles left till you cross the finish don’t start to kick to early (they also had a Hoka arch ½ way through this, which confused a lot of people).
Overall Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised with the overall results on a hot day. I ended up PRing my best 70.3 from 2011, by a bit over 2.5 min minutes and 1st time in the top 10. Stuck around for roll-downs and managed to grab the roll down for 70.3 worlds in New Zealand in 2020. I still have more work to do, and I know I didn’t push myself as much as I could have, but I am in a much better place from where I was a year ago.
Comments
Smokin' hot bike and run on a blazing day. Well-managed to stay within yourself on a run which tripped up many others. And good on ya for making the WC in NZ next year.
Re: lubricant for wetsuit removal I use this and spray it onto my feet, especially the ankle bones as well as hands:
Also helps to spray on neck if chafing from the wet suit zipper top is an issue there.
Body glide is a poor second choice for me, especially since grass and small stones tend to stick to it while running out of water.
Awesome race and Congratulations! A PR after all those other races and also older is huge. Great work!
I love the report (great tip on morning driving!) and how you got it done. Next time make changes to your planned nutrition BEFORE you start the race when you know it's going to be in the 90s. You are lucky you didn't pass out. I drink that much in HOUR ONE of my bike, ignoring the other hour and 28 minutes!!!
I hope you enjoy some recovery and we can talk master planning for 2020 later this year!
~ Coach P