2019 Superiorman 70.3 Race Report
Thanks in advance for reading and for any reactions and impressions you may have.
Overall
Time: 4:51:03
Overall Place: 8th overall out of 91 finishers and ~110 starters
45-49 Age Group Place: 4th out of 9
I am extremely happy with how I executed this race -- I stayed within my power and HR ranges and stuck to my plan. I had one process goal and two outcome goals for this race. My process goal was around nutrition as I was trying out some new product to see how my gut handled them in race conditions – this worked very well. Outcome Goal #1 was to break 5 hours, which I was able to do. Outcome Goal #2 was to win my age group, which I did not do. Some fast, old dudes showed up given that 7 out of the top 10 overall spots went to 40+ year olds. 4th, 5th, 6th places overall were in my age group and beat me by six to eight minutes.
I like the high overall placing, but the competitor in me would prefer to be on the AG podium.
Week Leading into Race
The week prior to the Aug 10 race was not ideal as I was across the country for 4 days of stressful work meetings. I was able to get two short runs in and a swim and my eating was okay, but the week wasn’t restful, and I didn’t sleep as much as I wanted. A delayed, cramped, cross-country flight capped off the week!
Day Before Race
I drove up to Duluth, MN, Friday morning, checked into the hotel, unpacked, and went for a ~20 min run. I went to the athlete briefing and learned they shortened the swim a couple hundred meters due to water temperature being in the low 50s in the main lake. (The race director wanted to give athletes a more direct line to the shore if they wanted to bail on the swim due to the temperature)
After the athlete briefing, I walked to the park where the transition area would be and got oriented with the layout. I drove the course to reorient myself and ate dinner. Back at the hotel, I checked and packed my gear and was in bed by 9 pm. I was woken up at 10 pm with someone trying to get in my room, then had so-so sleep the rest of the night.
Race Day
Up at 3 am. Breakfast was large bagel with peanut butter, banana, and a protein Naked Juice. I mixed a bottle of GE and sipped on that throughout the morning along with ~100 calories of EFS Liquid shot gel. Got ready and at transition area for the 4:30 open and set everything up. I clarified where swim in/ bike in-out/ and run-out would be and then headed to the boat launch area.
This was a point-to-point swim, so athletes had to get to the Duluth Harbor where the boat was launched. I got there around 5:30, put on my wetsuit, and did some warm-up sets with swim bands. The race was running behind, so rather than a 6:15 launch for a 6:30 start, it turned out to be a 6:45 launch for a 7 am start. Plenty of time to watch the sun rise, pee in my wetsuit, and talk to other athletes. I ate two caffeine Clif blocks before getting on the boat.
Swim
Goal time: 35:00-38:00 min, Actual 28:44
Gear: Roka Maverick X full-sleeve wetsuit, Roka R1 goggle, Blue Seventy Swim Socks (for rocky swim out, not warmth)
As I mentioned, swim was short by 200 meters and this is the first time I swam less than the proposed course. Garmin has me at 1,600 meters vs 1,700 and the GPS track is straight! At swim start, athletes jump from a boat into Lake Superior – like Escape from Alcatraz, but nowhere near as hectic. The lake was smooth as glass which helped tremendously. I was second off the boat and jumped into the most frigid water I have ever swam in. I immediately started towards the first buoy, trying to get into an easy rhythm, but found it difficult. I was the first swimmer to the buoy (~200m in) and then had a freak-out moment. I started to hyperventilate and struggled with keeping my face in the water. I did some breast stroke as a group of swimmers passed me by.
I looked longingly at the Coast Guard boats and rescue kayaks, put my face back in the water and started to swim. My hands were numb and it felt like slabs of concrete slapping the water. I wanted to focus on rotating my body, getting good extension with my catch, high elbow, etc. to take my mind off the cold, but was not successful. I stopped a few more times on the swim to breast stroke when my breathing got too labored – my face got numb and it was challenging to exhale under water and not drink any of the lake. I was angling towards the swim exit and noticed the water was getting colder!
Swim exit was a rocky beach and upon standing up I saw countless athletes standing on the shore shivering, not wanting to move. The path to transition was up a muddy hill, so what followed was a humorous attempt at a Spartan Race in a full wetsuit.
I exited the swim in 30th position overall.
T1
Time: 6:21
In T1 I quickly got my wetsuit off but needed help from a spectator to remove my timing chip because my fingers weren’t working. I needed to take off the chip so I could take off my swim socks. I got tri shoes on, grabbed my helmet and couldn’t get the clasp undone. I ran back to the same spectator and she kindly unclipped the clasp and re-clasped it when I had my helmet on. Without her who knows how long that transition would have been. More people in T1 wrapping themselves in their T1 towels trying to warm up.
Bike
Goal time: 2:35:00, Actual 2:36:19
Gear: Cervelo P5, Enve 7.8 wheels, Quarq DZero powermeter, Dura-Ace 9000 mechanical group set, EN Castelli kit, Pearl Izumi TRI Fly PRO V3 shoes, Speedplay aero pedals, Giro Aerohead Mips helmet
My NP goal for this bike was 195-200 watts and I ended at 188 watts. Upon leaving T1, there are ~5 miles of getting out of Duluth before biking on Scenic Hwy 61. I kept under 185 watts downtown and just tried not to wreck with all the turning and terrible roads and still frozen hands.
Once on the Hwy I dialed in the watts and went to work on my nutrition plan. 24 oz bottle of EFS Pro, one EFS Liquid Shot, one small Clif bar and sips of water. EFS Pro and water separated by 10 min intervals, with pulls of Liquid shot at the 30 min point and the clif bar at the 60 min point. This equates to ~300 cal per hour, 71 g carb per hour, ~1,000 mg sodium.
The out-portion of the bike leg goes northeast from Duluth to Two Harbors and you parallel the shore of Lake Superior. It is an absolutely gorgeous ride with some subtle 1-2% sections which will eat you up if you’re not careful. I had a HR cap of 138 beats per minute in my plan which I let go to 142 beats on race day. When I saw 142 bpm, I backed off the watts a little.
I’ve done numerous 3+hour rides inside and have been okay being on the bike that long, but for some reason after mile 40 I wanted off the bike. I felt I was constantly moving around the saddle and my RPE was increasing for the same watts. I saw my NP ticking down despite my best efforts, but knew that I’d be on my goal time and let it go. Maybe it was due to the headwind we had on the way back in to Duluth? Maybe it was due to the fact I had to pee, but there weren’t enough long downhills to do it on the bike?
I passed a fair amount of people on the bike and was in 11th overall at the end of the ride.
T1
Time: 2:42
At T2, I could not get my feet unclipped from pedals. I frantically yelled at a volunteer to hold me up, which he did, but it took all his strength. I was falling over to the left and was able to get my right foot out of my shoe, but then needed him to push me back over to the right so I could take my left foot out.
I got to my area, racked bike, helmet off, shoes off. Put on socks, put on Nike Next% shoes (forgot to put in speed laces, doh!), put on race number belt, grabbed go-bag and was off.
Question for those who use Speedplay: Do you have problems getting in and out of your pedals? I’ve torqued to the right newton meter and have oiled them, but have had problems.
Run
Goal time: 1:40:00, Actual 1:36:43
Gear: EN Castelli kit, Nike Vaporfly Next %, Stryd powermeter
I am very pleased with how this run unfolded. It was a two-loop course, so it was easy to see my position relative to those in front of and behind multiple times. Right out of T2 I took two caffeine Clif blocks and a little water. I stopped after 200 m and peed in the trees. My target was 8:05-8:15 pace (260-270 watts) for the first three miles and I was just a tick faster than that, but my HR was good. I came up on a runner at mile 3 and we ran the next 7 together at my goal pace of 7:35-7:45 per mile, 280-290 watts. We chatted a little about the swim, past races, etc. It really made the time fly. I was taking in clif blocks every 2 miles, with Gatorade every other mile. I’d dump water on myself at aid stations and use my hand-held water bottle for quick drinks in between.
I felt good and at mile 10, I accelerated to sub 7:30 pace and kept accelerating with the last few miles around 7:05. I stopped looking at HR and watts and just went for it. I knew I was top 10 overall, but I couldn’t tell the ages of the runners that I new were ahead of me.
I saw one runner with a mile to go that I had played leapfrog with on the bike and when he stopped at the last aid station, I hit the afterburners and went for it. There was an athlete running towards me with about a ½ to go and I yelled, “Is there anyone behind me?”. His reply, “They are a long way back”. I kept the pace, happy that the guy I saw wasn’t trying to pass me and crossed the line.
This is my second race using Stryd and I've found in rolling hills it is a valuable tool to keep your efforts honest. I'd look at power throughout the run to see if I was on plan, and then validate with HR and pace.
As I said above, overall, I’m ecstatic with this race. It’s the first one with Team EN and I was able to apply many of the lessons I’ve learned. I’m going to take the next two weeks with some lighter swim, bike, run to consolidate some gains and rest, then turn my eye towards IMAZ!
Comments
@Jeff Phillips , congratulations on a well executed sub 5 hour race . I've been following your training on Strava, hard training and good execution always pay off. Well done sir and good luck for your IMAZ training.
@Jeff Phillips This report was a pleasure to read. You found power and joy while racing, and finished strong. You overcame a few traumas, most notably the freezing cold water, and a near crash at the bike dismount. But none of that affected you ability to run well within yourself through to the finish. That bodes well for a good IM performance - I suspect that 7:50-8 min/mile will be eminently doable for you, given what you had left at the end, and the way you controlled your pacing.
Seems like you've got some work cut out for yourself to gain more stamina on the bike, though. I hear long rides are good for that...
I totally get your feeling of accomplishment - some of my most satisfying races did not come with the most spectacular relative finish. It's true that sometimes a 4th in a tough field can indeed be more satisfying than a podium placement.
Thanks @Vincent Sivirine. I appreciate the comments, good luck in your upcoming events!
I appreciate your perspective @Al Truscott . I raced my plan as I wanted and am happy with that, but darn, an AG placing would've been icing on the cake!
Your comments on bike volume resonated. I've been debating whether to do a few weeks of the Bike Focus block to work on threshold power, but will likely jump into the Bike Focused Full IM plan to get more of those longer rides in.
Hey @Jeff Phillips congrats on a great day! Your success in the run truly shows how you stayed in your box for the entire race, regardless of what the day threw at you. I agree with getting in a few 5+ hour rides. It will give you a chance to see what works and what doesn't i.e. bike fit, nutrition, etc. Look forward to following your build to IMAZ!
Thanks @Emily Brinkley !