2011 Bikesource Sprint
SC adv. taper week: complete as written, felt great, was over the race weight by 1-2lbs, at 155lbs, no noticeable fatigue, legs responsive
Race morning weather: air temp 45F, wind NNW@15mph, water temp 60F
Pre race breakfast: bowl of oatmeal, banana, cup of coffee, 150cal Infinit between breakfast and race start
In very short, my performance was a total failure. No excuses and valid explanations. I know one thing, it was not for the lack of fitness. This was my race to loose and I sure did just that. The depth of the field was such that some faster athletes were not there due to weather conditions. I have placed here top 10 before, top 3 AG and PR 57:05. My Sunday's time was over 1:02:xx.....
Swim: 587y time 7:10, swim PR by 16sec, first out if the water in M40-44, 4th best swim time of the day. Swim is never an issue for me. I position always well, always swim in clear water, no crowds......I guess the advantage of being an FOP swimmer. Swim felt great and strong. I did swim at threshold effort as SC sprint swims are trained and swum like that. The only issue I had was the cold water and feet. I was losing my feet as I swam, they were going numb. Also, I failed to put ear plugs. In cold water I get very dizzy upon exit. This will prove to be a fatal mistake later.
T1: time 2:39. I was very wobbly out, fumbling and falling over taking my suit off. I was putting socks, jacket.....I was so cold, so was everybody else. Very slow. Judging by difficulty standing straight, I knew I was in trouble.
Bike: 11.75mi 31:17, 22.0mph, AP 236W xP 236W, IF .85. Target was 270W, IF .95 . Not even close. Previous time on this course 28:25, 24.2mph. Had hard time clipping in with toe warmers, once clipped I started ok, power on target for the first 6-7min held it really well, felt dizzy but ok to that point than nausea set in and the breakfast wanted to come back out. Had to back off in order to keep going. Bike course is rolling and has a section with a crowded and narrow downhill section. Had to be cautious there to avoid collision. 3/4 into it I really stopped racing, still nausea and no feel for feet, just like everybody else. No excuses.
T2: :53, nothing special here except walking hard as no feel for feet
Run: 3.0mi 20:31, I was not racing at that point, just slogging through, even after crossing the line no feet, they were sound asleep.
Hard pill to swallow. It is not the training plan for sure, not my fitness. Lot of soul searching left. Went out yesterday on a scheduled Week 20 SC adv. taper bike ride, 3x6min(4min)@FTP, I was not even trying and they came out 295W, 290W, 290W, ran after transition run at HMP first mi uphill at 6:30 pace just as I should be, feeling strong. Go figure.
Have another, but much bigger race this Sunday 05/22, olympic distance. I am more and more thinking that I will race without a single computer. Oh well.
Comments
Thanks Mike. The water was 60F. I made a gross error in not putting the ear plugs in. I have been badly affected by cold water before, however not to the point of throwing my vestibular sense so bad that I would get nauseous.
I accepted that T1 would be slow due to extra clothing for 45F and wind, but thought let's see what I can do with power on the bike.
What bothers me that I mentally withdrew after not feeling well instead of pushing at all cost. I stopped racing and that is giving me heartburn.
Felt strong during the taper week, felt great and cold during the warm up...........
Now repeating the week 20 for next weekend race. This is a big one. Hopefully my mind decides to cooperate.
As always, I appreciate your wonderful input and am grateful for all the advice.
Alex...Good luck at the KC Tri this weekend. I know what you are capable of...just DO IT!!!!
Andy
Well....looks like you've got another race this weekend. Shake the feeling and lay the smack down! Best remendy for a bad race, is a good one.
Thank you Hayes, thank you Matt. You guys are awesome. You bet I will be thinking about this tomorrow when going gets tough.