Race Report Kinetic Half 5/14 - Suggestions/Observations welcomed
Ok, took me several days to get up the motivation to write this as I was pretty disappointed with my result. A little bit about previous races. This is my fourth half, first time doing this race, have done Musselman previous three go arounds. Done a few sprints and a few Olys. I am presently ramping up to IMLP.
My run has always been my downfall VDOT 45, although not great in any of the disciplines I definitely lose ground on the run. I have tried everything in training, run focused, fast, slow, more, less etc etc. So over past several years my bike has been progressively stronger, swim maybe a little better run still sucks. So this year is the year of EN leading up to IMLP. Did the 20 week OS and maybe missed 4 workouts total and probably hit minimum 95% of the numbers in the workouts I did. So was feeling pretty good after a 1.5 week transition before beginning 12 week Int IM plan a few weeks ago.
Onto the race. Had a few goals for the race, in this order:
- Finish healthy - done
- Execute the EN Plan - Thought I did
- Have a strong run - Negative
- PR and break 5:30 - Did PR but did not break 5:30 (5:35)
Days leading up to race:
Did all workouts as dictated by the Int IM plan up until Wed. Did hard bike intervals Wed morning but cut them a bit short in lenght of interval and total time of workout. Thursday and Friday off, Saturday race.
Thursday: Eating normal stuff, I have made an effort leading up to IMLP to lose a few lbs and eat a bit better. Has worked in that I have lost about 11 pounds so far and am down to about 148. But have lost this over several months so feel pretty strong. Had Spaghetti and turkey meatballs for dinner. Everything fine, right before bed back started killing me. Have had back problems in past and I am pretty good at being able to tolerate/manage it but it was really aching before I went to bed. Knowing it would be last chance for good nights sleep (I usually dont sleep real well night before race) I took some meds to help with the pain and crashed about 10pm, woke about 2 am back killing me, few more meds, cannot fall back asleep. Laid in bed until 3, got up, read, tried to go back to sleep, no dice, basically never get back to sleep until about 6:30, son comes in around 7 I am up and exhausted. Like in a complete fog.
Friday: Completely wiped. Luckily, for some odd reason, back feeling much better. To be on safe side get into Chiro for some treatment/ART. She is great about making time if you need her. Back feeling good now but really tired. Come home about 12 to try and take a nap. No dice, lay in bed for two hours no sleep. Need to pack up and drive down to sisters, where I am spending the night before the race. Have lunch, left over spaghetti and turkey meatballs and a diet coke to wake me up. Drive down to packet pickup and start to feel a little more normal. Pickup packet, quick preview of race course. Did not preview bike course but, drove some of it on way in and out, noticed it was rolling. Saw run course and sh$% myself as it looked really hilly and hard. About 5 pm started feeling much better, must have caught a second wind.
Met sister, bro in law and nephews for dinner at Outback. Dinner - 6 oz Filet some of it given to my son,(had my son with me as we figured he could spend night and next day with the cousins), baked potato with a little sour cream, split a salad, mixed veggies. One small light beer. Snuck a few cheese fries but only a few, man those things are good.
Back to sisters, in bed by 10 asleep by 10:15, alarm goes off a 4 and I could have slept another 8 hours no problem.
Race Day:
Up at 4 am. Eat one cup coffee, half bagel with peanut butter, half bottle of smoothie. Total calories about 400. Head out to door to race. Sip on half a bottle of gatorade to race then water once that is gone.
Race course:
Lake - calm, 70 or so
Bike- They would call it rolling and I guess I would agree, constant up and down, lollipop
Run - They would say rolling, I would say hilly, hilliest run I have ever done, 3 loops with 6 hills each one over a mile long
Weather - overcast, misty, nice to race but I think very humid, high of about 68 or so
RACE:
Swim: Not the strongest swimmer but not the weakest. Ended up standing right next to a guy I played lacrosse with in college 20 years ago waiting for start. Have not seen him in that long, small world.
It was a little foggy and buoys were hard to see. I also only breathe to the left and all buoys on the right which made it a little more difficult to stay on course so I probably swam a little far, it seemed a little far. Took my time, just tried to swim comfortable and did for the most part. Time 38:00 slowest time ever by 1 minute but feel the swim was a little long. No big. Got out felt fine, not winded, walked about 50 feet then jogged into transition.
T1: 2:4x- Pretty pleased with this, it always takes me too long to get wetsuit off. Everything on no problem. Turned on Joule and zeroed to make sure it would work properly and out onto the road.
Bike: Goal was to bike and have enought left in tank for the run. Was a little nervous as in my RR my NP was like 173 which was right at 80% (FTP 216) and it took me 2:58 to do the 56 miles and a TSS of 189 which was above my goal of 176. Had I done that it would have been my slowest bike leg since my first HIM but if that was what it was that was what it was if I could run well off the bike.
On race day my goal was to ride the EN way. So first 6 or so miles lead up out of the park and is up hill my Gear 1 was 165watts and I held this or below for the first half hour which got me out of the park and a little out onto the first of two loops around the lollipop. I immediately noticed that there was a lot of up and downs so would be hard to hold steady power but that was my goal. I also noted that my HR seemed a little high given the watts and my RPE, HR was in the 162-3 range which seemed high. So figured I would lay back a bit with the goal to run well off the bike.
Goal watts was 174 or a touch over 80% shooting for a TSS of 176 or so. I did what EN told me to do, ez on the hills try to hold watts on the downhills and flats. As predicted in the haus, got passed like I was standing still going up the hills and passed people like nobodys business going downhill and in the flats (what few there seemed to be). After first loop of lollipop I felt fine although could feel the humidity and NP was at this point only like 167 so thought I could push it a bit on the second loop.
Pushed it more on second loop trying to get the NP up but being cognizant of not getting the watts i was watching too high. Also, HR was still running a bit high even though I felt fine. My HR monitor was not working on my RR so had no idea how to compare the two but last year at Musselman my avg HR on bike was 155 so given effort 16x seemed high to me. In reviewing power file had my strongest hour towards end of bike and I finished feeling pretty strong.
Few anxious miles on bike when I starting hearing a click, click, click in my back wheel which last for like a half hour. I had all kinds of crazy thoughts going through my head, flat tire, something wrong with my cassette ( I had taken the cassette and reinstalled for the first time race week in order to get my wheelcover on) for a time it got real load and I had visions of my wheel falling off because I did somethign wrong while putting the cassette back on. 
Finally I passed somebody who said it was the sticker comoing loose over the valve hole. Phew!! Onward.
Bike Time: 2:45:xx best time ever by about 4 minutes and felt I could have pushed harder as my NP was only 167 or about 78%. Tried to get it higher but just could not seem to get it any higher. So maybe I executed something wrong here?
I was happy with my VI given the constant up and down, so I think this is good?
I looked at my TSS on way into transition and saw 166 and figured if nothing else I may have left some time on the bike couse but should be able to make it up on the run, which was one of the goals to begin with. Unfortunately, not to be the case.
Entire workout (161 watts)
Work: 1601 kJ
TSS: 165.5 (intensity factor 0.775)
Norm Power: 167
VI: 1.04
Pw:HR: -2.02%
Pa:HR: -4.67%
Distance: 56.22 mi
Elevation Gain: 1342 ft
Elevation Loss: 1342 ft
Grade: 0.0 % (0 ft)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 329 161 watts
Heart Rate: 114 175 164 bpm
Cadence: 33 166 92 rpm
Speed: 0 33.6 20.3 mph
Nutrition on bike: 3 hour bottle of infinit 660 calories (20 0z), drank every last drop and almost licked the inside of the container. Aerobottle H20 and refilled 3 times for a total of maybe 65-70 0z water.
T2: Took my time to change socks, did not want any excuses on run even if took a few extra minutes. Had to take a pee cost a few seconds.
RUN:
Ok, here we go. VDOT is 45 which says my HMP is around 7:45, I do not have a lot of running experience buy I know there is probably no way I can hold that for a stand alone Half but who knows as I have never run one trying. So given the hills on the run and my experience and the fact that the first 1.5 miles of each loop (3) is straight up hill I set my first 4 mile pace at 9:00, figuring I can pick it up a little after that for next 5 miles then either hold it or pick it up depending on how I feel but should easily be able to average under 9:00/mile which would get me in under two hours for a PR on the run and also a PR for the race distance and under 5:30. What a great day!!!
Not so fast.
So felt great out of the gate and checked pace was a little fast so slowed down and hit my goal next few miles felt good. Took some water at one aid station and one flat coke at one aid station in first 4 miles. Mile 5 straight up hill so figured I would slow down and then make it up on way back down. Tried to do that with all uphill segments and downhill segments slower up hill, speed up a little downhill at mile 8 or so real started to feel it. Had been taking HEED or water at every other aid station up until that point, with a flat coke mixed in here or there. At mile 8.5 or so took some enduralytes hoping that would help but did not really seem to help. Mile 9 up the hill again, 10 back down, 11 and part of twelve back up and for a few moments in there thought I was going to lose my cookies but did not thank goodness finally was able to pull it together and get home. Did accomplish one of my minor, in my head only goals of not walking at all except for aid stations and only max 8 steps at each station. At some point probably around mile 8 I just started to hurt. Ankles, quads,hip flexor felt more like the end of the only marathon I have ever run after about mile 20. Just could not summon the strength to run any faster.Lap
Time
Distance
Pace/Speed
AHR
MHR
1
09m 13s
1.00 miles
09m 13s /mile
155
165
2
08m 43s
1.00 miles
08m 43s /mile
157
167
3
09m 00s
1.00 miles
09m /mile
162
172
4
08m 53s
1.00 miles
08m 53s /mile
166
172
5
09m 58s
1.00 miles
09m 58s /mile
163
174
6
09m 14s
1.00 miles
09m 14s /mile
165
171
7
09m 27s
1.00 miles
09m 27s /mile
161
171
8
09m 18s
1.00 miles
09m 18s /mile
167
172
9
09m 53s
1.00 miles
09m 53s /mile
161
173
10
09m 22s
1.00 miles
09m 22s /mile
171
175
11
09m 44s
1.00 miles
09m 44s /mile
162
169
12
11m 07s
1.00 miles
11m 07s /mile
166
171
13
09m 37s
1.00 miles
09m 37s /mile
168
173
14
00m 15s
0.03 miles
08m 08s /mile
172
172
Ended race with a run of 2:04XX. Still cannot break 2 hours on the run. Have no idea why. HR seems fine in above and is below what it was in last half. Thought my nutrition and hydration were adequate although after race until I drank a couple of gatorades and a few waters felt like my legs were on the verge of completely locking up with cramps so maybe was dehydrated, possibly further evidenced that on afternoon on day after race was still 2 lbs under weight last time I weighed myself day before race.
Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings. I am sure some of it makes no sense and I am sorry it is so long but if nothing else if was a soul cleansing experience and had given me a little motivation to continue forward towards IMLP.
If anyone has actually read this entire missive and has any suggestions, specifially as it relates to the run and how to improve it in the next 9 weeks it woudl be greatly appreciated.
Late.
Bill
Comments
2. You pr'd on little taper. Really, no taper. The OS and then the IM plan leaves you depleted whether you feel it fully or not.
3. These early season races, even if it's not particularly hot can be tricky. You're not really acclimatized and because it's not yet 90 and humid lots of folks get behind on hydration and salt in these spring races. Total guess, but I bet more sodium would have helped. After training through a cool, wet spring even a little warmth and humidity during a 5+ hour race effort can really drain you. White Lake is the same way.
4. 2:45 on that bike course is not bad at all and .77 is about right too. Any traffic jams?
5. Did you pee a lot?
Back to #2, you can't really beat yourself up until/unless you race it on full, A race taper and then do not get the results you want. Otherwise it's just a stepping stone. Nice racing. It's not the EN plan but I'd take a full week off the IM plan now. You wont lose fitness and you will gain strength. You should be really pleased with where you are on your way to LP.
Firstly, you were very tired going into the race. You mention that you were wiped on Friday and could have slept 8 hours more on race morning. That could explain it right there.
Secondly, you appear to have executed the swim and, especially the bike, well. Nutrition and hydration were good. I think that may point back to fatigue.
A PR is a PR, right? Congratulations!
#2, you said "After first loop of lollipop I felt fine although could feel the humidity and NP was at this point only like 167 so thought I could push it a bit on the second loop". Sentences like this are an alarm bell to me. Can you post your 1st half of the bike and 2nd half of the bike? How much higher were you starting to work to "drive up the NP?"
#3, you have only been going long for a couple of weeks. The OS does not prepare you to run well in a HIM. If it did, RnP would call it the HIM plan, and not ask you to do the extra work that the HIM plans entail. But they don't, because the OS doesn't get you there.
#4, you ran very steady paces in a hilly run. That's not easy. You should feel pretty good about that.
Chris - peed once at start of run and not again until about 3 hours after race.
Matt - you are right, a PR is a PR and I can take out of it a well executed swim and bike
Mike - 1st half, Time 1:24, work 809kj, TSS 82.3 (.769), NP 166, VI 1.03, avg watts 161, hr 165, cad 93, speed 20.1
2nd half, time 1:20, work 790Kj, tss 82.5, np 170, vi 1.03, avg watts 165, hr 163, cad 91, speed 21
Again, thanks for the encouragement and advice.
Bill