Patriots HIM Race Report- John Peterson
Patriots Half Ironman
Williamsburg, VA
September 10, 2011
Male Age Group: 35-39
Stats:
|
|
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
|
Swim (1.2 mi) |
41:54 (18/71 AG; 96/407 OA Men) |
34:17 (8/81 AG) |
35:23 (1/61 AG; |
|
T1 |
4:07 (11/71 AG; 36/407 OA Men) |
3:43 (22/81 AG) |
3:58 (12/61 AG; |
|
Bike (58 mi) |
2:47:18 (21/71 AG; 109/407 OA Men) |
2:40:28 (23/81 AG) |
2:46:07 (24/61 AG; |
|
T2 |
1:38 (19/71 AG; 87/407 OA Men) |
1:23 (20/81 AG) |
2:10 (30/61 AG; |
|
Run (13.1 mi) |
1:58:52 (24/71 AG; 97/407 OA Men) |
2:08:33 (49/81 AG) |
2:02:28 (28/61 AG; |
|
Total |
5:33:48 (18/71 AG; 85/407 OA Men) |
5:28:21 (30/81 AG; 109/328 OA Men) |
5:30:13 (21/61 AG; 95/295 OA Men) |
Background:
· 3rd time racing this Half (due to LIFE, I am only a Half Iron guy so far in my tri career), so it was nice to be able to compare years
· Two previous races here, plus White Lake Half in May 2011, resulted in debilitating hamstring cramping on the run and far slower run than training would predict. Plan was to beat this through a combination of water intake (6 bottles on bike and two cups at each aid station on run), electrolyte intake (SaltStick cap every 30 minutes on the bike and every 15 minutes on the run, plus sodium in Infinit on bike and run), and reduced wattage on the bike (.75 IF).
· FTP entering race was 269 watts (3.5 w/kg)
· VDot was 47.8
· Second son was born two weeks before the race (during Hurricane Isabel)
Race Plan:
· Swim: Evenly paced swim
· Bike: First 30 min, 200 watts; Balance of ride: 205-208 watts. My aerodynamic position has improved based upon training rides, so I wanted to save energy for the run.
· Run: First 3 at 8:30/mi, next 7 at 8:00/mi, last 3 at 7:30.mi or whatever possible.
· Nutrition:
o Pre-race hydration and GU 15 minutes before race start.
o Bike: 250 cal/hr Infinit, with 400 mg sodium/hr. Water bottle every 30 minutes. SaltStick cap every 30 minutes at 218 mg sodium per cap. Gu at 2 hours.
o Run: 150 cal/hr Infinit. Two cups water at each aid station. SaltStick cap every 15 minutes.
Race Results:
· Weather: Perfect day for racing- temps started around 75 and topped out at about 86. Sunny, no wind.
· Swim: (Goal: 35:00, Actual: 41:54) No wetsuit swim so I am sure that slowed me down. Felt VERY relaxed and probably did not swim as hard as I could. Came out of the water very fresh.
· Bike: (Goal: 205 NP, Actual: 203 NP) Took it very easy on the bike and never felt like I was pushing. I definitely can ride harder than this but was just saving it for the run to avoid cramping. Peed once on the bike and nailed my nutrition plan perfectly - that is a lot of water to drink in 2 hours and 40 minutes!
· Run: (Goal: 1:45, Actual: 1:58:52) Started at 8:30/mi pace and felt like I was going to have a great run because I had taken it so easy on the bike and swim. Got less than a mile into the race and started to feel the dreaded tightening in my left hamstring. So I decided to just take it down to 9:00/mi and assess after 3 miles. The feeling never went away and I felt like I was on the verge of lock-up cramping for the whole race. Every time I tried to push the pace, it got worse so I would stop and stretch. Walked every aid station and kept to the nutrition plan perfectly but that did not seem to help- peed once and it was relatively clear.
Race Conclusions/Questions to Answer:
· While the overall results showed improvement against the field, I was very disappointed AGAIN. I cannot figure out the cramping issue. Clearly it is not a hydration problem so I can only figure it is my bike fit. It was amazingly frustrating to finish that race with so much energy left over, simply because I could not race to my potential. (I actually went home and played with my 2-year old son in the yard all afternoon).
· Why am I cramping so bad during races but not during training rides/runs? Even on brick runs after a 3 hour training ride, I did not have the kind of cramping I have during races.
· Could it be a flexibility problem? Perhaps I need some Yoga during the OS?
· Would it be better to crush the swim and bike and then just hold on during the run knowing I would not be able to push the pace to match VDot? I know this is not the EN philosophy, but the other way isn’t working for me.
Comments
Flexibility could be an issue. I do know that some people find problems with S/B/R which isn't replicated when they just do a B/R RR. Has this happened to you in other races? Shorter races? Do you still have tight hamstrings after the race?
I think the cramping is what's holding you back, not necessarily the EN execution philosophy. I think it would be better to figure out the cramping first.
I would say it was your bike fit, but if you are only experiencing it on race day that would make less sense since fit should be affecting you during B/R bricks too.
Nevertheless, looks like you managed to get it done. Congrats on that! And the new addition!