Syracuse 70.3 Race Report - Doug Johnson
Background stats:
Male, 32 yo
5’11’’, 163 lbs (race day)
VDOT 52 (based off April ½ mary)
FTP: 292 (3.95 w/Kg)
Swim T-pace 1:48/100m
This was my first HIM and originally my goal for this race was to finish under 6 hours. I followed the last 12 weeks of the intermediate plan and as it drew to a close and I looked at my training numbers closer, I knew in the back of my mind that I could do it under 5 hours but didn’t want to come right out and say it in fear of not meeting that goal. I felt that a lot of things had to go right in order for that to happen.
Pre race:
I followed the taper almost exactly as planned. My legs never felt 100% fresh during the week until Saturday! Sipped on Gatorade all day Saturday and was fully hydrated. Pasta dinner late Saturday afternoon, it was tough staying away from the meatballs and sausage. Had a couple cupcakes later in the evening! Later on went through transitions in my mind and packed my T bag accordingly. Went to bed at 10PM. I slept really well and didn’t wake up once until the alarm went off! Woke up at 2:59AM (can’t set my alarm on a 5, 0, or even number). Don’t know how many calories (it was enough) but drank a large portion of naked juice diluted with a little water to help digestion. Ate 4 slices of cinnamon toast and then sipped on Gatorade up until about 20 minutes before the race. Had several bm’s before the race and with the last one I felt set for the race (a good feeling, this was one of the things I was most concerned about)! Took a GU Roctane and some power bar chews about 20 minutes before my swim wave and was ready to go! At this point I zipped up the top half of the wetsuit and went into the water to do some warmup strokes etc. Peed three times in the suit so I knew I was hydrated (maybe too much).
Swim: 33:04
I tried to keep my mind distracted leading up to my wave start. I watched the pro’s come out of the water. Pretty cool how easy they make it look. The point where I felt the most nervous was when my feet first touched the water right before my wave went off. It was kind of like that feeling you get when you’re on a roller coaster coming to the top of that first big hill and you stop for a brief moment. You have that nervous feeling in your stomach but you know you’re about to go on an awesome ride! I was looking down that line of buoys and feeding off that feeling. I was confident in my training, I was pumped, primed, stoked, and ready to destroy the course!
Apparently I got caught up in the excitement because I completely forgot to place myself in an appropriate position to start the swim. I was in the middle of everyone (not a good place for someone who can’t swim straight). I had some arms on my back and legs but nothing very serious and I was able to maintain composure. Within the first 2-300 yards I was swimming at a 30 degree angle from the buoy line and I crashed into a couple people’s legs J I’m sure they were like wth? I eventually found myself swimming right along the buoys and from about 400 yards on it was mostly clear. I sighted better than my 2 OWS leading up to the race but it was still poor. I found myself inside the buoy line several times and had to swim at an angle 4-5 different times just to get back on the outside of the loop. My right arm brushed against at least 3 different buoys! I went at the swim hard and never really got into my rhythm until about the halfway point. At about 1500 yards? I started to feel the beginnings of a cramp in my right hamstring and arch of my foot, uh oh, so I eased up a little. Apparently not enough because when I stood up coming out of the water I was really dizzy, and felt like I just finished an FTP test. Started jogging to T1. At this point I did two things in my race that I learned from reading other people’s race reports: did not take my cap and goggles completely off until the wetsuit was peeled, and found a sturdy looking peeler and pointed right at him, which worked out beautifully! On a side note, I may have swam further than anyone in the race. I almost wish I had a GPS on to view the route I took on the swim! I came out of the water in 32nd for my AG.
T1: 3:32
This could’ve been a little bit quicker for me, although there was a decent jog from the swim exit to transition area. When I first got to my bike I think I just stared at the ground trying to remember what I had to do. I had everything set up really well in transition I just couldn’t think clearly after swimming so hard. After I got going it went smoothly.
Bike: 2:38:40
Entire workout (203 watts):
Duration: 2:38:24
Work: 1928 kJ
TSS: 141.1 (intensity factor 0.732)
Norm Power: 214
VI: 1.05
Distance: 55.519 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 558 203 watts
Cadence: 40 236 86 rpm
Speed: 0 51.8 21.0 mph
Pace 1:10 0:00 2:51 min/mi
The bike course could be challenging if you don’t ride it properly. The first 12 miles are climbing followed by a gradual return to transition elevation the rest of the race with some rollers and one final climb around mile 40. I’ve learned that one of the great things about riding with power is hills no longer matter. I just keep the wattage steady and even though I’m going slower my legs don’t get burned.
I had an issue with my bike almost from the beginning. I had brought my bike to the LBS a week before the race to adjust the rear derailleur I messed up putting my wheel cover on. Rode the bike 2X before the race with no issues. It took me about 10 minutes on the bike to recover from the swim. My goal for the first 20’ of the ride was to ride around 200 watts (.68 IF) and then crank it up to 233 (.80 IF) assuming I got into my rhythm. Well, about 15’ into the ride the chain popped onto the small ring for no reason. WTH? I tried shifting back into the big ring and I could hear the derailleur grinding the chain but it wouldn’t shift. I waited for a good spot to soft pedal and it finally moved. Then a minute later it popped onto the small ring again and I had to soft pedal to shift up again, awesome! In the end I had to keep constant pressure to the shifter with my left hand in order to stay in the big ring. By 90’ in my left bicep was getting sore and tired. I was just hoping that the situation didn’t get any worse. I made it through the ride with no further complications. This may have been a blessing in disguise…
To start out my ride I was going to be completely content trying to ride a VI as close to 1 as possible. Easier said then done, especially as a rookie (even though I knew better). I was really trying to play by the rules so there were several times when I wasn’t paying attention and entered the “draft” zone and I felt like guys knew it and would turn it on, so since I was already in that zone I had to turn it on to get by them. This happened a bunch of times in the first 25’ and then I got concerned that maybe I was burning some matches. I decided that maybe I better ride at 220 watts to stave off any damage I may have done to myself. I told myself to ride at 220 and stay disciplined. It was a good thought but I think the derailleur issue distracted me further and I ended up riding 7% below my intended IF and at a VI .02 - .03 higher than I knew I could’ve rode (with nobody else on the course). Actually, when I look at the power file the first 2 hours of the ride were fairly steady with a VI of 1.03 Not sure what happened over the course of the last 38 minutes but my VI was 1.13 for that segment of the ride. I think I was focused a lot more on how sore my arm was getting rather than the number on the LYC.
My nutritional goal was to take in 600 calories of Infinit over the first 2 hours of the ride and then at the 140’ mark eat a pack of caffeinated stinger chews (160 cal). This has really worked well for me and I felt great again during the race. No bonking or energy issues at all, no GI distress. I also took in 90 oz of fluid (including Infinit) over the course of the ride. I peed on the bike at the 1:40 mark and the 2:10 mark so I feel like I was well hydrated throughout the ride. I was ready to get off the bike at the end of the ride but that was more because of my arm rather than my legs. Came off the bike in 28th place AG.
T2: 1:34
This transition was almost perfect except for 1 minor mishap. I was running too fast and shot by my rack. I recognized my mistake immediately and it probably didn’t cost me 2 seconds. I went sockless on the bike so very smoothly threw socks, shoes, and sunglasses on and was gone. Not much to say here.
Run: 1:39:25
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/192617579
I felt really good coming off the bike, my legs still had a lot of juice and actually felt better than some of the days I do long runs! But, about a half mile in, my left leg, in the area just below my thigh but above my knee felt like it was on the verge of cramping along with the same leg’s hamstring. This hasn’t been an issue during training so I’m not sure what happened. I tried keeping my pace at MP + 30’’ for the first few miles and did good considering the hills. I tried turning it up after that but couldn’t really go too much harder for fear of having the leg seize up and having to walk. So I used my leg to guide me for the rest of the race. I pushed it a little but kept it just far enough away from the edge that it didn’t ever completely seize up.
Originally my nutrition plan on the run was to take a GU Roctane gel at the start, mile 4, and mile 8 along with water as thirsty at all the stops. I ended up taking a couple swigs of perform at a few aid stations to try and get more electrolytes. Not sure if this ended up helping or not. But whoever said that stuff tastes like garbage when it’s warm sure was right, ugh. Really had no bonking issues, or GI issues on the run. I had a little bit of a sour stomach at mile 1 so I took a couple tums. A few minutes later I forgot about it and it never popped up again. From about 3 miles on I had the urge to pee but never stopped in order to conserve time. Again, I felt well hydrated.
Race results:
4:56:15
23rd AG
Conclusion:
There are two ways for me to look at this race.
1. As a rookie triathlete who just finished their first HIM: More than anything else I had a lot of fun and completely enjoyed the experience. As a bonus, I surpassed all the goals I had set for this race!
2. As an EN member who is a lot more knowledgeable than their racing career would indicate: Yes, I met my goals but I did not execute this race to the best of my abilities. I’m very fortunate that the swim did not have a bigger impact on the rest of my day. Although a VI of 1.05 is acceptable for a HIM, the section of the course where my VI increased did not provide any obvious advantage and therefore wasn’t smart. I may have left some time out on the bike course by not riding at my intended IF of .80. My last RR I rode at .80 and felt fine coming off the bike so I feel at the very least I could have the same run split off a .80 bike ride. I think I may have overhydrated effectively reducing my electrolyte levels in turn causing a potential cramp in the leg. If this hadn’t happened I feel like I could’ve run a couple minutes faster.
I’ll choose to look at it from perspective 1 but with the knowledge that I have a lot more potential as I learn how to train and race more effectively!
I would really appreciate any feedback and insight you could provide to help me improve!
Comments
Wow - your upside is enormous! You over performed on the swim (faster than your T-Pace would suggest), showing you have more time to gain there in training.
Most important, the front derailleur issue probably cost you some time on the bike, and I believe also contributed to your left thigh issues. I think you were working so hard with your left arm to keep in the big ring, your body, specifically your left leg, had to do some awkward work to keep you stable. So you reined in both your bike and run below your capability.
Now you know what your numbers predict you can do, you'll be able to set a more challenging goal next time, and also get a new mechanic!
Incredible performance for a first HIM Doug! I would agree you have HUGE upside to go based on the numbers and would also second Matt's guidance regarding your IF. Try out a .80 or so on your next RR2 and see how that suits you for your next race in terms of running afterwards.
Way to execute and run strong through to the end on this one bro!
SS
@ Al, I never even thought about the work my left arm was doing causing a problem in my leg. I hope that's what it was!