Malibu Sprint? EN shaved 20' off my 2011 time and made me a top 10 AG Finisher
Malibu Triathlon – Classic Distance – 2012
September 16, 2012
This was my second year doing this event and I had a goal to try and really improve over last year. In 2011, I did this course after training alone all summer in a way that I now reflect on as completely silly. I had no goals, no plan and was basically just trying to “exercise” as often as possible mixing it up based on how I felt that day between bike and run. No intervals or structure of any kind. Last year my time 1:58:56 and I was really happy to have hit my sub-2:00:00 goal.
This year, I really felt like I showed up ready to play. I started training the Endurance Nation way in January and it has been a game changer for me. I saw not only massive fitness gains, but learned strategies for race execution that have allowed me to do more with what precious little I have. I can’t say enough positive stuff about Rich and Patrick's program, especially in between gulps of the EN koolaid! I am believer. It’s not just the training plan and workouts. That is actually the smallest part. It’s the whole philosophy and mojo at work inside the EN Haus. I shaved 20 minutes off my 2011 time this year! That’s quite a bit for 2 hour event.
Race morning was pretty smooth; 3:45 AM bell, 4:00 AM in the car, 5:15 in the parking lot. Nutrition was same as always. I pop the trunk in the lot…. And…. Flat tire?!? Brutal! I just filled it last night. Quick change, and I am rolling in the dark toward transition with hopefully the day’s drama in the rearview with a spare tube lucky stuffed under the seat.
Bike was racked by 6:00 AM and then I was able to unwind, get settled and hangout with a few fellow PTCers prior to race safety brief at 7:00 AM and warm up swim.
Swim (0.5 miles)
0:14:11
1:29/ 100 yrds
Swim Rank – 129 out of 1555
I had a great chat with Gregg and Gene prior to the gun and learned a good lesson about the current, which was running left to right. I started on the far left of the field at the gun and was able to angle straight for the first buoy on the right side of the start. The swim was an easy two right turn set up along the beach. The beginning of the swim was the usual slugfest, but once I got around the first buoy, open water appeared and I just settled in on my stoke. This year I gained two minutes on last year.
T1
0:02:56
I just kept it super simple with little to no moving parts. I watched a few ITU videos on-line and really tried to mimic those guys. They are fast! My move was wet suit off (tri kit underneath), slide on cycling shoes with no socks, sunglasses from the inside of the helmet to my face, helmet on, go! Bike, shoes, glass, helmet. That’s it.
Bike (18 miles)
0:48:28
Bike Rank – 30 out of 1555
22.3mph Avg
NP 242, IF .92, VI 1.11
I hit the mount line with my shoes on and was rolling. After about 200 meters I went to move from the small chain ring to the big one….. And, CRUNCH! The bike spat the chain out onto the pedal side. Darn! Quick stop to fix the chain and NOW, hopefully the little dramas are in the rear view mirror.
The bike course was a blast. Legs felt fresh and I just hammered. The ride was all big ring with the small side of the cassette. With such a short run, I had no worries about spiking watts or burning matches. I just focused on keeping the shiny side up and passing without crashing. I played a little “you pass me and I will pass you back” with Sebastian. It was fun to see him out there.
Biggest hazard of the ride is the speed bumps into and out of the Zuma Beach parking lot. There are 5 really tall, but narrow speed bumps spread over about a mile long parking lot. Many racers dive for the curbs to go through the gutter rather over the bump. This is a massive hazard and cause of congestion. Best thing to do is just bunny hop them.
T2
0:2:53
Same strategy as T1 – minimize moving parts and get out fast. Helmet off, shoes were still connected to the pedals. I sat on my bottom and slid on my socks and then fumbled with laces. Lesson here is go for yanks or some other system without shoe lace tying. Once shoes were on, I grab race belt and visor to put them on while trotting toward the run exit.
Run (4 miles)
0:29:52
Run Rank – 113 out of 1555
0:7:28 per mile average
Splits: (1) 7:14, (2) 7:30, (3) 7:23, (4) 7:24
This part sucks. I started running and my legs just felt like stiff noodles. That bike-to-run just feels weird. I came out of transition and felt like I was struggling right away. Lower legs hurt on both sides and I felt like I just couldn’t get my cadence up. After a few hundred meters, I looked down at my watch and saw 7:04/mile in the pace window. First thought – “This stupid 910xt is broken”. The pace felt way slower, but I keep glancing down and I am hanging in there around 7:15/mile. The watch auto lapped after the first mile and shows me 7:14. Wow! I am making good time and it hurts like 7:14 pace, but it just feels like my cadence is stuck in slow.
Normally, I would run a bit slower then my goal for the first few miles, then goal pace, but with a 4 mile run, you gotta just rip it. I ended up running right at my 5k threshold speed for the rest of the run after a slightly “hot” first mile. I faded a bit, but the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) just seemed to go up. During the whole run I felt like I had no cadence. I was really surprised when I downloaded the file from the 910 and the foot pod reported average cadence of 91steps/ minute!
Totals
1:38:21
Overall 63 of 1555
Division M35-39: 10 of 143
Overall it was a really fun experience. I am thrilled with my results and stoked that I bested my pre-race goal of 1:45.
Comments
Dino - Fee-na-men-all! That feels good, to work that hard, huh? Now your carbedratror is really clean, I guess.
Dino, I'll send you an email about setting up a race report podcast.
Between you and Sebastian I'm hoping PTC is waking up a bit...
I did see Chrissie! She was there shaking hands and giving hugs at the finish line. Such an amazing athlete. And, what a record!