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Justin Perry's 2017 Victoria 70.3 race report
This was my first 70.3 and I'm happy to report... I made it!
Dace date: 6-4-17
General info:
Bib#: 1080
Division: 40-44
Points: 1928
Race day stats: Time/ AG Place / Overall Place - 6:01:18 / 65 / 583
Swim: 38:40
Bike: 3:16:34
Run: 1:58:31
Pre-race:
Arrived in Victoria on Friday and went straight to the race venue to register, check in the bike, and recon the transition entries and exits. This worked really well and it allowed me to beat the crowds and make sure that Saturday was a low key and no stress day. Very glad I did this. During the athlete briefing we were able to get VIP parking pass since we drove a Subaru to a Subaru sponsored event. This was great since it meant that I would no longer need to deal with the bus shuttles in the morning on race day... super stress reliever!
Saturday:
Drove the bike course and spent a nice day relaxing with the wife and enjoying the weather.
Race day:
Arrived at the race stress free with great parking and with plenty of time to get a nice warm up swim in.
Swim:
This race used the self seeded rolling swim start and I put myself in the 40-45 min corral. My race plan had a swim goal of 42 min based on a race rehearsal swim in an extremely cold lake. Thankfully the lake in Victoria was significantly warmer and I completed the swim in 38:40. Overall, I am pleased with this swim since it is closer to the times that I have had in the past when swimming in open water with a wet suit. That said, I have a number of things to improve on: Sighting the buoys, bi-lateral breathing, and swimming a more direct route. Because I only breath to my right side, sighting the buoys and keeping my course became a real challenge as we made the turn and were coming back to the swim finish as the sun was coming over the trees and searing my retinas. As a result, I definitely felt like I was swimming additional yards, my Garmin indicated that I swam 2327 yards.
T1:
This was disappointing. My race plan had a goal of 3 min... race day was 5:05. Seemed like I was fighting everything and this was the slowest T1 I think I have ever had. I was a little wobbly when I got to my bike and this added to the challenge of getting my socks on. The kicker was the boa laces on one of my bike shoes came out of the guides requiring me to stop and get that sorted out. Lesson learned and will look at making sure the laces are in order on the shoes before my next race.
Bike:
My race plan had two goals: staying conservative (Z2 180-185w) to avoid aggravating a calf/hamstring injury (that would result in walking miles on the run) and finish in 3 hours. I have mixed feelings about how I did here. At the beginning of the bike, it was really entertaining to watch so many riders mashing big gears up hills and burning energy. Instead I did the opposite and I stuck to my plan and eased into my Z2 ride and started getting my nutrition going and my heart rate down to my target of 140-145. The problem that I encountered is that there were so many cyclists around me, many not following the rules of drafting or staying to the right, that I found my self becoming very anxious and wanting to just get away from the madness. At times this resulted in me getting outside of my plan and pushing watts that were quite a bit higher than my Z2 so I could get some separation. After about 25 miles I got away from the horde and found myself really enjoying the ride and being able to focus on executing my plan, so nice. I also had a goal to pee once during the bike and I met this. I have not mustered the courage to pee while riding the bike so the stop at the third aid station cost me about 4 min while I waited in line. In the end, I feel pretty good about my goal of staying conservative to protect my calf/hamstring... the 3 hours, not so much. However, I think my conservative approach really worked to set me up for a nice run. I feel like I've heard something about riding the bike you should, not the bike you could...
T2:
Race plan goal was 2:30 and race day was 2:28. Much better than T1 and no lacing malfunctions.
Run:
Very happy with the end result however I deviated pretty dramatically from my planned approach. When I put my race plan together, my calf and hamstring were still bothering me a fair amount so I planned for a very conservative run (10 min miles) from start to end, finishing around 2:15. Nothing flashy, just get through it. When I got off the bike my legs felt great. Not sure if it was the taper that helped the body get back into one piece or if it was the dirt running surface but I was very surprised at how good I felt. After a couple of miles, I decided that I would listen to my body and run at a "comfortable" pace with my HR between 150-155, as long as there were no signs of leg issues. This was a difficult decision because I know how quickly you can go from "feeling good" to walking with calf injuries. But in the end I felt like I have been managing this issue since March and I know my body's warning signs. At mile 11 I started getting pretty sore in my lower back and hips so this was the hardest part of the race as my pace slowed to 9:53. I reminded myself that this would pass and that I was going to make it to the finish before long. Mile 12 I was able to drop my pace to 9:22 and finished the race at an 8:44 pace. I stuck to my hydration plan and walked 20 steps at each aid station with a quick hamstring stretch as well. Race day run 1:58:31.
Looking forward to taking the lessons learned and applying them to my next race. This was a great race experience and I can't wait to do it again!
Dace date: 6-4-17
General info:
Bib#: 1080
Division: 40-44
Points: 1928
Race day stats: Time/ AG Place / Overall Place - 6:01:18 / 65 / 583
Swim: 38:40
Bike: 3:16:34
Run: 1:58:31
Pre-race:
Arrived in Victoria on Friday and went straight to the race venue to register, check in the bike, and recon the transition entries and exits. This worked really well and it allowed me to beat the crowds and make sure that Saturday was a low key and no stress day. Very glad I did this. During the athlete briefing we were able to get VIP parking pass since we drove a Subaru to a Subaru sponsored event. This was great since it meant that I would no longer need to deal with the bus shuttles in the morning on race day... super stress reliever!
Saturday:
Drove the bike course and spent a nice day relaxing with the wife and enjoying the weather.
Race day:
Arrived at the race stress free with great parking and with plenty of time to get a nice warm up swim in.
Swim:
This race used the self seeded rolling swim start and I put myself in the 40-45 min corral. My race plan had a swim goal of 42 min based on a race rehearsal swim in an extremely cold lake. Thankfully the lake in Victoria was significantly warmer and I completed the swim in 38:40. Overall, I am pleased with this swim since it is closer to the times that I have had in the past when swimming in open water with a wet suit. That said, I have a number of things to improve on: Sighting the buoys, bi-lateral breathing, and swimming a more direct route. Because I only breath to my right side, sighting the buoys and keeping my course became a real challenge as we made the turn and were coming back to the swim finish as the sun was coming over the trees and searing my retinas. As a result, I definitely felt like I was swimming additional yards, my Garmin indicated that I swam 2327 yards.
T1:
This was disappointing. My race plan had a goal of 3 min... race day was 5:05. Seemed like I was fighting everything and this was the slowest T1 I think I have ever had. I was a little wobbly when I got to my bike and this added to the challenge of getting my socks on. The kicker was the boa laces on one of my bike shoes came out of the guides requiring me to stop and get that sorted out. Lesson learned and will look at making sure the laces are in order on the shoes before my next race.
Bike:
My race plan had two goals: staying conservative (Z2 180-185w) to avoid aggravating a calf/hamstring injury (that would result in walking miles on the run) and finish in 3 hours. I have mixed feelings about how I did here. At the beginning of the bike, it was really entertaining to watch so many riders mashing big gears up hills and burning energy. Instead I did the opposite and I stuck to my plan and eased into my Z2 ride and started getting my nutrition going and my heart rate down to my target of 140-145. The problem that I encountered is that there were so many cyclists around me, many not following the rules of drafting or staying to the right, that I found my self becoming very anxious and wanting to just get away from the madness. At times this resulted in me getting outside of my plan and pushing watts that were quite a bit higher than my Z2 so I could get some separation. After about 25 miles I got away from the horde and found myself really enjoying the ride and being able to focus on executing my plan, so nice. I also had a goal to pee once during the bike and I met this. I have not mustered the courage to pee while riding the bike so the stop at the third aid station cost me about 4 min while I waited in line. In the end, I feel pretty good about my goal of staying conservative to protect my calf/hamstring... the 3 hours, not so much. However, I think my conservative approach really worked to set me up for a nice run. I feel like I've heard something about riding the bike you should, not the bike you could...
T2:
Race plan goal was 2:30 and race day was 2:28. Much better than T1 and no lacing malfunctions.
Run:
Very happy with the end result however I deviated pretty dramatically from my planned approach. When I put my race plan together, my calf and hamstring were still bothering me a fair amount so I planned for a very conservative run (10 min miles) from start to end, finishing around 2:15. Nothing flashy, just get through it. When I got off the bike my legs felt great. Not sure if it was the taper that helped the body get back into one piece or if it was the dirt running surface but I was very surprised at how good I felt. After a couple of miles, I decided that I would listen to my body and run at a "comfortable" pace with my HR between 150-155, as long as there were no signs of leg issues. This was a difficult decision because I know how quickly you can go from "feeling good" to walking with calf injuries. But in the end I felt like I have been managing this issue since March and I know my body's warning signs. At mile 11 I started getting pretty sore in my lower back and hips so this was the hardest part of the race as my pace slowed to 9:53. I reminded myself that this would pass and that I was going to make it to the finish before long. Mile 12 I was able to drop my pace to 9:22 and finished the race at an 8:44 pace. I stuck to my hydration plan and walked 20 steps at each aid station with a quick hamstring stretch as well. Race day run 1:58:31.
Looking forward to taking the lessons learned and applying them to my next race. This was a great race experience and I can't wait to do it again!
2
Comments
Nice race working through the highs and lows. There were a couple good reminders for me, keeping in the box and I need to practice my transitions.
Maybe the the single biggest reason to focus on improving your swim is to get out of that hoard. Your T1 was not that bad, considering needing to relace the shoes. You could try no socks to see if that is possible, though many (myself included) enjoy socks more. Mainly, more reps is the key to transition.
excellent execution on the run, with nice results. I have found my race day performance is slightly better than predicted provided I do not blow it on the bike course. Clearly you figured that out.
DS