Post by JMcAbier on May 12, 2010 16:18:43 GMT -5
Kudos to fellow club members Kevin Park 5th overall & 1st Masters, Brian Stern for digging deep, and Mike Toth for grinding out a challenging day.
Below is my race recap. Warning it is long, always more of a personal journal...
ROUND 2:
I tackled this ½ in 2008 as a hard training day for Ironman Lake Placid. Two years later, I decided to return, to again use the event as a hard training day in prep for IM Louisville. This race would be a little different though. In 2008, I went to Kinetic fairly tired from all the training. This year, the plan was to get in a full taper and get to the start line well rested. The goal was to let it all hang out and see what I was capable of. I was prepared mentally to handle a DNF if I blew up, but I was determined to push the level of intensity. Training was going really well as I was getting stronger / faster in each discipline. Finishing with a personal best of Sub-5 hours is what this would be all about.
I knew I was capable of breaking the five hour barrier, but nonetheless, the several days leading up to the race was spent removing the self-doubt that always seems to creep its way into my thoughts. The result of nerves, high expectations, and self created stress, I guess.
We (the family) pulled into my older sister’s house in Ashburn around 7PM Friday evening. My litter sister and her family were already there as her husband, Bill, would be toeing the start-line as well. A favorite pre-race meal was waiting for us. Cavs win, cousins’ play, hit the sack around 10:30PM. Alarm rings at 3:10AM and I am surprisingly bushy eyed. It’s 78 degrees already with a fairly good wind. It was going to be a challenging, hot day.
Breakfast was approx. 450 calories (a little short of my 600 goal.) I just wasn’t very hungry with the late dinner only a few hours ago. Mind you, Ashburn is a very nice suburb, great environment, expensive homes, etc. As Bill and I were eating breakfast, we hear six gun shots ring out. We stare at each other with raised eye brows. Bill breaks the silence by making a “gang” sign to me. Laughter erupts as my blackberry chirps almost immediately with an instant message from Tanja (still in bed) “WTF, were those gun shots?” Crazy…
As always, time disappears and we quickly fell behind. A few wrong turns, a lot of silly laughs, and a two-hour drive gets us to the race site with very little time to spare. A quick check-in, transition set-up, and it is time to get down to the beach. No time for a warm-up. No time for a bathroom break. Not exactly the way you want to start the day. Our support crew arrives as I am putting on my wetsuit. A few hugs and high fives and it is time to go.
SWIM: (26:38)
As the first wave or two took off, I entered the water to get a few strokes in and get accustomed to the water temp. On my first stroke, my HR monitor unsnaps. I try to re-snap it through my wetsuit, but cannot get it. With only a few minutes to spare, I find my little sister in the crowd and run up to her asking her to unzip my suit and remove the chest strap. This day would be based on RPE alone.
My swimming has been progressing well, so I plant myself in the front row, far left of the buoys. The wind was directly into us creating a one foot chop on the water that we would have to swim directly into for 600 yards. The plan was to swim the first 200-300 yards hard then settle into my race pace. As the horn blew, it seemed like total craziness. I could not find clean water ANY WHERE. Dudes were all over me. I quickly got impatient and sprinted to get ahead. It worked as I pulled into clean water, but unfortunately, I had difficulty getting my breath back. I could not time the waves with my breathing. I was taking in a lot of water and was VERY close to allowing myself to panic. Luckily, I talked myself out of it realizing the swim would get easier in a few 100 yards when we turned perpendicular to the waves. I kept trying to find a rhythm and focus on my stroke. It was amazing once I realized it, how sloppy my stroke was. You spend all this time in the pool 100% focused on technique only to have it disappear within seconds in open water. I spent the rest of the swim focused on my technique and pace. Aside from zigzagging a bit from the waves and no open water practice, I exited the water to see 26:38 on my watch. Hmmm, that was really good for nearly panicking.
T1: (1:44)
For the life of me, I could not find the rip cord on my wetsuit zipper. For what seemed like eternity, I looked like someone with a bad back itch that couldn’t reach it from any angle. My arms must have been really tight because my flexibility was pathetic. Otherwise, uneventful.
BIKE: (2:37:46)
I felt I had a good plan going into the bike (300 calories and 30oz per hour, one thermatab every 30 minutes.) The course was going to be the exact same as 2008. Rolling terrain is the perfect description: no real big climbs and not too many flats. The question was going to be the wind: How bad would it be? I elected to carry one 24 oz bottle of G2 boosted with 500 calories of Carbo Pro. In addition, I carried two 20oz bottles of water and a Clif Bar. I initially thought of only carrying one bottle of water, but decided to have one to dump over my head to help keep me cool.
I sipped water for the first 30 minutes and started the salt tabs at the 30 minute mark. I quickly settled in and felt great. This winter, I made the leap to a Computrainer and knew that no outside riding could be has hard as those torturous indoor sessions Angela (www.aforster.net) put me through on a weekly basis. My legs felt strong and the race wheels that Angela lent me felt very fast. I could accelerate when I wanted without any side effects. I stayed within myself, but focused on keeping the intensity up the entire ride. When I caught my mind wandering and the pace lessening, I kicked it back up to race effort. I stayed very present with my hydration and salt in-take as well. I grazed on the Clif Bar and sipped on the high caloric G2 drink throughout the ride. My lower back tightened up somewhere in the first loop. So every 20 minutes, I would coast and stretch it. During the 2nd loop, I elected to climb out of the saddle and use this as the back relief. At the beginning of the second loop, I ditched the extra water bottle to lighten the load. Around the hour thirty mark, I kicked up the salt to one thermatab every 20-30 minutes instead of every 30. It was getting a little warm and I could feel my quads fatiguing a little, but nothing major. Dumping water on myself as I approached an aid station was a great way to keep comfortable. Ultimately, I had no major issues on the bike and actually enjoyed the entire ride. I entered the park feeling great and could have ridden longer. This not only was the fastest bike split I ever had but the most comfortable bike leg as well. The burn in my legs never got above a slight level.
T2: (1:13)
Again uneventful. My support crew was cheering their heads off as I arrived. As always, it is HUGE to have them there. As I headed out on the run, I looked at them and said “I’m going to go for a little run now.”
RUN: (1:57:36) My slowest ½ Marathon ever.
From 2008, I knew this was a painful run. Three loops, rolling terrain with a huge (.8 mile) hill climb right out of transition. As I began climbing, the quads were definitely fatigued, but I stayed in the present. So far, I was having the perfect race. I hit my split at the 1st mile mark and saw 7:37. Wow, up that hill? I didn’t even feel like I was running fast. The good splits continued and I was on a total high; I was going to shatter the 5-hour barrier. I was hitting the aid stations drinking water and dumping another cup over my head. The cold water was actually taking my breath away.
I was maintaining my salt intake (about every 20-40 minutes), but in hindsight, I laid off the calories a little too long. By Mile 6 I was getting a little nauseous and decided it was time to hit the coke. Then mile 7 hit and severe leg cramps set in! I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was managing the hydration and salt well. I was actually seeing people caked up with salt and thinking “oh boy, are they gonna be having problems…” I could muster up the will to run when the cramps would subside, only to have my legs re-cramp in a ½ mile. No rhyme or reason: left quad, right hamstring, right quad, left hamstring. Both legs were shredded. I saw Amy, my older sister, as I was completing the 2nd loop and yelled to her that it was over. In a disbelieving look, she started running beside me. I told her the cramping problems and she would have none of it. She gave me one hell of a yelling pep talk and sent me on my way with Kyle, my oldest son, running across the grass to catch me at the next turn.
Run, cramp, curse loudly while hobbling to the side of the road, massage, beat the hell out of my thighs with my fists in anger, stretch, walk, begin running again. This was the pattern of the last 6 miles. I never gave up and continued to work the problem. I kept drinking water, got in two ½ bananas to help with the cramping, salt intake continued, I got in some coke around mile 8 (which was HUGE on the energy), etc. I continued to drink coke at every aid station. At mile 10, I did the math and calculated that I could run three 8:15’s and still make sub-5. F’ it, here we go! I turned an 8:37, not bad, but still short. Mile 11: ok, we gotta run two 7:45’s. Totally doable as I just had one hill climb left and the rest would be downhill. It didn’t take long though and the left hamstring was yelling “NO MAS.” It was over! I could barely run a few hundred yards before the legs would cramp.
I finally caught my Brother-in-Law only to have to let him run on as I was forced to the side again. I was able to pass Bill at the next aid station as he refueled. The final ½ mile to the finish line is a very scenic run on a paved trail through the woods. Unfortunately, I couldn’t run it. The downhill was killing my legs. One or two turnovers and the left hamstring would cramp. I was reduced to a walk in the nicest section of the course. Bill came running by, and I jokingly yelled “Willie, they’re calling me home, but I can’t get there.” This seemed to entertain the runners as many burst into laughter.
I finally sucked it up when I reached the bottom and ran out of the woods. Kyle was waiting for me and joined me for the run across the finish line. Always a treasured experience.
Post Race: (Kinda takes the fun out of it!)
I was proud of my finish time (5:04:55 - actually two minutes faster than 2008), but was devastated that my perfect race was so close to happening, only to have it slip through my fingers. When the wind eventually dried me off, my clothes told the story. I was totally caked up with salt. My black shorts were nearly white. I showed Tanja and Kyle my leg issue. I could tense my quad muscles for a few seconds then relax, but the muscles would stay constricted. After a second or two, the muscles would quiver then release; very weird! It didn’t take long before the nauseous feeling surfaced again. Trying to be cool and hide it, I took a seat, and then laid down. I got up to see Bill cross the finish line, then proceeded to stuff my head inside of a trashcan. Nice! That was a first, but unfortunately not the last. I ended up puking four times over three hours. I was getting a little worried after the 2nd time and called Angela. After hearing my symptoms, she was convinced the nausea was the result of the effort I just put forth and the electrolyte imbalance (plus all the salt, coke, etc). Sure enough, four hours post-race, it was like someone flipped a switch and I started eating everything in sight. It’s hard to believe that even after doing this for a number of years, there is still so much to learn, adapt, and every race presents different challenges.
It is always good to wake up the day after a race and the first thought that enters your mind, is what to do differently next time. A sub-5 hour has eluded me yet again, but not for long…
Run Splits:
Mile Time
1 07:37.8
2 07:38.0
3 08:10.6
4 07:45.0
5 08:42.2
6 07:59.3
7 09:03.3
8 10:48.8
9 10:30.3
10 10:16.1
11 08:37.8
12 10:10.3
13.1 10:06.4
Total 1:57:36
8:58 /mile pace
Below is my race recap. Warning it is long, always more of a personal journal...
ROUND 2:
I tackled this ½ in 2008 as a hard training day for Ironman Lake Placid. Two years later, I decided to return, to again use the event as a hard training day in prep for IM Louisville. This race would be a little different though. In 2008, I went to Kinetic fairly tired from all the training. This year, the plan was to get in a full taper and get to the start line well rested. The goal was to let it all hang out and see what I was capable of. I was prepared mentally to handle a DNF if I blew up, but I was determined to push the level of intensity. Training was going really well as I was getting stronger / faster in each discipline. Finishing with a personal best of Sub-5 hours is what this would be all about.
I knew I was capable of breaking the five hour barrier, but nonetheless, the several days leading up to the race was spent removing the self-doubt that always seems to creep its way into my thoughts. The result of nerves, high expectations, and self created stress, I guess.
We (the family) pulled into my older sister’s house in Ashburn around 7PM Friday evening. My litter sister and her family were already there as her husband, Bill, would be toeing the start-line as well. A favorite pre-race meal was waiting for us. Cavs win, cousins’ play, hit the sack around 10:30PM. Alarm rings at 3:10AM and I am surprisingly bushy eyed. It’s 78 degrees already with a fairly good wind. It was going to be a challenging, hot day.
Breakfast was approx. 450 calories (a little short of my 600 goal.) I just wasn’t very hungry with the late dinner only a few hours ago. Mind you, Ashburn is a very nice suburb, great environment, expensive homes, etc. As Bill and I were eating breakfast, we hear six gun shots ring out. We stare at each other with raised eye brows. Bill breaks the silence by making a “gang” sign to me. Laughter erupts as my blackberry chirps almost immediately with an instant message from Tanja (still in bed) “WTF, were those gun shots?” Crazy…
As always, time disappears and we quickly fell behind. A few wrong turns, a lot of silly laughs, and a two-hour drive gets us to the race site with very little time to spare. A quick check-in, transition set-up, and it is time to get down to the beach. No time for a warm-up. No time for a bathroom break. Not exactly the way you want to start the day. Our support crew arrives as I am putting on my wetsuit. A few hugs and high fives and it is time to go.
SWIM: (26:38)
As the first wave or two took off, I entered the water to get a few strokes in and get accustomed to the water temp. On my first stroke, my HR monitor unsnaps. I try to re-snap it through my wetsuit, but cannot get it. With only a few minutes to spare, I find my little sister in the crowd and run up to her asking her to unzip my suit and remove the chest strap. This day would be based on RPE alone.
My swimming has been progressing well, so I plant myself in the front row, far left of the buoys. The wind was directly into us creating a one foot chop on the water that we would have to swim directly into for 600 yards. The plan was to swim the first 200-300 yards hard then settle into my race pace. As the horn blew, it seemed like total craziness. I could not find clean water ANY WHERE. Dudes were all over me. I quickly got impatient and sprinted to get ahead. It worked as I pulled into clean water, but unfortunately, I had difficulty getting my breath back. I could not time the waves with my breathing. I was taking in a lot of water and was VERY close to allowing myself to panic. Luckily, I talked myself out of it realizing the swim would get easier in a few 100 yards when we turned perpendicular to the waves. I kept trying to find a rhythm and focus on my stroke. It was amazing once I realized it, how sloppy my stroke was. You spend all this time in the pool 100% focused on technique only to have it disappear within seconds in open water. I spent the rest of the swim focused on my technique and pace. Aside from zigzagging a bit from the waves and no open water practice, I exited the water to see 26:38 on my watch. Hmmm, that was really good for nearly panicking.
T1: (1:44)
For the life of me, I could not find the rip cord on my wetsuit zipper. For what seemed like eternity, I looked like someone with a bad back itch that couldn’t reach it from any angle. My arms must have been really tight because my flexibility was pathetic. Otherwise, uneventful.
BIKE: (2:37:46)
I felt I had a good plan going into the bike (300 calories and 30oz per hour, one thermatab every 30 minutes.) The course was going to be the exact same as 2008. Rolling terrain is the perfect description: no real big climbs and not too many flats. The question was going to be the wind: How bad would it be? I elected to carry one 24 oz bottle of G2 boosted with 500 calories of Carbo Pro. In addition, I carried two 20oz bottles of water and a Clif Bar. I initially thought of only carrying one bottle of water, but decided to have one to dump over my head to help keep me cool.
I sipped water for the first 30 minutes and started the salt tabs at the 30 minute mark. I quickly settled in and felt great. This winter, I made the leap to a Computrainer and knew that no outside riding could be has hard as those torturous indoor sessions Angela (www.aforster.net) put me through on a weekly basis. My legs felt strong and the race wheels that Angela lent me felt very fast. I could accelerate when I wanted without any side effects. I stayed within myself, but focused on keeping the intensity up the entire ride. When I caught my mind wandering and the pace lessening, I kicked it back up to race effort. I stayed very present with my hydration and salt in-take as well. I grazed on the Clif Bar and sipped on the high caloric G2 drink throughout the ride. My lower back tightened up somewhere in the first loop. So every 20 minutes, I would coast and stretch it. During the 2nd loop, I elected to climb out of the saddle and use this as the back relief. At the beginning of the second loop, I ditched the extra water bottle to lighten the load. Around the hour thirty mark, I kicked up the salt to one thermatab every 20-30 minutes instead of every 30. It was getting a little warm and I could feel my quads fatiguing a little, but nothing major. Dumping water on myself as I approached an aid station was a great way to keep comfortable. Ultimately, I had no major issues on the bike and actually enjoyed the entire ride. I entered the park feeling great and could have ridden longer. This not only was the fastest bike split I ever had but the most comfortable bike leg as well. The burn in my legs never got above a slight level.
T2: (1:13)
Again uneventful. My support crew was cheering their heads off as I arrived. As always, it is HUGE to have them there. As I headed out on the run, I looked at them and said “I’m going to go for a little run now.”
RUN: (1:57:36) My slowest ½ Marathon ever.
From 2008, I knew this was a painful run. Three loops, rolling terrain with a huge (.8 mile) hill climb right out of transition. As I began climbing, the quads were definitely fatigued, but I stayed in the present. So far, I was having the perfect race. I hit my split at the 1st mile mark and saw 7:37. Wow, up that hill? I didn’t even feel like I was running fast. The good splits continued and I was on a total high; I was going to shatter the 5-hour barrier. I was hitting the aid stations drinking water and dumping another cup over my head. The cold water was actually taking my breath away.
I was maintaining my salt intake (about every 20-40 minutes), but in hindsight, I laid off the calories a little too long. By Mile 6 I was getting a little nauseous and decided it was time to hit the coke. Then mile 7 hit and severe leg cramps set in! I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was managing the hydration and salt well. I was actually seeing people caked up with salt and thinking “oh boy, are they gonna be having problems…” I could muster up the will to run when the cramps would subside, only to have my legs re-cramp in a ½ mile. No rhyme or reason: left quad, right hamstring, right quad, left hamstring. Both legs were shredded. I saw Amy, my older sister, as I was completing the 2nd loop and yelled to her that it was over. In a disbelieving look, she started running beside me. I told her the cramping problems and she would have none of it. She gave me one hell of a yelling pep talk and sent me on my way with Kyle, my oldest son, running across the grass to catch me at the next turn.
Run, cramp, curse loudly while hobbling to the side of the road, massage, beat the hell out of my thighs with my fists in anger, stretch, walk, begin running again. This was the pattern of the last 6 miles. I never gave up and continued to work the problem. I kept drinking water, got in two ½ bananas to help with the cramping, salt intake continued, I got in some coke around mile 8 (which was HUGE on the energy), etc. I continued to drink coke at every aid station. At mile 10, I did the math and calculated that I could run three 8:15’s and still make sub-5. F’ it, here we go! I turned an 8:37, not bad, but still short. Mile 11: ok, we gotta run two 7:45’s. Totally doable as I just had one hill climb left and the rest would be downhill. It didn’t take long though and the left hamstring was yelling “NO MAS.” It was over! I could barely run a few hundred yards before the legs would cramp.
I finally caught my Brother-in-Law only to have to let him run on as I was forced to the side again. I was able to pass Bill at the next aid station as he refueled. The final ½ mile to the finish line is a very scenic run on a paved trail through the woods. Unfortunately, I couldn’t run it. The downhill was killing my legs. One or two turnovers and the left hamstring would cramp. I was reduced to a walk in the nicest section of the course. Bill came running by, and I jokingly yelled “Willie, they’re calling me home, but I can’t get there.” This seemed to entertain the runners as many burst into laughter.
I finally sucked it up when I reached the bottom and ran out of the woods. Kyle was waiting for me and joined me for the run across the finish line. Always a treasured experience.
Post Race: (Kinda takes the fun out of it!)
I was proud of my finish time (5:04:55 - actually two minutes faster than 2008), but was devastated that my perfect race was so close to happening, only to have it slip through my fingers. When the wind eventually dried me off, my clothes told the story. I was totally caked up with salt. My black shorts were nearly white. I showed Tanja and Kyle my leg issue. I could tense my quad muscles for a few seconds then relax, but the muscles would stay constricted. After a second or two, the muscles would quiver then release; very weird! It didn’t take long before the nauseous feeling surfaced again. Trying to be cool and hide it, I took a seat, and then laid down. I got up to see Bill cross the finish line, then proceeded to stuff my head inside of a trashcan. Nice! That was a first, but unfortunately not the last. I ended up puking four times over three hours. I was getting a little worried after the 2nd time and called Angela. After hearing my symptoms, she was convinced the nausea was the result of the effort I just put forth and the electrolyte imbalance (plus all the salt, coke, etc). Sure enough, four hours post-race, it was like someone flipped a switch and I started eating everything in sight. It’s hard to believe that even after doing this for a number of years, there is still so much to learn, adapt, and every race presents different challenges.
It is always good to wake up the day after a race and the first thought that enters your mind, is what to do differently next time. A sub-5 hour has eluded me yet again, but not for long…
Run Splits:
Mile Time
1 07:37.8
2 07:38.0
3 08:10.6
4 07:45.0
5 08:42.2
6 07:59.3
7 09:03.3
8 10:48.8
9 10:30.3
10 10:16.1
11 08:37.8
12 10:10.3
13.1 10:06.4
Total 1:57:36
8:58 /mile pace
