ESI Augusta 70.3

Well, another race is in the books and another medal is hanging on my wall. Augusta 70.3 was a race to remember.

First things first: Many thanks to the race support team and numerous volunteers that made this event possible for all of us masochists that sign up for it. You make these events run smoothly and keep us safe and healthy throughout. Athletes: please be sure to thank the race support for their time and energy whenever you get a chance. It means a lot.

This was a club race for the Central Florida Tri Club as well, with 30+ athletes particpating or attending the event. This group of people are one of the main motivating forces in my life and I can't thank them enough for being a part of my life. Congrats to all of you that raced and thank you for all of the amazing support you provide for myself and your fellow teammates.

Pre-race:

For some reason, I wasn't as nervy for this 70.3 as I was for Florida back in May. It could have been that I had more training, or trusted it more, or just was moreso just put at ease by the exceedingly simple swim and run courses that Augusta presents.

The day before the race, some of the members of the Central Florida Tri Club and I took a stroll down the Savannah Riverwalk to test out the waters we'd be racing in. As expected, the current was swift, the water was a cool 75ish degrees, and many swimming PRs were ready to happen.

After that confidence boost, a little sampler of the bike course was in store. Five miles out and five back on the bike course told me most of what I could expect here: rollers, false flats, flying downhills. Courses like that are easy to spend extra energy on. It pays to be mindful of your HR and/or power throughout so you have enough in the tank for the run.

The run course is a super-flat two-looper on a serpentine course through downtown Augusta. Nothing terribly technical. Just put your shoes to the pavement until you finish.

Expectations:

I was fully confident that I could get through this course in under five hours. Given the numerous advantages on the swim (downstream AND wetsuit-legal) and on the run (flat), there was no reason not to meet that goal.

The only wild-card here is the weather. The day before the race was cool and foggy, basically perfect. The forecast called for high temps of 88 which would be too bad with some cloud cover.

Race Day:

Up and at 'em bright and early at 4:15am. Bagel eaten. Water bottles filled. Nutrition accounted for. It was time to dominate (as much as a 185 lb. middle-packer can).

The transition set-up at Augusta could be a little tricky as transition is 1.2 miles away from the swim start and there was very limited parking nearby. Athletes had to either 1) park by the host hotel and shuttle to transition or 2) get their early enough to park near transition (my choice, and it worked!). Time mangagement before the race was pretty important.

Taking the shuttle from transition was fun. Huge yellow school buses crammed with anxious faces and their wetsuits; a far cry from the huge charter Disney buses supplied at the Florida 70.3. In a moment of levity, my anxiety was immediately curbed by an urge to nap the second I sat in the bus. Why? That's the only thing I used to do in school buses when I was in high school.

Anyways, back on topic.

The Swim - or - The Float:

Wetsuit on, I jumped into the chilly Savannah River with the rest of my yellow cap-wearing bretheren (the 25-29 I-Z crowd) for our two minute wait period before our start time. In an unexpected twist, this turned into two minutes of swimming backward against the current to avoid jumping over the start line too early. Wishing each other luck and assuring each other of otherworldly swim PRs, the gun sounded and commenced kicking and elbowing each other in the face at a 1:30min/100m pace downstream.

Once those shenanigans ended and we thinned out, the swim was just as effortless as anticipated. I'm not saying this because I'm a good swimmer (I'm not). I'm saying this because apparently a floating styrofoam cup can complete this swim course in 45 minutes.

Anyways, this swim is so much easier once you can get into your groove and just go uninterruped for 20 minutes. Just be sure to sight every once in a while so you know where the bend in the river is and follow it. I definitely did this and definitely did not run into a kayaker in the middle of the river telling me to swim right and "get back on $%*^ing course." (They didn't actually say that, but I would have.)

Sighting gaffes aside, I emerged from the water with a 27:59 swim time and was still feeling fresh.

Transition:

Next time you're around your friends, say this sentence:

"It took two strippers to get my suit off this morning."

Do not say this around your boss.

T1 Time: 3:39.

Cycling in the South:

Heading out of T1 with mounds of energy still, it was time to put those long rides in Clermont to good use. Despite my reservations about the course's elevation profile, I started this ride out very confident and steady. I found myself passing a few riders and getting passed in turn along the South Carolina rollers that were present throughout. It never seemed like there was a truly flat section on these roads; you were either climbing or coasting. All I wanted to do was get through the course and have enough energy left over for a respectable run. I trusted myself to keep my HR at a manageable zone between 145 and 150BPM for a majority of the ride.


The second half of the course was a bit more difficult than the first; the climbs a little steeper and the turns a little more technical. By technical, I mean you best slow the hell down and not try to take a ninety degree turn with a downhill entry at 25mph. I mean that perception could be caused by fatigue as well I guess, but let me pretend it was legitimately harder.

After passing mile 45, I slipped into kind of a braindead state; still maintaining an appropriate speed/cadence/HR but not consciously thinking about it. From then until T2 was more or less a blur.

A 2:36:37 bike split and a 21.45 mph average speed was my reward for the increased training in the hills of Clermont. I couldn't have asked for more.

For those of you considering Augusta 70.3 in the future, this bike course has a couple challenging elements. It has got to be one of the more enjoyable routes I've ridden in recent memory.

Transition:

Nothing to see here. Rack the frame. Slide on the shoes. Go. 2:18.

Flat and Fast - or - Blame it on the Weather:

At first glance, it seemed as if the stars had aligned for this race for me. A strong swim and a strong bike already in the book and now I was cruising out of transition at a 7:30/mi clip for the first six miles. The legs were starting the hurt and the hips were starting to get tight but I was sure that I could hold out for a bit longer. As the sun started beaming down in the middle of the day, I could feel its effects immediately. The sweat rate increased and the accumulated fluid loss thus far was beginning to take its toll. Mile eight hit me like a ton of bricks. An acute loss of energy reduced my 1:45:00 projected run split to a crawl. With every passing moment, the sub-5 hour dream was slipping away.

I saw my coach around this time and he asked me that telling question, "How do you feel?" All I could muster was a thumbs-down and had to accept the fact that my training base didn't allow for sustained speed at this point in the race. All I had at this point were bursts followed by walk breaks. Obviously, this is going to be a point of emphasis for future training.

Always smile. You never know who's taking your picture.

With a couple miles left of the trudgefest, I was having legitimate fears of heat exhaustion as my vision was unfocused and my balance was spotty at best. I had two more encounters with my coach in which he told to get my ass moving but I simply didn't have anything else to give at this point.

So, as it went, I crossed the finish line with a respectable-but-not-preferred 5:10:48. Coming to the finish line, a friend of mine gave me some insta-motivation in the form of "Do NOT Let Me Pass You!!!" We crossed the finish together. 

Post-Race:

It seems my fears of exhaustion were realized. Immediately after getting my finisher's medal, my friend and I sat in the race pavilion and exchanged a few words of encouragement. The only position I could get my body into at that point was on my back on the grass, hat over my face, reflecting on the race. For an hour. In the sun. Sitting up made me nauseous. Standing up even more so. I was happy though. Content in my performance but of course striving to find improvements (which there are plenty). I had friends and teammates come up to me giving congratulations, but I'm pretty sure they were wondering if I should be hauled off to the med tent.

Takeaways:

The more I heard of other athletes' experiences, the more they mirrored my own. Everyone had superb swim times due to the water-jet that was the Savannah River that day. Everyone enjoyed the bike leg and found their projections to be on point for it. The run killed everyone. Everyone was slow. The unexpected afternoon heat sapped everyone's energy. I couldn't believe it until I looked at my age group place progression and saw that I had only dropped 4 spots during the run.

As with any race, picking up areas of improvement is a must. I found many and will hopefully be able to address them in the offseason. Another great event in the books and another medal hanging on the wall.

The Swag:

Another one hard fought.


Train well and be fast,


Mike

Florida 70.3

Rohto Florida 70.3


[Note: this was typed on an airplane amongst screaming babies and snoring parents, sorry if there are any grammatical screw-ups.]

Race Date:  May 15, 2011

Location: Fort Wilderness, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL

Weather: Rainy/Wet at pre-race, clear/humid at race start

Initial Goal Time: 5:16:30

Goal Swim 1.2mi: 0:45

Goal T1: 4:00

Goal Bike 56mi: 2:45

Goal T2: 2:30

Goal Run 13.1mi: 1:40

Pre-race notes:

A mandatory bike-drop the day before was in effect due to logistics (bus shuttle from WDW Trans & Tix Center). Buses were run very smoothly the day before. There were only three buses operating due to lower volume of people and bikes being dropped off during the course that day. This amount was increased to about 8 buses the morning of the race as all race participants/spectators showed up at the same time at 4:15 in the morning, making the line to get on the buses look like that of any given Disney ride during mid-day.

Immediately after dropping off my bike around 1:30 pm on Saturday, we noticed a few of those dark grey afternoon clouds start to roll in. Rain was on its way but I just figured it would be one of those typical afternoon showers that would last 15 minutes and give way to sunshine and some steamy conditions.  Well, that was the worst assumption of my life. The driving rain, 20 mph wind, and general apocalyptic weather didn’t go away until about 4 hours later. Now, being the day before the race, I shouldn’t have cared all that much. However, knowing that my Trek Speed Concept was sitting on a bike stand in the middle of all this caused me a little concern. I was just thinking about how much water (weight) my saddle, bar tape, and pads were absorbing at the time, nevermind any rust that would form on some of the bolts as a result. Best thing to do was to put it out of my mind since there was nothing that could be done about it. More important was the need to concentrate on my race strategy, nutrition, and general plan for the race.

I got back to the hotel, had a filling but nutritious meal (grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad), and started to prep all my sports drink and on-course nutrition for the next morning. For the sake of keeping track of what nutrition is working or not working for me, I’ll list out my planned race nutrition here.

• 24oz Regular strength fruit punch Gatorade in Profile Design Aerocell (frozen pre-race, taken as needed)
• 20oz Water in standard water bottle (frozen pre-race)
• 1 Double Latte Powerade Gel 2x Caffeine (taken 15min prior to swim start)
• 5x Assorted Powerade Gels (taken @ :30, 1:30, 2:00, 2:40 on bike leg, 0:30 on run section)
• 2x Assorted Clif Bar (taken 1hr before swim start and @ 1:00 on bike leg)
• Saltstick Caps (taken on 0:15 and 0:45 marks on bike leg, as needed on run leg)

Race Morning:

Woke up at 3:30am and immediately headed to the kitchen to down about 8oz of Gatorade and a Saltstick Cap to get my hydration and electrolytes up as quickly as possible. Followed that up with a bagel topped with peanut butter and a banana for a quick metabolic jump.

One thing hadn’t changed since the day before thought. It was still raining. Not a light drizzle; a heavy rain that was assuredly making the bike course slick as hell and make for an interesting ride to say the least.

Pre-race:

• Raining with lightning during transition set up. Had to use half of my towel to cover up running shoes, socks, and race bag. Worked reasonably well to keep things dry.
• Due to lightning, no athletes were allowed on the swim course prior to race start. Everyone had a cold start to begin the race.
• Race was delayed about 20 minutes in order to let the weather clear. Once the rain stopped, it was a gorgeous morning with just a few clouds in front of a great sunrise over Bay Lake.

Swim:

Not being the best swimmer ever, my primary goal to begin the event was to conserve energy for the bike and run by limiting the amount of stabilizing movements my legs usually make. Best way to do this was to consciously shut down my legs while I swam and just do my best to sink into a sustainable rhythm with my stroke and breathing, no matter the speed.  I was able to manage this with a reasonable amount of success, but found myself stopped every now and then by running into other swimmers and occasionally losing my sight line with the course buoys. Find the rhythm I did, though, and the 1.2 miles passed without much physiological incident. Coming up to the swim finish on the beach, I could feel the energy in the legs start to build and bolted out of the water as soon as I could, virtually sprinting past the other athletes on their way to T1. This was a good omen for the rest of the race as I’m used to feeling disoriented and sluggish coming out of the water.

Out of the water and into the saddle.

T1:

Keeping the quick pace out of the water, T1 seemed to fly by relatively quickly. Only had one hiccup that occurred with glasses. The second I slipped them over my eyes, they immediately fogged up. Realizing that keeping my vision was way more important than looking cool and plowing into athletes and spectators, I stuffed them in my jersey pocket to put on later. This transition would have been much better if all the athletes weren’t forced to carry/roll their bikes about 100 yards out of the transition area and through a chute to a designated mounting area. Wasted time all around, but logistics are logistics and you gotta deal with them.

Bike:

This course is about as flat as they get but comes with a small caveat: you’re exposed most of the time and you play the lottery with the wind that day. I wanted to take the same approach with this leg that I did with the swim in that I wanted to keep a good, steady rhythm and not waste more energy than I had to. Knowing the course and how flat it was, it was relatively easy to keep a good cadence and maintain a speed at over 20mph.

The course brought us out of Fort Wilderness on relatively wet roads. The sun had come out and was starting to burn some of it off, making the course conditions improve as the stage went on. Good. I was tired of having water sprayed into my eyes for 15 minutes straight. Coming around Epcot and traveling down World Drive, the course opened up considerably and the spacing between athletes was more manageable. No longer did I have to weave in and out of people! Yes! There was a noticeable headwind on the outward portion of World Dr. but nothing a little bit of a head tuck couldn’t cure. I’ve gotta give kudos to the race director for allowing athletes to have their names on their bibs if they wanted them. It was as comforting to hear personalized words of encouragement from other athletes as it was to return the favor in kind along the course.

The course then wound along SR 192 towards the west side of Disney property and onto Avalon Road heading north. Just stayed true to the plan and kept it steady. There was no need to push myself any harder than I had to as long as I was on pace.

Along mile 44 on Porter Road, there was an athlete about 50 ft in front of me as we came through the 3^rd aid station. This man was on a mission because he simply could not be bothered to slow down to grab a water bottle. First attempt: missed. Second attempt: fumbled the bottle out of his hands. Third attempt: no luck. Concentrating too much on his high-speed bottle grab and not the road in front of him, he ran over an object on the course (can’t recall what it was) that launched his front wheel airborne making him lose his balance. After I grabbed a gel of my own, my eyes turned forward only to see this athlete’s bike horizontal and sliding on the pavement, with him underneath it. He appeared to be OK, just in a very cuss-worthy mood at that point. Lesson learned: Slow down at aid stations!! I’m glad he turned out alright, but couldn’t help but think that the incident could have been avoided very easily if he were more cautious.

Mile 50 – Knowing that the run leg wasn’t far off and that I was ahead of pace for the bike, I decided to take the opportunity to sit up in the saddle a bit, spin out the legs a little more and mentally prepare myself for the half-marathon that lie ahead. At this point the sun was close to overhead and there were some sections on the run where you’re fully exposed.

Just as important as any pace or time goal was fueling during this stage to make sure there was enough left in the tank for what was going to be a pretty hot run. Staying aware of Coach Hector’s nutrition advice, I made sure not to take any gels or solid food during the first half hour in the saddle as my heart rate was still relatively high from the run and nutrients aren’t readily absorbed during this time. Luckily my frozen Gatorade had thawed out and was still kinda cold, so I took a couple pulls out of the Aerocell and popped a salt tab to get the electrolytes back up. I followed the nutrition plan I have laid out above almost to the minute, grabbing extra supplies along the course as needed. Unfortunately, the plan I had laid out didn’t work out entirely as well as I had wanted. The accumulation of sugars from the Gatorade and Gels had left my stomach feeling overly full, which I attempted to rectify by sitting up in my saddle for a period to help everything move through. This mistake would manifest itself more during the run.

Get down. Get fast.

T2:

Pretty standard transition I’d say. After carrying my bike back 100yds to the transition zone, I just slipped the socks and shoes on, popped on my glasses (which I had neglected up until then) and hat and rolled out onto the already-hot course, Gatorade bottle in hand.

Run:

Now I consider myself a decent runner. Not amazing, but decent. I can pull off a sub 1:30 half-marathon and feel pretty good about myself. This was new territory however. Already reasonably fatigued and already pulling a decent effort for just under four hours, how would my body respond? Was my nutrition sufficient? Would my legs hold up under the extended effort? This 13.1 was a journey into the unknown for me and left me a little uncertain.

Heading out of transition, I felt strong, I felt like my legs could carry me through to the finish line and the time goal I had set out weeks before. They wouldn’t betray me, would they? They rolled me out of transition at a 7:00/mi pace, too quick for comfort. I did my best to slow down to a 7:40 or higher to let the muscles settle in and then quicken as the stage went on.  I deliberately slowed down at the first aid station to grab some ice and put it under my cap to provide some cool rain over my head and body as I ran. Worked like a charm!

A couple miles in, I took a few ounces of Gatorade and a salt cap to hopefully stem the effects the sun was having on my body. About 10 minutes after that, it happened. My stomach. There was too much sugar, too much gel, too much warm Gatorade, too much something. It panged, badly. It was stifling. I knew what the problem was. I couldn’t absorb anything else without a measure of pain to accompany it. It showed in my pace too as the average on my Garmin started to slowly rise. It was the second of three laps. I could do this. I could tough it out without any more nutrition. Water and salt tabs for only for 8 or so miles.

Words of encouragement from teammates, friends, and my girlfriend kept me going as strong as I could. The legs still felt fine. My training didn’t betray me. As I kept trudging through the second lap at an ~8:00/mi pace, the pangs subsided but were replaced with a shortness of breath in my chest. A degree of exercise-induced asthma wasn’t unusual for me and was almost expected (I got treated for it the next day). Unable to draw deep rhythmic breaths, my run suffered further on the third lap, with a couple of walk breaks being peppered in to assess what my chest and stomach were doing and determine how much more effort was possible leading up to the finish line. Time to dig deep mentally and soldier on.

Not finishing the race was never an option. I had this. I kept smiling at the eventuality. It was just a matter of what the race clock was going to say when I met it.

Can't hold me down!

I've got to hand it to the race directors for putting on a great event in less than ideal circumstances. The rain, thunder, and lightning before the race could have easily derailed the whole thing but they waited it out and the race went off without a hitch. Another great thanks to the hundreds of volunteers that were there making sure us athletes were well supplied and safe on course. Without them, none of these races could be possible. Can't wait to tackle another 70.3 soon!


The Results:


Swim 1.2 mi: 45:45
T1: 3:22
Bike 56 mi: 2:43:06 (20.6mph)
T2: 1:45
Run 13.1 mi: 1:51:37 (8:31 min/mi)


Total Time: 5:25:35


The Swag: