Last weekend was the Boulder 70.3 triathlon. This blog post was mostly going to be a race report, but I realised just how long it's been since I posted anything... a lot has happened since then, and much of it is useful back-story for the Boulder race.
So, back-story it is.
Last time I posted here was after the Atomic Man duathlon, a tough race (10km run, 40km bike, 5km run) held in White Rock, New Mexico. Well, only six days after Atomic Man I was treading water at the start line of Ironman 70.3 St. George, in a rather beautiful part of Utah. Largely due to laziness, but partly because of eye problems, I hadn't been to the pool much. My cycling and running had seemed to be on top form though.
How did that race pan out? Well, the girl and I had driven over to St. George and were staying at a gorgeous B&B. (She likes the town and B&B so much that she wants me to do the race again.) The race was on Saturday and we headed over to Sand Hollow to get the bike set up in T1. Sand Hollow is perhaps the nicest-looking spot for a swim. EVER (I'll try to find a picture). When I was there on race day I was less thrilled. The water was only as cold as at Ironman Wales, but seemed to be affecting me more. My swim was as glacial as the water felt, and I was glad when my hands finally thawed enough for me to get my socks and shoes on, and then out on the bike.
They laid on a fantastic bike course too. It was what you could call an "honest" course -- plenty of climbing, some flat, good opportunities to catch some wind. Thankfully the wind was fairly minimal, and the heat of the day didn't arrive until much later. The second state park on the course (after Sand Hollow) was Snow Canyon, which is a beautiful hill climb that just gets steeper as you go. Of course, what goes up must come down and the descent from the top of Snow Canyon is fast and on good roads.
Then to the run. The baking hot, totally exposed run. Did I mention the giant hill that covers the first few miles? No? Well, it's there. Actually, the way out wasn't too bad. For a little under half the run I even found myself matching another guy stride-for-stride and we chatted while we ran. The only real negative part of the run was running back down the big hill towards the finish. I had a little pain in my left ankle whenever I tried to open up with some speed on the downhill. Maybe I hadn't fully recovered from my sprint finish at Atomic Man, maybe it was new. Regardless, I slowed a little and then added some speed for the flat last half mile to the finish line.
Total time: 5:16:02, for 299th position overall and 54th in my age group.
I have to say that I was unhappy with my transitions, and I have only myself to blame for a slow, tough swim. Overall the experience was overwhelmingly positive though and I wasn't unhappy with my race time for such a tough course. The course was nice and the atmosphere was great.
Three (very lazy) weeks later I was at the Jemez Mountain Trail Run with the girl. She'd been looking forward to the 13.4 mile trail "half-marathon", so we signed up for that together. Of course, I was under strict orders not to run with her, and to go ahead and race. The race is on technical, rocky trails and has about 2400ft of elevation gain (half of it coming in one monster climb). Given that, I was hoping to come in under 2 hours, and figured that under 2:10 was likely. The speed at the start of the race was amazing - I wasn't sure whether all of those runners knew what they were doing, but it turns out that most of them are just FAST. Anyway, I was doing well until about mile 3, which is when I first got stabbing, cramping pain. It was at the bottom of, and off to the side of, my abs. I had to walk several times before I hit mile 4, and a couple more times towards the end of the race. It was a hot day, in the end. Despite the cramps I finished in 2:18:06 (29th overall), a respectable time but I hadn't had a lot of fun out there.
Happily I turned my attention back to cycling! Next on my radar was the 41st annual Tour de Los Alamos, what they call "the oldest bicycle race in the southwest". For the last three years I've raced this in the Citizens category; the category for folks who aren't USA Cycling licensed racers. I've won the 30-39 age group every year (twice in a sprint finish) and had improved my overall position from 7th, to 3rd, to 2nd. This year I'd upped the ante by racing as a licensed rider, debuting at the Adoption Exchange Classic. The citizens' race is one loop of about 27 miles, plus a couple of miles of "neutral parade" through town. Category 4 and 5 riders get to race for two laps of the course!
My winter had seen me put a lot of hours in on the stationary trainer, using TrainerRoad and training videos from The Sufferfest, and it really felt like it had paid off. My riding was stronger than it had ever been, and my plan for the race was to stay near the front of the pack, and go with any breaks I thought had a chance of surviving. My (perhaps optimistic) goal was to finish in the top 5 - mostly because, dammit, that's MY loop. I've ridden the course probably approaching 100 times. The race started at a relatively gentle pace. In opposition to last year, I felt no compulsion to drive the pace on the opening hill to shed people before the long straight downhill past Bandelier National Monument. The plan was simple: sit in, stay close to the front, go with the breaks. So I was sitting in.
As we got into the neutral zone marking the descent into Ancho Canyon I was chatting to a guy I'd met at the Adoption Exchange Classic back in April. I remember saying "The climb out of here is where the attacks usually come", but I was expecting it on lap 2. Except as the hill got steeper I found myself in second place and the guy in front was pulling away. Quickly. I figured that if I caught him, he'd slow up and wait for the pack - break nullified. Except that didn't quite work...
I hadn't realised that I was also dropping the pack on the way out of the canyon, and as I was fading slightly, trying desperately to get into the leader's slipstream, I heard a laboured voice call out "C'mon, you're nearly there!" Glancing back I only saw two people, then a gap before the peloton. My legs took that as a good sign and I charged up to the leader, closely followed by my fellow chasers. The leader sat up slightly as he heard us catch him, likely figuring we were the peloton, so I called out "We've got a gap."
The next 40 miles were a torturous, yet oddly awesome, ride in a four-man paceline. The referee on the motorcycle kept pulling up alongside us to give us splits back to the chasing riders. "20 seconds", "40 seconds", "1 minute 15 seconds". Apparently while trying to chase us down, three more riders had gotten away from the peloton. There were a few terrible minutes where the chase group was pulling back some time, but we got to the final climb of the race with a 1:40 lead. And that was where the teamwork and cameraderie of the break dissolved. Our little group fractured and I was left in a battle for 3rd or 4th. When I got to the line I stopped, got off my bike, and managed a controlled collapse to the ground. Third place; the hardest and best executed race of my life. And a podium in my home town race! Best day of the year, right there.
Final stats: 3rd place (Senior Men's Category 5), time 2:39:21.
So then all I had to do was use the rest of my summer to switch back to triathlon training and get ready to race in Boulder. Easy, right?
(To be continued...)
Showing posts with label Ironman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ironman. Show all posts
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
New Challenges
So the USA, the country I live in, made it's choices yesterday about how to handle the challenges of the next 4 years. Being too foreign to vote here, I found myself wanting to make choices about something and my mind naturally drifted to my new challenges.
2012 saw a lot of challenges faced... this year I had cataract surgery, on both eyes. I've spent much of the year with decent vision in only one eye. I've been dealing with the effects of drugs to suppress my immune system. The biggest challenge of the year took up most of my time, which was racing at Ironman Wales. Training for the challenge of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run takes time - a lot of time. Knowing that the course in Wales is one of the hardest out there certainly provided motivation. Best of all, I got to use this challenge to raise money for Olivia's Vision; they're a UK-based charity that provide support for sufferers of uveitis (many of whom are children), they also provide specialist training for doctors and support research.
So what now?
Well, first of all, I've been sufficiently lazy since the Ironman that I have to do something. Fortunately the girl has stepped in with a plan for the winter! She wants to run her first marathon in early March; she has the race picked out and is starting her training. Oh, and she wants me to do it too.
So I'm running my first stand-alone marathon in March and I get to finish and cheer the girl over the line for her first marathon, which takes care of the next 16 weeks of training. Along the way I'm going to try to throw some snowshoeing and snowboarding in as cross-training.
From March 2013 onward I still have a blank calendar. I still want to race triathlon, and I'm looking forward to improving my ranking - both in the New Mexico open water tri series and in the USAT age group rankings. There's a choice to make about the Tour de Los Alamos too. I've won my age group in the Citizens category for the last 3 years, improving my overall position from 8th to 2nd. Do I man up and cat up, as the race director tells me I should, racing with a USAC license in the Category 4/5 Men's race? I want to do another half-Ironman too, so I've choices to make there.
None of this seems like a BIG challenge. I've done all of this before, to some degree. Well, after Boulder 70.3 I think I can improve to the point where qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas is possible! I covered the distance in under 5 hours at Boulder and I know I could have been faster. All it needed was a taper into the race and not sandbagging the run because I was "training for Wales". Can I get over 20 minutes faster? How about 30 minutes? That's the sort of improvement I'll need to get to Vegas. Now that's a challenge.
It probably won't happen this year, though I think I can get close. The other thing that's missing is a cause. Sure, endurance racing is kinda selfish and I do get a lot out of it, but I want to have something to race for too. I'll still support Olivia's Vision, but since everything will be in the US this year I want to do something here. Stay tuned for an update - I have a good idea about who I want to support, and when I have a plan I'll put it in words so there's nowhere for me to hide.
What are you challenging yourself with?
- Steve
2012 saw a lot of challenges faced... this year I had cataract surgery, on both eyes. I've spent much of the year with decent vision in only one eye. I've been dealing with the effects of drugs to suppress my immune system. The biggest challenge of the year took up most of my time, which was racing at Ironman Wales. Training for the challenge of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run takes time - a lot of time. Knowing that the course in Wales is one of the hardest out there certainly provided motivation. Best of all, I got to use this challenge to raise money for Olivia's Vision; they're a UK-based charity that provide support for sufferers of uveitis (many of whom are children), they also provide specialist training for doctors and support research.
So what now?
Well, first of all, I've been sufficiently lazy since the Ironman that I have to do something. Fortunately the girl has stepped in with a plan for the winter! She wants to run her first marathon in early March; she has the race picked out and is starting her training. Oh, and she wants me to do it too.
So I'm running my first stand-alone marathon in March and I get to finish and cheer the girl over the line for her first marathon, which takes care of the next 16 weeks of training. Along the way I'm going to try to throw some snowshoeing and snowboarding in as cross-training.
From March 2013 onward I still have a blank calendar. I still want to race triathlon, and I'm looking forward to improving my ranking - both in the New Mexico open water tri series and in the USAT age group rankings. There's a choice to make about the Tour de Los Alamos too. I've won my age group in the Citizens category for the last 3 years, improving my overall position from 8th to 2nd. Do I man up and cat up, as the race director tells me I should, racing with a USAC license in the Category 4/5 Men's race? I want to do another half-Ironman too, so I've choices to make there.
None of this seems like a BIG challenge. I've done all of this before, to some degree. Well, after Boulder 70.3 I think I can improve to the point where qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas is possible! I covered the distance in under 5 hours at Boulder and I know I could have been faster. All it needed was a taper into the race and not sandbagging the run because I was "training for Wales". Can I get over 20 minutes faster? How about 30 minutes? That's the sort of improvement I'll need to get to Vegas. Now that's a challenge.
It probably won't happen this year, though I think I can get close. The other thing that's missing is a cause. Sure, endurance racing is kinda selfish and I do get a lot out of it, but I want to have something to race for too. I'll still support Olivia's Vision, but since everything will be in the US this year I want to do something here. Stay tuned for an update - I have a good idea about who I want to support, and when I have a plan I'll put it in words so there's nowhere for me to hide.
What are you challenging yourself with?
- Steve
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Kona Inspired...
So I'm sat in front of my laptop watching the Ironman World Championship in Kona. A new feature this year is the "Kona Inspired" athlete programme. The idea is to give people with unusual stories the chance to race at Kona... these were open submissions, judged by the public. The stories have been fantastic and the people chosen really are inspirational. This year the chosen few are mostly survivors - survivors of cancers, childhood abuse, severe burns - but some are representing others, including a firefighter competing for firefighters affected by cancer, running the marathon in full firefighting gear...
These people are fantastic. They are winners before reaching the start line and I hope the short segments getting airtime give viewers a window into their cause.
Of course, this also has me reflecting on my situation. It's been a little over 3 years since I heard of uveitis and started learning first-hand about its effects. Since my first ironman nearly 4 weeks ago I've had a lot of time off work (long story) and have been really quite inactive - almost to the point of going cabin crazy! I've really been acutely aware of how my body is reacting to the increased dose of methotrexate that I've been on for a couple of months now. The main side-effect I've noticed is the nausea. Oh yes, the nausea is plentiful and was really bad for the last two weeks. There have been other ailments that have popped up, all of which can be associated with a compromised immune system. To be sure, none of it has been serious, but it's all a strain on the system physically and mentally. Sadly I noticed a little blur appearing in my left eye again today... so it looks like the methotrexate isn't doing much for my uveitis (despite giving my body a hard time).
So what's next? Well, I'm out of the country at the moment - so no access to my usual doctors. In fact, I'm not even in my home country, so I can't just walk-in somewhere and get free care. I'm going to go to a clinic in the next day or two and pay good money for some medical attention on the minor stuff (most urgently what I think might be an abscess on my left ear - ugh). Then I may have to send some email to my uveitis specialist to ask about the medication. I'm inclined to just discontinue use so I don't have to worry about side-effects any more. When I get back to the US I suspect that my medication will have to change. The next option discussed was a different immuno-suppressant called CellCept. I have more reading to do...
There is a silver lining here. I've found that the dosage of methotrexate is too high for my body to tolerate. More importantly I've found that the methotrexate isn't beating my uveitis down. Moving to a different strategy is one step closer to remission...
These people are fantastic. They are winners before reaching the start line and I hope the short segments getting airtime give viewers a window into their cause.
Of course, this also has me reflecting on my situation. It's been a little over 3 years since I heard of uveitis and started learning first-hand about its effects. Since my first ironman nearly 4 weeks ago I've had a lot of time off work (long story) and have been really quite inactive - almost to the point of going cabin crazy! I've really been acutely aware of how my body is reacting to the increased dose of methotrexate that I've been on for a couple of months now. The main side-effect I've noticed is the nausea. Oh yes, the nausea is plentiful and was really bad for the last two weeks. There have been other ailments that have popped up, all of which can be associated with a compromised immune system. To be sure, none of it has been serious, but it's all a strain on the system physically and mentally. Sadly I noticed a little blur appearing in my left eye again today... so it looks like the methotrexate isn't doing much for my uveitis (despite giving my body a hard time).
So what's next? Well, I'm out of the country at the moment - so no access to my usual doctors. In fact, I'm not even in my home country, so I can't just walk-in somewhere and get free care. I'm going to go to a clinic in the next day or two and pay good money for some medical attention on the minor stuff (most urgently what I think might be an abscess on my left ear - ugh). Then I may have to send some email to my uveitis specialist to ask about the medication. I'm inclined to just discontinue use so I don't have to worry about side-effects any more. When I get back to the US I suspect that my medication will have to change. The next option discussed was a different immuno-suppressant called CellCept. I have more reading to do...
There is a silver lining here. I've found that the dosage of methotrexate is too high for my body to tolerate. More importantly I've found that the methotrexate isn't beating my uveitis down. Moving to a different strategy is one step closer to remission...
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Ironman Wales - 12:15:10
The Welsh dragon does indeed have a mighty roar! The organizers were billing Ironman Wales as the toughest Ironman course in the world (tougher than Lanzarote, but not the same league as Norseman) and it wasn't hard to see why. It was a hard day, not without problems, but it was ultimately rewarding and I'm happy with my results.
Pre race: my alarm was set for 4:45, but I woke up at 3 and tried to snooze until the alarm went off. Breakfast was a glass of Emergen-C, coffee, 2 slices of toast with marmalade, a bowl of corn flakes and half a Yorkie bar. Then I got my stuff ready and headed over to transition.
There was a procession from transition, through town and down to the beach. The crowds were already out in force. At high tide there's not much room on Tenby's North beach and it took some time to get everyone on the beach for the start. Time for the Welsh national anthem, followed by AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to get the heart going, and then the cannon went off to mark the start of the race.
Swim: The course layout meant that people were bunched up for the first few hundred metres with no chance to spread out at all. Then it was so congested at the first right turn buoy that we were treading water around it. Otherwise, the swim was great... Water temp 16.9°C (62.4F) and only a little wetsuit rub on the side of the neck. The 2nd lap was much easier and I felt like I could really relax into the day. Swim time: 1:07:59
T1: Transition was 1.2km from North beach. The first task was running up the beach, then up the steep zig-zagging walkway (picking up the spare shoes on the way) and jogging to transition. The transition tent was crowded and completely chaotic. It took a while to find space to get my stuff out of my transition bag and get ready for the ride. One gel here, to get the blood sugar back up. I even had a quick chat with a guy filming for TV (off-camera), then it was out the door and onto the bike leg. T1 time: 16:55
Bike: Well, this didn’t quite go according to plan. Given the circumstances I’m actually happy with the result, but the circumstances weren’t ideal. I’ll get to that though...
Wales is a two-loop course, with a total elevation gain of about 8000ft. The first loop is longer and starts out heading West into the prevailing coastal winds and turns to come back East by the town of Angle. The second loop is basically the more hilly part of the first loop, repeated. On the way to Angle I felt like I was making reasonable time and wasn’t pushing too hard. The wind was pushing me around a bit, but I was glad I had the TT bike to reduce the effect of the wind. I was riding on Zipp 404 wheels, which didn’t cause me any trouble even though I’m very light. Anyway, out near Angle I changed up to the big chainring and felt a frayed strand of cable pop out and jab me in the finger. Not good! Fast-forward to mile 62 and another change to the big ring -- SNAP!! So I swore, I stopped, I tried to work out how I could fix it. In the end all I could do was get out the multi-tool and dial the derailleur out as far as possible so that there was the least amount of chain rub, even then the rub was pretty egregious in the smaller cogs on the cassette. So, 50 miles in the small chainring... I’d lost nearly 10 minutes to roadside repairs and I couldn’t get much speed up for the remainder of the ride.
Not that the mechanical was my only problem on the bike: I did get the nutrition slightly wrong. My plan was to get 4-5 bottles of sports drink (2 on bike, 2-3 on course), but I was clearly overdoing the liquids and had to stop several times. So I started drinking less and then I obviously wasn’t getting enough calories. I started to feel quite drained and needed more solid food. Eating revived me, but my on-board stash of 1 Clif bar, 1 powerbar, 5 gels and a bag of powerbar chews really wasn’t quite enough. What I’d change? I’d use a “bento box” on the top tube with extra food in it. I’d pack more than I anticipated needing, just in case.
The highlight of the bike course for me was the last part of the second loop -- the steep hills in Wiseman’s Bridge and Saundersfoot were a joy to ride, especially in the wet on that second lap when many people were struggling. To me, those hills represented nearing the end of the ride and were a rare chance prove to myself that I was (despite the ever lengthening time on the bike) a strong enough biker for this course. Bike time: 6:55:50
T2: I wasn’t tremendously motivated for a fast transition here - I walked my bike to the rack, then I walked to the tent (jogging seemed pointless). I also had a little trouble removing my gloves and arm-warmers, which were soaking. Full-finger gloves had been a very wise last-minute choice here. Anyway, one more gel in, one into the pocket and then I was out onto the run course. T2 time: 8:01
Run: Well, I started out feeling brilliant. As soon as I left T2 and started running the day regained some purpose. My first 5.2 miles happened in 37:23, which was good considering I was actually trying to pace myself (working from heart rate) but everything just felt so EASY. And then, quite suddenly, it didn’t. Mile 6.5, just a little into lap 2, and I was walking. It wasn’t even up the main hill yet, I just couldn’t run or even bring myself to try. I wanted to have a little sit down (and maybe a brief weep), and if there hadn’t been so many people I might have. Fortunately it didn’t last, and whatever I was telling myself in my head must’ve worked. I ran up the main hill out to New Hedges and decided that it was a nutritional problem, so the plan changed from “eat on the run” to “walk every aid station and eat the Ritz crackers”, which are brilliant washed down with Pepsi. Crackers and Pepsi is a marathon miracle, if you ask me. I’d never even thought of it before, and the pepsi wasn’t flat, but it was AWESOME. My pace evened out after that and my new strategy gave me the strength to ignore my body as it told me that my right achilles hurt, and that my left knee ached. As I passed mile 20 it really felt like a shuffle, though photos show what looks like a run, even in those dark times. Still, after collecting the pink band to mark my final lap on the course I started feeling a weight lift and there was a fresh flood of endorphins. I chatted to a fellow finisher as we turned onto the Esplanade for our run in, he said he wanted to enjoy the moment and slowed to really savour the finish. I heard my nephew calling for a sprint finish and did my best to oblige. Run time: 3:46:25
It seems that the run may have been slightly short, but to be honest, I’m not sure I care. I logged over 3300ft of vertical on the run and the bike wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. This was a tough course. Sure, it was my first Ironman, but I know tough conditions and terrain when I see them. The fastest bikers would’ve missed the worst of the rain and only gotten wet on the run course. The bike course was steep on the uphills and twisty on the downhills. There were plenty of spills once the roads got a good soaking.
Anyway, total time: 12:15:10. 96th in M35-39 and 453rd overall.
At the race briefing we were told 1650 athletes, and I’ve since heard that there were only 1200 finishers though that is just rumour. Certainly a lot of people missed the bike cutoff. I’m looking forward to seeing the final results. But first, I’m looking forward to a rest. I’ve contracted (Iron)man-flu and don’t want to ride a bike for at least another week.
This race was organised very well, the local support was utterly brilliant and despite hating it at times, I loved the experience. It’s actually helped to remind me just how great people are. So I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I met the racers and the supporters. I’m glad I got to raise money for Olivia’s Vision and I. AM. AN. IRONMAN!
Pre race: my alarm was set for 4:45, but I woke up at 3 and tried to snooze until the alarm went off. Breakfast was a glass of Emergen-C, coffee, 2 slices of toast with marmalade, a bowl of corn flakes and half a Yorkie bar. Then I got my stuff ready and headed over to transition.
There was a procession from transition, through town and down to the beach. The crowds were already out in force. At high tide there's not much room on Tenby's North beach and it took some time to get everyone on the beach for the start. Time for the Welsh national anthem, followed by AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to get the heart going, and then the cannon went off to mark the start of the race.
Swim: The course layout meant that people were bunched up for the first few hundred metres with no chance to spread out at all. Then it was so congested at the first right turn buoy that we were treading water around it. Otherwise, the swim was great... Water temp 16.9°C (62.4F) and only a little wetsuit rub on the side of the neck. The 2nd lap was much easier and I felt like I could really relax into the day. Swim time: 1:07:59
T1: Transition was 1.2km from North beach. The first task was running up the beach, then up the steep zig-zagging walkway (picking up the spare shoes on the way) and jogging to transition. The transition tent was crowded and completely chaotic. It took a while to find space to get my stuff out of my transition bag and get ready for the ride. One gel here, to get the blood sugar back up. I even had a quick chat with a guy filming for TV (off-camera), then it was out the door and onto the bike leg. T1 time: 16:55
Bike: Well, this didn’t quite go according to plan. Given the circumstances I’m actually happy with the result, but the circumstances weren’t ideal. I’ll get to that though...
Wales is a two-loop course, with a total elevation gain of about 8000ft. The first loop is longer and starts out heading West into the prevailing coastal winds and turns to come back East by the town of Angle. The second loop is basically the more hilly part of the first loop, repeated. On the way to Angle I felt like I was making reasonable time and wasn’t pushing too hard. The wind was pushing me around a bit, but I was glad I had the TT bike to reduce the effect of the wind. I was riding on Zipp 404 wheels, which didn’t cause me any trouble even though I’m very light. Anyway, out near Angle I changed up to the big chainring and felt a frayed strand of cable pop out and jab me in the finger. Not good! Fast-forward to mile 62 and another change to the big ring -- SNAP!! So I swore, I stopped, I tried to work out how I could fix it. In the end all I could do was get out the multi-tool and dial the derailleur out as far as possible so that there was the least amount of chain rub, even then the rub was pretty egregious in the smaller cogs on the cassette. So, 50 miles in the small chainring... I’d lost nearly 10 minutes to roadside repairs and I couldn’t get much speed up for the remainder of the ride.
Not that the mechanical was my only problem on the bike: I did get the nutrition slightly wrong. My plan was to get 4-5 bottles of sports drink (2 on bike, 2-3 on course), but I was clearly overdoing the liquids and had to stop several times. So I started drinking less and then I obviously wasn’t getting enough calories. I started to feel quite drained and needed more solid food. Eating revived me, but my on-board stash of 1 Clif bar, 1 powerbar, 5 gels and a bag of powerbar chews really wasn’t quite enough. What I’d change? I’d use a “bento box” on the top tube with extra food in it. I’d pack more than I anticipated needing, just in case.
The highlight of the bike course for me was the last part of the second loop -- the steep hills in Wiseman’s Bridge and Saundersfoot were a joy to ride, especially in the wet on that second lap when many people were struggling. To me, those hills represented nearing the end of the ride and were a rare chance prove to myself that I was (despite the ever lengthening time on the bike) a strong enough biker for this course. Bike time: 6:55:50
T2: I wasn’t tremendously motivated for a fast transition here - I walked my bike to the rack, then I walked to the tent (jogging seemed pointless). I also had a little trouble removing my gloves and arm-warmers, which were soaking. Full-finger gloves had been a very wise last-minute choice here. Anyway, one more gel in, one into the pocket and then I was out onto the run course. T2 time: 8:01
Run: Well, I started out feeling brilliant. As soon as I left T2 and started running the day regained some purpose. My first 5.2 miles happened in 37:23, which was good considering I was actually trying to pace myself (working from heart rate) but everything just felt so EASY. And then, quite suddenly, it didn’t. Mile 6.5, just a little into lap 2, and I was walking. It wasn’t even up the main hill yet, I just couldn’t run or even bring myself to try. I wanted to have a little sit down (and maybe a brief weep), and if there hadn’t been so many people I might have. Fortunately it didn’t last, and whatever I was telling myself in my head must’ve worked. I ran up the main hill out to New Hedges and decided that it was a nutritional problem, so the plan changed from “eat on the run” to “walk every aid station and eat the Ritz crackers”, which are brilliant washed down with Pepsi. Crackers and Pepsi is a marathon miracle, if you ask me. I’d never even thought of it before, and the pepsi wasn’t flat, but it was AWESOME. My pace evened out after that and my new strategy gave me the strength to ignore my body as it told me that my right achilles hurt, and that my left knee ached. As I passed mile 20 it really felt like a shuffle, though photos show what looks like a run, even in those dark times. Still, after collecting the pink band to mark my final lap on the course I started feeling a weight lift and there was a fresh flood of endorphins. I chatted to a fellow finisher as we turned onto the Esplanade for our run in, he said he wanted to enjoy the moment and slowed to really savour the finish. I heard my nephew calling for a sprint finish and did my best to oblige. Run time: 3:46:25
It seems that the run may have been slightly short, but to be honest, I’m not sure I care. I logged over 3300ft of vertical on the run and the bike wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. This was a tough course. Sure, it was my first Ironman, but I know tough conditions and terrain when I see them. The fastest bikers would’ve missed the worst of the rain and only gotten wet on the run course. The bike course was steep on the uphills and twisty on the downhills. There were plenty of spills once the roads got a good soaking.
Anyway, total time: 12:15:10. 96th in M35-39 and 453rd overall.
At the race briefing we were told 1650 athletes, and I’ve since heard that there were only 1200 finishers though that is just rumour. Certainly a lot of people missed the bike cutoff. I’m looking forward to seeing the final results. But first, I’m looking forward to a rest. I’ve contracted (Iron)man-flu and don’t want to ride a bike for at least another week.
This race was organised very well, the local support was utterly brilliant and despite hating it at times, I loved the experience. It’s actually helped to remind me just how great people are. So I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I met the racers and the supporters. I’m glad I got to raise money for Olivia’s Vision and I. AM. AN. IRONMAN!
Friday, August 10, 2012
4:59:30
Since my last blog entry I've done two races, I've had 5 doctor's visits and one job interview. That kind of thing can really take it out of you...
Anyway, as a result of the 5 doctor'svisits I have been proclaimed healthy (apart from my failing eyeballs) and I have cataract surgery scheduled at the end of the month. Yup, cataract surgery two-and-a-half weeks before Ironman Wales. Still, after a rough couple of weeks where my vision was frighteningly bad I can see again! Okay, only one is is really useful, but cataract surgery should bring that up to two. :-)
I'm still waiting to hear on my job interview, and between opthalmologists, rheumatologists, cataract surgeons and optometrists I'm totally over doctors right now. But training and racing is still good...
So what races? Well, there was the Cochiti Lake triathlon, which was a lot of fun, and Ironman 70.3 Boulder.
Cochiti Lake tri is a feature on the local calendar, and I can see why. It's a nice lake swim, followed by a relatively tough bike (nearly half is on bone-jarring chip-seal, and it has a couple of small hills to slow you down) and then a run that starts with a steep hill, continues on false flats and then bakes you alive in the heat. Did I mention that it was awesome? Okay, so there were some timing SNAFUs, but they all got sorted eventually. Also, by my GPS the bike was about a mile long and the run was 0.3 miles short. Everything went as expected really... the bike was a couple of minutes slower than I would have liked, but my run was a 10km PB at 40:42! Of course, the course was slightly short, and I don't run 10km races very often. I'll take it though. It got me my first podium of the year - 3rd in the M35-39 age group, with a total time of 2:27:51.
Now, the highlight of the last month: Boulder 70.3!
I'd been really looking forward to this. Technically it was a "training race". It was my second ever half-ironman, fifth ever triathlon and the litmus test for my Ironman Wales training. It was also to be my redemption for falling apart doing Ironman 70.3 Austin last year.
Boulder is a super-cool town. I have friends there, so accommodation and good times were sorted. The girl was my driver for the weekend as my eyes were in pretty bad shape, and she was an awesome support team and cheerleader.
The race itself was well-organised. It was a lot more low-key than Austin, but everything was done well. The volunteers were brilliant and the porta-loo to athlete ratio was good (except on the run course).
I'll get pictures and put them up some time, but this race had me nervous and I'll explain why. There's a mantra that applies to many sports, and triathlon is no exception: "Nothing new on race day". I broke that rule in several ways: new bike - I bought a used TT bike less than a week before and had only 60 miles on it by race day; new wheels - there was a sweet deal on used Zipp 404s that I couldn't pass up, so I picked them up in Boulder on Saturday and raced them on Sunday; new goggles - probably not so bad, but I have a collection of goggles that fog, so I bought new goggles (a brand/model I've not worn before). I'm sure there's more, but you get the point. Race day was full of surprises.
I actually warmed up before the swim. This is something I've never done before any oopen water events. Still, it felt good and gave me a bit of confidence in my new goggles. They worked like a champ and I could actually see well enough with my blurry eye to sight for the buoys and stay on course. The water was around 70-71F and was good until I got a slight stitch, probably from the pretzels I was snacking on before the start. Swim Time: 35:08
Dolphin diving out of the shallows, I jogged up the chute towards T1 looking for people I knew. I heard a shout of "Go Bike Works" and failed to see who shouted. Anyway, thanks to that unknown supporter (I was wearing a tri top from Bike Works on Hawaii's Big Island). My plan was for leisurely transitions, to practice for Wales. So I dried my feet, pulled on socks. Next step, sunscreen. I got my bike shoes and helmet on and loaded my pockets with gels. I figured I'd start with a gel in transition and washed it down with a little drink, then unracked the bike, double checked my transition area and jogged to the bike start. A slow transition, but I felt happy and relaxed.
As I got on my bike the guy in front of me lost both bottles from his behind-the-seat cages and all his sports drink spilled. Shame, but he should invest in better bottle cages! The girl was here cheering for me too, so I started the bike ride hoping that I could handle the TT position for the full distance. The road quality on the Boulder course was good. There was no debris to speak of by the side of the road, the surface was fast and smooth, and the hills were subtle: false flats, gentle descents and just a couple of steep bits to keep you honest. Near the end of my first lap I was passed by two female pros just finishing their ride, sadly I didn't recognize them to cheer them on. My second lap was good, and knowing the course by then I felt really confident about the (small) hills and corners. After 56 fun miles I got back to transition - bike time: 2:33:22, by far the fastest I've ever ridden that distance.
The run was around Boulder Reservoir. Since it was an exposed course I took my time in transition again and layered up on sunscreen. After the fact I guess I missed some bits, so I've got some red stripes as souvenirs, but I did a decent job. Then the run... I didn't bother to time my swim, and I used my Garmin Edge bike computer for the bike leg, so I had my Timex Global Trainer watch to time the run. To make sure I'd get GPS lock quickly I'd taken it on the bike with me and turned it on. It auto-powered off during the ride, but as soon as I got to T2 I turned it back on. No GPS lock until about mile 4. I even had to reset the GPS 3 times. I'm really not impressed by that watch. So I ran the first few miles by feel, which included feeling the need to stop. First aid station - one portaloo with a green "vacant" sign... except that the lock was broken, so I stood and waited for a minute before deciding to move on. Second aid station... same problem. Fortunately this one vacated quickly and thirty seconds later I was back running again. The lack of facilities on the run course was my only complaint for the whole day.
After the first lap I decided that I'd try to hold my pace until mile 10, then if I still felt as good I'd go for a fast last 5km. The day was getting hot (around 88F/31C) by this point, so at every aid station I was grabbing ice water for my head, ice for my shirt, ice water for down my back... I even grabbed coke by mistake at one aid station, so figured it was rude not to drink it. More calories are good, right?
Anyway, at mile 10 I felt good and tried to up my pace. My effort went up, but glances at my watch didn't show me a corresponding increase in pace. Never mind, I settled into a rhythm and waited for mile 11. My pace managed to creep up through miles 11 and 12, then with about a quarter mile to go I gave everything I had. It's really amazing how good it feels to run fast, especially after that kind of effort. I felt like I was flying when I got to the finish line, a marked change from Austin last year, and I was all smiles as I got my finishers medal, some ice water and went to find shade. Total run time: 1:43:32.
So my race time was 4:59:30. Over an hour faster than my last half-ironman. I'm still having trouble comprehending how I got under 5 hours (even just 30s under), and the fact that I felt great afterwards. Sure, my legs stiffened up when I stopped moving, but I had plenty of energy left and since I'd not tapered for the race I'm a lot more confident about Ironman Wales now.
It looks like I'll be getting to the start line in Wales with two working eyes and some solid training behind me. I'm actually starting to shake some of the feelings of impending doom that I've been having about the race!
Anyway, as a result of the 5 doctor'svisits I have been proclaimed healthy (apart from my failing eyeballs) and I have cataract surgery scheduled at the end of the month. Yup, cataract surgery two-and-a-half weeks before Ironman Wales. Still, after a rough couple of weeks where my vision was frighteningly bad I can see again! Okay, only one is is really useful, but cataract surgery should bring that up to two. :-)
I'm still waiting to hear on my job interview, and between opthalmologists, rheumatologists, cataract surgeons and optometrists I'm totally over doctors right now. But training and racing is still good...
So what races? Well, there was the Cochiti Lake triathlon, which was a lot of fun, and Ironman 70.3 Boulder.
Cochiti Lake tri is a feature on the local calendar, and I can see why. It's a nice lake swim, followed by a relatively tough bike (nearly half is on bone-jarring chip-seal, and it has a couple of small hills to slow you down) and then a run that starts with a steep hill, continues on false flats and then bakes you alive in the heat. Did I mention that it was awesome? Okay, so there were some timing SNAFUs, but they all got sorted eventually. Also, by my GPS the bike was about a mile long and the run was 0.3 miles short. Everything went as expected really... the bike was a couple of minutes slower than I would have liked, but my run was a 10km PB at 40:42! Of course, the course was slightly short, and I don't run 10km races very often. I'll take it though. It got me my first podium of the year - 3rd in the M35-39 age group, with a total time of 2:27:51.
Now, the highlight of the last month: Boulder 70.3!
I'd been really looking forward to this. Technically it was a "training race". It was my second ever half-ironman, fifth ever triathlon and the litmus test for my Ironman Wales training. It was also to be my redemption for falling apart doing Ironman 70.3 Austin last year.
Boulder is a super-cool town. I have friends there, so accommodation and good times were sorted. The girl was my driver for the weekend as my eyes were in pretty bad shape, and she was an awesome support team and cheerleader.
The race itself was well-organised. It was a lot more low-key than Austin, but everything was done well. The volunteers were brilliant and the porta-loo to athlete ratio was good (except on the run course).
I'll get pictures and put them up some time, but this race had me nervous and I'll explain why. There's a mantra that applies to many sports, and triathlon is no exception: "Nothing new on race day". I broke that rule in several ways: new bike - I bought a used TT bike less than a week before and had only 60 miles on it by race day; new wheels - there was a sweet deal on used Zipp 404s that I couldn't pass up, so I picked them up in Boulder on Saturday and raced them on Sunday; new goggles - probably not so bad, but I have a collection of goggles that fog, so I bought new goggles (a brand/model I've not worn before). I'm sure there's more, but you get the point. Race day was full of surprises.
I actually warmed up before the swim. This is something I've never done before any oopen water events. Still, it felt good and gave me a bit of confidence in my new goggles. They worked like a champ and I could actually see well enough with my blurry eye to sight for the buoys and stay on course. The water was around 70-71F and was good until I got a slight stitch, probably from the pretzels I was snacking on before the start. Swim Time: 35:08
Dolphin diving out of the shallows, I jogged up the chute towards T1 looking for people I knew. I heard a shout of "Go Bike Works" and failed to see who shouted. Anyway, thanks to that unknown supporter (I was wearing a tri top from Bike Works on Hawaii's Big Island). My plan was for leisurely transitions, to practice for Wales. So I dried my feet, pulled on socks. Next step, sunscreen. I got my bike shoes and helmet on and loaded my pockets with gels. I figured I'd start with a gel in transition and washed it down with a little drink, then unracked the bike, double checked my transition area and jogged to the bike start. A slow transition, but I felt happy and relaxed.
As I got on my bike the guy in front of me lost both bottles from his behind-the-seat cages and all his sports drink spilled. Shame, but he should invest in better bottle cages! The girl was here cheering for me too, so I started the bike ride hoping that I could handle the TT position for the full distance. The road quality on the Boulder course was good. There was no debris to speak of by the side of the road, the surface was fast and smooth, and the hills were subtle: false flats, gentle descents and just a couple of steep bits to keep you honest. Near the end of my first lap I was passed by two female pros just finishing their ride, sadly I didn't recognize them to cheer them on. My second lap was good, and knowing the course by then I felt really confident about the (small) hills and corners. After 56 fun miles I got back to transition - bike time: 2:33:22, by far the fastest I've ever ridden that distance.
The run was around Boulder Reservoir. Since it was an exposed course I took my time in transition again and layered up on sunscreen. After the fact I guess I missed some bits, so I've got some red stripes as souvenirs, but I did a decent job. Then the run... I didn't bother to time my swim, and I used my Garmin Edge bike computer for the bike leg, so I had my Timex Global Trainer watch to time the run. To make sure I'd get GPS lock quickly I'd taken it on the bike with me and turned it on. It auto-powered off during the ride, but as soon as I got to T2 I turned it back on. No GPS lock until about mile 4. I even had to reset the GPS 3 times. I'm really not impressed by that watch. So I ran the first few miles by feel, which included feeling the need to stop. First aid station - one portaloo with a green "vacant" sign... except that the lock was broken, so I stood and waited for a minute before deciding to move on. Second aid station... same problem. Fortunately this one vacated quickly and thirty seconds later I was back running again. The lack of facilities on the run course was my only complaint for the whole day.
After the first lap I decided that I'd try to hold my pace until mile 10, then if I still felt as good I'd go for a fast last 5km. The day was getting hot (around 88F/31C) by this point, so at every aid station I was grabbing ice water for my head, ice for my shirt, ice water for down my back... I even grabbed coke by mistake at one aid station, so figured it was rude not to drink it. More calories are good, right?
Anyway, at mile 10 I felt good and tried to up my pace. My effort went up, but glances at my watch didn't show me a corresponding increase in pace. Never mind, I settled into a rhythm and waited for mile 11. My pace managed to creep up through miles 11 and 12, then with about a quarter mile to go I gave everything I had. It's really amazing how good it feels to run fast, especially after that kind of effort. I felt like I was flying when I got to the finish line, a marked change from Austin last year, and I was all smiles as I got my finishers medal, some ice water and went to find shade. Total run time: 1:43:32.
So my race time was 4:59:30. Over an hour faster than my last half-ironman. I'm still having trouble comprehending how I got under 5 hours (even just 30s under), and the fact that I felt great afterwards. Sure, my legs stiffened up when I stopped moving, but I had plenty of energy left and since I'd not tapered for the race I'm a lot more confident about Ironman Wales now.
It looks like I'll be getting to the start line in Wales with two working eyes and some solid training behind me. I'm actually starting to shake some of the feelings of impending doom that I've been having about the race!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
279 days
This blog is a record of my journey to raise money and awareness for Uveitis, a rare eye disease. 279 days is how long I have before Ironman Wales, an event I've chosen to do for myself and for the benefit of the uveitis sufferers everywhere. Uveitis sufferers like me.
Ironman: A triathlon covering 140.6 miles (226.2 kilometres). The event is broken down into a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 miles of cycling, then a 26.2 mile marathon run. The cutoff is 17 hours, and while the pros may finish in 9 hours, I'm looking to finish in 12.
Uveitis: According to various web sources, uveitis is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in developed countries. It's an inflammation of the uvea, in the middle of the eye. Symptoms include blurred vision, and cataracts and glacuoma are common complications. It can be caused by various auto-immune diseases, but in many cases the cause is unknown.
Cystoid Macular Edema: Cyst-like fluid leakage in the macula - the central portion of the retina - causing painless retinal swelling. While painless, it causes blurred and distorted central vision and can lead to permanent retinal damage. The exact cause is unknown, but it often accompanies uveitis.
These three things are now part of my life and it's my sincere hope that one day all that is left of the last two are memories.
This is going to be a long journey to a very long day. Hopefully I can make a positive difference to more than just my life with my attempt on Ironman Wales - a race I've chosen for its proximity to my family, and to my 35th birthday. I will be an Ironman before I turn 35. My triathlon experience is limited to just two races: one sprint distance, and one Ironman 70.3. I've never run a marathon, and my first half-marathon was at the 70.3. My second half-marathon was yesterday. My longest swim to date was the 1.2 miles at the 70.3 race.
I will race Ironman, finish in less than 12 hours, and on my way I will fight for an end to uveitis. I have an Iron Vision.
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