Ironman 70.3 Virginia - 05/05/2019 Race Report

1. TRAINING LEAD-UP TO RACE:
1. The PMC to the right includes my preseason build up.  In comparison to prior years, this was a relatively flat curve for me through January and even declined in February.  February was a tough month for me training wise between illness and work travel.  However, around the end of February, things cleared up just in time for the main training block build for this race.  You can see my consistency as I only had zero training on three days as compared to fifteen days in the preseason block. 
2. My power gains on the bike have been consistent and solid for the past year and I am very happy with the progress.  You can definitely see the fall off in February but we put considerable time in March and April.  None of my previous builds for prior 70.3's reached the total hours, TSS, or kJ of these two months. 
3. Nutrition wise, I invested in some DNA testing that clued me in on a few things that I acted on back in January/February.
1. I have cut my morning coffee ritual down and replaced it with Advocare's Spark mix.  This has slightly less caffeine than a cup of coffee and much less added sugar than my typical creamer in my coffee. 
2. I have a genetic marker that indicates I might be more sensitive to gluten and potentially more likely to develop Celiac disease.  Therefore, I decided to try a gluten free diet.  Within a few weeks, I noticed some dramatic differences in how my body felt in general, I experienced far less DOMS during the high peak training periods (in fact, zero days of DOMS), better sleep, and I finally dropped the five or so pounds that have been hanging on for the last two years!  Very happy with these results.
4. One overall goal this year was to develop the run and focus on getting more efficient.  I recommitted myself to being very disciplined with my Z2 runs and keeping my heart rate in the zone.  The results speak for themselves as my resting heart rate is down to 44 from 48 and I can maintain TriDot's Z2 heart rate cap (currently 150 bpm) even at a mid- Z3 pace.  I will continue to be focused on this discipline. 
1. I did more long runs over 2 hours than any other training block in the past.  This block included a 2-1/2 hr run of 17+ miles which is the longest to date for me (ever).  In fact, the 17+ hours in March that I ran is 5 hours more than any peak in my past.  Unfortunately, I had cut down a lot of hours in April due to my ankle injury.
1. March 30th, I rolled my ankle while on a hike with cub scouts.  This nagged me in my run training the entire time from then.  I reduced my mid-week running in order to save my foot for the long runs.  During taper, I ran only once on Wednesday with some sweet spot progressions.  This helped to get my foot ready for race day as I experienced no pain during the run at the race.  However, I may not have been as strong as we would have hoped.
5. We coupled these long runs the day after some long bike rides.  Equally, I had more 3+ hour rides then ever before.  All bike sessions were indoors except for the two short rides on Friday and Saturday before the race.   This is just a reality for me for an early May race.
1. We also maintained a fair amount of threshold training the entire duration of the training lead up to this race.
6. Swimming remained basically unchanged from previous years.   I tried to maintain 3 days per week in the pool with a long TriDot swim on Monday, a Masters class on Wednesday (generally not scheduled in TriDot), and a combined Masters/Tridot swim on Fridays to get to total distance prescribed by TriDot.  All told, I averaged about 7,500 m per week.
2. RACE RECAP
1. Swim - 28:53 - 21 of 173 AG, 98 of 997 Males, 107 of 1,586 OA
1. I positioned myself in the 27-30 minute rolling start wave which was perfect.  I was near the front of the line and quickly found open water to site and find a draft.
2. This course was the most interesting to navigate as it was straight for about 900 yds and then I needed to navigate a series of turns around the point of land the park was situated on.  This did not cause any troubles for me and I believe I swam one of my best and efficient swims going point to point in very straight paths.  My Garmin measured my total swim including the run to T1 as 2,472 yards, this is about 360 yards more than 1.2 miles and I suspect the 360, is the run up the hill to T1. 
3. It took me to the half-way point to really find a good draft off someone.  All the others that I tried to settle into died off and I needed to make a pass.  There were well over 100 people in the 27 minutes and under wave so based on my overall ranking of swim, I clearly passed many of them.
4. There was no evident current and the water was calm.  However, looking at my data on pace, it was clear that after we made the left turn around the point, there must have been a current working against us my pace dropped off.  Someone actually posted their data on Facebook and asked the group if anyone had a similar drop off and the comments were numerous confirming the current.  Albeit, this was my second fastest swim split, Eagleman last year being 28:27.  However, based on the long uphill run to T1 and the timing mat, I am fairly certain total time in the water was less than Eagleman. 
5. Overall, I was very happy with this effort as I did not feel gassed or the least bit fatigued from the swim.  There was a long uphill run from the water exit and I took a casual run into transition to try and get my heart rate down.  Looking at the data, it actually went up and I assume it did because of the uphill run. 
2. Bike - 2:30:19 - 24 of 173 AG, 123 of 997 Males, 130 of 1,586 OA
1. Trouble started early on the bike.  Right out of transition, I struggled getting my feet onto the peddles and any resemblance of a flying mount was an embarrassing show!  Fortunately, I did not fall but it took me far longer than ever before to get my feet strapped into my shoes.  I was halfway up the bridge on Route 5 before I had that taken care of.
2. Next, I started to notice a rub on my front tire and was totally frustrated as I checked during transition set-up to make sure I did not over inflate my tires.  I rode about a mile before I decided to hop off and deflate the tire a little bit.  To my surprise, it did not relieve it.  It wasn’t until after the race that I realized the left brake pad was rubbing my rim.  I rode Friday and Saturday before dropping my bike off in transition and I knew my bike was riding well.  This was so frustrating.  I gritted my teeth and fought through it.  Subsequently after getting my bike home, I discovered my front tire was loose in the fork.  My quick release was easily two or three turns more loose than I would have ever had it.  I honestly believe I checked everything before leaving set-up and would have noticed this if it were the case.  I will certainly be more careful next time.
3. In the next mile or so after this, my rear hydration bottle just dropped out of my cage.  Again, my cage was intact on Friday and Saturday and was left in transition in good condition.  Something happened Saturday night that broke the cage completely in two locations.  We did have some thunderstorms roll through overnight Saturday so I am thinking my bike must have fallen off the rack and landed on the cage somehow.  I didn’t notice it when I slid my bottle in when setting up transition.  Thinking back now, I did notice it slid in easier than normal… LESSON LEARNED!  Needless to say, this consumed my thinking about how I should adjust.  I figured I had my first bottle and UCAN which would get me over halfway to the end of the bike so I decided to grab a bottle at the third and final aid station.  I had two Roctane capsules and since it was raining and cool, I figured I would be ok without the electrolytes in the bottle I lost and went with straight water rather than Gatorade Endurance.
4. About ten miles down the road, we came to a railroad crossing and a no-passing zone.  It was at this point that we picked up a fair amount of loose cinders and they jammed between my tire, frame, and aero box.  This rubbing continued the entire way home and I noticed I was being dropped from the large group that I had been riding with.  It wasn’t my power, it was my speed that was not keeping up with the two rubs going on.  I decided to just hang in there and hope a few good puddles would wash things out.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  When I picked up my bike in transition after the race, I couldn’t even move the rear tire without a good amount of force and cleaned out all the mud, grass, and cinders that had collected running the bike through transition. 
5. At around mile 35, I was not feeling great.  I became extremely uncomfortable in the saddle with a feeling like I was being punched in the private parts.  There were several inclines at this point and I decided to get out of the saddle to stretch things out a little bit and resettle into position.  Fortunately, after a few miles I was able to find relief and get back into a comfortable aero position.  This was very unusual and a new experience for me on the bike.  My power definitely dropped for a pretty considerable time during this ordeal.
6. Shortly after this period, we entered Jolly Pond Road which was the most technical part of the ride and definitely the most technical section of riding I have done in a race.  Fortunately, I was able to drive this part of the course on Friday afternoon so I felt comfortable and aware of what was coming.  In relative terms, it was not technically challenging, but it did mean I was changing gears a lot and trying to maintain a consistent power output with constant curves, inclines, declines, dodging pot holes, and managing the wet roads.    
7. Bottom line, I am amazed I hung in there mentally on this ride and am very happy I only lost three spots in my AG at this point.  No point on dwelling what could have been. 
3. Run - 1:45:08 - 34 of 173 AG, 157 of 997 Males, 183 of 1,586 Overall
1. First and foremost, I am very happy that my ankle did not even squeak the entire run.  I did take four ibuprofen with my UCAN pre-race so that probably helped.  It definitely felt sore about an hour afterwards.  The day after though, it feels reasonable and not nearly the most sore thing in my body.
2. I started this run off really strong and managed my pace well trying not to go out too fast.  Around mile four, my inner quads on both legs felt like they wanted to cramp up.  I took in a fair amount of my electrolyte gel and made sure to get a good amount of Gatorade at the next aid station.  I believe this prevented any problem and the feeling eventually went away.
3. I felt great through 8 miles which is now one more mile farther than when I started to decline in my last run in AC.  I averaged 7:37 / mile up until this point which was right on plan.  At the next aid station, I decided to walk to get a good dose of Gatorade and to swallow a Roctane capsule.  I did not feel particularly bad but just thought it was a good strategic decision.  I got back up to pace and felt fairly good still but my pace did start slipping by the next aid station, thus I continued to do it again, then again, then again, and then again… clearly not staying disciplined and trying to run through.  I thought they were short breaks, but clearly not.  I added the total time of the walking periods and they took over 6:40 combined.  I clearly let time get away from me.  My pace between aid stations ranged between 8:10 and 8:21 / mile so I was not completely bombed and should have pushed through. Ultimately, I am not sure I could have completely eliminated them, but I have to be more disciplined and a bit more aggressive about trying to continue running through them. 
4. The final slog up the bridge was slow and I was encouraged by a fellow runner who was beside me going up who was going to finish his first loop.  I figured if it was his first, I couldn’t slow down and walk up the incline, I had to close this thing out!  I was very thankful for the downhill side of the bridge to get my legs moving again.  However, the left turn into the park was a steep, slick, grassy, hill and I had to slow down to be sure I kept my footing.  This made it difficult to get back up to speed in the grass area towards the finishing chute.
5. When I finally reached the paved road leading to the chute, I relaxed, spread my wings and flew on the red carpet and enjoyed the finishing celebration!  Another 70.3 in the books with a decent time and a lot of lessons to grow from.
4. OVERALL 4:50:06 – 21 of 173 AG, 98 of 997 Males, 107 of 1,586 Overall
1. This race had a little bit of everything… weather, more hills than I have ever had, mechanicals on the bike, mental mistakes, and muddy conditions.  Overall, I am satisfied with the effort. 
2. My pre-race goals:
1. Strong, straight, and fast swim - I met this goal and very satisfied with it.
2. Hold my power between 220 - 230W on the bike - I did not meet this goal.  Overall, I averaged 200W with 211 Normalized Power.  The first half of the bike was 1:09 with 216 average W (226 NP).  The second half of the bike was 1:19 with 187 W (194 NP).  Clearly missing the mark and falling off quite dramatically.  In fairness, the second half was a far different course than the first half.
3. Run a sub 1:40 half marathon - Clearly made mistakes with walking the aid stations, but even with that, I still may not have made it happen this time.  My foot/ankle injury did not impact me on race day, but it did reduce my training four weeks out and probably impacted my overall run strength leading to my loss of run power in the final four miles.  A complete run still eludes me at this distance... we'll find it.  I learned that this is far more mental than physical.
3. I am still satisfied with this performance as I did not really know what to expect with the amount of elevation climb in this race.  It was easily 1,000+ feet more than I have ever raced on the bike, and a couple hundred feet more on the run.  This was a good start to my build for the real climbs in September for Savageman. 
3. LESSONS LEARNED / SELF ASSESSMENT
1. Expectations are funny things.  They drive us and motivate us, but they also can leave us unsatisfied, annoyed, or down when they are not met.  After a couple of days, I had a mixed bag of emotions over this race and a bit annoyed with myself.  However, it is Friday after the race as I wrap up this report and I can finally feel satisfied and focused on moving forward.  I am ready to get back into it!!!
1. I am happy I kept my head together and worked through the challenges on the bike.  I am disappointed the “mechanicals” happened with little or no explanation of what caused them (except the rain and mud).  So… I controlled what I could control and I moved past what I could not control.  This was a success.
2. I am disappointed that I spent so much time at aid stations during the run.  This was very much in my control but I simply made a repetitive mental mistake not paying attention to time.  I can control this and have learned from this situation that I will “just keep running.”  There was only one station that I felt like I HAD to walk.  The others were optional.   I will be more mindful of this next time and push through.
3. I am happy with a well executed swim, I actually exceeded my expectations on this leg of the race.  I felt strong, controlled, and comfortable the entire swim. 
4. Despite all the math, predictions (RaceX), Best Bike Split, etc., I held out hope that I might PR in this race.  However, the result is exactly how every resource chalked up how I would do.  The frustrations of the race are leaving me thinking, “what if?”  This is the sting of expectations and I have been in competitive situations long enough in my life to know that dwelling in this place is not going to help.  So we pull our boot straps up, realize that a triathlon is a long race and many things happen, and there is very rarely ever a perfect race.
2. Nutrition wise, I felt like everything worked ok, but honestly I am still questioning it as I am not sure I have something to compare to if it is really working.
1. Pre-Race
1. Had my normal oatmeal mix after waking up.  I did forget to bring my banana from the car, so that was not to plan.  Otherwise, I had my UCAN as planned and took ibuprofen for my foot.
2. On the Bike
1. Obviously losing a hydration bottle with electrolytes may have been costly.  But the cooler weather and rain overall probably helped prevent a problem.  Although, I did have the experience on the run where my quads were feeling funky.
3. On the Run
1. I utilized all three Roctane capsules, one at mile three, seven, and nine or ten. 
2. I utilized the SIS energy gel with caffeine at mile 3 and sipped on my gel flask with the electrolyte gels until it was empty around mile 7 or 8. 
3. From there, it was Gatorade Endurance, Red Bull, and Coke at the later stations.  I never experienced a sloshy feeling in my stomach and managed the liquids well.
4. I definitely hit a tough patch somewhere between mile 9 and 10.  I remember wanting all caffeine at that station and took Red Bull and Coke at the same station.  By mile 11, I was feeling better and able to focus on finishing out the run knowing I had the long slog up the bridge left to go.
4.   I set-up a consultation with a nutritionist for next week to see what analysis is out there.  I am not sure I am going to change anything, but just talk about the approach to looking things over and what else could really be done.