TEMPE INTERNATIONAL SPRINT TRIATHLON 2014

What started out as an aquabike race ended up as a sprint triathlon, because when I went to packet pickup I found out I was the only aquabike entrant.  No fun that.  So the race director graciously allowed me to transfer to the sprint race.  Great fun that.

T1 AND T2 UNDER THE RED MOUNTAIN PARKWAY

I had raced the olympic distance last year, and the venue remained the same.  The swim entrance to Tempe Town Lake is on the opposite side of the lake from the Arizona Ironman venue.  It provides for a "sandy" beach that drops off quickly, so practically it's still a treading water start.  The transition is under the Red Mountain Parkway (Loop 202) which provides a congested area but is shaded.  For those used to Midwestern type parks with sandy beaches and plenty of space with shade trees, this is not it.

The sprint bike course is one loop with multiple corners and 180 degree turns and multiple bridge crossings over the lake.  Total ascent measured about 400 ft on my garmin.  The olympic distance racers take two loops.  The run course loops around the lake crossing over two bridges and finishing at the same transition under the bridge.  The olympic distance runners take two loops.

OVER THE ROCKS AND UP THE CULVERT TO T1

I had not returned to my regular training routine yet following the Saint George 70.3 Ironman race two weekends earlier and that is why I transferred to the sprint rather than the olympic distance.  For a non-swimming background triathlete, what's not to like about a 400 yd swim?  Water temp of 76 degrees so wetsuit legal, but for the 400 yard sprint swim few wore them. My wave start was not too congested and with a 3 minute spacing I was surprised to catch swimmers from the prior wave, otherwise it was uneventful.  I swam with just triathlon shorts and completed the bike and run with no top to save on transition time.  Reminded me of the early years before tri specific gear was designed and everyone biked and ran in their speedos (cringe).

The bike segment required full attention at all times due to the turns, expansion joints on the bridges, and general congestion with less-experienced triathletes.  I found myself sitting up to "wind break" when riders were leisurely passing one another and not cognizant of the courtesy and rule of riding-on-the-right when possible.  I didn't pay much attention to my power meter because with sprints I just go about as hard as I can.  After the fact power meter readings showed I averaged 240 watts (zero power - when not pedaling - not counted) and 22.6 mph.  My MPH average is usually 10%, sometimes a bit more, than my average power.   So I would have expected about 24 mph plus in this case.  I attribute the average speed falloff to the "wind breaking" and multiple tight turns, which required me to accelerate multiple times which is inefficient.  Indeed, my max power output was 500 watts, a level I don't ever remember hitting or try to achieve.

The run starts with a nice set of stairs down to the road which I took very carefully.  After two bridge crossings and almost 3 miles you get to jog down another set of stairs before the final dash to the finish. Again I took it carefully, while the guy next to me took two steps at a time.  Really?  3 seconds gained? OK, showing my age.  Otherwise just a nice jog in mild Arizona (80 ish) temperatures.

I clocked a total time of 1:08:44.  First in 65-69 age group, 47th overall out of just over 300.  The winner, Dmitry Baer, burned a 55:36.  More importantly I had a good time with this one.  I had expected to swim and bike the olympic distance and not run at all if I had raced the aquabike, but this was mucho fun.

SAINT GEORGE 70.3 IRONMAN -- A SURPRISINGLY FUN DAY

THE SETUP:  After receiving numerous emails from the race director for the St George 70.3 Ironman race scheduled for May 3rd, my curiosity was raised.  I had not registered for this race, it was not on my schedule, why was I getting athlete updates?  So I checked the web site on April 25th to see if I had a bib number.  I did!  Was it a gift due to my good finish at the 70.3 championships?  Did my tri-club, ONE multisport, hand complementary entries out last year to elite racers and I had not paid attention?Or, had I just registered so early that I had forgot all about it?  It was the latter.  OK, lets do it on short notice (10 days) and minimal training and just have fun with no expectations.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

THE VENUE:  St George, Utah, is at approximately 2600 ft elevation, desert type arid, seasonally hot, and unpredictably windy. The swim is in Sand Hollow Reservoir outside of town so an early morning bus ride to Transition 1 is required.  Transition 2 and the finish is in old town St George resulting is a point-to-point bike leg with a slight net downhill.  The race course has more hills than normal Ironman venues.  I had raced the 2010 version when it was a full Ironman and had a slow race.  I had severe Achilles Tendonapathy at the time and ended up walking the marathon in over 6 hours.  However, race day ended happily the following morning when I got a Kona slot on a rolldown allowing me to race Kona with my son that year. There are numerous sites to visit in close proximity including the Hoover Dam and Zion National Park, which my wife and I visited.

HOOVER DAM

Some Ironman venues are epic, meaning that they have all 4 of the WHHH factors (Wind, Heat, Humidity, Hills).  Kona is a prime example.  St George can have up to three of the factors, Wind, Heat, and Hills.  This year it had only two,  Hills and Heat (90+), as the wind was relatively mild. Consequently the times were considerably faster than 2013.  For example, in 2013, 12 pros broke 4 hrs, this year 25 broke 4 hrs.  I believe the official Ironman website overstates the hills somewhat as my garmin measured 3,250 ft gain for the bike and 1,200 ft gain for the run.  Still, those are pretty large numbers for a half-ironman.







MY FITNESS:  I have been managing uncooperative knees for some time.  Generally I would run only twice a week and up to 9 miles at a time using a jog/walk routine to minimize the pain.  Even biking was problematic on rides over 2 hours.  Generally, I had been averaging about 5,000 yds swimming, 90 miles biking, and 14 miles "running" per week since January.  Not half-ironman training levels.  My last 3 weeks leading up to the race were;  WEEK 3: no training (in CA having fun with grandchildren); WEEK 2: 10,000 yds swimming, 190 miles biking, 15 miles running (making up for the "off" week, and realizing I had a race in 10 days); WEEK 1: 5,500 yds swimming, 70 miles biking, no running (sore knees).  If anything I was well tapered.

MY PREPARATION:  My evening pre-race meals consist of pasta in some form.  This time Stouffers mac and cheese, out of the microwave.  For desert I ate a full bag of spice drops. I drink Gatorade or perform or whatever high sugar, high salt drinks the sponsor is giving out.  I take whatever gels and drinks the sponsor is passing out on the bike and run.  I do take salt capsules with me on hot days to balance out the mineral depletion that occurs from sweating. My feeling is that your fitness and success in a race is 90% due to preparation and 10% due to adaptability to changes in circumstances.  OK, I admit I have a soft spot for good equipment.

MY RACE:  My biggest concern was the run.  My swimming is acceptable and my biking splits have always been the fastest in my age group, but with my sore knees and limited run training I knew the run was going to be slow.  I decided that I would start the run conservatively with a 3/2, run/walk routine and at the turnaround, if feeling good, increase the run proportion.  My swim/bike/run split goals were modest:   40/2:55/2:30 with a finishing time, including transitions, in excess of 6 hours, slower than I had ever raced.  I reminded myself I was not "racing" but "participating".

As it turned out I overachieved.  The swim was unremarkable and the bike a blast, with most riders exceeding 45mph on the downhills.  I averaged just over 200 watts on the bike and 20.1 mph, consistent numbers for a hilly bike course.  My splits were 37:25/2:45:51/2:01:23,  with a total time of 5:33:28 and first place in the 65-69 age group.  I was able to run the last 3 miles, walking only the aid stations, giving me a negative split by 5 minutes.  I declined the World Championship slot as it was never my intention to go even if I qualified.

65-69 AWARD WINNERS

Some observations and funny things that happened during the race.  The water temperature was 60 degrees so I wore a neoprene cap under my swim cap to help keep me warm.  It appeared that there were an abnormal number of tire flats.  I thought the bike course was reasonably smooth and clean so I don't have an explanation.  I had the urge to relieve myself on the bike but restrained myself until I got to a portolet in the transition, after all I was not "racing".  I forgot to take my salt capsule container with me on the run but "found" 3 capsules on the road that some other racer had dropped, and consumed them without hesitation, it was hot.

JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS AT HEART

MY LEARNING'S:  I was honestly surprised with my effort and results.  I finished without any injuries, not even a blister, and feeling physically agile.  Maybe I get too stressed and intense when racing and a lighter more relaxed approach is a preferable way.  Maybe meditation and a holistic approach to life will improve my race efforts?  Maybe, but not gonna happen.