Race Report: 2014 100% Irish for a Day 10 Mile

Pre-Race
I got up around a quarter after 6, my breakfast was 2 english muffins with butter & jam, and a cup of coffee.  I drove down to the race site, parked about 2 miles away in a church parking lot.  I was really surprised with the road conditions, they were icy and rutted.  I made my way to the starting area, made use of the portapotties (they were plentiful), and enjoyed pre-race hot chocolate.  The sweats drop off was at the bandshell, and as I removed my warmups I got the first hint that the wind coming across the lake might be a problem.  Fortunately that omen never came to pass, as the sun got up higher, and the wind stayed mostly calm the weather conditions were never really a factor.  In the starting area it was obvious in my vicinity most people were running with one or more people that they knew.  As I typically do I kept quiet and just observed others.  Everyone was in good spirits, and it seemed like a good bunch to race with.


Race 
Once the gun went off it took almost 90 seconds to cross the starting line.  A lot of start/stopping, in typical Minnesota rush hour fashion.

The first mile felt pretty good, I intended to run it around 11:00 but ended up just over 10:30.  "All good," I thought to myself, if it stays this way I'll just run even splits throughout the race."  Split - 10:38

The second mile has a couple of hills on it, and I made a mental note that this stretch was going to really suck on mile 8 when we come back around Harriet for a second lap.  Also, I noticed a strange ever s slight numbness in my left foot, almost like it was going to sleep.  It didn't hurt, it wasn't bothering me, it just felt a little weird.  If I had the benefit of knowing that this was foreshadowing, I would have taken the time to stop and re-tie my shoe.  Split - 10:33

The third mile was where the first signs of trouble showed up.  My heart rate was still up from those hills in mile 2.  I dropped off my pace a bit, but my heart was still going 160.  Split - 10:58

Miles 4-6 it was very obvious that my primary goal of a 1:45 race were not in the cards, and I switched to my fallback goal of 2:00.  But as each mile went by my times were going up, and it was not looking good.  Around this time I began talking to some of the people around me.  The one nice thing that I have found about running off the back of a race is that the nicest people are usually back there Average split - 12:10

Miles 7-9 is where the wheels really came off the bus.  I could no longer even maintain an easy jog, recovery run pace.  I took walk breaks to get my heart rate down.  I took walk breaks to go up hills (I was right, those hills on mile 8 sucked) I took walk breaks to rest from walk breaks.  In the 9th mile I felt a sharp twinge in my left ankle that lasted for a couple of steps and then went away as mysteriously as it appeared.  The numbness in my left foot from mile 2 had been constant and accepted by my brain as "Normal" for the time being.  Even at this point I did not link the two. Average split - 13:30

In Mile 10 I caught up with one of the runners I had befriended earlier in the race.  She was also struggling (It was her first time covering 10 miles in a single run at all, much less in a race).  I was determined to finish the last mile running the entire way, so I pulled this runner along with me, talking her through.  I countered her negative talk with positive talk (which actually helped me tremendously, because I had been having some pretty negative internal dialogue for the past hour at that point).  About a half mile to go I started to get a shooting pain in my left knee.  I sucked it up and we crossed the line together.  I wished her well and went off to get my warmups.  Split - 13:07

Strategy:

• My plan was to run a 1:45 race - average 10:30 per mile throughout.  Start with a slower first mile, make up the difference in miles 2-3, and then run even 1:30 splits the rest of the way.  My fall back strategy (Assuming that I couldn't hold the pace) was to run a 2 hour race (Average pave 12:00 per mile) 
• I was not able to hold to this strategy - it was apparent only three miles into the race.  I switched to my fallback strategy, and for a mile or two thought that I had a chance of achieving it.  But as I started needing more and more frequent walk breaks (See 'Conditioning' below) it slipped away from me.  By the 7th mile I accepted it for the train wrek that it was.   
• I ended up over 18 minutes off my primary goal and almost 4 minutes over even my fallback goal. 

Conditioning:

• There is no doubt whatsoever that I had seriously cut back my miles in the weeks leading up to this race - I was not ready to maintain my goal pace over the distance.
• I could not get my heart rate to settle down, it was redlining throughout the race, even after I had conceded my pace.  I had to take ever more frequent walk breaks and nurse myself to the finish line like an overheating car.  The worst was when I would go past race volunteers posted along the course and get a "Lookin' good!"  from them.  I don't think that they were intentionally being patronizing, but all in all it was pretty embarrassing since I was doing anything but 'looking good.'
• Hindsight tells me that a combination of my calf muscles being too tight and my shoes improperly laced created a chain reaction of events resulting in irritation of the tendons on the top of my foot.  Adjusting for my foot caused misalignment in my knee that over the distance resulted in the shooting pain. 
• The week leading up to the race my daughter came down with what turned out to be strep throat.  I got poor sleep the entire week as I cared for her at night.  While I have not gotten sick, there is still 100% certainty that I was exposed to the virus.  So to my mind sleep deprivation and a busy immune system definitely contributed to the breakdown.
• If I am serious about running two marathons and running them "well" this year, I definitely need to stick to my training plan and get my miles in with no more excuses.  Also, I don't have specific hill workouts planned.  These need to happen, because those hills were not even all that big but to me they were killers.

Gear:

• For the conditions I went with a full beanie, light fleece gloves, last year's long sleeve 5K jersey over a Nike pro combat hyperwarm long sleeve shirt, tights, Nike running socks and my Asics GT-1000's.  
• I was fortunate in that it was not very windy, as my gear was not wind resistant.  A good add to the list above would have been a light windshell to keep my torso and arms warm.
• I am convinced that at least part of my leg issues can be attributed to the top laces on my left shoe being cranked down too hard over the top of my foot.  I will be looking into lacing alternatives for my shoes.

Post-Race
The two mile walk back to the car was a nightmare.  The top of my left foot still hurt, my left knee still hurt, and the plantar fascia on both feet felt like they were on fire.  All that plus I was stiffening up.  The next day I had DOMS in my quads.  All said I really need to look into my conditioning plan.

There are a few things that I would have done differently - Gotten my miles in, stretched properly, paid attention to what my body was telling me earlier on.  As for whether or not I will ever do this race again, my answer has to be "Maybe." It is definitely a special time and place of the year.  I find myself wondering how I would have felt about the day if I had just run the 5K and really opened it up.  As for how it helps me to prepare for the next event on my calendar (Grandmas), it served as an eye-opener.  I need to re-asses my race plan, ensure that I am able to get my miles in and get to the start line prepared.  I don't like blowing up in races nd would prefer not to have it happen ever again.

2013 Blaine Triathlon Race Report

Pre-Race

There were a lot of weather issues with this race, it was nearly turned into a duathlon (I guess that it's OK to run and bike in lightning but not swim). In the end they delayed the start by an hour and we had the triathlon as planned. I had to swim in a cheap ¾ length Dick’s Sporting goods wetsuit because I did not do my homework.  I had a 24 hour reservation on a full-length wetsuit from a local store, but I did not notice that they close at 6PM on Fridays.  I discovered this to my horror when I showed up at a quarter to eight & found the doors locked, and the lights turned off. 'Doh!

Swim (550 Yards, Open water)

Water temp:  59°.  If not for the cheap ¾ length wetsuit (See above) I probably would not have gotten into the water to warm up.  ‘Warm up’ is really a misnomer, as all I really did was immerse myself and take some strokes to get the shock out of the way.   I highly recommend getting into the water before a cold water open swim.  How much actual warming up you should do probably depends upon your wave start.  Compared to the previous year (when the water was much warmer) I think that it helped.  A thought that I had common to both years was when my wave moved up to the line and was next - that was the oh crap moment where it all got real and I had a full understanding of what the next two hours had in store for me.  

The swim itself seemed to be OK.  I passed through several guys in my wave and caught the stragglers from the previous wave.    I did not have the same initial issues with the water that I had in 2012 thanks to getting into the water before the race.  What I did have a problem with was tracking in a straight line.  in the first 200 or so yards I had to make several hard course corrections when I lifted my head and found that I had veered hard to the right.  I made a single attempt to switch to bilateral breathing, ate a wave at the outset and promptly abandoned it.  From there I started a rotation of 10 strokes freestyle followed by a few strokes breaststroke to regain my bearings.  By about 350 yards or so I switched the rotation to 10 strokes freestyle and 10 strokes breaststroke to both regain my bearings and my wind.  In the final 50 I did a lot less breaststroke. My time:  12:50 (40 seconds slower than 2012)

• Technique:
• Self analysis tells me that I am not pushing all the way through on my power stroke and that I am starting recovery prematurely.  I need to drill for this and really focus on refinement.
• I need to develop an alternate breathing pattern that helps me to go straighter in open water
• I need to practice head lifting in freestyle rather than slowing down to breastroke
• I need more practice in open water
• Conditioning:
• I need to strengthen my core (My extremities are hard as rocks but my gut is like a jelly donut)
• I need to strengthen my arms (esp. my triceps) to be able to handle pushing all the way through on the power stroke.
• I need to continue drilling my bilateral breathing to try to be as comfortable with it as possible
• I need to get faster
• (On top of everything else I need to lose about 50 pounds just to do this)
• Gear:
• The second swim cap worked great - plan to do that again next year
• Earplugs worked great - plan to do that again next year
• Next year I will make sure that I don’t screw up my wetsuit rental
• Go with wider angle goggles (My pool goggles put me at a disadvantage in open water)

T1 T1 was about the same as last year.  100 yard dash with soft soggy feet on an asphalt trail plus a trot in a parking lot full of gravel and tiny rocks.  It was raining so everything was soaked.  I decided not to waste my time putting on the cycling gloves and left them behind.  Also I forgot to take the Gu during T1 & skipped it entirely as later I was reluctant to litter on the cycling course. My Time:  0:04:34 (1:24 faster than 2012)

Bike (16.7 Miles)

As mentioned in T1 above I did not refuel during the race.   I could not get my heartbeat down to save my life.  I said the hell with it and rode my ride the way that I wanted to, with it all hanging out.  I paid for it dearly later, during the run.  It was a lot less windy this year, and it felt good to go faster, despite what I was doing to myself.  I passed a lot of people with heavier bikes and/or heavier bodies.  

Performance-wise, the cycling segment was the high point of my triathlon.  But towards the end I was ready for it to be over just the same. My Time:  0:55:39 (6:59 faster than 2012)

• Technique:
• Average cadence was 84 rpm.  
• This seems about right, but the only problem was that the average speed in my splits varied from 17.3 mph (Slowest) to 20.3 mph (fastest).  
• If I could choose I would prefer a more varied cadence and a more consistent speed.
• Trouble holding my line using DT shifters and during hydration.  
• Had an awkward experience when I was overtook by one of those TT bike dudes while I was passing someone myself.  
• Look over your shoulder before passing next time, dummy!
• Conditioning:
• I need to find the magic formula that allows me to maintain a desired speed yet at the same time allow me to get down into a more manageable heart rate.
• I need to get faster
• (On top of everything else I need to lose about 50 pounds just to do this)

• Gear:
• The Garmin FR 610 worked like a charm!
• Skip the gloves next year
• I should consider picking up some clamp-on aero bars, since it looks like I will be riding this bike again next year.
• I should also investigate mounting hydration up in said aero bars to eliminate unnecessary movement

T2

T2 went really quick and smooth this year.  Going with my running shoes on the bike really cut my time down (It also helped that I didn’t need to use the porta-potty this year).  

It could have been a lot worse:  in the first half mile or so of the run I got passed by a guy who had forgotten to take off his helmet & had to run the entire 3.5 miles with it in his hand. My Time:  0:01:32 (1:32 faster than 2012)

Run (3.5 Miles)

I knew that I was in trouble before I was even out of T1:  my heart rate was in the mid 140’s at the very start.  I had trained to run in the mid to high 130’s and slowly build up, running negative splits each mile.  There wasn’t much I could do but take it slow from the outset and try to get my heart rate down.    During the first ¾ mile I was able to hold it in the high 140’s but there was a slight incline after the first water station and from there I jumped up to 150 and before I knew it I was 155.  Bam, first of 8 walk breaks.  

My negative splits strategy was out the window, and my improvised strategy for the remainder of the run was simple:  Walk breaks to get my heart rate down to 130, begin running my slow steady pace until it got back up to 155, repeat.  Anybody who has ever tried nursing home an overheating car would know the drill.  My heart rate was like the temp gauge, run it up to the red, then let it cool off so that you don’t crack the engine block.  The last .4 miles or so I ignored my HR and went for it until the finish.   My time:  0:44:17 (1:29  slower than 2012)
 

• Technique:
• There really wasn’t much to consider here - I was at the end of my rope, so the only real technique I was employing was to tie a knot and try to hold on.
• IF I don’t have the same problem again next year, I will revisit my strategy to run negative splits.
• Conditioning:
• I need to be better conditioned to switch from cycling to running
• Definitely do more brick workouts
• I need to get faster
• (On top of everything else I need to lose about 50 pounds just to do this)

• Gear:
• I was really happy with my gear.  The Garmin FR 610 worked like a charm!
  
  
  
  
  
  

2011 Allianz Twin Cities Ride

Pre-Ride: 265.2
Post-Ride: 264.2

2011 MN Ironman Bike Ride

Pre-Ride: 270.4
Post-Ride: 266.4