Something Old, Something New. Something Borrowed, Something Blue
The idea of writing a blog and publishing race reports is not new. Endurance athletes have done it for as long as I can remember. At first, I didn’t read them mostly because I told myself I didn’t have the time, but this season I have started to read some of the posts my training buddies made and I have grown to enjoy and appreciate blogging. While I usually hear a lot of what is written in person, it is often not until the blog is written that these things are said outloud. Writing a race report, whether or not it be in blog form, gives athletes a chance to reflect and write about everything and anything that happened during a race. By having a long record of these reports, athletes can start to see trends in things that did and did not work while. This is especially important in endurance racing where we don’t get many opportunities to race and try new things, especially when so many things can go wrong while exerting yourself to your max for 4+ hours.
This is a fairly simple concept that I am finally beginning to appreciate. So many of my 70.3 races have lead to mediocre runs, typically due to some form of bonking or inadequate training. This past weekend (10/29/2017), I closed my 2017 Tri season with Ironman Austin 70.3, which ended in a similar situation as described above: bonkville. With 2017 coming to a close, I want to try something new by borrowing the old concept of blogging and race reporting to hopefully evict my current residence in bonktown. Teaching yoga on the side, I often get some questions about what athletes can do to enhance their recovery through yoga. I also hope to use this forum to post some of my tips and tricks in that subject matter. So here it goes: I am capping off the 2017 season by writing a race report about Austin 70.3 (see below). I will also follow it up with a post reflecting on my 2017 season in general, so stay tuned for that!
Race morning it was cold... really cold. I got to the race site right when it opened at 5:30am and set up my running gear at T2. I then went straight back to the car to warm up and watch some YouTube to relax. Around 6:15, I got on the shuttle to T1, set up my bike gear, and waited for the race start. I ended up changing into my wetsuit and walking down to the swim a little early and waited ~25min for the swim to start (toes went immediately numb). It was a rolling start so I was in the first group of amateurs to go off...
Swim Split: 27:33
In T1, I quickly ripped off my wetsuit, put on arms warmers and gloves, and made my way onto the bike course. The severity of how cold it was did not hit me until about five minutes in when I realized I was shivering and my fingers were going numb. My body wanted to ride harder to warm up, but my mind knew I needed to keep it steady. I forced myself to drink my EFS and about 30min in I tried eating some GU chomps, but they had frozen solid inside my bike storage thing. I finally discovered that I could thaw them out by holding them in my hands, but eating them just did not feel right. About an hour into the bike, I started to get some stomach pain, but continued to drink and eat as I had planned. Around mile 40, the gastrointestinal distress had escalated, started radiating to my lower back and I could not wait to stop riding. Meanwhile, the course was unrelenting with constant steep rollers and very few period where I felt comfortable and steady with my power. It was at this point too that my legs started to feel a little achy. I kept thinking that it would go away once it started to warm up, but the fatigue seemed to persist in my legs. My mind started to wonder to the run, trying to mentally prepare myself for that. Once I had finished the bike, I had consumed two packets of GU Chomps, two bottle of water with 6 scoops of EFS and another bottle of plain water (~750kCal). I made my way into transition feeling relieved to be sitting upright, testing out how the legs would feel running...
Bike Split: 2:30 (265NP)
I made my way out of T2 excited to be off the bike, cautiously testing out my legs for the first mile. If the bike course had taught me anything, I knew the run course would be rolling and the first two miles were either up or downhill. I legs were a little achy and my stomach felt like it was about to burst, but I kept just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. This state of mind and feeling was not unfamiliar... it had happened to me at Oceanside and Boulder the year before. It felt like I was on the verge of bonking hard. If I had learned anything from some of the massive training sessions I had put in this\ summer with the #SmashSunday crew consisting of Greg, Corey, and Mike, it was I could try and come back by eating a few GUs, so that's what I did. I opened one pack and stuck the entire pack in my mouth. Two minutes later, my stomach pain had escalated to a new level... but I just focused on one foot in front of the other. Around mile 6 I realized it was time for another GU, but the thought of it made me gag, so I took small bites every 0.5mi or so. This helped a little and combining it with RedBull at the aid stations kept me going. After I started lap 3, I had slowed by about 45s/mi and knew that the podium was out of reach at this point and so my mind was just focusing on finishing, no matter what it took. Never before had I battled such bad stomach pain and they were getting unrelenting on the third lap, which forced me to stop for the first and only time during that run to use one of the bathrooms. After that, I finally felt some stomach relief, but this did not improve the shitty feeling in my legs. I knew at that point that the victory for the day was just to finished. I exited the third loop and made my way to the finish line. After a sharp left turn, there was a straightaway down a dark tunnel into the stadium indoor finish. It was so bright outside, you couldn't see anything down the tunnel, but as soon as your eyes adjusted, it was clear the finish line was 100ft ahead of you. I crossed, proud to have stuck with it.
Run: 1:38
Final time: 4:41 (8th AG and 42OA)
This is a fairly simple concept that I am finally beginning to appreciate. So many of my 70.3 races have lead to mediocre runs, typically due to some form of bonking or inadequate training. This past weekend (10/29/2017), I closed my 2017 Tri season with Ironman Austin 70.3, which ended in a similar situation as described above: bonkville. With 2017 coming to a close, I want to try something new by borrowing the old concept of blogging and race reporting to hopefully evict my current residence in bonktown. Teaching yoga on the side, I often get some questions about what athletes can do to enhance their recovery through yoga. I also hope to use this forum to post some of my tips and tricks in that subject matter. So here it goes: I am capping off the 2017 season by writing a race report about Austin 70.3 (see below). I will also follow it up with a post reflecting on my 2017 season in general, so stay tuned for that!
Austin 70.3 Race Report:
Arriving in Austin Thursday before the race I was excited and calm. I went straight from the airport to the race venue, pumped up my tires with some help from the vendors setting up, and hopped on my bike for a spin. Boy was it WINDY! During the 1hr ride, I was probably in my aerobars for 2min and the rest of the time I was in my drops, holding on for dear life. Thankfully, this wind only lasted through Friday. The next day I mostly spent in my AirBnB tele-PhD-ing, with a quick break to run and register for the race. Saturday, I spent the morning race strategizing with Dr. Greg Grosicki himself and buying some cold weather gear due to the forecasted 40deg temps during the bike. Afterwards, I met up with Jordon Bailey, whom GG connected me with, and his buddy Eric Andersson. We went for a quick ride and swam in this gorgeous 33.3yd pool. I was feeling excited and ready to go. After a quick bike drop off, I had dinner with Eric, Jordan, and Eric's family who immediately adopted me as their own (Thanks for the great hospitality)! I went to bed finding it hard to believe I was racing another 70.3 the next morning...
Special shout out to Felt Bicycles for the frame (something old), Corey Robinson for the Garmin Vector 2 pedals (something new), Greg Grosicki for the helmet (something borrowed), and Greg Grosicki again for the #FastAF ENVE wheels (something blue)
Race morning it was cold... really cold. I got to the race site right when it opened at 5:30am and set up my running gear at T2. I then went straight back to the car to warm up and watch some YouTube to relax. Around 6:15, I got on the shuttle to T1, set up my bike gear, and waited for the race start. I ended up changing into my wetsuit and walking down to the swim a little early and waited ~25min for the swim to start (toes went immediately numb). It was a rolling start so I was in the first group of amateurs to go off...
Swim
The gun went off and I calmly walked into the water as instructed, but as soon as I heard my timer click, I sprinted and did a few dolphin dives to get myself going. The water tasted like gasoline and the steam lifting off it made it hard to sight the buoys, but I just tried to stay calm and get away from the first pack. Once I found some clean water, I settled into a longer, relaxed stroke. The course was shaped like a trapezoid and the swim out was a breeze. Across the top, the sun was in my eyes, making visibility even harder. Then, on the way back to shore, there must have been some sort of current because I kept getting pushed to the right and ran into a few of the buoys. Once I reached the shore, I looked down at my watch and was a little disappointed and thought maybe I kept it too conservative, but I knew the race had to continue...Swim Split: 27:33
Bike
In T1, I quickly ripped off my wetsuit, put on arms warmers and gloves, and made my way onto the bike course. The severity of how cold it was did not hit me until about five minutes in when I realized I was shivering and my fingers were going numb. My body wanted to ride harder to warm up, but my mind knew I needed to keep it steady. I forced myself to drink my EFS and about 30min in I tried eating some GU chomps, but they had frozen solid inside my bike storage thing. I finally discovered that I could thaw them out by holding them in my hands, but eating them just did not feel right. About an hour into the bike, I started to get some stomach pain, but continued to drink and eat as I had planned. Around mile 40, the gastrointestinal distress had escalated, started radiating to my lower back and I could not wait to stop riding. Meanwhile, the course was unrelenting with constant steep rollers and very few period where I felt comfortable and steady with my power. It was at this point too that my legs started to feel a little achy. I kept thinking that it would go away once it started to warm up, but the fatigue seemed to persist in my legs. My mind started to wonder to the run, trying to mentally prepare myself for that. Once I had finished the bike, I had consumed two packets of GU Chomps, two bottle of water with 6 scoops of EFS and another bottle of plain water (~750kCal). I made my way into transition feeling relieved to be sitting upright, testing out how the legs would feel running...
Bike Split: 2:30 (265NP)
Run
I made my way out of T2 excited to be off the bike, cautiously testing out my legs for the first mile. If the bike course had taught me anything, I knew the run course would be rolling and the first two miles were either up or downhill. I legs were a little achy and my stomach felt like it was about to burst, but I kept just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. This state of mind and feeling was not unfamiliar... it had happened to me at Oceanside and Boulder the year before. It felt like I was on the verge of bonking hard. If I had learned anything from some of the massive training sessions I had put in this\ summer with the #SmashSunday crew consisting of Greg, Corey, and Mike, it was I could try and come back by eating a few GUs, so that's what I did. I opened one pack and stuck the entire pack in my mouth. Two minutes later, my stomach pain had escalated to a new level... but I just focused on one foot in front of the other. Around mile 6 I realized it was time for another GU, but the thought of it made me gag, so I took small bites every 0.5mi or so. This helped a little and combining it with RedBull at the aid stations kept me going. After I started lap 3, I had slowed by about 45s/mi and knew that the podium was out of reach at this point and so my mind was just focusing on finishing, no matter what it took. Never before had I battled such bad stomach pain and they were getting unrelenting on the third lap, which forced me to stop for the first and only time during that run to use one of the bathrooms. After that, I finally felt some stomach relief, but this did not improve the shitty feeling in my legs. I knew at that point that the victory for the day was just to finished. I exited the third loop and made my way to the finish line. After a sharp left turn, there was a straightaway down a dark tunnel into the stadium indoor finish. It was so bright outside, you couldn't see anything down the tunnel, but as soon as your eyes adjusted, it was clear the finish line was 100ft ahead of you. I crossed, proud to have stuck with it.
Run: 1:38
Final time: 4:41 (8th AG and 42OA)
Final Thoughts
Bonking is never fun. And the fact that this was my third time bonking in a 70.3 in the past two years makes it even harder. It is the reason that motivated me to start this blog, but after having a few days to reflect, I am proud of this result. The fact of the matter is that I had to take some time off for school during the months of May and June and I was able to come back and get myself into pretty good shape for this event. I think the thing that I was most nervous and upset about was that I had let my friends and training buddies down... they were really rooting for me. These results have revealed to me some weakness in my training and motivate to just continue striving for next season. I know I need to focus more on my running, but having friends to train and suffer with makes it a lot more enjoyable. I am excited for 2018 because I think it is going to be one of my best seasons ever. I have to give Eric Andersson and his family a special shout out for showing me around and cheering me throughout the entire weekend! Also, a huge thanks to Greg, Corey and Mike for #SmashSunday fun, my parents for always being supportive, my roommate for tolerating bike grease getting all over our apartment, and my PI for letting take so much time to train and travel for my races. The 2018 season starts now...
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