The Canadian 1/2 Iron Triathlon Sept 2, 2006 It is a rare, rare thing to have a race where everything comes together. And it is even more gratifying for that race to be your "A" race for the year, the one race that you have sacrificed early mornings, evenings, weekends and much blood, sweat, and tears for to be as ready as you can possibly be. Such was my race at this year's Canadian 1/2 Iron Distance Triathlon. I really had no firm time goal for this race. An ankle injury had hampered the last 6 weeks of training, and I was going to have to take time during the race to manage it, so my goal really was just to do the very best that I could. I wanted to control the swim and bike and the first loop of the run. If I wanted to really 'race' during the race, I had to save that for the second loop of the run. Under 6hrs would be nice. 5:50 would be great. Beating my time from the 1/2 Iron Du (8/90/21) I did in 2003 of 5:42:32 would be outstanding! The weather looked possibly good - cool 12C, rising to 19C, under cloudy skies, but with a brisk NE wind. My day started early. Knowing that I wouldn't be sleeping anyways, I set my alarm for 5am and was down at Mooney's Bay at 5:55am, even though my race didn't start until 9am. This gave me the time to relax and cheer on other friend's starting their races, and to take my time with my pre-race routine. I racked at the end of the row, right near the porta-potties (not knowing how important that would be). I was feeling very relaxed and happy. At 6:30am I cheered on the Iron Triathletes as they plunged into Mooney's Bay. At 7:15am I took pictures of friend Andy as he started his Iron Duathlon. At 8am I sent Jim on his way in the Sprint Du as I ate my pre-race "go-food" - canned papaya - and talked to Michael. And I drank lots - a bottle each of water and gatorade, so that I made three port-o-pottie stops before the race had even started. I was nice to have fellow Personal Excellence coach/athlete Brenda working as a t-zone volunteer. As I made final preparations I talked to Mel and Bryan about our clothing choices. I was planning to wear just my tri-suite, but in talking to them, and then stripping down to just my suite I was cold, and I couldn't see myself even running comfortably in it, even if I wore arm warmers on the bike. So I changed to tri-shorts, and then I'd put on a bike jersey for the bike and a running shirt for the run. These turned out to be bang-on choices. I then put on my wet-suit and made my way down to the beach for a quick warmup swim before the start. As I put my swim gear on, the first thing to go wrong happened - the strap on my nose plug broke. My first thought was "Crap, 10mins before my race is to start too. I knew I should have bought a backup." But I instantly turned it into a positive thought - "Good, I just had my equipment failure of the day!" I quickly tied the ends of the strap together, and got on with my warmup. Standing on the beach waiting for the horn to sound, I silently prayed: "God, I'm in your hands today!" I'd done everything I could to be as ready as possible, I was in control of what I could control, and was prepared to have a positive attitude to whatever happened. I was happy and relaxed. The swim ======== The horn went off, and we were off. As I started near the back, I did not have much problem with crowding and physical contact, but there were always swimmers around me. As we headed down the Bay, I was able to get into a good groove. I found that I was to the left of most of the field (even though I was sighting well and was swimming straight to the turn-around buoys) and so I had lots of room. I was not interested in trying to find and keep and draft off of another swimmer, as I was more interested in swimming my own race. My effort level was good, not too high, and my HR was where I wanted it to be, in the low 150's. There was a bit of congestion as we made our way around the buoys, and it did not ease as much as I hoped afterwards. People were always around me, some of them swimming a very crooked path - at one point a big guy cut across me at a steep angle that brought me to nearly a complete halt. I found that I couldn't get in and stay in my swimming groove, as I seems to have to be watching out for other swimmers all the time. But my HR stayed down. As we came around the 2nd turn-around buoy, I noted that I was going to be under my time-goal for the swim. So I came into the beach strong and feeling very positive, despite not feeling like I'd had a good swim. Time: 35:54 (excellent) T1 == Was REALLLLLYYYYY slow, and I knew it was going to be slow. I had to go to the washroom REAL bad - the two bottles of fluid that had drunk pre-race were coming back to haunt me. On the positive side, I was well hydrated. Also, I have been suffering with tendonitis in my left ankle for the past 6 weeks, which had limited my running and cycling, and had only allowed me to do those two sports with the ankle taped and wrapped. So in T1 I had to wrap the ankle and apply some anti-chafing tools, and then do the long run out to the bike mount line in my cycling shoes. In practice I had had great difficulty in getting my taped and wrapped left foot into its bike shoe while on the bike without bunching and causing blisters, so, to be sure I got it right, the shoes had to go on in transition. Time: 7:20 (ouch!) Bike ==== I wanted as steady a bike split as possible. To accomplish this, I wanted the first two laps of the 6-lap course up and down Colonel By to feel EASY. I did not want to repeat my mistake of 3-years ago where I started the bike too fast, and paid for it by the last bike lap and on the run. So the first lap, I caught myself pushing just a bit and pulled myself back, and so by the end of the first lap I had found a comfortable, steady pace which I was able to keep for the whole ride. And my HR stayed good, 140-150 for the whole ride. The weather was good for the bike - cloudy, and the wind was generally a head-wind for going down the canal and a tail-wind pushing you home. Although my back did get sore (even from the first lap), the regular u-turns and the slight hill at Hartwell gave me regular chances to sit up and get out of the saddle, so that discomfort was easily controlled. I like the multi-lap course, as it allows you to see your friends regularly, those competing, and those spectating. The later included Teresa and her dad Geoff, Brian, Richard, and Brian, who took several photos of me, including one with my mouth full of food :-). Mel was a few minutes ahead of me, and riding the same pace as me, so that for all 6 laps we saw each other at the same places - under the 417 on my way out, andd at Carleton on my way back. I saw Andy, and I was glad that I was catching him - that meant that he was controlling his bike speed, which hopefully would enable him to avoid the bonk and crash that he's had in previous races. I caught him on the way out on lap 4, and we chatted briefly before I pulled away. I also played yo-yo the whole race with Bernard, who was doing the Iron Tri. I saw Michael fairly regularly, but never did pick Mike out of the continual stream of fellow riders. I soon found that I was not drinking as much as I had planned. The cool temps had an impact on this, but also by lap 3 my stomach was slightly upset. I was taking either a gel or a Clif bar at the end of each lap, as well as sipping eLoad from my aero bottle, and it was either the abundance of carbs that I was trying to take in, or the amount of solid food in my routine that was the problem. Having experienced the bad effects of too much nutrition taken on the bike, I backed off on how much carbs I was taking in, and slowly my stomach settled down. The bottle exchange was perfectly placed. I would fillup/top up my aero bottle going up the Hartwell Locks hill, and then toss that water bottle and get a new one, and that plan worked well for me through all 3 of my planned bottle exchanges. The porta-pottie break that I took in T2 told me that I had stayed ontop of my fluid needs. I did not have much of a problem with drafting. I was able to get onto my second bike lap ahead of the tri-a-tri crowd, so I did have to deal with that crowding, and although there were plenty of 1/2 and full Iron riders all over the course so that there was always company around me, most of time I was easily passing them, with the occasional one, or group, passing me. The only time I had a problem was when I was playing tag with one lady, and on her turn to pass me, she pulled up beside me and started chatting away. I stayed amacable and friendly as we were side-by-side for a couple of minutes as we, mainly she, talked, but I just wished she would either go ahead of me or drop back. At what turned out to be the right moment, I looked back, and there was an OAT official on a motorcycle coming up. I had her pull ahead, and as the motorcycle came up to me, I was sure I was going to get tagged for drafting. But he just kept on going, and I soon passed that lady for good and left her behind. Lap 4 of the bike proved to be the low point of my race. Suddenly my legs didn't feel good and I was having to put effort in to keep the same pace. I wondered about if I could keep going for the whole bike ride, and what my legs would be like for the run. I so badly wanted to keep something extra in reserve for the run. Faced with this problem, and my fears, I just relaxed, smiling, and muttered my word-of-the-day "Peace" several times. Then came the u-turn at the far end of the canal, and I had the wind at my back now, and everything sorted itself out. A couple of things changed in lap 5 of the bike. First, I stopped using the small chain-ring for the upwind leg of the loop. My effort level did marginally increase, although my HR didn't change very much. Bernard was no longer yo-yoing with me, and I noticed that there was still lots of jump in my legs as I accelerated from each u-turn. Second, my ankle, despite the taping and wrapping, started to hurt abit. Oh well. It was not affecting my riding, and I wondered what the run would be like. I decided to keep the wrap on for the run (I had planned to take it off) and see how it felt. Aside: I had enjoyed watching it "move" around my ankle as the wrap gradually loosened during the course of the bike ride :-) Overall, I was happy and patient on the bike, and was thrilled to see my bike time easily coming under 3hrs. Time: 2:47:06 (awesome) T2 == Coming up to the bike dismount line, I was careful to stretch out my back and legs, especially my calves and ankles, but still, once off my bike, all I could do was _TRY_ to run. My legs could barely function. Having not done a brick workout in 6 weeks because of my injury, I was expecting a little more "brickishness" than usual (usually I can run off the bike without too much discomfort), but this was extreme. Ouch! I shambled to the bike racks and got my socks and shoes on overtop of the ankle wrap. I had a bit of weight in my bladder, and I would have ignored it except that on my way out there was a free porta-pottie, so I took the time to relieve myself, and I was glad to see that I was still fairly decently hydrated. Time: 4:41 (better, but still not great) Run === The plan was to stay patient and just run comfortably until my legs came around (I sure hoped they would), and then, in the second lap of the run, give it whatever I had left. Since my longest run since July 8 was 9km just a week ago, I was depending on my prior running fitness and my marathon and 1/2 marathon expeience to carry me through this run. And with how dead my legs were feeling, The only thing I could do was start by being patient and running comfortably and hope my legs would come around. My back and neck also stayed tight for a while, and it took a while for the nerve spasm in my left shoulder to go away as well. Also, the tape and/or wrap on my ankle was chafing and an already-painful blister was forming on my heel. As planned, I walked through each water station, taking in some water. Even that few-second walk break was most welcome early on - the first 4 km of the run were not easy. On the plus side, my left ankle was not bothering me at all. I wondered if I had just imagined the soreness that I experienced on the bike. As I approached Lansdowne, I started to feel a hot-spot forming under my left arch, caused by the wrap. I stopped at a bench on the side of the path to take it off, and I looped it over my chest, like a sash. That stopped the hot-spot, but it did not ease the blister pain on the heel, which I now knew was caused by the tape. I was able to ignore it for the rest of the run, even when it got nasty bad. Once the wrap was off, my energy and legs started to come around, and I started to run better and much more easily. I reached the first turn around feeling good and cruised back up the canal to HogsBack. I stayed with my plan to walk every water station, but I was glad to feel that I no longer 'needed' the walk break. The legs felt good. The HR was good, ~160. I took a gel, and drank the eLoad from my bottle. I noted from my watch that I was in finish-5:30 territory, maybe not quite that time, but close. The sun came out, and with the wind at my back, I actually felt hot for a while, and I put water on my head and face at each water station in an effort to keep cool. I hoped I wouldn't overhead. And having missed my friends on my way out on the run (they were all way ahead of me), I was able to see them coming back, as they started their second laps - Michael, Mel, and Mike, and, just before I reached the end of loop 1, Bernard came out staring his Iron run! Awesome! I started the second loop of the run feeling good, and gave Teresa and Brian the thumbs up as I headed out. "Feeling good!" I told them. And I was in a groove. I took my second gel, as planned, and refilled my bottle with more eLoad. Around Dows Lake, I felt my pace and effort increase slightly, and I let it. This was my plan - if I felt good in the second loop of the run, to just let it all out. And so I did. But then, just as quickly, my legs started to tighen and stiffen. And the blister pain in my left heel was now sharpening - infact there was one stab where I thought that it had burst. I had a choice - settle in and just try to get through the run as comfortably as possible, or just work as hard as I could and realize the goal of doing the very best that I could today. I chose the latter, so I consciencely pushed my legs to go as hard as I could. At this point I stopped my practice of walking through the water stations. Any water I took now was not really going to help me in the race, and I wanted to maintain my momentum. I saw Michael, Mel, and Mike for the last time as they headed for their finish line. Around the final u-turn, and I was headed for home. Brian, with whom we signed up for IMUSA 2007 together with Mike, gave me encouragement and said "You've got lots of time to recover before Lake Placid next year". Nice sentiment, but I wanted to think about this race, the here and now, right now. My legs continued to stiffen but I just continued to push it and run as hard as I could. But I couldn't get my HR up, it still stayed in the mid-160's, barley into zone 2. Going up the Hartwell Locks Hill brought me close to the stopping point. It really hurt and I wondered if I could continue this effort to the end. The body was saying "slow down", but my mind was saying "The pain in temporary, the glory is forever!" I kept going as hard as I could. As I approached HogsBack and could now see the locks, I was encouraged. "Only 1km to go". I didn't want to think about all those short, sharp hills and rough running surfaces that I still had to cross to get to the finish line. I was cheered to see Andy coming out to start his Iron run. I made it up the rise to the locks and through the tunnel, "hang on legs", and made the turn towards the park. I made it down the hill under the road and then the loop up and around, and I knew I was slowing down. I was just trying to survive now. I took the "sash" wrap off from around my chest and carried it in my hand. Through the trail beside the Terry Fox fields, I concentrated on not stumbling over the roots and rocks, and then I was down the hill towards the finishing chute. I was running alone, and had the finishing chute all to myself. I heard Geordie calling out "We have another 1/2 Iron finisher coming in" and he called my number and name. I was shocked at the crowds of people cheering me in and I raised my arms, wrap dangling, in celebration as I crossed the line. I felt like I won an Olympic gold medal! Wow! I had realized all my goals for the race, and then some!! Time:2:00:25 Finishing time: 5:35:24 I needed the volunteer to hold me up, as my legs could no longer do that on their own. She was great, and took me to the ambulance team, who gave me an ice bag for my ankle, and I then got food and recovered and found Mel and Brian and Mike and Brian and we talked our races out. Thanks ====== Thanks: to Somersault, for putting on these races, and special mention to Geordie and Rob announcing (the fortune-cookies "in bed" later on in the evening was just plain hilarious); to the volunteers, we couldn't do it without you; to my friends spectating and supporting this day - Brian, Brian, Richard, Teresa and Geoff and those I didn't see - Hilda - and all those long training days, especially my relatives the Kalil's, as I was in their pool doing strange pool running workouts during August; to my physio Bill, chiropractor Dr. Lovsin, and massage therapists Olaf and Scott who got my ankle, and the rest of me, in good enough shape to have a great race on; and lastly, big thanks to my coach Jane Armstrong of Personal Excellence Coaching. She has taught me so much about mental training, dealing with injuries, and race plans and execution. I am looking forward to the journey towards and fun of IM Lake Placid next year! Assessment & Learnings ====================== - awesome! awesome! awesome! racee plan came together! good swim, great bike, I held it together for the run and finished the race with nothing left in the tank; - I was surprised at my final run split - I thought I was running alot faster than I actually was and should have had more of a negative split time. I guess that's the distorted perception of space and time when the body is reaching its limit; - despite the extended transitionss due to ankle-care and porta-pottie breaks, I still PB'd at the 1/2 Ironman distance by 7mins; - need to adjust to a more-liquid,, less solid diet on the bike; - don't drink so much pre-race: 1 bottle is enough, 2 is too much; - I was very relaxed pre-race and my mental race-prep was excellent; Official splits: ================ swim 2k - 35:54, 84/183 overall, 58/126 men, 7/18 Men 35-39 T1 - 7:20, 169/182 overall, 114/126 Men, 16/18 Men 35-39 bike 90km - 2:47:06 32.3 km/h, 85/182 overall, 71/125 Men, 10/17 Men 35-39 T2 - 4:41, 90/180 overall, 71/125 men, 11/17 Men 35-39 run 21.1km - 2:00:25 5:43/km, 87/181 overall, 69/124 Men, 11/16 Men 35-39 5:35:24 total time 87/181 overall 68/126 men 10/18 Men 35-39 My splits: ========== swim 2km - 34:50 HR 151avg T1 - 8:31 HR 155avg bike 90km - 2:46:55 lap times: 28:05, 27:36, 27:39, 27:38, 27:29, 28:28 (first and last laps were a little longer, as they include coming/going to mount/dismount at HogsBack Park) T2 - 4:43 HR 150avg run 21.1km - 2:00:26 run splits - to 5.55km: 32:24 (5:50/km) HR 160avg, next 10km: 56:41 (5:40/km) HR 162avg, last 5.55km: 31:21 (5:39/km) HR 167avg While training for this race, this is what I logged: Jan 9 - Sept 1, 2006 ========================================================================= Swim - 107,700m Bike - 3,186.9km Run - 686.9km Pool running - 5.75hrs spinning - 22hrs total training time: 201.5hrs 9 races, PB's set: running - 6km (twice), 10km