Last year at Ironman St. George 70.3 my time was 6:06:45 for
106th in my age group. It was
a hard race with a lot of climbing on the bike and on the run and the
temperature rose into the 80s in the early afternoon. I remember particularly the suffering on the
run as I ran and walked my way to a 2:15 run split. Despite the challenges, the race was scenic
with an awesome one-way ride, and I loved the experience, so I signed up to do
it again.
After building up for my first full triathlon last fall, I
focused on my running to prepare for the Phoenix Marathon and my goal to
qualify for Boston. I met that goal and
saw good improvements in my run overall.
In March I got back on the bike and into the pool to prepare for St.
George. My cycling power seemed to come
back quickly despite neglecting my bike for 10 weeks in the winter. I resumed a Masters Swim group at Lifetime Fitness
and tried to grow webbing between my fingers.
Two weeks prior to St. George, I competed with my family in
the Coronado Varsity Scout triathlon.
This race is shorter than a sprint so it wasn’t much of an endurance
workout, but it proved to be a great tune up for race preparation and
transitions.
For St. George, I set time goals of 38 mins for the swim,
2:45 for the bike, and 1:55 for the run, for a total time of 5:25 with
transition. This would be a PR time for
the swim and run and overall for this distance.
It would also be a 16 minute improvement on the bike from last
year. I felt that these goals were a
stretch for me, but achievable. I
believed the key to the race would be the run, as it is in most long course
triathlon races, but especially so here because of the amount of climbing.
During the Phoenix Marathon, I had a great first 20 miles and
was on target for about 3:16 finish, but then in the last six miles, the wind
wore me down and I succumbed to the urge to walk for periods of time in the
hope of trying to recover enough to resume running at a strong pace. Each time I resumed running, I almost
immediately felt the need to walk again.
MP, an experienced marathoner friend, came to Phoenix to run this race
with us. He pointed out that when racing
for time, the walking never helps. The
body screams for relief, but the illusion of relief is quickly snatched
away. Of course if the goal is to
finish, then walking has an important role and is a strategy many use
successfully in endurance events. As the
time ticked by in miles 23 and 24, I soon realized that I was in danger of
missing my Boston qualifying time of 3:25!
I had to get on it and push hard for the last two miles. I finished in 3:23:09 to qualify with just a
bit of room to spare. I was elated about
that, but at the same time disappointed that my finish was so difficult.
My run goal for St. George was to hit the time of 1:55,
which is difficult given the 2,000 feet of climbing. More importantly, I set the goal to not walk
during this run. I knew it would be very
difficult with the heat, the hills, and the cumulative fatigue of the race. I decided that it was OK to slow down when
needed on climbs, but not OK to walk, not even through the aid stations. In my training in March, I did one particular
run where I tried to simulate the suffering at the end of a race. It was a 13 mile run on a hot morning in
Mexico where I started at an 8:30 pace and gradually sped up throughout the
run. The wind was blowing and the
temperature rising, but I refused to walk and when I finished I had greater
confidence in my mental toughness, but it still was not the same as running at
the end of a 70.3-mile triathlon!
I needed a new cassette for my bike and I decided to go to a
10/28 to give me better ratios for climbing.
Last year at St. George I kept wishing for another couple of gears going
up Snow Canyon. I tried the new
drivetrain at Las Sendas in Mesa and I was pleased with the change. My bike was ready. Some racers use race wheels or race
tires. I don’t have race wheels and I leave
the Gatorskin tires on my wheels. They
are not as light as race tires, but they are stronger and I like the reduced
chance of a flat.
Monday before the race I felt a sore throat and I
immediately started to worry. I made
sure I got extra sleep and water and hoped that it would not stick. On Wednesday, I did a swim in the pool with my
wetsuit on. I wasn’t able to get to the
lake for open water practice, so this would have to do. I felt great and set a PR on a 500-yard time
trial, which grew my confidence in the water.
The water cleared me out a bit too.
On Thursday I still felt a little congestion, but I was hopeful I had
dodged a full on head cold and when I ran I did not feel constricted or
noticeably sluggish. On Friday I did a
light run with my daughter Chantelle in Las Vegas to just get moving and
everything felt OK. I think my taper was
timed well as I didn’t have any feelings of lingering fatigue from previous
hard workouts.
Chantelle was my race support, chauffeur, and cheerleader
for the race. We arrived in St. George Friday
afternoon to check in and make our way through the expo. We bumped into RB and RB and accompanied them
to the bike check-in and then met BD and SD for dinner and pre-race
banter. All week the forecast was for
wind on Saturday. When I did my last
check of the forecast, the hourly showed the wind was expected to be calm in
the morning and increasing after about 2pm.
This was great news as I hoped to be done before then! The heat was going to be challenging enough. After sorting out my gear bags one more time
I turned in.
I sometimes have a hard time sleeping the night before a
race as I tend to lie in bed with anxiety and excitement and a little bit of
worry thinking I won’t wake up in time.
This time I was able to go to sleep and stay asleep until the
alarm. Another small victory.
I have practiced my nutrition and learned what works well
for me. My plan for the race was to take
on slightly more nutrition during the ride than I had in previous races in an
effort to combat the fatigue and increase my energy level during the run.
Friday lunch: chicken sandwich, fries
Friday dinner: chicken linguine, vegetables
Pre-race breakfast: Isagenix IsaLean bar,
bagel w/ peanut butter, banana, small muffin, yogurt
15 min before start: Clif Shot Blok
On bike: 3 GU gels, 5 scoops Perpetuem,
½ small bagel w/ peanut butter & honey, 2 salt tablets
On run: 2 GU gels, 2 salt tablets
Swim: This race has a wave start and you need to enter the
water and swim to the starting buoys. I
noticed some that took their time and did not make it to the buoys before the
gun went off; tactical error! I made
sure to get out there swiftly and waited on the line for the gun. During the swim I did not break my stroke at
all. I didn’t worry about my elapsed
time; I just concentrated on swimming in a straight line and keeping a steady
strong stroke. After the final turn I
looked ahead and saw two others in my wave with the same color cap. I remembered a drill at Masters Swim that was
meant to help with finishing speed, so I picked up my stroke rate and sprinted
to the finish and passed both of those racers.
Another small victory. I glanced
at my watch and noted that my swim time was 38 minutes; sweet!
Bike: Up the ramp towards transition and then the wetsuit
came off and sunscreen went on thanks to volunteers. Bike in hand I headed out for the first climb
around the reservoir. I was really happy
that I did not feel spent after the swim.
I didn’t start drinking water right away as I let my system settle down
while I got into a good rhythm on the bike.
The first climb is about mile 6 and I started alternating between standing,
sitting up, and in aero. Before standing
I gear down two clicks and then stay standing for 100-200 rotations. I took nutrition and water regularly on
schedule whether I felt I needed it or not.
Snow Canyon starts after mile 40.
At this point my cumulative average speed was better than 20 mph. I buckled in for the big climb that almost
broke me last year. I stood several
times and just kept at it. Each time it
seemed we were near the top there was another upward stretch. False flats and false hopes. At one point the course doubles back down the
canyon for a stretch which at first felt great until I realized that meant
climbing that part of the canyon again! I
was really appreciating my new cassette with a higher ratio for climbing. I finally crested the top. Many riders sit up at this point to take a
drink and recover. I put down the hammer
to build up speed and only then do I take on water and rest my legs. It is surprising how many people I passed at
that point. I checked my watch and saw
that my average speed was 18.9 mph with nothing but down to the finish. That was my overall average last year, so I
knew I was going to better my time.
While coasting fast I ate a mini bagel with PB and honey; wow did that
taste great. I finished with a bike
split of 2:47 for a 14-minute improvement over last year.
Run: I kept focused on my goal not to walk. I didn’t hammer to the limit on my bike so I
could leave something in the tank for the run.
I got through transition quickly and headed out. It was so hard up the first hill! I could not get the cadence going as I was
still feeling the effects of the ride. I
got to the top and got down to business.
The temperature was creeping up so I started pouring water on my head at
aid stations and eventually ice into my kit as well. I kept steady and tried to push my average
pace down to 9 min/mile. I tried to eye
runners going the speed I wanted to hold to pace off of. I was surprised at how strong some of the
runners were at this point. There was a
woman in her 60s that passed me! I tip
my hat. Twice I felt a side stitch and I
think it was from drinking too much. So,
I eased off the water a bit and just took a swallow at each mile. The last big climb was a long one; I was so
tempted to start walking. In fact, I
think walking may have been just as fast as I was running at that point. I did not give in to the rationalization and
I kept my running cadence going. It was
an epic struggle, and the hill looked like it went on forever, but I believed I
had it in me to get through it. At the
crest of the hill I had 5k left and I put on the gas. I passed several walkers and it felt
great. I spotted Chantelle near the
finish and saw that she had made a sign.
I was so touched and I surged again.
Soon I could see the finish and I made the last turn around the traffic
circle and into the final chute. I
finished with a run split of 1:58. The
last 5k was my fastest 5k of the run.
My overall time was 5:30:24 for 52nd
in my age group.
I missed my goal by 5 minutes, but it was a complete victory for
me. I beat my previous time in each
discipline, I beat last year’s IM St. George time by 36 minutes, I set a 70.3 PR
by 8 minutes, and most importantly, I did not walk!
Chantelle found me at the finish and we enjoyed the
post-race food and relaxation. I saw
some of my friends that had raced and soon we headed out. Chantelle and I had a date at the St. George
Temple before heading home the next day.
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