At HITS Palm Springs this year I finished my second 140.6 in
11:40:17 for 15th overall and a personal best.
My goal was to improve in each leg and my stretch goal was to hit 11
hours.
The training build-up to this race was somewhat different
than my build-up last year. Having the
St. George marathon in October shifted the balance of my training towards the
run and I saw good improvements there, qualifying for Boston by 8 minutes. However, that meant I did not spend as much
time on my bike. Also, my work schedule
was more rigid as I was commuting to North Scottsdale and had several trips in
September and October disrupting my training.
In 2014, I peaked at 15 hours of training with 11 weeks higher than 10
hours and I did a century ride every month.
In 2015, I didn’t have any weeks above 10 hours and in the four months
leading up to the race my biggest ride efforts were an 80-mile ride to Payson
in August and a 50-mile ride with brick three weeks before the race. I would have liked to do some more long
rides, but I wasn’t able to get them into the schedule. On the positive side, my training was more
targeted. The runs and rides had
specific goals and I was better at making the most of my training sessions. I was in the LTF Masters class during
November tuning up my swim. MW and I did
an open water swim at Saguaro the week before the race, which went well for me
and helped my confidence. I also had
more experience racing and believed that I was mentally stronger, which fueled
my aspirations for a big improvement. I
was happy with my taper having done various workouts with enough high intensity
to stay sharp and fast. I was not happy
to catch a cold 2 weeks before the race.
It didn’t grip me hard, but it was enough to feel congestion with coughing
and sluggishness. By race day I was
feeling better, but I doubt I was completely over it. I put it out of my mind and did not let it
worry me.
Unlike last year, Kandyce was able to come support and cheer
me on at this race. I was very excited
to have her be there. She volunteered to
help at the finish line. Her cousin FR
and her husband MR came out to support and volunteer as well. We really enjoyed having them out and while I
was racing they were a lot of fun for Kandyce.
They had a great time helping the racers at the finish and then at the
run transition. MR ordered some pizza
for a runner that was asking if there was any.
It didn’t last long.
We drove out Friday morning and got settled in the condo
then headed over to the race check-in.
We saw MW and I put my bike in the transition area. The water looked cool and it was. The course was slightly different than it was
2 years prior when I did the 70.3. The
bike leg did not loop back into the park area, which avoided having a no pass
zone. Also, the run course was different
and had four loops turning around just before the finish area in the park.
After checking in, we met FR and MR and went to the outlet
mall for some shopping and some dinner.
I had a chicken sandwich at Ruby’s Diner. Then back to the condo for some sleep. The plan was for me to take the car early and
pick up MW and then the others would come in a second car in time for the
start. The weather forecast predicted
starting temperatures in the 50s warming up into the 70s and very little wind. It was going to be a great day for racing,
but the water temp was still going to be a concern. I hadn’t decided what to wear yet.
In the morning I got myself sorted out and started on my
pre-race nutrition. My targets for the
race were 1:20 for the swim, 5:35 on the bike, which is 20mph average, 3:54 for
the run, which is 9min/mile average, and a total of 10 minutes for transition
for a total of just under 11 hours. I
thought all were within my ability. The
run was the most ambitious given that my previous 140.6 marathon was at
11min/mile but I believed my run strength was greatly improved over last year
and I believed my mental tenacity was stronger.
Gear: Swim: Zoot 5.0
wetsuit, OYL Racing tri top and shorts, 2 swim caps, ear wax (helps with
temperature perception by keeping cold water out of ear canal), TYR goggles;
Bike: Trek Madone 5.2 with aero bars, decided not to change into dry gear in
T1, arm sleeves, full finger gloves, Oakley sunglasses, Specialized Prevail helmet,
Wrightsocks (green stripes to match); Run: Newton Gravity IV shoes with Slick
Laces, SPI race belt with bib and pouch for gels, Cadence hat, and added two
lights at dusk.
Nutrition: Pre-race: Ionix+Amped drink powder, IsaLean Pro
shake, IsaLean Bar, Clif bar, banana, UCAN (3 scoops); Pre-swim: gel, E-shot;
Bike: Replenish, gels, IsaLean Bar, Clif bar, IsaLean shake, 2 salt tabs; Run:
gels, E-shot, banana pieces, orange slices, grapes, and 2 more salt tabs.
It was an extremely hard day, but each segment went better
than Havasu and I avoided injury, flats, and bonking. The swim was steady but cold on my hands,
feet, and face. It was at least 10
minutes before I could stop thinking about how cold my face was. My first lap was 35 minutes, which was a PR
for that distance. I accidentally
pressed the lap button, stopping the timer for the swim. I carried on and there were fewer swimmers to
pace and draft off in the 2nd loop as the field spread out
more. I was able to stay steady into the
finish and passed 3 racers in the last leg for a finish time of 1:15. I was pleased with my swim and glad that I
was able to withstand the cold. The sun
was out and I looked forward to the prospect of warming up. Although slightly longer than my previous
year’s swim, it was actually a better time because at Havasu the swim was 2.2
miles, a full 0.2 miles short. On my way
out of the water I saw Kandyce taking a picture. The wetsuit strippers helped me get out of my
wetsuit and then I had to run up the hill and down the parking lot pavement to
my bike. On cold bare feet it was painful!
I decided not to do a full dry change and I only put on
sleeves and gloves. This turned out to
be a good decision as I was warm enough within the first few miles except I did
not feel my feet until 2 hours into the bike.
The bike course was relatively flat and the wind was light, but the road
was unexpectedly rough for long stretches.
At the first turnaround I started watching for MW and AB, the only two
racers I knew at the race. I saw MW and
he was about 6 minutes behind me; closer than I expected. He must have had a great swim and I was happy
for him. He had put a lot of miles on
his bike this fall as he prepared for Lotoja, so I thought he had a chance to
catch up to me on the bike. I did not
ever see AB because I didn’t know what her riding kit looked like and it is
hard to pick out riders when the relative speed difference is around 40mph.
For the first time on the bike I was able to pee. This is a difficult skill but saves a lot of
time and is worth mastering. I waited
until nobody was approaching from the other direction to be discrete, did a
shoulder check out of courtesy to fellow riders back there, then stood out of
the saddle, stopped pedaling, then let it go.
It took a few tries and it took some care to avoid it all going in my
sock. It helped not only with time, but
also with comfort. Not that having warm
pee dribble down my leg is comfortable, but that sensation soon passes and not
having a full bladder on the rough roads made a big difference.
At mile 75 I was soooo ready to be off the bike and be
running. I was ahead of my pace goal, but with each loop my average time was
dropping slightly. At each turn I
watched for MW and he was consistently about 5-7 minutes behind me. He was having a good steady ride. I saw his family at the turn around cheering
loud. At my 3rd time through
the turn around, I stopped to get into my special needs bag. I wanted to ditch my sleeves, gloves, and
empty water bottles, and I wanted to pick up more nutrition. The volunteer brought my bag over and told me
I could just drop my items and she would put them in my bag. I thought better of this, but since there
were no other riders around I figured it was pretty safe to do so. She must have gotten distracted because one
bottle, one sleeve, and both gloves managed to disappear. The race staff were very apologetic when I
emailed them after and offered to reimburse me for new ones, which was both
unexpected and appreciated. In future, I
will make it a task to check for all my gear before leaving the race site. It is hard to do this because all you want to
do is go eat and lie down.
Before heading out again I had an IsaLean shake in the
shaker. During the last loop on the bike
I ate the bars and a gel and tried to get mentally prepared for the run. I didn’t have any mechanical problems or
punctures. I finished the bike leg in
5:42 for a 10-minute improvement over Havasu and a 19.6 mph average. It was slightly slower than my target, but
combined with my swim, I was at 7:05 and 11 hours was still feasible if I could
do a sub-4-hour marathon.
Out of T2 I started running up the hill to the
turnaround. I aimed for 9min/mi and
planned to pick it up a bit after the turn on the way back down. Mile 2 was at 9ish as well, but I was unable
to pick it up any further. I felt fueled
and I didn’t feel any pain in my legs, there just wasn’t any more go. I settled into a routine of getting water and
grapes at each aid station stop, which was about every 1.5 miles. As the time wore on I hollered out to MW each
time I saw him and I tried to hold steady.
At about mile 7 I stopped to take a brief break at the aid station and
collect myself. I did an
assessment. No hot spots on the feet,
kit felt good with no chaffing or discomfort.
Stomach was not complaining, but didn’t feel great. My legs were tired, but there were no pain
spots. Why could I not go faster? I pushed again, but could not sustain
anything below 9min/mi. I had to let go
of my goal to hit sub 11 hours and focus in on my goal of having a PR run
leg.
Each time I hit the turnaround at the park I got a nice
welcome and cheer from Kandyce, MR and FR.
They were a great boost. I
stopped for a moment to eat some fruit, grab a kiss, then head out again. Something to look forward to each time around. They were uplifting.
I found it harder than I thought it would be to run in the
dark for the 2nd half of the marathon, even with the headlamps. There was very little light for most of the
course and it was hard to see the cones and the oncoming racers. Before my last loop I grabbed another gel
from my special needs bag and headed out into the dark.
In the park there were several campers set up with a fire,
chairs, and a table of snacks to offer the runners. They were loud to the end and very encouraging. I would have liked to have stopped, but I
couldn’t imagine stomaching Coke or popcorn or the other concoctions on
display. I did appreciate them though
and tried to give a happy wave each time I passed.
I did not have any sense of where I was in relation to the
race leaders. With so many loops it is
impossible to tell what loop racers are on.
On my last loop I was still passing racers doing the 70.3. Full marks to them for staying at it so
long! It takes a special kind of
determination to complete the event at such a slow pace.
I tried to keep moving along during the last loop, but I
continued to take a break at the aid stations to gather myself. In hind sight I don’t think the rest was
helping me physically, but mentally it was. In the last mile a racer passed me
and he looked like he could be in my age group.
I could not respond and stay with him.
I focused on finishing at the pace I could manage.
Up the road, across the sand embankment, along the
campground, and onto the grass for the home stretch. I was so happy to be finishing. I ran across the finish line alone into the
flashes of a camera and into the arms of the best volunteer to receive my medal
along with a hug and a shoulder to lean on.
She helped me into a chair and it was all smiles from that point
on.
MW finished just before 12 hours and collapsed on the ground
with his family around him. He stayed
there for a good 20 minutes recovering gradually. I was so happy for him to finish and reach
his goal. I didn’t see AB and I worried
that she had had a problem on the bike or something. Turns out she did finish but didn’t start the
run until it was dark so I couldn’t see her out there. She was thrilled to finish her first.
I was pleased with my gear choices. My Zoot wetsuit is comfortable, warm, and
buoyant. I kept my Gatorskin tires on
and was glad to avoid flats. I loved
running in my Newton shoes (thanks Cadence Running Company) and Slick Laces,
they are fast to get on and very comfortable.
My new Wrightsocks are dual layer and they help with moisture and
rubbing and they are a little taller than my Brooks socks so they stay up
better for the long runs.
I was satisfied with my nutrition execution, but I wonder
what I could do to make it even better.
Since I didn’t have any GI problems, I think I will try taking gels at a
slightly faster rate next time on the run to see if that helps with higher
energy levels to enable faster running.
My run time was 4:32, which was only 1 minute faster than my
previous marathon. At the end of the
race I was somewhat disappointed and perplexed I wasn’t able to improve more. However, later when I looked at the data more
closely, I noted the marathon at Havasu was 25.1 miles, so effectively, I
improved by about 12 minutes. That was
more satisfying. It turns out the racer
who passed me finished 3rd in my age group and beat me out of a
podium spot by 1 minute. Would I have
been able to respond if I knew that at the time? I don’t know.
Next time I want to be better prepared for the run so that I can!
Overall it was a better executed race than last year with
improvements in all three legs and no mechanical, nutrition, or injury
problems, so there is a lot to be happy with.
Since the race I have analyzed and studied what I could have done
different to improve more on my run since that is where I need to improve the
most to reach 11 hours.
Possible
factors and remedies:
- Low training volume – need more long workouts (4+ hrs) in the 8 weeks prior to the race
- Limited bricks – plan more bike/run bricks with several long brick runs
- Not enough fuel – increase the calorie intake on the run slightly
- Lingering sickness – don’t get sick
Splits:
- Swim: 1:15:30
- T1: 7:40
- Bike: 5:42:11 (19.6mph)
- T2: 1:52
- Run: 4:33:04 (10:25min/mi)
- Total: 11:40:17
- 15th overall, 4th in age group
What’s next? Phoenix marathon in February and could do Oceanside 70.3 in April. I would like to do another 140.6 next year, but I have not picked one out yet. IMTX is sold out. Vineman? Maryland? Florida? Havasu?
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