Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report

If you have being following my blog, or twitter, you will know that last Sunday (Sept 30, 2012) I raced on my first 70.3 (half Ironman) distance triathlon in Augusta, GA...and if you didn't know now you do!. All I can say is that it was a blast, I had a lot of fun, and I can also say that it was painful too. Now I will start writing a very long wall of text describing my experience at Ironman Augusta 70.3.

Athlete's Check-In / Bike Drop Off

Athlete's check-in was fast and easy. At some points I felt like I was making the line for an attraction/ride at Disney; and after being all checked in you end up in the gift shop. Athletes were given a very nice gym bag that I actually enjoyed getting and sports t-shirt with the race's logo and NO advertising (that was nice touch, as I have being in races that the souvenir tee that athletes get is full of sponsors' logos). I ended up buying an Ironman visor and a IronMate tee for my wife. Besides this, there was nothing else to point out from check in.

  

After checking in I moved to
transition to drop off my
bike, this was about mile and half away from athlete check in. My dad (also competing) and I parked the car close to transition and started setting up the bikes. He needed to replace both of his tires as he didn't notice until this moment that they were showing the inner wiring. As for my self I need to top off the air on them. Once the bikes were ready to drop them off, my front tire went flat. I stopped at the mechanical tent, replaced the inner tube, and pumped it back up. No more issues and the bike was dropped off. I had to go back to the athlete check in to stop by the bike shop and buy a new inner tube for the bike's tool bag.

Race Morning

Woke up at 4:30 AM with the sound of my alarm clock, I felt refreshed and ready to race. Added PowerBar Perform powder to the water bottles and took all of my gear to the car. On the way back to my room I stopped by the Hotel lobby grabbed some coffee and microwaved my oatmeal with Cyto Carb. Had breakfast and waited for my dad to come down to load his gear in the car. Once we were both ready, we left towards swim start to grab the shuttle that will take us to transition to setup. We were inside transition around 5:45 AM and it was crowded. I set up my area which I believe is the smallest one I have ever gotten, but it was enough. Pumped air to the tires again as it was colder (65 F) than the day before. Once ready we had to catch another shuttle to swim start, dropped off the morning clothes bag, and put on my wet suit.

The swim start was a little bit tedious, there were like twenty something waves and I was the 19th one starting at 8:44; a whole hour after my dad, who started at 7:44. Official water temp was 76 F... wet suit legal all across the board.

Swim

It was my time to get in the water, but first I tested with my foot to check the water temp and it definitely was NOT 76 F; it was colder. I was wearing my arm-less wet suit and as I was jumping into the water my arms felt the sudden rush of cold in them that I started swimming towards the front of the line to warm up a little before my start. It was a point to point swim where half of the distance was marked with yellow buoys and the second half with orange. Red buoy marked the swim exit.

The swim went by pretty fast. My arms felt good through out the swim, I didn't have to stop to catch my breath or switch swim styles to rest. Since it was a river swim, the water was very dark and you couldn't see the bottom; this was no issue to me, but the moment huge plants were peeking out through the darkness and scratching my stomach did freak me out a little bit...I just kept turning my arms and eventually they disappeared. I reached the end of the swim and walked out of the water and picked it up to a slow jog until I spotted the wet suit strippers and I was out of it in 1 second. My official swim time was 29:53, just under my goal time of 30 minutes.

T1

I run into transition and looking for my aisle I run into the wrong one and realized I was wrong half way; luckly the bike and that spot had already left and went underneath the bike rack. Spotted my bike and started putting on the bike gear. This was my first race that I have to wear a number belt during the bike portion.Before putting any gear I turned on the Forerunner 305 so it starts getting a SAT signal by the time I am out of transition. Gear went on as follows: number belt, glasses, helmet, bike shoes. I run out of transition and hit the bike feeling 100%. T1 time was 3:56.

Bike

For me the best part of the race was the bike leg. Completely different from what we have to race with in Miami, FL. Beautiful changing scenery, climbs, and downhills. When I registered for the race, I was told that it was rolling hills and said that was cool; but they omit to tell me is that some hills were actual mountain climbs, some climbs were several miles long. Basically I had a blast on the bike, the climbs were very interesting, some of them very hard. The descents, blazing fast; I believe I touched 40MPH. Around mile 30 I had to go the bathroom very bad and I was wearing a white tri suit, so peeing on the bike was not an option. Luckily there were portable toilets next to one of the aid stations, one minute stop there and I was back on the bike. The one thing I could not understand is why some riders were not taking full advantage of their bikes: there were some sharp turns after a fast descent and some riders were breaking long before the turn; I tried to lose the least amount of speed before and during the turn so I did not have to start pedaling hard to pick up speed again. Overall the bike went on for 2:45:40 at an average of 20.3MPH.

T2

Off the bike and on to the running went by pretty quick, just a small hick-up inside transition. There was no clear signaling for the run exit, and I ended up by the toilets about 150 feet from the run exit. During transition I picked up my fuel belt, running shoes, and visor. Switched the watch to running mode and off I went. Total time in T2 was 2:13.

Run

When I started the run, for some strange reason, I could not maintain a slow pace. My legs were pushing me to a 8:30 pace when I wanted a 10:00 pace for first part of the race. I knew that if I pushed the 8:30 I was going to be burnt before the half point. To help me maintain I started talking a race during a 10:00 pace, once I got the speed in check I kept moving while my running partner for the past 3 miles stopped for some refreshments. For the rest of the race I went solo. Around the middle of the run, I slowed down to a walk, assess any damages, drop heart rate, taking in fluids and food. Went on to running after all was done, but something changed...now I couldn't go faster than 10:00 pace. I thought: OK, no worries. I kept moving and around mile 8 my lower back started hurting. First idea I had to solve this were the ice cold sponges being passed out at aid stations. I grabbed a couple in the next station and shoved them down the back of my tri suit: problem resolved. I just kept replacing the sponges every time there was a station. Before I knew it I heard my family scream that I was 2 turns away from the finish line. When I saw it, a rush of energy came surging and pushed me to a 7:30 pace for the last 100 yds. Crossed the line with anything left in the tank. Grabbed several bottles of water and started cooling down my legs and back. Grabbed a very cool finished medal and hat.

It sucked that the finish line run out of warming blankets by the time I arrived. Met with my dad, grabbed some brews and pizza. Found my wife, gave her a sweaty kiss. Total run time was 2:13:44. 

All I can say is that I had fun, at moments a little pain (long climbs or later in the run). I gave it my best and I was of my target time by 5 minutes. I was training for a 5hour to a 5h30min race. My total over all was 5:35:26. Basically if I did not transition I could of reached my goal. 

Now to start planning the next year, and do my off season with other activities. So far I have planned some rock climbing, mud runs, some mountain bike (even though my MTB was stolen), camping, hiking. 

See you all on my next post.

Taper Blues

Welcome back.

The last couple of months have being crazy; there was always something to do that kept me very busy. For the last 4 months I was working on my last semester of school and in August 12 I submitted my last assignment for the Master's in Management Information System and the degree was conferred last week. Besides school I was putting long hours on training; I was always doing something away from home. There were days that I came home late at night after a long swim or run (this made the wife little mad). While juggling school and training, in July we went a 4 days vacation trip to Boston; it is a pretty cool city.

Now, moving to the task on hand. Last three weeks of training were dedicated to speed/quality work outs. After building on endurance for the better part of the training program, it was now time to get the necessary speed to finish in my goal time. As for swimming, I pushed a little harder but nothing noticeable. I am relying a on the river current (Augusta 70.3 is a river swim) and the fact the is wetsuit legal to achieve the goal time of 30 minutes for the 1.2 mile swim. On the bike portion I did improve a lot during speed training and I am able to reach the 56 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes. This time was achieved at Key Biscayne, FL were I was able to experience wind currents that push me for half of the loop and hold me back the other half. And last but not least is the run, I only did the distance once through out the whole training program and that was last week (you would of known that if you followed me on twitter). At a relatively easy pace with 1-2 minute walk every 3 miles I did the 13.1 miles run in 2 hours 4 minutes. Considering that transitions are smooth and every other thing remains true and constant, I will be able to finish the 70.3 mile distance around 5 hours.

As far as nutrition goes, nothing changed since my last post regarding training to Augusta 70.3.

This week I started the TAPER process: tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days before the race. It feels great to taper, I can do an easy work out, barely break a sweat, and feel great. But with tapering it comes a side effect that some people feel, and the title of this post, TAPER BLUES. If you search online there is a myriad of articles that refer to this "condition" and all of its varying symptoms. As for me it is only the feeling of tiredness. I can go for a work out, perform amazingly but during rest I feel more tired than normal. I often feel the need to nap after work just before a workout or the need to move a morning workout to the evening so I can sleep in.

So....Augusta is less than 2 weeks from today. Anxiety is eating me inside that I just want to go, race, and be done with it.

Thanks for reading.

See you in the next post.

My MTB was stolen

I am writing this post to inform the internet community that my mountain bike was stolen today from my place of work in Coral Gables (Miami), Fl.

The bike:
Giant Revel 1
Black with blue/white
Has one sticker in the left side that reads: TRI multirace.com
Front and Read disk brake
White SR Suntour front suspension.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated. You can reach me by leaving a comment here or twitter. Please share with your friends and family.

Thank you.

Tips for new triathletes

Couple of days ago, someone asked for a couple of tips that a new triathlete should keep in mind during his/her fist race. I provided my insight and compiled a list for this user; but after re-reading my tips, I believe these are probably useful for more people. So without further ado, here they are:

- Stay away from the crowd during the swim, specially the start, if you don't want to lose your goggles, get hit, push, drowned. Give the big group a 15 second lead and then take the plunge.
- Stay on your right during the bike. Look back to check for other riders if you are going to venture into the left lane to make a pass.
- On the run portion, just go at the pace you have trained for and are comfortable with. Do not try to keep up with faster people, you will burn yourself out. Once you get to the 2.75 mile mark of the run, let everything you got left go...sprint to the finish (for what is worth, it feels great).
- Transition, keep your area tidy. Do not let your equipment spill over other competitors area...it is just common curtesy. Even if the others don't follow suit, you will just feel good for doing the right thing.
- Do not leave your gel/bars/candy wrappers and bottles on the track, take them back with you to the next trash can or transition area; dispose accordingly.
I guess that is a lot a tips for the first race. Ahhh just one more.... ENJOY YOURSELF, have fun, smile for the pictures, wave back to spectators if they are waving at you, high five the kids kids next to the track (usually they are looking for a high five).

Here is the link to the original threat in the forum I originally commented with these tips.

Road to Augusta 70.3...Part 1

Hello all and welcome back to my blog.

Today I will tell you a little bit about my Ironman Augusta 70.3 training. Last Saturday, June 30th, marked the end of the first month of training.

The first month has being a period of broken distance and time speed records. Let's break it down into parts:

The 18-week training schedule taken from the book Beginner Triathlete and it has been my guide along this journey. The book is a little old but very useful. So far, from what I can tell, the program is preparing me to endure the swim and finish it with tons of energy; and to excel on the bike and run. This training seems to follow the saying "you can't win a triathlon in the swim, but you can sure lose it in the swim".

As far as nutrition goes, I have figured out several things about by body, what to eat, how it feels, and what to avoid. Breakfast is down to a science: 1 serving of Instant Quaker Oatmeal (with cream) and 1 full scoop of CytoCarb. This concoction can be consumed up to 30 minutes before exercise to avoid an upset stomach.  For hydration, I used Accelerade during the first two weeks and Ironman Perform for the last two weeks. Ironman Perform is my preference because it feels better in my body, has less sugar, and faster absorption. The classic PowerBar has been the only solid food I have been eating during bike rides with no side effects. As for gels, I have tried them ALL. Most of them have the same energy rush, but with a strong after taste that requires a lot of precious water to wash down. The only gel that stood out was the Honey Stinger Gold; it just felt right within me, the taste of honey is more bearable (and it washes down faster) than, let's say, vanilla (or berries). So, I started thinking this gel is mostly honey and we have honey at home; can I make it myself? And YES, yes I can. Last Friday I followed the recipe provided in Active.com and was able to test it out on a 43 mile ride on Saturday morning.  All I can say is that the results were fascinating. I will provide the recipe for all to test it:
·    7 and 1/3 tablespoons of honey
·    3/4 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses
·    1/10 teaspoons (just shy of 1/8 tsp) of table salt
Be sure to mix everything together well. It should make enough to fill a five-serving flask. Make you own energy gel (Active.com). The article also provides a recipe for a gel that follows the 4:1 (Carb:Protein) ratio.

Swimming

My weekly swimming distance has tripled from last year. Currently I am swimming 4000 meters weekly and increasing as the time passes. For now my focus is only endurance. Drills//quality/speed will be the focus on the later weeks of the training program. The swimming is mostly done at the pool in Shenandoah Park. It is a very clean pool, outdoors, and has low chlorine levels. I try to squeeze in an open water swim once a week in addition to what is stated in the training program. Sometimes, during open water swims, you can see some cool stuff in the water; 2 weeks ago I spotted a baby manatee no more than 3 feet underneath me.

Biking

Again, this is an area that keeps pushing my limits of endurance. I have never biked so far and so fast. The way my personal bests are measured on the bike is through 10-mile marks. The goal at the beginning of the training was to make each 10 miles in 30 minutes. Last weekend I completed 44.73 miles with each 10 mile mark consistently less than 29 minutes each, while also improving my personal best average speed. The bike is my strongest discipline of all three, but it still needs a little bit of work. My goal is to get to the 56 miles in 2hours and 30mins and still have legs for the half marathon run. Saturday bike rides, the longest of the week, are done alongside my Dad which is always great.

Running

Running is the most painful of all three. At the beginning of training, I was still dealing with some of the Iliotibial Band Syndrome (IBS). Just last week I was able to complete a run with no pain during or after, making me believe I am in the clear for IBS. If anyone has this condition, please look at this video that I used to help me recover. As far as the run goes, I am nowhere near ready. After completing the ING Miami Half Marathon, I stopped running completely in order to recover from the shin splints and the IBS; this ruined my conditioning for running and I am just getting back up to speed and endurance to my previous running standards. To get my speed up quicker I am trying to fit in a running session with my friend Alejandro (he is training for the Chicago Marathon).

Hopefully I have not bored you to death and you will be back for part two at the beginning of August. Stay tuned for my future posts. Follow me on twitter and check out my indiegogo pledge page.

Tri Miami Sprint Triathlon Race Report (May 20, 2012)

May 20^th was my first triathlon of the season: Tri Miami Triathlon (Sprint distance). 

Here is my report about the race:

Arrived to the park (Crandon Park) around 5:30 AM and moved down to the first item of the list. Body marking…no makers anywhere to be found, I said to myself “screw it, I am setting up transition”. I racked my bike, laid out the rest of the items on top of my towel, and set myself out to get body marked/chipped. There was a huge line to get the chip and the actual markers were making their way down the line where athletes helped each other get the numbers on their bodies. I guess the event management did not get enough volunteers.

Chipped, marked, and transition setup I made way to swim start. At 6:30 AM the International Distance races had their go in the water and at 7:30 we, sprint racers, heard the blow horn to start.

The 1/4 mile swim seemed longer than usual. I usually do the .25 mile in 10 minutes during training and 7 minutes on race day. Total time in the water was 11:50. All other competitors were around the same time. The water pretty calm with lots of algae at the swim start and finish. Today was the first time I wore my smoked goggles (Aqua Sphere Kayman) as the east was on my right and had the sunrise on my eyes.

Transition #1 was fast 1:12 minutes. No issues putting my shoes, helmet, and eye wear. The bike came off the rack like a dream and I was out of there in a flash.

Bike was exactly 12.4 miles. I was a fast bike split. I got to the 10 mile mark in 29 minutes and change. While passing a racer a referee told me to complete or move back; I completed the pass before he finished speaking. I was racing against some other competitor; he would pass and will chase and pass him. We were like this for about 4 miles until we reached the famous Rickenbacker Bridge. At this point I pushed harder and lot him on the climb…never saw him again. I would like to add this was my first race with my new bike, 2011 Cervelo P1 Ultegra. Total time for the 12.4 miles was 35:45 minutes

Transition #2 was a little bit more complicated. Somehow my bike grew one or two inches during the ride and it wouldn’t fit under the rack. Once I got the bike racked again I tried to put my running shoes: the heel of the left shoe went inside alongside with my foot, I had to take it out and put again. I was out of T2 in 1:41 minutes.

Run portion was 3.1 on the dot. I went slower than usual; I have 15 extra pounds of body weight from the last time I raced. I am working on getting rid of it. Total time for the 5K was 26:14 minutes. No issues here and nothing remarkable to remember.

Certificate of completion

A little bit of my life so far

So now that we are kind of up to date, here is what I am doing...I am training for the Ironman Augusta 70.3; first time completing this distance. I decided to do this race after talking to one of the top triathlon coaches in Miami (Andy Clark from Alien Endurance) after getting his feedback from Ironman Miami 70.3; not very convincing feedback to complete my local 70.3.

Registered for the race on December 2011, a week or so after registration opened, trying to get the lowest price for the race. While I was doing this, I was asking my dad for his bike to compete on this race, a Cervelo P2. Later on I decided to get an 18 month no interest credit card and buy my own Tri bike, a Cervelo P1. Buying my own bike was a great decision because now my dad registered for Augusta 70.3 and we are racing against together.

Moving on to training now; after completing the Publix Escape to Miami last year, I started training for the ING Half Marathon. Training was a blast and I was my wife’s first long distance event having only done 5Ks before. Wife and I did the training with TriJungle and Alien Endurance. We both completed the 13.1 miles in the time we trained for, SUCCESS. Well, not so much as I ended this race with shin splints and iliotibial band syndrome which put me out of training for a while. Being off from training wasn’t too bad as I was able to improve on strength; I did P90X for a while.

During the training for the half marathon and now for the half ironman I have, and am, running/biking with a friend, Alejandro. He is an alumnus from the Kellogg School of Management Executive MBA program; I met him there as I work for Kellogg. He is a great guy; he just completed his first 2 triathlons this year (sprint and international distance). During our bike sessions I push him as hard as we can go, and during the run the leading role is reversed.

Also joining me for the weekend long rides is my dad, we have being riding on and off for a long time now. This is a great way to measure myself against him and make sure I beat him come next September at Augusta.

That is all for now. Thanks for reading and I will see you next post.