Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon Report

After my less than stellar performance at Wildflower, I needed a boost.  So I thought: What better way than to immediately jump back into racing!  There was a local sprint triathlon that some friends were doing, so I figured it would be a great opportunity to have some fun.

Race morning started just like any other: 4:30am "wakeup" after getting ZERO sleep.  AARRRGHHHH - My body needs to learn how to sleep before a race!  Damn you body!  Despite feeling like garbage, I get on the road by 5:10 to make it to the race by 6.  Transition setup was pretty standard, but one major difference with this race was I actually did a warmup jog.  After Cal Poly a few months ago, I figured out the best way to ward off a chilly morning is to sweat a little.  And with 15min will party-time, I was nice and warm and good to go.

Swim: 18:23 - 2nd AG
Not sure how I managed 2nd in the 25-29 dudes.  I honestly felt like I had a pretty slow swim.  Why slow?  Good question...  It was, in my opinion, a really easy swim.  The buoys were easy to spot, and I wasn't ever duking it out with anyone.  I actually had clear water as far as I could see - it was great!  I LOVE swims with nothing but glass ahead of me.  I was convinced I was swimming straight, but according to my watch, I ended up going .84 miles instead of .75.  Bummer!

Bike: 45:26 - 5th AG
Out on the bike, things got a little lonely.  As far as I could see in front of me and behind me, I saw no one.  Curses starting in the first wave and swimming moderately fast!  Out of transition, I started doing work.  I have absolutely no basis for this, but I felt like I should be able to manage 270-280w.  So that was my game plan: Keep avg power in that range and get it done.  Around mile 4.5, I had a little incident where some busted up roads caused me to eject my only water bottle.  "Uh oh, I had better pick that up," I thought, so I did.  It cost me about 15 seconds, and at the time, it didn't seem like a huge deal.  The only guy that ended up passing me on the bike was the eventual winner - some dude with a MONSTER 39min bike split.

Run: 31:39 - 2nd AG
T2 was blazing fast.  36 seconds to be exact.  My Zoot shoes are totally ballin'!  Out of transition, I NEVER know how to run.  Three years of triathlons, and my sense of pace is all kind of messed up.  I thought I was doing 6:30's, but my first mile clicks off at 6:16!  Too fast?  Maybe, but I'm riding this out for all it's worth!  Five flat miles is cookies compared to what I usually do.  Sadly, same story on the run: No one in site. :(  I'd have to wait a bit until the turn-around to see where I stood.

At the halfway point on the run, I counted five dudes.  I knew three were pro/elite which meant that I was most likely in 3rd.  Crap - if I get passed I miss the podium!  Instead of an easy cruise home, I had to pick it up...or at least maintain.  About a minute back was a guy that looked like he was kicking ass.  No idea what age group he was in, but I was running scared!  I ended up crossing the line without the need for a sprint finish.

Finishing second in my age group was pretty awesome.  This was the first time I "podiumed" in a triathlon.  Granted, I don't feel like it was super competitive, but it still feels good.  And the Petite Sirah that I won...that's going to feel even better. :)

A few shout-outs before I sign off here:
- My friend Dirk was visiting from Malaysia, and instead of being heavily jet lagged, he decided to race a triathlon - badass!
- Work dudes: Always fun to have active people to train with at work.
- Dave B: Congrats on your first triathlon!  You killed the run!  Great to see you out there buddy.
- Olivia: Congrats on the overall women's win!

Results: http://usa-productions.racemine.com/USA-Productions/events/2013/Morgan-Hill-Sprint-Triathlon---22nd-Annual/results?embed=1

Picture cred: http://captivatingsportsphotos.net/  Sorry for borrowing your proofs!

Wildflower Race Report - Sufferfest

It's been a while since I had an update, and this one is going to be a tough one to write.  Wildflower 2013 (#3 for me) was a sufferfest.  My goal in writing this is to try to analyze what went wrong and to hopefully learn from it.  No one wants to have a bad race, and the key to avoiding them is analyzing and racing smart.  So let's begin:

Pre-race training:
Leading up to the race I was feeling good.  Training was consistent and mostly focused.  My swim was lacking a bit, but losing a minute or two on the swim was the least of my worries.  I was coming off of an amazing open half marathon PR, and my expectations were high.

Then race week happened.  Work was rough.  I was under prepared for a midterm.  We had to volunteer for the Treeathlon.  I had to pack for Wildflower.  And at the last minute I found out that I had to race on my newly built, unproven road bike.  Suffice to say, stress levels were through the roof.

Pre-race:
Friday - HOLY CRAP it was hot.  My goal was to not do much and stay as hydrated as possible.  I was drinking water and Gatorade like crazy, and I was still thirsty.  From past experience, I DO NOT race well in the heat.  I was worried.

Swim:
I really enjoyed this swim.  It is by far one of the easiest open water swims at any triathlon.  The water was smooth and WARM!  Oh man, I can't tell you how awesome the water temps were.  Perfect for a sleeveless wetsuit!  At 31min, my swim was a little slow, but as mentioned before, I expected that and was ok with it.

Bike: http://app.strava.com/activities/52707834
This is where the problems began.  10 miles into the bike, I had to stop.  My bottle cage holding down my Di2 battery was loose and rattling like crazy, and my bike seat was pushed all the way back.  I made the decision to stop and tighten things up.  The less I have to worry about, the better.

Then around the 20mi mark, my ass and lower back were killing me.  You're not supposed to try anything new for a race.  Well, not only did I have a new seat, but I also had a new BIKE.  Obviously not a good decision to race on it, but the alternative was just as undesirable.  Queue back stretches every few miles and standing breaks to relieve the ass pressure.

By mile 40, I was almost broken.  Bike noises, sore ass, and screaming back were wearing me down.  Nasty Grade never looked so steep.  I CRAWLED to the top.  It seems another thing was getting me down too: Dehydration.  While worrying about everything else, I was neglecting the fact that I had to take care of my body, and I was paying the price.  Lack of energy and ability to produce power added to the mental collapse.

Run: http://app.strava.com/activities/52702690
This race ties with Ironman Florida for never wanting to get off my bike more in my life.  I wanted to be excited about running, but I wasn't.  Mentally, I was ruined.  Physically, I was ruined.  50 steps out of transition, I had to walk.  Quads were cramping.  This was the story for the entire run - all 13 miles of it.

Full results: http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20130504_Wildflower_Triathlons.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Bib=280

Post-race thoughts:
It's blantantly obvious that this race was poorly executed:
- High stress levels before the race - Better preparation could have helped.
- Dehydration on the bike - Better hydration plan with LOTS of practice.  If there's anything I need to learn, it's how to race in HOT weather.
- Bike issue - TEST the bike ahead of time.
- Use the right tools for the job - Road bikes are not for triathlon racing.

I think that's about it.  I wish I could been limited by fitness, and it's really soul-crushing for that not to be the case.  I know I'm fit, but long distance triathlon is as much about brains as it is about fitness.  THAT'S the reason I got into this game.  I'm not stupid, but on Saturday I was.  Time to learn and get better.