70.3 New Orleans - 2010 - Lessons Learned

Cool down!

I know that I am beating a dead horse but I do think about these things.  They allow me to race better next time. My lessons learned from 70.3 New Orleans 2010 are as follows:

1. PRE-RACE: Plenty of time this year. There was no long walk to the swim start line. My start time was also nearly an hour later than last year. Pre-race set up is an experience that you learn. I am much better after having a lot of races under my belt. I was even able to assist a few people in transition prior to the race. I have made lists of what I need in transition (I will follow up with this in another post) and this takes much of the anxiety out of the situation.

2. SWIM: I watched the conditions worsen for more than an hour. Last year I do not think I would have had success. This was the first open water swim that I have done this year. Once again I had to draw upon experience. I have had bad swims. I have had good swims. I have learned that I need to swim my own race. I have built up a comfort level (confidence level) with swimming. I might not be the fastest swimmer out there but I will complete the swim and be able to contend with any situation that might arise.

3. BIKE: I was able to stay within my heart rate zones. I was comfortable. I was tempted to push the pace (and I did when the wind was at my back). But overall, once again, I raced my own race. I still need to determine where that fine line is on the bike. Did gaining a few extra minutes on the bike cost me 10 minutes on the run?

4. RUN: I am a better runner than last year. I took a minute per mile off of last year’s pace. However, I wanted 2 minutes per mile. Maybe I was naive in my run goals. The heat was a factor. Maybe I should have run more at the hottest times of the day to build some heat acclimation. The heat from this race will feel like a winter’s morning in two months.

5. ENJOY THE RACE: Once out of the water I had a good day. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to reach my goal. I was able to keep positive even though I knew that I was not going to have a 4:59. At the end of the race I did say (and it is on video) that "I never want to do another long distance race again". I think I say that at the end of every race! I still want to break 5 hours and I am looking around for another race.

All races are different from year to year. In this race the swim was rough, the bike was faster and the run was about the same. Well, the run was hotter but only because I started it an hour later than last year.  And the tranistions were much shorter.

By the numbers:

Improvement 2009 – 2010

SWIM----4.9%
T1-----15.1%
BIKE----2.0%
T2-----18.6%
RUN----12.9%
TOTAL---6.6%

I 'lost' 3  minutes in the swim (from my projected time).  I 'lost' 90 seconds from a bathroom break.  I wonder if I could have pulled that extra gear knowing that I only needed 4 minutes (instead of 8 minutes) to reach my goal?  I knew that I was not able to run 30+ seconds per mile faster but could I have willed myself to run 17 seconds per mile faster?  I just don't know.

Recovery: Last year there was a tri team that had a kiddie swimming pool filled with ice water that their athletes were using to cool down. I wanted that last year but it was only for their athletes – I asked. This year, they had this set up in the medical area. Once I discovered this I made a bee line for the water. I definitely did not need an IV or anything by I wanted to cool down and start my recovery. The medical staff was awesome and I submerged myself for about 5 minutes. It was painful on my feet but so refreshing everywhere else. I highly recommend the ice baths!!!

Checking Race Results

70.3 New Orleans - By the numbers

I am a little slow getting a detailed race reported completed.  The race with the heat took it out of me and I have hit the hay pretty early the last couple of days.

Transition - Race Morning

But by the numbers;

Swim: This was a rough swim. These were the worst conditions that I have ever swum. There were no whitecaps but the swells were large enough to toss me around, take on water and not sight very well. In addition the swim was an out, a large rectangle and then back kind of swim. There were four 90 degree turns around buoys and starting at the next to last wave meant lots of congestion.

Last year: 40 minutes. Goal time: 35 minute. Actual time: 38 minutes. In better conditions I could have achieved my goal time. All in all, considering the conditions I am happy with the swim.


Bike: This year there was a head wind going out. This is much better mentally. I wanted to race the bike in a rather conservative method so that I could “win” my race with the run. Once again, starting so late in the race (1:12 after the race start) means you don’t get passed much and that there are hundreds (thousands) of people in front of you. I was constantly passing riders and truly flying on the way back. Having a tail wind push you back to transitions was actually cool.

Last year: 2:42. Goal time: 2:40. Actual time: 2:39.

Run: I was in position to reach all of my goals. It got HOT on the run. I let the race slip away. I still have lots of room for improvement.

Last year: 2:01. Goal time: 1:35. Actual time: 1:46.


Total Race - Last year: 5:30. Goal time: 4:59. Actual time: 5:08.

I had a good race and I believe that I did better than the numbers indicate. I am a better athlete this year than last year. This was just a harder race.

70.3 New Orleans Race Strategy 2010

Have I learned anything from my past experiences? Last year this was my first big race. I was excited and apprehensive. I was sacred of the swim portion in the lake. Since then I have raced a dozen or more times (running and triathlon). From my lessons learned:

1. PRE-RACE: I do plan better. I am bringing better pre-race and post-race clothing. I am also bringing more appropriate running shoes (my shoes from my marathon).

2. SWIM: This race last year was the last “bad” swim that I had. After this race I was more mentally prepared. I was able to swim my own race. I will be starting an hour later than last year. There will be a lot of people in the water in front of me. I have been in this situation before. I may not be the fastest swimmer but when starting from the back I am faster than everyone in front of me. There will be people really struggling (I can empathize). I think (hope) my race experience kicks in and I am able to meet my time goals. Fear – My swim volume is nothing compared to last year. I have not swum in the open water since August. But I am a better swimmer. It is rumored that the swim was long last year. Last year: 40 minutes Goal: 35 minutes.

3. BIKE: My bike volume is nothing compared to last year. I have only rode 50 miles twice this year. I am not going to race this year at the same intensity as last year. However, I think I am a little faster. I want to clock in with the same bike split. I have my GPS set to auto-lap every 7 miles (56 miles / 8 = 7 miles) to remind me to take a gel. Last year: 2:42 Goal: 2:40

4. RUN: Much better prepared. This is my experiment: What is harder? Run a half marathon and then run a half marathon at the same pace (which is what I did at my marathon) or bike 56 miles and then run a half marathon? I am going to attempt to run the half at my marathon pace. This is going to be a challenge. Last year: 2:01 Goal: 1:35.

5. ENJOY THE RACE: I won’t stop and smell the roses but I will enjoy the spectacle.

So there you have it in a nut shell. Last year I did this race in 5:30 and this year my fantasy goal is 4:59:XX. This time goal is just out of my reach and I do not think I have taken the necessary steps to step up and hit it out of the park. But if I am able to execute perfectly and nothing unexpected jumps up the time will be as follows: RACE TOTAL = 330 minutes – 5 minutes (SWIM) – 25 minutes (RUN) = 300 minutes or 5:00 half ironman.

70.3 New Orleans - 2009 - Lessons Learned

Lessons learned from 70.3 New Orleans 2009. (reposted from last years race report - more from this race report swim, bike, run).

1. PRE-RACE: I did not really anticipate just how many people were going to be at the start of this race. I should have arrived at transition a little bit earlier. Although the walk to the swim start was only about a mile and a half I really think walking bare foot started me off on the wrong foot (so to speak). Also, the shoes for the run were just plan silly. By selecting 'light and fast' shoes to save a few seconds per mile it cost me tens and twenties of seconds per mile. For these longer races I have to go with a cushioned trainer. I already knew this but was blinded by some artificial time goals - that was a mistake.
2. SWIM: My swim wave was larger than some of the local triathlons that I have been in - I got very disoriented and claustrophobic being in the middle of the churn. I never thought that I was going to die or drown or anything like that - but my breathing was out of control and I was struggling. Looking at my heart rate for the entire race - it was the highest during the swim - for all of the swim. I know that this not only cost me minutes on the swim but minutes on the bike and minutes on the run. I need to continue to be more confident in the water - not just with swimming but in positioning myself with other racers. This will be one of the toughest to improve on - a few days after the race (or really just a few seconds out of the swim) it is hard to imagine getting that messed up just swimming. I did hear of several racers climbing out of the water in disgust and throwing there goggles off. Knowing what I was feeling that could have been me. I am going to try and do as many races this year to help build that 'swim race' experience.
3. BIKE: I did pretty good on the bike. I was walking a tight line on keeping the pace up and saving energy for the run. At this point it is hard to tell if I pushed too hard or not hard enough - my run was off and was going to be off regardless. On the back half of the bike - into the wind - my effort dropped. I will work on the mental toughness required to keep the pace up! I have done a lot of bricks this season but none at race pace - In need to throw in a lot of race pace bricks.
4. RUN: I never got into a groove on the run. My feet were sore before I even left transition. However, even if I was feeling great (and my lungs and legs felt pretty good - but not great) I am still not sure if I would have been able to find that extra gear. When I ran that half marathon in the fall my heart rate was up near LT. This run was low zone 2. I'm just not sure if I could have picked it up and raced the run. I just ran it. Once again I need to have some race paced bricks and work on the mental toughness to deliver in these conditions.
5. ENJOY THE RACE: I do a pretty good job of this but why not push through the pain, run a fast race and enjoy it the entire time. After all, I am doing this because they are fun. I need to live it up more - my pay check does not depend on my race results - it is okay to have fun.

Things that I did right.

1. I tested my boundaries successfully. No injuries. I enjoyed the experience. At the time I was not sure if I wanted to continue this long distance racing after this year. A day or two out and I can't wait to test myself again.
2. Swam in a wetsuit with out problem. Sure I had problems in the swim but it was not because of the wetsuit - if anything the wetsuit gave me confidence. I would probably be more scratched up if I did not have the suit on.
3. Nutrition and hydration never caused me any problems. I took a gel just about every half hour once I was out of the swim. I taped them to the top tube of my bike and that worked great. I took them prior to the water stations on the run and that worked great. In training I took them every 45 minutes but I think 30 minute is just about right. I drank lots of water during the bike and run. I never had to pee but I also never really felt thirsty. The April heat was not a problem - of course I did not fly into town from some snow covered part of the country. I was also done with the race by 1PM - before the real heat of the day.
4. Transitions went well. When I saw the size of the transition area I thought that there would be no way to do this fast. I thought 4 minutes a piece would be tough. Well, my bike placement was exceptional and that allowed for me to have both transitions combined come out to less than 6 minutes. I still need to learn to do the flying mount / dismount.
5. Recovery was much better after this race than even the half marathon that I did in the fall. This race was a much longer duration (4 hours longer) but the intensity was a lot less. Also, I only had one beer at the race finish. I am sure that the beer negatively affects my recovery.

Race Report - CONCLUSION - 70.3 New Orleans

Crossing the finish line was a relief - not so much of a celebration. Not finishing was never a thought in my mind. I could have gone a little faster, etc. etc. etc...

Lessons learned from this race.

1. PRE-RACE: I did not really anticipate just how many people were going to be at the start of this race. I should have arrived at transition a little bit earlier. Although the walk to the swim start was only about a mile and a half I really think walking bare foot started me off on the wrong foot (so to speak). Also, the shoes for the run were just plan silly. By selecting 'light and fast' shoes to save a few seconds per mile it cost me tens and twenties of seconds per mile. For these longer races I have to go with a cushioned trainer. I already knew this but was blinded by some artificial time goals - that was a mistake.


2. SWIM: My swim wave was larger than some of the local triathlons that I have been in - I got very disoriented and claustrophobic being in the middle of the churn. I never thought that I was going to die or drown or anything like that - but my breathing was out of control and I was struggling. Looking at my heart rate for the entire race - it was the highest during the swim - for all of the swim. I know that this not only cost me minutes on the swim but minutes on the bike and minutes on the run. I need to continue to be more confident in the water - not just with swimming but in positioning myself with other racers. This will be one of the toughest to improve on - a few days after the race (or really just a few seconds out of the swim) it is hard to imagine getting that messed up just swimming. I did hear of several racers climbing out of the water in disgust and throwing there goggles off. Knowing what I was feeling that could have been me. I am going to try and do as many races this year to help build that 'swim race' experience.


3. BIKE: I did pretty good on the bike. I was walking a tight line on keeping the pace up and saving energy for the run. At this point it is hard to tell if I pushed too hard or not hard enough - my run was off and was going to be off regardless. On the back half of the bike - into the wind - my effort dropped. I will work on the mental toughness required to keep the pace up! I have done a lot of bricks this season but none at race pace - In need to throw in a lot of race pace bricks.


4. RUN: I never got into a groove on the run. My feet were sore before I even left transition. However, even if I was feeling great (and my lungs and legs felt pretty good - but not great) I am still not sure if I would have been able to find that extra gear. When I ran that half marathon in the fall my heart rate was up near LT. This run was low zone 2. I'm just not sure if I could have picked it up and raced the run. I just ran it. Once again I need to have some race paced bricks and work on the mental toughness to deliver in these conditions.


5. ENJOY THE RACE: I do a pretty good job of this but why not push through the pain, run a fast race and enjoy it the entire time. After all, I am doing this because they are fun. I need to live it up more - my pay check does not depend on my race results - it is okay to have fun.

Things that I did right.

1. I tested my boundaries successfully. No injuries. I enjoyed the experience. At the time I was not sure if I wanted to continue this long distance racing after this year. A day or two out and I can't wait to test myself again.


2. Swam in a wetsuit with out problem. Sure I had problems in the swim but it was not because of the wetsuit - if anything the wetsuit gave me confidence. I would probably be more scratched up if I did not have the suit on.


3. Nutrition and hydration never caused me any problems. I took a gel just about every half hour once I was out of the swim. I taped them to the top tube of my bike and that worked great. I took them prior to the water stations on the run and that worked great. In training I took them every 45 minutes but I think 30 minute is just about right. I drank lots of water during the bike and run. I never had to pee but I also never really felt thirsty. The April heat was not a problem - of course I did not fly into town from some snow covered part of the country. I was also done with the race by 1PM - before the real heat of the day.


4. Transitions went well. When I saw the size of the transition area I thought that there would be no way to do this fast. I thought 4 minutes a piece would be tough. Well, my bike placement was exceptional and that allowed for me to have both transitions combined come out to less than 6 minutes. I still need to learn to do the flying mount / dismount.


5. Recovery was much better after this race than even the half marathon that I did in the fall. This race was a much longer duration (4 hours longer) but the intensity was a lot less. Also, I only had one beer at the race finish. I am sure that the beer negatively affects my recovery.

All things considered I learned a lot from this first 1/2 Ironman and I am confident that I can improve on my racing. I'm still excited!

Kristin over at The Lazy Marathoner told me that she over heard a spectator ask the runners what they got for finishing. One of the racers immediately yelled back "SATISFACTION"! Well said.

First swim lesson

If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. - Bruce Lee

The first swim lesson was awesome. There was only one other person that signed up for swim lessons that already knew how to swim. The rest had never really been in the water. They were bobbing up and down. I heard their instructor say, "It looks like everyone is afraid to put their face in the water. Who wants to touch the bottom with me?" I think it is great that these adults are learning to swim.

I grew up with a swimming pool (in Texas) and was in it my whole life. However, I never really swam. It was mostly playing around and tossing a ball or diving for pennies. About three years ago was the first time that I started trying to swim laps at the pool. I was only doing this because I wanted to fulfill a dream of completing a triathlon. So I guess I had to learn to swim.

It was very hard to get started. I felt that I could run (slowly) for as long as I wanted but the swimming zapped my strength after only a few laps. I was not breathing right and was exhausted immediately. Fast forward a year or two and I am a much better swimmer. My times are coming down. I no longer panic in the open water swims. I still want to improve. Get faster. Get more efficient.

So Jennifer and I are the only ones in the swim class that know how to swim. I know Jennifer from the pinebeltpacers running club. She also either does or wants to compete in triathlons. So instead of being a liability, Jennifer and I get our own dedicated swim coach. Mary is a grad student here at USM. She was a competitive runner and swimmer in high school and college and teaches / coaches swim camps in Texas all summer long. Pretty cool.

I believe that I take instruction well and asked Mary to simply tell me where my stroke or form was having problems. She immediately helped me better position my head a little higher in the water. She also was helping me with my pull. I could feel the water better.

I did a 1000 yard time trial last week so that I can better judge my progress. I'm excited about the class.