2012 Redman Triathlon

Final race of the season is always exciting. Sometimes we are glad to see the closing of one chapter, other times we want to see a successful chapter lasting longer, riding that high just for a bit longer. Even though I am excited to close 2012 season it is neither a success nor disappointment. Another plateau-ish year at best.

Redman Triathlon is a wonderful race, so well put together and conducted that makes most athletes must do list. Oklahoma City bursts with hospitality and that is what makes this race special. It is not the scenery, it is not the worst road conditions that you will ever encounter in a race, it is the tireless work of volunteers, community and City officials that want this race in their town. This year was no exception.
I was here in 2009, racing the same race as M35-39. It was my third half ironman distance race that ended with success 4:39:25, 6th AG, 28th OA. This time, I truly missed the presence of my two friends Aaron and Rocky, who made for a great company that year.
My usual, loyal crowd was with me once again, making the last early wake up of 2012. They were glad for the season to be over. Nina was excited, no more 4am wake ups.

It has only been two weeks since the 70.3 Championship race. I am not fully recovered. Workouts in peak week confirm that. While I had no trouble putting out the power and pace, any length of race effort made me tired quickly. I opted for a short swim AM, short bike+run brick/ mini race simulation every other day, with a day of complete rest in between. I wanted to stimulate the system with short race efforts, but also take extra rest along during the race week. It was a good balance. Felt very good.

No goals for this race. Just some form metrics estimates+ power/pace/HR numbers:

1. Swim, full suit, pace 1:35/100m, good for 30min 1.2mi swim, realistic as I have put this out so many times
    with ease
2. Bike FTP estimate 265W, on the downslope from Vegas, NP 220-225W, IF .85, TSS 172 based on
    time
3. Run VDOT 51 and declining, rough goal pace 7:30-7:20min/mi, times 1:37:00-1:35:00

I was going with whatever the day gave, no goals, just good time and delaying the agony for as long as I could. I was not ready to suffer again.

Course:

Swim: low water level version, counter clockwise triangle, miss-measured and made longer by about 160-180m, murky water in the middle of lake. Water temp 71F.

T1/T2: long run from middle of lake up the dry bed, wetsuit strippers

Bike: flat to wavy course, cannot even call it rolling, deceptive though as I recorded just over 1600ft of climbing, still flat but appears more climbing than Racine and Soma, I was looking for faster times, but that may explain, still very fast course with terrible roads, rough and littered with potholes big enough to swallow entire bike.

Run: Two loops along the lake, flat as pancake, as flat as you will ever see during the race. We can call it Lala flat, my Coach will appreciate this.

Weather: race start 61F, wind ESE@5-7mph, race end 85F, wind NNE@12-15mph

Up at 0400. Usual pre race breakfast,  no oatmeal this time, no microwave. No salt preloading in the days before, took my 2 salt tabs+calcium with the meal, hydrated well and coffee. I had no sleep overnight. No explanation, however it is not the first time I am racing after no sleep. The night before was solid rest and sleep, I was not worried.
Arrived to T1/2 on time, calm and collected, set up all my gear. After all, this is my half ironman number 11 and number 4 this year alone. The routine is down, no distractions.

Race result: 4:42:09, 7th M40-44, 27th OA

Pre swim nutrition: 1 honey stinger gel, 2 salt tabs chased with water

Swim:   33:27        910XT data shows avg pace calculated 1:33/100m, corrected to 1.2mi comes to 29:30
                             my typical wetsuit swim, this was way longer....
                             GC file:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/225892521
Positioned well again, shortest line, clean water, good start. As always, no different this time. I rode on feet almost all the way but last 600m as the swimmer ahead was beginning to wonder around. I held the effort here pretty steady, Z3, breathing rate in check. There was no contact along the way. Very nice and measured swim. Looked at the time across the mat, shrugged my shoulders and went on. I was not worried, no time to chase.

T1:  2:06      one of the better and faster times in AG
 Used strippers, long run up to bike racks. Smooth and collected.

Bike: 2:26:30, AP/NP  218W/222W, 3.15 W/kg, IF .84, TSS 177, avg HR 152, avg cad 96
         GC File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226785549

Started the ride with a solid flying mount, shortly after, feet inside shoes and I was turning pedals, look down at my STUPIDOMETER- Garmin 500 with Quarq power, said I was spot on was not being stupid at the moment, 215W and gradually rising with HR being relatively high, 168, normal coming off the swim.  I was producing power in cooler weather and had to hold back not to overshoot. Also first 20-30min of restraint goes long ways in allowing the body and HR to settle. I was executing now with focus and discipline. 15min into it began to drink, HR check, was coming down, 20min power check was at 220W NP and feeling very good with no focus required to produce output, but rather to hold back. Tailwind was evident as avg speed was going over 24mph. Several athletes went by in a train, yep, blatant drafting, but no worries, I do not cave in. It is way early to race it. I usually get them back in the last quarter of the bike as fading sets in. Those that have done this enough know that major placing climb usually occurs in the last 14mi of the bike course, as wisdom prevails. I was drinking on schedule and using my usual doses of 300cal/hr however dialed back the sodium levels 1360mg/hr, 1-1.5 bottles of fluid/hr.
HR was higher than I wanted to see, but I felt in check. After 30min NP was at 225W and I intended to keep it there as it felt good. I kept even NP entire time 225W, HR had downslope trend but remained at the bottom of Z4 for me most of the race. RPE was correct. Again, cooler weather, flat run course, allows for wider range of effort levels. The ride consisted of dodging huge potholes, kept me busy but could not keep my head low enough and it was straining my neck. I ride with 15cm drop in front and my head loves being low and eyes down just ahead of my front wheel, my neck relaxes like that. At one point, hitting a rough patch on the road, I lost a water bottle from my hand while drinking, yep, that rough, shook me a bit and woke me up.
Half way, clock indicated a sub 2:24 ride, but winds were no longer a friend. Same power was now producing 22.3-22.4mph and I was not going to push over. I brought back two riders from the train by mi 50. I knew I was close to the front, no excitement, controlling emotions. After all, I was not sure how far will I go before Las Vegas fatigue would catch up. Last 6mi were all about relaxing, stretching and spinning at a lower effort. After return for final 3mi around the lake, I got caught by two riders, dropped to legal distance and kept their pace, allowed power and HR to drop significantly. Entire ride NP drop occurred in that section from NP 225W to NP 222W, HR was 138 and going lower. I did like that as I was preparing to run. Flying dismount went routine, I was running with the bike to the rack.

T2:     :49      one of the faster times, Sladja still does not know, she would have been proud. In the past I caught a lot of flack over that. I also caught her by surprise being back, I never disclose bike times to her, if I miss it, makes them worry, don't want to do that.

Run: 1:39:19  avg HR 161   GC file: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/225892534
        hydration/ fuel: flask total 360cal, taken at mi 2, mi 6 and mi 9
        sodium:  total 2490mg, taken at same intervals as above
        coke: miles 10 and 11
        hydration: water at every other aid station

Quick glance at my 910XT exiting T2 showed 3:01:xx for the total elapsed time, math said 1:37 run was required for a PR, about 7:27min/mi, I thought not bad let's see what I can do. No stress once again, just a mental note. I decided to skip the usual strategy of miles 1-3 of somewhat easier pace. I parked it at 7:24min/mi or so and wanted to see how it feels. Self check, felt ok, very easy and doable, HR was into 148-152, I thought, this feels "easy enough", let's see how far will it take me. I got nothing to lose. PR would have been nice, but was not going to happen at all cost, plus it was way early into the run and likely to cause blowing a lid. I had a nice quick stride, toeing off was effortless, was looking around and enjoying. the scenery. I was in "no man's land", the lead group was ahead and untouchable for me, some 40-44 athletes were in it, including the winner to be Dave Slavinski from NJ. He was flying on that run. Miles 1-5 were uneventful, had a look at overall and AG placing and was happy, counting 6th with nobody in reach, I sure was looking for excuses not having to push. Behind nobody too. First loop was topped off seeing the Rock Star Coach Ken Welsh, he was looking strong, we cheered each other passing by, than saw my friend and athlete I coach, Brandon Simpson, also known as Swimson. That dude can swim. Was known for his famous Kansas State 100 Backstroke record. He looked calm and in the zone, despite not having an easy day. His swim split was 6th overall at the race. Cheered each other too and went on. It is always great seeing people you know.
Turnaround came, 6.55mi, Nina was running next to me for a brief period. She was cheering me on, was great having my little girl shouting for me. At this point, I was working now. HR file shows rather abrupt and steep climb in HR. First, heat was rising now, wind was picking up too. It was by no means Vegas hot, it was warm, 84F, I don't dare calling hot anymore after being in desert 2 weeks ago.
I was no longer smooth and had to focus to turn my legs. HR was going into 164-166, my zone Z4-5a, I always know that sand clock begins to tick when I see that, implosion is not that distant anymore and I have to watch. All the fueling was on schedule, I was now pouring water on myself at every aid station.

At mi 9, wheels began to come off, I did hold the HR, but pace was slipping, mi 10 huge hamstring cramp brought me to a squeal and halt, had to stretch, kept walking and limping until it let go, went running as soon as I could, pace was slipping to 8:05, HR was over in Z5a 166-169 and I was giving all I had to move. I knew my PR dream was over, I was at piece with it. Got passed in the last mi by an athlete from M40-44 and I had nothing more to put up fight. Zipped up my MTC jersey and got ready for the chute.

Sladja and Nina were there, big hugs and kisses, huge relief and immediate deflating. Season was over.
In summary, very decently executed race, swim/bike perfect, run could have been more restrained early but have no regrets at all. I was shooting from the hip with no surgical precision. Key being, bike pacing was one of the best I had,, that produced an ok run. Piled up fatigue and lack of adequate endurance are key in slowing this run down.
Time to sit down reflect back, examine logs, document good, bad and ugly, learn from it and go forward. It is time I break the plateau.

2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championships

Here comes the race report of my most anticipated race of the season. Little background in qualification for this Championship race. It is long for sure.
In September of 2011, I raced Ironman 70.3 Branson, M 40-44 age group, placing 5th and earning a slot in a rolldown process.
Branson is a tough race with the bike course unrivaled on the Ironman 70.3 circuit. The run is what separates these two venues, Vegas being hilly, though not extreme at all in terms of topography but desert heat, combined with blacktop asphalt, makes for a very difficult run. My thought process was, if you can do Branson, you can do Vegas. Little did I know, but more on this further down.
Few words about the goals for this wonderful race. Some of us are very goal driven, I am in that camp. I did struggle to define goals for this race as it was my first time racing at this level. I entered it with very loose and fuzzy understanding as to what I wanted to do here. First, I wanted to execute well. Race day is all about execution, many of us frequently fail at that, I am no different. Defining the placement goal, for me, largely went, placing mid pack in my M40-44 would be success. The numbers/ metrics for pacing and racing are a little different matter and serve us as tool in achieving the goals defined above. Executing a Long Course race is all about discipline and managing the current moment, managing what you have control over.
My Coach did provide the plan to execute. It was me who had to believe in it and carry it out. Predicting times on a race course in triathlon is a dicey proposition, but some loose estimating is required to understand TSS or stress induced during each as well as creating the overall  fueling/ hydration strategy. Anticipated numbers were:
FTP estimate 265-270W      VDOT 51     weight 155lbs
Swim: 31-33min, non wetsuit, I do not wear any speedsuits either
Bike: goal NP 227W, not sure on IF, however, this was 5-7% higher than all my Half Ironman races this year , I also added the HR range of 145-150, mid to top of Z3 for me
Run: early pace of 7:40, mi 1-3, than take it up to 7:30-7:20 pace, HR 152-158 early than into 160+ range, obviously HR dictates a lot on hilly and hot courses and becomes the lead metric. The pace metric was intended for a flat course with moderate weather and it was up to me to adjust for desert heat and hills.

                                     Friday 09/07/2012 Bike gear check in, T1 Lake Las Vegas

Sunday morning 09/09/2012, wake up came at 0320 local time, usual morning routine, feeling very good, however noticing that my legs/quads felt heavy/ sluggish. Thought to myself, oh well, I will shake it off as I am setting up my T1 and waiting for the swim wave.
Pre race breakfast:
* cup of coffee
* 1 Honey Stinger waffle 160cal
* 1 serving of Oatmeal     200cal
* 1 small banana              150cal
* 1 small bagel+ Apricot spread   250cal
* 1 small block of dark organic chocolate, 70% coco    100cal
* Dose of calcium supplement as well as 2 salt tabs with water

I packed a bottle of 300cal Infinit, gels, salt tabs and water to maintain hydartion+ calorie intake during pre race time, while waiting for my wave to start.
From above, it is noticeable, absence of any protein sources. Over the last 5 years, I have been refining my pre race breakfast in terms of amount and content. My stomach is more sensitive than most and I have found that any amount protein causes pre race GI distress. I tend to stick with simple to complex carbs for the most part, trying to allow for fast release type as well as slow release, minimum to no fiber and closely watching the volume of food intake. Latest nutrition reports coming from experts at PBN (Personal Best Nutrition, consultants to many PRO athletes, including 2012 Ironman Texas and Ironman New York winner Jordan Rapp) indicate the importance of the ratio of calories vs. volume of the intake as a factor to consider. It is a very personal experiment to find that proper ratio where food volume in GI tract is not causing bloating and other discomfort, yet calorie needs are met.
Exited condo on the strip at 0440 local time for a 30min ride to Lake Las Vegas. It always brakes my heart to wake up my kids and wife this early. They are my loyal support crowd, the crowd from which I draw all my motivation to keep going. This time around, I can admit freely, at the crucial moment in this race, it was them that brought me up.

                           My love, my best friend, my training partner, my inspiration, my voice of reason

                                                      My little tough crowd, joy and pride
This time, I was accompanied by my friend and training partner Bently who calmly drove our way into Lake Las Vegas. First glance at the backed up traffic was no cause for concern, than lack of movement of this endless river of cars was enough to wake my type A personality up, did not take very long. As the approach to parking lot dragged out, we agreed that Benlty and I would have to exit the car to run down to T1 before it closed. Sladja would drive the van. What a way to start your race morning. It did not shake me up, I was surprisingly calm about it, on alert though.
T1 set up went very smooth and quick. Athletes were crawling all over T1, usual business. My set up was calm, deliberate and collected. Maintaining the routine is critical. I was quickly in and out, ready to enjoy the scenery. Found a spot in shade, away from the crowd, close to bike mount line. What a learning experience that was, watching PROs mount. All sorts of stuff, great and not so great.
It was time to stroll down to the start. I hugged and kissed my wife and kids. Always love doing that before my race. Marko even let me do that, he was looking around making sure no teenage girls were watching the scene. :)

Race day weather came out as a very hot day. Temperatures reported in the shade were upwards of 95-97F, widespread recorded temps on asphalt were reaching 102-105F. Winds were from the East at 6-8mph. Water temperature 83-85F. Pretty extreme for my taste. I was uneasy about it. I feared that it would take an incredible amount of suffering. The day will prove me correct.

SWIM:     33:34, 97th AG, 696 OA,      GC file:    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/220979576
Positioned to the right, next to buoys, clean shot, love figuring that out. Good start, solid effort first 500m than long stroke/ cruise mode, effort down. Found feet, hung on and dialed further back. Key here, for me was not how fast I can swim this, it was how can I keep my body core temp low and not incur too much time deficit. I was at a very low end of the effort scale, conserving, knowing that there is a very hot day ahead. Rest of the swim was uneventful. The lake was awful, muddy, brown.......hard comparing after Racine and Lake Michigan.

                                                        Swim exit and a long run up to T1

T1:          4:06
Long run around to T1, very routine, decently fast and smooth. Another long run out with the bike. Flying mount and off I was gone.

Bike:     2:55:49, no idea on ranking of the split but at the end it got me into 126th AG, 853 OA
             GC file, powermeter went dead soon at about mi 8-10:  
             http://connect.garmin.com/activity/220981670
             Powermeter shows numerous drop outs, all indication of the failure as I do not coast unless I spin out. So data unusable.
            Hydartion/ fueling summary:
            Infinit 300cal/hr, 1800mg sodium/hr, 24oz fluid/ hr
            The climb out of T1 started as usual, high HR from the swim, felt good and was producing the planned power, no issues. Turn on Lake Mead Pkwy was downhill and used to recover the Heart Rate (HR), soft pedal, brought power down to goal level, another climb after turnaround and now HR was going higher very easy, knew that was not good, power still in check but RPE was beginning to tell that it is true that this effort is costing more. Started hydration/ calories. The rock around was radiating heat no doubt, temps indicated over 90 early on the bike.

                         Unreal scenery and the world of hurt, alone battling myself, deep in my memory
                                               What makes you tick when things get tough?

Powermeter was gone early, no drama, reverted to observing HR only and was very good at ignoring it. I knew it was very high 152-155, during climbs touching 158-160, I was well on the way of blowing up. It is amazing how you find various excuses to ignore your STUPIDOMETER, it was telling me I was stupid but I thought, it is a championship race, time to throw numbers out and race your heart. I could have not been wrong more. Passed mid point mile 28 and further to mi 40, passed numerous M40-44 athletes to know I was in deep trouble climbing back on Lake Mead Pkwy toward Lake Las Vegas, both of my quads were locking up. I thought nice, have not had this in long time, being a veteran of cramping from 2010, it was a great reminder that you also have to be tough, grit your teeth and suffer quietly so nobody can see. Mentally, I was in a world of hurt. The feeling of heavy legs never went away, I just pushed and pushed, the dull pain was now constant, twitching of hamstrings and quads was moderate. I was taking additional salt tabs but it was not enough. Strategic mistake was made in the amount of fluid required. I was thirsty most of the time, never had to pee, very salty residue on my suit, all signs of a person in serious distress under relentless heat.
Completely underestimated the dry hot desert.

I was now in a full blown survival mode, being dropped left and right by male and female cyclist, great feeling, not so. Looking down, observing average speed dropping and dropping. At this point I was no longer sure that I can continue past T2, several times thought about turning my chip in at T2. One thing was clear, early to mid point distress revealed my huge mental weakness and a lack of readiness to fight it. I was in shock how early I crumbled. Took a while to grasp that.
My Edge was showing 102F above asphalt coming into T2, yep same place where I was about to run a half marathon.

                                                          Did I mention that it was hot!

T2:       1:50     It felt like eternity, I really did not want to leave the tent, wanted to lay down, felt weak

Run:      2:02:46    118th AG, 849th OA    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/220979583

I was out on the course in disbelief. I was certain that there was no way I will ever finish this. My body felt pain everywhere, neck, shoulders......general weakness as if you are ill, I was running, do not know how, but I was.  I come to learn about piecing the course, so I thought next aid station.
Henderson run course consists in general terms, 2mi uphill, 2mi downhill, unprotected, no shade, blacktop asphalt.

                           I was about to find out how far am I willing to go when mind says enough, when quads  
                               are seizing up and relentless heat is overwhelming, how deep will I have to dig  
Mile 1 came and the first aid station, I began to walk, take calories, water, salt tabs, ok, time to run uphill. Forced myself to run uphill, it was tolerable for the moment, many around me were already walking, struggling. I knew I was not alone. I was tunnel-visioned and looked only few feet ahead, managing movement in the current moment. I really had no idea where is the movement of my legs coming from, I was seizing up not long ago. I was present enough that I knew I had to drink and take calories, never lost focus there. It was a matter of survival. I now developed a routine walking every aid station and taking all the ice, liquids, calories from my flask. Closed the first loop, about 4mi and was now in some strange world of only hearing noises around me. Heat was unbearable. Than saw Sladja, Marko and Nina. I remember hearing Marko yell "GO ALEKS" and Sladja looked at me straight in the eyes, she was saying something.....The look was the moment that I will not forget, it instantly brought me back, I woke up, looked down the road, it was time to work. No, the pace did not change much, I was not looking at my watch, just ran, climbing back up, loop 2, I started bringing back some runners, one of them was last year's Branson M40-44 winner.

                                     Critical moment during the run, mi 8, I managed to pull away from
                                     an athlete, winner of M40-44 at 2011 IM 70.3 Branson, race where I
                                     lost to him, but managed to qualify for this suffer fest
                                                       
 Yes, I caught up with him, I thought wow, I am not the only one falling apart in this heat. Said hi to him, he looked at me, told him how I knew who he was, we instantly became friends, I dragged him up the hill, talked to him and helped him get through his "rough patch", I was a little worried as his breathing was out of control. I kept him company for 3/4 of the loop and kept us both running, no walking. I was feeling better and more capable of running faster or at least I thought, so I made sure he was ok and wished him luck, picked it up and left. I was now running decent given that it has been over 5hrs in that heat.
Final mile came, I do not know how, all is a big blur, I just remember now wanting that finishers shirt. I thought for the first time that I have earned it. Ran down final mile at 7:05 pace, where that came from, no idea. Through the chute and it was over........DUN!!!!!!!!!!! I was at piece.

I will never be able to express enough gratitude to my wife and kids who have spent numerous Saturdays and Sundays, eating breakfast without me while I was training. I do not know how many evenings have I fallen asleep exhausted without saying good night. No social life so to speak, no time for friends and movies and anything that normal people do. It is a heavy price to pay. I am also one of those fortunate whose spouse gives unconditional approval in this quest and pursuit of athletic achievement. After all it defines who I am.
Thank you my love.