Stumptown Race Report (Okay, 1/3 of a race report)

First a rant and then maybe I'll actually have some content.

I spent a whole day at a race named Stumptown longing for Stumptown coffee only to discover that they just used the name, and that race had nothing to do with the coffee company, except of course the name, location and expectation of perfect balance...

I love coffee.  It's a huge motivator to me.  I spent two weeks drinking McDonald's Coffee in August just because it was free.  I probably would have even sung a song in the drive through just to get the free, notso good coffee (okay, I'm a snob and can't quite say it was good, but I guess since I'm mostly honest with you readers, I liked it). 

So to go to a race anticipating the mating of two of life great things, triathlon and coffee and to not get coffee, well, it left me as close to a funk as I get.  They did have a very small coffee truck that couldn't brew coffee or run their equipment without breaker problems but that left me even more disapointed.  I expect much better from Portland.

So now to the race report (1/3).  I was asked by my friends Larry and Jaysun to be their runner.  As far as I know, I was the second choice but I could possibly have been the third.  I just pretended to be the first choice kind of like I did when playing group sports as a kid.  We signed up the morning of the race for the "Long Course" which is a bit deceiving given it is a 70.3 distance but it still qualifies as a long course because one of the volunteers said "wow that's a long ways" when I told her I had to run 13.1 miles. 

Jaysun swam and did an amazing job.  It was a really long transition but he finished his leg in 29:08 which was the 10th fastest overall and 8th fastest male.  He handed off to Larry who made his way out of his University of Washington purple folding chair with plenty of time to race.

Larry put in a great ride with a 2:34:39 (27th fastest of the day) ride including a ridiculously long transition.  While he biked his three laps, I got to hang out with some great local athletes who were recovering from IM Canada.  Since I'm doing that race next year, I decided to focus on me rather than Larry.  I should have been documenting and making videos of his speed and agility on the bike but instead I was trying to get all the advice from the elite guys and the coach the providence stuck me with on this coffeeless day.

The wind started to come up while I waited for Larry to finish up the bike.  I thought he would pull of a 2:20 - 2:30 ride and I think he could have nailed a 2:20 without the wind and 1/4 mile transition.  It was a bit painful to see him get off the bike, a mere dot on the horizon struggling his way to transition.  The nice people that were waiting for their teams were wowed by his ride but seemed to understand why he wasn't running for our team.


So the hand off took place and I started to run.  I had warmed up by running around transition and had hydrated a bunch and so I thought I was pretty ready to go.  I wanted to run a 1:30 and thought that I could.  The run was great until I turned onto Marine Drive and met my nemesis, the wind.  The I met my other shadow, stench blowing in the wind from rotting compost.  I was feeling pretty good and looking forward to the effortless down wind leg and then I met my third rival, stuffy heat with a tinge of oppression and rot.  I kept going and had a pretty good first lap. 


The second lap wasn't the negative split that I hoped for and I really had a painful drop around mile 10.  I lost some of my motivation and fire and picked up some wus and whine.  I picked things up again but too late and ended with a 1:43:09 which was a 7:52 pace.  Not my best run but not too bad either.

I felt bad on the run because I didn't have the right to feel pain because hadn't put in the time or pain that others had.  They were so nice as ran told me how fresh I looked and stuff like that and I wanted to apologize the whole time but instead I said thanks and did my best to believe them.  The other strange thing is that I haven't spent much time in the front part of a race.  There were some huge gaps in the front of the field and I ran alone for much of the race.  I made a few passes but was pretty lonely and pacing was hard.  I ran the 18th fastest run of the day overall and 16th for men but would have been disappointed if I hadn't because I was cheating by only running.  

After the race, we hung out, ate and tried to win stuff.  We won the relay division (1 of 3 teams) and I got my hardware.  I felt proud and like a cheat at the same time. 

Glad I got to race on a good team with good people and glad to learn more about myself.  Now, if only they had served Stumptown Coffee.

Vineman Race Report

Fact:  I finished in 12:38:12
Swim:  1:13:19
T1: 4:00
Bike: 6:37:49
T2: 2:57
Run: 4:40:07
Bathroom Stops:  Approx: 7


Going into this race, I was flat lined a bit emotionally.  I know that tapering can bring on a bit of a depression but I wasn't really down in other areas, just kind of not hyped like I expected.  I think part of that had to do with the truth about my fitness being exposed to all, my self, my family and all the people that I've been blabbering about this race to both on-line and in person.  I wasn't sure whether I would need to find someone new to cut my hair because I didn't have a reason for melting down on race day.

I also had set a goal of 12-13 hours with a hope to be closer to 12 and a fear that things could blow up.  So I went into this race partially enthusiastic but also with some impending doom or foreboding. 

Race morning:  Crazy scene at Johnson Beach.  There was a huge line of people squeezing into a very small space and no one seemed to be able to wheel a bike, carry their gear, flex their muscles, while checking out bikes and competitors.  Also, I've never racked by age group and it was a bit weird.  Body marking is kind of hap hazard and a guy happened to be in my isle when I arrived so I was marked.  I set up transition, took a gel, didn't have water, sunscreen, wet suit on, posed for pictures for my dad and then went racing.  Not even time to think about that last little squirt at the potty. 

Swim:  Warm water, chaotic start, a bunch of bumping but nothing major.  I keep hearing about people getting angry about contact when swimming.  It was a weird the first time I touched the river bed.  It is fine pebbly gravel that really isn't painful to hit or even walk on.  As much as possible, I tried to swim but if I couldn't swim without dislocating my shoulder, I would stand and move at an angle to get in water that I could swim in.  I should have pre-swam/waded the river to find the deeper channels because swiming is faster and more fun than wading.  Also, on the Wednesday before the race, I had ripped my right big toenail back about 3 mm and it was tender and could easily get wrecked more. 

So I swam and swam, the back portion seemed deeper, I made the turn and then swam more and it seemed pretty easy.  I was passed some but noticed that I was mostly in a group of orange and silver caps which meant I was swimming with slower people from the early groups. 

I was stunned when I exited the water at 1:13.  My 1000 yard pace is 1:40 and so to pace the 2.4 miles at 1:45 and feel fresh was great.  I just took things steady and didn't let the traffic get to me.  Amazed to read how many triathletes feel angry during the swim.  The swim is what it is and wave starts mean that you will keep meeting people who can't swim straight and occasionally most of us (meaning me) will swim into the bushes.

Transition:  Not much to say except the carpet was small, people should stay of the carpet if they are going to walk slowly and no one should be allowed to stop for pictures.  Also, for those who recommend running up the hill, that is a great idea if you don't have plastic on the bottom of your carbon fiber shoes.  No traction and I almost gave up trying to get up the hill.

Bike:  Awesome ride, love almost all of it except for the constant exploding bladder.  I rode all on RPE although I did have my GPS.  I just wanted to ride fast but not at a pace that would cook my legs.  The ride was beautiful and the roads were interesting.  It was a great mix of winding narrow with some breaks on smother roads which allowed a bit less concentration.  The worst was the Chalk Hill Section on lap 2.  We had a some headwind, and the road is horrible.  Trying to stay on the elbows in the rough stuff to negate the wind was hard, especially after flying into Geyserville.

T2:  Once again, if you don't want a fast transition, get out of the way.

Run:  Not much to say except they had hills, it felt long and it took a long time.  I walked uphill and though aid stations that I used.  I just kept running at my "new" pace which is pathetic but worked.  NO knee pain or IT band issues.  Just fatigue.

Nutrition:  No problems except I stopped at   way too many potties.  My bladder was the most pain causing thing of the day.  I didn't have stomach problems or energy drops and even ate stuff that I shouldn't during a race like peaches.  I saved flat Coke as a prize for lap 3 of the run and it was good!

So, there's the report.  I will be posting another picture and video based report soon thanks to my brother and dad being a big part of my race day.

Mush:  My brother really made this race amazing for me.  It was a gift from him and his wife and he used it as a chance to get my parents out for a visit.  Being with family and having my girls with family really made the trip great and helped divert my focus.  My brother shot some great video (Yes he says the same thing each time he sees me) and their footage via the scooter makes me look really fast.

Finally, thinking about my wife and girls and then seeing them on the bike and run really helped me.  They have sacrificed for me to do this and I'm grateful.

Recovery:  I had an uncomfortable night on Saturday but since then, I feel pretty good.  I have climbed up and down stairs, with luggage and even though I'm tired, I'm not injured and will start swimming soon.  In fact, I've recovered so quickly that I regret not trying to go faster.  Okay, now I' showing off but I'm really more proud of the fact that I can walk stairs than my time. 

Conclusion:  I've worn the finisher t-shirt for a significant part of the last three days.  I feel good about my race and will soon pick a plan for my next.  My fears and doubt are gone, sure I have lots to improve and want to challenge myself more, but I am now and Iron(distance) man.  No one can take that from me, not even that small voice of doubt that I carry with me.

Boise 70.3 Race report

So I'm in that melancholy mood that hits me after a race is done.  It was a great experience and I'm feeling good and disappointed at the same time.

This was my first "Ironman" branded race and I think I brought a bit too much expectation into it.  I was expecting really efficient registration and huge expo but instead was met my long lines and a sparse expo.  I think WTC makes things so exclusive that the local area and vendors didn't shine like they should have.

I attended the pre-race briefing on Friday morning and learned a lot, mostly about how cold the water was and how many lane changes we would have on the bike.  I also learned that the head judge uses tandem bikes as his basis for 4 bike lengths.  I swear he told us to keep about 80 feet between bikes.  

I think a highlight of the morning meeting was when a person on the front row asked if we were allowed to modify our helmets.  The judge looked a bit confused and I admit that I was wondering about whether this discussion was about taping air vents.  The judge asked for clarification and it ended up that this person wanted to attach a wig to her helmet.  It just shows that people race for different reasons.  I can't imagine purposefully adding drag...in both meanings of the word.

One of the pluses of having long lines for registration, but and finish picture is that I was able to meet some great people.  I also learned that compression gear pre-race is important.  I'm not sure why it helps during the taper and everyone I asked wasn't sure either but "all serious athletes" wear compression gear.

Also, it is important to wear exercise gear to any pre-race activity you can.  I chose to dress in my typical casual wear and regret that I was not representing my favorite brands adequately.  They key is to look like you just ran from your hotel across town and are fresh and ready to run the bike course after three loops of the swim.  It also is important to look more like a pro than the pros...I will adjust for my next race.

Boise 70.3 is weird in that is starts at noon (or 12:37 PM for people my age who's last name is between A-J).  I got to sleep in past 7:00 AM and eat breakfast.  I also had to stop by the grocery store for "lunch" once I figured out that I better eat something for lunch.

I rode the school bus to the start, checked my stuff like I was crazy and then sat around and talked to strangers about their ailments and fear of the cold water.  I was particularly struck again by compression wear and the cool tape that people had all over their body.  I was confused by the tape watching beach volleyball and was even more confused at this race.  There seems to be no set way to apply the tape but I personally believe that anything with an X pattern is faster. 

I also noticed that tattoos, compression socks and extreme body hair get in the way of body marking.

The swim was tough.  The pro field was already on the bike by the time I was shivering in the water.  I bobbed and put my face in the water as much I could for the 4-5 minutes before my wave started but never caught my breath.  I ended up with a 42 minute swim which was slower than I wanted but not too bad considering I couldn't breathe. 

T1 is really long with a hill and bad bike placement but I got through it with the help of the wet suit stripper and sun screen appliers.  The funny thing about the wet suit stripper is that I had to take a quick look to make sure I still had my shorts on.

The bike ended up as my pleasant surprise of the day.  My race goal was to focus on the run and so I took things as steady as I could and didn't want to waste all my energy on the bike.  The course was interesting and the wind was not a factor for me.  This was my first race with my Reynolds Wheels and the Wheelbuilder disk.  These are tubular wheels and I chose not to run with a spare tire.  I had both pit stop and the other product with a flexible hose for the disk.  I also had two air canisters with a small tube of stans and so I thought I would at least have something to do if I got a flat.  Ironically, I only saw one person with a flat during this race.  That shows how good the team did in sweeping the course before race day.  Boise is known for punctures and a late summer race would be a challenge.

I ended up with a  2:54:08 on the bike which is 19.3 MPH.  The course was crowded and I did a lot of passing and slowing to set up gaps with guys that were faster.  I did see some blatant drafting but overall people were doing a nice job.  The best thing about the bike was that I was able to stay aero the whole time.  There were plenty of people that I passed that were stronger than me but apparently couldn't hold their position and so were slower.

I started the run feeling tired but strong.  The run course was crowded and because of flooding on the river the modified course ended up having people in both directions.  This wasn't too bad until my second loop in which there were a bunch of walkers which didn't seem to understand that people would choose to run.  I really wanted to walk but kept going but really felt slower and slower.  I was tired but won the battle and ran all but the aid stations.  I felt a bit of pain in my right knee and so I ran carefully hoping knowing that this wasn't my "A" race. 

This race is cruel in that you pass the finish 3 times before you get to cross.  The good news is that I was able to see my girls two times on each loop which really meant a lot to me.  I stopped to give kisses and hugs each time and don't regret a second of lost time.

I finished, was treated like a king by the volunteers, wandered looking for my girls, and finally gave up and at pizza (3 pieces) and drank chocolate milk (3 wonderful servings of yum) and sang praises for my reflective space blanket. My overall time was 5:37:34.  I was 69/173 in my age group.

I finally found my girls, drove to our friends house and showered, then headed back to collect my bike and stuff.

I enjoyed the race.  I'm impressed once again by the people of Boise and the great volunteers.  I'm glad I raced and would do it again.