Calgary 70.3

[Andrew]

We are all sitting around the computer during a break in our unofficial training camp in Grand Forks, anxiously awaiting the reports form the athletes who raced in Calgary...

So far, we have seen results from
Luke Way - 4:31
Sean McEvoy - 4:51
Daniel Auger - 5:39
Lore-Ann Krysko - 5:51
Meghan Dewhirst - 6:30

Hope we are not forgetting anyone...looks like it might have been a scorcher. Don't know any other details, but are looking forward to hearing more from the athletes themselves.

[Luker]

Hey everyone!
Feeling the repercussions of a fun day yesterday.  The swim was as I expected, time wise.  After the gun, it was a full on wrestling match, with people clawing at my feet and sides.  It was a sharp reminder of racing as a Pro.  I settled in after the first turn buoy but already could feel the lack of fitness as the race was truly swimming away from me.  After leaving T1 my full attention went towards recovering my heart rate which took me forever. It took me 30mins of riding easy because my heart rate just wouldn't come down.  It was stuck at like 165-163.  After about the 30min mark I finally got my HR down to the 155 and so I could push more decent wattage.  from then on I was able stay in my little LBP zone.  After the 50km mark my plan was to really empty the tank on the last 40km and see how much performance I would loose by pushing too hard. For the final 40k push I really had a hard time getting my HR up, except on the hills.  I felt like I could push to about LBP+5 but after a few mins both HR and resp rate would come back to LBP.  I think my lack of fitness was the mechanism.  At 24hrs last week, I was able to hold much higher HR's but the efforts were only an hour long.  The bike course for 70.3 was a little long but totally awesome!!  So fun! I was able to average 41km/hr.  Things I would change next year at this race will be using my own bike, not one that I self fitted the day before the race and employ the use of a disk.  This is the perfect course for a disc wheel. I was super satisfied with what I learned on the bike and pleased with the result.  The run for me was just a jog.  I knew my structure on the run was no where near what it should be to have a healthy run.  By healthy I mean, being able to finish without injury.  As it played out, I still caused myself some trauma that will take a week or so to recover from.  Congrats to all the BPR athletes that came out to this inaugural event and I'm looking forward to reading about your day.
I've attached my wattage data for your reference.  Even though I didn't have that extra gear for the last third of the bike, I feel I didn't slow down at all, which is cool!!
Luke

[kryskol]

Hi guys….well we made the 17+ hour drive home yesterday,- 9:00 am to 2:30 am.  (I don’t think sitting in a truck for that long after a race is good therapy, so my quads sure are stiff today) - but I had lots of time to re-hash the race.  Always looking for those few extra minutes (they’ll be fairly obvious from the details below)…but all in all, I think my day went pretty well.
 
The swim was good, with only a couple hundred metres of fighting for a good line.  I liked the way the course was set up….between the boats, under the bridge and down the narrows.  You felt like you were getting somewhere.  I had some trouble sighting – not sure if it was my dark goggles or too few bouys, and I found it got pretty choppy rounding the last bouy, but I managed to swim steady, stay calm and get out of the water feeling strong and ready to race.  TIME: 41:07

I expected transition to be slow….my back does not like it when I bend over, so I struggled a little with putting on my socks and shoes, and then had to stop and pee (forgot about getting it done in the wetsuit).  Also, I got “stuck” behind a couple of women who were WALKING!!! their bikes out of transition TIME: 6:08 ….but once on the bike…. 

I had a hoot.  I loved the course.  Felt strong on the hills…passed tons of people (unfortunately, not many women in my age group  ), and really had an enjoyable ride.  I worked hard the whole time – really pushed myself to “keep racing”.   There was no control of heart rate, and I was breathing like a dragon the entire time, but am very happy with my performance.  TIME: 2:55:19

Transition to the run went fairly smoothly….by that time, I was happy to be off the bike and did my usual “airplane” exit from transition onto the run  TIME:  2:17

And then there was the run….I didn’t really go into the run with much expectation.  With plantar fasciitis problems, and IT/hip discomfort, I was just hoping for a pain free run.  Physically, it actually went very well.   I had some diaphragm cramping around 7 km in – so I walked about 3-4 minutes until I was feeling better, and then just tried to keep quick cadence.  I walked all the aid stations, (getting coke, water and cooling off with a sponge to the back of the neck), and the last big hill.  But, I guess all those “little” breaks really added up, because I was actually surprised and a little disappointed with my time.  TIME:  2:06:14

Overall time:  5:51:03  Not a PB, but a day I’m proud of.

Thanks to Ginny for the great coaching and support.  See you at the races 

[Andrew]

Great race reports both of you!!!

There is some really good information in the reports I would like to review from a coaching perspective, but what makes me really thrilled is the positive energy in both reports, which is the perfect place to start.

OK...Luke first:
The swim wrestling is always a part of the drama of triathlon, especially in such a big race. Part of Luke's prep for 2010 will certainly be to help give him some start line speed to get him out of the melee, and into clear water. This is an important first step to high performance racing, as it really can set you up for a successful day. But this type of prep takes second priority to preparing for  long-term development of swim technique that will allow more efficient stroke for the rest of the race. Again, it is the difference between structural vs functional training. The focus will be on structure, the "race prep" will be functional ONLY after the structural training has been accomplished.

The recovery of HR after T1 was an important learning experience. We often see the highest HR in a race during the transition from swim to bike. The change in body position from prone to standing, and the excitement of getting going on the bike, results in a spike in HR, that often never recovers. And this race gave Luke the opportunity to look at his HR in a new way. He also gave himself the permission to race within a set of limitations, by planning his ride at LBP over the first 50km. This is a tough sell for some athletes. Especially those who only race a few times each year, or who have prepared for months for this one opportunity to do their best. For Luke, this was a low key event in his long-term development, so the results were not important. It was the learning that was the key.

As you can see from his power curves, even though Luke's intended intensity was fairly stable, the power and HR varied somewhat between 240-260, just below what we had predicted from his LBP testing done last month. What is interesting, is that despite trying to ramp up his intensity after the first 50km, he really did not have an increase in his overall wattage in the second half. In fact, after a short spike at the 83 minute mark, his power output remained in the same range, hovering just under 250 watts for the duration of the ride. A solid effort for sure, as any of you who have tried some steady state rides on your trainers recently can attest. Also remember, that the Power Tap Luke uses reads about 10-20 watts lower than the TAXC, so the equivalent would be 240-26- watts on a TAXC trainer for over 2 hours!

I am glad there was control on the run, and interested to hear about the "trauma", whether it is a true injury, or simple muscle pain after the impact of running. But we will talk more about that when he comes to Vernon next week.

As for Lore-Ann...best part of the report just happened to be the part she enjoyed the most, and that was the bike ride. The time says it all. 2:55 for 90km, just over 30km/h, and a very solid performance. After running with Lore-Ann last week in Yellowknife, I was surprised at her run time as well. She looked very fast at home in the trails doing her interval session with the group. It does show how much time can be added to a performance with multiple short breaks, and is one of the reasons that many pros blow through the aid stations, grabbing anything that a volunteer hands out. Stopping to drink, or walking each station adds lots of time to the race. I am not suggesting that everyone run through the aid stations, but it should be considered when setting the goal times, and paces.

So, I just wanted to say my congratulations on great races, and excellent reports!

[sean]

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at calgary`s 70.3. I had gone over on a whim when a good friend from florida called the week before to say he was coming to race and asked me to join him. It would be my 3rd full or half iron distance in only 6 weeks time.Racing 3 weeks before in ossoyoos only 3 weeks after couer d`lane had resulted in a very very poor performace and a very odvious indication of my lack of recovery. the 3 weeks between osoyoos and calgary and been spent doing very easy workouts with some short high intensity thrown in.My step test numbers on the wed before calgary still were not back to normal and I aborted a 5 k time trial at 2.5 k after I started to stuggle to hold over 300 watts; so i wasn`t sure what i would get out of calgary. I planned to race simply by how I felt.
I statred the swim in the middle right at the front. This strategy is working well for me. I`m not the fastest swimmer but I start off very hard at it allows me to get a start with minimal bumping and then I can find a pace to settle into.I swapped drafting time with one other racer and we came out of the water together in 6th place in the age group. After feeling good in the swim I ws anxious to see what the bike held. My last outing had been like pedalling in quick sand . Straight off I was feeling very good. Like Luke my heart rate was very high coming out of the swim at lbp +10 -15 but I felt very comfortable. It took about 30-45 to bring my hr down to just over balance point where I rode easily for the rest of the bike. I have to admit I was very pleased with my bike. the course was 94.5 k and I still did a pr for a half bike at 38.3k/hr. that equates to a 2:20 bike on a 90 k course which also would have given me a half pr overall time ( even with a slow run)
Coming off the bike I was feeling very good. I discarded my hr monitor to run just by feel. I put in a good effort for about 8 k then could feel myself running down.I ended up putting in a very poor run some 10min slower then normal and was not enjoying the last few k.I`m starting to notice a distinct relationship between my run performance and the temp.I`ve been running poorly in the heat and experiencing some electrolye issues. I`ll have to give some thought to this issue vs basic run weakness issues as even when i`m posting decent run times they are still placing me at  a lower ranking in my age group then my bike or even sometimes my swim ranking.
Overall I was pleased to be feeling some recovery coming on.Initially I focused on my poor run but my friend who managed a second place finish in the 45-49 age group with almost the same time as I did quickly pointed out some of the positive aspects of the day and strongly encouraged me to enter ironman canada to get the kona spot I missed by one at couer d`lane.
congrat to all the bpr racers and i`ll see you at imc.

[Daniel Auger]

This race was good experience for me. After chatting with Andrew during his stint in YK a couple weeks ago, I had decided race by feel and not with the info from the heart rate monitor. I wore my monitor to collect the data for later analysis and covered the heart rate display.  With the air temperature being at 18 degree Celsius at 4:30 a.m., I knew that this was going to be a hot day, especially for somebody from the north. Indeed, the temperature reached 28 degree that day.

It was a beautiful morning at the swim start. I was a bit nervous from my experience in Oliver where I ended up being in a ''survival mode'' for the few first hundred metres. But since my group was not too large, I decided start near the front anyway. I good warm-up before the start allowed me to get into my rhythm fairly soon.  Somebody stayed with my toes for a while which was annoying because he was constantly hitting my feet. I eventually got rid f him. I got a bit off course on my way to the farthest point of the course as I was sighting on the wrong marker. My heart rate remained constant during the entire swim with an increase in the last 10 minutes as I had increased the pace. I finished the swim 2 minutes slower than what I was aiming for. My time was of 36:10.

I felt very good on the bike. I used my breathing by keeping it under control to establish the intensity level. If the pain in my legs was tolerable and the breathing under control than I figured that I was at the right intensity. Things went a little bit out of control during some of the climbs but it felt good to climb at a good pace. I kept reminding me that Cervélo ad during the Tour de France in which that German guy talks about the love of pain in his body when he rides. Sean passed me towards the end. He looked very strong on the bike. I used him to push a bit harder by trying to keep him in my line of sight for as long as possible.  Thanks for the boost Sean. I was really pleased with my time given the topography of this route. I finished in 2:43:34 (6 min. faster than my time in Oliver) with an average speed of 34.5 km/hr.  My heart rate data shows that I rode mostly at LBP-5 to LBP.

On the run, the first 5 km were not too bad, and then a stitch appeared on my right side. I reduced the pace to heal it. It took a while to disappear. I started to feel the effect of the heat. I walked the aid stations to take some fluid and sponges. My pace faded as was getting closer to the end. The last 2 km were brutal. I ran close to LBP with a push to LBP +9 on the last 200 metres before the finish line.  I finished with a time of 2:11:22 (8 min. slower than my time in Oliver). There was no real surprise for me there, just disappointment. I know that I have to do structural training to improve. A few minutes after finishing, I started to feel dizzy due to low blood pressure which is unusual for me. I sat in the medic tent for a few minutes with a bag of ice on my neck.

So it was a fun day overall. I plan to run the local half marathon in two weeks to see what would be my time without the swim and bike prior. I’ll see what I can learn from this. Maybe to work less and run more

[GinnySellars]

WOW, great race reports everyone!

Firstly, Luker...I'm really impressed that you had self-control during this race. It's easy to start with a plan, then just let the ego get in the way, and either pace really poorly, or get injured by pushing too hard when under-trained etc. You bike ride was PHENOMENAL!

Lore...you had a very strong ride also. I like that you kept focussed and RACED the ride, rather than  staying conservative. Your time looks even more impressive knowing the course was 94.5km. So the run....did you really expect a faster time than this with the lead up you had? I know what it's like to prep through plantar fasciitis. You did what you could with good fitness, and little time RUNNING. If it was an Olympic race, you may have got away with the lesser training, but there is no cheating at a 1/2 Iron. You've either done the work, or not. I'm exceptionally impressed with the YKers, as I hear the outdoor training has been terrible due to weather this year. Good on ya for staying positive and also dealing with the heat in Calgary. Lore is kicking herself for not sticking around after the race. She qualified for WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Florida 70.3. Next time Lore, and you'll hopefully have healthy feet.

Sean...holly crap! I thought you were making a slightly un-healthy choice in racing again, since you were having trouble recovering post IMCDA. What a ride! Interesting that you notice the effect of heat. It may be a matter of using the aid stations to their fullest capacity. Take water before you run, dump tons on your head, put ice in your hat, hold ice in your hands, and take some walking steps in aid stations to maximize all they have to offer....sponge, water, coke, water, over the head etc. Take some eDisks with ya and chow down. So on to IMC....YAHOOOO!

Daniel...I love that you know your body well enough to race by feel. Super that you got the HR data to look at later and confirm what you were doing. Your intensities look bang on what I would suggest. By the sounds of the run, you couldn't keep up with fluids. Something Andrew and I have had success with for HOT races is major pre-loading of salt and water. It feels kind of gross because you get to the start line plump and bloated, but full of water and salt that you can't make up for on race day. It means taking tiny sips of salty water non-stop for 2-3 days before a race.

Great racing BPR!!