Osoyoos Half!

[gwaterman]

I'm thinking about all of you right now racing in the heat!! I can't wait for all the reports!!

Stay hydrated.

GW

[Mardi]

Holy Crap!

Holy Crap!

Hey Andrew not bad for an old guy!;)

Holy Crap!


Ginny is kicking major butt too!

[Mardi]

Congratulations Ginny and Andrew!

[Andrew]

Thank-you both, and to all the others who cheered wildly, and supported us both as we raced our way to Age-division wins in Osoyoos today.

For those who did see the final standings, they are missing the real winner, Trevor Wurtele, who crushed the course and went 4:17, but was not included in the standings because of his pro status. His wife won the women's division in impressive fashion, capping a recent win streak that includes both Ironman St. George and Ironman Coer D'Alene. We met them at Tickleberry's on the way home, and had a nice chat with them. Two really great pros, with warm hearts, and very kind as well. We hope to see them for some training rides soon as they are splitting their time between Vernon and Kelowna this summer in prep for IMC.

So, having said that, and recognizing that the field was not as deep as in the past, and missing many of the top 10 racers who usually show up from Penticton and Montana each year, I was super stoked to have finished 2nd overall!

Had a great swim after following my own advice and working primarily on cadence drills this month, almost exclusively with my turtle paddles.
27:24
A little longer transition as I put on some socks so I could wear my road shoes to help with the climbs, and so I was ready for the run.

The new Cannondale Slice with Token race wheels was unbelievable. I have been training well, but it sure felt like I was cheating when I was catching some of the early swim leaders on the approach to Richters. I have never been in the position of catching riders early in the race, and it was quite a boost to my confidence. SO, I kept pushing hard until I couldn't see anyone to chase, which is when I realized I was riding in 1st place, which has absolutely never happened to me before in ANY event. I was nearly at the top of Richters when Trevor finally caught me. He had a disastrous swim after a mild panic attack in the warm water, wearing a new wetsuit that was a bit constricting (I told you that it happens to EVERYONE). He disappeared over the top, and and I kept working at my own pace, which I must admit was neither sustainable nor controlled.

I was passed only by two others on the bike, and came off in 4th place
2:30:03 (37.2km/h)
Average HR=159, almost entirely over my LBP...

Forgot to get my watch off my bike in transition as I headed out to try and chase down the riders who passed me, and was left without a guide for my cadence and HR I was hoping for. I tried at first to breathe 4:4, but found I really couldn't sustain a good pace, so took the risk and ran 3:3. This is where the support of some athletes form Penticton who I usually race against, and a few great cheering efforts from Melissa Spooner, Becky and the Kiwi's really helped. Melissa yelled, "HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS DR. SELLARS!!!?". I did not have the energy to reply verbally, but it brought a huge smile to my face, and made for a very enjoyable next few km. Words of encouragement from the Penticton boys told me I was catching the faltering runner in 3rd place, and a very untimely cramp left the 2nd place runner walking on the closing hills. Best run time ever, in my New Balance MT 100s, which were PERFECT for me.
1:26:55

My best ever time at a Half Ironman on any course:
4:27:25

I was a LONG way behind Trevor, and missed racing against the stacked field that normally attends, but I really did have the race of my life!

[Andrew]

For those wondering why I will need a few days of recovery, and will be hobbling around like a broken soldier for the next 5-7 days, I have attached my HR data from the bike...

[GinnySellars]

I'm writing this 6:30 in the morning the day after the race. I had to lower myself down on to the chair with assistance. Can you say under-trained?! I wasn't under-trained for the bike, but I'm newly back to running, and have done a couple long walk/jogs in the trails, and 3 shorter, harder runs on the road. The 1/2 marathon on the pavement went great for 45min...then turned to trot, then turned to wog. It felt like the last 10km or Ironman, except I was slower than most of my IM runs. Having said all this, I'm not disappointed at all!! Andrew and I discussed that I wouldn't register for ANY running related events until I could run 1 1/2 hrs pain-free. That occurred about 2 weeks ago, and shortly after I registered for Osoyoos. I was simply delighted to be able to race.

So did you see my swim time?! For anyone that knows me, I'm slow as molasses in the water, even after extra tutelage etc. Andrew has told me for years, that my stroke is beautiful, but I simply have no turn-over, and get tired quickly. It's coordination, neurological. So simple, but I refused to work on it, until 2 weeks ago. I hadn't swum regularly all winter/spring/summer, and had to race 2km in two weeks!! Yikes. I used a cadence beeper under my cap, and set out to improve my coordination. It worked! I even wore it during the race. It forced me to start the race easy peasy, then it gradually got challenging to hold the pace. I swam my best in years, 35min and change, with is 1:47 pace. I was amazed to see lots of bikes in the rack when I got out...not a common occurrence for me!

So on to the bike. Well all I can say is that I rocked it. Yes, Heather Wurtelle has a different version of rocking the course...but I rode moderately-hard and bested my previous time by 7 minutes, and didn't work nearly as hard to do it. My goal was to ride solid, but get off with plenty of energy for the run. A few things helped. My new Cannondale Slice is a rocket, but most importantly it fits me. I truly loved my Cervelo for it's speed, but could never get in the right position and pulled my gluteals, and pinched my neck every ride. The Slice was sooooo comfy. I also borrowed Mike's Zipp 404 wheels and felt like I was cheating. There were so few women at the race, that I didn't have all my usual marked women out there. I passed the 2 that usually beat me off the bike though early on, at the 1st roller. I knew I must be riding well. I rode 2:45, which was the 3rd fastest bike of the day, including the pros. I should thank our BPR roadies for letting me hang out with them and race bikes this year.

So on to the death march...it was once again my breathing that restricted me more than anything else. I set off determined to go super easy to let my respiratory system warm up. I had to go even slower than I expected, and still felt that I was on the brink of spasm from the beginning. It got much better after 20 min, but still forced me to breath shallow quick breaths, so quick short stride that didn't really move me. Kind of a bummer, but I was stoked that my foot didn't hurt AT ALL!! Even in my pitter patter I was able to pass the 3rd placing pro from Penticton. She wasn't having a good day. I then got passed by the top age grouper of the day at 14km. She looked like a freaking gazelle!! I think mentally willed my legs to keep moving, and it felt harder than some of my IM finished. Truly brutal to keep the feet moving. Slightly disappointing after the beginning of the day, but I felt grateful to be able to race at all. 1:47 run. So with loooong transitions (gotta improve that), 5:13 for the day.

Highlight of the day? Watching my husband rock back towards Osoyoos on the bike in 3nd place overall!! It was incredible to see him just shortly behind Trevor and some other aero dude. He looked so strong. Later, I got to see him move his way up on the run. So cool to see someone having a great day.

I took a spot to Ironman Canada in 7 weeks!! Yahoo!! I now get to cheer on our BPR team from ON THE COURSE. I plan to work on the following:
- Cadence on the swim. it's working
- More running period. mostly in the trails. one day a week track to affect resp. and one day hard off the bike.
- Spirotiger for breathing. I have a serious weakness. I think it may be related to my abdominal surgery. i HATE doing it, but will now understand that it's not just when I'm in Hawaii or humid conditions. breathing limits me running not riding because once standing the postural muscles compete for control. I look forward to being stronger in 6 weeks.

It was awesome to see the BPR and local crew all day. I high five and smile goes a long way. Congrats to Peter, Simon, Tamara, Chris, Jen B., Mel B., Jeff, and Andrew for completing a stinky hot race. Becky was a rock star cheerleader.

[courtney.rennie]

Congrats everyone.  Sounds like a great race!  Looking forward to having you on the race course at IMC Ginny!

[SimonC]

Man was that a Hot one ... I guess that is why they call it the Desert Half !!! 

Breakthru swim for me ... 38 mins (1:57 / 100m pace) . 8 mins off my Oliver half swim time. My goal was 40 mins and I actually surprised myself. Thanks to Mel and Chris Spooner, Andrew and Becky for helping me with my swim. It is nice to see some improvement. I will talk to Andrew and Mel regarding the use of a cadence beeper ... not sure if I am ready for this yet   I started far right (thanks for the Tip Martin C) and eased my way slowly into the mix. The swim was very controlled for me from the start and I was able to find feet fast and was towed all the way for 2 laps. This gives me a little more confidence in the water and can now concentrate on going faster in the water.
The bike was a hammer fest to say the least. I felt good and pounded Richter. It was a pass fest in the beginning but because I came out of the water faster by the time I hit Barcelo Rd, the passing really slowed down as the field was getting sparse (only 15 or 20 guys ahead of me). I pounded it on the way back as I was feeling good. I had some huge gearing on the bike and the descents topped speed over 95 km/hr !!! My time officially as per the results was 2:33 ... my computer read 2:29 ... I’ll never get Tri bike splits figured out as I never really know how they calculate the times No biggie tho ... Good to know my bike is still up there with the rest of the big boys !!!
Off the bike the run was difficult. It was REALLY hot at this time. I tried to ramp it up to 4:30 / km pace but the body would not have that ... I was running 4:45-5:00 min pace for 8-10 km’s. I started to battle some cramping (stitches) in my side. Not too bad but they were there. Controlled breathing helped and by 12 km I was OK. At 12km I was feeling better and ramped the pace up as much as I could (4:00-4:45 pace). During the run I hydrated at every station and was a sponge monster dowsing my head and neck. I ran a 1:42 ½ marathon.  Close to my Oliver time ... but in much hotter conditions. I definitely neg split the laps which is a good thing  I think it is a coordination issue with me on the run ... I just can’t turn my legs over fast enough as my respiratory system cannot handle it yet. I’ll talk to Andrew about the Spiro Tiger work ... mabey I can borrow one and I’m not even sure if it will help
In the end ... 4:58 ... Top 20 (18th overall) I think anytime you can go sub 5 on that Osoyoos course in that heat, it is a good result. I’m still not even sure if a sub five hr result is something you can be proud of in a half iron as I’m still so new to long distance races. In my world I’m content with the time. There was a ton of carnage on the run ... guys walking ... sitting/lying down ... a mini IMC. Did feel good running past lots of guys on the second lap. I did feel a little cooked after the run and it got me thinking that if I had to do a full marathon I may have cracked a little. I will beramping up the longer runs in an attempt to simulate IMC in order to get in shape to do a full marathon off the bike.
I’m happy with my effort ... but I can go faster ... I’ve got a 4:30 half inside me ... I just need to let it out ... It will take faster swim and run. Thanks to everyone for cheering on the road ... it really helps. Special thanks to Becky for basically following me around the course and her continual cheering. G is right ... she is a rockstar cheerleader ... and soon to be a cycling rockstar !!!
Also congrats to Andrew for coming out of racing obscurity and rocking a 4:27 ... how does that happen ... Good to see the coach showing us mere mortals how it is done ... I’m sure the ITU will be stopping by the Sellar’s residence today for some random blood testing  Oh yeahhhhh ... you guys were both that strong !!! (Just kidding ... I think  )
SC

[GinnySellars]

Great report Simon! Also great to see your awesome swim improvement. Just think...when you eventually develop across all three disciplines and get your 4:30, you'll have earned it, and feel so incredibly proud. If it was super easy, you'd be bored already! Nothing wrong with sub 5hrs...my dream goal!

Regarding the drug testing...all they will find is an unusually high content of chocolate in the blood.

[Matt]

Congratulations all you guys!!  That sounded like a tough day of racing!
Cheers
M

[gwaterman]

Hey Andrew, Ginny and Simon, I'm curious about what your nutrition strategies were for the half?  When and what did you eat before the race, and during, and after? (gels, sports drinks, etc)  How can these equate to an Olympic distance performance? 

Thanks,

GW

[MartinC]

Congratulations to all of the BPR team who were out on that course this Sunday in some brutal heat.
It was inspiring to see the battles being fought against the course and conditions by every athlete as they made their way around the course, but particularly you guys! Chapeau!

My question would be, why do you think you are able to maintain an above BP HR for the duration of the bike and not appear to have any issues having a killer run?

[SimonC]

Hey Jeff ...

For me ... I've approached Half Iron  Races (all two of them) the same way nutritionally ...

Lots of water and sodium/electrolytes 7 days leading up to the race. I also try and eat very clean the week leading up to the race.

Race morning consists of 2 bananas and 1 large bowl of oatmeal and Eload (2 scoops and water).

I gulp down one Eload Gel before the swim (15 mins prior)

On the bike I consume 2 bottles (16 oz) ... 2 scoops Eload Heat, 2 Scoops Carbo Pro and 20 drops of liquid electrolyte sol'n. I also consume 3 gels.

On the run I carry 4 gels and have 1 every 5km with water from the aid station.

This seems to work for me even in the desert heat.

Post race I follow Ginny's nutrition plan of obscene amounts of chocolate 

SC

[Andrew]

Not sure if these answers are going to be very satisfying, as I did not stick with my plan very well, and am missing some key things that I thought were important, but did not negatively affect me in the end, which I can't explain.

First off, a reminder...7 years of structural training leading up to Osoyoos. Which may in fact be the only good answer to Martin's question regarding ability to sustain above LBP for the duration of the ride. Also, very good recovery on each roller, as witnessed by the HR curve, and probably resulting form the 7 years of training.

The nutrition goes something like, 7 bottles of E-Load the day before the event, with a HUGE pasta meal the evening before, and a late evening chocolate bar. Two packets of instant porridge in the morning, and a bottle of E-load with me on the way to the race.

I had 1200 calories with me on the bike, but only got in about 750...3 gels, and one bottle with a mix of E-fly, E-Load, 3 E-zone caps, and some E-Mend all mixed in. I only took in water on the run with 6 salt tabs, and half a gel I thought I should take when I started feeling a bit underfueled.

I think the rolling hills actually feeds into my strengths, as I likely utilize the lactate very well as a potent fuel source on the downhill sections, and I found it VERY easy to pedal at steady-state on the flats on the way home, but with a lower HR than I had ridden on the climbs. I don't think I could have ridden as fast had I had to sustain a constant output, like on the Oliver course, which I found very difficult last year.

So, way less calories than I had planned, which was probably a result of going way harder on the bike than I had planned. There was something about racing in the top 3 that made me want to keep pushing, to see if I could sustain it and still run. I still surprise myself when I race, as I never think my body will hold up, and I am ALWAYS more sore than anyone else I know for at least 3 days after the event, which I think would be better if I was able to train more.

I NEVER hurt in training like I do in a race, with the exception of the Thursday Crits, and a few short runs with Sean. Which is why I always suggest you take friends with you when you are planning a functional training session. You will never work hard enough on your own.

[GinnySellars]

Hey Geoff, here's my fueling:

The day before, 4 bottles of water with a small amt of eload. Normal food, except no veggies at dinner, just bread and pasta meal. Evening chocolate Twix bar (heck, why not)

Morning: tea, oatmeal, bottle of water with salt tablet pre-race, 1 gel 20min before.

On the bike: 4 bottles. I took 2 bottles with me and took 2 bottles of water from aid stations. My own bottles had 2 scoops of eFly (150kcal) and 3 eCaps for salt. This makes a drink with no flavour. The calorie concentration is low enough, that I can eat gels every 30min with no funny tummy. I had 4 gels on the bike. I pounded the water on the last section before the descent to town, and my last gel was just before the descent also.

On the run: water at every aid station. a gel half way. 1/2 cup of coke at 2 aid stations. So very few calories on the run. I felt a little empty the last 1/2 hour, and took a tiny taste of gel. My slow run was not about fuel. It was truly just being under-trained. I had only had a handful of runs prior.

For an Olympic distance, you will be all done in just over 2 hrs. My suggestion would be to make sure your breakfast is within two hrs of the race, and have a gel beforehand. Since you will be burning pure sugar at that distance, you'll need instant fuel off the start. I would put a low concentration of fuel in the bottle, and take a gel 20min into the bike and 10 min before the end of the bike to carry over to the run. I don't race this distance, but I would keep the calorie to water concentration low so that you actually absorb that water over such a short hard race.