Triple T Race Report

Long races mean long race reports. Sit down for this one and have your veggies washed and cut, ready to go! There's no popcorn in paleo! ;-)

I didn't start Triple T with clear goals, they developed as the weekend approached. Here they are in order of importance:
1. Don't get injured or re-injured
2. Finish
3. Nail the nutrition
4. Smooth and steady

RACE OVERVIEW Since most race and pre-race rituals and layouts were the same, I can do this for all of them:
Pre-race fuel: usually big. Banana, fruits, nuts, dates, devil bars, applesauce, coffee, water. All at least 2hrs before the start.
Swim: 2 loops (except the sprint) counterclockwise in a low 70s, calm, murky, lake. Racers line up along the beach in order of number, pair up, cross the mat, and run along the lined up peeps in a dual TT start. You could walk to and around the first buoy.
T1: Short run up a muddy incline, T1 into a parking lot TA. Frea had the end of the rack in all but the sprint race.
Bike: 1 or 2 loops on very quiet park roads, mixed conditions from brand new pavement to rough-asphalt, most every hole and divot marked. Great hills that were challenging. Lotsa turning but mostly the slow weaving kind so staying in aero wasn't hard.
Run: 1 or 2 out-n-backs on a fire road trail. Gravel, big rocks, some remaining pavement, dusty, buggy, and HILLY. The only flat and paved section was the first quarter mile. Mostly uphill on the outbound until the mile 2.5, then down hill to the turn-around.

FRIDAY super sprint 5pm
SWIM 250m OWS 8:25 Water temp was warm so no wetsuit needed. The water was cool but calm and it was so short how could I complain? :) As for all races except Sat night, we lined up by number along the beach. I got a laugh when I realized Big Red was my swim-start partner :) It was fun to watch those ahead of me run into the water and gave us a chance to cheer them on. BTW-running on wet sand hurts the feet!  I was surprisingly comfy without it, but was reminded how buoyant it was when I got crowded at a turn buoy.
T1 Not sure if T1 time in swim? Not split. No hurry here, run to the bike, take off
BIKE 3.7mi 15:56 right turn out, up and over small hill, turn around, up big hill, turn around, back down, done.
T2 No split for this. Again no hurry, you'll sense a theme here soon enough.
RUN 1 mi 8:13 So hard to hold back, so hard. But a nice preview of about 0.5mi of the Lamp Black Trail that I'd get to know very well by Sunday afternoon.
Overall No fuel, no water, just a shake-down of equipment. I tried to just forget this happened and move along to the next races. My only concerns coming out of this little quickie was the left ankle. Running on sand, running into water, running trails...all a recipe for pushing the 98% healed ankle injury over threshold and setting me back for CDA.


SATURDAY Olympic #1 No Splits for this race
SWIM 0.932mi OWS Wore the wetsuit for this one, figuring the extra buoyancy would be a bonus. My goal was to stay calm, keep steady. First loop in 13 or so minutes. Second loop in about the same.
T1 Took my time. Made a mistake with the wetsuit when I put it on the end of the rack and covered the sign labeling the rack as N. Also covered up the foam frog some other racer put there as a way to mark the rack. See T2 for how this turned out.
BIKE 24.8mi As tempting as it was to just take off, I reminded myself to stay conservative. After a few days of rest I thought I'd be itching to go, but instead I was feeling a little drag in the legs. On top of that, somewhere in the first 6 mi before the big hill I pushed Frea up into the big ring. Might have only been a few minutes, but it explains why I felt like I was working so hard!
   Right when I was thinking this route was too flat, we left-turned into Thompson hill, the biggie of this course. IT passed me partway up and also commented on wondering where the hills were. He buzzed right on up and disappeared. I topped the hill with no problems, even enjoyed it! I come up to TH around 11 miles and rode with her most of the way home. There was a really nice looooong downhill at the end that reminded me of the Ride of the Rohirrim. :) Nutrition: 200 Infinit calories.
T2 As hinted at above, I had trouble in T2 finding my rack because I'd covered the label and markers. I lost 30-45 seconds looking for the rack. Duh. Stopped in the bathrooms for a break, took my time, and headed out.
RUN 6.55mi Now to see the whole Lamp Black trail that I'd get 4 loops on by the end of the weekend.  I took a Chocolate Cherry Gu at the 2nd aid station (caffeine!!) and was all smiles by the time I saw my teammates shortly after. They'd already hit the turnaround, so they were coming up the hill as I went down. High-5s all around :)  I hit the turn around in 30 mins for a nice even split. This run felt great, a little hot, but the wrong shoes. The Adrenalines were too soft in the soles and at least 4 times I put my left foot down wrong! On top of that, my left Achilles was "tired" and started hurting. According to my conversation Weds with Dr H, this was a conditioning pain (comes and goes, not steady) instead of an injury pain (doesn't abate with stopping). So I kept going with his advice in my head as a reassurance that it was OK to do so. Hit the finish line feeling strong and fresh.
Recovery: watermelon, finished off the gel/Perpetuem flask I had started, and water.
Stats: The Garmin reported 125bpm ave on the bike and 142bpm for the run.

Mid Day Break The first race for me ended around 1145am, and TA for the next race opened at 2pm. It didn't seem like long, and at the same time it seemed too long, and again at the same time it wasn't long enough! I made a plan to stop eating around 1, and focused on fruits and nuts as a refueling. This seemed to work pretty well, although I don't think all the fruit fiber was a good idea in the end! I almost napped, but managed to just lie back and relax a few minutes. It was easy to sit still, just hard to really rest. When it came time to start up again, I was tired but ready. As we headed into TA with our gear, I realized the Garmin was stuck on the home screen. I spend a good deal of time between 2 and 3 pm asking around for help, how to reset, what to do, and nothing worked. This was only sort of stressful when I thought about it, and I realized soon enough that I was OK with it. Disappointed, but OK.


SATURDAY Olympic #2 3:13:30
BIKE 24.8mi 1:34 abt 2200ft climbingThis race started off with a TT start for an out-n-back course. The only downside to this was that we stood in the sun for 30-some minutes before we could ride during which time I drank most of my water. I only had 100 calories of Infinit and half a bottle of water for the ride! To top it off, I didn't have the Garmin telling me where I was on the course. Since I didn't know where the turn-around was I had some nervousness about rationing the water for the entire hot ride. Oh well, I had water on-board in me, so I figured I'd be OK. IT was my start partner, we took off to go up the Rohirrim hill we came down earlier (which wasn't bad to go up at all), down the Nile hill, and out onto a boring section of flats for the turn around. In the end, the water wasn't a problem. I'd eaten enough in the break to cover me. On the return trip, we climbed Nile hill for the 2nd time that day. As I rode into T2, I saw runners on the run course cramped up, a reminder of what might lie ahead for me!
T1 4:11 This was a first, and a huge part of pre-race discussion: how to put on the wetsuit after biking when sweaty, hot, and tired; and how to avoid cramping when the cold water gets to the legs. CP suggested plastic bags for the feet--great idea--worked like a charm! I took my time getting ready and I think because of this I didn't have trouble pulling on the wetsuit. (Although when the results are finally posted I might be a little surprised at how long it really took...). A volunteer helped zip me up, I grabbed a gel and some water, and walked off to the swim. I would have run, but my barefeet weren't up to it and besides I was in no rush to cramp!
SWIM 0.932mi OWS 32:51 The water actually felt good and I walked in quickly to get started. Once my face it the water I had a bit of shock but I settled right in to to steady pace. First loop in about 14-15 mins? I thought I might cramp when I hit the beach for the turn around, but no problems. I was also surprised to find I didn't have any dizziness when I stood up to start the 2nd loop. My arms started to hurt in this race, and I wondered how they'd feel tomorrow for the half? I'd tried drafting off another racer earlier in the day but had trouble with getting splashed by the water they kicked--too much chop for me-- so I figure I'm doing something wrong? This race I swam shoulder-to-shoulder with another swimmer though the last buoys, it was nice to keep pace and not be passed :) Up the beach, again no cramps (can't say the same for some of my fellow racers!) and into T2.
T2 2:34 Still worried about cramps, I took the suit off carefully. No cramps! Grab a gel for later, put on the Cascadias, and go!
RUN 6.55mi 56:56 abt 600ft climbing Cramp carnage was everywhere in the first mile, and I felt a light twinge in my right calf at first the quickly went away. Yay! Off for another viewing of this trail, this time knowing where the hills were, knowing the aid stations were far apart, and ready to rock it. The Cascadias were the best choice for this trail, not once did I put a foot down wrong! But I did make a mental note to use Body Glide on the toes for the half. This race wasn't as hot as the morning race, and combined with the fact that it was a mostly shaded course, I dare say this run was easier the 2nd time around. I also feel good running after a swim. Hit the turn-around in 30 mins for another steady split. Again hit the finish line feeling strong, steady, fatigued, but fresh.
Recovery: More fruit and nuts, an applesauce/powerbar/protein-powder dessert, and late to bed after resetting all the gear and packing nutrition. Put the rear water rack back on Frea, worked on the Garmin some more (no success), and got a late shower. Didn't fall asleep until after 1030!! Had to force down some food and I think I ate too much fruit and dates again. See where this is going...?


SUNDAY Half 6:38:43
SWIM 1.2 mi OWS 36:15 Here we go again! This started just like all the others and I remember thinking right as I started that I had no nerves, no fear, no nothing. I just settled in. Just do it, like I've been doing it everyday... I think I again had even splits, about 15 mins each?
T1 3:00 In...Out...
BIKE 56mi 3:49 abt 4500ft climbing This was a 2-loop bike that repeated some sections of the previous courses. Without the Garmin I had to drop time landmarks--reached this intersection in x minute, that intersection in y minutes, etc. I kept it simple. There weren't that many bad hills in this route and it broke up into sections that I remembered for the 2nd loop. Really the worst was Boy Scout Hill and that was just loooonng. As I came down the Rohirrim hill for the 3rd time in the weekend I did a Review of Systems: how were the injuries? OK. How were the legs? OK. How was thirst? Hunger? Energy? Mood? All great. I made it a goal to feel this good when I hit this point in the final loop.
   I took some time at the turn around--half a banana and a bathroom break. I'll finally get to it here and say that I was surprised at how much I had to use the bathroom this weekend. I was well hydrated...and full...you know? Only after it all did I realize that the dates and fruits might have been the source :)  Anywho, I took about 5 mins here to top off the bottles and dilute some InfinIT out for the 2nd loop.
   Somewhere in the 2nd loop, after the Boy Scout Hill, I had a moment when I just loved my bike. LOVED IT. Loved all of it, loved the feel, the ride, the power, the feeling of flight. At that moment I realized I'd been riding so conservatively that I had ENERGY to burn. So I took off a little bit hitting the corners harder and riding the downhills, but keeping it conservative on the uphills. As good as I was feeling I didn't need to burn matches playing around like that! Overall nutrition on the bike--most all of 2 InfinIT servings, a gel, ... that's all?? As I descended the Rohirrim hill, I felt great. Just like I wanted to!
T2 (no split, not sure but might be in bike time?) In...remembered the Body Glide on the toes...Out...
RUN 13.1mi 2:10 ~1200ft climbing Twice more. The goal here was to slow the F down and keep the pace. The day wasn't hot, but it was enough that I was sweating and losing water. I popped a few Endurolytes in the first loop, took a gel, drank water at every aid station, and kept running. I let myself walk if the HR started to climb up but I found that walking got my HR just as high because I refused to trudge. Instead I power-walked. Hit the 1st turnaround in 30 mins, and the 2nd 30 mins later.
   At the turn for the 2nd loop, I stopped by the bathroom again. Again! At some point my gut had started a ploop-ploop-ploop gas bubble/sloshing sound...hard to describe but it was like I had a gut moving and rolling around in there on its own!? It didn't feel like it was in the tummy or the color, just in the gut. Whatever it was, I was worried about having to emergency stop in the 2nd loop!
   The 2nd loop started great but somewhere between 7.5 and 9 miles I lost mental focus. I couldn't remember the hill I was on, where the aid station was, what curve I was looking at. I needed to eat, but didn't want to take a gel without water for fear of what it could do to my GI system. I walked a few seconds (I think was only a few...) then pushed on. I felt good, just fuzzy. Once I had a gel I did feel better. Hit the final turnaround in 32-34 mins, and turned for home. As usual, the energy and buzz picked up on the ride home. I hit the finish feeling nicely spent but still great.
Recovery: watermelon, my applesauce/chia/protein powder/yogurt. Surprisingly I didn't hurt anywhere--no blisters, cramps, gut issues. Just a headache and some tight muscles!
Overall on the half: not a PR--haha--that was never a goal, but I did accomplish the goals of finishing strong, not getting injured, and nailing the nutrition. There's not much I would change!

Overall for the weekend: There's a lot of comparing this to an IM, and wondering how the time from the Triple T would translate to the IM. I found this to be hard like IMWI, but not that hard. With my overall TTT time being 13:31, and knowing that I was conservative and wasting time in turnarounds and transitions...what does this mean for IM CDA?? What kind of goals could I set if I was doing it as a race and not for training (like I did for TTT?)?

There's 3.2 mi swimming in TTT and 2.4mi in IM. That's a difference of 0.8 mi or 1400y which would take me...carry the two...that's 28 laps...25ish mins for me...(really?!?!). The biking distance is close enough, but there'll be less steep hills in CDA. The run distance is only 1 mile different, so 9-10 minutes. That really adds up...could I get under 13 in CDA? Under 1230??

What do I need to work on in the next 34 days?
1. Swim form is what it is. But a few more loooonngg swims of 4000+ at NT OWS would build confidence.
2. Bike nutrition needs interest. I can live on the InfinIT only so long and I tend to get bored. I also need to make a point to have good form early on and not later when my feet start to hurt. They didn't hurt this weekend, but probably because I had rest. Also, my seat comfort needs the chammy buttr to help out.
3. Running was spot on. If I can run those hills at a 3.25mi/30min pace, I'll be OK.