Redman 140.6 Follow Up and Race Analysis

2 Oct 2012 edit to add #17. 

Focusing on a point-by-point analysis and critical review. I'm going to start with 10 points, think on them, and come back with thoughts on each one. This could take some time, maybe a week or two, or maybe it will just all spill out at once.

1. Goal time of 12:30, actual time of 13:23 I picked my goal time in sort of a stupid way, I like 1-2-3 so I picked a number of 12:30, thinking even that 12:34 would be even cooler. It was based on some science and experience. I had at one point calculated the needed paces in each sport to achieve that time and those paces were do-able on the perfect day. I didn't have the perfect day and I missed my time. But I did PR by 19 minutes! So I'm very happy with my time and have no regrets about it.

2. Race management of dehydration and heat It was hot out during the 2nd loop of the bike and first 2 loops of the run, but I didn't appreciate this in time. The winds kept my dry and let me forget just how much I was sweating. Overall, I did drink a lot on the bike. But I misjudged how much more I needed to drink. Using the arm coolers on the run was one of my more brilliant decisions. Dumping ice down them or soaking them in cold water quickly brought my core temp down. I noticed when they warmed up, they were really making a difference.

3. Low points on the bike My mood crashed around mile 85-90 on the bike and didn't pick up until mile 109 or so (when we returned to the lake). This crash was a combination of low nutrition, foot pains, and probably dehydration. I quickly recognized the mood and instead of letting myself wallow in it I made efforts to bring myself back up. I sang to myself, encouraged myself, noted things I was doing right (like avoiding potholes), made myself smile--stuff like that. But recognizing the mood was the beginning of the fix and I'm happy I did that. I don't always see it quick enough. Was it avoidable? Yes. And that's something I can work on. Another thing that messed me up on the bike was seeing my average speed slowly drop. I kept looking at the Garmin and it seemed that each time I did my heart rate would pop up. This created a mental loop and obsession that wasn't healthy. See #6 for more on this.

4. The Redman course Of my 3 iron races, this was by far the easiest course. It had no hills! See below for more detailed comparisons. The Redman swim was in a smooth current-less lake of good temperature. The bike had really rough roads, long straight stretches, and few hills. The long sections of the bike course is what made the winds so tough, there was no break from them for long periods of time. A downside of the bike course was the rough roads, they took a lot of mental energy and tired my shoulders out. The run was flat and boring, but there were so many aid stations and the loops did go by quickly. In the end repeating the run course 4 times wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This was a fair course, a fast course. But made harder with heat and headwinds.

5. Overall times and competition I was very surprised to find my time less than 1 hr behind the winning OA female! I came in 11th out of 42 females, putting me in the top quartile while I'm usually a solid MOP  in long races. While I'd like to think that I've somehow greatly improved, it's more likely that at smaller races like this I can excel in comparison to the field. I did the same thing at Cutting Edge Half last year--I podiumed in a small field. It probably also means the faster people pick better races? Good for them! Leave the little ones for peeps like me!

6. The marathon Ugh, my slowest marathon time yet, but probably my strongest yet in terms of effort, pacing, and finish. My 4 loops were solidly paced. I don't have the Garmin data yet, but I know that my overall average pace were really slowed down by me stopping at most every aid station until the last loop. I took the first 2 loops slow just to get my hydration and core temp under control. I was continuously telling myself to slow down. This was hard to do, but in the end it worked out for me. I rocked the last loop and finished the last few miles feeling great!! It also helped that I didn't once look at my watch or Garmin during the run. Not even a peek. I let the time goals go and focused instead on being steady and in control. This really worked better for me, especially after seeing what happened on the bike when I started obsessing over HR and pace. Finally, one of my major goals after CDA was to fix my run nutrition, and I did just that here. 5 gels instead of 1. Strong mental control over weak. Because of this, I count my Redman marathon as a success regardless of time. So my iron marathon still needs work, but there's always another race for that :)

7. My swim pace So far this year I've swum 130 miles, a personal record. I quit going to Master's because it messed with my head and stressed me out. I never became faster, but I did get confident in the water. I got smooth and efficient (relatively-- as I could be more smooth and efficient if I'd get better technically), and just like in CDA I didn't experience fatigue during the swim like I did in IMWI. So my swim is solid and steady, just not fast. Every winter I say that's my goal--to get fast--but it hasn't happened yet.

8. Body management For once in a race, I let go of time to manage problems with heat and hydration. I discussed that above. But also I managed the rest of me pretty good too. No blisters! No sunburn! No chafing! I took the time in transitions to make sure these needs were addressed and in the race I didn't have to worry about them, and in recovery I didn't need to expend energy taking care of them. So the few minutes I might have "lost" spraying with sunscreen or rubbing on body glide was worth it.

9. Podium placement I'm still shocked over the fact that I podiumed at the iron distance! Granted, it was a small race, but I still podiumed!! 3rd of 11 in my AG is fantastic! It's also very encouraging, sometimes you start to thinking that these long distance races will always be for "fun" and not for "competition", but this suggests otherwise. I'm not letting it go to my head, I'm not looking for my KQ or anything, but I am feeling encouraged.

10. What comes next? Rest! No more iron until 2014, when I plan again to shoot for a sub-13. But I am thinking about doing more TTT-type multi-day races. :)

11. IMWI vs Redman At IMWI it was all new and fresh. I didn't know how I was going to feel at mile 20, for example I didn't know that my rib muscles could get tired and cause a stress reaction. I enjoyed every mile and soaked in the experience. My swim was scary and weak, the bike was more technical, and the run less boring compared to Redman. You just can't beat the first time feeling, but you also can't compare it much to later races. I did IMWI for fun without solid goals, later on I started picking times and goals.

12. CDA vs Redman Redman was my CDA redemption race. My disappointment with CDA let me to Redman, and I can solidly say that I Am Redeemed. The CDA swim was terribly difficult due to cold and waves, but completing that swim is probably the hardest thing I've ever done mentally and physically in triathlon. The CDA bike played to my hill strengths, Redman not so much. The CDA run for me was a mess and one of the biggest things I wanted redemption on. I knew I could do the run better. I knew it. And I did it!

13. Ankle injury Having an ankle sprain/strain/whatever just 6.5 days away from the race caused a great deal of stress at first, until I realized it wasn't that severe of an injury. Nothing was broken. It was just hurt. But because of it, I didn't run again until the Thursday before the race and that was 2 miles on a treadmill. I worried about how this would play out on race day. Would it be just the rest I needed? Or would it leave me rusted over? In the end, it worked out for me and I was incredibly lucky. My training buddy AJ missed this race due to an ankle sprain :(

14. Taper effectiveness Another CDA problem was over-training and under-tapering. Instead of listening to me I listened to a training plan (that didn't listen to me either). Although I had a steep taper with the ankle injury, this time around I trusted my fitness and just rested. I felt the fog start to clear 2 weeks out and was feeling springy a few days before Redman. In CDA, the fog never cleared and the springyness didn't show up until the Saturday before the race.

15. Two irons in one year This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I'd do it again. I was lucky that I had 12-14 weeks between races. Any shorter and I might not have had such a good experience.

16. Race music! I kept an ear open for good music for the soundtrack, but I really don't remember much being played! I don't know if it's because I was focused or if it was just quiet. On the bike I had Lost In This Moment stuck in my head, but I'm not sure that's Triathlon Soundtrack material. So unlike in CDA and many other races, I don't have a song that summed up the day. I did get a song Friday at the pre-race swim, so maybe I'll go with that one: Wheels in the Sky by Journey. It summed up a lot--where would I be the next day in the race?  I don't know, but the wheel keeps on turning, the day will come and go, another day will come with the rising sun, and whatever happens happens...I'm eager to race, ready to go, and I'm looking forward to the finish line arch...and that's what this song means to me. If that made any sense at all!!

I've been trying to make it home Got to make it, before too long Ooh, I can't take this very much longer, no I'm stranded, in the sleet and rain Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again The Mornin' sun is risin' It's kissin' the dayOh, the wheel in the sky keeps on turnin' I don't know where I'll be tomorrow Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'Wohohohohohohoh For tomorrow

17. WTC vs non-WTC. Late addition to the analysis. Seems to me that a WTC race is all about the WTC experience: expo, finisher's clothing, official clothing, the announcer, the pros, the this, the that. And non-WTC is just about the race, the course, the support, and the participants. I loved the non-WTC experience. So while I'm not anti-WTC, I'm certainly more open to doing the non-WTC stuff in the future. They're very different!