Hunter Mountain 70.3 race report

Last weekend marked my last “real” race of 2013. It was a half ironman race in the Catskills of New York and was by far the hardest course I have raced all year, maybe ever. Overall the race went ok, which means I produced a good result but not the result I had in mind. I knew from looking at previous year’s results that the field size (100 or so athletes) would be small and that the winning time would be within reach of my abilities. Having my half iron pr sitting at 4:41 and with last year’s winner clocking a 4:46, it would be close but not out of reach. What I didn’t account for was what amounted to not only a tough course, but tough weather conditions and an overall lack of motivation. Saying I lacked motivation doesn’t mean I could have gone any faster or didn’t put it all out there. But let’s just say that had the race been cancelled due to any number of reasons I wouldn’t have cared much either way. The last few months have been a real grind in training and not going fast enough to get the world championship slot at Timberman still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Having the right mind set when you toe the line is key and this being a smaller event with no real reward for a stellar performance I just lacked the necessary fire.

With that aside I still went out there and did what I do, which is to say I am nothing if not predictable and consistent. I swam what I normally do for a 1.2 mile open water race, I rode the exact heart rate that produced 2:30ish bike splits at my other races this season, and I ran low 7 min/mile pace for a majority of the run. However with the course profile being hillier than any half iron distance I have done before (this was number 12) the overall times it produced would be slower.

Being a smaller race participant wise I had asked Amy to give me splits and positioning when she could. Normally in a large race with wave starts this isn’t really possible or even that practical. This was a mass start race for both the half and full ironman though so knowing where I stood allowed me to really race the distance. The swim was a two loop swim which for a half iron is kind of unusual. The water temp was also reported to be 62 degrees which anyone who does triathlons regularly knows that they always fluff that number to put people at ease. Regardless, it was cold so I went with double swim caps and luckily had worn my full sleeve wetsuit instead of my sleeveless.

The last time I did a two loop swim was at Lake Placid two years ago and that hadn’t gone so hot. The two loop format means that you come out of the water and have to run 50 yards or so along the beach before jumping back in. As I came out after the first loop I looked at my watch and saw 18 mins and change and Amy told me I was in 13th place. That was right about where I thought I would be both time and place wise. One more lap, pretty much swimming solo but staying dead on course and I was out of the water in just under 34 mins. I quickly looked around for Amy and she said I was now 18th out of the water. Considering I could see 5 or 6 people right around me and seeing a few more in transition I was happy with my position and time.

With the cold water temps, air temps in the low 50’s and a good stiff breeze I opted to throw on a long sleeve in T-1 to attempt to stay warm. Other than that transition went smoothly and I hopped on the bike and was off with relative ease. Just as we came out of transisiton is about where I realized this course was going to be as difficult as any I had previously done. The climb out of transition was a mix of standing up hammering the pedals and being in the lowest gear and trying to keep my cadence high. The climb was a good mile long but just as we exited the park it dropped off and became a nice fast downhill where all the lost time got made up. In races of this length you almost always have to deal with roads being open to traffic and this race was no different. Lucky for us being a Saturday in a fairly remote part of NY, and the roads having large shoulders this never really presented a problem. Not having done much research on the actual bike course elevation and the website touting a “athlete friendly” course I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The 28 mile ride out to the turn around was fast, and I kept a good cadence and was not affected by the occasional wind gusts.

I hit the turnaround averaging around 23 mph (1:10ish) and feeling good that a 2:30 would be the bike time on the day. There was a small bump out to hit the turn and then we headed back on to the main road and the climb back towards the park. This is when that 23 mph, comfortable cadence ride became a grind. The winds picked up and with every gust I regretted riding the rear disc wheel. Being aero wasn’t helping so sitting up and grinding it out became the norm for the entire return back. Overall the course ended up having about 700ft more elevation gain than Rev3 Quassy which many regard as the hardest half iron course anywhere. My final split came in at 2:41 which considering the amount of climbing was a solid ride. As I rode the fast descent back into the park, I knew I was 8th or 9th into T-2. Knowing 1st was well out of reach and having dead legs from a tough bike course I wasn’t really sure how the run was going to play out.

As I hurried through transition I noticed one of the guys I came in with was part of a relay so that took him off the board. As I crossed the timing mats and headed out I passed another guy who was not looking like he had good run legs so that gave me the confidence to pick up the pace and make the strong pass. One thing I have learned this season racing in the elite division and towards the pointy end of races is to play the mental game. If you are going to make a pass make it a strong one and no matter how you are feeling make the other guy think he can’t hold your pace. I’ve found this also is a subtle way of pumping your own tires and giving you the motivation to keep pushing. Now I was running in 7th place and with a two loop run course I knew I would have a chance to see those ahead of me. Within the first 3 miles I was able to overtake two other runners and now I was sitting solidly in 5th place. With the out and back course and doing the math in my head I pretty much knew a podium spot was not going to be in the cards. As I made the turn at the 6 mile mark I heard the foot steps of the 6th place male. Not wanting to look back I just tried to look strong and keep the mental game going. As he made the pass I encouraged him to hunt down 3rd and he gapped me by about 25 yards. I could tell he was a strong runner and had a good amount left in the tank and would eventually pull away. That didn’t mean I was going to go down with out a fight. I was able to keep him in my sights for the next 3 miles but just wasn’t able to bridge the gap. Eventually he put the hammer down and put me in his rear view. Meanwhile apparently we both had passed the 3rd place male as he was in the porta john.

When all was said and done I crossed the line in 5th place in a total time of 5:01 and the overall victory in my age group. I had emptied the tank and with a run course that again had more elevation gain than the notorious Quassy course my legs were spent. Initially I was a little disappointed with my overall time but looking back at how slow times were across the board I came to realize that my 5:01 was probably my standard 4:4x on a easier course. At the end of the day you swim, bike and run the same distance as the other competitors so overall times really don’t have much meaning. Having just missed my goal of a podium slot but having been aggressive throughout the race I was able to be happy with the performance.

Racing Elite

This weekend at the Duxbury sprint triathlon will mark the 3rd time I line up in the elite wave for a triathlon. Some people would look at this and say I have no business in the elite wave if I don't have a legitimate shot of winning or placing. I however would respectfully disagree, however not without a little trepidation. See every time I register for one of these races as an elite I question the validity of it myself. Am I an elite triathlete according to USAT rules? No. Are my current times ever going to net me the overall victory? Unlikely. So why then have I, and will I continue to register for elite waves if allowed to do so by local race directors?

I have grappled with this question and truth be told I've come real close to emailing the race director all 3 times to have my name thrown back into the age group pool prior to race day. I never end up hitting that send button though and here is why. Like I mentioned before my times aren't going to net me a overall victory or even likely to put me on the overall podium....yet. However my times do almost always guarantee me a podium slot in my age group. So the question becomes am I there to race the best or is it about getting an award for my efforts. Does it mean the same to me if I come first in my age group but finish in 20th place overall? Now of course its not like I can just show up and win my age group, I need to bust my ass to get one of those 3 spots. But truth be told while it's great for the ego to win or place in your age group especially one as competitive as mine, the reason I race is to get better. So when I register as an elite I almost always finish dead last. And every time I go back and look at the results, and see I would have won my age group and have a tiny bit of regret that I didn't race age group. Then I start to think about why I register for these races.

I sign up many months in advance, not knowing who is going to be racing with the sole intention of coming as close to first place overall as my training will allow. I don't show up just to finish like I did when I first started out. Now when I race it's to be the fastest I possibly can be on race day regardless of who I am racing against. While some might think it is foolish to put myself out there to get slaughtered, I view it as an apprenticeship of sorts. You learn from these guys and girls how to be the best athlete on race day. From the moment the season starts, until the gun goes off on race day, I need to conduct myself as an elite. If I start to slack in training, it becomes a subtle reminder that I hold myself to a higher standard. Is it a huge shot to my ego to finish back of the pack? Sure. However every time I get knocked down a peg it makes me want it even more. I am never going to be an Olympic caliber athlete, but I can be a quality elite athlete if I continue to train and race with everything I have. My ego is big enough as it is, I certainly don't need a $2 dollar medal that says I won my age group but finished 15th overall to validate it. What I need is a good old fashion ass kicking and to measure myself against the best at every race. If that means I finish 10 out of 10 in the elites then so be it.

I am still fairly new to this sport and I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. I race and train with a chip on my shoulder, always have, always will. So getting my but handed to me at these races insures I don't take my foot off the gas when it comes to all things triathlon. Everything matters, from training, daily nutrition, rest and recovery, to race day execution. All the little things add up and if I train and race with that elite mindset I can only improve and get better. No one knows what is going to happen on race day, certainly not me. Maybe the guy that crushed it last year hasn't trained as hard or as well as me. Maybe I nip him at the line or put him away early on the bike. Those possibilities always loom anytime you toe the line. And for me I like it when I am backed into the corner and having nothing to lose. Put me on the start line and give me a shot. So come Saturday I get to measure myself against the best and see how I stack up.

"It's part of the triathlete's psyche, you really want to test the boundry. You want to get to the edge and look over it to find out where it is. Sometimes you don't know where it is until you have stepped over it." -Craig Alexander, 3x Hawaii Ironman Champion