Well folks - its that time of the year again in the Latourette house hold and the Sonoma County Tri-scene in general. Yes - its that "Vineman time" of year. If you live in these parts and are a triathlete of some sort than chances are you've been recruited to volunteer, race, or both at these annual premier events.
The Vineman family of events are the classic definition of the "destination race". With the race starting in the beautiful Russian River and meandering through numerous wineries, foodie hot-spots, wine-country spas, and hot-air balloons - what's not to love? At this time of year us "locals" feel like the luckiest triathletes in North America....so if you've never raced or volunteered and are looking to enjoy the triathlon "lifestyle" than the Vineman should definintely be on your "must-do" list of events.
With that said let's get down to the nuts and bolts of those racing the Vineman this year. As many of my teammates and friends are ready to give things a whirl again this year I thought I'd throw together a combo race report / coaches corner with thoughts and tips for how to approach your upcoming races this year.
Also...just a quick course update - the water and weather are PERFECT this year for some fast times and maybe a new PR! And as my TTE nation teammates love to say these days "PR or ER baby"!!!
So - this begs the question - do you have your race day plan in place?
Hmm...what pacing plan?
I had the privelage of observing many different race pacing strategies at my last race three weeks ago in Idaho. A group of Santa Rosa tri-geeks made the trek out to Ironman Couer d' Alene for a little long course racing action, fun, and a change of scenery . Race day was to say "interesting" at the very least and presented all the usual ups & downs for many. But, when all was said and done it wound up being a stellar day for some and a "tough day" for others with all the usual drama and wild stories typical of these crazy things.
I have to say that the approach to pacing and race execution was really as different as the bikes you see in transition amongst the athletes I knew racing, and what seemed to work for some didn't work for others. In the end what was exhibited that day gave way to a wide variety of results and new learning experiences. As with any race - especially an Ironman - the one thing that you can usually count on is that something always seems to happen and the day rarely rolls out "perfectly" and this day was no exception.
My race.
So yes, I did want to tell the tale of my latest adventure, as at the end of the day - it was an incredible race for me and I have to say - a HUGE learning experience that I hope will not only help myself but others. I think this is one of the key features of long course racing that keeps me coming back for more....the sense of adventure - as you never really know what can happen and the fact that you really never stop learning. Just when you think you've got it dialed, something changes. It also proved to me once again that the "flexible" triathlete - those who can "adapt" and "roll with the punches" so to speak - are in general the ones who are happiest long-term and who experience the most success at races.
So why does this have any relevance or importance to you and what can you learn from this?
Well - foremost as a coach I will say you can ALWAYS learn from someone elses experiences - weather they are good, bad, or just simple "changeable" mistakes. Take for example my recent race at IMCDA. Though the end result was a new personal best time for me and a new marathon PR as well ('m still smiling :) it actually did not actually start that way and was a difficult race to get going.
The challenges....
It seems there are always those things that challange us as athletes while training or racing - and this day was no different. IMCDA 2011 presented its own unique set of difficulties and experiences that forced me to once again "adapt and change" on the fly. Over the last few years I've found both myself and when consulting with other coaches that the athletes who are "flexible" and can adjust to challenges as they arise are generally the most successful. Are they upset or nervous? Well - yes of course - but they seem to roll with it, get a handle on themselves and situations at hand, and don't freak out.
So when I found out the swim was 54 degrees (ok - freakin' FREEZING for an ironman) I tried not to panic. I just did my little warm up and than tried to focus on managing my energy as best as I could because I knew the cold water was going to take a lot more out of me on the bike than I had originally anticipated. I than set to the task of spending the remainder of my "pre-race go-time routine" trying to figure out how I was going to stay as warm as possible.
The swim....
Ok - go time! I seeded myself where I felt best and found a great spot this year, got on great feet, stayed in the draft, managed my effort REALLY well, and didn't get dropped around the buoys - in my definition a very solid swim effort and smartly paced 1st leg. Though 4 minutes off my last IM swim time at Canada I still consider it a decent swim for me given the slower two loop format and the exceedingly cold temps. Later on I found out ALL of my teammates swam slower than normal (even the really good ones) and as the post-race story swap came around it became clear that everyone felt they were "swimming with claws". So at least I wasn't alone there!
The drama....
At one point I actually thought my left ring finger was broken. As its a two-loop swim course we had to get out run thru the timing shoot and get back in. Alas when I put my hand down at the beach to stand up and go thru the turn it got stepped on by some big dude (thanks man). It hurt! And it hurt really bad actually. You know like when you clean the freezer and your hands hurt? Well - I did the whole 2nd lap convinced my finger was broken. When I finally got out on the bike, lost my "ice cream headache", and my brain thawed out I discovered it was just frozen - not broken - AMEN! Curve ball #1 avoided - YAY!!! :)
The lesson...
I guess the lesson here is - make lemonaide out of the lemons, and never under-estimate the power of your brain to "convince" you of something (good or bad). Oh - and of course - be careful where you put your hands down outta the swim!
The bike:
Yes, well - was I happy to finally be on the road! The swim though very cold, was tolerable but I was certainly happy to be done with that. This is also what I love about being a triathlete as opposed to being a part of the "monosport" culture. I freely admit I get bored easily and am a little "a.d.d."....so I always like the idea of moving onto the next part of the race.
I should tell you the transition area from swim-to-bike was "crazy" as usual. A long transition you have to run up the sandy beach across the run course to T1, past the "evil" warming tent, thru the wetsuit strippers, grab your bag, and make your way to the (ladies) change tent - a scence of shaking, frozen, triathletes - than change, and finally run into the bike rack area, grab your trusty ride, and head out up the hill. I have to thank the volunteers here because I don't think any of us could zip up our gear with out them - the hands simply wouldn't work.
Anyway - I call the warming tent "evil" (like Dr. Eveeelll) as I think quite a few people went in there after the swim and never came out (ok maybe 20minutes later). To me - that's trouble! Its like the "campfire" during family trips - once you get close to the warmth you can't seem to back away. So - my thought - avoid it if you can. You gotta keep your game face on and resist those urges to begin "mental melt down" as I think that's where the "quitting mentality" begins. Hang tough - it is a race after all!
This is one course where I was thanking the universe for all the hills and rollers. It turns out by mile 15 of the bike I'd figured out there was something amiss with my shifting. Note to self and all you peeps out there - ALWAYS, always, always check your bike in the morning! Being an ironman (and I've done a few now) - the typical drill is you drop your bike off the night before to be racked in T1 and in the morning you can roll in, pump tires, add nutrition bottles, etc. Well - I've never had a problem with my bike at an Ironman - ever! So I did my usual pre-race routine which at IM does not include a gear check. BIG MISTAKE!!!! I accept full responsilibty for my stupidity here...as alas my deraiuller hanger got "bumped" in the crowd of 2500 bikes and was all "jacked-up" when I went out for my 112mile ride around the Idaho country side.
Long-story short....
NO BIG RING! I guess the silver lining here is that at least it wasn't stuck in the big ring as alas it is a hilly bike course and could've made for a really rough day. So yes - I spent about 95 miles of the entire ride stuck with my little gears and no big chain ring as it got twisted "just enough" somehow (and bent the chain) so that it would not shift correctly and pop-over into the big gear. NOTE TO SELF - BRING a TOOL in your bike bag for DURING the race!!! Weight is not that big of an issue at this point!
And -YES - I did stop and try to get help/fix it. I stopped at mile 25 and asked for techincal help from the gear support guys and they said it was a 30minute wait for the tech vehicle (yes,tried to flag him down myself). Well of course I'm not gonna sit there and wait....so at mile 40 I stopped and tried to fix it myself and of course this is where I see Scott Farnsworth rolling by lookin' strong and I wish I was a mechanic!
I was totally de-flated and getting really cranky!!! I finally get thru the first lap and see my hubby Coach D on the side of the road and he didn't have any tools to fix it either. I did manage to get in the big ring once for a bit and I rode it as long as I could til the next big climb than - back to the baby ring! By the time I saw Dave again around mile 75 he had a tool and I had "HAD IT"! I said - screw it - I'll just deal with it as I didn't want to stop again (well - except the porta-john).
So it turns out I spent the majority of the day chillin up the hills and "taking zeros" while I coasted the downhills (as fast as I could). I actually got pretty good at "sling-shotting" myself up the next roller, letting people grind it out past me on the climbs (WOW-grunting even), and played a pretty decent game of cat and mouse with a few people who were pissed at my speed demon coasting (of course you know they drilled the climbs and dropped me - LOL - road kill suckas!!! :), and of course with my main rival - my brain. At least I wasn't at IM Florida!
In retrospect this little "game" and dose of lemons turned out to serve me well. It kept my brain "busy" and calm while easing my crankiness. It actually really helped me do what I always TRY to do - stay relaxed and pace wisely! Controlling our emotions (ie. arousal control) however is not always an easy task in the heat of the moment....and alas....sometimes we cave into peer pressure even when "we know we shouldn't have" and been burned later. I know you all know what I'm talking about. That "oh sh...t" hamstrings cramping" feeling....at the end of the bike and/or of course the "blown quads" , no focus, and low energy, sinking feeling late in the run. You know that time when we need to "go to the well" and dig deep and discover we have no more juice in the legs.
Anyhoo - in short it gave me something to do other than be bored or pissed off. It also forced me to do 90% of the ride WELL UNDER my target heart rate and power ranges by more than 10 beats (HR) and 10-15watts actually. And these were smart ranges! They were tested and adjusted in the lab and on the road, during training rides/runs and after races. Yes - Coach Dave and I reviewed my power files and heart rate data week after week of practice, discussed options, fitness adaptation, and pacing strategies to try, and than practiced these over and over the last several months to the point where I was the most fit and confident I've ever been at the start line.
So - funny part is on race day this whole scenario presented itself. Honestly - I dealt with it the best I could and still managed to execute my pacing plan for the most part. I did of course just adjust it for the circumstances at hand and the situation I was in....and as you guessed had a "longer than normal" bike split (by 10-12 minutes) for this distance.
Well folks - all I can say is that I was like "GAME ON" for the run. I had "no exxcuses" as my buddy Kyle likes to say to not run the best race of my life. I was relatively fresh, legs felt good, and I was able to take on all the calories I planned to on the bike plus a few extra....so all the cards were in place. Cool thing was I was also "on" mentally and ready to test my fitness and see where the chips landed. And boy did they land in my favor!
The Run:
In short - I had the best run of my life! I've had other great races and felt good for my fitness at the time. But I've never excuted a run to this magnitude. As my swim and bike were both slower than my last few races and my transitions were my regular time that left only my run to redeem myself and my day :) And I did just that! I set a new personal best overall time and run time split at this distance by :20minutes. WOW!!! I even shocked and impressed myself. I knew I was fit - I'd reviewed all my training data and numbers after every session and down-loaded all my files to my training log.....but in retrospect I don't think I really "believed" that I could execute it this well on race day until I actually did it of course.
And yes - I was really able to run and run HARD! Now don't be fooled that the run was easy....
I really had to work hard to execute my pacing plan, stay "plugged in" to the moment, and not get too distracted or low on calories. Its a very difficult thing and takes a lot of mental energy and focus to hang in there that long - but when you can do it than you will see just how much it can help you stay on track.
Did I have low moments and doubts? Yes - of course - its an ironman after all and a humbling distance that deserves respect - we all know it can strip the best athletes to their core. And yes, I did have a few moments when I had to "adjust" because I was running much faster than was anticipated and was ripping through calories. Ahh - but what an amazing feeling to be passing so many people who just dropped me on those climbs like nobody's business. In the end I passed over 400 people on the run - WOW! What a feeling....
The best part? Miles 24 to the finish.
I actually did not have that familiar "loaded, heavy, cramping quads feeling" and was able to actually race to the finish. You see this girl....in my age group of course...rolled right up behind me at mile 24 and than we were on - like one - we ran and urged each other to run faster, and faster, and faster til I knew I was at my limit. But - ya know - it was fun!!! And really, really cool....it "hurt so good".....! This was a friendly push - a nice, kick in the butt - not a gnarly I'm gonna hurt you thing. We just carried each other as far as we good go and than kept going...each pushing the other...and really - bringing out the best in each of us. In the end she did drop me - she ran 3:54 and I ran 4:15. But - WOW - it was an amazing feeling to be really "racing" and running hard til the very end. I was smiling.......and am still smiling....simply put - an amazing experience!!! At the very end - thank you god for being a downhill finish - I kicked it one last time and the quads finally blew as I rolled across the finish line. When the finish line catchers grabbed me and dragged me to the side I knew I'd left it all out there.....ahhh!!!! :) SMILE HERE!!!!!! :))))))))
Final thoughts...
Ok folks - here it is - take it for however you like...but its meant with the best of intentions - I know so many people, good athletes, talented, smart people, who have every toy imaginable - the 4k bike, the power meter, custom-built disk wheel, the fancy garmin, etc, etc, etc....and than ya know what....they either don't know how to use them OR WORSE they freaking IGNORE IT!!! WOW...Sitting ducks I say....:)
So - for those of you ignoring all that data after your training sessions - start paying attention and give your self a chance. Why have a power meter or heart rate monitor if you're not going to use them?????? I would love to have some of the new, shiny beautiful gear out there. I have a crappy, old $200 used, wired power meter and a garmin I got on sale with my REI dollars because its what I can afford - BUT - I STILL manage to make the most out of what I have because in the end - I know what works for me and I practice it. When I screw up I REALLY try to avoid doing that again....so I seek help, go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan. Its called the "training process" - and I like it!
Again - if there is a take home message here....think about what you're goals are - really - write them down, than figure out the best way to go about meeting those goals, get help if you need it, and learn to use the tools you have at hand. Seek a knowledgable coach (ok - insert shamless plug here :) and really make them work for you! This is the essence of good coaching - testing, practice, more testing, more practice, back to the drawing board time and again until you get it right. Otherwise - don't bother wasting your money on a $4000 hot bike, an $800 power meter, and a $300 Garmin!
So - make a deal with yourself today! Give yourself every opportunity to be the absolute BEST you know you can be. It's hard as a coach to be at a finish line and see that look of disappointment on so many faces or the tears shed in a corner of the finish area from some truly TALENTED amazing athletes out there who are fully capable of reaching their dreams - and even exceeding them. Personally - I would love to see them smiling and experiencing the satisfaction and joy of an awesome race. These athletes work hard - now its time to work smart. There - enough said.
In closing....
I made lemonaide out of those lemons I was served up on race day. And I also discovered along the way what I need to do set myself up for success. Do you? I've always been a good runner - in practice - but always seemed to be hit & miss with the target during some of my races. It has been my nemsis of sorts the past few events due to various things...blisters, illness, bike crashes.....but alas I can crawl under a carpet or as I decided to do I can grow, learn, change, adapt, and a take risk and make some changes.
Einstein once said "if you do the same stupid thing over and over, than you'll get the same stupid result". So - why not try something new - just this once? Than - if it doesn't work - you can go back to your old ways or as I would suggest...go back to the drawing board and try again. Most successful people don't get successful the first time - they get there through trial and error - they make mistakes, learn, and than try again. Take a chance, believe in yourself, you CAN do it!
I have to tell you I was so happy I cried down the finish line - I did it! I trained hard, I trained smart, I paced wisely, controlled my emotions, left an ace in my back pocket and kept my ego in check...than drilled it when the time was right. In essence - I listened to myself and raced from my gut - not from peer pressure or what I "thought" I "should be" doing. In sticking to my pacing plan - even when things didn't roll out perfectly (do they ever in a race?) and by being confident and relaxed in what I knew was best FOR ME I was able to put together the race of a lifetime.....
Here's wishing you much luck and success during your next trip down the finishline....
Cheers,
JL
No comments:
Post a Comment