“If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
Yes, this is the quote I start with, as it was a tough day
for me at Vineman. Not going to
lie, I wanted to perform better than I did, but this sport is a beast with many
moving parts. It’s not easy to put
together a great race. You have to
get things right, nutritionally, pacing, mindset, build up, etc. Sometimes you perform very well and
sometimes you fight just to finish the race.
Going into the race, I was confident in my training. I had built some solid speed and my
legs felt sharp and ready for a big day.
The last few weeks were full of short but high intensity training sessions:
track sessions, and short quick intervals on the bike. The thing I was missing was those
“longer” workouts over the last 2 months of training.
I didn’t have the most ideal last 3 weeks building into this
race, traveling a ton, drinking too many beers and not many longer training
days. But I understand endurance
sports. It’s the months leading
into a race that matters, not just the weeks. And I have been consistent. Last year my build up to this race went absolutely perfect
without many distractions. This
year was different, as I knew I had many social and family events to balance.
Though I didn’t perform to my standard, I take away some
valuable lessons from this race.
Race morning went pretty smooth. We arrived at the swim start early enough to get things
together without rushing. I had my
wetsuit on 30 minutes before my wave went off and I sat around until it was our
(35-39 age group) turn. Once the
gun went off, I went out at a hard but manageable pace. In my head was “stay long and
taught.” This kept me focused on
good technique; when your technique feels smooth, the speed will take care of
itself. Once the first 600 or so
yards went by, I really started to get into a nice rhythm. I felt smooth and in control in the
swim and the turn around buoys came fast.
I kept my mind focused on good technique the entire swim. I stayed relaxed. Before I knew it, the finish was in
sight. Since I was not wearing a
watch, I did not know my swim time.
It was a bit slower this year but my energy was strong and it was time
to bike.
Swim: 34:29
Transition 1 was fast.
Wetsuit off. Sweat band
on. Helmet and sunglasses on and
go! I took my bike to the mount
line with my shoes already on my bike.
This saved me 30-40 seconds and I had no problems getting in my
shoes.
T1: 2:11
Going into the bike, I knew my legs were explosive due to
the hard intervals I had been doing leading into the race. I wanted to be aggressive the first 10
miles because it’s a fast first segment.
Once my heart rate settled from the swim, I put my head down and got
into a nice pace. This year, I have
been racing without a watch and completely by feel. This is how I like to race; it keeps me intuitive with how
my body is feeling throughout the day.
The first 15 miles seemed to go by very fast. That’s a good sign.
I got my nutrition in and stayed positive. Right at about mile 25, I noticed a glimpse of a side stitch
in my stomach starting to surface.
I knew I needed water with the amount of calories I was consuming so I
did my best to hydrate (you will see later that I did not drink enough water). Miles 22-35 of the bike was a grind! I lost my momentum here. The headwind and false flats slowed me
down and I just felt flat. I did my best to stay positive and keep my mind in
the game. I knew that if I were to
get back into a zone, I would need to refocus. Miles 35-42 are full of rollers and fast sections. I pushed hard and felt my legs coming
back. Mile 45 is Chalk Hill, which
is a 385-foot steady climb. I
wasn’t too worried about this climb and once I hit it, I stayed steady and
pushed to the summit. Once I hit
the top, I knew that the last 10 miles were fast. Last year I crushed this final segment. This year, I can’t say the same. I was able to find some power in my
legs, but my stomach was still knotted up and I was trying my best to manage
that issue. I was also
uncomfortable on the bike the final 10 miles. Lacking some longer rides on my TT bike made for this
discomfort the final section of the bike course. But I was coming to the end and it was time to put together
a solid run. I told myself, “Stay
positive and find that strength.”
Bike: 2:42
I was out of my shoes while riding to the dismount
line. This makes for a quick and
easy transition. Nothing too
exciting here, just got off my bike smoothly, and ran my it to the transition
area. I quickly put on my socks
and running shoes and grabbed my nutrition and got out.
T2: 1:56
Immediately into the run, I felt that deep side stitch and
it slowed me down. I just couldn’t
get air into my diaphragm so my heart rate stayed high and took a little longer
for it to stabilize. I had a side
stitch in Hawaii right off the bike but it went away after the first mile, so I
was hoping the same for this race.
I took it easy the first mile, just seeing if this darn thing would
subside. I told myself, “just be
patient, it’s a long run”. My legs
felt good but I couldn’t put the hammer down due to the stomach issues. I stayed focused and in the moment the
entire run. I kept the calories
coming in, I would drink sips of water at every aide station and I was doing my
best to manage these stingy stomach cramps. My energy and state of awareness were good. I knew I wasn’t running the pace I am
capable of but now it was a game of salvaging somewhat of a decent race. I kept my form; I kept the calories
coming in and stayed positive. It’s
easy in a race that’s not going your way to completely crash and start
walking. But I was not going to
let that happen. “One moment at a
time” is what I kept telling myself.
Once I hit mile 6, I actually found a nice rhythm. My leg turnover increased, my heart
rate was in control and I regained my composure. The side stitch was still there but I worked through the
issue by taking deep breaths and taking in fluids. The final 5 miles were about managing my stomach and finding
the strength to keep pushing to the end.
I would walk fast through the aide stations to drink water and take in
calories. And then I would get
back into my groove. Once I hit
mile 10, I took another gel, and I knew the race finish was close. My goal over the final 3 miles was to
stay consistent and focused. I
knew I didn’t have the type of finish in me like I did last year, where I was
coming down the final stretch at 6:10 min/mile but I remained determined to
finish as strong as I could. I ran
through the finish chute and was happy to be done.
Run: 1:42
Total Time: 5 hours 3 minutes
Lesson #1: You will have good races and bad races. How you respond is what defines you as
a person. If it were easy to put
together a top performance every race, everyone would do it. I am satisfied with my mindset
throughout this tough race.
Sometimes it’s the tougher races that grow you as a person more so than
a PR type day. How will you
respond?
Lesson #2: Throughout the race, I drank approximately 60-80
ounces of pure water. That equates
to 12-16 ounces per hour. Not
enough! I need to be around 20
ounces per hour to keep hydrated and soak up the salt I was consuming. Talking with my Coach (Jim Lubinski),
we feel that is something that created the stomach cramps.
Lesson #3: During a tough race where things are not going
your way, you can still salvage a decent performance by keeping your mind in a
good place and managing the things you can control. Don’t give up.
Refocus. Get the calories
in. And keep pushing
yourself. Quitting is not an
option. Stay positive.
I am grateful for the support. Thank you to Coach Jim for the guidance and mentorship. Thank you to my 559Multisport teammates
for making this entire weekend a blast (no matter the outcome). Thank you to my staff at CFA for
covering and holding down the fort when I am gone doing these crazy
things. And thank you to my wife
and my daughters for loving me and supporting my ventures.
My motivation is high and I am ready to come back with
vengeance!
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