2019 Race Season Summary

Just a quick recap now that my season is over in lieu of a race report from IMAC70.3 since I did one last year. I wanted to thank friends and family who have reached out with encouragement and support this year, those that I was able to ride with on occasion, fellow racers, and of course the always-entertaining T3Philly Facebook group banter. It was a whole different experience being able to share the race weekend experience with you all.

I came into the season with lofty goals: AG podium a 70.3 race, qualify for Nice 70.3 Worlds, and also make a competitive IM debut at IMLP. To get there, I knew I would need to work on my running a lot, and manage ongoing injuries. After an early season PR at Caesar Rodney HM in Wilmington, I thought I was on a good trajectory for IMVA70.3 in May. Unfortunately, in Williamsburg, I got a side stitch on the run and dropped from 4th to 9th by the time I struggled home.

The same story played out at IMLP, but with it being my first marathon and IM, I was much happier with the result and the swim/bike/first part of run was as good as I could asked for. The day was great and in the end I was 30min away from a Kona slot, which is not something I even considered possible.

Then it was time for redemption at IMAC70.3 (a race I signed up for mid-season), prove that I can finally breakthrough to low-mid 4:20s, and get that AG podium. That wasn’t quite how it went though.

As I exited the water, I thought the swim was horrible – I felt slow, had water trapped in my wetsuit arms making each stroke more effort, and figured I was way worse off compared to 2018 (it was slower than 2018, but still top 20 or so this year). I even had trouble getting my wetsuit off with the help of 4 people!

I jumped on my bike and couldn’t see through my visor with all of the rain, so had to keep that off as I hammered away. Shortly after the start, I got a drafting penalty that was borderline at best, especially given the time and place. So 45 minutes in, I was already thinking my race was over.

I stayed determined to hit my goal on the bike (25+ mph) and was able to hit about 25.3mph average, which was good for 9th overall. Even with the 5 minute rest in the penalty tent, I started the run and my HR was higher than desired, indicating my goal pace was going to be nearly impossible to hold. When I saw my family at mile 8, I was somehow still in 4th/5th for my AG (I guess it was humid out there!), and couldn’t find an excuse to give up yet so I kept moving.

I ended up 6th in my AG, which is the best result to date in an IM-branded race, and could have gone to Worlds in New Zealand if I had wanted (slot rolled to 11th). Circumstances prevented me from being able to commit to that at this point.

I certainly have mixed emotions from this year, and feel like I left something out there. The biggest takeaway for me (besides needing to learn how to run) is that even in a race that seemed doomed from the start, I was ~2 minutes from achieving one goal (top 5), and was good enough to have a chance to make Worlds.

I’m not sure what’s next for 2020, but I know I have some unfinished business to attend to!

Race Report | IRONMAN Lake Placid 2019

Race information

• What? IRONMAN Lake Placid
• When? July 28, 2019
• How far? 140.6 Miles
• Website? https://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/lake-placid.aspx#/axzz5whHp26Qq

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	<10:30	No
B	<11:00	Yes
C	Don’t die on run	NOPE!

Training

After two 70.3 races early in the season, I built up the volume with the help of my coach from ITL Coaching & Performance. I averaged about 16 hours per week, maxing out at 23.25 hours a few weeks out from the race.

I wasn’t too concerned about the swim, having seen the entire course during a training camp in mid-June. The lake is great, and the cable makes it pretty straightforward. I was hoping for 1 hour, where my 70.3 swims are usually 26-28 minutes.

I was able to build up a bit more running volume, getting up to ~40 miles/week for a few, then 50 miles at peak. In past years, I only hit low 30s, so I was really happy to be able to get this volume in my legs. That said, I still had to be conservative with some knee tendonitis, even though my old nemesis, shin splints, had been kept at bay for the most part. I concentrated on making my easy runs easy, slowing my pace and keeping my HR under 140bpm whereas last year I was at the high end of Z2 closer to 150bpm.

When it came to the bike, I definitely put a lot of time into this, now my strongest discipline. My FTP was somewhere in the neighborhood of 290. I averaged around 7 hours/week and maxed at 15.6 hours at peak. Tendonitis curtailed bike volume somewhat, but I was able to push through with some PT and a knee strap.

Gear

This was my fifth race on my Trek Speed Concept 2018, and I continued to use my Castelli Free Sanremo trisuit, Hoka One One Clayton 2 shoes,  Giro AeroHead MIPS helmet, Garmin FR935 watch, and Louis Garneau bike shoes.

I rented Zipp 808s for this race from RaceDayWheels, as is tradition. I was a bit hesitant with potential winds on the Keene descent, but decided to go for it.

I also must reiterate how much Injinji toe socks have helped for blister prevention.

Pre-race

I drove up to Lake Placid with my wife on Thursday morning, getting there just in time to swap wheels and register before the 5pm close. I prefer to avoid bigger crowds later in the weekend. Having been up to LP in June, I was familiar with the course and layout, but wanted to see transition and understand in/out locations, etc.

I also had extended family staying at our AirBnB in Saranac Lake (15min drive from LP village), which was awesome. About 10 of us in total…made the weekend feel even more special and it was great to have additional Sherpa support.

On Friday, I got a swim in Mirror Lake with my uncle, then a quick spin on the start of the course to wake the legs up (probably should have done a bit longer). The wind was apparent, and I was a little hesitant on downhills one I swerved a couple times. I was happy the forecast looked calm for race day. The rest of Friday was just hanging out, checking out the welcome ceremony with T3 Philly, then a nice dinner.

Saturday was logistics day. I parked a car pretty close to transition to keep there overnight in order to have access for my bike post-race (with the help of my wife). Next, I checked the gear bags (first time for me), and the bike. There were actually bike tires popping despite it not being THAT hot out. I did let air out, but that made me nervous. My wife then texted me that Mike Reilly was in the merch tent signing books, so I bee-lined it and was able to meet the man behind the voice (Having Mike there was part of what contributed to choosing IMLP as my first full).

After that, I went for a quick 2 mile shake out run, ate lunch, relaxed and then my family picked me up on the dock at our house to go on a boat cruise on Lake Flower. We explored some narrow channels and went through a lock, which was pretty cool.

We had a great dinner at Caffe Rustica that evening. I need to have my pizza/pasta the night before a race.

Race Morning

My first IM race morning! Special needs bags, gear bag checks, lots of walking compared to standard transitions. I got up early to have my same breakfast of oatmeal with milk, PB and banana with a bit of OJ. After that, my full stretching and foam-rolling repertoire.

We headed to transition about 5am, giving me enough time to take care of the usual business and get a quick splash for a warmup.

Swim: 1:00:xx (12th AG, 92nd OA)

Water temp 74 degrees. Water was quite calm. I was in the middle of the first wave and was very happy to see that after I squeezed through some of the later waves of people waiting, that there was plenty of space by the swim start archway. Usually, I have to fight through a tight fenced-in path that felt like we were being herded.

Mike Reilly was right next to me counting down to the start, and I got a high five before inching up to the water. I found myself on the cable fairly quickly and decided it wasn’t too bad so I stayed there. The biggest issue was navigating around the slowpokes who shouldn’t have been in wave 1. I found pockets of open water, but was in pretty tight quarters the whole first lap (just under 29 mins on the watch). Getting out of the water for lap 2 was a first, but wasn’t too disorienting. They even had cups of water! The second lap was tougher with swimmers of all speeds. Definitely lost some time due to navigating around people, but my hip flexors were also really bothering me (never happened before), and I even had to try breaststroke for a moment to try and wake them up (this would come back on the run).

Overall time was an hour flat, pretty much what I expected. Totally happy with it, not having overexerted myself.

T1: 5:39

It is a significant run on carpeted pavement to transition, but I took it easy and felt great. I was excited to use the tent for the first time! The temperature was high low 60s at this point, and definitely cloudy. Having help while changing was great. Definitely took a bit more time to get situated and make sure I get everything out of – and back into – the bag. I didn’t dawdle, but made sure I wasn’t skipping anything.

Bike: 5:23:xx (7th AG, 50th OA)

Lap one was pretty fun, passing a bunch of people, only being passed by a few. The Keene Descent was pretty nuts as people were in aero the whole way. I tried to be smart and sat up for the really sketchy parts. Didn’t lose much time there, and I stuck with a pack for a while almost to the end of lap 1. It was really fun coming through the village and seeing all of the support.

I kept on my nutrition, grabbing bottles of Gatorade to put BTA, and diluting with water when possible with bottle behind the saddle. I probably had about 4 bottles of gatorade and 1-2 of water. I started with 1 clif bar, then moved to a bunch of Clif Bloks until the last hour or so when I switched to gels in anticipation of the run. Generally, ~300cals/hour.

Lap two was much lonelier, and I was on my own for a lot of it. I started lapping some of the slower folks on their first lap, but they weren’t great company since I was just passing by! I did catch a few guys on the Hasleton out and back, but dropped them so that by the time we got to turn home at Wilmington, I was basically by myself. This is the only part of the course that I just don’t like at all – totally fine with the 3 bears, and the other climbs. The final hills certainly hurt more this time around, but there was also a significant wind directly against as the heat and humidity started to rise as well. As my HR monitor wasn’t working, I went by power, cadence and feel to keep myself somewhat in check. The support up the 3 bears and into T2 was such a great vibe, really felt special.

I had my target power at 215w and speed at 21mph, which I was pretty close to overall hitting 210w for NP and 20.8mph. Being my first full, it was hard to tell if I had enough in the tank for the run, but didn’t feel bad. Given that there were ~20 pros, I am quite proud of my bike performance.

T2: 4:22

For the first time ever, getting off the bike and running in T2 had me waddling/shuffling like never before. That concerned me, but went away quickly.

I could really get used to the change tents. It made things pretty easy getting changed over, and they had a trough to pee in on the way out!

Run: 4:10:xx (31st AG, 225th OA)

I started out of transition feeling good, and being yelled at by my brother as he ran alongside me on the other side of the barrier going nuts. Good way to start!

This was my first ever marathon as well…

My plan was to try and hold 8:30 mile pace (3:45 marathon) as long as I could. Heading down the hills, I tried not to overdo it, and had to fight off a side stitch that luckily did subside for a bit. I passed overall Pro leader, Matt Russell, at my mile 5 and his mile 17 or so and got to see the moto and camera which was cool. Offered him some kudos which he returned.

I kept up with gatorade/water/gels for the first loop, and my legs were turning over well enough to stay close to 8:30 pace through about mile 13. Coming back into town up the hills was tough, but I was still feeling okay. My HR had been at the top end of my desired range, but I did keep that in check to allow myself a chance at an okay 2nd half.

It was about mile 15 once I got back down to River Road that my hip flexors really gave out and made it painful just to lift my legs. On top of that, my dreaded side stitch returned in full force. All of this happened as the heat and humidity had risen to a point where water and ice were necessary in the trisuit [Note: Don’t pour so much ice down your back so that it pools against your butt cheek and borderline feels like frostbite is forming].

So this is where the wheels fell off, making nutrition tougher, and walk/run the only choice. I never stopped trying to run, but the pain never subsided enough to go more than 30-60 seconds at a time. The volunteers, spectators, and fellow athletes were very supportive, and a few guys who I had seen all day were in a similar spot so we passed back and forth as we struggled to maintain a slow, steady pace. There were A LOT of people walking, including Pros. It was apparently one of the toughest days for IMLP in decades with a ~15% DNF rate.

Those last 10 miles were frustrating, painful, and definitely made me rethink my run training and what happened that led to my hip flexor issue and side stitch (which has shown up a lot this year). I was doing mental calculations and became quickly impressed with how slow I was going, and how fast 9min/mile now felt. I was running for miles with my hand gripping my side.

Post-race: Finish: 10:44:xx (15th AG, 89 OA)

I was able to muster a bit of strength as I saw my family on the final out and back before the finish, and then once more when I saw that I was on the path to the Olympic Oval for the finish line, I looked around and luckily had no athletes near me. I tried to take it all in as I rounded for the home stretch and saw the red carpet. I high-fived my family, and heard Mike Reilly’s voice mentioning my name and Philly, but I did not hear the words we all know and love…I had to look up the finish video and experience it after the fact – yes he did indeed say it! It was the most emotional I had been at a finish, just a split second, but a new feeling representing to long journey to get there.

Once I finished, I felt good considering. I ate a few bites of food and plenty of fluids, but then started getting a bit tingly. The older lady who was looking after me noticed my fingernails going blue/gray and we decided to go to the med tent. Turns out I was a bit hypoxic and an excess of CO2 in my body had caused some imbalances. Slow breaths exhaling longer than inhaling (for a long time, maybe 15-20 min) got me to a state where I was able to head out. The medical volunteers were great, but the people at the front of the tent confused my wife when she came to check on me, and that caused some worry.

That made the post-race experience a bit anti-climatic not being able to take the pictures and see everyone, however we took care of picking up my gear and got the heck out of there to plan the feast for the evening with the rest of the family. Pizza, rice krispie treats, milkshakes, wine and some compression boots made for a nice little recovery night where we all hung out and discussed the extremely long day.

Post-race: Recovery

The next day, we checked out the roll-down ceremony (where I wound up about 30min away from the position that took the 2nd Kona slot, which is hilarious to even consider). It was inspiring to see this in person for the first time. We also perused the hockey rinks, and soaked up a bit more of the Olympic vibe. So cool that you can just walk through on your own!

My wife and I then checked into the Crowne Plaza in LP for some much needed rest and relaxation where we ate and drank our way through town, did some swimming (lake, pool, hot tub), and shopped a bit too. Our final dinner at Lake Placid Lodge was spectacular.

Final Thoughts

I am very happy with the result, given how brutal my run was. I nailed my swim, bike, and first half of the run. I was able to enjoy myself for the majority of the day, and really appreciated the special environment in Lake Placid with the Olympic history, support and spectators, my family, and the beauty of the course.

Coming into this, I had no idea if I’d ever do another full. I still don’t know what the future race plans are, but am certainly open to the idea. The next one would be flatter, but eventually would love to come back and try IMLP again. A great experience overall!

Race Report | IRONMAN 70.3 Maine 2018

Race information

• What? IRONMAN 70.3 Maine
• When? August 26, 2018
• How far? 70.3 Miles
• Website? http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/maine.aspx

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	<4:44	Yes
B	Top 10% overall	Yes
C	Top 5% overall	Yes

Training

Picking up after my first ever HIM in May, and after my wedding and honeymoon, I restarted Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 Half Ironman Plan (Level 8) so that it lined up with this race.

I developed some severe shin splints and after an x-ray, MRI, and several doctor visits, I was able to get custom orthotics and some PT to help rehab. However, I was not running for about 7 weeks for most of May and June. I had to ease back into running, which was difficult coming off of some of the best fitness I had ever experienced. Whereas I hit 32 miles/week before my race in May, I was only able to get to low 20s before Maine.

On the other hand, the running injury let me focus more on biking and swimming, both of which were in really good places leading up to Maine. I tried to incorporate some strength training again, but was inconsistent as volume increased.

Gear

This was my first race on my Trek Speed Concept 2018, and I continued to use my Castelli Free Sanremo trisuit, Hoka One One Clayton 2 shoes, Garmin FR935 watch, and Louis Garneau bike shoes. I also love my Injinji toe socks for blister prevention and Zoot PCH running shorts in training!

Pre-race

I drove up to Old Orchard Beach with my parents and wife on Friday. On the way, I had to say yes to a lobster roll for lunch so we hit up a nice little spot on the coast.

We checked in to our AirBNB in Saco about 10 minutes away at a great house with a small pool. I then headed over to the Ironman Village to see what the whole Ironman thing was about. I was impressed with the vendors, check-in process, and merch tent. I got a short run in that evening with a few strides to get the legs going.

On Saturday, I woke up a bit early to check out the swim course in morning conditions to assess the glare, wind, and waves and got about a mile in. It’s a pretty cool course starting under the shadow of the pier. After that, ate some breakfast and checked my bike in. We then drove most of the bike course, which was a good idea since there are some tight turns, and some stretches of rough surface…and it is 1 lap so you won’t see anything twice. Overall, it is a great layout with no major climbs and the second half is generally flat or downhill. We actually found a farmstand while driving the course and picked up some fresh produce for meals!

With three sherpas, it definitely made prepping for the race easier as well. I was able to get a solid pizza dinner in, and probably my usual ~5 hours of sleep that night.

I got to transition around 5:15am, and it was dark. Consider bringing a headlamp, but they did have spotlights. The transition area is in a parking lot, so there were patches of grass separating rows of bikes that gave people extra space to put stuff rather than under your bike.

Swim: 25:xx

Water temp 64 degrees. It was extreme low tide, so there was a good 100 yards extra beach and shallow water to run through, which is why my time was so low. Water can be colder than 60, so we got lucky there. Winds were down, and only some mild rollers once you got out past the breakers. The course is basically a square, going out, left, and back. I was almost able to catch a wave on the way in, and was very happy with my time as I exited the water ahead of most.

T1

Wetsuit peelers were at swim exit to help. After getting the arms off and down to your waist, you sit on your butt and they yank the legs. It is a long run on pavement to transition on cold feet, which was a little rough but not damaging. The temperature was high 60s at this point, and no issues with my visor or anything.

Bike: 2:19:xx

This was my first race on my new Trek Speed Concept, and had only ridden it a few time making me feel a little apprehensive. However, I felt good, and knew I was towards the front of the race. I found a guy in front of me, and used him as motivation to keep up (legally). We passed each other a couple times, until we hit a group of 3 other guys. Soon enough, a pack of 4-5 magically showed up at the same time from behind. I believe most of these guys worked together and I saw at least one get flagged to the penalty box. I was unable to stick with this group beyond about mile 35 (I think they were some of the race leaders eventually), but was very happy with my pace so I kept at it – in fact I was by myself for a solid 30-40 minutes. Being a 1 lap course, I did not have to deal with passing slower folks which was nice! The rolling hills allowed for a nice change of effort and gearing to avoid using the same muscles for 2 hours straight. I kept to the same nutrition as with Monticelloman, but had a bottle between my arms, and one behind my seat.

T2

I wasn’t able to look at my watch, so was unaware how fast I went, but I shaved about 13 minutes off my previous best bike split. I felt pretty good as I quickly slid on my shoes and grabbed my race belt, hat and sunglasses.

Run: 1:37:55

I started out of transition and tried to keep my effort in check as was my usual strategy. There were a decent number of spectators cheering, so that was awesome, but made it harder to go easy. Aid stations were plentiful, and volunteers were great.

Knowing that I was unable to train as much, I was hoping to match my run from Monticelloman. I started out a bit faster, and through the first loop, was probably averaging a little under 7:20. The 2-loop course is pretty fast, mostly shaded (if you’re done by 11am or so), and has a nice chunk on packed gravel trail. There are also two decent, short, hills that keep you honest. I definitely faded a bit, but with 4 miles to go I finally looked at my total time, and saw that I could break 4:30 if I averaged about 7:30/mile. This was a true shock, and gave me a new reason to suffer over the last few miles. As I got closer, I was doing the math and ended up breaking that barrier with seconds to spare. It was a real struggle through the red carpet, but it was cool to experience the IM finish chute for the first time and I managed an arm pump.

Post-race

I easily spotted my family, and they were super excited for me, and the performance. They put in a lot of effort trying to see me at multiple spots, which was nice to have. The finisher medal, finisher visor, race shirt and race bag were easily the best swag I’ve received at any race to date.

I probably needed to take in more calories and sodium during the run, as I was hurting badly after finishing. I have never been that tingly, light-headed, and shaky before, but I was fine walking and talking. I was able to take a turn in the Normatec recovery boots, and I felt like a new man after that – seriously helped a lot.

The post-race food was good, and the lobster bake option is certainly nice (I’d consider skipping that and going to a real lobster pound, but to each his own). What was really cool was the big tent with tables and chairs where athletes and family/friends could hang together as opposed to segregated like some events.

The finish line is a 10-15 minute walk from transition, so logistics after the race are pretty brutal. Old Orchard Beach is a family beach town with lots of people walking everywhere and the central area around the pier gets very congested. Try to plan ahead as best you can, and don’t forget the train tracks that run through town making it tough to get where you need to go in a direct manner.

We then stayed in Southwest Harbor near Acadia National Park for 4 more days eating lobster, drinking good wine, and taking in the amazing scenery until we couldn’t move…great recovery!

 

 

Race Report | IRONMAN 70.3 Atlantic City 2018

Race information

• What? IRONMAN 70.3 Atlantic City
• When? September 23, 2018
• How far? 70.3 Miles
• Website? http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/atlantic-city.aspx

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	<4:29	No
B	Top 5 AG	No
C	< 1:36 run	Yes

Training

After my last race only 4 weeks earlier at IM 70.3 Maine, I repeated the last four weeks of Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 Half Ironman Plan (Level 8).

I was able to build up a bit more running volume, and intensity, which I had not been able to do since May. Whereas I hit 32 miles/week before my race in May, I was able to get to the high 20s before AC.

I also tested my bike FTP, cranking it up from 275 to 295, an all-time high. I felt like I was in solid shape in all 3 disciplines, and even practiced a couple new things to speed up my transition.

Gear

This was my second race on my Trek Speed Concept 2018, and I continued to use my Castelli Free Sanremo trisuit, Hoka One One Clayton 2 shoes, Garmin FR935 watch, and Louis Garneau bike shoes.

I rented Zipp 808s for this race for the first time, which ended up being pretty legit. Thanks to Philadelphia Bikesmith for the easy install!

I also love my Injinji toe socks for blister prevention and Zoot PCH running shorts in training!

Pre-race

I drove down to AC on Saturday, checked in (which took about 25 minutes waiting in line), then walked my bike over to transition.

I checked out the swim start/exit, then drove most of the bike course, which was a good idea since there are some stretches of very rough surface. Overall, it is a great flat layout, except for the fact that it is 2.5 laps, so it gets extremely crowded. There were MANY reports of people crashing and needing ambulances.

I stayed in Avalon with family that night. I was able to get my usual pizza dinner, and my usual ~5 hours of sleep that night.

I got to transition around 5:15am, and it was dark. Consider bringing a headlamp, but they did have spotlights. The transition area is part of the huge runways at Bader Field, so there were places to warm up no problem. They did have water in transition, but no Gatorade.

Swim: 29:xx

Water temp 70 degrees. It was nearly a slack tide, so the normal issues of tide coming in or out to slow swimmers down did not affect us. The swim enter and exit are both boat ramps, so a pretty easy situation there. The course is in a protected waterway in the back bays, so not too much in the way of waves. We went off by self-seeded waves, and I was in the first wave to avoid having to swim through people. I felt strong for the first 5 minutes, but my watch said otherwise. I caught the feet of one guy and decided to stay there. I think I could’ve shaved some time off, but overall can’t be too upset with top 20 overall.

T1

It is a fairly short run on pavement to transition, which was a pretty rough . The temperature was high low 60s at this point, and definitely cloudy. I was able to use the shoes-clipped-in method, but the one rubber band didn’t snap so I had to do it with my hand…

Bike: 2:17:xx

This was my second race on my new Trek Speed Concept, and first on the Zipp 808s. As it was predicted to be somewhat windy, I was a little concerned. However, I settled in and didn’t have many issue being blown around. As with Maine, I found a guy in front of me, and used him as motivation to keep up (legally). We passed each other a couple times over the first lap, and lamented the coming onslaught of everyone else as we neared lap 2.

It was hard to tell, but I passed a few people early on, and was passed by a two as well. It was pretty uncomfortable riding in the left lane pretty much the whole time since I was constantly passing folks to the right. On one of the turns, a guy swung very wide and nearly clipped me before I yelled out to him. As the rain picked up, it definitely got scarier out there. As I made my way off of the Atlantic City Expressway for the last time, I was happy to be almost done. Unfortunately the way the race is set-up, we were on the bike for 57+ miles, but some of that is counted in transition times.

I kept to the same nutrition as with Monticelloman, but had a bottle between my arms, and one behind my seat.

T2

I nearly dropped by bike after dismounting, and ejected my water bottle in the process – thanks to a volunteer for helping there. I felt good as I quickly slid on my socks and shoes (kept dry in a plastic bag) and grabbed my race belt, hat and sunglasses.

Run: 1:34:xx

I started out of transition and decided to change up my strategy and see what I could do.

I went out with a couple sub-7 minutes, which is fast for me, and was able to hold ~7min/mi pace until about halfway. I had a new first, peeing while running, which was strangely easy once I was able to relax in the right way…the human body is so weird. As my shoes and socks got wetter, I developed a couple blisters and my feet got heavier. My cadence dropped a bit as it got harder to turn over my legs.

The boardwalk was an interesting – but fast – course, with some nice spots where you could see the waves, but mostly it was tough with the wet boards and water reflecting all of the lights. The final turnaround felt like it would never come…As I got closer, I still knew I was on track for a big PR, and finished strong despite being completely drained.

Aid stations were plentiful, and volunteers were great despite the rain.

Post-race

I easily spotted my wife and mom, and they were super excited for me, and at that time I was 6th in my AG (eventually 9th). The food was perhaps the best I’ve seen, with burgers, fries, bacon, and all the normal stuff. That said, with the bike course as it is, I would be very cautious before doing this race again.

I was very cold after the race since it was chilly and wet. I was able to put on some warmer clothes and a raincoat (you can check your clothes for after the race if desired), then take a turn in the Normatec recovery boots, and I felt like a new man after that yet again.

We then posted up at a German bar and biergarten for a nice second meal!

Race Report | Monticelloman Half 2018

Race information

• What? Monticelloman
• Where? Palmyra, VA
• When? May 6th, 2018
• How far? 70.3 miles
• Website? Monticelloman

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	< 5 hours	Yes
B	< 30 min Swim	Yes
C	Top 3 Age Group	Yes

Background: This is my 1st HIM and 8th tri in total. I did my first sprint in 2015 and was horrible (virtually no running experience, new to road bikes, and swam through high school). I actually trained in 2016 and dropped 12 mins or so and got AG podium, and did another sprint as well. Last year I did 3 Oly/1 Sprint with a couple more AG podiums and a 2nd overall in small-medium races. My plan is to go HIM distance in 2018 to potentially set-up a full IM in 2019.

Training: After last tri season, I decided to do my first HM in November and went about 7:28/mi pace, which I was thrilled with. I have been following training plans and have not had a coach. For this race, I started Matt Fitzgerald’s “Level 8” HIM 20-week plan (12 hours/week average) which has 4 swims, 3 runs, 3 bikes, 1 brick per week. I also followed the first 3 phases of this strength program from a TrainingPeaks blog by Shane Neimeyer. Toward the second half of my plan, I was hard-pressed to find time for strength sessions, so I did what I could.

Gear: This was my first race of the season on my Cervelo R2 2017 with Profile Design T1+ aerobars and the Redshift seatpost, and I continued to use my Castelli Free Sanremo trisuit, Hoka One One Clayton 2 shoes, Garmin FR935 watch, and Louis Garneau bike shoes. I also love my Injinji toe socks for blister prevention and Zoot PCH running shorts in training!

Pre-race: Drove ~4 hours to Charlottesville the day before race, picked up race packet at the venue and scoped out the lake and bike course. The venue is awesome – a gated community – with nice facilities. The swag, shirt, and packet were above average (we got T-blocks with our names/numbers on them too). The weather was a bit iffy with impending rain, but temps and wind were both looking pretty ideal. I did a quick 20 minute ride along some of the run course to just loosen the legs and felt great.

With a later race start at 8:30am, was able to get up at 6am, which was nice. Oatmeal, PB, banana and a bit of berry smoothie. Drove to venue, quick run warm-up with no issues from lingering shin soreness. Got transition set-up (put stuff in plastic bags in case of rain), put wetsuit on and got a brief swim in the lovely 68F water.

Swim: 29:18 – Water temp 68 degrees. Lake water with almost no breeze. Beach start with small field of about 60 men, had to run a bit diagonally across beach to our left, so I stayed on land as long as I could until getting into the water and ultimately co-leading a few guys out. I tried to draft (not much experience there), but the other guy was moving around a bit and took a different line out to the first buoy, which was the long point of the triangular course. At the buoy, I rejoined the other leader and got on his feet most of the way home, which definitely helped save some energy. Got out of the water just behind him feeling good despite swimming just 1-2 seconds slower than my threshold pace.

T1: 1:55 Had to pay attention to getting wetsuit off over my watch and the weird chip timer on my ankle that couldn’t go under the wetsuit at all. Worked that out, washed sand off feet in buckets provided en route to the racks, and got onto the bike in pretty quick fashion. Weather still dry, and a bit cool under 60F.

Bike: 2:32:19 (~21.7mph). I am still riding my Cervelo R2 road bike with clip-on aerobars and forward seatpost, so sacrificing some time to the guys with serious tri bikes. I led the race for about 15 miles of the bike, being led by a motorcycle (pretty cool), and got chased by two dogs, one of which was gaining on me at 21mph so I had to accelerate! 3 guys passed me toward end of first lap, but I was happy with my position. The first lap went well in 22.2mph pace, but the rain started on lap 2, more traffic from vehicles and bikers from shorter distance races, and my legs felt much heavier. So I tried to back off a bit and was able to recover for last 15 mins or so, averaging 21.5mph. Since I was soaking wet, and had to pee…well figure out what happened (never done it before, why not while in my first HIM in the top 4?!). For nutrition, I consumed a large bottle (~32oz) of gatorade with nuun tablet, 1.5 regular bottles of water, 2.5 GU stroopwaffles, 1 GU gel.

T2: 2:45 Rain soaked everything but my shoes and socks, but took me a while to loosen my fingers and get my toe socks on (such a pain, but absolutely love how they prevent blisters). Then spent a few seconds stretching as I know my lower legs can tighten up. High-fived my dad on the way out, feeling good despite some doubts on bike.

Run: 1:37:45 (7:28/mi pace). Course is a roller coaster with lots of rollers and some small loops though the neighborhood. First mile I could not help myself despite trying, and went 7:05, but was able to slow myself on mile 2, when I linked up with the leader of the female race, and we quickly joined forces and ran the whole way together at a good clip. Thanks for the motivation, Katie! I was happy to see my heart rate stabilize in the mid 160s where I was pretty confident I could hold it. For nutrition, I took 2.5 GU gels over the course of the run, and took water/HEED at each station until about mile 8 where I alternated. There were no volunteers giving out water, so we had to stop and pour our own at all but 1 or 2 spots. That cost us at least a minute, but might’ve helped limit myself.

Finish time: 04:44:01

I crushed my time goal, and each leg was as good as I could have hoped for. 4th male, 5th overall, 1st in AG.

Post race: Got some pizza, bananas, and lots of water. Was hoping for some gatorade or coke. There were showers available, which was nice before the awards and long drive home.

Overall, the venue and course were great (albeit a bit short on bike and maybe .1 on the run), however there were a few issues with vehicular traffic, and lack of volunteers/people at aid stations. I would do it again if I lived closer.

What’s next: Getting married, a few sprints and olympics, then IM 70.3 Maine in August. Going to be focusing on muscular endurance and improving my bike time.

Thanks for reading!