My day started off earlier than expected when I woke up at 2:30am, an hour earlier than I had set my alarm. But, I was wide awake and ready to hurt myself, so I got up and had breakfast. Oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, and peanut butter with a few cups of coffee to wash it down. This was likely the first time I have ever eaten food at 3am that wasn't a hangover prevention tactic. After a warm shower and packing the cooler with cookies, coke, and beer for after the race (or during if it all goes to hell) I was ready to hit the road.
An eclectic mix of Paul Simon, Walk The Moon, and Aziz Ansari stand-up kept me in good spirits as I drove down to the Mohonk Preserve. I always enjoy how beautiful the mountains are at dawn with fog laying low in the valleys and sunshine lighting up the peaks. It sure is a stellar backdrop for the impending torture. Arriving at 6am I was one of the first bikes to rack in transition. By the time I set up my bike and unpacked all my gear, it was nearly time for the 7am start. A screeching rendition of the National Anthem on bagpipes by the Race Director made us all want to start running as soon as possible and with a special blend of endurance, intensity, and insanity, the Long Courses started our race.
Run #1: 8.25mi, 1:02:14, 7:33/mi
The race started off calmly until we got to the top of the first climb and the sign directed us in the opposite direction than what was marked the previous years. A few of us who had done it in the past figured something was wrong with the usual route - maybe an impassable trail due to a downed tree, who knows? We ran about 10 minutes before we crossed a bridge and made the decision to direct all the Long Course athletes back to where we deviated.
After some debating about finishing the loop or running back to transition, we decided to finish the normal route and turn the 5mi run into 8.25mi. "What's an extra 3.25mi?" asked some guy from Boston who had never done this race before...it's a whole F*!&ING lot on this course! Tony Tanzi (a stellar runner) and this Boston kid took the lead but didn't know where they were going and got turned around a few times.
I stayed calm and relaxed with my Zofingen mentor Mitch West. He shepherded me through the first half of my first Long Course in 2012 and is one hell of a guy. It was quite a relaxing run actually. We chatted a bit and laughed about of some of the guys that didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Most of the group came in a little over an hour, about 20 minutes added to the normal Run #1 time.
Run #1 Numbers
Time: 1:02:14
Avg Pace: 7:33/mi
Avg HR: 165 bpm
Elevation Gain: 912ft
Bike: 84mi, 4:28:58
I started the bike knowing that this is where I could make or break my race. My boy Colin Martin took off like a bat out of hell on the first climb and set the tone for the race. I was confident my bike fitness after all the hill and strength work I had put in over the past few months. I pushed the pace hard on the first lap to catch try to catch Tony and Colin. 87 minutes and 275W average on the first lap meant I had taken it out a little hard. I was going to suffer on the last lap if I didn't calm down a bit.
I caught Tony towards the end of the first lap and we climbed up Mohonk together to start the second lap. We were told we were about 5min behind Colin. Damn! I was hoping he was biking too brazenly and was going to fade. If I wanted to catch him I was going to have to push the pace even more. I bombed down the Mohonk descent hitting a max speed of 55mph and passed Tony to never see him again - thankfully. Now it was time to catch Colin.
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| Excellent aid station volunteers |
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| Refueled and feeling good |
The rest of Lap 2 was lonely. I caught up to a few Short Course and Middle Distance athletes and asked them how far up Colin was. I got varying responses anywhere from 2min to 10min. It didn't seem that I was not closing the gap. Finally, at the end of the 2nd lap I passed a girl at the beginning of the Mohonk climb who said Colin had 10min on me. It turned out she was his sister, Caitlin, and may have exaggerated the gap for her brother's benefit! 86min and 260W for the second lap, at least I was staying relatively steady...for now.
Lap 3 was atrocious. My HR dropped steadily and so did my power. 230W average and 94 min (including the dirt road climb back to transition). It seemed that I took the bike out too hard and was going to have to hold on to 2nd place on the run. Something that I have never seemed to do in any multisport race. Usually, I get passed in the run by fast runners. But as they say, "AmZof is where open run speed goes to die!"
Bike Numbers
Time: 4:28:58
Avg Speed: 18.6mph
Max Speed: 55.0mph
Avg Power: 250W
Elevation Gain: 9,123ft
Run #2: 15mi, 2:14:25
Time to test my mettle. I overbiked a little bit and I could suffer miserably on the last 15mi of the race. I had a good feeling I was well ahead of 3rd place but I knew I was about 5min behind Colin when I saw him half a mile into the run as I was biking back into T2. I would have to run hard to catch him and to stay ahead of 3rd place.
My legs felt surprisingly good coming off the bike. Probably because of the complete lack of power I was putting out on the 3rd lap. My goal was to keep all my laps under 48min. Lap 1 I felt strong. No food, just water on the trail. But towards the end of the loop I started to get a bit fatigued. Good thing I had my rocket fuel Coke bottle at the pavilion. Lap 1 came through at about 43:00 - perfect pacing.
Lap 2 is always the hardest. In the middle you're thinking about how you still have one more lap to run and you start doubting that you can do it. Even though my plan was to hike swiftly on the ups and run hard on the downs, I still managed to fall twice over roots and rocks while hiking up. I swear I fell more on these laps of running than I ever have before on any other trail. Finished Lap 2 a bit slower in 44:00, but was still holding the gap to 3rd place and felt good. Another swig of rocket fuel and I was back out for Lap 3.
Lap 3 was comforting because I knew I had about 15min on 3rd place and unless I completely blew up I would be able to hold on to 2nd place. Took in some Espresso GU along the 5mi and fell a few more times but then I was 1mile from the finish and knew I had 2nd locked up. One more easy downhi- FALL! HAMSTRING CRAMP! I immediately thought I was doomed. I was going to lose my 2nd place spot because I fell for the 5th time during the race and I was only a mile from the finish.
I laid on the ground for what seemed like forever as I waited for my hamstring to relax. In reality it was probably only 20-30 seconds but it was agony. I hobbled my way onward down the hill and off the technical descent and knew I would at least be on my feet for the last half mile.
Came through the finish of Lap 3 in about 48min and still beat my time from last year, despite the 3mi run detour. 2nd Place overall is not a bad way to finish such a devastatingly difficult race!
Run #2 Numbers
Lap 1: 42:27
Lap 2: 44:14
Lap 3: 47:47
Avg Pace: 8:57/mi
Avg HR: 157 bpm
Elevation Gain: 2350ft
Total Time: 7:47:26 - Including the 3mi run detour!
2013 Time: 7:51:01
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| #1 and #2 (even through my hand looks like 3) This is the most official podium shot you will find coming out of American Zofingen. Going home with another stein is always a good feeling! |
Overall results posted here:
http://yellowjacketracing.com/files/user/AmZof_2014_Du_OV_LongCourse.htm
Overall an absolutely stellar race. I was proud and elated after the race. I was super fit after 8 weeks of hard work coached by JP Severin. Thanks JP! Although, after 3 years of Long Course in a row, I don't know if I have the gumption for a 4th year. We'll have to play it by ear and see how I feel come registration time.
