Rev3 Niagara Falls Barrelman Half - 09/17/2017

What a day this was!  This was the first race collaboration between Multisport Canada and Revolution3 Triathlon - two companies who pride themselves on taking care of their athletes and providing a family-friendly race weekend.  Furthermore, I got to see some great friends on the Rev3 Ambassador team, which is always a blast!

The race is a two-transition race, meaning T1 and T2 are in different locations.  This increases some of the complexity for the athlete when it comes to packing, gear drop-off, and race morning setup but Multisport Canada (MSC) and Rev3 did a great job with instructions so it all went smoothly.

The race starts in Welland, ON and finishes in Niagara Falls, ON just upriver from the Horseshoe Falls.  Great venues on both ends with plenty of accommodations for athletes and spectators alike.

Anyway, without further ado...here we go.

Swim - 1.9km (1.2mi)

The rectangular, 1 loop swim takes place in the Welland International Flatwater Centre which is set up for rowing regattas and is therefore lined with small buoys.  These buoys are all cabled together underwater and the water is clear enough to see the cable throughout the whole swim.  Which means...no sighting required!

Given that I hadn't swum once since my last race in mid-August, I didn't expect much out of myself for this swim.  I figured if I could be close to 30min, I would be content.

My wave went off right behind the elites/pros at 9:01am (yes! 9am start!!! More on that later).  I started up near the front of the wave so as to get a good line on the cable and within the first hundred meters I was swimming right over the top of it with a few other athletes off to my sides.

I settled into a decent pace and stayed on top of the cable which meant I was swimming right into the small softball sized buoys every 100m.  No issues, but they were always a surprise when my hand or head hit them before I saw them.

I was swimming beside an athlete for the 900m out to the first turn buoy and decided to settle in behind him for the return leg of the swim to conserve some energy.  Unfortunately, a few other athletes caught us and we caught some pros from Wave 1 and it got congested from 1200m to 1800m.  Again, no serious issues, just lots of flailing arms and legs.

A decent sized group of us hit the final turn buoy and started racing towards swim out.  At swim out, we had to run in front of the stadium seating and up some stairs to where our bikes were racked.

Swim Stats:
Time: 30:23
Pace: 1:31/100m
Overall Place: 24/863
Age Group Place: 2/36

Bike - 86km (53.5mi)

I knew this bike course was going to be fast, but I wasn't sure how fast it would actually turn out to be.  After spending 5 years biking on the constantly rolling hills around Albany, I'm used to changing gears frequently to climb and descend.  However, I could have ridden a single-speed on this course because the only time I shifted was to stand up to stretch for a bit.

Regardless, the transition to bike out was long and bumpy.  I almost lost a bottle, a clipped in shoe, and my bike computer on the 100m run out of T1 to the bike mount line which I thought was annoying.  In hindsight, I should have paid more attention on race-morning to know where the mount line was and prepare accordingly.

The first mile or two was a quite bumpy due to frost heaves and I had to ride in the hoods and hold onto my Gatorade in my aerobar bottle cage to keep it from falling out.  Once on the better pavement I settled in and prepared for a long steady flat ride.

Roads too bumpy to ride aero or to get a focused picture

The first 20mi heads SW towards the north side of Lake Erie.  I figured I'd try to hold ~250W (~80% FTP) for the whole bike so I got comfortable and kept my cadence low around 75rpm.  At that effort, I was amazed that I was holding ~24mph on these flat roads.  It felt smooth and fast.  My nutrition plan was to drink water/gatorade at 15min intervals and take a gel every 30min.

I passed a few riders ahead of me including some female pros and didn't see anyone closing in on me from behind.  I knew based on the spacing of the athletes that I was near the front, but I couldn't tell how many were ahead of me.

Unfortunately, given my lack of bike training the past year or so I developed a pain in my lower back within the first hour and had to stretch it every 20min.  It distracted me and caused my power to drop in the later stages of the bike.  I'll need to work on my bike fit and back strength/flexibility to fix it in the future.

About midway through the bike

The second half of the bike returns NE up the same road we biked on earlier as we begin our trek towards Niagara Falls.  Once I got back on the main road (Clarendon St) I was biking the opposite direction from huge packs of athletes.  Some packs had 15-20 athletes in them and I can only imagine the frustration in that type of congestion.  Drafting penalties would be difficult to avoid and should have been handed out gratuitously, but I didn't see many officials.

Still, the bike remained flat and fast and even though there wasn't much wind, there was still a little bit of a tailwind as we zig-zagged our way North and East and cruised along at 23-25mph.  The second hour of the bike my power dropped a little bit (245W) but I was stretching a little more than usual and I backed off a little on the spots with a tailwind.  There were a few short sections (1/4 - 1/2 mile) of patchy pavement that forced some bunny hops and swerving to avoid big holes, so let's hope they can improve those sections for future races.

The temps kept getting hotter and hotter though as I got to mile 45 I noticed my Garmin said 84deg F, so it was shaping up to be a hot run!  By this point, I had finished two bottles of water, two Gatorades, and 5 Powergels so I felt well fueled to head into the run.  The last section of the bike takes you along the Niagara River as you head towards T2.  Some faster bikers had caught up by this point and some of the bike/run and swim/bike athletes were catching up too.  I let my cadence come up to 85-90rpm and put down a little more fluid to prep for the run.

Even though the bike was a few km short, this was still by far my fastest and most efficient HIM (W/HR) bike to date.

Bike Stats:
Time: 2:12:40
Speed: 24.1mph
Power: 245W avg / 250W NP
Cadence: 81rpm
Heart Rate: 160bpm avg
Overall Place: 12/863
Age Group Place: 1/36


Run - 21km (13.1mi)

After a disappointingly tough run at Rev3 Pocono last month where I blew up around mile 7, I figured I would try to run conservatively and keep my HR low for the first lap of the two lap run course.

Coming out of T2 I was in 9th place overall and felt pretty good in terms of fueling and hydration.  But the only question was the high temps and if I would be able to handle it.  Given the 9am start, I began running right before noon and would be running through the hottest part of the day.  At first, I thought the 9am start would be awesome when the temps were lower - sleep in, take my time in the morning, and have a relaxed 9am start.  But now, I was wishing the start had been pushed to 7am to avoid running in the hottest part of the day!

For the first few miles, I felt great despite the direct sunlight.  I tried to stay calm and smooth to keep my HR down but it just would not drop.  I took on water and ice at each aid station to try to stay cool, but it was to no avail.  I was cooking, but not in a good way.

I went through 5km in 21:22, which is about 6:50/mi pace but I had a dreadful feeling that the pace would not stay steady.  Miles 4 and 5 slowed a little to 7:15 pace, but again I felt I was running within myself.  Unfortunately, I broke down mentally as I ran along Niagara Parkway beside bumper to bumper traffic.  The direct heat from the sun, the heat off the cars, and the exhaust fumes were a combination that distracted me.  At the end of the first lap I knew I was in for a death march on Lap 2.

Miles 8-12 were all above 8min/mi as I had to walk/run to take in fluids, ice, and coke.  My stomach almost revolted a few times to the coke but I managed to keep it all in.  Finally, something clicked (probably the coke) around mile 12 and I was able to bring the pace back down to low 7min pace for the last mile.  Unfotrunately, it was too late to do anything appreciable.  The last mile was painful and my race finishers pics are proof of the discomfort.  But nevertheless, I managed to PR* (*short bike) at the HIM distance and cross the line in 20th place overall and 2nd in my Age Group.

Run Stats:
Time: 1:40:31
Pace: 7:45/mi
Heart Rate: 164bpm


Total Time: 4:26:58
Overall Place: 20/863
Age Group Place: 2/36

2nd Place AG Winners.  Bottle of Pinot Grigio and a Silver Barrelman Medal.

Overall Thoughts:

Multisport Canada and Rev3 put on a stellar race this past weekend.  They had great venues for both T1 and T2, a well-martialed bike course with attentive police, volunteers, and aid stations, and a course that is worthy of super speedy times if the weather is right!  I'll definitely be back in the future to try my luck again on this fast course!

There was plenty of competition given the prize purse available and there was no shortage of being star-struck as I got to shake hands with Cody Beals when he handed me my Age Group award, I made some penis jokes with Matty Reed in the Normatec booth, and I got to sit next to women's race winner Jennie Hansen after the race.  If I was more braver (that's a word, right?) I would have selfied with all of them and instagrammed it so hard.  But alas, I'm not and I didn't, so you'll just have to believe me that all that happened!

Survival of the Shawangunks Triathlon - 9/11/2016

This took a while to post because I had so few pictures of the race.  I didn't want to bore anyone with a wall of text, so I waited until I could break it up with a few images.

This race is the most unique triathlon I have ever done and easily one of the most exclusive in terms of how fast it sells out.  In order to successfully register, you have to wait up until 12:01am on Nov. 1 the year prior and fill in all your info as fast as possible.  This year's race sold out in less than 10 minutes.  The race format is as unique as the race is tough to get into.  The 8 stages are as follows:

1. Bike 30mi
2. Run 4.5mi
3. Swim 1.1mi
4. Run 5.5mi
5. Swim 0.5mi
6. Run 8 mi
7. Swim 0.5mi
8. Run 0.7mi

The race starts just outside of New Paltz, NY which is an area I am familiar with after having done the American Zofingen Duathlon for the past several years.  It is a short drive from Albany so Wife and I drove down in the morning (one of us slept the whole way...but I think I'll forgive her).

Anyway, the times I list below are from my own personal splits, not the race results.  My splits do not include the transitions between disciplines.

Bike: 30mi

The race was a wave bike start and as one of the younger athletes racing, I started in Wave 1 with all the men under 35 and the Open category racers.

  

Minutes before the start.

I wasn't too sure how to ride the 30mi ride considering it was only going to be ~1/4 of the total race time, so I figured I would ride it somewhere between HIM and Oly power/RPE and just see what happens for the rest of the race.

Within a few miles I was in the lead and had put a good gap between the rest of the racers in my wave.  The scenery of the ride was gorgeous and the road conditions were perfect.  I stayed controlled and enjoyed the police escort.

A few miles in and leading the bike

Around mile 15 it started sprinkling and then a few miles later the skies opened up and it poured.  It was raining hard enough that I had trouble seeing the road because of the droplets on my sunglasses, but it was still better than the wind blowing rain into my eyes.  The rain lasted for only 10minutes but then the wind picked up.  Miles 20-25 were straight into the wind.  Power stayed constant and speed dropped precipitously.

Great shot with no one behind me

The first 25mi were fairly flat with a few rollers mixed in, but the last 5mi are straight uphill...1137ft uphill to be exact.  Within 30 seconds a group of 4 guys passed me, all within the draft-zone of each other, so that was a little obnoxious but I didn't see any draft marshals out there so it was a honor code kind of thing.  Luckily one guy yelled at the other two and they started backing off a bit.  I guess some people are only interested in doing the least amount of work.

Dismounting at Transition

 Coming into T1 was interesting because there was no official transition area.  I dismounted at the line and Anna directed me to where she set up my shoes and cap/goggles near the car.  I handed her the bike, slipped on my Saucony Kinvara and grabbed my cap&goggles and took off out to the first run.

Bike Stats:
Time: 1:31:30
Speed: 20mph
Power: 260W
Heart Rate: 165bpm (humid!)


Run #1: 4.5mi

The first run is like a continuation of the last 5mi on the bike, it is a gradual uphill for the first 3mi and then it levels off as you run to the far end of Lake Awosting to begin the first swim.

Run #1 Elevation Profile

I felt reasonably decent after the bike, but it was tough to judge since my legs were tired from the bike and I wasn't used to continuing to run uphill right off the bike.  I peed once so at least I knew I was well hydrated.  I passed a few people on the steep sections when they started walking and finally hit the flats around Lake Awosting and let my legs stretch a bit.  I got around to the west end of the lake and saw the entrance to Swim 1 so I put on my cap while running to save some time at the swim entrance.

Run #1 Stats:
Time: 33:20
Pace: 7:43/mi
Elev Gain: 457ft
Heart Rate: 171bpm


Swim #1: Lake Awosting 1.1mi

End of Swim #1

The first swim was the longest and would be the most challenging.  I hadn't been swimming all that much and it would be the first time of the day to swim with my shoes shoved down the back of my tri shorts.  I had tried this setup in practice with my local club a few times, so I knew I could still swim decently well, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy.

The water temperature was perfect and the swim was relatively uneventful.  I drank some of the water because it was so clear, I suppose I was still risking some illness, but I was thirsty, so whatever.  No vomit, no foul, I suppose.

Swim #1 Stats:
Time: 24:30
Pace: 1:10/100yd *This seems unlikely, I'm not that fast of a swimmer



Run #2: 5.5mi

The second run continued the uphill trend through the halfway point and then it was a long downhill on carriage trails the rest of the way to the second swim.

Run #2 Elevation Profile

Coming out of Lake Awosting I got a cold and chilly since the wind started picking up.  Then my quads cramped ever so slightly, so I doubled down on PowerGel and water and hoped the cramps wouldn't return.

I just heard there were going to be whitecaps...I was not too excited

This is by far the most beautiful section of the course. If I hadn't been racing I would have stopped to take pictures half a dozen times.  If I ever race this course again and this race report makes you think about doing this race, I encourage you to stop and take pictures along this leg...especially if you're in front of me.

Run #2 Stats:

Time: 43:05
Pace: 7:40/mi
Heart Rate: 166bpm

Swim #2: Lake Minnewaska 0.5mi

Swim #2 entrance

Swim #2 exit - my face says it all

Again, to save some time I put my goggles and cap on before getting to the transition into Lake 2.  A volunteer right before the lake warned of whitecaps due to the wind.  I mentally prepared for a tough swim and I was not disappointed.  Luckily, this swim leg has a rope that ties buoys together from start to finish.  I stayed next to the rope in order to swim straight and motored through the choppy water.  I was happy to see the end of the swim.

Wife's picture from the cheering section

Swim #2 Stats:

Time: 14:05

Pace: 1:20/100yd

Run #3: 8.0mi

The longest run of the day comes at the hardest part of the race.  3hrs into the day and it starts out with a steep downhill on the only section of road the entire day.  Needless to say, after running 10mi on trails and carriage roads, the transition to road is hard enough but add in the steep downhill and it makes the first half mile a miserable quad-crushing experience.

Suns out guns out.

I passed two people in the transition to Run #3 so I knew I was moving up in the overall standings, probably in the Top 5 but I wasn't sure.

I knew there were only two aid stations along this run leg so I fueled up well at each one.  Gel, water, gatorade, and coke.  The section of trail runs right along some of the best rock climbing in the catskills so the trail was crowded with climbers which offered some good distraction from mile 4.5-6.5 of this run.

The sun started coming out and it got a little warm and muggy on the trails.  The only reasonable option in this case is to expose as much skin as possible.  Enter the bro top.

This run also features the toughest climb of the day, the venerable Godzilla Climb - 0.7mi, 343ft climbing, 9% avg grade.  This wonderful little climb shows up at mile 7 of the 8mi run leg.  I walked and ran up this as best as I could but I was in survival mode at this point.  Knowing I only had about 20 minutes left in the race, I was simply hoping to not get passed by anyone.

Run #3 Stats:
Time: 1:01:55
Pace: 7:53/mi
Heart Rate: 168bpm

Swim #3: Mohonk Lake 0.5mi

Upon the entrance to the last swim leg, which is known to be slightly short of 0.5mi, I was mentally and physically exhausted.  I must have been holding my arms weirdly during the previous 8mi run because my left bicep cramped right as I entered the water.  Fortunately, I stretched it out and it didn't come back the rest of the swim.  Regardless, that was an interesting place for a cramp to show up this late in a race.

Mohonk Mountain House.  Photo courtesy of chictraveler.com

This is another part of the race that is worth taking in the views.  You swim right up to the Mohonk Mountain House which sits up on a cliff high above the water.  The Mohonk Mountain House is a ritzy hotel where the upper echelons of society stay.  Well, that may not be true, but it's either rich people or people that are willing to spend $800+/night on a hotel room and meals, which is not how I normally stay in hotels.


Either way, the swim was uneventful and enjoyable as I reached the rock climb to exit the water.  Yes, that's right, a few large rocks to climb up in order to put your shoes back on.  The volunteers were great and asked me my name and then cheered loudly as I started my way up the climb to the Skytop Tower.

Swim #3 Stats:
Time: 10:31
Pace: 1:10/100yd *This seems unlikely, I'm not that fast of a swimmer

Run/Climb #4: 0.7mi

This last section was a steep steep climb up to the Skytop Memorial Tower.  My watch only had 0.5mi in total distance, but with a total climb of 282ft, for an average grade of 11%!!!!!

This was mostly a walk/hike up to the last 100m where you could run to the finish.  I hit the line after five and half minutes of being slightly annoyed that this was the last part of the race, which probably has more to do with overall exhaustion and dehydration than the actual venue or the course.  I came across the line in 4th place overall for a total time of 4:49:46, about 15min behind the winner.

Finishing shot.  4th Overall

1st in M25-29

Overall, the race was a great experience. I performed well, the course was beautiful and challenging, and it was a unique race that I'll always remember.  The post-race food was the best I've ever had.  It was prepared by the Mohonk Mountain House kitchen and was a buffet of spare ribs, clams, mac&cheese, burgers, chicken, Italian sausages, ice cream, pie, cake, and free Budweiser sponsored by one of the local bars. It was spectacular and delicious.  The buffet location was gorgeous too in the outdoor ice-rink with a huge fireplace and a good view of the lake.

Trying to capture the beauty of the area but my ugly face got in the way

However, I doubt I'll ever do this race again.  It is just a little bit too expensive for what it was ($475 plus fees and tickets for Wife's dinner).  Additionally, there were no instructions or directions to help spectators get from the expansive parking lot at the Mohonk Mountain House to the Skytop Tower.  So, unfortunately, Wife missed me finish by almost 15minutes.  This seems like a really easy thing for the race organizers to fix and I have contacted them about it, so I hope it changes in the subsequent races to benefit future racers and spectators.  

Rev3 Maine Olympic - 8/28/16

I'm a bit delayed on posting this race report, but I had my first wedding anniversary and a wonderful trip to Acadia National Park, so I had other priorities to tend to.

Anyway, Rev3 Maine was AWESOME!!!  Seriously the best race venue I have ever been to.  Dog-friendly hotels all up and down the beach, transition was just a few minutes walk from the hotel, and race start was literally right out the front door of our hotel on the beach.  The weather was perfect too, so that helps.

Timber welcoming people at Packet Pickup

Here's the recap:

Swim

This was my first time racing in the ocean so there were a few things I was concerned about.  Namely, the disgusting taste of saltwater.  I swallowed some in the practice swim and nearly threw up.  Then of course, I did the same thing in my warm-ups before the race start.  So, I just hoped I wasn't going to be gagging the whole time while racing.

The pro women started 5min ahead of Wave 1 and I watched them dolphin dive effortlessly over the waves and figured I could do the same...WRONG!  My wave was full of some fast swimming collegiate athletes so they shot off and were 25m ahead of me before I could even get into a rhythm.

Race morning on the beach

Timber spent the morning digging holes on the beach

I tried to stick on some feet but they seemed to be moving a little slow so I went at it alone and had a decent swim.  The buoy spacing was a little far apart so it was tough to tell that you were actually making progress on the buoy in front of you, but I got there soon enough.  I caught a decent wave and rode it in the last few meters to the beach, so that was fun.

The run up to T1 was almost 0.5mi, so I tried to make up some time on the faster swimmers but it was tough to get my legs moving after that swim.  I jogged in and exchanged some expletives and eye-rolls about the length of T1 with other athletes along the way.

Swim Stats:

Time: 20:17

Pace: 1:15/100yd

Overall Rank: 7/315

Bike

I knew the bike was flat and fast, but I didn't know just how flat it would be!  After spending 5 years riding in mountains and hills around Albany, I was flattened by disbelief...

Anyway, all puns aside, I was more fit than I was at Rev3 Pocono earlier in the month so I pushed more watts at a lower HR.  The biggest issue I have with racing short course, as I've found out in the past month, is maintaining the focus and pressure on the bike.  It's so easy to settle into HIM pace on the bike but with such a short race, the bike is critical.

I took one Powergel early in the bike followed by some Powerbar Perform and kept drinking every 10min along the way.  I was constantly trying to refocus on maintaining effort and power.  The bike was super easy to navigate and had some fun turns along the way that you can maintain speed if you hit them right.

A few miles before the turnaround I saw a few athletes coming back my way and noticed a few collegiate athletes that seemed a little close together, but I didn't catch their numbers (not that it would be too hard to find out who they were) but I wasn't overly concerned about it.  I race my race and just get a little annoyed when I see others drafting.

The turnaround features a little loop through a neighborhood so you can't get an exact gauge on how far ahead/behind you are but it is a decent benchmark.  After hitting the turnaround the ride back is a net downhill so you can really fly!  It was fun!  The road was in great condition and the weather was just starting to heat up but it was mostly shaded so it was perfect riding conditions.

I passed a couple female pros on the bike but I knew one of them was a fast runner, so I figured I would be seeing her again shortly into the run.  One more Powergel with a few miles to go and I was all fueled up for a fast run.

Bike Stats:

Time - 1:02:11
Speed - 23.9mph
Max Speed - 39.7mph
Power - 283W
Cadence - 84rpm
Heart Rate - 165bpm
Overall Rank - 7/315

Run

I had a great T2 and started my run knowing I was at least a few minutes down on the leaders but I was in 5th place overall, so I was still in good shape.

It's always nice to see an empty T2

 I wanted to run steady and within myself because I was just starting to feel better after a summer of poor training.  I got passed quickly by Abby Levene who was bookin' and I had no chance of staying with her so I ran according to my plan and did my best to stay cool.  The run was shaded almost the whole way which was great as it was starting to get warm.  I took water at each aid station to drink and dump on my head.

I went through Mile 1 in 6:17 as I was trying in vain to keep up with Abby then I settled into my own pace and ran 6:30's for Mile 2 and 3.  Water down the hatch and water on head at each aid station.  There was nobody in sight for until I neared the turnaround where I got to see how I was stacking up against everyone else.

One of the Wassner sister's was just a minute or so ahead of me but with only 3mi to go, I knew I wasn't going to catch her.  I had a mere 10sec on a guy who looked like a stronger runner than me and I knew the catch was inevitable.

He passed me shortly after then turnaround and then my goal was to maintain place.  Mile 4 was 6:45, which had to do with the turnaround and a short climb.  More water at the next aid stations and I was in the home stretch after a 6:22 and 6:27 mile 5 and 6.  Very even splits if I do say so myself.

Total Race Time: 2:06:21

I crossed the line and am now finally able to claim that I ran a sub-40 10k in an Olympic tri, because that has never happened before.  And on top of that, I maintained my place and ended up 7th Overall, 6th if you don't include the Female Pros.  Good enough to get on top of the M 25-29 podium again!

Best race medals ever!

Run Stats:
Time - 39:25
Pace - 6:22/mi
Heart Rate - 172bpm
Overall Rank - 6/315

I like that top step!

Overall Rev3 Maine is a stellar event.  Thank you to Rev3 staff and my kickass Rev3 Teammates for all the fun, laughs, and support along the way!  Next race is Survival of the Shawangunks on Sep 11.  If you don't know what that is, follow the link and prepare to be amazed!

I would be remiss if I did not thank Wife for allowing this race to occur one day before our 1 year anniversary!  One lap done, many more to go!  We spend the next few days hiking beautiful trails in Acadia national park and sleeping on the ground with a skunky dog in the tent, but we had a great time.

We love parks!

Rev3 Pocono Olympic - 8/7/2016

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HITS Kingston Half - 7/11/2015

Well, long story short, I ended up with a big, nasty, disgusting DNF.  If you want the full story, you can read on.  But a forewarning, it will not be positive and it will be verbose.  I do not have kind words to say about how this race was managed.  So, if you only want the details, just look for the race results online (on which I'm not included).  If you want my frustrated rambles, proceed on my friend.

Race Morning

The race was held in Kingston, NY, which is only an hour south of Albany, so it was an easy drive down in the morning from home.  Except of course for having to wake up at 3:15am, but that's all part of the game I guess.

Breakfast was oatmeal with peanut butter, 2 cups of coffee, and some water.

Packed up the car and left Albany at 4:15am.

An hour later we got to Kingston.  This race had two different transition areas so I had to organize all my gear for that after picking up my packet. I knew about this ahead of time so I was mostly prepared, but at packet pickup there were others who were completely surprised.

I packed my run stuff into the provided garbage bag marked with my number and dropped it off at T2.  It was nice that they provided staff/volunteers to handle the bags, but it would have been nicer to let us take the bags to our transition spots so that we would know where to go when we came into T2, but that was not the case...more on that later.

HITS provided a shuttle to take racers to the swim start a mile down the road, but it was 6am and it was a nice morning, so Anna and I walked into the sunrise together.  It was pretty and a really nice way to relax before the race start instead of cramming on to a shuttle with a dozen other jittery nervous triathletes.  The shuttle did not take spectators back to T2/Finish after the swim though, so spectators had to walk back.  No problem for Anna, but possibly an issue for others.

When I got to transition the first thing I noticed was a huge line at the 2 porta-potties (yes, only two!)  Then I noticed how tightly packed the bikes were in the racks.  Tight enough that there would be no way to run out of your rack beside your bike.  It looked like everyone would have to pick up their bike to avoid hitting race wheels with their pedals on the way out.

I finally set up my spot and started putting on my Rocket Science Sports wetsuit and made my way to the swim start to find out that the course had been changed the night before.  WHAT?!  Now, instead of a two-loop swim for the Half distance, it was a straight line of buoys out and back - buoys always on the left.

Swim

The swim start was uneventful.  I quickly found myself leading the swim by the first buoy a few hundred meters in.  But without turns, I had no idea how far back anyone was.  So, I settled into a steady pace, tried my best to swim straight, and avoided swallowing as much Hudson River water as I could.

Not a bad place for a swim start

I got out to the far buoy and made the turn to see a few people 50-100m behind.  I started making my way back with the same mindset - calm, strong, and controlled; there's nothing like over-swimming to ruin the rest of your race.

They had started the Olympic distance athletes after the Half and Full racers, so on my way back to shore, I swim right into some Olympic athletes. With a few hundred meters before the shore I nearly smacked a woman in the face who was swimming the Olympic course.  There were Olympic race colored caps all over in the water and it looked like they were all swimming toward different points on the shore.  One hundred meters to the beach and I swam into a rope that sectioned off the public swimming area of the beach.  It tore my goggles off, but my contacts were ok and I was close enough to shore that it wasn't a big problem.

I ran up the beach and into T1 and heard Anna tell me that I was the 2nd Half into the transition.  I was surprised because I was leading the swim the whole time, but oh well.

I got to my bike, stripped my wetsuit, put all my swim stuff in my T1 bag, and then had to carry my bike out of my spot to avoid hitting the other bikes crammed into the row.  It may not have delayed me at all, but it was just annoying.

When I mounted my bike I heard the announcer say I was the first Half athlete out of T1.  Off to a good start!  The guy Anna saw must have been wearing the wrong colored swim cap.

Heading out onto the bike in first place

Swim Stats:
Time - 27:10
Pace - 1:24/100m
Overall Rank - 1/65 - Fastest swim of the day! Thanks Rocket Science Sports!

Bike

The bike started with a steep uphill.  My heart rate was soaring from the swim but I let it stay high for a bit as I climbed the hills out of T1.

The lead motorcycle stayed in front of me and guided me onto the bike course.  Let me first say that if you have to take an on-ramp onto the bike course, it may not be the best road to bike on.  It made me nervous to ride on to Rte 9 and I was following the lead moto!  I can't imagine what people behind me with no one to follow thought of the course.  Even worse was that without the lead moto pointing out the turns, I would have missed several of them.  The bike course turns were printed on one 8.5"x11" sheet of paper, taped on small A-frame stands, then placed right at the corner of the intersection at which we were to turn.  This happened at every intersection on the course - no warning of an upcoming turn until you got there.  Luckily, I had the moto.

I was alone for the first hour of the ride with the moto which was mostly uphill.  There was a lot of debris on the shoulders and a lot of patchwork paving on the road, plus a ton of traffic on Routes 9, 29, and 209.  It was a little scary.  The first hour I averaged 21.5mph, 252W, and 163bpm.

Around mile 25 I looked behind me and saw my buddy Colin coming.  I have raced against him, and not beaten him, on multiple occasions.  He caught me in a few minutes and we lamented about the road surfaces, traffic, signs, etc for a few seconds before we settled into legal spacing.  Once we got off the main road, the biking was great.  The road around the reservoir was well paved, very low traffic, and mostly downhill! However, each aid station was manned by only 1 volunteer who was not ready for Colin and me to come through when we did.  Luckily, I was the last person in the group so by the time they saw the moto, it was too late for Colin but I managed to snag a water at each station.

I stayed within 20-30s of Colin at all times because I didn't want to risk giving him a few minute lead on the run.  I had a great run last month at Quassy, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to repeat that today with the heat and the pace we were biking.  So, I hedged my bets and went with him at a slightly higher pace than was comfortable.  The second hour of the bike was fast.  23.8mph, 248W, 156bpm.  Max speed was 45mph!

We got back onto the main road, Rte 28, and followed the moto as he tried to point out cars that were merging onto 28 ahead of us.  Colin almost got hit by a car that was merging and didn't see him.  I was 20ft behind.  I yelled and waved my arms so that the car would notice me, luckily it did and it let me pass before merging onto the road.  Overall, in general, this section of the bike course was downright dangerous and careless.  HITS is lucky nobody got hurt.

The last half hour on the bike I did some things that no person should ever do, in a race, on a training ride, and probably in the eyes of the law - I ran red lights at intersections.  Although most of the intersections on Routes 28, 209, and 9 had police, some of the intersections had officers that were not controlling cross-traffic to let the bikers through safely.  The moto, Colin, and I raced through several intersections without being assured by officers that there were no cars coming from the cross street.  We hardly slowed and I guess we just got lucky.  I'm not sure if this was a problem with HITS planning or the specific officers at the intersections, but the fact that it even happened is unconscionable.  If HITS was putting on a Gran Fondo ride, stopping at red lights is no big deal.  But this was a race and HITS should have treated intersections on the course as such. Frankly, I'm damn surprised that nobody got seriously hurt.

When we got back into Kingston and down the hill into T2 I was just thankful to be off the bike safely.  I managed to stick with Colin for the last 30min of the ride, despite him pushing the pace, and we came into T2 together.

When we ran into transition, neither of us had any idea where our shoes were nor where to place our bikes.  A volunteer was directing Colin to his spot and I assumed I was nearby so I followed and happened to see my number.  A quick T2 and I was off onto the run course in 1st place.

Bike Stats:
Time - 2:30:10
Distance - 57.2mi
Speed - 22.9mph avg
Power - 253W
Cadence - 90rpm
Heart rate - 159bpm
Elevation - 3,314ft
Overall Rank - 2/65

Run

The first mile hit me like a ton of bricks.  It was hot, sunny, and I could not get my HR under 170bpm, probably because I slightly over-biked.  It took 1 mile before my GPS found satellites, so I was running off effort and HR.  I have had a few HARD long runs since Quassy and I knew I could hold 168-170bpm for ~12mi on a good day.  Maybe today would be one of those days, I thought.

Start of the run.  Legs feeling like garbage.  At least my form was on par though.

I turned to go up the one big hill on the run -1.1mi, 145ft.  I felt strong and averaged 7:11/mi on the way up the hill while keeping my HR mostly controlled.  When I got to the top and turned around I started counting the seconds until I saw Colin.  I saw him about a minute down the hill so I figured I had 2min on him by that point in the run.  If I kept gaining time on him, I would be able to hold him off.  But it was still early on the run, so who knows what could happen in the next 10mi.

The next few miles were mostly downhill and flat - 6:48/mi, 6:45/mi, 6:59/mi.  Felt good but HR was still high and I was starting to feel it.

When I got back to transition I knew I had about a 0.4mi out and back section to run on the backside of transition.  But when I ran by the sign for the turnaround came up very quickly.  I asked the HITS volunteer (black shirt, maybe a staff member?) if this was the turnaround for the half.  They said, yep, right here.  So I thought the course was marked incorrectly, but didn't think to ask again, but I should have...hindsight is 20/20 I guess.  I didn't know it yet but that turnaround sign was for the Olympic distance race, not the half!  Oops.

I started heading back out for the 2nd lap and saw Colin again.  So I was starting to get thoughts of taking the win.  I still didn't know I had cut the course short.

About 1km back onto the run course I started getting very nauseous.  I doubled over and thought I was going to puke, three times.  I managed to get to the aid station, got some water and headed up the hill again, although this time there was a decent amount of walking involved.

When I got to the top I started counting the seconds until I saw Colin again, but it took over 4min for me to see him.  At that point he told me that I cut the course short.  Apparently, the half course turnaround sign had not even been set up when I had come through on Lap 1.  After the race Colin, who had been about 2 minutes behind me, told me that as he was coming through the spot where I turned around, he was following a HITS staff member who was running in front of him with the turnaround sign to place it in the correct spot, 0.4mi down the road.

After I heard I had cut the course, I immediately became disheartened and many thoughts started racing.  First was, well, shit, I was right!  I should've pressed the volunteer again at the wrong turnaround point.  Second was, well that's a big DNF for me!  Third was a unique thought - what if I just continued and ran the missed section twice?  I would end up running the whole distance, just not in the right order.  But would that be ok?  If I won the race, would it feel right?  It probably wouldn't.  I think the win would require an asterisk.

I thought the most straightforward and honest thing to do was to DNF.  So, I got to the bottom of the hill, took off my chip, grabbed some coke, and started walking my way back to the finish line to turn in my chip.  After a few minutes Colin caught up to me and I tried running with him for a bit.  He told me about the volunteer running with the sign and said he didn't really want to take the win this way, which I completely understand.  But I couldn't hang with him at that pace after I had been walking for 6min so I told him to enjoy the win and I'd see him at the finish.

I made my way back to the finish line and turned in my chip. Then I walked away and saw Anna running up to me a few minutes later.  She told me that the officials knew about the mistake and would have counted my run as legit if I had just run the missed section twice like I had thought about.  But at that point I had already turned in my chip and I was resigned to the DNF.

What really irritated me about this is that the HITS Timing official at the finish told Anna they were trying to find me on the run course to tell me to run the missed lap twice.  But they were not actively trying to find me, they were just waiting for me...at the far end of the turnaround that I missed once already!  There were no lead bikers on the run course and the aid stations didn't seem to have any communication with the staff at transition/finish, so there was no way for anyone to communicate with me on the course.  That was the most annoying part of it all.  They knew about it and were "trying" to inform me how to fix it, but they weren't actively trying to catch me on the course or communicate with me.

In the end, I'm just disheartened in own my decision to follow the direction of the volunteer/staff at the turnaround.  I thought it wrong, but with the swim course change at the last minute, I wouldn't have been surprised by another course change.

Run Stats:
Time - 1:34:21
Distance - ~11.5mi
Pace - super varied, lots of walking after DNF
HR avg - 163bpm total, probably 170bpm while running


Overall, I'm underwhelmed and relatively upset after my experience with HITS Kingston and my first impression of the HITS race series.  The last minute swim change, the disorganized and cluttered transitions, the frightening bike course, the confusing course markings, the lack of volunteers to direct athletes, the lack of volunteers at aid stations, and the misdirection on the run course were enough to make me not want to do another HITS race if that is the way all their races are organized.  I heard similar comments from friends about HITS Hague last month, but I wasn't there so I don't know how that one really went.  All I know is that my first experience at a HITS race was awful.  Some of these things taken alone would have been fine.  I can understand the swim change, especially because of river currents, but they didn't do a great job publicizing the change ahead of time.  The misdirection at the turnaround sign was frustrating, but that kind of stuff happens sometimes.  But the general feeling of disorder and a lack of attention to detail all over the course and throughout the entire day, as well as the terrifying bike course left me with a feeling of revulsion.

So yea, that's the whole story.  Sorry for the negativity, but I did warn you.  I do truly hope that HITS improves the quality of their races.  It is important to have non-Ironman options for long course racing in the US.  It benefits all triathletes to have competition in the long course triathlon market. Anyway, that's all...thanks for reading!

Challenge Quassy 2015 - A Perfect Race

This was my A race.  I have wanted to race here for years and after being accepted to the Challenge Triathlon Team, it was finally time to sign up and toe the line on the beach of Lake Quassapaug.  I was excited to race my first Challenge Family event as part of the team, so I was hoping to perform well.

Race Morning:

My Challenge Quassy weekend started on Saturday when Anna and I arrived at The Heritage Hotel Resort and Conference Center.  A short 7mi drive from Quassy Amusement Park, it was a great hotel in a great location.  I headed down to the race site after checking in to our room and chatted with some teammates and friends at the expo.  I picked up my packet, checked in my bike, talked with more teammates, and then headed back to the hotel for dinner and to prep my gear for race morning.

Alarm clock went off at 4:45am and a cup of coffee was consumed within 10 minutes.  For breakfast I ate 2 packets of instant oatmeal with spoonful of peanut butter.  

The drive to Quassy Amusement Park was very easy and very low traffic.  It seemed like the majority of people came to the park from the east and there was a huge line waiting to turn right into the park.  I came from the west, driving east on 64 and there were no cars backed up so I was able to save a lot of time getting into the parking lot.

Found my bike, pumped up the tires, had to get a Challenge Triathlon Team visor at the last minute because I forgot to pack one and didn't realize it until race morning.  I asked Challenge Family Americas Director of Operations Eric Opdyke if he knew where I could find one.  He got on his staff radio and had a visor delivered to my bike by the time I got back from the Port-a-John.

I applied liberal amounts of my new favorite product, TriSlide, to my armpits, hips, and neck to prevent chafing and then donned my new Rocket Science Sports wetsuit and I was off to the swim start.  I got in the water for a quick warmup then headed over to the corral to shiver until my wave started.

Swim:

I lined up in the 2nd row far to the left in the corral.  Better to swim a few extra yards in clear, unobstructed, water than to spend the first few hundred yards dodging flailing arms and feet as you try to catch a breath without swallowing water.  

Age Group Swim Start

Within 100 yards I was by myself about 20m from the buoy line.  I've learned over the years that I can swim straight when breathing to the right, but not to the left.  So I aimed for the yellow buoy in the distance, tucked my chin, and swam my race.  I hit the first turn buoy and looked up to sight and was staring straight into the sun.  Couldn't see the buoys even when I stopped and sighted for a few seconds.  A lifeguard told me to swim into the sun and I trusted her.  After a few strokes I sighted again and spotted a buoy right in the middle of the sun glare on the water.  I then realized that if I was swimming parallel to the light rays in the water, I was going in the correct direction.  A few strokes later I breathed right into a wake from a jetski and inhaled a bunch of water.  I gagged and almost threw up, but managed to keep it down and keep swimming.

Hitting the second turn buoy I looked up to see white caps from the elite wave.  Either there were some slow swimmers there or I was having a fast day in the water.  My Rocket Science Sports wetsuit proved to be fast when a few hundred meters later I emerged from the water with the 4th fastest swim overall and ahead of many of the elites that started 5 minutes before me.

Thanks to Rocket Science Sports for a dangerously fast wetsuit - the Real J&J MagLock
Photo Credit: Challenge Family Americas

Swim Stats:

Time - 27:42

Pace - 1:26/100m

AG Rank - 1/42

OA Rank - 4/657

Bike:

I charged up the hill to transition and quickly peeled off my wetsuit and put on socks, bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses and I was out onto the bike.

The bike started with a nice downhill section which allowed me to maintain speed as I tightened my shoes and and let my HR settle down a little bit.  My plan for the bike was to ride conservatively for the first hour and re-evaluate after reaching the top of the long climb to mile 30.  I was passed by 4 or 5 riders within the first 10-12mi and I had to swallow my pride and let them go.  This was a complete change in race tactics for me as I usually hammer the bike and try to hang on in the run.  But this was not a course on which to get greedy.  

In the first hour of the ride I averaged 21mph and 154bpm.  As we approached the long climb up to mile 30 I was accompanied by a few other riders that could climb, but not descend so we traded back and forth as we made our way up the stepped climb.  I climbed at a steady effort with a low HR and was keeping up with the climbers.  I had hoped to be able to pass them before we hit the technical descent at mile 31, but that was not the case.  I feel very comfortable descending technical roads alone, but not with unknown riders.  So I sat up and took it easy down the hill.  Once we hit the flats though I hit the gas for 2min at 300-315W and gapped them.  

Once I had some distance, I sat up and coasted downhill to pee before hitting the out&back section.  I counted 10 riders before I hit the turn-around but there were really 11 up the road as the leader was well ahead of everyone else by that point.  In the second hour of the ride I averaged 19.4mph and 151bpm, which included the long 7mi climb before mile 30.

After the turnaround I was all alone for the next 10mi of the ride.  Every now and then I caught a glimpse of a rider ahead but it wasn't until mile 50 that I caught up to him.  By the time I got back to the main road and turned to head towards transition I was feeling great, well-hydrated, confident, and topped up on fuel.  I had one bottle full of ~300 calories of Ironman Perform, and 1 gel every half hour until the last 30 minutes when I took two to prepare me for the run, and probably 2 full bottles of water from the aid stations.  The last 40min of the bike I averaged 21.9mph and 151bpm.

I came back into transition and struggled for a few seconds getting my bike back into position because a wetsuit was blocking the wheel hole.  Shoes slipped on easily and I grabbed my visor, GPS, and race number and headed out on the run.  Video below from the #1 Spectator, Anna.

Bike Stats:

Time - 2:42:23

Speed - 20.7mph

Power - 257W

Cadence - 89rpm

Heart Rate - 152bpm

AG Rank - 3/42

OA Rank - 23/657

Run:

My GPS failed to pick-up my location for the first 2mi of the run, so I paced off of HR alone.  Coming out of T2 I expected my HR to be high, and it was, up around 175bpm.  Too high for another 13mi of running.  I settled into what felt like a comfortable pace and I was still around 165bpm.  My plan was to run the first 6 miles conservatively and then dig deep for the last 7mi.  I stayed conservative on the bike so that I could take chances later on the run.  But, here I was at mile 1 of a half-marathon, presented with my first risk taking decision.  The pace felt easy, but the HR was high.  I had some long hilly runs in training to simulate this and I knew I could run the hills, but this was about 30 seconds faster per mile than expected.  I decided to let it roll and hold on as long as I could.

Early on the run.  Feeling great, but doubtful.
Photo credit: Challenge Family Americas

Around 1.5mi in I passed a runner who I knew was strong and wondered if I would see him again.  I knew he could run and I felt relatively uneasy and doubtful with my pace.

Finally at 2mi my GPS picked up signal and I looked down to see 6:30/mi!  With the rolling hills there was a lot of pace changes within each mile, but my averages were well below 7minute pace.  Even my mile splits fluctuated a lot due to the elevation.  But I kept the effort steady and controlled even though the HR was high, I was feeling a bit more confident.

Miles 2 and 3 were 6:22/mi and 7:02/mi average due to the rolling hills.  I was taking water at each aid station, sipping half and dumping the rest on my head.  Between miles 4 and 5 I saw a runner ahead and felt confident I could catch him.  I ran strong up a long steady hill and had some fun exchanges with bikers coming through towards the end of their bike segment.  I asked for a ride from the ref and he told me I would "regret it tomorrow".  He's right, I was in the zone.

Came through the aid station at mile 5 and took in a PowerBar Double Latte Gel and more water and then ran down my mark.  After that I was all alone with my own thoughts for the next 2 miles, 7:26/mi, 6:33/mi, 7:18/mi.  HR was still high, but I was more confident this far into my run than I have ever been in a race before.  I felt like I was actually racing the run instead of surviving.

Back onto the main road headed towards transition I saw another runner far ahead.  It was tough to gauge distance but I would guess at least 500m.  I was still on the hunt so I concentrated on form and cadence.  Came through another aid station between miles 6 and 7 to grab more water and I dumped some ice down my shorts and held some ice cubes in my hands.  I apologized to the volunteers for my crude gesture and it received hearty laughter, it was a good distraction from the discomfort.

I started making progress on my foe ahead and slowly closed the gap as I split miles 8 and 9 at 6:17 and 7:11 pace respectively.  As I came up behind him he told me, "you sound strong".  Which is something I have always thought when watching or being passed by good runners.  Their cadence is high and their breathing is controlled, they sound strong.  It was a surreal experience being told this as I passed yet another runner.  In my years of racing tri, I can remember only a few specific instances where I intentionally caught people on the run.  Usually, if I pass someone, it's because they bonked.  Now, I was closing in on my 3rd pass on this run alone and I was still feeling good.  I had to ignore the thoughts of doubt popping into my head about when I would start to fade and keep focusing on each mile. 

I managed to keep the effort high as I took on my last gel as I up a steep hill between mile 9 and 10, a spot I thought I would have to walk, but I was still strong and holding form as I crested the hill and took in more water and let my legs take me downhill.  7:11 and 7:32 for miles 9 and 10, but mile 11 was a nice change of pace at 6:35.  I looked behind me and saw some people coming around the corner about a minute or two behind me.  This was going to be close.

One more aid station near mile 12 and I took on some water and coke to help with an uphill climb and to hold off the late surge from these faster runners.  The two of them came up and closed within 10 ft.  One passed me and surged hard enough that I wasn't going to go with him.  I took a gamble and hoped that he was racing in the Elite wave that started 5min ahead of me.  The other guy came close as we made it to the flat 200m before the turn to the finish.  I looked behind me as I surged hard for another 100m but he was not close enough to close the gap in the chute.  

I crossed the line in a time of 4:40:19.  Only after I finished did I look to see my run split, 1:28:02!!!  My Half-Iron Distance run PR was 1:35:XX, my open half-marathon PR is 1:31:XX, and now on a course that is called "the beast of the Northeast" for a reason, I absolutely smash my expectations and set a new half marathon PR!  I was ecstatic.

Run Stats:

Time: 1:28:02

Pace: 6:43/mi

Heart Rate: 170bpm

AG Rank - 7/42

OA Rank - 15/657

Even after crossing the finish line I didn't know where I stacked up against the rest of the field.  I knew I was finishing at the pointy end of the race but I wasn't sure where I was placed overall in the Age Group race.  I went to the timing tent to print my unofficial results and this is what came out:

Once official results were in, it turned out I ended up 1st Overall in the Age Group race!  When combined with the Elite Wave I was 6th Overall!  This was my first win at a big race like this and especially against this kind of competition.  There were some seriously fast guys racing that day and I had an absolutely perfect race.  I managed to eke out the win by a mere 6 seconds from the one guy who didn't pass me in the final few hundred meters.  I exceeded my expectations this race.  So, maybe it's time to raise the bar a bit.

It's not often you win a race in the swim

Overall Age-Group "non-elite" Podium

Final Thoughts:

A few concise thoughts on how I executed this race so well:

• I found clean water on the swim - battling is not faster than swimming a few extra meters
• Kick, kick, kick, and tuck your chin.  Kicking won't ruin your bike or run legs. Tucking your chin will keep your hips up.
• I was conservative on the bike by controlling heart rate.
• I took in more calories than I thought I needed on the bike.
• I ran by feel, not pace, or HR.
• My watch was showing 1 mi lap splits, not overall time on the run.  It helped me break down the run mile by mile.
• I had no idea what my overall time was going to be until the finish line and I didn't care.  I knew I had executed my race perfectly and I was going to be happy regardless of overall time.

Challenge put on a top notch event all around.  The venue was fun and exciting.  The expo was busy and the volunteers/staff was superb.  I was offered plenty of water/gatorade/coke/ice at every aid station by enthusiastic volunteers.  The course was well marked, safe, and hard! I'll be back again for sure.  This is my kind of course.

Link to the full results here 

I stayed after the awards ceremony to cheer on the final finishers and help Challenge Family show how to appreciate all the racers, not just the fast ones.  See video below of the excitement.  

I want to thank my sponsors - Challenge Family Americas, Powerbar, SBR Sports Inc, and Rocket Science Sports - for helping me get to the top of the podium.  I want to thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement along the way.  And I would be foolish to not thank my fiancee, Anna, for supporting, encouraging, and tolerating this crazy habit of mine.  She is what makes this all possible and I couldn't do it without her by my side.  Thank you.