Summer of 2015, one that
will not be forgotten. Last week began a 6 week whirlwind that will include:
taking of my written comprehensive exams, 2 half-ironmans, a bachelor party in
Boulder, a trip to North Carolina, and finally getting married followed by a
honeymoon in Punta Cana. My life is busy, and I couldn’t be happier.
After completing and
hopefully passing (fingers crossed) my comprehensive exams (a 4-day block spent
answering essay questions pertaining to everything you have ever learned, or
haven’t learned, to this point in your educational career) on Thursday of last
week the idea of racing for 4+ hours 3 days later sounded nearly suicidal.
After indulging in a few adult beverages Thursday evening, I awoke Friday
feeling fairly refreshed, enjoying the shift of attention from epigenetic
modification to the simplicity of racing.
Saturday morning Briana and
I packed up the car and headed to Grand Rapids, MI, just a little under a
4-hour drive from Muncie. We arrived just as packet pick-up began and after
obtaining race numbers and directions, headed to the course for a light
shake-out. The race was held in Ada, a small suburb just outside of Grand
Rapids. Ada was a welcome change from Muncie, with lots of small coffee shops
and a fantastic bike shop. The temperature was in the low 60’s, a bit cooler than
I had anticipated. After kitting up I headed out on the bike for a preview of
the run course. The streets were well paved with wide shoulders and it wasn’t
long before I started to contemplate how I was going to land a job in a place
like this. Looking down at my garmin I realized I was doing 35 mph at < 200
W, dreams do come true, there are hills here (in Muncie we have 1 hill, the
overpass)! After a short ~30min ride with some 1min up-tempo intervals I laced
up the shoes and headed out for a 10 min jog. The legs felt good and I was
ready to race. I was slightly concerned however about my lack of hill training.
After dropping our stuff off
at an AirBnB found by my soon to be wife (she is awesome and planned almost the
entire trip), Bri and I headed out to see what Grand Rapids had to offer. Not
being able to pass up a visit to Founders, we sat outside on the patio drinking
a beer before venturing to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. That night we
watched “Clean Spirit,” a documentary about the shimano-airgas cycling team
before passing out.
The next morning we arose at
4:30. As we prepared to load up the car it became quickly apparent that it was
raining, HARD. Not exactly ideal, but at this point I was committed. Arriving
at the race site I racked my bike, put on my Roka wetsuit, which kept me warm
on a chilly, rainy morning, and headed down to the swim start. In the water I
positioned myself just behind the first row, not sure about the quality of
swimmers in the race. When the gun went off I put in a good 30 second effort
before dialing it back and letting myself follow someone’s feet. My stroke felt
strong and smooth, but I was a bit concerned by the number of people who
appeared to be in front of me. The foggy and rainy conditions made visibility
less than ideal so I made a point of siting the buoys instead of the swimmers
ahead of me. As the swim went on I slided by another 10-15 guys, getting
stronger as the race progressed. Coming out of the water after what felt like
an eternity I glanced at my watch to see just over 28 minutes (15th
swim split). I am ecstatic with the improvements I have made in the water this
past year and happy to be wearing a Roka wetsuit, which is without a doubt the
fastest in the game.
Swim: 28:28 (2 minute PR)
T1 went extremely well for
me and setting out on the bike I was unknowingly in 4th place. I
settled into my pace on my new Felt IA4 TT rig and passed 2 people within the
first 5 miles. Before long I could see the rider currently in 1st
place and the motorcycle/pace truck in front of him. Suddenly, out of nowhere
came the speedy Mark Beckwith (EMJ team member). After allowing him to pass me, I decided I
would stay with him for as long as I could. Unfortunately to do so I would have
to increase my power from 245 to 265-280 W. Although my legs felt good, at
about mile 30 I made the decision to let Mark go, and settle back into a pace
that I felt more comfortable with. The rest of the bike transpired pretty
uneventfully and in the last couple miles I got caught by age-group world
champion and previous year Grand Rapids Half champion, Daniel Stubleski. Coming
into T2 with Stubleski, I was feeling pretty good.
Bike: 2:15
(5 minute PR @ 245 Watts) http://www.strava.com/activities/325632406
Coming off the bike my legs
felt pretty heavy. I was most concerned about the run because of the lack of
running I have been doing as I am still in recovery from what has been a wicked
battle with plantar fasciitis! As I set out on the run course I was looking for
Stubleski and race leader Beckwith but neither one was in sight. As I hit the
first mile I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a 6:07. It felt like I was
crawling! Before mile 2, Stubleski came by me. I gave some thought about trying
to go with him but decided to pace myself. The next couple of miles clicked by
6:13, 6:17, 6:20. Feeling pretty good I continued on my first loop of the
two-loop run course. Slowly I began to feel myself fatigue. As I headed out on
the second loop, I felt my blood sugar falling. 2 years before at Muncie 70.3 I
had stopped and walked at this point due to a side stitch. I promised myself
that no matter what, I would not walk! The remainder of the run turned into a
game. Calculate my finishing time assuming 8 minute miles for the rest of the
run (thankfully, they were all faster than this, although my last mile, a 7:38
was one of the most painful of my life). At every aid station I took in either
Gatorade or coke. Leaving the aid station I felt slightly refreshed, but the
feeling would not last. With 2 miles to go I calculated that 8 minute miles (16
minutes of running) would allow me to tie my previous 70.3 PR (4:17). With a
mile left, I put all my focus into maintaining a straight line and putting one
foot in front of the other. Finally, the finish line came into view. Crossing
in 4 hours 15 minutes, I bonged a mountain dew and plopped myself in a chair.
Run: 1:29
Exhausted and happy I
conversed with my new teammates, Mark Beckwith (5th), Ryan Linden (8th),
and Zachary Carr (flatted and still finished < 4:20!). Three days later and
my legs still ache, but nothing feels injured and my desire to resume training
is returning again. I have done some reading on carbohydrate consumption
pre-race (recommended 10-12g/kg, or 2400 calories of carbohydrate!) and I am
pretty certain that inadequate carbohydrate loading and subsequently lower than
idea pre-race glyocen stores are largely to blame for my slow death march of a
run. Next time I race this distance, I will be sure to remedy this issue. This
weekend will involve a bachelor party in Boulder, followed by a week of ramping
up training for Muncie 70.3.
Huge thanks to my new team Every Man Jack and our fantastic sponsors Felt, Roka, Rudy Project, Sports Basement, Louis Garneau, GU energy, Boco Gear, and Normatec recovery!
Thanks for reading.
