Boulder 70.3 Race Report

All right - here we go. Another race report. This one will be another long one, but who can quickly recap almost 6 hours of racing, anyway?

Spoiler: I was still smiling after melting in the hot sun!

The trip to Boulder started on Saturday around noon, with Shannon (a friend and client of mine) driving up to Boulder for packet pick-up. Uneventful drive up there and no lines! We did a brief walk through of the expo, listened in on the athlete meeting while seeking shade in the Ironman Merchandise tent. It was melty hot and windy - and probably going to be the same on race day!

Shannon's ready to go!

Then we killed some time before Tom Danielson showed up at the TrainingPeaks booth. Wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to meet the top American finisher at the 2011 Tour de France, now would we? It was also super cool to meet the TrainingPeaks team (who of course drilled me on what I like and what I would want to improve with their software!)

THE Tommy D of Garmin-Cervelo

Once we got the photo and autograph, we went to check into the hotel. Ahhhh - air conditioning! We had about an hour to settle in the room, before it was time to meet the Pikes Peak Tri Club for dinner at Gondolier. Great food and great company, and everyone was looking forward to race day! I of course had my ritual salmon, rice and veggies. And this time I shared an order of garlic knots...it just sounded so gooood!

We were back at the hotel around 8pm after swinging by the grocery store for some needed breakfast food for Shannon. Dark chocolate sounded good so I picked up a bar. Only had one square! Discipline!

We were in bed by 9:30ish. It took me a while to fall asleep, but once asleep I slept pretty well. Got up a couple times, which meant I was pretty well hydrated.

RACE DAY!
Once we got to the res we parked, headed to transition and got set up. I had plenty of time so I wasn't hurried at all getting everything out of my transition bag that I would need. My clients, Carley and Shannon, also seemed to be doing well.

Carley and Tory are all smiles

After making sure I was satisfied with my set-up, I went for a warm-up run and the legs felt great. I was definitely hoping for a solid run today. Back in transition to drop off my shoes, I did one final check on my bike and saw my rear wheel wasn't quite aligned. When this happens I release the rear skewer and tighten it up. But of course my bike is hanging on the rack and when I release the skewer, the wheel pops out. "Five minutes until transition closes!" the race announcer was barking. After a couple failed attempts to muscle it back in while on the rack, I took off the bottles (including the aero drink) turned the bike upside down to have gravity help me. It was still being a pain, so I asked a couple guys at the next rack to help and we were able to get it in. For a fast bike, Tachyon can be temperamental at times! No doubt in this mess I knocked over my aerodrink spilling half the contents. Good thing I had extra water bottles and could top it off. Made it out of transition just in time, and fortunately not really frazzled at all.
It was then time to hit the line for the port-o-potty, which was pretty darn long! I had planned to take a 2nd UCAN (Cran Raspberry at 45 minutes before my start, but it was closer to 25 minutes by the time I was able to take care of business.) I had just enough time to get my wetsuit on, do a short (and I mean short!) swim warm-up and then join my wave in the staging area about 10 minutes before GO TIME.

Swim: 45:21 (61/94)
I was predicting a 45 minutes swim, so was pretty much spot on. My goggles worked great (changed straps on a good pair that had broken - and they worked like a charm!) The start was a mad-house, but I wanted to be in the fray because Ironman Arizona might be a litte chaotic. Probably had my head up for longer than ideal, but once I found some space it was smooth sailing. Well, until the lady doing the back stroke kept clobbering me. And it wasn't like she was going to find another path to avoid me. So I took a look around and got out of the way. This was probably my 21 seconds. :) But overall I felt nice and steady during the swim, trying not to sight too often. And if anyone reading this wonders why my swim is not up to par with my bike and run, check out this article. I'm probably a worst-case in terms of shoulder flexibility, and I have even been to physical therapy to release my pecs, lats, etc... I'm a work in progress, but I have some serious stretching/flexibility/massage work that needs to get done if I want to bring my swim times down. And that's a lot of time and $$$. (I feel better now after the little vent...I agree the potential is there, but I suppose I've put my priorities elsewhere in regards to my swimming performance. And to note for the fun of it, only one other person in my AG with a slower swim finished ahead of me...)

T1: 3:10 This includes the run up the beach and is on par with my other transitions this year. Not particularly speedy, but I certainly didn't lolly-gag around. I trotted up the beach at a comfortable but quick pace and found my bike pretty easily. Took the wetsuit off (a little slow getting it off the ankles) and then put on my shoes, glasses and helmet, and then grabbed my bike. On to the bike out I was ready to ride.

Bike: 2:49:01 (25/91) My goal was to stay in the mid-upper 140w to low 150w for my power and I did just that. This was the first time I actually watched my power while racing. I was comfortable so it seemed like about the right effort for this distance race. I might have dropped power a tad the second half (warmer and the wind was starting to pick up) but overall each lap was pretty consistent. The race timing has my first lap as 1:24:48, which is almost dead-on half of my total time. I saw Sonja pass me early on Hwy36 so I gave her a big shout out. I kept wondering if I'd see Mary, my TNT coach back in 2006 and 2007 (she knew me when I didn't know what the heck I was doing!) but she was just enough ahead that I didn't see her, even on the out and back. When I wasn't sipping at my UCAN or fluids, or trying to enjoy the scenery, I was singing this song, thanks to Shannon the night before, who said a PB&J would be her post-race treat.


T2: 1:48 Again quick but not super hurried. I made sure to grab my UCAN "gel" that I had in a carry flask, along with my container of endurolytes.

Run: 2:10:15 (not sure the AG run rank yet, the results page doesn't report it). I knew I was going to get HOT so I grabbed water and tried to get my hat wet in the "shower" they had set up for us. My hydration plan revolved around sipping the UCAN every other aid station and taking enduryolytes (2-3) at the other aid stations. I planned to walk each aid station (which I did, and unfortunately a little more). The run starts slightly uphill as you exit the parking lot, then you turn onto a dirt road, which then gives you a nice downhill for a bit. My pace started about where I had planned and felt good, so I was hoping to keep it. But man those hills that popped up between miles 1-3ish and lack of shade (one, maybe two, trees on the entire course). And it was HOT. The high was 95 that day and I started my run about 11am. No clouds, either. The word for the day was brutal. However, around the first mile a lady, thanked me for being a part of Team In Training. (I was wearing my TNT kit today.) Her son had a friend (7 year old) who dealt with Leukemia and didn't make it. (I think I'm recalling the details correctly.) Anyway, she asked me to run for Blake, so I did. And so did the lady who was just ahead of us and overheard the conversation.

"Run for Blake" popped into my head many times during the run...as I trotted along realizing my pace slowed more than anticipated. So was it fuel or was it the heat? Or both? I drank water at each aid station, alternating endurolytes and UCAN as planned. I made it to the second lap and ran under the shower again. I walked a bit more up those hills between miles 1-3. I decided to see if my slowing pace was fuel related so I took a gel that I had in my pocket. It did perk me up and I was able to keep moving. I did this about mile 8 or 9. I decided I'd take part of my other gel at the mile 11 aid station to get me through the finish. That got me there, along with Blake and Peanut Butter Jelly Time! The wind was picking up as well...I'd say 12-18" swells on the lake! Heat + wind = tough conditions for anyone! Fortunately, because my pace was much slower than I had planned, my legs didn't feel too bad at all - a bit tight the last 2 miles or so. In coming down the dam road at the end, trying to stay upright with the crosswind, I kept it as steady as I could. No more walking (except up the tiny hill going back on the paved road). Once on the paved road I set my sights on the tree, as once you get to the tree, it is all downhill into the finish chute. Coming into the finish chute I practiced my ironman finish line "let's get cheering" arm wave (it worked!) and did a few fist pumps across the line.  And yes, that was part of my race plan. Another 70.3 in the bag!
Total Time: 5:49:35, 25/91 Age Group
Not a HIM PR, but still a solid race!
(fun fact: this was my first HIM way back in 2007. Time then was 6:33:36. And it was almost as hot.)

After finishing, getting my cold water soaked finisher's hat, medal, and not falling over when they took the timing chip off, I wandered to find the other peeps I knew. Mary came in about 5 minutes before me, so she was in some shade at the Rocky Mountain Tri Club tent. (I couldn't find the Pikes Peak Tri Club tent...hmmm). There was an awesome support crew there as all of us racers tried to get sorted out mentally and physically after that endeavor in the sun! I actually felt like eating so I made my way to the food tent. We "chilled out," if that's what you want to call it in that heat! I made it back over to the finish line to see Carley finish, and some other folks.

Always a party in Boulder, CO!

Once Shannon crossed the line and regrouped, we got our stuff around, showered up, grabbed an ice cold liter of water each and some salt & vinegar pop chips, and drove home. And then I went on a real drinking binge.

(For those interested in my nutrition "experiment" details, there will be another post soon on my coaching blog.)

Boulder Peak Race Report

This year was the 20th annual Boulder Peak Triathlon and my 3rd consecutive year doing this race. It never gets easier, that's for sure! This is going to be a long write up...be forewarned!

Saturday - the Day Before Race Day
Saturday is my pre-race prep day and it's packet pick-up day. So that means I get up, do my day before the race workouts and then head up to Boulder for packet pick-up. This went pretty smoothly and although a little behind schedule, I left around 11:30am. Made a quick stop at Chick-fil-A in Castle Rock for lunch (chargrilled chicken wrap for anyone who is interested). I hit the Res just after 1pm, and just in time to see 2x Boulder Peak winner Tim O'Donnell's Q&A. Barry Siff was asking him some questions and then opened it up to the audience, where he was asked about nutrition, pacing strategy and what was in his flat kit. After learning he was going to have a coke in his bottle on the bike, he was going to red-line the entire race, and that he was going sans flat kit, I got my packet and then headed to Downtown Boulder.
I found the coffee shop that I had spent some time in last year (Brewing Market), although they had a lot more customers in today. Even more showed up during the 30 minute deluge! It stopped raining in just enough time for me to meet the Pikes Peak Tri Club gang.

Pikes Peak Tri Club Dinner at Gondolino's

We, 11 of us, headed down to Gondolino's for dinner. I once again had the salmon, veggies and rice. I was eyeing the garlic bread, but since that's not a part of my normal diet, I skipped it. After an enjoyable meal with some new and familiar faces, it was time head to Jordan's place to crash. This time I brought the air mattress that didn't have a slow leak. Very uneventful evening while I put water bottles in the fridge to cool, put the stickers on my bike and helmet, and make sure I had everything I needed for the race. By 9pm I was definitely relaxing and ready for lights out.

Sunday, Race Day:
That good old 4am alarm was back! I didn't feel like springing out of bed, but wasn't feeling like I needed to sleep, either. Probably because it was 4am on race morning. Once I was moving around I had more energy. I drank some of my water, knowing that staying hydrated for today's race would be important. The forecast was for upper 80s, and the run course is totally exposed, so even between 9-10am when I would be running, it was going to be plenty warm.
I got the car packed up (several trips and being careful not to let the cat out) and headed to the Res at about 4:50. Two hours before go time and I drank a chocolate UCAN and had a packet of Justin's Maple Almond Butter. This worked well before Loveland, so I tried it again.

Shortly after 5am I'm parked, gathering my gear out of the car, and pumping up my tires. A short walk later I'm at transition and find a place to rack my bike. My pre-race routine is pretty standard. Once I get set-up, I go for a short run with some dynamic warm-ups. (somewhere in here I usually make the obligatory visit to the port-o-potty). I had a small gas bubble in my stomach, but it was pretty minor so I ignored it. My warm-up is done on the run course so I can visualize myself finishing the race nice and strong as I head back to transition.
Once I'm back, I leave my running shoes on my towel, make sure my bike is in the right gear, brakes are good and then grab my wetsuit, cap and goggles.
Just after 6:00am I took in a Cran-Razz UCAN with about 8oz of water. Yum. Then I met up with a couple clients of mine to make sure they were doing well. This was one's first triathlon since about 2005! Everyone seemed happy and excited, so I proceeded with my pre-race routine. Time to get the wetsuit on and head down to the water for a short warm-up. The bubble in my stomach was a non-issue at this point, so I'm guessing I just swallowed some air (what little we have here in Colorado!) My back and shoulders felt a bit tight so I tried to stretch them while waiting for our wave to get into the water.
The PA system wasn't working so well, and they didn't have a DJ like the sprint race, so it was an oddly calm race start. The only way to really know a wave was starting was the air horn. But the volunteers had signs for wave staging, and it was easy to find my fellow bright pink caps in the F35-39 age group.


So here goes the race part...
Swim: 36:05
I found myself in the front middle and stuck with the pack as long as I could. Pretty early on, my goggle started to leak so I did make a quick stop to adjust it and it held well enough for the rest of the swim. I bumped into a few people here and there, had some people's feet for a while. We we swimming almost into the sun so sighting was a bit challenging, as it always is! I felt like I was swimming this about has hard as I could to maintain my form and felt pretty comfortable. The course seemed to pass by pretty quickly, except for maybe the last 400m to the finish. I swam until my hands hit sand a couple times and then hauled it up the beach.

T1: 3:13 (not the fastest time, but the mat was very close to the swim exit. AND I had glitch #1 of the day.) My hair is a bit longer so I decided to put it in a pony tail. I meant to check the helmet fit before I left transition before the race start, but forgot. So of course it's too tight as I try to pull the hair through the back. When I went to adjust it, I pulled the sizing piece apart, which meant I needed to take the helmet completely off, put the plastic adjuster back together, and try again. No point in getting flustered over a small set-back (last race it was the shoes on the pedals!) but I certainly lost time messing with my helmet. But once the helmet was secured, I headed out to climb the hill.

Bike: 1:21:39
The mount line was a bit congested so I made sure to move off to the side to mount my bike. Once pedaling, I made my way out of the Res and tried to settle into a pace. I was breathing pretty hard, but my legs felt good (as they should at the beginning of a race) so I just kept at it. I passed quite a few people and started to drink my water. Needed to make sure I stayed hydrated today! This course has a gradual climb for the first 5 miles and then it gets steep. By mile 7ish you are 1200 feet above where you started. And about half that gain is in under a mile. It's just brutal (but "fun"). I'm so glad I put the compact cassette on my bike to give me a couple extra gears. I was only turning over 42 rpm or so on the steep part! I was jealous of the guys with the full compact crank as they had even more room to spin up the hill. Oh well - I still beat my time up the hill by about 2 minutes from last year! Once at the top of the steep one, there is a short flat section and one more climb that takes you to 7ish miles. Then it's FAST. The key is to gain as much free speed as possible (after you pass the 35mph speed zone on the initial descent). Nothing much else to report here - I felt good, I took a Gu (Chocolate Rasperry Roctane) at just past 1:30 into the race as planned. I drank all my water and about half my electrolyte drink (Nuun). Heading back along the diagonal we had a slight headwind, and even though I had a slight burn in the quads, I was having a great time. It felt much better thank the Loveland bike course. (and was about 14 minutes faster!)

Bike Power File

T2: 1:28
Pretty quick. I do wear socks so that takes a few extra seconds, but once I get my bike on the rack, I put on my shoes and then just grab my stuff. I can get everything else taken care of while running.

Run: 50:35
I was hoping to do a 8:00ish pace, and ended up with an 8:09. I walked every aid station to make sure I took in fluids (and I probably walked longer each time). My fueling/hydration plan was this: 2 Endurolytes at mile 2 and mile 4, and a gel (GU Espresso Love) at the turn around. Water at each aid station. I normally do hammer gels, but I didn't get a chance to buy more before I left town and relied on the expo (so not the ideal thing to do!). I picked up some chocolate, but also got the GUs due to the caffeine. Otherwise I would have done Hammer Espresso flavor gels.  ** for any of my athletes reading this...this is why you should have what you know you like BEFORE heading to the race**  On the run I passed a few ladies in my age group, got passed mostly by men (and really fast women in the 45-49 age group!) The last half mile or so is down hill (there's a tree that I use as a landmark) and just tried to go as fast as my legs would carry me.

Run Data

Total: 2:52:58 (23/92 age group, 121/461 females)
I beat last year by over 3 minutes - the bike and the run were my main savers of time! After the race I cooled off with the nice wet towel they gave us, grabbed a cold bottle of water and had a chocolate UCAN as a recovery drink. I then cheered on  a couple of my clients as they finished. Well, I only saw one, and missed the other as she sped down the finishing chute. I caught up with her later and she had rocked the race, coming in 12th in her age group!

Dina and me after finishing the Peak.

More photos.
Next event for me...the Ride for the Cure on 7/16. Stay tuned...