Race Report - NJ Devilman Half Iron
This race really meant a lot to me because it is the only triathlon I’ll truly “race” this year (I’m not going to get sucked into the temptation of setting ambitious goals for a first IM). I really thought I would finally break through the 5:00 hour mark at this race – good weather and an easy course.
Saturday and Sunday morning went perfectly. Everything on time and as planned. Good sleep and good nutrition. My only concern was a problematic front race wheel. I’ve had somewhat chronic problems getting it to read properly on my bike computer and in getting pressure on the tire through the valve extender.
We showed up to the transition area at 6:30 am. We were greeted with high winds. So much for perfect weather, but there’s no use in worrying about things you can’t control. I went straight to the bike technicians and had them check out my front wheel – just for peace of mind. They made an adjustment to the valve extender and were able to get 130 psi on it… Good to go!
The Swim – 1.2 miles
Two swim waves launched at 8:00 and 8:03 am for a simultaneous sprint triathlon. I jumped in the water for wave #1 of the HIM and started chatting with another competitor. That was a mistake ‘cause the starting horn sounded before I was ready (no count down!). I started swimming and didn’t set my stopwatch.
The water was pretty murky and you couldn’t see a thing beneath the surface. We swam three loops of a rectangular course. That’s 11 left turns, folks! I quickly came upon stragglers from the sprint race and managed to negotiate my way through the pack. After the first loop most of the sprint racers were gone and I could focus on a nice steady pace. I found a very nice rhythm and was out of the water in less than 30 minutes. We had to jog a couple hundred yards into transition.
The Bike – 56 miles
After a painfully long transition, I was really in a good position as I clomped in my riding shoes to the bike mounting point. At exactly 0.15 miles into my 56-mile ride, the speed sensor on my front wheel stopped working. DOH! So I was racing on power output and heart rate, with no way to know speed or distance.
The winds were brutal. The first five miles of the ride were directly into a headwind. I pushed a little harder than planned for virtually the entire ride. My goal for the ride was something less than 2:35. After the first loop of the two-loop course I was on a 2:40 pace. I thought that was pretty good ‘cause I planned to step it up a notch on lap #2.
In terms of power output, I did step it up for lap #2. Unfortunately my speed actually tailed off a bit, probably due to increased winds. In summary, I pushed too hard on the ride. Even though only slightly higher than my targeted power, my heart rate was a full 10 BPM higher than target. I paid for that later!
The Run – 13.1 miles
I’ve been running so well (for me) this year that I was overly confident. Instead of easing into the run over the first three miles, I went straight out at target pace. I had no feeling in my toes for a couple miles, but that didn’t seem to slow me down. I was running at a sub-8:00 minute/mile pace. All was going well through the first half of the 13.1 miles, except that I started to battle some nausea. Pace deterioration started during mile 9. My breathing felt a little too labored and I was afraid of asthma onset. I had been pushing so hard for so long that my muscles started seizing up on me. I stopped caring about my goal somewhere around 9-1/2 miles. By mile 10, I was simply done “racing.” I bonked. I wanted my mommy. My stride turned into a survival shuffle and I just sort of gutted it out to the finish line at 2 to 3 minutes per mile slower than target pace.
I crossed the finish line in 5:13:59. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure, but it is a little disappointing to race below my potential.
Post Mortem
My face was caked with blown farm soot and salt. When I got home, I found that my front tire was flat again. I’m a little wind-burned and have a few abrasions from chafing. I felt pretty good when I went to bed but this morning I feel like I have a hangover.
So what did I learn from this early season race? I need to sharpen my mental focus before IM USA. I lacked humility – and was humbled. I lacked patience – and was dealt with rudely.
Coach P is a little concerned about my recovery since I pushed so hard. We’ll have to watch it closely this week before ramping it up for the final IM push… Gulp!!!
Saturday and Sunday morning went perfectly. Everything on time and as planned. Good sleep and good nutrition. My only concern was a problematic front race wheel. I’ve had somewhat chronic problems getting it to read properly on my bike computer and in getting pressure on the tire through the valve extender.
We showed up to the transition area at 6:30 am. We were greeted with high winds. So much for perfect weather, but there’s no use in worrying about things you can’t control. I went straight to the bike technicians and had them check out my front wheel – just for peace of mind. They made an adjustment to the valve extender and were able to get 130 psi on it… Good to go!
The Swim – 1.2 miles
Two swim waves launched at 8:00 and 8:03 am for a simultaneous sprint triathlon. I jumped in the water for wave #1 of the HIM and started chatting with another competitor. That was a mistake ‘cause the starting horn sounded before I was ready (no count down!). I started swimming and didn’t set my stopwatch.
The water was pretty murky and you couldn’t see a thing beneath the surface. We swam three loops of a rectangular course. That’s 11 left turns, folks! I quickly came upon stragglers from the sprint race and managed to negotiate my way through the pack. After the first loop most of the sprint racers were gone and I could focus on a nice steady pace. I found a very nice rhythm and was out of the water in less than 30 minutes. We had to jog a couple hundred yards into transition.
The Bike – 56 miles
After a painfully long transition, I was really in a good position as I clomped in my riding shoes to the bike mounting point. At exactly 0.15 miles into my 56-mile ride, the speed sensor on my front wheel stopped working. DOH! So I was racing on power output and heart rate, with no way to know speed or distance.
The winds were brutal. The first five miles of the ride were directly into a headwind. I pushed a little harder than planned for virtually the entire ride. My goal for the ride was something less than 2:35. After the first loop of the two-loop course I was on a 2:40 pace. I thought that was pretty good ‘cause I planned to step it up a notch on lap #2.
In terms of power output, I did step it up for lap #2. Unfortunately my speed actually tailed off a bit, probably due to increased winds. In summary, I pushed too hard on the ride. Even though only slightly higher than my targeted power, my heart rate was a full 10 BPM higher than target. I paid for that later!
The Run – 13.1 miles
I’ve been running so well (for me) this year that I was overly confident. Instead of easing into the run over the first three miles, I went straight out at target pace. I had no feeling in my toes for a couple miles, but that didn’t seem to slow me down. I was running at a sub-8:00 minute/mile pace. All was going well through the first half of the 13.1 miles, except that I started to battle some nausea. Pace deterioration started during mile 9. My breathing felt a little too labored and I was afraid of asthma onset. I had been pushing so hard for so long that my muscles started seizing up on me. I stopped caring about my goal somewhere around 9-1/2 miles. By mile 10, I was simply done “racing.” I bonked. I wanted my mommy. My stride turned into a survival shuffle and I just sort of gutted it out to the finish line at 2 to 3 minutes per mile slower than target pace.
I crossed the finish line in 5:13:59. Nothing to be ashamed of, for sure, but it is a little disappointing to race below my potential.
Post Mortem
My face was caked with blown farm soot and salt. When I got home, I found that my front tire was flat again. I’m a little wind-burned and have a few abrasions from chafing. I felt pretty good when I went to bed but this morning I feel like I have a hangover.
So what did I learn from this early season race? I need to sharpen my mental focus before IM USA. I lacked humility – and was humbled. I lacked patience – and was dealt with rudely.
Coach P is a little concerned about my recovery since I pushed so hard. We’ll have to watch it closely this week before ramping it up for the final IM push… Gulp!!!
posted by dan kerr at 6:16 AM
1 Comments:
Dan-
Congrats on the 1/2! You had to deal with a lot of problems - wind, gear, etc - and came through them all very well.
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