BSLT 70.3 Race Report

Wake up:

I woke up about 3:45 not being able to sleep any more in anticipation of the race. Our alarms, 3 of them, were set to go off at 4:00am. I could hear Keith stirring, but Ashley was still sound asleep. We got up, and took a peek outside to see what else was going on. There were several racers making their ways to their cars.

I had a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and honey, and a banana for breakfast, and 1 bottle of Infinit and got dressed. Keith went down to the restaurant/lobby to find some coffee, which we both drank and decided must have been decaf! I got my morning ritual out of the way but KP was struggling. We turned on the weather channel and saw a line of thunderstorms NE of Lubbock, moving to the southwest! The weather never moves SW in west Texas. We were a little apprehensive, but we put all the gear in the truck and headed to the nearest 7-11 for some full strength coffee for him.

Pre Race:

We got to the race site at about 5:00am and sat in the line of cars to park for a short while. The fields around the lake have lots and lots of thorns so we carefully got our bikes ready and carried them to the road. I remember those thorns from my college days, they are all over town and on the mountain bike trails I rode in college. We would have to use slime and tire liners to prevent flats!

The weather looked bleak, on the way over we could see intense lighting to the NW, and knowing it was moving SW didn’t help our thoughts. We hoped they would let us swim!

We got down the hill to the TA and got body marked, and made our way to our respective transition spots to set up. My spot was OK. It was one row from a big light, so it would be easy to find in T1, but the rows were very narrow. Setting up is a ritual at this point and almost automatic: bike racked by handle bars (the racks are too short to use my seat) transition towel on the ground, shoes on it, hat on the shoes, socks on the hat, helmet on the bars, glasses and number belt in the helmet. I put 2 bottles of Infinit in my hydrotail, and filled my aero bottle about ½ way with Infinit and water. I was going for all liquid calories in the race, expecting it to be hot and sunny… the best laid plans. Even though it’s so familiar, I can never get the feeling out of my head that I missed something in setting up, so I check and double check. Then when I am out of TA I still feel like I missed something, but Ashley assured me that I know what I am doing and that it is all fine. It was 6:15, and transition closes at 6:20 and I was anxious to go double check everything.

The race was going to start 20 minutes late since parking was taking longer than expected. Ashley and I made our way down to the beach start area to see the sights of the other waves. I was in wave 7 of 7 so I had plenty of action to take in. Official start time of 6:30 came and went, 6:50 came around and the pros were ready to go! To my surprise, the swim start involved about a 150 yard run through the shallows for the pros. I decided I would watch the other AG waves and decide if I would run around the shore for a while as well. They all did. With about 20 minutes till my wave I put my wetsuit on and went to the water for a short warmup and a chance to try and see the first bouy. I swam out a long way and still couldn’t see the first bouy, but I knew it was down there to the right.

The Start:

My wave was up so I made my way to the front of the pack for the run. The horn sounded and we took off running for the short distance, putting about 100 yd on the people who swam from the start. I looked at my HRM to see my HR was at 175! Holy crap, I was about to go anaerobic, so I started walking and then dove in to start swimming. The swim is one of my strong legs, so I didn’t really have anyone to pace or draft off of, and just resigned myself to slicing through the other waves. There were a bunch of boats motoring around inside the swim loop and I remember wishing there was less boat exhaust to breathe!

I got to the first buoy and was passing the 6th wave. 2nd buoy, left turn again, and the LONG straight. I thought I could see one or 2 buoys, but as I later realized, the other buoys were hidden behind the rest. I resisted the urge to check my watch, because this swim was getting long! Somewhere on the long straight, I felt a breaststroke kick miss my chin by about an inch. That was not cool, I could have been out cold! Relax, and swim your race I told myself, extend, glide, nice consistent strokes. For a while I felt like my turnover was too slow, but speeding up didn’t help, so I quit thinking about it.

Ahhh the last turn, I could see the swim exit, and then a kayak was in my way! I hit the darn thing with my hand, and it hurt a bit. I think his boat was longer than he thought. I hit the swim exit and there was a very narrow double file row of volunteers helping people out of the water. I cut through then and ran out stripping my wetsuit, cap and goggles. I checked my watch, 27min and change, I was doing great!

T1 and Bike:

I got through T1 without incident, and was past the mount line putting my feet in my shoes with surprising ease. The first hill, 300 yards out of TA, my HR was hitting 175+. It was tough, but I settled in and hit the first flat, and down the next hill to meet the 2nd difficult climb. Out on the flats now, I took it easy and let my HR fall into the 150s. It was this point when I realized one of my bottles had fallen out of my hydrotail, even with the 2 rubber bands I had secured it with. Oh well, I can get Gatorade on course. When I made the easterly turn, I could see in the distance an amazing rain cloud, with the rain bending out of the bottom of it, and then I realized, it was over the bike course! I realized my dark glasses were the WRONG tint for this race! But at least they are the hydrophobic Oakley’s, so they should shed rain, right??? Well, sorta.

The next down hill is long, straight and fast, and it was then I noticed my computer had conked out and I was without a speed reading, but I still had cadence, so it was all feel and HR at this point. By the bottom of the hill it starting raining and the wind was blowing me all over. I made it up the 3rd hill and hit the u-turn. The next downhill was scary fast, wet and windy. When I hit the 15 mile mark or so, the first pro passed me going in, I was amazed that he would be done in 2 hours and change, but kept pushing. The rest of the course was defined by stinging rain, sideways rain, heavy rain and rain coming up out of the cotton fields, along with high winds and strong gusts that made descending the winding steep roads very sketchy. I worked on feathering the brakes every time and tried to keep from sliding. I remember passing my buddy Keith going the other way several times and trying to time our gap. I would always forget to look at my watch again. Keith was gracious enough to loan me his Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels for the race, by the way. I made it to the final long flat area and felt relieved that the bike death march was almost over. But I was thankful it wasn’t hot. And I was also amazed at the volunteers out there in the rain and wind hooking us up every 10 miles!

With about 10 miles to go, I realized I had to pee, and bad. I had no intention of stopping so I tried the old pro method of standing out of the saddle and pulling down my shorts, but to no avail. I could not make myself go! I decided a port-o-can in the TA would be better.

T2 and Run:

I rolled into T2 and got to my spot to find someone’s wetsuit laid out neatly over the bike rack cover about 3 or 4 spots, so I pushed it on the ground and racked my bike. Throwing on my shoes over my soaked socks and putting on my hat, I made a bee line for the potty. So much better. Out of T2 I went, feeling great, and knowing I was ahead of schedule. The first 4 or so miles is flat, and then the first hill hits you. I ran the hill until my HR reached 168-170 and then I would walk fast until it dropped to the 150s and then run again. This worked great, and I did it for each of the 3 hills on the run.

There is a portion of this run they call the Energy Lab II, after the fabled Kona Energy Lab, and I could imagine without the cloud cover and rain, it could be brutal. After the 6.55 mile turn, we were going into a strong wind, so I fell in behind a guy going my pace and drafted. He apparently did not like this, because he would slowly weave all across the road trying to lose me, but I just kept on. He would slow down and I would pass him, and then he would speed up and I would fall back in right behind him. I dunno, I was just using a good strategy! By the bottom of the 3rd hill, he had blown up and I lost him, and my feet were killing me, bad. So bad, I stopped to take off one shoe and rearrange my sock. Bad idea. I almost fell and had to put my foot down hard, on a rock. I tried to forget about it, and kept on. As I went down the first hill on the out and back run, my hips started getting really sore. I really wanted to walk, but I only had 3 or 4 miles to go. I decided to get a coke at the aid station to boost my spirits. It didn’t work, and my hips hurting was the only thing I could think about.

I kept pushing on, and actually did walk for 30 seconds or so every few minutes. It was getting humid and I do not handle the heat well being a Clydesdale. I had the energy, I wasn’t bonking, but just did not want to be running anymore at all. I was ready to be done. And knowing I had less than 20 minutes was not enough motivation. I came to one curve and there was a lady standing there cheering us on saying there was only ¼ mile to go…. ¼ mile didn’t sound so bad. In reality, it felt like another mile, but there was the finish, and I was about done, period. I crossed the line and raised my arms in triumph! I was certain I had won the Clydesdale division. Last year the winner was at 5:30 and I had just finished under 5:19. (5:18:53 or something)

It wasn’t until I was collecting my soaked gear in transition that I learned that another clyde had passed me on the run. Dang. My run is my weak point and he ran about 12 minutes faster than me and beat me by exactly 8 minutes.

All in all, it was a fantastic race. My first race over sprint distance, and I beat my goal of 5:30! I know in better conditions, I could have had a faster bike, but so could everyone else. Keith got his requisite IV after the race… hey they are free, and re-hydrate you like no other. An aquantance, Achmed Zaher (sic), passed out at the finish, and had to be carried off… he got 4th in his AG. He is a local coach and owns Playtri in Dallas.

Time 5:18:52
Swim – 27:39
T1 – 2:08
Bike – 2:47:57 20.0 mph
T2 – 3:05 (I really had to pee)
Run – 1:58:01 9:00 min/mile
Max HR – 190
Avg HR - 157