Again starting with the basics;
2012 2013 Diff.
Bike: 7:14:52 6:04:14 -1:09:38
So now armed with new insights into the bike course I left T1 with a great deal of confidence. Not only did I felt confident about my swim I also rocketed out of the changing tent 8 minutes faster than last year. In short I did not forget anything in my transition bag this year.
The course was the same as last year but (see previous post) my approach was different. In spite of the difference the strategy on the first part of the course was the same. The first 10 miles was a flat and mostly straight road that ran along the Ohio river. The over all course was a modified out and back so this also constituted the last 10 miles as well. The modification was a 30 mile loop that you rode twice.
As for my overall ride my strategy seemed to work well (as the time differential showed). Last year I coasted down every hill. As part of my "attack" strategy this years plan was to maintain my cadence and HR on the down hill portions of the race. The more perfect tactic would have been to maintain the same power on the entire course. I have yet to invest in a power meter for my bike. Just a little too cost prohibitive at this time (a story for another time).
By maintaining cadence and HR I can do a fairly decant job of cycling with a consistent effort (A power meter does an excellent job at this). Last year I did not pedal at all down the hills so my cadence was 0 (if I had a power meter it would have also been 0). Also last year on the down hills my HR would drop well below my "Training Pace".
This years strategy worked like a champ! As the time for 2013 indicates. The 1 hour plus improvement was attainable because I was in better physical condition and I was simply able to approach the bike with a different strategy. There is really not much else to say. About the only trouble I experienced was around mile 90 as I approached the last few climbs. I felt my legs cramping up a bit as I began to push into the climbs. Easy enough, I just dialed back the "Attack" mentality and took it a little easier on the last climbs. In a couple spots I got up out of the saddle to change my position on the bike. These, along with self massage on the down hills helped me avoid my severe problems on the bike.
The best part of the bike was on the first part of the 30 mile loop. Due to a number of factors I found my self having to ride through large groups of riders. Also there seemed to be more people riding in the middle of the road rather than keeping to the right. So it was difficult at times trying to keep attacking the course. I really did not want to get into yelling at people ahead of me. I still am more of a "participator" than a competitor. So I worked with it as best as I could.
I then heard the distinctive sound to bike gears shifting down and then a person yelling, "LEFT LEFT". The polite interpretation of this yell is used by riders to indicate ones desire to pass on the left. The impolite version (especially at high volumes), "Get the hell out of my way!!!!!" Ha Ha. I could see about 3 dense packs of riders ahead of me. So I thought I would use this guy to help me through the packs.
I would let him yell and have riders move to the right and I would follow his line through these packs. I waited on the right until he passed me. I was on the right so he did not need to yell at me. As he passed me he yelled at the riders in the pack ahead of us so I knew this was the guy to follow. As he passed I immediately locked onto his rear wheel.
There are very specific rules regarding drafting in WTC events. As the person being passed I have 20 seconds to drop back 4 bike lengths from the person who passed me. This gives me 20 of free speed ( see a later post regarding all the techniques associated with this). This tactic worked great! I used this rider to escort me through the packs of riders ahead of me. Once we hit some open areas he took off and he was much faster than me on the open parts of the course. So I waited for another rider that was much closer to my speed to draft off of for most of the rest of the race .
Best part of the story. At one point the course was so congested that I was able to pull up beside the rider I was following through the packs. To my utter amazement his bike number had only 2 digits. 2 digits means "PRO TRIATHLETE" I was shocked to find out that I was keeping up with one of the best in the world. This is also why he was able to quickly pull away from me when we hit the open area of the course. Obviously I was able to stay with him due to the congestion on the course. Also the only reason we were at the same place on the course together is that he was on his second loop and I was on my first.
Any way thanks to Pro Triathlete # 12 Andrew Hodges!!!
"The Run"
"The Run"
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Ironman Louisville Race Report: Bike (Drive it the day before)
Since this was my best part of the race I have broken it into a couple of posts
Again starting with the basics;
2012 2013 Diff.
Bike: 7:14:52 6:04:14 -1:09:38
If I had to say that one leg made the biggest difference, it was the bike. I actually had to use a time calculator to computer the difference!
To begin, the course was the same as the previous year. The roads had experienced a year of wear and tear. Also there were a few patches of repairs. Other than those minor differences an exact copy of the 2012 race. I still drove the course the day before to familiarize myself with the course.
I was looking for 3 basic things. First and foremost checking for areas that would present dangerous situations. Knowing where steep hills are and sharp corners can be the difference between finishing and not. I am not just talking about serious injuries but anywhere you could have an incident that would take you out of the race. A damaged rim will take you out of the race just as quickly as an injury. You may be able to finish with an injury but not a broken bike. So knowing these areas and what to do when you approach them is very important.
Secondly I like to have an overall sense of the course. Mostly for mental reasons. It is easy to stay motivated and focused in areas that have a lot of spectators. I have always found the noise and "action" very motivating. It is the longer lonelier sections that can wear on you psychologically. The stretch that I was most concerned about had not changed from last years race.
The course was an out then a double loop and back course. The double loop was a 30 mile loop in Oldham county east of Louisville. I have done a bunch of 70.3 races and I am familiar with the bike course at IM Texas (the Woodlands area north of Houston). I'll say that nothing matches the course at Louisville. It s a beautiful ride. Being Kentucky, you would assume that there would be lots of horses. You would be correct!!! The 30 mile loop is full of nice roads, great scenery and lots of horses.
There were 3 basic sections to the loop. The first is very populated. There is a water station as you get close to the town of La Grange. The town does a first job of hosting there part of the event. After you leave the water station you turn east and head into the main part of town. This is the funniest part of the entire bike course. La Grange shuts down the main part of the town for the race. It is loud and rowdy! Literally thousands of people cheering. Busses run from downtown Louisville to this area of the race. It is cool!!
The second part of the loop is short and challenging. It begins about 5 miles east of la Grange. It is a 7-8 mile stretch of sharp turns, steep climbs and narrow roads. You definitely need to be careful here.
On to section 3. This is the long lonely part of the loop. Mentally I would say that this would be the toughest part of the course. I was prepared for this. My goal here was to use the lack of distractions to focus on 2 things. One my drafting (legal), and two inventory. I would focus on the person I was following making sure I was doing my best to use every legal advantage. Am I the correct distance (4 bike lengths), are they slowing down or speeding up? In other words am I following the right person or should I look for another one. As for inventory I wanted to go through everything I could possibly check. Nutrition, bike, body and mind, is it all in working order. Have I been eating properly. Does the bike fell and sound right. Do I have any aches or pains that are unusual or new?
Third and final reason for driving the course was a new one for this year. I wanted to find areas where I could be aggressive. I had a strategy that my coach and I worked out for the race. Still, there was room in that strategy for tactical choices throughout the race. So I was looking for areas where I could adhere to the strategy and still make tactical choices that were more aggressive than last year. I was looking for areas such as long down hill stretches were I could attack and ride aggressively. Last years race I did not peddle on about 90% of the down hill sections. I coasted to conserve my energy for the run part of the race. With another year of training under my belt I felt that I could be more aggressive on the bike.
So during the drive these areas got most of my attention. Some hills, way too steep to do anything other than focus on not crashing (fast enough without peddling thank you). There were a couple on section 2 of the loop that had sharp turns at the bottom so they were out as well. Even after eliminating these there were still a good many parts of the course that were excellent candidates for attack!!!
Next post the bike leg itself.
Again starting with the basics;
2012 2013 Diff.
Bike: 7:14:52 6:04:14 -1:09:38
If I had to say that one leg made the biggest difference, it was the bike. I actually had to use a time calculator to computer the difference!
To begin, the course was the same as the previous year. The roads had experienced a year of wear and tear. Also there were a few patches of repairs. Other than those minor differences an exact copy of the 2012 race. I still drove the course the day before to familiarize myself with the course.
I was looking for 3 basic things. First and foremost checking for areas that would present dangerous situations. Knowing where steep hills are and sharp corners can be the difference between finishing and not. I am not just talking about serious injuries but anywhere you could have an incident that would take you out of the race. A damaged rim will take you out of the race just as quickly as an injury. You may be able to finish with an injury but not a broken bike. So knowing these areas and what to do when you approach them is very important.
Secondly I like to have an overall sense of the course. Mostly for mental reasons. It is easy to stay motivated and focused in areas that have a lot of spectators. I have always found the noise and "action" very motivating. It is the longer lonelier sections that can wear on you psychologically. The stretch that I was most concerned about had not changed from last years race.
The course was an out then a double loop and back course. The double loop was a 30 mile loop in Oldham county east of Louisville. I have done a bunch of 70.3 races and I am familiar with the bike course at IM Texas (the Woodlands area north of Houston). I'll say that nothing matches the course at Louisville. It s a beautiful ride. Being Kentucky, you would assume that there would be lots of horses. You would be correct!!! The 30 mile loop is full of nice roads, great scenery and lots of horses.
There were 3 basic sections to the loop. The first is very populated. There is a water station as you get close to the town of La Grange. The town does a first job of hosting there part of the event. After you leave the water station you turn east and head into the main part of town. This is the funniest part of the entire bike course. La Grange shuts down the main part of the town for the race. It is loud and rowdy! Literally thousands of people cheering. Busses run from downtown Louisville to this area of the race. It is cool!!
The second part of the loop is short and challenging. It begins about 5 miles east of la Grange. It is a 7-8 mile stretch of sharp turns, steep climbs and narrow roads. You definitely need to be careful here.
On to section 3. This is the long lonely part of the loop. Mentally I would say that this would be the toughest part of the course. I was prepared for this. My goal here was to use the lack of distractions to focus on 2 things. One my drafting (legal), and two inventory. I would focus on the person I was following making sure I was doing my best to use every legal advantage. Am I the correct distance (4 bike lengths), are they slowing down or speeding up? In other words am I following the right person or should I look for another one. As for inventory I wanted to go through everything I could possibly check. Nutrition, bike, body and mind, is it all in working order. Have I been eating properly. Does the bike fell and sound right. Do I have any aches or pains that are unusual or new?
Third and final reason for driving the course was a new one for this year. I wanted to find areas where I could be aggressive. I had a strategy that my coach and I worked out for the race. Still, there was room in that strategy for tactical choices throughout the race. So I was looking for areas where I could adhere to the strategy and still make tactical choices that were more aggressive than last year. I was looking for areas such as long down hill stretches were I could attack and ride aggressively. Last years race I did not peddle on about 90% of the down hill sections. I coasted to conserve my energy for the run part of the race. With another year of training under my belt I felt that I could be more aggressive on the bike.
So during the drive these areas got most of my attention. Some hills, way too steep to do anything other than focus on not crashing (fast enough without peddling thank you). There were a couple on section 2 of the loop that had sharp turns at the bottom so they were out as well. Even after eliminating these there were still a good many parts of the course that were excellent candidates for attack!!!
Next post the bike leg itself.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Ironman Louisville Race Report; Swim
Hopefully I will get these next posts out in a timely manner. Since Louisville my training schedule has focused on rest and recovery. What I am trying to say, is that without 6 hour bike rides on the weekends there is no excuse for not finishing this earlier!
2012 2013 Diff.
Swim: 1:38:07 1:20:16 -17:51
The course was identical to the 2012 course. Start in the channel between Tow Head island and the south bank of the Ohio river. Swim east about 800 meters, turn and swim the remaining distance west to the swim finish at Joes Crab Shack. Joes is the closest landmark to the Great Lawn and the transition areas.
The course may have been laid out the same but the course played very differently (borrowing a golfing term). First off the water temp was cooler than last year. On race day the temp was just over 80 degrees. Last years water temp was over 85. This cooler temp put the swim in wet suit optional status. This meant that you could were a wet suit but you had 2 restrictions. First you had to start at the rear of the pack. Second is that you will not be eligible for any awards or Kona slots.
I had very little chance to finish high enough to compete for awards or Kona slots so that did not factor into my decision to not were a wet suit. Simply 80 degrees is too hot to wear a wet suit. I was well aware of the lower water temp before leaving Texas and I did not even bring my wet suit.
The second difference was that there was much more of a current this year. this was very apparent on Saturday when then allowed athletes to swim a small part of the course. it is great to be able to swim part of the course the day before the race. You can get a feel for the temperature and any other environmental factors. They let us enter the water at the swim finish and they set a couple buoys for sighting.
I had planned on a 20 minute light swim. Since we started at the finish we immediately swam against the current. However you could not really feel any current. My plan was to swim 10 minutes out, turn and swim back. I swam a nice smooth easy stroke for 10 minutes and made my turn. Much to my surprise I made it back in just over 6 minutes!
There could have been many reasons for the different times; I got loose and warmed up at the start so the return was a little faster. I could have taken a less direct line going out and a more direct one coming back. None f these would have fully accounted for the difference. Also around me many people were discussing the same thing. Slow out and fast back.
So the question is what to do with this nugget of information. Is there any way to use this to gain an advantage. After all it is a "race". There is not much you can do to change the current so your best bet is to work with it. So my plan for this new info was to focus on drafting. Since the first part of the race was into the current drafting would be vitally important. With the current drafting may not be as important.
So as I entered the water I immediately got on the hip of another swimmer. Since I felt that drafting was hyper important getting a draft was the priority not the speed of the draft. Draft first, speed second. So I grabbed my draft and as a faster person passed me I drafted of them. The channel was quite narrow so as I changed drafts I did not have to swim in open water for very long (if at all).
Another benefit of this forethought was an easing of any frustration. The buoys were placed a set distance apart and they were numbered 1-whatever. So you could gauge your progress as you passed the numbered buoys. It seemed to take forever to get passed the first couple of buoys. For an instant I thought that at this rate I will never finish! Then I remembered the current and the difference between swimming upstream and downstream. I immediately calmed down and continued my focus on drafting. I was soon clear of Tow Head Island and into more open water.
I still had laser focus on my draft and was soon at the turn buoy. I made the turn and held my draft. The remainder of the swim went like clock work. The only problem was for the last half of the swim my drafts started to slow down and even stop. So on the last half of the swim I had to find a new draft a half dozen times. I really think I need to research a race and find a specific person to draft off of in the future. This way I can have a continuous draft off of a consistent swimmer.
As a final note: At about the 3/4 point in the swim I was wondering how well I was doing. I had started nearer the back of the pack (I thought I had got to the swim start really early). I had passed a number of swimmers. So I had a quick peek back over my shoulder. The wall of swimmers behind was immense. It looked like a tidal wave coming at me from behind. I thought holy crap! I better get moving!!!!!
Next post Bike report!
2012 2013 Diff.
Swim: 1:38:07 1:20:16 -17:51
The course was identical to the 2012 course. Start in the channel between Tow Head island and the south bank of the Ohio river. Swim east about 800 meters, turn and swim the remaining distance west to the swim finish at Joes Crab Shack. Joes is the closest landmark to the Great Lawn and the transition areas.
The course may have been laid out the same but the course played very differently (borrowing a golfing term). First off the water temp was cooler than last year. On race day the temp was just over 80 degrees. Last years water temp was over 85. This cooler temp put the swim in wet suit optional status. This meant that you could were a wet suit but you had 2 restrictions. First you had to start at the rear of the pack. Second is that you will not be eligible for any awards or Kona slots.
I had very little chance to finish high enough to compete for awards or Kona slots so that did not factor into my decision to not were a wet suit. Simply 80 degrees is too hot to wear a wet suit. I was well aware of the lower water temp before leaving Texas and I did not even bring my wet suit.
The second difference was that there was much more of a current this year. this was very apparent on Saturday when then allowed athletes to swim a small part of the course. it is great to be able to swim part of the course the day before the race. You can get a feel for the temperature and any other environmental factors. They let us enter the water at the swim finish and they set a couple buoys for sighting.
I had planned on a 20 minute light swim. Since we started at the finish we immediately swam against the current. However you could not really feel any current. My plan was to swim 10 minutes out, turn and swim back. I swam a nice smooth easy stroke for 10 minutes and made my turn. Much to my surprise I made it back in just over 6 minutes!
There could have been many reasons for the different times; I got loose and warmed up at the start so the return was a little faster. I could have taken a less direct line going out and a more direct one coming back. None f these would have fully accounted for the difference. Also around me many people were discussing the same thing. Slow out and fast back.
So the question is what to do with this nugget of information. Is there any way to use this to gain an advantage. After all it is a "race". There is not much you can do to change the current so your best bet is to work with it. So my plan for this new info was to focus on drafting. Since the first part of the race was into the current drafting would be vitally important. With the current drafting may not be as important.
So as I entered the water I immediately got on the hip of another swimmer. Since I felt that drafting was hyper important getting a draft was the priority not the speed of the draft. Draft first, speed second. So I grabbed my draft and as a faster person passed me I drafted of them. The channel was quite narrow so as I changed drafts I did not have to swim in open water for very long (if at all).
Another benefit of this forethought was an easing of any frustration. The buoys were placed a set distance apart and they were numbered 1-whatever. So you could gauge your progress as you passed the numbered buoys. It seemed to take forever to get passed the first couple of buoys. For an instant I thought that at this rate I will never finish! Then I remembered the current and the difference between swimming upstream and downstream. I immediately calmed down and continued my focus on drafting. I was soon clear of Tow Head Island and into more open water.
I still had laser focus on my draft and was soon at the turn buoy. I made the turn and held my draft. The remainder of the swim went like clock work. The only problem was for the last half of the swim my drafts started to slow down and even stop. So on the last half of the swim I had to find a new draft a half dozen times. I really think I need to research a race and find a specific person to draft off of in the future. This way I can have a continuous draft off of a consistent swimmer.
As a final note: At about the 3/4 point in the swim I was wondering how well I was doing. I had started nearer the back of the pack (I thought I had got to the swim start really early). I had passed a number of swimmers. So I had a quick peek back over my shoulder. The wall of swimmers behind was immense. It looked like a tidal wave coming at me from behind. I thought holy crap! I better get moving!!!!!
Next post Bike report!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Ironman Louisville Race Report (overall info)
I may as well start at the top and work down to the details;
2012 2013 Diff.
Swim: 1:38:07 1:20:16 -17:51
T1: 18:02 10:27 -7:35
Bike: 7:14:52 6:04:14 -1:09:38
T2: 12:13 8:19 -3:54
Run: 6:11:42 6:08:52 -2:50
Total 15:34:56 13:52:08 -1:42:48
Big picture: 1:42:48 improvement over 2012. On the whole not bad.
This being my second time at Louisville some of my report will obviously involve differences from last years race. Also previous posts have covered the training and lead up to this years race. In summary preparing for last years race and this years race were very different. My approach last year was "Train to survive". The goal was to complete the distance and enjoy myself. I pretty much conquered that goal.
This years approach was "Train to attack". When push comes to shove I was going to sacrifice a little comfort for a better time. In other words finishing the race and ending up in the medical tent at the IV bar was a distinct possibility this year. Thankfully I did not end up there. As the time comparison shows I improved on last years time by quite a bit. My coach felt that a time of 14:30 was doable and would represent a big improvement. So it seems that my 13:52 came as a surprise to most.
Except me,
Other than a better time I had a couple of goals for this race. One was to finish fast enough to not have to wear a lighted necklace. If you are finishing in the later hours you are required (asked) to wear a tube around your next that is filled with a luminescent liquid. This is for safety reasons.
So mission accomplished there.
I know this has been said by me and many others but it needs to be said again and again. None of this is possible with out the hundreds of volunteers. You people are the greatest! The volunteers spend as much if not more time on the race course than most of the competitors. They help us with our bags in the changing tents, hand us water and food. they hold our bikes during "Bio Breaks". There is no way to express enough thanks to all these wonderful people. To all of you;
Thank you so very much!
Next post swim report.
2012 2013 Diff.
Swim: 1:38:07 1:20:16 -17:51
T1: 18:02 10:27 -7:35
Bike: 7:14:52 6:04:14 -1:09:38
T2: 12:13 8:19 -3:54
Run: 6:11:42 6:08:52 -2:50
Total 15:34:56 13:52:08 -1:42:48
Big picture: 1:42:48 improvement over 2012. On the whole not bad.
This being my second time at Louisville some of my report will obviously involve differences from last years race. Also previous posts have covered the training and lead up to this years race. In summary preparing for last years race and this years race were very different. My approach last year was "Train to survive". The goal was to complete the distance and enjoy myself. I pretty much conquered that goal.
This years approach was "Train to attack". When push comes to shove I was going to sacrifice a little comfort for a better time. In other words finishing the race and ending up in the medical tent at the IV bar was a distinct possibility this year. Thankfully I did not end up there. As the time comparison shows I improved on last years time by quite a bit. My coach felt that a time of 14:30 was doable and would represent a big improvement. So it seems that my 13:52 came as a surprise to most.
Except me,
Other than a better time I had a couple of goals for this race. One was to finish fast enough to not have to wear a lighted necklace. If you are finishing in the later hours you are required (asked) to wear a tube around your next that is filled with a luminescent liquid. This is for safety reasons.
 |
| From last years race. Notice the lighted safety "ring" |
I know it is a silly goal but not having to were one of these means that I have finished the race faster. I must admit it felt good not having to wear one. I know childish but still rewarding given my goals. A second goal was to finish in the day light. this one was hard to quantify but for the most part I think I missed this one. When I crossed the finish line the lights were on on fourth street and the chute. So I have to count this one as missed. Not by much, I would have to say that I was about a mile from the finish line when the sun set.
A goal of all races was to finish strong. Looking at my run splits my last mile was my fastest.
So mission accomplished there.
I know this has been said by me and many others but it needs to be said again and again. None of this is possible with out the hundreds of volunteers. You people are the greatest! The volunteers spend as much if not more time on the race course than most of the competitors. They help us with our bags in the changing tents, hand us water and food. they hold our bikes during "Bio Breaks". There is no way to express enough thanks to all these wonderful people. To all of you;
Thank you so very much!
Next post swim report.
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