Swim Bike Run

1

2012 Timberman RR (Read 136 times)

jdais


    This is my 1st 70.3. Decided to take the family: wife, 3 kids(age 5,3,2), brother in-laws and their wives camping at Gunstock.  The weather was great during day 70-75 degrees, but 45 degrees at night. 

    Check in went very smooth and so did bike drop off at transition the day before the race. Security was very good at keeping spectators out.

    Race day was perfect. It was wetsuit legal, which was good for me because I am a slow swimmer.  Shuttle bus to the race site was great. It was better than waking up at 3am to the get a parking spot. 

     

    Swim: 46:54

    The water was warm and crystal clear, like a pool.  I started at the back of my pack, but ended swimming past about 1/3 of the group.  Took a few breaks to side stroke/backfloat to keep my HR down. I actually got into a good rhythm and was able to swim around slower swimmers.   About ¾ through the swim my right calf cramped really bad, so bad I had to backfloat and massage it for a minute or 2. I knew this would affect my run a few hours later, but I had to block that out and focus on the swim.  I guess I didn’t warm up my legs enough before the start.  I ended up swimming with no kick (thinking pool buoy) the rest of the way and finished strong.

     

    T1: 3:04

    It was a short run to the transition area where I used the wetsuit stripper, which was a nice feature.  Got to my bike put on my helmet, took my bike off the rack, and put on my race number.  I had decided I was going to keep my bike shoes on the bike and just put my feet in after starting to ride.

     

    Bike: 3:35:26

    Got my 1st foot in and strapped, but when putting on the right shoe I banged my shin into the pedal.  Ouch! It left a good black and blue, but did not affect me.  I was happy with my swim and felt good on the bike.  Too good that I pushed too hard on the 1st half of the bike(20mph), so the legs cramped up on the 2nd half of the bike(13mph).  Both legs locked up and I had to stop on an 11% hill for a few minutes massaging both legs.  While stopped, I got encouragement from other racers: “Don’t let this stop you”, “You can do this” and it kept me from quitting.  I thought I could keep the pace high for the entire 56 miles, but paid for it in the end.  Stubborn me I should have listened to my powermeter.  It was not pretty watching my body fall apart, but I knew I had to be mentally strong to finish the bike.  Just thinking about run got me focused on completing the bike.

                    Bike split: first 27 mi 19.88 mph avg, last 29 mi 13 mph avg

     

    T2

    It was a relief to be off the bike.  I was looking forward to the run ever since my quads cramped up.  Took my time in transition and stretched a little. Put on my gear and went.  People were completing their 1st laps and some were finishing.  I was hoping to see some of the pros on the run course, but that got sidetracked by my cramping.

     

    Run:  2:44:52

    The quads were tight for the 1st few miles, but then they loosened up.  I felt fine for the first lap, walking some aid stations here and there. The volunteers and spectators were great.  The 2nd lap my right calf started to cramp up on the hills, so had to walk more often.   At times I felt like I was the only one on the 2nd lap until I hit the turnaround and saw more people just starting the 2nd lap. I threw them some words of encouragement because I was in the same pain as they were.  With 2 miles to go I was determined not to walk anymore and finish strong.  I almost cramped leading up to the finish line, but managed to get there and here my name over the loudspeaker.  Shuttle bus back to Gunstock was great.  They took the bikes on a separate moving van that drove behind the bus

     

    Summary

    It was a great expreience and I will take away a lot of lessons learned for the next season.  Props to those that race Ironman because I couldn’t imagine doing 2x the distance this day, maybe in a few years.  I have a few things to focus for next year.  Thank you to my family, friends, and the Sunrise tri team for all the support.

    Swim , Bike, and Run A LOT


    Oh Mighty Wing

      Sounds like a great experience!!! I did Timberman sprint last year and would love to go back eventually to do one of the longer distances. 

       

      Great job!!!

       

      what do you think the cramp was all about?

        Awesome job!  Congratulations!

        What you did is solid, and the kinks along the way are things that you'll want to try to figure out.

         

        I typically get cramps in my feet when I swim long distances, and I still haven't figured out how to prevent them.

         

        Regarding your quad pain on the bike... not sure.  Could it be nutrition challenge?

         

        Take this race as a learning race, and figure out if some of those unfortunate circumstances can be eliminated.

         

        Regardless, you did something very challenging!  Congratulations!  Rest, and enjoy!

        Life Goals:

        #1: Do what I can do

        #2: Enjoy life

         

         

        jdais


          It could be from driving 6 hours the day before the race or not warming up my legs enough before the start.  This is the 1st time I have cramped like this on a swim, but it is the 1st time swimming 1.2 miles straight in OW

          Swim , Bike, and Run A LOT

            Congrats on your first 70.3! I was also up there for Timberman and it is probably my favorite triathlon. I'm sure you learned alot about the whole experience of training for and the actual race. I like the 70.3 distance, the training isn't as intense as the full IM and you can push in all 3 and not be dead after. 

             

            I also had some cramping issues on my quads. Think it was since it was so cool out I was able to push harder? Not sure. My calves used to cramp when swimming but not as much anymore.

             

            I'll add my reports to the pile if anyone wants to read, this was my 3rd time doing Timberman. My brother has a Summer house about 15 minutes from the start so I'll probably end up doing this each year as its convenient.

             

            Swim (very short):

            http://www.runningahead.com/logs/f118f2108c2b4caba745180e81611fdc/workouts/b001560ada9943acae50e0470d2bd91c

             

            Bike:

            http://www.runningahead.com/logs/f118f2108c2b4caba745180e81611fdc/workouts/b001560ada9943acae50e0470d2bd91c?dir=1

             

            Run:

            http://www.runningahead.com/logs/f118f2108c2b4caba745180e81611fdc/workouts/c66ba9b51ee046c9ac8bf08267a12d12?dir=1

             

             

            Congrats again Smile

            xhristopher


              Hey, I was out there too. I'm sure we passed each other while running back and forth. It was my first 70.3 and second tri.

               

              It was quite a learning experience and I'm still absorbing the lessons. My biggest mistake was one I might not have learned doing shorter tris. I drank on the ride like I had beer waiting for me at the end, not a half marathon. I ran out of hydration, not energy, with 40 minutes to go.

               

              Hopefully your cramping was just a fluke. I've cramped like that at the end of a swim once and it sounds like you handled it well.

               

              I thought the water was fantastic and enjoyed bing it it despite how many people swam right over top of me. I think everyone in my wave took a turn at me. When I got around the second buoy the fast guys in the wave behind me all took their turn swimming over me. I can't swim fast but I'm very comfortable in the water so none of this really rattled me but sure did break my rhythm. It almost seems unfair that I'm not allowed to run into these guys when I pass them back on the bike and run.

               

              How was camping? In a tent? I'm always too chicken to consider camping before a big race. I try to be as comfortable and rested as possible. 

              jdais


                This race was a lot of fun and I will definitely learn from the experiences.  The water was amazingly clear, felt like swimming in a pool. This definitely calmed my nerves.  I always feel anxiety at the beginning of the swim.  At least there were no deaths during the swim at this race.  Race was definitely well run, good scenic course, and I would do it again.  It is a 5 hr drive from NY, so I may not do it next year.

                 

                I camped in a tent and it was fine.  They had water/power in my campsite at Gunstock, so I brought the air mattress, hot plate, and electric fan.  It was pretty comfortable and the showers and bathrooms were a 1 minute walk across the street. i would definitely camp again.  We had 6 adults and my 3 little kids(5,4,3) in 3 tents.  It was everyone's 1st time camping and they had a blast.  The Shuttle from Gunstock to Ellacoya was also great.

                Swim , Bike, and Run A LOT

                Muebele


                  Nice job to jdias and everybody else that did Timberman, the weather was great, but the course is still tough

                   

                  I have to agree, that the water was the clear and clean, it was easy to see the feet in front of you.  I hadn't been swimming that much, but I didn't have to do as much sighting, which helped.  However stupid me somehow went to the inside at the start of the swim and got beaten up for a while.  T1 was horrible, as I was going to the wetsuit strippers, I stepped in a big hold under the mat and twisted my ankle.  I thought about the whole bike ride hoping that I would be able to run on it.  But I had no problems

                   

                  I think the bike I did what I wanted to.  I kept track of my effort through my power meter.  I think this kept me from going crazy at the start.  However, I aways forget that after mile 40, there are still big hills left.  Man that bike course is hilly!

                   

                  As for the run, the first loop was great, I had a good pace going and drank at every aid station.  However, dispite all this, I still bonked at mile 9.  I was able to hold it together, but it was mostly a run/walk for the next two miles. 

                   

                  Overall, great day, 5 minute PR and 13 minutes faster then the mess last year was.  I still have no idea about what I am doing wrong regarding the bonk.  I guess I still need to work on nutrition.  One of these years I am going to get it right.  Or maybe next year I just do the sprint!