Race Report #2: Eagleman -- 10 June 2012

Slowly but surely, I'm catching up on long-overdue race reports.

I'll start off by sparing any weak suspense and coming clean. This was my first time competing at Eagleman; it was also my first DNF.

Eagleman is down in Cambridge, MD and is actually put together by the same folks who organized the first Ironman I raced, way back in 2008. The course is flat and fast... well, it has the potential to be fast but humidity can do a lot to change those plans.

My plan for this race was to test out my spring training and get some hot racing under the belt. I didn't really walk away with the former, but the latter definitely happened!

I drove down to Maryland with my training/racing buddy Glenn and my girlfriend, Posie. The drive was short and painless.

Glenn and I spent the early of the afternoon preparing for the next day. In my case, I started to tinker with my bike position which I had at this point still failed to dial in. (Big mistake.) As you'll recall, I'm racing on a new time trial bike this year... and it's been some real work getting the fit figured out.

After buggering around for a bit, we took our bikes for a test ride. My Shiv didn't feel all that much better, but it didn't really feel worse either. We checked in and parked our bikes in transition just before dinner and then retreated to the Hyatt Resort to do a test swim and unwind. Hotel was quite nice.

Race morning went as it always does. I had my usual nutrition but should have gone a little heavier given my late start of 8am--in most races, I start at 7am. (Less big mistake.)

My race wave went off without too much commotion. I settled into a decent rhythm and felt good in the water. I opted not to wear a (barely legal) wetsuit for fear of overheating as I have in the past in warm water. Definitely cost me some time. (Unclear if this was a mistake.)

I got out of the water in decent time, moved through transition and got on my bike. This began my 56mi of agony. My latest rendition of bike fit was terrible. Shoulders hurt. Saddle hurt. Leg hurt. Couldn't put out any power. Spent the last 15mi out of the aero position struggling to get done. The worst I have ever felt on a bike in a race. Jeez!

By the time I hit transition, I knew that I had blown the race. At this point it was 99F and the humidity was beyond thick. So, without too much thought, I pulled the plug. I turned over my race chip and walked out of transition.

My first (and hopefully only) DNF was weird. I was bummed out that I had had such a bad day--especially because the bike-related issues were due to me being bad about simple things like fit. But still, it seemed like the entirely right move and really didn't feel like an admission of defeat. I didn't cave during a moment of intense suffering--which is good because that is a seal that I do not want to break. Rather, I was just having a terrible day and slogging through 13.1mi of absurd humidity didn't seem like it offered much value. I knew I could finish, but why?

Anyway, the race did serve as a reset for me.

First off, after finishing, it was clear that I needed to figure out my bike position. Within a day, I had a video off to TT Bike Fit and a week later, I had a completely new (and comfortable fit). Who would have thought that it just took 56 terrible miles of riding to get me to do the smart thing. (I cannot over-endorse Todd and the folks at TT Bike Fit.)

Secondly, it was clear that I needed to work on general fitness and train for the heat, and that I needed renewed focus. This switch flipped nearly overnight.

So, was Eagleman a failure? Totally. Did some good come from it? I'd like to say "yes!"

My buddy Glenn had a better day than I. This is us walking to the car post-race.

Race Report #1: Bassman -- 6 May 2012

Well, I guess it's about time that I start documenting some of my races for the year.

This year I decided that I needed to get back into my habit of an early-season Half Ironman to dust off the cobwebs. Bassman was just that. It's a small, local race run down in Tuckerton, NJ. It's actually slightly longer than a 70.3--on top of the usual 1.2-mile swim, there is a 58-mile bike and a 14-mile run.

I drove down the night before with my racing buddy Dave. We crashed at a small seaside motel out on Long Beach Island... To call it a little run-down would be an understatement. But it served the purpose and was easy to line up. Dave and I were pretty beat from the trip down and some heavy training volume so after race registration, we grabbed an early bite to eat and were passed out by 9am.

On Sunday the road at 4:30am to get to the race on time. With such a small roster, transition was a simple in-out experience. Saw my buddy Glenn as we both prepped our new bikes--he and I both picked up Shivs this spring. Also had the chance to meet Logan Franks in person. (His story is pretty amazing and worth checking out... just a small spoiler: he learned how to swim in a pool in one of Saddam's palaces.)

The swim kicked off without my hooplah. Having put on a good (well, bad) amount of weight over the weekend, my wetsuit was definitely tight and that created some problems for me in the swim. Slow and tired shoulders... In any case, was out of the water in a mediocre but reasonable amount of time.

Hit the bike. It was my first real long ride on Shiv... and it showed. It's a phenomenal bike and very fast, but my position on race day certainly was not dialed in. Shoulder pain, saddle pain, stiffness, no power. It was a disaster. Lesson learned.... time to get a new fit on the bike. Definitely had taken for granted that I had tuned my position on my old Cervelo P2 to fit like a glove.

Off the bike, I hit the run. Banged out two 6:45 miles and felt great. Then things fell apart. I hadn't been doing any long running yet, leading up to the race and it showed. The run turned into a slog and I just scraped together a bunch of 7:30- and 8-minute miles. Nutrition was definitely out-of-whack, too.

Finished the race in a respectable place but nothing to write home about. One upside, Glenn crushed it and took 2nd overall. Great for him.

All in all, the race served its purpose. Test out my new gear (and realize that it really needed adjustment) and dust off the cobwebs.

Bike racing

Couldn't start this post without a quick mention of Ryder Hesjedal's huge win at the Giro. This marks the first ever Grand Tour win for Canada... and how better than to do it on a Canadian bike!

Now onto my far less exciting past few months racing bikes. With a long season ahead of me--I have my sights set on IMAZ as my A race for 2012--I decided that it would be fun (and hopefully productive) to do some bike racing early on in the year. Add some excitement to my life, createa reason for picking up a new bike and work on some bike-specific fitness.

So far this year, I've done a few races with my buddy Glenn and the rest of the Toga!/Gotham cycling team. I have focused on road racing in Central Park, namely the Spring Series and CRCA and raced in one time trial down in New Jersey. All in all, it's been a great experience. I've built a tonne of bike fitness that was sorely lacking coming out of the winter and have had a lot of fun. I have seen my teammate hit the podium a few times and perhaps most importantly I've yet to crash (knock on serious wood).

A few photos from the races.

Sprinting up the final climb of the Readington Time Trial.

My buddy Glenn cruising through the Readington TT.

Toga!/Gotham after a CRCA race. Glenn took 2nd in a field sprint.

The Venge

In an effort to become a faster cyclist--and because I've really come to love following the pro peleton--I decided that I'd spend this spring focusing on bike racing. It's been a blast so far.

And, while I was at it, I figured that I should pick up a new road rig. Check it out.

2012 Specialized S-Works Venge. Project Black (i.e. matte black carbon, limited edition). SRAM Red. Rovals with a PowerTap G3 hub built in. Built up beautifully by my buddy Dave Nazaroff over at Toga!/Gotham.

I cannot get over how amazingly well this bike rides. Great handling and feels so smooth--I swear that all of the roads in NYC were repaved over the winter. At the same time, great power transfer, stiff bottom bracket and a lot of pop (even despite my loss of bike fitness during the off-season).

The Venge waiting for pick-up over at Toga Westside.

Venge in its new home.

Race photos from Ironman Canada

The beautiful drive up to Penticton, BC, Canada. The area is extraordinarily hilly and green.

Signing in for my fourth Ironman.

Our house up in the mountains. The house was a 40-minute drive up a switchbacked mountain road.

A view of beautiful Lake Okanagan. The swim took place right off of this beach.

The day before. Just another hot, sunny day in Penticton.

Posie and I hang out on the beach. What an amazing race companion... always keeps me calm!

Human cement mixer.

Cruising along the bike course. Sunny. Hot.

A glimpse of one of many piees of hillwork. Okanagan mountains in the background.

Slogging it through the 95F+ marathon. I look happier there than I remember.

A companion on the first few miles of the run. I'd go on to drop this guy, only to fall apart after mile 13.

More running. Toga!

Slogfest.

Posie doing her part to motivate me.

All smiles. Time for a shower, beer and long, long sleep.

Long overdue

It seems that the 2011 season came and went without me writing a single post. Some members of my limited audience have been asking if I'll ever get back at it, so here goes nothing. (I'm currently watching Paris-Roubaix from a small villa in Italy--am away on holiday--and with 61km left to go, I have a little bit of time to sit and write.)

First, a recap of last year. All in all, the season was decent. I got a late (and heavy) start on training and that definitely showed. Lackluster performance at Rev3 Quassy followed by a mediocre race at the Rhode Island 70.3. By the time my peak race of Ironman Canada rolled around, I was coming into good form and feeling pretty confident.

Canada was a great race--the most beautiful course that I have ever braved--but it definitely kicked my ass. I had a poor swim but got out there and rode well. The marathon kicked off with a bang and I decided that it was time to take some risks. I hammered out the first 1okm on about 7-minute pace. Then the course started to heat up and things fell apart quickly. Struggling through the heat, I was stuck walking every aid station, pouring as much ice down my jersey as possible. As I entered the final 10km, I passed a digital screen outside a local high school; it read: 97F. I was going crazy, it really was that hot.

I ended up holding it together and finishing in a disappointing but respectable 10:36.

Well, that just about wraps up last year. I'm going to go ahead and post some pictures from Canada because it truly was a phenomenal race--and I'd really like to share the course with everyone. But, other than that, I think I'm going to just close the books on 2011 and look forward.