Buffalo Springs 70.3 Race Report 2011

I have conqured another 70.3 in Lubbock, TX, Buffalo Springs 70.3. The race took place on June 26^th at Buffalo Springs Lake just outside of Lubbock. I knew from watching the weather during the week that it was expected to be hot and windy. The forecast called for the high to be 110F with 20mph winds out the southwest. The course is a single modified OAB bike and an OAB run. There are spots were the course is flat and then downhill back to flat, back uphill, back to flat. The total elevation climb is about 1400 ft on the bike and 400 ft on the run.

I came into the race feeling great and new my training was much better than it was last year. I was hoping to beat my 5:55 time from last year and hopefully get under 5:30.

Pre-Race

A couple of events happened even before the race started! I woke up around 3:30. At this time I noticed that my back tire was flat! I know a tubular should hold air for a couple of days! I thought well maybe the valve stem is a little loose, so I decided to tighten it up and pump it full of air. It was holding at that time. I loaded everything in the car and headed to the lake. Event #2 happened when I was walking my bike down to transition. As I was walking down, the Garmin cadence sensor I have got caught in the spoke and then split it half! I’m thinking to myself at this time what else can happen! I was able to get some band cutters to cut off the zip ties. No big deal, I didn’t need a cadence sensor really. I get my transition area setup recheck the rear tire and everything is ready to go!

Swim

The swim is by far my worst event. Even though it is hot in Lubbock, the lake is spring fed which means it is usually wet suit legal race. This year was no exception. They had moved the start times forward and condensed the waves in order to get everyone in the water faster and hopefully out of the heat. My wave was the first AG wave to go. It was 50-54 male/female and the 30/34 males. I’d have to say it was on the larger wave starts I’ve been in. I was swimming well towards the first buoy but just after the turn I started to have a little anxiety. I thought to myself just keep swimming and everything will be good. I made the second turn and started to settle in and by the time I was heading back towards the west and then south towards the finish I was feeling good. My goal was under 40 minutes for the swim and I was able to achieve that.

Time

2011 - 37:36, 478/710 swim OA, 54/70 AG

2010 – 45:41, 857/862 swim OA, 72/74 AG

T1

Usually there is not much to say about transition, apparently this year had other plans. I got out of the water picked a wetsuit stripper and off the wetsuit went and me running towards my bike. Helmet, sunglasses, shoes, race belt, and off! I’m running down the aisle and my lens pops out of my sunglasses! Look around for it, finally find it and off on the bike!

2011 T1- 3:16 – stupid sunglasses!

2010 T1 – 2:06

Bike

The bike is one area that I’ve really been focused on since deciding on this race earlier in the year. I’ve been able to complete more longer rides than last year and been working on more intensity. The wind this year made the ride tougher than last year. The course runs in all directions, so at times, you had tailwinds, then crosswinds, headwinds, and rinse wash and repeat. I was feeling pretty good going into mile 40, but I knew the last 16 miles would be tough because it be a headwind back into the transition. I was able to push my way into T2. I was consuming water and Gatorade during the bike, but I did not consume enough because it come back and bite me on the run! I finished a 24 oz bottle of Gatorade, 24 oz of the front water, and then whatever I poured into at various times at aid stations and water bottle underneath. It was probably another 24oz. Consider the 3hrs I was on the bike, I should have been consuming probably closer to 30 to 40 oz per hr.

Time

2011 – 3:02:14 327/710 bike OA, 43/70 AG

2010 - 2:59:13 439/862 bike OA, 45/74 AG

Run

The run is where you can make or break a race and this year was more of break. I started off the first three miles feeling pretty strong but felt a cramp started to build in my leg. The plan was to walk all the aid stations and then decided on walking the large hills when I got to them. After the 3^rd aid station, I knew I would be walking the first hill. It was a good time to try and “cool” down and walk off the cramp building. It was a tough 3.5 miles after that. I was walking/running all the way to the turnaround point. I was putting ice down my jersey, water over the head, and taking in Powerade. I got to the turnaround and finally able to run. All the way to mile 11 I was able to put in around 9:00 miles! The only time I didn’t was walking up the last hill back to transition. I got to around mile 11 and the wheels came off again and pushed myself to the finish as much as possible. The whole time I felt I was in the zone with a little tunnel vision! I crossed the line and finished and was happy to finish my 2^nd BSLT 70.3 even though I didn’t beat my time from last year or make my goal time.

Time

2011 – 2:17:46 OA??, 43/70 AG

2010 – 2:05:16 406/862, 34/74 AG

Overall Time

2011 – 6:03:15, 248/505 Male, 43/70 AG, OA?

2010 – 5:54:07, 335/615 Male, 46/74 AG, OA?

Takeaways

Not all races and even courses are created equal. Some courses are different on different days. This year at BSLT was one of those days. It was hot, windy, and dry on the run. I didn’t take in enough fluids on the bike which really affected my run. Had I been able to run a little faster I would have equaled my time from last year on course that was a little harder this year. The overall times last year was 5:55 and this was 6:10. I learned a lot from this race and hope to take it into future races. My best takeaway was toughing out the swim and finishing in a great time for me! I didn’t finish towards the bottom this year.

Post Race

I crossed the finish line and felt a cramp hit my left calf, but went away quickly. They had medical people all around and one walked to me handed me water and asked if I was ok. I felt ok, but could barely talk and asked if I wanted an IV or to sit in the medical tent. I wasn’t sure, but she said why don’t you just go sit down and see if you feel better of course once I sat down, they asked are you sure you don’t want an IV it’ll make you feel better! It sure did because after 2 bags of fluid later, I was feeling great and ready to go again!

I got back to my bike and noticed that again my back tire was flat, so I was lucky that it didn’t go flat during the race. I had a spare and some pit stop, but wanted to save them until it was absolutely necessary. Of course packing up my later, I then found my front tire down also. So BSLT, you took two tires and one cadence sensor. I still beat you though!

Up Next Buffalo Springs 70.3

This weekend brings Buffalo Springs 70.3 in Lubbock, TX. I have been working towards this race since the beginning of this year. There have been ups and downs in training but I feel my training has been progressing nicely and hope to have a great race this weekend.

I completed this race last year and people ask what's the course like. Well the course, is pancake flat in spots then you drop into a canyon climb out, back to flat, and do it a couple of more times while biking. Of course, mother nature will also throw in some wind and heat also. The run is the pretty much the same except with some small rollers at the beginning and ending of the run. Nothing to hard! Below is the weather forecast as of today at 9:18. Looks like it will be a hot and windy day.



With the wind out of the south/southwest there will be some fast sections of the bike and some slow sections of the bike.



The run will throw a couple of climbs to you followed by a long out and back section that has not shade and the ability to see the turn point miles away. This part is flat which is nice, but you have to maintain the focus before heading back to the finish.


I'm excited and ready for this weekend. I know what to except for this course and ready to leave all out on the course!

Norseman Triathlon

This triathlon is said to be the world's hardest. I can only imagine! It would be cool to complete though. They say in 2005 only the winner completed the course. Now that is extreme.

Memphis In May Race Report

My first race of the year is complete! I can say that it was pretty good race in which I was able to learn some things that I need to work on. Well let's get to the report.

I arrived at the Veranda Hotel on Saturday. The hotel and the race start were right next to each other, so it would make for an easy race morning on Sunday. The room at the hotel was nice. No issues there. After checking in, I went to packet pick up which was pretty easy. This was located next to the hotel. Following packet pick up, I went for a swim. The swim was in a lake behind the hotel. The water was nice. I wouldn't say that it was cold or warm. I was able to swim in my tri top and shorts comfortably.

The dinner options in the Tunica area are confined to the casinos. With recent flooding in the area, two casinos were still closed, Harrah's and Bally's. This left the Horseshoe, Road House, and Gold Strike as options. Also, the Veranda Hotel was having a buffet for $20, but it was BBQ and turkey with sides. Not my idea, of a pre-race meal. I ended up at the Horseshoe with some people that I know from the local tri club All in Multisport. We ate at Benions. It was a fairly pricey dinner, but it was great. I had the seafood pasta and hit the spot. The hotels also had buffets that were around $25. You could also drive up to Memphis or Southaven for food options. This would have been a 30 minute drive.

Race Morning
Woke up around 4:30 ate a clif bar, banana, bagel, and drink some Gatorade. I walked my bike down to the transition area around 5:30 to get a decent spot. The area were my bike was a pretty good location. The rack was located along the main in/out for swim/bike/run. Easy to find no matter where you put it on the rack. The great thing about the hotel being close is that I went back up to the room to relax after setting up.

Swim - 36 minutes 23 seconds

The swim is a time trial start with a person going every 3 seconds. You lined up by race number and waited your turn. They started about 7:00 am and by 7:15 was off in the water. The swim is not my best event. I started out with a pretty good rhythm, but then fell off that rhythm. I then kinda of struggled to find a good rhythm, but never really got there. I was hoping to finish the swim in 30 minutes, but didn't even get close! I finished the swim in 36 minutes!

Just before the swim start, I noticed some rain clouds moving in overhead. Was it going to rain? It started to rain while we swimming. It changed even more once on the bike!

The takeaway here is I need to swim more in the open water.



Transition 1/Bike - 1:11 transition/1:11:05 24 mile bike

The transition went smoothly and I was off on the bike. The course was a triangled shaped bike course with the first part heading west, then south, and finally back north towards T2. The wind was out of the SW for the day, so the first part was going to be slow followed by a fast back in!

The bike started off smoothly, but then the sky decided to open up! It started to pour. The rain was stinging and it was lighting. I just put my head down and rode hard. I also noticed that my Garmin had locked up, so I had to restart it. It took about 4 miles to get warmed up but once I did I was really able to push the pace.

The course was flat and fast and I enjoyed it even with the driving rain. The course was marked and managed well in my opinion.



Transition 2/Run - 1:45 T2/ 52:14 10Kish run

By the time I arrived at T2, I knew my shoes and socks would be soaked, but I put them on and off I ran. Not like, they weren't going to get anyways since it was still raining off and on.

I started the run off pretty strong, but my pace started to decrease by mile 3. After passing mile 3, we headed to the turn around point and just after that my watch hit 4 miles, before the marker? By the time I hit the 4 mile marker, my watch was 4.5 miles. I started thinking that my watch was off. I didn't think I was running that slow? After passing, the 4 mile marker. I was to able to again reduce my pace through the next 2.7 miles. I felt that I had a good push until the end. It turned out that the course was longer than advertised, but you have to prepare for the unexpected. It was 6.7 miles instead of 6.2.


The run course was flat and fast. The aid stations were well stocked and placed in good locations. If it had been hot, they would have served themselves well. The rain and clouds keep things cooler.

Overall I was happy with my bike and my run. I still need to work on the swim. I have another race coming up on June 4th were I will do a 1.2 open mile swim. It will give me a good chance to practice once more before Buffalo Springs at the end of June!

I would do this race again next year assuming it's at the same location.

Interesting Articles

Here are a couple of interesting articles that I ran into.

One deals with whether or not humans have peaked - Peaked Performance
The second article deals with endurance sports and relationships - A Workout Ate My Marriage

The second could bring up the most discussion. It deals with a man in his mid-40's who is now training 20 plus hrs a week and seems to ignore his family. The second part of the article does mention a husband and wife, one who is a couch potato and the other who works out, but the relationship is going well. The one thing I hate about this article is that the two families are completely different. The first family is family with 3 kids. The other is just a husband and wife. This article seems to take both extremes and makes them seem standard. I'm sure there are families that are able to handle the endurance sports well. Everything is always about setting priorities and sticking to them. Family should comes first.

Looking Back Five Years Ago the Journey Continues

Sometime around Jan. 2006, I was at the doctors office with the flu when he came in and mentioned that I had high blood pressure. He said that you should come back in over the next couple of weeks and get it checked quickly and see if this is something that will need medication or not. At that time, I decided that I would get back into shape. I was probably a little overweight for my height and frame also at 166. Even a girl that I was seeing at the time mentioned that I was getting a little fat. Below is the journey of 5 years. A quick summary is 5 years later I'm still continuing on my journey, lost 30 lbs, achieved my 2nd degree black belt, completed 3 marathons, 3 half ironmans, numerous triathlons, and other running races.

The opportunity at that time to get back in shape came with martial arts. I knew someone that had started a class at Conway Regional once a week and at that time I decided to attempt to get back into marital arts. I had taken taekwondo until I was 18 and then quit when I went to college. Now at the age of 25, I was getting back into the action.

Throughout 2006, I really was just involved in martial arts with some other workouts here and there, but my interest in running grew when I saw my dad complete the 2006 NYC marathon. After watching him complete the marathon, I would register for the 2007 NYC marathon. As luck would have it, I got the lottery entry.

In 2007, I began my training for the marathon and on NYC completed the NYC in 4:45 minutes. My interest in fitness began to grow even more in 2007 with my first attempts at a training log. You read in various articles that is good to keep a long and in 2007 the log began. The log is mainly filled with just miles run and hours trained. There is still no biking in the picture yet! The 2007 log shows 168 hrs of training and 327 miles of running from June to December.

2008 brought along my second marathon in NYC which was completed in 4:25 minutes and the purchase of my first bike. I purchased a Specialized Allez Elite. I purchased the bike in March but with work travel and just not riding I only rode 225 miles that year. The funny thing about this year was that I actually ran my first 5k in August. I also began to swim in 2008. The idea of completing a triathlon began. 2008 brought 244 hrs of training, 608 miles of running, 225 miles biking, and even 11 miles of swimming. During 2008, I also tested for my Black Belt in taekwondo in February and then tested for my 1st degree in October. After 2.5 years of taking taekwondo, I had finally achieved my black belt. Of course, I still have much more to learn and will continue to advance.

It's 2009 and it's time to Tri! In 2009, I began to pursue triathlons. I had a new position at work which didn't require travel and so my adventure in triathlons began! My first triathlon was in Texarkana at the Four States triathlon. It was adventure on the swim with a slight panic at the start but I pushed through and finished. I knew at that point I wanted to do more. In 2009, I completed 5 triathlons (3 sprint and 2 international distance). In December, I committed to the 70.3 in New Orleans also. Also, in 2009, after 4 years of teaching in taekwondo, I finally completed the required 120 hrs to be certified instructor. I also achieved my 2nd degree black belt in August. In 2009, I trained 356 hrs, ran 447, biked 1641, and swam 73.

2010 is the year of the 70.3 distance. I completed my first half ironman in New Orleans. I think I found the distance that I love. It's a challenge and you can push yourself to the edge. I also completed one in Lubbock and here in Conway. I also set a PR in the marathon in Memphis in December. I ran a 3:55! This was my first marathon in 2 years. I love the challenge of the marathon and the effort it takes to push through your own limits to complete.

I think every year I grow a little more and continue to learn and will continue the journey. There is no end to this journey. It will continue on for a long time to come.

Arkansas for Triathlon Training

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2009/10/news/best-places-to-live-test-2_5598/21

I know this an older article mentioning how Little Rock just missed one of the best places to train, but I still have to say that I really enjoy Arkansas for training and living. I do know that it doesn't have the diversity of a large city such as DFW, NYC, or any other big city, but it's much easier to get away from the city in no time at all. Another advantage is the low cost of living in Arkansas compared to some larger cities. The summers are hot, but I don't really mind the heat. We generally have a mild winter. The average high in Jan. and Feb typically hover in the low to mid 40's on average, but have many days above 50.

I live in Conway, AR and I can leave my house and be out on open roads in about 5 minutes. Once I cross the Arkansas river bridge and go about 10 miles there really isn't much traffic at all west of Conway. You can go North of Conway for more hills. Arkansas even offers the advantage of completely flat if that is what you are looking for. I can drive down to LR and then ride out SE of Little Rock on roads that are pancake flat.

In Conway, the running is your suburb running. Running through neighborhoods, sidewalks, and streets. There is a running/walking trail that goes through part of town, but it's somewhere I go just to run. In LR, the best option that you have is the River Trail that circles from LR around to I-430 bridge and then back to NLR. It is a great trail to run. There will soon be a bridge that connects it to 2 rivers park which will give you more running and biking options. As far as trail running, you can always head out to Pinnacle (outside of LR) that offers some nice running.

As far as open water swimming, the best place I have found so far is Lake Beaverfork in Conway. It is a great option in Conway. In mornings, it is not very crowded and you can get a nice swim in. There are plenty of great lakes in Arkansas to choose from, but I don't know how well they do for open water swimming.

Now for the final part, racing, Arkansas offers great choices for triathlons. DLT events (dltevents.com) runs many races around Arkansas with road and off road triathlons offered. There is also a couple races put on in NW Arkansas (2.5 hrs) put on by other directors, Texarkana(3hrs), and Forest City (2 hrs). Of course, if you are interested in Ironman series races, there are (5) 70.3 races within a 8 hr drive on less. There is also one Ironman within an 8 hr drive in Houston and an Iron distance race (Redman) in Oklahoma City. There are always races in other cities that are an easy 3 to 5 hrs away from LR.

The Short Me Update

Well here is a short update about me. I'm still working on starting up this blog. I've added a few entries lately, but still haven't updated the me part.

I'm working on the training for Buffalo Springs which is coming up in 2.5 weeks. This week has kinda of been a down week being so far. I didn't mean for it to go that way, but it has just rolled into that way. Monday started off with a flat tire on the bike during the group ride. The whole in the sidewall was large enough that the ride was pretty much ended. No runs this week due to shin pain and swimming went no where last night. On the bright side, I am enjoying the "rest" I'm not to concerned that it will affect my fitness to much. I've trained very effectively since New Orleans in April. I'm excited for the race and plan for a good.

This weekend will allow for more rest as I head up to the Spring River to spend time with friends.

Nutrition Changes on WTC Courses

Well it appears that there may nutrition on courses this year. An article on slowtwitch.com, that they WTC has partnered with Powerbar for a new drink called Perform. The product will available in June. The races that it will be served on the course are 70.3 Rhode Island, 70.3 Racine, 70.3 Miami, Ironman Louisville, Ironman Wisconsin, Ironman Florida, Ironman Arizona, Ironman Lake Placid. It will also be at the 70.3 Championship in Clearwater and Kona.

If I have been training based on the Gatorade that is usually on the course, I wouldn't be to happy right now. I know a couple of these events are coming up very shortly and will catch some people off guard.

Just recently Gatorade, changed our it marketed it's endurance formula, it is now more expensive, but doesn't have any changes in nutritional value. Always be on the lookout for changes.