Journey 140.6: Race Rehearsal

The cliff notes lessons learned:

• Make sure bike is clean and well tuned up.  Article consulted on the bike chain
• Practice changing flat tires on both the front and rear, and using the inflation equipment you will use on race day.
• Never ride without your hydration being secure. Put packing tape in gear and special needs bags in the event you have issues.
• Hydrate well before, during and after.  Fuel  more.  Doing all of this whole in motion is an art and science.  Article consulted on hydration and nutrition.
• With practice comes confidence!

My TriDot plan calls for 3 race rehearsals, 4 and 2 weeks out from race day.  Rather than doing all 3 disciplines, it’s a Brick with the main focus being the bike followed by a 40 minute run.  I did do a 2 mile swim the day before. The rehearsal is so much more than an endurance test.  Here’s how I did:

Equipment:  The day before I thoroughly cleaned my bike, including using a cloth like dental floss to clean out the cassette.  I rode in the rain for my last ride and my bike was not shifting as smoothly as it usually does so this was much needed. I checked the chain length using the ruler test and it seems to be ok.  I put new tires on, which made for good tire changing practice.  The first tire I failed miserably getting the last bit of tire on and knowing how to operate a CO2 canister. While I always carry CO2s, I had never used one before as all tubes I’ve changed were in the garage.  I also didn’t even know what pressure the CO2 would inflate the tube to (about 80lbs). Fortunately things went better for the 2nd wheel, although I still struggled with that last bit of the tire.  This time I refused all help, and finally figured out what would work - put the tire iron in the middle of the last bit. I did call Mike to help guide me for putting the rear tire back on but he actually struggled as my bike is set up slightly differently than his, but I visually saw how to put the chain under the cassette and maneuver the tire into the sockets.  (Ironically as I was typing this paragraph, we got a blowout on our car tire....after all the bike maintenance we were lazy and called AAA!).

While I test road around the neighborhood, I knew the real test of my mechanic skills would come the next day on my long ride.  Having read someone else’s lesson learned that they got bored on race day without the social aspects, I wanted to be solo and focused. My plan was to go out just ahead of the group ride and not make any of the usual stops. That way, if I got into trouble, my friends would find me. That all went out the window when I inserted my Torpedo hydration kit and discovered the cage had broken.  It seemed like it would be secure enough.  Big mistake.

Caution:  Flying Torpedo!

I got 1/2 mile down the road and the Torpedo lived up to its name flying through the air and spewing my cherry lime nutrition hydration in all directions.  I’m sure those who passed it later mistook it for someone’s late night regurgitated cocktail. I returned home, refilled it and strapped it down with tape.  Note to self - put packing tape in gear and special needs bag for solving these type of issues.

By now, the group ride was ahead of me but I went in confidence knowing I can change a tire.

Clothing:  my plan is to wear the same sleeved Tri top with back pockets for fuel for the swim and bike. I’ll either wear my bike shorts or lightweight long cycling pants depending on the weather, and will take my arm sleeves if needed.  For the run, I’ll change into my Philly TriClub kit so I can finish looking great!  I will also wear compression socks on the bike and run as they feel good and keep more skin covered and less sun lotion to worry about.  I’ve tested all clothing for chafing.

I only managed to eat half my nutrition

Nutrition and Hydration:  I planned on consuming about 1500 calories on the bike (250 per hour) through a combination of UCAN super starch, BASE Bars, honey stingers, Roctane Gu, and shot blocks.  I’ve been practicing with BASE and Roctane since that is what is on the course. For my first 70.3 I tried pretzels which got soggy in the rain. I’ve used Trader Joe’s vegan bread on long rides but it’s too bulky to carry many calories. 

What I didn’t know is how much of an art and a science it would be trying to consume enough calories while moving.  Most training rides I’ve eaten at one of our group ride breaks.  Having learned that BASE bars are as hard to open as Fort Knox, I cut little slits in the packaging but next time I think I will make it a full slit. The other thing you have to figure out is how to maneuver the packaging without littering, which will get you a penalty.

They say nutrition in an Ironman is the 4th discipline and I see why.  I ended up consuming about half the calories I brought with me so my nutrition needs some work.  On top of it, post ride I woke up with a headache that continued into the next day so I clearly was dehydrated and need to hydrate more before, during and post the race. 

Breaks:  I took two 5 minute bathroom/ hydration refill breaks during my 6 hour ride. When there was a long line for one bathroom, I used the opportunity to reapply some sunscreen. I plan to carry some sun lotion and also put spray cans in special needs bags.

It's getting harder to find enough roads!

Slow pace!

The 6 hour ride:  Overall, I was slower than I hope to be race day, especially considering I stopped my watch for the breaks.  I think a combination of having to stop for traffic, rough road, hills, and not having total fresh legs made for a 14.3 mph pace.  My knees began to hurt towards the last quarter of the ride which is something I’ve only been experiencing lately with these longer rides, which led to slower speed as time went on. The good news is my butt is perfectly comfortable in the saddle, to my surprise.  I’m still within the cutoff but I would like to have more cushion in the event of a bike mechanical issue. At Eagleman 70.3 I was at more than 17 mph so I know I’m capable of a better speed.

Perfect pace!

40 min brick run:  Surprisingly when I got off the bike to run I had no knee pain. It was as if they were free and happy to run.  I was able to maintain my marathon race pace around 9:42/mile, although my heart rate was elevated so I don’t expect to be able to maintain that on race day.  I only took one walk break for 1 minute mid-way through but on race day I plan to take quick walk breaks through the aid stations to hydrate and fuel.

My first 2 mile swim!

Perfect pace!

Swim (day before):  It was my first 2 mile swim and I was happy with my 2:20 pace. I wore my sleeveless wetsuit and like it much better than sleeves for a long swim like this. I experienced shoulder pain after my first 70.3 for some period of time.

Weather:  The weather gods did great!  Keep up the good work!

Overall, the rehearsal was a success and I now have a big goal to better hydrate and fuel going forward.