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Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant - Triathlon


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Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
Canada
World Triathlon Corporation
18C / 64F
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 53m 21s
Overall Rank = 155/1928
Age Group = 50-54
Age Group Rank = 8/158
Pre-race routine:

The day before I met up with Jason, James, Fred and Arend. Really cool to meet them. While I thought it would be cool for Canada to win our little bet, I was not thinking about that at all during the race. There was no way to track it during the race

However there were two local guys, my Ag, so I would see on the course, both trying to KQ this year that I wanted to see how I would stack up against. First one, we will call local 1 is same on the swim, much faster biker, bit slower runner. I figured I needed to get ahead on the swim and then catch him on the run
The second, local 2 is slower on the swim, a bit faster on the bike, close on the run

Got up at 4, ate the traditional all protein (eggs & smoked meat) and too much coffee. I am T2 diabetic so carbs are a problem.
Headed out the T1 that was supposed to open at 5, setup my stuff, calibrated the PM, got body marked and back to the condo by 5:30.
Event warmup:

None
Swim
  • 31m 59s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 40s / 100 meters
Comments:

I put myself behind two very fast guys hoping they would clear a way for me.
Well, the excess testosterone in my AG, although we are supposed to be low, had people swimming over me, elbowing, hitting.
So stupid. When I did WC in 2011 I realized the experienced guys know that the energy spent fighting in the first 300m is wasted. Oh well.

Within about 400m things got a little more civilzed although I felt a lot of people were pulling away.

I was silly not to take advantage of several drafting opportunities.

Overall, a relaxed swim, probably came out as fresh as I ever have

However, there was one issue. In pool swims I always cramp up around 2200-2400m in a practice. i never figured this out. While I didn't cramp coming out of the lake, I felt I was not far from it. Back of leg, calves and hamstrings. They were very tight. I need to figure this out





I was ok with the swim. I probably left a minute with a bit more effort or less energy for the same time, but overall in line with what I have invested in my swim

What would you do differently?:

I could have easily benefited from a draft. There is a guy that swim next to me the entire 2nd half of the swim. I should have just tucked in behind him. But he was as silly as me
Transition 1
  • 04m 11s
Comments:

Strippers got it all wrong.
I came out and wasn't going to use the strippers since the run to T1 is about 500m.
Anyways, I decide to. They scream at me to lie on my back, which I do, except the top of my wetsuit isn't off. Duh !. get up, take off top, lie down, tug tug.. This was not very efficient.

probably lost a good 30 seconds here
What would you do differently?:

Not listen to strippers. I thought I learned that a long time ago
Bike
  • 2h 39m 45s
  • 90.12 kms
  • 33.87 km/hr
Comments:

This is the part I feel I executed poorly. My target power was 225, I hit 224 NP. But I did it at a 1.075 VI, which is too high for this course. I would do the ups too hard and slack off too much on the flats.
I had about 14 30 spikes above 300 watts, which wasn't necessary.





I was very unsure about my target power. I normally do several 3hr rides at target power which i didn't this round. I did a lot of long rides with a mix of Z2, Z3, Z4, knew I could handle this so kind of overdid the climbs.

The black line was my target wattage. And you see my zones. Too much time in Z2, too much in Z4.

First 30km or so was pretty smooth, I was worried about the tighness in the leg, but it was not getting worse. I was expecting local 1 and local 2 to catch me before the turn around. We turn around, and within about 1 min I see them both, so I figure I have 2 min on them. In hindsight i would have wanted them closer to push me

Also there was a D-bag that sat on my wheel every time there was a flat. Twice I let him go, fell back about 50m but then I would catch him and sure enough he would be on my wheel. So I would I try and drop him on the hills, which was stupid.

He eventually hooked up with a passing train and I didn't have to deal with him any more. He approached me after the race, and after a few minutes discussion I saw everything that is wrong with some of the people in this sport and WTC.


At 80km he cramped up bad, had to unclip to stretch and as I passed him said "Karma's a ^itch".

Then about 5 min later, boom, my right quad seizes up. This has happened to me in 3 races now. First time in 2011 I had to stop after the bike. In 2012 I managed it better and stretched it out. As soon as it twitched I backed off and decided to manage it. The important this is to be very steady, no sudden acceleration, changes in cadence....But we were approaching Duplessis which has several 12%+ pitches. I rode it very conservatively, as conservative as you can

I also know this doesn't affect my run, so as long as I made it to t2 I would be ok.

One the way down, I slacked off. My last 10km split was 175w.





What would you do differently?:

Definitely pace things more evenly, everyone knows this.
I need to figure out the cramping in the quads.
It's not hydration, maybe electrolytes, it was not over-cooking. I think it's related to swim before bike because it never happens in training.
Transition 2
  • 01m 45s
Comments:

Good T2. I decided to wear socks.

However, just as I was leaving, local 1 showed up. I knew he saw me and I knew he would chase me.

What would you do differently?:

Not much.
Run
  • 1h 35m 43s
  • 21.08 kms
  • 04m 32s  min/km
Comments:

My best runs have always been very evenly passed. If there is anything to learn from this RR, this is it.

I took the first km easy, even though I knew local 1 was right behind me. HR was low, 4:40/km. Felt easy. So I slightly picked it up. i felt very good. I then saw a guy I know that has a ton of experience and is like a diesel train, smooth and steady. I sat behind him, watched my HR, watched my pace and said to myself, "perfect", this guy is better than a Garmin.

There was a flat trail between km 5 and 10 which was the turn around. So enjoyable. My HR was 148-150, pace around 4:35ish, it was a breeze. I probably passed James at the 6km mark, because I am pretty sure it was on this trail.

When I get to the turnaround this is where I would assess my lead. I had about 1min over local 1, 90 sec over local 2. The change in direction caused a bit of a change in pace and I was accelerating which I knew was wrong. Then I saw James who screamed "put the hammer down". James, remember that ? Guess what i did ? yep, I decided to go for it.

Look at the chart. Look at my pace increase slightly at 45min and my HR spike. This is the problem. For a few seconds per km, you spike your effort and it doesn't come back down. I backed off the pace and the HR did not come down. This is a mistake. I passed my diesel train, and within a few minutes started to suffer big time. I tried to back off but the HR would not come down. If you are still paying attention, keep it steady. If you make this mistake within the first 2km of the run, you are in big trouble. Go steady. Hold back on km 1. Run below target pace and adjust. You have 13 miles to adjust.

We then had a second turn around. I measured again and I was pulling away from local 1 and local 2. rather than manage things I decided to push. I tried to climb the last hills at full pace. Look at the HR spike, I never recovered from

For a benefit of 30 seconds on my run I suffered a lot more than I needed to. Put that effort to properly pacing the bike and overall I would have done much better

PACE THE RUN EVENLY !!!
Next bad move was to not slow down on the last few climbs. You can see the HR spike and I needed downhills to bring it back.

At this point I was on fumes and just wanted to manage a finish.






I beat local 1 and local 2 by 5 and 8 minutes, so was happy with my result. D-bag finished behind.

What would you do differently?:

Overall my pacing was not bad. The first 10.5 km were the same as the second, but with a lot more effort. A lot more.

My average pace was 4:33/km, my NGP which takes in account hills was 4:32. So it was well executed.
Post race
Warm down:

Went to the med tent to test my blood sugar. It was high normal

Nutrition

Cliff block every 15min starting at 30 to 2h15 but skipped one 7x8g = 56g carbs = 224 calories
3 bottles water. first one had 300mg sodium, 2 salt tabs so 900mg sodium total.

Run
2oz water with 2g every mile for 9 miles 9x2g = 18g = 64 calories

total calories = 288 calories for the entire event. Some people consume this per hour

I thought I took more than this but miscalculated. Oh well, it looks like it was sufficient.

We can talk about nutrition and calories if you want :-) The guy that won our AG is a 4x ultraman world championships runner up. He has some interesting stories on nutrition. To find his minimum he tried to do a IM on 0 calories. He says he bonked, but not by that much.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

it was a good race, but I could have got more for the same effort. I slacked off on the bike and the run hurt.

I need more confidence in my bike. I know I can do more.

Event comments:

While this is an amazing venue, I decided I will not register unless one of my local buddies wants to do it. There are too many races I want to do, especially in Europe. Plus it gives me motivation to qualify for WC in 2014 to do it then




Last updated: 2012-11-21 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:59 | 1931 meters | 01m 40s / 100meters
Age Group: 16/158
Overall: 0/1928
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Sonar
Course: See picture. very straight course, very even to sight
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:11
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:39:45 | 90.12 kms | 33.87 km/hr
Age Group: 11/158
Overall: 0/1928
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Lots of rolling hills, 2 decent climbs and one big climb
Road: Smooth  Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 01:45
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:35:43 | 21.08 kms | 04m 32s  min/km
Age Group: 8/158
Overall: 0/1928
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %.5
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2013-06-24 5:51 PM

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Subject: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant


2013-06-24 6:12 PM
in reply to: #4786322

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2013-06-24 6:21 PM
in reply to: #4786322

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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Congrats on a terrific race and report. Look forward to hearing more about your nutrition strategy (and how you adapt for IDDM vs just take a different approach).  Well-done!
2013-06-24 6:29 PM
in reply to: kcarroll

Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Originally posted by kcarroll

Congrats on a terrific race and report. Look forward to hearing more about your nutrition strategy (and how you adapt for IDDM vs just take a different approach).  Well-done!


thanks

interesting question on IDDM. In car analogy the guys that take insulin have a slight advantage. carbs are the acceletor, Insulin is the brake. they control both. As a T2, I only control the accelerator which has it's challenges.
Now if they slam the break too quickly they run into big problems but a long discussion with the med doc said it is slighly easier to manage.
2013-06-24 7:03 PM
in reply to: marcag

Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Thanks for the detailed report, especially as I just started racing with power

And I want to hear more about the d bag conversation

2013-06-24 7:39 PM
in reply to: #4786322

Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Great job.  Amazing how a few seconds with the wetsuit strippers or a few pacing errors almost cost you another 4 seconds...LOL.

Thanks for the details...very informative and amazing insight on how you have to deal with nutrition.



2013-06-24 8:48 PM
in reply to: Jason N

Payson, AZ
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Nice job on the race.  Sounds like you learned a lot from it...now, will you recall it during the next race. 
2013-06-24 9:04 PM
in reply to: marcag

Pro
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Originally posted by marcag
Originally posted by kcarroll Congrats on a terrific race and report. Look forward to hearing more about your nutrition strategy (and how you adapt for IDDM vs just take a different approach).  Well-done!
thanks interesting question on IDDM. In car analogy the guys that take insulin have a slight advantage. carbs are the acceletor, Insulin is the brake. they control both. As a T2, I only control the accelerator which has it's challenges. Now if they slam the break too quickly they run into big problems but a long discussion with the med doc said it is slighly easier to manage.

Ahh, you're T2.  Makes more sense now. Nonetheless, interesting how few calories (288??)you took in during the bike/run. Would be interesting to hear more on this later. 

2013-06-24 11:08 PM
in reply to: kcarroll

Master
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Central Kansas
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Thank you for a great race report -- it was very instructive. I also am interested in hearing more about your nutrition strategy. I took in about 300 calories just for the Olympic. You are making me wonder if I over did it. I get actually hungry, and I hate to get in the hole with that. I tend to suffer with low blood sugar, so maybe that makes a difference?

I also want to know about the d-bag conversation, but that's just my voyeuristic tendencies coming out. :-)

Congratulations on a terrific race.

2013-06-25 7:38 AM
in reply to: #4786322

Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Congrats on a well run race.  It's amazing how pushing the run just a little bit can have such a large impact. 

Hope you can figure out the quad issues on the bike.  Maybe swim-bike bricks could offer some insight into determining if the swim is really the cause??

2013-06-25 7:47 AM
in reply to: #4786322

Master
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Nice job marc! It's interesting to see how well you know yourself with the details you put in.


2013-06-25 9:15 AM
in reply to: brigby1

Master
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...at home in The ATL
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Awesome race, Marc, and I greatly enjoyed all the analysis. I usually suffer similar cramping issues when racing the HIM distance - I find it a much tougher distance to pace properly than any other, including IM. The room for error just seems so much smaller. And yeah, once you decide it is time to go on the run, there really is no way to un-do that decision - way to stick with it!
2013-06-25 11:00 AM
in reply to: TankBoy

Elite
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Great race Marc, and great report - love the details.
2013-06-25 11:43 AM
in reply to: GoFaster

Veteran
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Austin, Texas
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Wow - great RR.  Almost as good as the race!

So many questions, though (as in, you've freaked me out and I'm going to panic now, rather then during my race).  Laughing  This is the downside to providing a great report and resource for the rest of us, as no good deed goes unpunished.  Hopefully, Karma is a 2 way street...

First, what analysis tool do you use (the graphs you post)?  I'm on Strava, BT, GC and the free TP (almost a really bad triathlon rap, there), but would love a better run analysis tool, as Stava is probably the best of those and not very good at that.

Second, on run HR, how did you set your pace and HR targets?  My open HM times are low 1:40's, but I'm not sure how to put that into HIM context.  As for HR, the last 2 I really raced had my HR average 160-165 (max is 179ish) - so, solidly in Z4 - for about 1:30 of the race, with Z3 only for the first few minutes and Z5 for the kick at the end.  Basically, at "threshold" for around 90'.  I suspect that if I try anything like that in the HIM, I'm toast!  Would love to hear how you set your targets and how they compare to your open times/HRs.

As for the bike (and this is the last I'll ask, promise!), does your power correlate well with HR, or is HR too lagging an indicator to keep from blowing up on the hills?  I rode with power on my road bike the last year, but just got a tri bike and haven't upgraded to put on the PM yet.  I have a couple Oly's and the HIM in August, and I'm wondering if just going by HR and RPE will lead to too high a VI and come back to bite me on the run...

Again, thanks so much for the great RR and re-congrats on, as we would say in these parts, a wicked awesome race!

Matt

PS - I've also learned to be wary of strippers - especially when they yell at me to get on my back!

2013-06-25 11:32 PM
in reply to: mcmanusclan5

Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Originally posted by mcmanusclan5
First, what analysis tool do you use (the graphs you post)?  I'm on Strava, BT, GC and the free TP (almost a really bad triathlon rap, there), but would love a better run analysis tool, as Stava is probably the best of those and not very good at that.



The first on is a screen shot from Garmin Connect
The second is a screen from Golden Cheetah which is very good for bike analysis, and fr
Th this is TP which I love for looking at my runs

Originally posted by mcmanusclan5

Second, on run HR, how did you set your pace and HR targets? My open HM times are low 1:40's, but I'm not sure how to put that into HIM context. As for HR, the last 2 I really raced had my HR average 160-165 (max is 179ish) - so, solidly in Z4 - for about 1:30 of the race, with Z3 only for the first few minutes and Z5 for the kick at the end. Basically, at "threshold" for around 90'. I suspect that if I try anything like that in the HIM, I'm toast! Would love to hear how you set your targets and how they compare to your open times/HRs.





I run it about 2 minutes slower than marathon pace. If you enter your time in McMillan, it will give you a M pace. I can run at a very stable heart rate at that pace.

Originally posted by mcmanusclan5
As for the bike (and this is the last I'll ask, promise!), does your power correlate well with HR, or is HR too lagging an indicator to keep from blowing up on the hills? I rode with power on my road bike the last year, but just got a tri bike and haven't upgraded to put on the PM yet. I have a couple Oly's and the HIM in August, and I'm wondering if just going by HR and RPE will lead to too high a VI and come back to bite me on the run..


I could definitely use HR to pace the bike. There is a very close correlation for me. It takes a while to come down to normal levels. It does sometimes drift up towards the end but definitely the way I would go if I didn't have a PM
2013-06-26 12:02 PM
in reply to: marcag

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Austin, Texas
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant

Thanks Marc,

Super helpful!

When you say a couple minutes slower than M pace on McMillan, do you mean take the full M time, divide by half, add 2 minutes and use the resulting min/mile (or min/km, depending on where you run!)?  Something like 5 seconds/mile slower than M pace would be what I'd expect, then.

That, by the way, both makes sense and just lowered my blood pressure considerably!  This HIM pacing thing is totally in my head these days. 

Now I just have to figure the same thing for the bike!  Do you have a hueristic for targeting your bike HR, or do you just go off power?  I think I'm going to pop for a PM in the next couple weeks - I find I really miss it, especially on the hills where I can tend to push more power than I realize (not uncommon).  That's fine for a group ride, but I think might be disastrous for a HIM.

Thanks again!

Matt



2013-06-27 5:17 AM
in reply to: TSimone

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2013-06-27 5:38 AM
in reply to: mcmanusclan5

Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant
Originally posted by mcmanusclan5
When you say a couple minutes slower than M pace on McMillan, do you mean take the full M time, divide by half, add 2 minutes and use the resulting min/mile (or min/km, depending on where you run!)?  Something like 5 seconds/mile slower than M pace would be what I'd expect, then.

That, by the way, both makes sense and just lowered my blood pressure considerably! 




actually this table is probably the most accurate estimate http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=n6by3d&s=4
I am probably around high 52, low 53 VDOT and my run falls right in the middle of the 52 range and slow part of the 53

Originally posted by mcmanusclan5

Now I just have to figure the same thing for the bike! Do you have a hueristic for targeting your bike HR, or do you just go off power? I think I'm going to pop for a PM in the next couple weeks - I find I really miss it, especially on the hills where I can tend to push more power than I realize (not uncommon). That's fine for a group ride, but I think might be disastrous for a HIM.

Thanks again!

Matt




I know my HR to Power very accurately. It can be a few beats high on a given day but it will then be up or down by the same amount across all power levels. I even have a y=mx+b formula to go from Power to HR and back. I test this regularly and one way I measure fitness progress.
3BPM = 10watts for me when I get into Z2/Z3.

There is lots of experience on this topic in SBR U group, you could probably get a more varied set of opinions.

Also remember it takes time for HR to stabilize to normal levels after the swim. It takes me 30min.

It's probably late to buy a PM, do testing, set zones, test zones....if your race is in the near future. If you have been using HR and you have data, you will probably be as accurate with that. Maybe worth buying one to start collecting data if you plan to buy one in the future anyway

I took a look at your logs and saw you did a recent brick with a long ride. It is normal to see it took 1.5 miles for your legs to come back.
Personally I believe in a longer run to better test my bike pacing. I used to do 3hr rides with at least 30 minute runs. If after 30 min, my HR was in check and I felt ok I knew my pace was ok.
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