CIM 2022 Race Report

It was pouring cats & dogs all Friday and Saturday. Forecast showed rain all Sunday too. Amongst us who were running CIM, we were agonizing over how bad it was going to be on race day. But the weather gods took mercy on us and gave us wonderfully perfect running weather. It was even raining as we drove to the race start, but the moment we got out the car, it stopped. The whole race was crisp mid-40s, and it started clearing up and even the show started to show towards the end! Wow! What a dace to race!

I started a tad bit too fast at 6:30-6:35 pace. I was able to hold a solid 6:37 avg. pace for the first 14 miles. Then the pace dropped to 6:50-6:55-ish but I was able to dig in and not let the pace creep slower than 7 min/mi. In the last 1.5 miles I just wrung out every last ounce of energy to eke out 6:35 min/mi. After I crossed the finish, I was DONE! There was nothing left... ZIP. I have almost forgotten how exactly I felt like after SF, but this was very close to that. 

See my pacing in the chart above. Good pacing should look like the green line. Bad pacing, which was my pacing today, is the red line. My pace progression looked like the elevation chart of the race course... ugh!

Made sub-3 which was the goal, but not happy with how I paced. Was a bit overly optimistic when I started out, but realized half way through that it was not sustainable. Luckily no cramps, but I was redlining for the last 10K. I hope one day I will be able to run a marathon where I won't feel miserable for the last 10K. Or maybe that's just how you are supposed to feel, otherwise you have not pushed hard enough 🤷

What can be done better?

• Gel every 4 miles
• Better strategy to carry salt tabs and sportlegs so that I don't fumble with them and drop half the tabs on the road
• DO NOT forget Hotshot! I really could have used it today after mile 17.
• Resist unrealistic temptations of hitting goals you cannot hit. And therefore, start conservatively.

Other than that, I could work harder in training. I am confident that a few consistent 65-70 miles weeks would get me to a 2:50 on this course.

CIM Plan and Race Week Prep

The much awaited CIM is happening this Sunday, Dec 4th. This week is all about just staying loose and active. Short runs with pick-ups are key to keep reminding the body that we have to do some serious work soon. I got a bit carried carried away last during the Hawaii trip where we did hikes daily, including a 1000ft stair climb (Koko Crater) which totally busted my quads. I came back from HI with a minor foot injury which had me worried sick. Luckily after some TLC, it has already gotten better. But I am sure that as I get closer to race day, other smaller niggles which I'd not notice otherwise, will start showing up. 

The race day is going to be cold and possibly rainy. Not the type of weather I enjoy, but it is what it is and we all have to roll with it. Luckily, I have found a ride to the start, which is 100x better than taking the bus ride. As I was going through the logistics in my head, I realized that there is some planning needed, although nowhere close to a triathlon. The plan is as follows...

Tracking back from the 7AM race start, I will need to wake up at 5AM. Have some coffee, hit the bathroom, put on warm clothes on top of the run gear and get ready to leave by 5:50AM-ish (exact time to be confirmed). I will carry a small disposable plastic water bottle with me to wash down the gels that I will have, one at 6AM and another at 6:30AM. Also at 6:30AM, I will have 2-3 Sportslegs tablets. This is what I trained with for long runs, so with reproduce that.  I will carry a total of 4 gels during the run, 2 in the left pocket and 2 in the right. The bib belt pocket will hold 1x Hotshot and 6 salt tabs (in a ziploc). Everything I carry to the race start in the morning, will need to cross the finish line with me, or discarded. I will be using cheapo woolen gloves that I can discard. I also have an old jacket that I can discard before the start. I will start the race with a race top and a full-sleeve sports t-shirt on top. I will discard the full-sleeve as soon as I warm up. I will need a neckgator/buff which I can either leave around the neck or take out and discard. Nutrition plan is to have 1 gel every 30mins along with a salt tab. Water from aid stations will be sufficient. I might need to grab 1 gel from an aid station at 2.5hrs, but I still need to check what's available at aid stations. This is where I made assumptions and messed up at SF marathon. Time-wise, the goal is to get sub-3, so will start with 3HR pace group and play it by the ear.

And that's pretty much it!

Basic Strength Training for Triathlons

I have never been disciplined about strength training. Every time I have tried it, I'd do it for a few week and as my endurance training would go up, I'd gradually stop strength training. Instead I should scale back on strength training. I am currently start on it slowly and hoping to add more routines gradually. My current routine is only upper body and core since I just ran a marathon last weekend and I am still recovering. I hope to gradually start adding leg strength work into the mix.

Upper Body & Core:

• Biceps + shoulder press (10 reps)
• Biceps + shoulder press + push up (10 reps)
• 2x:
• Biceps only 10 reps
• Shoulder Press only 10 reps
• 2x: 
• Triceps (10 reps Left, 10 reps Right)
• One hand row (10 reps Left, 10 reps Right)
• 10 min core (follow a YouTube video)

I will gradually add these exercises to the routine:

• Leg strength for running/cycling
• Split squat (gradually increase difficulty by adding weight)
• Arabesque (helps with glutes/hammy activation and control)
• Hip glute bridge (both legs and then single-leg to add difficulty)
• Calf raises OR jump rope 3x 30sec

San Francisco Marathon 2022

This was my third ever open marathon. I have run 7 marathons in Ironman races, but that doesn't count. The training is different and the race effort is different. So it is fair to say that I have very little experience training for and racing an open marathon. After a lack luster run at IM Arizona last year, I decided to focus on running and aim for a BQ time. I wanted to see how fast I can run an open marathon if I really focused on training just for that. So I signed up for SF marathon because if I could do it on a challenging course, I'd be confident I'd be able to do it on a relatively faster course like CIM.

The training went fairly well without injuries or hiccups. At the peak, I touched 71 miles in a week, which is the most I have run in a week, ever! I had become a fan of the Saucony Endorphin Pros after my successful 10K in Feb. Yet I experimented with the Nike Alphaflys Next% just to see what the hype is all about. They are fast shoes, but didn't agree with my feet. The arch of the shoe was digging into my right foot's arch and was painful after mile 14 on long runs. I decided to stick to the trusted Endorphin Pros for the race. I will probably whip out the Alphaflys at SJ RnR in October.

The morning of the race went very smoothly. Eating early dinner of roti-sabji worked like a charm. Hit the port-a-potty 15 mins before the race and I was ready to go. The usual niggles before the race were still there and I was hoping they'd disappear as they usually do after the race begins. I lined up with the 3HR pace group. As per plan, I downed a gel just before the start. First few miles felt like running on the clouds -- Everyone was flying. I was carrying a small music player and BT headphones, and the music felt great and energizing. I would realize later that the music was a bad idea as it distracted me from my breathing rhythm. The road had a slight rightward camber, which was super annoying since it tends to aggravate my ITB. I tried to stay as much to the left as possible where the camber was less steep. Every once in a while I'd hop onto the adjacent bike path as it was much more even. For the first 6 miles, I stuck with the pace group. As soon as we hit the first hill, I knew I needed to take it easy up the hills, so I let the pace group go. After the first hill I could still see the pacer's orange shirt, but he completely disappear from my view after the second hill. The steep downhills on the other side of GGB were nasty. Not only were they steep, but they had an acute camber, and yes, that too rightward -- the one I hate! The lateral side of my ride leg was screaming. This is the first time the thought of quitting at the half marathon finish and taking the bus back came into my mind. And I was only at mile 10. At mile 14 there was another downhill but it was a slight leftward camber -- I like that! But the downhills had already taken their toll. I kept wishing and imagining myself doing those up/down hilly reps on Calaveras -- the ones I only planned for but never actually did. 

The weather was cool, but super humid (~95% humidity). I was not sweating like I did in training runs, but I know I was losing a ton of salt. I stuck to my nutrition/hydration strategy of 1 gel + 1 salt tab every 30 mins until I ran out of gels and realized that they had only Nuun and water at the aid stations. Bad planning! I misread that they were going to carry gels/chews at aid stations. Turns out they had chews only at 2 aid stations. I missed the first one at the turn around after crossing GGB. At 2hr mark I was running by the half marathon finish and the time to take that next gel had come. I requested a lady volunteer to hand me a banana. She reluctantly and surreptitiously handed me one, saying that she's not supposed to since they were for the half finishers. What the heck! This is when I again started contemplating quitting. But the thought of waiting for the next shuttle bus to take me to the start was more aggravating than dealing with the pain and continue digging.  Anyways, I'd like to believe that the banana helped immensely, because I didn't find the chews until mile 20.

GGP was more hills. Although the hills were not as long as the earlier ones, they certainly felt equally long on tired legs. I kept digging, a bit surprised on occasion that I was able to still maintain the pace. Finally we made it out of GGP and there was this long stretch of city street rolled out in front of us. I could see at least 2 stingers along the stretch. I stayed on the left side of the yellow line, the side which has a slight leftward camber. It helped to take the tension off of the right leg a bit. Despite the pain, one thing that I did religiously was to thank the police officers manning the intersections. I hope they appreciated that we appreciated them keeping us safe out there. Mile 21 and 22 had some really steep downhills which did a number on my legs. My left toes started curling up which is when I decided to employ my "hyperventilation" strategy, only to be used in extreme circumstances. Some quick rapid puffs of O2 and the cramps subsided. I had to keep it going for the rest of the race. At a cadence of 200 spm, the best I could to was 1-1-1-2-2. That's 1 inhale per step for 3 steps followed by 1 inhale per 2 steps 2x. And repeat. That seemed to keep the cramps at bay.

The last 3 miles were flat and my legs remembered what they had trained for. All this while my legs were like, "what the heck!? this is not what we were expecting. what are you putting us through?" The last 3 miles they were cooperating better, probably saying, "yeahhhh finally! this is what we trained for!" Laden with lactate, but with enough O2 supply they were able to carry me through the finish line at a respectable pace in a total time of 3:04:xx. That's a BQ! I knew around mile 10 that if I cross that finish line, it will not be under 3hrs. Those last few miles really surprised me. I could have never thought that I had anything left in me to run a 6:43 min mile-26. I am really happy with the time all things considered, but not happy with how much pain I was in for half of the race. There was the small screwup with the gels and a more bigger mistake with not incorporating hills in training. But no fret -- it only means that there is tons of room for improvement! 

Ironman Arizona Race Report

Let me just preface by saying that this race report will be a lot of "what didn't go well" than anything else. There are some positives, but they are overshadowed by the low-lights. For some context, I was going into this race as a deferral from the IMCA cancellation 3 weeks ago. I was sick 1 week before IMCA and I was feeling really unsure about how I'd do at IMCA. So the cancellation and then getting into IMAZ with a limited open slots was the best thing that could have happened. The 2 weeks of build after IMCA cancellation went really well. I was able to get in some good swims with wetsuit that boosted my confidence in the swim. My bike power was at it's all time best and my aero endurance was better than ever before. Run was the biggest wild card due to the pain in the left foot arch which had forced me to keep all training runs super slow at sub 9:20 min/mi pace. I had also not done any runs longer than 2hrs. Contrast that with 2017 IM Santa Rosa training when I had multiple 2:30hr and 2:45hr runs at 8:30-8:45 pace. Long story short, I knew going in that I was not going to have a fast run. My only hope was to be able to maintain a good 9-9:15 pace and finish in respectable time. And now without further ado --

Swim: 1:07:xx

What went well:

• Was able to sight well and didn't veer off course
• No chaffing
• Water temp came in just under 64.5 so was able to wear booties
• Transition to T1 went really well

What didn't go well:

• The mask was hanging under my chin when I dove in the water. As I pulled it out, my ears plopped out from under the swim cap
• Never felt fully loosened up
• Could not find a pair of feet to draft (or maybe I didn't try hard enough)
• Left shoulder and elbow were giving out during the last 1K
• Transition to T1 was quick; wetsuit peeler worked great

Bike:5:33:xx

That's an Ironman bike PR for me by 2 minutes. The ride did not feel as hard as some of the previous races despite the crazy winds on the way out on all 3 loops. Ended up with 151W NP for the ride with roughly same speed as in training. 

What went well:

• Nailed the nutrition
• Drank 1 aero bottle per aid station (hit 8 aid stations in total)
• Successfully peed 3x on the bike
• Felt strong throughout 

What didn't go well:

• Was feeling a bit bloated by the end of the ride
• Mouth was feeling dry despite drinking a lot
• Tire pressure was not right for the road conditions -- I should carry my own pump on race morning in the future

Run: 4:48:25

This run was a disaster of epic proportions. Going in I was not expecting to have my best Ironman run anyways because my training had been on the slower side due some foot issues mentioned above.

What went well:

• Foot never hurt so bad that I could not run at all -- had to manage the effort so that I was right on the edge. Pushing any more would have made the foot worse.
• Did not cramp at all
• Nutrition of coke and salt went well for the first 15 miles or so. I'd take 2 cups from the table and fill it in my handheld bottle and finish it before the next aid station
• Had 2x Hotshot which I believe helped stave off any potential cramping
• I was walking more frequently on loop 3 but realized that even super easy jogging was significantly faster than walking, and was able to jog most of the last 3-4 miles. 

What didn't go well:

• Foot was on the edge of hurting the whole time. Couldn't run faster than 9:15-9:30 pace
• Was feeling a bit bloated as I started the run and had to go pee at the very first aid station
• Had to stop to poop at the beginning of loop 2. From that point on, stomach started feeling weird. A couple of miles later I switched from coke to gel and a few sips of Red Bull every other aid station. But the stomach kept feeling worse. Had to stop to poop again at the beginning of loop3 and then again at mile 24.
• Could not take in any gels or coke or Red Bull during most of loop 3. Tried switching to some solid foods like grapes and chips but it didn't help much.
• Not taking in much nutrition on loop 3 caught up to me during the last mile where my left foot toes were on the verge of cramping and I barely made it across the finish

Post Race:

I was feeling quite miserable post-race. Dena stuck around until I finished, and it was really great to have someone to talk to and hang out with after the finish as I collected my bike and bags. I took an Uber to the hotel, unpacked, showered and changed. I was still not feeling hungry but I ordered some food on DoorDash anyways. After the shower I was shivering a lot so I got into the bed and tried to sleep, but couldn't. I think I was running a mild fever so I popped an Ibuprofen. Within 30mins I started feeling better, stopped shivering and was finally able to sleep. I woke up around midnight starving! I ate the food I had ordered through DoorDash and then went back to bed. I quickly checked the IM tracker and was happy to see that everyone I was tracking had finished! I woke up next morning at 8AM feeling much much better.

As I am writing this 2 days after the race, my soreness has almost fully disappeared already, which is very surprising considering how beat up I was feeling after the race. But now that I think of it, it makes sense because I was not really able to push myself due to stomach and foot issues, and I usually get more sore only when I push to my limits.

What's Next?

Immediately after the race I was sure that I'd not even want to see my bike, my helmet, wetsuit or any of the tri gear for months, but the next morning I was feeling more motivated to come back stronger and fitter. However this time around I'd like to be more focused and smarter about it. Full IM training has been quite taxing on personal life, so my current thinking is to focus on a few things in 2022:

1. Strength: Building a STRONG strength base in the off-season
2. Running: Focus on upping the run fitness by aiming to BQ in 2022
3. Xterra: Focus on Xterra off-road Tri racing in 2022
4. HIM: Maybe do 1 Half Ironman towards end of 2022 season

MTB Tweaks!

I am currently prepping for Tahoe MTB 100K race on July 17. I had tried MTBing about 6 years ago but didn't enjoy it for some unknown reason. But I picked it up again while we were quarantining last year in the Sierras, and I haven't looked back since. My trusty old Specialized Camber FSR has served me well, but I wanted something lighter that I can call more of a "racing machine", so I splurged on the Ibis DV9 hardtail. Many had recommended to go with HT as it is stiffer, lighter and good enough for most California trails. 

I love my DV9, but even after some initial tweaks, I was not feeling 100% comfortable on that bike. More so, as I am training for the 100K, I have been trying to do some 5-6hr rides on Saturdays but just haven't been able to nail one until today. After 3 weekends of botched rides, I decided to make some concrete changes to how I was approaching these long training rides. So without further adieu, here are the tweaks I made:

1. Shorter 30mm stem and raised it by 1 spacer: This brought the cockpit and relative position to the saddle much closer to the measurements on my other MTB (Specialized) which is super comfy.
2. Seat height adjustment to match leg extension to that on my other MTB: Upon close assessment I felt my legs were feeling but bit more extended on my DV9 compared to the Specialized. Dropping the seat post by just half a cm seems to feel much better.
3. Used both isotonic (Hi5) and non-isotonic (GU) gels (alternating): This probably had the most bang for the buck. Only GU+chews was making me nauseous and drowsy after ingesting all that sugar for 4+ hours. I had tried Hi5 (and also UCAN) in the past but it didn't work for me. Recently I read somewhere that isotonic gels (longer glucose molecules) have a different metabolic pathway (through the liver) than non-isotonic gels (simpler fructose molecules) that get absorbed in the small intestine. By consuming both, one can increase the rate of energy absorption significantly. Today was only 1 data point, but I will continue to test this theory in the coming weeks.
4. Consumed more salt (3 Nuun tabs instead of 2 in 1 bottle of water): Well, it was HOT, so more salt. That's pretty much a no-brainer.
5. Closely watched HR throughout the ride and paced myself better.
6. Picked clean lines with no jumps: I like going DH fast and jumping over small rocks and obstacles. But the downside of it is that it tires my arms, and the legs take a beating, especially with a HT. Today I tried to pick clean smooth lines as much as I could, which I believe reduced the stress significantly.
7. Didn't go crazy on the DH: Mostly for reasons mentioned in #6, and also tried not to spend all DH time out of the saddle although that is difficult with a HT.
8. Walked some technical short climbs where I'd otherwise burn quite a few matches: There are at least 5 different short technical patches where one needs to really put the power down while also shifting the weight forward AND picking the right line AND on occasion getting over ledges/rocks. 
9. Dropped the pressure in the front suspension -- it was way too high for my weight -- and it made a world of difference

Ironman Santa Cruz 70.3 Race Report (2017)

This was the last triathlon of 2017 for me. The only race that remains for 2017 is CIM on Dec 3. Overall a fun race today, but not 100% happy with my performance. Also a bit of disappointment since the swim was cut short due to fog and low visibility.

I went into this race underprepared and with a minor hip injury. I was constantly telling myself that I will only do the aqua-bike portion, but deep inside I know how bad I am at self-control and that I will at least start the run leg. Whether I finish it or not was a separate questions. Anyways, I ended up running and and finishing the race which I am super happy about. But kinda disappointed with my performance. In hindsight, it was unlikely I'd have done better since my training after Ironman Santa Rosa (IMSR) on July 29 has been spotty at best.

RESULT:

Shortened Swim (~900yd): 12:03 (@1:20/100yd)

T1: 4:22

Bike: 2:35:51

T2: 2:23

Run: 1:33:43

Total: 4:28:20 (AG 15/213)

[Est. time for full swim distance: 00:30:00 (+18mins)]

[Est. adjusted total time: 4:46:23]

[which in theory could have been an HIM PR, but sadly it doesn't count!]

SWIM (12:03 @1:36/100m)

Disappointing pace considering my performance at IMSR and that I have been swimming somewhat regularly. Could have gone harder since the swim was shorter.

T1: 4:22

Feet hurt a lot running on the asphalt surface! Usually I wear booties at this race, but the water temp was high enough that booties were not race-legal. Still T1 was faster than past years (6:xx), so not complaining.

Bike: 2:35:51

I really pushed on the bike with 186W NP as opposed to 174W NP at Santa Rosa half back in May with the same bike split. If you think of this bike course as flat, you are misled and are in for a big surprise. The hills are rolling but long enough that you need to push. Also there was quite a bit of head-wind on the way back. Mentally and physically I was prepping myself to drop out after the bike by pushing harder. I may have slightly neglected nutrition too, which would come back to haunt me later on the run. I was hurting toward the end on the bike and was barely able to eek out 180W. Flying dismount was smoothly executed. 

T2: 2:23

A bit lazy but OK since I was trying on-the-fly to make up my mind about whether to go for the run or not. I was "in the flow" and knew I was going to do it when I started putting on the vaseline-lined socks.

Run: 1:33:43 (@7:10 min/mi)

A bit disappointing since I went 1:31:xx at Santa Rosa 70.3 back in May and I am supposed to be stronger on the run now. But the past couple of weeks have been pretty bad due to the hip injury and I was not feeling it. I am just happy that I was able to finish the run without my hip dismantling mid way through. I was on the edge of cramping since mile 5. At mile 6 I felt a slight throb in my left quad and I immediately downed the one Hotshot they gave us in the pace packet. It helped at IMSR and it helped today as well! It does indeed work! But my legs were beyond any help and the cramps came back toward the end of the run. The last mile was awful! I haven't hurt so much on a run in a very long time. Let's just say, walking down the stairs is not going to be normal for a couple of days. 

Hip Pain - Suspecting Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS)

Slight left hip pain started before IMSR, but it was extremely minor. I'd feel it once in a while, when I'd do unusual movements like side-stepping while rotating through the hips, especially in tight spaces like the shower.

Pain location: Near the bony protrusion of the left hip.

Pain triggered only by certain movements. Pressing/digging my the thumb in the soft area just anterior to the bony protrusion caused a little bit of pain.

I iced and foam rolled as a preventative measure and it mostly went away. It didn't bother me during or after the race. The race went well and I was fine for several weeks after the race.

Still not sure that the current injury is related to the pre-race hip pain or not.

8/27 Sunday - Went for a trail run, my first in a really long time! I have been running 35+ mi/wk very comfortably for a while, so thought a little trail run won't hurt. Was I SO wrong, or what!?

8/28 - The downhill running caused medium soreness in my quads.

8/28-8/30 - Continued cycling and running as planned, but lower intensity due to soreness.

8/30 - Went for an easy 4 mi run in the evening. At mile 3, I started feeling the hip pain considerably when walking, but would go away while running. I was getting worried, and rightly so.

Had trouble walking and sleeping that night and had to take Ibuprofen so I could fall asleep. I was very sensitive to how the pain was developing and shifting and I had already made peace with the fact that I may not be able to bike/run for a week at least, unless some magic happens and I wake up feeling just fine.

8/31 - Woke up in the morning with considerable pain while walking. Surprisingly a hot shower helped reduce the pain to the point where I was at least able to walk with a slight limp.

Spent some time on Google reading up articles and doing self-diagnosis in the hopes of understanding the etiology of this annoying injury. Quickly zeroed in on Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS) as the diagnosis with little doubt.

My #1 theory about most sports related (overuse) injuries is that they are caused by tightness in neighboring muscles. So naturally I wanted to apply that theory again to figure out the root cause of the pain. As I was reading articles on GTPS, the notorious ITB came up again and again. My quads and ITB were still sore and probably super tight, which in spite of the situation, infused some hope in me.

My only hope is that the bursa not be involved. There are over 150 bursae in the human body, one of which is in the bony protrusion of the hip bone AKA femur. One if the causes of GTPS is bursitis, and GTPS and Trochanteric Bursitis (TB) are often used interchangeably.

9/1 - Still in pain and unable to bike or run. Continuing to RICE and take it one day at a time. Hoping to hit the pool as often as I can to keep the weight off and not be frustrated because of missing all the workouts.

Ironman Santa Rosa Race Report

What a race! I have to start by saying that IMSR was the most satisfying Ironman I have had to date. I hear about people getting emotional while crossing that finish line, but I had never experienced it until now. It is not that I PR'd, or that I met my run goal, but there was certainly something unique. It is impossible to explain the feeling and even more impossible to imagine it without actually experiencing it.

Race Summary:

Swim: 1:02:45 (1:24/100yd)

T1: 7:56

Bike: 5:36:12 (19.99 mph)

T2: 4:52

Run: 3:49:52

Total: 10:41:35 (AG place: 21/203)

SWIM (1:02:45)

Roughest  swim ever!

It was a mess at the turn buoys

Loop 2 was even worse

Got my leg pulled hard once

Got punched once with a bloody lip

Goggles filled with water twice

Garmin 920XT almost got knocked off from the quick release mount

IM swim PR for me, but still a bit disappointed since I was confident about going under 1HR.

Getting faster:

• Get to the pool consistently
• Do hard sets
• Keep good form towards the end of long workouts
• Better sighting
• Steer clear of cluster-f***s around turn buoys

T1 (7:56)

SLOW as hell! Really need to work on my transitions. On top of that, Coach was watching me in the changing tent as I was rummaging through my transition bag.

Getting faster:

• Practice transitions
• Don't think during transition
• Make transitions second nature

Bike (5:35:12)

Pretty happy with the bike split given where my bike fitness was, which was not great. My bike power has been suffering in the past year. Too much sugary gels caused drowsiness on the bike until I downed a couple of caffeinated gels. After getting some caffeine in the system, power went back up. Unlike past IMs felt good off of the bike. Overall happy given bike fitness, but lots of room for improvement!

Getting Faster:

• Increase FTP
• Improve aerobic power
• Don't skip hard sets
• Do anything else coach tells me to do

T2 (4:52)

Not as fast as I would have liked, but OK.

Run (3:49:52)

Hardest run ever! This is the pace I trained for and I did it, but it was not easy. I have suffered from IT band injuries in all past IMs, triggering progressively later in the run for each subsequent IM. This run was definitely a turning point for me with no cramping, no injuries and meeting my goal. It was a 3-loop run course. 1st loop was, as per plan, a "survey" of the course. Felt quite comfortable on 1st loop, averaging 8:35 min/mi. 2nd loop was painful and I was a tough place mentally. Just took it 1 mile at a time and kept chugging along. Legs weren't feeling great and was worried about cramping, so slowed down a bit. Averaged 9:17 min/mi on 2nd loop. 3rd loop started slow, but I picked it up at the turn around. The last 4 miles were an emotional roller coaster - something I have NEVER experienced before. At mile 25, one of the nasty blisters that were building up, popped! Shooting pain went to my brain but I kept pushing. I had 1 mile to go and was not going to let a measly blister hold me back. I was really pissed off and ran the last mile at 7:19 pace. It was great to have Coach Coady and Andrew cheering us on on the run course less than a mile from finish. Erin drove out 2 hours to cheer us on, which was amazing! It was a winding and narrow 0.5 mi to the finish, but as I entered the finish chute, I could feel the electric environment of the finish line. For the first time after 3 IMs I ACTUALLY heard Mike Reilly say my name (as best as he could) followed by "... You are an IRONMAN!"

Getting Faster:

• Improve aerobic pace by slowly increasing pace for longer runs
• Don't get injured!
• Run a few marathons
• Work on strength

Ironman Santa Rosa 70.3 Race Report

Result at a glance

Swim: 30:35 (1:26/100yd)
T1: 07:44
Bike: 02:36:27 (21.5 mph, 172W NP,  Avg. HR 150bmp, Cadence 85 rpm)
T2: 03:18
Run: 01:31:27 (7:02 min/mi, Avg. HR 164 bpm, Cadence 205 steps/min)
Total: 04:49:31

AG: 21/~240
Overall: 149/~3000

I was doing good weekly run mileage going into this race (40+ mi/wk) for a few weeks. Bike was coming around too, with a few longer (60+ miles) rides under the belt, albeit at lower intensity. So I was a bit worried about being able to push for 56 miles. I had missed a couple of weeks of swimming due to cold, but that has never been an issue for me and I was able to catch up in the week leading up to the race.

Friday was a bit hectic running around for packet pickup, run and bike gear checkin. I had the second Rubio's burrito of the day at 5:30PM (early dinner) and then we hung out with Dennis at LoCoCo Cucina. Finally made it to the hotel at 7:30PM. A final gear check for everything we needed to take with us in the AM was in order, which included quite a bit of thinks that I had forgotten to put in the bike bag. As a part of my pre-race ritual, I started to sip on OSMO at 8PM. The constant chatter on the TF hangout was fun and useful. After some email checking and browsing, I finally hit the sack at 9:30PM.

Slept quite well except for a couple of race nightmares and was woken up at 3AM by 3 alarms going off at the same time. Coffee was had and it did the trick within 10 minutes. Since the hotel did not have microwaves, I couldn't have oatmeal and had to make do with a CLIF bar (230 cals) which tasted like sawdust. There's very little food I can swallow on race morning.

We were packed and loaded and left the hotel at 4AM. The rest of the logistics were super straightforward - part near the shuttle pickup, get in the shuttle line which moved super quick, and ride for 45 mins on a somewhat freezing shuttle. (Glad I had 3 layers on.)

Logistics in T1 (setting up bike gear, port-a-potty, putting on wetsuit, etc.) were straightforward.

SWIM: 30:35 (HIM Swim PR by 3 mins! Whoa!)

I seeded myself in the 27-30 min slot. Since it was a nice and controlled rolling start, there was no need to go out fast. I started at tempo-ish pace and settled in at high-steady. Swim was mostly uneventful. Finished strong and headed into the dreaded long T1.

T1: 07:44

This was definitely one of the longest T1s I have ever had! I jogged up the ramp and wore my flip-flops that I had left at the end of the rubber matting. It was not comfortable running in flip-flops but was way better than running on asphalt. A lot of people were complaining about it. So I'd give myself extra points for preparing for that :-) I walked the very last steep part and jogged the long way around the transition area.

Peeling off the wetsuit legs was a problem as usual and I probably lost a minute there. I need to figure out a solution for this going forward. Put on gloves, ditched the arm warmers praying I won't regret it, stuffed everything in the bike bag and clackity-clacked my way out of transition. Yes, since I was using road bike shoes, I had to wear them in T1 instead of leaving them clipped in.

BIKE: 02:36:27 (HIM Bike PR)

This was my fastest half IM bike split ever and I attribute it to the tail wind! :-) The way I think about it is that the time lost in the long ass transition was compensated for by the minutes saved on the bike due to tail wind. So in the end it was a pretty even race. I felt strong on the bike all along, but had some niggles going on too. After the first 5 miles, my left hip was feeling tight and locking up. I allowed myself to get out of the saddle on short climbs/rollers, which helped loosen it up. I was fairly in the front of the field, so it was not crowded at all. I peed 3x on the bike and each time it was carefree since there was no one behind me. However my confidence was getting crushed ever so slightly every time someone passed me and that happened a LOT! I was still making good time (again, thanks to the tail wind) and tried not to worry too much about people passing me. I just focused on staying aero, and cranking out the wattage I had planned. Followed the nutrition to the plan, taking on 1 e-gel every 30 min and 1 salt tab every 20-25 mins. The miles were chopping away quite quickly. The biggest discomfort for me on the bike was the aero-bars. My whole cockpit assembly needs to be re-done big time.

T2: 03:18

Relatively quick T2 considering I had to jog through the long transition in bike shoes, but not the fastest I could have done. Helmet, bike shoes, gloves, wet socks off, put on run shoes, grabbed visor and bib belt and I was off. 

RUN: 01:31:27 (HIM Run PR)

It was by far my strongest HIM run to date. My weekly run mileage had been better than ever going into this race but it was also the first real race of the season, so I didn't know what to expect. I started a bit on the puicker side (7 min/mi) than I had planned, so dialed it back to 7:15 min/mi after a few miles, just to stay on the safer side. I was passing a lot of people. A few people passed me, but some were way ahead of me on their second loop and others, I caught up with later on in the run. I picked it up after mile 8 and was successfully able to hold sub-7 pace for the rest of the run, with the last mile cranked out at 6 min/mi. I was literally blowing past people, which felt super awesome! Fast HIM runs (by my standards) I have had in the past (1:32:xx and 1:34) were all still plagued by extreme discomfort towards the end of the run. But this time I was feeling super strong till the end.

TOTAL TIME: 04:49:31 (HIM PR)

What worked well?

Swim:

• Felt comfortable throughout even at high-steady/tempo pace. 
• Nice quick stroke rate @ 72 strokes/min

Bike:

• Felt quite strong and consistent till the end
• Was in aero for the whole time except for steep stinger where I'd get out of the saddle
• Peed 3x on the bike, equally down the left and right legs!

Run:

• Finished super strong with last mile @ 6 min/mi
• High cadence of avg. 205 steps/min
• 1 salt tab every 20 mins worked like a charm - no hints of cramps
• Coke and Red Bull after mile 6 helped infuse some extra energy
• First time ever, no soreness after the race. F Yeah!

What didn't work?

Swim:

• Didn't make an effort to draft. It takes more focus and I was just lazy, but I should really do it for the full IM.

Bike:

• Left hip was feeling tight between miles 5 through 15.
• Aero-bars are not fitted properly, so I had to hold on to them in a weird way and as a result my forearms are super sore post-race. This happened at HITS too but I was lazy to fix it. 
• Need to find a better solution to carry more calories. The front X-Lab bento box can barely hold 4 e-gels (150 cals each), so with salt tabs stuffed in the same pouch, it was super hard to get to those. Some salt tabs were stuck in the corner of the bento box which were super hard to get to, especially with gloves.
• Didn't have tri bike shoes, so had to make do with road shoes. Might have lost about 30s in transition, so no big deal.
• I have had a niggle in the right quad for a few months now, so I was constantly worried about that throughout the bike. Luckily nothing flared up!
• The helmet was rotating in the front down the forehead, which was super annoying.
• All in all, a bunch of fit adjustments need to be done ASAP!

Run:

• When I see people go on a run the day after the race I always tell them that they didn't push enough if they are not sore. So maybe I didn't push myself enough!? There's a chance that I may have held back a bit more for the first 7 miles. But it's good! I am super happy with how the run went and glad I finished with more left in the tank. Pretty sure I will be draining the tank at full IMSR.

HITS Napa 70.3 - Battle Report

This was the first race of the season. My proper training started in the last week of January. Here's my TrainingPeaks chart that shows the Chronic Training Load (CTL) since 1/21.

Going into the race, my CTL was 86.1, compared to 86.6 in 2015 just before Oceanside. Roughly similar fitness levels, with higher swim and run fitness this year but lower bike fitness. The comparison has no implications for race performance because the courses are so different and so many other things might have changed over the past 2 years, but it helps me to look at the two numbers to get a sense of how the rest of the year may turn out.

A few days before HITS, I was monitoring the weather forecast as I do for all races. It was not looking good this time but I was not too worried since the forecasts are so flaky that far out. But when the forecast called for rain + thunderstorms even the day before the race, I had reason to worry. I made a run to Sports Basement to buy a space blanket with the idea of wearing a layer of it inside the LG M2 trisuit. I was still praying for good weather, but trying to be prepared for the worst. Turns out I was not prepared well enough.

I was staying at Chablis Inn in Napa, CA, about 50 mins drive from race site. After packet pickup at Putah Canyon Campground on Friday afternoon, we returned to Napa and chilled at the hotel for the rest of the evening, nervously checking the weather every 10 minutes. By 8PM it was pretty clear that we will be seeing some rain and low temperatures the next day.

I couldn't sleep particularly well, but it was better than most races. This was a pretty low key race for me and I was not as stressed out, except about the weather. I woke up at 4AM, made coffee, ate breakfast, took a dump - the usual morning routine - and headed out of the hotel by 5AM. Reached the race site at Putah Canyon at 6AM and headed straight to transition. To everyone's amazement, the sky was clear and just before the start, the sun was even peeking out! Maybe it will be a nice day, we thought, only to be proved so so wrong later. I downed an e-Gel 20 mins before the swim start and headed to the water.

Swim: 30:58

Quite an uneventful swim, which is always a good thing. I managed to draft about 30% of the time, which is better than no drafting at all. Found out at the swim exit that I was swimming next to Li for most of the swim.

T1: 5:17

Super slow T1, attributing it to frozen hands having trouble peeling off the wetsuit. Happy that I partially put on the arm warmers and didn't drop the gloves while running out of transition.

Bike: 3:06:53

This was the most miserable part of the race. The first half went well. I was cold, but wasn't too uncomfortable, thanks to the space blanket inside the trisuit, the arm warmers and the gloves. But at ~ mile 26, it started drizzling and then full on raining, which is when things started going south. It is interesting to look more closely at the 4 quarters of the bike leg to see what effect rain and cold had:

1st quarter - NP: 180W

2nd quarter - NP: 178W

3rd quarter - NP: 179W

4th quarter - NP: 163W

Lack of endurance is definitely NOT the reason for the drastic power drop in the last quarter. The 2 main causes would be:

1. Low on fuel: It was really hard to eat the gels with frozen hands, especially squeezing out all of it.

2. The rain was so piercing cold, that my muscles had started to seize up toward the end. This is not from "hitting the wall", but from sheer cold which was causing my whole body to shiver uncontrollably on the bike!

T2: ~1 HR (!!!)

Longest transition EVER!

• Put on running shoes with frozen hands (5 min)
• Zip up trisuit top which I had unzipped for some reason I can't recall. A kind lady helped me with it eventually (5 min)
• Got coffee to try to warm up, couldn't hold cup with trembling hands, spilt piping hot coffee on arm. The irony of it; got a burn on the arm on a freezing cold day! head out of transition, only to seize up from jaw to toe and be carried to the RV with a space heater (5 min)
• In the RV trying to warm up, teeth chattering the whole time (20 min)
• Stepped out of the RV for attempt #2 at the run, still couldn't stop shivering
• Kind lady lets a bunch of us shivering athletes sit in her car with heater on max and a few thick blankets (15 min)
• Back in transition trying to find something dry to wear, and contemplating whether to go on the run. Wore a cotton T-Shirt I had packed for post-race and headed out on the run! (10 mins)

Run: 1:45:xx

My Interview for Atul Godbole of Motiv8 Coaching

AG:Tell us a bit about yourself.

CG: I have been living in the US for the past 15 years. I am a Software Engineer and I work of Google Inc. in Mountain View, Calif. Family, work and triathlon are the three pillars of my life :)

AG: Since how many years have you being doing running and triathlons?

CG: I was on university's (Utah State University) waterpolo team for 4 years. One of my teammates introduced me to triathlons in 2004, when I did my first sprint triathlon. For several years I was happy with sprint and olympic distance triathlons.

AG: Do you have any background in sports or athletics as a child or teenager? If yes, do you think that is essential to achieve a goal as Boston/Kona Qualification or do you believe that anybody without a background can get there given enough time and training. If no, when did you get into running/cycling/triathlons.

 CG: I did some athletics in school and learned swimming when I was 8. I played a lot of cricket, badminton, soccer while growing up and went on many treks in the Sahyadris and the Himalayas. During engineering (undergrad) I played inter-collegiate waterpolo for 4 years. My active lifestyle while growing up and some background in sports has motivated me to keep up that lifestyle. In fact, I cannot live without it. But I am not sure how much of a role it has played in my triathlon performance. If anything helped at all, I'd say it is swimming. I can get away with little to no swim training and still do decently in a triathlon swim. KQ is super hard. Sure fire way to KQ is to podium at one of the qualifying races. Sometimes you may also win a KQ slot due to roll down, but you still need to be in the top 10 or so in your age-group. There are other ways to get to Kona too, but I think that is "cheating" :) Kona is the holy grail of triathlon for age groupers. Can anyone qualify for Kona given enough time and training? I don't know. It is a tough goal to chase, but a worthy dream to have. The journey is what counts and I guarantee that this one will change your life.

AG: How do you manage this training load from the time management point of view. Any tips you can provide?

CG: I believe it is all about consistency. I try my best to follow the training plan my coach has given me. Some days are super busy when I don't have the time to do the full prescribed workout. But doing something is better than skipping the session altogether. Even if you can go out for a quick 15 min run or hop on the bike for 30 mins, that's good enough. If nothing, get some strength/core work done in front of the TV. A bike trainer has been the best investment I have made. Especially in India where riding on roads is unsafe and unhealthy, a trainer will be your best friend. Because on a trainer there are no downhills and traffic signals, you don't get much rest. So 2 hrs on a trainer are equivalent to 2.5-3 hrs outside. If you are not able to hit the pool often, use some elastic bands to do swim exercises at home. Stroke correction and technique needs to be worked upon in the pool though; there's little substitute for that.

AG: I firmly believe that if you do enough little things right, then eventually BIG things will happen. Do you find this to be true?

CG: It is kind of a philosophical question, but in general I think this is very true. Just don't take it literally - If you want to do a marathon or an Ironman successfully, the training needs to be commensurate. Ask yourself what you believe in, what your goal is, and keep chipping away at it one day at a time.

AG: Diet and nutrition plays a big part in fitness improvements. Do you believe or follow a diet such as Ketogenic, Atkins, etc? What is your general diet like?

CG: A big YES for diet and nutrition. The role it plays is very interesting because it does not directly improve your fitness, but allows you to take your training/racing to the next level while keeping you healthy and injury-free. I have never followed a specific diet "by the book", but I follow two general rules of thumb - 1. Never pig out on any meal, especially the sweet foods. 2. Eat a light dinner. Having said that, diet is a very personalized thing. What works for one may not work for another. Also, every person has their own vice when it comes to food. Mine is sugar! I usually let myself indulge once a week but the rest of the week I try to intake ZERO artificial sugar. Nutrition goes hand-in-hand with diet. I have seen all kinds of athletes - pros/elites who are not all gung-ho about over-analyzing their diet/nutrition but follow some basic rules-of-thumb, or amateurs/age-groupers who are super meticulous and strict about what they eat, recording it, analyzing it and so on. Not that they always get proportional gains by doing it, but for them, it is more about enjoying the process and learning from it. It is important to understand what works for you.

AG: I see a lot of runners and triathletes wanting fast (nay instant) improvements and getting injured in the process. Any thoughts on that? How important is patience when it comes to endurance sports?

CG:  Who doesn't want shortcuts? :) In my opinion, two factors contribute toward this mentality. One, being more enamored by the destination than enjoying the journey, and two, wanting to be better/faster than your fellow athletes. Now, don't get me wrong. Both of these are good things, but only when channeled correctly. They say that visualizing the outcome, be it crossing the finish line, standing on the podium, receiving that KQ certificate, or beating your competition, it gives you a purpose and keeps you headed in the right direction. Ask yourself this question: If there was a perfectly safe, undetectable pill which if taken, would qualify you for Kona or Boston in your next race, would you take it? Some would jump on it, some would be on the fence and some would say no. Your answer will tell a lot about what you are in the sport for!

AG: I always tell athletes I coach that patience, consistency, the right training protocol, right tactics/strategy, etc are much more important than having the right genes. Thoughts on that?

CG:  I second all of that. But I also think that your genetic makeup plays a big role in how you design your training. Not everyone can handle 100 kms/wk on a consistent basis, some may need more recovery than others, etc. What's important is to recognize your limitations and work to overcome them. It is always too soon to quit by blaming it on your genes. Studies have shown that long term exercise can change your DNA. So you may not have the genes to get that coveted KQ yet, but you can one day. If nothing else, your kids will probably get that gift - another reason to start in young age ;)

AG: Sometimes I have a hard time getting some novice athletes to record/measure their workouts. Do you record all your workouts? If so, is it helpful?

CG: Yes, I record all my workouts on Strava and TrainingPeaks. For me, the Garmin 920XT has made it super easy to do that. Any fitness device with WiFi or Bluetooth helps a lot! I also have a WiFi-enabled weighing scale that uploads my weight+BMI everyday so I can see a graph and how my weight is changing over a period of time. More than anything, logging your workouts is critical not only to be able to understand how you are progressing/declining, but also to make on-the-fly decisions about recovery. By the way, recovery is extremely underrated. It is probably one of the most effective tools in improving your performance. It is a part of your workout and should also be logged.

AG: What was your best race moment so far?

CG: Believe it or not, my favorite race distances are Olympic and Half Ironman. In 2015, I raced Ironman Boulder in August. A month later, I had Santa Cruz 70.3 coming up. In that one month, I recovered from Boulder and did minimal maintenance work. I ended up getting my personal best at Santa Cruz 70.3 with a time of 4:52. The run leg in that race was probably my best race moment so far. I was passing tons of people and negative split the run with a time of ~1:32. If I have to generalize, all races where I have a super strong run leg, fall into the bucket of memorable races. The formula to guarantee a fun race - swim comfortably, bike conservatively, run like a madman :))

AG: What was your worst race moment so far?

CG: I'd have to say, the run on my first Iron-distance race at Vineman in 2013. I was prepared for a hot race but it turned out to be overcast and cool that day. Instead of tweaking my hydration, I stuck to the plan and ended up getting hyponatremic on the run. Hyponatremia is a condition where you level of sodium in your body is very low, often caused by low sodium intake combined with excessive water intake. It is a potentially fatal condition. By mile 10 on the run I was feeling dizzy and difficult to focus. I was smart and courageous enough to pull out at mile 15. I was 2.5 kgs heavier after the race than before! I was feeling terrible and took 2 days to recover. I knew I was prepared to finish that course, so I signed up to do Ironman Louisville 1 month later, which I completed cautiously and conservatively in 13:5x:xx.

AG: What are you plans for 2017?

CG: Santa Rosa 70.3 in May CIT Olympic in June Santa Rosa 140.6 in July Santa Cruz 70.3 in Sept I really want to do my first 50K trail run in Dec, but that's TBD.

AG: Any other things you want to mention or tips you want to give to the readers?

CG: Just a few things I strongly believe in that I'd like to share: 

1. Consistency is the key 

2. Do not be afraid to shoot for the moon 

3. Don't let setbacks discourage you 

4. Get a coach who believes in you and your goals 

5. Worship the sport, not people

Interview on Motiv8 Coaching website

Ironman Santa Cruz 70.3 2016 - Race Report

Not much to write this time around, but basically very happy with a 5:07 considering the lack of training, especially bike and swim. I have been running fairly regularly since Archis' birth in Oct 2015. You probably read about CIM which was a disaster and it set me back big time. Things started coming back to normal in late summer and I was running ~30 mi/week for several weeks before SC 70.3. Most of my runs were with the stroller, pushing ~20 lbs which might have helped somewhat. Due to overall lack of training, I had also put on a few extra layers. Most of spring and summer I was hovering around 139 lbs, which is ~8 lbs over my ideal race weight. To not embarrass myself at SC 70.3, I knew I had to at least shed a few lbs and gain some semblance of fitness relatively quickly. When I tried doing that in the past I always tried ramping up intensity and/or volume too fast and got injured. I wanted to try something different this time around -- something safe. And I had only 5 weeks to do so. I basically focused on 4 things:

1. Lose that dead weight - I cut sugars almost completely, ate heavy lunches and light dinners, added protein and cut down on carbs. I went from 139 lbs to 134 lbs in 4 weeks.
2. Strengthen the core - The Abs roller was my staple workout that I could do while watching TV or playing with my kids. I'd mix that up with sit-ups, crunches and a few others exercises.
3. Lots of swim bands - I was barely hitting the pool until a couple of weeks before the race. 5 mins of swim bands and 20 pushups daily helped a lot!
4. Low intensity + high mileage running - Almost all of my runs in the 5-8 weeks leading upto the race were at 8:30 min/mi pace or slower. This allowed me to do several 30-35 mi weeks. Train slow, race fast was the mantra.

Total Time: 5:07 (AG: 20)

Swim: 33:47

Wasn't great, but not as bad as I was expecting.

Bike: 2:48:41

TONS for people were passing me. I did pass a few of them back during the last 10 miles, but overall the bike leg was the worse. My hips were complaining during the first half, but it felt better after the turn around as I started getting out of the saddle during climbs. I'd still call this a success since I was able to control myself and hold back a bit so that I wont suffer as much on the run.

Run 1:36:41 (incl. 2.5 mins in port-a-potty)

This was by far the most enjoyable run I ever had in a half distance tri. I think I raced smart by holding back for the first 6 miles and after that giving it all I got -- thanks Coach Coady for that last minute advice. No one passed me on the run... literally NO ONE. One lady who passed me at mile 6, I caught up with her by mile 9.



Overall a great race and a satisfying end to a non-existent racing season. I also signed up for Ironman Vineman for next year, so I am more tempted to call this as the first race of my 2016-2017 season. The fun begins...

2015 Roundup

What a year, 2015! Lots of PRs and an AG win in the bank.

Races:

• March - Ironman Oceanside 70.3 (5:07)
• May - Auburn: World's Toughest Half (5:59)
• June - California Internation Triathlon (Oly) (2:09, PR, AG First place)
• Aug - Ironman Boulder (11:17, PR)
• September - Ironman Santa Cruz 70.3 (4:52 PR)
• December - California International Marathon (3:30 PR)

Highlights:

• PRs in all triathlon distances - Olympic, Half and Full
• Age Group Win at CIT (Olympic distance)
• 5:39 bike split at Ironman Boulder
• Went Sub-5 at Ironman Santa Cruz 70.3
• Baby #2 born on Oct 10

Lowlights:

• Cramping during the run at Ironman Boulder
• A disaster that was CIM
• Lack of training during offseason

Looking forward to as active of 2016 as it can be, considering |Family|++, and increased work load.

California International Marathon 2015

I had never run an open full marathon. CIM 2014 was supposed to be my first one, but I couldn't do it because of a stupid injury; prone to injuries as I am. I was more cautious this year after IM Boulder and Santa Cruz 70.3. I took more time to let my body recover before jumping into serious training. Still, it was mentally tough to get back into the game after a long season. To add to that, the baby - our second one - came on Oct 10 and the whole world turned upside down. I tried to stay true to my running plan as much as I could, while completely skipping the bike and swim workouts. OK, now that all excuses are out of the way, onto the race report. Oh, I forgot one more - I (and the whole fam, except the baby) came down with cold/cough 2 weeks before the race, and I only did a couple of easy runs. So my planned taper was basically ruined, and I was going into the race feeling about 70-80%. Now the race report, I promise :)

I carpooled to Sacramento with a couple of other guys. It was good to have company for the long drive. That reminds me, I still need to do the expenses for the trip :O. Anyways, we reached Sacramento at 3:30 PM on Saturday, Dec 5, and went straight to the expo for packet pickup. Roamed the expo a bit, checked into the hotel, had an early dinner at 5PM at a Thai restaurant and chilled at the hotel for the rest of the evening. I could barely sleep and was up from 1:30AM. The alarm at 3AM was a relief as I had to no longer force myself to sleep. The hotel was partnered with CIM and they had a full continental breakfast 4AM onward! After a light breakfast, I packed up my bag, wore a couple of layers of warm clothes over the race gear and left the hotel to catch the shuttle to the start line. It felt like a long drive and I kept wondering how the heck I was going to run all that distance on the way back. Forecast was for a high chance of rain, which was more worrisome for me due to the possibility of soaked shoes and blisters. We reached the start at 5:40AM and I stayed in the bus for a while as it was too cold outside. I was wearing 5 layers - a thin UnderArmor base layer, a half-sleeve running T-shirt, A full sleeve T-shirt, a wind-blocker cycling jacket and a trash bag. Down below I was wearing the running short and fleece track pants over it. I managed to stay somewhat warm with all that. Between donning all the layers, hitting the port-a-potty, warming up, dropping the morning bag and finding my pace group, it was already race time.

The course is advertised as the fastest marathon in the west with a net downhill. What a bunch of BS! It is a tough course with rollers all the way. I don't care about scenery much, but for those who do, there is NONE! The whole course is through urban neighborhood. The full road (both ways) is dedicated to the race, but for some reason, everyone runs on the right side only. That's bad for me as my legs don't work well with road camber. Worse, the slope was to the right, which aggravates my right IT band. It was no surprise that by mile 16 my IT band started complaining. I was 80% out of gas by mile 13 itself. I was expecting that when I decided to start with the 3:10 pace group - too fast for what I was prepared for. At least the weather gods showed mercy and it didn't rain much. The weather was actually perfect - overcast and cool! The pace group was going by grade adjusted pace (which makes sense), so they were about 5 sec/mi faster than the target pace. I knew before the race that I won't be able to keep up a 7:15 pace for too long, so it was a just a matter of seeing how long. I started slowing down at mile 12 and by mile 16, I was strongly considering dropping out. I saw Anil at this point, which was surprising because he was shooting for a sub-3. He stopped for a potty break and never found the motivation or the pace to carry on. Marathons are TOUGH and everyone has good/bad days. I am sure he will break 3 next time around. We walked a few steps, and then started running together and chit chatting. It was good distraction from the painful IT band and lead-heavy legs.

I decided to keep pushing till mile 18, make it my longest run and then pull out. At mile 18, my pace had reduced to a grinding 8:30 min/mi. I had lost Anil at some point as I was constantly moving to the left edge of the road to avoid the camber. I started walking at an aid station and still fighting my urge to pull out of the race. Somehow I managed to keep going, putting one step in front of the other and now trying to focus on making it across the finish in 3:30 which had been my goal time all along. Why didn't I start with the 3:30 pace group then? You may ask. Well, I don't know. I knew I couldn't pull a 3:10, but I consciously decided to wing it. The result was painful, unenjoyable last miles and maybe a few minutes lost. I ran into Anil again at mile 24 and we ran the last 2 miles together, pushing each other. I was able to dig in and finish "strong" with 7:30 pace for the last half mile for so. I WAS BEAT UP! My Garmin showed 3:28:xx, but my official time was 3:30:30. I ran an additional 0.2 miles trying to avoid the road camber. Anyways, I think I will call the final result a success, but a poorly executed race. Granted I made the choice of going out fast consciously, but it was the wrong choice. I'd take a well-executed race any day over the pain and anguish of the last few miles.

Overall, CIM was not a pleasant experience for many reasons - sick before the race, under trained, bad strategy, unbearable last miles, road camber, rolling course, IT band flare-up. I was more beat up after CIM than I was after IM Boulder and is taking me longer to recover. Marathons are HARD and one cannot just "wing it". I will be well prepared for the next one, whenever that may be. However, it makes me feel better to know that there's not a single person I know who's had a PERFECT first-experience for a marathon. If you are that person, don't tell me about it.

Santa Cruz 70.3 (formerly Big Kahuna) Race Report

Today's race marks the end of the 2015 racing season. I am incredibly lucky that the season went flawlessly without any mishaps and/or injuries. It started with Oceanside 70.3 in March, to today's race in Santa Cruz, CA, totaling 5 races - 3 half IMs, 1 full IM and one Olympic. I couldn't have done any of this without the support of my wife and daughter. Anyways, this post is not about the season, but about Santa Cruz 70.3, so on to that...

I had little to no motivation going into this race. I had not even glanced through the athlete guide until the night before the race to reconfirm the start time of my wave. Usually I am pretty nervous the night before and can barely sleep. But last night I slept like a baby. I had to drag myself out of the bed when the alarm went off at 3AM. Then I was just sitting on the sofa half wishing that I could just cancel the race and sleep in. Somehow I mustered mental strength and started with the race morning routine. The great thing about this Ironman is that there's no need to stay in a hotel. I slept in the comfort of my home and made hot Chai tea to wake me up. Ensure breakfast had worked pretty well at Boulder, so I stuck to it. But I was able to drink only one bottle (140 cals), and sipped on the second bottle on the way to the race.

We reached Depot Park just before 5 and the transition had not yet opened. I quickly used the port-a-potty for round 1. We were one of first folks to get into transition. I had plenty time to setup, which doesn't always happen - I am always scrambling till the last minute. I tried to stay warm in my fleece pants and TriForce jacket for as long as possible. Chatting with other athletes and seeing other TriForcers in transition helped me somewhat get into the racing mentality. For most part was like... whatever, I just wanted to get over with it.

At 6AM, I put on the wetsuit upto the waist over the Octane. As I was considering heading to the beach early - transition closes at 6:30 - I felt the need to visit the port-a-potty for round2. So after that very important task was taken care of, we headed to the beach where the swim start was. The water temperature was < 65F, so neoprene booties were allowed. That made me very happy because the booties make the 0.25 mile run form the swim exit to the transition much easier on the feet. We reached at the beach by 6:45, with 5 minutes to spare for the first wave to be flagged off. I was in the M35-39 wave at 7:14AM, so had ample time to relax and try to enjoy the race atmosphere. When the horn went off for the first wave and the neoprene clad machines charged into the Pacific, I suddenly found a surge of race excitement in me. It felt like magic and all the lethargy, negativeness and fatigue vanished in thin air. I walked into the water waist-deep and stood there for a few minutes as the sun started peeking through the clouds.

Swim (33:xx)

Finally the wait was over. Considering I have never ever practiced a dry start with a dolphin dive, my entry was not too bad - much smoother than in the past. I started out easy and warmed up for the first 5 minutes. The Pacific was a bit uneasy that morning and it decided to pummel us around on the way out to the first buoy. I must have swallowed 3-4 huge gulps of salt water when breaking out to breath at the crest of a swell. It felt much smoother after the second turn around. However, lack of swim training was showing and my shoulders were teetering on shutting down. I found a pair of feet to draft which I followed for the last 0.2 miles or so. Luckily this time around I was not thrown around by the waves breaking near the shore. My Garmin showed 32:xx at the swim exit.

T1 (5:xx)

Neoprene booties made the 0.2 mile run to transition quite comfortable. I pretty much did a regular run all the way to my bike as opposed to a conservative easy jog. Booties came off surprisingly quickly. Getting the wetsuit off around the ankles was a bit of a struggle, but nothing too bad. Helmet on, bike shoes on and I was out of T1 in 5:xx. - one of the better transitions I have had.

Bike (2:39:xx, 180W NP)

Not conforming to conventional wisdom of waiting for HR to settle on the bike before eating anything, I immediately downed an e-Gel. In my defense, I was not wearing an HRM :) But in all seriousness, I knew I was lagging behind on calories as I had a very small breakfast. I quickly settled into tempo effort (180-190W) while doing lots of soft pedaling (>26mph) and coasting (>28mph). Not having HR to constantly monitor was a huge relief! I was going by perceived effort and in hindsight, that worked out pretty well. I was able to maintain a pretty consistent effort throughout the ride without fading out.

At ~mile 40, two guys passed me and they were looking strong. I dropped back within legal distance and continued dropping further as they were faster than me. I however also noticed that the second guy was blatantly drafting off of the other guy. I thought for a moment about catching up to him and giving him an earful, then thought it would be stupid to burn a match, and then decided to go for it anyways. I caught up to him in under a minute of doing 270W and tersely told him it wasn't cool that he was slipstreaming. It would have been embarrassing to immediately drop back at this point, so I kept pushing and passed the guy in front of him when I luckily hit a downhill. I was able to convincingly stay ahead of them for a couple of minutes before they passed me again.

T2 (2:xx)

As I was closing in to transition, I took my feet off a bit too early and ended up riding half a mile with my feet on top of the shoes. The flying dismount was smooth and I did a brisk jog through transition. This too was one of the faster transitions I've had. Helmet and socks off, put on vaseline lined (or should I say soaked) socks, Clifton 2s, grabbed bib belt and visor and I was on my way.

Run (1:32:xx)

There's a short stinger right out of transition and I decided to walk it up. Others ran up and ended up only 5 seconds ahead of me. I started with a comfortable 7:15 pace and was hoping to speed up slightly after a few miles. At mile 2 I had to go pee but 2/4 port-a-potties were occupied and the other two were locked! WTF! I waited for like 10 seconds when another guy came in behind me and swore under his breath about the situation. He then yanked on the door of the locked porta-potty to break the zip-tie, and I followed suit with the other locked one. This wasn't then end of it for me though. I wasted another couple of minutes to take off my damn Octane and put it back on. Anyways, the rest of the run went pretty well except for the PAINFUL blisters that developed on both my feet by mile 5. The blister on the ball of the right foot wasn't felt until later though, since my toes were totally numb for some reason. The blister on the arch of the left foot was super painful, but running on a right sloping road was helping keep the pressure and friction off. For a change my legs were feeling strong and there was no sign of cramping or weird aches and pains throughout the run. Unfortunately the blisters took the fun out of it a bit. The last 0.25 miles on the beach are always brutal, but the end is in sight so it is not that bad.

Total time: 4:52:xx (13th AG)

It was a great race overall. I gave it my best and I am happy that I was able to finally nail the elusive sub-5 goal! The fact that I was feeling strong throughout the bike makes me believe that I can potentially cut down 5-8 minutes from my bike time with more training under my belt. Less then 30 mins on the swim is definitely doable if I am training regularly. If on top of that I am able to maintain my run time, I may have a decent shot at a podium spot.