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.

Ironman Boulder Race Report

Yet another chapter in my triathlon journey comes to an end with Ironman Boulder. My 2015 racing racing season is still not over, but with my A race behind me, there's no more pressure.

We reached Boulder on July 25, one week before the race. That's not enough time to acclimatize, but better than just 2 days. Rental road bike from spinlister.com worked out pretty well until my TT bike arrived through TBT on Thursday. For some reason, I was thinking that the week before the race would be all rest, so even the short workouts felt too much, but I think they really helped keep my muscles sharp and somewhat get used to the Boulder conditions. Athlete checkin on Thursday was a breeze. Love the Ironman backpack they gave us this time around. I could definitely use it as a transition bag for local races.

Within a day of reaching Boulder I started feeling super dehydrated. Apparently, altitude does that to you ;) I upped my water intake but that didn't help much. Starting Thursday, I further increased water intake until every pee was clear, and supplemented it with OSMO 2x/day.

I didn't feel like doing the pre-race sharpening on Saturday but went ahead and did it anyways. Went for bike and gear checkin at 11AM and it was already super hot outside. I couldn't imagine racing the next day in that kind of heat.

Race morning

I could barely sleep all night. Woke up at 3AM, showered, and drank the coffee I had got from Starbucks the previous night. Had Ensure for breakfast, for a total of 440 cals. The swim start was at 6:30, so the plan was to reach T1 by 5:15. We had to drop off special needs bags at Boulder High School and take a shuttle to the reservoir. There was a long walk from where the shuttle dropped us, to the transition. Made T1 by 5:20. Body marking, pumping up the tires, checking nutrition, going for round 2, putting on the speedsuit, all that took an hour and before I knew it, people were lining up for the swim. I had to make my way through hundreds of athletes lined up in the chute. Water temp was 77.5 deg and it was declared as a wetsuit-optional swim. I was NOT going for podium or KQ, but still decided to go non-wetsuit for the heck of it.

Swim

I managed to make my way past the wetsuit folks and to the non-wetsuiters seeded at 1:15 swim time. I didn't get time to warmup and knew that I will have to use the first 15 minutes of the swim to do so. Instead of being able to relax and warmup for the first 15 minutes, I was struggling to weave my way through the slower swimmers. The field started to slowly thin out and I found my rhythm. I was trying to keep my legs relaxed and use the legs only to balance my body roll. I was swimming by myself 2/3rds of the way, but finally managed to find a pair of feed after the second turn-around. I held onto that pair of feet for next 10 minutes or so until that guy decided to go off course. I quickly found another pair of wetsuit-wearing feet which I followed all the way to the swim finish. It ended up being a nice relaxed effort and I was happy to see 1:06:xx on my 920XT. The only issue was that my legs were feeling tired in spite of my keeping them super relaxed and mostly just using them to keep lower body up and balance the roll.

What worked:

• Drafted last 1/3rd of the swim
• Kept the effort relaxed
• Breathing every 3 strokes worked well in spite of the altitude

What didn't work:

• Legs were tired, especially the right hip was locking up
• Didn't try hard enough to draft during first 2/3rd of the swim.

T1

This was a disaster! I really wanted to wear calf sleeves for this race as they have proven to help me. But since the swim was non-wetsuit, I didn't want to wear them while swimming. I didn't have time to put them in the bike gear bag so I stuffed them inside the speedsuit. In T1, it took me 90 seconds or so to just put on the calf sleeves. I was going to do a semi-flying mount with bike shoes clipped in, but that turned into a stunt gone wrong. The rubber band holding the right shoe upright had snapped and as the right pedal went down, the shoe bumped hard into the road. Then something happened and I slammed my left knee into the metal edge of the elbow pad. I had a small cut from it, but it luckily wasn't very painful. After a couple of attempts, I managed to get both my feet in and start the bike.

What worked:

• Jogging to the bike and out of T1 in socks felt good

What didn't work:

• Too slow
• Wasted time putting on calf sleeves
• Forgot to stuff 3 e-gels from the T1 bag into the tri top pockets
• Mounting the bike was embarrassing

Bike

After the complete failure of a bike mount, I was on my way. I was keeping it nice and relaxed at least on the legs, but HR was still a bit high. I was having a super hard time keeping the HR below 140 bmp. Power was lower than I wanted and HR was higher. I was expecting effects of altitude to show, but not that extreme. I was still making decent speed so I decided to go by perceived effort and pay only peripheral attention to HR and power. HR was 145+ but I let it be as long as it wasn't spiking above 150.

I was taking 1 e-gel every 30 minutes and I had only 4 e-gels, which meant I would need to use on-course nutrition for the remaining 1 hour before I can pick up more e-gels from special needs. After 1.5 hrs into the ride, I started feeling a bit drowsy. That was new for me and I decided to try some GU/Roctane gels from the aid stations. I needed those to fill the difference anyways. Caffeine did the trick and I was feeling fresh again within minutes after downing Roctane.

Overall the bike went by fairly quickly. I was feeling tired towards the end and a slight feeling of hamstrings and calves locking up if I tried to push. In the last hour I increased the salt intake, but I was afraid I was already lagging behind on salt. My normalized power was only 131W, so over-biking was definitely not the issue. The extra salt in the last hour definitely helped and I ended the bike feeling decent.

The second half of the bike was very hot and it helped to douse myself with cold water at every aid station. The routine was to pick up two cold water bottles at each aid station. Put one bottle in the bottom cage, squeeze the other in the aero bottle, and douse the rest through the helmet vents, on the face and the back. I'd use the bottle in the bottom cage for additional dousing before the next aid station.

What worked:

• E-gels worked very well.
• Drinking water to thirst
• Dousing cold water on the head to keep myself cool
• Going by perceived effort when HR and power were not matching expectations
• Peeing on the bike (4x)

What didn't work:

• Felt drowsy on the bike, so it'd be good to mix in some caffeinated gels
• Ran low on salt. Should've had 3 tabs/hr

T2

Fly dismount from the bike worked well. With the socks, I was able to easily jog through transition. The black track which gets super hot, was covered with carpet which made the jog to transition comfortable. I quickly put on vaseline lined socks, Clifton 2s, grabbed the bib belt, bottle and visor and took off. A quick bathroom break cost me a minute, but there's nothing I could have done about that.

Run

Started the run super easy at 9-9:30 min/mi pace, :30s slower than planned. HR was still hovering above 145 bmp. Legs were feeling good, but the plan was to cap HR at 150 for the first half marathon. Pace wasn't what I wanted it to be though. I averaged 9:10 pace for the first 7 miles and was hoping to pick up the pace after, but disaster struck! After mile 8, I started getting slight cramps in the upper calves. I dialed it back and went into damage control mode. I immediately grabbed two tubes of base salt at an aid station at the junction of the "flux capacitor" as DC calls it. The recommended dosage is one thumb of base salt per hour, but I quickly licked 4 thumbs of base salt followed by 2 Metasalt tabs within 15 minutes. I was definitely not bonking and I knew I could push if it wasn't for the cramps. Sadly the damage was done and I could only reduce further damage. Low oxygen levels was making it even harder. I put my head down and kept digging in mile after mile until mile 20. I was saving the hyperventilation trick for the last 10K. At this point I was running at 10:15 or slower pace. Starting mile 21, I started breathing deeper and faster to get in more O2. As I was expecting and knew from experience, the cramping sensation started disappearing and the pace started going up. I was able to hammer the last 2 miles at 7:30 pace and finish strong-ish.

What worked:

• Starting easy and capping HR to 150
• Adapting by slowing down and taking extra salt
• Stopping drinking after realizing that I was a bit bloated
• Not bonking (HR stayed up and finished strong @ 170bmp)
• Walking aid stations and short steep climbs

What didn't work:

Lagged behind on salt which caused cramping. It was too late in the game to turn things around.

Final Result

SWIM DETAILS | Division Rank: 18

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Division Rank	Gender Rank	Overall Rank
Total	2.4 mi	01:07:18	01:07:18	01:44/100m	18	101	118

BIKE DETAILS | Division Rank: 75

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Division Rank	Gender Rank	Overall Rank
Total	112 mi	05:41:26	06:55:55	19.68 mph	75	308	335

RUN DETAILS | Division Rank: 53

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Division Rank	Gender Rank	Overall Rank
Total	26.2 mi	04:17:11	11:19:02	09:48/mi	53	195	222

Transition Details

T1: Swim-to-bike	00:07:11
T2: Bike-to-run	00:05:56

3 weeks to IM Boulder

With Ironman Boulder just 3 weeks out, I am find myself thinking a lot about how I would race, how I would fare on the run, what will be my bike split, will I make the 12 hour mark, etc. However, after some reflection, I realized that it is more important right now to instead focus on the 3 weeks leading up to the race. Here are some important things to consider for during the pre-race weeks:

1. Nutrition: What you eat is never more important than during the weeks leading up to your A race. Eat several small meals instead of fewer big meals. Drink plenty of water. Lots of greens and veggies are good for you during this period, while keeping carbs/fats low. Cut down sugar altogether if possible. Have good servings of lean protein. For vegetarians like me, some good sources of protein are tofu, eggs, avocado, beans, or Whey protein powder.
2. Taper: Keep the workouts light and keep an eye out for any niggles or signs of injuries. This  late in the game, there is no use pushing yourself as there is little to be gained. Instead focus on maintenance and letting the body recover from the peak. You should feel fresh and sharp going into the race. Be sure to not be completely idle, but continue to gently remind your body about the big day ahead. Short easy workouts with race pace pickups are perfect.
3. Sleep/Recovery: Get LOTS of sleep during this period. It will help keep your immune system intact and stave off any cold, cough, flu.
4. Gear check: Run all the race scenarios in your mind and make a list of everything you'll need before and during the race. Get your bike tuned up well in advance to make sure that the tuneup didn't introduce any issues like rubbing brakes, loose gear cables, etc. If tires or tubes need changing, DON'T do it at the last minute. Get in a ride or two after changing the tires/tubes to make sure there's no pinching of tubes going on. Stick to the gear you have practiced with.
5. Massage: Get a nice relaxing massage 1-2 weeks before the race. Avoid getting a deep tissue massage closer to the race as it breaks down the muscles and they may not fully recover in time for the race. If you absolutely desire a deep tissue massage, get one more than 2 weeks in advance.
6. Heat training: If your race is going to be in hot conditions, doing some heat training in the weeks leading up to the race can make a huge difference. If it is hot outside, try getting in short 20 mins rides in the peak heat of the day. If there's no natural heat, ride on a trainer wearing a wetsuit + sweats + hoodie. Point a space heater at your head of you feel extra crazy. It is important to keep these workouts short and at low intensity. Shoot for 2-3 workouts/week in the heat for 2-3 weeks before the race.
7. Virtual Rehearsal: Go over everything from packet pickup to crossing that finish line in your head, over and over and over again. Whenever you think of something new or interesting, make a note of it in an email draft.
8. Getting to race weight: This is a tricky one and I am still struggling to get rid of those last few pounds. Doing some long rides/runs at super low intensity but in a caloric depleted state has been known to help lose some fat. Do this only if you have been doing huge 20+ hr weeks and are used to doing 20+ mi runs, and are super duper fit. In other words, accept the fact that your weight 3 weeks before the race will be your race weight.

California International Triathlon - Race Report

California International Triathlon (CIT) was a fun race before Ironman Boulder. The goal was to mainly use this opportunity to practice three things:

1. Morning nutrition - 300 cals of Ensure
2. Fast transitions
3. New setup with bike mount for 920XT

The plan was to basically go tempo on the swim, stay at sweet-spot on the bike and go all out on the run. Happy to say that I achieved all my goals and then a bit more - an age-group win!

Woke up at 3:30 AM. Drank some coffee to get the motion going. Having dinner the previous day at 6 PM worked really well to clean the system well before the race. Downed a bottle of Ensure (150 cals) in the car on the way to the race. Reached there at 5:30 AM and got down to business (setting up transition) right away. Unlike some people who are "in the zone" prior to the race, I like looking around, checking out the fit people, the super bikes and the cool gear! I setup my transition spot as close to Bike Out as possible as I didn't want to click-clack through the transition with my biking shoes. Went for round 2 at 6:15 and came back to T for a final gear check. Headed over to the beach for swim start at 6:40. At the last minute I realized I forgot to eat my pre-swim gel, so quickly ran back to transition and downed a gel.

1.5K Swim: 23:16 (1:25/100yd) 

I was able to get in 2-3 minutes of warmup which made a world of a difference. Without a warmup my shoulders start seizing up in the first 500 meters of the swim. I started out hard for the first 200 meters and then settled into a tempo pace. I was able to hold a fairly straight line to the buoys. It was a triangular course and I had to weave through a lot of people from the previous wave up to the second buoy, after which it thinned out. I then made a beeline to the exit arch.

T1: 1:09

Pretty happy with my T1 time. Coming out of the water, I had to tell myself to NOT slow down to catch my breath. Mount strap for 920XT made it very easy to switch the watch to the bike and as an additional benefit, it made it easy to remove the wetsuit sleeve. Put on the bike shoes (sock-less) and ran out of T1 to the mount line.

40K Bike: 1:05:37 (23 mph, 213W NP) - Oly Bike PR

It was a pretty fast bike course. First 10 miles were gentle uphill with some steeper sections and rest of the course was downhill and rolling. I like chasing and this time I was chasing Snickers. He was right within my sight until the turn around after which he took off and disappeared. Justin passed me on the way back as well. Overall only 4-5 really fast people passed me on the bike, whom I would pass back later on the run. I was hoping to rest my legs a bit after the turn around but I never got a chance. Being a light-weight rider, downhills and flats are not good for me as I lack the momentum to get away with soft pedaling. My HR was 170+ the whole time and I eventually switched the 920XT screen to show speed/distance and just ignored the HR. Before I knew it, we were entering T2 and I was able to do a smooth flying dismount.

T2: 1:04

Could have been 15 seconds faster if it wasn't for a minor snafu. As I racked the bike, I forgot to unclip the 920XT from the bike, so had to go back to get it. Other than that, T2 was perfectly executed - put on Vaseline-lined socks, shoes with quick-laces, grab bib belt and hat and go go go!

10K Run: 38:05 (6:07 min/mi) - Oly Run PR

It took a few minutes for the legs to adapt but soon settled in low threshold pace. HR was soaring and I decided to ignore the HR and listen to the legs. The course was all on dirt trails with a few small stingers, of which I walked up the steepest section of one. I tried to take full advantage of the corresponding downhills and the momentum that followed. The pain went on increasing steadily throughout the run. On the second loop I passed at least 6 people including 4 who has passed me on the bike. Following the directions to the "finish" at the fork on a multi-loop course always feels good.

Result Stats:

Olympic distance PR - 2:09:12

1st/47 in age-group 35-39

9th/407 overall

6th fastest run split

Olympic, 70.3 or full, they all hurt equally bad. What differs is just the duration of suffering. A recovery week now and then the final build for IM Boulder!

Here's a pic of me, accepting the winner's award (thanks to Saurabh for snapping the pic and lending me his TF trucker hat for the awards) -

Thali @Baadal

Chaha Pohe + Shukratara

Rubios Veggie Especial Burrito

Pohe and roasted corn

Auburn World's Toughest Half - Delayed Race Report

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Woke up at 3:40 AM

Drank the crappy coffee in the hotel room.

Tried to eat instant oatmeal (240 cals) as I always have a hard time with Chobani+granola on race morning, but couldn’t down it either. I guess it is the nerves on race morning. I still managed to eat half of it and had a gel to cover the calorie difference.

Put on 4 layers - tri suit, Skins jersey, full sleeve jersey, shell jacket -  to prepare for the cold 7 miles downhill ride from T2 to T1.

Drove to T2, rode 7 miles to T1.

Got busy chit chatting with buddies and got late for my wave - doh! The gun went off at 7 AM sharp but I was still getting in the water for a mandatory warmup. It took me 3 mins or so to get to the start line by when the women had already lined up. I just took off behind the men’s wave instead of waiting for the next wave.

Swim (1:26/100yd)

Pretty uneventful. Didn’t get to draft much, but went tempo-ish as I was pissed about missing the start and wanted to make up some time. There was a short walk/climb from swim exit to T1 and the shoes I had kept at the swim exit came handy.

T1 - 4:25

Quite pathetic, really. Need to work a lot on transitions.

Bike (173W NP, 151 Avg. HR)

This course KICKED MY BUTT! ~5500 ft of elevation gain over 56 miles = INSANE! To my credit, I think I paced well and stuck to my power caps and even held back on some of the longer climbs. 80-90-100 rule really applies to a “normal” HIM bike course. For the monstrosity of a course that this was, all rules are chucked out the window. Only one rule applies - conserve yourself for the run (which, by the way, was equally brutal.) I got a flat at about mile 19 which cost me 7 minutes or so. Need to work on being able to fix a flat in under 5 minutes. (Note to self - carry 2 spare tubes and CO2 cylinders at IM Boulder) Bike is still by far my weakest leg and I need to get much much faster on the bike.

T2 - 2:58

Again, super pathetic. I found myself thinking in T2. Transitions need to be mechanical without any mental involvement.

Run (8:09 min/mi)

It was a very scenic, beautiful and at the same time soul crushing, butt wrenching HIM course with ~1200 ft of elevation gain over 13.1 miles. Most of the run was on semi-technical single track and fireroad. The only portion that was on a paved road was also a long ass 400 ft climb. My HokaOneOne Huakas were my one true friend on this brutal course. I am happy that I was able to run ~98% of the course except for a couple of super steep climbs where it didn’t make sense to run up anyways. There was no bonking, cramping, or injuries and I was able to finish strong.

Official timing:

Swim: 33:23 (late start)

T1: 4:25 (Ugh!)

Bike: 3:34:53 (7 mins fixing flat)

T2: 2:58 (Ugh!)

Run: 1:46:43 (Woohoo!)

Total Time: 6:02:24

Actual swim timing - 30:07

Actual Total time - 5:59:08

I secretly wanted to go under 6 which I really didn’t think was possible, but I made it! As I started the swim over 3 minutes late, that puts me at 5:59:08. For all practical purposes, that is my time.

What went well

• Paced well on the bike
• Nailed the nutrition
• Paced well on the run
• Walked the steepest hills
• Did not bonk, cramp or get injured

What went poorly

• Missed the start
• Transitions were pathetically slow
• Took too long to fix the flat

Time to buckle up for Ironman Boulder

Ironman Boulder is just 8 weeks away and I am 3-4 lbs over race weight. Time to tighten things up. I started logging food intake yesterday and failed today when I consumed a whopping 810 cals of Brownie a la Coldstone. Ugh, I feel terrible. Well, tomorrow will be a new day and new effort. I will continue to log my nutrition on MyFitnessPal and also get in another dunk with FitnessWave.

Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

Woke up at 4AM, drank coffee, and made round 1. Could not get myself to eat anything, but forced some Chobani+Granola and ate 2 gels to get in some calories. Showered and got ready and realized I forgot to pack my contact lenses. After some frantic moments, I decided to just go with the glasses. I had a pair of prescription swim goggles, so I was not worried about that part. Most of my bike rides are also with glasses, so that would work out as well. The problem was the run, and in general a level of discomfort throughout the race. Luckily, Raphael had a spare pair of lenses, and the power was very close to mine! Yay! Owe you one, Raphael! After a hectic hour or so of setting up transition, I finally had a chance to sit back and watch the pros fly through transition.

Goal: Sub-5
Result: 5:07:22

Swim (31:57)

M35-39 wave 2 started at 7:44, which was pretty late, so I was expecting it to get hot on the run. The swim was so crowded that it reminded me of my waterpolo days. Swimming over each other, pulling on to the ankles, elbow punching in the face, swearing, it was all fair game. My time of 31:57 was OK considering that I haven’t been swimming much lately (less than 4000 yd/wk.) If I work a bit on my swim, I think I can easily go sub-30.

T1 (4:27)

It was a long jog to the bike. Luckily as an All World Bronze Athlete, my spot was in the carpeted aisle, close to the bike out. Earlier there was some speculation about whether non-pros can leave their biking shoes clipped to the pedals. I had always assumed that’s OK, but with too many people asking that question, I decided its better to do it the regular way. It turned out to be a good decision since the mount line at the bike out was a party, and a flying mount would have been difficult.

Bike (2:46:21)

Goal was 2:45, so satisfied with the time, but power was much lower than expected. I was faster than last year by a minute inspite of more head wind with 173W NP, which was only 1W higher than last year! Not sure what to make out of it. During rehearsal, my NP has been well above 185W, so the only thing I can think affected my power would be 7 days of complete inactivity before the race. Nutrition plan was straightforward and it went well — 1 gel + salt tab every 20 mins, and drink to thirst. Another thing that was off was HR with an average of 160bmp; 5bmp higher than planned. For some reason, it was impossible to keep my HR low and it was in 165 bmp range during the last 8 miles. My legs however felt just perfectly fine, so I decided to F the HR and go by feel. I don’t think it affected my run in any way.

T2 (4:45)

Could have been faster on this. I am seeing a lot of people do T2 in under 3:30.

Run (1:39:52)

Pretty happy with the run considering the low volume of run training over the past few months (less than 24 mi/wk, and even lower recovery weeks). I was feeling pretty good until mile 8 and was on track to just break 5 hours. But then my legs started seizing up and I was just not able to produce any pace. HR was right where I wanted it to be, but legs were not cooperating. Nutrition was perfect, so I was not bonking, but it was a classic sign of lack of endurance. Even if I had held back on the bike, I don’t think I could have gone any faster on the run. My open half marathon PR is 1:24, so I think I am capable of running a 1:30 HIM run. Definitely huge room for improvement for next HIM. Also, Kevin likes us to PR by a small margin, so… baby steps :-)

Total time: 5:07:22
33rd in AG

Not fully satisfied with my time, but happy considering the the injury leading up to the race and my run fitness (or lack thereof.) In retrospect, breaking 5 hours was a bit ambitious. Thanks, Kevin, for all the guidance and helping me to remain calm when injured 1 week before the race. Huge room for improvement, and lot of work to do before Boulder!