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.