Ask anyone who knows me and they will vouch for how I have been careful not to jump immediately to Half-Ironman/Ironman. For some, the long distances are an attractive first-time challenge, but I have wanted to spend a few years getting my feet wet in shorter distances.
Doing it this way afforded me some time to try and develop aerobically for something longer. After some success in Olympic distance racing, 2 years into the process, I embarked on the stretch goal of racing a Half-Ironman. A report on the race is enclosed below.
The lead in
A few weeks ago I was tied up in a bike crash that shook me physically and emotionally. All things considered, I made a quick recovery and was grateful to simply have the chance to make it to the start line of 70.3 Des Moines. I would not have given it a second thought for making it to race day had I not crashed, but the accident put things into perspective.
It was an almost necessary opportunity to take a large-lens view of what it is all about. My mom even remarked that I was more calm than usual before the race.
Swim
A rolling swim start was on order for the day and I prefer this format. The mass starts are chaotic and I am still learning about arousal control. A few guys went before me, so I decided to bridge to them and sit on their feet until the first turn buoy. I had it in mind that I would use that 400 meters as a warmup and then hit the gas after the turn. That plan worked out great as I turned at the buoy and did not look back.
This swim was relaxed and I took my own advice that relaxed is fast. I turned in a 23:31 for 1900 meters, leading the race. This was the fastest swim overall and it was one of the most fun experiences I have had in sport. I got my first win of the day before 7:00 a.m.!
Bike
After a controlled T1, I was out on the bike course. Another speedy swimmer, and ultimately the race winner, got through T1 quicker than me and was gone for good. I was prepared to be passed by many over the 2.5+ hour ride.
We had a great tailwind for the first hour which allowed me to get on top of the gear and pedal smoothly. My power was at the top end of my planned range of 225-240W, but it felt controlled so I stuck with it. The only issue was that I was not making decent time. Athlete after athlete was flying by me and I was becoming discouraged. The power did not seem to be translating to the speed it should be, and I think the technical nature of the course and my aerodynamics are at the crux of the matter. There were many turns and U-turns, and my handling skills are rubbish.
At about 90 minutes in, I made the executive decision to back down the power to my lower end of the range to prioritize a good run. Since I was not riding particularly fast, this seemed like a smart compromise, especially with the headwind on the return trip. With a solid run, I could pass some of the athletes who went by on the bike, and I did go by about 10 of these athletes during the run.
I ended the ride with an average power of 231W normalized which was right on my goal and a bike split of 2:36, slower than my goal. I fueled well and do not think I was suffering the effects of depletion. The velocity was the issue and it may be a matter of riding outdoors more. I cannot let the crash skew my opinion on the value of riding on the road.
Run
Still in good spirits, I made the long barefoot run to T2, got my shoes on, and headed out at a hot pace. I had forgotten to set my watch for auto lap, so I was eyeballing the splits based on the provided mile markers. I was rolling 3:45-3:55/km pace through the first 8K and was not too concerned as it felt good and I had trained at this pace. Running people down was also a great boost for morale.
I walked my first aid station at 8K to make sure I got my gel down and got some water in and then I turned into the wind and carried on. The wind was not nice to me as this was the first time on the run that I started to feel it. I stayed calm and still rolled through 10K in 38:30, giving me a quick hit of adrenaline to see a great pace.
I stayed in the game holding my ~3:55-4:00/km pace, albeit with more effort to achieve, and then at 15K I cracked mentally. Nobody was around me, the wind kicked up, and I was starting to really hurt. Lonely.
I hit another aid station to try and pull it off the coals, but this only worked temporarily. I started up the final bridge and into downtown and was in survival mode. Pace did not matter anymore. It was “get to the finish” at all costs! I revved it up one more time with about 1K to go and brought the pace back to where I was rolling earlier in the run and crossed the line in 4:34 with a 1:26 half marathon split.
This netted me 22nd overall, first in my 18-24 age group, and a top 15 run split. I was completely spent.
What it means
My initial reaction was that I underperformed. My swim split was great, but the bike-run combo was nothing special. This, however, is reflective of my frame of reference. I want to be really fast, and compared to the athletes who are really fast this looks like an average day. Compared to myself, it is a personal best because it was my first Half Ironman. Winning the age group is also a nice achievement.
My typical list of three observations reads as follows:
I currently have the training volume to complete a Half-Ironman, but not the volume needed to truly race one. The commitment level and capacity for training need to increase if I want to achieve my expectations.
I need to look into getting a coach. I got myself to this point on my own which is likely fine for throwing down at local Sprint/Olympic races, but not for discovering how fast I can really be. This is especially true for the bike. It is time I stop assuming I know what is best all of the time and employ help.
I do not need to reinvent the wheel for the rest of this season. I want to race some shorter races and my upcoming clinical rotation time demands will present a great experiment for finding a basic week I can execute for 6-8 weeks in a row.
I am critical of myself and I reserve the right to be. I know I can be better, but everyone has to start somewhere. I got started and that is the hardest part!
The demands of longer distance racing are entirely different and it will require more chipping away at building an engine AND a chassis that can handle those demands.
I may not even race a Half-Ironman next season in favor of tapping even further into short-distance success. The long-term view wins in the end.
Such a great read Max. Congrats on the achievement!
Congratulations on this accomplishment. First in your age group is well done!