I enjoyed reading biglazybum’s race report of IMMT, so I decided to write down my own experience from doing my first 70.3 last weekend. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Prologue
Two years ago I decided to give triathlon a try after casually running for a few years. I had access to an experienced coach at my alma mater, who coached me through my first season. This was immensely helpful with regards to learning about structured endurance training. Sadly I wasn't able to run consistently throughout the year due to knee and ankle injuries from playing hockey. I had zero experience as a swimmer and thought myself freestyle using Total Immersion videos and Swim Smooth articles. I had never ridden a bike competitively, but I've been riding a bike across town for 300+ days a year for the better part of my life.
During my first season I did OK in some sprint races finishing in the 25-40th percentile. My first 1/4 distance got demoted to a early morning swim due to injury. While I'm a slow racer, I've come to love training, making good progress on the bike after I got a good deal on a (now defunct) PowerTap wheel. This led to signing up for my first 70.3 race as I seemed to enjoy "going long". Sadly the first part of this season was messed up due to another running injury, making last weekend's race my first triathlon of the year!
Expectations
My swim had been progressing slowly but surely this year. I seldom swim in open water due to safety concerns and never raced in a wetsuit, so I had little to go on. My last 1500m TT was a high 24:xx, so I figured I should be able to easily go sub 35:00. My biking has been solid, although my FTP seemed to have plateaued in May (310-315 W at 67.5 kg, about 4.6 W/kg). My bike setup is horrible from a aero perspective (aluminum road bike, box rims, ill-fitting tri suit, no aero helmet and GP4000s with a few 100ks on them). Luckily the course is pancake flat, so a 2:40 seemed realistic.
The run would be the big unknown. A had a good 6 weeks of running leading up to the race, but my volume was too low. Building volume has been a major culprit for me. I ran a low 38:xx 10k on very little millage in April, so I know the speed was there, just not the endurance. I felt ambitious so I set a unrealistic goal of 1:30 and just see how close I could get. My ultimate goal was going sub 5:00 and not get injured as I had another 70.3 planned in three weeks.
Nutrition
I successfully used my own maltodextrin mixes during longer rides, so this is what I planned on using on the bike. I aimed for 250 cal/h, so I mixed two 700ml/24oz bottles for a total of 670 calories. I always add some salt and lemonade for taste. During the run I planned on picking up three or four gels, plus some water/mix every 5k.
My breakfast was simple: three white bread rolls with scrambled egg and a glass of milk. I had a banana 1.5 before the gun.
Pre-race
Klazienaveen is only a 50 minute drive from my hometown which was awfully convenient. This meant family could easily tag along, but also caused some delays when leaving home. I rushed through registration, practically raced to the bike check-in and set up in transition. Not a great way to start the day.
Swim
The swim was an almost straight line through a canal. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack. The swim was fairly uneventful after the first 200m. I was too slow to swim with the fast guys; too fast for the slower groups and thus failed to find feet to draft from. My wetsuit was seriously chafing my neck, but I just kept cruising along at a somewhat comfortable pace.
00:32:06 (1:41/100m)
Bike
My bike was racked literally 15m from the bike entry/exist, making transition quite pleasant if you're not doing flying (dis)mounts. I was planning on averaging 250-260 W on the bike, but expected to average a bit higher during the first loop (out of four) as things settled. The winds had picked up compared to Saturday (about 4-5 Bft) but I'm pretty good a pacing my effort. Sadly some of my competitors weren't, causing me to make a few unnecessary passes. I made it a rule to not get passed on the bike unless a) the racer was doing the Olympic or Sprint distance race b) rode a TT/tri bike.
After the first loop I determined where I would be taking in nutrition and stretch my back on the following loops. This helped me a lot mentally. The loop was quite enjoyable and the riding surface was quite good in general, although there was a short stretch of sketchy pavement. The part through town is quite enjoyable if you like some quicker corners.
02:32:38 (252 W, 252 NP, 0.8 IF, 1.0 VI(!), 34.7 km/h) http://tpks.ws/rkA4
Run
I felt kind of good going into transition, which surprised me. The first 5k loop I just ran by feel and was again surprised to see that I was running around my goal pace of 4:17/km. After the first loop I checked my watch and realized that I was well on my way to beat my goal of going sub 5:00. I also felt that I wouldn't be able to keep going at this pace.
At this point I found myself at a metaphoric crossroad. Should I chase an unrealistic goal on the run, knowing that my legs were still not fully recovered from injury and risk blowing up? Somehow the safe decision felt like giving up. I did not have enough confidence as a racer to go with the "high risk" option, but also knew that I'd kick myself in the head if I wouldn't be able to start at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam in three weeks.
During my next two loops I slowed down my pace considerably, making sure I had enough water/sport mix and gels. I enjoyed seeing my parents cheering on me. During the last loop my calf seized up briefly, which forced me to sit down for 10 seconds, stretch and continue. I made sure to thank the volunteers when passing the aid stations for the last time. When crossing the finish line I had mixed feelings. Somehow it did not feel like an achievement. Maybe this means I was just well prepared or did not race hard enough.
1:44:40 (04:57/km) http://tpks.ws/mC0T
Total time: 04:55:05 (32/62 male 20-40 AG, 75/228 OA)
Evaluation, questions and remarks
Race venue
Hats off to the race organizers, volunteers and the people of Klazienaveen. My only complaint is the limited capacity at the registration desk, but this was mostly my own fault due to showing up too late. The transition areas was thought out well. The bus transport to the swim start was awesome. The bike course was quite secure/safe. I only saw a single case of blatant drafting. The four bike and run loops made the race spectator friendly and the volunteers fantastic. Some locals even set up impromptu aid stations because of the hot weather. Amazing value at only €47.50, including a technical finisher’ shirt.
Thanks for reading!
Pain is temporary.
Prologue
Two years ago I decided to give triathlon a try after casually running for a few years. I had access to an experienced coach at my alma mater, who coached me through my first season. This was immensely helpful with regards to learning about structured endurance training. Sadly I wasn't able to run consistently throughout the year due to knee and ankle injuries from playing hockey. I had zero experience as a swimmer and thought myself freestyle using Total Immersion videos and Swim Smooth articles. I had never ridden a bike competitively, but I've been riding a bike across town for 300+ days a year for the better part of my life.
During my first season I did OK in some sprint races finishing in the 25-40th percentile. My first 1/4 distance got demoted to a early morning swim due to injury. While I'm a slow racer, I've come to love training, making good progress on the bike after I got a good deal on a (now defunct) PowerTap wheel. This led to signing up for my first 70.3 race as I seemed to enjoy "going long". Sadly the first part of this season was messed up due to another running injury, making last weekend's race my first triathlon of the year!
Expectations
My swim had been progressing slowly but surely this year. I seldom swim in open water due to safety concerns and never raced in a wetsuit, so I had little to go on. My last 1500m TT was a high 24:xx, so I figured I should be able to easily go sub 35:00. My biking has been solid, although my FTP seemed to have plateaued in May (310-315 W at 67.5 kg, about 4.6 W/kg). My bike setup is horrible from a aero perspective (aluminum road bike, box rims, ill-fitting tri suit, no aero helmet and GP4000s with a few 100ks on them). Luckily the course is pancake flat, so a 2:40 seemed realistic.
The run would be the big unknown. A had a good 6 weeks of running leading up to the race, but my volume was too low. Building volume has been a major culprit for me. I ran a low 38:xx 10k on very little millage in April, so I know the speed was there, just not the endurance. I felt ambitious so I set a unrealistic goal of 1:30 and just see how close I could get. My ultimate goal was going sub 5:00 and not get injured as I had another 70.3 planned in three weeks.
Nutrition
I successfully used my own maltodextrin mixes during longer rides, so this is what I planned on using on the bike. I aimed for 250 cal/h, so I mixed two 700ml/24oz bottles for a total of 670 calories. I always add some salt and lemonade for taste. During the run I planned on picking up three or four gels, plus some water/mix every 5k.
My breakfast was simple: three white bread rolls with scrambled egg and a glass of milk. I had a banana 1.5 before the gun.
Pre-race
Klazienaveen is only a 50 minute drive from my hometown which was awfully convenient. This meant family could easily tag along, but also caused some delays when leaving home. I rushed through registration, practically raced to the bike check-in and set up in transition. Not a great way to start the day.
Swim
The swim was an almost straight line through a canal. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack. The swim was fairly uneventful after the first 200m. I was too slow to swim with the fast guys; too fast for the slower groups and thus failed to find feet to draft from. My wetsuit was seriously chafing my neck, but I just kept cruising along at a somewhat comfortable pace.
00:32:06 (1:41/100m)
Bike
My bike was racked literally 15m from the bike entry/exist, making transition quite pleasant if you're not doing flying (dis)mounts. I was planning on averaging 250-260 W on the bike, but expected to average a bit higher during the first loop (out of four) as things settled. The winds had picked up compared to Saturday (about 4-5 Bft) but I'm pretty good a pacing my effort. Sadly some of my competitors weren't, causing me to make a few unnecessary passes. I made it a rule to not get passed on the bike unless a) the racer was doing the Olympic or Sprint distance race b) rode a TT/tri bike.
After the first loop I determined where I would be taking in nutrition and stretch my back on the following loops. This helped me a lot mentally. The loop was quite enjoyable and the riding surface was quite good in general, although there was a short stretch of sketchy pavement. The part through town is quite enjoyable if you like some quicker corners.
02:32:38 (252 W, 252 NP, 0.8 IF, 1.0 VI(!), 34.7 km/h) http://tpks.ws/rkA4
Run
I felt kind of good going into transition, which surprised me. The first 5k loop I just ran by feel and was again surprised to see that I was running around my goal pace of 4:17/km. After the first loop I checked my watch and realized that I was well on my way to beat my goal of going sub 5:00. I also felt that I wouldn't be able to keep going at this pace.
At this point I found myself at a metaphoric crossroad. Should I chase an unrealistic goal on the run, knowing that my legs were still not fully recovered from injury and risk blowing up? Somehow the safe decision felt like giving up. I did not have enough confidence as a racer to go with the "high risk" option, but also knew that I'd kick myself in the head if I wouldn't be able to start at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam in three weeks.
During my next two loops I slowed down my pace considerably, making sure I had enough water/sport mix and gels. I enjoyed seeing my parents cheering on me. During the last loop my calf seized up briefly, which forced me to sit down for 10 seconds, stretch and continue. I made sure to thank the volunteers when passing the aid stations for the last time. When crossing the finish line I had mixed feelings. Somehow it did not feel like an achievement. Maybe this means I was just well prepared or did not race hard enough.
1:44:40 (04:57/km) http://tpks.ws/mC0T
Total time: 04:55:05 (32/62 male 20-40 AG, 75/228 OA)
Evaluation, questions and remarks
- Overall I think my performance matches my expectations, although realistically I had expected to bike 10 minutes slower and run 10 minutes faster.
- My performance compared to the rest of the field was quite abominable. This race served as the Half Distance Dutch Championship, so you could argue that I was racing in strong field. Maybe I shouldn't be too hard on myself given this is my first 70.3.
- The run is probably where I can win the most between now and Challenge Almere-Amsterdam.
- I want to improve the durability of my legs over the winter, so I can finally run to my full potential. Aerobically I've never been at a better place, but legs just don't seem to hold up.
- My bike plateau needs some attention. I've been logging a lot of time in the saddle, but I think I need to turn up the intensity to get past 4.6 W/kg.
- I'm not sure how I feel about "buying speed". I'm certainly not a FOPer, but it does make you wonder when you get passed by another TT machine. How much would I gain over my current bike split?
- My power balance is still skewed (48%/52%). I probably should check in with my PT and see whether we can reduce this.
- The thought of doing a full distance races had certainly crossed my mind, especially after the unsatisfied feeling when crossing the finish line..
- After the race I felt quite bad for about an hour or so. I’m thinking about bumping my calorie intake on the bike to 300 cal/h and add some extra electrolytes.
Race venue
Hats off to the race organizers, volunteers and the people of Klazienaveen. My only complaint is the limited capacity at the registration desk, but this was mostly my own fault due to showing up too late. The transition areas was thought out well. The bus transport to the swim start was awesome. The bike course was quite secure/safe. I only saw a single case of blatant drafting. The four bike and run loops made the race spectator friendly and the volunteers fantastic. Some locals even set up impromptu aid stations because of the hot weather. Amazing value at only €47.50, including a technical finisher’ shirt.
Thanks for reading!
Pain is temporary.