(Wife and I agree this is more boring than the Steelhead RR I posted last year - sorry. Perhaps a better executed race leads to a more boring RR).
Muncie 70.3 was my second race at that distance. At my first, Steelhead last August, I did the classic “go out too hard on the run and blow up in the second half” routine. My main goal for this race was to do the first 67.2 miles under control so I could push the last 5k of the run and finish strong.
TL:DR - Overall I achieved this. I hoped to go under five hours, but that was a secondary goal for a fairly arbitrary number - highly dependent on course and conditions on the day. I paced things well and enjoyed the end of this race much more than the unpleasant walk-run at the end of Steelhead.
Total time:
5:04:26
33 of 176 finishers in my 35-39 age group.
205 of ~1500 total finishers
I came into the race pretty well-trained. As a teacher the summer is my prime time for big volume. Steelhead’s early August date allowed for an additional month of big training hours than Muncie, but I had a good base of fitness. The three and a half hour drive from Lansing was very easy. I hit significant rain as I got closer. Significant enough, in fact, that they had closed up registration three hours early! The registration tent had collapsed, bikes were blown around, the parking area looked like a tractor pull, huge puddles were everywhere. We were told that registration would open at 4:00 the next morning.
I slept at the Harris Chapel Church of the Nazarene. They are located about a mile from the race start and offer food, a spot to sleep and even an air mattress for $20. My teammate Ron and fellow Lansing-area athletes Mike and Mike were there as well, and it was good to have familiar faces to hang out with. We even helped another athlete with a flat car tire. I got the bike set up and did an easy ride on the run course and on part of the very nice Cardinal Greenway trail that runs through the area. I had to turn around at one point because there was so much water rushing across the trail. There were also plenty of fallen branches to dodge.
More specifically I slept in the Harris Chapel parking lot. I wanted to give the newly constructed bed in the Big Red Adventure Van a try. I figured there was no danger of being awoken by snoring, etc. and I could leave whenever without disturbing others. I ended up leaving my bike inside with Ron and Mike V as they planned to wake up at 3:30 as well. Sleep wasn’t the best - I forgot to pack a blanket, so I slept in my long clothes and may have even covered myself with my sot acoustic guitar case.
Waking up was easy. The bike ride to the race wasn’t the best - the early registration meant I was biking in the dark and that there was a fair amount of traffic from other athletes coming to register. I was thankful I’d brought a front and rear light and even more thankful that the cars were all extremely polite to me and gave me a wide berth. Registration was quick as I was one of the first there, which left me tons of time before the 7:10 start. I like being able to take my time before a race. This was excessive, but I’d rather have too much time than not enough.
Transition opened not too long after registration. I ate a rice pudding and set up my gear. I mosied around, checked out the swim and the exit up to transition. At 6:15 I caffeinated and hit one of the many, many porta potties. Eventually it was time to put on my wetsuit, get in the water and do some warm up swimming. They played the anthem, the first group went off, and I left the warm up area and went to the swim corral.
Swim - 1.2 miles, 35:58 (swim portion was under 35) 40/ 274
This swim was wetsuit-legal, unlike Steelhead. I’m not quite in the swim shape I was last year, but pretty close. My goal was to swim a steady effort but not “burn any matches”, hopefully getting out under 35 minutes. Mission: accomplished. I was able to find clear water reasonably quickly and kept a pretty straight line all the way around. The clock showed 34 something as I exited and ran a few hundred yards up to transition. It was a nice warm up to the day.
T1 - 3:33
Smooth transition - put on my watch and helmet, grabbed my bike and headed out.
Bike - 56 miles 2:35:11 (21.65) 42/ 236
Last year my sport watch stopped working the morning of the race. It only showed time, which was spectacularly unhelpful. This year I brought a backup watch, so of course the main one worked. Having speed and cadence was very useful. The pavement was as nice as advertised, and while the course was a little more rolling than I anticipated, I’d call it a fast bike course. I worked to be aggressive, but stay fairly steady with cadence and effort. I ate three packs of Cliff Shots on the bike and drank my full between-the-arms bottle of Gatorade Endurance (these were the on-course options). Unlike Steelhead, I did not need to refill my bottle. I took a water bottle from the last aid station just to...rinse off before finishing the bike.
21.65 is a fine speed. I know I could go faster, but the goal was to be conservative and finish the run strong. As my strength and confidence at this distance grows I’ll likely push the bike harder in the future, but I was happy with my effort this time. I felt very comfortable on the bike, due in large part to a fit from Jessica Bratus at FITMI this winter. Hunter and Jason at Evergreen Cycles and Repair got the bike running smoothly and it was an efficient, uneventful ride.
T2 - 2:37
Uneventful T2. Put on my shoes, belt and T4 visor, grabbed my arm sleeves and headed out.
Run - 13.1 miles, 1:47:07 (8:11) 33/ 219
This is where, in cliche triathlete fashion, things fell apart last year. I settled into a good rhythm heading out of transition and put on my white cooling arm sleeves. While the temperature was unusually mild, only hitting low-70s for my run, I still wanted to keep as cool as possible. Around mile 2 I locked in with a guy from Kentucky who was running a similar pace. It was my extreme good fortune that he was very nice and appreciative of having someone to talk to. I wanted to keep my heart rate below 160 to start and keep a somewhat conversational pace. Muncie is extremely hilly - I truly don’t remember a single flat stretch. You were always going slightly up or down, which made the pace vary considerably. Heart rate and effort were better guides. We kept a steady pace up to the turnaround point, sensibly speed walking through every aid station. I drank some here and there, but my main focus was ice down the suit and in my hands and water over the head/ suit. Keeping cool was the priority.
At the turn I knew I’d need a (improbable) negative split going back to come in under 5 hours. I picked up the pace a bit and left my run buddy, allowing heart rate to get into the 160s. While I was going faster, I could tell 5 hours was not realistic at this point. Rather than overreach I chose to hold it steady and keep the heart rate in the 160s. I continued to go heavy on the ice at aid stations, drink a little and nurse a gel. Kentucky running guy eventually caught and passed me - I tried to go with him but could not.
Turning the corner by Harris Chapel, I knew I would make the last mile with no trouble. The goal became to keep steady effort and run through the line. Last year at Steelhead I was anxious to get to the finish and sit down before I fell over. This year was better. I ran strong to the line and had plenty of energy for a smile and a fist pump - a much preferable way to finish a race!
Racing intelligently and finishing well with some left in the tank gives me confidence to perhaps take a few risks next time. Knocking 7 minutes off my time last year, on possibly a slower course, was great. I think getting under 5 hours is a realistic goal on the right course, and I certainly have room to go much faster. I appreciate Zack Weber and Nathan Kark from T4 Multisport for helping me get to this place, working with my schedule and building me up. Most of all thanks to Liz and the boys for putting up with me leaving in the morning and coming home sweaty. While triathlon is healthier than, say, competitive eating or wing suit flying, it still is a selfish sport. I appreciate the opportunity to train and race.
Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team
Muncie 70.3 was my second race at that distance. At my first, Steelhead last August, I did the classic “go out too hard on the run and blow up in the second half” routine. My main goal for this race was to do the first 67.2 miles under control so I could push the last 5k of the run and finish strong.
TL:DR - Overall I achieved this. I hoped to go under five hours, but that was a secondary goal for a fairly arbitrary number - highly dependent on course and conditions on the day. I paced things well and enjoyed the end of this race much more than the unpleasant walk-run at the end of Steelhead.
Total time:
5:04:26
33 of 176 finishers in my 35-39 age group.
205 of ~1500 total finishers
I came into the race pretty well-trained. As a teacher the summer is my prime time for big volume. Steelhead’s early August date allowed for an additional month of big training hours than Muncie, but I had a good base of fitness. The three and a half hour drive from Lansing was very easy. I hit significant rain as I got closer. Significant enough, in fact, that they had closed up registration three hours early! The registration tent had collapsed, bikes were blown around, the parking area looked like a tractor pull, huge puddles were everywhere. We were told that registration would open at 4:00 the next morning.
I slept at the Harris Chapel Church of the Nazarene. They are located about a mile from the race start and offer food, a spot to sleep and even an air mattress for $20. My teammate Ron and fellow Lansing-area athletes Mike and Mike were there as well, and it was good to have familiar faces to hang out with. We even helped another athlete with a flat car tire. I got the bike set up and did an easy ride on the run course and on part of the very nice Cardinal Greenway trail that runs through the area. I had to turn around at one point because there was so much water rushing across the trail. There were also plenty of fallen branches to dodge.
More specifically I slept in the Harris Chapel parking lot. I wanted to give the newly constructed bed in the Big Red Adventure Van a try. I figured there was no danger of being awoken by snoring, etc. and I could leave whenever without disturbing others. I ended up leaving my bike inside with Ron and Mike V as they planned to wake up at 3:30 as well. Sleep wasn’t the best - I forgot to pack a blanket, so I slept in my long clothes and may have even covered myself with my sot acoustic guitar case.
Waking up was easy. The bike ride to the race wasn’t the best - the early registration meant I was biking in the dark and that there was a fair amount of traffic from other athletes coming to register. I was thankful I’d brought a front and rear light and even more thankful that the cars were all extremely polite to me and gave me a wide berth. Registration was quick as I was one of the first there, which left me tons of time before the 7:10 start. I like being able to take my time before a race. This was excessive, but I’d rather have too much time than not enough.
Transition opened not too long after registration. I ate a rice pudding and set up my gear. I mosied around, checked out the swim and the exit up to transition. At 6:15 I caffeinated and hit one of the many, many porta potties. Eventually it was time to put on my wetsuit, get in the water and do some warm up swimming. They played the anthem, the first group went off, and I left the warm up area and went to the swim corral.
Swim - 1.2 miles, 35:58 (swim portion was under 35) 40/ 274
This swim was wetsuit-legal, unlike Steelhead. I’m not quite in the swim shape I was last year, but pretty close. My goal was to swim a steady effort but not “burn any matches”, hopefully getting out under 35 minutes. Mission: accomplished. I was able to find clear water reasonably quickly and kept a pretty straight line all the way around. The clock showed 34 something as I exited and ran a few hundred yards up to transition. It was a nice warm up to the day.
T1 - 3:33
Smooth transition - put on my watch and helmet, grabbed my bike and headed out.
Bike - 56 miles 2:35:11 (21.65) 42/ 236
Last year my sport watch stopped working the morning of the race. It only showed time, which was spectacularly unhelpful. This year I brought a backup watch, so of course the main one worked. Having speed and cadence was very useful. The pavement was as nice as advertised, and while the course was a little more rolling than I anticipated, I’d call it a fast bike course. I worked to be aggressive, but stay fairly steady with cadence and effort. I ate three packs of Cliff Shots on the bike and drank my full between-the-arms bottle of Gatorade Endurance (these were the on-course options). Unlike Steelhead, I did not need to refill my bottle. I took a water bottle from the last aid station just to...rinse off before finishing the bike.
21.65 is a fine speed. I know I could go faster, but the goal was to be conservative and finish the run strong. As my strength and confidence at this distance grows I’ll likely push the bike harder in the future, but I was happy with my effort this time. I felt very comfortable on the bike, due in large part to a fit from Jessica Bratus at FITMI this winter. Hunter and Jason at Evergreen Cycles and Repair got the bike running smoothly and it was an efficient, uneventful ride.
T2 - 2:37
Uneventful T2. Put on my shoes, belt and T4 visor, grabbed my arm sleeves and headed out.
Run - 13.1 miles, 1:47:07 (8:11) 33/ 219
This is where, in cliche triathlete fashion, things fell apart last year. I settled into a good rhythm heading out of transition and put on my white cooling arm sleeves. While the temperature was unusually mild, only hitting low-70s for my run, I still wanted to keep as cool as possible. Around mile 2 I locked in with a guy from Kentucky who was running a similar pace. It was my extreme good fortune that he was very nice and appreciative of having someone to talk to. I wanted to keep my heart rate below 160 to start and keep a somewhat conversational pace. Muncie is extremely hilly - I truly don’t remember a single flat stretch. You were always going slightly up or down, which made the pace vary considerably. Heart rate and effort were better guides. We kept a steady pace up to the turnaround point, sensibly speed walking through every aid station. I drank some here and there, but my main focus was ice down the suit and in my hands and water over the head/ suit. Keeping cool was the priority.
At the turn I knew I’d need a (improbable) negative split going back to come in under 5 hours. I picked up the pace a bit and left my run buddy, allowing heart rate to get into the 160s. While I was going faster, I could tell 5 hours was not realistic at this point. Rather than overreach I chose to hold it steady and keep the heart rate in the 160s. I continued to go heavy on the ice at aid stations, drink a little and nurse a gel. Kentucky running guy eventually caught and passed me - I tried to go with him but could not.
Turning the corner by Harris Chapel, I knew I would make the last mile with no trouble. The goal became to keep steady effort and run through the line. Last year at Steelhead I was anxious to get to the finish and sit down before I fell over. This year was better. I ran strong to the line and had plenty of energy for a smile and a fist pump - a much preferable way to finish a race!
Racing intelligently and finishing well with some left in the tank gives me confidence to perhaps take a few risks next time. Knocking 7 minutes off my time last year, on possibly a slower course, was great. I think getting under 5 hours is a realistic goal on the right course, and I certainly have room to go much faster. I appreciate Zack Weber and Nathan Kark from T4 Multisport for helping me get to this place, working with my schedule and building me up. Most of all thanks to Liz and the boys for putting up with me leaving in the morning and coming home sweaty. While triathlon is healthier than, say, competitive eating or wing suit flying, it still is a selfish sport. I appreciate the opportunity to train and race.
Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team