Spring Classic Sprint Duathlon - Race report

The race was not my best race, but it was early in the season. Placed 17th overall. http://racecenter.com/results/2009/res_mz09.htm


Lessons learned:

1) Went out too hard the first mile. The goal was to run the first 5k at 6 mins pace. Instead I did the first mile in 5:40 (felt really easy). When I saw the split I backed off to much. One thing that has helped me in the past is to run mile intervals during training...that helps to "dial-in" the pace..now that I am getting coached I neglected to.. It felt like I was holding back during the 1st run (which is good), but generally I was having problems focusing -- and drifted into running too slowly. It didn't help that I ran the first mile too fast either. I think I am tired or over-trained. I also have my parents in town and a lot of other stuff going on. I generally have had an energy problem recently. I was letting my mind wander too much (not in a thinking way -- but a SPACED out way). I am considering taking a few days off and catching up on sleep, etc.

2) Got on the bike well, but was again having problems focusing on a smooth peddle stroke and staying steady. Again, I never really realized I was "choppy" (in terms of output) until I started riding with my friend Steve who has a power-tap (measures wattage). I never really felt like I "pushed" on the bike, but I kept it in the zone I was supposed to...however it felt like I was slowing down quite a bit and speeding up quite a bit (to make up for slowing down when my focus drifted)..having said that I never drifted below the "zone" that Scott had instructed me to stay in -- my HR was just up and down by 3-4 beats at most (and then very briefly). I now realize HR is not very accurate. I would stop focusing and slow down too much, then "mashing" a little too hard to get back up to speed..but again, I never really felt like I was "pushing" too hard. just not "steady and smooth". Anyway..probably something that will get better especially when I am in better racing "mode".

3) Stomach cramps on the last run.. Since I didn't carry any nutrition, I decided to drink a LOT before the race. Bad idea. I drank more than 30 oz after eating oatmeal (over the next hour)..and my stomach just felt bloated. Sure enough..after the bike I had pretty bad cramps on the last run and thought I would "hurl" several times. A bummer, because I felt like this was my chance to "catch" all the folks ahead of me.

4) 2nd Run - Again, just having trouble focusing. I was so "spaced out" that I didn't even realize that it was time to "go"..I had quite a bit left (for the last mile) in the tank..and didn't put it in high-gear for some weird reason. I could easily have crushed the last mile but just didn't..the stomach cramps had cleared up after 2 miles. At that point my stomach wasn't "great" but good enough to "go hard". I had pushed the "split" button on my watch at mile 1, and for some reason didn't realize this (later) -- and thought there was a lot more left in the race. This doesn't excuse the fact that I should have known where I was in the race. The course is very simple. Totally spaced out!

5) Another thing I learned/re-learned is that you just have to "run hard" through the pain after getting off the bike (your legs will eventually clear up). Even though I had quite a bit left in the "tank" -- I "forgot" how crappy it feels getting off the bike (stomach cramps didn't help)......My legs felt pretty miserable -- partially because I rode in the last mile on a flat and was mashing hard on the pedals.. I was also getting calf cramps because of that, etc. So for my next race I will definitely "get mentally ready" to jump into the "pain cave" for the first mile after getting off the bike. It was amazing that after the first mile "I could run again" -- and the pain went away in my legs...but it took a while longer to get through the stomach cramps after that. ** I ended up running WAY too slow after I got off the bike. Christian ran by me and shouted at me..suddenly I woke up (thanks Christian)..and I pushed and got behind him....then at the end I over-took him..but if he had not shouted at me to "GO" I probably would have just continued at a miserable 6:45 pace or something slow like that.. So weird! The "mind" totally fools you..You think you can't deal with the pain, but then you find out that you definitely can run through the pain until the legs loosen up again. It was windy and cold which didn't help my legs.. My HR was pretty low at that point...10bpm under threshold..

So anyway..All in all, a good learning experience..and I guess this is what racing is good for! Thanks again to all for all the support... I will try to learn from my mistakes. I've actually had very few "good races" in general, but I am sure things will get better. The main thing is to stay positive.

Sam