Going into the event, I had worked hard since the late fall and committed to my training program. My run had improved significantly, my bike was sold and regular strength training had made a big difference. I had also focused on nutrition and felt great. The only issue was my swim, since I had hurt my shoulder and was only able to get back in the water for 6 weeks prior to the race. Fortunatel, I got some intense workouts with the Wellesley Masters and, while not at peak swimming condition, was a solid b/B- in the pool.
Leading up to the race, we did several weeks of super intense, time consuming work, tapering down a bit two weeks before the race, and focusing on shorter, speed-oriented workouts and recovery the week before the race.
I arrived in San Francisco two days before the race. I had a written race plan for each of the days, including what I'd eat, timing of meals, timing or prep work, packet pick up, course talks, etc. Having this was key, as it took a lot of the guess work out of what I needed to do, and kept me disciplined. I also had a detailed plan for the day of the race, including time I would get up, what and when I would eat, and my strategy for the race itself. In retrospect the most important part of the race was getting in the water and swimming about 1500 yards the day before...this allowed me to experience the very cold water, and realize that I could manage it. When I jumped in SF Bay on Sunday, there was no trepidation, and I was highly confident. The other key prep activities were 2)riding a couple of the hills on the course, to again take some of the uncertainty out of the race, and to ensure my bike handled well (especially on the downhills) b)checking out the half-mile run from the beach to the transtion area, ultimately deciding I wouldn't wear shoes, and c)talking to alot of people who had done it before and accumulating "local knowledge."
The morning of the race, I downed the food I had ready (about 800 calories), then did a warm-up ride over to the transition area (about a 5 mile warmup) doing several 30 second spin-ups to get my heart rate and legs going. I set up my transition area, did a short one to two mile easay run, with a couple of pick-ups in the middle, and then did my BPC warm-up exercises. During this time I hydrated heavily with water/nuuns mixture, consuming two bottles, and also downed another 300 calories (banana + power bar). I got on one of the last buses )didn't want to get to the dock too early), and boarded the boat that took us out to Alcatraz. On the boat, I downed a GU, drank another bottle of water/nuuns, and put on my wetsuit as we neared Alcatraz.
in terms of the race, my strategy was to feel strong on the swim, but cruise it rather than crush it. I ended up doing it in 27minutes, which was 66th out of the 2,000 participants. While the water was cod, and the current strong, I had figured out how to sight certain landmarks (based on course talks) to get to the beach in the most direct way. On the bike, I concentrated on maintaining good form, and staying within a set power range on the uphills (so I didn't crush my quads/calves for the run). I ended up averaging 18.2mph on an extremely hilly course, and finishing around 200th in the field. Saving myself for the run ended up paying big dividends. I averaged around 8min miles, despite running brutal hills and deep beach sand...on the flats I was going 7:30 pace... and this was much faster than my last Olympic race in which I average 8:30 min/miles.
Overall, I had a great day, and finished 196th out of 2000 participants, and 6th in my AG. The course and venue were fantastic and the experience was an amazing one which I hope to repeat very soon!
Jeff Naylor
Comments
Post has no comments.