Race Report: Chattanooga Waterfront Olympic Tri + IMChoo Preview

The Day Before: A Preview Ride of the Ironman Chattanooga Course

On the Ironman Chattanooga 140.6 Facebook page, there were a number of threads within which various members of the group were sharing a variety of options for doing a ride on the Ironman course while many of us were in town for the Chattanooga Waterfront Olympic Triathlon. One of the threads included consideration for a ride covering most of the course and a single loop of the portion that will be completed twice on the Ironman race day. So, I started an event and shared what information I could pull from the threads that were already in place and offered a central location for continued consideration of the same.

We had a great  turn out:

And, we had fun:

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of those that participated, but especially those that I rode most of the ride with. We had time to talk and get to know one another. It was a very positive group! I did not put much formality into welcoming all who showed up and did not give any kind of a introductory announcements, but one of the other riders that had ridden the course before did. And, she did a good job. If I ever host another event on Facebook, I think I should also accept that I should complete an agenda before the ride starts along the following lines:

• Welcome all participants and if the group is small enough have each introduce themselves
• Review the course about to be ridden to include participation from those that have ridden it before
• Remind all to be safe and courteous
• Thank all, but especially any that have take extraordinary steps to support the ride (like Brad Noble, SAG wagon operator for this ride)

Several of us thought the course was similar in difficulty to the course for Ironman's Augusta 70.3. It rightly deserves the description "rolling". The climbs are relatively short and generally not that steep. I used Osmo for electrolytes (thanks, Coach John Hanna). I had no cramping, fatigue, or GI issues. Given last week's aborted ride, this is encouraging. More on Osmo when I get to the race report below.

I did have several issues during the day though. First, I couldn't load the course on to my Garmin 910XT to help with turn-by-turn directions. Garmin forced me to update the Communications plug-in, and it just wouldn't find my device. Second, and related, I got lost right off the bat at this intersection:

Worse, I was leading. One person followed, I think his name was Keith (forgive me if you see this and I'm wrong. I have nominal aphasia). Sophia Lal, a friend from Birmingham, said they yelled at me, but I was apparently oblivious.

That was not the first time I got lost. But, I don't think I can take the blame for the next one. I was leading the pack I was riding with again. I pulled over at the correct intersection and noted that I was not sure which way to go. The pack said "this way". I'm not maliciously blaming them, but they were wrong. This is the intersection and one should bear left:

To make it worse, this led us into more of Chickamauga, the community that reportedly is awash with cyclist haters. The traffic on the diversion we took was busy and they couldn't pass even though we rode single file and as far to the right as we could. I regret that we took this wrong turn and likely annoyed a few more drivers. Although, the drivers along this diversion showed no signs of annoyance. But, we did encounter one driver that was apparently having trouble with a bird (one made with his own hand). It was flying feverishly in the cab of his car and he was honking furiously. We waved nicely.

I got in 70 miles for a planned 60 mile ride, met some nice folks, and had a good time.

After the ride, I had lunch at the Blue Plate with my family while we watched the World Cup. Then, off to Rock City:

Dinner at the Easy Bistro & Bar and off to rest for the night. Yes, these are our 2 favorite and oft revisited places to eat in Chattanooga.

The Race

Up at 4:30, out the door at 5:15. I rode from the Chattanoogan, where we boarded, to transition. Let me say, this hotel is awesome. My original reservation for the Ironman Chattanooga was here. I have moved to the Courtyard Marriott that is right next to transition. The location will be better, but I like the Chattanoogan better as a hotel. Back to the race report. I simply placed the bike on the rack and set my bag down. My first goal was to get some breakfast. I had already drank 20ozs of Osmo's Preload hydration, but nothing solid yet.

Over to the Starbucks at the Courtyard Marriott. The first thing they said was "we don't open until 6:00". I was hoping to be prepping my transition area and getting on the bus around 6:00. But, I had to eat and assumed if they didn't open to 6:00 a line would form. So, I went around to the lobby entrance with the intent of just waiting. Upon arriving there, the attendant inside said, "come on in, we will take care of you." I was extremely grateful and said so. A banana, cup of coffee, and a yogurt. All good and ready.

I returned to transition, set it up unceremoniously.  I included a 12 oz bottle of Osmo Hydration to drink between the bike and run. My bike's Aquacell's 15 oz secondary chamber was loaded with Osmo too. The 35 oz chamber was just water. Since this was only an olympic distance, I didn't bother with solid fuel for during the event. I got on the bus and went off to the swim start.

I saw Sophia and a number of other Vulcan Triathletes from Birmingham and some of my new friends from the ride the day before. I relaxed, I even squeezed in a brief nap, and waited for the start. The start was smooth and Therese Bynum, the race starter, called me out by name with a nice greeting as she said "Go!". I was too flabbergasted by the moment to properly return the greeting. But, I did have the wherewithal to start the watch's recording and start swimming. I had a little trouble getting my breathing started, but I quickly got in the rhythm and just swam. It is amazing how sometimes I just sort of have to kickstart my respiratory system into breathing out in the water. The swim went well. And, Vulcan Tri caught me exiting the swim:

I really need to lose weight. To me I look a little too much like a barrel with arms and legs. But, I'm feeling good and running up the stairs strong.

I had a smooth transition and headed out on the bike. I no issues on the bike except for the time I went to take a sip of Osmo. I sucked, but nothing came up the straw. I pulled the straw up a bit and here came some liquid with what felt like sand into my mouth. The Osmo was not dissolved and was settled on the bottom. Nice! But, it all goes down the same whole. I tolerated it  and just rode on feeling good the entire ride. The second transition was also smooth and I took off on the run. I felt like I was running smooth and steady. Again, no issues. I had a good race. In fact, I improved 10 minutes over my previous best time here (ignoring last year's duathlon).

Results

All results

June 29, 2013: Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon Olympic Time: 3:09:36
a	Swim	Distance: 1.5K, .93 miles Time: 34:21
	Transition	Time: 3:02
	Cycle	Distance: 25 Miles Time: 1:25:15 Rate: 17.7
	Transition	Time: 2:48
	Run	Distance: 6.2 Miles Time: 1:03:19 Pace: 10:10
	Weather	Mostly Cloudy Temperature: 73.81° Humidity: 90-89%

History

Year	Time	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
2011	3:24:36	33:27	4:18	1:26:57	2:46	1:17:09
2012	3:19:35	32:47	4:03	1:29:36	3:40	1:09:31
2013	2:51:17	18:08*	2:48*	1:24:59	2:12	1:03:12
2014	3:09:36	34:21	3:02	1:25:15	2:48	1:03:19

Fastest component in red.
* Can't compare to previous years as the swim was cancelled and replaced with a 2 mile run.

Finished

Drivers and Sports Nutrition: Post Mortum

The following is copied and edited from a post I placed in my local tri club's Facebook page (Vulcan Triathletes), my personal Facebook timeline, and in a post here. It offers a personal experience that relates to 2 common themes we triathletes like to opine about (drivers and nutrition). I got reminded that good people are in lots of places and that it is true that training and nutrition practices are varied and ultimately personal. I read a few studies and conversations over the last few years that indicated that a good deal of the information about the electrolyte replacement and sports drinks was wrong. Thus, I quit using them and focused more on drinking to thirst and eating "real food". Thus, I also dropped my previous reliance on GU and Stingers, and replaced it with homemade concoctions like this one.

Well, that was then, and this is now. I have NEVER cramped during exercise before and I have been during endurance training and events for over 20 years. I have never had GI issues, thus I think I started fixing something that was not broke. And, this happened, here's my post from this weekend [Sunday, June 22, 2014] with some edits:

I learned today that Birmingham, Alabama does have some very caring people both on bicycles and in cars. During a long ride today, I started having some cramping near CR-25 and Elliott heading towards CR-41, about 52 miles in to my planned 60 miles. I stopped and cooled down a bit, then completed the climb over the mountain towards 41. I turned right on 41 where 2 cyclists were stopped and chatting. They said "stay strong", I feigned a good "oh yeah". Within 1-2 miles (about 55 miles into the ride), my right leg cramped from inner thigh to foot. I stopped, but could barely hold the bike up. My right leg was locked in a full extended position and I could do nothing about it volitionally. My left leg wasn't as bad, but was cramping some too. The 2 cyclists (wished I had gotten their names) were there within seconds and noticed that I needed help. One of them did the needful, held me and the bike while I very awkwardly got off the bike and went to the ground to gain my composure. I was about to just fall.

Meanwhile, 2 cars pulled over gave me cold water and both offered to take me home in their cars. Max Whitfield, who lives at 41 & 25, took me home. I have recovered okay, but I couldn't possible express the bounty of my gratitude to the 4 caring, loving people that rescued me when I really needed it. Now, to analyze what I did wrong to end up in such a state. There are drivers in Birmingham that care about us. Max is one of them.

I am putting electrolytes back on the endurance nutrition plan for long workouts and paying a little more attention to pre workout caloric intake. I ate too lightly the night before this ride. At 30 ounces per hour I think I was drinking enough liquid. I am now experimenting with some of the products that have been mentioned here.

Glad I have time to adjust and look forward to NO more cramps. For all those people that shared their war stories about cramps with me previously, if I was not sympathetic, I will be next time.

Thanks to The Caring People of Birmingham Alabama

I learned today that Birmingham, Alabama does have some very caring people both on bicycles and in cars. During a long ride today, I started having some cramping near CR-25 and Elliott heading towards CR-41. I stopped and cooled down a bit, then completed the climb over the mountain towards 41. I turned right on 41 where 2 cyclists were stopped and chatting. They said "stay strong", I feigned a good "oh yeah". Within 1-2 miles, my right leg cramped from inner thigh to foot. I stopped, but could barely hold the bike up. My right leg was locked in a full extended position and I could do nothing about it volitionally. The 2 cyclists (wished I had got their names) were there within seconds and noticed that I needed help. One of them did the needful, held me and the bike while I very awkwardly got off the bike and went to the ground to gain my composure. I was about to just fall.

Meanwhile, 2 cars pulled over gave me cold water and both offered to take me home in their cars. Max Whitfield, who lives at 41 & 25, took me home. I have recovered okay, but I couldn't possible express the bounty of my gratitude to the 4 caring, loving people that rescued me when I really needed it. Now, to analyze what I did wrong to end up in such a state.

There are drivers in Birmingham that care about us. Max is one of them.

2014 Raleigh Ironman 70.3 Race Report

Pre-Race

I got to incorporate a trip to my daughter's, Lydia's,  place in Charlotte with this trip to Raleigh, NC. She is having a house built in the suburbs of Charlotte, actually in South Carolina. So, we got to go on a tour of her house with the builder. This is her first house purchase, so she is super excited. The house is coming along very well. Her closing may be impacted by a nesting bird, however. The housing for her electric meter has been established as a nesting spot for a bird and the nest has eggs. Apparently, the builder cannot disturb the nest until after it is abandoned by law. It was a joy to see Lydia so excited about this major milestone in life.


We also took the train from her house to uptown Charlotte and ate some barbecue at a location which had earned several "Bob Awards". I lived in Charlotte in the early '90's. It has changed! I loved the vibe of the city and it was just spectacular to get to spend some time with my daughter. This was Thursday and Friday.

Lydia and I getting ready to order dinner.

Queen City Q & Note its Bob Awards :)

On Saturday, I got up and headed to Raleigh from Charlotte. The drive was uneventful, I was able to immediately check in to my room upon arrival. After doing so, I headed over to registration, it was just after lunchtime; I had not eaten. This is the panoramic view of the line:

Panoramic View of the long and circular line for registration

I anticipated a long wait, but it actually moved along pretty well. I was registered by around 1:30. With a goal to swim for 15 minutes, bike for 30 minutes, and to run for 15 minutes. The day was drawing short already. But, I was starving, so I had a salad in the bar. The bike portion of this race is a point-to-point. So, you have to drive out to the origin to put your bike in transition. So, I loaded up the bike and took swim gear. But, upon arriving, I notice that swimming from the planned race start is not permitted. Further, the road is narrow, full of traffic, and I had already witnessed one car rudely pass a cyclist. I did not feel that I could safely ride here. So, I bagged both the swim and bike workouts for the day. I did run later and that helped to calm my nerves. I did text and see Aaron Whitley, a fellow E3Tri athlete. We planned to meet for dinner that night.

On the way back from dropping the bike off in transition, I stopped at a Kroger store and bought an apple, 2 individual servings of almond butter, a clif bar, and some granola mix that included quinoa, oatmeal, chia seeds, and such as ingredients. Breakfast and pre-race snacks ready to go. I had failed to prepare my own energy bites which I usually take on long events these days. So, I purchased Stinger Waffles and Espresso Love Gu's to enable me to alternate between these two items every 30 minutes during the ride and run. Nutrition ready √.

I met Aaron and 3 of his friends (Adam, David, and Sarah) for dinner hosted by the hotel restaurant after my 15 minute run around downtown Raleigh. Typical pre-race fare, salad, pasta and some chicken. We ate and talked triathlon. I jokingly told Aaron if I saw him on the course, I would run him down and pass him. Ha! He out performed me by an hour. I knew he would, but more on that later. We agreed to meet in the lobby in the morning and off to our rooms. I slept good.

The Race

Results online

I had put my running stuff in T2 the day before, but I confirmed that it was still there and noticed that many people had removed the stuff from the bag and set up transition in typical fashion (stuff set out and arranged to ease donning in a hurry). I did the same. I ate my apple and almond butter, bought a mocha at Starbucks, and met the crew for the bus ride to T1. Upon arrival, I checked on the bike, borrowed a pump to pump the tires, and set up the stuff there for rapid donning after exiting the water. Then, it was time to wait. I bumped into Stephanie Farrington who is really responsible for my choosing to do this race. So, this race was a big deal for her! But, unfortunately she had apparently eaten something the day before that was not setting well with her. She was going to start the race anyway, but her confidence was shaken. I found Aaron and crew and we chin-wagged until it was time for the waves to start.

I was in the first non-pro wave. This means I will be swam over a lot! And, yes that is exactly what happened. This is the first race where I took a pretty good slug to the face right on the right eye. Thank goodness for goggles. It smarted a little, but not bad. The arghy-barghy in the water seemed to be more frequent and intense that I normally have to tolerate. But, the only time I really got annoyed, I bobbed my head up and actually got an apology from the offender. I thought that was super nice. He was not intentionally running into me. I am just there and here he comes. If I had tried, I could have counted the waves that ran over me. I could basically feel it. First the swell of the super fast folks in the wave, then the pace of the marauders would gradually decrease. I would get a few minutes of peace with no one running over me, and here would come the next wave; pattern repeats.

I felt like I was swimming smooth and well for me; I am slow. I am happy with the swim results.

I made a stupid mistake in T1. I ran right passed my bike, by a long shot, and had to turn around. Beyond that, transition was uneventful and smooth. The plan on the bike was 20 miles smooth, 30 miles pushing hard, and 6 miles smooth and easy to prepare for run. I think I did that. The course was a bit challenging and at times we had a pretty good headwind. I saw one guy crash. Emergency services were there immediately; they got to him before I rode to where he was and I was pretty close to him. It looked like his rear derailer knurled up and went into his spokes. Physically, I think he was okay. That would suck! There was a more serious incident during the race though. A cyclist was seriously injured as detailed in this news report. Fortunately for me, I and my equipment faired well.

T2 was smooth and I headed out on the run. The goal for the run was to start out easy and pick it up every 3 miles based on RPE. I tried to do that, but I don't think I did very well. But, except for a couple of water stops where I walked to ease chewing up some nutrition, I never walked. I was passed by Aaron and I yelled from behind him, that I was coming to get him. I saw several Vulcan Triathletes including Scott Grumley, Russ Bailey, and Stephanie. She did push through and finish the race. Scott and Russ looked good too. I would call my results steady and par for the course. I would like to have felt like I really picked up the pace every 3 miles in the run, but that was not quite in the flow on this day. I saw Aaron in the area just past the finishing chute. I said I would see him later. Off to the room to get a quick shower before my late checkout time of 3:00 pm ends. The next time I saw Aaron, he was passing me, AGAIN, on interstate out of town. A good day down and a long 9 hour ride home.

June 1, 2014: Raleigh Ironman 70.3 Time: 6:40:13
	Swim	Distance: 1.2 Miles Time: 45:29
	Transition	Time: 4:02
	Cycle	Distance: 56 Miles Time: 3:09:58 Rate: 17.7
	Transition	Time: 5:10
	Run	Distance: 13.1 Miles Time: 2:35:34 Pace: 11:52
	Weather	Generally Clear Temperature: 57-76° Humidity: 83-37%