Greater Gator Bait Race Report

My first race of the 2011 multisport season came in the form of an Olympic distance Duathlon- Greater Gator Bait in Boerne, TX. Last year I did the sprint version of this same race. The race has a challenging bike ride that takes us through one Category 4 climb and one Category 5 climb.

I had the perfect pre-race dinner - yummy pasta and veges thanks to Charanya, who made sure that I ate well. We got to the lake around 6.30 AM. Charanya checked in with the race volunteer coordinator (to build up her good race karma!! :p) while I got myself organized in the transition area. I tried not to hog up too much space, and positioned myself very close to the run exit.

Bike
The rules for the bike/run Duathlon were pretty simple. We had to wait in transition for the first swimmer to finish the swim, enter transition and leave transition with his/her bike. After this, we could pretty much start the race anytime. Our time starts when we cross the bike exit transition mat. I had a decent pre-race plan. I knew the first 7 miles were very hilly, so I decided to take it a little easy on the way out - which I did. We hit Heartbreak Hill (Cat 5 climb) at mile 7, after which it was a series of rolling hills until the turnaround point. I reached the mid-point (12.75 miles) with the computer showing ~47 minutes! I ate the nutrition that I had planned- GU+SHOT blocks!

The ride back to Boerne lake was much easier, although there were some cross-winds which made turning a little tricky. I found myself in a spot of bother when I was speeding down the cat 5 hill - the cross-wind made it hard for me to turn right and I found myself drifting into the oncoming lake which was pretty scary – especially when riding at 42MPH! Luckily there wasn't anyone on the other side of the road and I was able to negotiate the right turn safely. I made it back to transition in quick time!
24.5 miles in 1h 24min @17.5 MPH. So far so good.

Run
I had a good transition – 1 min. This could have been lesser if I had chosen to wear easy laces- I need to get me one of those again :). The run started with a ridiculous hill right out of transition where I saw Charanya at the 1st water stop. She asked me how my bike ride was, to which I said "It was great!" It really was! I felt good starting the run. I had the water Charanya handed out, slipped a couple of salt tablets and took off. The run route (mostly trail) was mapped out such that I would pass Charanya's water stop 4 times - which was nice as I would get plenty of hydration opportunities in addition to Charanya's cheering! But 2 miles into the run, things went downhill. I started cramping up horribly. It started with my left quad and then even the right quad started giving up. Funnily enough it is almost always my calves that cramp up first, but this time they were just fine. I decided to stop and stretched for a bit. But as soon as I started running, the cramps came back. It was at this point that I decided that I should walk the rest of the way since my legs had pretty much shut down. I was feeling great mentally, I really wasn't tired but my legs just weren’t cooperating. A few folks from Tri-sition Area tried to cheer me on, gave me some Gatorade – but it was too late. I was probably severely lacking electrolytes. The lack of transition practice/bricks hit me at this point - my muscles were probably not used to it either. I did run hard near the finish line, only to make myself feel better.
Time: ~1hr 13mins

Total time: ~2hrs 38mins


All in all, it was an interesting experience! I biked MUCH better than I had planned. The question beckons though - did I bike too hard and crash on the run? I actually felt that I held back a little on the bike so as to save some energy for the run, but maybe I was wrong? It is through races like these that I learn to gauge my endurance level, my strengths and my weaknesses. Running badly is devastating for me, as I am a runner first and multi-sporter second. So it really bums me when the run portion is a letdown. Also I had enough carbs while on the bike, but I really didn't plan on replenishing the Sodium/Potassium's...i.e the electrolytes properly. This is something else that I need to work on in the future.

It is time to get back to the basics - increase my weekly training hours and also learn more about and focus on nutrition! This race took me 4 steps forward and 2 steps back - so all in all 2 steps forward, and that’s something I’ll take happily! :)

2 Year Hiatus!!!!

Yikkies, has it really been that long since I have blogged about my training/races? Shame on me! Here is another attempt to get my training/racing blogging back on track, thanks to Sirsha's blog and Wes's blog I am inspired to scribble a few things. So here is the status quo!

Towards the end of last summer I started training for a marathon. I limped my way to the Denver Marathon finish line after battling severe cramps and exhaustion, but I picked up a lot of positives from that experience. I was probably a little uncooked in terms of my stamina- especially for mile high conditions. Due to conflict issues I could not race the Houston Marathon- I was disappointed especially because I wanted to correct a few wrongs that I did in my Denver race.

Another good thing I did towards the end of last year was that I signed up for Winter Gains classes at my local triathlon store. Through a series of intense bike workouts on a stationary trainer, the winter gains classes (see pic) basically helps in picking up some edge on the bike in the winter. These classes were EXCELLENT, I picked up a lot of strength and speed. Already I see an increase of about 2 mph as a results of these classes.

So now it is time to piece it all together. Over the last couple of months I have been working out on the bike and run on and off. I am not really following a training regime, but I am trying to slowly increase the weekly mileage while trying to be up there with the speed. I am STILL making excuses about swimming, I really haven't made an effort to get better, again shame on me. Soon I will be out of excuses! I am training for the Redman Half Ironman Relay, my wife Charanya will be swimming for me (yaay.. she is a strong swimmer)! My race is in September, which means that very soon I should really start following some sort of training schedule.

This blog post consists of just some random thoughts. Hopefully I will start blogging more and my posts will get more structured!

Till then - HAPPY TRAINING and BE SAFE!

I said Howdy to Howdy Du!

Yesterday I completed the 2009 Howdy Duathlon. It was my first Duathlon, although I had been battling a troubled left hamstring, my training had been pretty solid. I had a few long bike sessions, a couple of short runs and some gym sessions. But I think I still was undercooked and in this report I will explain why.

Having not done a duathlon before, it was hard for me to have a target time. Hence the race preparation was not the best, I didn't really have a strategy. All I told myself was that I will give it my 100%. I wanted to get a good nights sleep, but that didn't happen as I didn't sleep a wink on Saturday night. It was partially the anxiety and too many things playing on my mind. I must have gotten an hour or two of sleep. I was hoping that it wouldn't catch up with me in the race. Drive to the race was fun with Sharanya and Arvind, we got a little lost getting there thanks to the poor roads in TX. It was ridiculous, we could see the road we wanted to be on, but we just couldn't figure out how to get there. It was good that we left early, we reached there with plenty of time to set up transition, body marking, etc. I met a couple of old familiar faces at the race.

Run - 5k (2 * 1.5 mile loop)
I stayed in the front of the park at the start line. The route was a mixture of path, trail and road- mostly under trees. It was quite a nice route, mostly flat. I took off too early, at the first mile my watch read 6.30. I knew I had to slow down a bit, but the adrenaline drove me. I finished my 5k in 23 mins. My fastest 6k ever, and that too without trying hard. I was kind of pleased as I entered transition.

Time = 23 mins

T1 - 1.16 (Small glitch that I dropped the bike while running with it) :)

Bike - 17 miles (2 * 8.5 mile loop)
This transition was not as bad as envisioned it to be. I got on the bike and got my feet moving pretty quickly. I felt pretty good as we left the park and headed to the service roads. We had two tricky hills before we approached the highway feeder, and then it was rolling hills. The ride was absolutely gorgeous, we had fields on either side- the quietness was soothing. Around the 5 mile mark I had a MAJOR problem. I was riding downhill (pretty fast) when my chain came off. Not only did it come off, it got jarred between the gears and the bike frame. I thought I could get it out easily, but little did I know that it was jarred GOOD! In frustration I threw the bike onto the grass and kicked the chain hoping that it was get dislodged. After a few minutes of trying with my hands, I decided to try the spare kit tools, which finally worked. With the added lever length, I was able to dislodge the chains. It must have kicked me back about 5 minutes, the sight of people zooming by me as I tried desperately was rather demoralizing. Of course it could have been quite worse, but thank god it was not. It took me a few minutes to get my stroke back, and then I got right into it. And then the cramps started to bother me. The lack of sleep starting catching up in the form of cramps. First my left calf started cramping, and then the right one also joined in. I had to stand up on the bike and stretch it every so often when I was riding. Second time around the 8.5 mile loop seemed a little easier, mainly due to the fact that I knew what was coming up. I must say, knowing the route was a good thing as I could work my gears in time. The salt tablets helped, but the cramps persisted. I started getting worried about running leg ahead.

Time = 1 hr 07 mins (15.2 mph)

T2 - 1.16 (I spent about 15-20 secs stretching my calves and thighs)

Run - 5k (2 * 1.5 mile loop)
As I started running my legs refused to move. Partially due to the brick effect, and partially due to the cramping. I had to fight it off. I stopped at the closest water stop, gulped down 3 glasses of water and off I went. My short term plan was to start slow, see how the legs felt and then reassess at the halfway stage. After about a mile I started feeling worse. I stopped and stretched some more, which in fact helped quite a bit. I kept a 10 min pace for 2 miles, and I wanted to pick up the pace. But I had absolutely nothing left. I decided to finish at the same pace, which I did. It was a good feeling to finish the race. I knew I gave it all, which is what I wanted to do.

Time = 31.46 mins
Overall = 2.06.29

Summary - All in all an excellent experience. I was pleased with the first run and the bike. I improved my biking speed by 1mph, which I was happy about. I need to build endurance on the bike and continue to improve the speed. I also need to work on overall endurance to make sure I have enough left in the tank to give it a strong push on the 2nd running leg. Having done this format once, I now know how to better prepare myself.

Special thanks to Sha and Arv for the company, congrats to Sha for completing her first Duathlon too.

"Du" I? Week 1

Ok, enough of slacking and excuses. With a little over a month to go for my Howdy Du Duathlon (07/19)- it is time to get serious! Today is the start of week 1 of training for it. Training in the past few weeks has been extremely sporadic, partly due to the fact that I had my grandmother in town and also due to the fact that the extreme heat makes having a schedule very difficult. As I am fairly new to this "regular" training thing, I am having to learn on the fly- especially the Summer schedule. When to train and when not to train? Waking up early (6AM) is very difficult, running at lunchtime is not possible due to the high workload and running in the evening (6PM) is very tough as it is still extremely hot. I went for a run today at 7.15PM, it must have still been 98+ degree F, seriously! Anywho, I am working on a schedule, any suggestions are very welcome.

My training schedule for this week-
Mon: Off-day
Tues: 4 mile run PM
Wed: Pilates PM
Thurs: 4 mile run AM (hopefully I will get up at 6AM) or Weight session
Fri: Off-day
Sat: 30-over cricket match
Sun: TBD

Oh, my bike-Anderson, has a flat tire (I am calling it a flat, although it really is not. It has some air, but it refuses to fill up completely- weird). I need to take him to the store, hopefully soon.

So I have a plan, now it is time to execute. I am going to have to suck up the heat, and try to go for shorter but more frequent bike/run workouts.

To train or not to train

To train or not to train, that is the question! And the answer is PLEASE TRAIN! I signed up for my next race, this time a Duathlon- Howdy Du Duathlon. It is in July, which gives me 6 or so weeks to get in shape. This means I should train! :). I want to get stronger on the bike- I have hardly spent anytime biking. I am happy with my running on a whole, but this event will be different as it will be in the peak of summer. July is going to be hot, middle/upper 90s- hence I need to practice running in the hot weather. I also need a session with Coach A and get a prelim training plan from him. My cricket season is getting to its busy time, looks like I will have a game almost every weekend from now on.

Training so far this week:
Mon- Rest day
Tues- 4 mile run and sit-ups/push-ups
Wed- Cricket practice: running/catching/bowling
Thurs- 3 mile run
Fri- Rest
Sat and Sun- Cricket match (Colorado)

I am hoping I will bring my bike back (Anderson lives in Austin right now) with me. I have some hilly routes in my subdivision, it will be good practice. I also found a bike store in San Antonio- Bike World, they have weekend brick session which I want to participate in once cricket season rolls off. Brick sessions will be good for me as I have no experience in transitions etc, other than the Rookie Tri of course.

Alrighty, more later. For now I leave you with my tip/lesson of the week. (Some of them might be obvious, nevertheless useful)

LESSON OF THE WEEK: Simple exercise like push-ups can be very effective. I intend to try and do 30 push-ups a day to start off and build it up.


Adios.

Rookie? Maybe not!

The Rookie Triathlon 2009 Race Report

Pre-race-
Our drive to Texas Ski Ranch was pretty uneventful. I was extremely nervous and hence I let Charanya do the driving. We arrived a little late, we had only 30 minutes to set up our transition, take a pit stop at the bathroom and for me to get familiarized with the transitions.

Swim (300m): "10, 9, 8 ....., 4", this is when I wanted to turn back and quit as the announcer counted down to the start of my wave. I was amidst of the 29 and under wave start for the swimming part of the 2009 Rookie Triathlon, my first ever triathlon. I turned back, I saw Charanya, I think she could smell my fear. I am not a swimmer! Amit shouted out, "Find your happy place". I tried to locate it. "3, 2, 1, and horn", and I was off. I could barely put my head under the water, it was dirty, it was disgusting. Breaststroke was the order of the day. I spotted the closest lifeguard and I alerted him that I might need help. I did! I took a short break, and I was off, only to meet the next lifeguard. By this time three more waves had started, I realized that I was uber slow- but who cared. At the half way point I started feeling more comfortable, the panic had lessened and the stroke was getting more efficient. I needed more help near then end, but I made it through thanks to some shallower water :). I felt a little sick as I walked to the transition area. I must have gulped some of the nasty water. My breathing was out of control, I was gasping for air as I headed to the transition area.

T1: First thing I did was put on my helmet, then I put on my shoes, then my sunglasses and finally my gloves. The gloves took an eternity- I need to figure how to do this more efficiently. At this point a spectator shouted out that I had my helmet other way around- a rookie mistake. So here I was trying to remove it, my glasses got in the way, all a mess! Heck I was a rookie- who cares. My stomach churned, I gulped a bulk load of water as I made my way to the bike start line.

Bike (11 miles): I had no problems getting the clips on, something I was worried out. I continued hydrating, mainly to try and get my breathing under control. My stomach hurt like crazy, but I had a killer hill ahead to focus on. I pedaled hard and tried to get some momentum to get me through the hill. But I had to take a pit stop at the top of the hill, I could not breath. I felt like throwing up. I didn't though. I took a quick stop, then got on the bike and pedaled away. I somehow got my breathing under some control, but the stomach sickness continued. The course was more hilly than I expected. I tried to shake it off but I couldn't. Around the 6 mile mark I was really sick, as I slowed down I threw up off the bike. I didn't want to stop though, hence I continued pedaling. At around the 8 mile mark I started feeling a little better, still not at my best though. I shouted at myself hoping to shake off the bad stomach. I decided not to think about it anymore and I gave it a 100% effort the rest of the way. I was very happy that I finished strong, which felt really good and it also put me in a good mood for the run.

T2: I did the rookie mistake of not hydrating enough towards the end of the biking, especially when I was pushing hard. I changed shoes (had a small accident with my lace, and had to improvise), I put my race belt on and I was ready to go. But wait I was really thirsty, so I sat for a little bit and just chugged water! I was quite happy with my first ever T2!

Run (2 miles): If you asked me at the beginning of the race then I would have said that 2 mile run would have been a joke for me. But my legs felt like bricks, I could not move them after the biking, another rookie effect! :). More bad news was to follow, my stomach started churning again, I could taste the bad swim water again. I started the run well, but then I had to stop running as my stomach hurt too much. I walked for a little bit (which I couldn't fathom), then I tried to suck it up and started again. My legs started functioning again around the 0.5 mile mark after which I felt a little better. I really pushed the last mile, especially the last 200 meter which I literally sprinted. Again I finished strong, something that I was happy with.

Synopsis: The final product was a 1 hr 30 min finish, which I am told is not too bad for a rookie who can not swim :). I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, expect the stomach issues. I can't put a number on how much better I would have done if my stomach did not play up, but nonetheless I was happy to finish the race.

Lessons Learned:
- SWIM SWIM SWIM, enough said!
- Don't drink the swim water. :)
- Work on transitions, have a set plan for a transition routine and follow it.
- Hydrate while walking up and down transition, don't waste time during transition.
- Practice biking on hills, they are monstrous.
- Always think about what you are going to do next, can't change what already happened in the race.

So there- I finished my first ever triathlon- just barely. Special thanks to Charanya for making it so smooth. Thanks to Amit bhai, Sharanya, Bradford and Stephanie for the encouraging pre-race words, it sure did help. I am not a rookie anymore, but I think I still am! :)



-Me

Week 3 Schedule (or lack off)

ello!
I skipped my Week 2 schedule blog, but in a nutshell here is what I did-

Sunday 12th April: 40 over cricket game, lots of running/bowling. I fought some cramps but I felt good thanks to the off-season half marathon training.

Monday 13th April: Rest day, sit-ups at home.

Tuesday 14th April: Swim class, I am kind of sort of enjoying it. But it is still a steep learning curve.

Wednesday 15th April: Too much work, had to skip pilates class! :(

Thursday 16th April: Swim class, we were taken to the deep end. I held my own for a little bit. I am getting quite comfortable with backstroke. Need to work on breathing while doing freestyle.

Friday 17th April: Too much work, couldn't do anything!

Saturday 18th April: Swim AM, Biking PM. Good double whammy.

Week 3 schedule-

Sunday 19th April: 50 over cricket match, will be a toughy. I am quite sore from swimming, and I have a biking session in a few hours.

Monday 20th April - Thursday 23rd April: I am traveling to Bahrain on work. I am going to try to squeeze a swimming session at the hotel pool. I will be spending most of my time on the plane, hence a workout is going to be tough.

Friday 24th April - Sunday 26th April: Traveling to sin city Las Vegas, again getting a work out will be difficult.



Looks like week 3 training will take a battering given all my travels. I REALLY need to catch up in week 4.

So long...
Me