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I thought the race went pretty well given the conditions! The swim being cancelled mostly just sucks because it’s the shortest part and the part I’m most comfortable with, yet not doing it means I haven’t actually done a 70.3. But, I still feel really good about the parts I did and it was a great learning experience!
I stuck pretty well to my nutrition plan on the bike–half a honey stinger at each :20 and :00 until the last :00 when I had a gel, 5 PB pretzels at each :40, and sips of water/gatorade at :10, :30, and :50. The first hour on the bike felt AWESOME. I kept my HR in the right zone, and my speed was pretty consistent and high for me. Then it started raining, and the intense fast cyclists started catching up. The combination of rough visibility, wet roads, and having a tough time passing people due to the number of people passing me without calling their passes meant that my speed and HR ended up fluctuating quite a bit, and I never really got back in the rhythm for longer than 20 minutes or so. I’m a pretty cautious cyclist partially due to wiping out in wet conditions a couple of times, so I think I could benefit from spending more time on my bike passing people at high-ish speeds on crowded trails before my next race (though hopefully in the future it will be easier to stick to a 6-bike following distance…it just wasn’t possible in this race given how close together everyone started and the lack of connection between speed on the bike and bib number, which is how they had us line up for the start)
The run went ok–my goal was to not be miserable, and I planned to walk all the aid stations (it helps me mentally to know I have about 15 minutes until I can walk again and get more ice to stick down my sports bra), and stuck to that plan. I delivered myself from the bike to the run with good nutrition and hydration, and my legs settled off the bike pretty quickly. I kept my average HR in very low zone 3/high zone 2 for most of the race, though was a bit shocked at how much slower I needed to go than my usual pace to achieve that (I only knew my HR during the race, not my pace, which made my HR plan easier to stick to, but it turns out my pace was about 45 sec -1 min slower per mile than my usual long run pace). The run was mostly just a mental game against boredom rather than an intense physical challenge until the last half mile when I sped up and my HR skyrocketed. I think that if I wanted to go faster I’d need to take in more nutrition; I felt pretty depleted by the end!
Overall, I felt prepared. It’s still kind of mind-boggling to me that I actually did it–this was my first 70.3/69.1 and it was cool to see that all of my hard work over the course of the past 6 months got me across the finish line. I think the weirdest part is how quickly the time went during the race…I remember my first 2 hour training bike ride felt like it took FOREVER, but this race flew by! And the idea that I could be bored-not-miserable for a 2+ hour run is also mind-boggling as someone who ran my first 5K less than 4 years ago.
For the rest of the summer, I think I’d like to focus a bit on speed and get a bit more comfortable being uncomfortable, both in terms of pushing my HR and cycling around other people. I’m still figuring out how exactly to get faster on the bike and run, so would appreciate any tips that anyone can provide (I’m thinking I have lots of HIIT, strength training, fartleks, and hill repeats in my future!). I’ll probably come back to the 70.3 distance sometime next year.
I’m taking a huge sigh of relief that it’s not slated to be sunny and 90 degrees. Mostly, I was pretty worried about over or under hydrating since I didn’t get a good feel for super-hot/humid temps on my long rides. But, I definitely have lots of experience riding when the weather is cloudy and low/mid 70s! The water temps look pretty warm so I probably won’t wear a wetsuit (assuming this is the right link https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=camm2) which I’m ok with. I think it’s also supposed to be breezy, which may not be great for the bike, so I’m lowering my speed expectations for that segment accordingly!
At this point I feel pretty ready…I did my race plan (featuring goals like “don’t get too competitive or too discouraged when people pass me on the bike; race my own race”) and I am confident that the past 5 months of training have prepared me well for the race. I just have to remember that the stakes aren’t high, so spending a few minutes in a porta-potty or walking a part of the run I didn’t intend to is ok–it’s still more than I could have accomplished a few months ago.
I was reminded that I need to practice swimming in a straight line! If I had a garmin I imagine my swim route would have been hilariously all over the place.
I am glad the Eagleman is flat, because I was not a fan of all those hills on the Kinetic course on the long ride and Peasantman itself. I managed my heart rate so it never spiked too high, but I never really settled into a consistent HR/rhythm and ended up going slower in the race than I could have (my average was in Zone 2)
My transitions were also SUPER slow. I blame the weather a bit because all my shoes ended up jumbled up inside a trash bag and I changed socks before the run, but I’ll probably practice transitions a few times on my own just to get more comfortable with the routine.
Overall, I was glad that I went to Peasantman this weekend. It was a good chance to test my nutrition on a consistent long ride where I could actually control the speed I was going (rather than having to slow down on the trails) and was pleased with my performance.
I’m glad to hear the group ride is happening, I imagine I’ll be ready for a change of scenery for the longest ride!
I think I’ll be able to fit the long run into my week beforehand. I was thinking of counting Peasantman as the hills+brick workout, then doing the track workout + recovery bike on Tuesday and the long run on Thursday. Does that make sense given the purpose/goal of these workouts?
I have this one, which I mostly bought so I could see my phone easily at stoplights to help me navigate while using my bike to get around the city (which it totally works for):https://www.rei.com/product/112637/timbuk2-goody-box-frame-bag?CAWELAID=120217890003790201&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=15877513840&CATCI=pla-450163725300&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|404_172618|1126370001|none|2590178f-97ca-4528-8e22-3a1cc45d609c|pla-450163725300&lsft=cm_mmc:PLA_Google_LIA|404_172618|1126370001|none|2590178f-97ca-4528-8e22-3a1cc45d609c&kclid=2590178f-97ca-4528-8e22-3a1cc45d609c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7b3IhrO14QIVUT0MCh2rTQF6EAYYASABEgIphfD_BwE
However, opening and closing it while riding is kind of awkward. I don’t like that it has a bulky flip-open top that tends flop around. The top is secured using velcro, and it’s tough to line up the velcro strips exactly to keep it closed while I’m on the move. It’s also pretty shallow, so when it’s open I worry that things will bounce out.
For my indoor rides I’ve been doing a honey stinger waffle at ~45 minutes, taking 1-2 clif bloks every 20 minutes after that, and last week added a small handful of peanut butter pretzels in every 30 minutes or so. I’ve been drinking water and nuun, which works really well for my stomach, but nuun doesn’t have many calories so I’ll likely try osmo or try to get my hands on some gatorade endurance.
I did a lovely first outdoor long ride today but it was pretty slow going (side note: I can confirm the obvious assumption that hains point during cherry blossom season is totally nuts), and I spent most of my time in low zone 2 or 1. For each lap I either ate 2 gu bloks or a couple peanut butter pretzels which kept me well fueled though it’s less than I tended to eat indoors, and I only finished 1.5 bottles of water for the ride. I don’t feel like it was the best simulation of what my body is going to need on race day since that will be higher intensity (e.g., way sweatier and more calories burned) but it was good confirmation that my body is ok with that plan as a baseline.
My outside-ride today was also a reminder that eating and drinking while on an actual moving bike is way harder than on a stationary bike! I hope I’ll get more comfortable with it as I spend more time back on the road, but until then I need to not let the awkwardness deter me from proper hydration and nutrition.
On that note, does anyone have any recommendations for a bento box that’s easy to use while riding? I have one that requires a bit too much fumbling for comfort.
I’ve found it to be a helpful tool for indoor training, but I don’t have any experience with using a power meter outdoors. I’ve been taking classes for about a year at a spin studio in Eastern Market called Off Road (it’s where two of the Off Season Spin sessions are held) that uses power meters on its bikes, and have learned so much about my riding from having another metric to track and correlate with my heart rate. For example, I now know that I’m much less powerful at the same heart rate on mornings when I don’t eat something substantial before spin class, and I was able to experiment with my bike setup to find the settings that consistently yield the best results. It also keeps me accountable for achieving the goal of outdoor riding (to optimize forward movement) when not actually moving forward. However, I don’t think I’m going to buy a power meter for my actual bike once it’s time to ride outdoors. I already have a bike computer that tells me MPH and cadence, and thanks to my indoor HR + power training I know what it feels like to ride at different power levels and heart rates.
This is the bike they have at Off Road (at least at Cap Hill, but I imagine U Street is the same): https://www.stagesindoorcycling.com/sc3
tl;dr: bikes already have saddles and SPD pedals with optional cages
William H. Rumsey pool is next to Eastern Market at 7th and North Carolina SE. It’s a very no-frills pool, but I tend to be able to get good lane space as long as I don’t go when there are classes happening (e.g., evenings during the week are generally out). You just have to show your DC driver’s license to get in, or if you don’t have one yet you can show a copy of your lease or a utility bill.
Welcome to the neighborhood! Definitely feel free to say hi if you spot me at Rumsey in the mornings, I wear a pink or purple swim cap and have a DC tri water bottle –Liz
Would anyone like to meet up to do a 40-min version of one of the Masters Swim workouts at Rumsey this Sunday 2/19, maybe 3 pm? I was thinking of adapting the speed workout since intervals are way better with buddies for accountability, and adding 5 seconds per 50 to the intervals. But time and exact workout details are both flexible! –Liz
