Steelhead 70.3 Race Report

Woke up at 5:00 AM, loaded up my Perpetuem and aero drink, and ate my PB and J before making the 1/2 mile trek down to the transistion area. I had an hour and a half before the transition closed so I had plenty of time. I stepped out into the cool morning breeze and walked down to the race site. I heard some rumors that the lake was pretty choppy, but I put those thoughts in the back of my mind as I set up my area and sipped on my Gatorade. As the sun came up I headed down to the lake. WOW, they weren't kidding, there were 2-3 foot swells and the boats were having a hard time moving through the water. Oh well I thought, it is what it is and it should be a good challenge as I began the 1 mile walk down the beach to the start line. Just as I reached to race start the race director had decided to cancel the swim and replace it with a 2.1 mile run. I was a little disappointed because the swim was going to be challenging, but relieved for those who have little open water experience.

2.1 mile run - After an hour delay, the run was on. I was in wave 12 and there were 4 minutes between wave starts. The run was a hilly run and I decided to take it easy and not go all out, especially because I had about 69 miles ahead of me. I did see a lot of people going all out which I didn't understand at all. Toward the end of the run we had to run through about 50-100 yards of sand which makes things much more difficult. Time - 16:35

Bike - I was impressed with the bike course overall, a few of the roads were a little rough, but had great scenery. I felt really solid through the bike course and kept the effort at a 5-6 RPE and focused on a smooth pedal stroke and kept the nutrition and hydration plan. I do thing the course was short by about 2 miles, but beat my previous time by about 15 minutes - time - 2:52

Run - I think I may have pushed too hard on the bike or wasn't in the condition I wanted to be for the run because I really struggled here. I started running for the first mile then walked/ran for the next 12 trying to get my bearings. The legs were really tight and aching at this point. After running the first loop I decided to suck it up and cranked out 4 miles at a 9:00 minute pace - after that I knew I only had 3-4 miles left. The last few miles were a combination of a walk/run and a battle to get to the finish line. The last 100 yards of running in the sand was brutal, but on the horizon was the finish line. As I crossed the finish line I felt relieved. The course was hillier than expected. Time - 2:35.

Overall - 5:50, PR'd by 45 minutes!! (of course there was no swim so that would factor into this)

Much improvement from last year, but still more to go. Overall it was a great race and one I will consider doing in the future.

Steelhead 70.3 - Nutrition Plan

This weekend I'll be embarking on my first Half-Ironman of the season, Steelhead 70.3. This race is located in Benton Harbor, MI and includes a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, a 56 mile bike ride through rolling hills and a 13.1 mile flat ran. Today I begin to prepare nutritionally for the race. Yesterday the weather channel was predicting 90s for highs, now somewhere around 81. So, who knows what the temp will be by Saturday.

I will start hydrating myself for the race with a 12 oz glass of water every 1-2 hours. For lunch I'll include some protein and carbs. Tonight will be my carb loading session that is relatively low in fat (grease) - whole grain noodles in a veggie meat sauce with a piece of whole grain toast. Throughout today I'll also continue my normal intake of 2 yogurts and string cheese.

Tomorrow will begin with a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit, a mid-morning yogurt, chicken breast and broccoli for lunch, yogurt and string cheese for mid-afternoon snack, and a light pasta feed held up at the race site for dinner - kind of an oxymoron, I know.

Saturday morning I'll have my usual PB and J on white bread and a yogurt while sipping on a Gatorade before the race.

Now for the race - after the swim I'll wait 20 minutes before I intake anything - a lot of times you can have some gastrointestinal issues if you ingest anything after being horizontal for a while. After the 20 minutes I'll intake 8-10 ounces of water every 15 minutes and 3 gulps of Perpetuem every half hour (Perpetuem is a caloric rich drink) to take in more calories of carbs, a little protein and small amount of fat. The bike is where I'll be taking most of my calories and hydration.

When I get to the run I'll take water every aid station, and if it is really hot I'll take some (Endurolytes) salt pills. I will only drink Gatorade for a 'change of pace' from water, not as a replacement. Depending on my energy level I will have gels with me to take. If you take gels make sure to wash them down with water.

With the above nutrition plan I'm confident I will have a successful race and will meet my goals. It is always important to train with your nutrition plan ahead of time to make sure you don't encounter any unforeseen issues and adjust accordingly before the race.