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Pacific Crest Race Report
Overview. This was a very difficult triathlon that left me fairly discouraged at the end of the race. I too had no intention of doing a race report. Several days later and I am feeling better as I realize that this is a just stepping stone to the ultimate goal of IMC. But, oh, what tough day it was. Thanks to Jill for pulling me out of a serious post-race funk.
Pre-race. We arrived in Sunriver at 2:00 on Friday. Given the arrival time and the somewhat complicated logistics, I had to scramble to get everything taken care of. I took advantage of the bike delivery program which worked really well. That said, I did not have time to see T1, T2, or any of the bike or run course prior to the race. Not ideal but also not the end of the world. Also, we stayed in a condo about 100 yards from the finish. I highly recommend that.
On race day, up at 5:00 am for oatmeal, banana and an English muffin. From 5:30 to 6:00 I wandered the Sunriver village searching in vain for coffee. I arrived at T2 at about 6:15, sans coffee, and on the bus to T1 at 7:30 or so which was way early but in the end I am glad I did it given that some competitors were stuck on a bus to T1 until just prior to the race start. I think most the JFT team took this approach which made for a more or less stress free start.
Swim. I got a solid warm up in and yes the water was cold (60 degrees) but really not bad once you were in it for awhile. While waiting for my wave start, I noticed that a number of people were wearing their swim caps pulled down tight over their ears. That seemed like a good idea so I did the same (more on this in just a minute). I started next to Steve D. basically in the middle but we had clear water right from the start. Almost immediately I began to have some problems and honestly I really don't know exactly what was going on. First, my goggles- which I never have an issue with- began leaking from the start which in turn began to cause problems with my contacts. I made multiple adjustments but nothing worked. I could feel my HR going up every time I stopped to clear the goggles which was every few strokes. My wetsuit began to feel like a vise (could be the altitude or could be the wrong size). Usually when things go bad in a swim I just focus on my stroke and everything comes back together but even my stroke felt way off. At about mid-way to the first buoy I seriously contemplated bailing on the race and I started figuring out how I was getting back to shore. It was easily the worst moment I have had in an open water swim. About that time, I decided to really focus in on my stroke and nothing else and somehow it started coming together. The goggles continued to be a problem for the next 1/2 mile or so but I was finally making progress. At the swim midpoint, I made a final goggle adjustment which worked and I was able to cruise in. Final time 44:52 which was about 8 minutes off of where I thought I would be but frankly I was just happy to still be racing at that point. After reading some of the race reports, I thought the goggle issue might be related to the fact that I pulled my swim cap down as far as I did. Yesterday I put my swim cap back on just like I had in the race and sure enough my goggles wouldn't seal properly. Live and learn.
Bike. The swim left me somewhat shell shocked so the start of the bike leg wasn't pretty. I just wasn't in sync for the first 5-10 miles. Also, at about 20 minutes into a bike leg, I usually eat a Powerbar which is a good source of calories for me. I tried to do that here but my stomach wasn't having it. Also, the air is so dry there that trying to eat something like a PowerBar is actually kind of difficult. As a result, I just didn't do it. Next time, I need to have a Plan B like GU packets. Other than the PowerBar debacle, I was able to stick to my nutrition plan. Also, at about mile 20 or so, I realized I was actually riding pretty fast- probably too fast I thought. At mile 30 I began to have major hamstring pain (maybe related to the pace) and I couldn't shake it no matter what I did and it continued until the end of the ride. That said, the bike leg of Pacific Crest is absolutely beautiful with great roads and that big climb aside, I thought it was a relatively fast course particularly with a killer downhill at the end. Final time of 2:50 which matched my half iron PR- which I feel pretty good about since this was a 58 mile course. I did not, however, feel good about the hamstring pain because there was no way I could have ridden much further with that pain.
Run. I think had the fastest T2 of my life (one of two race highlights). Once under way, I actually felt great for the first 3 miles and thought I was going to have a PR run. That thought quickly vanished as the heat, the moderate hills and a complete inability to take in HEED caused me to slow way down. After about 5 miles it was just a slog- my legs felt dead and I was passed by about 100 people. Again, the dry air seemed to be an issue because I constantly had a dry mouth which was really unpleasant and also made taking Endurolytes fairly difficult. Next time (assuming I ever go back) I will carry water and/or HEED with me so I can take Endurolytes when I need them and not just at water stations. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw the finish line and was promptly outkicked to the line by my four year old and his five year old friend. Not cool. Final time of 2:06 and it easily could have been 30 minutes longer.
Final thoughts. As I said, I had two race highlights: one, I had a fast T2 (I had to find something positive) and two, as bad as the race was, it actually could have been worse. A DNF would have been much worse for example. So, back to training and on to Chelan Half Iron where I intend to have a great swim.
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