RACE REPORT: IRONMAN ST. GEORGE
Gary Clendenin
This race report was written on Tuesday May 4th, 3 days after IMSG. Before I describe the race, I would like to talk about the build-up, because it seems like the build-up should give one an indication about performance expectations. This is only my 3rd IM, the previous two being at IMAZ in April 07 and 08. In April 07 I had a decent race given it was my first attempt and finished 4th in the M55-59 AG. In April 08 I felt better prepared, but DNF’d after pulling the plug after 8 miles in the run. My excuse for bailing was the heat and wind, which put me in a very dehydrated state. When IMSG developed the course looked interesting and the event was relatively close to my home in Southern California. I thought this would be a good year to do another IM in preparation of next year when I age up. In other words, I really did not have any great expectations this year, but wanted to go through another IM training cycle and gain the experience of racing another IM. I did a 20-week IM build-up and, unlike most buildups, was able to hit all of the key workouts and, more importantly, managed to avoid any major injuries and sicknesses. I spent a long weekend training in SG about 6 weeks before the race. I knew the course was going to be challenging so I did more hill training on the bike and run than usual, including a bike ride about 5 weeks (coinciding with my last 7 hr ride) out from the race that included 14,000 feet of climbing over 114 miles. I used this ride to practice pacing and nutrition. I thought the build-up and preparation was excellent going into the race. I don’t really like to set time goals, especially on a tough course, but one of my co-workers caught me at a weak moment and managed to get numbers out of me. So reluctantly, this is what I told him: Swim – 1:05: Bike 6:00; Run: 4:15. We’ll see how these numbers compare to actual numbers.
The Swim
I don’t like cold water. Apparently, a bunch of people hated cold water even more than I did. I got in the water about 10 minutes before the start and looked around and saw hundreds of folks still up on the shore (it was a deep water start). I went straight to the front of the start, wide right. My goal was to find flat water and angle into the first buoy, which appeared to be about 800 meters down the reservoir. By the time the gun went off things started getting a little crowded up front, but I got a good start and to my surprise found flat water pretty quick. Things got a little congested at the first buoy and then opened up again. I never really felt like I was swimming hard–maybe at 80-85% max effort. I had been working on more of a “wind mill” type open water stroke and this seemed to feel pretty good. About 500 meters from the exit I started getting cramps in my left lower leg and right calf. The cramps never really got so bad that I had to stop, but they forced me to hold back my effort a bit. I got to the exit ramp and heard Mike Reilly say to the group exiting “nice job 1:02”. I peeled the top of my DeSoto 2-piece suit off before crossing the timing mat. The peeler took off my wetsuit bottom and as I was laying down for that, my right calf went into spasm. I had to lie there a minute or so until the spasm subsided and then continue into the T1 changing tent. My official swim time was 1:03. I was 118th out of 1915 people that started the swim. My T1 time was slow as put on makeshift arm warmers and a light jacket. I later found out it took me over 8 minutes in T1.
The Bike
My goal was to ride conservatively, knowing the run was going to be tough. For the first 20 miles I had to work on my calf that had gone into spasm. That took some of my focus off cycling, but I knew I had to stretch the calf to get the muscle to release. The first 22 miles or so were from the reservoir to town, where we began two 40+ mile loops. The bike course is challenging, but beautiful. I rode very much within my aerobic zone, rarely exceeding my MAHR even on the many hills. I did not have any major glitches on the bike except losing one of my two bottles of nutrition on a bump, which I did not discover until much later. Luckily I had placed extra nutrition in my bike special needs bag, so I was OK nutrition wise. I made 3 other pits stops to pee (gotta learn how to pee on the fly). In my AG, I am typically out of the water in the lead or near the lead, so I have a pretty good feel for where I am in the race. At mile 40 or so the eventual AG winner passes me on the bike (multi-time Kona AG champion) and then a couple of miles later the guy that ends up finishing 2nd passes me (another Kona AG winner). At this point I feel as if I am in pretty good company. I don’t chase either of these guys as they pass me. I just ride my race. I did not know at this point that some uber swimmer and decent cyclist was also up the road. So at this point I am sitting in 4th place. At mile 70 I passed the eventual winner. I had met this guy (Greg Taylor) a couple days earlier at the swim practice. As I passed him, I asked him if he was OK. He replied “yeah, I’m OK, it’s gonna be a long day out here”. I kind of knew what he was talking about at the time, but his words really came into focus a few hours later on the run. Well, at about mile 80 GT passes me again, so I am back into 4th position. The next time I see GT it is on the run. So I rode comfortably. As later discovered I think I rode too comfortably as my avg HR was way too low for a course like this. My bike split was ~6:30, more than 30 minutes over my predicted time. Do not make predictions :-).
The “Run”
You notice the quotes around “run”? They are there for a reason. My “run” was as much of a “walk” as it was a “run”. What happened? My run training was spot on. I had been running comfortable 8:45 to 8:30 mile pace in my long training runs (which included a 30 second walk breaks every mile) on rolly terrain. I figured on this course I would be slower, perhaps in the 9:15 per mile range. I really had decent legs coming out of T2, although I had developed a little patellar tendonitis on the bike. For the first 2 miles, which are up a 2-3% grade, I ran between aid stations. I think the first big hill up Red Hills Parkway came between miles 2 and 3, which I walked. I managed to “run” most of the first lap, except the steeper hills and the aid stations. At this point I did not even feel like I was in a race. So many people were walking, carrying on conversations, as if they were taking a walk in the park. I would catch glimpses of the two guys that I knew where ahead of me and actually ended passing the uber swimmer, so for a while I had slipped, surprisingly, into 3rd place. On the second loop, which I mostly walked (not proudly), a guy in my AG ran by me like a gazelle. I watched in amazement. This guy ended up running himself into 3rd place and Kona slot, finished at 59 yo with a 3:58 run split on a tough course. At mile 22 or so another guy in my AG passed and I had to watch him go. So, I really did not know exactly where I was place, but figured somewhere between 5th and 6th place. Other than not being able to run, I felt pretty good, the stomach was fine and I did have any cramping, etc. I managed to run the last 3 miles relatively strong, primarily because it was downhill into the finish. There were many times during this run where I hated IM, but despite the disappointing run performance I pulled it together enough to cross the line. My “run” split was something like 4:47. I know, that really sucks. You are correct. My total time was 12:34 and I ended up 6th in my AG.
The Rolldown
I was initially planning to go to roll down, but I figured with only 2 slots (the typical allocation for M55-59) there was no chance the slots would roll down to 6th. I woke up at 6 AM on Sunday, felt great, and asked my wife if she wanted to pack up and hightail it back to Orange County. So we packed up, had breakfast with some race buddies and hit the road by 10 AM. One of my buddies (Jeff Rhodes—read the inspirational story about Jeff at www. ironman.com) stayed for the awards and found out that my AG had 3 slots and that two of the top three guys had passed because they either had slots already or had no interest in Kona. This meant the slots would rolldown to at least 5th place. Jeff tried calling me, but due to poor reception I did not get his voicemail until 10:50 and rolldown started at 11 AM. His voice mail message said “where in the hell are you, you have the possibility of getting a roll down slot”. Well, at this point I was 35 minutes out of town. To make a long story short, the 5th place guy took the last slot, which I am so happy about.
The Takeaway
IM is hard. It is tough to find the right balance between effort and restraint. In my case, the 5th place guy beat me by 8 min. I know for sure I left 8+ minutes out there on the bike course by riding too conservatively. I left 4 minutes out there in T1. An 8 min T1 is ridiculously slow. Could I have run any faster on that day? I don’t think so. But with the bike and T1 better executed I would have been perhaps writing “My Kona Story” instead this race report. But, at the end of the day it wasn’t meant to be and I’m OK with that. I have been blessed with incredibly good health, a great family, wonderful friends and training partners, and a good job. At the end of day that is better than Kona any day. Does that mean I’ve given up my KQ? Hell no, next year I race as a 60 year old and the Lord willing I will toe the line again and if Kona is in my cards hope to make it.
GET INSPIRED
Ron Saetermoe
If you haven’t been inspired by some of the athletes in our sport you probably haven’t been in it too long. There are inspirational stories going all the way back to triathlon’s earliest days.
Some of the more inspirational people I know:
Jim MacLaren: Hit by a bus in New York in 1985, Jim lost a leg, and nearly lost his life. He took up triathlon after being rehabilitated and entered the OC Triathlon in 1993. A traffic marshal waved a van through an intersection on the course and the van hit Jim. Jim broke his neck and is now paralyzed from the neck down.
John Blais: Stricken by ALS, John inspired us all by overcoming the problems of ALS to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona. John died on May 27, 2007. I met John’s father in Kona that same year where he was raising money for ALS.
Rick and Dick Hoyt: Rick was born in 1962 and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Unable to walk or speak, Dick, Rick’s father sensed that his son had a lot going on behind his eyes no one else realized. Dick has competed in over 1,000 running races and triathlons, swimming, cycling and pushing his son along. Rick now lives on his own and has graduated from college.
Jeff Rhodes: Perhaps Jeff hasn’t had the same level of adversity as the guys mentioned above but he has inspired us nonetheless. Jeff just completed Ironman St. George with a dislocated shoulder and a broken collarbone. I don’t want to give away the ending so check out the full story here at Ironmanlife.
We all race for our own reasons. Some race to get into shape, others to check a box off on their life’s goals, and others to win. Whatever your reason, it’s always great to find someone to inspire you. Here are some really inspirational guys.
RACE REPORT: OC 1/2 MARATHON
Ron Saetermoe
I love the ½ marathon. For me, there is no better run preparation for the full or ½ Ironman. It’s long enough to help you with your run endurance but short enough for you to recover from it in a couple days.
Sunday, May 1st was the 2010 OC Marathon and Half Marathon. I did this race last year and took fourth in the M50-54 age group. Pretty good, since I don’t really consider myself to be a runner.
The race starts at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and winds its way around through the Back Bay and finishes at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The marathoners continue up through Irvine and Santa Ana before turning south down the Santa Ana River Trail and finishing at the Fairgrounds.
Most of the racers parked their cars at the Fairgrounds and took the buses provided by the race organizers over to Fashion Island. I parked at Fashion Island and had my mom drive me back to get my car later. Thanks mom!
Those of you that know me know that I like to get to stuff early, because you just never know . . . Yesterday was no exception. I had plenty of time to use the restroom and warm-up.
It was an absolutely beautiful day for racing. The air was still, the sky was clear and it was cool.
My plan was to set out at a 7:00 minute per mile pace and see if I had enough energy to pick it up. 7:00 minute pace puts you at about 1:31:43, which just happens to be my PR from January this year. Eventually I hope to crack the 1:30:00 mark, which is 6:52 pace.
I had my Garmin with me so I was getting updates every mile. As the miles ticked by I was right on track. It was great because there was a guy obviously with the same objectives as me because we were both going the exact same speed. While he was about 20 years younger than me, his form was amazing! Perfect, fluid strides with his hands held high. A true inspiration.
This is really a great course that is fairly flat. There are a few bumps here and there but it is a pretty fast course. I stayed with my younger adversary until about mile 10 where he dropped me on a short, steep grade. If you know the Back Bay you know the grade I’m talking about where the bike trail meets East Bluff Drive. After that, he slowly pulled away.
My pace dropped on that mile to 7:18 and I was getting tired so I knew then there would be no PR today. Didn’t matter, it was still a great day!
Here are some results from folks we know:
Dave Aronne (1:25:41/6:33 pace, 1st M50-54)
Mike Burton (1:30:38/6:55 pace)
Ron Saetermoe (1:32:30/7:02 pace, 3rd M50-54)
Ryan Ritchie (2:03:18/9:25 pace)
Ly Ly Ta (Full marathon, 6:10:48/14:09 pace)
LANE LINES
Ron Saetermoe
These days I usually only swim twice a week. My goal for this season is to improve my cycling performance so I decided to cut my swim workouts back to two a week and increase my cycling workouts to four a week. It must be working because I had the fastest bike split at Ironman California 70.3 in my age group!
That doesn’t mean I don’t value my swim workouts, because I do. Like most of us, I’d like to keep my same swim splits but without working as hard at it. Naturally, that isn’t how it works, but we’d like it nonetheless.
My swim splits have been slower this year but I’ve always said I’d gladly give up 20% of my speed in the swim for a 20% gain on the bike. Be careful what you ask for!
Every triathlon coach has his or her own opinions about the best way to train and I certainly have mine. I’m always amused when I see swimmers at the pool sidle up to their lane with these gigantic duffle bags full of swim gear. I was especially amused this morning when I saw a guy with a “rolling bag” and a duffle bag.
This guy was ready for anything having to do with swimming. I mean www.swimoutlet.com must have made a killing off this guy! He even had the size 12 mono-fins!
Here’s what I do when I go to the pool: I get in. I do two, 1,500-meter sets. Then I leave.
I don’t do drills. I don’t do other strokes. I don’t intervals. And I certainly don’t have all that other gear.
You’ll be learning more about my swim philosophy in upcoming newsletters and the soon to be announced Triathica Academy. Here’s a preview: NO MORE DRILLS!
Cheers!
RACE REPORT: LA TRI SERIES, CHAMPIONSHIP DISTANCE
Ron Saetermoe
I’ve seen a lot of emails flying around about the quality of the lake water out at Bonelli Lake in San Dimas. Coming from the “land of lakes, “ Michigan (or is it Wisconsin), I have personally swum in over 100 lakes in my lifetime and I can tell you 99 of them had dirty water. The only exception being Torch Lake in northern Michigan.
Yes, the water’s dirty . . . it’s a lake . . . get over it!
However, don’t let the dirty water dissuade you from doing these really great races. There are a bunch of benefits: it’s on a lake so the swim is flat, it’s close, it’s a great environment, it’s challenging and it’s a small race. If you haven’t done any of these I highly recommend it. They have three races in the series and you can select from the “Tri Express” (short) or “Championship” (long) courses.
I did the Championship race on Sunday, April 18th and had a blast.
I want to preface this report by saying that while I had a good race it certainly wasn’t anything to write home about. The 92-mile bike ride (which we hammered) didn’t make my legs feel that great! (I say this again in case you missed my comments above.)
The morning was cool but the sun was starting to come out at the beginning of the 500-yard swim. And while the wave I started in probably only had 100 people in it, I was thrashed.
Since I’m a “good” swimmer I usually try to go out fast and get ahead of the crowd. I’m never alone in this thinking but this time it seemed like EVERYONE had the same idea. I’ve never been beaten up so badly in any race start!
By the time I got to the turnaround buoy we finally formed a nice pace-line. I got on the heels of another swimmer and just followed him in. By the way, if you don’t practice drafting off other swimmers, you should.
Coming up the steep ramp into transition I caught up to one of my fellow M55-59 age-groupers, Rich Pfeiffer. I encouraged Rich to speed up, which he promptly did.
The bike portion of the race was a blast because Rich, Sam Sunshine (my doctor) and I were all in the same pack. I’d pass them, one of them would pass the other two, and so on. The entire bike portion of the race was like this with Sam entering transition first, Rich second and me close behind.
We all seemed to transition about the same speed but Sam just took off and left Rich and I in the dust! He was running strong with no way for my tired legs to catch up.
Rich on the other hand was directly in my sights. I guess I passed him about a mile into the run and once again encouraged him to stay with me. No way, Rich wouldn’t be able to keep my pace.
I just couldn’t seem to get into a groove with my running so I just hung in there the best I could. Guess what? It was good enough for 1st!
In the last five races I’ve done I’ve got four 1st place finishes and one 2nd place finish. I guess the M55-59 age group suits me well. Again, sorry if I missed anyone.
Chris Davis 1:08:24 (3rd M35-39)
Mike Catanzaro 1:12:02 (6th M35-39)
Stefani McMillen 1:13:18 (2nd F30-34)
Sam Sunshine 1:13:39 (6th M45-49)
Ron Saetermoe 1:14:27 (1st M55-59)
Rich Pfeiffer 1:16:20 (3rd M55-59)
Camille Longino 1:24:27 (2nd F50-54)
Julie Vargas 1:25:27 (4th F35-39)
GOOD LUCK IRONMAN ST. GEORGERS!
Ron Saetermoe
The inaugural St. George Ironman is coming up on Saturday, May 1st. This should be a really great, but hard race. The gang I usually hang with is going out next week to tackle this monster.
All reports have indicated that the bike and run will be real challenges. The venue sounds beautiful but the racers will probably be in too much pain to really appreciate any of it.
If you’re interested in following any of the athletes on race day you can go to www:Ironman.com for up to the minute race results.
So, good luck to everyone. I’ll be checking your progress throughout the day. Sorry if I missed you.
Denise Bardsley
Blaine Bardsley
Quinton Berry
Scott Callender
Gary Clendenin
Larry Davidson
Chris Davis
Jordan Dejong
Rene Rodarte
Roy Sharp
Brian Smallwood
John Steed
Martha Szufnarowski
PICKING YOUR RACE(S)
Ron Saetermoe
We’re really coming into triathlon season now. As you may know, many of the most popular races are already sold out but there are still plenty that are available.
There really isn’t a “right” way to select your races. It really depends on what your goals are. If it’s just to have fun and not to worry about whether you “podium” or not then do whatever turns you on.
Last year I think I raced six consecutive weekends (tris and runs). I love to race and wasn’t worried much about how I did.
For some, racing once a year is all their time, budget or interest can afford. That’s great too. Everyone has different goals.
However, if you’re really interested in doing well in your races you need to be more strategic. My Ironman mentor, Chris Johnson, told me that if I really wanted to get serious about qualifying for Kona that I’d have to race less and concentrate on my training more. So this year that’s exactly what I’ve done.
You probably know about the A, B, Cs of prioritizing your races where your “A” race is your most important race of the season. When you select your races for the year you should start with your “A” race then work forward/backward from there.
You want to make sure you’re not racing too much (my problem) but you should be sure your races before your “A” race are going to help advance your performance. For example, I have found that half marathons are a great distance for me to help me get ready for full- and half-Ironman distance races. It helps me build my leg speed and endurance. As a result, I’ve done three half marathons this season.
Last weekend I did the LA Tri Series Championship triathlon race out at Bonelli (race report follows). This was a “C” race for me but a good primer to help me stay sharp. I didn’t expect much from this race because Lar Dog, Camille and I hammered the day before (I did 92 miles) so my legs were toast. The race really didn’t mean anything to me, but I won anyway.
More than likely I’ll race again next month to help get me ready for my first “A” race of the season, Hawaii Ironman 70.3 on June 5th. OC Duathlon, LA Tri Series? Don’t know, but it will be fun!
Cheers!
RACE REPORT: MULHOLLAND CHALLENGE
Scott Callender
Saturday, April 10, 2010. While most people are sleeping and dreaming whatever it is they dream about, eight stupid guys were up at between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. getting ready to go to the parking lot in front of the Starbucks at the corner of El Toro and Bake to meet up so that we could carpool to the Mulholland Challenge. At 4:45 a.m., I drove up and parked and was greeted by Gary Clendenin (The Kid), Ron Saetermoe and Mark Matyazic. Right after that Larry Davidson (Lar Dog), Kari Kraus, Quinton Berry (Banger) and Jeff Rhodes (Bat) showed up. Everyone was quite timely. We got the bikes loaded and gear in the cars. We then had to wait for Starbucks who was suppose to open at 5:00 a.m. but it was obvious that they are not used to having eight guys waiting outside for opening. As much as everyone wanted coffee, I think the real dash was for the restroom. Needless to say, the day was starting out good and I remember someone saying, “Why do we do this?” Since I have asked myself this question numerous times, I really had no answer.
We head out and get on the 405 and things are good. I was driving and had Kari, Lar Dog and Ron in my Car. Yes, we were driving in my wife’s Honda Odyssey but as the ride went on, everyone kept commenting how comfy it was and how smooth it rode. We had XM radio and I set it on Channel 8, which is dedicated to the 80s. Kari was very pleased as he was singing songs from the Hooters (which he informed that they were from somewhere in Wisconsin). We all were happy and had smiles on our faces.
Flashback to a year ago. Last year, five of us did this. Daniel, Quinton, Jeff, Lar Dog and myself. The whole way up Daniel was so excited that we were doing this ride because it was where he did a lot of his training. He kept saying how beautiful the mountains were blah blah blah. He was acting like someone that was going to show off his hot looking model-like girlfriend to his friends. Well, it was the most miserable experience ever for me and it was a suffer-fest. Why do I bring this up? Well, I purposely log everything into BT (Beginner Triathlete) and I use that to look at previous training and I usually put in certain notes to myself. See below from my BT after this ride last year. Note the last paragraph titles, “Note To Self.” What an idiot. As you can plainly see, I did not reference this log prior to signing up. It was all “c’mon Scooter, good for you, we will have shits and giggles.”
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7h 00m 102.50 miles 14.64 Mi/hr
Equipment: Cervelo P2C
King Of The Mountains Century
Challenge Stage 1 – Mulholland Challenge
Several things. If this isn’t an Epic Ride than nothing is. We climbed exactly 11,333 feet. What a day. The only thing good about this ride was the company. Did this bad boy with Lar Dog, Banger, DD and Jeff Rhodes.
Key Learnings: 1) Do not eat too much on the SAG Stops. Ate one too many peanut butter granola bars at SAG Stop 1 and my stomach was bloated until mile 70. 2) Never carry two nutrition bottles. Always make sure one is water. I switched out water for Heed at one stop and craved water so bad. Not good. 3) Need to learn to take salt tabs during long training rides or runs and not just races. Legs cramped up. 4) The saying that you will always go thru a rough time at some point during a long bike and run and you have to just get thru it is very valid. Between miles 60 and 70 was just miserable but after that and through prayer, I felt great and finished strong.
Note to self: Never do this ride or another like again. I had to put this in, in case I even think of signing up for something like this again.
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Ok, back to the highway to hell. So, we arrive, hit a Mickey Ds for relief from Starbucks and other manly functions and then park in the designated lot. Weather was looking good, overcast, and a little cold but not too cold. At this point, I have been relatively calm, not really thinking or referring to the hell I went through last year. I am enjoying all of the smack talk between the gang. We are ready to roll and ride across the street to the Renaissance Hotel and get checked and attach race numbers to our jerseys get our maps. Funny thing is that while I am folding my map, I fail to look at the distance. Note distance from last year, 102.5 miles and ONLY 11K in climbing. Last year we were the last group out and we were dropped after only 200 yards. This year they were starting everyone out as they were ready and so they noted our race numbers and the time and off we go. 7:24 was the time I was told to start. Key to note how observant I was at this point.
Off we go and of course, Lar Dog is leading the way. We started off much easier than last year and some of the scenery looked familiar. We were on Mulholland Hwy I knew that had a few rolling hills but was fast and nothing to hard and that would lead to PCH and the nice scenic Pacific Ocean. Last year when we got to PCH we had to wait like 20 minutes for someone and since we were in the last group, we were constantly fighting to make cut-off times. This year would not be rushed and plus, I was going to beat my time by at least 20 – 30 minutes. I am with Kari and Gary at this point and hit a stoplight and Lar Dog, Banger, Ron and Bat make the light and they are off to the races. Please note that this is the last time I see Banger and Bat until near the end. Have a great time guys. At this point I have to use the restroom but I am afraid that Kari and Gary are going to give me crap so early in the ride. As we are cruising along PCH, we get a nice little pace-line going and I am pulling at this point when I see two blue structures of pure delight …yes, porta-potties. At this point and since I am the lead, I pull-up and pull over. Relief is finally here. The funniest part was that Gary and Kari had also wanted to go to the restroom but was afraid to saying anything as well. Ron was smart and had stopped as well so he joined our group. We continue along PCH until we hit Topanga Canyon. I knew this turn well. This is like going from the Honeymoon to the real life. From this point on, it was just hill after hill after hill. The entrance to the dragon’s lair.
At this point it is really lots of giggles and talking and saying how nice the scenery is etc. We get to the first Sticker Stop and meet up with Lar Dog and get our stickers and some water. Away we go. No time to chat with this group. After this it is just hard riding. I remember Ron saying something earlier about the race being 116 miles and 12K+ of climbing. The whole time this is just not computing in my head. He must be wrong. I know they left out Stunt Hill last year but that would only add in a little bit. Kept checking my Garmin for feet climbed and it was only about 1K. Long day ahead. We ride and hit the first SAG stop. While I noted I was an idiot for not ready my BT log, I did remember that I ate way to much at the SAG stop (this one in particular – Too many Salty Peanut Butter bars) so this time I just get water and 2/3 of a banana. I feel like I am Einstein at this point and leave with a big smile on my face.
Somewhere along the way The Kid took off and I never saw him again. All I know is that he was riding strong and he was on a mission. Kari, Ron, Lar Dog and I would be together the rest of the way with some sightings of Mark here and there. Last year I was really suffering between miles 50-70 due to my stupid pig out at the first SAG stop. Feeling good and we are all riding strong. We then hit a stretch of road that was most likely laid down in the early 1900s and it has not been repaved to date. The worst part is that at first you climb on this horrid road and then you have to descend down it and I swear, you are hanging on for dear life. Your hands hurt from the vibration, you arms are so tense that you are actually more fatigued than rested after descending and in my case, I am sure my brain got knocked loose and that probably happened last year as well and is why I am stupid enough to have done this ride again. After this we are treated to some short 16% grades that you don’t think much of but they really wear you down. Finally, we are on PCH and get some nice pace-lines going with everyone taking a turn in front. At this point I am averaging about 232W and feeling good (heck, compared to what I felt last year, I am ecstatic). Things are nice and peaceful until I see what I called the entrance to Hell. Yes, you guessed it, DECKER. I spell it out in caps to give it the respect it deserves. I hear Lar Dog say “Scooter, this can’t be DECKER already.” Unfortunately, it was. When we did the race last year they had to change it a little and DECKER came about mile 85 and this year it embraced us at mile 71.6. Let me add in that I find it funny that Daniel did this race the only year Stunt Road was removed and now that it is added back in, he is spinning in the canyons and eating at The Counter. Fortunately, Kari and Ron had no idea was they were about to get themselves into. Just so you know, DECKER is where I hit my darkest place last year. I had to pull over and pray, I was so cramped up and just couldn’t go. No matter what your thoughts are, God answered my prayers and gave me strength to make it up that hill and finish the race. Ok, back to reality. Lar Dog suggests we pull over and remove vest, jackets or whatever would cause overheating. After that we hit it. First third of the ride is just a bunch of 16% grades. It is hard. And at Mile 71, it makes it even harder. We all ride strong up DECKER and Lar Dog comes up and joins me at about 2/3 of the way and is looking really strong. As the race gets longer, the dog gets stronger. We all meet at the DECKER SAG stop, which is at a Fire Station. We refuel and realize we still have a long way to go. I mention to Lar Dog that we still have 4K of climbing left and he says something to the effect of that can’t be right.
We continue to ride and head toward Stunt Road. Never done it before so I have no idea. What I was able to glean was that it was not as bad as DECKER and it was 3.8 miles long. Well, let the carnage begin. While DECKER is hard, doing Stunt Road at 92 miles into a race was the most horrendous. My mileage seems like it was stuck. I was in the Pain Cave and then was escorted into a Special Room in the Pain Cave. Once again, this is when you really have to reach deep. For me, that is praying and asking for Strength from God. I think about my family and how blessed I am. This is also I time that I have a few choice words for my buddies like Lar Dog and Banger. I was also thinking about The Kid who told me that he would be holding down the rear and at this point, I am thinking he is at the top enjoying life. At this point, you hate everyone and you are going to sell your bike when you get home or toss it in the ocean, whatever is easier. Ron passed me and he looked like death and I only imagined what I looked like. I see a guy sitting in a nice shady part of the hill just relaxing and the thought crosses my mind to join him. As much as I want to, I can’t. I am stupid and have to ensure the pain. About 2/3 up the Lord did answer my prayers and I felt much better. I was now able to get up to 6mph versus the 2mph I was going. I pass a guy walking and he says, “Great job, can’t believe you are doing this on a Tri-bike. I pass Ron and tell him what a Stud he is. I look up and see people and bikes at the top. That must be a SAG stop and I am off to the races. Nothing like a finish line to something to get me going. As I am getting close I finally get to see Banger, The Kid and Bat. I am thinking to myself, something is wrong here. Find out that Bat and Banger thought the ride was a little too easy for them so they decided to ride an extra 9 miles. So the whole gang is together expect for Kari. Banger, Bat and The Kid, or what I refer to as the Elites, take off because they had already been up there too long. Bat starts taking off going left up a hill while we are all shouting at him, “wrong way!” He quickly corrects direction and off they go. See you at the finish line. Kari arrives, we all fuel up and the Lar Dog realizes he has a flat. I think we all secretly found this as great news since it meant we had an additional break.
While I have written mostly negative stuff about this ride, it was at the top of Stunt Road that I realized the beauty of the scenery we were privileged to today. I look around from every angle and it was just beautiful. The vistas, the views of the oceans, the beautiful mountains and the gorgeous homes and ranches. You truly feel that you are not anywhere near LA. I then stop and think to myself, this will be the last time I see these hills unless I am in a car!
The group is upbeat from the rest until Lar Dog says something that I had been thinking. We still have 20 miles left. As they say at IMCDA, “Get ‘er done gents.” We head off and after a very short downhill section we are climbing again. Cruel! As Bill Paxton says in Aliens. “game over man, game over!” I am at this point. We would continue to do another 2K of climbing and at this point in the ride it is survival mode. We finally hit Agoura Road with 4.3 miles to go. Lar Dog and I are riding together and as beat as we were, it was funny how we still push each other. Lar Dog would come pushing past me and I would hang on and try to keep up and then I would push past Lar Dog and he would be right there. At last, the Renaissance Hotel and the cowbells. Finally done. We get checked in. The guys kept telling me a number and I was like 4:36? Huh, it took me longer than 4 hours. Well remember how astute I was in the beginning and knew my start time, he was telling me my ending time. I had no idea. Like a Zombie, I rode my bike to the side and parked it and went in to get my Dinner. It is funny because in the e-mail you get, they say Bristol Farms has prepared a nice lunch for you all. Lunch! By the time I got in it was dinner.
I see Banger, Bat, The Kid and we all get our sandwiches and sit down for some shits and giggles. I was so craving hard food, that I think I downed a bag of Fritos in one gulp. We all eat, get dressed, load the bikes and go to Starbucks and head home.
Some observations:
First and foremost, Glory to God for getting me through this and for keeping us all safe.
The only good thing about this ride was the company. I am blessed to be friends and training partners with such quality people like you all.
This is only my third year riding an it was the toughest race I have ever done.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Kudos to Lar Dog, Bat, and Ron for doing this on Tri-Bikes. This is my second time doing it on Tri-bike, which again shows my low IQ.
Bat, you are an uber biker and a beast. Next time I am bring a cord and attaching it to your bike and just hanging on.
Banger, same for you, uber biker and great job going the extra 9 miles. Less is more for you bru!
The Kid, whether you think it is or not, you are uber biker and you put us younger guys to shame. If we can ride and look like you at your age we are golden.
Lar Dog, you never cease to amaze me with your abilities. Awesome job on the ride and thanks for doing it on a Tri-Bike and keeping me company.
Ron, you are riding and racing the best ever. Keep it up.
Kari, you did great and you never gave up and what I liked most was that you always had a smile on your face.
8 hours and two minutes in the saddle to do 116.5 miles and over 14K of climbing.
IMSG – Bring it baby!
Out.
PREDICTIONS
Ron Saetermoe
We all make predictions. We predict the stock market, the weather and of course our race results. Sometimes we’re right – often we’re wrong.
We did the Mulholland Challenge last weekend (see Scott Callender’s race report below) and it was tough! 116 miles with 13,000 feet of climbing. Ouch!
As our gang started out Gary Clendenin predicted that he was going to go easy and just use this as a moderate ride. You see Gary is training for Ironman St. George and is a member of the Mark Allen Triathlon Team. I mean he lives and breathes this stuff.
Well, easy was anything but what he “predicted.” Gary was an animal out there climbing the hills (mountains) like Lance. And because he was starting to stiffen up he barely slowed down at the SAG stops.
So watching Gary for the first dozen miles or so I “predicted” that he and I would bonk at the same time during the day. Guess what? He never bonked and rode like a madman possessed. For the record, neither did I, but I didn’t ride like Gary did either.
So I just registered for the Hawaii Ironman 70.3 (Honu) on June 5th. I really wasn’t planning on doing another big race this year (besides Ironman Arizona) but since I “killed” my race at Ironman California 70.3 I figured, what the heck! I’m feeling strong, I’m healthy and I’ve got the time to adequately prepare for it. And, I’m a huge fan of the Hawaiian Islands and I’m always looking for an excuse to go. As you may know I’m shooting to qualify for the “Big Dance” on Kona so Honu will give me another chance.
Before any important race I try to predict who is coming, how well they’ll do and what I need to do to place well. Since there’s only one Kona slot at Honu I’m going to have to have a killer day again. Fortunately, the top dog (Kevin Moats) won Kona last year and will probably win Honu again this year but since he won Kona his slot will roll down to the next guy . . . with any luck that will be me!
So here’s my prediction for Gary at Ironman St. George. Since he’s racing as a 59 year-old I predict he’ll have a great day but won’t qualify for Kona this time out. However, I do predict that he’ll beat the top guy in the 60 – 64 age-group. This is significant because it will really set Gary up well for 2011, which is when I predict he’ll punch his ticket to the Big Island.
Good luck Gary!
Cheers!
RACE REPORT: CALIFORNIA IRONMAN 70.3
Mark Chavira
Last June I took my wife and twin 15 year-old boys to Grand Cayman for our annual family vacation. While we were there we participated in the Cayman Island Mile swim. It is a yearly race on the island that brings competitors from as far as Australia.
In addition to my family, some friends who also go to Cayman each year also participated. Since I was the ‘veteran’ triathlete with about ten sprint and Olympic distance races under my belt, my family and friends expected me to have the best time in our group. I know I swim like a brick with arms but I had been training for several years and the others were only recreational swimmers.
At the end of the event, the only person who I beat was my son Jeremy who went kicking and screaming to the starting line. He was on vacation and didn’t feel like swimming in a race. Needless to say, I was embarrassed and decided right then and there that as soon as I got home I was going to hire a swim coach.
We flew home a few days later. When I walked in the door there was a stack of mail that had piled over the days we were gone. I went through the mail and found a tri-fold brochure for a place called Triathica. “Train like a triathlete” was written on the front fold. I located Triathica and met Ron Saetermoe.
Forward almost one year later. I utilized Ron’s coaching program for swimming. After completing my lessons I had become a much better swimmer and wasn’t wasting so much energy during the swim portion of the races. Since I wanted to move to the bigger events, I hired Ron to create a training program for my Oceanside 70.3. The program was tough but I felt myself getting stronger. I knew I was ready to try to “race.”
I slept poorly the night prior to the race. I knew I was fit but I still had some nervousness mostly due to the fact this race was much longer than anything I had completed. I know I was not going to be a contender for anything other than a good race. But still, those competitive butterflies were running wild. Stu, a friend of mine from work was also doing Oceanside. It is his fourth time doing the race. I just wanted to finish in front of him. I hoped to finish just under 6 hours but truly expected 6:15.
I ended up falling asleep watching an old episode of Miami Vice on television. In its day that was the coolest show on Friday night. I woke up with plenty of time to get to meet Stu at Denny’s in San Juan Capistrano but still left my house 10 minutes later than I planned. I met up with Stu and had a stack of pancakes and a few egg whites. We finished breakfast and headed down to Oceanside.
My wave was scheduled to go at 7:00 which would make it easy to keep track of my pace. Stu is in my age group and the same wave so we got things set up in the transition area and slid into our wetsuits. I was surprisingly mellow as we got into the herd to get set up for the swim. At this point there is nothing else I can do but just go and do it. We got into the water and I was pleased to discover it was warmer than I anticipated. That was good because I had not done any open water swims except for the Toyota Desert Tri. All my training was in an 80 degree pool at my gym.
When the horn sounded, I found myself in the middle of the crowd being slapped around. How did I do this? I got into my rhythm thinking about Ron’s advice to me. “Push yourself in the swim”. Too many people don’t go hard enough during the swim.” So I stepped my pace up a notch from what I usually do. As I made the turnaround and headed back to the boat ramp, the glare filled my goggles. I was warned about the glare but opted to stick with what I trained with. I just used the bodies around me as a guide. I started to increase my pace being that I felt really relaxed and was probably holding back a bit. I finished the swim in 37:25. That was 5 minutes faster than my mile time in Cayman and at that time, when I finished I was exhausted.
I came up the boat ramp feeling really good. I ran to the transition area and had what I thought was a good time. I got out of my suit and into my shoes. I put on my race belt with my bib facing rearward just like the rules require. I ran out and hopped on my bike. Since there were people lined up at the transition exit I was tempted to race down the road as if I was actually a contender for a podium spot. I chose to take Ron’s advice again and just be cautious for the first half of the bike portion and see how my legs would hold up. So, I kind of went for a bike ride for the first 25 miles. I let people pass me and that was okay. It was my first 70.3 and I did not want to blow my wad on the bike. Also, my legs would not warm up. The air had a chill and my tri suit wasn’t drying. I held a decent pace until just before the first climb. My heart rate did not get above 130 bpm.
I needed to use the porta-potty so I decided to stop to relieve myself. I also had a PB and J sandwich that I had brought along. I re-mounted my bike with a sandwich in my mouth and I got the strangest looks from people as they rode by. I made my way to the first climb and saw a big ball of riders slowly going up the hill. I tried to settle in with the crowd but quite honestly, they were too slow. So I stood up and went up the hill. It was not as bad as anything I have trained on, so up I went. I passed the big ball of riders and once I got over the top I figured it was time to push it harder.
I pushed myself harder for the second half of the bike. I got my heart rate up to 150 and I knew I could hold it there with minimal difficulty. The rest of the ride was uneventful aside from the wind. That sucked.
The last long straight heading back to Oceanside was great. I got into my best TT position and just hammered. I looked at my speedo from time to time and it was always 26 or above. I figured I was making up some time and I passed some of the guys that had passed me at the beginning. When I got back into Oceanside and into the transition area, I felt really good. My heart rate was at 155. My legs felt good and I was glad I had Ron create that program for me. I did the bike in 3:00:06. I am sure I could have knocked at least 10 minutes off if I pushed a bit harder at the beginning and didn’t take a potty break.
I have only run four half marathons before and only once did I do it in less than 2 hours and that was 1:59:58. I looked at my watch and saw that I had 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish the run and I would make my 6 hour goal. I got off my bike and put on my running shoes. The rules state that during the run the bib must face forward, so I grabbed mine and went to move it to the front. As I pulled on it my bib ripped. Uh oh. I was concerned that I would be DQ’d if I ran without a bib so I stopped and asked a volunteer for help. It took an extra 30 seconds or so but we got my bib reattached and I was off and running. I could hear the announcer saying Michael Realert was the race winner. Damn those guys are fast.
I held a pace that I thought was doable for 13 miles. The sun was out and the day was warming up. I prefer the warm over cold. My heart rate was at 160 and I know I am good holding it at 170. I saw some of the leading pro females finishing their last loop as I was in the beginning stages of mine. Also saw my coach Ron and I shouted out encouragement to him. He looked too busy working on a podium finish to bother with a “middle of the packer.”
At the first turnaround I saw my heart rate was still just 160. I decided to try to pick up the pace but my legs wouldn’t go any faster. As I was coming to the end of the first loop, I began to get a cramp in my calf so I stopped to stretch it out. I looked at my watch and figured I might break 5:45 if I hold this pace. I decided to run through the cramp and hope for the best. At the 2nd turnaround I was able to push it a tiny bit more but still couldn’t increase my pace by much. My heart rate was still under 170.
At mile 12 I started to realize that I was going to be under 5:45. That was much better than I thought I was capable of doing. I made the final turn and headed to the finish. I had hoped to just finish the race and had a much better time than I anticipated. Although this was not Kona, I still filled up with a great sense of accomplishment. The picture my wife took of me as I approached the finish line, I think says it all.
I ended up with a run time of 1:57:39. It was my fastest half marathon yet. My overall time was 5:42:13. I placed in the middle of my age group but I am still dammed proud of my time. However, I wanna go faster.
Thanks Ron. Your program was a huge part of my “success.”
Oh yeah, and my buddy Stu did 6:15:22. Way to go Stu!
