Race Report - Cascade Lake Sprint Duathlon

Race day started cold and dreary.  Wet roads, clouds, and sub 40 degree temperatures meant this race was easily outside of my comfort zone.  Despite the conditions, I was determined to repeat the success of the previous two years in which I had come in 1st and 2nd respectively in this race.  In conditions like these, nutrition is a key element.  This being the case,  of course,  I forgot to check my supply of Hammer nutrition Endurolytes that I carry in my bike bag.  Normally I take 2 Endurolyte tablets 1 hour prior to race start.  However, when I checked my supply I found I had run out!  Never a good sign, I decided to drink a little extra Hammer nutrition Heed prior to starting the race.


Run #1

The race went off on time and and I stuck to my plan of running slightly faster than my training pace since the first mile is downhill.  I went through the first mile @6:52 so I knew I was just about on target.  The next mile is uphill so I expected my time to slow and it did.  I was looking to run a 7:45 to 8:00 pace, but I was slightly off that time and the cold was definitely affecting my breathing.  Despite feeling winded my pace was about the same as last year even though I didn't feel nearly as good.

T1

T1 went smoothly and I made up time on some of my rivals and even passed a few as I left transition.

Bike

I started well, passed a few people in the opening 1/2 mile, which is straight downhill, before you turn onto the first climb of the race.  I was rolling at close to 30 mph just as I hit the first climb and took a few swallows of Heed. Within a few pedal strokes I knew this was going to be a long day.  The Cascade Lake bike course is nothing but one hard climb after another.  I can usually tell on the first climb how I am going, and I knew pretty early on I was not going well.  Despite putting up good power numbers in training, I was unable to replicate those numbers in the race.  Look at the difference in time between the first climb (0.6 miles in length) last year and this year:

• 2015 Climb #1: 3:04 12.6 mph
• 2016 Climb #1: 3:29 11.0 mph

That's a huge disparity coming so early in the race.  Granted there was a headwind, but that does not explain the entire time loss.  I was also none too pleased to see 2 of my age group rivals pass me on the climb.  So I began a chase that would last the entire bike leg.  My times as the race went on got better, but nowhere close to last year.  For most of the bike leg I could see my rivals but whenever I tried to close the gap, it would get a bit smaller then balloon out again on the way up the next climb.  Finally I decided to just pace the bike as best I could and let the run decided the outcome.

T2

T2 was quick and uneventful.  I finished off my Heed from the bike and out I went.

Run #2

My running has been improving greatly the last two years so I felt confident I could close at least some of the gap on my rivals.  I wasn't sure if it would be enough but I was going to give it my best shot.  It really just depended on how much time I needed to make up.  Unfortunately the last run is only 2 miles.  I was running strong right out of transition and immediately passed some other runners.  After about 1/4 of a mile I could see the two guys in my age group who were ahead of me.  They were a good 90 seconds up on me by my estimation.  I needed to run really fast to close such a big deficit.  One guy I passed latched onto me and we ran together until about 1/4 of a mile from the finish, when I upped the pace just to make sure I didn't lose my overall place.  To make a long story short I didn't catch my two rivals and ended up third in my age group.  I did manage to pass other runners and hold off any chasers so the race was not a total loss.

I didn't feel tired at all after the race.  That is a good sign my fitness was there even if my race results didn't show it.  I also stuck to my nutrition plan (with the exception of the missed Endurolytes, which I re-ordered I might add) and I think that kept me in the race.  I downed a bottle of Recoverite to jump start my recovery as soon as I crossed the finish line.  Hard to be too disappointed with third place, especially when the top step was in reach.  Check back in 3 weeks time to see how I manage in my first triathlon of the season.

Peace and good training.

Coach Rob