Gulf Coast Triathlon 70.3

Gulf Coast Triathlon - 70.3

Date of Race: 05/07/2011

Total Race Time = 6h 25m 03s

Overall Place = 532/746

Age Group = Male 40-44

Age Group Place = 80/104

ATC - Atlanta Triathlon Club

PCB - Panama City Beach

OWS - Open Water  Swim

EFS - Electrolyte Fuel System by 1st Endurance

Okay, this is going to be a long one. I think I did this race in less time it took to write about it. I got into the nutrition detail, so that if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I'm open to hearing them. I think detailed race reports are very helpful to a newbie like me. This is my 3rd triathlon. I only did 2 sprints last year. I trained over the winter, dropped about 8 pounds(14 in the last year) and really worked on the swim. Swim used to be my weakest and I would never have considered myself a swimmer until this race. I set a good base to build on and improve upon on. It's going to be a great year.

Pre-race:  This was a mini vacation that started on Thursday and extended to Monday. Things got a bit busy for me before heading out of town and I was scheduled at the last minute for a job interview (confirmed Tuesday at 10 pm for an 11 am interview). The interview went great and that just got me more pumped up for the weekend (I'll know in another week or so if I got the job). It's been a challenge being freelance for the last 2 years. Keeping my fingers crossed and if I get it, I'll be able to do more races!

I didn't get a chance to clean my bike before hitting the road, so I packed up my bike stand, bucket and tools so that I could to it when I got to PCB. Had a good drive down with a fellow team member. We arrived at the house around 6 pm. We knew the house was going to be great. We got text messages with photos of the house from two other team mates that arrived earlier. It was awesome and we got a great deal on it. It was only 1 block from the beach and about 20-30 yards from the run course and about 1.5 miles to the transition area. There were a total of 13 staying at the house. We had another 2 show up an hour later and we all headed out to Schooners for dinner. Service & food was good. I had grilled Mahi Mahi with mashed potatoes. Later went to the beach and played volleyball in the dark with no net. Went back to the house to wait on the rest of the crew. I think I had 2 beers that night. I'd been drinking water all day.

The view from Schooner's back deck overlooking the Gulf.

Early group enjoying the sunset from Schooners. Great group to hang out and race with.

Host hotel

Friday morning, a group of us did a morning run to the pancake breakfast and checked out the expo. Registration wasn't until noon so we had to come back later. Ran back to the house for a total of 3 easy miles. Legs felt great. We packed up our wetsuits and gear to meet with other ATCers for an ocean swim. Water was cool but not cold. Since I have a sleeveless wetsuit, the armpits are always the ones that feel the cold so I gradually made my way into the water and then put my head in and blew bubbles. It's my way of getting ready for an OWS. BTW, this whole time, I'm not feeling nervous or any anxiety and that really surprised me. I think I was more anxious the previous week when I was watching the start at John Tanner. I probably swam 400-500 meters out to warmup and get comfortable. Wetsuit felt good and I didn't get that feeling like I wanted to rip the wetsuit off. I could see the swim exit, that was just to the left of a tall building. I used this to practice sighting on the way back. Since I was feeling good, I pushed a bit to see how it felt. I pushed a bit too hard and realized that I needed to dial it back a bit for a 1.2 mile swim. My sighting was good, I don't think I got off course. I was able to come out right in front of the swim exit point. Hung out at the beach with the rest of the ATCers then went to pick up registration and check out the expo again.

I washed the bike, lubed the chain and switched through all the gears as I rode down the street. Everything was running smoothly. The only thing I noticed was a small cut on the rear tire. I don't know how or when that happened. Tires held up during the race and I had no issues. Rode the bike to bike check and did the 1.5 mile easy run back to the house. Hung out at the pool (yes the house had it's own pool - did I mention the house was awesome!) and listened to my iPod. I had picked out a handful of songs that I wanted on my mind while I did the course, hopefully to motivate me and help with pacing. I started getting my nutrition ready before heading out for dinner. I lost track of time and missed the start of the dinner, luckily they were not only serving food but still bringing some out. There was no line or wait. Pasta was good, bread sticks were a little hard, they probably would've been better if I'd gotten there earlier. Got back to the house and hung out with everyone else, I also loaded the 2010 Ironman World Championship on my iPhone and watched that to get me more pumped for race day. I also had a 16 oz bottle of EFS before going to bed. I wanted to make sure I was hydrated and started off with some electrolytes.

Race morning with the sun starting to rise.

Race Day! Woke up at 4:30 am, put on my race kit and made sure to spray the chamois with TriSlide liberally. Had a cup of coffee, oatmeal, bagel w/peanut butter & banana. We all got a ride to transition. We arrived about 5:30. Got body marked, my transition area setup, sprayed on sunscreen and TriSlide, then put on my earphones and listened to my playlist while drinking another bottle of EFS (about 1700 mg electrolytes) until transition closed. Used the porta potty and then went down to the beach to meet up with other ATCers. We took a couple pictures, then I put on the rest of my wetsuit and got a short warmup swim.

One of these days, we'll get everyone together for a group picture. I think it would be easier herding cats.

Warm-up: Maybe swam 100 meters. Water felt comfortable. We lucked out this year with conditions. I think I peed twice before the start of my wave. Walked over to the staging area and got ready for my swim. There were 2 other team members in my wave. We wished each other luck and waited for the start.

Hanging out before a warmup swim and talking race strategy with club members.

Swim: I started towards the back and I didn't rush in, but this allowed me to feel relaxed and settle into a comfortable pace. The water was clear and visibility was 20-25 feet. I was surprised at how clear it was, I don't think it was that clear the day before. My sighting was good at this point. I saw the buoys and kept them to my left. Since I seemed like I was on course, I didn't sight as much, but when I did, it looked like I hadn't moved so I thought maybe there was a current and maybe I should pull harder. I concentrated on my pull and made sure I was getting full extension and getting proper rotation. I knew I wasn't falling behind because there were others around me in pink caps (men 40-44 wore pink swim caps). I was able to draft a little bit off of someone's feet and at one point was between two other swimmers and drafted for about 10-15 strokes until they moved closer and I got squeezed out. I finally saw the last buoy and made the turn. It got a little tight and I felt someone grab my calf a couple times. At this point I think I went a little off course. When I went to sight I expected to see the buoy directly ahead of me, but I didn't see it. Instead it was more to the right. I made the correction, got back on course and made the turn back to shore. This whole time I was trying to keep the buoys fairly close to my left side, but after I made the turn I disregarded the buoys and sighted just to the left of the building where the swim exit was, just like I practiced the day before. It seemed like everyone was further to the left, but I kept going and it was much smother and I didn't have to worry about anyone grabbing my calves. I was having a great swim, and by far the best OWS and longest one at that. I saw a lot of small fish and even saw a stingray, after looking it up, looks like it was an Atlantic Guitarfish.

Atlantic Guitarfish is actually more shark like than
stingray.

 As I got closer I could see the swim exit and I could see a flash going off from the photographer(s). I knew I was on course. Then I saw a red swim cap (previous group), so I knew I wasn't all the way in the back and was catching up. A minute later I saw a white cap (2 groups ahead), I was feeling really good and I knew I was having a great swim. I stumbled on the exit. I didn't have my land legs and they gave out as I tried to stand. I didn't run out until I was well out of the water. I started running when I reached the corral. I heard people call out to me, but it was a blur. I made it to the shower and took a couple extra seconds to rinse off. I also took my wetsuit off since there was a bench on the side.

The start and finish were actually reversed. We started on the west (W1 - W7) and finished on the east (E7 - E1).

Swim Time: 37m:36s

I had anticipated a 1 hour swim time based on conditions from last year and this being my first 1.2 mile swim in the ocean. When I got a chance to look down at my watch and saw 40 minutes as I headed back to transition, I was amazed. I was able to figure out that I had paced 1:56 /100m. Which isn't too far off of my 100m pace in the pool (1:45). Overall I'm extremely pleased with my swim and the 2-3 days/week in the pool payed off. I used the Xterra Vortex 3 Sleeveless wetsuit. They produce a high quality product for a lot less than their competitors and they always have some sort of discount. I also used the Aqua Sphere Kayenne swim goggles. I've tried several different pairs from several manufacturers and Aqua Sphere are my favorite.

My transition setup

T1: Obviously I need to work on my transition. I knew I would be slow, but I didn't think it would be over 5 minutes. I guess it took a bit longer to take the wetsuit off. I used TriSlide on my calves and ankles, but still had a bit of trouble peeling them off the legs. Since I'm short the bottom of the wetsuit legs reach down to my ankles. I'm now considering trimming off about 2-3 inches so that it makes it easier to take off. I'll have to think about it some more. 

I sprayed sunscreen on again. I put on my HR strap. Last year I wore it on the swim and it didn't register anything until after the race was over. I wanted to make sure I got some data this year. I had a bottle of water that I used to rinse off my feet and went without socks for the bike. I prepped my shoes with talcum powder when setting up my transition in the morning. As I was running out, I felt like I was missing something and right before I hoped on the bike I checked to make sure I had my helmet on and strapped & sunglasses. Everything was in place, so transition went smoothly which is why I'm surprised it was over 5 minutes.

T1 Time: 5m:26s

Bike: Felt great when I got on the bike and I was still excited about my swim. I was surprised that the first aid station was 5 miles in. I skipped it and later thought if that was a bad judgment call. Turns out I was fine. My bike computer was zeroed out in the morning and I switched it to see cadence and current speed. My primary focus was to make sure I was at a high cadence. I was in the small ring for 95% of the time. I think I only went to the big ring riding down the bridge. I was happy to see we had an entire lane closed for bikes only. It was a great sight to see an entire lane on the highway filled up with bikes. I wish there was a high vantage point to photograph that from. I think you have to be a cyclist to fully appreciate that. I definitely felt safe going out. Once we got on the main road out of PCB, it started getting a bit congested. I saw a lot of drafting, intentional or not, I don't know. I did see the USAT official ride up and watch a pack for a good minute or two and take down numbers. As I got to the 2nd aid station I was already low in my aero bottle and I knew I needed a new bottle. I had never grabbed a bottle while riding and it made me a little nervous. I slowed down and I was determined not to stop and refill, but to continue riding while refilling my aero bottle. Done. No issues. I think I need to get faster at this, because I can see my heart rate data and see exactly where I hit the aid stations. HR dropped 15 beats over almost 2 minutes before climbing up. Definitely loosing some time at the aid stations. There were some bumpy sections on the road that splashed water from my aero bottle, but I didn't loose that much. This is not the most exciting course and towards the end it got old. The only good thing was seeing all the ATCers out on the course. I was able to distract myself a bit by keeping an eye out and cheering when one would come by in the opposite direction or pass me. On the way back I felt the wind. Going out I was hitting 18-19 mph, on the way back it was 16-17 mph. I kept my cadence at 90-95 the entire time and kept my HR below LT(154). I average 150 over the course with a max of 165. As I headed back I let out a "Wooohooo!" when I saw the sign for PCB city limits. I was ready to get off the bike. Sitting in the saddle was getting uncomfortable, but no where near when I rode 80 miles several weeks ago (it seemed like I could feel every seam and stitching in my shorts). Okay, by this time I'm getting excited about my run. My bike was a little slower than I expected, but well within my range of estimated time, especially with a fast swim time.

Problem was I was already starting to feel bloated on the bike. So let's get into the nutrition. I was concerned about bonking on the run or slowing down the the back half of the bike. I started off with about 800 calories of Perpetuem in my first bottle, 1100 in the second bottle (I only drank about 3/4). I also cut up some Bonk Breaker, Cliff Bar and threw in some Clif Bloks for about 1100 calories. Because of the heat the Bonk Breakers & Clif Bar had started to stick together and I choose to go with the Perpetuem only after mile 25. I had the Clif Bloks and maybe 1 Bonk Breaker (only ate about 300-400 calories). I made sure I was hydrated and even though I didn't feel sweat on me, I tasted the salt when I poured some water on my head. I had about 54 oz of water with 6 Nuun tablets for about 1650 mg of electrolytes. I had to pee, but not immediately. I was able to wait until T2. Although I did try to go on the bike.

By my calculations I consumed about:

2,000 calories

54 oz of water (not counting water in Perpetuem mix)

1650 mg electrolytes

I screwed up something, because it definitely affected my run.

I'm okay with my bike time. I was shooting for 3 hours. Without the wind, I may have been able to make it. I may also have been able to push it a little bit harder on the bike. I'm pleased with my performance for my first HIM up to this point.

Feedback that I've gotten is that I consumed too many calories. I need to dial it back quite a bit.

Bike Time: 3h:14m:28s

AVG: 17.3 mph

T2: Came into transition and had some issue racking my bike. Looked like the guys on both side of me took too much room. I decided to go sock-less on the bike and that went okay. I got a small cut on my right foot where the tongue shifted and rubbed me at the top of my foot. Otherwise, feet felt great and I also went sock-less on the run. I had socks ready in case my feet had issues on the bike. I had done a 7 & 8 mile run without socks the previous weeks and had no issues. Once again, I prepped my shoes with talcum powder. I grabbed my race belt, visor and grabbed a flask with Hammer Gel. I stopped to pee before heading out of transition. I accidently opened the door on a guy although the handle showed it was available (green). I had to wait, and I made sure the door was locked when I went in. Apparently it didn't work because the same thing happened to me. It showed that it was available and another guy was able to open it. As I ran out, I told the next guy to expect the same thing to happen to him.

Okay, once again with almost 6 minute transition time. At least this time I had to pee and wait on the bathroom to become available. I got to learn how to do this on the bike.

T2 Time: 5m:58s

Run: Legs felt great. I wasn't getting the turnover that I expected (at least that's what it felt like), not that it would've made a difference. I was still feeling bloated and had fluid sloshing around in my stomach. I skipped the 1st aid station and drank a cup of water at the second. As soon as I started running again, I didn't feel good. That one cup just made my stomach feel worse. I decided not to drink a whole cup. I would take a couple sips and pour the rest over my head to make sure I stayed cool.  I walked through the aid stations hoping to settle my stomach. This went on for the entire run. When I would run, I would catch up and pass people that past me during the aid station. It happened so often that another runner and I introduced each other, his name was Butch and was 56 years old. He'd pass me, I'd catch up, pass him, and he'd say "there he goes". I  think the last time I saw him was around mile 8 and then post race.  Although it sounds like I had a terrible run, I was having a great time. It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't finish or even question why I signed up to do this race. At one point I did think about an Ironman, and my thought was "not yet", not never, just not yet. I'm not ready for it right now, I've got some things to figure out first. As I ran I encouraged other runners and thanked the volunteers & officers controlling traffic (I did the same on the bike). Towards mile 9 I started getting a bit tired. I was making sure I was taking Salt Stick. I ended taking 3 during the run. I only had a little of the gel. Mentally I was positive. I knew I wasn't bonking. It was the GI issue that made the run uncomfortable. There were a couple points when I would belch and I could taste the Perpetuem in the back of my throat. I actually considered throwing up to see if that would help. Maybe I should have. I had about 2.5 miles left and saw Elvis again and he was offering beer. He even commented on the number of ATCers he saw out on the course. I knew my goal was not going to happen and I was just enjoying my first half iron distance race, so I accepted and figured everyone else had a head start back at the tent (it was Bud Light or something similar, so it's basically water anyway). As I got closer I tried to pick up the pace. There was no way I was walking by our group or across the finish line. I was going to finish as strong as possible.

As I mentioned earlier I had a playlist of music that I was listening to. After watching a Youtube video using Eminem's "'Till I Collapse" for some Kona highlights, I memorized the chorus and it became my mantra during the last 3 miles.

'Till the roof comes off

'Till the lights go out

'Till my legs give out

Can't shut my mouth

'Till the smoke clears out

Am I high perhaps?

I'm going to rip this $hit

Ttill my bones collapse

It felt great to hear everyone cheering from the tent. Wow! What energy! I sprinted to the finish. Thanks guys!

After looking at the data, I was doing about 92-94 cadence. It felt slower, but glad the data shows otherwise. When I ran, I was around a 9:10 - 9:40 pace. If I can figure out the nutrition and fix the GI issue, I can really improve on the run and my overall time.

I didn't drink a lot along the run. I grabbed sponges, ice and whatever water I did grab, I only drank a couple of sips and poured the rest over my head. My feet felt fine and I had no blisters running without socks. My shoes got wet and dried quickly. Late last year I was having hip problems and found out it was the shoes I was running in, but only after I switched shoes. I got the K-Swiss Blade Light Run and the hip problem slowly went away. I had about 260 mile on the shoes by the end of Gulf Coast. They worked for me and I'll need a new pair soon.

Run Time: 2h:21m:38s

10:49 Pace

Enjoying my post race beer with fellow team mate
who finished 1st in her age group.

Post Race: Crossed the finish, grabbed my medal, got my picture taken. I went over to the food area. I didn't really feel hungry and I usually don't for a while after a hard workout, but I knew I needed some solid food. I had 2 slices of pizza then went to transition to change out of clothes, grab the cooler and meet the rest of the group at the tent. I had 1 beer and it seemed like it took forever to drink that pint. Before leaving Atlanta, I stopped off at Ale Yeah and picked up a couple 6 packs and a pint of "Wipe Out IPA" to celebrate surviving my first 1.2 mile ocean swim. When I got back to the house, I soaked my feet in the pool. It wasn't quite an ice bath, but the water was cold. I think that helped with recovery. Post race awards & party was great. I didn't think I would have the energy to go out and hang out, let alone dance, but the energy of this group is infectious and it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement. I didn't realize what I was getting into when I signed up for Gulf Coast. I didn't read last year's race reports until after I signed up and was told how hard it was. Had I read them, I may have not signed up. Ignorance is bliss, right? I'm so glad I did this race. It could have been in worse conditions, but as I've heard, it's not an easy race. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and glad I made a mini vacation out of it. I was considering doing Rev3 in Anderson, SC, but now I want to do Augusta with the rest of the club. There is so much energy and to see all those ATC uniforms along the course and to have the support of everyone racing and even spectating makes a world of difference when you're not having a great race.

Hanging out post race with the rest of the club cheering on those closing in on the finish line.

What would you do differently: I think I already covered them, but to recap:

Swim - great, but there's always room for improvement. I could've pushed a bit more.

Bike - Nutrition on the bike is critical for a great race. I need to work on that some more. I could've pushed a bit more. Learn to pee on the bike.

Run - Need to figure out the nutrition to make sure my run is good. I know I can do better.

Transition - these need to be quicker. I'll have to do a couple practice ones in my living room.

I'm throwing it out there, next HIM 6:00. That's the goal!

Initial feedback from some of the club members is that I consumed too many calories and that my body could not process it, therefore the cause of bloating. I'll be experimenting with my nutrition, logging and analyzing my caloric intake to find out what works for me.

Rate your overall experience with this race: 5 out of 5. Volunteers were great, there was plenty of food and water on the course. Pancake breakfast Friday morning, Pasta dinner Friday night, post race food & beverage all included in your entry - SCORE! For anyone considering doing this race next year, if your schedule allows it, do it. Don't be scared away by the ocean, wind or heat. Train over the winter and be consistent in your training and you can do this. You'll have a great time. If you can get an extra day, stay and enjoy the beach an extra day.

Already looking forward to next year.

Here are some photos from the official course photographer.

Heading out on the bike.

Early on the bike.

Starting my 13.1 mile run.

After passing the ATC tent and hearing
everyone cheer, I pick up the pace.

Strong finish!
Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.

I am a 1/2 ironman finisher.
Already training for the next 70.3 in the fall.

I can't say enough about the support from my friends and everyone in the Atlanta Triathlon Club. Anyone can do this. Commit to the training and you can cross the finish line. If you need a group to train with, check out the Atlanta Triathlon Club. They have excellent coaches and you'll never be without training partners to motivate and support you through this experience.