Matt Chappell: "Faithful powermeter reigns in the horses at Eagleman"

Jun 30 at 10:40am | 0 comments

2009 Eagleman Ironman 70.3

It’s hard to believe a full year has passed since I officially drank the triathlon "Gatorade”.  At last year’s Eagleman I caught the Ironman bug and later signed up for Lake Placid.  The race this year was no less exciting as I raced with my dad in his second ever triathlon.  I’ve been inspired by his quest to learn to swim and train over the past six months and was pumped to race along side, or in front of , him. The buildup for the race was great as we compared our strategies for the race and did some training together.

                                                             

The day before the race was nice and relaxing.  I got to catch up with my family and lounge around the monstrous Hyatt and its many pools.  After a leisurely dinner complete with dirt pie for dessert (which I hadn’t seen since 3rd grade) we retired to bed anxious for the day ahead.  I was relatively relaxed this year but was nervous for my dad and hopeful that his experience was every bit as fulfilling as mine.

The temperatures on race morning were refreshingly cool.  I lost the swim wave lottery and started about an hour after my dad.  I hoped to spend the extra time making a few last minute adjustments on my bike, strapping on gels, etc.  Unfortunately the transition area closed after the first wave started and I ended up shivering on the beach waiting for my start.  Finally my time came and I started the swim.  The water was warmer than the air and felt really good however it was choppy this year.  I was able to stay with a core group of swimmers the whole way and take advantage of some drafting.  It was great to be in the mix and jockeying for position (I like to imagine we were battling for first).  43 minutes later I emerged and prepared for the bike.

Looking at the splits I realize that I obviously get distracted and give up way too much time in the transition area!  Eventually I made it onto my bike and was really excited after the first 40 miles - I felt good and despite having conservative power goals was averaging over 25mph.  My mind was racing: If I can keep this up I may handily beat my time last year…Hmmm.  Well, all of my visions of a speedy bike split quickly vanished once the wind picked up.  The final16 miles were much slower.  I resisted the temptation to hammer and trusted my faithful power meter to reign in the horses.  It was tough to see my speed drop below 20mph but I reminded myself to stay calm and think about this race in the context of Lake Placid.  This strategy didn’t work as my knees started shaking thinking about all of those hills.  I settled on visions of a tropical beach…

                                         

After wrapping up the bike, and apparently losing my way in the transition area again, I started my run.  My strategy was to drink a cup of Gatorade and water at each station (along with a few Endurolyte tablets every 40 minutes).  In the week leading up to the race I had two terrible brick workouts resulting in shin splints so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Fortunately my legs cooperated today.  I felt strong the whole run and was able to really enjoy the race, look around, and even smile.  I ran into my dad on the course and offered him some salt.  I felt like Santa.  I ended up giving out more salt to struggling athletes on my way back towards the finish.  I was having such a good time taking it all in, giving out salt, etc that the race was over before I knew it.  Turns out I posted a 1:37 run split which brought my total time to 5:12.  Not too shabby.  My dad put up a great race as well and had so much fun that he’ll be back next year.  Eagleman yet again exceeded all expectations and further stoked my enthusiasm for Lake Placid in a few weeks!

Joey Dussich: Rev3 Half Iron, "Really cool race!"

Jun 09 at 10:25am | 0 comments

All week leading up to the race, I wanted to make sure my bike was ready, especially since I would be riding a disk for the 1st time.   Had a 404 on the front, which meant I had to carry 1 of each tube in my saddle bag.  I have been trying out new nutritional products, so this is a big test!  I am trying to avoid the stitch I have gotten in past races this season.

                                                           

Swim: Water is flat.  My wave goes off right after the pros.  Started out fast…got a little panicked in the 1st 5 or 6 minutes...I tend to get anxious when I lose my breath and over think…that settles.  Found my stroke and took off.  I was alone the majority of the swim.  I’m not fast enough to be in the lead pack, but too fast for the middle pack.  I come out of the water in 31:20, 6th in my Division…good swim time for me.
Transition is a little bit away; I notice my HR is at 171!!!  I try to hold off.

Strip down, run out on the bike, shoes are already clipped in…I start pedaling…1 shoe on, good, 2nd shoe is unstrapped, which requires me to pull over and adjust…no biggie.  And I’m off on the bike.  My HR was in the 160’s to high 150’s for the first 10 minutes…I try to lower it, but the beginning of the course is hilly…about 5 miles in, I feel like maybe my disk is rubbing or something...I stop, check everything out, seems good.  I start to boogie, HR is still high, but in the 140’s…I start another climb around mile 16 and I notice my front end is bouncy!  Damnit! A FLAT!!!  I have never had a flat before in a race. I must have jinxed myself!  Ugh!  I pull over, 10 minutes later, I’m back out….nervous whether or not I put enough air in the tire…not a good course to be 2nd guessing your tire on…lots of accents and descents. I learned that getting a Flat tire, actually kind of messes with you mentally.  You know you are kind of out of the hunt, and now you’re riding and passing a completely different group. Legs feel pretty strong.  Mile 23-32 is a long climb, not too bad, but taxing...
Tough bike course overall, but fun!  I come in at 3:07, really 2:57, but such is life!
 Kept my nutrition up, hopefully I won’t get the dreaded stitch I always get.

I start off the run…1 big mistake…I have only done 2 ½’s before…I don’t remember if I wore socks, but Man I wished I did today!  Lesson learned...Olmpic and sprint, no socks ok…1/2 and full IM, need socks!  I’ll explain later.  I start with a high cadence...HR in the high 140’s, touching 150.  I am not going to be able to keep it down...I decide just to run smart, but understand that my HR is going to run high today.  I was actually holding a 7:30-8 minute mile pace.  I run smart, hold back…hit the hills…Brutal!  Mile 5, my feet start talking to me...oh no, am I starting to blister…then they really start to get iritated, but I can push through…stitch is back in full force!  I walk a bit through the aid stations and try to flex it out. The hills on this course are insane!  Really hard to keep HR down, but even harder to keep a rhythm…after about mile 7, it becomes more manageable, although my feet are miserable!  I had a serious cramp in my stomach and walked a bit...then at mile 9, I say screw it and drop it...I start to pick it up, HR around 165, cadence high, stomach flexed, I start cruising!  I would love to see my splits at this point..I start picking people off, feet are screaming, I am in pain!  I end up racing a 22 yr old girl for the last 3 miles, each of us pushing each other.  I finish with a 1:54…eh, could be worse, but I should have done better….Blood is now visible on the outsides of both shoes…I bleed straight through them.

End time 5:38...not entirely happy with result, but I learned a lot.

Really cool race!  Great if you want to see a huge pro field up close...Very unforgiving though.  It was great to read a quote from Matt Reed that said:
"Oh god, that was the hardest course I’ve ever done!” said Reed regarding the relentless hills of the Connecticut countryside that tested a tough field on the bike and run.
  So cool!