Category: Duathlon

Cycling In The Rain

Sunday, June 24, 2018

This race is the kick off to the MultiSport Canada Duathlon season at the Welland International Flatwater Centre

This is a race I have always tried to do better at since the course is so flat with some small hills on the run; my last couple of races here has been a bit of a disaster in my books. Last year I tried an organic gel before the run and things went south real quick. I know I can do much better and need this to build my confidence up for the 2018 racing season.

2016: 1:14:04 2017 1:14:04.

Since being on an AIP elimination diet for the last three years I have been learning to train running on an empty stomach which can be challenging at times. I have not done that leading up to this season however I spent more time working on my running as I feel it’s my weakness. So I took out a gym membership in the winter months to spend more time on the treadmill doing speed workouts. It worked to a point until I felt I was getting shin splints with swelling and had to back off. This would cost me to miss the Paris to Ancaster 70k bike race again.

With very heavy rain in the forecast, this race is a long drive from my hometown and means getting up at 3:30am in the morning to be out and on the road by 4:30. I prepare breakfast in a shaker bottle to consume at 5am while on route to the race site. I am trying carb loading this year to see if I can raise my energy levels as I have been running with dead legs lately and cannot figure out the problem.

I am trying out these new set of bike Blade wheels that  I purchased late last year. The bike course was held on fully closed roads and that’s new for this year and the course was flat and SUPER FAST!!

In Training I found these wheel to be quite a bit faster than my smaller Shimano carbon wheels, however I made sure I was more aero in my riding position,. I checked that my aero-bars were level and not pointed down or up as sometimes they will get knocked off center after hitting some ridiculous pot holes.

Mass Start

The mass start is in an enclosed fenced in chute, the trouble with being fenced in you had better get there early if you want to get over the start line fast as you can be stuck behind or boxed in by slower athletes making it more challenging to to to the sweet spot in the pack. I prefer to stick to the outside as it’s a great spot to break out from plus it’s always nice to see your fan taking pictures on your way out. I like to try and stay ahead or just behind my competitors so it’s not too hard to catch up especially if I have a slow run as I can probably make up some valuable time on the bike.

The sky did not look healthy, there was dampness in the air and a bit of a chill. I am hoping for a dry run but you can never tell how you will feel when the worst in weather appears with it ugliness. It didn’t take long for the spirit of the race to change trying to avoid splashing competitors as you passed them, then when the sky’s opened up and poured down in buckets it didn’t seem to matter any more because it was a race in a torrential downpour of rain. It got dark real quick and things cooled off in a hurry, that made it cooler for me.

Rose City Welland Run Map

I recall a competitor in front of me and thought that’s why you should never race in padded cycling shorts. From behind the shorts were soaked and hung down like a baby’s diaper with big load. That was funny and I am sure it was a struggle for him.

There was some confusion among-st us as to how many loops we had to do, was it on the first run or the second. Usually it is one loop out and back but this year it was a 2-1/2 loop done twice to keep us out of traffic. I like this as it has been a little scary in the past with cars trying to squeeze between us and the local police doing a great job of controlling traffic. But accidents can happen, you never know.

I finished my first loop in reasonable time that I was happy with and had the feeling running I was running on an empty tank and had to keep pushing my self to not slow down. My mind games oh he just passed you cannot catch him now he is gone. Never mind it too late now. I was glad to see the last 300m and the finish line just up the hill, but it looked confusing in the pouring rain as witch way to go around the pillions to make it to the straight path to the finish.

Rose City Welland Bike Map

Bike

I ran into transition with hopes of getting back out quickly and avoiding any slips or falls in the pouring rain, having to deal with taking soaked running shoes off may be a bit tricky. i am so glad i put my bike shoes in a dry bag to make it a bit more comfortable and easier to get on and out the transition.

As it would be I had an eye on anther athlete that I wanted to stay ahead of, he is like my gauge on how well or badly I am doing. I saw him still getting his running gear on as I was working my way out of the back of the transition area, just as I thought today was my lucky day I got block as a slower athlete  that stepped out in front of me and blocking the two lane exit, moments later the competitor headed out in front of us free and clear with a good head start. I would have to work hard in the pouring rain to catch him as he is very competitive on the bike.

When I ran through the mud and puddles to the road I had already decided to push the bike as hard as my tired legs would allow, and I was quite happy with how they well the recovered from the run. The course was quite flat with some small climbs, and while there was a lot of rain and fog  during my ride, there were a few spots on the course where the puddles turned into lakes and made us squeeze close to the center line on the road to avoid the water, I got caught on the first loop with my head down and not looking ahead when I started across a bridge and hit a wall of water of about 2-3 inched deep that slowed me down dramatically, but I never had trouble passing athletes and kind of liked the 3-lap course  I had difficulty seeing my bike computer because the rain came down so hard. I was not paying attention to the number of laps and got to a good position when it was time to exit the road and head back to transition. Opps as one of the judges asked is that three laps as i was slowing down and I could finally see my computer and looks down and it said 13 km rather than the 18 I thought it said. Just then the competitor I had caught up to and passed went flying by me. Oh My here I go again, good thing the rain was so cool that it kept me from overheating so I could push harder to get my position I has lot  to many. I did get my position back plus some. I tried hard at the end to get my average speed up, managed 31.06 km/h but didn’t have enough time to do better. Still very happy with my bike considering my setbacks.

T2

I ran into transition, ripped off my soaking wet water filled bike shoes, and grabbed my Argon18 E112.” I felt soaked to the bone and chilled cold from the constant downpour of rain, I did not use jells or any commercial electrolyte drink. I carefully put my Giro Air Attack shielded helmet on the aerobars face down to keep the water out.

Run

I got into my running shoes as quickly as possible for the final 2 loops of a 5k run along the waterfront trail. Out and back up the same hill that seems tough, it is if you are pushing it too hard and it is a very short climb.  I found there was confusion as to the number of laps to do and the turn around seemed to be confusing as it seemed there was a crossover to get to the finish.  I admit I was confused as I usually am at this point in the race. My brain seems to drain as my energy levels drop, I try to conserve to keep my focus and then burn up whats left in the tank within the last 500mt.

My second run was about 5% slower than my first run at a 4:58 pace, I usually do a lot better in the runs but for some reason Rose City has been a challenge for me. I still pushed as hard as I could, but it certainly wasn’t my fastest running pace as I had done much faster in my training. However when I ched the number it was satisfying 23 over all 17th in my gender and 1st in my category. Went from 26 to 23rd in running, but had made up time on the bike and was in 20th overall.

Finish/Conclusion

I was over 5 minutes slower than my 2017 race even though I did not do very well on the run, still slower than this race by over 8 seconds per km. My bike last year however was almost 5km/H faster due to the dry roads even though it was not a closed course like this one. I am still very happy with my results on the bike.

Race Stats:

• Time: 1:18:48.2
• Men 55-59: 1/3
• All men: 17/34
• All athletes: 17/62
• 2.5k Run: 11:37.4 (4:38 min/km)
• 20k Bike: 38:38.4 (31.06 km/h)
• 5k Run: 24:52.7 (4:58 min/km)

I am still trying to figure out my nutrition to avoid the energy drain and really bad brain fog that hold me back from doing better.  The Welland Rose City race is a great gauge for me to figure out what I have to do in my training to better prepare my self for the up coming races.

I have to give a huge shout-out to the Multi-Sport Canada and its supporters and volunteers for making the race  possible in the drowning rain.  Oh did you see Simon Donato promoting his brand Stoked Oats, he is an athlete that was in the Travel+Escape Adventure TV series  Boundless with Paul “Turbo” Trebilcock from Hamilton Ontario.

Its back to work for the next race July 15th at Gravenhurst, this is a race I have never done before. Cottage Country here I come.

If you can run and ride a bike you can do this too.

I participated in my first multisport event today, having been injury free and with very little back pain to worry about it was time to git-r-done.

I have been cycling for about five years now, this year having the lowest mileage to spend more time working on my running. I have always thought cycling was my best sport.

Feeling depressed due to back injuries over the last couple years and hurting my lower back again in the early spring there were thoughts of not competing again this year in a triathlon. I knew it was time to re-think my plans and take what ever is the best and healthiest route to take. Since I have not been in the pool or water since March 2013 it was easily a good choice to do a Duathlon instead. I can always work on my swimming when the season is over.

I was really only going to do Lakeside but after training by myself and trying brick work discovered the pain of leg cramps during the bike to run transitions. I learned early in the real race I would not give up so easily. I endured and stretched while on the run. My training was short lived.

I reduced my bike rides from 120 km to just 60 km with the bike club so I could not over train leading to injuries. This happened before while training to do a marathon which side lined me for the summer.

My running has been increasing since I joined another running club. It was great, and I felt comfortable running at their level. I was running up to 54 km prior to racing the Duathlon.

I cut back mid week to rest my legs prior to the race, and focused on getting 7-8 hours sleep and increasing my carbs in the later part of the week. I avoided foods that would upset my stomach. I was very nervous as I really dislike crowds of any size.

My biggest worry was not having enough time to prepare and how was I getting on and off the bike with road shoes without falling over. I trained Thursday before the race and headed to the park to practice getting on and off the bike while running in road shoes. This is probably one of the best things I did to prepare as it was so fast and easy going in and out of transition.

I was so nervous race morning having to get up so early and drive in the dark worrying about my upset stomach. I figured getting there early would help reduce the stress and settle things down a bit.

Arriving at the park in the fog was a sight, there were very few athlete’s in the parking lot. I had forgotten which order I was to get ready. I took my bike to the transition and found a spot as close to the exit to rack my bike. Then I went and checked and and forgot my ankle timing chip which my wife reminded me to get. I had stripped my bike down to the bare bones leaving just my Xlabs aero hydration bottle. No tool kit or spares. I even took off and extra bottle holders a couple weeks prior to the race.

The Duathlon started and ended in Couchiching Park. The transition area is in a fenced in grassy area near the beach. The Triathlon was started 15 minutes before the Duathlon. I paid one last visit the the bathroom before I started a running warm up. I may have run slow and quick bursts for about 2 km before taking shelter behind a building to keep out of the cold wind.

I had placed my bike helmet upside down over the drinking straw from my aero-bottle to keep it in place while I did the first run. I also put a red towel on the ground with my road shoes placed so I could easily jump into them prior to running out of the transition with the bike. I decided to wear my sun glasses to avoid confusion during T1 and T2. I also wore my visor. I put one GU plain gel in my back jersey pocket then decided to tuck it into my right pant-leg of my shorts when it fell out into the back of my shorts.

About 66 runners had lined up and I positioned my self near the front after checking out the best possible spot to start without getting trapped near the back. This would give a bit of advantage not having to worry about trying to make my way through the runners like I had to do last year at the zoo run in Toronto. I was in the wrong corral and should have been in the first wave of runners as I ended up catching the first wave and did not want to do that again at this race.

It was a fast start, the 2 km run was my fastest ever. I really don’t know how but I did it in 7.51 minutes. I didn’t stop for any water at the two aid stations I passed. As I ran up the hill I could see my wife smiling as I ran down the other side of the hill into the grassy transition area. As I passed over the time strip I noticed a bunch in front of me in half dressed wet suits.

I ran a short distance to where my bike was racked near the end of the second row. I put my helmet on first, backwards then realized and turned it around. Quickly I kicked off my running shoes then slipped on my road shoes and push the Velcro straps down. I suddenly arranged my running shoes for the T2 transition. It took 1:26, not too bad.

I ran out with the bike quickly and slowed enough that I could clip in my left foot as soon as I crossed the line and had enough movement to throw my right leg over and head up the hill. There was a big pack close to greater with all different types of bikes and skill levels. I waited and passed when safe and within the rules. I felt really good as it picked up good speed and starting passing many riders while in the aero-bars. This was an advantage for me.

The 30 km bike route was well marked every 10 km.  I saw a good number of riders with flats, I think that was good to take some extra caution and not push so hard on corners of bad roads. I pushed steady and kept passing where I could. I did get blocked by riders riding side by side for too long and I yelled out and just then someone passed me over the road line into oncoming traffic. With about 10 km left in the bike race I took in a jell and planned my stretches to the last 3 km. I raced down the hill to the finish line and my brakes squealed as I UN-clipped my right foot as I rode with only my left foot clipped in and my right foot behind ready to land. Just as my right foot touch down the back of the bike popped up and I un-clipped my left foot and started running. I heard cheers from fans that mad me feel great. I even passed another running in bike shoes.

T2 time was 1:15, a lot quicker. I ran out the other end of the transition area and headed down the first hill. I looked at my Garmin watch to see if my pace was not too fast or slow. I was running about the same as the first run, just under a 4 min km. I passed the first aid station and passed on the water.

I could feel my chest getting tight and acid working it’s way up my throat. I would walk through the next aid station to settle it down. About one third of the way through the 7 km run I could feel pain just over the inside of my left knee. I slowed down to reduce any risk of injury and focused on good form. I eventually stopped half way to massage it. I picked up the pace again as I stared to catch my list spot. The the pain struck again, once more I stopped to attend to my knee and then finally I could make a good pace to the finish with about 2 km to go. I rounded some corners and finally saw the end in sight and opened my stride but not too much. It took 36:51 to do the 7 km sprint. I was disappointed but realized I was there to have fun doing my very first Duathlon.

The race took 1 hour and 50 min. I was so glad when I looked at the stats board that I came in 5th place in my age group and 18th over all. I was so excited I had done so well considering my knee problem.

I plan on doing one more race this summer, but hope to train for a triathlon for next season.