Jax Triathlon Olympic Tri
Starke, FL
October 24, 2020
RESULTS
OVERALL
SEX
DIVISION
13/92
12/57
3/7
Time 2:35:05
Highlights
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First Olympic Triathlon, 13th Overall, 3rd in Age
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Controlled Bike Segment Setup A Great Run
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4th Quickest Bike Split Overall, Run Pace 7:57
Race Report
Controlled Bike Pace Set-Ups Strong Finish On The Podium In Age Group Competition
After placing 4th overall and leading the bike segment just two weeks ago in Ponte Vedra, I decided to test my fitness and move up to the Olympic distance of .93 swim, 24.4 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. This would be my first time racing in a distance other than a Sprint. Life challenges almost made me decided to not race, but I decided on the last night for registering that I was not going to let these issues keep me from doing something that I not only enjoy but was confident I could do well.
With my registration in place, I began calculating my goal which was 2:30:00. I am still working on improving my swimming so I didn't set too big of a goal for that segment. In my mind, it came down to a run pace that would push me but I thought would be obtainable provided I could be very efficient on the bike. To hit my goal, I would need a bike average speed of at least 22 mph and a run pace of 8:00 mins per mile. That's pretty lofty for me considering I have never done this distance. However, I was confident that if I could keep my heart rate around 160 bpm, I would be in good shape to run. My reason for choosing 160 bpm was due to a 58-mile bike ride I did back in May this year. During that ride, I would average 22.4 mph with an average heart rate of 159.
The Race
As the siren went off, I began swimming trying to not go out too fast. It was a beautiful morning with perfect temperatures. The water was clear and I was settling in. I was surprised at the fatigue I was feeling in my shoulders due to the wetsuit being fairly tight. The lake swim reminded me of my dad and when I was a Boy Scout. At scout camp, we would need to perform a swim test to be eligible to take canoes onto the lake. In my mind, I could hear Dad telling me I was doing great. I would exit the water about 32 mins after the race began about 11.5 minutes behind the leader and in 34th position. I jogged to transition excited to pilot the J120 Jeddy1 and to see if all the work I have been doing aerodynamically to the bike and my overall fitness would be there.
As I set off on the bike, I had only one goal to hit an average speed of 22 mph and then just hold it. I reached that avg. speed by mile number 8. From there is was controlling the pace to be ready for the run. The table below shows both the average speed and average heart for each mile.
For the entire bike ride, my average heart rate would be 156 bpm with a max of 166 with an average speed of 22.1 mph. Contrast that to Sprint race in Ponte Vedra where I averaged 175 bpm and average speed of 24.2 mph. With the bike now complete, I was ready for the run or at least I thought I was.
Just as I passed through the timing lining to start the run segment, I went to hit the lap button on my Garmin. The problem, however, was that I left the watch still attached to my bike. I nearly turned back to grab it but having already passed the timing line I didn't want to risk a timing issue. So with no feedback on my pace, heart rate, and cadence, I began running. Was I going too hard or was I not going hard enough. My perceived effort was that I was going as hard as I could with over six miles in front of me. A friend who has become a friendly rival was behind me when we started the run. About 1.5 miles down the road, I would begin to hear footsteps. I would say, "Mark is that you?" Sure enough, it was. I asked him how fast he was running and to my surprise, he said that the first mile was about 7:15 pace. Mark would begin to pull away from me, but I kept turning my legs over. Around 2.6 miles, I would pass a runner and ask him his pace. In Spanish, he would say "8:30" This was encouraging since I was running fast than him. So between the two runners, I knew I was running somewhere around 8:00 mins per mile, but I was definitely suffering. With over a mile left, I developed a bit of side ache that I eventually stopped running and walked for just a bit to get it to subside. I am actually not sure if having the watch would have been a benefit. I just kept running as hard as I possibly could. The miles turning to meters, the course beginning to have spectators on the sides, and finish line with insight. I was completely smoked but felt like I had given it one helluva an effort. At the line, my time would be 2:35:05 and my run pace would be 7:57, but I would later discover that bike was 1.3 miles longer and the run was also longer by .17 miles. My adjust time compared to my goal was 2:30:15 or 15 seconds over the time I was shooting for. I could have been more thrilled with the effort. The time would be good enough for 13th overall and
3rd place in my division.
What I Learned
I learned a few things fromt his race, but there are two in particular I will discuss. The first was how hard that run was. I have a half-ironman goal to run at that pace, but that is more than twice the distance. So I will need to do a lot more cardio work to have the kind of fitness required to hit that goal. The other thing I learned was that I could have gone fast on the bike by both pushing a little harder (I was probably a little too conservative looking at the heart rate data) and being better at where on the course to put down the power and where to coast a little more.
Closing
To close, I just wanted to send some #ThankU's. First, thanks to DRC Sports and the triathlon community for putting this event on. 2020 has just been a crazy year for the community so any race is just a blessing to be able to participate in. Second, thanks as always to my wonderful wife for her love and support. Thank you Jesse fAllen for also coming and for taking great pictures. Lastly, thanks to all my family, friends, and the triathlon community for all the support throughout the training schedule. The words of encouragement go a long way to continue to do the work all for days like this which makes it all worth it.
Jay Gardner
