Hello from Quebec, Can

Racing in Tempe, Arizona last weekend was a nice break from the cool temps in Quebec and a good race to finish off the season.

The temperature ended up being almost perfect, a little cool in the morning, but perfect in the afternoon. The wind was fairly calm, increasing slightly throughout the day. The temperature of the water was 62deg, so a full-length wetsuit was definitely recommended.

The wide swim start at Tempe town lake made for little physical contact, amongst the pros at least, and wavy for most of the 3.8k.  I started in a good position, just a little off centre (it seemed like there were 2 groups, left and right). The whirlpool effect was working well, but unfortunately the big pack split just before half way. This is why it is good to be at or near the front of the pack, one would not miss the break. But, I missed the break, but stayed comfortably in a pack of 5-6.  The pace was too easy, so I had a bad feeling it was not going to be a fast time. I exited the steep ladder in just under 57mins and comfortable…aside from cold feet. It was a few mins slower than the 53-55min swim that I was hoping for, but okay for the long day to come.

I quickly mounted my bike and was off on the relatively flat and technical course; including many turns and navigation passing on the 2nd and 3rd loops. I followed my watts and HR via my computer and Timex race trainer, so I was aware that I was not over exerting myself, rather maybe taking it too easy. My watts dropped on the 2nd and 3rd loops, but I was riding the same speed as 4 other competitors in my proximity. I think I am better off all alone, but it is hard to stay that way on a course such as this. My HR varied between 110’s and 120’s, so I know it was attainable to maintain, but maybe not aggressive enough. Thanks to Doug Berner for the the Orbea bike tune-up resulting in perfect shifting. My eventual time on my Orbea, (TT bike) was 4h43. Not the 4:30’s I was hoping for, but I exerted less effort. One big side not is that I missed my special needs which contained 1300 kcal of my planned energy;  therefore very impt and a foreshadowing of things to come. Off to T2…

After changing my shorts and race belt for running gear I began running olong the lake at 5h45 on the clock. I was hoping for 5h30-45, so I was at the at the end of my goal range. I knew that under 9hrs was still very doable, as I have been focusing on my run since IM Lou. However, my stomach was upset and therefore difficult to push my HR up to my level of fitness. Due to the fact I missed my special needs, I was very short on cals and I grabbed a gel or 2 at every aid station the first 5 miles. At mile 4 on the run I stopped at a port-a-pottie to go pee, but quickly realized something else was coming out as well (I had diarrhea). I continued on, running around 7min per mile, but every time I had to stop (5 times by the end) I lost a min or 2 and could not run hard for very long before my stomach started turning again. In order to keep enough energy I ate around 15-20 PowerBar gels on the course, compared with my usual 2-3. This may have aggravated my upset stomach.  After the first lap of 3, I was still on a pace to go under 9hrs, but the continued toilet stops was meaning that I had to speed up to stay on pace.

At the end of the day I am overall very content with my effort and taper, giving me a 9:08 time and feeling great muscularly and physically (heart and lungs) right to the end. My stomach ended up being an unfortunte limiting factor today. The ironic thing is the day before I was discussing digestive problems with Kim Loeffleur who had could not run in both Hawaii and FL due to digestion problems. I guess after my race she may not be considering my suggestions.

Now, a few months of general cardio, strength and specific sport technique work before specific preparations for a spring 70.3.

Happy training,
Dave

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/daveharju/Library/Mail%20Downloads/Race%20Report-KY_2011.doc

Here we go again, 2011 is the 4^th time going to Louisville of its 5 year existence (however 3 years ago I did not race because of 3 broken ribs 3 wks prior- just trained there).

I really like the bathtub-like 86 degree warm water, even though it is in the Ohio river, which is probably not the cleanest.  The 2011 edition brought a much smaller pro men’s field and a larger and strong pro women’s field.  The men’s race had 2010 champ Paul Ambrose, 2009 champ Chris McDonald and 2^nd place 2010 WI Roman Guillaume amongst others.  With the new points system for pros wanting to go to IM Hawaii, athletes now have to be more selective in their race choices.  Less pros also means more time totally alone (like me).

After having 2 cortisone shots in my shoulder and not swimming for almost 6 months (then limited to 2-3x/ week), I was not sure what to expect in the swim.  As well, I fought a long 2-year battle with tight and sore gluts that greatly impeded my long distance and speed training; thank heavens for x-country skiing in Valcartier.  Finally, IM Louisville was also going to be my first “real” race of the year after riding an extra 10miles at Mooseman 70.3 in June.  I attended the World Military Games in Brazil the 25^th July, as the CF coach of the program.  This was an amazing experience and the race was the same weekend as IM LP, which is normally a staple in my calendar.  I was just going to do the best I could, confident that I could not have done any more and I would be content what my body was to give me on the day.

Fast forward to race day.  The taper went well even though I did my longest run of 2hrs, in over a year, was 2 weeks before the race.  Once in Louisville, it was quick to see that the temps were going to be much warmer than Quebec or Brazil (winter there).  The first day the mercury hit 102 F and it stayed in the 90’s with high humidity all week long.  Race day however, was going to be slightly cooler, as the forecast was for 85-90 deg.  Bring on the heat!

Race morning at 05:00 it was 76, so no real need for warm-ups and there is a 1.5k walk to the swim start, so no sense in wearing too much clothes.  The pro mass start is 06:50 with the age-group athletes starting at 07:00 separated by 3 secs each.  I chose to start on the right side (big mistake to find out later) and figured it would give me an exit route if I was getting hit.  However, there was a pro women just on my left that was losing the main group and I could not get over to where they were.  After realizing I was not going to get around her and she was not going to move over I chose to slow down, let her go and go to the left side.  The next 3.5k she was 5-10m in front of me and the guys I wanted to be with, and they were 10m ahead of her.  This gap grew the last 500m-1k and we ended up 45-50sec behind them (55:20 instead of 54’somthing). I had a tough time staying strong in the swim and thought I was actually much slower- like 1hr, so somewhat content. The Orca swim-skin was an amazing suit to have over the uniform.  No neoprene (not permitted), but water just “runs” off of the suit- amazing.

Photo by Larry Rosa

The bike was next and it is my second year (Timex partnership) with the Orbea- Ordu. I am really growing to love this bike.  It took a little time to get used to, but it is light, responsive and aero; what more can anyone want in a fast bike. I rode the whole way solo, aside from passing two faster women swimmers (Biscay and Kraft) the first 5-15k.  I followed my HR, watts (250-300) and rpms, so able to comfortably ride 4:50 on the hilly bike course. The hills are mostly short and steep rollers like IM WI, where a strong guy can “roll over” most of them. I wish that I could have been able to do another 2 loops of the bike instead of having to run a marathon.  Kind of funny that my athletic background is actually running (have done 32min for a 10k), I guess that is what injuries will do.

I got off the bike in 6^th, the 3^rd consecutive year I got off in 5-6^th place and the same time as 2 years ago when I went 9:01.  The run however this year turned into a “death march” and my only two facets to focus on were short and quick strides (efficient and prevent cramping) and hydrate at every aid station, to stay in the top 6.  The temps were around 86 and humid, so I had seen tougher. I started 2-3min behind 5^th and 7^th was 6mins behind me, so my goal was to now finish in the top 5.

Photo by Larry Rosa

Luckily the top 5 pros get a bike to lead them to ensure a safe route, so once in 5th after mile 13 after Roman from France pulled out (a VERY nice guy!), I was able to chat with the 5^th place biker. Once Paul Amey pulled out after dropping from 1^st-4^th, I then only had the 3 fast runners ahead of me, so now my goal was to stay in 4^th,who was now 2mins behind me with 10k to go. I managed to finish 1:30 ahead of 5^th and sometimes one gets rewarded for days that are not their best due to uncontrollable circumstances (other athletes also having difficulties).

Many thanks out to Timex and all those who have helped  me in doing what I love.

Happy training and next up on the calendar are 70.3 Syracuse and IM AZ.

Dave Harju

Good Day,

In the interest of time and efficiency I am attempting to write 2 race reports in 1 (IM LP and Louisville).  Both are excellent races and I highly recommend either of them for anyone looking at doing beautiful bike courses in very different climates.

1. Lake Placid is like a home course for anyone in the eastern part of Canada (eg. me), as many venture to train in the Adirondack’s for the atmosphere and the challenging/ motivating environment.

Lake Placid was my first race of the season due to year-long hamstring/ glut issues.  The day began with non-wetsuit swim for the pros in the 73deg water.  Swimming pools are 83deg and any water much less than 80 is too cold for me (sans wetsuit).  Not only does a wetsuit provide warmth- helping retain one’s heat and therefore strength, but swimming is 5sec plus faster per 100m and effort exerted is much less (due to floating/ stroke balance without kicking).  I therefore was not very happy to leave my Aquasphere Ionic at the house;  despite being from Thunder Bay my body does not fair well in cold water.  I ended up swimming 1h02, and my 5 previous IM LP’s ranged from 50-53min.  Therefore, losing about 10mins and I was one of the last pros out of the water, instead of being in the chase pack.  Okay, I have 180k on my Orbea to make it up.

I stayed true to my Powertap averaging 260+ watts with my new Shimano/ Pro equipped Orbea Ordu and slowly catching some of the pros I was hoping to come out of the water with.  Orbea (from Spain) is really serving as a great partnership with the Timex Multi-sport Team.  I finally ended up getting into 7^th place within the last ~ 30-50k of the bike, but with periodically cramping gluts my 5:02 bike did not give me the normal big cushion (5-10min) on my pursuers in the top ten.

I began the run after having a “nature’s call” in the transition zone, giving another minute in the process.  Once I began running I quickly (1 mile) began suffering cramping quads- I knew it was going to be a VERY LONG day at that point.  With 25miles to go there was “nowhere to hide”.  To make a long story short I hobbled through a 3:28 marathon and many athletes were able to catch me in the process.  I finished as the 14^th pro, but happy to see the finish line and use the training for IM Louisville in 5 weeks….demonstrate some of my hard winter training there.  I knew the water and air would be much warmer there and everyone would be sans wetsuit.  So much for getting my pro Hawaii spot in LP, maybe it was poetic justice after not taking my spot the last 4 years and hoping to take it this year.   I had another chance in KY, but only 2-3 spots available for the pro men, with 30+ strong men to content with.

2. Fast forward 5 weeks to Louisville, KY- home of the Kentucky Derby and Colonel Sanders.  Just fresh off a pseudo heat-wave (for Canadians) with the temps in the mid- high 90’s not counting the humidity.

After relaxing and training in the KY mid-day sun daily (to acclimatize) and running every lunch-time in the warm eastern Canada summer I thought I was ready for any heat mother nature could throw at us.

However, after a few days of seasonal normal temps the race day started at 5am and over 85deg, not counting the humidity.  I was VERY HAPPY to have warm water in KY, as the temp was 85 degrees (10deg+ warmer than the water in LP) and I swam 7 mins faster with roughly the same conditions!

LP= 1:02 and KY= 55min (main chase pack).

Instead of trying to survive I was able to bridge a few gaps and come out of the water in the top 10 overall- just under 56min.  I was hoping to ride with Timex Multisport teammate Eric Bean (6th Overall- IM AZ 2009) and 5-time IM champ Jason Shortis, but dropped my Powertap computer in transition and chose to go back for it- losing site of the pair.  They got off the bike in 3^rd and 4^th and they stayed very strong working up through the field.

I ended up going back and forth with Patrick Evo- who cheered me on every time he re-passed me.   We mentally worked together, staying with 1-3min of each other- until the last 30k, when he pulled 4-5mins ahead of me.  I was content with my 4h50 on the hilly bike ride and in 6^th overall.  I knew that I had some good runners chasing me (Max Longree and Sergio Marquez).  Also, super-swimmer John Flannagan (ex-US national open water team) was coming- who actually cheered me on when I passed him the last 20k of the bike.  The pro competitors in Ironman are incredibly supportive of each other and on a bad day one cannot help but give it their all.

I suffered the same feat as Jason Shortis (walking and stopping) and many others; which was an upset stomach soon after the bike.   Therefore, I was unable to take in sufficient liquids/ food for the run.  I tried for 13miles and I was still in 8th (although I was going slow and losing lots of time); but everything was starting to cramp.  I was left with no choice other than to visit medical.  I was immediately administered 3L of fluids- electrolytes as well as stomach medicine.  The temps were 100+ deg during the run and maybe my body was not as ready for the heat as my mind.

Next race on my calendar is 70.3 Syracuse this weekend.  The good news is the rules have changed for pros and “rubber” of any kind is no longer permitted (eg. speed-suits) in non wetsuit swims and the cut-off is now 76.1deg for pros, which is 4 degrees higher than previous.

Thanks for reading and happy training,

Dave Harju

I am happy to report a successful race in Louisville, even though I was slightly short of reaching my pre-race goals. 

The race is usually hot (Kentucky in Aug), which aside from the beautiful hills on the bike is one of the reasons I choose this race.  However, this year at 75 degrees for the high, the temps were 15-20deg F less than in the past.  Maybe this is why none of the 8 pros ahead of me has any problems?  For me, the tougher the conditions the better I do.  With my full-time job I have no choice but to train when I have the time, regardless of the conditions.

I had a steady non-wetsuit swim, but the pace was too comfortable, so I knew I could not have been with the pros I wanted to be with (the race contenders).  Tissenk, Zyemsiev, Sundberg etc, who were about 3min ahead and in 3rd-6th and I was riding in 7-8 place.  Since I had the crash on the bike in LP (Lake Placid) I really wanted to have a solid race to “show” my conditioning, therefore I decided a different strategy on the bike.  Unlike my usually aggressive riding- especially on the hills I choose to monitor my watts and take it relatively easy on all up-hills and really work the flats and down-hills.  The difference was that I rode my Trek TTX in 4:48, rather than maybe 4:30`s, but I did so by putting NO lactic acid into my legs. My average watts were 269w and rarely let it drop below 250w.  Note the pavement is VERY rough in places and I actually lost both of my bottles or race nutrition.  The first bounced out at mile 2 and the second would not come out of my carbon aero cage- on the down tube.  I bent the cage trying to yank it out and it finally came out after 10+ tries and bounced into the ditch.  Thanks to 6-7 bottles of Gatorade Endurance I drank on the course, because I had no longer the high cal drink of my choice. 

I began the run feeling fresh and in 7^th overall ~ 5h50, so needed a sub 3:10 to be in the 8`s.  The right glut/ hamstring muscles that were tight in LP were feeling better in KY.  However, this year KY had many IM champs and I knew there was some fast company behind me (like last year’s champ Longree who runs 2:40`s).  Thankfully he did not catch me until 13miles, but it is still disappointing as I was on a sub 3hr marathon pace and getting passed. The run in Louisville is very flat and many find it boring.  I did not mind it, as after the first loop there are always plenty of people on the course to keep one motivated.  After being passed by a Brett Sutton TBB athlete I was now in 9^th and I was really hoping for 8^th (last place in $ and podium).  However, I did not see Neidrig (Andreas now in 8^th) at the loop out/ back and I thought (hoped) he may have dropped out.  It is not a true out and back because there is a small loop where one goes straight to the finish and the other goes right for another complete loop.  Finally, at the last out/ back with 10k to go he was just over 3min ahead.  I knew I was running faster than he was, but my legs were now cramping and speeding up was not an option.  I pushed as hard as I could, but did not see him.  That is until the last turn to the finish when he was crossing about 300m and 50sec ahead of me.  I had given it my all (or so I thought) although I seemed fine afterwards and walked away a little disappointed…hindsight is 20/ 20.  My final time was 9:02 and ran 3:11 after having cramped legs, finishing the first North American overall. Goal of having a solid IM race accomplished!

Next up- NYC Marathon (01 Nov)

Dave

Road rash again,

I am disappointed in the circumstances that lead to my shorter day than expected at IM LP last weekend; however, sometimes things can happen for which we have no (little) control over.  The day started with dark and rainy skies and I had a little slower than normal swim.  However, because of three separate blows to the right side I have had radiating intercostals pain in my chest and back pain for the past 2 months (ok almost 1 year).  It was re-instigated with an accident between my TTX and a motorcycle, two weeks after 08 IM LP.  Therefore, the past 8 weeks I have been only doing 2 easy swims per week, so I will take the chase pack swim including many of the podium contenders. 

I got out of transition and rode with a German named Bader for the first 45k; gently rolling through the men’s pro field with little extra effort.  Thanks to Trek (Madone) and Tristan for the fast bike!  However, just after getting into 4^th over the Wilmington hill my back wheel slid on the painted centre line on the 90 degree turn to the Hassleton out/ back.  Apparently, the 360 degree wipe-out looked better than it felt. I shook off the dirt and re-mounted my bike- back in the race.  I rode the out and back getting up into 4^th again, before stopping for medical, as blood was running on me and my bike.  I stopped where I fell, but now heading out of Hassleton.  I lost plenty of time in medical, as it seems that I was more geared up for speed than they were.  The medical support staff were very professional and I cannot imagine being able to continue without them.   

I only had a few gears working well for the last 135k and I was only able to put my left arm on the aero pad, as I crashed on my right arm, so aerodynamics were no longer my number one concern.  In the aid stations I was thinking about water to get the blood off me and my bike, rather than re-hydrating.  The second challenging loop had my bandage on my finger flapping along with a piece of paper stuck to front tire (a little frustrating).  I pulled off the bandage (not too smart) and my finger began spraying blood again.  Luckily Jimmy Riccatello called the next aid station for me to make another pit stop. This one slightly quicker and less painful, but more time lost.  I managed to finish the bike the best I could and got off in 8^th-10^th but I was not as mentally focused.  

My “run” now had a slight limp with my right hip I fell on and I felt that by continuing I could create more damage and problems.  I decided to call it a day after doing 1 loop and focus on IM Louisville in 5 weeks.  The diarrhea I had on the run made my decision even easier.

p.s. One of the athletes I coach (Graeme) was helping Laura get to the finish line- good karma.

Cheers, Dave