2012 Triple Ultra
Event 3:
Virginia Triple Iron Triathlon
Preface: This Event
Recap dovetails into a series of Journal Entries that document my preparation
for the 2012 Triple Ultra – 3 multi-day ultra triathlons in 30 days. The Journal is posted on another site. To read this Journal from Entry 1, go here.
Introduction:
This Event Recap
discusses the third event of my 2012 Triple Ultra. The Virginia Triple Iron consists of a
7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, 78.6-mile run.
This year, the event began at 7 am Friday, 05 October and concluded at 7
pm Sunday, 07 October. (Participants
have a 60-hour time limit.)
Both the Triple and
the Double (which starts 24 hours later) are held on a short closed-circuit
course in a beautiful setting – Lake Anna State Park ,
in central Virginia
Ultra triathlon
events are sanctioned by International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA). There are a handful of ultra triathlons held
annually in Europe, with the “Big Daddy” held in Monterey , Mexico Monterey
USA Ultra Tri
produces the Virginia Lake Anna
Personal History:
I have done the
Virginia Double Iron twice in the past – 2007, 2010. Both times, the event went well for me...
through the first marathon. In both
events, I sustained injuries to my ankles and Achilles that forced me to walk
the entire second half of the “run”. In
both, I was so energetically spent, it was difficult to keep moving forward to
the finish line. While I finished both,
I did not consider either one of them “successful”. I was reduced to a “death march”.
...And now I was
taking on the Triple?
Preparation
As the final event
of my 2012 Triple Ultra, the first two events served as stepping stones to this
one. (Read about these in the Event
Recaps below.)
Throughout the Journal, I have documented my training and
approach to this triple ultra endeavor.
The challenge was to transition from a training and racing program that focused
on Olympic Distance Age Group National Championship (AGN) held on 18 August to
three multi-day ultras – with the first taking place 08-09 September. That’s a 3-week transition. The total time-span from AGN to the Virginia
Triple: 47 days.
Three of the Journal
Entries detail my daily training for each of those 47 days.
Thursday, 04 October
I arrived at Lake Anna
I checked in and
attended the pre-race meeting, while I ate some oatmeal, raisins, soy protein
and almond butter.
I elected to sleep
in the tent behind my pit area that night, rather than driving to a hotel. Not a great decision: Chris Trimmer had started a Quintuple on
Wednesday morning. (Uh-huh, that’s a
12-mile swim, 560-mile bike, 131-mile run.)
Chris was clicking
off his 112 laps of the bike course – returning through the pit area every 20-30
minutes. And his crew was animated on
Red Bull. They kept up constant
conversation all night. I did manage to
get somewhat unconscious between 4 and 5:30 am.
However, I felt no need to stress over the lack of sleep – I was able to
relax and stay warm.
Swim 7.2 Miles
Rising at 5:30, I
found a spot of ground level enough to do my morning T’ai Chi. I ate an orange, gathered my swim nutrition
(enough for 4 hours), my swim and bike gear, and headed down to the lake.
I suited up –
wearing a swim brief, my 2XU V:1 wetsuit (cut off above the knees), a 3-mil
diver’s hood, 2XU calf compression sleeves (which would remain on for the
entire race) and my goggles.
With just 11
competitors, the starting line is not your usual frenzy. It’s a quiet lakeside gathering in the early
morning dawn. (No fog this year.) We took a few group photos, and Tristan
Vinzent (from Germany
Low-key Swim Start
My ultra swim
strategy is to use a relatively slow cadence, and focus on balance and
hydrodynamics. I often invoke the image
of lying in a hammock during these swims.
However, I have to keep the cadence high enough to maintain warmth. With the water temp and 75, maintaining warmth
was not as challenging as the 10K swim two weeks ago at Stockbridge Bowl.
I had a “dark
moment” about 30 minutes into the swim.
It was one of those “Why am I
doing this? Do I have the perseverance to keep this up for three freakin’ days?” As soon as this “mental weather” blew in, I
recognized it. I shifted into gratitude
– for health, for wealth, for support, for the great weather, the warm water,
and my companions on this epic journey.
The dark mental
front passed on, and I went back to lying in the hammock. Every time I paused for nutrition, I offered
some humorous comment on gesture and headed back out again.
I was doing 3 loops
in exactly 40 minutes. At first, this
even included my brief stops to fuel and hydrate. Towards the end, I admit, I did slow very
slightly.
At 4 hours 6
minutes, I finished – this time 4th out of the water. While I was targeting a sub-4-hour swim, I
wasn’t disappointed. No doubt my ultra
swim colleagues will frown on this performance – especially in a wetsuit – but
the swim is well under 10% of the total event.
I had established my zen approach, spiced with some humorous banter, and
I was ready to maintain that during the bike leg – which would probably last as
much as 24 hours.
The transition took
about 20 minutes – leisurely, but without any support crew. (Betsy would arrive later that day.) I headed out on my time trial bike for 67 ½
laps. It was sunny and mild. “What a
perfect day!! I am so fortunate!”
Bike 336 Miles
I settled into aero
position and focused on a moderate cadence (84-90 rpm) at a moderate
resistance. I monitored the muscular
tension of my quads, calves and knees to adjust my resistance (gearing). After a few laps, I found I was averaging 17-18
minutes per 5-mile lap. Feeling fresh as
I rode, my mind was in “calculator mode” – constantly figuring how many laps,
how many miles, what pace, when I might finish the first 112, when I might
finish the entire bike leg, how many laps I might get in before dark... when I
might finish the whole event.
I allowed myself to work
that mental calculator for a bit, and then I would empty my mind and focus
again on my cycling technique and my “pedal stroke mantra”. Eventually, the mental calculator would kick
in again. That first phase of the bike
was a balance of: 1) Using the mental
calculator to create a structure for the Big Picture and where I was at that
moment. 2) Using the zen mind to
completely engage my kinetic intelligence for the sake of absolute efficiency,
sustainable endurance and relative comfort.
My short-term
strategy was to stay on the TT bike and strive to cover 15 miles every hour (including
stops for bathroom, to re-fuel and to do some stretching). My TT riding position is fairly “aggressive” (versus
comfortable), but I was confident in maintaining aero position without building
chronic tension into my neck and shoulders.
Warding off chronic tension – especially in the neck and shoulders – is
critical for ultra events. Chronic
tension can impede posture, alignment and neural function, all resulting in
diminished efficiency and increased agony.
I wanted to look
good, and (as long I could) feel good!
Lookin' Good!
As I got more and
more familiar with the road, I was confident to keep my head and eyes down
without craning my neck to look forward.
The only downside was that I saw mostly asphalt and not much of the
beautiful forest around me. One of the
advantages of using a short course with multiple laps (67 ½ laps for the Triple)
is that I can refine my riding position strategy, as well as my gearing and
cadence, so that (hopefully) I get more and more efficient.
One of the 134 bike turn-arounds
There were a few
sections of the course (ascents) that I designated on every lap to sit up and
lengthen my spine, lead with my crown and keep my shoulders down. Even down on the aero bars, I constantly used
these same focal points – lead with my crown, lengthen the back of my neck,
keep my shoulders in place and lengthen my entire spine.
I also chose to
stand on some of the ascents, using a moderately high gear and low cadence. The standing alleviated saddle pressure and
provided a stretch for my legs – even if only for 20-30 seconds.
I stopped once
during daylight to eat an apple and some peanut butter. Other than that, I rode continuously and used
liquid fuels. Since the course is unlit,
I wanted to use very bit of daylight. As
dusk began to fall, I was afraid I might not complete the full 112 miles on the
TT bike without needing to “light up” for the night. (I had only equipped my road bike with
lights.)
A great bottle hand-off by my beloving Betsy!
However, all these
metrics that kept running through my head made no difference to my body, to the
event as it was unfolding, or to my “zenduring” activity. I disengaged from the expectations and focused
on grace and efficiency. I did have to
clip on a rear “blinky” light for the last 2 laps, but I was able to complete
one third of the bike leg (112 miles) on the TT without lighting up.
I was now 12 hours
into the event – with the swim and one-third of the bike complete. I ate a yam and a yogurt as I switched my race
wheels over to my road bike, checked the gears, and plugged in the lights. I sat down (in a chair) for a few minutes as I finished my food and put on some
warmer clothes. I headed out into the
dark on my road bike.
Wow, did that feel comfortable! I felt
so fresh, as if I was just getting on the bike for the first time. (OK, except my groin.) The bike change gave me a renewed focus as
well. With a compact crank, I needed to
change and again refine my gearing on each lap.
And with the road set-up (and reduced winds), I was engaged in
developing a whole new riding position strategy – one that I would use
throughout the night... for the next 224 miles.
Engaging my
calculator mind, I decided I would break every 12-13 laps (4 hours) for a
20-minute break to lie down in the tent and calm
my neural system. These 20-minute
resting meditations would be a key element in my overall strategy to finish the
Triple gracefully (unlike the previous two Doubles.)
So, after 13 more
laps, just after Betsy showed up, I did just that. I set my timer, laid down and concentrated on
slow deep breathing. Using this
breathing, I articulated the flow of chi energy through my body, focusing on
different areas. This is a practice I
have used many times as a form of napping.
Given my familiarity with this process, it was easy for me to reach the
same meditative state even in these circumstances – with lots of activity and
banter around me.
Every time I emerged
from these “retreats”, I felt fresh and ready for the next few hours of cycling. I usually ate just a bit of food – a yam
and/or a yogurt and mounted up. I used
this pattern throughout the night for a total of three 20-minute breaks. I also
elected to ice my right knee during these retreats, since I was experiencing
pain just above and to the medial side of my patella.
A view down Pit Row Friday night/Saturday morning
It was time deep in
the night ride that a realization surfaced for me. Everyone – the volunteers at the timing
stations, the athletes and their crews – are so encouraging. I kept hearing “Nice job! Good work!” After hearing this many times and
reciprocating with words of encouragement, I had a realization. “This
is not work, it’s not a job. This is how
we play.” So I began to respond “This isn’t a job, its play! Nice play!”
Soon enough, I was not
the only one saying “Nice play!”
My last retreat was
at 6:30 am. With the daylight back, I
did not feel the need to lie down much after that. I was focused on completing the bike quickly
to leave plenty of time for the run. However,
I was also concerned about my knee. With
just 3 laps remaining on the bike, I did take a break for another “retreat”
around 1:30 pm (now Saturday afternoon), with 3 laps left on the bike. I decided to transition to the run with my
body in motion, rather than from a state of rest. So, I rode 15 miles after my retreat and
transitioned to the run in under 9:00.
In that last 15 mile
ride, I prepared my mind for the transition to running. In the two Doubles I have done previously, my
run transitions both failed, and results were nearly disastrous.
In “single” iron
distance races I am adept at dismounting from the bike and transitioning
immediately to my marathon race pace.
However, this strategy – even with a slower projected race pace – did
not work for the Doubles. I decided to
approach the transition with great caution and patience.
My bike time
(including my retreats and breaks): 27 hours, 19 minutes. As with the swim, my ultra cycling colleagues
would regard this as pretty slow, but... I still had too...
Run 78.6 Miles
My second crew
member, Susie Morrison, had arrived around 9 am, allowing Betsy to sleep. As I was lacing up my new Newton Distance
Racers (I had worn only a few times) Susie offered to run with me. I assured Susie that I would welcome her offer,
but I needed to do the first few laps alone – so I could really focus intently
on a kinetically intelligent
transition.
(Note: This is/was the last year that run
pacers are allowed for the Lake
Anna
I started out
walking, focusing on feeling how my feet contacted the ground, how they
interfaced through these shoes with the ground.
I focused on my alliance with
gravity. In the first lap, I ran no
more than one minute continuously. And I
paid no attention to my watch!
As I ran and walked, I focused intently on where
I felt tight. I realized that most of my
muscles were fairly relaxed, but the connective
tissues that attach the muscles to the joints were tight – particularly
around my hips and ankles.
Here is my big take-away from the 2012
Virginia Triple Iron: Connective tissues take progressively more
time to lengthen back out for running as the duration of time in the bike
saddle has increased.
This was my first
time riding 336 miles (fairly) continuously.
While I could have started out running continuously at a steady pace as
soon as I got off the bike, I am certain
that I would have experienced the same result I did at the two Doubles. I would have ended up injured, and reduced to
walking – due to short connective tissues.
(Strained, sprained or ruptured Achilles, or ruptured Burses sack in my
knee.) But this time – if this injury
scenario were to play out – I might not have enough time to walk 50 or 60
miles.
And what fun would
it be to be reduced to a limp for that many miles? This time, I made a cautious, patient and graceful transition. By the second lap, I was running for 1-2
minutes at a time. To my amazement, with
such a cautious approach, I was maintaining a 15:00 mile pace. Certainly not a world-class pace, but I would
finish the event with plenty of time to spare – and enjoy some running throughout.
Feelin' fresh early in the run
The weather was
absolutely perfect – sunny and mild. I
invited Susie to join me on lap 4 – confident that I had made a successful and sustainable transition. By now, I had a specific strategy for the
course. I ran most of the flat sections,
and all of the gradual ascents and descents.
I walked the more challenging ascents and descents. I was particularly wary of the descents,
striving to minimize impact.
The Newtons
On the subject of
darkness and night, this would be my/our second night traversing the
darkness. As night fell, I prepared
myself for the dark moments that can creep in with mental fatigue. Those deep questions of purpose and sanity
can arise.
However, I had
established a sustainable pace and running gait, and I was confident in my
ability to maintain a consistent pace in my run/walk. This meant that I could continue my moving meditation. I felt confident and elated. It also helped that the run turn-around was
staffed all night by an animated group, who played music, danced, wore costumes
and glow sticks, and decorated everything – even the port-a-john – with glow
sticks.
The run cycle was
easy – run a steady uphill grade in the darkness – vigilant in the first part
for the cyclists we shared the road with.
Then, turn off that main road and run a mostly flat stretch where we
could run in the middle of the road – on a neutral camber. Party through the turn-around, and head back
towards “mission control”.
With every lap,
there were fewer bikes to contend with, and more runners to acknowledge – as
the Double folks completed their 224-mile bike and embarked on their double
marathon.
Betsy ran many of
the nighttime laps with me, providing her calm and soothing support. When we ran, we ran. (OK, perhaps a 10:00 pace?) And when we walked, we
walked. As discussed previously in both
a Journal Entry, and the Event Recap for the Zendurance Ultra Tri Camp (Event 2),
I had decided to maintain a real distinction between running and walking. This was to preserve good biomechanics and
not end up plodding and trudging.
I really enjoyed
running through the night. I “retreated”
once for 20 minutes after my first marathon, and once for 40 minutes, two laps
(4 miles) before the end of my second marathon – just before daybreak. The
second break was prompted by soreness in a tendon on the outside of my left
ankle. I iced the tendon as I retreated.
My calculator mind
had begun to mellow. I was still
monitoring my pace every few laps (maintaining 15:00/mile, 30:00 per lap), but
my focus was on finesse. This gentle approach was working very well –
I was sustaining a pace, enjoying the banter with everyone (“Nice play!”) and feeling grateful to be
a part of this remarkable scene. I could
not imagine a more satisfying experience.
Back out on the
road, inspired by the dawning light, I experienced the ecstasy of being in the
now – enjoying each and every stride and my alliance with gravity. I was free of any concerns for distance
covered or distance to go. I was wholly
absorbed in the moment. My pace
increased. These were some of the
fastest laps of the entire event. This
was zendurance at its best!
Around 9 am, it started
to drizzle steadily. The temperature had
been gradually falling through the night and early morning, yet the weather
presented no challenge or discomfort to any of the athletes.
Ah, runnin' in the rain!
Somewhere around 100
kilometers, I began to experience more pain in my left ankle and began walking
without running. I did not want to
injure my tendon to the point where I would have to limp to the finish. I was determined to finish this event with
grace and strength.
I retreated again to
the tent, icing my ankle. Then I switched
from the Newtons Newtons Newtons
I headed back out to
finish the event. (I refrain from
calling this a “race”.) During the first two laps, I was still unable
to run without pain that heralded the potential of injury. I focused on sorting out my footing and
getting a feel for the shoes. By the
third lap, I was able to run again! I felt elated with the ability to move
forward with short graceful flights once again.
Ah the joy of running!
I felt no rush to
get to the finish line. I was enjoying
each and every stride – run and walk.
(Betsy commented that she was having trouble keeping up with me on the
laps she accompanied me on.) My focus
was on gentle grace and finesse – yet I felt strong, grounded, confident. This
is what had been lacking in the Doubles I had done previously. Today, nearing the finish line, I felt robust.
I executed this
journey as a work of art. That is how I felt at Olympic Distance Age
Group Nationals in Burlington
I glided across the
finish line 8th out of 11 participants – the oldest (wisest?) triple
participant. My time was a leisurely 56
hours, 39 minutes, 53 seconds. (Swim:
4:06:10, Bike: 27:19:08, Run: 24:44:16) I
felt great satisfaction with my performance, and immeasurable gratitude for
Betsy, Susie, Steve Kirby and entire race staff, and this beautiful location.
Finishing in style (and costume)!
Finish Line with Betsy and Race Director Steve Kirby
The two most
incredible of achievements of the weekend:
First: My good
friend Chris Trimmer completed a quintuple
iron. (That’s 10 times half-iron
distance.) He started Wednesday morning
at 7 – completing 12 miles of swimming, 560 miles of biking and 131 miles of
running – and finished in 102 hours, 41 minutes. And he did run. His splits: Swim: 8:24:09, Bike: 47:19:00,
Run: 46:18:00.
Chris Trimmer - Quintuple Ironman!
Besides the
distance, what makes Chris’s journey so remarkable is that he had no other
participants on the course with him for those first days. There were no staffed turnarounds for the
lonely nights of biking and running.
Second: Dave Jepson set a new course record for the Triple: 39:11:37. And in the true spirit of camaraderie and support that is so strong at these ultras, former record holder Kamil Suran paced for Dave on the run to help Dave beat Kamil’s own record of 39:55:28.
One More Post:
I will post one more
discussion in this Event Recap Series soon.
I will summarize what I have experienced in doing this Triple
Ultra. Thanks to all of you who have
encouraged and supported me. More
importantly, thanks to all of you who approach your training and racing (and
your lives) with mindfulness and kinetic intelligence. It does make a difference in the world.
Sponsors:
Hammer Nutrition: For superior
training and racing fuels and supplements.
2XU: For superior triathlon training and racing apparel,
wetsuits and compression wear.
Kurt Kinetic: For the best stationary
bike training stand – the Rock and Roll!
Bicycle Depot, New Paltz , NY
Finger Lakes Running and
Triathlon Company: Also for most
excellent service and support.
Island Health and Fitness: Providing me with a great pool facility for
training and teaching.
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