2011 Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon

With the focus now being the Eagle in the Sun Triathlon in September, I decided pretty close to the last minute to sign up for the Socorro triathlon.  It took place August 6 and its an event I highly recommend.  More info at http://www.chileharvesttri.com/  The distances are the same as the upcoming El Paso Tri (400 m swim, 12 mile bike, and 5 K run), and I considered it a good training event to get ready for a sprint tri.  The focus now is on speed and not so much pacing and endurance as in the longer events. 
Left Friday afternoon from west El Paso for the 183 mile drive to Socorro, NM.  Got there at 8 pm just in time to pick up the packet at the race venue and then checked in at the Holiday Inn Express which is half a mile away from the starting point. Had a late pasta dinner in a restaurant next door and then got ready for the next days event.
Woke up at 0500 for the 0700 start and grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel. Rob Lovett was there and we finally met in person after following each others blogs.  We walked to the venue instead of driving and some people were riding in.  Arrived at 0600 got body marked, picked up timing chip, and set up my transition.  At 0630 there was a pre-race briefing and then we were instructed to line up according to bib numbers which were based on our estimated 400 meter swim times. They allowed groups of 60 into the pool area and it was there that I met some guys lining up with me.  162 Michael from Socorro and 165 Adolfo from El Paso and 167 Lowry also from El Paso. 

The Swim  400 meters   9:32
As my turn arrived, I was instructed to jump in the pool (no cannon balls) and wait for the start.  The outdoor pool was around 77 F, wet suit legal according to the official.  They separated each swimmer by 10 seconds, a little long in my view, I think 5 seconds is good enough.  Felt good to be swimming and passed two people and 1 guy passed me.  Not very crowded for me and it was 50 meters out and change lanes for 8 lengths of the pool.  Saw Blanca on the side of the pool towards the end and gave her a wave.  There was good crowd support and I reached the end feeling pretty good.

T1  1:11
There was a seemingly long run to the transition from the pool.  The bike racks had letters on the side, mine was F, and I made what felt like a pretty smooth transition.  Shoes first, no socks as I had put baby powder inside to soak up the moisture which I recommend.  I did not put on a top to save time for the first time. Helmet,  glasses,  and then off to the mounting line.
I have been practicing T1 but would really like to improve,  the top 10 finisher's T1 ranged from a screaming 38 seconds to 1:42, so I am in the middle of that fast pack.

The Bike  12 miles, 36:04, 20.79 mph average
One thing that I did not know was that the bike course is hilly in Socorro.  The first portion has a  90 degree turns and then it is straight up hill for half a mile at 4-5% grade.  It levels out a bit but it's still up hill with 2 out and backs where you can see who is in front and behind you.  From mile 5 to 8 its out up hill 2-3% grade then the last 4 miles is down hill for the most part with some short inclines. At the turn around point from the second out and back, I had a chocolate GU and Gatorade then went for it the last 4 miles.  My speed was up to 30 mph during this portion except for the two 90 degree turns.  So the bottom line is expect hills for this event and make up for it on the return.  As I arriving to T2, finished my Gatorade and got ready for the run.

T2  0:56
I had dismounted by leaving the shoes in the clips, so I ran to my transition spot and mounted bike, helmet off, cap on, and then slipped on my Spira XLTs for the run. I use no shoe laces and no socks.  The top 10 finisher's T2 range was 42" to 52" so not too bad there for me.

The Run  5K/3.1 miles  24:30  pace7:54 min/mile
Felt good starting the run.  My goal was to keep my pace at 8:00 min/mile which I found in training I could maintain.  The run is flat and after the first mile you run on gravel next to an irrigation canal.  It was getting hot by this time but there were some large trees providing shade.  At the half way point, I was passed by Michael who was 162 and I had met on the swim line up.  He was running faster at 07:30 min/miles.  I saw his calf and his age was 47 and so I realized we were in the same age group.  I jokingly told him I thought I was going to be second in our age group but now I would have to settle for third.  Since he had started the swim ahead of me, all I had to do to beat him was finish close to him, even if he was ahead.  I used him to pace me the rest of the run and completed the event pretty satisfied with my time and performance.

Total time  was 1:12:13.  I was 9th in my age group (45-59) out of 19 men and 65th overall out of 254 finishers. The winner in my age group had a time of 58:14 a 49 year old from Los Alamos. The competition in this event is very strong as the athletes from Albuquerque and Northern, NM are quite fit.

Post Script

Last year at Eagle in the Sun my time was 1:14:28 in what I consider an easier bike course.   With more training, I should be able to improve the T1 time and hopefully the bike and swim.  All I need is more motivation on the run.  I agree with what Brooks V wrote on his blog, that these events with the chip timing and the swim first (in a pool instead of open water) only amount to a time trial.  You never know where your place is along the way to push you to compete. 

Ironman France 2011 Race Report

What a great event! This being my second Ironman I thought I was prepared for what is advertised as one of the toughest courses in the Ironman circuit, I was wrong. Historically, the Nice triathlon as it was previously called was along with Hawaii the place where the elite athletes like Mark Allen participated and won 10 times. I was intrigued and after Couer d'Alene last July decided to sign up. Here is a rundown of the event as I experienced it in 2011.
We arrived on an overnight flight from El Paso on Thursday before the race. Unfortunately, the plane arrived to Paris delayed and we missed the connection to Nice. Next, we find out that 1 of the 4 suitcases did not arrive and the one missing had all the triathlon gear, everything! After finally arriving at 4:30 pm instead of 08:30 am, I went to pick up my bike at the expo. I had shipped the bike with Darrin with http://www.trisportexpress.com/. This is Tampa company that provided excellent service and more reliable than the airlines. After much fretting, on Friday AM I happily received my last suitcase at the apartment. That AM, I did an easy run as I looked for a phone charger around Nice as I was running out of juice. After sightseeing, went to pick up the registration packet. Since I do not have a USAT license I needed a one day permit to race which required a medical release from a doctor, plus 30 Euros. The expo was expansive with a lots of cool bikes, gear, etc. I bought two CO2 cartridges since I could not ship the bike with them. Later that night was the pasta dinner, which I don't recommend as I found it a waste of time and no new info was given that was provided in the athlete guides that were provided at registration. The food was also not very good.
Sat am, went for a swim at the Med. I was nervous as all my prior swims were in lakes and pools. Found the water temp to be a nice 72F and after 300 meters to the buoy and back that I was much more at ease. Sat afternoon rested a bit and took the bike and T1 and T2 bags to get checked in plus got a timing chip and body marked. They took a picture of me with the bike so that when I picked up the bike after the race they could verify it was mine, very secure. I didn't have to worry about my bike being taken as there were some very nice bikes there. Ate a light dinner and got ready for early bedtime for the big day Sunday. Woke up at Midnight and couldn't sleep. As it was 4 pm in El Paso my circadian rythm was still all out of wack plus you never really sleep the night before an Ironman. I passed the time looking over the race info on the Internet and killing time until 2 AM when I was finally sleepy again. Ate some powerbars, Gatorade and water to stay hydrated. At 0400, alarm went off so I got dressed and headed out to transition to get ready. Pumped up the tires, got the water bottles on the cages, and made a last check of the bike. I turned in my two special needs bags, one for the run and one for the bike. Put on the wetsuit and headed over the beach with all the other 2500 athletes. Got the beach around 6:15AM and an Italian guy who looked like the statue of Michelangelo's David explained the swim course to me. I was intimidated by him and all the other guys (very few women there) and how fit everyone looked. A lot of eye candy for the ladies, I must say. The beach was very rocky and uncomfortable on the feet. It was marked with different areas indicating the anticipated swim times so that you could be positioned accordingly. I talked to a guy from San Francisco who said the water was much better here as he had done Escape from Alcatraz triathlon and another from Dallas. As I was talking I realized how many people had lined up behind me. I was in the middle of this huge group. I had intended to get in towards the end but had lined up to early. I was committed and figured I would just stay there. At 0630, I did not hear a gun go off, I just saw everyone jump in the water. It had begun.






The Swim 2.4 miles 1:31:20

Felt good and did not have the usual panic I have experienced in the past with all the people around me. There was the usual kicking from people in front and those trying to pass. It was a pretty crowded field for a while until the first turn at 1100 meters then back to the beach for a total of 2400 meters (1.5 miles). The second loop is a different course of 1400 meters (0.9 miles). I had a little trouble sighting due to the waves and swallowed a bit of sea water. All to be expected. My first loop was right at 60 min. and then I did my second loop at a good pace to finish better that last year by nearly 10 minutes.

T1 7:15

After getting out of the water, there was a long run up a ramp to the transition area where the swim to bike bags were arraigned numerically. I had to peel off my own wet suit as there were no wet suit strippers like in CDA . Put on some sunblock and headed out to get my bike and out to the mounting area.


The Bike 112 miles 7:52:51

The bike course starts out flat and easy down the Promenade des Anglais towards the airport. It felt good to be out of the water but my heart rate was really fast and I had to slow down to get it around 130 bpm. After about 3 miles we turned inland towards the mountains, the Alps Maritimes. The next stretch was slight uphill until we got to the first real climb, the Cotte de Condamine at roughly mile 12. It is only 500 meters but it's steep! My I-bike and Garmin read out 17% grade in some portions. I passed a few people who were walking but was able to get through it while standing on the pedals for most of it. Next we passed by the town of St. Jeannete, the first of the beautiful little villages and towns we passed on the course.

St Jeannette

Next, more up hill around 5-6% to the Town of Vence and then rode by the town of Tourrettes sur loup, a mideval village set upon a hillside. These pictures really can't capture the beuty of this region in France, and made for a very enjoyable ride.

Gourdon

Next, between mile 25 to 30 there was downhill to Gourdon. The roads are really well maintained so I was able to make up some time going up to 30 miles an hour in this section. After Gourdon comes the hardest part of the bike course and that is the Col d'Ecre. Its 13 miles of uphill at 6-7% grade. Like Transmountain over the Franklin mountains but 3 times the distance from Resler to the top. By this time, it was really getting hot and there is no shade in this mountain. No nice tree canopy and not a cloud in the sky. I was among a bunch of riders, and we were all complaining about how tough the course was. Throughout, I was mindful to drink plenty of energy drinks, water, salt tablets, and poured extra water on my head and body to try to stay hydrated.

After the Col de L'Ecre we arrive a valley on top of the mountains. It is about 3740 feet, the highest elevation we achieve coming from sea level. A brief fast downhill is followed by yet another hill, the Col de Sine. A couple of more climbs followed but at mile 75 the downhill started and we headed back to Nice. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of headwind and there is always a headwind and it gets worse in the afternoons. Also, there are a lot of dangerous curves which require you to slow down. There are volunteers who warn you with yellow flags to slow down in the more dangerous sections. I saw two people who had fallen and were getting taken away by ambulance, as seems to happen every year on this course. Lastly we passed by Carros on the way back to Nice.


                                                           Carros


We passed through the middle of these little towns and there were always crowds cheering and encouraging us. The would yell "Courage!" "Bravo" and "Allez (go)". Really made for a great, albeit hot ride of nearly 8 hours. Then, it was back to the Promenade des Anglais where by this time most people were running along the same course. I had to be careful with people crossing the street as I arrived for transition.

T2 8:58
I arrived to transition and found out that I had to walk the bike back to the rack myself. In the previous Ironman, I had handed the bike to a volunteer who put it away for me. The transition area was full of bikes and I had a long way to go to turn it in. Also, my toes were hurting from "hot toe" and it was hard to even walk at first as I got off the bike. Once I got settled, I got my Spira XLTs on, my hat, and more sunblock as I headed out to the timing mat for the Marathon.

The Run 26.2 miles 5:35:29

The Ironman France run course is basically 4 loops of approximately 6 miles each. From transition its out the Promenade des Anglais along the beach to the airport and back. On my first loop I ran into a friend, Bill, an American who lives in Italy. He was on his second loop and we briefly talked about what a tough bike course we had just completed. I was running a little faster at that point going 11:20 min/miles so I passed him. I felt good at first but then started to have GI issues. Looking back, I think the salt tablets which I was taking every 45 minutes had a little too much Magnesium, a natural laxative. I had to wait in line at a porto potty as there didn't seem to be enough on the run course. (there were none on the bike course, it was en naturale) After that I was afraid to eat or drink much so I just drank water. I felt dehydrated and hot throughout the run. There is no shade as the palm trees are few and in the median of the street whereas we ran closer to the ocean. There were showers about every mile marker and I ran through those liberally. I would take walk breaks every mile and tried to keep my pace around 11:30 min/mile. After every loop, we got a cloth bracelet. The first was black, then white for the second loop, and blue for the 3rd loop. After the 2nd loop, I realized it had taken me 3 hours to run 13.1 miles. Normally the Ironman cutoff is 17 hours but in France its 16 hours (10:30pm instead of MN).  I had less than 3 hours until the cutoff so I had no choice but to negative split the run.  All I kept thinking was that I did not come all this way to be a DNFr.  I really had to push myself to increase the tempo.  I did the 3rd loop (approx 6 miles) in 1 hour and 15 minutes and started the 4th and final loop.  Luckily, there was shade for a change as the  sun was setting  behind the hotels on the Promenade.  At the turnaround next to the airport it was 9:30 pm. That was the last timing mat and cutoff before the finish. I was able to run the last 3 miles at a 10:30 pace passing a lot of people who were walking.  One guy was on the floor and they were calling for assistance with a stretcher.  You could see on their wrists their armbands to see how many loops they had done and they were many with just 1 or 2 to my 3.  They were not going to finish in time...  As I arrived to the finish line, the crowd support was incredible.  The MC was yelling in French and English, there were cheerleaders, and the crowd was pretty enthusiastic.  I crossed the finish line greatly relieved to have made it.  I took 15:15:23 to complete the course, what a day it had been.

Post Race.

I received a finishers medal, and was offered to go to medical tent if I needed.  As I passed, several people were getting IV fluids, all wrapped up in warming blankets, and some even going by ambulance to hospital.  I drank water, power aide and 2 chocolate eclairs which were delicious. Looking over the results, incredibly, out of 2590 participants, 2058 people finished the "race".  A much higher DNF rate than many other events.  I was ranked 1944 overall and 252 of 259 finishers in my age group (45-49).

Post Script
Overall, it was a really good "destination race" which is what I was looking for for my second Ironman.  Blanca and I spent the next week in France and got to visit Paris, Normandy, and caught the first two stages of the Tour de France.  It is a really hard  event and the heat is oppressing.  The payoff is the spectacular bike course and the beautiful blue ocean you get to swim and run next to.