This past weekend I completed my second Pacific Crest Endurance Duathlon. This year the race was back on its traditional course, meaning a 58-mile bike leg with about 4500′ of climbing preceded the 13.1 mile run around Sunriver, Oregon. My weekend started on Thursday afternoon when my wife and I packed up the gear and completed the uneventful 3-hour drive to Sunriver. After a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep I awoke on Friday morning and got one last, short workout in before the race. From then on the day was pretty busy.
After a near disastrous breakfast (my oatmeal overflowed the bowl in the microwave and it seemed like half of my eggs stuck to the pan – thanks to my wife for saving the oatmeal!) I went to the “Athlete’s Village” and picked up my race packet, met Steve Born with Hammer Nutrition and picked up a few last minute things for my race, and bought a velcro timing chip strap – no more cutting my ankle on the ones they give out at the races. From there it was back to the condo to get all my gear together to haul to the bike-to-run transition and to the start.
I staked out a pretty good spot for the bike-to-run transition, left a towel and some other gear to claim my space, and then headed out to Wickiup Reservoir, the start of the race. I left my bike, helmet, shoes, and pump there. If I forgot to take anything with me to the start the next morning, I had everything there that was absolutely needed. From there I headed out to drive around the bike course. My impressions:
- As promised, the course has a lot of rollers, but also a lot of good long flat sections. Plenty of places to get into a rhythm, plenty of places to disrupt that rhythm.
- The climbs are mostly short, and not too steep, although when they are all put together they make for a tough course.
- The descents from the top back to Sunriver aren’t nearly as steep or scary as people make them out to be. People talk about hitting 55 or 60 mph down it. Others talk about averaging 55 mph down it. I predicted neither claim would be true.
We got back to Sunriver just before 4 and I had a massage. Then Ernie, who was also doing the race this year, arrived, and I heated up the pre-race meal for us, which I had cooked up Wednesday night before leaving Portland. After that it was time to get everything organized for the race. As I was getting my food together I realized I forgot something important – the flask I normally keep all my food in! Normally I like to use Hammer’s Perpeteum for long rides, and I mix what I need into a paste and carry it in a gel flask. This is a compact way to carry a lot of calories, and gives the added benefit of being able to drink plain water from other bottles instead of something flavored. I looked around at what alternatives I had available. Unfortunately it was too late to go back to the Athlete’s Village and buy one. I decided to just mix the Perp into a standard water bottle. I had three bottles with me. My plan was to carry two with me and give one to Joanne that I could use at the finish for my recovery drink. Using the third bottle for the Perp actually turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. With temps predicted to be in the mid-90s during the race, this provided me with a little extra water on the bike. All my other preparations went pretty smooth, and I was off to bed before 10.
Saturday morning, race morning, I was up at 5 applying sunscreen and getting dressed. I got a call from my coach, Al Lyman, who gave me some great last minute advice and reminders about what I was supposed to do during the race, and what I was likely to experience. After my pre-race meal and gathering my gear, the clock said 6:30 sooner than it seemed it should, and we were off. Fist stop was T2, the bike-to-run transition, to leave the rest of my running gear: shoes, visor, race belt/number, gel, electrolyes, and a water bottle with an ice pack and towel wrapped around it. Then I was on the 7:00 bus to the start. Joanne drove out there with Ernie, and we had plenty of time to get everything ready. I aired up my tires and made sure there wasn’t any debris on them, made sure my spare tube and pump were ready in case they were needed, and had plenty of time to sit around, relax, and take deep breaths before the start.
The triathlon started right at 9:00, and the duathletes began to leave shortly after. The duathletes do a time-trial start, with two racers leaving about every 15 seconds. I decided I wanted to be one of the last to start, ensuring that almost everyone that passed me would be a triathlete, rather than someone I was racing against. I got my start and was off to a slow and steady ride. A mile or so in the guy that started next to me passed me, pulled in front…and stopped pedaling! WTF? Pass me and then slow down. Great. I passed him to avoid having to slow myself or risk an official thinking I was trying to draft. A while later, he did it again! I passed him again and thought about saying something to him, but decided I should be focusing on myself. After my second pass I never way him again anyway. From then on I just rode nice and steady, being careful not to push too hard, eating and drinking every ten minutes. For the most part I felt I was able to push a pretty good gear, especially for how easy I was going. I climbed slowly, and generally rode pretty slowly, but that was what I was supposed to be doing.
Somewhere on the final climb, probably around 32 miles into the ride, my bike started to feel a bit funny. When I was seated it was fine, but when I stood up, which I did regularly to stretch, it felt like my front tire was flat. I was worried about stopping to check it, and having it turn out to be nothing, so I kept going. I took a bottle at the second feed zone, made my way up the final part of the climb (in all, I spent a little over an hour getting over all the climbs), and took a bottle at the third and final feed zone. The third feed zone marks the top of the climb, and the beginning of the fast descent back to Sunriver. I finally decided I had to stop and check the tire. Sure enough, it was low, but not completely flat. I grabbed my pump and started a debate with myself – should I risk just topping off the tire, or do I have to change the tube? There was only 17 miles left in the ride, and since the tire was holding air it seemed reasonable that I could ride another hour on it. On the other hand, if I used up my CO2 cartridge, and the tire went flat again, I would be screwed. I decided I had to change the tube. I went for my spare tube and that’s when I noticed that I had packed a spare CO2 cartridge! Now I could risk topping off the tire, because I could change it later if it went flat again. I topped of the tire, and got out of there. In total I was probably stopped for less than a minute.
From there it was almost all downhill. As I started the descent I was amazed at how good I still felt. I had ridden around 40 miles and climbed about 4500′ at this point, and still felt pretty energetic. Although the climbing was more difficult than I expected based on my preview in the car, the descent was pretty much what I expected. I tucked in my aerobars and with a little bit of wind, the fastest I managed was 42.5 mph. It was really nice to be able to rest a bit during this part of the ride. There was still a bit of up and down left, and it was very tempting to try and hammer it out and get it done, especially when I hit the part of the course I pre-rode on Friday, but I kept reminding myself to be patient, and save it for the run. My front tire held air, and I finished the ride in 3:07:53, 46th out of 96.
My transition was overall pretty good. I was in and out in 92 seconds, with a nice cold bottle of water in my hand. There was some question as to whether or not a porto-stop was in order. I wasn’t sure if I could hold it for the entire run, but sort of decided to just get the run under way. The run itself started pretty good. I got into a good rhythm pretty quickly, running a pace that I thought was reasonable for the start of a 13.1 mile run. I passed a couple of other runners, and a few others passed me. At the first aid station I discovered how valuable carrying my own bottle would be. The runners that passed me had to stop to drink, while I grabbed a cup of ice cold water to dump over my head and kept moving. The first three miles went pretty well. I maintained about a 7:30 pace, although looking back at the data now, I was perhaps going too hard (I didn’t look at my HR or my pace while I was actually running – my coach instructed me to do this, and I know from experience that numbers like that in a race situation can get in your head and mess things up pretty quick).
During the fourth mile I started to slow a bit. During the fifth mile I finally decided that a porto-stop was urgently needed. I got to the next aid station, spaced roughly every mile…and there was a line two-deep for the porto! I dumped some water on my head and kept moving. I wasn’t sure I was really going to make it to the next aid station, but I definitely wasn’t going to stand in line either! Towards the next aid station, at about mile 6, I thought I saw Ernie, who started the ride ahead of me (and rode it in only 2:48!). I caught and passed this guy, who turned out to not be Ernie, just as we came to the next aid station. More ice water over my head, and a dash to the porto – no wait for this one! It turned out that the guy I had just passed needed the porto too, so passing him turned out to be a good thing for me.
Most of the rest of the run is a bit of a blur. Not because I was running really fast, but because of the heat. Going into the the porto-stop and probably about the mile after it were pretty rough. I was having a tough time in the heat, as most people were. As tough as it was for me, I was still passing others constantly. Around the half way point I really did catch Ernie. He encouraged me a bit, mostly by threatening to run behind me and talk the entire rest of the run if I didn’t speed up. At one point I came through a tunnel where two girls were waiting with super soakers loaded with cold water. They hit me hard, and it was very refreshing. I felt cooled off and much better, and was able to increase the pace a bit. I doused myself with ice water, and at several aid stations I got my bottle refilled with ice water, some of which I drank, some of which I sprayed on my head, chest, and back. As long as I could stay cooled off like that I felt pretty good. Unfortunately the toughest part of the course was coming up. During miles 9 through 12 the course is pretty much completely exposed – no shade at all, save for a few very small sections that are run through in seconds. I tried my best to stay cool, but as the water in my bottle warmed up spraying myself with it was no longer as refreshing. The volunteers at these events (who are great at what they do!) where bright neon yellow shirts, and I found myself constantly scanning ahead, looking out for their shirts and the next aid station. As I approached the one at mile 12 I started to really struggle. I promised myself I would run until I got there, get water, take a quick walking break, and then finish the race. Of course, the ice water over my head was so refreshing that I just kept running. A couple of people passed me just after the aid station. I tried to use them to keep my pace as high as I could, but eventually I cracked, and slowed to a walk.
At this point, and I was pretty exhausted. Not only was I having trouble finding the strength and motivation to run, even my arms were tired. Swinging them, I could feel the fatigue in my shoulders. I was constantly switching my bottle between my left and right hands and never getting comfortable. On a couple of occasions I ran again, but each time I ran out of gas and ended up walking, hands hanging straight down at my sides, head looking straight at the ground. I was hurting. That 13th mile took 10:26, which means I did run (slowly!) more than I walked. With the end of the 13th mile came the cheering crowds lining the path the rest of the way to the finish line. They definitely helped me get through that last 0.1 miles, which felt like it could be longer than the previous 13. I ran across the finish and stopped the clock in 1:51:50 – much slower than I had hoped, but fast enough for 14th out of 89, and a half-marathon PR for me.
At the end of these races they expect you to lift your leg onto a crate where a volunteer cuts your timing chip off. I usually have a lot of trouble doing this. After this race, I just sat down on the crate. The volunteer got my timing chip off me as I sat there, and was nice enough to put my new chip strap back on my ankle. As I grabbed the back of the chair to stand up she asked if I was ok. I mumbled something and then she lifted her arm, pointed, and said “medical is right in there.” I wasn’t sure If I needed medical. I went in. They sat me in front of a giant air conditioner, gave me two packs of ice to put down my shirt, some ice cold towels to put over my head, and some ice cold water to drink. After sitting there for a while I realized I really needed to lay down. My face and hands were a bit numb. I wasn’t sure how far I could walk if I left. I let the paramedics know how I was feeling and moved to one of the cots. At some point my wife showed up to offer her support, and take pictures to humiliate me with later:
The paramedics decided to take my blood pressure: 105 over 50, and I think my heart rate was in the low 90s. They didn’t seem too concerned. I continued to lay there, and Joanne helped me mix up my recovery drink (I couldn’t tell if I was hungry or nauseous – pretty sure I was hungry, so I figured getting the recovery drink in would be good). I think I was in the medical tent for around 20 minutes before I finally felt good enough to walk out and pick up my finisher medal. Ernie happened to show up at the finish right as I was walking out of the medical tent. Joanne took our picture before he asked the paramedics whether or not he should spend some time in medical.
After all of that, I felt cold. I went back out and sat in the sun and took my shoes off. Despite sitting in the sun on a 95+ degree day, I was still cold. I had to put a long sleeve shirt on! I started to feel better, although still far from normal. After hooking up with Ernie again we walked back to the condo to get cleaned up.
The race took me 5:01:15 to complete. Ultimately I was hoping to be about 30 minutes faster, but I’m still very happy with how it went. The bike leg was what it was. I rode it at a reasonable pace, saving my energy for the run. People that finished the ride 20 minutes ahead of me were 40 minutes behind me after the run. If not for the heat I’m certain I could have run faster – not 30 minutes faster, but I could have been under 5 hours. I finished in 13th place overall, and second in my age group. My trouble towards the end of the run and the flat on my bike didn’t really impact the end result. And most importantly, I met my goal, which was to have a strong run. While the pace wasn’t spectacular, the intensity during the the run (well, during most of it anyway) was high, and ultimately that is what I wanted to accomplish.
