Race Report: Flora-Bama Mullet Man Sprint Tri

Transition Area in close proximity to Main Bar

I ended my last blog post pondering what would be next for me in the wonderful world of tri.  I didn't have to wait too long because I found out that the 22nd annual Flora-Bama Mullet Man Sprint Triathlon was being held this weekend.  I've lived about 5 miles from the infamous Flora-Bama for the past 2 years and have never gone inside.  I'm proud to say this triathlon changed that!

This race was supposed to be a 1/4 mile swim, 17 mi bike, and 4 mi run.  I woke up and was pleased to see my phone said that the winds were only 9 mph.  As soon as I opened the door though I realized my phone lied to me.  There was a gale force wind coming directly out of the east, and by gale force I mean probably 15-20 mph.  The results of this wind were threefold 1) the swim was cancelled and replaced with a 1/2 mile soft sand beach run, 2) the bike had a massive headwind on the way out following by a ripping tailwind on the way back, and 3) the run was 2 miles of tailwind + 2 miles of excruciating head wind.

Before I get into this race I have to mention the amazing pre-race smoothie I made!  So, if you are eating 2 hours before a race you should aim for 2 grams of carbs per kg body weight.  This smoothie provided 433 calories, 106 grams carbohydrates, and the performance enhancing benefits of organic nitrates from beet juice!  AND it tasted great!  TRY IT.

1 medium banana
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
2 pitted medjool dates
2 ice cubes
1 can Juice Performer beet juice (use code 'martine8' to get 10% off Juice Performer at the Amazon store.

I was somewhat out of it before this race and I am not sure why.  I left my house and realized I had forgotten my Garmin, so of course had to turn my car back around to grab that.  Then when I arrived at transition I realized I had forgotten to bring any water!  LOL.  It's not like it's the first time I've ever done one of these!  One cool thing about transition was that because this race was relatively small (~150 people), you got to rack your bike anywhere you wanted!  I scored a spot right next to the bike in/out.

The Swim Soft Sand Beach Run - 1/2 mile - 3:23 (6:46/mi)
I rather enjoyed the fact that this race had an unconventional start!  Don't think I've ever done a triathlon which began with a soft sand run before!  Plus, it alleviated me from having to make the decision of wearing a speedsuit or a sleeveless wetsuit.  When the ladies wave went off (3rd and final wave of the day) I executed my plan of sticking close to the front of the pack and my heart rate was probably about 200 bpm 5 seconds into the race.  Running on soft sand is NOT EASY!!!!  It remained there for the duration of the run and I almost felt like barfing as I ran into T1 in 2nd place.

T1 - 0:58
Didn't dilly dally.

The Bike - 17 miles - 45:53 (22.2 mph)
I passed the first female as she was clipping into her bike to take the lead.  My plan for the bike was to red line it and go as hard as I could.  The bike was the funnest (word?) part of the day!  There were two waves of men already on course so there were plenty of people to pass.  On the way out, as expected, was a relentless headwind.  I stayed aero and envisioned myself punching the smallest possible hole in the wind. I was averaging 17-18 mph.  When we finally turned the corner, the tailwind was a relief.  Riding at 27-28 mph is always pure joy (unless you're descending with poor handling skills, in which case it's sheer terror).

T2 - 0:36
Lickety split!  I saw the second woman pulling into T2 as I was heading out and realized I would have to run hard to keep the lead.

The Run - 4 miles - 27:42 (6:56/mi)
It took me about 1 mile to settle into a comfortable rhythm on the run.  I was trying to bank some speed on the first 2 miles b/c I knew the last 2 would be a slow plow to the finish line.  Hitting the turnaround felt like a 2 min/mi drop in pace combined with a 3 notch increase in perceived level of effort.  I busied my mind with identifying various landmarks along the route and singing different songs in my head for each landmark.

Total Time - 1:18:29 - 1st overall female
Woo hoo!!!!  I crossed the line as the first overall female and 7th place overall finisher.  Not a bad way at all to start the weekend!  I also got to meet fellow Team Zoot teammate Lenny and his wife Melissa.  Congrats to Lenny for finishing 2nd overall and 1st master's man!  I also met their friend Natalie, an uber biker from Lafayette who won 1st master's woman.  We hung out at Flora-Bama for a little while and I'm not sure why I've avoided that place.  It was really cool - live musicians singing classic country tunes, indoor and outdoor seating, gulf-front, and plenty of beer, booze, and Bushwackers flowing from multiple bars.  It might have been my first time  there, but definitely won't be my last :)

I love this mug and think it's hilarious!

Race Report: Galveston 70.3

I picked Galveston as an early season race b/c I figured it would be similar to training conditions where I live in Pensacola FL.  Two of my friends who did the race last year confirmed that it was flat n' windy on the bike and blistering hot on the run.  Perfect.

What a surprise to find out my driving route required a ferry! 

As race day approached, forecasted temperatures kept dropping.  Somehow I had the foresight to pack gear for all weather and thank goodness I did because it was a crisp 49 degrees on race morning!     I had planned to wear either a speedsuit or a short-sleeved wetsuit, but I was thankful that morning that I had also packed my full-sleeve suit, which looked very professional paired with socks & sandals ;)

The Swim - 1.2 miles - 36:28 (1:53/100 m)

The swim was an in-water start and jumping into the water off the dock felt like jumping into a bathtub!  The water was WAY warmer than the air!  Boom - the gun fired and my age group took off. The water was rather choppy and crowded.  I never found any good feet to draft off of yet never seemed to have clear water either.  The course felt long and when I checked my watch it confirmed that I was in there longer than I had expected to be.  

T1 - 3:44

Taking off that wetsuit was not warm.  Burr!!!!  My transition was a little longer b/c I chose to put on my finisher jacket from IM Chattanooga, a headband to cover my ears, and gloves. 

The Bike - 56 miles - 2:46:16 (20.22 mph)

The bike was a flat out & back on a road that paralleled the coastline.  There was one bridge, but it was not much to write home about - I was expecting something big and scary like Perdido Key Pass, but it was basically a flat little thing over some marshland.  On the way out, there was a massive tailwind.  It would have been easy to over-do it and pay big time on the return trip, but I forced myself to stay within my goal watts.  It started raining about 5 miles out from the turnaround.  At first it was lightly misting but later on in the race I noticed that my jacket sleeves were completely saturated.  As soon as I turned around the wind whipped hard into my face.  I knew it would be a much more grueling trip back to T2.  Although the headwind was tough, the worst part was how much colder it felt!  I was so thankful I was dressed for winter and have NO IDEA how some people were out there in only a tri suit!!!???  My hands got so numb that I had to stop at the aid station and have a volunteer refill my bottle.  My fingers lost the ability to change gears or effectively break towards the end of the ride.  However, I was pleased that I was able to maintain the watts I wanted to and didn't die in the last 10 miles.

Thank GOODNESS I packed this coat! 

T2 - 3:02

This transition was pretty darn slow b/c my hands were incapacitated d/t cold.  Thankfully there was  a very friendly volunteer who undid my helmet strap and put on my running number belt for me!  Thank you!!!!!  I kept my gloves on and headed out on the run.  

The Run - 13.1 miles - 1:37:08 (7:24/mi)

At this point it had warmed up to somewhere around 53 degrees - still WAY too cold for a Floridian's blood!  I started running and noticed my feet were numb and felt like ice blocks.  I started running behind a woman who was clipping of 7:30 minute miles and figured that was a good start.  I've been working on regaining speed lately but was really unsure of what I'd be able to do off the bike.  After the first loop of the run, my feet and ears had thawed out and I ditched the gloves.  I also took a caffeinated gel which was quite possibly the best decision I made the entire race.  I felt like I was the run leg of a relay team for the next 4 miles!  The effect wore off a little for the third and final loop and I had to dig in to get to the finish.  I was pleased that I had been able to maintain slightly sub 7:30  pace and wanted to carry that out to the end.  

Total Time - 5:06:36 - 9th of 107 in Age Group

I finished in 5:06:36 and was very pleased with this result.  It's the fastest 70.3 I've race in quite a few years and I have good reason to believe the new training platform that I've been using, TriDot, is working quite well.  In fact, I have accepted an ambassadorship with TriDot and will be doing a post soon on the ins and outs of this training/coaching software.  Overall, it's allowing me to train fewer hours while increasing speed.

Shout out to my friend Sharon for finishing 2nd in her age group!!!  Sharon you are a total rockstar and I had such a fun time with you! :)  

I'm not quite sure what's next for me but I need to figure it out soon b/c it's driving me crazy.  I don't like not having my next race on the docket.  I am deciding between doing another Ironman or a couple of 70.3s to build speed and maybe try to qualify for 2019 70.3 worlds in Nice France because I've been DYING to go back to France for quite a few years now!  La France me trop manque!