Superior Man 2013 - aka Epic Heat Round 2

I remember saying last year that the high heat and SW winds for the inaugural edition of Superior Man were the worst weather conditions we could see for a late August Tri in Duluth. I was wrong. Very wrong...

Short Version

Swim - epic chop. Felt like we were swimming uphill at times. Toughest swim ever for me. 43:xx. Five minutes slower than Boulder. 

T1 - massive wrestling match with the right wetsuit arm on the run in.  Otherwise smooth and controlled. 

Bike - knew we had a tailwind to start so I went out fast but controlled. Hit Two Harbors in 1:10. Nothing exciting, which is good, and simply fought the headwind on the way home to a 2:32:xx.  

T2 - how much crap do I need to run?  Hat, glasses, race number belt, salt, GPS watch, cold water bottle...  Quick and efficient though.

Run - hot. Beer at Canal Park Brewery aid station, dip in Lake Superior, and lots of ice down the Tri bibs...  Did I mention it was hot?

Long Version

Pre-Race

Alarm at 4:30 and boy does that seem early...  Had a quick breakfast of toast and juice. Threw all of my stuff in my car and rolled out. As I pulled into the DECC the temp reads 79 degrees at 5:30 am.  It was fitting that the song "Hate My Life" came on at that moment...  Just remember, you paid for the opportunity to race today...

Setup my transition spot and chatted with everyone I knew doing the race, and plenty of random others. Lots of excitement, along with anxiety over the heat and wind. 

Swim

Boarded boat number two and headed to the top deck so I could once again jump off dead last. The chop from the wind looked rough and word was it delayed the take off of boat two. The Vista Fleet crew did a great job mooring the boat by Bayfront so we could get our race underway. 

Macarena?!?  That was the last song I heard prior to jumping in...  Thankfully it did not get stuck in my head for the ride...  As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I gave Clint the question and got the ok to dive in again. The one perk I get for going dfl.  And in I went!  

The water felt brisk but not too cold. I quickly got out and into a rhythm.  The chop on the south side was noticeable. About 1/4 of the way down the first leg, a kayak was right by me and asked if everything was ok.  Do I look that bad when I swim?  I kept plugging along and noticed I had a lady drafting off of me.  Not a problem, but I needed to pee and did not want to do that with someone right behind me so I waited. But she was on me like white on rice for the whole first lap.  I finally ditched her after seeing someone swimming the wrong way!?!  He was swimming well and I did not notice him until he was behind me so I did not say anything to him.  

On lap two the chop was even more apparent and it was like swimming uphill at times. There were strokes where my hand was still vertical as I was bringing it around and it would be hit by a wave and be totally under water. I drank plenty of Lake Superior and felt like a sock in the washing machine at times.  But finally the ladder was in sight. 

T1 

Once on dry land I started running because I was happy to not be getting tossed about.  Got to my bike and grabbed a gel while I put my helmet and socks on.  Threw my Gatorade chews in my pocket, flipped the camera and computer on and I was off.  

Bike 

Knowing we would have a strong tailwind up to Two Harbors (and a strong headwind home...), I wanted to make sure I took advantage without going too hard on the way out.  I also wanted to make sure I was drinking because it would be hot for the run and if I came in dehydrated from the bike, well that would suck...  

The chunk through town went by smoothly. I navigated the turns etc with no issues and soon enough was climbing the first hill on the expressway.  Maintain my pace while not going over my power threshold were my thoughts. With such an epically slow swim, I was passing quite a number of folks early on.  With the time trial start, there never seemed to be groups or drafting so that is nice.  

Just after the first aid station I came up behind my friend Caro.  This worried me a bit as I did not expect to see her so soon.  She was borrowing my Cervelo and I hoped it was not causing her issues. As I went by she was in good spirits so that was a good sign.  She would later pass me on the run on her way to third lady overall.  Rocking a great bike and run split using a bike she had never ridden that was less than ideal fitting (it was close, but she wanted her aerobars a little further away from the seat). 

Once we turned the corner at Two Harbors we felt the wind...  So that is why I was pushing 25+ on the flats with little effort...  Stay aero, and keep pedaling. Don't worry about a low speed number, everybody is seeing them...

The wind coupled with the rougher roads after Knife River had me in a little bit of a low spot.  Sore legs, sore lower back,  no energy...  All the things that can creep up on me in longer races. After the water stop I tried to drink a little more and get back into my groove. The wind decided to really smack us around by McQuade harbor. Flat road and 15 mph...  Ouch...  Finally got to London Road and got to ride "against traffic" (on the left shoulder) which is a little odd for a biker but fun too... 

As we approached 40th ave west I saw a guy running his fat tire bike because the tire was flat. Dude.  How on earth did you ride almost 50 miles on a fat tire bike that fast!?!  Thought about throwing him my flat repair stuff but quickly realized it would do him no good...  Yup, that is your brain at mile 50...  Heard later people saw him get back to T2...  Hope he finished.   He is hardcore!

T2 

Where did all of this shit come from?  Slip the bike on the rack, ditch the helmet, on with the shoes.  Pick up my hat, glasses, salt tablets, race belt, water bottle, GPS watch, kitchen sink...  You know it is hot out when a bottle of water frozen over night is not that cold when stored indoors out of the sun for six hours...

Run (Shuffle) 

My plan was to manage the run.  From the get go I panned on walking the aid stations so I could get in plenty of water. I would walk the uphills when that became an issue.  From the get go I kept a nice easy pace, if it was cool and I had not just biked 56 miles after swimming uphill like a salmon for over a mile.  At the aid stations I planned on ice and water at all of them.  Gatorade or Pepsi would be a station by station decision.  

The first lap was steady. Walk the aid stations grabbing water and ice from the great volunteers and staying as hydrated as possible.  The wind that plagued us for the last 27 miles was now going to be our friend at times. Whenever it was a head wind on the run, it did help cool you off.  Heading down railroad street it felt nice as a watched the string of runners ahead of me.  It reminded me of a bunch of semis driving up Thompson hill.  Nobody was moving fast, but we were all moving forward with purpose. At the end of lap one the stint through Bayfront Park was nice as the wind was coming off the harbor and felt cooler.  

Lap two...  I had a plan to dip in Lake Superior at the first aid station if it was really hot.  Well, it was really hot 5-10 degrees ago...  Below is the GPS track showing my little detour for my cool down.

As I approached the first aid station by the Canal Park Brewery, I grabbed my water and ice.  On a whim I asked for beer since it was mile 8 and all...  Low and behold they had Growlers and poured me a glass. I took it and headed for the lake. 

Jumping in felt great. Nice and cool all over. I got out and got back to the run. Same story, run to the aid station, grab ice and water, and get rolling. My mile splits were not great, but I was still running. As we headed back on the Lakewalk, I noticed my doctor volunteering and wondered what the official advice would be on completing a half iron race in high heat and humidity...  

After the final aid station, I got back to pace. Time to run it in to the finish line. I picked off a few racers in the last half mile, and finished with a hard earned 5:45 or so.  

Overall 

Not my best time of the year, but i was very pleased with how I managed the race based on the conditions.  The run in the heat was tough, but I felt like I handled it well.  Not exactly my best run time, but I was still running strong at the finish.

I have to give Clint and the whole Superior Man crew a tip of the hat.  They made some nice changes to the race that were noticeable upgrades; carpet mats for transition to keep us from slipping, taking the bike course off of the railroad tracks, and a new two loop run course.  On top of that, I have never seen a run course aid station setup handle that kind of heat with no problems so well.  They never ran out of ice and the volunteers were great.