EMMA's

Made the trek to Gear West last night to attend the Oscars of the Minnesota Tri season. Clint had asked if I wanted to join him as Superior Man was once again up for race of the year. With Nick up for Rookie of the Year, I figured it would be fun.

The evening was fun, and Nick and Superior Man both brought home some hardware. Two years in a row as athletes choice race of the year for Superior Man. Watch out for Nick to make some waves next year on the regional race scene. No lead into T2 will be safe with his run speed, although I bet he is coming into T2 closer or even ahead of some of the fast guys next season. 

The evening was capped off by a beer chugging contest to settle the EMMA bingo winner. It was Matt Payne's only loss of the night...

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.  

Superior Man II

I am officially signed up for the second annual Superior Man triathlon on 25AUG2013.  I am looking forward to see what improvements Clint and the Duluth Running Co. Team come up with.  See everyone there.

Superior Man Race Report

Superior Man Race Recap

Short Synopsis:

Slow but steady swim in 38:XX.  About what I expected.

Solid bike pace, until I got a flat (10 minutes to change) and then got stung by a wasp: 2:45.  Take away the break for changing and I am pleased with my bike time. 

Run…  Not so good.  Over two hours of run, shuffle, walk.  Problems with a side stitch right from the get go.  Need to figure this out.

Long Version:

With a 6:30 start for the first boat, it was going to be an early morning.  I rolled into transition about 5:30 am and set about getting the bike and transition spot ready.  Being indoors made this very easy as it was well lit.  It cleared out as the first boat folks went to board and I took care of the last few things and headed out to watch them jump in and get my chip. 

Swim:

I will be the first to say I was a little disappointed when they changed from a straight in swim to the rectangle arrangement.  After watching the first boat start, and then swimming it myself I will say it was a great decision overall.  From a safety perspective the kayakers and medics on the breakwall were able to watch both  of the long legs of the rectangle with ease.  Also, the spectators were able to watch everything happen right in front of them. 

Once on the Vista Fleet boat I went up top as I wanted to start DFL.  I figured since I got roped into the “faster” wave it would be better to start last in the time trial start so any of the faster folks would not have to navigate around me.  It also worked out well as myself and Adam Swank, the other guy to jump last (two jump doors…) were “allowed” to dive in.  They said for safety purposes everyone needed to jump in feet first in case there was any floating debris.  Adam coaxed Clint into letting us dive by saying after 300 other folks have gone in, it should be clear of debris.  So I gave it a good jump, and realized mid air that with the height I jumped, and the door height above the water I was going to go pretty far under.  No biggie…  It was a pretty sweet way to start.  Kudos to Clint, SuperiorMan, and the Vista Fleet for the boat start.  It was a highlight point of the race.

My swim was uneventful, as it should be.  With the time trial start for each boat load, and the two boat loads, there was very little crowd on the swim.  Of course, it was tough to catch a draft though.  The chop was a little rough for your average swim.  That really was to be expected as Lake Superior is a little larger than your average lake.  I had no problem with the chop overall, I just drank a little lake a couple times; this should test if the lake really was clean enough for us.

T1:

Once out of the water, it was a little bit of a jog to the arena door.  I made a point of running as I did not want to waste a minute of race time.  Once in the arena they were warning folks to walk as the smooth concrete floor and wet feet did not mix.  I kept rolling though.  Bottom line, in a straight line no problem.  Simply slow down when you need to turn the corner…  Saw story with the bike in hand out to start the ride. 

Bike:

The bike started simple enough.  Kept it easy on the out and back over the railroad tracks.  Continued to take it easy through the first miles in town.  Once onto London Road, I tried to get in a groove.  With the tail wind on the outbound leg, I figured I had to be careful to push but not too hard.  Take advantage of the wind while we had it. 

I was passing lots of people the entire bike ride.  I saw absolutely no drafting.  However, there were a couple guys that need to work on their position foul understanding.  I am guessing they thought since they started so late there would not be any strong bikers behind them.  Sorry guys, there is someone who swims worse than you do…

Everything was going to plan until I turned the corner at Two Harbors.  This pavement was brand new, finished only two weeks ago…  Yet for some reason my bike seemed to be bouncing a little.  I checked my tires and it appeared my rear was a little low.  I pulled off and sure enough it was probably at 50 psi and going down slowly.  Better change it…

I took my time because I still had 23 miles to go and did not want to miss some small chunk of whatever that was causing a problem.  Ten minutes later I was ready to go.  Once back on track, I really started to notice the head wind.  It was really making us work.  I paid special attention to my Quark so that I would not be frying my legs before even getting on the run. 

Things were going smoothly and I was staying smooth as I traveled down London Road again.  Just before I get to the bike trail with about 5 miles to go in the bike a wasp/hornet/bee stings me in my right leg below the knee.  A few curse words later and no mishap of bike handling later and my leg hurts like a sonofabitch…  Nothing to do here, so I keep rolling and make my way towards T2.

T2:

I made my way through T2 with my normal quickness.  Nothing good can come of sitting in a nice cool hockey arena when your run is out in the sunny 85-90 degree heat.  Total time was 1:13 in T2.  Only the relay folks were in and out faster than me.  That would be the end of things that went well for me…

Run:

Starting out my legs felt great and I headed out.  I knew the heat would be tough, but I think I started the run a little dehydrated.  Add to that the side stitches that flared up right away, and the fact that my right leg was a little numb from the knee down from the wasp/hornet/bee sting and I knew I was in for a rough afternoon. 

I tried to make the best of the run.  When the opportunity arose I chatted with other athletes.  I tried to thank the volunteers when I could, and even had the luck to be coming under the aerial lift bridge when there were big boats coming in on two of my three laps. 

Finish:

Once I finished I grabbed a cool bottle of water and laid down on the grass.  My side stitch was still pretty bad.  It was so bad I could not breathe in very deep at all.  I said hello to the family and thanked them for cheering me on.  They asked if I wanted to go out for lunch, but I was a dirty, sweaty, salty mess so I said they should just go.  I then chatted with a bunch of other athletes and had my complimentary brat from Canal Park Brewing Company.  Based on the brat alone, I cannot wait for them to be open so I can try the other food and beer they will be offering. 

Overall I will say I thought the race was well run.  Sure, there were a few things they could have done a little better; maybe some carpet for the smooth concrete floor in transition, slight tweak to the run aid station placement, improve the stairs out of the swim.  All of those things were minor issues and for transition they were adding carpets as they could and had a slew of volunteers telling us it was slippery.  For the run aid stations, on the longest hottest stretch without an aid station they had bikes and a golf cart going up and down the road handing out water on the later laps as it got warmer.  So they were doing a good job of identifying these items as they happened and doing what they could to improve them on the spot.  Kudos…

The highlights were many though:

• Swim course – starting from the boat was cool and the course was easy for safety personnel and spectators. 
• Transition – indoors was neat, but the overall organization and assigned rack spots was nice.
• The volunteers were everywhere and did a very good job overall.  People were all over in the water and on the breakwall for the swim, every corner in town had people and signs telling us where to go on the bike, and the run aid stations had smiling volunteers along with many more at the turns and areas where we would be crossing over popular tourist walkways.  If you volunteered, thanks.  I tried to thank many of you, but I know I missed many. 
• Bike – I may be an unfair opinion on the course as I rode it four or five times in its entirety prior to race day so when I say it was easy to follow, well…  I thought they had well educated volunteers telling you about the turns and the areas to take a little extra caution though…  I did see a few flats out there, but since I was starting from the back I probably saw almost all of them, along with getting one.  When you factor in there were 246 finishers, that means there were a total of 13776 miles biked on the day.  Many of those miles were on slightly more fragile tires than your average training tire.  So, I cannot say there was really a flat issue.  I am sure everyone who got one may beg to differ though…
• “Big” Time Race Feel – this is my own interpretation I guess.  The whole venue choice from the arena for transition, to using a boat to start, and having the wonderful Bayfront Festival Park for the finish had a very big time race atmosphere. 
• Logistics – ever go to a race and have no place to park?  Well, if you were willing to pay $5 you could park no more than 100 yards from the front door to transition.  If you did not want to pay, there was a lot one block away that was less than 100 yards from the finish line that was free.  Both had plenty of open spots because they were designed for events with 1000’s of people instead of 100’s of people.
• Cool finishers medal...

Overall, a good race to have as a late season goal race.  See everyone next year,.

Race Weekend Approaching

With Sunday fast approaching, and with it Superior Man, I have been trying to keep my workouts light this week. I have also been going over the bike to make sure it is ready to go also. In addition to that, I finalized the bike course preview video I had been working on (check it out below).

This evening I did the final prep on my bike and cleaned the bike and helmet.  I plan on taking it out tomorrow for the final short ride prior to race day.

The rest of my time prior to race time will be spent watching the weather so I can plan what to have for race day.  I will also be making the final nutrition decisions and having them prepped for transition setup.

Superior Man Bike Course Video

I look forward to seeing all of the inaugural Superior Man athletes at check in day on Saturday as I am volunteering.  Best of luck to anyone racing.

New Duluth Half Ironman - Superior Man Tri

This post has literally been a few months in the making.  It really started around late August when Clint Agar from Duluth Running Company first gave hints of a triathlon he was working on putting together for the Duluth area.  He gave out bits and pieces and today it was finally announced officially: Superior Man Tri.  While this is the first year of this triathlon, Clint and Duluth Running Company have been putting on running races for a few years and they also were part of the now defunct Duluth Duathlon.  I raced in the final year of the Duluth Duathlon and thought it was a very well run race so I have no problem recommending a first year race that Clint and Duluth Running Company is putting on.

This race is going to be a classic half ironman distance that is based out of the Duluth waterfront area.  Both the brand new Amsoil Arena and the wonderful Bayfront Park will be utilized for transitions and finishing areas.  The course will have some interesting twists from your average race including jumping off a boat for the start.  Speaking as someone who has participated in the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon where you jump off a boat to start, it is a very fun way to start a race.  So set your calendar for August 26, 2012.  And know that if you are one of the first to sign up, there is an early bird discount.

Swim

The swim for the Superior Man Tri will be in the Duluth harbor.  As stated, the competitors will be ferried to the start area on the Vista fleet of boats that they will then jump off of to start the half ironman journey.  I would suggest enjoying the ride and the views of the Aerial and Blatnik bridges now, as once you are in the water you will tend to be more focused on getting to shore as fast as possible.  The water in the harbor will not be as cold as the main lake, but it will most likely be anything but warm.  This will be one of those races where wetsuits will always be legal. 

From the course description, the swim will start 1.2 miles southeast of Bayfront park which should be right around 19^th Avenue if you were on Park Point, or just short of the channel to go under the Blatnik bridge in the harbor itself.  Racers will jump off of the Vista boats and then swim straight northwest towards Bayfront park.  This should be nice with the sun at your back and the dominating fixtures of the Amsoil Arena and Bayfront bandshell to sight off of.  If you go off course during this swim you should see your eye doctor before getting on your bike.

Bike

The bike course is a single loop that heads towards Two Harbors and then follows the majority of the Grandma’s marathon run course back.  The weather of late August in the Duluth area could provide the whole gamut of biking conditions, so just be ready for a very warm ride to a cold/windy/rainy ride if you plan on racing.  The averages are a low of 54 and a high of 74, so pretty good weather for a race if it is average.  Just know the records are 95 and 32.  Yup, it can get to the point that water will freeze in August in the Duluth area.  Just know that if it is cold in the morning, the water will feel great at the start of the race.

Based on Clint’s description and the website, the bike course will start out a little technical as it attempts to get out of the downtown area.  In a half ironman I think this will be fine.  Much like the Ironman race in Madison, if the first couple miles have a few turns and whatnot it only helps the average racer not start out too hard.  Once the course gets to London Road and heads northeast towards Two Harbors it should really be nice.  There are no turns and only minimal hills.  This should allow for some really good bike splits if the wind cooperates.  The return trip from Two Harbors will be on the Scenic Highway.  This is a popular bike route for area cyclists for a reason.  The road is decent with a shoulder and the views are very nice.  The beautiful view of Lake Superior should give everyone something to take their mind off of the potential grueling nature of the race on the back half of the bike.  The return into town will share the slightly technical nature as the start, but once again this can be a good opportunity for everyone to change things up and get out of the pedals to stretch before hitting the run. 

Run

I need to talk to Clint a little more to understand the details of the run course a little better (the exact turn around point and stuff).  I have a general feel and it will be a very spectator friendly course.  Three laps will make that a given, but the fact that the course loops around Canal Park will also make it easy for spectators to jog around and catch athletes at multiple spots if they are up for the walk.  For the runners, the William A. Irvin, Aerial Lift Bridge, Lake Superior, and the Boardwalk will be interesting sights as they make their way around the course.  The finish of the run is set for the Bayfront Festival Park which should provide a wonderful spot.

Overall

As I think about the overall potential for this race I believe it has a lot of things going for it.  From a pure racers standpoint, the unique swim is a draw.  The bike course will be challenging enough for the experienced racer, but not too intimidating for a relative newcomer to a half ironman distance race.  The run will allow for great spectator support in an interesting area to help keep the motivation level high. 

The Canal Park area as a general area for a triathlon has many perks.  For the out of town racers, the hotels on Canal Park are an easy walk to the transition area so getting your spectators up and driving to the race will not be needed if you choose to stay in Canal Park.  Should you be a local or choose to stay outside of the Canal Park area there will be ample parking available for racers and spectators alike at the transition area.  The Amsoil Arena is setup to handle 6,000 or so people for events, I doubt the volume of racers will have any trouble finding a close parking spot.

For spectators the Canal Park area will be very nice, as will the three loop run.  While your athletes are out biking there are multiple shops to check out and places to eat all within a short walk from transition (and on the run course…).

So, if you were looking for a half ironman distance race close to the end of the season, this one should be on your list as a potential race. 

I plan to find out all of the little details that make a race for the average racer such as what kind of items will be available at aid stations, where will the aid stations be, etc…  As I find them out, I will post that information here.  If anyone has any questions, I will be more than willing to try and find them out just put them in the comments.  Hope to see a great field in Duluth on August 26!