Challenge Penticton Race Report

So it is October 2nd and I am updating my blog after giving it a long rest.

After my training camp in July, I regrouped, reviewed my training and racing plans for the remainder of the year and refocused on my goal of Challenge Penticton.

Needless to say, this took a lot of time and effort. Training for any endurance race takes a lot of time and training and an iron distance race is no exception.

Here is my race report, better late than never. It is a bit choppy and detailed around nutrition

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Wake Up - 3:15am

Pre Race Breakfast:

2 hard boiled eggs
Large White bagel with natural PB
1 banana
1 500ml bottle IMPerform

Race Start 6:35am

Swim: 1:13:44

Nutrition:

none

Morning was warm but windy. Choppy on the water but no whitecaps. Felt the chop on the way out. Sighting was challenging with the swells. Eased up on the way back a bit. Swam alone, the whole time. Started at the front of my wave (40-44 M/F) and stayed there for the whole swim. Caught up to the wave in front but no feet to follow. Left the water feeling like I had not over worked myself but still had a strong swim.

T1: 5:36

Bike: 6:50:22

Nutrition

3 Power Bars (660 calories/540mg sodium)
6 Power Gels (660 calories/1200mg sodium)
3 H2oPro tabs (no calories/1500mg sodium)
2 750ml Bottles of Heed (200 calories/80mg sodium)
2 500ml bottles IMPerform and Carbo Pro (720 calories/760mg sodium
2 750ml bottles IMPerform and Carbo Pro (860 calories/1140mg sodium)
4 salt tabs (660mg sodium)
1 Pocket Fuel (200 calories)
TOTAL CALORIES - 3300
TOTAL SODIUM - 5850

I felt like I executed my bike nutrition plan well. Ate at a regular pace throughout the ride. Stayed well fuelled and hydrated. I stopped to use a port-o-potty 2x and had a back tire flat on Richter Pass. Both of those combine cost me 12 minutes. Mentally and physically, I felt good the whole ride. There were tough spots and low points but nothing of note. Even the out and back was good.

T2: 4:47

Run: 5:14:04

Nutrition

6 Power Gels (660 calories/1200mg sodium)
2 Hammer Gels (180 calories/80mg sodium)
1 cup soup broth
Pepsi starting around the 30km mark
Heed in cups from the beginning of the run
6 salt tabs (990mg sodium)
water
ice

Before I wrote this list, I would have said I fuelled well on the run. However, looking at it now, I think I under fuelled. I ate my 6 Power Gels (one every 30-40 minutes) then switched to the Hammer Gels on course but they tasted bad. Still got 2 of them down but started Pepsi, Heed and water after that. I just felt like I could not eat another Gel. Perhaps I would have been better off with chews instead of Gels on the run?

On the way out to OK Falls I employed my run 3km walk 30 seconds rule until I realized I needed fuel at every aid station. I tried to keep to the 3km/30sec walk but it failed around the 9km mark.

I walked the aid stations taking in what I could. In hindsight, I should have kept to a more rigid run/walk schedule to OK Falls. I felt pretty good but ended up walking when I should have powered through.

On the run back my quads started to cramp at about 35kms so I walked a bit more. When I remembered, I focused on my yoga fingers, quicker steps and counting my steps to keep me occupied. The run along Skaha was quieter that I remembered, maybe because the numbers were down for this race. It seemed like I was out there alone and it was tough to stay in zone.

Total time: 13:28:30 Right in the middle of my 2009 and 2011 times.

Overall I felt like the race went well. I am happy with my time overall as well at my swim and bike given the conditions.

My run is still my weak point that needs focused attention to improve.