BikeKing Duathlon: That's Better

RACE ORG REVIEW

Great race org overall. Simply THE BEST duathlon organizer in the country! From the registration to the race proper all the way to the medal and finisher's area plus loot bag, it was very well organized. Of course, riding the SCTEX is always the main attraction of this race and it never fails to disappoint.

Race distance accuracy could be something to be improved though as the bike leg measured an additional 2+ kilometers ---evaporating any PR chances goodbye. I understand the placement of the turnaround point at the Floridablanca exit which is at the toilet area which makes it convenient for participants to make a stop for #1 or #2. Not sure though how Bikeking can resolve this very minor issue.

MY RACE:

RUN1

Took a Nutella sandwich minutes before gun time.

Run1 took us to the ever familiar Porac road which was 3km downhill and then go back up the same 3k for T1. I planned for a 6:30/km pace throughout and I was on point for the first 3k, averaging 6:29+ per km for that downhill section ---refusing to let my adrenaline rush to push for more.

It was a different story though after the turnaround as my pace dropped to 6:44/km for the last 3k uphill. I was overtaking the other participants (who may have pushed too hard on the first 3k) but pace was way outside my target ---a reminder yet again that I should do more hill repeats.

Gel #1 taken at km5 of Run1.

Finished Run1at 6:37/km which was still a good start for beating my PR (I was 6:51/km in the 2015 version).

BIKE

I was able to borrow a pair of UCI-legal aerobars days before the race. I know this is something unusual for me as I try not to do anything new on race day. Although I raced last May with the same aerobars on two duas, I didn't quite specifically train with it for this race. It will just all come to familiarity of feel when I exited T1 and, fortunately, I didn't do any major adjustments with using them (again).

Riding downhill was a breeze (reached 55kph max) and the upward section to the turnaround was expected. I was still feeling good so no issues were encountered...yet. 

Leaving T1 towards SCTEX

The bike leg was a 2-loop ride from Porac exit to Floridablanca, which was probably between 15-16kms. As I looked at my Garmin when I approached the turn around point, it read 15 point something kms which meant that this'll exceed 60kms. I mentally calculated that beating my 3:29 PR will be a challenge as I may have to double the effort. However, opting for safety (in preparation for a good Run2) I just had to manage my pace on the bike since there are makunat climbs on the way back to Porac (which I will tackle TWICE).

As expected, it was a chore on the way back so I relied on my power numbers (3sec power and NP readings) to manage my effort and prevent bonking. Fortunately, this strategy worked well as I was able to finish the 2-loop (hard!) bike course to reach T2 in one piece. 

Average speed = 25.8kph (2015 version was 24.6kph). I will probably make a separate post for my bike leg analysis a la Trainingpeaks for future reference so watch out for that. ;-)

Gel taken every 30mins during the ride (4 gels in total). Hydrated with water only.

RUN2

I ran out of gels by the time I reached T2 so the plan would be to gulp Gatorade at the hydration stops. I was expecting a grueling Run2 if we were made to tackle a shorter version of the same downhill-turnaround-uphill route. Fortunately we were made to run a two loop course inside Sandbox, Porac. It still had its short climbs but not as challenging as the previous versions of this race. What was difficult was running in the hot sun so I had to douse myself with water at the hydration stations. 

I started off well pace-wise (6:30/km) but it considerably dropped to 7:00+ all the way to the finish. Not sure what happened to me from km2-4 of this leg. Possibly fatigue or ran out of energy (although I gulped the Gatorade, it may have been too late as it normally takes a while before you feel its effect to pump you up). Note that I was still running well (i.e. not walking) on those last kms but not on the pace that I liked.

Average Run2 pace = 6:58/km (2015 version was 7:15/km on a tougher course). 

TOTAL TIME?

I reached the finish arc at 3:36 which was 7 minutes over my PR. Nothing to be ashamed of here as I did well in my opinion. Had the bike distance been accurate and I haven't spent too much time on T1 and T2 (over 3mins each), it would've been a PR victory. 

There will be a lot of post race analysis on this one but, overall, I am very happy to finish this (my A-race) on a better condition vs 2015. My (pace and nutrition) strategy was better, my HR numbers were lower with same or better speeds, and I managed myself mentally well all throughout the race.

Even though I left Porac without a PR, this is probably my strongest SCTEX duathlon performance to date.

And I think I am just going to get better by next year's version. ;-) 

 

 

SCTEX Dua: Race Week Thoughts

So it's my long awaited A-race (a.k.a. revenge race) this Sunday and I'm keen to find out how I'll end up then after.

Training-wise, I may have reduced CTL slightly (now in the lower 50s) as the weekend long rides and runs have been left wanting. Been taking the kids to the basketball clinic every Sat am so down goes the long ride/run. Sunday AMs are usually medium rides in BGC with not much elevation (been too lazy to drive to Nuvali) so I will definitely perish on Sunday's bike leg (where the makunat climb awaits).

The runs have been well, sort of, pace wise but with the bike in between come race day it'll be a challenge to keep it going once the Porac exit starts with the nasty climb upon the turn around.

Yup, I've been running this race course in my mind for several days now and I'm quite ready for it mentally speaking.

I predict a good Run1, a good/bleh Bike, and a hard fought Run2 on Sunday. 3:29 is my standing 2014 PR for this dua distance (6-60-4) so I hope to do better than that.

Fingers (and legs) crossed.

Comparing my 2014 vs 2017 training logs from Trainingpeaks, I should (must!) do better this year. It's been difficult though, as mentioned above, to keep the weekend training goals going so I'm not really confident once the race goes beyond the 1 hour mark.

Just need to remember to pace myself in preparation for a good Run2. It'll be a test of wills after that Run2 turnaround since it'll be a long 2k climb to the finish line.

Ah yes, and don't forget to have a good time. It's still a privilege to be able to ride my bike over the SCTEX highway ---makunat or not. :)

No Milo for me this year

Yup, I (lazily) made up my decision not to reg for Milo 21k in Metro Manila which is happening this Sunday (July 30). The medical certificate requirement to register became rather tedious for me as our company clinic will only issue one if I pass an ECG and XRAY exam ---which I need to take in another clinic on another company building. Sigh.

I know I know. Should've been something that I could've done if I really wanted to race but, then, adding to a lot of things to do at work (and just being plain lazy to walk 600 meters away) made me decide to skip this race....for now.

In the meantime I've been training as much as I could for my A-race (BikeKing Duathlon) happening on Aug 20. Traningpeaks CTL is near the 60s so that's a good sign.

My runs have been doing well endurance-wise but I need to inject more of those tempo/speedwork sessions in the weekdays (long runs since my Maxicare 16k have been good pace-wise ---10k and 12k). Probably add more hill repeats too will be vital ---especially on the Run2 4k on race day.

My rides have been declining mileage/hours wise but I've been compensating it by doing a lot of high intensity short bike sessions on the weekdays (Sufferfest, and mostly GCN 40-minute sessions). I hope to cover more ground bike-wise in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed.

Oh, lastly, I've been doing some yoga at home for my back pain. The one with Adriene has helped relieve the soreness of my back IMMENSELY so I'm sharing the video here which I hope you'll try as well. I will probably do more yoga (once or twice a week) to keep my back (and probably my whole body in the long run) in tip top flexible shape. :)

Race Review: Maxicare Run 2017

The good:

1. Accurate distance
2. Well placed aid stations
3. Great post race stuff: finisher's shirt, medal, lootbag, etc.

For improvement:

1. Still need to find a way to prioritize runners over vehicle traffic especially along Gil Puyat. I may have lost a minute or so due to marshals giving vehicles a chance to cross.

My race:

I was able to meet my target for this race which was to pace at or near 7:00/km throughout. I never felt the need to speed up (except for the last 2k which I'll explain later) as I never thought of "really racing" this one as this would be my longest run (16k) after quite a while which would really be an achievement in itself. The plan was simply to control the pace throughout and see how I hold up towards the latter kms. This also served as my gauge if I will ever be ready for the upcoming Milo 21k on July30 (which I haven't signed up yet) ---pace wise so that I am within the 2:30 cutoff.

I got a little worried about the 2 week taper that I did before Sunday but in retrospect, it worked out well for my benefit. The body was fresh for 16kms of sub-tempo running although the high HR is something I need to work on (jumped to 155 as early as km5). Perhaps adding a lot more Zone 2 running (or longer tempo runs) should do the job?

So onto the race. I was coasting for sub-7:00/km from the start until km11 and I thought, "Hey, maybe I can speed up a little" and so I did, running about 6:50/km for the next 3 kms. Btw, the Kalayaan flyover on the way back to BGC was still hell as ever as I pushed hard while I recorded my highest HR for the race (170).

By the time I was back in BGC there was this guy with specs and wearing wireless earphones using me as a marker (I was wearing the classic bright yellow Adidas singlet from years back) as I was easily noticeable among the blue singlets around. He would run past me then stop to walk. By the time I would pass him for a couple of meters he would do the same all over again. I knew he meant no disrespect but I guess it was just a way for him to motivate himself to finish.

I, on the other hand, got irritated. My competitive me took control of my race pace plan and just said, "F*ck it, we're leaving this dude!"

So, in the last 1 or 1.5km of the race, I stepped on the gas and zoomed away. I would check for him if he voted for chasing his "marker" but I guess he couldn't as I averaged 6:39/km for the last 2 kms. Sorry dude, but I just had to go. ;-)

Finished the race in 1:50:52 (Garmin time) for a 6:49/km average pace. 

Not good, but not bad either. :)

1,300 calories burned!

All in all this was a good race for me even though no PR was broken. I felt really good after that race as I *think* I'm back on the groove again in terms of my running. Hopefully I could keep the weekly volume up and, just maybe, help the weight go down.

Milo 21k is coming up in 3 weeks but I'm still undecided. The race org requires a med certificate to register (plus a bought Milo pack receipt) so that is keeping me from finalizing my plan to race this one or not.

But it's Milo, right?

Sigh, we'll see.

Another Race Week

So Sunday's the Maxicare 16k race in BGC and I *think* I'm ready for it. I was able to peak my long run at 14.7km the other week and I am tapering nicely in time for Sunday. Just need to make sure that I keep the runs short but intense for the next couple of days (around 2 runs only) before Sunday's 4:30am early start.

As to the race strategy, I'll probably do somewhere around 7:00/km average which is a safe bet based on where I am now in terms of performance. Pushing it to 6:45/km will be excellent but let's see how my body and overall feeling responds by gun time. As always, finishing a race will be fulfilling in itself as I haven't done a 10 miler in quite a long loooong while.

***

Meeting my weekend long ride targets have been a challenge as I am only averaging below 40km on my weekend rides. Largely due to family commitments (my boys were enrolled to a basketball clinic on Saturday mornings), this leaves my weekend ride to the indoor trainer for 1-1.5hrs only. I just try to make up for it by upping the intensity either thru Sufferfest videos or taking the intense ones from GCN, or just coming up with my own set (Z2 and Z3 alternates, for example) to hopefully keep my bike CTL up.

I just hope that I'll be able to log in more longer rides before my A-race duathlon on Aug20 (which requires a 60km ride segment).

***

Body weight is still hovering between 168-169 lbs on weekdays and going back up to 170-171 lbs after the weekend binge ---this is even after 5-7hrs of training per week. I guess cutting back on the food intake is what I need to do (carbs mostly) since it seems that exercise alone is not helping. Yeah, I read about that 80-diet 20-exercise thing (sadly) so I just have to be conscious, especially during weekends.

Tsk, this is hard.