The Patriot Half was my first attempt at the half-iron distance and my third triathlon overall (FAU Wellness Sprint 2007, Cranberry Olympic 2015). My goal for the race was to break 5 hours, which was admittedly an aggressive goal for my first half. Based on my training throughout the winter and spring, I went into the race believing 5 hours was possible, but knowing I would need to execute really well on the day.

Training:

I loosely followed the half-iron plan from Joe Friel's "Your Best Triathlon". My overall training goal was consistency, and to build volume without getting injured, which has been a problem of mine during various marathon training cycles. I tried to get three swims, bikes, and runs in each week, with a particular focus on my swim and bike. My training maxed at around 15 hrs/week and averaged ~11 hrs/week for the 21 weeks I logged. I had a couple low volume weeks due to travel and interviews. My training log for the race can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jUtW70GnY60Hcz1aNhyxrXYDTK60wkP94rfMAHRppVE/edit#gid=1469393833

I had some shin issues during the winter which hampered my running, and in hindsight I would have benefited from more run volume during the last 5k at Patriot. Something to think about for next time.

Totals:

Race day:

Race day started well, I got up at 3:30am and had my typical breakfast of oatmeal with peanut butter and banana, and black coffee. I had packed all my bags the night before, pre-made my various bottles, and pre-loaded my bike in the car, so stress was minimal. After loading the bags in the car and saying by to the dogs, it was an easy drive down to East Freetown, and parking was easy. Sun Multisport had a packet pickup on Tuesday evening at Landry's in Boston, so all I had to do race morning was get body marked- very simple. I setup my spot in transition, said hi to fellow MIT club member Antoine, and headed down for a quick warm up swim. My warm up swim was probably too short, and likely not hard enough. I was mainly focused on checking the buoy placement and what the swim exit looked like from the water, but I should have spent more time swimming harder.

Swim: 40:37, 1:56/100yds, 14/16 AG, 335/629 overall (my score: 4/10)

The swim was a simple rectangular course in Long Pond with two left turns. The start was a time-trial format with two competitors entering the water every 5 seconds. My swim was basically a disaster. Coming into the race I was hoping to swim 36-37 minutes based on multiple open water swims in my wetsuit in Mystic Lake. I'm not exactly sure why I so drastically under performed on race day. I know I forgot to take my pre-race gel, and in hindsight I should have warmed up more, either in the water or by doing some running, etc. Whatever the reason, I felt very flat and never developed a good rhythm. Hitting the shore I realized I had hit the wrong button on my GPS and didn't have a time for the swim. This may have been good because it didn't allow me to get down on myself early in the day.

T1: 1:52.7 

Transition went fairly smooth, although both of my calves cramped exiting the water. Flying mount onto the bike and gone. Got feet into shoes after about a half mile.

Bike: 2:38:04, 21.3 mph, 7/16 AG, 94/629 overall (my score: 8/10)

Coming into the race my goal for the bike was to ride 21 mph, which was based on multiple 60+ mile training rides where I averaged over 19 mph. My training for the bike focused on one interval session (2 x 20, 3 x 15, etc.), one hill session, and one long ride each week, plus bike commuting. I also did the Charles River Wheelmen Spring Century as training. During the race I focused on keeping my cadence high, and staying in the aero bars as much as possible. I also focused on taking good lines through corners, and staying low when on the base bar. My heart rate was high coming out of the swim, but it settled in around 145 BPM, which I was worried was a bit high, but I felt good and perceived effort was in check. I actually started to enjoy myself a bit on the bike.

My nutrition plan was to eat 3 Shot Bloks every 20 mins starting 20 minutes into the bike, but I decided to start eating after 10 minutes due to the missed pre-race gel. I found that taking a 6-Blok tube of Shot Bloks and cutting them in half allows for very easy storage of the Bloks in my bento box, and allows for easy controlled eating while staying aero. I switched to Gels for the last 40 minutes of the bike, finishing my last gel 15 minutes before the start of the run, which had worked well during multiple training runs off of the bike.

I started the bike with a disposable bottle of NUUN between the arms, and replaced that bottle with water at each bottle exchange. If I hadn't finished a bottle by the exchange zone, I would dump the remainder on myself to cool off. I also carried a bottle behind the seat in case I missed a bottle hand off, but it wasn't used. I definitely peed 3-4 times on the bike, and it was awesome.

T2: 2:17.1

Got my feet out of my shoes pretty early and had a smooth dismount. The run to my rack was pretty long, and I fumbled a bit with one sock. Grabbed a gel and a bottle of Hotshot for the run.

Run: 1:37:28, 7:23 min/mile, 5/16 AG, 33/629 overall (my score: 7/10)

I have a tendency to run too fast off of the bike, and this was definitely the case here. My first two miles were ~7:05 pace, which I should have dialed back to ~7:15 pace much sooner. The run course was a bit harder than I expected, with the rolling hills, some false flats, and the heat gradually wearing me down. I expected to fade a bit throughout the run due to my lack of run volume in training, and tried not to panic when that happened. Overall I focused on maintaining form, keeping the cadence high, and chasing down the next person in front of me. My goal was to run ~7:15 pace, which didn't happen, but I ended up not too far off of my open Half PR of 1:29:xx, so it wasn't too bad of a run. My pacing can definitely improve.

For nutrition I took in three Clif Gels, one every 25 minutes or so. At each aid station I tried to take water and Gatorade, and after taking a few sips of both I would pour the remaining water over my head to cool down. I have had cramping issues in 5/6 marathons, so I was very worried starting the run since my calves had been giving early signs of cramps during the swim and bike. I decided to take a Hotshot around mile 1.5, and it worked amazingly well, calming my muscles down and allowing me to keep running. I took another at mile 10, but I don't think that one was needed. I had a dark spot around mile 11 where I walked for ~20s, and that may have cost me my goal, but I was able to run strong for the last two miles. Big thanks to Justin Bandoro who was out on the course on his bike and provided great encouragement!

Finish: 5:00:17, 6/16 AG, 65/629 overall (my score: 7/10)

I didn't have cumulative time on my watch when I finished due to the missing swim split, so I didn't realize I had missed my goal by 17 seconds until I checked the results (fortunately Sun Multisports has real-time results on screens near the finish). I was very disappointed at first, but enjoyed a nice stretch at the PT tent and a great lunch with Lianne, Zuzka, and Justin.

Overall, I have mixed feelings on my race. My time is reasonable for a first attempt at the half, but I'm very bummed about my swim execution. Fortunately I have the opportunity to improve on my race at Pumpkinman in September. 

Positives:

• Didn't let my poor swim stop me from executing a solid bike and run
• Nutrition plan worked well with no GI trouble
• Hotshot seems to work for cramping

Needs work:

• Need to improve swim warm up so I don't feel flat
• Need to translate pool gains to OW races
• Run pacing needs work

Equipment:

• Wetsuit: Exterra Vortex full
• Bike: 2012 Felt B12
• Saddle: ISM Adam PR 1.0
• Tires/Tubes: Specialized S-Works Turbo 24mm, Vittoria latex tubes with 1oz Bontrager TLR sealant
• Hydration: One cage zip-tied between the arms, one cage behind saddle as backup 
• Nutrition storage: Dark Speed Works Speedpack 483 
• Flat kit: One tube beneath seat, C0₂ and lever taped to BTS cage, extra C0₂ taped to aero bars behind bottle
• Helmet: Giro Advantage 2
• Kit: MIT Sleeveless Top, Sugoi shorts, CEP calf sleeves
• Bike Shoes: Shimano TR60 (no socks)
• Run shoes: Newton Gravity

**Almost all equipment used or bought on sale**

  

Nutrition:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with peanut butter and a banana, coffee, one bottle of NUUN
• Bike: 12 x Margarita Shot Bloks, 6 x Black Cherry Shot Bloks (3 every 20 min), 1 Razz Clif Gel, 1 Chocolate Cherry Clif Gel, One bottle NUUN, 3 bottles water 
• Run: 3 x Clif Gel, water/gatorade to thirst, 2 x Hotshot

Thank you:

Huge thank you to my awesome wife Lianne who supported me throughout training and was there cheering on race day. Big thanks to the MIT Triathlon Club for pushing me in training, and Coach Bill for his wisdom. Special thanks to Zuzka, Justin, and CC for answering so many neurotic questions, and Samuel Johns for loaning me his behind-the-saddle cage and providing nutrition advice. Big thanks also to Uncle Paul for offering advice and support, and providing me a time to chase!