Suzu Triathlon Results

Here are my results from this past Sunday's Suzu Triathlon

Total time: 6:43:22
Swim (2.5k) 52:07
Bike (100.2k) 3:54:23
Run (23.3k) 1:56:52
65th place overall

1. Swim - 52:07
I swam well. At the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman earlier this summer it seemed like I was just floundering along - merely trying to grab a breath every stroke, avoid getting kicked, and keep pointed in roughly the right direction. At Suzu I could concentrate on making long smooth strokes and positioning myself in the pack. During the second half of the race I passed at least 10 swimmers. I even managed to draft for long stretches off swimmers from the previous wave overtaking us. Compared to my last place swim finishes of a few years ago, I felt like a real competitive swimmer as I staggered out of the water (117th out of 400).

2. Bike - 3:54:23:
Riding through Suzu's scenic blend of rugged coastline, forested mountains and traditional Japanese village was almost pure pleasure. I was able to stay in my aero bars on the flat stretches and maintain a pace over 30k per hour.

At all the big triathlons I have done (Sado, Wildflower, IM Japan..) all the participants exclaim how that particular triathlon is the most mountainous of all. I would say emphatically that Suzu has the most steep and challenging hill section.

I kept reminding myself of Mary's advice to keep eating, and consumed 2 Powerbars, 3 gels, a pack of Cliff Shot Blocks, and 2 bananas. I was worried about running out of energy like I did at Lake Stevens and my recent Edogawa training ride. But I felt genki throughout - I was loudly singing (Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves) during the last section of the bike. The caffeine helped too -during the whole race (and pre-race) I consumed a coffee, 2 Vivarin, an Espresso Love gel, a Coke, and a chocolate gel - probably a total of 800mg of caffeine.

I had grown to assume that all big triathlons will provide a water bottle exchange, but unfortunately Suzu only had tiny paper cups of ice cold water at the exchange. Foolishly I only had brought one water bottle and felt terribly unprepared - twice I stopped at aid stations and had volunteers ladle water into my bottle.

3. Run - 1:56:52 -
I managed to hang on reasonably well during the run. I walked frequently. Very frequently. Probably 20-25 times. My strategy was to run 5 minutes at 4:30 pace then walk for a 20-second interval, but the aid stations every two kilometers meant I was walking even more frequently. Mentally I felt pretty good, and for the first two-thirds of the race I clung to the fantasy that I would somehow speed up at the end and finish under 1:50, even under 1:45. But the heat started taking a real toll on me (I am convinced I am more atsugari than other triathletes). My lack of long training runs for a 23k distance over the past 6 weeks also hurt. I struggled the last 7k.

After the race I was hot and weak and had no appetite. I decided to rest next to the medical tent because it was the only place I could find shade and room to lay down. I must have looked pretty bad, or maybe the medical staff was just bored. They brought me a sleeping pad and blankets and ice and took my pulse and my temperature. I repeatedly told them I was just chotto kimochi warui, but they still looked pretty worried. I kept thinking if I could just get to somewhere air-conditioned (maybe a Royal Host?) I would regain my appetite, eat something, and generate some strength, but our minshuku was 8-kilometers away. I weighed myself when I finally did get back to the minshuku hours later and I was a startling 56 kilograms.

The end of my triathlon was not particularly "glorious" but everything else was a triumph.

Countdown to Suzu

I am trying to have realistic expectations for Sunday's Suzu Triathlon.   Everything I learn lately is causing me to ratchet back my goal time for the event:

2.3k Swim -  
I saw Yamada-san at Ys Bike shop yesterday and she informs me that the Suzu Triathlon is known for its strong currents, currents that pull swimmers wildly off the course.  I grow worried of being sucked out into the perilous Japan Sea and finding myself washed ashore in North Korea. 

100k Bike -
Apparently the swimmers who end up in North Korean prison camps are the lucky ones though.  According to the elevation map we just received, the Suzu bike is a torturous roller coaster with a long, almost vertical climb at the 40k and 80k mark.   Moreover, as teammate Mary reminds me, a 100k bike segment requires a series of long training rides.  She notes that my single 100k training ride last week (and indoor training) is pathetically inadequate. 

23k Run -
The weather forecast for Sunday is for 32 degrees (90 degrees F) by the time I start the run at around noon.  The course is cruelly exposed to the sun.  Last year few participants broke 2 hours.  So 5 minute per kilometer is actually a very competitive pace.

Nonetheless  I am looking forward to a fun weekend - the course is said to be very scenic and we have a good crew participating.

Edogawa Ride

I decide it is imperative to get in a long bicycle ride prior to the looming Suzu Triathlon and set out on a 120-kilometer ride along the scenic Edogawa River, thinking it will boost my confidence for Suzu's 100k of cycling.

But instead the Edogawa ride leaves me a broken, exhausted shell of my former self with my hopes for Suzu shattered and reduced to simple survival.

The first 60k of the ride upriver is fine thanks to the strong tailwind. But when I turn into the headwind I know I am in trouble. The 33 degree heat, sore quads, and overall fatigue bear down on me. My speed soon drops from 28k/hour to 13k/hour. Soon I can hardly pedal at all.

When another cyclist goes by me I try to jump in behind him and take advantage of the draft, but I don't have energy to keep up. Later I come upon a young schoolgirl riding a little pink bike with a flower basket, and draft off her for awhile, but she provides little shield from the headwind.

I abandon my initial plan to ride back to the Bay and stagger onto a train at Matsudo where the other passengers look upon me with mixture of concern and disgust. Upon returning home I weigh myself and am a shocking 57kg (126 pounds), my lowest weight since around the age of 14.

I run with our Yoga Master, Michael Glenn, after the ride, but I am so spent that I repeatedly implore Michael to stop and walk

Indoor trainer

Most people migrate to their indoor trainers in winter to escape cold and sleet.

Not me. I simply cannot will myself to go out into the 35 degree weather and ride for hours through the sweltering, smoggy, traffic-clogged streets.

To extent I have trained at all for the cycling portion of the upcoming Suzu triathlon it has been in the relative air-conditioned comfort of my living room. Indoor training has the advantage of being more efficient - one can obtain a decent workout in less than an hour and work on strength and speed (and watch episodes of Prison Break).

Will the indoor trainer suffice for the mountainous 100k at Suzu?

Apparently not. My teammates have lost all respect for me now, and inform me that I am doomed.

Summer Time

Apparently the US instituted daylight savings times in Japan after the war, a practice that became known as sanma taimu (summer time). The Japanese wasted no time in abandoning daylight savings time upon regaining sovereignty.

I long considered the absence of daylight savings time and resulting summer sunrise at 4am and darkness by '7pm an abomination - sweltering morning commutes and no sun light after work for cycling, trail running or barbecues.

However this past week with the afternoon sun making outdoor workouts unbearable, I am eager to see the sun set as soon as possible. I was ready to run by 5pm yesterday, but waited another 90 minutes for dusk and relief from the glaring heat. I still felt weak and light-headed doing 18k in the middle of the Tokyo urban heat island. But it is mercifully cooler in the dark and the illumination of the Tokyo skyline around the Palace is lovely, and I can understand why the Japanese jettisoned "summer time" and expedited the day.