Powerman Muncie Race Report

Powerman Muncie 10k/61.8k/10k

Well I booked another sufferfest that is Powerman Muncie. The Tomboni team has a talent for having cruel and diabolical conditions, and this year did not disappoint. Last year was like 48 degrees and pouring rain. This year was dry - and windy. Really windy. So much so there were whitecaps on the lake. The poor folks who were signed up for the triathlon were going to suffer. The wind, whitecaps, and cold water (wetsuits mandatory) were guaranteed brutality, and clearly it was going to be too much. The Oly distance swim was cut to 400m for the safety of the competitors. Still, I understand many people required the assistance of the kayak safety crews.

And this wasn't in my head. Comments from the pros who won:

Returning female Champion Michelle Parson won the 2011 race with a time 3:18 on the 10k/61.8k/10k course.

After winning, Parsons said "The winds were incredible today and worse than the rain in 2010."

The same sentiment was shared by the 2011 Powerman Muncie men's champion Ryan Guliano (2:50). "Wow, the first half of each lap was brutal to say the least."

I signed up for this last December, as the memory from last year had faded enough that I forgot how much I suffered... (last year's race report) My buddy Dave (his race report here) also signed up, but for the Olympic tri. My preparation for this race was not good. I had not been on my bike in a month, and it showed. At least I'd logged some running miles (about 100) in September.

I prepped for the race with my usual pre-race meal of oatmeal, a bagel, peanut butter, and coffee. Thankfully the coffee worked to get things moving, so I wouldn't have to deal with it in T1 like last year. The weather was crisp and cold (mid 30s, but at least it was dry. I went to the start wearing my arm sleeves and bike gloves. I figured I'd pull the gloves off, and push the sleeves down a couple of miles into the run.

Run #1 10k 46:11 (7:27 avg) 28th

As usual, I went out [too] fast to simply try to get to an open zone to settle in. The first 2.5k is shared with the shorter course people, so it's a little crowded, but not too bad. Looking at my watch at mile 1, I saw 6:50 and knew I had to slow down. It was going to happen anyway, but I needed to get under control. Last year I had done a 5k and a sprint tri the two weeks prior to this race, so I had some measure on pacing for speed. I didn't this year, plus I was not as fit as last year when I ran 45:42 (7:23 avg). I was steadier and more even. But overall, I was satisfied with the first 10k.

My splits:

Mile Time HR
1 6:50 157
2 7:19 157
3 7:28 165
4 7:50 165
5 7:38 167
6 7:20 166
.2 1:46 168


T1 2:20

Uneventful, especially since I didn't have to hit the port-potty like last year. I had 3:36 last year. Did I actually poop in 1:16 last year? No way. I was much slower this year, as I had taken my gloves off and stuffed them down my back to store them. One was stuck under my tank top and I wasted nearly 20 seconds getting it. At least it was easy to find my bike, thanks not only to being on the first rack, but to the bright neon yellow of my TMat Pro. In a mindless state, it makes finding my stuff a little easier.


Bike 61.8k 2:04:57 (18.4 avg) 28th

Even with miserable conditions last year, I still had 1:56:59 (19.7 avg). This time the wind was brutal, and when combined with my lack of bike fitness, I was much slower. I found myself getting sleepy on the ride, after finally escaping the hard southerly wind on each lap. But I had my gloves and was only a little cold. I did actually find myself dehydrated, having consumed two bottles of water. Once again, I found that I knew I needed to consume more calories, but it was too much of a mental challenge. I think I only had 1.5 Roctane from my Gelbot (which I had thinned, but was still too viscous due to the cold, and three Clif Shot Bloks - so about 250 calories total. But I was fading, as you can see in the splits:

Mile Time HR

lap 1 39:35 147
lap 2 41:02 141
lap 3 44:02 145


T2 1:48

At least I was faster than the 2:13 of last year. And I could for the most part, feel my feet. Last year they were so cold I couldn't feel them, and worried about falling on my face.


Run #2 10k 51:35 (8:20 avg) 22nd

And this is where the reduced fitness shows. I ran 50:09 (8:06 avg) last year, and that's with a 10 min mile 1. At least I was pretty steady. As I approached mile 4, I simply wanted to finish. I was catching up to a guy, and I wanted to see age written on his leg. This would help me decide if it was worth the pain of trying to beat him. As I got close, I saw he was 43, so I just lurked a bit, not really caring about it. But then I reconsidered, as I wanted at least a better position in the overall standings. At mile 5 I had my chance. He slowed down to get water, and I passed him then sped up, trying to open a gap that he wouldn't be interested in closing. But the last 1.2 miles of the course are hilly. He kept pushing me, closing the gap. At mile 6 is the final hill and then a finish chute. All I could think was he is really close, and the distance to go is barely longer than the length of the street I live on. I had to look back in the last 30 meters, and was satisfied he would not catch me in time. I beat him by 4 seconds.

My splits:

Mile Time HR

1 8:11 151
2 8:11 154
3 8:11 153
4 8:48 153
5 8:38 156
6 8:04 158
.2 1:29 163

Finish 3:46:48 26th overall, 3rd in AG

I am disappointed with my time, though I understand why I was slower. I had a 3:38:37 last year, with much worse conditions and a long T1. I had five people in my age group, but two were on the podium and reduced to pool (I was still last). The guys faster than me weren't just a little fast. They were smoldering fast. Next year I will do better.

Tri Indy

I signed up for the duathlon (2 mi/20k/5k), and arrived a bit unprepared, as I had not picked up my race packet in advance, and left little time for prep. I was starting a bit fatigued, having been in the Cicero triathlon the day before, but primarily due to the CASA relay ride not much more than twelve hours prior. I rode about 38 miles in high heat and wind, didn't get much sleep, and was a bit fatigued.


Run #1 (2 mi) 14:47 31st
My legs weren't there, and I felt tired. I should have cut 45sec-1min off this. It was really humid, and I was already hot and soaked at mile 1. I just kept going as I thought about the course.


T1 1:14 41st

Practice...


The Bike (20k) 34:54 19th 21.4mph avg

I just hammered the best I could. There were times I slowed down, but after being passed by people whom I had already passed sparked me back into the race. My legs were tired. The course was smooth most of the way.


T2 1:23 36th


Run #2 (5k) 24:40 20th 7:57 pace
I ran alone most of the way, though some people I passed were about a minute behind and appeared to be closing the gap. My goal was to avoid getting "chicked." The odd thing about this whole race was my inability to push my pace. My effort seemed high, but I could not get my heart rate beyond the bottom range of zone 4. My pain cave is in zone 5, and I can get mid-170s, just not today. Must have been the fatigue.


Result 1:16:58 1st in age group (m45-49)

I won my age group, and was 14th overall (131 total field). It worked out okay, though I should have been faster. Still, it's nearly six minutes faster than the last time I raced here.

Cicero Triathlon Race Report

I signed up for this race on a whim. I have not trained well for anything, as there have been too many work/life things that have kept me from any routine. Going into this race, I have not been swimming all year... I was shamed into signing up by some friends. Never mind that I had another event the same day, and two more on Sunday. I was riding a two-hour leg of a 24-hour relay Saturday, and another Sunday, with the Tri-Indy (duathlon) sandwiched in between. But this was a short race (.2 mi/9.5 mi/3.1 mi), so why not??

The race started in three waves: Wave 1 was men younger than 40, wave 2 was men older than 40, and wave 3 was all women. My goal this race was to simply not get "chicked" by the women starting 5 minutes behind me. Some may better my time, but I didn't want to get passed.

Overall, I think I had a decent performance.

The Swim (.2 mi) 7:49 128th 2:26 pace

Slow, as I expected. Not much to say, except training does actually help...

T1 1:48

I easily found my stuff, mainly due to my TMat Pro, with it's dayglo yellow color. I might have shaved 20-30 seconds, but that takes practice.

The Bike (9.5mi) 26:55 45th 21.2mph avg

I liked the course. It was smooth and fast and I was passing people the whole time (and was passed as well).

T2 1:05

The Run (3.1 mi) 22:53 57th 7:23 pace

I should have been faster on the run, but I had a stitch for about half of it, and didn't get into a groove until the last mile. I was then ready to hammer it over a longer distance, just too late.

Result 1:00:28

55/282 overall

13/33 in age group (m45-49)

I know I can shave time from this race. Next year...

And I didn't get "chicked."

Blacksnake Duathlon

I competed in the 26th annual Blacksnake Duathlon on July 16th. This was my third time here, and though this is about the smallest, no frills race I can find ($25), it's also one of my favorites. This used to be a three-race series, but low participation has cut it back to one race. The field is also smaller each time, and I wonder if there will be a 27th annual race.

It's a sprint duathlon, with a longer ride: 2mi/20mi/2.5mi. The run course is not scenic, but flat. The bike course is a bit hilly at first, but most of it is smooth, and very fast in sections. Being in the middle of nowhere, there is little traffic, and the traffic control (intersections) is excellent.

I went to this race not at all prepared, having barely ridden my bike this year. In fact, my training has been terrible, as it consists of getting a run when I can. I figured I'd just try to have fun. I thought I'd also try out my Gelbot again (it worked well). I thought my goal of beating last year's time of 1:30:57 was not realistic, but I'd give it a shot.


Run #1 13:18 (2 mi)

I went out steady and tried to keep an even pace. There were some fast people out there, but I found a couple of people to stick with. This was still tough, as I watched my heart rate tick into zone 5 during the second mile.


T1 0:53

The transition area is small, and I found that my Tmat Pro mat was muck better than the towel I had been using. It is smooth and easy to spot.


Bike 59:44 (20 mi)

I was hoping for a better time on the bike, but the wind was not in my favor. The northbound leg is generally very fast and you can really hammer on it, but wind (and lack of training) slowed me a bit. Still, I think it went okay.


T2 1:16

I was a little confused on the exit, but mainly due to being in a mental fog.


Run #2 17:10 (2.5 mi)

I was pretty much alone on the run. There were people ahead of me, but really far ahead, and there was no way I'd even be able to get close. And there wasn't anyone catching up to me. I settled into a pace and though I could have gone a little faster, lacked the will and motivation to enter the pain cave of a zone 5 sustained effort (redlining). I can't seem to be able to do this, unless I am chasing someone or a time. Given we all started at the same time, changing my speed wasn't going to change my position.

Results 1:32:19 2nd in AG

I still placed, and weeks later the official results still are not posted online. I suspect my field was very small...