Chula Vista Challenge Half, 2018 – Long Course Aquabike (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike)
official time: 3:13:23
swim: 34:38
bike: 2:37:40
overall: 5th of 37
1-49 age group: 3rd of 11
A day of firsts…
This weekend was supposed to be my first 70.3, half Ironman distance race. Instead, it was my first 1.2-mile continuous swim, my first 56+ mile ride in competition, my first wetsuit illegal race, my first race where carrying enough hydration was a challenge and my first time seeing an old friend in several years.
Five years ago, when I first got hooked on this sport of triathlon, I worked at a software company in Irvine. One of the project managers I worked with there was an accomplished swimmer, experienced triathlete and a (then) two-time Ironman finisher. Scott was instrumental in helping me figure out transitions, etiquette, equipment, and training; he was a key influence that got me to where I am now in the sport. After I was laid off from that job, Scott and I managed to stay in touch via Strava, keeping track of each other’s progress and occasional exchanges of encouragement in the comments.
This was the first race Scott and I both competed in; albeit different distances, categories and age groups. But it was really nice to see him and get to chat briefly before my wave start.
Swim:
As I packed my wetsuit in my bag the night before, I had a sense that the water was going to be too warm – a concept that might give me anxiety if I let it, so I quickly dismissed the thought because when has Southern California ocean water ever been warmer than 78 degrees? I could probably count on one hand the number of times in my lifetime.
My wetsuit is my crutch in open water; it’s a huge confidence boost to know that I will float without treading water and it improves my speed significantly. I’ve never competed without it and I can only think of 2 or 3 open water training sessions… ever… where I did not wear it.
When I get to the race site and walk toward transition with all my gear, my game plan suddenly has to change as they announce that the water is above 81 degrees.
In spite of my nerves, the swim actually went better than expected. The salt content was pretty high and helped with buoyancy, so I never felt like I had to fight to keep my legs on plane like I often do in the pool. I finished the swim in less than 35 minutes for about a 1:33/ 100yd pace, which is pretty good for me, especially without a wetsuit.
Bike:
Knowing it was going to be a pretty hot day, I took a 20 oz xlab aero TT bottle and a torpedo bottle both full of electrolyte potion, enough gels to have one every 30-40 minutes and extra AltRed. This would have been plenty nutrition, but the road on this course is so rough, on lap two of four I realized my aero bottle had jostled its way out of the bottle cage and was gone before I even got to drink any of the potion. By the end of lap three, I drank as much as the straw could reach of what was in the torpedo bottle and needed to pick up a water in the only on-course aid station at the turnaround.
In my first ever attempt (catching the theme here?), I grabbed the bottle from the volunteer without losing much speed. I popped open the top on the torpedo (I had the solid cap instead of the one with slits to make this process easier because I did not plan to lose half of my fluids and have to refill) and squeezed the water in. When I pulled the bottle back out to toss it before getting too far onto the course where doing so would incur a penalty, I also pulled the torpedo cap completely off. So now I had a slightly watered down sport drink sloshing out of a two inch hole in the plastic container propped up between my arms, just as I am about to go over the very rough section for the fourth lap. All I could do was laugh as the waves of sticky splashes came over me like I was on the bow of a boat in high seas.
I had hoped to complete the bike portion in under 2 hours 30 minutes, but I had forgotten how legit some of the rolling hills on the course are. My bike split was 2 hours and 37 minutes and I climbed over 3000 feet. This worked out to an average of about 22 mph and normalized power of about 210 for nearly 57 miles.
I am happy with how well I managed all the first-time experiences. Now I have 16 weeks to figure out how to throw a half marathon on the end of it so I can finally complete my first half Ironman.
The Icing on the Cake (race report is over, the rest is personal reflection – I won’t be offended if you stop reading at this point):
Up until this season, triathlon was something I did for me; it was very personal, I created my own training plans, trained alone, raced alone. I usually skipped the beer tent because I didn’t know anyone and am not very good at small talk with strangers. My wife has always been supportive and made every effort to be at the finish line to cheer me on, yet it has never been an experience we fully share.
This time though, Meliss and the kids were excited to be pulled out of bed at 4:30 am to be there with me. When I came out of the water and headed to transition, I found my soon-to-be seven year old and four year old yelling and ringing cowbells – which I later found out they had been hiding from me so they could surprise me during the race. After the race, my son told me he was a little bit jealous of the kids participating in the Itsy-Bitsy triathlon and that he can’t wait to do one himself. Little does he know that I already found a race kit for him that’s just like dad’s and can’t wait for the day we do an event together.
http://chrisdonlon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/img_9233-1.movLater, while waiting for the race results to post, I ventured into the beer tent and stood in line. I was awkwardly in my head, not paying attention to my surroundings and not expecting to see anyone I knew until someone behind me asked about my race. It was my friend Eric who I met on the Saturday shop rides. Then a teammate appeared in front of me in line and joined the conversation; Jessica who I’d gotten to know when we kept each other company while waiting for our podium awards at a race earlier in the season. By the time I had a beer in hand, I was surrounded by many good friends and teammates exchanging race reports and congratulations.
I realized that this sport has grown from being something I do just for me, to something that is important to my whole family, to my being a part of a community of really great people who I am so thankful to know and associate with.