Powerman Alabama

I came, I saw, I conquered. At least in some respects. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this race. Many, many moons ago, I did the shorter version of the race as my first ever multisport event. I vividly recall the anxiety of surviving. And I am talking about transitions.

I later came back for two more long course races. The late March race was an early season tune up. It gave me great feedback in regards to my run and bike fitness. In 2008, I swore I would never again return to this event. Duathlons hurt too damn much. The old course was challenging in many respects and after 3 hours of racing, I was spent.

I don't know what it was but I felt a small desire to return this year. Maybe it was a few clients that were also racing. Maybe it was a desire to get out of town again. After spending a day at the multisport expo next to Team Magic, I was convinced to sign up for the race. It was on.

Race morning quickly arrived and so did the anxiety of doing a long race. The temperatures were in the mid-50s and overcast. I opted for a tri top, arm warmers and shorts. My hope was that the first run would warm me enough and the adrenaline of the bike would carry me through that portion. I also learned that morning the race was serving as the long course duathlon national championships. That meant the big boys were there. And it also explained how my age group grew from 6 people last year to 20 this year.

Getting set up is so easy in a duathlon. You are already wearing half of what you need so it is just your helmet, bike and shoes. That simple. This gave me ample opportunity to catch up with a few FTP athletes and friends. I was unusually loose before the race. I guess I didn't feel like I had much riding on the outcome. I was just hoping for a solid training day.

Run #1-10k

We were the final wave to go off. I didn't plan on killing it. I wanted to run a comfortable 7:15-7:30 pace. My goal for the day was to have a strong second run. Or at least one that was close to the first run. The course was rolling for the first 2.5 miles. There were no major climbs over this portion of the race, just enough to make you work. While I was a ways back in the wave, my first mile was 7:02, the second 7:11. I felt good.

And then we began to climb. And climb. And climb. And climb. This might go down as the second hardest hill I ever encountered during a race. The only competition would be Triple T Ohio. And while I have tried to erase those memories, I am not sure that a single hill on that course rivaled this one.

This hills began climbing at 2.7 mile and didn't stop until 2.85. It was over one mile to the top. And there was only one brief stretch of flat/downhill slope. It climbed over 300 feet during that distance. It was something. That's about all I can say about it. I began the climb, turning over mile 3 at a 7:25 pace. Still in control.

I keep my Garmin on average mile pace. For the first quarter of a mile, it registered a 9:45 pace. It was that type of hill. To make matters worse, it was winding so you could always hear and see people above you. It seemed as if not end was in site. Once you hit the turnaround (the hill went on) and began the descent, you passed mile 4. 8:25 . Ouch.

As you might imagine, the downhill was fast. The pitch of the hill was too much to completely let yourself go. Your momentum would carry you with plenty of speed but you needed to keep yourself in check. Mile 5: 6:55.

At that point, my biggest concern was repeating the performance and the excruciating pain that my quads would come to know the next day. I cruised into transition at a 7:25 pace and put the first run behind me.

Run #1 time: 45:37 (7:22 pace). Solid

T1: :48 Nothing to report. Not much to do.

Bike: 60k (3 loops)

I knew this course as I had raced a sprint triathlon a few times in this location. It was a tight, rolling course. There was 1-2 climbs that forced you to pace and the a few twisting descents that didn't allow you to be too aggressive.

My goal was to pace the course conservatively. I wanted to enjoy the first loop and hold back. Mainly because after the first lap, I still had to do an Olympic tri-40k, 10k brick. Then I wanted to pick it up a bit on each lap trying to move my power higher and higher. My guess was that the runners that went out hard on the ride would begin to fade around mile 30-35.

Lap one was steady as could be. I kept my power in check. I kept my climbing under control. And I kept the pace very comfortable. So much so that I didn't even average 20 mph. I was riding with the same pack of guys playing leapfrog for the first lap. I came back around with a smile on my face. I was actually enjoying myself.

During the second lap, I made my first move. I put it on the group and instantly dropped them. I upped my power by about 10%, still working on keeping the climbs under control. I began gaining on the next pack of riders. The course going out was noticeably slower than the return. I finished lap 2 still feeling good and about 90s quicker than the first lap.

Lap three was much of the same. I made my second move at the final turnaround. I shot out of the turn and attacked the hill. And I subsequently attacked the downhills even harder. At this point the course was really spread out. You could be a little more aggressive. Plus, you knew the course by now. I picked up the power another 90% and rode away from the last few people.

Bike time: 1:51:17 (20.3 mph)

T2: Changed shoes and ran.

Run #2-10k

Back to the course again. While I didn't feel cold on the bike, I realized that I must have curled my feet the entire time because I couldn't feel my left foot for the first mile. I thought it was hinder me but it seemed to work itself out quickly.

The course was carnage. There were some people hurting out there. For a fleeting moment, I felt like a runner because I was passing people. Better yet, I felt comfortable. Mile 1: 7:35, 7:24, 7:43. A bit slower than I would like, but well within the margin of error.

And then that damn hill. Grrr. At this point it was all about mental training. It hurt. And not in a good way. And I swear it was longer than before. I vowed to not walk. Keep running. I finally hit the top. I did take a moment to gather myself, consume fluids and get my HR down. Mile 4-9:04 And then I went pounding down the hill. But not as quickly as the dude who passed me. One guy came down the hill so fast that I feared for his life. Crazy.

Mile 5-6:57. And then I ran out of steam. The hill won. I gambled a bit with my nutrition. I took a double concentrated bottle of Infinit on the bike. And nothing for either run. I planned on take in a gel during the first part of run #2. But after I went through the first run, I questioned how a gel would feel in the stomach climbing that hill. I didn't wear my HRM but I easily suspect that I set a new HR high. So I skipped the gel. But now I was starting to hurt as a bonk was coming on. Fortunately the finish line was close enough to hang in there. Mile 6-7:58.

Run #2 time: 47:33 (7:40)

Overall time: 3:26

It wasn't the prettiest race but it was a consistent, solid effort. I did what I wanted. My second run was only about 5% slower than my first. I hung in there on the long, challenging course. I didn't give it. It has been a while since I pushed the 10k after a pick. Usually, I just settle into a comfortable pace. Hopefully this will bode well for Memphis in May.