The windy long ride

My week of coaching, nutrition consults, writing articles and training caught up to me and on Friday, I was a bit more tired than usual. I adjusted my Friday workouts from 3 (swim, bike/run and strength) down to one so that the only thing I did was an EZ 60-minute spin on the trainer in the morning to loosen out my legs. Knowing that Saturday was another long workout for us (4.5 hour ride + run off the bike and then a PM run) but the predicted weather was cold in the morning, Karel and I decided to swim first and then ride in the late morning - pretty much we aborted our scheduled training for plan B. After 12 years of endurance triathlon training, I've learned not to get too fixated to what's on the schedule as sometimes plans need to change. I've also come to appreciate a change in weekend workouts as this prevents me from feeling burnt-out from putting my body through the same workouts weekend after weekend. 

Around 9am (when the Furman pool opened), we started our swim. While the swim was a little intense (MS was 15 x 100's, total 3300 yards), I left the pool feeling excited to ride. After another snack, it was time to head out for our ride around 11:30am.

Sadly, we didn't consider the wind that came through after the cold left us in the late morning/afternoon. Although the temperature was nice for an outdoor ride, the wind was not-so-nice. For the first 2:20 hours of ride, navigating up and down lots of climbs as we headed into North Carolina to Flat Rock Village Bakery, we battled some intense head winds. It was mentally and physically exhausting. There was little talking between me and Karel throughout this ride as it was one of those workouts where you try to quiet all the negative thoughts in your mind and just embrace the tough conditions. As if our terrain is not hard enough, I was finding myself frustrated by the wind, the bumps on the road and Karel's pace. So many times I just wanted to give up but I kept making deals with myself to just go a little further and a little further. As someone who doesn't enjoy riding in the wind, this was a great opportunity for me to embrace my fears and work on my weakness.

Once we arrived to the bakery for our quick stop, I was relieved that we would get some tailwind for the ride home. After a few bites of our bakery treats (pecan walnut bar for me and chocolate coconut macaroon for Karel), it was time to head back for our ride home.

 

So much for wishful thinking of tailwind. While we were getting a little push, the wind was to the side and it was fierce. Descending quickly down climbs, especially ones where the road twist and turns, was uncomfortable for me but I stayed calm and embraced our tough training conditions. Making sure to stay fueled/hydrated with my sport drink was critical to keep my brain sharp to better manage the conditions and our terrain, along with supplying carbs to my working muscles and to prevent a drop in blood sugar.

As the ride continued, I found myself more mentally than physically exhausted from our ride. The gusts of wind at my side had me riding very cautious. Even though our roads are fairly quiet from cars, I was still hesitant to take more risks in the wind as I wanted to get home in one piece. Normally, I love this route (I suggested this route to Karel before we left our house for our ride) but on Saturday, not so much. But there's always something to learn from training to apply to race day and my lesson learned was to stay in the moment and self-manage -  mentally and physically. This ride also gave me a lot of opportunities to practice my bike handling skills.

By the time that we got a few miles away from home, I was relieved to have this ride (almost) behind me. After returning home more exhausted than normal, we decided because of the windy ride and morning swim that we would not run off the bike and just call it a day - which was fine by me. It was nearing 4:30pm and I was ready to eat, cuddle with Campy, answer a few emails and rest my tired body. Ten hours of sleep did the trick and on Sunday morning, I felt much more rested for my morning workouts (1:40 hr trainer ride with high cadence intervals followed by a 45 minute treadmill run).

Many times, we train in a controlled, comfortable environment which brings confidence for race day but rarely is race day comfortable and controlled. While we should never put our health at jeopardy, sometimes it's ok to step outside of the comfort zone and embrace what you are not good at. For me, it's the wind. I'd like to think/hope that one day I will master riding in the wind and get excited for windy conditions on race day (and in training) but for now, I will continue to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and (try to) make friends with the wind. 

Racing in unfavorable weather conditions

Every athlete is bound to experience at least one race per season that gives you unfavorable weather-related conditions.

I still remember my first Ironman (IMFL) in 2006 (picture above). It was around 38 degrees on race day morning and after the 2.4 mile wetsuit legal swim, I spent several extra minuets in the swim-to-bike changing tent in an effort to completely dry off my body (and stop my chills) before getting on to the bike. I ended up having a great first IM experience and although I was less than a minute away from breaking 11 hours in my first Ironman, I don't regret spending that extra time in the changing tent to warm-up my body.

I also remember racing IM 70.3 Branson in 2012, which happened to be Karel's very first half IM (the event got cancelled because of the difficulty of the bike course). Race morning was around 43 degrees and I remember the sand at the beach being so incredibly cold that I felt like my feet were standing on needles. Although the water was so warm compared to the air, I made the (smart) decision to only wear my sport bra and tri shorts under my wetsuit so that when I arrived to the transition area, I could put on a dry jersey and arm warmers. Although this required a little extra time in T1, I was comfortable at the start of the bike. Being comfortable allowed me to perform to my abilities on the tough bike course and I ended up running my fastest ever half marathon (1:36) off the bike, which helped me secure my first overall amateur female 70.3 win.

Knowing that there will be a race where the weather is not to your liking, it's important to equip yourself with the right clothing, gear, mental state and nutrition/pacing strategy for how you will handle the race day conditions.

A few things that I have learned over the years as it relates to racing a triathlon on a "cold" morning:

• I get cold very easily and I am not comfortable when I am cold. Therefore, I will dress myself with a hat, gloves, pants, jacket and anything else to keep myself toasty warm before the race day.
  
• I have learned that sand and cement can be very cold on race day morning. Wearing an old pair of socks to the swim start (to toss before getting in the water), while waiting for my wave, has helped to keep my feet warm before the swim start.
  
• If I am shivering before a race, I have difficulty swimming to my potential and when I am cold, I don't feel strong but rather I feel weak. Therefore, if I find that a pre-race swim warm-up will not warm me up, I instead stick to the dry land to increase my body temperature and to loosen my muscles. However, I never ever skip a pre-race warm-up.
  
• I don't mind spending a little extra time in transition to put on a dry jersey, arm warmers or gloves before I get on the bike, if needed. Also, if I am unsure about weather conditions, I at least have those extra gear items available in my transition area/bag, just in case. I make sure never to overdress as I know that after 20-30 minutes, I will warm-up so everything that I do put on in the transition area has the chance to be tossed at an aid station to avoid overheating.
  
• I stay up on my nutrition. It's so easy to not fuel and hydrate on a schedule in cold weather races as your thirst mechanism doesn't kick in. Also, when it's cold, it can be difficult to grab bottles. I have recognized that sticking to my fueling/hydration strategy on the bike (and run) gives me the competitive edge over those who may be fitter than me, but nutritionally underfueled/hydrated.
  
• I always respect my body. It's very easy to get caught-up in what other athletes are doing (regardless if that strategy works or not). Knowing how my body handles certain conditions (rain, wind, heat, etc.) brings me confidence as I can prepare myself with the necessary gear, equipment and strategies to ensure race day success, with the conditions I am given. 

If you are planning to participate in an upcoming cold, rainy or windy race, it's important to be equipped to manage any and all race day conditions. It's not about being mentally strong or feeling like you just need to "harden it up" before the race but instead, have a plan so that you don't give up on yourself, as this will allow you to reach athletic excellence at the finish line.

Here's an old Ironman article that I wrote with Gloria (Dr. G) to help you dodge those unfavorable race day curveballs.

Dodge a race day curveball