Took my first DNF on Sunday (kinda of a race recap, too)
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jacksonpt
Posts: 10,413 Member
Musselman half ironman in Geneva, NY. Did the race last year as my first half, finished in 6:17:13. Goal this year was under 6 hours, and I knew my target splits to hit that goal. Felt decent going into the race... wasn't sure if I'd be able to break the 6 hour mark, but felt ok about the race in general.
Came out of the water 8 minutes ahead of my goal, T1 went well. Started off on the bike feeling really good (bike is my strongest leg). Was comfortably averaging just over 20mph for the first 24ish miles. That's when the first twinges of cramps started, and the next 20 or so miles were a struggle. I backed off the pace and stretched as much as I could on the bike. The last 10 or so miles were pretty flat and I was able to get into a decent spin, feeling ok as I finished. I gave back some time on the bike, but thanks to the fast swim, I was right on schedule for my goal.
The problem was I couldn't even walk through transition. Both calves seized, both quads cramped, and my right hip flexor protested. I took some time in transition to stretch, then walked the first half mile or so of the run. Got to where I was feeling ok and tried to get into a reasonable trot. My body would have none of it.
I probably could have walked the whole thing, but decided to call it a race instead. Simply completing has never been enough for me, so there was no point in continuing if I had to walk the whole thing. I knew the course and was prepared to possibly walk a few section, but the whole thing? No. Additionally, I had a few people back at teh start/finish line waiting for me - I didn't want them to have to wait 4 more hours while I walked the rest of the course.
I'm not disappointed with the the decision to quit as much as I am the fact that I couldn't put in what I felt like was a reasonable performance. I didn't have to meet my goal time, but such a subpar performance left me near tears for much of the afternoon. It still bothers me, but not like it was yesterday (I'm no longer thinking about selling my bike and taking up knitting, lol).
I'm starting to refocus a bit, and I'm learning (being forcefully reminded) that training isn't all there is to preparing for a race. The workouts are only part of it... rest, stretching, nutrition, etc are all very important too, and those are things I don't know much about.
Came out of the water 8 minutes ahead of my goal, T1 went well. Started off on the bike feeling really good (bike is my strongest leg). Was comfortably averaging just over 20mph for the first 24ish miles. That's when the first twinges of cramps started, and the next 20 or so miles were a struggle. I backed off the pace and stretched as much as I could on the bike. The last 10 or so miles were pretty flat and I was able to get into a decent spin, feeling ok as I finished. I gave back some time on the bike, but thanks to the fast swim, I was right on schedule for my goal.
The problem was I couldn't even walk through transition. Both calves seized, both quads cramped, and my right hip flexor protested. I took some time in transition to stretch, then walked the first half mile or so of the run. Got to where I was feeling ok and tried to get into a reasonable trot. My body would have none of it.
I probably could have walked the whole thing, but decided to call it a race instead. Simply completing has never been enough for me, so there was no point in continuing if I had to walk the whole thing. I knew the course and was prepared to possibly walk a few section, but the whole thing? No. Additionally, I had a few people back at teh start/finish line waiting for me - I didn't want them to have to wait 4 more hours while I walked the rest of the course.
I'm not disappointed with the the decision to quit as much as I am the fact that I couldn't put in what I felt like was a reasonable performance. I didn't have to meet my goal time, but such a subpar performance left me near tears for much of the afternoon. It still bothers me, but not like it was yesterday (I'm no longer thinking about selling my bike and taking up knitting, lol).
I'm starting to refocus a bit, and I'm learning (being forcefully reminded) that training isn't all there is to preparing for a race. The workouts are only part of it... rest, stretching, nutrition, etc are all very important too, and those are things I don't know much about.
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Do you think the heat may have played a role? (Geneva's not that far from Ottawa & it was really hot & humid here this past weekend)0
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Do you think the heat may have played a role? (Geneva's not that far from Ottawa & it was really hot & humid here this past weekend)
Dunno. I'm not sure I buy into the whole idea that cramps are caused by dehydration/electrolyte imbalance. And I've done hotter, harder races without any problems.
Was it a contributing factor? Maybe. But I have a hard time believing it was the sole, or even primary, cause.0 -
hey man, the heat had to have played a roll. i read somewhere that it takes upwards of a week to adjust to changes in temperature, and Sunday was a very hot and humid day. you probably didn't have that much time to adjust.
and the crappy part about a triathlon is that you usually start the run during the hottest part of the day.0 -
You did the right thing. Don't beat yourself up over it. There are plenty more races to come.
I, too, am not convinced it is just the heat/electrolytes that produce cramping. I read somewhere that the brain plays a critical role too. Interesting stuff.
I was sitting here feeling guilty because after an active rest day yesterday I was supposed to bike today but this nagging thought kept telling me not to go and I don't feel "right" today. Your post reminded me that I have to listen to my body and an extra day of rest in this heat is not the end of the world. (I am going to lift a little later and stretch so it won't be a wasted day.)
So thanks for your post!0 -
Heat and humidity always play a role. However, it affects people to different degrees. Also, for anyone who is conditioned for that type of weather, there are many other factors that could have been the primary cause. However, if the heat and humidity was a lot worse than the person is conditioned for, then the heat and humidity act more as a trigger for any problems.
Sorry you had those issues. I understand just stopping. I would have done the same thing. I hope you recover quickly and kick butt your next race!0 -
You did the right thing. Don't beat yourself up over it. There are plenty more races to come.
I, too, am not convinced it is just the heat/electrolytes that produce cramping. I read somewhere that the brain plays a critical role too. Interesting stuff.
I was sitting here feeling guilty because after an active rest day yesterday I was supposed to bike today but this nagging thought kept telling me not to go and I don't feel "right" today. Your post reminded me that I have to listen to my body and an extra day of rest in this heat is not the end of the world. (I am going to lift a little later and stretch so it won't be a wasted day.)
So thanks for your post!
It's not the brain, it's the spine and 2 specific parts of the individual muscles.
Or at least that's the theory currently competing with dehydration/electrolyte imbalance.0 -
You made it 2/3 of the way, you will probably be more ready to race again knowing you stopped when needed to!!
I volunteered for Racine 70.3 on Sunday as kayak support and the water was extremely rough, we pulled 60 out of the
water that could not go on .... and another 140 picked up their numbers and either did not get in the water or turned back
before the first buoy
I hope once you get over the disappointment you will be ready to race and train again0 -
reposting here (from my blog), just in case anyone else might learn something. Or at the very least gain some perspective.
Now that I've had a couple of weeks to digest my DNF at the Musselman half-ironman, I figured it was worth writing up some of the things I've taken away from it for future reference.
1) It was a bad day and a bad weekend
For as much as I hate it, I have to admit that it was "one of those days". The day before the race, when I normally spend a lot of time resting, stretching and making sure I'm eating/drinking right, I spent 7 hours in the car and 4 hours watching my daughter play softball. I drank a lot, but didn't eat like I wanted and didn't stretch at all. I'm not sure how big of a factor this was in my race performance, but I'm sure it played a role.
2) I've got a lot to learn about nutrition and hydration
Again, I'm not sure I'd blame my DNF on poor nutrition/hydration, but I can't deny the fact that it had an impact. I've never really paid much attention to this as I've never really seen any significant negative impact. Yes, some days I feel stronger or faster because of whatever I ate the day before, but I've never really felt bad or had a poor performance because of it. Clearly I need to, at the very least, get a feel for what types of foods, macros, and calorie intakes tend to lead to strong workouts. Just not sure how to best go about that.
3) I'm past the point where I can rely on my genetics
I'm very lucky to have good genetics. I've always been above average athletically, which means I've never really had to try very hard to be good at sports. The problem is that my goals have gotten to the point where "good" or "above average" isn't good enough. It's not so much about how I compare to other athletes, but rather what I'm doing compared to what I'm capable of. Am I getting the most out of my body, if you will. And that's something that takes real work, dedication, and training.
4) and this is probably the biggest take-away... My performance reflected my training. To. A. Tee.
Through my various workouts the last couple of weeks, I kinda stumbled into this realization. But the recent newsletter from Body Improvements really drilled home this fact. The majority of my training leading up to the race was lower intensity and longer duration, because I was worried about my ability to finish the bike and run legs. Come race day, adrenalin kicked in and I had very clear time goals for each leg, so intensity was far higher than what I was used to during training. I overcooked the bike from the first mile, and I was paying for it by mile 25. The race was lost and I wasn't even half way through it. What I was trying to do during the race didn't match what I had trained to do leading up to it.
So those are my big take-aways. The first 2 pair up pretty well, as do the last 2. So it really all boils down to 2 things - 1) pay attention to rest, nutrition and hydration leading up to a race... it's more important than I tend to realize, and 2) train like I want to race. It's not enough to just put in the time.0 -
I live in NW Florida and here from April to September it is hot and humid.... it takes a good month to get used to it.
My husband is very physically fit. He is doing MMA training, weightlifting and some running in there too. A few weeks ago, he was training and got crampy, stretched and kept going. He went to his MMA training class that night and the same thing happened, but he kept going. He does not like to quit. The next morning, he fainted after coming out of the bathroom. After being rushed to the ER, we were told that he had developed kidney stones as a result of severe dehydration. Now, he has to be super careful because once you get kidney stones, they will come back.
DONT BE THAT GUY!
I know it sucks to quit. But, imagine what could've happened had you kept going. You did awesome for the parts that you finished and to me it is better to get a DNF than a NRA (never racing again) because you pushed yourself beyond your limits.
Congrats on finishing the swim and the bike. The run is the worst part anyways (for most I think).0
