Mooseman 70.3 Part 2: Some things I learned along the way

This post will be a bit more technical than my previous posts. If you prefer a more narrative report of the Mooseman 70.3, please check out part 1 by clicking here.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I learned more in the six and a half hours of racing Mooseman 70.3 than I did over the course of the entire triathlon season last year. And, I’m thinking that some of this information could be quite useful to other triathletes, or athletes considering triathlon.

I’m breaking this post into more easily digestable segments, which should allow you to pick and choose the information that is most relevant to your needs. Some of these tips may be specific to the Mooseman 70.3; however, most tips should be useful to almost everyone.

Pre-race preparation

  • Get your gear together the night before. When I started doing triathlons last year, I noticed a big difference from running: the amount of gear is more than triple. Because of this, it is near next to impossible to effectively put all that crap together the morning of the race. I also find that putting my stuff together the night before helps with my nerves. I recommend using a checklist. (Here is a link to a really thorough checklist that you can adapt to your specific needs: http://www.triutah.com/downloads/trichecklist.pdf.)
  • Check in your bike the night before. This tip is a corollary to the previous one. I know not everyone likes to check their bike in the night before. But, I found it was a great sense of relief to know my bike was in the transition area, ready to go. One less thing to worry about on race morning. If you do check your bike in the night before, be sure to cover it with a large trash bag in case it rains. Many of the local, smaller triathlons don’t have this as an option. If they don’t, don’t worry! It’s not a necessity. But, it is a necessity to get your gear together the night before!
  • Arrive early to the race site. Rushing around only increases nervousness. And, the larger the race, the larger the delays. So, the earlier you get there, the more likely it is that you can beat the crowd, leisurely set up your transition site, and have time for a complete pre-race warmup.
  • Setting up the transition area. The shorter the race and the nicer the weather, the less “crap” you will need at your transition area. For Mooseman, we had a long race plus terrible weather, which equaled a fair amount of “stuff” at our transition site. I try to set my gear up as neatly and as tightly as possible. If it’s raining, cover your stuff with a plastic bag to keep it as dry as possible. In the case of Mooseman, this was a futile effort. LOL! Also, keep your bike stuff togther; keep your run stuff together. I find that putting vital items inside of my helmet ensures that I won’t forget them for the bike.

Exiting the lake after the swim in Newfound Lake

Swim

  • Know the water temperature. This year, the water in Newfound Lake was very warm. But, be warned: this is usually not the case for Mooseman.  We talked to athletes who had done the race in previous years, with some saying the temperature of the lake was as low as 55 degrees. Yikes! Luckily, the water was about 67 degrees this year. As I was waiting for my wave to start, I was warmer standing in the water than on the beach. If the water is cold, a wetsuit is a must. For sub-60 degree temps, you may want to consider booties and wearing two swim caps or a neoprene cap.
  • Know the swim course. The Mooseman 70.3 swim course includes a beach start, and follows a 1.2 mile partial rectangle, with the finish dropping you on the beach about one-tenth of a mile from the transition area. The race directors organized the start by 9 waves. (My wave was the last one.) As the swim approaches the turn, the water is relatively calm (except for the churning caused by the other swimmers). However, as you make the first turn, the water gets a little bit choppy as the course moves away from the protection of a peninsula that juts out into the middle of the lake. I found that exaggerating my rotation when I breathed prevented me from swallowing water.
  • Warm up is key. To guarantee an optimal swim, I made sure I did a 10-15 minute warmup swim. I started with some easy swimming, mixed in some drills (mostly to relax myself), and then did some more easy swimming with a few pickups. Ideally, the warmup should be completed about 5 minutes before the start. The best thing about doing a warm up is that it helps to control heart rate, as I find my heart rate shoots up in the first few moments of a swim. By doing a warm-up, I can control this issue better since I’m relaxed and used to the water temperature, the visibility in the lake, and so on.

  • The start. If you are not an especially strong swimmer, and your start is a beach start, then I recommend waiting about 30 seconds for the wave to progress a bit. Waiting even just this small amount can prevent kicks to the face in the chaos of the swim start. I did this, and also started just a bit to the right of the buoys. As I found my rhythm, I moved diagonally to follow the buoys. If your swim start is in-water, instead of a beach start, then just position yourself to the right of the buoys and behind the other swimmers. Of course, if you are a strong swimmer – just get in there and go!

Bike

  • Protect your eyes. It poured during the Mooseman bike, which presented me with a problem. I wear contacts, so I need protective eye gear to keep them in my eye balls. However, I wasn’t able to wear my glasses because they were covered with droplets of water. So, if you wear contacts, a little visor under your helmet works to keep rain and wind out of your eyes.
  • The course. When Ironman took over this Mooseman this year, it changed the course from previous years. From what I understand, these changes resulted in a much hillier and more challenging course. I’ll say! One athlete, who has done the course several times, said this new course added about 20 minutes to his bike time. Here are some observations specific to the Mooseman Bike:
    • As you exit T1, you ride on mostly flat to rolling terrain for the first 2-3 miles as you follow along the lake. It’s a great time to eat, drink, get situated.

      Heading out of transition 1
    • Once the course leaves the lake area, you climb and climb up Devil’s Hill, along North Groton Road. This is a time to just push.
    • After you climb Devil’s Hill, the course continues along North Groton Road (see map) to a steep descent that ends with a relatively sharp turn to the right, onto Hall’s Brook Road. During the race meeting, we were warned that there would be a 30 mph speed limit on the descent on this road. I didn’t think the Hall’s Brook Road descent was a steep as the Groton Road one. But, the difference is that there are far more turns on Hall’s Brook than on Groton.
    • Route 25 is a busy from mostly flat road. (Note: the course IS OPEN to traffic, which is a disadvantage on the Route 25 & 3A sections of the course.) This is a great time to eat—especially after the effort of climbing in the previous sections. You have about 5-6 miles before the rollers start and you proceed on Route 3A, which you follow until you get to North Shore Road, where you go mostly downhill, but there are a few climbs, before you head back to start the climb back up Devil’s Hill. Keep in mind, on this second loop, you will not start at the beginning, so you don’t have the 2-3 miles of easy flat before Devil’s Hill. I recommend eating before you turn off onto North Shore. Eat on 25 and/or 3A.
    • I thought doing the second loop of the course was easier because I knew what was coming, and I was able to be more strategic with my gearing and approach to the climbs and descents. If this is a key race for you, I recommend riding the course a few weeks before the race.
    • At the end of your second loop, you continue along 3A for the final 10 miles. These are mostly rolling sections, but there is a lot of traffic in some sections, and some limited shoulder. This was my least favorite part of the course, even though I knew I was almost done the bike portion.

Run

  • A rainy but excellent run.

    The course. The run includes two loop course that covers a mostly flat, out and back 6 mile stretch, with one hill in the middle of the course. Other than that one hill, it’s not a particularly challenging run course, but it is scenic.

  • Pacing. I recommend taking it a little bit easy on your first 5k (maybe 10-15 seconds under race pace), as you’ll see the whole course (at least the “out” part of the loop). The “out” part of the loop is the most difficult, with the steepest climb, which really isn’t that terrible, and it’s short – you can see the top of it. In general, I also think it is a good idea to take the first mile of the run a bit conservatively, as I find I have a lot of adrenaline coming out of T2. I don’t want to start out too fast and pay the price for that in the final miles of the run. Additionally, when I train, I train using negative splits (i.e., the run gets progressively faster) so that I practice finishing strong. There is nothing like the feeling of picking people off in the final miles of the race. Woo-hoo!
  • Run fast downhill. To take advantage of the downhills, I recommend training to run FAST on the downhills. Get your legs prepared to hammer the downhill, and conserve your energy on the uphill. Worked like a charm for both John and I. Yes, charging downhills can be painful but not if your training prepares you to run that way. If your area is hill-deprived, get creative. John and I run bridge repeats (living in the shore area of NJ), but you can also run parking garages or do steps. It is important, however, to practice running downhill – so treadmills only help with half of hill training.

People

  • Enjoy the camraderie. Triathletes and runners are some of the most positive, supportive people I have ever met. During the Mooseman, we met some GREAT people from all over the United States. It was great to share stories, goals and so on with people who have similar interests. Also, I had the opportunity to meet Brandon Wood (http://twitter.com/ironbrandon), who is one of the ironman athletes I follow on Twitter.  I highly recommend meeting up with your online triathlon friends. It was a great experience, and since Brandon had already done an Ironman, he had some great tips for us. I’m looking forward to more tweet-ups in the future :).
  • Ask questions. Many of the participants for these races are experienced veterans of triathlon. John and I ask many questions, getting insights about different approaches to the course, to nutrition, to training and so on.
  • Enjoy the spectators. Even though it was a rainy, rainy day, the Mooseman course had plenty of great spectators. They lifted my spirits and kept me smiling! Of special note was a group of about 10-15 spectators who did a wave as I came into the bike dismount area. It was very cool!

Traveling on the cheap

  • "Moose Village"

    Camp. To save some money, John and I camped at “Moose Village,” located at Camp Wicosuta, just 2 miles down the road from the Wellington State Forest and Newfound Lake, the start and finish line for the race. It was a convenient location, and the site offered bathrooms and showers. We paid $75 for two nights, compared with anywhere from $180-$400 for two nights in a hotel.

  • Make your own food. This can save plenty of money, as going out to eat for every meal can get quite expensive. Additionally, you cannot control what goes in the food when you eat out—which can lead to disaster on race day.
  • Drive. If the race is close enough, consider driving instead of flying. Naturally, this isn’t always possible, but when it is, you can save a lot of money. Plus, you are in control of your gear, and don’t have to rely on the airlines to take care of it.

**Readers: please feel free to post your tips & tricks for the Mooseman specifically, or for triathlon racing generally. Would love to hear your input!

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My 2010 training & racing is dedicated to raising money for college scholarships. The Iron Scholarship rewards academic endurance by helping smart students who are economically disadvantaged. For information about how you can donate, visit the information page by clicking here.

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