Tom Aaker 2nd in his age at Cabo 70.3 and is heading to the Half Worlds in 2020 (Race report)

We flew home yesterday, and now that I’ve had some time to reflect on my race in Cabo, I wanted to share a few thoughts.

First off, I am flat-out excited and happy with my race performance! I feel like everything we’ve been working on over the past 3 years came together on race day. I am especially pleased with two aspects : first, my pacing … I was so pumped to be running strong all the way to the end and to record the fastest Run split in my Age Group - by 6 minutes - and second, how I managed my nutrition and hydration in 85+ degree heat and high humidity.

I have been tired and stiff over the past 48 hours, but nothing is sore and I feel mentally fresh.

1. SWIM LEG (36:16) - The conditions were rough and choppy, and this was a non-wetsuit swim, so my 36:16 split wasn’t too far off my 33-34 minute wetsuit-legal, calmer water swims at previous races. I never felt really in rhythm, given the conditions, but I was glad to be able to breathe from both sides to counteract the chop. Also, the water was warm (82 degrees) and clear, so that was nice. I came into T1 in 6th position (out of 30 guys in the 55-59 Age Group) and felt fine. My Age Group winner swam an unbelievable 26:46, which was right up there with the Pro swim times. My other top competitors were all in my range.

2. TRANSITION 1 (4:12) - Not bad, not great, as I was only a minute or so slower than the other top guys. I came out on the bike in 6th.

3. BIKE LEG (2:49:34) - I was determined to pace myself, as we discussed in our race planning meeting last week. In fact, I negative split the bike leg, completing the first lap in 1:27 (including a steep 1/4 mile climb up from the beach) and the second lap in 1:22. I also started conservatively as I was unfamiliar with my new bike. However, I felt confident at the halfway mark, and pushed harder on Lap 2, passing other competitors one after the next, even as the heat was rising. The course was on a closed highway, so plenty of space and I didn’t notice any drafting. My one frustration on the bike was that my new Power Meter pedals malfunctioned. Just as I rode out of T1, my Garmin indicated that I needed to install a new version of software and re-calibrate, and of course I couldn’t stop to do so. As a result, I had no reliable power data all the way on the bike, but as we had agreed to race for pacing and RPE, I didn’t panic (although I was bummed to not have good power data for analysis after the race). So I rode to a target average pace of 20.0 mph, as we had agreed, and nearly hit that target (actual average for the entire race was 19.3 mph), despite a constantly rolling course. I’m sure I couldn’t have been 10-12 minutes faster had the course been flatter. I recorded the 3rd fastest Bike split among my Age Group (our winner was 8 minutes faster than me) and I moved up to 3rd in my AG coming into T2. I felt great coming into T2. I no doubt could have ridden harder, but would probably have paid on the run - as I did at Lake Placid. I am really excited about next year, as I get more familiar with my fast new Cervelo and focus on bike fitness and a higher FTP during the off-season. (side note : I peed four times on the bike leg, which indicates good hydration!)

4. TRANSITION 2 (3:09) - Just fine, in fact was quicker than all but one of my competitors.

5. RUN (1:46:37) - This is where it really came together. I nailed the fastest split in my AG - in fact our winner ran 1:53 and 3rd place guy ran 1:54, so I was charging. I ran strictly to HR, and stayed in the 150-155 bpm range for the first 10-11 miles, which translated into 7:45-8:15 miles one after the next. One highlight was coming out of T2 just as Miranda Carfrae was starting her second lap. I actually ran off her shoulder for a quarter mile, which was fun (then I came to my senses and backed off). I focussed on cadence, turnover and form all the way, and felt like I was cruising along, hitting even 7:40-7:45 splits consistently. It was easier to run consistently as the run course was pretty flat. I was able to run hard right through the finish line, as I felt like I was racing for the podium and a Worlds slot. It was so fun to feel like I was really racing. I moved up from 3rd to 2nd during the run and was gaining on the eventual winner. No side stitches or cramps, despite the heat and humidity. One key was pouring ice down my back and water over my head at every aid station. My average cadence was 172 spm (86 rpms) and my Pa/HR was right at 6.00%, so I didn’t de-couple. I never had to pee during the run.

As for my nutrition and hydration timetable ...

Friday night dinner at the hotel - Vegetarian Pasta, salad, bread, one glass red wine, ice cream. Finished dinner at 7:00 PM.
Saturday 4:30 AM - oatmeal, banana, 2 Salt Stick capsules, banana bread, coffee with milk
Saturday 6:00 AM - one gel just before the swim start
Bike leg - two bottles of CarboPro, two bottles of water, 8 Salt Stick capsules, one Clif Bar, one package of Scratch chews, two gels during the bike leg.
Run leg - I drank only water, and took my sodium from 4 Salt Stick capsules, one every 20-30 minutes. I also consumed a package of Skratch chews, one gel and one banana during the run.

I think I ate and drank just the right amounts, and never felt hungry or bloated, despite extreme conditions. I also avoided the Gatorade, remembering my cramps at Oceanside.

As I look back at 2019, I am really pleased with my season : 6th in my AG at 70.3 Oceanside, 8th at IM Lake Placid, 1st at 70.3 Malibu, 2nd at 70.3 Cabo … with an automatic slot for 2020 Worlds (no Rolldown needed!). I am already excited for 2020 … Oceanside 70.3 in April, IM St. George in May are the first challenges!

Thanks again for the coaching and encouragement. I felt confident and strong in Cabo, and the preparation / training made it so! The TriStar model works for me!

I will ease back into training, and just swim, bike and run with little structure for the rest of November. Let’s meet up 1-on-1 in a month or so to review 2019 and set some training goals for the run-up to Oceanside and St. George.

Tom