Durban Ultra

[Wheelsuck]

Good read...

 

Now to get a proper resting HR

Yeah, that's the problem-I sometimes went to sleep with my watch and HR pickup strapped on and let it just run as an activity-since I got the Garmin 735 it gives me my RHR. But then what is ideal conditions -is it after a days rest or when you are training and what is the ideal testing conditions?     

[travisza]

Yeah, that's the problem-I sometimes went to sleep with my watch and HR pickup strapped on and let it just run as an activity-since I got the Garmin 735 it gives me my RHR. But then what is ideal conditions -is it after a days rest or when you are training and what is the ideal testing conditions?     

Its not a once off test.

 

You need to gather as many data points as possible to get a idea of:

1. What your resting HR is generally

2. What an elevated / abnormal resting HR looks like for you

 

So basically you need to try and take your RHR for as many nights as possible for as long as possible to try and understand the trend there. Can't be once off

[Cycling Major]

So does that mean I can just go to sleep with m HRM on and the lowest (average over a week maybe) will be an accurate estimate of RHR?

 

So no need to wake up and then take it, becuase obviously your HR while sleeping will be lower than when just woken up

[travisza]

So does that mean I can just go to sleep with m HRM on and the lowest (average over a week maybe) will be an accurate estimate of RHR?

 

So no need to wake up and then take it, becuase obviously your HR while sleeping will be lower than when just woken up

Yes if you can sleep with it on then thats easier than waking up and remembering to measure your HR before you get out of bed.

 

If you do it on wakeup then its worth waking up, and then taking 5min to lie in bed and let your HR settle again. Its not an exact science, just try to make the process consistent and you should be ok.

 

I'd do it longer than a week but that should give you a good idea. Remember that the value is in seeing any changes on a day to day basis so the more info you have and more you measure it the more you'll be able to pick up any variations which are noteworthy.

[amr63]

A week to go to Durban Ultra 2018...

Who’s in? How has your prep been? What has changed since you last raced? What are you hoping for this time out?

 

I signed up last month for the Sprint (750/20/5), but have been off sick with sinus & chest infection for the last 10 days; it’s cleared now & I started light training again at the weekend, so I’m hoping to just go out, push hard & learn something new.

[Chris_]

I'm in, signed up a while back as a nice tester before IM. Really enjoyed last year despite the super hot run so I'm hoping for a nice day out again.

 

My bike and swim training has been better than last year, but running has been non-existent thanks to a bad knee. 

 

So I'm going to go there - have a nice swim, klap the bike, and see how the run goes without destroying myself.

[Chris_]

Its also going to be my wife's first 70.3 distance tri!  

[amr63]

Good Luck CBlake (& mrs CBlake )

 

Hope you have a great day out.

[EmJayZA]

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Wish I was there with you all. Looking forward to the race reports. 

[IceCreamMan]

Hear the swim was in doubt

[EmJayZA]

Got a message this morning that the swim was cut to 1.5km. 

[amr63]

prelim race report: delayed start due to hectic surf conditions meant a tough hot race. Only top 50 or so finished the swim (James Cunnema left the water in about 20th edit: just looked at the results again & he was probably 20th into T1 behind athletes that had abandoned the swim) but all competitors were allowed to continue, but not for medals/SA Champs.

 

Results here: http://results.finishtime.co.za/Results.aspx?CId=35&RId=2444&EId=2

[EmJayZA]

Heard that a fellow tri-club member couldn't even break through the surf it was so rough. Apparently there were like 40 or so with him that also couldn't get through. They went on to finish the bike and run though. Hectic stuff. 

 

With such a high DNF rate, shouldn't they have rather cancelled the swim, or should we all just learn how to deal with rough seas? 

[_David_]

Why not move this event inland? There is always a problem with the swim in Durban.

[amr63]

2018 race review:

tl;dr version: great event planning & preparation was let down by some crucial factors, resulting in a less-than-great outcome for many competitors.

 

My perspective (the long version):

Sunday dawned bright & clear with the gentlest southerly breeze. Race Centre & Transitions had been all set up on the Sunkist Lawns to the east of the tunnel under the N2 to Moses Mabhida Stadium (not at Moses Mabhida/People’s Park as advertised) which resulted in a tight & vibrant race village. The run was also altered with the whole course & finish on the promenade.

 

While on the subject of the run course, the Durban Beachfront promenade is a great place to get out and play or exercise or just enjoy being outside, and as a result it is used extensively by a wide spectrum of Durbanites & visitors, not all of whom are aware (or care) that there is a SA Championship event happening in their midst. This results in athletes having to dodge & weave through various moving chicanes including but not limited to: recreational cyclists of all ages & abilities, strollers, walkers, joggers & runners, dogs on leashes, small children (some in prams, some leashed, mostly not), large family groups (some consisting of large family members), religious groups heading to or from ceremonial dunkings in the surf, all-night revellers (many in an advanced state of disrepair), surfers & other water-sportsmen & women. While it is probably impractical & ultimately undesirable to cordon off the entire run route, there needs to be better race marshalling & route separation at the busy ‘hotspots’ and a lot more signage in between, so that at least the hapless denizens have some idea of what is taking place, and the athletes are afforded some right-of-way. (Rant over).

 

So, back to the pre-race conditions, which were great except for the sea: a shallow sandbank having formed 50m out which with a falling tide resulted in a powerful dumping mid-break with no clear or consistent route out or in through the surf, and a very unsettled sea out beyond backline.

It was decided that the Sprint swim be cancelled & replace with a 1km run down the beach to T1, causing a 40 minute delay to proceedings while competitors abandoned their caps & goggles and headed up the beach to the new start. At 07:39 we were sent on our way, a mad dash down the water’s edge, then through the dunes & into T1 where I managed to get through without incurring much delay as I already had my shirt & race-belt on, pausing only to clip on my helmet, slip on my glasses and dust off my feet.

 

Then out onto the bike & a flying start with my shoes already clipped & elastic-ed onto my bike; This went much better than last time as I made sure I was past the narrow technical sections and up to speed before trying to put my feet into my shoes. The down side to this is that while focussed on my shoes I blindly followed the bikes just ahead of me and instead of heading north on the M4 we went south to the Argyle Rd turnaround, and it was only when I got back to the M4 onramp and all the bikes heading north that I realised our mistake. About 20 of us travelled the extra 1.3km (nearly 3 minutes at my speed) so big lesson learned, but to be fair the marshalling was also at fault and there should really have been someone with authority sending us north at such a critical juncture.

 

Racing up the M4 with no traffic and a light tailwind was a real privilege and we were soon at the Glen Ashley turnaround and whipping back towards the City. I’d been slowly catching riders but from the turnaround (& into the light headwind) a loose group of 5 or 6 kept passing & being passed by each other back to the Argyle Rd turnaround & in to T2, sub-40 minutes for the first time despite the extra distance covered, happy with that. I was totally under-prepared when we hit the dismount line so carried my shoes into the changing tent instead of leaving them clipped to my bike; nevertheless T2 went quicker than ever despite what the official timing shows (more on that later) and out onto the run.

 

I didn’t feel great off the bike, probably from the extra effort on the ride, but was fortunate to follow a guy going at the same speed, so we slowly reeled in a few strong bike/weak runners as our legs recovered before he pulled away after 3k’s or so. Despite the amount of non-race traffic on the promenade run course it’s not a bad route and before long we could hear the finish announcer & the push to the end; 4:50/km was 30s/km (edit: actually closer to 15s/km) slower than recent races but ok considering my overall improvement despite 2 weeks off training with a chest infection.

 

In the meanwhile, Ultra 113 competitors were given the green light for a shortened swim but the organisers concerns were justified when many athletes battled with the sea conditions, and the subsequent very hot conditions arising from the delayed starts. I’m sure CBlake will be able to provide more insight, but big ups from me to anyone who made it through intact.

 

So that brings us to the apparent race timekeeping issues: My T2 time seems to be 1½mins long and my official Run2 time is 1½mins shorter than my watch which I started as I exited T2, so I don’t know what’s up there; Puzzling. (edit: also seems to be a problem with women’s times; I’m not sure if they started after the men, but some seem to have gained 2:00min in the results while others have not)

 

Still, a fun day out with lots learned which is what I was hoping for, so all good.

 

As for cancelling the swim, my view is that it should always be the last resort and based wholly on the safety of the competitors. The thing about the sea conditions on Sunday is not that the waves were exceptionally big, nor were there any strong currents. The problem was the presence of a shallow sandbank that caused the mid-break to dump heavily and randomly, compounded by the very unsettled, choppy sea swells. I presume that organisers hoped that by shortening the swim it would be doable for most athletes, which hindsight proved not to be the case.

[Aurora]

The reason I did not enter this race has been the safety aspects of these races for the last 2 years. The races are organised by B-Active and have they been gradually getting worse over the years. They also organise the TinMan Tri Series at Suncoast Beach of which the swim gets cancelled nearly 50% of the time. You would think they would have learned by now. The reason Ironman moved down to Ushaka Beach was for better swim conditions. As a Durbanite who swim in the sea here a lot, Ushaka beach is not great for a surf swim if there is wind or a swell. Anybody who is not confident in the sea will not make it.