2015: Copperman Triathlon

It was about a year ago that I had the first opportunity to be actually a part of Copperman Triathlon festivities, as a (slow running) member of Two Wolverines and a Badger, from inside rather than just looking on in from the outside. And if you have been fortunate enough to be in the start (or transition or finish) area, you would be quick to know that there is more than just the colloquial meaning to the previous sentence. It was quite the experience, a memorable one at that, and it did motivate me to some day do it all by myself. I’d be completely lying if claimed that I knew that that some day would be during the very next edition of the event.

Acquiring an awesome road bike — NORCO Valence C4, a thing of beauty and as such, affectionately nick-named The Carbon Beauty — in the middle of April (thanks to dear friends in The Bike Shop for a plan to wisely invest the tax dollars Uncle Sam was so kind to return) and learning that 2015 edition of Copperman included a duathlon (Run, Bike and Run) option seeded some thoughts doing it solo. But a quick conversation with dear friend Andi around the same time removed the said duathlon thoughts, and replaced them with a suggestion to grow something else and do the triathlon (Swim, Bike and Run) instead.

While just about anybody can challenge someone to do something, the challenger is very seldom a good teacher. And even seldom is the case where the challenger makes time to teach the required lessons in a hands-on way. I have been supremely fortunate to have friends that not only challenge me to get better but also willing to teach the required lessons in a hands-on way and to periodically monitor the progress: Adam, Jess, Rob, Ryan, Steve and Tim took me out for biking lessons (fixing a flat, changing gears, maintaining posture, line of sight, cadence and tire pressure, clipless pedals, etc.) while Andi, Christine, Dave, Ray, Shannon and Stephen offered plenty of swimming lessons (pool and open water techniques, maintaining posture and line of sight, importance of wearing goggles and wet suits, breathing, resting and survival techniques in case of freak out sessions, etc.).

Many of these and many more (Chris, Leah, Mark, Nils, Rick and Rob) were also kind in canning their triathlon experiences into easily usable lessons. An apriori two-part goal for this event was put 500 miles of road biking and 15 miles of swimming as training while not overly sacrificing running since signing up: only the former saw fruition (700+ miles) and swimming goal only made it a bit past one third of the way with most of the mileage coming in July. Rolling the ankle during Canal Run Half Marathon got me banned from running for about week (by the strong-willed folks in Keweenaw Running Group) — creating an opportunity to spend more time than I would otherwise done on the bike, and more importantly, in the water.

Courtesy of my boss-man (himself an athlete), I had Friday off from work and courtesy of XTERRA customer service folks for having ensured a timely delivery of my new wetsuit, I was able to escape the confines of civilization and cellular coverage by mid day. The drive up north was pleasant and uneventful. Reaching Copper Harbor early offered, for the second year in a row, an opportunity to get a glimpse and be a part of many a behind the scenes activity in the start/transition/finish area. A really long list of things — small and big, and simple and complex — that needs to get done, doing them the right way, and number of volunteers and staff required to ensure that an event of this magnitude goes as smoothly as it does, and attention to detail — for all the aforementioned things — were yet again the take-home lessons. This experience also re-validated the belief that there is no magic wand to wave and make things happen — most certainly not for anything of significance.

The Eles family was kind enough to let me use their campsite in Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. Not only was the campsite within a stone’s throw from the start/transition/finish area of the race but also came with lovely and friendly neighbors (Kim and Greg Green). Dinner at the Mariner North led to discussions with many a dear friends around the town and by campsite which, in turn, led to a planned full night of sleep around 10:15 pm. I was wide awake five and one half an hour later with dreams/hallucinations of gusting winds, nervousness, higher than normal heart rate and potential ways to freak out and earn a DNF but learning from the experiences of Canal Run Half Marathon not too long ago, I chose to stay horizontal instead of running around the campground. A 20 minute nap from about 6 am definitely calmed the nerves and still left me with plenty of time to get the body marked and more than decent enough slot in the transition area to keep my belongings.

Swim (0.50 mile)

I should have made enough time to test out the new XTERRA wetsuit before leaving for Copper Harbor (and carried the one that Stephen graciously let me borrow for training as a backup) but I was grateful that it fit me quite well. Water in Lake Fanny Hooe was very pleasant (69 F, all of it on the plus side of zero) albeit a bit choppy, and I didn’t probably need the wetsuit but it did help in making me look like a penguin of sorts and simultaneously hid the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Given that I had never swam the length of this course in one shot, with or without treading waters and/or with as many fellow swimmers, there were quite a few Oh my God, this is actually happening and the swim will start soon in the minutes leading up to the 9 am.

0.65 mi (estimate; Garmin recorded 0.94 miles), 0:29:23 (official: 0:29:28), 45:12 min/mile, 1.33 mph

Goal vs Reality Goal: 23 mi in 0:30:00 (1:18 min/mi) Reality: 1518.84 mi in 0:29:28.0 (00:01)
Distance mi	Lap Time m:ss	Lap Elevation feet	Total Time h:mm:ss	Total Elevation feet	Avg Pace min/mile	Projected Finish Time h:mm:ss	Differential Goal Time h:mm:ss
1518.84	0:00	0↑ 0↓	0:00:00	0↑ 0↓	:00	0:00:00	0:30:00
The final cumulative time, 0:00:00, may not match the official time (0:29:28.0) owing to rounding errors. Starting my watch a few seconds before the start and stopping it a few seconds after crossing the finish line can be an additional reason for this discrepancy. The overall distance, 1518.84 mi, may not match the designated event distance (23 mi) owing to idiosyncrasies associated with GPS data collection OR the aforementioned early start/late stop reasons, and in some rare cases, incorrectly measured (or advertised) courses or DNFs. As a result, the cumulative pace and the projected finish time might not match the official values as well.

 

Fear of failure and not being able to do two of the three things I am actually decent at while potentially earning a DNF against my name in light all that so many had taught me so much was more than enough motivation to keep my act together and not freak out in spite of getting a kick in the face (within the first 100 feet of start) and feeling a cramp in the left leg. Remembering some of the survival techniques, I chose to move wide of the pack to prevent more kicks but didn’t feel the need to either tread waters or change the stroke. I wish I had diligently put in more effort to learn the techniques of swimming as they were being taught but it was a valuable lesson to learn the hard way in a production environment: keeping the head above water and turning it both ways with each stroke required unnecessary expenditure of lot more energy. Coupled with the extra distance I chose to swim and lack of maintaining a proper line of sight, it added 50% more time than what I had for my goal. Though I wasn’t the last one out of water, there weren’t too many left in it either and could be counted using just the digits in one hand. In spite of all this (and fortunate for it), I felt like I had plenty left in the tank as I headed into T1.

T1 and Bike (23 miles)

T1 seemed to take forever as I couldn’t get the wetsuit off my feet. In addition, putting on a bike jersey and shoes with prevalent wetness turned out to be, as I was made aware ahead of time, much more difficult. As if that weren’t sufficient, my infatuation with collecting and analyzing data required changing the mode in Garmin Forerunner 620 from Run (this model doesn’t have a Swim mode) to Bike which, in turn, added even more time to T1. It was frustrating to have taken a long time to get moving on the bike but not surprising since T1 had all along been just a theoretical construct in my mind with zero practice in reality.

22.26 mi, 1:25:27 (official: 1:24:26), 3:50 min/mile, 15.65 mph

Goal vs Reality Goal: 23 mi in 1:15:00 (3:15 min/mi) Reality: 27.12 mi in 1:24:26.0 (3:06 min/mi)
#	Lap Distance mi	Lap Pace min/mile	Lap Elevation feet	Total Distance mi	Total Time h:mm:ss	Total Elevation feet	Total Pace min/mile	Projected Finish Time h:mm:ss	Differential Goal Time h:mm:ss
01	1.00	3:19	0↑ 0↓	1.00	0:03:19	0↑ 0↓	3:19	1:16:16	0:01:16
02	1.00	4:04	46↑ 0↓	2.00	0:07:24	46↑ 0↓	3:42	1:25:06	0:10:06
03	1.00	3:31	0↑ 57↓	3.00	0:10:55	46↑ 57↓	3:38	1:23:34	0:08:34
04	1.00	4:01	45↑ 0↓	4.00	0:14:56	91↑ 57↓	3:43	1:25:28	0:10:28
05	1.00	4:07	32↑ 35↓	5.00	0:19:03	123↑ 92↓	3:48	1:27:24	0:12:24
06	1.00	4:54	62↑ 0↓	6.00	0:23:57	185↑ 92↓	3:59	1:31:37	0:16:37
07	1.00	3:01	0↑ 104↓	7.00	0:26:59	185↑ 196↓	3:51	1:28:33	0:13:33
08	1.00	4:12	22↑ 0↓	8.00	0:31:11	207↑ 196↓	3:53	1:29:19	0:14:19
09	1.00	4:36	0↑ 25↓	9.00	0:35:47	207↑ 221↓	3:58	1:31:13	0:16:13
10	1.00	4:00	70↑ 33↓	10.00	0:39:47	277↑ 254↓	3:58	1:31:13	0:16:13
11	1.00	4:18	0↑ 39↓	11.00	0:44:05	277↑ 293↓	4:00	1:32:00	0:17:00
12	1.00	3:55	48↑ 23↓	12.00	0:48:01	325↑ 316↓	4:00	1:32:00	0:17:00
13	1.00	4:01	0↑ 25↓	13.00	0:52:03	325↑ 341↓	4:00	1:32:00	0:17:00
14	1.00	3:16	26↑ 0↓	14.00	0:55:19	351↑ 341↓	3:57	1:30:51	0:15:51
15	1.00	3:28	0↑ 0↓	15.00	0:58:48	351↑ 341↓	3:55	1:30:04	0:15:04
16	1.00	3:34	42↑ 25↓	16.00	1:02:22	393↑ 366↓	3:53	1:29:19	0:14:19
17	1.00	3:42	0↑ 26↓	17.00	1:06:04	393↑ 392↓	3:53	1:29:19	0:14:19
18	1.00	3:09	0↑ 12↓	18.00	1:09:13	393↑ 404↓	3:50	1:28:10	0:13:10
19	1.00	3:13	15↑ 0↓	19.00	1:12:26	408↑ 404↓	3:48	1:27:24	0:12:24
20	1.00	5:01	105↑ 12↓	20.00	1:17:28	513↑ 416↓	3:52	1:28:55	0:13:55
21	1.00	2:54	0↑ 77↓	21.00	1:20:22	513↑ 493↓	3:49	1:27:46	0:12:46
22	1.00	3:25	0↑ 0↓	22.00	1:23:48	513↑ 493↓	3:48	1:27:24	0:12:24
23	1.00	7:34	0↑ 19↓	23.00	1:31:23	513↑ 512↓	3:58	1:31:13	0:16:13
24	1.00	8:42	0↑ 0↓	24.00	1:40:05	513↑ 512↓	4:10	1:35:49	0:20:49
25	1.00	9:15	0↑ 0↓	25.00	1:49:20	513↑ 512↓	4:22	1:40:25	0:25:25
26	1.00	8:52	0↑ 0↓	26.00	1:58:13	513↑ 512↓	4:32	1:44:16	0:29:16
27	1.00	8:51	0↑ 0↓	27.00	2:07:04	513↑ 512↓	4:42	1:48:06	0:33:06
28	0.12	6:30	0↑ 0↓	27.12	2:07:51	513↑ 512↓	4:42	1:48:06	0:33:06
The final cumulative time, 2:07:51, may not match the official time (1:24:26.0) owing to rounding errors. Starting my watch a few seconds before the start and stopping it a few seconds after crossing the finish line can be an additional reason for this discrepancy. The overall distance, 27.12 mi, may not match the designated (or certified) event distance (23 mi) owing to idiosyncrasies associated with GPS data collection OR my inability to take the tangents OR the aforementioned early start/late stop reasons, and in some rare cases, incorrectly measured (or advertised) courses or DNFs. As a result, the cumulative pace and the projected finish time might not match the official values as well.

 

Having test driven this course a handful of times over the last three months to get as familiar as possible with the terrain and turns as well as with varying weather conditions ensured I could just react to the terrain and turns as they approached rather than thinking (and worrying, and in turn, wasting brain cells) about a strategy. Visor removal to further minimize air resistance (thank you, Chris), clipless pedals, changing the gears to keep up the cadence, tweaks to ensure that gears changed at normal pace (thank you, Rob in The Bike Shop), a posture that has improved over the last 250 some miles, pushing when the course lent itself but not cooking up the legs too much … helped a great deal in countering the west winds off the Lake Superior and maintain a decent pace throughout the course finishing about four minutes slower than my intended time.

Sticking to the suggested nutritional plan, I did consume an energy bar over the two miles past the last turn around point in Esrey Park — to give the body enough time to work on it and be ready for the last leg of this event. It wasn’t until a few miles left in the biking portion that I noticed non-existence of an energy gel in the back pocket of my jersey: a result of not paying enough attention to detail before leaving the transition area which was a direct result of never practicing T1.

T2 and Run (5 miles)

T2, unlike T1, was something that I had indeed practiced a few times in real life and the practice did pay off: there was tingling (or giving out) sensation in my legs as I dismounted the bike. But much like T1, T2 also took longer than necessary as I had to change out of biker jersey and shoes into their running counterparts, and consume an energy gel. Using Salomon trail running shoes saved few seconds as I there wasn’t any need to lace them up (thank you, Andi). My continued infatuation with collecting and analyzing data required changing the mode in Garmin Forerunner 620 from Bike back to Run added more time to T2. I failed quite miserably at it as I didn’t push all the right buttons, and in the interest of time (and amidst a friendly reminder from a dear friend and event photographer, Adam Johnson: G, what’s taking you so long to get moving?), I let it stay in the Bike mode and started my run.

5 mi, 0:42:00 (official: 0:42:18), 8:28 min/mile, 7.09 mph

Goal vs Reality Goal: 5.00 mi in 0:40:00 (8:00 min/mi) Reality: 27.12 mi in 0:42:00.0 (1:32 min/mi)
#	Lap Distance mi	Lap Pace min/mile	Lap Elevation feet	Total Distance mi	Total Time h:mm:ss	Total Elevation feet	Total Pace min/mile	Projected Finish Time h:mm:ss	Differential Goal Time h:mm:ss
01	1.00	3:19	0↑ 0↓	1.00	0:03:19	0↑ 0↓	3:19	0:16:34	0:23:26
02	1.00	4:04	0↑ 0↓	2.00	0:07:24	0↑ 0↓	3:42	0:18:30	0:21:30
03	1.00	3:31	0↑ 0↓	3.00	0:10:55	0↑ 0↓	3:38	0:18:10	0:21:50
04	1.00	4:01	0↑ 0↓	4.00	0:14:56	0↑ 0↓	3:43	0:18:34	0:21:26
05	1.00	4:07	0↑ 0↓	5.00	0:19:03	0↑ 0↓	3:48	0:19:00	0:21:00
06	1.00	4:54	0↑ 0↓	6.00	0:23:57	0↑ 0↓	3:59	0:19:55	0:20:05
07	1.00	3:01	0↑ 0↓	7.00	0:26:59	0↑ 0↓	3:51	0:19:15	0:20:45
08	1.00	4:12	0↑ 0↓	8.00	0:31:11	0↑ 0↓	3:53	0:19:25	0:20:35
09	1.00	4:36	0↑ 0↓	9.00	0:35:47	0↑ 0↓	3:58	0:19:49	0:20:11
10	1.00	4:00	0↑ 0↓	10.00	0:39:47	0↑ 0↓	3:58	0:19:49	0:20:11
11	1.00	4:18	0↑ 0↓	11.00	0:44:05	0↑ 0↓	4:00	0:20:00	0:20:00
12	1.00	3:55	0↑ 0↓	12.00	0:48:01	0↑ 0↓	4:00	0:20:00	0:20:00
13	1.00	4:01	0↑ 0↓	13.00	0:52:03	0↑ 0↓	4:00	0:20:00	0:20:00
14	1.00	3:16	0↑ 0↓	14.00	0:55:19	0↑ 0↓	3:57	0:19:45	0:20:15
15	1.00	3:28	0↑ 0↓	15.00	0:58:48	0↑ 0↓	3:55	0:19:34	0:20:26
16	1.00	3:34	0↑ 0↓	16.00	1:02:22	0↑ 0↓	3:53	0:19:25	0:20:35
17	1.00	3:42	0↑ 0↓	17.00	1:06:04	0↑ 0↓	3:53	0:19:25	0:20:35
18	1.00	3:09	0↑ 0↓	18.00	1:09:13	0↑ 0↓	3:50	0:19:10	0:20:50
19	1.00	3:13	0↑ 0↓	19.00	1:12:26	0↑ 0↓	3:48	0:19:00	0:21:00
20	1.00	5:01	0↑ 0↓	20.00	1:17:28	0↑ 0↓	3:52	0:19:19	0:20:41
21	1.00	2:54	0↑ 0↓	21.00	1:20:22	0↑ 0↓	3:49	0:19:04	0:20:56
22	1.00	3:25	0↑ 0↓	22.00	1:23:48	0↑ 0↓	3:48	0:19:00	0:21:00
23	1.00	7:34	0↑ 0↓	23.00	1:31:23	0↑ 0↓	3:58	0:19:49	0:20:11
24	1.00	8:42	0↑ 0↓	24.00	1:40:05	0↑ 0↓	4:10	0:20:49	0:19:11
25	1.00	9:15	0↑ 0↓	25.00	1:49:20	0↑ 0↓	4:22	0:21:49	0:18:11
26	1.00	8:52	0↑ 0↓	26.00	1:58:13	0↑ 0↓	4:32	0:22:40	0:17:20
27	1.00	8:51	0↑ 0↓	27.00	2:07:04	0↑ 0↓	4:42	0:23:30	0:16:30
28	0.12	6:30	137↑ 137↓	27.12	2:07:51	137↑ 137↓	4:42	0:23:30	0:16:30
The final cumulative time, 2:07:51, may not match the official time (0:42:00.0) owing to rounding errors. Starting my watch a few seconds before the start and stopping it a few seconds after crossing the finish line can be an additional reason for this discrepancy. The overall distance, 27.12 mi, may not match the designated (or certified) event distance (5.00 mi) owing to idiosyncrasies associated with GPS data collection OR my inability to take the tangents OR the aforementioned early start/late stop reasons, and in some rare cases, incorrectly measured (or advertised) courses or DNFs. As a result, the cumulative pace and the projected finish time might not match the official values as well.

 

 

As I had done for the bike course, I had several test runs along this course over the past three months to gain further familiarity. Legs continued to feel good during the run but I did stop at nearly every aid station, and did walk a few other times. Leaving the water bottle at 0.50 mile aid station turned out to be a good idea as I could pick it back up at 4.50 mile mark on the run (thank you, Justin and Linda) and have more water for the one last push. I didn’t quite time the big push well for I was left with a bit too much energy after crossing the finish line (about two minutes slower than my goal time).

Post finish line activities included chugging down several cups of energy beverages, exchanging pleasantries with volunteers, spectators and fellow participants, getting some medical attention to what I thought was a bug bite or bee/wasp sting (but in reality was just the wetsuit kiss) and what I knew was a cramp in the left leg (thank you, Cindy, from Aspirus Keweenaw). As I was beginning to contemplate on areas in which I could have done better and that needed improvement or a better effort for next edition, the awards ceremony got its start.

And little did I know that some one (or many some ones) had nominated me for the Nick Bell Memorial Award for the pursuit of athletic excellence: whoever wrote the recommendation letter, by far the most humbling one I have ever received, you seemed to know almost every aspect of my life so very well. It was (and still is) very overwhelming experience and meant (and still does) a lot as it’s instituted in the name of someone special to the community and the event (I wish I had the opportunity to meet this guy in person but I hope to meet some of his family members some day), all those folks that have previously won this award, and the community that I live in choosing to nominate me in an anonymous fashion. THANK YOU, and all I can pray is that life may shower you with its choicest blessings, and all I can hope is that I will live up to your expectations.

The goals for this event had evolved over a period of time, with practice, leading up to the event, and looking back, were fueled partly with ego rather than common sense backed by even more practice. Swim, bike and run had approximately 6, 700 and 1260 banked miles respectively — since taking up each of these three disciplines — before the event, and the return on investment showed very vividly (and unsurprisingly) in the trend of my standings within the division and amongst overall participants. I didn’t get any of the goals I had in mind, but this event definitely provided not only an opportunity to get my feet wet (colloquially and quite literally) but also very clearly demonstrated aspects that need lot more attention to detail and mindful practice before the 2016 edition. Post event activities included sharing a few beverages with dear friends in the campground and at other fine establishments — in Copper Harbor and Eagle River. The evening ended early, and the return drive to Houghton Sunday morning was just as uneventful as the drive up north.

Thanks be to

the rejections and opportunities life has brought my way, event folks (organizers, sponsors, volunteers, timers, law enforcement officials, photographers, fellow participants and spectators) and my family of good friends, mentors and coaches in and outside of my community for all the unexpected, undeserved and unrewarded acts of kindness and constant encouragement as well as offerings of constructive criticism to improve myself as a human and an athlete. I am eternally grateful to all those who let me train with them, who shared their meals and experiences with me, who helped keep me in good health, who helped me stay the course, and who cheered me on from home or along the course.