FitView By Efren Martinez
Race on the natural
Gels, shakes, pills and powders on race day aren’t a good idea, especially if you have never tried any of the above before. On June 10th I competed in The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon for the 3rd time consisting of a 1.5-mile swim, 1Ž2 mile run to bike transition, an 18-mile bike ride and an 8-mile run. The first time I escaped in 2009, I completed it in 3:59. In 2010 I Escaped The Rock and crossed the finish line in 3:07. In 2012 I prepared and trained hard, but did not PR and crossed the finished line at 3:08. I was disappointed, not in my time, but because I didn’t follow my own rule on race day; don‘t experiment with a new product.
It’s always been the same for me in this Triathlon. I have to wake up at 3:45AM to get it together on the marina green to set up my bike/run transition area and then board the bus for the pier at 5:45AM. The problem is, I get hungry by the time we jump in the bay at 7:30AM for the start of the Triathlon. OK so I figured I would try this new product for breakfast to keep me feeling full through the race. The study was, it’s made of a process starch that sits in your lower intestine and digest slowly through the Triathlon providing you with the energy as needed to get you through the competition without feeling hungry. My problem was my body didn’t agree with this new product and I paid for it about a mile in the swim and stomach cramps came on strong. In 2010 I did this very sameswim in 37 minutes, this time it took me 50 minutes. Disoriented and in pain I overshot the beach and had to swim against a 6-mile current. Staying focused and enduring, I made up some time on the ride and the run still placing better overall then I did in 2010 and just shy of a minute from a PR.
In 2010 I finished in 3:07 and placed 140th in my age division of 400 Tri-Athletes and 790th overall with nearly 2000 Tri-Athletes competing. This year I did it in 3:08 and placed 108 out nearly 400 entries in my age division and 540th over all with nearly 2000 entries. Not too bad considering the potty breaks/GI issues I had during the race as well as having to stop and fix a derailed bike chain on the ride. Sure it wasn’t my best time for a Triathlon and having stomach issues at the finish isn’t the best way to remember any race.
“Experimenting with a new product isn’t advisable on race day and not only can it ruin your race but also leave you with thoughts of what could have been. Go natural!”
Thanks for that, Happy 4th of July!
Efren j Fitview
