Every race teaches you something. Sometimes it’s a lesson about nutrition, or pacing, or how your body responds to heat. Sometimes it’s just a reminder that when you put in the work, things have a way of clicking. Happy Valley was that kind of race. Not without its rough patches, but one where things mostly went the way I planned them to.
The backdrop for this one is important. Happy Valley 70.3 was on the schedule this year to be a tune-up race for Ironman Wisconsin in September. When you’re building toward a full Ironman length event, there’s real value in putting yourself through a 70.3 mid-season to stress test your fitness, your nutrition plan, and your mental game under actual race conditions. No amount of training perfectly replicates what race day feels like, and after doing this distance a few times now I’m starting to understand the nuances a lot better. My goals coming in weren’t about chasing a time PR, they were about execution. Stay in it mentally all day, keep the power in check on the bike, and run consistently. That’s it.
State College is also not a flat, easy course to pick for a tune-up. The climbing on the bike is real, and I knew going in that how I handled those two major climbs was going to dictate how the run felt. So this whole week leading up to it was less about nerves around the race and more about nerves around whether my legs were going to cooperate for the whole race distance. But with it being almost an exact half of all the distance and climbing I’m going to need to do in Madison it seemed like the right checkpoint for the training schedule.
Race Morning
My stomach was doing more talking than usual. Not just the nerves but actually being hungry. The morning nutrition routine went smoothly but it was also a lot. I got in a donut, Jimmy Dean sandwich, half a Gatorade at the house, then a banana and half a bagel in transition. Some foreshadowing, it still wasn’t enough.
With this being a point to point race the logistics are a big part of it. We had to drive out to T1 to drop bikes off on Saturday, which gave us the time to drive the bike course the day before, and then go to T2 to drop off our Run bags which you don’t get to see until on race day when its time to start the run. This also meant that in the morning you end up getting on a bus at 5AM to ride out to the swim start which was a little over 30 minutes away. A great time to get in a quick nap and hopefully calm the nerves a bit.
Setting up T1 before the race with Brian and Eleanor.
We got to Bald Eagle State Park and went right into transition to setup. It was pretty quick, took some extra time to make sure our tires were pumped up correctly and bottles were in the right spots and all of a sudden it was time to jump into the corral. With this being a Pro race we got to watch both the Men’s and Women’s pro field get rolling which just added to the excitement of the day. Once they were off it was time for the Age Groupers. The line moved quickly and when you’re surrounded by other athletes and friends all in the same head space, the nerves have less room to breathe. That was the case here. Before I knew it, I was walking into the water to start the day.
Swim
The swim setup at Happy Valley was fairly straight forward. Beach entry into a calm lake with a triangle course that you can mentally break into thirds, which makes it easy to manage in your head. Each leg is roughly 600-700 meters so instead of staring down 1.2 miles as one long slog, you’re just doing three manageable pieces.
The entry got a little more rocky than expected right at the start, so I started swimming a touch sooner than I would have liked, but not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Once I was in and settled, the first leg was just about finding space and getting my sight lines. The buoys were easy to spot, goggles stayed clear the whole way, and I had plenty of open water around me. Eleanor had gone off 5 seconds ahead of me so catching her wasn’t happening. Brian had sprinted out faster at the start, but I was able to catch him in around the third buoy. He looked like he was stuck fighting in a pack, and I was happy to not be in the middle of it.
On the back side of the triangle, I settled into a rhythm behind another swimmer about 15 feet ahead of me. Drafted off them for a while, then found myself on their feet, moved alongside, and eventually passed. Small moments like that actually help you stay engaged mentally because you have something to focus on besides just turning your arms over. Coming into the final leg, a few faster swimmers caught and passed the little group I had joined up with. I felt relaxed enough to push just slightly to finish on the stronger side of things rather than just coasting in.
All smiles since I haven’t looked at my watch yet.
When I got out of the water and looked at my watch, I saw 38 minutes. I’ll be honest, I was a little pissed. It felt controlled and even a bit easy in spots, but 38 minutes wasn’t what I was hoping for. When I checked the summary while running to T1 I had clocked it at 1.3 miles so the course may have been slightly long. Looking back at it my line looked pretty clean on the map, not a ton of drift. Either way, one third of the day was done.
T1
It was a good run from the water up the sand, through the grass, and into the transition chute. Just a basic grassy run but I was mostly by myself which was nice as I could just have an easy jog and not feel like I was falling behind. I was on the far end from swim in so it was a longer barefoot run, but nothing brutal. I took the time in T1 to settle in and make sure I was going to be comfortable for the ride. Socks on, calf sleeves on, mini pump and two Uncrustable’s into the back pocket, everything into the T1 bag which I had to double check to make sure I got all my stuff back at the end of the race, we weren’t coming back here. On the jog out with my bike we actually had to go through a small grass trail to the mount line but I used that time to load the route before hopping on.
Bike
The first two miles inside the park are easy and give you time to settle in. Then you climb out and hit about 10 miles of flat road with some rollers before things get serious. Here’s the thing, my legs didn’t hurt during those early miles, but they also didn’t feel right. The best way I can describe it is lethargic. Anything over 200 watts felt off, so I backed off and let them come around. I got passed by a good number of people in that stretch, and I just had to accept it. I focused on getting fluids in and trusting that the legs would show up eventually because to be honest I didn’t have much of any other option.
Just getting rolling in the first section of the bike, still in the park.
The first aid station came at mile 14. Along with grabbing a banana, we also ended up getting really nice Precision & Ironman bottles that had Precision Hydration in them, score. With all that in hand I pulled over at the end of the station, refilled the front hydration bottle, unwrapped an Uncrustable, and got back moving all in maybe 30 to 60 seconds of stopped time total. Worth it for getting a quick little reset and some nutrition in me as yes I was hungry still. Sure enough that food did help as, somewhere around mile 20 the legs finally woke up. My normalized power settled in around 200 and stayed there, which was exactly where I wanted it heading into the climbing.
The first climb, Beaver’s Bluff, comes just after mile 25. It’s about 1.5 miles with some genuinely steep grades tucked in there near the top. I was able to stay in the saddle for most of it, only getting up and out for one part which I felt like I needed to get a little more power in to pump up and over the top. It felt hard, but possibly manageable knowing that I have another climb coming soon. The descent was quick and controlled, hitting the high 30’s in miles per hour on the way down. Normalized power after the climb was sitting at 220, but I knew the harder climb was still ahead. That combination made me nervous.
A quick ride through at the mile 31 aid station saw me grab a banana, again still hungry, and just keep riding. It was in a bit of flat so it was easy to keep my speed up and work on bringing that normalized power down as much as I could. A quick ride through the mountain side and into a little town where the slow signs were showing up. A quick sharp left turn and a volunteer telling you “enjoy the climb” was all the warning you got before heading into the big climb for the day. Good thing we drove this the day before and I knew where I was.
Starting the big climb for the day and attempting to relax into it.
Climb number two is Old Main up Nittany Mountain. You’re grinding uphill basically from the moment you slow for that left hand turn. Hope the previous almost 40 miles was a good warm-up because you’re heading straight into the small ring. I burned through about half my cassette in the first few minutes and eventually just settled into the smallest gear and found a rhythm. It’s a sustained 2.7-mile climb with a couple of harder kicks near the top. That turned into about 22 minutes of just grinding. I did what I could to keep my cadence up and keep my power under 300. About a mile in I almost felt like I found a bit of a rhythm again much like the first climb but didn’t get as frustrated when people passed me this time. I rode most of it with a couple people to kind of keep pace with and with that much work there’s not much in the way of talking, more just nodding and synchronized breaths helping you will yourself and them up to the top. With a group of spectators on the final little ascent I got a nice boost to get up and over to see the “Summit of Nittany Mountain” sign which felt great. Then the downhill payoff. I was fully in control even pushing past 40 mph and I even passed a couple of people which was fun. But again we have to jam the brakes hard for a sharp right turn in the small town at the other side of the mountain so I enjoyed the speed while it lasted.
The rest of the ride was mostly rollers through to the 45-mile aid station. I stopped, refilled the front hydration again, grabbed a banana again, started on another Uncrustable, and got moving. The final climb back onto campus was short and punchy but felt more like a normal Sunday ride as compared to what came before. As the stadium got closer I noticed that the Bike and Run course came together through the parking lots and so a new goal popped into my mind. I wanted to be finishing the run before everyone got off the bike. It was a vanity goal but something to chase over the next 13 miles.
Coming into T2 I checked my normalized power: 224. For a course with that much elevation, I’ll absolutely take it given the 200 target.
T2
My un-clip from the bike was smooth and I got jogging quickly. Quick learning, the rack letters in T2 were different from T1, which I didn’t know going in. I almost overshot my rack but caught myself and backtracked without losing much time. I changed into dry socks, tied my shoes properly (no speed laces for longer races), grabbed my gear (bib, gels, Advil, and another Uncrustable) and headed out while putting everything on at the same time. I had about a half a block of jogging through transition to start to take stock of how I was feeling and noticed that there were a lot of bikes still out on the course.
Run
The run course starts with an uphill out of transition, which is genuinely mean, but I realized I felt fine. Legs were there, no cramping, heart rate in check. It was such a different feeling as compared to starting the bike just 3 hours earlier. I climbed my way up through the parking lots and had Bill tell me that Brian and Eleanor were about 2 miles ahead. OK so probably not catching them but I may see them on the out and backs on the run course so that could be fun.
In the first mile you get to enter Beaver Stadium and run around the perimeter of the football field which was a cool moment. You could feel the scale of the venue but also I wish they would have let spectators in there to cheer, that could have been such a cool environment. I clicked off a 9:40 first mile that genuinely surprised me. I hadn’t expected that given the bike I had just come off of but again everything was feeling good as I came up on the first aid station.
Feeling pretty good a bit before Mile 1 on the run.
For that first aid station I walked it and followed the plan: electrolyte cup, ice stuffed into the front pockets of my suit, electrolyte cup again at the end. After that I fell into a rhythm somewhere around 10:45 per mile with the walks built in. The Precision hydration had some carbonation to it, so I needed an extra 30 seconds of walking after each station to let things settle before getting back to running. It was a small adjustment compared to where I hoped to be, a little closer to 10 minute miles, but the goal was to have a consistent run the whole 13 miles so now that I had a target I knew what to do.
But then came the moment of the race.
Around mile 3, I heard a freewheel clicking behind me. It was just so odd to hear that on the run course so it stood out. Before I could really process it, the crowd around me started going absolutely nuts. I looked to my left and Sam Long was riding right alongside me, looking me dead in the eye, and said “keep it going man, you’re looking great!”. I had maybe 10 seconds with him as he rode past and I was just grinning the entire time as it was just such a surreal experience. If you don’t know Sam Long, he’s one of the top pros, raced that morning and got second, and here he is on the course cheering me on. It’s the kind of moment you don’t really expect will happen when you show up to a race but shows how special this sport is in the fact that we tackle the same course the pros do at the same time. I really wish I had a photo of that moment to share but I’m so glad it happened.
After calming down from the excitement I was able to get a gel in me but then at mile 4 I started feeling a headache coming on. I added Coke into the aid station rotation alongside the electrolytes, and within a couple of stops it started to fade. I’m not sure if it was the caffeine or the sugar that did the job, but I wasn’t going to pick that apart right now as I was into the back side of the first loop which is where some nasty hills are.
Over 800 feet of climbing in this run course so I knew they were coming for me eventually. I tried to slow jog them and my heart rate didn’t agree, so I walked instead. In those last 2 miles of the loop there were 3 massive hills but also some downhills to balance it out. I figured if I could get some of the speed back on the downhills, the walking uphill wasn’t going to cost me as much. The last hill is where the bike and run course came together and I saw a number of bikes on their way in still. My new goal was still achievable and felt about right when I came around and saw about 2/3’s of transition filled with bikes.
I finished the first loop in 65 minutes, which felt right. It was slower than I ideally wanted, but the execution was there — consistent, controlled, exactly the plan. I got a check in with Bill who now said one and a half miles ahead so either I was catching up or Brian and/or Eleanor was having a rough day. Either way since I didn’t see either on the first loop maybe there was a chance in the second loop. I made my way through the stadium field again and then into that first aid station. Not much left I kept thinking.
Running past the Penn State logo in the tunnel of Beaver Stadium.
Something happened between miles 8 and 9 that I genuinely can’t explain. I didn’t have a running buddy, I hadn’t seen Brian or Eleanor on the run, nothing particularly changed, but all of a sudden I saw the mile 9 sign and it felt like I had blinked. Not that I don’t remember the mile but it just happened so fast and almost effortlessly. Mile 10 came in somewhere in the low 10-minute range and I suddenly had a 5K left and felt strong. I started attacking the downhills so I could give myself permission to walk the uphills again. I started passing people, found another gear, and the time kept coming down. Everything was clicking, my body felt good, and my mind was in it. Holy shit, the training has been working.
I walked the steep hills one last time, got back into a jog, and turned the corner to see the split in the course. As you were making your way up the parking lot you would head left for your first and second loop, and to the right for the finish line. As we started to get about half way up the parking lot I realized that most people headed left except for 2 people about twenty feet in front of me. Beyond them it was empty. I’m glad I was mentally there because I noticed this and made sure to put in a little surge to get around them. This was going to mean that the finish line was going to be empty and I couldn’t pass up that chance.
As I approached the red carpet I had the chute to myself and I had a great time with it. I put my arms out, started yelling at the crowd to make some noise, and just fed off that energy to make myself look like an absolute fool for how much fun I was having at the end of 70+ miles of racing. Well all that yelling got the attention of the media guy on the red carpet and he locked on to me right away. Here I am having a ball with a camera in my face, it was awesome. I got some amazing photos out of it and I’m expecting to be in the race recap video. If I’m not, I’ll be genuinely confused.
Having some fun with the camera on the red carpet at the finish line.
I crossed the line with a 6:20, and a 70.3 run PR. Not too shabby for a race I was worried about just surviving on the bike.
What’s Next
Execution was the goal for this race, and execution is what happened. Staying mentally engaged for the full six plus hours was the thing I cared most about, and I was genuinely in it all day. There was never a point where I was just shuffling along waiting for it to be over. The bike was what the bike needed to be given that course, and the run held together in a way it hasn’t in past 70.3 races.
The more interesting question now is what this translates into for Madison. That’s the one race I’ve been building toward this year, and doing the full means roughly doubling everything about this day. The good news is that happy days and tough spots both revealed themselves here and I handled it. That feels like the right kind of data to take into a big race.
In the meantime, I’ve got a schedule that’s going to get demanding in late July and early August and some high volume training weeks. For right now, though I’m going to sit with another 70.3 under my belt and an awesome story of a Pro telling me I looked great at mile 3 of the run.
That’s a pretty good day. On to the next one.