My race season has come to an early end. With so many trips in the past few weeks and more coming up along with a busy time at work, my wife and I decided I shouldn't be doing the Bear Lake race. I agreed, but it is a serious bummer because that's the race I could use to gauge my improvements this year because it's the only Olympic distance I did last year.
Consider: leave late Friday Sept 11 to get to the lake 2 hours away (I have to work til 7pm). Up early to race and drive back tired. Pack for USMCR trip and leave early Sunday. Gone all week. Return late Thursday, and pack for a fishing trip. Depart Friday morning at 0500 for a long drive to trailhead (the short route in Yellowstone has a closed road, so I have to go a long way around). Fishing trip til the next Tuesday.
That is simply too much time away. And I've cancelled the fishing trip, too, which was ten times harder to cancel than the triathlon because it is three full days of September fishing in Slough Creek.....that trip with a guide goes for about $1,500 because it such an awesome opportunity. Even though I'm not out the cash because we do it on our own, it still sucks. And my fishing buddy is out a plane ticket, or at least the miles he used to get it, I think. This was certainly a difficult thing to ask him.
The last few weeks have been quite difficult with time away from work and family. I know I needed to cancel this race (and fishing trip!), but it was very difficult. The last trip to NoDak for family cost a lot, and the tab is still running as I have a car broken down that needs repair, I have a rental car that is running at $50/day, and I have to go back to Wyoming and get my car after it's fixed and turn in the rental car (that's a full day trip...12 hours probably).
As for triathlon, now I'll sit down and evaluate what I did this year for training and racing and see where I can improve. I still want to continue my training schedule as it was simply because I like to do the workouts. And, I have to stay in shape for the fall trail race series and ski season(!).
Such is life. The little guy Paul has me around his tiny little finger!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Portland results
Back from Portland on Monday. The family time was great, and the race was fun. Here's a quick rundown:
9 of 30 in age group
49 of 168 in men's olympic
2hrs 33minutes overall versus goal of 2:27 (90% of the difference is from the bike, and I missed my goal of 23 minutes on the swim by 34 seconds).
Pre-race: went as expected. Up early and got a good transition spot. It's so nice to have both T1 and T2 in the same spot! No swim warm-up, but I didn't see anyone else get one either, so it was all equal.
Swim: went well. 23:34 on the swim. I started too far to the right and think I added about 17m (according to Google Earth!) by the angle alone, and my 25 yard race pace time is about 22 seconds. I swam the second half of the out-n-back faster than the first half, more than likely because of the start position. First half went really well, and I swam a straight line with very little siting. Second half, I had a head-on collision with another swimmer way off course. Between 1100 and 1300meters, I was all alone and not swimming straight or with good form. Then I spotted the finish area and did well for the last 200m. I pushed the entire swim like I wanted to (first time to do that!) and pleased with the time. I really think the 22 seconds from from the bad starting point and the 10 seconds from the collision add up close enough to the 34 seconds, so I can rationalize away that missed goal(!).
T1: went well. Ran hard to the bike like I wanted to do. Changes went quickly. Position in the racks was great, only had to push the bike about 30 yards to the mount area.
Bike: Started out very rough. Crashed with another cyclist in the first 50m. I am not sure who's fault it was, but onlookers near my wife said it was the other guys'. I think we were both looking down to clip in. A mile later in the tunnel, a guy dropped his water bottle and it came right into my line, and I ran right over it without crashing (yikes!). The uphill is what I had trained for and I did ok on that, but the downhill portion was very tight turns and I had to slow down alot. The last mile or two was on very rough pavement. And it was incredibly crowded; I'm used to rarely seeing anyonoe next to me on the bike! Clearly, my bike handling skills need alot of work; I bike mostly straight roads with little traffic here at home. Overall, I did 26 minute laps instead of 23 minutes as I wanted. My goal times did not account for slowing in the downhill curves, so that's why I missed that goal time.
T2: Good and fast. Again, bike position paid off really well.
Run: My "perfect race" goal was 45:13 to match the Rexburg run. I did it in 45:12! At this point, I was wondering how I'd crash on the run, since I had crashed already on the swim and bike. On the downhill to the river edge after the first bridge, the concrete was a bit uneven and I tripped a few times but remained upright. The east espanade was a cool area to run on, and the uphill to the steel bridge was cool because it had steps, and I imagined myself as Rocky as I went up the steps. Downhill of the steel bridge was nice, too. Then cruising through the crowd to the start of the second loop / finish area. The second lap was 20 seconds faster than the first lap! Second go was the same as the first. I felt good the entire way, which was really surprising. I finished strong, which is always nice.
General Comments:
- bike course was really crowded.
- swim in the Willamette was ok. I certainly wouldn't drink the water, but I wouldn't hesitate to swim in it again.
- nice cool morning.
- put duct tape on feet "sore spots" so I didn't have to put on socks. Worked well.
- Had a 12oz FRS after the race (It's the stuff that you always see Lance Armstrong in the ad with "Tired of being tired?"). That stuff is really awesome and brought me back around very quickly in about five minutes. I didn't get a massage because it was a 40 minute wait.
- I'm happy with the results. I know where I lost time versus my goal times, so that is an important learning point.
- A fun race!
9 of 30 in age group
49 of 168 in men's olympic
2hrs 33minutes overall versus goal of 2:27 (90% of the difference is from the bike, and I missed my goal of 23 minutes on the swim by 34 seconds).
Pre-race: went as expected. Up early and got a good transition spot. It's so nice to have both T1 and T2 in the same spot! No swim warm-up, but I didn't see anyone else get one either, so it was all equal.
Swim: went well. 23:34 on the swim. I started too far to the right and think I added about 17m (according to Google Earth!) by the angle alone, and my 25 yard race pace time is about 22 seconds. I swam the second half of the out-n-back faster than the first half, more than likely because of the start position. First half went really well, and I swam a straight line with very little siting. Second half, I had a head-on collision with another swimmer way off course. Between 1100 and 1300meters, I was all alone and not swimming straight or with good form. Then I spotted the finish area and did well for the last 200m. I pushed the entire swim like I wanted to (first time to do that!) and pleased with the time. I really think the 22 seconds from from the bad starting point and the 10 seconds from the collision add up close enough to the 34 seconds, so I can rationalize away that missed goal(!).
T1: went well. Ran hard to the bike like I wanted to do. Changes went quickly. Position in the racks was great, only had to push the bike about 30 yards to the mount area.
Bike: Started out very rough. Crashed with another cyclist in the first 50m. I am not sure who's fault it was, but onlookers near my wife said it was the other guys'. I think we were both looking down to clip in. A mile later in the tunnel, a guy dropped his water bottle and it came right into my line, and I ran right over it without crashing (yikes!). The uphill is what I had trained for and I did ok on that, but the downhill portion was very tight turns and I had to slow down alot. The last mile or two was on very rough pavement. And it was incredibly crowded; I'm used to rarely seeing anyonoe next to me on the bike! Clearly, my bike handling skills need alot of work; I bike mostly straight roads with little traffic here at home. Overall, I did 26 minute laps instead of 23 minutes as I wanted. My goal times did not account for slowing in the downhill curves, so that's why I missed that goal time.
T2: Good and fast. Again, bike position paid off really well.
Run: My "perfect race" goal was 45:13 to match the Rexburg run. I did it in 45:12! At this point, I was wondering how I'd crash on the run, since I had crashed already on the swim and bike. On the downhill to the river edge after the first bridge, the concrete was a bit uneven and I tripped a few times but remained upright. The east espanade was a cool area to run on, and the uphill to the steel bridge was cool because it had steps, and I imagined myself as Rocky as I went up the steps. Downhill of the steel bridge was nice, too. Then cruising through the crowd to the start of the second loop / finish area. The second lap was 20 seconds faster than the first lap! Second go was the same as the first. I felt good the entire way, which was really surprising. I finished strong, which is always nice.
General Comments:
- bike course was really crowded.
- swim in the Willamette was ok. I certainly wouldn't drink the water, but I wouldn't hesitate to swim in it again.
- nice cool morning.
- put duct tape on feet "sore spots" so I didn't have to put on socks. Worked well.
- Had a 12oz FRS after the race (It's the stuff that you always see Lance Armstrong in the ad with "Tired of being tired?"). That stuff is really awesome and brought me back around very quickly in about five minutes. I didn't get a massage because it was a 40 minute wait.
- I'm happy with the results. I know where I lost time versus my goal times, so that is an important learning point.
- A fun race!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Packed and ready to go....leave tomorrow 0615
I'm ready for the Portland Triathlon. Packed and ready to go. Leaving tomorrow at 0615, any earlier and we hit morning traffic in Boise. Plan is solid. Training is ok (more consistency would make it great).
Did a short bike last night. 20k in 40.5 minutes very easy. If time was an issue, I'd be happy with it. Stopped to see if a guy walking his bike was good..."Wife's on the way," he said. Gotta love the support team!
Ran easy 5k tonight. Lower calf muscles are acting up again. I'm going to call it a bit of dehydration because they feel like they want to cramp. I put out some extra water bottles for the drive.
My main pre-race goal is to minimize the impact of drive-time and family time on the race. I'll have to have some discipline to eat right and drink enough water (not wine!).
I'm excited about the trip. Weather still looks good for Sunday.
Did a short bike last night. 20k in 40.5 minutes very easy. If time was an issue, I'd be happy with it. Stopped to see if a guy walking his bike was good..."Wife's on the way," he said. Gotta love the support team!
Ran easy 5k tonight. Lower calf muscles are acting up again. I'm going to call it a bit of dehydration because they feel like they want to cramp. I put out some extra water bottles for the drive.
My main pre-race goal is to minimize the impact of drive-time and family time on the race. I'll have to have some discipline to eat right and drink enough water (not wine!).
I'm excited about the trip. Weather still looks good for Sunday.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Swim and race planning
Swam at lunch: 2x500 (7:22 and 7:28 @ 80%). I know I can do a 23:00 in Portland if I swim hard the entire time instead of worrying about using too much energy and not doing well on the bike and run.
Was going to bike easy after work, but realized that I no longer had my race package with instructions and planning because of the computer crash. So, did the planning thing again, and I'm all set. Goal times are set.
This trip is creeping up quickly and quietly.
Was going to bike easy after work, but realized that I no longer had my race package with instructions and planning because of the computer crash. So, did the planning thing again, and I'm all set. Goal times are set.
This trip is creeping up quickly and quietly.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Next up...Portland on Sunday
Wow, I'm still trying to figure out what happened yesterday, and already I have to think about what I'm doing on Sunday in Portland. Lesson learned: no back-to-back races next year.
And my computer is crashing (BSODs!) after Windows SP2 update....damn it. That means all my planning thoughts and notes are gone for now. It should be an easy fix, but it's beyond me right now. I've tried everything suggested from various non-MS forums...no luck. At least I know the files are safe and it's an OS problem. Now if I could just find that recovery disc!
Anyway, I figured out the Willamette River current is .34 mph....not fast at all, but I have to swim 750m in it on the back half of the swim....never done that before. Water temp is currently about 68 degrees; anything over 72 I won't wear a wetsuit (I think; the wetsuit is a nice safety blanket, even for a good swimmer). Current forecast is low of 55 and high of 80-85. Last three days, calm wind in the morning til about 8am when it picks up to 5 and then about 8 at 10am. I'll be on the bike from 8am-9:15am or so, so I guess there will be a slight breeze from the west, which is against me on half of the long hill that is done each of three loops. Gonna have to keep a good aero position for this (I've been practicing to come out of aero under 12mph, but I won't be able to do that, so I already have one strike against me!).
I also realized that I didn't have to stop for bathroom break yesterday. That's another plus for that race. Last year at Bear Lake, I had to pee after the bike, and that added at least two minutes. So, I have to remember to limit water intake the morning of.
Right now, I'm thinking 2:20 is a realistic finish time for the Portland Tri. Tomorrow I'm going to do my simulation hill for this race one time at race effort to see where I'm at with that to check my current level and then make my guestimate on the bike time. I'm really hoping the elevation change makes a difference for me!
The 20-60-40 goal ain't happenin' this year! I'm still 10% off, using yesterday's times, and I don't think I can run much faster than that...two minutes faster is the best possible I think, for a 42min 10k. The bike...I just don't know what's happening on that; I'm training hard and not getting anywhere. I really think not having the bike computer in June and July hurt me alot on that; the fishing trip took away three good rides I could have done, too. I think I can hit 22 on this swim on Sunday, and that's a full 10% off the goal, too, but I know that is from not training the swim to focus on the bike.
The goal now is to take off 10% from the bike and run at the Bear Lake tri in Sept. That gives me a 1:08 on the bike and 42 or so on the run. The swim from last year was so bad that I'm not even going to use it to compare (I started late and stopped alot for siting).
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about right now.
And my computer is crashing (BSODs!) after Windows SP2 update....damn it. That means all my planning thoughts and notes are gone for now. It should be an easy fix, but it's beyond me right now. I've tried everything suggested from various non-MS forums...no luck. At least I know the files are safe and it's an OS problem. Now if I could just find that recovery disc!
Anyway, I figured out the Willamette River current is .34 mph....not fast at all, but I have to swim 750m in it on the back half of the swim....never done that before. Water temp is currently about 68 degrees; anything over 72 I won't wear a wetsuit (I think; the wetsuit is a nice safety blanket, even for a good swimmer). Current forecast is low of 55 and high of 80-85. Last three days, calm wind in the morning til about 8am when it picks up to 5 and then about 8 at 10am. I'll be on the bike from 8am-9:15am or so, so I guess there will be a slight breeze from the west, which is against me on half of the long hill that is done each of three loops. Gonna have to keep a good aero position for this (I've been practicing to come out of aero under 12mph, but I won't be able to do that, so I already have one strike against me!).
I also realized that I didn't have to stop for bathroom break yesterday. That's another plus for that race. Last year at Bear Lake, I had to pee after the bike, and that added at least two minutes. So, I have to remember to limit water intake the morning of.
Right now, I'm thinking 2:20 is a realistic finish time for the Portland Tri. Tomorrow I'm going to do my simulation hill for this race one time at race effort to see where I'm at with that to check my current level and then make my guestimate on the bike time. I'm really hoping the elevation change makes a difference for me!
The 20-60-40 goal ain't happenin' this year! I'm still 10% off, using yesterday's times, and I don't think I can run much faster than that...two minutes faster is the best possible I think, for a 42min 10k. The bike...I just don't know what's happening on that; I'm training hard and not getting anywhere. I really think not having the bike computer in June and July hurt me alot on that; the fishing trip took away three good rides I could have done, too. I think I can hit 22 on this swim on Sunday, and that's a full 10% off the goal, too, but I know that is from not training the swim to focus on the bike.
The goal now is to take off 10% from the bike and run at the Bear Lake tri in Sept. That gives me a 1:08 on the bike and 42 or so on the run. The swim from last year was so bad that I'm not even going to use it to compare (I started late and stopped alot for siting).
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about right now.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Rush Tri Race Results
Results from today's race at Rexburg, "The Rush Tri." I don't have the official results, and I didn't hang out for awards because I was pretty sure I didn't get any hardware. Also, "results" implies placing and all that, but for me it's just how I do against my goals....everything else is secondary. Below is a quick review of the whole thing, some splits, and a "goals vs reality" section to see if I did what I wanted to do (in that section, black text is the goal, blue text is a note on the reality).
Review: Race went as planned. Goal times were changed during the Friday night bike course drive when I saw how tough "the hill" was going to be. Ultimately, I missed my swim goal, the bike goal, but beat the run goal. Transitions were slow. This was my best swim yet, but I still missed the goal. The bike was fun and scenic but cold (my feet felt frozen at the end of the bike). The run was much better than expected. This was my second olympic distance race and first "Rush Tri." I really like this course and plan to do it again (it's only an hour ten minute drive from home, too!). Good day overall.
Total Time: 2:28:30 at elevation of 4900 - 5200ft
Avg Heart Rate: 160
Peak Heart Rate: 174
Calories: 2896
Swim and T1 together: AHR 155, Time 28:11:47
Bike first 12 miles: 39:00:05 AHR 162 (tough uphill on this section)
Bike last 12 miles + T2 : AHR 157 36:29:31 (long downhill cruise)
Total Bike + T2: 1:15:20 Avg Cad=86 Avg MPH=21.8
1st Mile Run: AHR 157 7:43:04
2nd Mile Run: 165 9:07:63 (hard uphill)
3d Mile Run: 164 7:32:14
4th Mile Run: 165 7:07:67 (flat w/ some rollers)
5th Mile Run: 166 6:43:08 (downhill)
6th Mile Run + remainder to finish: 167 6:35.13 (downhill and/or flat)
Total Run= 44:48.47
Total: 2:28:30
Note: AHR= Average Heart Rate
Reality vs Goals:
Overall Time:
2:24 - realistic (23+2.5+70+.5+48=144)
Best Possible = 2:19 20+2.5+70+.5+46=139
2:28:30 is a little slower than best possible realistic time. While driving the bike course, I lowered this to 2:28 plus my transitions, so I did beat that changed goal (just barely!).
Race record for men is 2:13, so I doubt I'll get that fast. Going for five minutes slower.
Swim: 23:00 1,500 meters (20:00) Not sure what my swim split was. I think I came in around 24:00 so missed this goal. Swim plus transition of about 3-4 minutes was 28:11:47.
T1: 2:30 (2:30) don't know. I think I was slower than this. In any case swim of 23 plus T1 of 2:30 was not met.
Bike: 1:10:00 (1:06:00) Didn't meet. I think my T2 time was around 3 minutes (took a while to put socks on frozen feet!), so take away three minutes from 1:15 and I get 1:12. This was not met. The altered goal of 1:10 after driving the course was not met, either. Bike computers shoed 25.47 miles at the end...so might have been a bit long, accounting for maybe a minute at the most.
T2: :30 (:30) Did not meet this goal. Feet were frozen!
Run: 48:00 (46:00) Beat even the "best possible goal" with a 44:48! Go figure…I figured the run would be the worst part of this race, but I did much better than expected. I had an altered goal of 52:00 after seeing the hill during the bike-course-drive, so I blew that away…I was concerned my bike ride would blow out my legs.
Note: Time in black text parenthesis is the "best possible" I think I could do. The time in black text is the original goal. Altered goals after the bike-course-drive are in the blue text notes.
Lessons Learned:
- My run is faster than expected right now.
- Gotta put duct tape on my feet so I don't have to use socks. I can do the no socks bit except for one area of my left foot that gets cut by my shoe. Duct tape can solve this problem.
- I should be able to push the whole swim and not worry about how it's going to affect the rest of the race. Current OWS capability is good, I just need to increase endurance by getting into the pool. Wetsuit is working well.
- Get a bright colored tape of some sort to put by my bike for easy ID.
- The hill workouts I'm doing for the bike are working.
- Next year, only one race per month max. Schedule fishing trips accordingly so I can continue to peak two weeks prior to a race.
- Ensure source of very strong coffee in the morning. Take a coffee pot?
Review: Race went as planned. Goal times were changed during the Friday night bike course drive when I saw how tough "the hill" was going to be. Ultimately, I missed my swim goal, the bike goal, but beat the run goal. Transitions were slow. This was my best swim yet, but I still missed the goal. The bike was fun and scenic but cold (my feet felt frozen at the end of the bike). The run was much better than expected. This was my second olympic distance race and first "Rush Tri." I really like this course and plan to do it again (it's only an hour ten minute drive from home, too!). Good day overall.
Total Time: 2:28:30 at elevation of 4900 - 5200ft
Avg Heart Rate: 160
Peak Heart Rate: 174
Calories: 2896
Swim and T1 together: AHR 155, Time 28:11:47
Bike first 12 miles: 39:00:05 AHR 162 (tough uphill on this section)
Bike last 12 miles + T2 : AHR 157 36:29:31 (long downhill cruise)
Total Bike + T2: 1:15:20 Avg Cad=86 Avg MPH=21.8
1st Mile Run: AHR 157 7:43:04
2nd Mile Run: 165 9:07:63 (hard uphill)
3d Mile Run: 164 7:32:14
4th Mile Run: 165 7:07:67 (flat w/ some rollers)
5th Mile Run: 166 6:43:08 (downhill)
6th Mile Run + remainder to finish: 167 6:35.13 (downhill and/or flat)
Total Run= 44:48.47
Total: 2:28:30
Note: AHR= Average Heart Rate
Reality vs Goals:
Overall Time:
2:24 - realistic (23+2.5+70+.5+48=144)
Best Possible = 2:19 20+2.5+70+.5+46=139
2:28:30 is a little slower than best possible realistic time. While driving the bike course, I lowered this to 2:28 plus my transitions, so I did beat that changed goal (just barely!).
Race record for men is 2:13, so I doubt I'll get that fast. Going for five minutes slower.
Swim: 23:00 1,500 meters (20:00) Not sure what my swim split was. I think I came in around 24:00 so missed this goal. Swim plus transition of about 3-4 minutes was 28:11:47.
T1: 2:30 (2:30) don't know. I think I was slower than this. In any case swim of 23 plus T1 of 2:30 was not met.
Bike: 1:10:00 (1:06:00) Didn't meet. I think my T2 time was around 3 minutes (took a while to put socks on frozen feet!), so take away three minutes from 1:15 and I get 1:12. This was not met. The altered goal of 1:10 after driving the course was not met, either. Bike computers shoed 25.47 miles at the end...so might have been a bit long, accounting for maybe a minute at the most.
T2: :30 (:30) Did not meet this goal. Feet were frozen!
Run: 48:00 (46:00) Beat even the "best possible goal" with a 44:48! Go figure…I figured the run would be the worst part of this race, but I did much better than expected. I had an altered goal of 52:00 after seeing the hill during the bike-course-drive, so I blew that away…I was concerned my bike ride would blow out my legs.
Note: Time in black text parenthesis is the "best possible" I think I could do. The time in black text is the original goal. Altered goals after the bike-course-drive are in the blue text notes.
Lessons Learned:
- My run is faster than expected right now.
- Gotta put duct tape on my feet so I don't have to use socks. I can do the no socks bit except for one area of my left foot that gets cut by my shoe. Duct tape can solve this problem.
- I should be able to push the whole swim and not worry about how it's going to affect the rest of the race. Current OWS capability is good, I just need to increase endurance by getting into the pool. Wetsuit is working well.
- Get a bright colored tape of some sort to put by my bike for easy ID.
- The hill workouts I'm doing for the bike are working.
- Next year, only one race per month max. Schedule fishing trips accordingly so I can continue to peak two weeks prior to a race.
- Ensure source of very strong coffee in the morning. Take a coffee pot?
The Rush Tri photos....part 2
Happy guy after the finish. Don't know results yet, but I don't think I placed in AG. Lots of tough competition at this race that is basically a premier event.
Paul missed the big finish. Too tired from cheering at T1 and T2.
The Rush Tri photos part 1
Finishing my best race swim yet...gettin' better every time. Don't have official split yet, but my swim + T1 was 28:11, with a very slow T1 cuz I couldn't find my bike even after practicing the entrace to the bike rack TWICE. After I left for the swim, all the sprint racers came in and filled up the racks, making it look differently.
Going into T2. Feet were frozen at this point. Chilly Idaho mornings will do that to cold, wet feet. Bike time was ok: 1:15 (including T2 of about two minutes) versus goal of 1:10.
Coming onto the track for the final 250 meters of the run. Bigger version of this photo looks like I'm smiling!
Excited to be done.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Fishing tomorrow through Thursday
Tomorrow I go to Yellowstone for a week of fishing (and hopefully catching!). I wanted to completely wear myself down this week, kind of like a crash week that I've read about, I guess. I got close. Had I been able to do a 40k bike followed by 5k run tonight as planned, I would be there. However, with 50mph gusts from a crazy front coming through, I decided I didn't want to chance getting blown into a car or simply blown over on my bike.
So the only workout today was the same lunch routine as yesterday....run to the gym for a swim (that sounds cool...run to the gym for a swim!). Today was only a 1x1000, but I swam it a it harder to see if I could maintain this new stroke technique I "found" on Tuesday. I held for everything but the last 100 yds. Came in at 7:30 and 7:50 for the 500 splits.
I wonder how this fishing trip will affect my endurance. I certainly need a bit of a break, after five weeks of pretty consistent (albeit non-morning) workouts. I have a 4 mile hike in and out, mostly flat, with a 35 pound pack (I'm guessing...have four days of food in there!). The walking around all day (literally fishing about 10 hours per day) should do some good. I'm pretty sure I"ll be in a calorie deficit the entire time (-500 cals/day?). Last year, I hiked ten days in the Sawtooths and I think it actually helped alot, in mid August for the September Bear Lake tri. That was mostly walking 8-10 miles per day with a pack, rather than fishing. But at this point, I'm ready to do some fishing and sleep under a full moon tomorrow night!
I get back Thursday, then Friday after work we head back up that way to Rexburg for the Rush Tri on Saturday morning. I see the lake for the swim every time coming back from Yellowstone and wonder what this race will be like. I know I have to get in a quick bike spin and easy two-mile run Thursday just to knock some rust off. This race has separate locations for the transitions, and I'm worried about how that's going to work out because I've never done one like that. Tera will be there to make sure my stuff gets to where it needs to be...she's awesome!
I realized I'm not going to hit the 20-60-40 goal this year. My bike has come down about six minutes on the 40k home course, and the run came down about a minute. My swim has lost about 1 minute for a 1500. Overall, I'm thinking I'll come in at 22-69-46 if I have an average race. The bike course has a big hill on it, so I'm thinking that might a couple minutes. I really think I could hit a 1:06 (66 minutes) on a flat course right now....there's just no flat courses in Idaho!
I'm thinking about the Portland Tri now too, the following week. How do I maintain fitness while not over-doing it for that race? I guess I'll just keep it short, with a few hard intervals thrown in, in each of the events. I'm not looking forward to the 9 hour drive, either. Plus, I have to go to North Dakota (12 hour drive each way!) for four days in between the races for my Mom's surgery. God is asking me to make some decisions on priorities in my life, I guess. The decisions are easy, though.
In any case, water temp in the Willamette was 72 degrees yesterday. If it's that warm in three weeks, I'm thinking of not wearing a wet suit. But it will be 58 degrees (avg morning temp every day of August in Portland is 58!), so coming out of the cold water and hitting the bike in 60 degrees or so might be too cold for me. Not sure. We'll see.
No posts til Thursday, and hopefully there will be a photo of a nice Yellowstone Cuttthroat to go with that one!
So the only workout today was the same lunch routine as yesterday....run to the gym for a swim (that sounds cool...run to the gym for a swim!). Today was only a 1x1000, but I swam it a it harder to see if I could maintain this new stroke technique I "found" on Tuesday. I held for everything but the last 100 yds. Came in at 7:30 and 7:50 for the 500 splits.
I wonder how this fishing trip will affect my endurance. I certainly need a bit of a break, after five weeks of pretty consistent (albeit non-morning) workouts. I have a 4 mile hike in and out, mostly flat, with a 35 pound pack (I'm guessing...have four days of food in there!). The walking around all day (literally fishing about 10 hours per day) should do some good. I'm pretty sure I"ll be in a calorie deficit the entire time (-500 cals/day?). Last year, I hiked ten days in the Sawtooths and I think it actually helped alot, in mid August for the September Bear Lake tri. That was mostly walking 8-10 miles per day with a pack, rather than fishing. But at this point, I'm ready to do some fishing and sleep under a full moon tomorrow night!
I get back Thursday, then Friday after work we head back up that way to Rexburg for the Rush Tri on Saturday morning. I see the lake for the swim every time coming back from Yellowstone and wonder what this race will be like. I know I have to get in a quick bike spin and easy two-mile run Thursday just to knock some rust off. This race has separate locations for the transitions, and I'm worried about how that's going to work out because I've never done one like that. Tera will be there to make sure my stuff gets to where it needs to be...she's awesome!
I realized I'm not going to hit the 20-60-40 goal this year. My bike has come down about six minutes on the 40k home course, and the run came down about a minute. My swim has lost about 1 minute for a 1500. Overall, I'm thinking I'll come in at 22-69-46 if I have an average race. The bike course has a big hill on it, so I'm thinking that might a couple minutes. I really think I could hit a 1:06 (66 minutes) on a flat course right now....there's just no flat courses in Idaho!
I'm thinking about the Portland Tri now too, the following week. How do I maintain fitness while not over-doing it for that race? I guess I'll just keep it short, with a few hard intervals thrown in, in each of the events. I'm not looking forward to the 9 hour drive, either. Plus, I have to go to North Dakota (12 hour drive each way!) for four days in between the races for my Mom's surgery. God is asking me to make some decisions on priorities in my life, I guess. The decisions are easy, though.
In any case, water temp in the Willamette was 72 degrees yesterday. If it's that warm in three weeks, I'm thinking of not wearing a wet suit. But it will be 58 degrees (avg morning temp every day of August in Portland is 58!), so coming out of the cold water and hitting the bike in 60 degrees or so might be too cold for me. Not sure. We'll see.
No posts til Thursday, and hopefully there will be a photo of a nice Yellowstone Cuttthroat to go with that one!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Technique realizations
At lunch I swam a 1x1500 in 24:01. Time was slow, but I realized that I finally "found" the "feel" of a "good stroke." Before all the open waters swims in May, I pulled through my freestyle mostly with arms and pecs, always wondering why I didn't feel my shoulder roll and using my lats more...like I read about all the time. Back into the pool after five or so open water swims, I felt a change in my stroke...more efficient and almost getting to that point of rolling my shoulders and using my lats more. Well, today I felt what that feels like, and I LOVE IT. It is a noticably different stroke for me, much more efficient and just as fast. I can actually feel my shoulders roll "over the barrel" and the pull in my lats. Today I easily averaged 10 strokes per arm per 25 yds. Today was a good swim, obviously. And I ran to the gym from work (one mile each way) as a recovery run. I found that this is a workout that I really like for an easy day.
After work, I biked a 20k in 40:25 as a recovery ride. This was my first ride back with a bike computer, and I realized I am back down to an average cadence of 80, from 84 in April and May before the bike computer broke. So, clearly, the cadence meter helps me on that front. But now I guess I've built up a good slightly-anaerobic base in the last six weeks by not using the bike computer to gauge cadence. This is all quite interesting to me because I felt like I was losing endurance in the past few weeks but gaining power.....and I suppose that is exactly what was happening. Hopefully I can get my average cadence back up to 84-86 and see that this was a blessing in disguise to get my power up and still have endurance. Lesson learned: bike computer data is definitely useful.
And finally, I thought of a strategy for the bike during races. You have to power into and out of the turn of an out-and-back course. Last year, I rolled casually into the turn because I didn't have any bike handling skills whatsoever, and then casually rolled out. I figure I can gain at least 15 seconds on a more intense turnaround that I ride into hard, slam on the brakes, and then burst out of onto the backstretch. Now I have to remember to do it in a race.
After work, I biked a 20k in 40:25 as a recovery ride. This was my first ride back with a bike computer, and I realized I am back down to an average cadence of 80, from 84 in April and May before the bike computer broke. So, clearly, the cadence meter helps me on that front. But now I guess I've built up a good slightly-anaerobic base in the last six weeks by not using the bike computer to gauge cadence. This is all quite interesting to me because I felt like I was losing endurance in the past few weeks but gaining power.....and I suppose that is exactly what was happening. Hopefully I can get my average cadence back up to 84-86 and see that this was a blessing in disguise to get my power up and still have endurance. Lesson learned: bike computer data is definitely useful.
And finally, I thought of a strategy for the bike during races. You have to power into and out of the turn of an out-and-back course. Last year, I rolled casually into the turn because I didn't have any bike handling skills whatsoever, and then casually rolled out. I figure I can gain at least 15 seconds on a more intense turnaround that I ride into hard, slam on the brakes, and then burst out of onto the backstretch. Now I have to remember to do it in a race.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Big Day...S, B, and R in the heat then mowed!
Big day today. Finally got my butt out of bed this morning and swam 1x1000 with 500s at 8:16 and 8:24. Water is still hot. My pace is way off of what it was last year, when I was swimming 7:40s and sometimes 7:30s, which were at lunch when I swim better because I've had a chance to wake up but still significantly faster than where I'm at now.
Bike the Barton hill at lunch, but only twice because I had to be sure to be back at a meeting that the big boss was attending. First time up tied my PR at 8:05, second time up was a 8:26. Lots of wind on the way down, and I found (thankfully before the ride) that my front quick-release was loose..tightened that up of course.
The run scheduled for today was a big run. I wanted to do my 10k route in the heat without any energies (gels, endurolytes, etc). It went well, I finished in 54:05, two minutes off my time from Friday after a 40k bike. Guess my legs were tired. I also stopped by the track to do two pace laps, with the 400s coming in a 1:59 and 2:00 flat. Total of seven minutes to get off the route, do the laps, and get back onto the route at predetermined split locations (I love it when a plan comes together on split locations!). I finished strong, but overall time was a bit slower than expected.
Then I had to mow the yard. Thankfully, we've xeriscaped about half of it in the spring, so I'm down to 30 minutes of mowing and 10 minutes of sweeping up the clippings on the street. And we have a small hill that is a bear to get up and down...of course, tonight was the night I mowed up and down the hill instead of across.
I love days like this when I do all three events. The challenge is to do something tomorrow and not just blow it off cuz "I'm tired."
Got the Triathlon magazine from USAT yesterday. Interesting articles on "What to do when things go wrong during your workout." It didn't cover unplanned pool closings and such like I have problems with. Bottom line: always have a backup workout plan and then DO IT.
Bike the Barton hill at lunch, but only twice because I had to be sure to be back at a meeting that the big boss was attending. First time up tied my PR at 8:05, second time up was a 8:26. Lots of wind on the way down, and I found (thankfully before the ride) that my front quick-release was loose..tightened that up of course.
The run scheduled for today was a big run. I wanted to do my 10k route in the heat without any energies (gels, endurolytes, etc). It went well, I finished in 54:05, two minutes off my time from Friday after a 40k bike. Guess my legs were tired. I also stopped by the track to do two pace laps, with the 400s coming in a 1:59 and 2:00 flat. Total of seven minutes to get off the route, do the laps, and get back onto the route at predetermined split locations (I love it when a plan comes together on split locations!). I finished strong, but overall time was a bit slower than expected.
Then I had to mow the yard. Thankfully, we've xeriscaped about half of it in the spring, so I'm down to 30 minutes of mowing and 10 minutes of sweeping up the clippings on the street. And we have a small hill that is a bear to get up and down...of course, tonight was the night I mowed up and down the hill instead of across.
I love days like this when I do all three events. The challenge is to do something tomorrow and not just blow it off cuz "I'm tired."
Got the Triathlon magazine from USAT yesterday. Interesting articles on "What to do when things go wrong during your workout." It didn't cover unplanned pool closings and such like I have problems with. Bottom line: always have a backup workout plan and then DO IT.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Strange bike results...priorities conflict
I did my Portland simulation route tonight on the bike. Tonight it was after dinner because of some errands. I didn't run at lunch either because of errands.
The bike workout had some strange results. I was full from dinner and it was quite windy, so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular tonight....it was another case of "consistent workouts of any quality are better than inconsistent workouts of high quality." Anyway, the uphills were quite slow, and the downhills were quite fast. Then, I PR'd a short uphill section on the way home (I keep a standard split for this section). Overall, my time was very consistent with other workouts of higher quality. Does that mean I'm getting better or losing fitness on the uphill, of which the Portland race (an "A" Race this year) is 1/2 uphill? I don't know.
I am realizing that my priorities in life are squaring off right now. This is my last week to gain fitness for the Portland race because I'll be in the backcountry fishing (Hellroaring Creek area on the Yellowstone in the Yellowstone Park!) from Friday to Tuesday morning. Then a couple of days in the park with family. Come home next Thursday. Then the Rexburg race on Saturday, then leaving for Portland the next Wednesday afternoon. AAAAAHHHH! Scheduling hell, for sure, and not much time for even maintaining a fitness level.
The biggest race of the year is Sept 12, though, and all this time in August is affecting that now, too, I've realized. After the Portland race on Aug 23d, I have only three weeks, one of which is/should be a taper week of some sort and there is yet another backcountry visit to Yellowstone (Bechler River for Labor Day!). That's the biggest race of the year because it THE race I have a time from last year to compare to see if I've really met my goals for the year.
I'm realizing that I'm not as dedicated and committed to this triathlon thing as I want to be or thought I was. I am realizing that my scheduling sucks! Next year, only one race per month at the most. To be fair, though, the fishing schedule came to be what it is because of three other people's schedules, all of whom have this fishing week as the biggest week of the summer. And I have to remember that my overall triathlon philosophy has "keep Tera and Paul at the top of the priority list," which I've been doing. So, I guess I'm learning something today that I can apply next year. "Learning is taking place," so all is good in the big picture.
The bike workout had some strange results. I was full from dinner and it was quite windy, so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular tonight....it was another case of "consistent workouts of any quality are better than inconsistent workouts of high quality." Anyway, the uphills were quite slow, and the downhills were quite fast. Then, I PR'd a short uphill section on the way home (I keep a standard split for this section). Overall, my time was very consistent with other workouts of higher quality. Does that mean I'm getting better or losing fitness on the uphill, of which the Portland race (an "A" Race this year) is 1/2 uphill? I don't know.
I am realizing that my priorities in life are squaring off right now. This is my last week to gain fitness for the Portland race because I'll be in the backcountry fishing (Hellroaring Creek area on the Yellowstone in the Yellowstone Park!) from Friday to Tuesday morning. Then a couple of days in the park with family. Come home next Thursday. Then the Rexburg race on Saturday, then leaving for Portland the next Wednesday afternoon. AAAAAHHHH! Scheduling hell, for sure, and not much time for even maintaining a fitness level.
The biggest race of the year is Sept 12, though, and all this time in August is affecting that now, too, I've realized. After the Portland race on Aug 23d, I have only three weeks, one of which is/should be a taper week of some sort and there is yet another backcountry visit to Yellowstone (Bechler River for Labor Day!). That's the biggest race of the year because it THE race I have a time from last year to compare to see if I've really met my goals for the year.
I'm realizing that I'm not as dedicated and committed to this triathlon thing as I want to be or thought I was. I am realizing that my scheduling sucks! Next year, only one race per month at the most. To be fair, though, the fishing schedule came to be what it is because of three other people's schedules, all of whom have this fishing week as the biggest week of the summer. And I have to remember that my overall triathlon philosophy has "keep Tera and Paul at the top of the priority list," which I've been doing. So, I guess I'm learning something today that I can apply next year. "Learning is taking place," so all is good in the big picture.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday workout = more yardwork
More yardwork on a hot Sunday afternoon. This time putting in some pavers where the sprinklers don't reach and the grass is dead and there are weeds and some erosion. I got the pavers from a friend, who recently took them out of an area in his yard, of a house built in the 30's. So I'm thinking the pavers are pretty old because they were about 10 pounds each (12"x12"!). These are not the cheapo Home Depot pavers you get these days....clearly they made them to last back in the day. I'm not kidding. I moved about 40 of them from his place to mine, and into the backyard, and I was whooped. Putting them in was the easy part.
A good bicep and quads workout to say the least. And it was hot!
A good bicep and quads workout to say the least. And it was hot!
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Sooner is thankful to be home from the kennel, although they love her there and call her "the Princess."
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Paul's workout machine, the Johnny Jump-Up. He can jump for an hour and not be tired!
Paul in the swing. He's "Mr. Safety" because he hangs on all the time.
Our out of control grape vine is about ten feet from side to side. This photo was taken after we pruned it a bit. Lots of buds on it this year, it's third year. The first year it was planted in July, so nothing. Last year we got three little handfuls. This year, we'll have bushels!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Back to back bricks....whooo!
Thursday and Friday were brick days. Thursday was a long lunch with a 20k bike and 5k run...it went pretty well. I just set up a quick transition area in the parking lot of work, using the bike rack on my vehicle as the center. Shoes and water by the tires. After the bike, switch shoes, lock everything in the car, and grab a drink....it works great. The bike was faster than I expected, and the run was average.
Friday I got off work a bit early and did a 40k bike and 10k run in the heat. I'm acclimating myself to the heat, mostly for the Portland Triathlon but also for the Rexburg tri. Portland is over 100 degrees this week! So I need to be ready for that. This brick workout was with no gels or other nutrtion like endurolytes...and my times came in at 1:12 for the bike (very average) and a 52:00 for the run, which is two minutes faster than the last 40k/10k brick run time on the same course (actually 6.6 miles). The big difference was starting the run off the bike.....I started out at a much faster pace this time. I wish I knew what I did to make that happen. Very happy with this workout.
My weight is starting to drop, mostly from working out in the heat I think. Last year, I bottomed at 172, and I'm hoping to get to 170 this year. I'm at 176 this morning, fully rehydrated. Losing five pounds really does make a huge difference on the run, and a noticeable difference on the bike.
I successfully turned off the computer at 9:30pm every night this week. I'm able to sleep a little better, but it's still a struggle to get to sleep. If I could get to sleep, then I could get up and get in easy morning workouts that help so much in losing weight because you have to work off the reserves from the start.
Today was the Pocatello Triathlon....the hometown race. I realized Friday morning that I hadn't registered. Now the price was up to $50 for a spring. I decided a need to give back a bit and that I'm just not paying $50 for this race....So I volunteered. I ended up counting laps, which was actually really fun cheering everyone on. It was a beautiful day for it, too!
Spending the afternoon with Baby Paul. He's almost crawling and wants to stand all the time.
Friday I got off work a bit early and did a 40k bike and 10k run in the heat. I'm acclimating myself to the heat, mostly for the Portland Triathlon but also for the Rexburg tri. Portland is over 100 degrees this week! So I need to be ready for that. This brick workout was with no gels or other nutrtion like endurolytes...and my times came in at 1:12 for the bike (very average) and a 52:00 for the run, which is two minutes faster than the last 40k/10k brick run time on the same course (actually 6.6 miles). The big difference was starting the run off the bike.....I started out at a much faster pace this time. I wish I knew what I did to make that happen. Very happy with this workout.
My weight is starting to drop, mostly from working out in the heat I think. Last year, I bottomed at 172, and I'm hoping to get to 170 this year. I'm at 176 this morning, fully rehydrated. Losing five pounds really does make a huge difference on the run, and a noticeable difference on the bike.
I successfully turned off the computer at 9:30pm every night this week. I'm able to sleep a little better, but it's still a struggle to get to sleep. If I could get to sleep, then I could get up and get in easy morning workouts that help so much in losing weight because you have to work off the reserves from the start.
Today was the Pocatello Triathlon....the hometown race. I realized Friday morning that I hadn't registered. Now the price was up to $50 for a spring. I decided a need to give back a bit and that I'm just not paying $50 for this race....So I volunteered. I ended up counting laps, which was actually really fun cheering everyone on. It was a beautiful day for it, too!
Spending the afternoon with Baby Paul. He's almost crawling and wants to stand all the time.
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