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.
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