Total Hours: 16:21
Bike: 120miles
Run: 51.3
Swim: 13,342 yds (missed a session due to pool maintenance)
Everything is still going along as planned with operation "optimize run" in full force. This was my highest mileage of 52 miles working up form 40 and 42. Coming off a 5k on Sunday I was able to log some high quality run miles with my key session on Thursday being a good indicator of current long distance run fitness. 10 mile tempo run at 6:15 pace was very well executed with no residual soreness or fatigue the following day. I was super happy with this run and completed it in my K-Swiss K-ruuz 1.5 which will be my race shoe of choice this season for all distances. Finished up the week w/ a very solid 16.5 mile trail run w/ almost 1200 ft of gain. It seems metabolically I'm continuing to improve as well completing this run on water and electrolytes only. I'm still thinking that nutrition played a major factor in my sub-par performances early in the season last year. We'll put this to the test in a few more months. I find it kind of comical that so many people are focused on putting in these killer bike workouts right now but complaining about how bad their run times were last season.
Also starting to show some meaningful improvements in the pool completing my recent tempo sets at 1:26-7/100M - huge improvement here in terms of pace and swim endurance which should also carry over to the bike. I've always kind of poo poo'd master's swim groups in the past but the group I'm swimming with now (mixed with the high school swim team) is really helping improve my swim technique and overall swim fitness. I still hate kick sets though. Not sure I'll ever come to love drills. Ms. Debi (aka Guns) has been such a huge help and she puts up with my complaining.
Now that the Wattie clan is up and running on FB and twitter things are much more entertaining. Really enjoying having this group to interact with - race season should be epic this year.
Build week again this week moving into the holidays. I'll be "run-ning"..
Until next time...
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wattie Ink Elite Team Selection and the Future...
A few days before the wattie ink elite team selection came out I had a little FB discussion about "paying dues" which I translated into working hard to get what you want (I was the first of my German family born in the US so I grew up to this motto). Oh, the irony here leading up to the Wattie Ink selection process and announcement. Needless to say, I was absolutely elated when when I saw my name on the 2013 Elite team announcement. Truth be told, I was afraid to look and someone else had to send me a message telling me I was on the team. Very excited to be part of a great group of athletes all crazy about the sport of triathlon and supporting each other through training, racing and everything in between. I've already been overwhelmed with the outgoing warm welcome the Tina and Sean and the wattie teammates. A good reminder of why I applied to be on this team and was so happy to be selected. Thanks again to Sean and his crew for the selection. I'll be sure to not disappoint.
Why was I interested in Wattie Ink.?
1) It seemed to me that the Wattie Ink boss Sean "wattie" Watkins has a good thing going here and maybe even something that could change the dynamics of triathlon if it catches fires and is implemented correctly (atleast in the US as I know other Euro countries have been doing this for a while). Not sure if this is his vision but... (see below)
2) I also liked the model where there was opportunity for growth as I develop/progress as a triathlete given the likely possibility that I will be racing pro within the next year. I felt like Wattie provided the platform to make this happen and the team is comprised of positive, competitive and outgoing people. Win-Win.
3) I wanted to be associated team of like-minded triathletes with similar goals, ambition, drive and character which is not always easy to find locally. I really enjoy training and helping with the local crew of triathletes but it's always good to have others' to bounce ideas off of and meet at national races.
4) The sponsors and access to the market that Wattie Ink has is pretty impressive. For someone who wants to be more embedded in the industry long term this was really appealing to me.
The Future...
I was doing some noodling on my long run this morning and the brilliance of the "team model" could be a game changer for triathlon, a sport that is already growing rapidly, in terms of how it's organized, sponsor behavior, money etc. Could there be some parallels to cycling teams and professional cycling? Yes but also very different. I think it can be done in a way that brings an extra competitive flare to the sport of triathlon while still maintaining the individualism (and uniqueness) of the sport. We are seeing some coaches use this model, maybe more at the local/regional level, and I think it's something that could be taken more nationally backed by big name sponsors (like cycling) and possibly allow pros to be paid more in line with what they deserve for the effort they put in. Let's face it, when asked most people will say some of the best days of their lives were team sports. clubs or other groups they were part of in high school or college. You're able to re-kindle that sense of "belonging" through a team model and connect people more closely in a world that has become possibly less connected through social media and other outlets. Train together, race together, have fun together. This is done successfully through a wide variety of "get off the couch" training programs across the country but focussed more at the community level. By moving to a team model, you also insert more competitiveness in the amateur ranks and allow for more robust development model for up and coming triathletes all the way up to elites (Elite/Pros, elite amateurs, MOP amateurs, U25 with potential etc.). In some ways you could "professionalize" the sport a bit more. So, right now you have Wattie Ink, Timex, Zoot, Trisports and others all selecting "elite" teams using different criteria (which is moot for the purposes of this discussion). So, how do you take these teams and create a competitive team based model for triathlon at the national level?? Something I'll have to think about in more depth but certainly an intersting topic for discussion w/ USAT, race directors, race series owners and sponsors.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Blue and Gray 5K Race Report
Coach and I decided to get back into road racing during the triathlon off-season this year to work on my run and pick up some more speed for next year and get my 10K under 33min. I hadn't done a road race in 2 years and quite honestly forgot how painful they can be. I also have no clue what I'm doing tactically during these races so trying to improve on this from race to race observing other racers. My first two races (hilly 10k and relatively flat 8k) went pretty well but I really goofed going out way too hard out of the shoot and racing out front which resulted in a steady drop off each mile and not really a consistent effort. So, the goal for this race was to run a more consistent effort and no jack rabbit starts. I knew the course was going to be hilly and wasn't quite sure how much strength I had in the legs following a 3 hour ride the previous day. No taper for this race. The competitive side of me hates this but these races are to improve training so I've had to accept the fact I won't be 100% fresh.
Race day: I still can't get used to the concept getting up at the butt crack of dawn for races. I have to eat before morning workouts or races which meant 0500 rising to make sure everything was settled. Ate breakfast, drove to the race site in the fog but the temperature was a pretty mild 50F for December.
Checked in a then caught a quick snooze in the car. Then some EFS drink + pre-race powder (aka "Race Crack") for a little rocket fuel and 10 min warm-up. Hamstrings were a little tight so made sure to stretch well and get in a few pick-ups. Everything was revved and ready to roll. Saw a few guys warming up and figured out who was probably going to be running out front (one guy tricked me though). Gun went off at 0745 and we were off. One guy decided he wanted to run out front so I looked at my watch and we were right around 5:10 which felt comfortable so I stuck right behind is right shoulder to observe a bit. Everyone else was about 30-40M back. I noticed he was breathing like and Ox plowing the field on the first hill so figured I would gap in on the downhill - success. It amazes me how many people can't run downhill. Took the lead out through the turn hit a few more hills. Not knowing the course was a bit of a disadvantage here - one guy bridged up to me right before we hit a big hill around mile 2 and then gapped me on the hill. Made up a little ground on the down slope but couldn't close the gap. He and another guy (JMU CC and UMC CC jerseys) got out front of me by maybe 15-20M heading into the final turn. My lack of experience hurt me here (I couldn't decide what to do and then made my decision too late) and I didn't try to bridge the gap soon enough before they started sprinting for the finish. 7seconds off first and 4 seconds off second. Lesson learned for next race. Still very happy with the effort on a hilly course. Fun to see my wife and baby boy after the race. Colt had on his "daddy's little runner" shirt, no doubt the little dude will be out running soon enough.
Final results:
Time: 17:04 (5:17, 5:35, 5:41)
Place: 3rd overall out of 268
Race day: I still can't get used to the concept getting up at the butt crack of dawn for races. I have to eat before morning workouts or races which meant 0500 rising to make sure everything was settled. Ate breakfast, drove to the race site in the fog but the temperature was a pretty mild 50F for December.
Checked in a then caught a quick snooze in the car. Then some EFS drink + pre-race powder (aka "Race Crack") for a little rocket fuel and 10 min warm-up. Hamstrings were a little tight so made sure to stretch well and get in a few pick-ups. Everything was revved and ready to roll. Saw a few guys warming up and figured out who was probably going to be running out front (one guy tricked me though). Gun went off at 0745 and we were off. One guy decided he wanted to run out front so I looked at my watch and we were right around 5:10 which felt comfortable so I stuck right behind is right shoulder to observe a bit. Everyone else was about 30-40M back. I noticed he was breathing like and Ox plowing the field on the first hill so figured I would gap in on the downhill - success. It amazes me how many people can't run downhill. Took the lead out through the turn hit a few more hills. Not knowing the course was a bit of a disadvantage here - one guy bridged up to me right before we hit a big hill around mile 2 and then gapped me on the hill. Made up a little ground on the down slope but couldn't close the gap. He and another guy (JMU CC and UMC CC jerseys) got out front of me by maybe 15-20M heading into the final turn. My lack of experience hurt me here (I couldn't decide what to do and then made my decision too late) and I didn't try to bridge the gap soon enough before they started sprinting for the finish. 7seconds off first and 4 seconds off second. Lesson learned for next race. Still very happy with the effort on a hilly course. Fun to see my wife and baby boy after the race. Colt had on his "daddy's little runner" shirt, no doubt the little dude will be out running soon enough.
Final results:
Time: 17:04 (5:17, 5:35, 5:41)
Place: 3rd overall out of 268
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Training Week 26 Nov 12: Laying the foundation
Weekly totals: 15:09
Swim: 11,000 yds
Bike: 137 miles
Run: 42.7 miles
Another good week of higher volume running (40+ miles/week over the past 3 weeks) and swimming. Targeting some consistent/increased off season run volume mixed with some 5k/10k road racing to get me running 75-80min off the bike this year. Everything is progressing as planned. Love it when that happens. Such a drastic difference between last season and this season with all around fitness and ability to recover. Aerobic zones are down, watts/power on the bike are up and running times are down - all good things. Not progressing on the swim as quickly as I would like and was starting to get really frustrated with myself so decided to change my mental approach towards swim gains relative the analogy on how to eat an elephant - "one bite at a time". Celebrate the small wins on the swim. Setting the foundation for a few build weeks over the next few months.
Blue and gray 5K this weekend in Fredericksburg, race report to follow...
Thursday, November 29, 2012
2012 Training Summary
I'm dubbing 2012 as a year of learning and growth which I think will be crucial for my development in the future. I tried to be a sponge and soak up everything about training (what works and what doesn't), recovery, nutrition (a biggie for me), racing, technique, and taper. I'm fortunate to have a very good teacher in my coach and close friend Torsten Abel. I tried to focus on paying attention to all the inputs and outputs and plug into my brain for future use. A smarter athlete makes for a better athlete and also makes it much easier to provide feedback to my coach and make adjustments as necessary. Looking back on the 2012 training season the focus was really on building my base and stronger foundation. After running some lactate threshold testing with coach Torsten in early December 2011, it was clear I needed to spend the entire year building a stronger base and aerobic capacity. I had good speed but my aerobic capacity was lacking and my ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch fibers needed improvement. This meant alot of training in zone 1 which I grew to enjoy. We also learned (the hard way) that b/c of my larger frame and muscular build that I take longer to recover than other athletes from key training sessions and especially races. Unfortunetly, the only way to figure this out was through trial and error which meant a few sub-par race performances but also vital data for the future. I've been able to piggy back off the end of the 2012 season as I start my 2013 base build period and the numbers I'm starting with this season are shockingly better then where I was at this time next year. Very exciting stuff!!
2012 Training totals Jan '12 thru Nov '12 (does not include races):
Bike: 5,800 miles
Run: 1,300 miles
Swim: 480,000 yards
2012 Training totals Jan '12 thru Nov '12 (does not include races):
Bike: 5,800 miles
Run: 1,300 miles
Swim: 480,000 yards
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
2012 Season Re-Cap
I'm reviving the blog now that baby Colt is 4 months old and we are hopefully done with the crazy town of the last few months. It has been a learning experience to say the least but it is so much fun watching him grow every day.
Last year was a bit of a doozy and honestly coach Torsten and I were pretty disappointed with quite a few of my results early and mid-season. I underestimated the toll Celiac Disease took on my body over the years and the amount of time it would take to re-build and recover my digestive system (8-12 months). I was diagnosed in April and really didn't start to feel recovered until Sept just before the 70.3 World Championship race in Vegas. Needless to say, it was a frustrating year up until that point, especially at Syracuse 70.3 and Vineman 70.3. The training numbers were just not correlating to race results and there was no good explanation other than my body was still recovering nutritionally. I owe alot to nutritionist Dr. Dina Griffin who worked with me after an absolute disaster of a race at Syracuse 70.3 (which I now refer to as "the poop parade" - trust me it was bad) to totally overhaul my daily and race nutrition. During the 70.3 World Championship race I began to feel alot better and I was finally able put it all together at Augusta 70.3 three weeks later to have a breakthrough race and 2nd overall amateur result. It was probably one of the most overwhelming moments of my life conquering a disease that had pretty much debilitated me for over 12 years while almost winning a big race. The 37 seconds I lost by at Augusta for the overall win will be a good motivational tool this off season. It was a huge confidence booster to end the season strong which has carried over very well into my off season training and 2013 prep. I'm starting with a much stronger base level of fitness and foundation to build upon.
Season Highlights
Last year was a bit of a doozy and honestly coach Torsten and I were pretty disappointed with quite a few of my results early and mid-season. I underestimated the toll Celiac Disease took on my body over the years and the amount of time it would take to re-build and recover my digestive system (8-12 months). I was diagnosed in April and really didn't start to feel recovered until Sept just before the 70.3 World Championship race in Vegas. Needless to say, it was a frustrating year up until that point, especially at Syracuse 70.3 and Vineman 70.3. The training numbers were just not correlating to race results and there was no good explanation other than my body was still recovering nutritionally. I owe alot to nutritionist Dr. Dina Griffin who worked with me after an absolute disaster of a race at Syracuse 70.3 (which I now refer to as "the poop parade" - trust me it was bad) to totally overhaul my daily and race nutrition. During the 70.3 World Championship race I began to feel alot better and I was finally able put it all together at Augusta 70.3 three weeks later to have a breakthrough race and 2nd overall amateur result. It was probably one of the most overwhelming moments of my life conquering a disease that had pretty much debilitated me for over 12 years while almost winning a big race. The 37 seconds I lost by at Augusta for the overall win will be a good motivational tool this off season. It was a huge confidence booster to end the season strong which has carried over very well into my off season training and 2013 prep. I'm starting with a much stronger base level of fitness and foundation to build upon.
Season Highlights
-2011 and 2012 USAT All American Honors
-2012 and 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier
-2012 Best of the US qualifier – Team Alabama
-2012 4 x M30-34 age group wins (5 podium finishes)
-2012 Ironman 70.3 Augusta 2nd amateur overall
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Guntersville Olympic Race Report - 19 May 2012
Theme of this race: "Racing sick is no fun"
Coming off a very disappointing (and learning experience) race at Rev3 Knoxville I really wanted to put together a solid race at the first Fleet Feet Race team event of the year at Lake Guntersville Olympic Distance. Have to admit my racing confidence took a hit at Rev3 - not being on the age group or overall podium was well below expectations for the race. This was a local race so nice to not have to travel and race with alot of local tri peeps... and high expectations for a good placement :-)
Right after Rev3 I acquired a bug that has been with me since (it's dying a very slow death). Energy levels were okay for training but throat soreness and congestion have not been fun. I was also away on travel the entire week, not ideal but such is life. I got in a solid 14 hour training week after Rev3 and then we changed my race prep the week of the race - a bit more volume to keep me a little more fresh. Thursday before the race I woke up barely able to talk and a horrible cough, not good. Tried to rest as much as possible Thursday and Friday but new there was no way I was going to be 100% for Saturday's race.
Race morning: woke up with a heavy head and still a cough but feeling a bit better than Friday. Good breakfast and then off to the race site. Got transition area squared away and then off for a warm-up run - first pick-up was okay, second pick-up (whoa) heart rate spiked immediately but atleast my legs felt good. Finished up and went down for swim warm-up - good turnover but body was feeling very lethargic. Got out of the water in a coughing fit as Kristin shakes her head - know she wanted to tell me I had no business racing today :-) Took a 5 hour energy and half an EFS liquid shot, threw on the wetsuit and down to swim start.
Swim: Water temp was a nice 75 degrees. My biggest concern was keeping my cough under control during the swim. I knew I could put up a decent time since I had pre-swam the course the weekend before. We lined up and I was in the middle of the start line. BOOM!! Off to the first buoy. Pace felt good but I looked up and realized I made a tactical area with my start position which added an extra 50-100M for me compared to the guys you started on the inside. Continue to stay on pace and push up to the first turn buoy, passed a few guys and new I was out front with a few other guys. Rest of the swim was uneventful but seemed a bit long. 3rd out of the water (very pumped about this) with a time of 29:05 (What the...) After the race we found out a buoy had drifted and the course was 2000M. Whew, very good idea of where I'm at for upcoming 70.3s. Felt okay at this point... 5:30 down from 1st and 2nd place.
Bike: Grabbed my bike out of transition and I was off. I knew in advance that the bike course was a bit hilly (1200 ft of gain over 40K). Headed out of transition and heart rate immediately skyrocketed (not good). Then took a sip of my water/EFS at mile 3 and got into a coughing fit and then BLAH - lost my cookies. The coughing continued throughout the ride so just tried to "lock it up" and get it done. Headwind all the way out and at the turn I figured I was about 4-6 minutes down on the 2 lead guys so decided I needed to push the pace a bit more and try to close the gap. Chased by a few dogs at mile 11 did not help my heart rate issue. Came into T2 feeling pretty wiped out and heard rumors previously that the run course was "very tough" - well, that was an understatement. Fastest bike split of the day averaging 23 MPH. Ended putting 3:30 into the 2nd place guy, nothing into 1st place.
Run: Honestly, did not enjoy the race past this point. I didn't feel well and knew the run course was not going to be fun. The entire course was up and down every quarter mile, frickin brutal!!! Hands down the toughest run courese I've been on. I could see the 2nd place athlete headed out on the run course as I came into T2 so I knew I had a chance to catch him if I could throw down a solid run. Came out of T2 2 minutes down. Tried to get my legs the first few miles but 3 hills in a row didn't really help. I kept thinking these hills need to stop at some point. Nope, got worse. More hills on loose gravel and then rocks. I was putting a little time into 2nd place but really struggling to keep my heart rate down on the climbs. At the turn I was probably 45 seconds back. I ended up just picking a steady pacing and going hoping he would blow up on the hills. No dice. Closed another 20 seconds or so and could see 2nd place with about 1 mile to go but no flat space to really put down the hammer and close the gap and ended up losing out on second by 26 seconds. Was glad just to finish but a little disappointed that I wasn't able to run down 2nd place since I've been running quite well this season.
Overall, very very happy with 3rd overall on a tough course battling bug. Really enjoyed the local event with a bunch of friends. RD did a great job and had a good showing for this first year event. Now, time to focus on getting over this bug and getting ready 70.3 racing and Syracuse IM 70.3 on June 24th.
Coming off a very disappointing (and learning experience) race at Rev3 Knoxville I really wanted to put together a solid race at the first Fleet Feet Race team event of the year at Lake Guntersville Olympic Distance. Have to admit my racing confidence took a hit at Rev3 - not being on the age group or overall podium was well below expectations for the race. This was a local race so nice to not have to travel and race with alot of local tri peeps... and high expectations for a good placement :-)
Right after Rev3 I acquired a bug that has been with me since (it's dying a very slow death). Energy levels were okay for training but throat soreness and congestion have not been fun. I was also away on travel the entire week, not ideal but such is life. I got in a solid 14 hour training week after Rev3 and then we changed my race prep the week of the race - a bit more volume to keep me a little more fresh. Thursday before the race I woke up barely able to talk and a horrible cough, not good. Tried to rest as much as possible Thursday and Friday but new there was no way I was going to be 100% for Saturday's race.
Race morning: woke up with a heavy head and still a cough but feeling a bit better than Friday. Good breakfast and then off to the race site. Got transition area squared away and then off for a warm-up run - first pick-up was okay, second pick-up (whoa) heart rate spiked immediately but atleast my legs felt good. Finished up and went down for swim warm-up - good turnover but body was feeling very lethargic. Got out of the water in a coughing fit as Kristin shakes her head - know she wanted to tell me I had no business racing today :-) Took a 5 hour energy and half an EFS liquid shot, threw on the wetsuit and down to swim start.
Swim: Water temp was a nice 75 degrees. My biggest concern was keeping my cough under control during the swim. I knew I could put up a decent time since I had pre-swam the course the weekend before. We lined up and I was in the middle of the start line. BOOM!! Off to the first buoy. Pace felt good but I looked up and realized I made a tactical area with my start position which added an extra 50-100M for me compared to the guys you started on the inside. Continue to stay on pace and push up to the first turn buoy, passed a few guys and new I was out front with a few other guys. Rest of the swim was uneventful but seemed a bit long. 3rd out of the water (very pumped about this) with a time of 29:05 (What the...) After the race we found out a buoy had drifted and the course was 2000M. Whew, very good idea of where I'm at for upcoming 70.3s. Felt okay at this point... 5:30 down from 1st and 2nd place.
Bike: Grabbed my bike out of transition and I was off. I knew in advance that the bike course was a bit hilly (1200 ft of gain over 40K). Headed out of transition and heart rate immediately skyrocketed (not good). Then took a sip of my water/EFS at mile 3 and got into a coughing fit and then BLAH - lost my cookies. The coughing continued throughout the ride so just tried to "lock it up" and get it done. Headwind all the way out and at the turn I figured I was about 4-6 minutes down on the 2 lead guys so decided I needed to push the pace a bit more and try to close the gap. Chased by a few dogs at mile 11 did not help my heart rate issue. Came into T2 feeling pretty wiped out and heard rumors previously that the run course was "very tough" - well, that was an understatement. Fastest bike split of the day averaging 23 MPH. Ended putting 3:30 into the 2nd place guy, nothing into 1st place.
Run: Honestly, did not enjoy the race past this point. I didn't feel well and knew the run course was not going to be fun. The entire course was up and down every quarter mile, frickin brutal!!! Hands down the toughest run courese I've been on. I could see the 2nd place athlete headed out on the run course as I came into T2 so I knew I had a chance to catch him if I could throw down a solid run. Came out of T2 2 minutes down. Tried to get my legs the first few miles but 3 hills in a row didn't really help. I kept thinking these hills need to stop at some point. Nope, got worse. More hills on loose gravel and then rocks. I was putting a little time into 2nd place but really struggling to keep my heart rate down on the climbs. At the turn I was probably 45 seconds back. I ended up just picking a steady pacing and going hoping he would blow up on the hills. No dice. Closed another 20 seconds or so and could see 2nd place with about 1 mile to go but no flat space to really put down the hammer and close the gap and ended up losing out on second by 26 seconds. Was glad just to finish but a little disappointed that I wasn't able to run down 2nd place since I've been running quite well this season.
Overall, very very happy with 3rd overall on a tough course battling bug. Really enjoyed the local event with a bunch of friends. RD did a great job and had a good showing for this first year event. Now, time to focus on getting over this bug and getting ready 70.3 racing and Syracuse IM 70.3 on June 24th.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Distance Race Report - 6 May 2012
Well, my experiment to try and race back to back weekends did not turn out as expected. The hope to peak back up for Rev3 knoxville did not go as planned. Lesson Learned - no more back to back weekend races. My body seems to require more recovery. Good to know for future race schedule planning.
Overall race critique: awesome race venue, weekend, city and time with my wife, Kristin. The race logistics here are awesome if you stay downtown - hotel, race site, expo and food are all centrally located. The Rev3 staff is amazing and they hosted a great event. The olympic distance amateur male field was unbelievable, crazy competition at this race from all over the country (MD, DC, VA, MI, FL, MO, CA, CO, AL, GA, TN, KY and those were just the guys I talked to). Basically, almost every fast guy I've ever raced was at this race. I'm hoping Rev3 events continue to draw this type of competition as I would like to race more of the series in the future.
Pre-Race: woke up feeling pretty good race morning. breakfast went down okay then cup of coffee and down the the race site. Same ole same ole. Got down to transition and set up then 15 min jog, legs felt so-so and energy level the same. Packed up and headed down to swim start.
Swim: long wait for the olympic age group waves to start since the pros and 70.3 distance were off first. Got to chat with a few friends but felt way too relaxed. Also, no possibility of a swim warm-up - not good. Finally, it was time to roll. In water start with all males under 39 - this was a pretty large wave. Jumped in and water was definitely cold - 68 degrees. Last year it was around 60 and I got hypothermia and was pulled out by a kayak so this was on my mind the entire first half of the swim. BOOM!!! Show time. Did not position myself well and got stuck in the middle of the wave for a very rough start. It was very crowded up to the turn buoy as I sighted I saw a 70.3 wave coming down river towards our turn buoy. This was my only complaint of the race. You disadvantage the first olympic wave by having us fight for position and then put another wave in front of us right after things clear at the turn. I spent most of the first 750-1000M trying to navigate other swimmers - not fun. Got out of the water in 24:06 - not a good swim time for me given the 20:47 I swam the previous week. Believe this was due to crowded conditions, who knows. Put me at about a 5min deficit from the front pack.
T1: very long run to transition - 4minutes total.
Bike: From last year I knew the bike course was going to have alot of climbing so I was prepared to suffer a bit. Really tried to push the bike and put in a stronger bike then the previous week. There are a few big climbs on the way out and just tried to stay on the hammer on these climbs and fly on the downhills. First half of my ride was pretty strong but faded a bit after the turn. I could see I was down a good bit of time from the front group and tried to ride as hard as possible coming back in. Got off the bike on right around 1:04, better than last week but still not enough to put alot of time into the lead group.
Run: not a super challenging run but there were some uphill portions and turns. I came into T2 with another guy and he beat me out of transition. He was moving pretty good so I tried to push and keep sight of him. I just really didn't have much in my legs this week like I did last week. Kept trying to push through the wall but just wasn't happening for me today. I passed 2 guys immediately and then another 2 in the last mile. run time was 38:15 and I was spent. I really wanted to go under 35 min but just didn't have enough fuel in the tank after a big effort last week.
Summary: looking back this ended up being a very good training race with a tough feel to push me. I really enjoyed the race and learned a few things. Back to the drawing board and training for another OLY in 2 weeks. Till next time...
Overall race critique: awesome race venue, weekend, city and time with my wife, Kristin. The race logistics here are awesome if you stay downtown - hotel, race site, expo and food are all centrally located. The Rev3 staff is amazing and they hosted a great event. The olympic distance amateur male field was unbelievable, crazy competition at this race from all over the country (MD, DC, VA, MI, FL, MO, CA, CO, AL, GA, TN, KY and those were just the guys I talked to). Basically, almost every fast guy I've ever raced was at this race. I'm hoping Rev3 events continue to draw this type of competition as I would like to race more of the series in the future.
Pre-Race: woke up feeling pretty good race morning. breakfast went down okay then cup of coffee and down the the race site. Same ole same ole. Got down to transition and set up then 15 min jog, legs felt so-so and energy level the same. Packed up and headed down to swim start.
Swim: long wait for the olympic age group waves to start since the pros and 70.3 distance were off first. Got to chat with a few friends but felt way too relaxed. Also, no possibility of a swim warm-up - not good. Finally, it was time to roll. In water start with all males under 39 - this was a pretty large wave. Jumped in and water was definitely cold - 68 degrees. Last year it was around 60 and I got hypothermia and was pulled out by a kayak so this was on my mind the entire first half of the swim. BOOM!!! Show time. Did not position myself well and got stuck in the middle of the wave for a very rough start. It was very crowded up to the turn buoy as I sighted I saw a 70.3 wave coming down river towards our turn buoy. This was my only complaint of the race. You disadvantage the first olympic wave by having us fight for position and then put another wave in front of us right after things clear at the turn. I spent most of the first 750-1000M trying to navigate other swimmers - not fun. Got out of the water in 24:06 - not a good swim time for me given the 20:47 I swam the previous week. Believe this was due to crowded conditions, who knows. Put me at about a 5min deficit from the front pack.
T1: very long run to transition - 4minutes total.
Bike: From last year I knew the bike course was going to have alot of climbing so I was prepared to suffer a bit. Really tried to push the bike and put in a stronger bike then the previous week. There are a few big climbs on the way out and just tried to stay on the hammer on these climbs and fly on the downhills. First half of my ride was pretty strong but faded a bit after the turn. I could see I was down a good bit of time from the front group and tried to ride as hard as possible coming back in. Got off the bike on right around 1:04, better than last week but still not enough to put alot of time into the lead group.
Run: not a super challenging run but there were some uphill portions and turns. I came into T2 with another guy and he beat me out of transition. He was moving pretty good so I tried to push and keep sight of him. I just really didn't have much in my legs this week like I did last week. Kept trying to push through the wall but just wasn't happening for me today. I passed 2 guys immediately and then another 2 in the last mile. run time was 38:15 and I was spent. I really wanted to go under 35 min but just didn't have enough fuel in the tank after a big effort last week.
Summary: looking back this ended up being a very good training race with a tough feel to push me. I really enjoyed the race and learned a few things. Back to the drawing board and training for another OLY in 2 weeks. Till next time...
Place: 17th
overall / 6th M30-34
Overall Time:
2:12:24
Swim: 24:06
Bike: 1:04:49
Run: 38:14
Friday, May 11, 2012
West Point Lake Triathlon Race Report
After a few solid blocks of training (2 x 20 hour weeks) after the debacle in South Beach it was time to race gain - Yes!!!
This was a new race venue for me and didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I really felt like crap the first few days of race week (believe this was a cold and coming down off two heavy volume weeks). Thankfully by Wed/Thur I started to feel better and ready to get busy.
Normal pre-race day ride and run and then pack up and hit the road. I may have went a little long on my ride... more on this later. The drive down Saturday was pretty uneventful although we seemed to have hit every light possible but a good opportunity to rest up and get mentally focused on the race.
We got to LaGrange mid-afternoon and headed to packet pick-up and then down to the race site for some course recon. The entire drive to the race site had zero flats... hmmm.... not what I expected. More on this later...
Pre-race morning: Got up feeling fantastic. Threw on my new Fleet Feet race team kit, ate breakfast (gluten free oats, protein shake and peanut butter gluten free bread slice), drank some coffee and cleared out the system, then Kristin and I headed down to the race site. Kristin is quite the trooper - 6 months pregnant and still no complaints about getting up early to head to the race. Got to transition to set up and accidently put my bike on the wrong rack - it was 0500 and dark. Well, this created quite the stir and severall fellas got their panties in a bunch. Moved my bike to the proper spot and all was right with the world again. Headed out for a pre-race ride and run to get the blood flowing. Everything was in good working order. Let's roll...
Swim: Threw on the wetsuit and hopped in for a quick 5 minute warm-up (lesson learned from South Beach - get a warm up swim if possible). Took a half EFS liquid shot and was ready for the start. Boom!!! Time trial swim start. Swim was great, I was sighting really well and turnover was strong, breathing comfortable. This was a half circle course and alot of sun in the eyes coming into shore, probably cost me 1-2 minutes. Hand touch, stand up - time: 20:20. Holy Wow!! My fastest oly swim by 3minutes.
T1: fast Ttransition and then out onto the bike course.
Bike: Fatal flaw of the race was not pushing on hills. The bike course was up and down with no flats and quite challenging. I really wasn't feeling 100% fantastic and took it way too easy on uphills. I should have had a much stronger ride but legs didn't have alot of extra umph. Maybe it was the heavy volume leading up to this race or something else, really not sure. Challenging bike course though - got down half EFS liquid shot and 1.5 scoops of EFS in my water bottle. Popped a honey stinger caffeinated gel at mile 22 in prep for the run. My watch said 1:03:41 but posted time was 1:06:31. I still think there was a timing error but the RD assured my I was wrong. Not a big deal though. Regardless, not a strong ride for me and needs to improve in the future.
T2: Lightning fast. :33 and I'm off,
Run: Came out of T2 feeling great and super strong (I'm a power runner so mentally this was great). The first mile was a little awkward with a slight uphill and then finally my legs came around. Bam, I gapped 2 guys immediately and then got to the dam. The run over the dam was awesome, got an update from a sighter and he said 6 people in front of me. Are you kidding me?! I tried to just keep my turnover strong and keep pushing. Luckily I was continuing to get stronger the run progressed. First chance to see the leaders and I figure they had 5 min on me. Continued to push but I just ran out of real estate. Still a really solid run for me and feeling for future races that I could have gone faster by atleast 1min. Run time was 35:40 which was great.
Crossed the finish line and looked up - sub-2:05 - saweet. This was 10min off my PR on a much hard course today. Fix the bike, kill the run and sub-2:00 is within my sights. Really happy with this time for a distance which isn't my focus right now. Plenty more work to do...
Overall time: 2:04:58
Overall: 7th / 245
AG: 1st M30-34
This was a new race venue for me and didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I really felt like crap the first few days of race week (believe this was a cold and coming down off two heavy volume weeks). Thankfully by Wed/Thur I started to feel better and ready to get busy.
Normal pre-race day ride and run and then pack up and hit the road. I may have went a little long on my ride... more on this later. The drive down Saturday was pretty uneventful although we seemed to have hit every light possible but a good opportunity to rest up and get mentally focused on the race.
We got to LaGrange mid-afternoon and headed to packet pick-up and then down to the race site for some course recon. The entire drive to the race site had zero flats... hmmm.... not what I expected. More on this later...
Pre-race morning: Got up feeling fantastic. Threw on my new Fleet Feet race team kit, ate breakfast (gluten free oats, protein shake and peanut butter gluten free bread slice), drank some coffee and cleared out the system, then Kristin and I headed down to the race site. Kristin is quite the trooper - 6 months pregnant and still no complaints about getting up early to head to the race. Got to transition to set up and accidently put my bike on the wrong rack - it was 0500 and dark. Well, this created quite the stir and severall fellas got their panties in a bunch. Moved my bike to the proper spot and all was right with the world again. Headed out for a pre-race ride and run to get the blood flowing. Everything was in good working order. Let's roll...
Swim: Threw on the wetsuit and hopped in for a quick 5 minute warm-up (lesson learned from South Beach - get a warm up swim if possible). Took a half EFS liquid shot and was ready for the start. Boom!!! Time trial swim start. Swim was great, I was sighting really well and turnover was strong, breathing comfortable. This was a half circle course and alot of sun in the eyes coming into shore, probably cost me 1-2 minutes. Hand touch, stand up - time: 20:20. Holy Wow!! My fastest oly swim by 3minutes.
T1: fast Ttransition and then out onto the bike course.
Bike: Fatal flaw of the race was not pushing on hills. The bike course was up and down with no flats and quite challenging. I really wasn't feeling 100% fantastic and took it way too easy on uphills. I should have had a much stronger ride but legs didn't have alot of extra umph. Maybe it was the heavy volume leading up to this race or something else, really not sure. Challenging bike course though - got down half EFS liquid shot and 1.5 scoops of EFS in my water bottle. Popped a honey stinger caffeinated gel at mile 22 in prep for the run. My watch said 1:03:41 but posted time was 1:06:31. I still think there was a timing error but the RD assured my I was wrong. Not a big deal though. Regardless, not a strong ride for me and needs to improve in the future.
T2: Lightning fast. :33 and I'm off,
Run: Came out of T2 feeling great and super strong (I'm a power runner so mentally this was great). The first mile was a little awkward with a slight uphill and then finally my legs came around. Bam, I gapped 2 guys immediately and then got to the dam. The run over the dam was awesome, got an update from a sighter and he said 6 people in front of me. Are you kidding me?! I tried to just keep my turnover strong and keep pushing. Luckily I was continuing to get stronger the run progressed. First chance to see the leaders and I figure they had 5 min on me. Continued to push but I just ran out of real estate. Still a really solid run for me and feeling for future races that I could have gone faster by atleast 1min. Run time was 35:40 which was great.
Crossed the finish line and looked up - sub-2:05 - saweet. This was 10min off my PR on a much hard course today. Fix the bike, kill the run and sub-2:00 is within my sights. Really happy with this time for a distance which isn't my focus right now. Plenty more work to do...
Overall time: 2:04:58
Overall: 7th / 245
AG: 1st M30-34
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Nautica South Beach Race Report
Well, you can never plan for an equipment failure...
Travel: went into this race feeling really really fantastic. Everything checked out nicely during my taper week and energy levels were great. Kristin and I flew down to Miami on Friday to relax a few days before the race.
Pre-Race: Had my normal pre-race meal and was feeling quite full. After several "potty" breaks I was ready to rock and roll. Got down to the race site in the pitch dark of the morning and went out for a pre-race ride and run - everything in good working order and ready to rock n' roll.
Swim: got down to the swim start late due to an unplanned "potty" break and missed my warm-up. This ended up being a problem. We (elite males) started with the pro men and women and elite females - not sure why they put us all together but it was not ideal and I'm sure the pros were not pleased. BOOM!! I let the pros clear out a bit and then grabbed the front elite wave. I was doing well until after the first buoy and must have been grabbed by a few ocean swells. I looked up and the group I was swimming with was far to my right and I was completely off course. Not good. Spent the rest of the swim trying to recover but this hurt me big time (or so I thought). Gave up about 2-3 minutes out of the water to the lead male.
T1: OH CRAP!! Rolled out of T1 and heard an odd noise on my rear wheel. I initially thought this was a break rubbing and it would loosen up. Got about 2 miles into the ride to realize my rear tire was completely flat. Race support rolled by twice, no stop. REALLY GUYS?! I decided to walk back to transition - longest walk ever. I finally found a pump and tire was good to go so I decided to finish the race. 45 minutes wasted. Still no clue what happened. Very disappointing as I feel I could have been in contention for a podium had this not happened.
Bike: Decided to ride hard but not all out since I was already out of contention. Had a pretty solid ride on a fast course - 1:00:42. Took in half and EFS liquid shot and EFS drink in my Torhans bottle. Popped a honey stinger gel 10 min before getting off the bike and onto the run....Felt great coming off the bike.
Run: Pretty technical course and it was super crowded since I was now with the middle group of racers. Again, I decided to run hard but not race pace - no need to kill myself. Legs felt really strong and ended up having a solid run to go with a good bike effort - 37:45.
Final Quote of the trip: "A long way to come for a flat tire"
Travel: went into this race feeling really really fantastic. Everything checked out nicely during my taper week and energy levels were great. Kristin and I flew down to Miami on Friday to relax a few days before the race.
Pre-Race: Had my normal pre-race meal and was feeling quite full. After several "potty" breaks I was ready to rock and roll. Got down to the race site in the pitch dark of the morning and went out for a pre-race ride and run - everything in good working order and ready to rock n' roll.
Swim: got down to the swim start late due to an unplanned "potty" break and missed my warm-up. This ended up being a problem. We (elite males) started with the pro men and women and elite females - not sure why they put us all together but it was not ideal and I'm sure the pros were not pleased. BOOM!! I let the pros clear out a bit and then grabbed the front elite wave. I was doing well until after the first buoy and must have been grabbed by a few ocean swells. I looked up and the group I was swimming with was far to my right and I was completely off course. Not good. Spent the rest of the swim trying to recover but this hurt me big time (or so I thought). Gave up about 2-3 minutes out of the water to the lead male.
T1: OH CRAP!! Rolled out of T1 and heard an odd noise on my rear wheel. I initially thought this was a break rubbing and it would loosen up. Got about 2 miles into the ride to realize my rear tire was completely flat. Race support rolled by twice, no stop. REALLY GUYS?! I decided to walk back to transition - longest walk ever. I finally found a pump and tire was good to go so I decided to finish the race. 45 minutes wasted. Still no clue what happened. Very disappointing as I feel I could have been in contention for a podium had this not happened.
Bike: Decided to ride hard but not all out since I was already out of contention. Had a pretty solid ride on a fast course - 1:00:42. Took in half and EFS liquid shot and EFS drink in my Torhans bottle. Popped a honey stinger gel 10 min before getting off the bike and onto the run....Felt great coming off the bike.
Run: Pretty technical course and it was super crowded since I was now with the middle group of racers. Again, I decided to run hard but not race pace - no need to kill myself. Legs felt really strong and ended up having a solid run to go with a good bike effort - 37:45.
Final Quote of the trip: "A long way to come for a flat tire"
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Week of 12 March Training
It's been a busy few weeks with work and training so I'm playing catch-up a bit. Fought off a nasty cold and some hamstring soreness (physical therapy worked wonders to re-hab this over the past 2 weeks) in time to feel great going into Nautica South Beach Triathlon next weekend. Bike and run splits are looking really solid this early in the season, swim still needs some work but still much improved over last year.
Week of 12 March Training (Recovery Week):
Total: 14.5 hours
Bike: 9:14
Run: 3:14
Swim: 2:16 (short week here) / 9,000 yards
A very much needed recovery week after a few weeks of really solid training block including 4 hour ride on Saturday w/ 7,000 ft of climbing (see pic at top the of Grant Mtn after interval #4). Spent most of this week travelling around the country for work and got back late Thursday night (picture of San Fran Bay run attached). Ended this week with a hard interval ride saturday averaging ~240 watts and 24 MPH. This looks pretty promising to try and push 25 MPH+ in Miami without blowing up. Same story on the run: 25 min hard run off @ 5:50 pace from this ride - solid solid!!
Week of 12 March Training (Recovery Week):
Total: 14.5 hours
Bike: 9:14
Run: 3:14
Swim: 2:16 (short week here) / 9,000 yards
Sunday, March 4, 2012
26 Jan - 4 Feb Training
Aerobic week
Bike: 6:30hrs
Run: 4:30hrs
Swim: 3:30hrs
Good week of training despite battling a serious cold. 4 weeks out from the start of the season and everything is starting to come together. Thankfully the cold is almost gone as of Sunday evening. Had several really solid swim sessions with race pace sets @ 1:24 this week. This is much improved from last season - still alot of work to go here before Vegas. Crazy week of weather in HSV as well. Battle 35 MPH winds while running speed sets on Friday and ended the week with a long aerobic ride yesterday and run today in you guessed it... more wind 25-30 MPH. This photo is pretty much the only time our bikes weren't getting blown all over the place.
It was a good news type of week...
Lots of great news this week...
#1: The baby and mommy are healthy at week 18... and we are having a boy!! K and I were thrilled to see Baby Stock (name to be released upon delivery) do a flip turn in the womb and see it was definitely a boy.
#2: Fleet Feet will be sponsoring several triathletes this year... and I will be joining them. We had a meeting Thursday night to try on our race kits (Sugoi Elite - frickin saweeeet!!) and get all the details. Really excited about this opportunity. I'll be racing Guntersville Olympic, Heel and Crank, Frantic Frog and Goosepond half for sure as part of my sponorship commitment. Still on the fence about Rocketman since it's so close to IM 70.3 Worlds - may do a relay though.
#3: Honey stinger sponsorship. So, for 2012 (and hopefully beyond) I'll be a proud member of the Honey Stinger Hive. Thrilled about this. Pretty much the only product (gels, gummies, and waffles) I can tolerate without GI issues during races. Looking forward to supporting all their products throughout the year.
#1: The baby and mommy are healthy at week 18... and we are having a boy!! K and I were thrilled to see Baby Stock (name to be released upon delivery) do a flip turn in the womb and see it was definitely a boy.
#2: Fleet Feet will be sponsoring several triathletes this year... and I will be joining them. We had a meeting Thursday night to try on our race kits (Sugoi Elite - frickin saweeeet!!) and get all the details. Really excited about this opportunity. I'll be racing Guntersville Olympic, Heel and Crank, Frantic Frog and Goosepond half for sure as part of my sponorship commitment. Still on the fence about Rocketman since it's so close to IM 70.3 Worlds - may do a relay though.
#3: Honey stinger sponsorship. So, for 2012 (and hopefully beyond) I'll be a proud member of the Honey Stinger Hive. Thrilled about this. Pretty much the only product (gels, gummies, and waffles) I can tolerate without GI issues during races. Looking forward to supporting all their products throughout the year.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
19-26 February
Swim: 12,000 yds
Bike: 160 miles
Run: 40 miles
The foundation is solid, now time to build the house. Another really solid week of training ended by rock solid long run today after big ride/run day yesterday (17 miles, all negative split ending w/ 6:30 pace). 4 hours on the trainer yesterday was a doozy, but all in all not that bad. Speed and endurance were much improved again this week. Low 6 min run pace and 250 watts are becoming comfortable. Still 5 weeks out from race #1 in Miami Beach. More to follow next week...
Bike: 160 miles
Run: 40 miles
The foundation is solid, now time to build the house. Another really solid week of training ended by rock solid long run today after big ride/run day yesterday (17 miles, all negative split ending w/ 6:30 pace). 4 hours on the trainer yesterday was a doozy, but all in all not that bad. Speed and endurance were much improved again this week. Low 6 min run pace and 250 watts are becoming comfortable. Still 5 weeks out from race #1 in Miami Beach. More to follow next week...
Monday, February 20, 2012
13-19 Feb 2012 Training
Another really solid week in the books - 17 hours total. Third week of bringing speed and threshold workouts back into the mix after a recovery week where I felt absolutely horrible. The solid work durig the base building period is paying off. Body is responded fantastically this week topped off with a 25 min hard brick run off a 2:15:00 hard interval ride - very pleased with my pace and fitness level (sub-6min very confortably) this early in the year. Swim workouts were much improved this week and adding more volume/speed work as we inch closer to race season. Coach is really starting to dial things in prep for South Beach Triathlon April 1st.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Not so "Off-Season"
So, alot of changes since last season have been implemented. New focus (IM 70.3 worlds), new coach (Torsten Abel), new training philosphy... After Augusta 70.3 I took about a month off from heavy workouts and just had fun - my run times were insanely fast from all the extra rest. I've spent the rest of the off-season (November-Jan) building my "base" or aerobic engine so there is more to work with this year. That meant alot of hours and miles at much slower paces than I was accustom, kind of boring but had to be done. What this equates to: "building a bigger foundation for a much bigger house". Another focus was fixing my swim form (drills, drills, drills... yards, yards, yards...) which was in pretty bad shape. I started swimming 4 years ago and have never done really taken the time to focus on proper form so after losing several races due to a poor swim it was time to really get serious and fix the problem. I've dropped about 15 seconds per 100 thus far with alot more room to grow. Several people (big thank you Dan Cox) have taken extra time to help out in the swim department and masters swim is defintiely starting to payoff.
The bike... I was really disappointed in my bike last season. I just wasn't riding well and was slower than in 2010. Talk about frustrating!! Well, the bike is back. I've been riding with a powermeter since November and have really focussed on improving my overall power and efficiency. Alot of tough interval workouts on the trainer a starting to payoff. Really looking forward to this season on the bike... Should be much improved over last year.
The run... As many of you know this is my strongest leg. Same as with the bike last season, I just wasn't putting up the times I was capable of... Well, that will change this year. I've been putting in alot more volume (35-45 miles/week) and speed is much improved from last year with a ton more endurance. I'm very excited about where my run is right now and looking to keep improving throughout the year up to Sept 9. "Bike for the show, run for the dough".
The bike... I was really disappointed in my bike last season. I just wasn't riding well and was slower than in 2010. Talk about frustrating!! Well, the bike is back. I've been riding with a powermeter since November and have really focussed on improving my overall power and efficiency. Alot of tough interval workouts on the trainer a starting to payoff. Really looking forward to this season on the bike... Should be much improved over last year.
The run... As many of you know this is my strongest leg. Same as with the bike last season, I just wasn't putting up the times I was capable of... Well, that will change this year. I've been putting in alot more volume (35-45 miles/week) and speed is much improved from last year with a ton more endurance. I'm very excited about where my run is right now and looking to keep improving throughout the year up to Sept 9. "Bike for the show, run for the dough".
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