Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Sometimes you need to change your lenses to see things a little more clearly...
I've been delaying posting a Williamsburg race report for a while mainly b/c I didn't know what to write and I was horribly disappointed in the result. The overall end result was not horrible but the process used to get that result was flawed. That's probably the best way to describe my feelings about the whole thing, I repeated alot of mistakes in race nutrition and execution that marred the day. At one point in the race I stopped in front of my entire family who all came out to watch along with about 150 spectators and anounced I was done for the day. And then I see a physically and mentally challenged participant on the course having an absolute blast and realized I needed a major attitude adjustment. Looking back, this was a totally embarassing event and goes against everything I stand for and hope to teach my son about hard work, discipline and enjoying what you do.
Was I physically unable to continue? NAH. Was I struggling phycially and more so mentally because my body was not performing the way I wanted? YES. I let the situation mentally get the best of me as opposed to still trying to race within the bounds of what my body would allow on that day. Given some mistakes I had made in the lead up to and during the race it was an inevitable outcome. Was I ready and prepared to race again at a high level in Williamsburg post-St. Croix crash? Probably not, but my competitive drive won the day and I forced myself to race to try and "make up" for sub-par performances at Galveston and St. Croix. I read Jordan Rapp's blog post regarding "The First Law of Holes" right after Williamsburg and realized I was doing the exact same thing.
I stepped back and looked wholistically at a few things and realized:
1) My training has been solid and consistent all winter and all season - all good here
2) I had some things happen in races that were outside of my control
3) I didn't allow myself to fully recover from serious crash in St. Croix before racing again
4) I let some things slip that were within my control by not using my brain
I looked at item #4 a little more closely and realized I was making some classic mistakes mainly by not paying attention, and continued repeating mistakes from previous races.
First, I was forgetting that triathlon has 3 disciplines (well 4 really if you count nutrition) and realized I wasn't allowing myself to race the 3rd discipline which also happens to be my strongest leg. I was panicking as soon as I got out of the water to get on the bike and bridge up to the front guys to try and make up all the time I had lost in the swim during. I figured I was a strong enough biker to do this and well... BIG MISTAKE. I was riding what I was probably capable of but not taking into account what I needed to ride and still be able to run fast. I looked at the overall times and run splits and by doing simple math I realized if I would have just eased off the bike a bit and allowed fresher legs for the run I would have bridged back up close to the front during the run in most situations. I got greedy after Augusta last year thinking I could roll into T2 with no bikes on the racks at every race from now on and this is just not a realistic expectation or outcome. Shame on me.
Second, I did not fully re-evaluate my nutrition strategy at the start of this season. It had worked last year so I thought I would just take what I did last year up my calories a bit since I was faster and more fit and would be fine. In hindsight, I overlooked a few things and the increase in calories and extra electrolytes that I didn't now need likely had the opposite effect of the result I wanted (increased performance) which put me in the med tent in Galveston and again in Williamsburg. I didn't pay attention to the signs of this during training and it bit me during races this year. I should have made adjustments earlier in the season and definitely after Galveston but did not.
So, after 2 months of not racing and letting my body fully re-cooperate and absorb some big training blocks I'm mentally and physically ready to race again at Timberman in 2 weeks. If you read this blog, thanks for taking the time to read. I hope many of you won't be making these same mistakes.
Special thanks to Pat Wheeler for taking the time to chat and help me see things a little more clearly (and getting my head out of my ass) to move forward.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Columbia 5150 Race Report - someone pulled my spark plug?!
Coming off a very hard race at St. Croix that included a bike crash I knew it would be a crap shoot to be ready for a very challenging Columbia 5150 course (the hardest Oly distance race I've seen) 2 weeks later. My body was still in a healing state from the crash up until race day and I think this probably impacted overall muscular recovery leading into the event - based upon how I felt early in the week I should have just scratched this race. When Torsten and I talked about doing this race it was understood I probably wouldn't be 100% and it could turn into a hard training day vice a good race result. We've pretty much gone away from doing "training races", if I race I want to be in the best form and position possible to race FTW but I was willing to roll the dice here since it was a local event. Honestly, as soon as the bike leg started I regretted my decision to race this event.
Pre-Race: Fellow wattie teammate and all around good dude Caldwell Clarke and I met up for pre-race check-in and course recon. Race note: CC took 1st clydesdale in the under 39 division. The bike course was pretty much one climb after another non-stop for 25 miles. It had rained all day off and on and the trend seemed to be indicate rain for race day. Flashback 2 weeks to St. Croix racing in the rain and crashing. I immediately started to get very nervous about crashing again which carried over into zero sleep the night before the race which left me waking up zapped of energy. Lack of sleep mixed with cold/rainy weather is not a good recipe for me. Bummer!!
Swim: Swim course was pretty straight forward just a big loop around a lake. Water temp was 69F which meant my first opportunity to try out the new custom Wattie Ink Blueseventy Helix. Just as I was heading down to do a quick warm-up the RD calls everyone out of the water 20min before swim start?! Not good for me. I was starting in the Elite AG wave (male and female) and it was WAY bigger than usual and included the 2012 USAT AG national champion - 46 males and 17 females so I knew the start was going to be absolute chaos. Not sure why but I was very cold as soon as we got into the water, almost shivering. As soon as the gun went off it was absolute chaos until the first buoy about 500M away. We basically had a pack of 63 people all swimming almost the exact same pace. After the first turn it spread out a bit and I was able to get into a rythm. We ended up swimming into some current (wind related I believe) on the back side that slowed things down a bit. Out of the water a touch over 23min - CRAP!!! Looking at the pro times it seemed everyone was about 1 min slow and the garmin had the course at 1.05 miles so not an absolute disaster for me but still put me way off the front group.
Target time: 21-22min
Actual time: 23:37
T1: I was really light headed when I got out of the water. May have been due to me being cold, who knows. Slower than expected T1 to get the HR down and then up a gigantic hill onto the bike course.
Bike: Hands down the toughest Oly distance bike course I've been on, constant climbs with 1700ft+ of gain. The strategy here was to ride as hard as possible to try and close the bike gap. We figured I could ride this course right around 1:00 flat if I rode my watts around 350-60. As soon as I got on the bike I knew it was game over. My quads were shot, fatigued and no juice. The legs were flat as a pancake and I couldn't sustain any power. The gamble had not paid off. I spent the remainder of the bike trying to restart the engine but just couldn't hold any sustained power and just started riding stupid spiking my watts too much on climbs etc. The course was wet and I wasn't willing to take any risks and crash again so I gave up some time there as well. Full disclosure - I didn't want to be out there anymore halfway through the bike, I just had no business racing on this day. Rolled into T2 a little disappointed and not really sure where I was in the field.
Target time: 1:00:00
Actual time: 1:06:12
Run: Another super tough Oly distance run course, again, the toughest 10k I've done in an Olympic distance race. Up and down the entire run with some very steep downhills which made it very difficult to get any speed going - about 700ft total gain over the entire course. There was one uphill in the back of the course at 12% grade that was BRUTAL!! I really couldn't get things going on the run until about the 5k mark when I warmed up a bit and started sweating but by this point it was way too late. Passed maybe 8-9 guys on the run but not nearly enough to put me anywhere close to the top 10. Given how my legs felt on the bike and difficulty of the course I was pretty happy running 37min.
Target Time: 35:00
Actual Time: 37:20
Position: 6th M30-34, 20th M Elite amateur, 52nd overall
Pre-Race: Fellow wattie teammate and all around good dude Caldwell Clarke and I met up for pre-race check-in and course recon. Race note: CC took 1st clydesdale in the under 39 division. The bike course was pretty much one climb after another non-stop for 25 miles. It had rained all day off and on and the trend seemed to be indicate rain for race day. Flashback 2 weeks to St. Croix racing in the rain and crashing. I immediately started to get very nervous about crashing again which carried over into zero sleep the night before the race which left me waking up zapped of energy. Lack of sleep mixed with cold/rainy weather is not a good recipe for me. Bummer!!
Swim: Swim course was pretty straight forward just a big loop around a lake. Water temp was 69F which meant my first opportunity to try out the new custom Wattie Ink Blueseventy Helix. Just as I was heading down to do a quick warm-up the RD calls everyone out of the water 20min before swim start?! Not good for me. I was starting in the Elite AG wave (male and female) and it was WAY bigger than usual and included the 2012 USAT AG national champion - 46 males and 17 females so I knew the start was going to be absolute chaos. Not sure why but I was very cold as soon as we got into the water, almost shivering. As soon as the gun went off it was absolute chaos until the first buoy about 500M away. We basically had a pack of 63 people all swimming almost the exact same pace. After the first turn it spread out a bit and I was able to get into a rythm. We ended up swimming into some current (wind related I believe) on the back side that slowed things down a bit. Out of the water a touch over 23min - CRAP!!! Looking at the pro times it seemed everyone was about 1 min slow and the garmin had the course at 1.05 miles so not an absolute disaster for me but still put me way off the front group.
Target time: 21-22min
Actual time: 23:37
T1: I was really light headed when I got out of the water. May have been due to me being cold, who knows. Slower than expected T1 to get the HR down and then up a gigantic hill onto the bike course.
Bike: Hands down the toughest Oly distance bike course I've been on, constant climbs with 1700ft+ of gain. The strategy here was to ride as hard as possible to try and close the bike gap. We figured I could ride this course right around 1:00 flat if I rode my watts around 350-60. As soon as I got on the bike I knew it was game over. My quads were shot, fatigued and no juice. The legs were flat as a pancake and I couldn't sustain any power. The gamble had not paid off. I spent the remainder of the bike trying to restart the engine but just couldn't hold any sustained power and just started riding stupid spiking my watts too much on climbs etc. The course was wet and I wasn't willing to take any risks and crash again so I gave up some time there as well. Full disclosure - I didn't want to be out there anymore halfway through the bike, I just had no business racing on this day. Rolled into T2 a little disappointed and not really sure where I was in the field.
Target time: 1:00:00
Actual time: 1:06:12
Run: Another super tough Oly distance run course, again, the toughest 10k I've done in an Olympic distance race. Up and down the entire run with some very steep downhills which made it very difficult to get any speed going - about 700ft total gain over the entire course. There was one uphill in the back of the course at 12% grade that was BRUTAL!! I really couldn't get things going on the run until about the 5k mark when I warmed up a bit and started sweating but by this point it was way too late. Passed maybe 8-9 guys on the run but not nearly enough to put me anywhere close to the top 10. Given how my legs felt on the bike and difficulty of the course I was pretty happy running 37min.
Target Time: 35:00
Actual Time: 37:20
Position: 6th M30-34, 20th M Elite amateur, 52nd overall
Thursday, May 16, 2013
St. Croix Race Report - War of Attrition
This was one crazy ass race!!! We arrived in St. Croix on Wednesday to some gorgeous weather. My
first question was obviously about the weather for Sunday’s race since we came
from 60F days in Virginia so zero heat acclimation completed to date (not good).
Response “we rarely get rain here and when we do it’s just liquid sunshine,
here and gone quickly”. The view from our place on top a mountain was
absolutely amazing but we had to off road quite a bit to get to it (bumpy dirt
roads up a mountain – crazy!!). That night and the next morning we get
absolutely dumped on (the neighbors said it hadn’t rained like that in 7
months) – pretty sure I wasn’t the only one with the look of sheer terror in
the house since there were 4 other triathletes staying with us. Headed out for
a ride that afternoon and the roads were completely trashed – dirt/gravel/rocks
and standing water everywhere. My paranoia level was at about a level 5 given
we still had 3 days until the race. So, Saturday we ride again and the roads
are totally cleared and in great condition. Woohoo!!! But… hold your horse’s
cowboy. Another downpour Saturday evening which meant horrendous roads and
conditions for the race plus it had heated up considerably. Paranoia level
equals mach 10 at this point but it’s go time so saddle up and prepare for a
long journey...
Hanging out pre-race with the Colt man
Pre-race swim at the Buccaneer
The fam and view from our place
Due to a disqualification (a European pro tried
to sneak into the race as an Age grouper and was DQ’d) I was moved to 2nd
place and awarded the kona slot. FAR
OUT!!! I was pretty disappointed I didn’t get to celebrate this moment with my
friends and teammates at the awards ceremony but absolutely stoked for my first
trip to the tri mecca for Ironman World Championships. Truth be told I had said before the race I would turn down the Kona slot if offered but after what I had to endure there was no way I was turning down the slot.
Hanging w/ Blain at awards - KONA BABY!!!
Wrap up: Congrats to Debi Bernardes on her 2nd place AG finish and Kona slot and Molly Roohi on breaking top 10 for the first time racing as a pro. Fellow wattie teammate Blain Pearson rocked it out with a 2nd place AG and will also be joining me on the big island in October. Now, time to totally re-vamp the racing and training schedule for the rest of the season. A huge thank you to my wife Kristin for coming along with our 9 month old Colt in tow and cheering me on – I get so much positive race energy from these two and can’t stand to not have them at races. Thanks to coach Torsten Abel for all his guidance and support. Also a special thanks to race Sherpa of the year Cyrus Roohi – this guy saved the day multiple times and made sure we were packed and ready for race day!!! Thanks to Wattie Ink and all our amazing sponsors – K-Swiss, fuelbelt, speedfil, 454 tattoo, Blueseventy, powerbar. A super special thanks to Scott Bikes and Kask helmets for keeping me in one piece during the crash – still amazed I and the bike came out in one piece!! Ok, I think that’s it for all the thank you notes. Next up – Columbia 5150 and hopefully some good race mojo…
Post race insanity
Race morning: We got to transition as soon as it opened and
got racked and ready. The race was smaller with only about 500 athletes so
plenty of room to maneuver in transition. Everything was in good working order
and I was ready to roll. Chatted it up a bit then swam over to another island
for race start.
Swim: We had got a chance to preview the swim course on
Friday and it was an absolute beauty. By far my favorite swim ever (and I’m not
a huge fan of swimming). Gun went off and there was some jockeying to the first
buoy then everything opened up. I found sighting to be really easy during this
swim so I picked a steady pace and found clean water and off I went. I somehow
picked up a straggler about halfway thru and he drafted off me the entire rest
of the swim – drove me absolutely crazy touching my feet. I tried to kick him
in the face a few times with no success. Target was sub-30min, swim exit at
31:36, 6th out of the water in my AG and right in the mix. Not great
but not bad given no wetsuit and slight chop for the second half of the swim. Everyone
asks so I’ll say it again – yes the BlueSeventy speedsuit is worth the
investment for non-wetsuit swims. Blueseventy BZ3TZ – get one!! Goal is to be
under 30min before the end of the season in a non-wetsuit swim.
T1: No issues here. Quick and easy transition.
Bike: And the adventure begins… I’ll just say up front in
addition to this bike course being insanely difficult with non-stop steep
climbs and technical descents, the road conditions were horrible and probably
unsafe for racing. There were patches of 4-5 inch dirt that spanned 10-20 feet
long across the roads in many areas (some on downhill portions and turns) and
it was raining. Aside from the conditions the course was insanely tough
(excluding the beast portion there were multiple climbs of 15% grade or
better). I started off well riding with a few fast guys and then it happened
for the first time ever in a race on a steep downhill bank 7 miles into the
ride I lost control of my back wheel in some water and then hit gravel and it
was game over. Flipped over the handle bars and into a ditch which went a
little something like this:
Laid there for a minute to thank god I was still alive and
then assessed the damage – bike was in good shape and body was banged up but
okay for riding. My initial thought “you have to be f’in kidding me?!!” and a
flashback to IM 70.3 Galveston 4 weeks earlier where my glutes had locked on
the bike and tanked my race – this is seriously happening again 2 races in a
row? All the off season work down the tubes again. Checked everything out and
then got up and started rolling again very very cautiously. My hip was smashed
up but everything else seemed okay – I didn’t realize until later the top on my
liquid shot had severed which resulted in losing 25-30%% of my calories for the
bike. Two pros at the bottom of the hill had just crashed/flatted and watched
my entire episode and looked at me like I had lost my damn mind as I rode by,
wished me luck and off I went. I talked to Tim O’Donnell after race the race
and he told me I had tree branches still sticking out of my packet as I passed
them – crazy town!! The hip was bad but manageable and the race motto suddenly changed
from racing for an AG overall podium to extreme caution with the #1 goal of not
laying the bike down again – I really had no clue how difficult of a task this
would become as I pedaled onward but I took the remainder of the course very
very conservatively. The rest of the ride was no better as I battled dirt/debri
scattered roads and rain the entire rest of the ride. “El beast” was as
expected as I found myself snorting like a bull in a rodeo as I made my way up.
But as others have said “the race begins after the beast” – this is SO TRUE!! There are plenty of 15% climbs and technical
descents for the remaining 35 miles following the beast. I thought the Vegas
bike course was hard but it was pretty much a cake walk compared to this baby.
Anyhow, I was successful in not laying the bike down again and found myself
riding solo most of the ride pretty far out front picking up a few female pros
along the way. I was so concentrated on staying upright I really don’t remember
much of the scenery other than all the kids and locals out cheering – thumbs up
and a big smile to everyone who came out to cheer. I kept hearing “go wattie” –
it was awesome!! Rolled into T2 around 2:36 which was about 10min slower than
expected but in one piece. I knew immediately that my hip was in bad shape and
was dreading put 2 feet on land.
Headed out for a crazy ride
T2: PAIN!!! My initial feeling as soon as I stepped off the
bike. The hip was way worse than I thought at a pain level 7 at best. My feet
were covered in mud (think cyclocross again) so I took extra time and 2 water
bottles to wash them off completely before heading out to the run course aka
“tropical rainforest”
Deep in the pain cave here
Run: Another racer, Kiley Austin-Young, said the run in St.
Croix on this day was the most miserable/disenchanting experience of his entire
athletic career – I would like to plagiarize his words and second that notion
since it adequately describes my feelings as well. Brutal would be an
understatement. 95F and 100% humidity with no wind. As soon as we got out of
transition it was like stepping into a furnace. Everyone talks about how hard
the bike course is here but the run course is just as hard and once you add the
heat it’s even harder!!! I made it about 2 miles into the run course at a
decent pace but my hip was in really bad shape and I was operating in a caloric
deficit due to losing half my stash during the bike crash. At this point my
initial thought was DNF – you are done dude. Two races in a row with horrible
luck (my glutes locked up IM 70.3 Galveston 4 weeks earlier and forced me into
a 15min stop on the bike), it’s not your day, turn in your chip and don’t do
anymore damage. How can this be happening again? I put in so much work during
the off-season for this to happen twice in a row? Then I see my wife and son cheering loudly (okay you can do this – I can’t
let them down, they came all this way) and then I come up on Angela Naeth who
had flatted out of the race and my mind
jumped back to Vegas 2012 where she had a horrible crash but finished the race.
I remembered talking to her on the run course and her saying she wasn’t going
to DNF despite how horrible she felt as she limped along with road rash all
over her body. Ok Stock, lock it up right now and we are going to do this!!! Many
times crucial decisions are made during the race that can significantly impact
the outcome, this was one of those times. A crucial decision was made – damage
control mode button pushed - I knew I had to do everything I could to salvage
the hip and maintain a steady pace so I decided from that point on that I would
walk all the aid stations and maintain a steady pace of 6:30-40 in between. I
continued on with this strategy throughout the entire run using the aid
stations to cool as much as possible. At around mile 6 I came up on an athlete stumbling
like a drunk sailor after the bar was let out. It happened to be Ben Collins
who went way too hard on the bike which proved a long known theory – bike for
the show, run for the dough. At the turnaround I got a split from my buddy
letting me know I was in 2nd which really gave me some extra
motivation to keep trucking along. Lap 2 wasn’t much better than the first but
I did get a little kick for the last 1.5 miles to bring it on home – honestly I
just wanted to be done as quickly as possible and get into the med tent. 1:35
run split while walking every aid station each 1k of the run – can’t say I’m
proud of this but it was the best I could muster given the circumstances.
Initially, I ended up 3rd in my AG and was pretty bummed out on
missing the kona slot due to only 2 slots being available in my AG… BUT…
Wrap up: Congrats to Debi Bernardes on her 2nd place AG finish and Kona slot and Molly Roohi on breaking top 10 for the first time racing as a pro. Fellow wattie teammate Blain Pearson rocked it out with a 2nd place AG and will also be joining me on the big island in October. Now, time to totally re-vamp the racing and training schedule for the rest of the season. A huge thank you to my wife Kristin for coming along with our 9 month old Colt in tow and cheering me on – I get so much positive race energy from these two and can’t stand to not have them at races. Thanks to coach Torsten Abel for all his guidance and support. Also a special thanks to race Sherpa of the year Cyrus Roohi – this guy saved the day multiple times and made sure we were packed and ready for race day!!! Thanks to Wattie Ink and all our amazing sponsors – K-Swiss, fuelbelt, speedfil, 454 tattoo, Blueseventy, powerbar. A super special thanks to Scott Bikes and Kask helmets for keeping me in one piece during the crash – still amazed I and the bike came out in one piece!! Ok, I think that’s it for all the thank you notes. Next up – Columbia 5150 and hopefully some good race mojo…
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
IM 70.3 Galveston Race Report - To DNF or Not to DNF...
Pre-race: The Galveston course on paper looks pretty easy (for a 70.3 distance race) but there is one factor that can make or break the race – the WIND. I knew this coming in so I was watching the conditions throughout the week. There first day we arrived and road on course the wind was pretty mild the next day it was insane. Luckily, on race day the wind was a little more in the mild side and temps were pleasant so all was good (or so I thought). I was feeling great and ready to race – I had felt fresh all week which I think was due to a change in how we are tapering me into 70.3 races this season with a little more “easing into” taper week vice a huge drop off. In terms of logistics this race is pretty fantastic if you stay at Moody Gardens – everything is right there and easily accessible which means I’ll probably be down to do this race again next season with the little one. I met up with fellow Wattie Ron Schmidt the day before the race for a run course pre-review and everything was in good working order. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the Wattie squad throughout the season. Major props to Moxie Multisport crew out of Austin for letting me borrow a race kit – these guys and gals were frickin awesome and rocking it out with a lot of energy on the run course.
Race Strategy: My fitness was in really good shape based upon a good showing at an Olympic distance a few weeks ago so the goal here was to race FTW. This was the first flat 70.3 course I have raced on in a long long time so not a lot to plan for other than potential windy conditions on the bike and constant pedaling/effort. I’ve been on the trainer almost exclusively all winter so I wasn’t really worried about the constant pedaling with no breaks – oh little did I know what was lurking ahead. My swim is still way behind where it needs to be but improving slowly but surely. Given this, we decided to use the swim as a warm-up (not going anaerobic) to a very strong bike effort and then try to close the deal on the run. Played out different scenarios depending on the wind direction but basically try and use the power I can push on the bike to my advantage to close the gap to the guys off the front out of the water and then put in a sub-1:20 run. I’ve gone away from racing strictly by watts but we decided that it was a good idea for me to ride my target 70.3 watts (330-40w) for this race given the unpredictable wind and flat course. Same race morning set up as always, woke up 3 hours early to eat, relax a bit, set up transition and then off to swim start.
Swim: Target: 27-28:00 Actual time: 31:06. Garmin had the course at 2.15km.
Conditions: Water temp was a bit chilly at 65F and looked to be a bit of current and light chop in the water as well (thank god we were swimming in a protected inlet and not the Gulf).
My Helix wasn’t in yet but Ryan from BlueSeventy was kind enough to loan me a Reaction which worked nicely. 2 very large M30-34 waves of which I was the second (hate this set up). Pretty much the same as every other 70.3 swim – lots of contact and muscling around for about 200-400M and then things settled down a bit and I was able to get into a rhythm. Just picked a steady pace and kept with it reminding myself to focus on form and a strong pull. The first leg felt like we were swimming into the current. We made the turn and things broke up considerably and I was able to get clean water and a good line as we started swimming up on the first M30-34 wave. I was pretty much swimming by myself at this point which kind of sucked and never found any feet the entire race. The course started to seem very long and the orange buoys felt like they were never going to end, finally hit the second red turn buoy and into the Colonel’s paddle boat. A little disappointed with a 31:06 on the watch but the swim felt long and I wasn’t gassed so all was good. No clue how far back I am off the front but time to put in some work on the bike.
T1: Nothing fancy here – get the HR down, wetsuit off and onto the Scott Plasma to put in some work.
Bike: Target: 2:10-15 Actual Time: 2:28:54
Conditions: 70F, humid, partly cloudy and headwind in both directions
I got a chance to ride the course ahead of time in mild and super windy conditions so had a good idea of what to expect in either scenario. I felt great coming out of T2 so it was on like donkey kong – time to close the gap to the front. There was a slight headwind on the way out but nothing too crazy and was able to comfortably ride my watts around 330w and average 25-26MPH. I was making up a lot of time quickly by the turn. Got a look at Wil Emery and Reilly Smith and figured I was maybe 4min back so everything was going as planned. Followed my nutrition plan spot on, energy was steady and constant, HR and breathing wasn’t controlled. I was executing the race plan to perfection. Made the turn and the tailwind I thought I was going to have turned into a stronger headwind than we had on the way out but no worries. I was feeling amazing and just stuck to the plan – ride watts and take in nutrition on my intervals. I was on target for a 2:08-10 bike split which would have put me right in the mix FTW. Around mile 35 my glutes started to get a little tight so got out of the saddle every few minutes to stretch but no fatigue or drift. What I wasn’t expecting was a complete lock up of my glutes and excruciating pain at mile 45. I almost crashed but was able to pull over and somehow clip out. It was all I could muster to get my leg over the top tube. At this point the pain was so intense I was dead set on a DNF – I physically could not get back on the bike. I slowly watched everyone I had just passed and put 5-10min into pass me on the side of the road in agony. NOT A FUN EXPERIENCE. All I could think about was how embarrassed I was going to be having to DNF my first race of the season. Finally the race support vehicle comes by and doesn’t stop. WTF!! Now, I’m left with 2 options – hitch hike a ride back to T2 or wait until the pain subsides and try to ride the 10 miles back to transition. After about 15min the pain started to subside slightly and I was able to get back on the bike and ride easy out of the saddle back to T2. The glutes loosened up a bit on the ride back so now I had to make a decision – DNF or try and run myself back into the race. My garmin had me still able to go 4:15-20 if I ran well so I said screw let’s see how it goes and try to get back in the race (little did I know my garmin stopped for a while when I stopped on the side of the road and was off by 8minutes).
T2: My legs felt okay but a little tight/sore so gathered myself for what I knew would be a mentally taxing run and off I went.
Run: Target 1:16 Actual Time: 1:22:53
My original run goal was to come out of T2 at a 6:00/mile pace and work into a 5:40-50 pace within the first 1.5 miles then hold atleast 5:50 pace throughout with a kick at the end. I knew from training and racing over the past few months that 5:40 was do-able if I was feeling great but I was far from great after what just happened on the bike so the revised goal was to run at a moderate pace that would allow me to not blow apart but still move back up through the field (I was still working on the presumption of a 4:15-20 finish time at this point). I came out a little fast at 5:38 pace for the first few miles then eased back and ran comfortably the remainder of the race. The Moxie Multisport crew was providing some awesome run course support and pumping up all the racers - they brought me back from the dead on each loop. Kellen's "W" speedo was an absolute trip!! Texas is a 3 loop run which is kind of nice but also has a ton of sharp turns which slows the run speed considerably – makes it hard to settle into a good steady tempo. With 2500 participants on a 3 loop course I was really surprised how spread out everyone was. The RD and volunteers did a great job at spacing aid stations so they weren’t overly crowded and at no point did I ever feel packed in on the run course. The first 2 laps went relatively well and by the 3rd lap I wasn’t feeling all that great but was able to hold it together and finish just under 4:20 but…. WAIT FOR IT, WAIT FOR IT. My actual time was 4:27:53 – somehow my watched had stopped when I got off my bike and I didn’t realize it.
So, after a scary episode on the bike and a 60min trip to the med tent for an IV post-race I was pretty bummed to learn my time was much slower than expected. On the bright side, I was happy to finish and get the 70.3 fitness in despite the day’s setbacks. Not exactly what I set out to do on the day but sometimes things just don’t play out as planned and you have re-group and move onto the next race. Still not sure whether the smarter option would have been to DNF on the bike but my competitive drive probably got the best of me here. On to the next one… 4 weeks until St. Croix and a shot at Kona….
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wildman Olympic Distance Race Report - Cleaning Out the Cobwebs...
Bottom Line Up Front:
Overall Time: 1:53:38 Place: 3rd overall
Wildman was a late add to piggy back off a training camp and vacation in Florida with my family. All in all a super productive trip and enjoyable trip. The weather was pretty fantastic, makes me want to move down to FL to take advantage of year round training outdoors. It was a vivid reminder of how much I hate cold weather. The past 5 months have been solely focused on getting me ready for a season of 70.3 distance racing so all of my pacing is set up to optimize my performance distance right now. This was a lesson from last season where we tried to balance Olympic and 70.3 racing and it just wasn’t a good formula for me and it became clear I’m much more competitive at the 70.3 distance mainly due to my sub-par swimming ability. Due to this I knew I probably wasn’t going to be able to go as fast as I would like or am capable at the Olympic distance. Or as my coach said after the race: “my internal Governor is set for 70.3 distance racing” – good for 70.3 racing, bad for Olympic distance racing. . Mentally, I did not approach this race as serious as I typically do which probably carried over a bit into my performance but also meant I was pretty darn relaxed. So, the focus for this race was to get in a good hard effort and work out any kinks prior to IM 70.3 Galveston in 4 weeks. Mission completed and success
Pre-race: Went out to the race site 2 days in advance and drove the course with Kristin and sleeping baby Colt. The bike course was pretty much pancake flat but Kristin pointed out there were a lot of turns and sand at the corners – note taken – course probably won’t be as fast as it looks. Met up with fellow Wattie Inkers Steve Houston and Adam Furlong race morning and chatted it up a bit – the prevailing topic seemed to be the cool weather and freezing cold water. Steve helped me out big time with a borrowed Blueseventy Helix which was essential due to the 63F water temp. Chit chatted a bit, transition set-up (I used fellow Wattie Dusty Nabor’s transition motto of simple simple simple) and off to swim start. Race time temp was ~52F. 
Swim: 1500M, 2 loop course. I was reluctant to do a pre-race swim due to the cold temp at 63F but learned from last season that whenever possible I really need to loosen up prior to swim start. Decided to forgo the pre-race swim (error #1). Zipped up the Blueseventy Helix and we were underway. First time in the Blueseventy Helix and have to say I was really impressed with the performanceof this wetsuit – amazing wetsuit and super pumped to have them as a team sponsor!!! Can wait to zip up the custom Wattie Ink Elite Team version arriving in a few weeks. Ankle deep mass start for the men. Gun went off and the front group was a bit of a tangled mess and I got kicked back to pack 2 and lost the front pack. I immediately realized how cold the water was and tried to hold off the panic attack flashback from my hypothermia event at Knoxville 2 years ago when I had to be pulled from the water. Eventually settled into an awkward stiff/cold pace for the first loop. Finally settled into a faster pace for lap 2 and bridged back up to some feet (which ended up being the race winner) and starting passing a few people until swim exit but totally lost track of the rest of the field. I actually thought we were swimming out front since I didn’t see any more swim caps ahead but I was very very wrong. Overall, swim wasn’t too bad, could have definitely swam faster had I and the water been warmer. Still not too horrible and a 45 second improvement from race #1 last season on a slower course. Way too much time lost to the front group though which came back to bite me later. Swim times have come down but need to continue to drop throughout the season. More steady progress to be made in the pool over the coming months. Swim time on my watch was 23:24.
T1: Long run to transition w/ frozen extremities. I decided to wear socks on the bike since it was a bit cool out. Took me forever to get socks on my frozen feet with my frozen hands – took waaaaaay too long in T1 (error #2). Race winner, Billy Edwards, smoked me in transition. Very simple, transition times need to improve be better. This is the second race in a row where I’ve essentially given up a possible win in transition – not good.
Bike: Bike course was a flat 2 loop course with a lot of turns (think I counted 20 total). Hopped on the new Scott Plasma and rolled hot out of T1 hoping to bridge the gap to the front group. This was my first race on the Scott Plasma and was really impressed with performance and comfort – not the best course for a TT bike but can’t wait to get this speed machine on the 70.3 circuit and open it up a bit. Had no clue how far back I was from the front (ended up being 2:30-3:30min) but knew I needed to get on the crank to make up some time. Got my first look at the front group with “no shirt guy” in front, Steve Houston in second and Adam Furlong in 3rd and was about 2min back. I thought I was going to be able to make this up on the second loop but was struggling to push the pace due to all the stop and go on turns and cold weather – I purposely try to stay away from cold weather races since I never seem to race well in the cold. This was only my 3rd ride outside in the past 3 months so was reluctant to corner hard (error #3). Also calibrated my powermeter incorrectly while the bike was on the rack in T1 which totally screwed up my power readings (error #4). Just rode as hard as I could to try and bridge the gap and cut the time before the run. Lap 2 put me at about 60-90 seconds off the front. As I rolled into T2 I could see Steve leaving so knew I was about 60-90 seconds back. Ride time off my garmin 500 had me at 55:12, race clock said 56:11 – go figure. Either way, a lot slower than I had expected end up being around 25MPH avg vs 26-27MPH avg I had seen in training for race pace efforts.
T2: Got my shoes on very quickly and intended to make this as quick as possible but ended up running the wrong way out of T2 and had to turn around and had to go back out the other direction (error #5).
 |
| Trying to catch Steve in 2nd |
Run: Flat, curvy run course on sand. I wasn’t really a fan of this run course since I couldn’t see very far ahead due to all the turns and the traction was pretty loose in most parts. I was in 5th to start the run and bridged up to Adam in 4th pretty quickly. He advised that I was about 2min back so a lot of work to do here. I was battling some abdominal cramps and a tight right hamstring over the first 1.5 miles so had to hold back a bit from the 5:20-30 pace I was expecting to run. Settled into a 5:45-50 pace (which just happens to be my 70.3 pace) and got stuck there – not sure if this was mental, physical or both but certainly not what I was expecting. Flew by “no shirt guy” at the turn which put me in 3rd and a lot of work to do in short order to bridge up to the front. My legs just didn’t have their normal 10k turnover so had to stick with my 70.3 run pacing. About halfway through the second loop I could start to see Steve up ahead but then lost sight again through the turns, made my decision to turn on the gas way too late (error #6) due to the shorter run course and ended up finishing in 3rd overall about 15 seconds back of Steve in 2nd and a touch over 1min back of 1st. Always a great sight coming up to the finish line to see Kristin and Colt waving and cheering. Came in at 30:54 (race clock) on a 5.3-6ish mile course so still not bad effort but pretty disappointed in my run today. The one positive is that I felt as though I could hold the 5:45-50 pace all day so a very good sign going into IM 70.3 Galveston in 4 weeks.
 |
| Wattie crew sweeping up 2nd and 3rd overall |
Great kickoff to the 2013 season with a shout out and thanks to my #1 fan Kristin (wife), coach Torsten Abel, Wattie Ink Elite Team and sponsors: Blueseventy, K-Swiss, Speedfil, ISM (thanks Dave Bunce for the new saddle choice – the breakaway is amazing), Scott Bikes, Fuelbelt, 454 tattoo, Reynolds Cycling, Kask Helmets and Powerbar.
NEXT UP - IM 70.3 GALVESTION APRIL 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
K-Swiss Shoe Reviews - Kwicky Blade Light vs Blade Light Run II
Runner Background:
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 158-60lbs
Biomechanics: Mid-foot stiker, moderate cadence, slight supination (outside strike), neutral shoe
Foot type: mod-high arch and narrow foot.
Runs completed: Treadmill and road. Speed work at 5:00 pace and below, easy and moderate paced long runs up to 17.5 miles, hill work, moderate paced running at 6:30 pace, easy runs at 7:30 pace.
Kwicky Blade Light (neutral): The kwicky is a very comfortable shoe that "hugs" the foot nicely. Incorporates seem free technology so can be worn sockless if that is a preference. Very comfortable and "broken in" right out of the box. The shoe is made with breathable material including drainage holes in the bottom and water repellant material. There is a noticeable drop from heel to toe (I believe 12mm). Toe box is pretty tight and hugs the foot - my toes feel a bit jammed in these shoes but I size down a 1/2 size and like my shoes very snug.
Blade light run II: Comortable foot bed and plenty of cushion around the heel of the shoe. Incorporates seem free technology so can be worn sockless if that is a preference. Very comfortable upon initial fitting but requires a break in period for running (see notes below). Toe box is much roomier than the kwicky but I didn't experience any shifting since the rest of the shoe hugged my foot quite nicely. Much flatter feel at 8mm drop from heel to toe - very balanced shoe which carried over into run sessions.
Overall, I preferred the fit of the BLR II over the kwicky for an everyday trainer mainly due to the roomier toe box.
Comfort/Ride Quality:
Kwicky Blade Light (neutral): I've heard others make this comment about the kwicky's and I think it holds true for my experience - overall, they provide a soft "spongy" ride and are pretty responsive punchy which I like for faster sessions. Very comfortable for running right out of the box. As a midfoot striker I definitely noticed the beafier heel and the drop to the forefoot. Forefoot padding is a little thin for my strike pattern especially for an everyday trainer but I think this wouldn't be as noticeable for heel strikers. This is really my biggest gripe with the shoe - over long runs it became a noticeable wear area on the front ball of my foot. I'll definitely lean towards these shoes for longer tempo sessions or days wear my legs may be feeling a bit heavy. I'm on the fence between the kwicky and k-ruuz 1.5 over the 70.3 distance.
Blade light run II (neutral shoe): Immediate impression of these shoes were twofold: definitely has a low drop feel similar to the kinvara3 (best comparison I could think of) which is more generous to the midfoot strike crowd and alot firmer ride than the kwicky which I particular notice during hill repeat sessions. The first few runs in these shoes were a little firm but I did notice after a few sessions (25-30 miles) these shoes broke in quite nicely which has been my experience with other shoes as well. K-swiss did a great job with the R&D that went into this shoe adding some additional rubber support in the heavy use areas I mentioned above (forefoot and inner ball of the foot) there is noticeably more support in the forefoot which is a heavy use area for me - bonus!!! It does feel a touch heavier than the kwicky but this may have been due to the weight being more blanced throughout the shoe but definitely not a klunker at under 10oz. I also didn't feel the "springy-ness" of the kwicky in this shoe but I think this shoe holds up much better for long sessions. Not a shoe I would race in at the Olympic or 70.3 distance but I think this would be a good candidate for 140.6 distance racing since the shoe relatively light and holds up well with no "break down" effect over longer runs - 17+ miles.
Overall, I was very happy with this shoes' performance as an every day trainer and will be my staple for training. I'll probably still rotate in the kwicky's for some faster sessions but my strike pattern and biomechanics work much better with the BLR II.
70.3 distance race day choice: Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Note to K-Swiss on the K-Ruuz 1.5: This is a great race flat but would love to see k-swiss incorporate the lower drop profile of the BLR II into the k-ruuz model and add more padding to the forefoot. Fingers crossed that there will be a K-ruuz 2.0 released in the very near future that meets these specs!!!!
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 158-60lbs
Biomechanics: Mid-foot stiker, moderate cadence, slight supination (outside strike), neutral shoe
Foot type: mod-high arch and narrow foot.
Runs completed: Treadmill and road. Speed work at 5:00 pace and below, easy and moderate paced long runs up to 17.5 miles, hill work, moderate paced running at 6:30 pace, easy runs at 7:30 pace.
Shoe Fit
Blade light run II: Comortable foot bed and plenty of cushion around the heel of the shoe. Incorporates seem free technology so can be worn sockless if that is a preference. Very comfortable upon initial fitting but requires a break in period for running (see notes below). Toe box is much roomier than the kwicky but I didn't experience any shifting since the rest of the shoe hugged my foot quite nicely. Much flatter feel at 8mm drop from heel to toe - very balanced shoe which carried over into run sessions.
Overall, I preferred the fit of the BLR II over the kwicky for an everyday trainer mainly due to the roomier toe box.
Comfort/Ride Quality:
Kwicky Blade Light (neutral): I've heard others make this comment about the kwicky's and I think it holds true for my experience - overall, they provide a soft "spongy" ride and are pretty responsive punchy which I like for faster sessions. Very comfortable for running right out of the box. As a midfoot striker I definitely noticed the beafier heel and the drop to the forefoot. Forefoot padding is a little thin for my strike pattern especially for an everyday trainer but I think this wouldn't be as noticeable for heel strikers. This is really my biggest gripe with the shoe - over long runs it became a noticeable wear area on the front ball of my foot. I'll definitely lean towards these shoes for longer tempo sessions or days wear my legs may be feeling a bit heavy. I'm on the fence between the kwicky and k-ruuz 1.5 over the 70.3 distance.
Blade light run II (neutral shoe): Immediate impression of these shoes were twofold: definitely has a low drop feel similar to the kinvara3 (best comparison I could think of) which is more generous to the midfoot strike crowd and alot firmer ride than the kwicky which I particular notice during hill repeat sessions. The first few runs in these shoes were a little firm but I did notice after a few sessions (25-30 miles) these shoes broke in quite nicely which has been my experience with other shoes as well. K-swiss did a great job with the R&D that went into this shoe adding some additional rubber support in the heavy use areas I mentioned above (forefoot and inner ball of the foot) there is noticeably more support in the forefoot which is a heavy use area for me - bonus!!! It does feel a touch heavier than the kwicky but this may have been due to the weight being more blanced throughout the shoe but definitely not a klunker at under 10oz. I also didn't feel the "springy-ness" of the kwicky in this shoe but I think this shoe holds up much better for long sessions. Not a shoe I would race in at the Olympic or 70.3 distance but I think this would be a good candidate for 140.6 distance racing since the shoe relatively light and holds up well with no "break down" effect over longer runs - 17+ miles.
Overall, I was very happy with this shoes' performance as an every day trainer and will be my staple for training. I'll probably still rotate in the kwicky's for some faster sessions but my strike pattern and biomechanics work much better with the BLR II.
70.3 distance race day choice: Decisions, decisions, decisions...
Note to K-Swiss on the K-Ruuz 1.5: This is a great race flat but would love to see k-swiss incorporate the lower drop profile of the BLR II into the k-ruuz model and add more padding to the forefoot. Fingers crossed that there will be a K-ruuz 2.0 released in the very near future that meets these specs!!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Build, Build, Build
I've held off posting for a few weeks to provide the report of my first bigger build week of the year and recovery. First big build week of the year was a success - 21.5 total hours with a bike focus following a big bike block (so a ton of bike volume over a 15 days period). I had been averaging about 13-16hrs/week and a few 18hr weeks so a decent bump in volume to stress the body a bit more. We decided to focus on the bike for this block since late November thru Dec were focussed on bigger run volume (45-55 miles/week). I'll admit I was a little worried my bike was getting behind with all the focus on running over the past 2 months and guess what?! bike fitness was still as solid as ever. The body responded very nicely - no extreme soreness or fatigue. Last season I was really dragging during any week over 20 hours. I really felt like I absorbed every bit of the training during the bigger build week. Kudos to coach Torsten for laying this out in a way to stress my body but not absolutely shut me down. Very good mix of aerobic training with some harder efforts to fire the muscle fibers a bit including a 5K race on the Monday to kickoff the week. The recovery week following went well with no residual fatigue or SICKNESS. With the focus on staying healthy this year so this was huge. Money in the bank for the upcoming season.
Build Week Totals (bike focus):
Time: 21.5 hours
Bike: 260 miles
Run: 34.7 miles
Core: 40min
Swim: 10,000M
Build Week Totals (bike focus):
Time: 21.5 hours
Bike: 260 miles
Run: 34.7 miles
Core: 40min
Swim: 10,000M
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Build Block + Village 5K Race Report
With my build block well underway and a 5 weeks of solid swim/run volume it was time for a big bike block (13hours in 6 days). Mentally I was a little concerned about the lower bike volume but every session has been focused on quality and the numbers were looking good for off season base building. Coach re-assured me that my bike fitness would not be a problem and he was right (as usual). Will be interesting to see where my lactate threshold levels are this year compared to last December's baseline test - my guess if a 60-75w increase but we'll have to see what the numbers say. Solid 13 hour block complete over the holidays with a 5K race sprinkled in for fun. Three more build blocks on the bike planned before the end of the February and then we get into race specific work 5-6 weeks out from IM 70.3 Texas. Everything is on track and looking good.
Village 5K Race Report:
I say this all the time but I really hate racing and training in the cold. Well, this race was definitely in the cold category. Doing this race in the middle of a big cycling block I knew my legs would probably be pretty tight/heavy and a good warm-up was warranted. Also, this was an afternoon race which was a little different. I probably ate too much for lunch 3 hours prior so note taken for future late day races. Got in a good warm-up and threw on the K-swiss k-ruuz 1.5 and was ready to rock n roll. The goal was 16:30 but after seeing the course was quite hilly with 2 x 180degrees turns on non-fresh legs I decided sub-17 would be good goal. I really didn't use any strategy for this one just try and go as fast as I could without blowing up mid-race. It looked as though there were a few college XC kids in town for the holidays. One guy got out front and I tried to stay on his shoulder as long as I could but let him go after about 3/4 of a mile (he ended up running a 15:34) and he created a 75M gap pretty quickly. Felt good through the first mile at 5:07 but as soon as we started to hit the uphills my quads got pretty heavy so I decided to try and make up as much as I could on the downhills. I was good through the first 180 turn and then back uphill but saw 2 guys starting to close, same thing at the next turn and then CRAP - caught again at mile 2.5. Two guys gapped my quickly and held pace through the finish to come in about 5 seconds ahead of me. If I could figure out how to race these things a little more efficiently I probably could have held on to second but all in all this is good speed work for the upcoming season. I closed out better than the last 2 races and crossed the finish line in 4th at 16:47 (almost 20 seconds from 3 weeks ago on a similar course).
Time: 16:47
Place: 4th overall / 1s M30-34
Village 5K Race Report:
I say this all the time but I really hate racing and training in the cold. Well, this race was definitely in the cold category. Doing this race in the middle of a big cycling block I knew my legs would probably be pretty tight/heavy and a good warm-up was warranted. Also, this was an afternoon race which was a little different. I probably ate too much for lunch 3 hours prior so note taken for future late day races. Got in a good warm-up and threw on the K-swiss k-ruuz 1.5 and was ready to rock n roll. The goal was 16:30 but after seeing the course was quite hilly with 2 x 180degrees turns on non-fresh legs I decided sub-17 would be good goal. I really didn't use any strategy for this one just try and go as fast as I could without blowing up mid-race. It looked as though there were a few college XC kids in town for the holidays. One guy got out front and I tried to stay on his shoulder as long as I could but let him go after about 3/4 of a mile (he ended up running a 15:34) and he created a 75M gap pretty quickly. Felt good through the first mile at 5:07 but as soon as we started to hit the uphills my quads got pretty heavy so I decided to try and make up as much as I could on the downhills. I was good through the first 180 turn and then back uphill but saw 2 guys starting to close, same thing at the next turn and then CRAP - caught again at mile 2.5. Two guys gapped my quickly and held pace through the finish to come in about 5 seconds ahead of me. If I could figure out how to race these things a little more efficiently I probably could have held on to second but all in all this is good speed work for the upcoming season. I closed out better than the last 2 races and crossed the finish line in 4th at 16:47 (almost 20 seconds from 3 weeks ago on a similar course).
Time: 16:47
Place: 4th overall / 1s M30-34
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