Ayerd{dot}com :: Triathlon

Or, as Bob Roll would say, Tour Day WaWa! That right people, 105 miles of riding in South Jersey over the weekend. Jumped into a century just to see how it would go — and that distance was already in my schedule.

It was better than the last century ride. I even remembered the bike shorts. Total time for this 105 miles was around 5:30 with an average pace of 19.1. I can only hope to do that will in Florida.

Sunday was another bike ride, but only for 90 minutes. Followed those 28 miles up with a 90 minute run. Managed around 10 miles in that time which, for me, is blazing speed! I think I'm getting the hang of this running stuff.

Next step: rest Monday, swim and run on Tuesdy. w00t!

I know, I blaspheme. Just want to stop getting up at ungodly hours to swim, bike, and run. I think this is beginning of burning out.

How sweet would it be to take a week or two completly off? I'd love to, but I'm afraid of losing the pitiful conditioning I currently have. So, somehow I don't think those weeks off are very likely.

Anyway, up at 5:30 for an hour run. Should have been 105 minutes but didn't have the time or the heart to go that long. Got in just over 6 miles so I wasn't going too slow, but the effort just wasn't there. I could tell. Then there is the guilt from not putting in a quality workout. Maybe I'll go home and run another hour to make it up?

On the plus side, I'm still looking forward to the races! Got a sprint this weekend down in Brigantine — .25/11/4. I'm hoping to get the swim done in 6:30, average 24-25 mph on the bike, and then really push the run and get 8:30 or better on the miles. Going to be a real close on the run. Real close.

Okay, back to feeling guilty about not wanting to work out.

Okay, so I'm now sure that Ironman traning does not get you ready to put in a super fast sprint time. Over the weekend we completed the Brigantine Triathlon — 0.25 swim/11 bike/4 run.

The swim went okay. This year I was sans wet suit. It also seemed as if the current in the bay was bit stronger than last year. Total swim time was 7:24. Slow for me — 30 seconds slower than last year. That kind of irked me.

T1 went pretty well. Easy jog to the bike. One of the perks in being in the first wave is that you are usually one of the first few people out of the transition. There was a little kid counting people over the timing mat and as I went past he said, "12". Made me feel good at the time.

Bike was a flat loop around the island. Some twisty roads with just a hint of sand build up in the usual spots going around the corners. Felt pretty strong on the bike. There was a pretty good head wind along the ocean front, but as soon as you dropped between the houses and then along the bay, the wind was gone. Managed 19 in the wind, 24-25 without it. Total bike time was 31:07 for an average speed of 21.2.

Run was pretty good. As you all know, I am not a runner. This year I managed a blazing 9:17/mile. Fast? Only for me. Total run time was 37:07.

So, ye olde clock tells me the race took 1:19. Four minutes faster than last year even with the slower swim. I think the biggest positive I can take away from the race is that I could have kept that pace all day. I was just getting into a groove when I ran out of water. The bike was like a training ride and at the end I felt really strong. The run was tough for the first quarter mile and then it was good. Could have kept that 9:20 pace all afternoon.

In fact, in 12 days there is Timberman. My only goal for that race is to try and run the whole 13.1 miles without stopping. No walking in Timberman! Chris found the perfect quote to hold in my thoughts: 'Like Coach Troy Jacobson says, "You want to slow down, but you don't need to slow down."'

Here's hoping!

Sunday

Sunday was a long-ish bike day. Under cloudy skys I set off for three hours in the hills. Ick. At least the rain held off until about an hour after I got back. Instead of actual rain, the clouds where just spiting enough to make the roads damp. At least I didn't crash. 48 total miles.

Coeur d'Alene? Sounds French, really in Idaho. Very tempting. I know I've been talking about Florida next year but the long, very long, and just way to freak'in long bike and runs in July-August are pretty horrible here in NJ. There is a reason the guys in DC started taking the summer off when there wasn't air conditioning.

IM-CDA is in June. That means long training in April-May. It is nice in April and May. It would also free up the dog days of summer for sprints and Olympic distance events. Not to mention nachos and rum!

This could be a plan. Stay tuned for an update.

/me hums Private Idaho to self

Wil, over at Through th3 Wall has uncovered, via Dave, the Running Guru, the quintessential term to describe the folks that help normal people like me (okay, there are probably people closer to "normal" than me, but you get the idea) complete the training needed for Ironman type events.

Iron Sherpas

She says it best, so I'll quote at length:

See, there's a lot of behind the scenes that goes into triathlon for we age-groupers, or any hobby, really. Any hobby that isn't so much a hobby as it is a lifestyle, and anyone who lives with one of these people with a lifestyle knows what I'm talking about. My very inspiring friend, Dave, the Running Guru, put it best when he said that they are the "Iron Sherpas."

These are the people in our lives who make sure that everything doesn't blow away while we're out chasing our dream. They make sure that we have somewhere comfortable to come back to when we're done hunting for the day, and they don't ask for credit or for payback.

It is all so true. I get all choked up just thinking about it. So, to all the Iron Sherpas out there — and, Bretta, I'm looking at you — "Thanks!" It would be truly be impossible without out.

Okay, 6 days until Timberman. This weekend was too hot to do much.

I did get in a 5-hour ride on Friday after work. Crikey, but it was hot. Found this horrible hill about 15 miles away from the homestead. After 15 minutes of grinding my way up the 10° incline I thought I was going to die. The worst part was coming back down — stop sign at the bottom where it Ts into a fairly busy road. At full breaking power I was still moving. Very scary.

Saturday was a 4,500 yard swim. Chasing Bill Segal up and down the lane is a plenty tough workout. My only goal is to not finish the interval too far back!

Sunday was brutal. 95°+ and 90%+ humidity. No way was I heading out. So I started the taper a day early. I figure if a 4-hour bike ride and an hour run really make the difference between a finish and a DNF, I'm not doing something right in all the other training.

This week is all about the taper and getting plenty of salts into the body. The key, I feel, is starting Wednesday, to drink at least one bottle of Gatorade (or the non-union Mexican equivalent) and take an Endurolyte every 2-3 hours. Sure it makes you feel a little bloated... but on race day heavy salt sweaters like myself don't cramp up or bonk.

For now, back to my 'resting'. Hoping for an hour run and 3,000 yard swim tomorrow.

Starting to get a little psyched!

Starting to check out the weather for Timberman. Looks like it is going to be okay nice on Sunday. Small chance of rain on Saturday, but partly cloudy with a high of 81 on Sunday.

Could be a nice day for a half Ironman!

Okay, so the short workouts as part of the taper are kind of fun. After the grueling longer workouts, there is something kind of nice about running for an hour with friends. Way less pressure, way more fun.

3,000 yards in the pool only takes an hour. Just enough time to enjoy the water. Not long enough for you to curse the Gods for requiring so many laps to not DNF a race.

I suppose it is like that "How many licks to get to the Tootsie Roll center of Tootsie Pop" type of question. How many laps is enough to not shame yourself in an Ironman? Indeed, the world may never know!

Tomorrow is a 50 minute bike ride before the big packing day on Thursday.

Weather Update

Chance of rain is up to 50% for Sunday in NH. Drops to 10% for Monday so I'm guessing the big chance for rain is in the morning. Swimming in the rain is okay. Let's just hope the roads are dry by the time the bike legs starts. I actually hope it does rain during the run.

The one thing that cannot happen is the swim gets turned into a run because of lightening. No sir, that is just not allowed.

Whoa, a great weekend of racing at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire during the 2005 Timberfest. Loving Wife™ and I drove up on Friday afternoon through the living nightmare that is the Connecticut section of I-95. Once you get past Connecticut, the drive is actually very nice.

There is a pretty amazing rest stop on 91 North in Vermont. They have a little shrine to all things Vermont. It was pretty cool. If you're ever driving up 91 North do stop at the first welcome center in the state.

Saturday Bretta competed in the Timber-sprint — 1/3 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run — and I used the pre-race prep and pre-morning stuff on Saturday to get ready for my race on Sunday. First off, she had a great race under cloudy, rainy skies. 10:26 for the swim, 1:00:37 bike, and 35:01 for the run. Personal bests on the swim and run, and the bike distance was actually 15.5 miles, so her pace was slightly over a respectable 15 mph, not the official 14.8, so she is happy with that! Yea!

At the same time her race was ongoing, coach-type person Chris Martin was working his magic in the Best of the US Triathlon. As late as Wednesday he was sticking with the story line of "not going to do that well", "haven't done any speed work", "only getting ready for Ironman"... blah-blah-blah. Lies. He rocked it with a finish time of 1:15:04. Kick ass! Many congrats, Chris. If you check the EMC² web site his race report should show up in a day or two.

Sunday was the Half Ironman. The weather forcast called for clouds and a 50% chance of thunderstorms throughout the day. Highs near 78°. The early morning drive to the lake was made in the rain, so things looked good for a cloudy, rainy, perfect race day. I'll take cold and rain over hot and humid any race day. I set up my transition and covered up the shoes and what-not as best as I could, hoping they'd be somewhat dry by time I got back from the swim and the bike ride.

About 45 minutes before the start I pulled on my wet suit and headed towards the swim finish to get in a warm-up swim. I don't know if you've ever been to Lake Winnipesaukee, but the very fresh water is crystal clear. No messing, even in 15-20 feet of water you can see the bottom. Hardly any plant life and I know I didn't see any fish. The water was also a very comfortable 73°, little to no wave action. Took a leisurely 15 minute swim over to the start area and then BS-ed with other people getting ready to race.

Strangly enough, I ran into the guy who was racked next to me at the 2004 Lobsterman! It was nice to talk to him about that race and what we've done differently to get ready for this one.

As I've stated before, my only real goal for this race was to have a good run. With that in mind, when the race-horn said "swim", off I went with a long slow stroke. It took about 3-4 minutes to get clear of all the kicking and bumping that happens at the start of a swim wave and then I started to look around for someone I could draft off of. I thought I found the right set of feet after 5 or so minutes. Moving at a steady pace and every time I looked up, he was picking a pretty good line. That and the clear water aided in me making the first of many mistakes of the day.

With the water so clear you could easily see bubbles from the dude in front of you. As I was swimming along, I was really just following the bubbles and picking my head up every 20-30 strokes to make sure I was still on course. I was pleased with his pace, it was perfect for me. I looked up after a while to get a look at the guy I was following and to check out the scenery around me, and I was all by myself, a lone green cap in a sea of yellow (the wave 10 minutes ahead of me). At some point, I must have passed the guy I was drafting and didn't realize it. I was following the bubbles... and when you put your arm in the water for a stroke, you make bubbles. I was chasing after my own hand. /sigh

Luckily, with little perceived effort I pulled in a swim time of 29.42 for the 1.2 miles. Not bad, not bad at all. That works out to around a 1:24 pace per 100 yards. Sets the bar kind of high for the next race.

Out of the water was a good 200-300 yard run to where my bike was racked. You had to run the complete length of the back of the transition area, starting on the pebbly soft beachfront before switching to grass. Then I had to run to the front corner of the transition where my bike was racked. Made for a short run with the bike shoes on so I had that going for me.

Jumped on the bike and told myself, "Self, take it easy. It is still raining, the roads are wet, and you want a good run." Easy was the watch word.

The rain had started to slow up some time during the swim and blue sky was peaking out in patches. The roads were still plenty wet and I didn't bring any sunglasses with me. They'd get all mudded up and are impossible to clean off. At the first aid station (mile 8) I had to stop to take a leak. I think I drank a bit too much pre-race. Just after I hopped back on the bike, Webb zipped passed me. Around mile 10 there was a honking 14° uphill that lasted about half a mile. I cranked my way up it and then started the long down hill to the turn around.

Down-hill to the turn around. Mistake number 2 was realized. Down hill is good for me. I was doing a consistent and mostly easy 24-30 mph the whole way. By the time I hit the turn around, the clouds were gone and the sun was coming on full power. Did great things to the road surface, bad things to me physically. See, I still had this great first half of the bike and for reasons that escape me now, wanted to keep at it. I applied myself more than should have to keep a good pace back up hill. It also wasn't the "great pace" it should have been. At the other side of the monster up with 10 miles to go I had a wicked-fast descent. The bike computer claims a top speed of 46.7 mph. The last four miles were bad. Chain slipped off twice and I think my nutrition wasn't all that great over-all. Still, I made it back to the transition with a time of 2:58:08. On such a hilly course, I'm very pleased!

Then run, my old nemisis. I really wanted to run the whole 13.1 miles, something I completely failed to do in Eagleman. In practice/training, this distance is tough, but not unreasonable. By now, my friends the clouds were all gone. It was a bright, sunny day. Great for hanging out on the beach, bad for running. It was also around 85-90°. Because the weatherman had been promising cloud cover, I didn't bring a hat with me to the race. Mistake #3.

I started off at a slow pace and it went downhill from there. The great bike took its toll. The Timberman run was a this rolling-hill affair that under normal circumstances would have been a great run. I made it about 9 miles, working a 10-11-12 minute pace. (Very) slow, but still "jogging". At mile 9, it was all over. I stopped running and started walking. Crap.

At different parts of the two-loop course the race has set up more than enough aid stations. I think I counted 9 over the 6+ mile loop. They also had bands. Could have lived without the bagpipper, but at least the cat-being-crushed-by-a-steam-roller noise that counts as bagpipe music spurred me back into running just so I could get out of ear shot.

My total run time was 2:46:37.

How on earth can it take almost as long to run 13.1 miles as it does to bike 56?!? I just suck at running. At least I have a few months more to get ready for my 26.2 mile walk at Ironman Florida.

I did manage to get my run on for the last mile of the course — and into the finish. Seeing all the people, my friends, and Bretta cheering me on really takes away most of the pain from the previous 6+ hours. The announcer even got my name right as I zipped past him.

Total race time was around 6:19:30. The guys at Lin-Mark have partial results up today and I'm hoping at some point they'll add in transition times so I can see how well that part of the race went.

Not the best race I've ever done, but still a good race. No ambulance, I smiled, and I even managed to finish. I'm happy! For my second Half-Ironman a 6:19 isn't too bad but I think I can do better. I suppose that is why they keep letting us sign up for more.

Okay, with a few days to think on it: my run really sucked. That irks me to no end. I know it was a combination of bad nutrition at the end of the bike, pushing too hard on the bike, no hat to keep the sun off and stuff like ice in/on my head, and a small part of not having the will to push myself to keep running.

/insert color expletive here

Still plenty of time to try and fix this before Florida. No need to panic. Right? Right!

If you happen to be in the NJ/PA area this weekend, there is the Lake Nockamixon Century on Sunday. Should be a pretty good ride. Since it is so close to my house (11-12 miles), I'm going to bike there, do the ride, and bike back. It will make the post-ride run (30-45 minutes) that much easier to get in and then food and shower will be über close. Sweet!

The marketing think tank at the World Triathlon Corporation thought they'd build off their "Ironman" brand by changing the name of all the Half Ironman races we know and love to "Ironman 70.3". Yea, good thinking.

I just really don't like it. I think it cheapens the label "Ironman" by using the exact same term to describe both full and half distance race. 70.3 sounds like a bad radio station or something. Might as well called them "Ironman Light".

Does that mean all the true Ironman races are going to be rebranded "Ironman 140.6". No, becase that would be dumb!

At least their logo is bad too. If you're going to fail, fail big.

Personally, I'm going to stick to call them "Half-Ironman" races.

Okay, so last week I was a bad triathlete. I did two things I don't think you should ever do: I slacked on my workouts and spent time feeling sorry for myself.

First up on the problem list: I milked the "recovery" week after Timberman to the max. I barely got on my bike, only ran twice, swam once. Five total hours of not sitting on my butt getting slower. Yes, I know recovery is important, but I think I was just mentally tired (and see the next point). Sunday I went so far to not even go through the motions and after sleeping late I completely skipped a 5-hour ride/30 minute run brick. I felt wonderful. Boo-ya!

Then, I was feeling sorry for myself. Why? My weak-ass run in Timberman. After getting grief from workout partners and thinking a tad more about where I am in my training and my mad skillz as a triathlete, yea, the run wasn't that really that weak. Plenty of people weren't able to do as well and one friend, who I know is a better triathlete, had a terrible day and DNF-ed.

I suppose that is part of the problem when you start to approach mediocrity. You think you're better than you are. When that happen you just need to stop and have a reality check.

Well, problems overcome. Got up this morning and did some core stuff. After work it was off to the pool for wee 3,500 yard swim where I spent time working on technique. Tomorrow, back on the bike for 90 minutes in the hills!

So, check it out. Coach-type man Chris Martin thinks that some of the run issues I had at Timberman may have been caused by overheating and that if I had used a tri top without sleeves and tight enough to tuck a sponge or two in, I may have been more comfortable out there.

I can dig it, it makes sense. I normally race/train in stuff with sleeves 'cause, well, I've lost about 40 pounds since I've started triathlon training (down from 220+ since mid 2002). I'm, like, all sensitive about hanging flesh out there for (1) people to see and (2) be jiggling around.

Well, I've made the big move and placed and order with GoTriSports.com for a Sugoi Irod Tri Tank, in the spiffy blue color. I just want to say, the guys at GoTriSports have the best attitude I've come across in triathlon sales. Sure I've only heard their voice-mail message and talked briefly on the phone, but, damn, there was a lot of energy in those calls.

I have no idea if their prices are the best, although the seemed pretty good, if the shipping will actually get to me, or even if the right product will end up in my hot little hands, but for sure I would place another order with them.

More information on the order and fit of the top when it shows up.