It's been just about two weeks and I haven't had any serious training since the race. Mostly I've relaxed and had a few random workouts, a little swim, couple of weight days, two bikes, and two runs counting today. Feel pretty good and anxious to start training again. Right now I'm on a short hiatus from home and training is limited. This morning I went for a short easy run, about 2.5 miles, no problem except I'm in Palm Desert CA and the temps are triple digits. For my friends in the EU it was 34 c today. Run took about 30 minutes and the air temp was about 98 at 9:30 this morning. Just to give it a little perspective I lost 1 pound of water weight during the run. Tomorrow I'll swim and bike or swim and run, but nothing too extreme.
What I really want to write about is my Apple Capital Tri experience. It was awesome but unnerving as well. The nerves started when I began my Taper weeks. Sure I had planned out my activities and was prepared for the change of pace but each day I thought more and more about the upcoming race and started to get anxious. Every day I kept analyzing my workout plan, and tried to plan out my race day checklist and nutrition program. So lesson number one, I did it, finished it, and my game plan was affective, I can do it.
Logistics for the trip to Eastern Washington contributed to anxiety but we got lodging in Leavenworth two nights which if you've been there was not so bad. We made the drive to Leavenworth, checked in, and then headed to the race site at Darago Park, about 35 miles from Leavenworth. It's a great site, nice state park with great camp sites. When we got there it was calm and not many people at race center, camp sites were full, and we met the race timer. There was a sprint that day and the weather was dry, air temps 70's 80's, calm with no wind. Looked good to me so after taking a quick look at the swim area and general run route we drove the bike course. Up 97 along the Columbia, rolling hills with a couple of long maybe difficult hills, but looked okay. No worries here so off to the packet pick up in Wenatchee at Alberg Sports. Picked up the packet, headed back to the condo. Light meal, followed by race prep and trying to sleep early. I had trouble sleeping waking up a few times. Alarm at 4:00 am and my last solid food, muscle milk, cliff bar and a banana. 5:00 am, 16 oz gatorade, 6:00 am 16 oz water and on the road. Got to the race site about 6:30, quiet, it's a small race and 8:00 start. Got my bike racked, gear layed out, and then just tried to relax because unlike the previous day there was significant winds. Any hesitations I had about the race were now magnified.
At the race meeting we were informed that the swim was shortened a bit because the wind kept moving the buoys, nice, but the air temp was good, mid 70's. Otherwise looked like the race was on, with only 46 competitors. All of the racers looked like they were experienced. Some had serious gear, but all looked like they had done this before. For me, it was a step up in distance so I was not so confident. Fortunately there as a college kid, Ryan, UW alum, at the same bike rack, so we talked pre-race and that helped to dissipate the nervousness.
Finally the race was on, the swim should not be a problem even if the water was a little choppy from the wind. I put my head down and followed the pack. What was apparent immediately was that the wind caused the course to drift away from the cut milfoil area into areas not cut, so we were swimming hand over hand in the milfoil. It really wasn't as much a problem as the course was constantly moving. This is a two loop course and by the time I headed into T1 I was last out of the water although my time was good for me. Now it was on to the bike.
T1 transition was quick, maybe 3 minutes, but the bike course was uphill from the start, leading out of the park. Up and out to 97 and onto the highway. This road had just been resurfaced with a rough mix and the vibrations were constant. This took most of my attention along with mostly a side wind and steady up hill stretches. The nice thing of course was the other side of the hill where my bike demonstrated it's speed and stability. The wind did play havoc with my ability to get to my water bottle. I had one up on the bar with water and one on the frame with gatorade. I had to slow down to get to the bottle on the from. Lesson number two, get a frame bottle with a long tube so I don't have to take it out, Just before the turn around, I got some Liquid Shot down. then back the other way. by now the wind was 20 to 25 mph mostly head up. At some points if I stopped pedaling and sat up, the bike stopped immediately. Needless to say, I kept the aero position most of the ride. The wind affected my ride, and there were a couple of long steady climbs but eventually I made it in to T2.
At T2 I took time to use the bathroom then off for a 6.2 mile run. It was apparent that I was near the end of the pack but I didn't know how far. During my first lap of the two loop course through the park with about 3/4 mile on the road, I was passed by a few runners. There were two aid stations, the first water and gatorade, the second water only. Running was also a problem with the wind. At some points you would have to lean hard to keep your momentum. At the first aid station I took water only. Air temperature rising I had water at the 2nd station expecting gatorade at the next one. Kept pushing on, pace was ok, then I was passed by two women training for marathons having an active conversation. Made the first loop and headed out for the final lap, no change, just a little hotter. Passed again by another racer who encouraged me along, I could see the finish on the other side of the park, so head up I pressed on. As I came into the final stretch I could hear my name announced, lots of cheers from all the racers who were already finished, and then across the line, the last to finish 45 out of 46, 1 person DNF. Time 3:35 and change. For the Olympic distance I projected a great finish around 3 hours so I was not disappointed.
Post race, I was 3/3 in my age group, 45/46 overall. Normally the race director said there were two or three times the number of competitors but because of two other races in the west that day, the numbers were down. For prizes I won a box of cliff bars, bag of very tasty apples, and a cool hat. Other prizes given away included a trainer and a wetsuit and other various items.
I really enjoyed this event. I was okay with my finish. It was a fun group who put on the event and because it was small, it was I think more fun. It is a great park location so friends or family have an excellent viewpoint of the swim and run. If you are a camper, it is a very nice campsite though I was told that if fills up quickly. One would have to go a day or two early. Overall then I was glad I went to this race. I know I can do the distance and it will encourage me as I start to train this off season.
I'll use the next two weeks to start to build up again to training regularly. If you're anywhere that I am, well then a hui hou, see you on the road.
This is Christmas week, church on Friday and Saturday, kids coming home so full house, big dinner Saturday, more shopping and mailing to do, and keep on training. This is going to be hard.
This week combined the end of a trip to Hawaii and a few days of training here at home. Also I participated in a presentation on planning for the off season. One of the items on the agenda was to have some off time which I completely agree with. Considering the probability that the holiday season will present inconsistencies in training due to weather, pool closures, etc. I expect the next two weeks to be a rest period of sorts. I still expect to train as often as I can. This will include Masters swim workouts and spin classes when available. I've just received my new LeMond Revolution Trainer so I can cycle at home. Runs will be limited to 30-40 minutes with only one long run per week of 2 hours or less.
Since my last post I swam the Kona harbor twice, 1 mile each in 35 and 30 minutes. Beautiful place to swim. There were only a few swimmers in the water so it is basically you and the fish. Water temperature is warm and this year the ocean was relatively calm with mild surges and a manageable current. You just swim out to the coast guard buoy and back from Digg Me beach. Excellent. I also completed another short run: 4 miles on Alii Drive in 49 minutes. Now that I'm back home once I get organized I will be back training again. In the last week or so as I pondered my training while enjoying the beauty of the Kona coast I have come to the conclusion that I still have a long way in terms of training mileage to go if I want to be able to complete the long course triathlons. So there it is, an early new year's resolution: more miles. Specifically on the bike and run. I hope to pick up the new Lemond Revolution trainer from Mr. Crampy's today or tomorrow and Saturday we have a Monroe Tri Club meeting to go over the "off-season" training and commitments so that will help with accountability. As far as the swim, the Y Master's are doing all they can to kick my butt.
Another beautiful day for a morning bike ride. There are a couple of things that I have learned while biking West Maui. First of all many of the areas do have nice shoulders and bike lanes on the main highway. Off the highway or areas away from resorts this is not the case. Roads are narrow and well travelled. Secondly, rides are definitely affected by winds and terrain. My mileage has dropped. This also may be because I have enjoyed the scenery and haven't been pushing. I'm riding without a computer so I have to estimate turnover and distance. Bottom line is that I am enjoying the rides.
Five workout days, two days for travel. 15 hours total: 3:00 yoga and weights; swim just under 4 miles 3:20; bike 66 miles 5:00; run 15 miles 3:40; total distance 85 miles.
There is no training report today but a short account of the round-about-trip to Hawaii. We were up at 3:00 am with the goal of arriving at the airport in Seattle about two hours before our flight, scheduled to leave at 6:30. We were in security about 5:45 and thankfully went through without incident, however we did witness several passengers getting the pat down aka the sexual violation. This is particularly acrimonious if you are not inclined towards the same gender. I was kind of embarrassed just to watch, a bit of voyeurism. We did board at 6:00 but waited unknowingly because the First Officer had called in sick and we waited for a replacement. Finally the new crewman arrives and we take off about 25 minutes late. Did I say round-about? That is correct, this flight was winging toward San Diego and Cabo, no directs out of SeaTac this morning to Maui. The flight was uneventful but arrived about the time our connection was scheduled to depart. There were eight of us so thankfully they held the flight. We hopped off one and jumped onto the next without taking a breath. Boy am I glad I went to the bathroom before we landed.
Just finished another round of training. Since SeaFair training days resumed but with a short break and then I got off the Monday-Saturday cycle. I'll catch up in a few weeks as I go through the process.
Making my weekly post the night before Seafair Tri. Since this week was a lead up to competition I cut back training by half.
This is my first post since coming back from Finland. ECC 2010 in Karjaa was amazing and the students were great. I have made many new friends and renewed some old acquaintances. Helsinki was fun and a day trip to Tallinn Estonia was very nice. Travelling always presents new experiences and it also reminds me how great it is to be home.
Yesterday was a beautiful day but before that rain off and on enough to make you want to just leave. Anyway this was another short training week, 5 sessions. So the mileage has gone down but I can always use recovery time. Leaving for Finland for a while so training will really be limited. I hope to run at least every other day and have some good 10k sessions.
After what seems like weeks of rain, the sun shined on the Issaquah Tri. Held at lake Sammamish State Park the course and transition areas were saturated and pretty much a mud bowl. Everywhere you needed to go, it was deep mud and it made for an interesting day.
Just back from quick trip to K-town AK. Congratulations to the newlyweds James and niece Hilary. Enjoy Kona. For the family, we had an awesome weekend.
Ever had one of those days when you have great expectations then bam, just isn't what you hoped for? Today was one of those. I had a nice long ride scheduled, ride out the trail and follow the Lake Stevens 70.3 route to see how it goes. Get warmed up and shift over to the big gear and...the chain spins off and down I go in a heap. So I unclip, get up, fix the chain, check out the bike which now has new dings, and then realize its cold out and my attitude is really bad. Ok so I start off riding, down the trail, leg dripping blood from a really sweet strawberry, but by the time I get to the turn for the Lake Stevens bike route I'm just not feeling it so I decide to just continue on in the relative safety of the trail. Long story short all the way I'm not focused and can't seem to get into the ride. Somewhere between here and there I turn back and retrace my route with the exception of the crash. Back at the car I examine the bike one more time confirming cosmetic damage, and then head home. As for me, I have a really nasty skinned knee, a large bruise on my hip, and a few odd kinks and tweaks which altogether make for a sad boy. In addition to the immediate injuries I won't be able to swim until I heal a bit. This is the fourth time I have bonked. I am not a happy camper at all. I'll be fine in a while but right now not so much.
Awesome week following a road trip south. Medium intensity training week, practice sprint tri on Saturday, and Saturday/Sunday on the westside of San Juan Island; can't get much better than that.
Two weeks wicked fast: Snohomish, Red Bluff, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Disneyland, Palm Desert, San Jose, San Francisco, Hwy. 1, California coast, Albion River Inn, Ave. of the Giants, Snohomish: 3000 miles later. Our last night on the road we stayed at the Albion River Inn, which we stumbled on totally by accident. It was a beautiful coastal inn which I highly recommend if you ever get this way. Beautiful room, view, dinner in the restaurant, and incredible breakfast (included in the rate) all for a reasonable off season 30% discount. Check out the view.
Training has been limited for the last week, but the rest physically has been good. The picture is what my POV was midday today. Workout summary: swim .75 mi. :45; bike 30 mi. 1:30; run 10 mi. 2:18. Six workouts, 40.75 miles, 5:33 total time.
For about 2 months I have been following the principles outlined in "Metabolic Efficiency: Teaching the Body to Burn More Fat" and "Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes" by Bob Seebohar who is a noted authority. I found it surfing tri sites and really liked what it presented. The basic concept is to learn how to tap into energy from fat rather than carbs: the body stores approximately 1300-2000 kcal of carbs available for work while there is available from fat 80,000. Google "Metabolic Efficiency-Stop Being Such a Good Sugar Burner" for some interesting ideas.
The outdoor season is just around the corner and I thought I should summarize my basic training, where I started and where I am now. As I assembled some information I was pleased with my improvement and also reminded that "little by little, one goes far."
Last week I went to SpeedyReedy and tried on my first swim wetsuit. It took about 30 minutes to get it on and only seconds to peel it off. Looks and feels good, went with size ML Blue Seventy Reaction. Very cool. The picture is dark but gives you an idea.
Sunrise over the Monroe valley.
