I found this picture of Jen and I from about 10 years ago maybe... The not so good old days.
We've come a long way...
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Scoggins Valley Sprint... Finally!
Last Saturday was the Scoggins Valley Sprint Triathlon at Hagg Lake. I didn't start the day out the on the right foot. Usually I like to get to the races very early. I hate being rushed when setting my stuff in transition and when putting on my wetsuit. For some reason I didn't allow much time to drive out there when making a plan for when to leave. We ended up getting there with only about 40 mins to spare. I was out of it for some reason. I tried to rack my bike in the wrong row. I tried to put on my wetsuit over my cargo shorts. I was a little worried about how scatter brained I was. I got in the water to warm up after the Olympic distance racers started and swam around. I felt good, but wasn't my normal nervous self. I was just kind of there. The race started and I went out hard to the first buoy about 250 meters out. There were 77 guys in the men's race and we all started together. It also felt like we all reached the first buoy at the same time. I got a little beat up try to go around it. Major traffic jam. After making the turn I was still stuck between some folks. I started having a hard time getting a good breath of air and felt like I was hyperventilating. I slowed my stroke and calmed myself down. Within a few strokes I was in a rhythm again and started to pick up the pace. I rounded the last buoy and picked it up again to the swim the finish. Out of the water my heart rate spiked. We had to run up hill to the transition. I quickly changed and jumped on my bike. While in transition I saw Trevor. We are usually pretty evenly matched at this distance and have done several races this year. I knew he would give me a run for my money. I passed right away on the bike as he was adjusting his shoe. Within in a mile he passed me back but slowed a bit right after. I picked it up to see if he could hang with me and passed him again. That was the last I saw of him on the bike. I felt great, I hammered the hills, both up and down and tried to keep my HR at about 175. Since the Olympic distance race was already in progress I couldn't tell if the people I was passing were in my race or not. With about a mile to go a motorcycle passed me and slowed. At first I thought he was watching to make sure I wasn't drafting, but there was no one around. He just hung in front of me. Then I realized I must be leading. I came into transition and there were no other bikes there. What a weird thing to see. I had a quick transition and took off on the run. As I ran out of the parking lot onto the road I saw Trevor coming in on his bike. I had about 2 mins on him. After about a mile my legs loosened up and I was able to pick up the pace. The run course is an out and back so once I turned to come back I would be able to see how far ahead I was. After turning I didn't see Trevor until almost 3 mins. At this point I figured I had it. But I didn't want to back off just in case. I made sure to keep my HR at 180 knowing this was about as fast as I could go. I ended up finishing the race in 1 hr. 7 min and 20 sec. My goal was 1:08. It felt really good to finish so strong. Next Triathlon is Soma in AZ o 10/28.
Canada IM
It's been over 2 weeks now since our trip to Penticton Canada. We went up to watch some friends compete in the Ironman and to sign up for next year. It had been a while since we had done a road trip. It's about a 9 hour drive. We loaded up the Jetta with 3 bikes, camp stuff and running/swimming/biking gear and headed up with Garren as our co-pilot. We got up there Friday afternoon and setup camp at the Lost Moose resort http://www.lostmooseresort.com/ and headed into town to grab some dinner.
Saturday morning we went for a swim on in the lake. It was awesome! There were dozens of others out doing their pre-race swim. The water was calm, very clear, and only about 6 feet deep even about 200 meters out. We swam for an hour then went for a ride on the course. It was nice to see the course and ride the climbs. It was very windy on the second half of the course. Major head wind!! Rode about 90 miles total. I was cooked when we got back to the car. I don't think I ate enough for as hard as I was working against the wind.
Sunday we got up early to come down and watch the race. We saw Scott take off on the bike then we headed out for our run. We ran out and back on the run course, about 14 miles. It is a very scenic course along the lake. Of course we had more head wind, but it's not so bad when you are running vs riding. After our run we headed over to see where registration was for next year. Usually you have line up the night before to ensure you are in. I was shocked to see about 20 people all ready in line 24 hrs ahead of time. I jogged to the car and got a picnic blanket we had thrown in and put that down to save my spot in line. We then drove back the Lost Moose and torn down our camp site. We brought it all back to the line and set up the tents. It worked out great! Once set up we were able to come and go. We watched the end of the race then came back and crashed. It was hard to sleep with all of the other people around and the work crews breaking down the finish line. I was up about 6 am along with most others in line. by about 7 everyone started forming the actual line in front of the registration tent. At about 8:30 they started registration, it was perfect! I was in and out by 9:00 am and we were on the road. A quick stop by Scott and Sarah's then back to PDX. A long crappy drive because we were all tired. The highlight of the drive back was stop at Rusty's world famous hamburgers for a hot fudge sundae.
Saturday morning we went for a swim on in the lake. It was awesome! There were dozens of others out doing their pre-race swim. The water was calm, very clear, and only about 6 feet deep even about 200 meters out. We swam for an hour then went for a ride on the course. It was nice to see the course and ride the climbs. It was very windy on the second half of the course. Major head wind!! Rode about 90 miles total. I was cooked when we got back to the car. I don't think I ate enough for as hard as I was working against the wind.
Sunday we got up early to come down and watch the race. We saw Scott take off on the bike then we headed out for our run. We ran out and back on the run course, about 14 miles. It is a very scenic course along the lake. Of course we had more head wind, but it's not so bad when you are running vs riding. After our run we headed over to see where registration was for next year. Usually you have line up the night before to ensure you are in. I was shocked to see about 20 people all ready in line 24 hrs ahead of time. I jogged to the car and got a picnic blanket we had thrown in and put that down to save my spot in line. We then drove back the Lost Moose and torn down our camp site. We brought it all back to the line and set up the tents. It worked out great! Once set up we were able to come and go. We watched the end of the race then came back and crashed. It was hard to sleep with all of the other people around and the work crews breaking down the finish line. I was up about 6 am along with most others in line. by about 7 everyone started forming the actual line in front of the registration tent. At about 8:30 they started registration, it was perfect! I was in and out by 9:00 am and we were on the road. A quick stop by Scott and Sarah's then back to PDX. A long crappy drive because we were all tired. The highlight of the drive back was stop at Rusty's world famous hamburgers for a hot fudge sundae.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Hulaman Half Iron Man
This was the inaugural race for the Hulaman half IM. It was a strange course, a point to point bike ride and a two lap run. The swim was at Hagg lake. Once out of the water you rode to the Hillsboro stadium. Then you ran two loops around Shute road and Ronler Acres.
I was up early, about 4:30. Had to stop at the stadium to set up my run gear. Then off to Hagg Lake to set up my bike and get in the water. It was raining pretty hard all morning. It started to let up just as we got to the lake. Jen was dropping me and she was headed back to run the half marathon. After getting everything setup I headed to the water to start warming up. The trek from the water to the transition area was long and steep. You had to run up the boat ramp and across a asphalt parking lot with lots of little rocks.
Once everyone was in the water I realized how small this race was. Only 59 men total. That was ok, less congestion on the course I guess. The air horn went off and away we went. The swim was 1.2 miles and went by pretty fast. There was no wind, so the water was smooth, and pretty warm. Got in a groove about 300 meters in and cruised. Found some feet in front of me to draft on for a while, but the guy was all over the place. I found I was using more energy to keep track of him then it was worth, so I broke off and paced myself. I was out of the water in about 32 mins. then it took me another 3 mins to get to my bike and out on the road.
Once on the bike the rain started up again. I had flash backs to my wreck at Beaver Freezer, so every corner was taken with care. I quickly started catching the "swimmers" of the race, and by the end of the first lap around the lake I had passed 4 of them. After the first lap you start a 2nd lap, but then exit the lake and head toward Hillsboro. On the second lap this guy on a road bike passed me. He would stand and crank up the hills every time we would hit one. Scott and recommended that I sit and pace myself up these hills early and focus on keeping my HR in zone 3 (150 - 160) otherwise I would crap out by the end of the ride. I did this and on every flat and down hill I would catch the guy, but then on every hill he would pass me back. This went on until about mile 26 when we hit some long flat sections. This is when having a TT bike and a disk wheel pays off. I was able to put my head down and crank away. Avg speed on the flats was ~ 23 -24 mph with my HR in check. It felt great. Being such a small point to point race though I had no idea how many people were in front of me. At mile 33 just before the big climb I passed another guy. He must have been a fast swimmer to get this far in front. Once up over the Clapshaw hill road I couldn't see anyone in front of me so I figured I was leading. At about mile 45 I passed a guy on the side of the road fixing a flat. He also had a disk and one of those long pointy TT helmets. He looked fast. I was very lucky he had a flat as I probably wouldn't have caught him. Mile 50 came and I passed a volunteer who yelled to me that I was in the lead by about 2 mins. I had a feeling since I hadn't seen anyone in so long, but I wasn't sure until now. This was great, I had never lead anything. How cool would that be to hold on and actually win a half IM!! I came into T2 feeling great. As I racked my bike I heard the announcer say "Our 2nd place male has just come in. He's about 5 min back from first place". First I pissed that I wasn't leading! Then I was pissed that I was 5 mins back!! I quickly put on m shoes and got out of there to see if I could catch him. As I was leaving T2 I looked back and saw the road bike guy just coming into transition. I was a little worried because he looked like a little runner guy.
I was up early, about 4:30. Had to stop at the stadium to set up my run gear. Then off to Hagg Lake to set up my bike and get in the water. It was raining pretty hard all morning. It started to let up just as we got to the lake. Jen was dropping me and she was headed back to run the half marathon. After getting everything setup I headed to the water to start warming up. The trek from the water to the transition area was long and steep. You had to run up the boat ramp and across a asphalt parking lot with lots of little rocks.
Once everyone was in the water I realized how small this race was. Only 59 men total. That was ok, less congestion on the course I guess. The air horn went off and away we went. The swim was 1.2 miles and went by pretty fast. There was no wind, so the water was smooth, and pretty warm. Got in a groove about 300 meters in and cruised. Found some feet in front of me to draft on for a while, but the guy was all over the place. I found I was using more energy to keep track of him then it was worth, so I broke off and paced myself. I was out of the water in about 32 mins. then it took me another 3 mins to get to my bike and out on the road.
Once on the bike the rain started up again. I had flash backs to my wreck at Beaver Freezer, so every corner was taken with care. I quickly started catching the "swimmers" of the race, and by the end of the first lap around the lake I had passed 4 of them. After the first lap you start a 2nd lap, but then exit the lake and head toward Hillsboro. On the second lap this guy on a road bike passed me. He would stand and crank up the hills every time we would hit one. Scott and recommended that I sit and pace myself up these hills early and focus on keeping my HR in zone 3 (150 - 160) otherwise I would crap out by the end of the ride. I did this and on every flat and down hill I would catch the guy, but then on every hill he would pass me back. This went on until about mile 26 when we hit some long flat sections. This is when having a TT bike and a disk wheel pays off. I was able to put my head down and crank away. Avg speed on the flats was ~ 23 -24 mph with my HR in check. It felt great. Being such a small point to point race though I had no idea how many people were in front of me. At mile 33 just before the big climb I passed another guy. He must have been a fast swimmer to get this far in front. Once up over the Clapshaw hill road I couldn't see anyone in front of me so I figured I was leading. At about mile 45 I passed a guy on the side of the road fixing a flat. He also had a disk and one of those long pointy TT helmets. He looked fast. I was very lucky he had a flat as I probably wouldn't have caught him. Mile 50 came and I passed a volunteer who yelled to me that I was in the lead by about 2 mins. I had a feeling since I hadn't seen anyone in so long, but I wasn't sure until now. This was great, I had never lead anything. How cool would that be to hold on and actually win a half IM!! I came into T2 feeling great. As I racked my bike I heard the announcer say "Our 2nd place male has just come in. He's about 5 min back from first place". First I pissed that I wasn't leading! Then I was pissed that I was 5 mins back!! I quickly put on m shoes and got out of there to see if I could catch him. As I was leaving T2 I looked back and saw the road bike guy just coming into transition. I was a little worried because he looked like a little runner guy.
Mile 1 of the run came quickly, too quickly. I was trying to pace myself to stay over 7:10 per mile for the first 3 miles. I didn't want to go out too fast. Time check at mile 1 and I was 7:06. Not bad, HR was right at 160, so I was ok. Just then my worries were confirmed. Here comes road bike guy. I may as well have been standing there spectating. He flew by me. I was mad at first, but quickly realized that this guy was much faster then me, not much I can do about that right now. Mile 2 time check, 6:56. HR still about 160, but running harder because I had just gotten passed. I slowed a bit to try to stay in control for one more mile before picking it up. The course was good, long flat straight sections really allowed for getting into a groove. Took a shot of GU every mile at the aid station with some water. First time doing this, worked great. After mile 5 I picked it up to Zone 4 HR (160-165). Pace stayed about the same, 7:12. Stayed here until mile 8. At this point Scott said to picked it up as much as I can. I let my HR rise to 170 and held on. Miles 9 to 13 were all under 7:00 min pace. I was able to hold off the guy behind me (he ended up 4 mins back) and I put about a 1 min 20 sec into the guy that beat me off the bike. So I ended up 3rd over all and first in the 30-34 age group. I felt better once I found out that the road bike guy caught the leader and ended up winning by 2 mins. He ran a 1hr 28min half marathon, pretty darn fast compared to my 1:33. Overall it was a great race though. My nutrition was spot on. My pacing on the bike and the run was very good as well. This has me excited about IM AZ. I think I may be making progress on the nutrition front. This is the biggest thing holding me back at this point. Next big race is the Soma Half IM in AZ on Oct 28th...
Friday, August 17, 2007
3rd week of August re-cap
Busy week this last week, but "fun" busy. It all started with last Saturday. A 5k running race in Tualatin with Rob & Erin followed by a 2 hour ride out to Canby and back. The race was fun, but really hard. Who would have thought 3.1 miles could seem so long. Set a new personal best of 18:25, 30 seconds faster then my fastest race at this distance. Also the first race I've ever averaged a sub 6 min pace (5:54). The ride was good, I rode the single speed. It was fun trying to keep up with everyone else, especially on the hills! After the ride we headed south to Anna's (my niece) 2nd b-day party!She had a piñata, which I ended up breaking open all over the front yard. I kick ass at piñata breaking! After too many cup cakes and some root beer we headed home. 
Sunday was a long run at Forest Park with Aleck, the Perkins' and Chris. Aleck and I turned around at 7 miles to get in 14. Felt really good, avg'd a 7:40 pace. Still sore from the 5k. After the run I got home and laid down for a few minutes, that turned into an hour and a half nap. It was goood! Nothing like a Sunday afternoon nap. Then a short easy bike ride in the rain. I was heading out to Hillsboro to watch the Blue Angels, but they didn't fly because of the rain.
Tuesday night was dinner at the Lucky Lab with the Iron Heads after a 90 min ride and an hour run at lunch, and a 3200 yrd morning swim. Wednesday was a big day! I picked up my new road bike from Cyclpath. It's sweet, but not too fancy! It's a Scott Speedster: http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=9816. Should work well for group rides and winter training. Looking forward to riding it. Now I need to get my old road bike and my Mt. bike on Craigslist ASAP. Jen's new bike should be in next week and we are out of room. Her bike is the same as mine though, not looking forward to matching (Go Team Thompson!).
Starting to rest up now for the race on Sunday. Weather is looking questionable, but it's only rain I guess. You gotta love Oregon...
Tuesday night was dinner at the Lucky Lab with the Iron Heads after a 90 min ride and an hour run at lunch, and a 3200 yrd morning swim. Wednesday was a big day! I picked up my new road bike from Cyclpath. It's sweet, but not too fancy! It's a Scott Speedster: http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=9816. Should work well for group rides and winter training. Looking forward to riding it. Now I need to get my old road bike and my Mt. bike on Craigslist ASAP. Jen's new bike should be in next week and we are out of room. Her bike is the same as mine though, not looking forward to matching (Go Team Thompson!).
Starting to rest up now for the race on Sunday. Weather is looking questionable, but it's only rain I guess. You gotta love Oregon...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A real life lesson on nutrition
The last week has been a huge eye opener for me on how much general nutrition effects your quality of life. Sure I know the basics about a healthy diet, but to see how quickly changes can happen is amazing. A little history: A couple weeks ago I watched my Boxer cousins (Bobbie & Dylan). They are fortunate enough to get homemade meals each day. A took a couple meals for me to get it down to a routine. Once I knew how to make the meals it took no time at all. That same weekend we had to take Murph to the vet for a follow up on an ear infection he has been fighting for a long time. It comes and goes. After discussing Murph's diet and weight with the doc we decided to start making Murph's meals as well. We also did some research and ordered a couple books about animal nutrition. Interesting stuff. They go into detail about what pet food is made of. Not good, things like beaks, eyes, heads, road kill, ect... Sooo now for dinner he gets chicken, carrots and a little organic kibble for nutrients that may not be in the other items. Breakfast is also a little kibble and 1 raw egg, a handful of blueberries, and a serving of plain oatmeal. It's been a week now and the changes in his coat and skin are amazing. He has always shed A LOT year round. While he is still shedding, the amount of hair coming off is significantly less. He used to scratch all the time, rarely does anymore. His skin is not nearly as dry as it used to be. His ear infection is gone as well. It makes since that he should be eating more meats and veggies since he is a carnivore, but I've always had it in my head that dogs eat dog food. The cats are next. hopefully it solves some of their issues as well.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
OBRA TT Champs & Count Down to Hula-man
Less then two weeks to go until the first annual Hula-man half IM. This should be a fun race since it basically covers all of the areas I train on year round. Swim in Hagg Lake, ride to Hillsboro, and run around Intel. Normally this might seem boring since I cover the same ground all the time. But in the race I'll be suffering most of the day so I won't really notice my surroundings. But it will be nice to know which corners I need to brake on and which I can take at full speed. My training seems to be coming along well after Coeur A'delene. I did a 40K Time Trial bike race in Corvallis this last Sunday with no taper leading up to it. It was warm and sunny, but windy. It was an out and back on a flat stretch of smooth road. Tail wind on the way out made for a fast ride (between 27 and 31 mph for most of the first 12 miles). On the way back though...ouch... major head wind. I was lucky to hold 23 to 24 mph. The last 4 miles were tough. My HR was near max and my legs were dead. I managed to take first in my category (4/5) out of 20. Barely escaping Garren who was only a few seconds behind. Average speed was just over 25.5 mph I think, total time was 58:09. This was a good confidence builder going into the half IM. After the race I came home and ran 12 miles at a steady pace (8:00 min pace) with my HR below 150. I felt much stronger Sunday then I did a week ago at Blue Lake.
This week is more tempo pace type workouts (zone 3 HR, about 150 to 155 bpm). Should be about 18 hours total for the week. Should be a good week to fit it all in, not too many commitments. Then towards the end of next week I will start to taper for the race. The bigger plan is to structure my training so that my fitness is peaking for the Soma half IM in AZ on October 28th. So there will be some more big weeks coming up. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having a coach!!
This week is more tempo pace type workouts (zone 3 HR, about 150 to 155 bpm). Should be about 18 hours total for the week. Should be a good week to fit it all in, not too many commitments. Then towards the end of next week I will start to taper for the race. The bigger plan is to structure my training so that my fitness is peaking for the Soma half IM in AZ on October 28th. So there will be some more big weeks coming up. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having a coach!!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Blue Lake Sprint - Always the Brides Maid...
Blue lake Sprint last Sunday, July 29th. Went into the race with high hopes of a top 5 finish (secretly wanted to win it). This was one of my goals for the year. The best I have ever done on this course was 17th with a time of 1:10. It was not the Tri NW qualifier this year so I figured the competition wouldn't be as tough as previous years, so I had to associate a time goal as well (sub 1:07).
Swim:
Went out hard to the first buoy. Made the turn and noticed a set of feet in front of me. I stayed as close as I could and held on. My pace felt right on and felt I was working to keep up. Worked out pretty well. PR'd the swim by almost a minute.
Bike:
Once on the bike I cranked as hard as could until I got up on to Marine drive. Once on the road I settled in put my head down. My HR seemed on the high side today. Probably still recovery from the damn hill repeats at the Perkin's! Passed 4 people before getting the 205 bridge. After passing the last person I couldn't see anyone else in front of me. For about 2 mins I though for sure I was leading the wave. Just as the turn around came into sight I noticed someone rounding it. Crap! Apparently I wasn't leading. As the guy passed heading back I started to do the calculations. I was really going to have to push to catch this guy. I rounded the cone to head back and put my head down and cranked as hard as I could. With a little tail wind pushing me I was able to keep it over 26 mph all the way back with HR over 180 all the way. As I swung my leg over to dismount I feel the wobbling. I knew it was going to be a tough run. AS I was running into T2 Aleck (the leader) was running out. T2 was pretty quick for me and out I went.
Run:
HR was really high now (and you thought 180 was high) about 183. I could see him in front of me for the entire run but he never got any closer. After mile 2 I realized I wasn't going to catch him as I was running as fast I could and not making up any ground. I finished 2nd overall by 25 seconds. Looking back there was nothing I feel I could have differently. I lost it in the swim and ran out of road to make it up. I'm happy with second but definitely not satisfied! Back to the pool! After the race I chatted with Aleck briefly, turns out he is also training with Scott McMillan. That made me feel a little better. Met my goal of top five, had the fastest bike split and went sub 1:07 (1:06:48). Not a bad day overall.
Swim:
Went out hard to the first buoy. Made the turn and noticed a set of feet in front of me. I stayed as close as I could and held on. My pace felt right on and felt I was working to keep up. Worked out pretty well. PR'd the swim by almost a minute.
Bike:
Once on the bike I cranked as hard as could until I got up on to Marine drive. Once on the road I settled in put my head down. My HR seemed on the high side today. Probably still recovery from the damn hill repeats at the Perkin's! Passed 4 people before getting the 205 bridge. After passing the last person I couldn't see anyone else in front of me. For about 2 mins I though for sure I was leading the wave. Just as the turn around came into sight I noticed someone rounding it. Crap! Apparently I wasn't leading. As the guy passed heading back I started to do the calculations. I was really going to have to push to catch this guy. I rounded the cone to head back and put my head down and cranked as hard as I could. With a little tail wind pushing me I was able to keep it over 26 mph all the way back with HR over 180 all the way. As I swung my leg over to dismount I feel the wobbling. I knew it was going to be a tough run. AS I was running into T2 Aleck (the leader) was running out. T2 was pretty quick for me and out I went.
Run:
HR was really high now (and you thought 180 was high) about 183. I could see him in front of me for the entire run but he never got any closer. After mile 2 I realized I wasn't going to catch him as I was running as fast I could and not making up any ground. I finished 2nd overall by 25 seconds. Looking back there was nothing I feel I could have differently. I lost it in the swim and ran out of road to make it up. I'm happy with second but definitely not satisfied! Back to the pool! After the race I chatted with Aleck briefly, turns out he is also training with Scott McMillan. That made me feel a little better. Met my goal of top five, had the fastest bike split and went sub 1:07 (1:06:48). Not a bad day overall.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
IM CDA Race Report
Swim start:
It was a very strange experience this year. Standing on the beach with Jen looking out at what could have been the ocean with 2200 other people, cold and anxious. Then Mike Reily came’s on and says that anyone not wanting to swim could just do the bike and run. This would not count as unofficial finish, but would allow those that wouldn't be able to complete the swim to participate at some level. I believe Jen's response to this was along the lines of "there's no way in hell I'm not doing this swim. I don't care if I don't make the cut off. I'm at least going to try". This kick ass attitude is what got her through a very challenging day. She kissed me and headed to the back of the crowd. It got me a little chocked up. Weird how emotional these things can make you. With so many months of prep and training coming down to the 10 sec countdown before they blow the cannon. Very intense, even after you do a few.
First ½ mile of the swim was directly into the wind which was blowing at 15 to 20 mph. The swells felt like they were 10 ft tall at times, but were probably only 2 to 3 ft. Was never able to get into a groove as my goggles kept filling with water and I had to breast stroke a lot to sight the buoys. Around the first buoy on the backside of the rectangle the sun was in our eyes and swimming became even tougher due to the waves coming in sideways. On the way back in it was like body surfing. Still wasn’t able to get in a groove though. Waves were coming in at an angle that kept pushing me towards the sea wall. The second lap felt better since I was warmed up and new what to expect on the way out. My second split ended up being a minute slower even though it felt faster. Oh well… HR average for the first lap was 151, second lap was 148. Almost 7 minutes off my PR, which was CDA 2005.
T1:
Out of the water I wasn’t too tired, just a little dizzy. I jogged through the bag area and into the tent. I swear I spent 60 seconds just trying to get my bag open. I struggled to get my arm warmers on over my wet arms. Still a little out of it, I ran out of the tent to the bike with gloves in hand. It was still a little chilly out so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too cold on the first part of the bike.
Bike:
I headed out of town up the main street. It’s a little up hill so I stayed up out of my aero bars to try to bring my HR down. Once I was on the flats I settled in and prepped myself for all of the people that would start passing me. Scott had mentioned this in some pre-race advice he had sent me. As people started going by I kept saying to myself “I’ll see you on the run”. By the end of the first lap my pacing paid off. After special needs I was feeling great and really started passing a lot of people. The only issue I was having was the constant urge to pee. I think I took in a lot of lake water in the swim and I couldn’t pee fast enough, or long enough on the bike to get it all out. After nearly filling my shoe and still directing way to much focus to how bad I had to go I finally stopped on the side of the road ~ about mile 60 and just let it out. Wow what a relief!! By mile 85 I had to stop again. Total I calculated I lost about 3 mins total to stopping and peeing. Not sure what I could have done differently there. At least I knew I was hydrated.
T2:
Coming in off the bike I was feeling great, but bummed that I was so far off what I thought I could do. I stayed within my HR ranges and effort level and felt really good, just a lot slower then expected. Jogged into transition and grabbed my bag. Into the tent where I was one of only 4 or 5 people. The volunteer was awesome. I was in and out pretty quick. Had to stop and pee again though, WTF! Took a GU and headed out on the run.
Run:
First mile of the run everything felt good, but I couldn’t get my HR down, Wanted to keep it ~145 to 150 for the first half of the run, but couldn’t get it below 158. The first mile split came in at 8:44. I slowed a bit through town and was able to bring my HR down to 150, but my pace also slowed to ~9:00. My nutrition got screwed up somewhere around mile 4. I was trying to take a gu every 30 min like I had in training, unfortunately the aid stations and my pace screwed up my timing. By mile 10 my pace had slowed to 10’s and my stomach was cramping. This was about the time Rob P. came running by and offered some words of encouragement. He looked strong. I passed Scott and he shouted out a reminder to “keep eating”. By mile 13 the cramps where so bad I couldn’t run. I was pissed because my legs felt so good! I slammed a gu and a cup of water and with a couple minutes the cramps were gone. Then the light bulb came on. I wasn’t eating enough. I started hitting the gu hard at every other aid station. In between I was taking a coke with a water chaser. After a couple miles I was back running 9:00’s. I saw Erin P. after I rounded the last out and back and she was cruising. I had 40+ mins on her off the bike and there she was. I told her as she passed going the other waythat I was going to make her work to catch me. This was more to fire myself up. I thought for sure she would get me. My last 3 miles were sub 8:30’s, I was running scared.
Overall I was disappointed with my time. I had high hopes of breaking 11 hrs. But on the bright side I did PR by 20 minutes in less then ideal conditions. I felt good for most of the day, and I had fun! This is really the first race that I can look back and say I truly enjoyed. I think it was a combo of all of the people that came to watch, knowing others racing, and being much more fit them I’ve ever been.
Key learnings this year:
- Eat more frequently on the run.
- Carry my own nutrition.
- More open water swim practice (sore shoulder)
- Peeing on the bike may not be for me.
- Need a new knot for my transition bags. The “Pad Thai” knot only works on the bag when you get take-out from the local Thai restaurant. Not so cool in T1 when you’re wet, dizzy and easily distracted.
It was a very strange experience this year. Standing on the beach with Jen looking out at what could have been the ocean with 2200 other people, cold and anxious. Then Mike Reily came’s on and says that anyone not wanting to swim could just do the bike and run. This would not count as unofficial finish, but would allow those that wouldn't be able to complete the swim to participate at some level. I believe Jen's response to this was along the lines of "there's no way in hell I'm not doing this swim. I don't care if I don't make the cut off. I'm at least going to try". This kick ass attitude is what got her through a very challenging day. She kissed me and headed to the back of the crowd. It got me a little chocked up. Weird how emotional these things can make you. With so many months of prep and training coming down to the 10 sec countdown before they blow the cannon. Very intense, even after you do a few.
First ½ mile of the swim was directly into the wind which was blowing at 15 to 20 mph. The swells felt like they were 10 ft tall at times, but were probably only 2 to 3 ft. Was never able to get into a groove as my goggles kept filling with water and I had to breast stroke a lot to sight the buoys. Around the first buoy on the backside of the rectangle the sun was in our eyes and swimming became even tougher due to the waves coming in sideways. On the way back in it was like body surfing. Still wasn’t able to get in a groove though. Waves were coming in at an angle that kept pushing me towards the sea wall. The second lap felt better since I was warmed up and new what to expect on the way out. My second split ended up being a minute slower even though it felt faster. Oh well… HR average for the first lap was 151, second lap was 148. Almost 7 minutes off my PR, which was CDA 2005.
T1:
Out of the water I wasn’t too tired, just a little dizzy. I jogged through the bag area and into the tent. I swear I spent 60 seconds just trying to get my bag open. I struggled to get my arm warmers on over my wet arms. Still a little out of it, I ran out of the tent to the bike with gloves in hand. It was still a little chilly out so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too cold on the first part of the bike.
Bike:
I headed out of town up the main street. It’s a little up hill so I stayed up out of my aero bars to try to bring my HR down. Once I was on the flats I settled in and prepped myself for all of the people that would start passing me. Scott had mentioned this in some pre-race advice he had sent me. As people started going by I kept saying to myself “I’ll see you on the run”. By the end of the first lap my pacing paid off. After special needs I was feeling great and really started passing a lot of people. The only issue I was having was the constant urge to pee. I think I took in a lot of lake water in the swim and I couldn’t pee fast enough, or long enough on the bike to get it all out. After nearly filling my shoe and still directing way to much focus to how bad I had to go I finally stopped on the side of the road ~ about mile 60 and just let it out. Wow what a relief!! By mile 85 I had to stop again. Total I calculated I lost about 3 mins total to stopping and peeing. Not sure what I could have done differently there. At least I knew I was hydrated.
T2:
Coming in off the bike I was feeling great, but bummed that I was so far off what I thought I could do. I stayed within my HR ranges and effort level and felt really good, just a lot slower then expected. Jogged into transition and grabbed my bag. Into the tent where I was one of only 4 or 5 people. The volunteer was awesome. I was in and out pretty quick. Had to stop and pee again though, WTF! Took a GU and headed out on the run.
Run:
First mile of the run everything felt good, but I couldn’t get my HR down, Wanted to keep it ~145 to 150 for the first half of the run, but couldn’t get it below 158. The first mile split came in at 8:44. I slowed a bit through town and was able to bring my HR down to 150, but my pace also slowed to ~9:00. My nutrition got screwed up somewhere around mile 4. I was trying to take a gu every 30 min like I had in training, unfortunately the aid stations and my pace screwed up my timing. By mile 10 my pace had slowed to 10’s and my stomach was cramping. This was about the time Rob P. came running by and offered some words of encouragement. He looked strong. I passed Scott and he shouted out a reminder to “keep eating”. By mile 13 the cramps where so bad I couldn’t run. I was pissed because my legs felt so good! I slammed a gu and a cup of water and with a couple minutes the cramps were gone. Then the light bulb came on. I wasn’t eating enough. I started hitting the gu hard at every other aid station. In between I was taking a coke with a water chaser. After a couple miles I was back running 9:00’s. I saw Erin P. after I rounded the last out and back and she was cruising. I had 40+ mins on her off the bike and there she was. I told her as she passed going the other waythat I was going to make her work to catch me. This was more to fire myself up. I thought for sure she would get me. My last 3 miles were sub 8:30’s, I was running scared.
Overall I was disappointed with my time. I had high hopes of breaking 11 hrs. But on the bright side I did PR by 20 minutes in less then ideal conditions. I felt good for most of the day, and I had fun! This is really the first race that I can look back and say I truly enjoyed. I think it was a combo of all of the people that came to watch, knowing others racing, and being much more fit them I’ve ever been.
Key learnings this year:
- Eat more frequently on the run.
- Carry my own nutrition.
- More open water swim practice (sore shoulder)
- Peeing on the bike may not be for me.
- Need a new knot for my transition bags. The “Pad Thai” knot only works on the bag when you get take-out from the local Thai restaurant. Not so cool in T1 when you’re wet, dizzy and easily distracted.
Long Time No Post.
Sorry about that, here's a run down of the last 2 weeks:
The move is complete! Tough going from a big house to a small house. Just when you think you don't have very much crap... It's amazing how much can fit in the back of a closet. We are liking the condo though, all of our neighbors seem really nice. I think we made a good choice in location.
Ironman CDA is complete! Not the day I had hoped for, but a personal best non the less. Jen also completed the race with plenty of time to spare. She pushed through really a tough swim, a hilly bike course, and stomach issues on the run that would have made most people drop out. She's a stud! We had great support this year from friends and family. Thanks to all of those who came out and cheered us on. Also thanks to those who looked us up on line and sent us congrats! I'll post a race report soon.
We have both signed up for IM Arizona in April. There are currently 10 other Ironheads doing the race as well. We are sharing a house with two other couples that are racing. Should be a fun race.
For now the focus turns to local races, weekends doing fun stuff, and maybe a few beers.
The move is complete! Tough going from a big house to a small house. Just when you think you don't have very much crap... It's amazing how much can fit in the back of a closet. We are liking the condo though, all of our neighbors seem really nice. I think we made a good choice in location.
Ironman CDA is complete! Not the day I had hoped for, but a personal best non the less. Jen also completed the race with plenty of time to spare. She pushed through really a tough swim, a hilly bike course, and stomach issues on the run that would have made most people drop out. She's a stud! We had great support this year from friends and family. Thanks to all of those who came out and cheered us on. Also thanks to those who looked us up on line and sent us congrats! I'll post a race report soon.
We have both signed up for IM Arizona in April. There are currently 10 other Ironheads doing the race as well. We are sharing a house with two other couples that are racing. Should be a fun race.
For now the focus turns to local races, weekends doing fun stuff, and maybe a few beers.
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