The Season That Isn't Happening

This season seemed over almost before it started.  No I didn't get injured, instead I got burnt-out.  I have zero motivation to do any type of training.  It's not the lack of motivation that can sneak-up on you a few times during the season, It's different than that.  I just don't want to train at all.  ALL my training metrics are down and not down by a little, by A LOT. 

Sport          Hours           Distance

Swim          -154%            -63%
Bike           +17%             +5%
Run            -14%             -16%
MTB           -40%             -43%
Strength     -31%

I've made the executive decision to pull in the reins on this season.  I know I had plans to do a full Ironman but unless my training picks up and picks up by a lot, that just isn't happening.  I think after last years intense schedule I'm just burnt-out on the whole process.  I'm tired all the time, I'm not really having fun in the pool, although I do enjoy running and biking still.  Thus maybe a slow year is something I need.  Instead of a full Ironman, I'll take another swing at Steelhead Ironman 70.3.  That race SUCKED last year so maybe I go hard after a PR in that race.

The races I have done I really enjoyed.  Lowell 50 was a 35-mile race that was a fun. It's much like the Barry-Roubaix, which was also a nice race this year.  I then moved on to River Bank Run 25k and i'm really happy with how the first 20k went.  Unfortunately it was a 25k race, thus the remaining portion was very very tough.  Then a couple weekends ago I did the Yankee Spring TT.  That was a last minute addition.  I'm really happy with my performance despite not training for MTB intensity.  I train for endurance not short anaerobic races.  My avg. speed at that race was higher than previous years but tough to gauge time since the trail has changed slightly and they added a new segment for the race.

I'm not really sure where my race season is going to go, but I'll make one last hard push at training and see how that turns out. Maybe it will kick-start something, Maybe it will confirm I need to a slow year.

2014 Race Schedule Finalized

My 2014 race schedule is complete, although some exact dates are missing. This season I will attempt my first full-distance Ironman.  Thankfully that is not until August.  The 'Priority B' races are all my training races.  Per my training objectives, one was to increase the number of training races.  I've also included the 'Priority C' races, which are races I may or may not do.  If it works out, great, if not, no big deal.

March 22, 2014: Barry Roubaix Gravel Road Race (62 miles):  confirmed date. (Priority A)
April 5, 2014: Lowell 50 Gravel Road Race: confirmed date. (Priority B)
April 27, 2014: Pontiac Lake Classic MTB XC Race (Priority C)
May 10, 2014:  5/3 Riverbank Run 25K: confirmed date (Priority B)
June 8, 2014: Grand Rapids Triathlon Half-Ironman Distance:  confirmed date. (Priority A)
July 19, 2014: Tri Del Sol Sprint Triathlon: (REGISTERED) (Priority B)
August 10, 2014: Ironman Steelhead 70.3:  confirmed date. (Priority A)
August 24, 2014:  MiTi Full Ironman:  confirmed date. (Priority A)
September 21, 2014: Pando Challenge: approximate date (Priority C)
October 18, 2014: Peak2Peak MTB Race (Priority C)
October 25, 2014: Lowell 50: confirmed date (Priority C)
November 8, 2014: Iceman Cometh:  confirmed date. (Priority A)

Races I'm 90% positive I'm dropping due to their affiliation:
April 13, 2014: Yankee Springs TT
May 4, 2014: Fort Custer Stampede
June 21, 2014: State Games of Michigan

Races now cancelled by promoter:
May 18, 2014:  Xterra Fort Custer Last Stand: approximate date (Priority B)
June 15, 2014: Xterra Torn Shirt: approximate date (Priority C)

 

 

Setting 2014 Annual Hours and Prioritizing Races

I've already completed Step 1: Setting Annual Goals and Step 2: Setting Training Objectives. Now I move on to Step 3: Annual Hours and Prioritizing Races

 

Setting Annual Training Hours

This is where things can get a little tricky.  I want to set training hours that will push me, yet at the same time be realistic.  TrainingPeaks does give you a nice piece of advice:



 

 

 

 

In addition to the advice above, TrainingPeaks also provides a nice guideline to follow:



 

 

 

 

 

 

Using this as a guideline, I calculate my annual training hours as follows:

In 2013 I completed 279 hours of training. Adding 15% to that brings my annual training hours to 322 hours.  The low training hours for 2013 reflect my crash in motivation and physical burnout by July.  I was just putting too much pressure on myself instead of focusing on the bigger picture (training objectives and annual goal).  In addition to that, the majority of my training focused on swimming and running which is generally shorter workouts than cycling.  Going forward, I believe I'll have a better grasp on the bigger picture, thus I'm going to increase my annual training hours to 600.  This increase can also be attributed to my new challenge of completing my first full Ironman in August.  This 600 hours equates to roughly 12.5 hours per week (on average).  I'll post a weekly break-down in the next step of my annual training plan.

Prioritizing Races

Priority A Races: The most important races.  No more than two or three races a season.  It’s best these races be clumped together (2-3 week blocks) or widely separated.  My priority ‘A’ races are as follows:

Barry Roubaix Gravel Road Race (62 miles): March 22, 2014 confirmed date.
Grand Rapids Triathlon Half-Ironman Distance: June 8, 2014 confirmed date.
Ironman Steelhead 70.3: August 10, 2014 approximate date.
MiTi Full Ironman: August 24, 2014 confirmed date.
Iceman Cometh: November 1, 2014 approximate date.

Priority B Races: Select as many as 6 of these races.  With these races you will not build to a ‘peak’.  These races are considered 'training races'.  Part of my training objectives was to add more training races to my schedule.  My priority ‘B’ races are as follows:

Lowell 50 Gravel Road Race: April 5, 2014 confirmed date.
Yankee Springs Time Trial: April 20, 2014 approximate date.
Pontiac Lake XC: April 27, 2014 approximate date (may do this one instead of the CPS race given their character issues).
5/3 Riverbank Run 25k: May 10, 2014 confirmed date.
Fort Custer Xterra: May 18, 2014 approximate date.
Tri Del Sol Olympic Triathlon: July 19, 2014 confirmed date (REGISTERED)

Priority C Races: These are training races used to gain experience or as hard workouts.  It would not be unusual to cancel one of these races at the last moment (without feeling guilty about it).  Be careful with C races since they could result in a bad experience, thus hurt your motivation.  They can also cause you to go into over-training.  Every C race should have a clear goal on what you want to accomplish.  Entering these races with no goal can end badly.  My priority ‘C’ races are as follows:

Fort Custer Stampede: May 4, 2014 approximate date.
Torn Shirt Xterra: June 15, 2014 approximate date.
State Games of Michigan: June 21, 2014 approximate date. (CPS race so slim chance I'll be involved anymore).
Pando XC Race: September 21, 2014 approximate date.  (CPS race so slim chance I'll do it).
Lowell 50 Gravel Road Race: October 25, 2014 confirmed date.

 

Iceman: The Day Has Arrived

Iceman Cometh is this Saturday.  My training is complete.  There is nothing more I can do, other than maybe an easy ride tomorrow and Friday to keep the legs warm.  I'm not sure what to expect Saturday.  After some hard training rides I felt great.  After others, I felt discouraged.  I look at my Performance Management Chart and get even more discouraged.  Ever since school started (college professor) my CTL has dropped like a brick.  I really don't know what to expect on Saturday.

My ultimate goal is to finally break the 2-hour mark.  However, I need to factor in the longer course (+2 miles) and new re-routes that may be slower or faster, not sure.  This month, I've logged 300 miles and 20 hours on the bike.  This is only slightly higher than last year and still well below what my goal was.

I've reviewed last years race file and examined the my HR and speed data during certain sections of the trail.  This is the best method of pacing myself without a power meter.  That's definitely one benefit of my triathlon bike (powermeter).  So much easier to pace myself.  My pacing plans for Iceman will have to remain fluid.  I know the majority of the trail well (rode multiple times this year) so I'll be able to monitor my pace easier.  However as we approach the logging re-routes I'll need to make sure I stay within my pace and not blow a gasket.

I look at the race in two section: Pre-Williamsburg road and Post-Williamsburg road.  Prior to Williamsburg much of the race is about positioning.  Williamsburg road is about 16 miles into the race (just over half-way).  This is considered the easier part of the course.  After Williamsburg, the bigger hills become a factor. Based on this, below is a breakdown of my pace from last years race:

5-miles: 17.8(avg speed)/157(avg.BPM).  HR appears high given the avg.speed and elevation profile.
10-miles: 16.7/157
Williamsburg: 14.2/155  Time: 1:15
25-miles: 14.25/154  With the lower HR, did I dial things back a bit?
Finish: 13.8/154
IF of .981.  With a higher FTP, I should be faster if I achieve .981 IF again.  During a triathlon, this is something I can watch during the bike (via Garmin 910xt), however with MTB, the only three screens I'll have showing: avg.speed, avg.HR and time.

As for the weather; Right now it's calling for 50% rain, but that could change a dozen times before Saturday. I also don't really care what the weather turns out to be: cold, wet, snow, ice, heat...don't care.  I'll be prepared for anything.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironman Steelhead Race Report

Oh, where to start with this one.  How about I start with the venue and course set-up/conditions.  Then we can get to my so called results and explosion on the run.

The race is held at Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor, which is a perfect venue for it.  The park is right on Lake Michigan and has a nice loooooong parking lot that easily fits an athlete village (expo) and transitions area.  Below is an aerial shot of the park.

The transition area is very narrow compared to other triathlons I’ve participated in.  My rack was right near the entrance of T1 so I had a long run (with my bike) to exit T1.  It was very congested with people either sitting down taking off wetsuits or just blocking the path.  I don’t remember it being this narrow last year.  Another thing I really like about the Ironman branded event is transition area security. ONLY athletes allowed in transition.  No families, no spouses, no dogs, etc.  One would think this is common sense, but no other triathlon in West Michigan has this type of security.  The Grand Rapids Triathlon comes close, but just not enough volunteers to prevent families from entering.  Family members ignore the announcements and the signs that say no family, so not much the RD can do about that.

As always, the walk to swim start is long (about 35 minutes).   Not a bad walk, just make sure to bring nutrition because you could be standing around for an hour.  There is a clothing bag for athletes that don’t want to put on their wetsuit during the walk. The athlete can pick up their clothes after the  race.  I just gave mine to Heather and she carried back to her beach chairs.



Now let’s get to the race:

Swim: 1.2 Miles
Time: 41:37  Category Rank:  55th       (2012 Time: 39:41  Category Rank: 69)

Swim times this year were slower due to choppy conditions.  Last year the lake was like glass, however this year, the waves were 2-3 feet and we swam against the current.  I’ve done a lot of swimming in Lake Michigan so the choppy conditions were not really a factor to me.  It did take me 2 minutes longer to swim, however my swim rank dropped quite a bit.  During the swim I did catch up to the previous waves before me.  This created some traffic, but nothing major.  Other than that, the swim was uneventful.   I do need to work on picking up the pace in the last few hundred yards.  If I can reduce my swim by 90 seconds, that will put me in the top 20. 

T1: Swim to Bike
Time: 3:58 (2012 Time: 4:39)

T1 was rather uneventful, although I had a hell of a time getting my wetsuit off over my wrist.  Usually that’s the easiest part, but for some reason, I had to really yank on that thing to get it off.  I was also messing around with my Garmin during the run to T1 (locking and unlocking the keys).  I had my shoes clipped into my bike (confirmed this was okay with RD) so I did a modified flying leap with no problems (make sure clear bottles on back of bike).  The WTC rules state that only pro’s can have shoes clipped into their bike, however implementation of that rule is up to each RD.  I confirmed this was okay during the athlete meeting the day before.

Bike: 56 Miles
Time: 2:37:23 at 21.35 MPH/Avg   Rank:  36th  (2012 Time:  2:44:11 at 20.46 MPH/Avg  Rank: 60th)

The bike course seemed smoother this year than last year.  The RD did mention that some of the roads were paved, however there were some portions that were really rough.  The city tried to get those roads paved before the race, however they didn’t have time.  The RD mentioned that the paving started the Monday after the race. Thus 2014 should be a very smooth bike course.

Bike safety and traffic control seemed good.  I did have to pass one car on the bike course, which I felt bad about doing.  I did hear about one bike who was almost hit by a car because the driver ignored the police officers directions and drove the intersection.  I’m sure that driver was presented with a nice ticket and I’m also sure the driver blames the cyclists or the police because it’s never the drivers fault.  There were two aid stations on the bike, however I carry my own nutrition so I didn’t need them.

My bike split was rather uneventful other than there being a lot of bike traffic.  Despite the numerous warnings and threat of penalties, many bikers still clogged up the left lane.  I’m guessing these are the same car drivers that drive in the left lane despite driving slower than everybody else.  I did see the course marshal a number of times as well as a few cyclists at the penalty tents, so hopefully they learned their lesson.

I did have one biker almost take me out.  The guy was on a Cervelo and as I approached, I noticed he was changing his water bottles.  This was causing him to zig-zag all over the road (much like a texting driver).  I watched him carefully and he started to stay to the far right, so I started my pass on the left.  Out of no where, he veered to the left almost ramming me.  I stopped him with my hand on his shoulder and pushed him away.  I believe I pushed him hard enough to go all the way across the lane and into dirt on the shoulder (thankfully he didn’t fall).  I also gave him some choice words.  If you can’t change a water bottle while holding a line, then stop your bike and change it.  Way too dangerous to ride like that.  The course marshal was right behind me and they did slow next to the biker.  The marshal pulled up to me and told me that she talked to him but no mention of a penalty.

I should mention that this was my first triathlon using an aero helmet.  These helmets look very funny, however they are very effective.  I used a Rudy Wingspan which doesn’t have a very big ‘tail’ on it, thus doesn’t look as funny as the others.  These helmets are slightly heavier than my road helmet so my neck did get a little sore.  Once I get some miles with it on, my neck will get use to it.

T2: Bike to Run
Time: 3:49 (2012 Time: 4:41)

No issues in T2 other than congested lanes.  My rack was right by ‘Bike In’ so I didn’t have far to go.

Run: 13.1 Miles
Time: 2:39:34  Pace:  12:10  Rank: 123    (2012 Time:  2:20:55   Pace: 10:45  Rank: 89)

I felt good leaving T2, however by the time I hit mile 1, the wheels had fallen off.  First came the leg cramps and then around mile 4 came the nausea.  I wanted to take nutrition to deal with the cramps, but every time I tried, I almost puked.  I was reduced to running 200 yards, then walking.  Repeat this for 13.1 miles.  It was awful.  My goal pace was 9 minutes.  Then that changed to matching 2012 time.  Then it changed to just finishing.  Then it changed to just surviving.  I’ve never felt so bad during a race.  I was actually sick for most of Sunday.  I could barely eat anything the rest of the day without feeling like I was going to puke.

In hindsight, the problem seems to stem from my nutritional intake.  I’m not going to go into details here since I need to analyze it further, but upon first glance, I consumed way too much sodium.  This forced my body to take water from my muscles to absorb this sodium.  This left my muscles dehydrated, which of course leads to cramps.  My nutritional plan was based on training, well my training is usually done mid-day in hot weather.  The race was morning and the temps were 15 degrees cooler.  I never changed my nutritional requirements, thus I didn’t need the sodium.  Stupid mistake on my part that just ruined my race.

So this race I learned a very valuable lesson about nutrition.  Other than that mishap, the day was a lot of fun.  My dad and Heather came out once again and spent the day at the beach while I was out torturing myself.  The weather was perfect the race was organized to perfection as always.  I wasn’t planning on doing this race again next year, however given my crappy performance, I will be back.  I can’t let it end like that.  No way.

Flickr Photo Set Is Here

One Week To Ironman Steelhead 70.3

The big event of the year is a week away.  Although I haven’t hit my training goals exactly, I have come close:

The Swim = 1.2 Miles
Training hours compared to last year:  Swim Hours: +18%   Swim Distance:  +28%

Last year my goal was 35 minutes, however I came in around 39:41, thus 4 minutes off.  This year my goal is 33 minutes.   Last week I had an Olympic triathlon (Tri Del Sol), and that swim went really well for me and helped boost my confidence that I could hit my 33 minute goal.  Of course the key will be water conditions.  Last year the water was smooth as glass and relatively warm.  As of today, the water temps are 58 degrees.  The water did break 70 degrees this summer but the currents have shifted bringing colder waters from the bottom to the top.  Let’s hope the currents switch back to warm up.

Transition 1
Last year T1 took me 4 minutes.  I didn’t rush, but also didn’t take my time.  There is a beach run so feet will need to be rinsed of beach sand before mounting.  Last year I had my shoes clipped in and jumped on my bike.  I need to check the Athlete Guide to make sure that is still legal.  Apparently the rule against clipped shoes has been in place for awhile, but rarely enforced.  My goal for T1 is 3 minutes.

Bike: 56 Miles
Training hours compared to last year:  Bike Hours: –13%   Bike Distance:  +1.5%

The bike is my strength so my training hours are down, although my distance is still up.  There will be very little room for improvements on my time.  Last year I averaged 20.4MPH, which gave me a time of 2:44.  This year my goal is 21.7MPH, which will give me a time of 2:35.  This assume race conditions are similar.

The issue last year was nutrition.  I became very hungry on the bike.  This year I will be prepared for that with Cliff bars.  I will still carry my own nutrition via a bottle between the arms (Speedfill A2), an aerobottle on down tube and two smaller bottles behind the seat (used to refill A2).  I’ll also have gel and salt tabs on the ride.  My Garmin will be set to beep every 15 minutes to remind me to drink and every 30 minutes to 45 minutes to take a salt tab. There is still a chance I may strip away one water bottle to reduce weight.  It will depend on projected temps race day.

Transition 2
Transition did take just over 4 minutes last year so I’ll try to drop that by 30 seconds if I not more.  I don’t wear a Fuel Belt and all my gels will be on my race belt, so no real reason to take a long time in T2.

Run = 13.1 Miles
Training hours compared to last year:  Run Hours: +27%  Run Distance: +46%

Running is my weak leak, thus the reason you see such big increases in my training times. Last year my average pace was 10:44, resulting in a run time of 2:20.  Dropping my pace time was the fact I walked every aid station.  This year I’m hoping to walk every other aid station.  The key will be not to push too hard the first few miles.   My goal is a 9:45 pace, which will give me a time of 2:08.

Total race time is projected at 5:22, which would be 32 minutes faster than last year.  It does seem very aggressive goal, but talking with other racers, many have seen huge improvements after completing the first HIM.

Let’s look at some nerdy training data.

During 2012, my average training stress score was 271.7, while in 2013 it is 347.5.  The TSS score is basically a measurement of workload.  The higher the number, the more stress you put on your body during training.  Thus this number needs to be managed to prevent over-training.

Below is my Performance Management Chart (PMC) showing my entire training year, as well as 2012.  The picture is tough to read so I’ll point out the highlights from it.

The first box on the left shows the date of 8/12/12.  This is one week before Steelhead.  At that point, I had a Training Stress Balance (TSB) of –1.0, an Acute Training Load (ATL) of 44.9 and a Chronic Training Load (CTL) of 49.4.  Quickly, TSB is the balance between fatigue and freshness.  A TSB of zero means you perfectly balanced.  A positive TSB means you are very fresh (recovered).  Each athlete has to determine their own balance.  ATL and CTL are the same thing, only difference is duration.  ATL measures training stress the past few weeks while CTL measures training stress over the past few months.

Now my current numbers are much higher.  As of 7/28/13 (one week before Steelhead), my TSB is –8.8, my ATL is 67.9 and my CTL is 68.7.  Just three days ago I had a –25 TSB, which indicates a very high training day.  Thus, I’ve tapered it down to –8.8 as I approach race day.  This number will drop a few times as I have harder workouts, but as I approach Sunday, it should be closer to zero.  Last year, my TSB on race day was +13.7.  I won’t let it get that high this year.  Ideally closer to zero.

Race Reports: State Games and MSU Gran Fondo

Race #7: State Games of Michigan MTB Time Trial

This is a race I wasn’t planning on doing.  Historically I’ve volunteered at this race, which included setting up the course and adjusting the course for the beginners (making it easier).  This is the first year the race was run as a TT instead of the typical XC format.  Given the TT format and the fact the course was ‘dumbed down’ slightly, there was no real need for me to be on the course during the race.  This opened up my time to get in a quick race.

I don’t train for mountain bike races so I wasn’t really expecting much.  Just looking to have some fun in a competitive environment. 

The first lap went as well as I expected.  My HR blew up on the first big climb, which was about 300 yards from the start line.  Back in my  mountain bike training days, I use to do hill intervals on this climb.  Its been a couple years since then and it certainly showed. 

The real goal of the race, for me, was to hold consistent lap times.  My first lap was 28 minutes, which is about four minutes slower than the winner of my AG.  I was not able to hold that time for the remaining three laps.  Even if I did, I would have only moved up one spot in the rankings.  Yeah, I was that slow.

The reaming three laps were all within 30 minutes, with my third lap being the fastest of the three.  Thus I partially hit my goal of keeping lap times consistent.  In the end, it was a ton of fun, I continued to work the event afterwards which was also a lot of fun. 

Race #8: MSU School of Medicine Grand Fondo

Technically this is not a race, it’s a big group ride to support skin cancer research.  It was a tremendous success with registration closing at 1500 riders.  When the idea was initially pitched, the goal was closer to 500 riders, at least that is what I was told. 

The race has three distances: 16-miles, 40-miles and 80-miles.  I opted to do the 80-mile ride with a goal of under four hours.  Since I don’t have a true road bike, I opted to use my CX bike with road tires.  They did allow triathlon bikes, but I figured it would be a group ride, thus wouldn’t be in the aero position that much.

The ride started out pretty clean and on a flat roads.  The only issue I had was that I found myself stuck between the lead group and the second lead group.  These groups contained approximately 40 riders each, with the remaining riders well behind. 

Being stuck between groups meant I was working very hard.  I eventually had to allow the 2nd lead group to catch me so I could ride with them (which I did for the 80-miles).  We all rotated turns leading the group so that structured worked out okay.  However, when I drifted to the back of the group to recover, I found myself very frustrated with the riders.

First, this is an 80-mile ride, thus these riders are experienced cyclists.  That didn’t stop them from taking up the entire lane, despite the road being open to traffic.  A few us tried to get them to ride in a double pace line, but many riders just didn’t listen.  Another issue was one rider who couldn’t hold a straight line.  This guy was all over the place.  He’d randomly stand-up without warning and just be all over the lane.  He had a team jersey on with other teammates around so I finally told them to get his shit together before he causes an accident. I could tell he was a mountain biker due to his riding style and the fact he had a visor on his helmet.  Thus maybe he’s just not use to pace line.  He was a very dangerous rider. 

Another issue was a couple riders in headphones, despite the multiple announcements they were not allowed.  You shouldn’t have to be told they are not allowed, it’s common sense.  A few riders, including myself, barked at him, but he paid no attention.  Most likely couldn’t hear us. He had a team jersey on (Founders Brewery) but doesn’t mean he road for the team.

Final issue was some riders taking out their phones so they could take pictures while riding.  Yes, that really happened. 

At the 40-mile mark, we stopped at North Beach.  The aid-station there was more of a catered event: cheese and crackers, fruit, etc.  I didn’t really do anything other than fill up water bottles and continue back on the road.

The ride in was police escort, so that was nice.  The route was more hilly, plus I was more sensitive to hills given the distance we’ve ridden.  My time came in around 3.3 hours with a 23ish MPH avg.  (24mph average heading out).  Even with a police escort, we stopped at a couple traffic signals, however must stop sign intersections were cleared for us. 

It was a fun event, must faster than I thought, but still fun. 

Grand Rapids Triathlon Race Report

Third triathlon of the season in the books.  This was an Olympic distance triathlon, thus I had a goal of 2:35.  This goal would represent approximately 18 minute improvement over last years time of 2:53.  I felt confident of this goal, however my time did come up short: 2:47:36.  The table below compares the last three years:

Discipline	2013	2012	2011
Swim	27:40	28:44	31:37
T1	2:20	2:49	3:22
Bike	1:09:39	1:08:24	1:09:10
T2	2:05	3:12	2:28
Run	1:05:50	1:10:36	1:06:45
Total	2:47:36	2:53:45	2:53:13

Swim (4th in class)

The past two years, there has always been a nice swim warm-up area.  However, for some reason this year, they were not allowing people to warm-up for the swim.  If I would have known this I would have brought some bands or something to help get the muscles warmed up. 

Other than the warm-up issue, the swim was uneventful.  The previous two years, there was always an issue with the sun in your eyes on the swim back in.  This wasn’t a problem this year at all.  My swim lines could improve a little bit,  but still happy with the one minute improvement in swim time.

T1 and Bike (5th in class)

The transition area is skinny and LONG.  Not only that, it’s a rough road, thus running barefoot was an issue for me.  My feet were screaming by the time I got to the exit. When I finally got my feet in my shoes, I had to take them back out to remove all the small pebbles. 

Once I was on the bike, things went smooth.  The time was just a minute slower than last year, however my average speed was the same since it was slightly longer this year.  Previous years the turn-around was before Ivan Road, however this year it was after Ivan Road. 

What is strange is that my Garmin 910xt did not record any data from my bike or run.  It captured my swim just fine, but nothing else.  Further research shows there is an issue with the 2.7 software on the Garmin 910xt.  Garmin recommends reloading 2.6 until they fix the issue.  The problem with that is that you have to call to have them walk you through this.  I’ll wait another week, but if there is no patch, I’ll need to reinstall 2.6 for my next triathlon.

T2 and Run

Much like T1, my transition times were down quite a bit.  In 2012, I left a lot of ‘fat’ on the table with my T-times.  Thus this year I was going to put additional focus on getting in and out of t-area.  Once I did get out, I had to stop to remove pebbles from my shoes.

As usual, the run was terrible.  I just couldn’t find my legs at all.  In addition, it felt like the heat index spiked.  I felt mentally defeated and physically exhausted.  It was everything I could do to cross that finish line.  I thought for sure my time would be slower than 2012, thus I was very shocked to see I was actually 5 minutes faster. My time should still be at least 55 minutes. 

What I learned was that I need more bike/run bricks in my training.  I need to get my legs prepared for the transition so they can recover and increase pace faster.  That will be my focus  before my next triathlon. 

Race Report: Xterra Last Stand

First triathlon since Escape From Alcatraz.  The weather was great and the water temps were okay, a little chilly for me but after 51 degree swim in the SF Bay, 65 degree water was much better.  My finish time was 1:57:26, which is about 40s faster than last year.  It should be noted that the mountain bike trail was longer this year so it’s best to compare averages.

Swim (data)
As I said earlier, the water was a little cold for me but I got over it quickly.  I wanted to have a quality warm-up, but didn’t get to the water in time to do that.  I did get maybe 200 yards of warm-up, but not enough.

This Xterra is a mass start, so there is no way to avoid people diving on you, bumping you, climbing over you, etc.  I line up near the front to limit this but there is still a lot of bumping.  Other than that my swim went okay.  My HR did spike faster than I wanted it to which forced me to slow down my kick and at times stop kicking all together.  This helped control the HR better but did slow me down.  My swim time was 12:48, which is the 8th fastest time.  Last year my swim time was 14:28, so a solid improvement.  My average pace last year was 1:38 and this year it was 1:33.

T1
I was slow in T1.  Last year I finished T1 in 1:28, however this year I was 2:09.  I cannot pin point any specific reason I ways slower other than a lack of hustle. 

Bike (data)
The bike was smooth and fast.  With a faster swim, I had minimal traffic on the trail.  If I had any constructive criticism about the bike is the lack of disciplined nutrition.  Bike nutrition is what set’s up a good run.  I didn’t really have a planned nutrition set up since it was only 13ish miles long. 

The route was different last year so it’s best to compare average speed.  This year I averaged 13.6mph while last year I averaged 12.6.

T2
I was slow again in transition.  I almost fell off my bike because my left foot wouldn’t unclip from the pedal.  What slowed me down in T2 was putting on a fuel belt and a race belt.  Normally I’d only do a race belt and rely on aid-stations, but with the heat, I wanted something extra so I put two bottles on my fuel belt.  There was no where to also attach a number so I had to wear a race belt as well.  I should have put them on while running but opted to put them on while in transition.  My T2 time was 1:22 while last year it was :54.

Run (data)
As always, my run is my weakest link.  I was concerned about sore feet from the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25k.  Leading up to Xterra, my feet were sore on all my training runs.  I added some additional heel gel pads to help and I wore my normal running shoes instead of trail running shoes.  Just wanted more padding.

The first 1.5 miles were absolute torture.  My legs would not get into a groove. I stopped once to stretch but was then attacked by mosquitos.  At the two mile mark, I felt more confident and slowly picked up my pace.  I was over-heating so used my fuel belt water to pour over my body.  I downed salt-tabs like they were gummy bears.  My average pace was 12 minutes last year, however this year I did improve that too 10:32.  That equates to almost 3 minutes faster than last year.  I am still disappointed because I thought I could hold a 9:30 pace, but my legs are not use to the stress of a 25k race followed by a triathlon.

Overall I’m okay with how the race went.  I left a lot of time on the table with my slow transition times, but did show good improvement in the three sports.  Still need to get my run pace down, but I’ve been saying that since I started triathlons.  I am training hard at it and it is slowly falling.  Hopefully by the end of the season I’m running sub 9-min miles.   

Race Report: Fifth Third Riverbank Run 25k

 

So I did it. I completed my first 25k. My goal was to finish 2:30:00 and I ended up 2:29:36.  So let’s break down this race:

Start of the race
We’ve sure had some beautiful days the last week.  Unfortunately, race day was crap.  It was cold.  Very cold.  Making things worse was standing in the start line for 15 minutes freezing my tail off.  However, once the race was started, all of that was forgotten.

 

First 8-Miles
When the race started, I was right behind the 9:00 min pace setters.  However, within the first mile, the 9:00 min group started to pull away.  However, according to my Garmin, my pace was 8:30ish.  By mile 4, the 9:30 pace setters caught me, yet my Garmin was saying 8:45.  Thus, my Garmin footpod was off by :30 to :45.  I decided to hang with the 9:30 for the majority of the race.  It was a comfortable pace for me. My average pace for the first 8 miles was 9:26, with a max pace of 8:12.  Below is a graph of the first 8-miles.  As you can see, the route was relatively flat.



 

Next 5-Miles
With the first 8-miles complete, we entered the hardest part of the race.  The graph below represents the final half of the race.  As you can see, things got a little hilly. My average pace dropped to 9:36 with a max pace of 8:14.



Last 2-Miles

During most of the race, I felt fine.  No knee issues or other unusual pain.  However, at mile 13, my wheels fell off. My feet were hurting extremely bad, which caused my running form to collapse.  It hurt to take a step.  My average pace jumped to 9:57.  Even with all the cheering from the finish line crowd, I had nothing left to give.  Even if I could muster the energy, my feet wouldn’t have responded.  I did seek out some advice on why this happened, and the primary culprit is just the lack of running miles.  Most would blame the shoes, but with no real issues for 13 miles, then that means it’s not the shoes.

Approaching the finish line, I noticed the clock saying 2:28.  So I really really really tried to muster up energy, but the clock ticked past my goal of 2:30. I was in so much pain, I conceded my goal.  However, what I wasn’t thinking about was my chip time.  When I saw the official results, I hit my goal with 2:29:36.

Even though I’ve been limping for two days, this race was lots of fun and I’m looking forward to doing it again.

Race #3: Yankee Springs TT

First mountain bike race of the season under my belt.  I was slower this year than previous years, and even though I expected that, the reality is still disappointing.  My Garmin race time is 1:56 for the two laps, which puts me in the bottom third of my category.  The take-away from this race include:

First, My rear tire keeps losing pressure.  I’ve been dealing with this damn wheel for a few months now.  I’ve added sealant and changed tape, but the tire will consistently lose pressure.  Just traveling from home to race sight it lost half pressure.  After the race, it had lost 12 pounds of pressure.  This had minimal impact on my performance, just very frustrating.

Second, my anaerobic capacity is good.  Although I spent 80% of my time in Zone 4+, I still felt I was in control of my HR.  This is most likely a result of my swim training, which is all cardio. 

Third, muscular endurance needs help.  Much like Barry Roubaix race, I am just not a strong climber anymore.  I’m sure I’ll make this statement with every mountain bike race I do this season since my training focus is endurance not power.  A consistent theme for my training has been to increase intensity and I’ve failed to do that.  If I want to compete with other racers, this needs to be addressed quickly.  Otherwise I will remain in the bottom third of my category. 

The challenge to address this is balancing hard bike intervals with hard running intervals.  My running sucks, so if I really want to move up in triathlons, I need to become a faster runner.  However, if I want to move up in mountain bike racing, I need to become a faster biker. Looking at triathlon training schedules, I could tweak some of them to look like this:

Day 1: Hard Bike, Endurance Run
Day 2: Swim, Endurance Bike
Day 3: Hard Run
Day 4: Swim, Endurance Bike
Day 5: Hard Bike, Endurance Run
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Swim, Hard run 

Anyways, just something I will need to change starting this week.  I have a few years of training plans prepared for me by coaches, I’m sure I’ll come up with something.  Moving on:

Final take-away from the race is my mountain bike handling skills.  These skills have become rusty.  I did better during the race, however I am still braking too much in the corners and I have zero trust in my front tire to stick to the trail.  For this to improve, I just need to stick my ass in the saddle. 

The race was still fun, nice to see fellow riders and the weather was perfect. 

Race Comparison: Pacing

I was reading an article on how to pace an Ironman race and it got me thinking about my own pacing statistics.  So I went on TrainingPeaks and compiled the information based on race type/distance.  I only picked from 2012 races:

Race Name	Type of Race	Avg. Heart Rate	Avg. Power	Power Zones	Heart Rate Zones
Fort Custer Stampede	Mountain Bike XC	155	NA	NA	51% Zone 4
Grand Rapids Triathlon	Olympic	151	227	24% Zone 4 14% Zone 5 21% Zone 6	50% Zone 3 50% Zone 4
Tri Del Sol Triathlon	Sprint	149	243	20% Zone 3 27% Zone 4 20% Zone 5 & 6	90% Zone 4
Reeds Lake Triathlon	Sprint	153	173	19% Zone 3 36% Zone 6	44% Zone 3 56% Zone 4
Ironman Steelhead	Half-Ironman	131	180	20% Zone 1 26% Zone 2 & 3 18% Zone 4	74% Zone 2

Although not all my races are listed, there are still a few take-a-ways from this table.

 

1. Mountain bike races are more anaerobic.  This I already knew.  However, this does mean there is a conflict in my training.  If I want to compete at mountain bike races, I will need to more high intensity training. 
   
2. The GR Triathlon pacing is spot on perfect pacing for that distant race.  There is really nothing I would change about that.
   
3. Tri Del Sol pacing is also spot-on for sprint level distance.   I could push more power, however I’m already 90% of my time in HR zone 4.  I would need to up my anaerobic capacity to get a higher power reading.
   
4. Reeds Lake Triathlon pacing is rather unique.  I have a high HR and spent close to half my time in power zone 6.  Yet my average power is low.  I’m thinking this is because I was either going up hill or down hill.  Minimal flat terrain.  Thus the reason you see very little power zone 4-5. 
   
5. Ironman pacing is probable a little slow, which I knew.  However at the time, I was worried about the 13.1 mile run.  The HR Zones should be split between zone 2 and 3.  The power zone I’m okay with.  The course was flat, thus the higher power average than Reeds Lake. 

 

 

 

Barry Roubaix Race Report

 

Race #2 of the season in the books.  Once again I dropped down from the 62-mile race to the 36-mile race.  I am glad I did because I stunk at this race.

At 2:06:36 I finished 51st out of 144.  Yeah, I sucked.  The good news is that I was 18 minutes faster than 2011 and 2012 (more like 11 minutes faster than 2012 due to flat tire).  The bad news is my climbing.  I carried excellent momentum into the hills but once I lost that momentum I was not able to generate any significant power to get up the hill.  The elevation profile is below:

I was very happy with my times on the ‘flat’ areas.  This makes sense given most of my training is for endurance.  When I compare my climbing times vs. the last couple of years, I was slower on some of the hills.  There is an issue
in comparing times: The start line was changed to the city of Hastings.  Example of how that impacted climbs:  The ‘Three Sisters’ and ‘Hubble Hills’ were at the beginning of the race instead of near the end.

Hill Name	2013	2012
Three Sisters	4:11	5:25
Hubble Hills	5:18	5:48
Gun Lake	5:00	4:44
Little Pine	2:28	2:13
The Wall	2:24	1:54
Grave Yard	2:04	1:55

Regardless, it still shows that my climbing times are not improving.  Also, I couldn’t stop my calf from cramping on some climbs.  This is very unusual for me.  When I approached the finish line, I noticed there were a ton of riders behind me.  I stood to sprint the last 100 yards and almost went over the bars.  My legs were just mush.  So I had to do a sitting sprint.

I am tired of not being very competitive at mountain bike racing.  In 2008 it wasn't 'IF' i will get the podium, but instead what place "ON" the podium.  Not it's everything I can do to finish the race.  The training requirements are very different from triathlons to mountain bike racing, but I'm still very frustrated on my decline in performance.

I still enjoyed the race and impressed at it’s growth.  I believe it was 3,000 racers and right on par with Iceman in terms of size and atmosphere.

I was bib #2563

Panoramic View of the Alcatraz Swim

Cool video Heather shot prior to swim start. .

2013 Escape From Alcatraz Swim

Race Report Part 2: Escape From Alcatraz Bike and Run

The swim report is located here. 

Bike
The bike portion of the race was rather uneventful.  I knew I would be facing some serious climbs, this is SF after all.  My best description would be a mountain bike course on the road.  By this I mean, the climbs were steep and long, however it’s nothing I haven’t faced on a mountain bike course. 

My bike time was slow at 1:14. This put me mid-pack.  I paced myself way too slow and didn’t take advantage of the down hills.  I knew I had an 8 mile run ahead of me, but I still could have gone faster. 

The bike I rented was a Giant Defy.  The fit was terrible (size L).  I was to stretched out on it  The frame size was correct, the stem just needed to be half the length.  My lower back was screaming by mile 9.  My chain did fall off the front rings twice probable costing me a couple minutes, but it was an easy fix. 

Run
It’s no secret I’m not a runner.  I’m an 8:30 minute pace type of guy.  The run course was very close to an Xterra trail run.  The surfaces changed constantly and there were some steep stairs that needed to be climbed.  Some how my nutrition fell out of my back pocket so I had zero nutrition with me.  Thankfully there were enough aid stations to over come that.  I do recall my nutrition falling out during Steelhead 70.3, but running on a street I could hear it.  This running was mostly dirt so it probable hit the ground quietly. 

A tough part of the run was the beach run.  However, that was just about a mile, with half of it on the shoreline so the ground was half packed.  The other half was very deep sand.  It destroyed your calf muscles.  If that wasn’t enough, the beach run ended on the sand ladder.  For survival reasons I walked up the ladder like everyone else.  However, I probable could have picked it up a bit. 

After the sand ladder was the final long climb.  That hill seemed to go on forever. However, at the top, it was all downhill.  There was a lot of downhill stairs that you had to be careful on. I was worried about twisting an ankle so I took it carefully. I still ran down, just did so with caution.

Running underneath the Golden Gate Bridge was cool and there was some beautiful scenery that helped you forget about the pain.  I did finish the last two miles near an 8 minute pace, so I was happy with that.  It was a very long 2 miles. 

The finish line was really cool.  I’ve never been through a finish line with grand stands and very loud cheering crowds.  I really helped you the last few hundred yards and definitely put a smile on your face.  For a brief moment you forgot about the pain and just reflected on the fact you conquered Alcatraz. 

 

Race Report Part 1: Escape From Alcatraz Swim

Oh where to start with this one.  I’ll try to make it quick.

Packet Pick-Up
Uneventful.  The so called ‘Athlete Village’ was about the third the size of Iceman Cometh Expo.  Very disappointed, although I did save a lot of money. 

I didn’t bring my normal nutrition gels (Gu).  I figured I could pick them up at the expo.  I was wrong.  There was a Gu vendor there, but they didn’t sell their own product.  The one bike shop there only sold Gu Chomps.  No Gu gels in sight anywhere. I couldn’t figure why I couldn’t find Gu anywhere.  Well, a couple days later I figured out why.  From one of the pre-race newsletters:

A note about gels... We do NOT allow gels on course. This is due to strict rules in the local, State and National Parks where we swim, bike, and run. We do allow more solid items such as Energy Chomps and Energy Bars, but there is NO LITTERING on course and if you are caught, you are subject to a disqualification. Please help us keep San Francisco clean so they will continue to allow up to hold this race in their beautiful city.

Transition Set-Up and Ferry Ride
I arrived at transition at 4am and was set up by 430am.  The transition area was all grass which I really liked.  I didn’t have to buckle in my shoes, I could just run in them.  I was on the bus and headed to the pier by 4:40am. 

Prior to boarding the ferry, the announcers recommended that you drop off your swim bag, which included the outfit you wore to the pier, etc.  You could bring the bag on the boat but you wouldn’t get it back until later in the day. I didn’t know how much later so I opted to drop the bag off prior to boarding, however in hindsight, I should have kept my bag with me (and packed it with nutrition)

I sat on the boat for over 90 minutes.  I had minimal nutrition which really hurt me later.  It’s my fault for not looking at the amount of time we’d be on the boat.  I should have prepared better for this. 

Swim
The swim start is crazy.  They need 2000 people off the boat in 6 minutes.  I didn’t even have a chance to think about the swim.  Next thing I knew, I was in the water.  Once I hit the water, the concept of 51 degree water became a reality.  It literally took all the air out of my body.  I was gasping for oxygen as waves crashed over my head. 

I started my swim ‘across the river’.  From the diagram below, the orange arrow represents my target.  The green line is my actual swim course.  The current pulled you toward the Golden Gate Bridge.  As you can see I over-shot my landing by 100 yards.

Sighting shore was a serious issue.  The cold water caused me to lose my equilibrium.  My head was spinning so I had to swim for a good 15 minutes before actually sighting shore.  This gave me time for my head to settle down and warm up. 

This was easily the hardest swim of my triathlon career.  Between the cold water, waves crashing over my head, the current and swallowing gallons of salt water, I seriously questioned my safety during this swim.  It was a mental battle. I just had to trust my training and keep at it. 

Once I hit shore and stood up, my legs cramped up causing me to fall back into the water.  Just my luck, I come to shore in what is known as a ‘gut’.  This is basically an area with heavy under-tow.  The waters tried to drag me out to sea.  Adding to the difficulty was my cramped legs. I wasn’t in any danger and was actually laughing through the pain.  I couldn’t get out of the F^#$% water. 

The run back to transition was .8 miles.  My swim exit bag was available, but I didn’t use it. I opted to run in my swim socks, which worked out fine.  I did lay down a 7 minute mile to transition. 

There is some sad news.  A swimmer did die during the swim. I found out after the race during lunch.  This kept me up at night as I though about his wife and three kids.  I did find out his wife was on the pier as they tried to revive him.  The details haunt me to this day.  It’s scary to know just how dangerous that swim is.  Racer’s who did this swim before said it was the hashes conditions they’ve ever experienced. 

Lesson’s Learned From The Swim
Bring nutrition on the boat.

Spend time the day before in the water

Spend more time on the boat sighting shore and getting a good idea of where to swim too.