Ironman USA Spectator Race Report - Friday/Saturday

Ever since I finished my first Ironman at Lake Placid, Aimee and I have been excited about returning. Returning to this magical place in order to enjoy the scenery, do things we didn’t get a chance to do last year and cheer our friends to the finish line. We were also fortunate enough to get our dream volunteer job as wetsuit peelers. We wanted to volunteer early so we could then be on the course to cheer for not only our friends but all of the athletes.

We drove up to Lake Placid on Friday with a misty rain obscuring our view of the mountains all the way from Watertown. The drive was uneventful but I enjoy the time we spend together confined to the car. We both had workouts to do in the morning and were hoping for good weather. I wanted to ride the road up Whiteface Mountain and Aimee had 10 miles to run. We grabbed dinner at Caffe Rustica since we had to drive through town on our way to Jay.

We would be staying at the Book and Blanket Bed & Breakfast for the weekend. Only $75/night and not to far from Lake Placid, the lodging was very nice. Aimee’s mom stayed there last year and really liked it. The other guests at the B&B consisted of an athlete and her parents. Deborah Powell was competing in her second IM having completed IM Canada the prior year. Deb was on a 40 person team called Race 4 Kids. They each raised money to Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario. We chatted briefly before heading to bed.

I needed to get up early for my ride up Whiteface Mountain as this would be an “illegal” ride. The Veterans Memorial highway that goes up the mountain has a toll booth that controls the final four miles to the top. The booth doesn’t open until 8:00AM so I needed to be there before that. I left Jay around 6:15 to make the 6 mile ride to the starting area and climb to the toll booth. I had plenty of time since it didn’t take me long to get there. As I started the 8 mile climb another rider headed up the road as well. I noticed it was a female as I approached her from behind and said hi. Nancy and I chatted for a while and she had started before her husband Rick of Zone3Sports. I had to stop and fix my rear derailleur since it was not shifting into my largest cassette, something that I would need for such a steep and long climb.

I had put the FlashPoint 60s on my road bike and the 11-23 cassette wasn’t properly lined up so I couldn’t get into the 23. A quick turn of the low limit screw and I was all set. I would be in the 23 the entire ride. I continued on with my ride behind Nancy and Rick not sure if and when I would catch either of them. I rode the first 4 miles in 23 minutes. No guard at the booth so I slipped under the gate and kept going.

The more I climbed the more beautiful the scenery was. Another rider passed me going up and two riders zipped by me going down. So I wasn’t the only person riding the mountain that morning. I alternated between standing and sitting during the climb. I was happy how my legs felt when standing, it was almost like running and my legs felt strong. My best estimate was that I was averaging 7 MPH. After the final hairpin turn and 1 mile from the top I joined Nancy for the rest of the ride up. Rick came down to join us and re-ride the final mile, Nancy says he likes climbing on the bike.

Once we made the top Rick and Nancy descended while I took some pictures of the area. Lake Placid was covered with low clouds. I was above the clouds.

Very cool. I put my wind vest on and pulled up my arm warmers because the temperatures in the shade were still cool and the descent would be fast. After I stopped one more time for pictures it was a straight shot down the mountain. However the road was not in the best of conditions so I didn’t open it up like on the Keene descent. I held things back between 25 – 30 MPH as I maneuvered bumpy patches of road while looking out for potholes and possible animal crossings. My computer had a max speed of 45 MPH when I was done. At the bottom I caught up with Rick and Nancy and chatted about some of Rick’s athletes that were competing.

I made my way back to Jay to grab some breakfast. Before I had much of a chance to put my bike away Aimee said she lost an ear ring during her run. I grabbed a scone from the breakfast table and started to ride my bike out on the road she ran on. I turned around because I was riding too fast on the bike to see anything. I put on my running shoes and ran the 3.5 miles to Upper Jay to see if I could spot it. I felt good the entire 7 miles but came up empty handed. Bonus was the impromptu brick workout totaling 3.5 hours.

We finally ate breakfast, showered and headed into Lake Placid to meet the swim captain. On the way into town we stopped at Mt. Van Hoevenberg for a ride on the 1980 Olympic bobsled run. We did the 1 mile portion of the track in 42 seconds. It is quite a rush zooming down the concrete run banking on the turns a full 90 degrees.




We continued our way to town so we could meet the swim captain. Brandon is a veteran IM volunteer. He had some great advice for peeling off wetsuits. I stopped by the ART tent to say hi to Barry Horpestad. He fine tuned me before IM USA ’06. I sent him a picture via e-mail and he was apologetic about not responding. I was just happy he got the message and it was great to see him again.

We walked around the athlete village and Aimee bought a cycling skirt.

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I was getting turned off by all the people around and didn’t need to buy anything. When Aimee was done we got a bite to eat from the hotdog vendor and people watched along Main Street. People were dropping off their bikes in transition or returning from making purchases. We made our way to the shopping area of town and popped in and out of different stores making random purchases.

During the entire time in town we only saw one person from the Cleveland area. Mark had to pick up his wetsuit after getting a quick repair and he was heading back to the hotel. It was good to know that everyone was staying out of town and resting for their big day.

Aimee and I finally left town and headed for dinner. We made a quick stop at the store to buy some water and ice. In the parking lot we found this truck decorated. Those crazy Canadians.







We needed to make a return trip to Tail ‘o the Pup for a lobster clam bake. Sitting outside we enjoyed the music and fresh air. The food was great we finished dinner with a milk shake.

During dinner a woman walking by and wished me good luck for the race, she must have seen my Ironman hat I was wearing. Instead of trying to explain that I wasn’t racing I simply said “Thank-you” on behalf of all the athletes who would be competing. Right before we left two women walked in that looked very familiar. I was pretty sure I knew who they were and had to make sure. I walked up and ask if her name was Jen…….sure was. Jen and Bethany were vital in my success and overall IM experience in ’06. I had pictures that I wanted to send but didn’t have her e-mail address. They were hoping to see me this weekend and ask about the pictures. I got Jen’s e-mail address and have been corresponding ever since…..she has her pictures now…..a year later. It was still fantastic to see her and Bethany.

Aimee and I finally made out back to the B&B. We still needed to make signs for our friends and hang the Cleveland Tri Club banner along the bike route.

Aimee went to bed while I chatted with Deb about some details regarding the bike course. She hadn’t seen the exit from transition to the main road out of town and I warned her about the steep downhill section and to take it easy. I made it to bed since we would need to get up around 4:00AM.

Friday and Saturday were busy days and we weren’t even to race day yet. However, we were very excited about the race and watching our friends on the course.

The people have spoken.....

and I have been deemed a lazy blogger. First Neese had to leave me a comment on my last post. Then Dying Water Buffalo left me three messages on that post accusing me of having a life outside of blogging. Then Dave and Cliff posted comments about me sighting them at IM USA. Finally my brother e-mails me directly needing a blog post fix.

10 showings of love on my post from July 20 and nothing new since then. I'm a baaaaaaadddddd blogger. I'm working on my IM USA Spectator Race Report but training, work, and general life have gotten in my way. I'm sorry but I don't like to throw crap up on my blog just to see myself post.

I will try to report on my stripping exploits at IM USA soon.....I have pictures also.

Now go outside and get some Game On.

Family and Friends Friday - IM USA participants

There is a special kindred relationship I now share with participants of Ironman USA. Having lost my Iron-virginity at Lake Placid I am extremely excited to be travelling to this awesome little city with Aimee this weekend. We get to cheer for approximately 15 Cleveland area Iron-peeps, as well as some bloggers and the pro women.

Next week I will post my Ironman USA Spectator Race Report. This is going to be a great weekend.

Now I leave you with this moment of Zen:

Don't eat a jalopeno hamburger with onion rings and swiss cheese the night before a hard tempo run. It will come back to haunt you.....perhaps three times.....maybe even once during the run. Not that I have any personal experience with that.

Game On.

A quote for Ironman USA participants

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. Roger Bannister

Good Luck to all who are going for 140.6 this weekend.

LOOK OUT!!!! It's the Police.

Yes the Police were in town Monday night. I'm not talking about the fuzz, cops, coppers, troopers, the man. And they weren't singing "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you...."

I'm talking about THE POLICE

What an amazing show it was at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Our seats were upper bowl but the view was great. The lighting and video production was very good. Large screen TVs provided close up views of Sting, Andy and Stewart. I was so impressed with the drumming of Stewart Copeland, who also turned 55 the day of the concert...July 16th.

These guys may be "old" but they rock like it was the early years.

The following picture is from concert. No I wasn't that close but a newpaper photographer was. The bass Sting is playing was worn and weathered. He's probably had it since the beginning of the band.

This was definitely one of the best shows I have been to. I'm glad we spent the money to see it.

Some Weekend Motivation

Two for Tuesday - His and Hers

It's Tuesday right? Yeah...Tuesday. Sorry I get all confused when the week hits a holiday and I work on the weekend and my brain gets frazzled like that.

So yes a return to Two for Tuesday

His

I did a training run/race this past weekend. This was the Columbia Station 10-Mile Run which was called the Columbia Station Roadkill and Roller Coaster 10.5 miler last year because of the dead animals along the ride of the road, up and down course layout and the killer heat of July 2006. Oh and the 10.5 part is because it was a longer that advertised course.

Well not much changed between '06 and '07. Same course. Same hills. Appeared to be the same road kill. The RD told us the actual mileage is 10.4 miles. The only thing missing was the oppresive heat and about half of the runners from last year.

So on with the report. I had two days of rest due to work and was itching to run. The plan was for a marathon tempo run hitting a 7 min/mile pace. Cool.....I'd be done in just over 70 minutes. I was going on pace and not worrying about heart rate. Figure out what the heart did after the run.

I started out feeling great. Immediately was out near the front of the race. There was no way I was going to hang with JP, who would eventually win at 6 min/mile, so he was not even chased by me. I settled into what I felt was a good effort. We hit the first mile marker at 5:59. The girl, Tara, I was running with also let out a "what the F" and we both tried to temper our pace. She was shooting for 6:45's and me 7's. Turns out she is training for an Olympic qualifying time in the marathon. Once I let her go I watched her pull away a nice steady pace. I caught another guy during a downhill section before the mile three marker and never saw him again. I felt great the entire run and took one HammerGel right before the water stop near mile 6.

The final 3.5 miles back to the finish is where all the hills are. I felt powerful going up the hills and never suffered. I took water or Gatorade at each aid station, 5 total. Here are my splits form the race.


Mile 1 5:59
Mile 2 6:29
Mile 3 6:51
Mile 4 7:09
Mile 6 14:21 Missed mile marker 5
Mile 7 6:14
Mile 8 6:45
Mile 9 6:43
Mile 10 7:19
Mile 10.4 2:14

I averaged 160 for my heart rate. I finished 1:10:02 which is a 6:45 pace, imagine that when looking at my splits. I was also second overall male and third finisher. I got chicked by 3 minutes by Tara....I didn't mind one bit.

Here was my moment of Zen during the race. Our friend Jane is handing me a Gatorade while Michelle is taking a picture. I never have pics of me during a race. This rocks.

Hers

Aimee rocks. She works hard, trains hard, party's hard....when she can and rests harder (solid sleeper). Anyways, she was made an equity partner in the firm she works for. It's 5% which came out of the majority owners share. They appreciate and respect her for all that she does which is a hell of a lot. I'm so F'in proud of her and love her more than I can ever tell her. She's definitely go Game.

My blog rating

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

Porn (5x) and Hurt (1x)

I hate to see what Bolders blog is rated.

Boulder Training Camp/Vacation - Day 4

Sunday night Bolder and I talked about what Monday should hold for us. I felt it would be a shame to not get another bike ride in. It would be the last time I would have an opportunity to climb anything significant, even though I’m hoping to attack Whiteface Mountain at Lake Placid.

We started formulating the sequence of events starting with my flight departure at 12:45PM. As we started working our way backwards to our wake up time I stopped the conversation. I looked him square in the eyes and said “No”. There was NO need to get in another bike ride. There was NO need to put more stress on our bodies. There was NO need to rush around like crazy people and have a repeat of Saturdays rush to ride. Once the planning became more effort than the enjoyment we would get from the ride, we had to call it quits.

Boy am I glad we decided to skip the morning ride. We woke up at our leisure and headed out to a local “greasy spoon” for breakfast. We talked and enjoyed the scenery from our booth and ate some great breakfast food. Getting back to the HABC I started to pack for my return trip home. Around 10:00AM we finally headed to the airport.

I felt sad looking behind me and seeing the foothills and mountains I was leaving behind. I think Boulder, or at least Colorado, has chosen me. I can hear it calling for me to return, either for a visit or permanently. The empty feeling in my stomach as I left Boulder would become filled again when I embrace Aimee in my arms at home. Then we will make plans to return so I can show Aimee the beauty of Colorado.

I cannot say enough about this epic weekend with Bolder. When I say epic it was on many different levels.

Yes the training was “epic”. Masters swim class and a total of 4000 yards swimming for the weekend in outdoor pools, one being 50 yards long. A two day total of 105 miles on the bike with 6 hours 15 minutes of riding. There was also 10-11 miles of running.

The eating was “epic”. Bolder took me to some of the nicest restaurants where we ate fantastic food without breaking the bank. You can’t go wrong with Salmon BLTs, burrito’s covered in cheese and sauce, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches, 12 ounces of prime rib, breakfast soufflés, brick over baked pizza, and blackened catfish. Oh, I can’t forget the Mint Oreo Cookie ice cream for evening snacks.

The scenery in and around Boulder is “epic”. The number of cyclists was thrilling. The mountain views spectacular. The plains and red rock escarpments were breathtaking. I had a hard time focusing on the road because I wanted to see everything around me. The multi-purpose path along the Boulder Creek was a true testament to the dedication Boulder has to the health and enjoyment people are expected to have while there.

Most importantly and most epic of all was the building of a friendship with my TriBrother. Bolder is a most gracious host and wanted to make my trip enjoyable, and he succeeded. The more we talked the more we realized how many things we have in common, inside and outside triathlon. Bolder has a deep and passionate commitment to the tri-blog community. The invaluable advice and support he provides is priceless. He fielded several calls from people that had raced on Sunday offering congratulations and moments of zen, often both.

Many thanks to Bolder for a wonderful weekend. This man has Game and more often than not, it’s On.

Boulder Training Camp/Vacation - Day 3

So what do you do after an epic day of riding? You train some more then relax for the rest of the day.

Bolder and I had a nice relaxed breakfast before heading to the pool where we would be swimming after our morning run. We briefly checked on conditions for Ironman CdA as we both had friends we were tracking. It was hard to tear ourselves away from the computers. We gathered our gear together and headed out to the trail head. The paved path ran along Boulder Creek. What a beautiful place to run, walk, bike, skate, take the dogs, kids and family for a great day out.

We started with somewhat heavy legs from the 80+ mile bike ride the day before. Bolder's plan called for a zone 2 run so I was just going to go along for the ride, er.um.run. The cover of the trees was a nice break from the sun. After leaving the paved path we continued on climbing higher along a nice dirt path that was filled with runners, walkers and cyclists. We saw people fishing, rock climbing and even kayaking in the Boulder Creek.

When we finished our run I waded into the cool, flowing waters of the creek to provide some hydro therapy for the legs. The 45 degree water was refreshing to say the least but felt great on the legs. I spent 10 minutes in the water as we talked some more before we headed to the pool for an easy swim.

The city pool we were at was huge. Imagine looking to the other side of the pool 50 yards away. I'm used to swimming in a 20 yard pool. I felt like I was doing an open water swim. I kept waiting for the wall of the pool to approach and it took forever to get there. We did 1500 yards which only took 15 laps. At home that would have been 38 laps. Again it was great to swim outside in the sun.

After we showered and dressed it was time to "strap on the feed bags". Bolder took me to Proto's Pizzeria for some salad and oven baked pizza. It was a fantastic pizza at the coolest little restaurant. Twice I saw people walk in after getting off their bikes. The atmosphere in Boulder is unbelievable.

After polishing off a large pizza we retreated to the HABC to continue our athlete tracking for Ironman CdA. There is nothing worse than two Ironman triathletes parking their asses in front of laptops analyzing the proceedings of the race while we are in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. But hey after the day we had on the bikes yesterday we needed some extra rest for the legs.

We managed to watch the finishes of the top three pros. We especially enjoyed Michael Lovato's little victory dance and interview with Greg Welch. With the pro's finishing we knew there was time before our friends would be finishing....enough time to go out and grab dinner at Jax's Fish House. We had some of the best calamari ever for an appetizer and I followed that with a blackened Catfish that was to die for. The bartender recommended it and I'm glad I took his advice.

We walked around downtown Boulder taking in the sights and bought a couple of t-shirts. The plaza area is home for some local entertainers. We stumbled upon the Zip Code Man. He was asking for zip codes from people visiting Boulder. From only the Zip code he would name the city and sometimes provide restaurant suggestions. With a plastic chain he outlined the United States and asked for more zip codes. He would place each person in their state, including me. After he had about 15 people placed on the outline he then told a story that included each city we represented. So he remembered each persons zip code then named the city. This guy is amazing and a great entertainer.

We finally made our way back to the HABC and continued our Ironman CdA vigil in front of our laptops. I was waiting for Jodi and Bolder was watching several people including IronBenny. We were disappointed with the athlete tracking because with no intermediate run splits we didn't know how people were progressing in the race. I had the live feed on my laptop and was able to hear Jodi's name announced and caught a glimpse of her finishing her first Ironman in 12:37:05. She did awesome and I can't wait to hear the complete write-up.

So that takes us up to me finishing this blog post and heading to bed. Hoping to get in one more ride tomorrow before heading to the airport.

Do I have it in me for one more Game On? I'll let you know tomorrow.

Boulder Training Camp/Vacation - Day 2

How could the second day in Boulder be better than the first? I wasn't sure since we biked up a beautiful canyon to Jamestown and had a great session at masters swim. But damnit if Bolder didn't have something planned that would blow me away.

I woke up around 4AM, 6AM Cleveland time. I wasn't quite ready to be "up" so I hit the bathroom and went back to sleep. I managed to get another 1.5 hours in before getting up around 5:30AM. I knew I would be up before Bolder stirred so I made myself comfortable watching some TV and catching up on sports, news and weather...on three different channels.

I did some surfing of the web and waited patiently for Bolder to wake up. We weren't meeting up with the Boulder Tri Club for a group ride until 9:00AM. I waited for Bolder to wake up. I mixed up some fuel for the long ride he had planned for us. I called Aimee to chat for a while. I waited for Bolder to wake up. I read the local newspaper, Friday and Saturday editions. I waited for Bolder to wake up.

I wasn't sure quite when Bolder was going to wake up. Briefly the thought of my host lying dead in his bed flashed through my mind. OH.MY.GOD....I killed him. Bolder finally wakes up. Dude it's like 8:00AM and we have to meet the group in one hour. We high-tailed it up to the bagel shop to grab a bite to eat pre-ride. Drove back to the HABC and kitted up for the ride. We rode to the coffee shop where the group was to meet, only 5 minutes away, and waited for the ride to begin.

We set out with a group of seven riders. Conversation was good and the pace moderate at most times. We rode out to Carter Lake. This is a cool reservoir type lake that you have to climb to get to. It was about a 750 foot climb with two switchbacks. It was very cool to reach the top and see the lake on the other side. At the boat launch area for the lake was the campground grocery store. At this point were had 30 miles behind us in 1 hour 30 minutes. Not bad. Most was flat or downhill, except for climbing to Carter Lake.

I have to mention how much I enjoy seeing cyclists out riding.....a lot of them....all sorts of them......waving hello.....smiling......enjoying their ride. I saw so many cyclist that I thought I was in cycling heaven, which I think I am. Throughout the day I literally saw over 100 cyclists. If I didn't see a cyclist every 5 miles I would be surprised.

After refilling bottles we continued on. After another short climb we crested and started a screaming decent to the plains. We rode with the group a little longer until they turned right to head back to Boulder and we turned left to continue the days adventure.

Oh...the views of the foothills and mountains were spectacular. Some of the snow is still on the peaks and no picture can capture what I saw. Unfortunately I didn't have a small enough camera to bring along for the ride or else there would be some pics to accompany the story.

We continued our way towards our destination of Masonville which is southwest of Fort Collins. We climbed and descended. We saw cows, horses and other livestock. The roads were smooth for the most part and had very little traffic at times.

At Masonville we refueled again with water for myself, powerade and Mountain Dew for Bolder. This old mining town has two stores that were the coolest hole in the wall places with charm and character. It was also a popular stopping point for motorcyclists. I couldn't resist buying an ice cream sandwich....Hey I never do that type of thing and I'm on vacation.

We headed back towards Carter Lake retracing our route. Bolder and I had talked about time trials and determining LT values and power levels. So we decided that I would try a TT. I took off and started a 20 minute all out ride. The route wasn't the best because there was one downhill, some sharp turns and a major road to cross. But I did the TT regardless and we have some PowerTap information to look at.

After the TT I rode easy until I could place my right lung back into my chest. I rejoined Bolder and we began the last hour of our ride which would take us away from Carter Lake and into the town of Hygiene. That is not a typo. THE.TOWN.OF.HYGIENE. Don't ask me how they came up with that name. I'm sure there is some good history. Once we made it to Hygiene (I try not to snickers as I type that) we refueled again for the final push home to the HABC.

The rest of the ride was rather uneventful. The entire ride was actually uneventful except for a mysterious chain skip that was plaguing Bolders ride, the BMC ProMachine. We stopped several times and couldn't see any obvious problems. We did narrow it down to the chain though.

I will post the ride route and details in another post. Several comments about this ride.

• It was hot. No cloud cover and direct sunlight.
• The company was great. The others in the group were great to talk to and Bolder is a great cycling companion.
• the views were awesome. Like I said earlier, Carter Lake, the Plains, Foothills and Mountains were gorgeous.
• This was my longest ride for the season. I will not repeat the mileage again this summer.
• I thoroughly enjoyed this ride. From beginning to end. The tired feeling my legs was well worth it.

Once we got back to the HABC we showered and headed out for an early dinner. And boy did we eat. We each had the 12 ounce prime rib. Yes, we ate it all. After dinner we walked around downtown Boulder so I could see the sights. What a great little town.

Back at the HABC we relaxed, talked about the ride, and looked at the PowerTap information. Now I am done for the day. Hopefully the legs will recover overnight and be ready for a 1:30 run tomorrow morning.

Game is still On.

PS.....Good luck to everyone at all of the Ironman events, especially JT at Coeur D'Alene....her first IM.

Boulder Training Camp/Vacation - Day 1

I have made my way to Boulder to visit and train with Bolder for the weekend. I have been waiting for this weekend and a chance to get away all month. I know I will miss Aimee all weekend but Bolder has plenty planned and I think he is going to send me home as a shell of my former self.

The flight was uneventful and Bolder met me at the airport. I couldn't miss him sporting a BMC t-shirt and some of the locals pointing and staring at the namesake of the Bolder Boulder 10k. He even brushed off a couple of autograph hounds.

During the drive to the HABC we talked about many things and discovered some more similarities between us. I just love looking at the mountains since I have absolutely nothing like that back home. Lunch, or mid-afternoon snack for me, was at a Walnut Brewery where I had a Salmon BLT. That is definitely a sandwich I will have to make when I get back home.

We finally made it to the HABC and I unpacked my gear in the "The Medal Room". The HABC is a fabulous outpost for training at the base of the foothills of Boulder. We let lunch settle before taking our first training ride of the weekend. Just something to loosen up the legs and let me take in the scenery during a ride up to Jamestown. This ride was great and allowed me to use a PowerTap for the first time. I'll wait for the downloaded information before doing any analysis.

The climb up to Jamestown was simply gorgeous and reminded me of the bike course at Lake Placid. The final 10 miles to LP was very similar to the ride to Jamestown with pine trees, high cliffs and a river running along the road. Plenty of opportunity to talk and relax. Once we arrived in Jamestown we made a u-turn and bombed down the road. Once I got comfortable on the Trek 2200 I was able to take the curves more aggressively.

About half way down the wind started to pickup, and not in our favor. The winds were coming UP the road. And the winds were so strong that we were actually loosing speed going downhill. At one point I looked at the PowerTap and I was riding at 31 MPH downhill and pushing 450+ Watts. I'm sorry but that math doesn't add up. When we made it to the bottom we looked at each other and couldn't believe what had just happened.

We made a turn to head back to the HABC. We had to climb again before bombing back down. The winds were still blowing and we could actually feel the extra push from the wind as we were going UPHILL. It was certainly some freaky wind. On the downside back to Boulder I was warned about a stop sign half way down. I was following Bold's leada so I knew when to brake. I certainly knew when to start braking, I only had to smell the burning rubber from Bolders brakes...and boy did it stink. I was 50 yards behind him and I could smell the pungent odor of burning rubber. When we got back to the HABC the front brakes on the BMC had a glob of rubber. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen.

Here is the profile from my powertap.......

After we relaxed and talked about the ride, we got ready to go to a masters swim session. I haven't done a structured swim workout since before the half iron race. It felt nice getting into a pool that wasn't 88 degrees and following the workout provided by the deck coaches. I felt strong and fluid in the water. After a kick ass one hour workout we finally grabbed something to eat at Wahoo's Fish Tacos. I had a massive burrito that helped fill the void from the double workouts of the day.

I'm looking forward to the ride and swim scheduled for Saturday, but right now I am tired and ready for bed. The two hour time change is bad enough when you aren't working out.

Game On.

Preserving Your Chi

Let’s talk about sex baby, let’s talk about you and me let’s talk about the Half Ironman I’m doing tomorrow. Okay so that’s not how the Salt ‘n Pepa song really goes but that was the idea behind the June issue of Inside Triathlon. Come on, admit it. You picked up the Sex Issue just like everyone else. We’re human, sex sells. You may not agree with the marketing department at Inside Tri or Triathlon Magazine but they are in the business of selling issues. How can you not be curious when the cover looks like this.

Now did you actually go beyond the pictures and read the articles? Or is that argument reserved for only Playboy magazine? I felt that the articles were interesting and informative. Aimee and I were quite interested in the sub-article on page 52, “An Alternative for Abstinence”.

Scientifically there are theories that abstaining from sex raises the testosterone levels in both men and women. For some sports they say that is good because aggressiveness is linked to testosterone, especially when you are dealing with something like boxing or football.

But does triathlon need all that extra testosterone? Just look around in transition before the race begins. If the sight of all the scantily clad, buff and tanned athletes doesn’t raise your levels of testosterone you are way too focused on the race. You are missing one of the best parts about celebrating the human body and triathlon.

And how aggressive does one need to be for a triathlon? The true nature of the sport is to compete as an individual….you against the clock or distance. Okay so the swim start can resemble the scrum at a rugby match but other than that, how aggressive do you need to be. At races greater than the Olympic distance it’s all about being steady, reserved, consistent, and under control. Go out too aggressive at an Ironman and you may have a long day. Be too conservative at a sprint and you will be left on the beach sipping a pina colada.

Now Chinese theory states that each individual has a central energy store, or Chi. Everything comes from this same source of energy or life force. A contributor to the article says that in men, sperm is part of the ultimate life force, the essence that the body uses to heal injuries or a person (men in this case) needs to perform at their best. Sorry ladies, they didn’t mention anything about your Chi. However, women are the ultimate life force with their ability to give birth…..but I digress.

Professional triathlete and U.S. Olympic hopeful, Matt Reed, shared his own candid views on this topic. He doesn’t feel it helps or hinders a person’s race day performance. He admitted to race morning intimacy since pro races are often held in the afternoon. Now most age group races start in the early morning and a quick romp in the sack may not work out. I would say two days prior to the race is when you should avoid the two hour marathon sex sessions.

Wait a minute…..was that a huge collective groan I just heard from the women? It can happen…..conditions just need to be right. You know…the moon has to be in retrograde to Venus only when the fourth moon of Saturn in on the dark side….blah…blah….blah. IT COULD HAPPEN!!

Aimee and I read this article right before my Half Iron at Racing for Recovery. She knew how important this race was to me. She wanted me to perform at my best. She didn’t want me to “loose” any of my Chi. Do you see where this is going?!?! ABSTINENCE PEOPLE! How is this good? I have trouble dealing with this theory. Do you know that prolonged abstinence leads to this and this. How am I supposed to ride a bike for 2.5 hours with this between my legs? Is it going to simply make me go faster so I can release the Chi I don’t use during the race post race? When was the last time you were able to “perform” after completing a half or full Ironman race? STOP! You don’t have to answer that….rhetorical question….I really don’t want to know.

As if training doesn’t take enough time away from spending intimate moments with our significant others, now we have to deal with abstinence before races. Good gracious what have we gotten ourselves into with this triathlon stuff?

So I have come to the following conclusion….preserving Chi equals this.

Chi On.

Flashpoint Bike Porn

Now who doesn't like bike porn, epsecially when simple cosmetic surgury can spice up any bike. Aimee did a Biathlon with her dad on Father's Day so I cleaned up her bike and put some new bar tape on. I also put the Flashpoint 60's on her bike to see what they would look like. I liked what I saw so I had her "race" on the wheels....she was more escorting her dad on the course.

I put black tape on the aerobar and that hawt robins egg blue on the handlebars.

After the race she commented on how she felt like a poser, especially when she wasn't riding very fast. Next race she can use the wheel set again and fly around the course.

I also put the FP 60's on my road bike, my beloved GT ZR3000. I'm gonna have to do a crit with these bad boys.

Game, and wheels, On.

A fine mess I've gotten myself into....

......I'm visiting Bolder in Boulder this weekend. Just a nice trip to finally meet my TriBrother in person and have a good time riding, running and swimming. Enjoy the scenery, without any butt crack, drink some beer, eat some food.....etc.

However, my wife (Aimee) is a little nervous about my trip. She is worried that I will fall in love while at the HABC because of this. You see I have decided to not take my own bike out to Boulder. Turns out Bolder rides the same size machine that I do so he will provide me with a steed from his stables. Will I be able to resist the temptation to bring a similar steed into my own lineup?

I have no intentions of retiring my beloved GT and Elite. They have served me well and I would rather work on bettering the engine.

But it will be quite an honor to ride a steed from the stable of Bolder.

Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 3

I was feeling pretty good starting the run. The brick workouts had paid off. My legs felt as normal as can be after riding 56 miles. I knew they would come around after the first mile. I could see Scott ahead of me. Looking at the results he had left transition 33 seconds ahead of me. I wasn’t sure if I would catch up to him or not. The first mile of the two loop course was in the open. After leaving the path that circled the reservoir the run course started to wind through the woods on asphalt. The majority of the run would be on this winding path. I quickly lost sight of Scott and was running very much alone. There was no way to see the aid stations before you reached them which made it difficult to use gels. I would come around a corner and there would be the table with water. I quickly forced down a Hammer Gel and grabbed some water, not the best way to get nutrition.

The second aid station was located at the beginning of an out and back section that was on a dirt path. My trail running paid off as I really liked this section. I could see the people ahead of me, especially when they turned around and headed back to the pavement. Prior to reaching the pavement and aid station I opened up another gel and put down some more energy. I followed that with water to drink and dump on my neck. The course continued to wind through the park. I completely lost sight of Scott and wouldn’t see him again until the finish line. I paid attention to my surroundings and made note of markers on the trail so I would know where I was during the second loop. All of the trails came together at the 5.5 mile mark and that is where Coach Angela, Aimee, Tina and Wesley were cheering us on. Everyone said I was looking strong. I was feeling comfortable with my pace. I was keeping my heart rate around 155 BPM. Angela wanted me around 150, no higher than 153, but I was fine at 155.

I wasn’t taking splits during the run so I don’t know my mile times. I was just moving forward to the finish line. I looped back out onto the course at the transition area and grabbed some more water. Roughly 6.5 miles to go and I would be done. I tried to push the pace and increased my heart rate to 160 BPM. I often find myself maintaining pace with the increased effort, simply making sure I don’t slow down too much. More people were on the run course now and I passed several people starting their first loop. Around mile 8 I head footsteps approaching from behind. I figured it was someone that felt really good on their first loop. In reality, two competitors I had seen during the two out and back sections had increased their pace and were passing me. I checked their calves and they were in the age group below mine, but only by 1 or 2 years. I tried to see if I could latch onto their pace but couldn’t muster the increase in speed. My legs were happy with the pace they were going. I was going to keep it steady until mile 10.

During this second loop I was able to prepare for the aid stations much better and consume the gels well ahead of time. I would alternate between water and Gatorade at the aid stations, often taking two waters so I could pour some on my head and neck to cool off. During the dirt out and back I saw many more competitors on their first lap, including Jen. She was looking strong on the run just like the bike. She was having a good day.

The turn around on the dirt path was near mile marker 10. This is where the race really begins for me. I readied myself for the final 3 miles and the increase in pace. I knew how I wanted to feel. I wanted to hurt during these last miles. I wanted to leave all of my training and preparation out on the course. I increased my pace so my watch was showing 164 BPM. Again, for all I know I was only maintaining pace to fend off slowing down. Angela and Aimee had left the run course and were waiting for me at the finish area.

As I approached the transition area I heard some people cheering. I could begin to feel the emotions of the day starting to rise to the surface. I only need to keep in under control for another 100 yards and my day would be done. Two volunteers were directing people towards their second lap of the run course. I was ready to finish and ran past the volunteers. I saw Aimee along the finishing chute taking pictures as I ran past. As I approached the finish line I finally saw a clock for the first time and it said 4:47. We started about 2 minutes behind the “elites” so I knew my time was around 4:45. I slowed down and I crossed the timing mat, raised my arms high and let out a loud emotional holler that I’m sure a lot of people heard. I had set my PR for the Half Iron distance triathlon by 27 minutes. The executive director of the race handed me my finisher’s medal. Two volunteers gave me a bottle of water and a cold towel to put on my neck. Angela and Scott were at the finishing area to hear me finish with a loud roar. Afterwards Angela said she loves to see me finish because I get so excited.

I gave Angela a big sweaty hug and had to walk around to start cooling down. Aimee made her way to the finish area and I was so glad to see her. I gave her a big hug and was finally able to release the emotions of the day. I wouldn’t let go of her for two minutes as the realization of what I had done started to sink in and forced the emotions out of my body. The time and effort of training really paid off. Seeing the results of the hard work is what gets me excited and emotional. Maybe I’m too serious about the training and that’s why the emotions come out at the end of the “A” race, but damn it feels good.

I talked with Scott about the race. We were pretty far ahead of the other AFT athletes so we could rest up and collect ourselves. Scott finished in 4:33. His effort really took a toll on his body. Angela and Scott left earlier than they wanted because he wasn’t feeling the greatest. Aimee and I stayed to watch more of our friends finish and pick up the age group awards for myself (2nd in AG/13th overall) and Scott (1st in AG/5th overall).

Run time: 1:39:36
Pace: 7:37/mile
Finish time: 4:45:34

That’s how it feels when Game is On.

Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 2

On the bike my race plan called for a conservative pace. In summary this is what Coach said.

1. HR Zone 135-145 for the first 30 miles
2. For the next 26 miles HR is below 150
3. Pick up the pace each lap
4. Race your race, zone in on yourself and what you want
5. It will be hard when people go by you, you will see them again and you will be passing them

Earlier in the week I told Angela that I was thinking about NOT wearing my HRM. She said that she could trust my “judgment” racing without the monitor. I decided by Thursday night that I would wear the monitor, but only use it for two readings; heart rate and countdown timer. The heart rate information will keep me from exploding in the middle of the race and the countdown timer would remind me to drink, take salt tablets and eat Clif Bloks. I would NOT start my watch or take splits during the race. I would go completely off the official chip times. Even the computer on my bike would only show RPM and distance. I didn’t want to get too hung up on time or speed.

So, this is what happened on the bike. After exiting transition Scott and I started passing people. I stayed behind Scott by 4-5 lengths. The opening miles of the bike course had multiple turns. There were volunteers at each corner and they did an excellent job controlling traffic. Some of the corners we worried about the night before were a non-issue on race day. Several of the corners I stayed in the aero-bars to maintain speed. Scott slowly started to pull away from me as we approached the intersection where the multi-loop portion of the course began. Scott trains with power so I knew his focus on the bike would be different. I was keeping a healthy pace and felt comfortable where I was heart rate wise.

I was drinking and eating well. At the start of the first loop I ate my first three Clif Bloks. I alternated between water and my Gatorade/Carbo-Pro mix as I saw fit. The bike course is pretty boring. Not much to see, very flat, not scenic at all. The bike aid station was positioned where the loops begin. Several miles before the aid station I peed on the bike. I saw this as an advantage because I would wash myself off with my water bottle and exchange it for a new one at the aid station.

As I approached the aid station I had to do a quick assessment of the intersection. There were cones in the middle of the road directing people to the left side of the road. All of the volunteers were on the opposite side of the road. This makes for an interesting left handed grab of the water bottles. I had emptied my aero bottle and refilled it with more Gatorade/Carbo-Pro. I dropped two bottles and picked up one water bottle from a volunteer. Now remember that this aid station is right AT the corner to start the loop portion of the course. I didn’t have time to place my bottle in the cage before I was into the intersection and needing to make a left hand turn. With the bottle still in my hand I managed to somewhat grab my handlebars with the fingertips and make the turn. I put the bottle in the cage and powered down the road getting back up to speed.

More people were on the course now and I lost sight of Scott up ahead. The traffic from the extra riders was not bad and I was able to pass people with no problems. Occasionally I needed to remind people to stay to the right. Despite the fact that we were on less traveled country roads, racers still need to ride on the right side of the road, not in the middle. I had to cross the center line several times in order to pass people. Approaching the aid station for the second time I peed on the bike again, washed myself off with water, dropped the water bottle and grabbed a new one from the volunteer. On this grab I slowed down enough to get the bottle in the cage before the turn, but I did drift into the intersection and had to turn sharply.

My condition up to this point was pretty good. Remember that Coach had planned for me to be 135 – 145 with the heart rate. Well for the first half of the ride, through lap two, I was maintaining 150 for my HR, or at least that is what I saw each time I looked at my watch and I tried to keep it there. I wasn’t spinning like I have in the past, but pushing bigger gears. I was using more muscle but still getting the heart rate up there.

I made the turn and started my final lap before heading back to transition. This last lap I upped the effort and pushed my heart rate up another 5 beats to 155 BPM. I was still comfortable with the effort and felt it would still leave me enough in the tank for the run. At some point during each loop I ate three Clif Bloks. The energy and calories were working out well with the Gatorade/Carbo-pro mix in the water bottles. During my final lap I finally passed someone I recognized, Jen. She was looking good, in the aero and I gave her some words of encouragement as I passed her. I peed one more time before the aid station. I couldn’t believe how I had to pee so much but I wanted to feel comfortable and not have any pressure in the bladder. As I approached the aid station I spotted a boy handing out water bottles on the right side of the street, which was great because this time I could turn right towards the venue and transition. I called for water and he was ready to hand it to me. I made the right hand turn and knew I only had 11 more miles to go on the bike.

During my last lap I had been passed by only one person. I could now see Scott and this other racer ahead of me on the road. They were not within striking distance but I still felt strong and it was nice to have some “targets” to go after. I tried to push the pace a little more but the inner thigh of my right leg began to cramp. I immediately eased up and slide further back on my saddle. Using different muscles being further back on the saddle helped release the spasm. I was worried that the muscle would bother me during the run, but that never happened.

Weaving our way back through the country roads, the volunteers at the corners were doing an excellent job with traffic and I was flying through the corners keeping up my speed and momentum. I think I peed one more time before re-entering the park. Inside the park I could see some of the leaders on the run course. As I approached the parking lot, I un-strapped the Velcro of my shoes. On the final straight into transition I pulled my feet out of my shoes and placed them on top of the shoes. I decreased my speed and swung my right leg over the saddle getting ready to dismount before the transition line. I ran into transition and re-racked my bike, helmet off, shoes on, grab hat and race belt, exit transition. I grabbed water from a volunteer as I started my run.

Bike
Time 2:29:11
Speed 22.5 MPH

T2
29 seconds – fastest T2 split overall

Racing for Recovery Half Iron - Part 1

The “A” race. The one race that a person trains towards for months, focuses on for weeks, peaks for in days and races for hours in order to shave off minutes at the finish. The Racing for Recovery Half Iron Distance Triathlon was my “A” race for the 2007 spring/summer season. With Ironman USA as my 2006 focus I did races with hills, including the Mountaineer Half Iron. Even my first Half Iron in 2004 was on a hilly course, both bike and run. I felt it was time to race on a flatter course and push myself to some painful limits. Both of my prior Half’s involved finishes around 5 hours 12 minutes. I wanted to go under 5 hours.

Aimee and I drove up to Monroe, Michigan Saturday afternoon. We went directly to the race site for packet pickup and to scope out the venue. I had registered early for the race so I received a special jersey instead of a t-shirt. We walked along the beach to figure out the swim course in Lake Erie. The temperature in the water would be warm enough for my sleeveless wetsuit. I liked how the swim was put together because you don’t have to get out for a second loop, I prefer to stay in the water the entire time. From the beach we walked the chute to the transition area and scoped out where the bikes would be racked. Getting a good view of the entire venue was important so that you can just flow through on race day.

Coach Angela had several of her athletes racing, including her husband Scott. The AFT racing crew included Kyle, Doug and Trephina (1st Half before first Ironmans), Jennifer and Chris (2nd Half in prep for their first Ironman at Lake Placid), Bob and Scott (training for Ironman’s later in the year), Debbie (in training for an Ironman Double) and myself (doing the half as my A race). We were able to see everyone at the race site or hotel, chat some and wish each other luck. Most of us headed out to dinner together. Joining us for dinner was our good friend Tina. Tina inspired me to raise funds last year for Susan G. Komen. Tina would help Angela watch over her two year old son for the day as well as cheer for everyone.

For dinner I had a good Louisiana Cajun Style pasta with chicken. I can handle spicy food well and this meal wasn’t that spicy. When we returned to the hotel I need to use the bathroom real bad. I had a big lunch and finished my big plate at dinner without using the bathroom during the day. Possibly a mistake because my stomach was not happy and let’s just say things were loose and my insides were bubbling, not a good feeling.

Scott and I had some tune-up work to perform on our bikes. I noticed a small cut in my rear tire so I wanted to replace it with new rubber. Scott had to do some general maintenance. When we were done, Aimee, Scott and I drove the bike course. The beginning of the course had a lot of turns to deal with. Seeing the corners and any debris on the road was helpful. There were enough rough sections to be worried about. Some parts would force you to ride in the middle of the road. We were hoping that traffic would be light for a Sunday morning. Overall the bike course would indeed be very flat.

After our ride through the countryside we retired back to our hotel rooms. Aimee walked over to Wendy’s for a Frosty. We both needed something sweet and I was hoping the ice cream would settle my stomach. Lights out for the night was around 9:30PM. I needed a good nights rest since Friday night I didn’t sleep well for some reason or another.

Sunday morning started at 4:50AM when the alarm went off. I got up, put on some clothes and went for a walk around the hotel parking lot. I wanted to wake up and pull my mental state together. I made it back to the room and began the purging process that started after dinner the night before. This wasn’t a normal purge for me. Things were looser than normal. I grabbed a banana from the hotel breakfast bar to try and pull my stomach together. Aimee and I finished putting our gear together and packed the car for the day. No late check-out so we would not be coming back to the hotel.

Arriving at the venue around 6:00AM we immediately put my bike in transition. I was the second bike on the rack, so I had to pick my second favorite transition spot. My stomach was still bubbling so I ate two Tums. I think it may have helped but my last stop in the bathroom was nothing but water. Now I was worried that I would have GI issues during the race and would be spending my time squatting on the side of the road loosing water and nutrition all day.

About 45 minutes before the race I started to focus my thoughts and energy inward. Mentally I needed to be ready for the race. No more socializing, I was here to race. I needed to be in the right frame of mind.

I put together my transition area with my nutrition for the day and gear. I then did a detailed run through of transition. I started about 20 yards away from the transition entrance where we would be running on some rough ground. I weaved my way through the crowds to my bike and simulated putting on my gear. Walked out of transition and mentally hopped on my bike. I then turned around and “dismounted” my bike and re-entered transition and “re-racked” my bike. A virtual change in gear and I walked back out of transition to start the run. Aimee had also tied a blue bandana at the end of the rack so I could spot my row easily.

I was transition ready. I grabbed my wetsuit and started walking with Aimee towards the beach start. I put on my wetsuit before the beach and walked with Aimee holding her hand. I am so fortunate to have such a supportive wife that understands my competitive nature. I got in the water and did some warm-up swimming. The water felt great and the sleeveless wetsuit was a perfect choice. I did some hard strokes and adjusted my goggles so they would be water tight. The race director gave a course overview, the executive director of Racing for Recovery spoke, a moment of prayer and we started the race.

A small number of “elite” racers started first. Then 114 men entered the starting chute for a mass beach start. I positioned myself in the second row like Coach Angela told me and we were off. The water was shallow for a long time, but as soon as it was deep enough I got in the water and started swimming even though there were others still walking. I tried to get into a good rhythm early on. I was stroking on the right side breathing every stroke for quite a ways. I would occasionally switch to the left side and only breathe on that side. I did this for about 400-500 yards. I finally changed my breathing to what I call race breathing, three breathes/strokes on one side, three count stroke, change to breathing on the other side. I was also making sure I was sighting often and well. This race was probably my best sighting during the swim.

The swim course headed straight out from the beach for 500 meters, came straight back to the beach for 400 meters, then was parallel for the remainder before angling back towards to swim exit. The starting point and exit point were about 800 meters apart. After we turned to swim parallel to the beach I settled into an alternate breathing pattern. I was still swimming and sighting well. However, I couldn’t find any feet to draft off of. The brown water made it difficult to spot anything under water and no one was very close when I spotted markers. I was fine swimming on my own; this is an individual sport you know.

As I headed back to the swim exit I tried to increase my effort on the swim to finish strong. I’ve always been a firm believer to swim as far as you can. I touched sand and kept swimming. I could see people standing up and walking in the water. I don’t know if I gained on them but I swam until I was only 10 yards from the beach. I didn’t have very far to run in the water. I immediately started to peel off my wetsuit. As we ran through the flags I saw a person with an EH jersey on. EH is Eric Hodska. He coaches Angela’s husband Scott. Scott and I exited the water together. I ran past him, heard Angela yelling and saw Aimee ahead taking pictures.

Swim time: 34:21

I peeled off my wetsuit and put on the rest of my bike gear. Socks and shoes, sunglasses and helmet, grab bike and go. Scott and I exited transition together but I ran past him so I could jump on my bike. I hit the saddle of my bike and almost took a dive as the bike started to wobble under me. Somehow I kept it together and kept moving forward. I thought I heard someone call my name as I pedaled away. I heard my name a second time and something about a bottle. Scott was yelling at me. I had hit one of my bottles behind the seat and it was hanging on for dear life. I put the bottle back in its place and continued on. I thanked Scott as he passed me.

T1 time 1:59

More to come as I get my Game On.

This Buds for You

I haven't been posting much as I have been busy with work and am conserving my mental and physical energy for my Half Distance tri this weekend, Racing for Recovery. This race is my Spring/Summer A race.

So for your entertainment I offer this commercial. After the race, I'll have a bud for myself.

Message from Michigan

I wanted to share an e-mail I received today. It's too good to keep to myself.

From: Racing for Recovery Half Triathlon
To: TriEric
Subject: Upcoming race at Monroe, MI

TriEric,

Yesterday Madame Pelee was visiting Michigan in preparation for the triathlons on June 10th. She was looking at the bike course and trying to decide how to arrive best so she could mess with the athletes. We also talked about some of the athletes on the participant list. I told her of the large number of people coming from Ohio.

Madame Pelee recognized your name and quite frankly it made her nervous. She mentioned that her recent visits to Ohio have not dampened your spirit and she thinks you are becoming too strong on the bike. This morning over breakfast I recommended that she pay a quick visit to Cleveland and see what you were doing. She saw you riding and decided to throw some rain at you. Despite being two hours into your ride she saw you pushing harder during the rain. And what is this business about getting off the bike and running a 32 minute 5 miler?

When Madame Pelee returned to Michigan she became hesitant about her return on June 10th for the triathlon. What did you do to her? If you stay home on June 10th we can call it even.......Okay? You can get your Game On at another race.

Best Regards,
Racing for Recovery Triathlon Course

Needless to say I was a little confused by the e-mail. It's true that my bike has been on and the run has been clicking as well. My ride this morning was a little wet but I was able to run with my Coaches husband and all around awesome training partner/friend Scott at a 5 mile race.

But is that race course talking smack at me? Is it scared of what may happen on June 10th? Is the race providing me a "gimme" like a 6 inch putt on the golf course?

Well I don't take "gimmes". Never did on the golf course, won't take it on the race course.

Ummmm.......Racing for Recovery.......I'm gonna be Game On all over your course. Oh....and tell Madame Pelee to stay home......she doesn't need to waste her time coming back to Michigan.

Another Brick in the Wall

I'm entering into the final days of preparation for the Racing for Recovery Half Distance tri on June 10th. This is my late spring/early summer A race for the season. This is my focus, my goal, my motivation, my inspiration to train.........and train hard. I'm bringing speed back into my workouts because of this "short" distance race. I guess anything is short after Ironman.

One area that has been lacking is my brick workouts. I've been doing them but something has been missing from them. One brick I skipped completely due to Mother's day, ran out of time. And another brick I rode to a local 5k race and did a controlled pace run. No brick this past weekend because of the 10k + 2 that I did on Sunday.

Coach Angela put a mid-week brick on tap for me yesterday, Wednesday. I've been working from home lately, big bonus, so I just had to get a conference call out of the way in the morning and do my workout during lunch. A 1 hour ride with a 30 minute run, but with some intensity. The weather also called for temps in the 80's by noon so this would be a good assimilation ride for warm weather, which we have not had a lot of around here.

The first 40 minutes of the ride in zone 2, pick it up to zone 3 working hard for 20 minutes. The run portion involved 10 minutes at zone 2 then finish with 20 minutes in zone 3. I was excited about the workout. The harder the better. Put in some big effort the will pay off on race day.

The ride was on target. I went over by 11 minutes because I didn't factor in the wind coming from the south. Regardless I hit the zones well. I transitioned into my run feeling good. At the half mile mark I saw 3:20 on the watch. A little too fast of a pace for zone 2 so I backed it down. I still had a ways to go and it was hot outside.

I clocked the first mile at 7:30 trying hard to keep my heart rate in zone 2, a high zone 2. The sun was beating down and I could feel the body getting hotter with the extra effort. At 10 minutes I did start to feel the legs could handle the run and I increased my pace. My heart rate easily went into high zone 3. I was able to keep a steady pace all the way back home.

When I finished my run I tried to feel my body. What was it doing? How tired was it? How was it feeling? I wanted to remember the effort exerted for this brick so I could duplicate the feeling on race day. It felt good. I was sweaty, tired and spent. That's what I want on race day.

So what did I learn from my workout on Wednesday? During the first mile of the run inspiration hit me like a....well....a.....ton of "bricks". I thought about the "WALL" that marathoners must face at some point between miles 18 and 22. How the body wants to start shutting down and pure will power and determination pushes a person through/around/over the wall.

I thought about what is the wall for a triathlete? Getting started on the run. Transitioning from cycling to running. Getting the legs used to the motion and effort that goes into running. The wall is placed at different distances for everyone. Most of the time the wall is withing the first 2 miles of the run. Once you are past the wall the legs want to run and the stride feels more natural and easier. Our brick workouts help us beat the wall when we face it come race day. These bricks help us tear down the wall and allows us to run better and faster after the bike segment of the race. And these workouts are seen as Bricks in the Wall, each time we complete a "brick" the wall is being torn down. Each brick completed makes it easier for us to get past the wall, have a better run, have a great race.

It's time to start tearing down your wall......Game On.

Rite Aid 10k Race Report

I am filled with so many emotions and thoughts right now about the Rite Aid 10k I do not know where to begin…..yet as usual and expected I start at the beginning.

I don’t run to many 10k during the year. In fact this 10k is the only local race at this distance available. I had already done two half marathons this spring so I wanted to test my speed with a 10k. I ran Rite Aid in 2005 as I was preparing for a triathlon season of Olympic distance races. I hadn’t run a straight 10k in years so I wanted to see where I was at. In 2005 I went 39:38 reaching my goal of a sub 40 race. I was determined to race even better and strive for something around 38 minutes.

Aimee and her sister, Becky, were running the 10k also. Becky stayed the night at our place so we could all drive down together. Becky is new to running this year and has been having fun at the 10k distance. Here goal was to break 1 hour on a somewhat hilly course. The alarm went off at 4:45AM so we would be ready to start at 7:20AM. Aimee and I are used to getting up at that hour but Becky was fit to be tied getting up to run that early.

We made it to downtown Cleveland with plenty of time to spare. We met some friends at a tent hosted by a local running club. They would watch our clothes during our run. Several members of the Cleveland Tri Club were on hand to race at all three distances, full marathon, half marathon and 10k. Papa Louie(10k) and DaisyDuc (marathon) were ready for action. Even E-Speed decided to run the full marathon and try to keep Daisy company. E-Speed had just completed the Flying Pig Marathon, but she looked ready to tackle another 26.2.

The marathoners, full and half, started at 7:00AM. They would be able to clear the first two miles of the course before the fast 10k runners took over. At mile 2 the courses took different splits in the road.

Coach Angela has sent me a plan for the race. First two miles go Zone 3, steady, holding back for later. Middle two miles push to high Zone 3. Final 2.2 miles red line the heart rate and squeeze it all out in the last mile. I’m not much for following this type of plan. I’m more of a single speed type where I don’t want to rely on getting faster. I’d rather start with my race pace and push to maintain it in the last miles. I was also told to make sure I warm up well with some jogging and wind sprints/turnovers so I would be warm for the start.

I did get in a nice warmup. I ran away from the start area and had the sidewalks to myself so I could get in some surges. I got back to the clothing tent and waited until we were close to go time. I took a Hammer Gel before heading to the start line.

The weather for this year’s race was very nice. The temperature was around 60 with some winds coming in from the west. Earlier there was some spotty rain hitting the area but nothing that was going to last.

I made my way up to the start line and positioned myself about 7 rows back from the front. I figured that I wouldn’t have much traffic to contend with being so far up front. I was in the top 100 finishing the 2005 race so I figured I belonged up front. Unfortunately there are still people that don’t know how to seed themselves for even a 10k. The horn blasted and we were off. For the first half mile I still had to dodge people and slip between slower runners. Fortunately they were left behind quickly. I tucked in behind some people as we turned into the wind and we had a good pace going. I felt great running a fast and easy pace.

The first mile was partially into the wind. I managed to draft behind some other people. As we approached the first mile marker I hit my watch and was surprised to see a 5:45 split. I really didn’t want that fast of a first mile but I felt really good at that point. Just past the mile marker was a water aid station. I grabbed a water and had a quick sip.

Mile two dropped down and around the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, where the Browns play football. On the west side of the stadium is a nice uphill climb that is gradual and long for about a quarter mile. The heart rate started to rise but I didn’t want to relinquish the effort I was putting in. At this point the only rain of the day came down for about two minutes. At the top of the hill a quick right turn and the course continues onto the “Shoreway”, a highway that goes along the shore of Lake Erie. Not as nice as Chicago but the best Cleveland has to offer.

The two mile marker is at the bottom of the on-ramp for the highway. I hit my watch for a 6:28 second mile, which I was happy with considering the hill. So I am sitting at 12:13 for two miles. I liked what I was seeing. If I could hold pace I could definitely get my 38:00 finish.

Now here is where the race report takes a weird twist….and it’s not a good one. The 10k course goes up the on-ramp, over the bridge, a small loop through a neighborhood and back over the bridge. Why was everyone going to the left? We were supposed to go right. One female runner, who was one of five in the lead for females made a move to the right but someone pointed her in the other direction. She continued with the rest of the field.

Like lemmings to the sea I also followed course. I could still see Papa Louie up ahead so maybe things are okay. Down into the Flats along the Cuyahoga River we went. The Flats is an area filled with bars and usually doesn’t see any activity on a Sunday morning. I was trying to figure out where this new route would be taking us for a 10k. Even the guy standing outside Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club was staring at us as we went by. We kept running at race pace following the trail of racers ahead of us. I looked at my watch and was wondering where the 3 mile marker was. We had reached 20 minutes and surely would be at three miles. I was also feeling ill at ease when we approached intersections with no police or course marshalls. Where is the protection? Should I turn around? What if this is the way to go? I was a lemming following the death march to the sea.

I finally started to give in to the fact that we were terribly off course. What the hell happened? How did we get out here? I slowed my pace as I started to give up hope. We climbed a hill and I saw where we were at, the Tremont District. A nice area of Cleveland that has a had an upscale rejuvenation. Some great restaurants and housing has sprung up in this area. But now we had to get back to downtown Cleveland.

I cruised along for a while and we finally hit the down hill back to the roads along the river. I decided it was time to push it home and have at least a good tempo run for the day. I cruised down the hill as I always try to do and recaptured the group I was running with originally which included several of the top female runners. We backtracked to the Flats and then people started taking different hills back towards downtown. I took several people with me to the spot where we went off course. We rejoined the official race course at the same time and several others we were running with.

At this point we were within two miles of the finish. We were still going strong and passing many people as we made our final push to the finish line. I grabbed some water at mile 5 just to wet my whistle. My final 1.2 miles was 7:41, a 6:25/mile pace. I finished my 10k+ in 51:10. I walked around a little stunned about what happened but congratulated one of the female runners I was with for still finishing and chatted with some other friends. I waited around looking for Aimee but it turns out she finished before me by about 2 minutes. I continued to walk around, put on some of my clothes to stay warm and did a cool down run. I found a friend who had been watching the race and he said all of the times were off. The Kenyan runners finished around 33 minutes which should have been closer to 28.

I found Aimee and Becky, talked some more, shared my experience with them and we finally left downtown a little dejected. Once home I mapped out the “course” I ran. Follow the link to the mapped out route.....love that elevation at mile 4.

Rite Aid 10k +2 route

I added an additional 2 miles to my 10k. You know what?.....a 8.2 mile run in 51 minutes is still a 6:15/mile pace. I can’t complain about that. My middle 5 miles were run in 31:15, also a 6:15/mile pace. So I guess overall I had a great day. My official goal wasn’t met but I faced the challenge and fought forward, even though weakly at one point.

Further information has revealed that the lead car for the 10k was the cause of the problem. I just don’t understand how something like that could happen in a race that is 30 years old. I just shake my head with disbelief. I estimate that the top 100 – 150 runners went off course. The finishing times, especially the “top” age group times, are indicative of the error. Age group wise, I wound up 39th this year when I was 9th two years ago.

Oh well. Water under the proverbial bridge and it is as muddy as the Cuyahoga River. There have been several times in prior races where I have provided direction during the race, why didn’t I speak up this time. I knew the course was supposed to go right but I went left. Live and learn I suppose. I’ll have to find another 10k later in the summer to redeem myself.

Either way…..Game On.

Flash-Point Friday - Madame Pelee

Last year during my training for Ironman USA I often paid homage to Madame Pelee. I feel that the grande dame of Ironman should not only be appeased when racing on the Big Island but also during all Ironman training. There is much to be learned during training or racing when you are forced to endure high or low temperatures, humidity, torrential downpours, and gusting winds.

Madame Pelee has been visiting Northern Ohio for part of April and most of May this year. She has been flying in from the south which is weird because she usually hops over from Chicago which is a straight shot from the west.

Regardless, when she arrives everyone knows it. The flags are blowing stiff in the wind and no matter which way the wind is blowing, it always feels like you are headed straight into her face. Be it running or riding you know Madame Pelee has arrived.

Maybe she is just checking out the "competition". Seeing who will be ready for their IM races this year. Checking in on who is braving the elements so they are prepared for whatever race day will present to them. Eventually she will return to Hawaii where she will lay in wait for those individuals that have qualified or received lottery slots for the Big Show in Kona.

I only have three options for riding out of the house, I'm not driving to a ride with gas prices the way they are. I can go East, West or South. I can only go 5 miles North before this big body of water called Lake Erie gets in my way. East and West usually has more traffic and suburban spread. But when I head south I am on rural country roads in 15 minutes.

The country roads are usually smooth, light on traffic, and provide some different scenery. But with that comes the lack of protection from the wind. Madame Pelee knows this. She challenges me during these rides. She comes straight at me. She hits me from the side. Occasionally she will help push me along. But 75% of the time we are fighting each other.

She helps me work on my power. She tests my bike handling skills. She let's me play with speeds that I may not see otherwise. She is a good training partner.

I've been really happy with my speed during these rides with madame. I have tapped into the power stroke instead of spinning relentlessly until I turn out of the wind. This power stroke has made me stronger, similar to riding hills. Maybe the FP 60s are helping slice through the wind better. But contrary to what Matt Purdue says about crosswinds, I'm getting tossed around the road.

The 60mm rims are catching air like a kite. I'm finding myself leaning into the wind, making quick adjustments to gusts and Staying on Target so I don't swerve into traffic. When I race at the Racing for Recovery Half Iron I will be taking two sets of wheels, the Flash Points and my road wheels. Depending upon the weather/wind I will be ready. I will prefer to use the FPs but I am not going to waste my energy fighting Madame Pelee if she decides to blow into town for the race. I'm sending her a ticket from Chicago because a nice tailwind for the second half of the bike would be nice.

Game On

Two for Tuesday - Music for the Masses

I found this video at IHateToast.

Enjoy music lesson #1






And in honor of Bolders new theme song......

Two for Tuesday - Going Mental

Are you prepared for the racing season. Swim volume up.....check. New running shoes.....check. Bike is tuned up with new tires......check. You are mentally prepared to put your best effort forward.......HUH? Practicing mental imagery of race day.......WHAT???

Yes mental preparation is the fifth, sixth, or seventh discipline we can employ during triathlon training along with nutrition, weight training, stretching, massage therapy, etc.

But mental preparation may be the easiest of the "extra" training techniques to actually perform. A couple of minutes a day, before bed, cutting the grass, in the shower, can help prepare you for a stellar day on the race course. I came across this article about positive self talk.....Mental Training: Positive Self-Talk

But my TfT is something old and something new. Two books.....One I recommend and one that I am going to buy.

Recommendation:

Triathletes Guide to Mental Training
I read this book while preparing for Ironman USA and am about to re-read it for this season. I posted several times about sections of the book. I'll put labels on those posts so you can find them easily.

Future Reading:

Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Tao sports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business and Life
This book looks very interesting as well as some of the other books by this author. If anyone has read the book please comment on it.

In body and mind....Game On.

Back on the Trail Again

My Sunday long run was on the Buckeye Trail. I enjoy running this area that I have to share it with everyone. The charts and graphs are good too. Rootsrunner and e-speed will know these trails. Also make sure you visit them for some marathon lovin' as they both did very well at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cinci. On the main portion of the run, the middle miles, the south to north squiggly lines, running all over, up and down, over trees across streams......I never saw a single person.......I..Loved..It Game On Performance Distance: 11.94 miles Time: 1:46:35 Speed: 6.73 mph Pace: 8' 55 /mi Calories: 1143 Map Elevation (ft.) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 00 -0' 55 7.5 +0.8 +10 ft 2 7' 20 -1' 35 8.2 +1.5 -10 ft 3 7' 12 -1' 43 8.3 +1.6 +10 ft 4 9' 30 +0' 35 6.3 -0.4 +141 ft 5 8' 34 -0' 21 7.0 +0.3 -108 ft 6 11' 51 +2' 56 5.1 -1.7 -30 ft 7 10' 47 +1' 52 5.6 -1.2 +157 ft 8 8' 32 -0' 23 7.0 +0.3 +59 ft 9 10' 01 +1' 06 6.0 -0.7 +132 ft 10 8' 16 -0' 39 7.3 +0.5 -164 ft 11 8' 45 -0' 10 6.8 +0.1 -63 ft end 8' 09 -0' 46 7.3 +0.6 -128 ft Versus average of 8' 55 min/mi

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