Triple T - Race #4

Okay...so it's time to put this Triple T thing to bed. It's been two weeks since the race and I really need to move on. *** I started this post on the 6th***

More races are coming up soon.

Qiuck recap....Friday Super Sprint, Saturday morning Oly and afternoon Oly. Sunday....Half Iron. The icing on top of a three layer triathlon cake.

The alarm went off at 5AM. The race start was scheduled for 7AM and I needed to get fueled up, equipment packed and set up in transition. I rolled out of bed and started drinking my first boost.

Part way through drinking my morning calories I wasn't feeling too good. My stomach was in a huge knot. I sat at the table and tried to understand what was happening and why.

Was I tired?

Was it nerves?

Was my body shutting down on me?

I thought I was going to puke. I felt like I needed to puke. Sat there pulling my knees to my chest thinking, "If I puke I'll probably be okay." I actually wanted to puke.

Aimee was trying to help me get going. She didn't say anything but she was right there with me wanting to help but not knowing how.

I crawled back into bed and curled up into a ball. What the hell was I going to do? Would I need to bag the fourth and final race of the weekend? Had I pushed it too hard earlier and I was seriously paying for it now?

As I laid there on the bed I asked Aimee to put some of my stuff together. All of my racing gear was already packed in the backpack. Aimee packed my nutrition into the cooler for me and packed a lunch for herself.

Thirty minutes elapsed while I laid on the bed. I forced myself to get up and try it again.

I felt better getting up the second time. Maybe I was forcing myself out of bed before my body was ready. I still needed to force myself to get dressed and into the car with all of the gear.

We made out way over to the event site and I got my transition area put together. Actually being at the race helped me calm down and get into the morning. Being around everyone else who was possibly in the same boat as I helped as well.

As we got closer to the start of the race I felt better and better. It was probably just taking my body a real long time to wake up and be ready to race again for 5+ hours.

Here we are ready for the fourth race of the weekend.



The swim start was the normal time trial and it felt good to finally be moving. Everyone was pretty mellow in the swim. I didn't have any contact except for this one person who was swimming on my right. We kept bumping into each other and I was sighting towards the turn buoy just fine. Apparently this person REALLY wanted to swim to the left. I finally slowed down and swam behind this person as they continued to swim left into the center of the loop.

I made it to T1 in 28:36. My 2:24 T1 was a little long this time because I decided to wear my compression socks for the bike and run. I know you aren't supposed to try anything new on race day but I figured what would different socks make with my run. If anything the compression would help the tired legs. I guess I ran the risk of getting blisters since I had only worn the socks as recovery.

Regardless I cruised out of T1 in 2:24 and hopped on my bike for the double loop course. I remembered certain portions of the course but also realized that it wasn't as steep as I had recalled from last year.

I tried to make sure I was keeping it steady and holding back from going to fast. This was a vicious double loop that would need to be respected. I got into a good rhythm and was gearing well. The hard part was recognizing the false flats and gearing down to make sure I wasn't trying to push too big of a gear.

The bike course is quite technical with switchback climbs AND descents. The climbing needed attention to maintain a good spin. I would get out of the saddle occasionally to change the muscles being used.

The downhills were fun but required some focus. Several of the turns were 180 degrees and I had to slow way down. But if the curves weren't too sharp I could be more aggressive. The sweeping turns were the best because you don't need to leave the aero bars and keep pedaling.

After one particular downhill section I was riding with (meaning near) two guys on a team and another solo rider. It's so easy to bunch up on the downhills. I didn't want to pass because I wouldn't pass them by too much and I had a hard time hanging far enough back.

Despite my best efforts to keep things under control, I still managed to create some excitement for my first loop.

After the downhill we can really hammer the flats with some sweeping curves. At one curve there is a small bridge in the middle of the curve. It's a crappy little bridge with a bad lip.....like to ground around the bridge has settled and cracked the pavement and created the lip.

The leading edge of the bridge was covered in orange paint from the race director. The only safe route was to the left at the outer edge of the curve. On a normal ride it would be no big deal. But at race speeds things change drastically.

The two teammates were in front of me and the solo guy behind me. I was WAAAAAYYYY too close to the guys in front of me. We made the approach to the bridge okay. Coming off the bridge though we hit some bumps hard.

The first rider ejected a water bottle.

The second rider rolled over the bottle and shot the top off.

I tried to avoid the bottle completely by veering to the left. Coming out of the turn I was already pretty far left and now by missing the bottle I was pushed further left.

My wheel hit the two inch gravel berm but I couldn't hold the line very long and I dropped into the small ditch next to the road. And I do mean small. It was maybe 3 - 4 inches deep 12 - 16 inches wide.

I dropped my left pedal down and coasted until I could get back on the road. I managed to ride back up to the road. I looked down at my left leg and saw it covered in grass. If you remember I had put on compression socks during T1. The knee high socks protected my leg from the grass in the ditch. The grass had burs on it that stuck to my sock and the grass came along for a ride.

I reached down and pulled the clump of grass of my sock and tossed it on the road. In hind site I couldn't believe I made it through that ordeal with out stopping or crashing. I was very lucky that the ditch was smooth and not full of rocks or holes. I could just see me flipping over the bars after burying my front wheel in a hole.

I caught up to the three guys I was riding with and we talked about what happened. The guy who was behind me saw it all. We agreed that I was very lucky.

The remainder of the first lap was non-eventful. I made it back to transition and exchanged my nutrition bottles for fresh ones. I waved at Aimee as I headed back out for loop two.

The second loop was a little slower but I was more cautious this time. Unfortunately I did see more accidents. I went by one crashed out guy so fast I had a hard time realizing what I saw. He missed a turn and went through a short grassy area. I think it was fresh because his back was very bloody from the road rash. But I think his Zipp front wheel was taco'ed. Is that even possible?

Shortly after that I went through the area where I rode the ditch. There were several cars and at least three riders on the side of the road dealing with injuries or other issues. It is definitely the most hazardous section of the bike route.

I stayed steady all the way into T2 and completed the bike in 3:07:30. In transition I put on my shoes, grabbed my hat and gels then moved to the run spending only 51 seconds in T2.



I had to make a potty stop outside of transition so any time I saved in transition was spent in the pisser. I hadn't peed during the bike. Usually I like to stay hydrated and pee at least once on the bike. I felt like peeing on the bike but it wasn't uncomfortable so I decided to keep it until I started the run.

I grabbed three of my gels and dropped the bag with the remaining three under the aid station table. I would get the remaining gels during the second lap of the run.

I was definitely becoming tapped out from the weekend. I had the energy to run but not as fast as I wanted to. The hills were beating me mentally already. On the steeper sections I would walk so that I could save myself for the second loop.

I stuck to my plan and was taking my gels when I wanted to.....every two miles and right before an aid station so I could get water to wash the gel down.

At the turn around I grabbed some water and went to get my gels. I looked under the table but didn't see my three gels. One of the volunteers must have picked it up. Perhaps it was in the garbage already.

I started to scan the assortment of Hammer Gels on the table for a flavor I wanted. As I went down the line I spotted my bag of gels. Someone had simply placed them on top of the table. I grabbed my bag and thanked the volunteers.

The gels had been sitting in the sun for about an hour an they were hot. They were also runny which made them easier to take. It was almost like drinking the gel.

On the second loop I had to really focus. I needed to keep moving forward at a decent pace, especially on the uphills. Often times this late in a race my mind starts loosing focus. I turn inwards and may not think straight. But this time I turned inward on purpose. I didn't want to be distracted by external factors. I just wanted to run the hills the best I could.

I buried my head into the hill and kept my eyes on the 5 - 6 feet in front of me. I didn't want to know how far away the top of the hill was. I didn't want to see anyone running past me, same direction or not.

It was working though. I was reaching the crest of the hills in what seemed to be a quicker time. Once I reached some flatter terrain I would increase my tempo and push to the next hill.

After I reached the turn-around I needed to conquer one more hill. I put a lot into that hill but once I reached the top of that hill I only had 2.5 miles to go.....and they would be primarily downhill.

Sure enough, when I reached the four mile marker my intensity increased to finish the race strong. I started hammering the downhills and passing anyone I could. As I exited the woods I was getting excited about crossing the finish line. I tried to keep my pace quick and look strong all the way to the finish line. I completed the run in 1:55:41.



I crossed the finish line spent....hot....tired....sore....elated. I was happy to have completed my second Triple-T. I received my medal and t-shirt from the volunteers.



Once I could move again I made my way over to the creek and cooled off with the other racers.



I grabbed some post-race food and cleaned up my transition area.



Aimee and I headed back to the campground to get cleaned up and more to eat.

I'm very happy with my results for the weekend. It's such a great event with wonderful people and a fantastic race director/company.

Below you will find my race times that led to my 53rd overall place and 10th in age group.

Total: 11:08:39 53 overall finish time

TTT - Race #1 - Super Sprint 24:06
TTT - Race #2 - Olympic AM 2:30:44
TTT - Race #3 - Olympic PM 2:38:43
TTT - Race #4 - Half Iron 5:35:04

I dropped my time by four minutes and was able to push through some hard times.

Most importantly I could not have done it without Aimee. She has supported me during so many races and this one was no different. It was a great weekend with her.

Triple T - Race #3

Back at the campsite we had a little bit to eat. We were both tired and decided to take a nap. About an hour. A little power nap to recharge the batteries.

I laid there and didn't fall asleep. My mind was still too wired from the morning race. Aimee got some sleep....me..no. I finally got up and started working on my bike. During the morning race I was struggling a little on the uphills. I knew my training leading up to the race had not included the hill training I had done in '09.

I did have a backup plan though. I packed Aimee's cassette from her bike which had a 27 on the high end. That would help me spin up the climbs and conserve my legs for the hard stuff.
I also did a quick cleaning job on the chain to make sure the bike would work smooth.

After Aimee woke up we put together my nutrition for the race and made our way to the race site.

In the parking lot I took a moment.

What the hell am I doing? Why do I continue to punish myself like this? Oh yeah...it's fun.

I looked around. No one else was moving that fast either. I finally pulled my bike out of the van and proceeded over to the transition area.

Yoda once again helped me get my area put together and he was ready to ride...and ride we would.


The afternoon Olympic race started with the bike. Then we would swim and run. It's an interesting little twist to the race. The time trial format sent us out two at a time and the two person teams could now ride together and draft. Solos were still not allowed to draft.

The bike was the same route as the morning race and was pretty uneventful. I was disappointed on the way out because of a slower rider ahead of me on the downhill. She was cautious but also had a car following behind her so I couldn't make a pass. It sucked but I couldn't do anything about it. On the way back I was able to bomb the downhills though and that was fun.

Back at transition I had to get my wetsuit on. I had sprayed it down with Suit Juice and also used plastic bags on my feet. both worked well and I was out of transition quickly. Running towards the beach I realized that I was still wearing my sunglasses. I set them down near one of the speaker stands. When I saw Aimee on the beach I told her where to pick them up.

The beach area reappeared for the afternoon race. It was amazing how the water had receded.



So I ran across the muddy beach and dove into the cold water. One thing about swimming after the bike ride is a potential for cramping in the legs. People had warned me about it but I didn't have the problem in '09. Boy was I in for a treat.

The colder water temperature forced all of the blood into my arms and upper body. It's a natural reaction for the body to keep the core warm. I could tell there would be problems during the first loop. I was using my legs are rudders as I curved around slower swimmers or the turn buoy. The inner quads of both legs would twinge on me then release.

As I headed to shore to complete the first loop we had to walk around the marker and start swimming again. When I stood up the quads started cramping on me. I got back in the water as soon as I could and rolled on my back and tried to pump my legs and killed the cramps. It wasn't working too well so I rolled over and just started swimming. The cramps did subside.

During the second loop I tried to kick more often to get some blood back into the legs. I thought I was doing well until I tried to stand up and walk. The cramps were stopping me in my tracks. I kept trying to move forward but the pain was excruciating.

Aimee got a great picture of me trying to massage my quads AND wincing in pain at the same time.



People told me to keep moving. I then heard Aimee yelling at me, "BABY STEPS....JUST TAKE BABY STEPS!!"

I did as she told me and by the time I had crossed the bridge my legs were doing much better. I stripped out of my wetsuit, put on my socks and shoes, grabbed my hat and gels and exited T2.

My afternoon run was similar to the morning run. My splits were good, I was moving well, taking my gels and drinking water. I didn't have my sunglasses with me because of my mistake during T1. Despite the tree cover there are a couple of exposed spots where the late afternoon sun was beating down on us.

This time I hit the 2 mile marker at 16:16....8 min/mile. About the same as the morning race.

3 = 8:15, half uphill and half downhill
4 = 8:30, another half/half with the hills, after mile 4 it's mainly downhill.
5 = 7:10
6 = 6:26
.5 = 3:59
Total run time 50:35 minutes.

Total race time 2:38:46. This was a little more in line with what I had raced last year. I was okay with slowing down a little bit more for the second race. I still had the half IM on Sunday.



Some more post race food, sitting in the cold water of the creek and then I cleaned up my transition area and we went back to the campground. I showered while Aimee prepared dinner for both of us. I prepped my nutrition and gear for Sunday then we hit the sack early.

One..more..race.

Would my game still be on?

Triple T - Race #2

Race #2 at the Triple T is an Olympic distance race. Not a big deal for most long course triathletes. It's over before you know it.

Really....I mean..how bad can a .92 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 6.5 mile run be? I have training days longer than the duration of this race.

However, this race is approximately 12 hours after the super sprint. Sleep is very important for keeping it together with this weekend. It's precious....valuable...crucial. But for Friday night it was also going to be scarce.

After the Friday race we went back to the campground, ate, showered and went to bed. I was sleeping soundly when I heard a knock on the door around 9:30PM. I stayed in bed because I wasn't sure if I truly heard the knock. The knock hit the door again so I asked who was there. My neighbor was letting me know that the park ranger had told him about a potential tornado touchdown about 30 miles from the campground. Wow that woke me up.

I was up now. We could see the lightening to the north. I was outside when the ranger drove through again and I talked with him. While we were talking a weather alert came across his radio about a tornado warning until 10:30PM. We only had to wait it out for another 45 minutes.

Aimee and I finally fell back asleep only to be woke up by the sound of rain coming down around 11:30. It was coming down very hard. We were glad not to be tent camping like some of the other racers near us.

Come morning I was feeling good. The temperature was around 60 and I knew it would be warming up as the day progressed. After I prepped for the race we drove over to the race site. I heard several people mention hearing sirens overnight, a power outage at the lodge and the reports of not one but two tornadoes.

The pre-race meeting presented two changes to the morning race course. The bike course originally designed for the morning race was not going to be used due to three trees laying across the road at different areas. No way to clean up the mess in time. Unfortunately we wouldn't be riding the morning course which is much nicer than the afternoon bike course.

The morning course goes through the Shawnee State Forest and is very pretty, when you have time to look around between gasping for air. We also didn't have to climb Thompson Road hill which is a brutally short but steep climb. The afternoon bike route is an out and back along County Road 125. It has two major climbs with very fast descents.

The run course would also be slightly altered for the rest of the weekend due to the muddy section we ran through on Friday. We would have destroyed it by Sunday so we ran on the road around the grassy area. It really didn't add too much to our distances.

So two changes for the day/weekend. No problem. As a triathlete we should be prepared to go with the flow, accept changes gracefully and make the most of the situation.

As Yoda was telling me in transition...."In tri..Do or Do Not". How can I argue with a Jedi Master?


After Yoda and I set up my transition area, I put on my wetsuit and walked over to the beach. Actually we walked over to where the beach used to be. The rain had brought the level of the lake up several feet. Our beach start was now moving up to the grass above the water line. The water was also muddier than Friday night.

I posed with Ben, Linda and Mark for race #2 picture.



So we lined up to for the time trial start of the swim. We had to run a little bit further in the water this time but once I dove in it was all....COLD!!!! The rain had dropped the temperature of the lake by several degrees. My arms and face were freezing. It wasn't such a shock that I couldn't swim. I got into my groove and knew my arms and face would get used to the cold. I would also be generating some heat to keep warm.

I settled into a great rhythm of three single breaths on one side then switching to the other side. I could sight to the sides and was sighting in front of me quite well. I was tracking pretty good. I would move in and out of cold and warm spots but just kept moving forward.

Here is Linda coming out of the water. The beach is flooded up to the sidewalk. The second picture is from Friday night just to give you an idea of the water levels.





I finished the swim in 24:43 and through T1 in 1:36. The bike was good and I managed to bomb the downhills with little traffic. I pushed the effort harder than last year because I wanted to cut some time off my splits. I came into T2 at 1:15:53 and exited 35 seconds later. I wanted to rip up the run course.



I started conservative, at least I thought so, and hit the 2 mile marker at 15:54....8 min/mile. After that I took mile splits but didn't look at my watch.

3 = 7:59, half uphill and half downhill
4 = 7:50, another half/half with the hills, after mile 4 it's mainly downhill.
5 = 6:42
6 = 5:57
.5 = 3:38
Total run time 48 minutes.

Total race time 2:30:44. I took 9 minutes off my time from last year. I didn't mean to take that much time off the clock.

This is my attempt to indicate that race number two was complete. I was too tired to raise my arm up all the way. This one hurt a little.


I grabbed some food and cooled off in the now colder creek. We didn't stick around too long because we needed to get back to the camp site and relax before race number 3 which started at 3PM.

More fun to follow.

Triple T - Race #1

Race #1 for the Triple T was on Friday evening at 5PM. Like who really races on a Friday night? Well, when you need to get in four races in three days you race when you can.

The Super Sprint race is a good warm-up for the weekend. After traveling a majority of the day, 5 hour drive, its nice to loosen up and shake out the skills for the rest of the weekend.

The distances are pretty short but we need to be done quickly.

A 250 yard swim, 5 mile bike and 1 mile run.

My goals for the weekend was to take some time off each race and get close to or under 11 hours cumulative time.

Once I got my transition area put together I made my way to the beach and met up with Ben, Mark and Linda. We took our pre-race picture.



I didn't wear a wetsuit for the short swim but some people did. The water was cold but not terrible. It would be a such a short swim.

I lined up for the time trial start and was ready to get the weekend rolling.

I charged into the water and dove right in. Here I am just before diving in.



I quickly got into a stroke pattern that had me breathing each stroke on the right side. My arms were cold but they were moving so much they quickly warmed up.

I was out of the water in 4 minutes and through T1 in just over 1 minute. I jumped on the bike and rode the 5 mile uphill/downhill course in 11:27. I felt great going uphill and kept a good strong pace.

Entering and exiting T2 in 32 seconds I was ready for a quick 1 mile run.

The run course took us over a grassy section that was very muddy. I stayed to the sides on the route to avoid the mud. This section was going to be a complete mess by the end of the weekend.

I finished the mile run in 6:32 and you can see the mud splatter on my legs. Some people had mud between their shoulder blades.

One of the creeks that feeds the lake is right at the finish line. People were settling in for some cold water therapy and to clean off the mud.


Overall I finished 66th in 24:06 and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

One down....three to go.

Triple T - Quick Review

Another Triple T is in the bag....just like I am. I knew what I was getting into. I had raced it last year. I wanted to improve my time and push it a bit farther.

And..I..did.

A quick recap of the four races.

Friday Super Sprint - 250 yard swim, 5 mile bike, 1 mile run.
24:09 finish time with a 6:32 mile.

Saturday Morning Olympic - .9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 6.5 mile run
2:30:44 finish time with a 5:57 during mile 6
Time improvement of 9 minutes from prior year.

Saturday Afternoon Olympic - 24 mile bike, .9 mile swim, 6.5 mile run
2:38:46 finish time with a lot of OUCH

Sunday Half Iron - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run
5:35:44 finish time with pain, walking and digging very deep. Add 5 minutes to last years time.

Here are two pictures that help sum up the weekend. Details explaining the pictures will hopefully follow soon.