Well, it is about time to make the final push towards Louisville. Now that Kansas is in the rear view mirror and the only two races I have left this year are Steelhead and Louisville it is time to bunker down and hit it hard through the end of July. I really want to increase my running and swimming weekly totals over the next month to make sure I am right where I want to be going in to August. The biking seems to be the easiest going right now for some reason, probably because it seems to be the sport of the three that I have been enjoying the most lately.
This last week I really tried to use it to recover from Kansas and gradually build back up to the training plan. I was pretty sore coming out of Kansas and it took a few days to get everything back to feeling normal. So last week was extremely low key, a Computrainer Class, a faster paced and distance ride on Saturday followed up with an open water swim in Lake Michigan on Sunday.
With the family in town from the Quad Cities this weekend it was a busy weekend. After getting up and riding on Saturday we hit up Brookfield Zoo which was very hot but fun. Afterwards my parents ended up taking Landon home with his cousins and aunt so Amy and I could hit up the Lapinski white trash party.
Sunday morning was the first Endure It! open water swim at Lake Michigan so bright and early I was up and heading down to the city. Picked up Rick on the way and we made it down there pretty quick. I was kind of disappointed with the turn out but it was fathers day so I will let it slide this week. Even if no one showed it doesn't really matter as it forces me to get up and get down there to swim. Swimming in open water is great and it can't be replicated in the pool.
Going to get a run in at lunch, a swim in tonight and a big biking weekend coming up in Madison this weekend so need to get the week started right.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Kansas 70.3 Recap
The Swim: Well for some reason I was not that nervous for the swim and was actually pretty calm while waiting to get in the water and even calmer treading water waiting to go. So I sat there treading water pretty relaxed warming up my wetsuit, it is so much easier to pee in the water while waiting then while you are actually swimming. New fan of in water starts.
The start area in the water had a wide starting gate and I was not feeling crammed in at all. When things started that was a different story, the first couple of hundred yards things were pretty brutal as everyone tried to figure out where to fall in line. I tried to just find my rhythm and settle in and swim. There were a ton of buoys on the course so it was fairly easy to stay straight. The swim consisted of only three turns but the longer lines out from the beach and back in seemed like they would never end. I was definitely ready to get out of the water by the time the finish came in sight. Swim Time 35:00.
T1: The transitions were the tightest I have ever dealt with, I ended up having to hang my bike by the XLab water bottle holder as I couldn't get my bike under the bar to hang it by the seat and it was to tight to hang by the brakes. My age group was right by the swim exit which turned out to be a huge blessing as there was a ton of gravel and I could run what seemed like a mile through transition with my shoes on. Wetsuit came right off with no sitting down and everything was pretty uneventful. Time 2:25
Bike: The start of the bike was through the entrance of the park which I knew had some gradual hills so I just tried to get in a smooth rhythm and get moving. I was a bit chilly at the onset as it was cloudy and a bit drizzly but warmed up once I dried off a bit. As I started to hit the hills I made sure to pedal through the crest and continue to build up speed on the downhills as this was key to passing folks on the inclines. Once we hit the main road things became quite congested. As my age group was the second to last wave to go there were quite a few folks out on the course. The hills were tough and the packed roads didn't help as you were navigating around folks going 40 mph down the hill. I enjoyed the bike as the hills were tough but better than just out cranking away as they broke it up a bit. I was very happy with my time on this course as there were quite a few tough climbs. Time: 2:33:27
T2: Once again I was right by the entrance of transition (this race had two separate transitions which I am not a fan of, considering they were about a mile a part and when you forget something makes for a fun walk). T2 was quick and easy, I actually sat down to put my shoes on as I didn't want the sole to bunch up as they did in Tri Shark. Time: 1:36
Run: I am not sure what happens to me on the run but I made improvements on this course. My legs felt good coming off the bike which was a surprise as my right hamstring was a bit tight for the last 5 miles or so on the bike. The plan was to take a GU every 30 minutes on the run. I was feeling pretty good up until mile 5 or so but could really start to feel my stomach. Could hear the water sloshing around so opted to pass on the GU's for the rest of the run but continue with small amounts of water or Gatorade. I struggled a bit on the last 4 miles but new I could end up with a decent time so just pushed on. The last mile seemed like it was 4 miles long but was so happy to see the finishing gate (they had a super nice finish line), once I hit the gate I was able to pass a guy in the chute which is always fun. Time: 1:49:33
Total Time: 5:02:01
Once the race was done my legs were shot and could tell it was going to be a rough 8 hour drive home. I was afraid that if I sat down I was not going to get up. I downed a water and diet cola, which in hindsight was not a good idea as it almost came back up. I had to wait around for my T1 bag to be brought up so had some time to kill. Decided to grab the bike and stuff from T2 take the journey to the car and grab a quick shower in the outdoor showers at the on site campground, even I don't want to smell myself during the drive home. After showering and packing the car took the mile journey back to pick up my bag and hit the road.
This was a good race, I had a goal going into it of 5:09 was questioning that after listening to Rick and Ryan describe the bike course after they drove it on Saturday. I am very pleased with my time but know I can go faster and go sub 5. The run was a struggle and would love to get that down to a 7:45 average. Had a great time in KC hangin out with Nate Friday night and was glad to do something of that distance compared to the sprints I have been doing. Now time to recover the rest of today and get back in the pool tomorrow. No races on the schedule until Steelhead in August so need to make sure I am getting in some long rides every weekend in July.
The start area in the water had a wide starting gate and I was not feeling crammed in at all. When things started that was a different story, the first couple of hundred yards things were pretty brutal as everyone tried to figure out where to fall in line. I tried to just find my rhythm and settle in and swim. There were a ton of buoys on the course so it was fairly easy to stay straight. The swim consisted of only three turns but the longer lines out from the beach and back in seemed like they would never end. I was definitely ready to get out of the water by the time the finish came in sight. Swim Time 35:00.
T1: The transitions were the tightest I have ever dealt with, I ended up having to hang my bike by the XLab water bottle holder as I couldn't get my bike under the bar to hang it by the seat and it was to tight to hang by the brakes. My age group was right by the swim exit which turned out to be a huge blessing as there was a ton of gravel and I could run what seemed like a mile through transition with my shoes on. Wetsuit came right off with no sitting down and everything was pretty uneventful. Time 2:25
Bike: The start of the bike was through the entrance of the park which I knew had some gradual hills so I just tried to get in a smooth rhythm and get moving. I was a bit chilly at the onset as it was cloudy and a bit drizzly but warmed up once I dried off a bit. As I started to hit the hills I made sure to pedal through the crest and continue to build up speed on the downhills as this was key to passing folks on the inclines. Once we hit the main road things became quite congested. As my age group was the second to last wave to go there were quite a few folks out on the course. The hills were tough and the packed roads didn't help as you were navigating around folks going 40 mph down the hill. I enjoyed the bike as the hills were tough but better than just out cranking away as they broke it up a bit. I was very happy with my time on this course as there were quite a few tough climbs. Time: 2:33:27
T2: Once again I was right by the entrance of transition (this race had two separate transitions which I am not a fan of, considering they were about a mile a part and when you forget something makes for a fun walk). T2 was quick and easy, I actually sat down to put my shoes on as I didn't want the sole to bunch up as they did in Tri Shark. Time: 1:36
Run: I am not sure what happens to me on the run but I made improvements on this course. My legs felt good coming off the bike which was a surprise as my right hamstring was a bit tight for the last 5 miles or so on the bike. The plan was to take a GU every 30 minutes on the run. I was feeling pretty good up until mile 5 or so but could really start to feel my stomach. Could hear the water sloshing around so opted to pass on the GU's for the rest of the run but continue with small amounts of water or Gatorade. I struggled a bit on the last 4 miles but new I could end up with a decent time so just pushed on. The last mile seemed like it was 4 miles long but was so happy to see the finishing gate (they had a super nice finish line), once I hit the gate I was able to pass a guy in the chute which is always fun. Time: 1:49:33
Total Time: 5:02:01
Once the race was done my legs were shot and could tell it was going to be a rough 8 hour drive home. I was afraid that if I sat down I was not going to get up. I downed a water and diet cola, which in hindsight was not a good idea as it almost came back up. I had to wait around for my T1 bag to be brought up so had some time to kill. Decided to grab the bike and stuff from T2 take the journey to the car and grab a quick shower in the outdoor showers at the on site campground, even I don't want to smell myself during the drive home. After showering and packing the car took the mile journey back to pick up my bag and hit the road.
This was a good race, I had a goal going into it of 5:09 was questioning that after listening to Rick and Ryan describe the bike course after they drove it on Saturday. I am very pleased with my time but know I can go faster and go sub 5. The run was a struggle and would love to get that down to a 7:45 average. Had a great time in KC hangin out with Nate Friday night and was glad to do something of that distance compared to the sprints I have been doing. Now time to recover the rest of today and get back in the pool tomorrow. No races on the schedule until Steelhead in August so need to make sure I am getting in some long rides every weekend in July.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tri Shark
Well last Saturday I raced the Tri Shark Sprint Tri down in Bloomington, IL. Not sure why I signed up to do this as it was quite a journey to only race for an hour and eight minutes but none the less it was a good time.
The day started bright and early at 4:15, good thing everything was packed and ready to go. I was up and out the door in twenty minutes, I stop to get some gas and coffee and I was on my way to drive the two hours to the race. I got there right on time with an hour and a half until race time, picked up my packet, racked my bike, realized there was more racks for my age group in a much more desirable location so re racked my bike and started to lay things out. Once everything was organized and I went through the mental check list, I suited up in my new Blue Seventy and head down to the start.
Swim: The swim is a 600 yard triangle broken into 200 yard sections. The goal was to swim with one of the guys that I swim with in Masters and to stay on his feet most of the swim. I try to start in the front of the pack, not because I am an outstanding swimmer but rather I would rather have folks go around me than go around folks. As we took off I could not get away from folks as it seemed like we had a large pack that was mashed together for the first 200 yards, since I lost my drafting partner I was finally able to settle in after the first buoy and tried to find my rhythm. The only problem I was having was that it was a bit overcast and with my tinted goggles I was having a hard time picking up the buoys, overall the swim felt good. The new wetsuit was much better, no more rubbing on the neck. Time was 9:24.7 or 1:34 per 100.
T1: Transition was pretty uneventful, I have yet to figure out how to get out of my wetsuit with out sitting down. Time was 1:26
Bike: The bike was a short 13.3 and was pretty much flat but did have quite a few turns on small narrow country roads with loose gravel on the edges. The goal for the race was to hammer the bike and see where the legs were afterwards. As I got out of T1 and started down the road, there were about 4 speed bumps you had to go over for the first quarter mile or so but once out on the main road I settle in and started to go. It took me about 3 miles to start to feel comfortable and to get into my groove. Time was 33:49.6 with an average of 23.1 mph.
T2: This was the frustrating part of the day, I love my Brooks running shoes and love Yankz but man I could not get my left foot into my shoe for some reason. Every time I slipped in my foot my sole would bunch up at the front of the shoe from my foot still being wet. After the third try I finally sat down and pulled on the shoe. Going to try a few things this week to see if I can figure this out better, first going to try a little body glide on the the heal of the sole to see if that helps the foot slide in. Time for T1 was 1:31.3, this is about double where I should have been.
Run: Once again I was really feeling the calves on the run for the first mile or so but learning to just deal with and know they will come around. I rode and ran with my Garmin for the first time but was still figuring out the multi sport function as I went. I forgot to hit the lap button until mile 1 so had no idea what pace I was running at. Once I remembered to hit the button and looked down at my pace I was right about where I wanted to be. I could definitely feel the legs but made sure to try and stay on the gas. I had a goal going into this for the 5K to be at 7:10 per mile pace. Time was 22:16.8 average of 7:11.
Overall this was a solid race for me and I finished seventh in my age group, missed sixth by thirty seconds and should have made that up in T2 but what can you do. It was nice to do a Sprint and is entirely different than training for an IM. I mean we hardly are on the gas for that long during our training for IM.
Well next up Kansas 70.3 this weekend and really looking forward to a good race and to see where my endurance is at. No more sprints on the schedule only two half IM's and the big one IM Louisville.
The day started bright and early at 4:15, good thing everything was packed and ready to go. I was up and out the door in twenty minutes, I stop to get some gas and coffee and I was on my way to drive the two hours to the race. I got there right on time with an hour and a half until race time, picked up my packet, racked my bike, realized there was more racks for my age group in a much more desirable location so re racked my bike and started to lay things out. Once everything was organized and I went through the mental check list, I suited up in my new Blue Seventy and head down to the start.
Swim: The swim is a 600 yard triangle broken into 200 yard sections. The goal was to swim with one of the guys that I swim with in Masters and to stay on his feet most of the swim. I try to start in the front of the pack, not because I am an outstanding swimmer but rather I would rather have folks go around me than go around folks. As we took off I could not get away from folks as it seemed like we had a large pack that was mashed together for the first 200 yards, since I lost my drafting partner I was finally able to settle in after the first buoy and tried to find my rhythm. The only problem I was having was that it was a bit overcast and with my tinted goggles I was having a hard time picking up the buoys, overall the swim felt good. The new wetsuit was much better, no more rubbing on the neck. Time was 9:24.7 or 1:34 per 100.
T1: Transition was pretty uneventful, I have yet to figure out how to get out of my wetsuit with out sitting down. Time was 1:26
Bike: The bike was a short 13.3 and was pretty much flat but did have quite a few turns on small narrow country roads with loose gravel on the edges. The goal for the race was to hammer the bike and see where the legs were afterwards. As I got out of T1 and started down the road, there were about 4 speed bumps you had to go over for the first quarter mile or so but once out on the main road I settle in and started to go. It took me about 3 miles to start to feel comfortable and to get into my groove. Time was 33:49.6 with an average of 23.1 mph.
T2: This was the frustrating part of the day, I love my Brooks running shoes and love Yankz but man I could not get my left foot into my shoe for some reason. Every time I slipped in my foot my sole would bunch up at the front of the shoe from my foot still being wet. After the third try I finally sat down and pulled on the shoe. Going to try a few things this week to see if I can figure this out better, first going to try a little body glide on the the heal of the sole to see if that helps the foot slide in. Time for T1 was 1:31.3, this is about double where I should have been.
Run: Once again I was really feeling the calves on the run for the first mile or so but learning to just deal with and know they will come around. I rode and ran with my Garmin for the first time but was still figuring out the multi sport function as I went. I forgot to hit the lap button until mile 1 so had no idea what pace I was running at. Once I remembered to hit the button and looked down at my pace I was right about where I wanted to be. I could definitely feel the legs but made sure to try and stay on the gas. I had a goal going into this for the 5K to be at 7:10 per mile pace. Time was 22:16.8 average of 7:11.
Overall this was a solid race for me and I finished seventh in my age group, missed sixth by thirty seconds and should have made that up in T2 but what can you do. It was nice to do a Sprint and is entirely different than training for an IM. I mean we hardly are on the gas for that long during our training for IM.
Well next up Kansas 70.3 this weekend and really looking forward to a good race and to see where my endurance is at. No more sprints on the schedule only two half IM's and the big one IM Louisville.
Friday, June 5, 2009
TGIF
Well it is Friday and should be a fun weekend. Tomorrow is Tri-Shark, a sprint but with a ton of folks from the club participating. It is about two hours away and I will be getting up in the morning and driving down. It looks like I will be heading out sometime around 4:30 am, so definitely going to need some coffee.
This week has flown by, I have been extremely busy at work and have gotten in three very morning workouts this week which led to me crashing last night and heading to bed before most senior citizens.
Tuesday I opted to go in and do the longer Computrainer class instead of riding by myself on the trainer at the crack of dawn. This class seems pretty easy when you look at the workout on the board but it is a bit harder than it seems and totally different than the usual Computrainer classes I have been doing lately.
The class was as follow and surprisingly the legs felt pretty good:
15 minute Warm Up various levels
30 minutes at 75 % (240 watts) holding the last 3 minutes over 300
5 minute recovery
20 minutes at 85% (265 watts) holding the last 3 minutes over 300 with the last minute at 400+.
I usually ride my tri bike at the Computrainer classes but took the road bike to mix things up, it is amazing how much different these two are to ride.
I followed up Tuesdays class with a swim at night which was fun as a junior high swim team was practicing at the same time so occasionally it gave me someone to compete with besides the interval on the clock.
Wednesday mornings class was a the usual shorter set higher wattage class and it hurt a lot more than Tuesdays class or maybe due to Tuessday's class but fun none the less.
We did the usual warm up for 15 minutes than 5 x 5 minutes at 105% with a two minute recovery in between. The two minutes was barely enough to recover more like a quick pause. I really felt this class in my legs later in the day, I ended up taking the afternoon off work as I had to pick my sister and kids up at the airport but made sure to hit the pool before hand.
The one problem I have been dealing with this week is how to handle the sprint race compared to training, I intentionally did not sign up for a lot of races this summer as I don't understand the "A" race philosophy. If I signed up I am going all out and will not do the whole training day race, but trying to balance this weeks race, with training and going into the Kansas 70.3 next weekend I want to make sure I have a solid week of training but still have something left for the races.
Next week should be interesting balance as I don't really have a plan yet for my training week but definitely have a plan for the race outlined and want to make sure I hit it.
Also this weekend is the Winfield Crit races which should be fun to go watch so if anyone is around and wants to ride up there let me know, I will be leaving sometime early Sunday morning on my bike.
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