tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380538652024-02-07T00:37:39.316-05:00I could use a beer ...Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-69286921728914290162008-09-23T18:02:00.002-04:002008-09-23T18:39:27.164-04:00Tri season ... done!Done until next year at least. A next year that I annoyingly have to start thinking about now. In fact, I needed to start thinking about it in July. I got into the sport at about the same time as everybody else it seems, and the market is still catching up to demand. Columbia (which I was considering again): already sold out. Pretty much much every North American Ironman race (which I am not considering): sold out the day registration opens, and if you really want in to the race you have to haul your butt to the actual site of <span style="font-style:italic;">this</span> year's race to sign up for <span style="font-style:italic;">next</span> year. This hobby is expensive enough as it is. It looks like a group of us want to do the Timberman 70.3 next August 23, and I'm already arranging lodging. The race doesn't even open until next week. Talk about planning ahead.<br /><br />But enough about the distant future. This season ground to a halt with a bang. Or maybe a whimper, cuz that's what I felt like doing during the run at Nation's. My warm weather curse that began at Mooseman came back with a vengeance in DC with temps in the mid 90s and a heat index well about that.<br /><br />The swim was a comedy of errors. The course was not as advertised on the published race maps which would have been fine except for one problem: it was not well marked. What was supposed to be a leisurely squarish swim was actually an almost direct out and back. The back part happened to be directly into the rising sun. Normally not a problem for me; I can sight pretty well and swim straight-ish. But I couldn't see a damn thing (ironically, non-tinted goggles probably would have been a better choice), and there was only a single buoy between the turnaround and the exit ramp. And the buoy that marked the final short 90 degree turn to the ramp was the same color and size as the buoy that marked the starting pen about 150 meters away. Half way back I was a little separated from the pack and pegged my seriously impeded eyes on the wrong buoy. Then I lost sight of that in the glare and just focused on the tall white flags that marked the staircase thinking I was on a beeline. Screams from the crowd! Hmm, the next wave must be going off. Then a ran into somebody and stopped to see who it was. It was a large group of women in the starting pen, the same starting pen that I just swam into. "Hello, ladies!". I had to turn 90 degrees, swim for 150 meters, make a 180 and then swim back. Joy! My time ended up just north of 30 minutes, which isn't too bad considering the extra distance I had to cover. But I thought it was way longer than that and was just demoralized. I could see my shot at a PR fading away.<br /><br />I got out on the bike a little angry and a lot determined. The course was great with tons of shade and gently rolling hills, probably my favorite this season. It was lots of fun blasting down the Whitehurst Freeway without a car in sight. I felt strong the whole way, but my back started to cramp up a bit in the last 5 miles or so. A good bike fit is going to be a key for next season. I got off the bike around 1:08 which was good for over 4 minutes off of my previous Oly best.<br /><br />I then paid dearly for it on the run. As soon as I left transition I knew I was basically done. Both hip flexors were tightening up with every step. About a half mile in they started to loosen ever so slightly, but the heat was already getting to me. I have enough trouble with running as it is, but the heat just kills me every time. I don't know what it is; I've read that some people, especially larger guys, just don't handle it as well. By the time the aid station at Mile 1 rolled around I was ready to stop and stretch my hip and back, get some gel and water, and hope that my body would recover enough to at least run the rest of the way. All they had at the aid station was chocolate flavored GU, the only flavor that I <span style="font-style:italic;">detest</span>. I choked one down and plodded on. Repeat at Mile 2 with water. By the time Mile 3 rolled around I knew it wasn't meant to be. My hip and back did not want to cooperate and I was really overheated; heart rate was almost 20 beats higher than what I normally see at that pace. Given my swim time I starting jogging it in, walking at the rest stops and in the final 1.5 miles about every 2-3 minutes to try and stretch a little bit or when I felt light-headed. Never a good sign. I was even pretty well hydrated. It was my worst run time since my very first olympic. Total time ended up being 2:44; with even a moderately decent run for me I could have gone under 2:40. There's my target to hit next year! But it was a fantastic race, and I'm glad I was able to sign up. Hopefully they will get the crowds next year; this could be a premier big city event if the swim can be worked out and the rains stay away.<br /><br />In 2 days we leave DC for the <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/dc/index.php">Ragnar Relay</a>! Forecast is for rain, but it should be one hell of a good time anyway. The plan is just to enjoy the 13.4 mile that I'll be running over the course of two days and enjoy the ride. Teen and I are talking about doing the Phily half marathon at the end of November, and then a group of us are planning on heading down to do the Shamrock Half in March again. I'm on the lookout for an earlier half iron, maybe one that I won't half to think about signing up for until the spring!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-18695724538709820612008-09-09T18:50:00.004-04:002008-09-09T19:16:16.144-04:00And the toys go winding downThe <a href="http://www.thenationstriathlon.com/">Nation's Tri</a> is coming up this weekend (unless we get a good deal more rain, then it might be the Nation's Du). I should be a lot more excited about this race than I actually am. It's probably a combination of end-of-season burnout and the late sign up; I'm just planning on going out there and seeing how it comes together. It should be a fantastic crowd if the rains stay away. After that, tri season is officially kaput. I may try to go up to volunteer at <a href="http://www.savagemantri.com">Savageman</a> to see what the fuss is about<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/dc/index.jsp">Ragnar</a> is shaping up nicely; I can't believe we are almost 2 weeks away! It will probably be a bit painful, but fun. Liz is trying to talk me into the <a href="http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com">Philly half marathon</a> with a couple other friends. If I get my running in order it should be doable. Early plans are in the works to hit the <a href="http://www.shamrockmarathon.com">Shamrock Half </a>in March. It was a blast this year; next year I hope to be better prepared. Mostly I'm looking forward the off-season and thinking about planning for '09. It's hard to believe that some of the bigger races are selling out! Columbia is apparently almost full. Yikes.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-81712070710805857692008-08-25T12:03:00.004-04:002008-08-29T14:15:15.565-04:00Take a good look, because you're not likely to see this again!It's been a slow wind down to the season after ramping up so early for key "A" races in April and June. That doesn't mean we haven't been active with training, it's just that nothing has had the urgency of the late spring/early summer. And I kind of like it.<br /><br />August 17th saw the final sprint of the year (well, maybe final) at the North East triathlon. I did this as an Olympic last year and ended up just not really liking it all that much. The bike was tougher than I thought, but that didn't bother me too much. The run just sucked: 6 miles out and back on a highway shoulder that slanted about 10 to 15 degrees for drainage. Liz and the ladies were going back to defend their relay title, and CGI added a sprint distance race so I figured I'd give it another try. If it sucked as bad at least I was only in it for 3.1.<br /><br />The swim was not wetsuit legal again, but we had expected that and not even packed them for the race. At packet pick up the day before they had the temp listed at 76 degrees, and there was some discussion about heading back to DC to get wetsuits. Glad we didn't, because the race morning temp was announced at 78.8, and it felt even warmer than that. I was in the first wave again (a theme for this year it seems), and due to the small size of the sprint that included pretty much all men except for Clydesdales and first timers, so I would actually be racing against most of the field out on the course. The swim went off OK and I didn't notice anything odd during the race, but my time ended up being about 5 minutes slower than expected. In fact everybody's time was slow! We figure that both courses were 300-400 meters long based on normal swim paces.<br /><br />I was 10th or 11th out of the swim and must have moved up a couple spots out of T1. The volunteers on the bike course yelled "You're in 7th place!" as I rolled by mile 2. Hmmm. That's a new one. I caught and passed 4 riders in the first 5 miles and then spent most of the remainder of the ride totally by myself until another guy caught me with 2 or 3 miles to go. Still, if the volunteers were to be believed I was sitting in 4th place coming into T2. Um, OK. I figured the masses would catch me on the run, but I set out with a pace I thought I could hold to be close to 24:xx on the 5K to equal or slightly beat my best at New Jersey. The lead woman passed me early on in the run, and heading to the turnaround I counted 3 other racers heading back to the finish. 1.5 miles left and I was sitting in 4th place for men overall! I quickly started to do the calculations in the my head. Top 3 men get overall spots then they start counting the age group awards. If nobody else passed me on the run I would guarantee a win my age group! Crap, at the turnaround there were two guys within about 30 seconds of me and then a larger gap until the next pack of runners, maybe 1:30 back. If only two of them passed me, and IF those two were in the 30-34 age group, I would still place! I tried to glance at their calves while they passed, but couldn't get a good read. Coming down the final hill with about a 3/4 mile to go I gave it all I had. I was passed by one guy with about a 1/4 mile left (what does his calf say??? 41! Phew) and swore I saw another guy just over my shoulder on the final turn. As I passed by Liz and Teen in the chute I yelled "How far back is he? How far back?!!" They of course thought I was crazy because there was nobody within a hundred yards or so. I crossed the line thinking I was 5th overall for men and probably won my age group!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/355978170_kvUC6-M.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/355978170_kvUC6-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Turns out I was right on one count: I did win 30-34 men! There were two first timers in the next wave that had better times (one must have been the guy who passed me at the end), so I ended up 6th overall male and 9th overall in the whole race! That was pretty exciting! Granted it's all a function of who shows up; the field you are racing against is your competition. To be perfectly honest, if just some of the dudes racing the Olympic were to have raced the sprint in my age group they would have blown me out of the water. But, hey, a medal is a medal! I'm going to enjoy it until the next race when I'll be shown my proper place firmly in the middle of the pack of my age group :)<br /><br />Liz, Steph, and Teen took first place in their relay category and Nancy, Erin, and Dara took second in the Battle of Team DCDDs. Congrats!<br /><br />Next up: The Nation's Triathlon! I was not going to do this race, just mentor the TNT team and provide race day support. The Annapolis tri hit a rather large snag with their bike permits (namely: there will be no bike), and Nation's generously offered stranded participants an entry in the sold out race so I took them up on it. I'll be gunning for that sub-2:40 time. Then it's prep for the Ragnar Relay and some time off!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-12221299471624657042008-07-28T13:01:00.002-04:002008-07-28T13:27:58.513-04:00The JerseThe <a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/njst/index.html">race</a> this weekend was fantastic. Liz and I rolled up to NJ on Saturday for packet pick up with a pretty good sized group of former TNTers and friends. For some reason still unknown to me I was assigned #3 as my race number; normally the low numbers go to pros or elite amateurs. I had to keep telling people that this was in no way a prediction of my race results. It looks like almost every guy in my age group had a really low number, so it must have been some combination of wave assignment and when you signed up or something. Like last year we stayed with CH's grandmother about 40 minutes away and enjoyed a great pre-race meal and a good night's sleep. At least until the crazy thunderstorm woke us up at 4:00 AM. There was constant lightning and thunder for about 45 minutes so I never got back to sleep. Amazingly, the storm line completely missed the race course and it was bone dry when we got there. Parking was a bit of a nightmare so we snuck into a remote lot and rode our bikes in just in time to set up transition before it closed.<br /><br />My wave was #1 in the water (again), so I had zero warm up aside from the jog from transition to the swim start. The lake is small and by this time in the summer has not chance of being wetsuit legal (86 degrees this year). I think I actually prefer cooler water, not just because of the wetsuit factor but because I don't feel like I'm going to get too hot. I felt good in the swim but my time doesn't really reflect it (only knocked off 00:21 from last year when I felt I had a terrible swim). I was breathing pretty hard the whole way, but I figured that was because of no warm up. It usually takes me 500-600 meters in the pool to really get in to a groove, and we were back on dry land by then in the sprint. The run up to transition was a long one (my bike was far from the swim exit, close to bike exit); nothing notable about it, probably took a little too long getting my shoes on and fumbling with my helmet.<br /><br />The bike course is only 11.5 miles (down from 13.x last year), so you just had to hammer the whole way. I've been making some good improvements on the bike since Mooseman (the Sunday rides with the <a href="http://www.bikerackdc.com">Bike Rack</a> have kept me honest) and it's starting to show. I ended up averaging 22.5 MPH compared to 20.8 last year. After adjusting my bar height a few weeks ago I've had no issues with shoulder pain and have been able to put down some power to the pedals. I rolled into transition feeling pretty good. T2 was uneventful, but slower than I should have been. Again it was a long run out from my rack.<br /><br />The run last year was a 5K PR for me last year, and it happened again this year (I really need to run a standalone 5K to see what my baseline is; I haven't run one since Thanksgiving on a really hilly course). I focused on keeping a steady pace for the first half, noted where the 1/2 mile to go point was, and planned on pushing it from there to the end. As always, some super speedy runners went blowing by, but only about a dozen this time ;). Ended up with a 24:13 run, 00:40 better than last year. After the lack of run training this spring and summer I was hoping for 25:00, so it was a nice surprise.<br /><br />My final time was 1:07:35. Overall that was 9/47 in my age group, 59/549 for all men, and 68th overall in the race (up from 100th overall last year). All in all it was a good day. Everybody seems to have had a great race. The DC Tri Club dominated the East Coast championships again, and the the Bike Rack multisport team had a good representation. This is shaping up to be a big East Coast event (2500 racers this year in the sprint and olympic races). We'll be back next year for sure!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-9075737502934145842008-07-24T17:14:00.003-04:002008-07-24T18:12:05.413-04:00Been awhile ....Ummmmm, yeah. These updates have been few and far between, so here's the short attention span version of the race season so far:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">St. Anthony's</span> 2:40:16; Swim was a little rougher this year than last and I dropped 2.5 minutes off of that time despite being in better swim shape, but maybe the adrenaline was really pumping in 2007 as it was my first race! Ride was 3.5 minutes faster than last year and I felt a lot better coming off of the bike. Run started out great, but I hit the wall at mile 4. Struggled home to a 56:xx 10K (which is not that bad by my standards), but feel I could have knocked a couple minutes off of that. The slow recovery from the half marathon really put a big dent in my run ability. One of my goals this year was to break 2:40:00 in an olympic. My next and probably last chance will be at Annapolis.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Columbia Tri</span>: 2:53:19; I was treating this as a training day for Mooseman and didn't plan on hammering it at all. The starting line announcer had to lie about the water temperature to get us all in, but since it was around 55 degrees I don't blame him. Holy crap, that was cold! It did make for a personal best sub-25:00 swim though; I really wanted to be out of that water. Columbia bike course is really challenging with all of the hills, and I lost 6.5 minutes to a flat in the first 4 miles or so. Averaged 18 MPH even with that little hiccup and on that course I'm was happy with it. The run at Columbiz is the real challenge. There are 5-6 seriously steep hills with equally punishing downhills on the other side. I kept my HR in a fairly comfortable zone, walking the hills where necessary to keep from overdoing it. Still came out with a sub-58:00 10K which actually surprised me a bit. Sign up for this race next year is next week (!!!!), but I don't know if I'll do it again. It will depend on which half I might be interested in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mooseman Half Ironman</span>: 6:21:27; I was hoping to go (and think I'm capable of going) under 6:00:00 so my time will speak for itself. Swim was right around where I wanted it at 34:06, but I think 33:00 is doable. I had some wetsuit issues in the first couple hundred meters and had to flip on my back to adjust the closure 2-3 times. The water was super clear (and cold at 60 degrees), but it was a good swim.<br /><br />The bike course was rolling with a couple short, steep hills and some gradual climbs. The road conditions were pretty horrendous, though. I had practiced my nutrition strategy ahead of time, but it kind of fell apart during the first loop and I had some stomach cramps. I got things sorted out by the second loop, but by then it was too late. Neck and shoulder problems made staying aero a chore in the last 10 miles. I had made a tiny (tiny, I swear!) adjustment to my bar position about a month out from the race and hadn't had too many issues, but the combination of probably a slightly stretched out position and a death grip on the bars going over some really rough pavement just made things tense up. (I've since returned the bars to a more relaxed position and haven't had any issues. Lesson learned, but a bit too late!). Rolled in at 3:06:00 (goal was sub-3:00:00), so that wasn't too bad. I think I dropped 8-9 minutes on the second lap compared to the first.<br /><br />The run is where that little nutrition issue reared it's incredibly ugly head. I had more than 1/3 of my concentrated <a href="http://www.infinitnutrition.us/">InfiniT</a> solution left in the bottle when I racked my bike, which included the electrolytes I needed. Oh, and did I mention that despite the 60 degree water it was approaching 95 and humid that day? Yeah, and I was sweating like mad. About 1/4 mile into the run both of my quads cramped up and refused to unlock. I then locked up a hamstring trying to stretch out a quad! Eventually things got moving and shuffled to a 9:1x first mile; that was the closest I was to seeing a 9:00 mile the rest of the day. I got down some salt tabs at the first aid station, but the lack of calories from the bike just left my legs with nothing and the heat was killing me. The next 2+ hours were spent shuffling along and then walking ... often. There were two wicked hills on the two loop course. I was thinking I could realistically go 2:15:00 on the run but came in at 2:36:41. Ouch. Literally. I can't blame the heat and nutrition mistakes entirely, though. Maybe (just maybe ;) ) the fact that my long runs leading up to this race after the March half mary were 6, 6, and 7 miles. And two of those were 10Ks at the end of olympic races. Undertrained = me on the run. I also probably pushed the bike too hard knowing that I would need to make up time there. A decent run would have put me under 6 hours, but it wasn't to be, and I had a fantastic time up in New Hampshire. That's what first 1/2 Ironmans are for, right? To live and learn. Despite some disappointment it leeft me wanting for more. We'll have to pick out a race for next season and actually train better for it. Probably something later on in the summer, though.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">General Smallwood Sprint</span>: 1:34:08; This was a fun race to do just before heading down to the beach for the 4th of July. Probably my best overall finish so far: 25/140 out of all men and 4th in my age group. I'd like to say that I was close to a podium finish, but I was a full 3 minutes out of 3rd! It still was nice to see that result. If only I could run well. I dropped my chain on the bike twice (even after adjusting things); once in the middle of a steep hill. Wasn't fun to get going again after that. The bike wiped me out more than I thought it would (again, probably pushed too hard). There were some not so nice hills at the very beginning of the run course that sapped a lot of energy. Oh, and the swim was full of weeds that stole my Garmin watch strap right off of my wrist!! Of course the first time I decide to wear it in the swim instead of putting it on in transition a freaking plant steals it!<br /><br />Coming up next:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/njst/index.html">New Jersey State</a> Sprint: this weekend 7/27<br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/net/index.html">North East</a> Sprint: 8/17 (yes, after the half I'm taking advantage of sprints for a little bit ...)<br /><a href="http://www.tricolumbia.org/Annapolis">Annapolis</a> Olympic: 9/7 (different course than last year, but probably an easier run)<br /><a href="http://www.savagemantri.com">Savageman</a> Olympic: 9/21 (possibly, not signed up yet; it's at Deep Creek, should be a beautiful but tough course. The Half is tempting ... for next year)<br /><a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com">Ragnar Relay</a>: 9/26-27. This is going to be awesome: 183 mile, 12 person relay from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. Team DCDD is going to rock it!<br /><br />Then some time off, but maybe a fall half marathon? Let's not go there just yet!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-18686880272258102782008-04-15T11:20:00.002-04:002008-04-15T12:17:46.348-04:0012 more daysWe're just shy of two weeks away from race day on 4/27! It's been a bit of a rocky road for me since March. First, the good news (for me at least): a 1:55:26 at my first <a href="http://www.shamrockmarathon.com">half marathon</a>. That was about 5 minutes faster than my goal pace. I paid dearly for it with a bout of <a href="http://www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/6489/posterior_tibial_tendon_problems.html">tendonitis</a> in my right ankle that has kept me almost completely off of running since then. I'm hoping to get a couple 30 minute runs in before we head down to St. Anthony's. It should make things interesting on race day, to say the least, but hopefully not too painful.<br /><br />In other injury news I somehow strained/partially dislocated my left side <a href="http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/chest/sternoclavicular.htm">sternoclavicular joint</a> in what my ortho described as a very freakish occurrence. I did it pushing off of the wall while swimming and felt it pop. Yes, that was pushing off of the wall with my <span style="font-style:italic;">feet</span>, hands outstretched over my head. Guess it just rotated the wrong way. Doctor says I have some "instability" issues with my shoulders that could have contributed. That kept me out of the pool for a few weeks, but I'm back to swimming with no pain and haven't lost much in the way of swim fitness that I can tell. I'm hoping that taking 4 weeks off from running goes as well, but I'm not holding out hope.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.satriathlon.com/swimwaves.pdf">swim waves</a> were announced and I'm pretty relieved to be the first non-pro group into the water at 7:05. Last year we were the last wave (9:10). Instead of passing a bunch of people on the bike this year I'll be the one getting passed. Those that don't catch me on the bike will probably do it on the run. Being done before 10:00 will sure beat being out on the run course in the heat close to noon, and I'll get to watch everybody else come in. My goal this year was to break 2:40 (I did 2:36:xx at Annapolis, but that bike was maybe a mile short. I'm not counting it in my book!). Even after my injuries I think it's still possible depending on how my bike goes and if I can keep a halfway decent pace on the run.<br /><br />15 day forecast says it looks like a great day to race!!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-89417009218933574312008-02-12T11:45:00.000-05:002008-02-12T12:38:38.371-05:00Training through the "holidays"The good thing about having an early February birthday is that comes at a time just when the post-Holidays doldrums would really set in. It's also a good excuse to blow off some training for a weekend of fun. Well, "good" is all relative here. I just view it as some extra built-in recovery days ...<br /><br />Tri training has been going well, and the build towards the half marathon has gone about as well as I could have imagined. I hit almost 11 miles on my long run two weeks ago and plan to nudge that towards 12 this weekend. I'm aiming to top out at a 2 hour run before starting the taper in time for St. Patrick's weekend. This won't get me to race distance, but it'll be close enough!<br /><br />We've actually had some nice training weekends for a change this year. Our first brick on Saturday started out above freezing (well, minus the wind chill at least) which was nice. I don't think we'll be as lucky this weekend. My struggle with minor frostbite in my fingers continues whenever the thermometer drops below freezing. I'm convinced I'm just cursed with poor circulation in those particular extremities. I had to abort a ride a couple weeks ago to let them thaw out, but I'm done messing around and picked up a pair of <a href="http://hudsontrail.com/viewItem/11/94/11846/">these</a>. If technical backcountry gloves rated to 5 F can't do the trick I'm going to give up or get some of those hand warmer things. Think warm thoughts for me ...Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-36992832201110490842008-01-04T17:47:00.000-05:002008-01-04T18:25:12.342-05:00... and a Happy New YearNow that the holidays are behind us it's time to get down to brass tacks. Training really begins in earnest with the resumption of group workouts. With both Christmas and New Year's Day falling on a Tuesday we haven't had any group swims in almost 3 weeks and a break from Saturdays as well. I still managed to get 2 swims in almost every week, a handful of quality runs (some weeks better than others), and even one outdoor ride on the new bike. I like!<br /><br />The Celtic Solstice 5 Miler was great aside from the bitter cold. I knocked nearly 7 minutes off of my time from last year and felt I even had a little left in the tank. What a difference 12 months makes. Slowing down on my long runs apparently really works! I'm adding an extra long run to the schedule on Sundays as prep for the half marathon starting this week. Since we are scheduled for 45' tomorrow it may not be as long as I hoped. Once we start the long rides on Saturdays doing the long run on Sundays should be a bit easier.<br /><br />On the downside it's freaking cold again. Ugh. And I see last year's pattern repeating itself: forecast for Monday and Tuesday in the mid-60's. By the weekend for our first group ride? Back in the 30's with a chance of snow. I'd gladly trade freezing temps mid-week for some milder weather on the weekend, but wouldn't anybody?Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-47889741801077199752007-12-14T17:02:00.000-05:002007-12-14T17:16:03.677-05:00Happy HolidaysI don't think that the holidays could be placed at a worse time on the training schedule. Just when you get all geared up to lay a good base for the following year work gets crazy, holiday parties pop up, and the weather turns south. I already missed a couple workouts this week, so hopefully that's not a sign. My legs ached all over for some reason, too; maybe the 70' run on Sunday was a bad idea. I'm going sllloooowwww on pretty much every run so far to keep my heart rate down, but somehow my knees hurt more than when I go at a faster pace! Something to do with my form? I didn't think it could get much worse than it already is.<br /><br />The Takoma pool was back to normal operating temperatures on Thursday which was nice. I got two short sessions in on the trainer trying out the new bike. All of the cables need adjustment, it's skipping on a couple gears, and I can't even shift into the big ring right now. Guess it's time to learn how to fix that!<br /><br />Tomorrow we are running the <a href="http://www.baltimorerunning.com/events/Celtic%20Solstice/Celtic%20Solstice%20winter%20Page.htm">Celtic Solstice 5 Miler</a> up in Baltimore on our way to BWI for a short weekend in Madison and Liz's brother's graduation. Hopefully we'll actually be able to get out ahead of the weather. No guarantee that we'll be able to get back, though ...Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-37194372984837261922007-12-10T09:05:00.000-05:002007-12-10T09:41:38.087-05:00All your base are belong to usWeek 1 of the spring TNT schedule is behind us. It looks like we're going to have a really good team this year; several participants have been involved with other charity training programs for marathons. The weeks leading up to the New Year are all about building <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--11174-0,00.html">base miles</a>, low intensity workouts designed to get the body used to running and biking again (or at all!). Swimming is a bit of a different animal since it's typically the discipline most people need help with. The workouts are geared towards short drills and building the form that will help develop efficiency in the water. These are mixed in with some longer intervals for those that already have a good swimming base under them. You can always tell the former competitive swimmers in the group: at the beginning of practice they say they're worried about not having taken a stroke in 5 years and then go and blow most of us out of the pool! A powerful message that building muscle memory for an efficient swim stroke is the biggest advantage you can have in the water.<br /><br />Saturday was the Triathlon 101 clinic. Coaches Jenni and Noah went over gear, basic nutrition, hydration, and a high level overview on what to expect on race day. I saw some worried expressions as they went through all of the "stuff" that you <span style="font-style:italic;">can</span> get to race. I told my team members not to worry about all of it right now. Our bike schedule is pretty light, and that's where 90% of the "stuff" comes in. They will have a bike clinic this Saturday where they will be able to pick up the necessities. It can be a bit overwhelming when you see it all laid out in one place!<br /><br />Luckily we have most of this gear from last season, but that doesn't prevent the desire for <span style="font-style:italic;">better</span> gear, a disease that seems to be rampant in the triathlon world. To wit, my <a href="http://www.feltracing.com/products/product.asp?catid=18,20,51&pid=23">new bike</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.feltracing.com/store/images/large/s22.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.feltracing.com/store/images/large/s22.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I hadn't planned on picking up a new bike. Honestly! But that's before I signed up for a 1/2 Iron event. Even after being fit on my old bike (but not very well, I fear) I was never comfortable on it. My hands would get tired and numb when I was on the hoods, and my back and shoulders would get sore when I was down in the stubby road aerobars. I wasn't looking forward to 3 hours of that. The folks at <a href="http://www.tribonzai.com">Bonzai Sports</a> were having good deals on some 2007 models, so I went in to see what they had. This Felt was on clearance and after a couple hours of adjustments and swapping out some parts I think it fits me pretty well. I'm still planning on getting a professional fitting sometime around the New Year when I have some miles in the saddle, but it already feels leaps and bounds better.<br /><br />Week 2 (and 3 and 4) is still all about base miles. I'm adding some more run mileage on my own to prep for the 1/2 marathon in March and start laying down some better base to get me through 70.3 in June. It'll take some adjustments to the TNT schedule, but I think I'll be able to fit them inTedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-30625281210817936842007-12-04T13:06:00.000-05:002007-12-04T13:44:46.042-05:00Onwards and upwardsThe big ol' TNT training schedule officially kicked off this morning at 5:30 in the pool at the Lab School. Everything was the same as I remembered from last year except for two things: we weren't locked out in the cold waiting for a lifeguard that never showed and I didn't have horrible butterflies in my stomach not knowing what to expect. All in all it was a little .... underwhelming? In the "not overwhelming" sense of word, not the "not exciting" sense. It was interesting to see the faces of the new participants and wonder if I had the same look prior to our first swim practice 12 months ago. I was in the "fast lane" this morning by default, but it looks like we have some former competitive swimmers in this group, so I may demote myself once they get back in the groove. I've kind of plateaued with my swimming ability, and my aim is to keep myself there with maintenance workouts and focus more on my running this winter in prep for the 1/2 marathon ...<br /><br />... AND the freakin' <a href="http://www.timbermantri.com/moosemanhalfiron.html">1/2 Ironman</a> I just signed up for!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.timbermantri.com/images/moosemanjpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.timbermantri.com/images/moosemanjpg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Holy crap. I mean, holy crap!! I've been going back and forth on this for a couple weeks, and after talking to Teen I took the plunge. There will be a group of us going up (and a couple more doing the Olympic the same weekend), so it should be a fun trip. The #1 reason (by far) that I waffled is that Liz may not be able to come up due to end of year school duties. I really, really want her to be there, but will understand if she can't come. #2 reason is the schedule I've now set up for myself:<br /><br />4/27: <a href="http://www.satriathlon.com/">St. Anthony's</a> Olympic in St. Petersburg<br />5/18: <a href="http://www.tricolumbia.org/Columbia/">Columbia</a> Olympic in MD just north of DC<br />6/8: <a href="http://www.timbermantri.com/moosemanhalfiron.html">Mooseman</a> Half Iron in Bristol, NH<br /><br />That's 3 weeks from first to second Olympic; I did 2 weeks between North East and Annapolis this year, but that was the end of the season, and I didn't have a 1/2 Iron (!!!!) looming over me in another 3 weeks. I'll definitely need to treat Columbia as one long workout and not "race" it. It's a hilly course and I could easily get myself in trouble if it takes me a few days to recover from that one.<br /><br />Hopefully the 1/2 marathon will get me in running shape to tackle this, but I have a long way to go. The biking is what I'm more worried about; we won't get to put that many miles in with our St A's captain duties, so I'm going to need to squeeze in what I can. That may mean lots of time in the trainer. Ugh. I'm pretty scared of this one but pretty excited at the same time. If my legs can hold up to the run, I'll at least be able to finish. And, really, that's a good enough goal.<br /><br />Holy crap!!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-12004438261444258382007-11-29T14:58:00.001-05:002007-11-29T15:49:51.506-05:00Back for more!Well, it's been a while. Last summer was a busy one, and updating this thing fell off the priority list. Big news, of course, was <a href="http://www.elizabethandted.com/">the wedding</a>. Everything was fantastic, right down to the weather, even after some emergency surgery for Liz 2 weeks before the big day! We couldn't have asked for a better weekend with all of our friends and family.<br /><br />Next piece of news is that we are back for more with <a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/">TNT</a>, this time as Team Captains for <a href="http://satriathlon.com/">St. Anthony's</a>. We've suckered some more friends to join in with us. It's going to be a great season! Of course we are fund raising again. That little link on the right will take you to my personal fund raising page. Anything you can do to support this great cause is appreciated. I'm paying my own way down to FLA this year, so every donation goes straight into the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's coffers to help fight blood cancers.<br /><br />I'm looking mostly to improve my running in the off season as we gear up for a big summer. Prior to St A's we're signed up for our first ever half marathon in Virginia Beach over St Patrick's Day weekend. We'll see how that one goes! Liz and I are planning a big trip for a belated honeymoon sometime after she is out of school, so the rest of the race calendar is up in the air. The only one we are signed up for is <a href="http://www.tricolumbia.org/Columbia/">Columbia</a>, 3 weeks after St A's. I was hoping to attempt my first 1/2 Ironman, but our travel schedule may make that impossible. I think I can wait another year for that ...<br /><br />Some race updates from last I typed:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cvilletriathlete.com/Links/SprintTri/trisprint1.html">Charlottesville Sprint</a>: 1:31:08, 42/143 Male, 9/26 30-34 Age Group<br /><br />I was looking forward to this race, but it wasn't all that enjoyable. The swim was super short and kind of weedy (and really muddy). Bike was actually great and scenic, but super hilly. I was not prepared for the run. It was a true trail run, single track up and down steep inclines, over roots and rocks. That was tough. There were more than a couple people carried out of the woods with injuries. I was pretty pleased with my time, but don't know if this was one I'd choose to repeat.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/njst/">New Jersey State Sprint</a>: 1:15:10, 92/429 Male, 12/44 AG<br /><br />This one was really fun! We rolled up to the Jerse with a big group of racers and stayed with Teen's family. It was a beautiful day, and a nice flat course. My first tri swim without a wetsuit; it was a learning experience, the lesson being that even tight fitting tri tops produce a lot of drag in the water! I put up a 24:52 5K on the run which was less than 30 seconds off my PR from earlier that summer. That was definitely the highlight of my day. If we are around for it this summer it's on my must do list (maybe the Olympic this year, though)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/net/index.html">North East Olympic</a>: 2:44:08, 149/275 Male, 19/38 AG<br /><br />The USAT Mid-Atlantic Championships this year, so there were a lot of fast people in the field it seemed. Water was really warm so no wetsuits. This time I left the race jersey in transition. It probably cost me 20 seconds or so struggling to get it on, but I'm sure I saved that much time in the water (and some energy fighting the drag). I had planned to take it easy in the water anyway, and my time kind of reflects that. Bike course was hilly and not easy. Run was just boring and brutal, a simple out and back with loooooonnngg hills on the shoulder of a 2 lane highway. Ugh. Plus it was pretty hot. I shaved some time off of my St. A's 10K, but felt even worse doing it. Probably not on the list for next year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tricolumbia.org/Annapolis/">Annapolis Triathlon</a>: 2:36:50, 345/853 Male, 51/120 AG<br /><br />This was a fantastic race all around. The course was a little odd with two transition areas, but it was really well organized (well, except for the bag drop thing). Despite fears of jellyfish the swim went great, and the bike course was fun. A few challenging hills, and it was a bit crowded, but it was a good course. Run route was changed at the last minute and had us weaving in and out of the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium for the first couple of miles. The rest of the route was pretty flat except for one big hill out and back on a bridge over the river. I had a great run (for me!), and was thrilled with my final time. I'll definitely be back for this one.<br /><br /><br />Throw in a few running races and it was a busy summer. After the wedding I pretty much stopped real training and have just been running in frequently and swimming a couple times (the bike has been racked since Annapolis). All that changes next week, though!! Back to the big schedule starting 5:30 AM on Tuesday! I can't wait.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-87251920100603942622007-06-05T11:33:00.000-04:002007-06-07T16:38:45.512-04:00Black BearSunday was the second triathlon of the season, a sprint on a new course up in the Poconos (<a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/bbt/index.html">Black Bear Triathlon</a>). We have some pictures up <a href="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/gallery/2954559">here</a> (thanks, Liz!). One thing is for sure: I didn't do enough hill training on the bike! There was no in between on this course; you were either grinding up a steep hill in the lowest gear or flying down the other side tucked in as best you could. 7MPH up, 35+ MPH down! Other participants said that it was the most challenging bike leg they've seen, and that included some of the 1/2 Iron racers who had done Lake Placid and Timberman generally considered to be some of the toughest bike legs on the east coast. I'm just glad we were in it for 17.7 miles and not 56!<br /><br />Saturday morning Steph and I drove up to PA with Noble trailing in his car. After dropping our gear off at Liz's parents we drove the hour up to the race course to check in (no Sunday check in or else we would have just done it the next morning). It did give us a chance to check out the venue and drive the course. We had some idea about what it would look like from the <a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/bbt/pdfs/SprintCueElevation.pdf">elevation profile</a>, but I don't think any of us realized how relentless the hills would be. It was a dose of reality to see the climbs, but I'm glad I could prepare myself mentally as opposed to going in blind.<br /><br />After driving the hour back to Wayne we tuned up our bikes, got dinner and went to bed. Liz took the train up from D.C. after her graduation duties and got in sometime after I fell asleep. Up at 4:00 to load up and out the door at 4:45. Traffic was light so we made good time up to the race venue getting there around 5:45. Transition was set to close at 7:00 so we racked bikes and headed down to the beach. The lake was nice and calm, 72 degrees, and clear. The 4 sprint waves went off from 7:30-7:45 and the 1/2 waves started at 8:00. I figured they would have preferred it the other way around since they were out on the course at least 4 times as long as we were, but the logistics of having the shorter swim leg start second prevent that. Noble and I were both in the first wave at 7:30 and headed into the water at about 7:20.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159649420-M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159649420-M.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> I had some real trouble getting my swim cap on for some reason; it kept flying off my head. Once we were in there was time to warm up for a bit. About 2 minutes before the gun was supposed to go off the race director got on the loudspeaker; the buoy marking the second turn had come loose and was floating off. That would have made it a much longer swim! Since it was so close to the start he told us to scrap that corner and just make it a diagonal between the two closest buoys. It probably cut 150 meters off of an already short swim.<br /><br />Once the gun went off I started well, but got out of breath really quickly. For some reason when I'm in a wetsuit my legs have a mind of their own. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159659633-M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159659633-M.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I've developed a nice 6-beat kick that doesn't tire me out at all in the pool, but in this swim and at St A's I've had to really concentrate on kicking because I was all over the place and out of synch with what the rest of my body wanted to do. At all other times that's become automatic. Anyway, I was reduced to breathing every stroke instead of alternate sides. I slowed down to get my kicking sorted out and catch my breath. By the time that happened I was almost back at the beach! I figure it took me about 600 meters to get to that point at St A's, but I'll need to adapt better for New Jersey or just ditch the suit entirely. About 20 yards out I stood up to wade in; I maybe should have swum a little more, but at that point I was frustrated and just wanted to be out of water. I came out pretty much by myself well behind the lead pack but in front of the main pack.<br /><br />The run to transition was kind of ridiculous: 1/4 mile uphill from the beach. I got passed by lots of guys trucking up the hill, but I took my time and kept my heartrate down. A few people took their suits off on the beach and ran with them; that might have been a good idea. One guy put his flip flops back on and slapped his way back up the pavement. The timing mat was at the entrance to transition, not the water's edge, so swim times are pretty inflated. I forgot to start my stopwatch in all of the confusion during the buoy fiasco so I have no idea what my out-of-water time was. It worked out to 200/minute with the probably 3 minute run so it couldn't have been horrible, but probably not that great.<br /><br />Transition was good this time. I had an end spot right near the bike exit and had no trouble gearing up. The wetsuit got stuck on my chip strap and that took me a few seconds to resolve, but otherwise it went well. I decided to put socks on for the bike to give my feet some extra cushioning pushing the pedals on those hills. I would have put them on for the run anyway so there was no net loss there.<br /><br />The exit from transition was a slight uphill, one little roller, and then a huge climb/descent. I was trying my best to spin out at a higher cadence, but I just didn't have the gearing to do that at my current level. I hit my highest gear in the middle of that hill and just started mashing. I was out of the saddle for a few meters towards the top as my momentum started to die. Over the crest of the hill then <span style="font-style: italic;">clunk, clunk, clunk</span> into 50x12 and push until I started spinning out. I hit 43 on that first downhill with enough momentum to keep myself in the big ring until about 1/3 up the next climb. Mash, tuck, repeat. There was a small section towards the end where it was rolling leading into the biggest descent of the day. I had been trading places with this one guy on the previous couple of hills: he would pass me on the way up, I would hit terminal velocity faster on the way down. As we were heading down the hill the road got a little rough and the handling twitchy. I was building more than enough speed to pass him but didn't want to risk taking both of us out at 40+ MPH for maybe a 10 second advantage. I alternated between sitting up and letting my body act as an air brake and actually hitting the brakes when I got too close. The last hill right after that was the almost vertical line in the elevation profile. It was brief but nasty starting out as a short climb into a 90 degree corner and just kept on going. I was glad I at least knew it was coming from the previous day's ride through. I heard one of the guys behind me say "You've got to be f*@&in' kidding me!!" as he rounded the bend and saw that slope. It was rolling for the last 1.5 into transition. I was off the bike at 1:02 which was good for 17.2 MPH average. Overall I'm thrilled with that; I was expecting much worse.<br /><br />T2 was again pretty good. I had dropped one gel out of my pocket exiting the watter and had nothing but HEED on the bike. That was a mistake. I downed my only remaining gel while getting my shoes on and headed out on the run. The course was a trail run through the woods alternating between crushed gravel, grass, and actual dirt singletrack. I remembered to start my watch to check my mile splits. I was really hoping to be able to average sub-9:00 miles for the run. I started out mostly downhill, and my quads were aching from the bike. The first mile split came up at it was 8:48. Great! I felt like I could hold that pace until a nasty short little climb in the woods that had me wanting to walk. I didn't, driving my knees up the hill, but I probably would have done it faster it I had just walked! The second mile came right after a long slight downhill and across a concrete section of the dam to the second aid station. Mile 2: 8:15! "Wow", I thought, "I'm cruising pretty well!". I backed off slightly since I knew we had to climb back to through to mile 3. Mile 3 split was 9:38. Not unexpected since I was starting to cramp a bit from lack of fuel, but still on track to hit sub-9:00. I felt I had some kick left in me. There was a sign somewhere announcing 1/2 mile to go, and looking back I didn't give it a second thought; there were different signs for the 1/2 Iron course and maybe I thought that was it. For a 3.3 mile run it was awfully close to the 3 mile sign, though, and it seemed like it was a lot longer. I chalked it up to just being tired and wanting the run to be over.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159667549-M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://teastwick.smugmug.com/photos/159667549-M.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> The last little bit was uphill, crossing an old covered bridge and a jump over a 4 foot wide culvert. They had to make the finish that much more challenging! That last "0.3" miles? 4:58! That's a 15+ minute/mile pace, with a final kick! I think I could have walked that fast if the distance was right. Something was clearly off on the mile splits out on the course; 1 and 2 were short, 3 might have been about right, but the last 0.3 was definitely off. After having seen great splits in my first two miles I held back to conserve myself. I definitely could have pushed harder had I seen the actual, slower pace. Oh, well. I at least felt good on the run. I haven't learned to judge my speed based on perceived effort. I should have guessed by all the guys flying past me!<br /><br />My final time was <span style="font-weight: bold;">1:51:05</span> - 95/277 Overall, 72/180 Male, 12/22 30-34 AG. I thought I had a top ten in my AG, but #1 and #3 overall were 30-34 so they didn't count towards our official ranking. Still, pretty pleased with that, although my run obviously didn't do me any good. It was a beautiful course and a perfect overcast morning with little wind. Plus we got shirts with black bear logos on them. Can't complain about that.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-18167094630063623472007-05-29T10:12:00.000-04:002007-05-29T10:38:43.826-04:00More RacingThe training hasn't really picked up again, but we're still plugging along getting sessions in when we can. The whole sticking-to-a-schedule thing isn't working out all that well. Part of it is just getting back into the routine; part of it is just finding the time. This past Memorial Day weekend saw a couple of good workouts though. Steph and I joined Teen for a ride down to Mt Vernon on Saturday morning; it was a gorgeous day and we hoped to be out there before the trail got too crowded. It wasn't that bad, but still a lot of folks out riding. In the end we did about 40 miles, which is probably the longest ride I've done this year.<br /><br />Sunday we were up in Baltimore for an O's game and a <a href="http://charmcityrun.com/eventResults.cfm?eventid=612">10K</a> in the morning. After success at our last 5K I wanted to see how I was holding up and how my standalone time would compare to what I endured at St A's (I'd never run a timed 10K before). I wanted to at least go under 1:00 (St A's goal time), and would have been happy with a 9:00/mile average, which is about where I thought I should be for this distance. The course covered a lot of the same ground as the St Patrick's 5K we did: nice long downhill on the first mile, then flat to rolling on the main out-and-back leg. The big difference this time was that we had to run back up the hill in the last 1/2 mile or so. I started out way too fast (again) with an 8:00 on the first mile. I slowed back down to just over 9:00 on the next two, but mile 4 at the turnaround was rough. We went out and back across an overpass just before the gates to Fort McHenry and the sun was starting to get to me; it was turning out to be a hot day with not much shade at all on this part. Mile 5 was mostly flat/downhill and I managed sub-9:00 there, but then we climbed one gradual hill back to the Harbor Pavilion and then another steeper one back up to the finish line. Mile 6 was around 10:30, and I was feeling every step. There was a slight downhill to start the last 0.2 which gave me the energy to pick up the pace to the finish. Total time: 56:42, 9:09 average. It's almost 10 minutes faster than my St A's time, so I'll take that.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-78874538598123671642007-05-14T13:03:00.000-04:002007-05-14T13:25:39.640-04:00Moving AlongIt's been two weeks since the race, and it's three weeks until the next one. Kind of hard to get back into training mode when you don't have a plan in front of you. Guess that means I'll need to get a new plan! Liz has drawn one up for the NJ tri, so we're following that but not very well. There's no sense of urgency to the training schedule like there was for TNT. Still, I'm out running and in the pool twice a week; I've only really been out on the bike once for any serious ride. I hope to change that this week. Following a reduced training regimen for the sprints will be nice, but I'll have to pick it back up in July for another Olympic at the end of August. I may add a sprint in Charlottesville a the end of June depending on how I feel.<br /><br />In the mean time it looks like my running is coming along, but I still feel that I have a lot of work to do in order to put up decent times at the end of a race. St. Anthony's was a painful lesson in conserving some energy for the run. A bunch of us ran a local 5K in Reston on Saturday (which Joe promptly won outright with a 90 second cushion or something ridiculous). My previous 5K best was about 26:30 at the St. Patrick's race in Baltimore on a course with a nice, long downhill for almost the entire first mile and no real hills. I have been feeling stronger on the run and felt I could break 26:00. It was a little humid at the start, but not terribly hot. The course was an out and back on the same trail we rode and ran on during training with some small rolling hills. I went out at a 7:30 pace (yikes!) and slowed down to 8:00 on the second mile and finished with about a 8:10 pace. So, yeah, I went out a little too fast and petered out at the end, but it was still good for a 24:30 finish time. 2:00 off of my PR! That felt good, and I wonder if I can get that to translate to a 27:00 or so sprint finish? Who knows. I'm just glad that I can hold that pace for a standalone 5k for now. We're running a 10K in Baltimore over Memorial Day so we'll see what happens then. After that all that is one the schedule are 2 (possibly 3) sprint tris before the end of July.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-16525673649912205492007-05-03T16:19:00.000-04:002007-11-30T10:03:25.476-05:00Finished!I only found out my exact time the next day: 2:49:08!! If you're just reading this post the gory details are in the previous 4 or 5, but here's the general breakdown:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Swim</span> - 00:25:17 (1:42/100 meters pace)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">T1</span> - 00:02:57<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bike</span> - 01:15:25 (19.8 MPH pace)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">T2</span> - 00:03:04<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Run</span> - 01:02:06 (10:03/mile pace)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total</span> - 02:49:08<br /><br />So overall I either hit or was really close to my goals. My swim time shocked me! I found out later that I was only 1:18 away from 10th place in the men's TNT group which would have meant an award. That's almost unfathomable to me; I am not a fast person. And the difference? The 10th place guy (also a D.C. TNT participant) had a combined transition time 1:18 faster than mine. If I had known that could I have gone faster? Maybe a couple seconds in transition, but I really didn't leave much out on the course. I don't think I could have pushed much harder on the run without getting in some real trouble. To put things in perspective here is how I fared overall in my age group (with TNT and novice men 30-34 included) and how I did in the TNT group (which includes TNT men of all ages):<br /><ul><li>Overall</li><ul><li>TNT: 16/126</li><li>AG 30-34: 143/252</li></ul><li>Swim</li><ul><li>TNT: 2/126 (!!!)</li><li>AG 30-34: 45/252</li></ul><li>Bike</li><ul><li>TNT: 14/126</li><li>AG 30-34: 128/252</li></ul><li>Run</li><ul><li>TNT: 48/126</li><li>AG 30-34: 185/252</li></ul><li>T1 + T2</li><ul><li>TNT: 37/126</li><li>AG 30-34: 184/252</li></ul></ul>So my run and transitions hurt me (duh), but I thrilled with the swim (top 18% of my age group!) and bike (right in the middle of AG). One day I hope to be able to run in the middle of the pack. Maybe I should stick with the aquabike events! Overall results for St A's can be found<a href="http://www.altavistasports.com/results/2007results/stanthonystriathlon042907.html"> here</a>. I had to import them and resort to get the overall AG results with TNT and Novice athletes above.<br /><br />The party at the infamous Cha Cha Coconuts was a lot of fun (just check out the <a href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/gallery/2784011">pictures</a>). I have no idea how we could possibly have danced for two hours after that, but we did. Sunday we packed up and headed home, more than a little sore but not as bad as I would have thought. It was an incredible weekend and I can't wait to do more. We will definitely be back next year, TNT or not. We're going to rest up for a bit with only a 5K on the immediate horizon, but here's what's on the calendar for the rest of the summer:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/bbt/index.html">Black Bear sprint</a><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/njst/index.html">New Jersey State sprint</a><br /><a href="http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/net/index.html">North East Olympic</a><br /><a href="http://www.deweybeachtriathlon.com/">Dewey Beach sprint</a><br /><br />I don't think we'll squeeze any more in there ;)Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-79023240870405015482007-05-03T15:42:00.000-04:002007-05-03T17:37:07.005-04:00RunI remember looking at my watch crossing the timing mat out of transition and seeing 1:47-something. My goal for the run had been <span style="font-weight: bold;">sub 60:00</span>, a little under 10:00/mile pace, doable as a standalone effort in training in nice cool weather. I would be happy with that time and it would have put me well under 2:50:00 for the whole event. My overall goal was sub 3:00:00 so at this point I relaxed a bit knowing I had that in the bag unless I totally blew up on the run.<br /><br />The first mile or so out was almost without shade. It was about 11:00 AM at this point and <span style="font-weight: bold;">HOT</span>! Heat index was probably 85-90. My stomach immediately started feeling a little queasy (I brought along a gel in my jersey, but decided against taking it). I probably took in to much on the bike and was paying for it, but figured that too much nutrition was better than too little. In truth I was probably already a little dehydrated which isn't good. My legs felt dead. There were water stops every mile and I walked for 10 seconds at the first one to grab some water and force it down. Luckily my stomach didn't reject it like I was worrying. Steph re-passed me at this point; it was good to see a friendly face. I forced myself to stay on her pace for about 2 minutes just to get my cadence up until she pulled away around a corner. At this point my legs had loosened up a bit and my brain started telling me that it could pick it up. That lasted about a 1/2 mile. Slowing down the mile 2 water stop to grab some water I had to force myself to run again. I didn't know what my pace was since I forgot to take my split again, but the first mile I had gone out too fast (probably around 9:00) and needed to slow down. It seemed like forever until the turnaround came at 3.1 miles. There were lots of turns in the residential neighborhood and I kept thinking it would be around the next bend. That's a bad mental game to play so I started concentrating on other runners and the surroundings. There were lots of families out spraying down runners with hoses which felt great. I started seeing lots of folks from earlier waves coming back and saw Teen (but somehow missed Steph after she hit the turnaround).<br /><br />It was pretty much all TNT on the course at this point so there was lots of "Go Team!" as people passed you. I was hoping the turnaround would be a big boost. Half way home! It wasn't. I was really hot and started to feel a bit faint even. At the mile 4 station I grabbed a water for my head and got some down but still felt light-headed. I wanted to run the whole thing minus the aid stations, but at this point I was really hurting. I stopped to walk and looked up to see Liz coming my way. I walked until I could slap her hand which gave me a boost to get running again. Still feeling queasy I took off my hat to run my hand through my hair. It felt really good! I had put it on to keep the sun out of my face and hopefully keep cool but think it was overheating me. Into the hand it went and I felt a little better instantly. Not good, just not on the verge of passing out. It was at this point that little goals became really important: count strides to that light post, keep your eye on the fire hydrant at the next turn, go strong up and over the bridge, the Mile 5 station is just around the corner! One more cup of water at mile 5 and another over my head. Around that turn there was no more shade, just a straight mile shot to the finish line.<br /><br />I was in lots of pain a this point, physically exhausted and mentally worn down. I forced my cadence back up and just concentrated on my form and seeing the finish line. Got some words of encouragement from coach Bryan just at Mile 6 and tried to find another gear for the finish. I didn't really start kicking it in until I was in the final turn for the finish chute. It was definitely no sprint to the finish! I didn't even see the clock at the finish line and forgot to stop my watch so I didn't even know what my time was, but didn't care a bit at that point! Got my finisher's medal and an ice cold towel around my neck (which felt better than I could possibly imagine). Teen was right there at the finish line screaming, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148432233-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148432233-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>"Congratulations, triathlete!". I think she may have tried to hand me a beer, but I don't remember. I felt really light-headed and dizzy. That ended up lasting for about 20 minutes until I was able to get some water and food in me. I knew enough to keep walking around and not sit down yet, but I crouched down by a tree near the finish and almost didn't make it back up! I spotted some more TNTers, signed in so they knew I was alive, and generally walked around in the shade waiting for Liz to finish. We had given the camera to one of the coaches but couldn't find it in the TNT tent so was a bit worried; it turned up but I was hoping to have it for finishing pictures.<br /><br />Liz finished and we went back to the TNT tent to trade stories, eat and drink more water, get a quick massage, and finally grab a beer!! I started feeling really good if still a bit dazed from exhaustion. I still didn't know my exact time, but figured I was under 2:50:00 which was incredible. In the grand scheme of things that put me towards the back of the middle of the pack in my age group, but it's a time I was really proud of even in my wildest expectations. I didn't even want to think about it and just enjoy being done. Done!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-87284312089218389012007-05-03T15:16:00.000-04:002007-05-03T17:37:01.683-04:00BikeIt took about 20-30 seconds just to get to my bike in the back of the transition area. I quickly got the suit down to my ankle and off (the BodyGlide really helped here). I had a gel bottle with one gel serving and water ready so I took that down with some water and put on my shoes. I was paranoid about getting sunburn so I sprayed some more on my exposed shoulders and lower back even though I had put Bullfrog on before. Sunglasses one, helmet on and buckled, unrack the bike and head towards the exit. Another 20-30 second jog in bike shoes (luckily it was on grass). The timing mat to start the bike was at the transition exit and I had planned on hitting the splits on my watch as I crossed every one. I must have been too excited to get out on the bike course at that point because I forgot. Oh well, I still had the cumulative time running so I could have some idea how I was doing. My goal for the bike was to <span style="font-weight: bold;">average 20 MPH</span> which would have been about 1:15:00 on the 40K bike course.<br /><br />I crossed the mount line (yes, that's what it is called) just as we entered the roadway. I got over to the right side, clipped one foot in, pushed off to clip the other in and was off. The first 300 meters of the bike is over bricks and it really bumpy. I saw a couple folks ahead of me wobbling trying to clip in. I don't blame them, it was rough if you didn't get it the first time. After the first turn it was all on pavement, though. I immediately started passing people on the straights and then ran into a stretch of relatively open road. You aren't allowed to block the left lane, it's only for passing, so I kept checking behind me. You also aren't allowed to draft with 3 bike lengths so I didn't want to be in the right lane weaving in and out of a string of riders. I would hang out in the left to pass packs of riders and stay right as I could.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.satriathlon.com/images/2006-course-map.pdf">bike course</a> wound through St Petersburg with two major out and back sections and a twisting section running through a golf course. The first big out and back was very slightly uphill and I worked on keeping my cadence up and my speed around 18-19 MPH. At the turnaround we headed back downhill and I was able to push for a bit closer to 24-25 MPH except for one train track crossing. It was more of the same heading down to the golf course; I was hitting 25 on some of the straightaways with a tailwind. Overall I felt great. I had my watch set to beep every 15 minutes as a reminder to drink. I had mixed 3 gel servings into each of my two water bottles and wanted to consume at least 1 1/2 of them by the end of the bike. I probably overdid it on the nutrition as I would later find out. I saw Steph just before the golf course; Teen said she saw me coming back on one of the legs as I was heading out, but I didn't see her despite keeping my eyes open. The wind was swirling a bit on the golf course and there were speed humps everywhere. It took me 3 or 4 of them to realize that if I hugged the curb I could avoid them altogether. I was still passing groups of people. Just as we exited the golf course there was a water hand off. I grabbed one of the water bottle and drank about half of it before dropping it. One more out and back and then a turn north along the water. This is where it got a bit rough. We had a headwind the whole way home, the last 5 miles or so. My legs started burning and my speed dropped to around 17 MPH. I had to drop into some lower gears to avoid spiking my heart rate. I probably ended up pushing it a bit too hard; The bike was the best place for me to eat up chunks of time since I knew the run wasn't going to be my best leg.<br /><br />I was glad to see the finish line in sight and dropped into an easier gear to get my cadence up and loosen my legs a bit. Back over the bricks where I almost bit it on a pothole I didn't see, clip out, coast to the dismount line, and off the bike. On the run back into transition I immediately knew that I was in a bit of trouble; the left thigh was aching and my back was really tight. In transition I racked my bike, got my bike shoes off, took a swig of water, stretched my legs for 20 seconds, socks and shoes on, hat on, more sunscreen sprayed on my shoulders, and back towards transition exit. I didn't know it at the time but my bike leg clocked in at 1:15:25, 19.8 MPH average. Right on pace. My transitions had been just average (6:01 combined, my "goal" was around 5:00), but this was my first tri so I wasn't too concerned about that. Better to take my time than make a dumb mistake. I was already tired and feeling the heat even before hitting the run course. The next hour was going to be tough.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-57411540427551943632007-05-03T14:17:00.000-04:002007-05-14T13:27:09.692-04:00SwimI was practically bouncing up and down in the starting chute trying to keep loose. We all lined up at the back until the previous wave went off and then walked up to the start line. The <a href="http://www.satriathlon.com/course.asp">swim course</a> was U-shaped and went straight out about 500 meters, took a 90 degree turn to the left for another 500 meters, then a final left turn for about 500 meters to the exit. There were big orange inflatable buoys every 100 meters; yellow buoys marked the turns. You basically wanted to hug the buoys and keep them on your left at all times.<br /><br />When writing up my race plan I included some goals for each leg, just a time or pace that I thought I could hold in the best of all possible scenarios. I figured if I met those goals I would be very, <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> happy with my overall time. For the swim it was <span style="font-weight: bold;">27:00 for 1500 meters</span> which was reasonable based on my best continuous swim times in Sunday practice. I would be slowed down in the open water by running into people, picking my head up to sight, and generally not swimming in an exact 1500 meter straight line, but the buoyancy of the wetsuit is supposedly good for 1-2 minutes over the course of an Olympic distance swim.<br /><br />At the start I lined up in the second row on the inside hoping to be ahead of the pack for the first 100 meters or so to avoid getting kicked. Before I knew it the horn sounded and I was running into the water. Two dolphin dives in the shallows and I was swimming out! I only found a couple guys in front of me before the first buoy but was able to split between them and to the left of a 3rd guy to find some open water pretty quickly. Sighting on the first 2 buoys went well; I pushed a little left heading to the 3rd but was able to correct. Around the 4th buoy before the final turn I ran into some poor woman treading water from the wave that started 10 minutes before mine. I asked if she was OK and she said "yes, she was just catching her breath" but looked a little panicked. There was a lifeguard in a kayak not 30 feet away watching us from inside the buoys. They only pulled one person from the water this year after 30 or 40 the year before in pretty terrible conditions.<br /><br />After the first turn I looked up to sight on the next buoy and get my bearings. It looked really far away, but I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me so just put my head down. Turns out I went about 20 degrees to far on the turn and had sighted on one of the buoys on the next leg! I soon felt some tapping on my feet and though it was someone drafting off of me but it was a kayaker tapping me with his paddle to let me know I was off course and inside the buoy line. Thanks, guy! After that little detour I straightened out and finally found my groove (it takes me 600 meters or so to really warm up in the pool and get my breathing steady). I had been taking breaths on one side for most of the first leg so it felt good to settle into an alternate-side rhythm and go a little straighter. At this point I started passing people from the previous waves in greater numbers (or rather running into their feet). Some people will literally swim over people in their way but that seems like too much work besides a really crappy thing to do; I just went around except for one guy who crossed my path at literally a 90 degree angle. I think he was well inside one of the buoys and had to swim back out to get on course. I basically hit him broadside while breathing to the opposite side. We stopped and he said "This sucks!" and I went on my way.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.satriathlon.com/course.asp"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a>Somewhere around the last turn I passed Liz; she saw me but I didn't see her. Ran into lots more folks from the waves 2 and 3 ahead of me at this point but I didn't think much of it. The swim exit was a set of metal stairs attached to the breakwater leading up to a short run to the transition entrance. They have helpers on the stairs to grab your hand to make sure you don't fall back in. It's a short 50 yard dash under a temporary pedestrian bridge where the grass had turned into one huge mud puddle. Gross! I wanted to keep my cap but it flew out of my hand as I stripped it off. No way was I going to stop and get it! There was a water station just outside transition so I grabbed two cups: one to get the salt water out of my mouth, another to dump over my head to get it out of my hair/face. The timing mat for the swim split is right as you cross into the transition gate. I punched the split button on my watch and saw 25:17. Wow! That was way faster than I had expected and a <span style="font-style: italic;">huge</span> confidence booster. I jogged at a quick pace towards my bike rack while getting the top half of my wetsuit down to my waist.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-3045157476730691122007-05-03T13:48:00.000-04:002007-05-03T17:36:50.756-04:00Race Day!We had the alarm set for 4:45 on Sunday (just like our Tuesday swim practices!). I woke up to use the restroom at about 4:00 and didn't really get back to sleep but managed not to toss and turn before the alarm went off. It was a good night's sleep as far as I'm concerned. I took a quick shower just to really wake myself up, ate a banana and bagel with peanut butter, grabbed the transition bag and headed downstairs. The night before we had packed our bags using a checklist I had written up with my race plan. I was confident that I had everything and knew where it was. The bike was racked and ready. Nothing more to do but get down there and set up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148416404-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148416404-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We me the team in the lobby at 5:15 and walked down to transition in the dark. There was a line to get body marked at the entrance and we had to wait about 15 minutes to get in. While we were waiting some guy walks past to the line and yells, "Any 45-49 age group men might as well go home now that I'm here!!". What a tool! I should have remembered his number and seen if he could back that talk up at the finish line. Regardless, really class act. There was also this young guy who walked up with a pretty expensive bike asking where bike check in was (it had closed at 8:00 the previous day). One of the race officials came up and said, "Sorry, man, you had to be here yesterday. You can't race". That sucks for him! We reached the front of the line a they wrote our race numbers (I was #4050) on each shoulder and the front of each thigh; our age and any special waves (TNT for us) on the back of our calves. The latter was for anybody who might be chasing you to determine if they should bother passing you or not since you would be in their group.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148417582-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148417582-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In transition we laid out our gear in our little plots of land behind our racked bikes. I met the two TNT guys on either side of me and took only about 5:00 getting everything set up. We then mulled about as the sun came up, put on sunscreen, and goofed around to release nervous energy. I double checked my set up again and they started to announce that transition was closing at 7:00 when the first pro wave was set to go off. We went outside to use the port-o-potties and watch the pro men and women's waves enter the water across the bay. Only 17 minutes later the first pro men showed up and we watched them run right by us at the swim exit. Holy crap they were fast! We could also see them come out of transition on the bike (in and out in under a minute which is lightning fast). All of the pros and most serious age groupers just leave there bike shoes clipped in to their bikes and pedal on top of them out of transition, slipping their feet in when they get up to speed. Save 30 seconds or so which is a lot of time if you are competing.<br /><br />After watching a few more come across we started the 3/4 mile walk over to the swim start beach. I was getting pretty nervous at this point and walked back to the hotel for a minute to grab an extra gel to eat just before the swim. We had plenty of time to burn; the first TNT wave wasn't going off until 9:00. I wasn't entering the water until 9:15. That was tortuous; I just wanted to get in the water and go, go, go! I rejoined the group at the beach and picked up my timing chip. I might have been a good thing since the line earlier in the morning was chaos apparently. Some more walking around by myself then I found the group. Lots of laughing and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148424802-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148424802-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> chatting punctuated by silence and serious faces. Most of us were pretty tense. At about 8:45 I started to get into my wetsuit and applied lots of BodyGlide around my neck and upper arms (BG is basically a non-petroleum lubricant to prevent chafing; the suits can get really bad around the neck and arms if they are sleeveless. I learned this on Friday during our first swim!). I went off to the side of the starting line to swim and warm up for about 5 minutes then back to the group for a couple final photos and to pack away my shirt and flip flops. We cheered on the first 3 TNT waves as they enterd the starting chute: men 35+ at 9:00, women 35+ at 9:05 (Steph's wave), women 34 and under at 9:10 (Liz's wave). Teen went off at 8:50 in her age group. After the 9:10 wave entered the water our final wave got in the chute.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-80490852921625430282007-05-03T13:14:00.000-04:002007-05-03T17:36:42.462-04:00Race Weekend Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148403264-S-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148403264-S-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />On Saturday we had a relatively early wake up (7:00) to head down to the beach for another open water swim. For some reason I didn't feel like putting the wetsuit on again so I just swam in my tri shorts. I felt a lot more confident and had a good swim. The coaches had us do some running starts to simulate race entry in the water; in the race each wave starts in a corral on the beach and runs into the water at the gun. There's some combination of leaping dives you can do to get out to open water faster, but I just ended up doing a belly flop in the shallows. I decided just to run out until the water got up to my thighs and then start swimming. The New York TNT team was there as well. Their coach was like some drill sergeant yelling commands and having them do crazy drills. He seemed a little uptight.<br /><br />After a brief "lunch" break at 10:30 everybody gathered on the front porch of the hotel for a final bike inspection. It was one last chance to look everything over, get some lube on the chain if necessary, and take your bike out for a final spin to check that everything was in working order (or for some people to learn how to change a tire). We'd done this before the bike drop off and I was sure my bike was is good shape. I'm really glad that the coaches urged us to take a good close look at everything, because I discovered a scrape on the sidewall of my front tire that was deep enough to produce a pin point hole that the tube was just sticking through. There's a better than average chance that I would have at least flatted on a long ride. Even worse I could have hit a pothole or something that would have turned that pin sized hole into an actual tear. We don't carry spare tires, just tubes. That would have ended my day real quick. Anyway, back down to the expo to pick up a new tire. All the bike tents really had were race tires, but I was able to find one that only set me back $32. Hey, at least I had a faster front slick for the race now and got some extra tire changing practice!<br /><br />After wrangling the tire on and thoroughly checking the tube (as well as a double check of all other important components) we walked down to the transition area to rack our bikes. It opened at noon and we were one of the first people down there. Transition was huge! Being in TNT we also had some of the less desirable rack spots with the longest walks to the entrances and exits. This is really where it first hit me that we were going to race in less than 24 hours.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148404258-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148404258-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Not when we got our participant wrist bands the day before. Not when we did the open water practice. It was when we put the race numbers on the bikes and parked them on the racks. St. A's has assigned rack spaces so there's no fighting over spots at least. I was in among some other TNT teams that hadn't checked in yet, so my bike was looking a little lonely. We also walked over to the swim start to trace the path we would take from the swim exit to our racks. It was easy enough to find when nobody else was there and we didn't have to worry about getting our wetsuits off!<br /><br />Some more down time at the hotel and then we went off to the TNT pasta party a couple blocks away at the really nice hotel where some other TNT teams were staying (what's up with that?). There were "Thank You"'s from the TNT staff and a speech by a cancer survivor who was racing. Then Dave Scott, legendary Ironman triathlete and TNT national spokesman, got up for a little pep talk where he informed a group of nervous first time competitors that we would be fine even if we would all "probably finish in the bottom 10% of our age groups tomorrow". Gee, thanks. Apparently this was better than last year when the message was "even though many of you might not finish at all tomorrow". Either he really has no understanding of the audience he's addressing and is using some bizarre reverse psychology to make people believe that it would be a really cool thing if they just finished the race at all or he is an arrogant prick. Your choice. There was some polite applause and we got up to head back to the hotel where the <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> pep talk by our coaches took place. Back to the room around 10:00 for bed. I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep all things considered.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-77167826286044779772007-05-02T17:14:00.000-04:002007-05-03T17:35:55.525-04:00Race Weekend Day 1Well, we all made it home safely, and more importantly after having crossed the finish lie! All in all it was an amazing time down in St Petersburg with the TNT crew. The weather was great if a bit hot, especially on race day. We've posted a <a href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/gallery/2784011">bunch of pictures</a> of the weekend and the after-party; the first batch is actually our last group practice in Rock Creek.<br /><br />We left D.C. around 8:30 on Friday morning for the short flight down to Tampa. TNT orchestrated all of the travel plans for us which made it a lot easier to deal with pre-race jitters. Tuesday before the race we dropped our bikes off on Alexandria to be loaded onto a semi truck that was driven down to meet us. This in and of itself is a huge benefit since flying with a bike case doesn't look all that fun (or inexpensive).<br /><br />After waiting around at the airport for what seemed like a log time we piled into some vans and were driven to our <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34607-d87619-Reviews-Heritage_Hotel_St_Petersburg-Saint_Petersburg_Florida.html">hotel</a>. The lodging was definitely not the high point of our weekend. Billed as a Holiday Inn it is actually an independently operated establishment. The fact that they probably lost their Holiday Inn accreditation should tell you something. On top of that Liz and I got stuck in what is probably the smallest room in the place right next to an ice machine that made noise all night long. They eventually ran out of towels (Towels! At a beach hotel!!). I really didn't want to drink the water from the taps. Location was nice, though ;)<br /><br />After settling in for a bit we walked over to the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148398761-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148398761-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>bike drop off to get our rides off of the trucks and put the pedals back on. Back to the hotel to stash the bikes (which left almost no space to walk around in our little closet of a room) then down to registration to pick up our packets and wander the vendor expo for awhile. I think everybody picked up a few things here or there (I got an ankle strap for my race chip, Liz picked up a new bright pink Bento Box). It was amazing to see the crazy expensive bikes people were wheeling around. Triathlon is a sport that attracts more than its fair share of people with more money than sense, or at least people for whom looking good at an event is just as important as getting a good time. But, hey, who am I to argue with someone who has the money to blow on a set of $3,000 race wheels that may gain them 1-2 minutes on the bike. I would later pass a couple of these people on $5,000 rides chugging along at 17 MPH on the course.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148401519-S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://maddock.smugmug.com/photos/148401519-S.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It was pretty hot by the early afternoon so we went back to the hotel again (we were only about 4 blocks from registration and 6 from the transition area). At 5:00 we all went down to the swim start for a little open water swim practice in our wetsuits. They already had the marker buoys in place, and it was really good to try some open water sighting. We had practiced this in the pool numerous times, but it just isn't the same thing. Swimming in the ocean (I mean swimming, not just playing around in the water) was something new for me. On the first 200 meters or so I was having real trouble getting into a good rhythm breathing. Don't know if it was nerves or the wetsuit or if I just went out too fast. Probably a combination of all three. Better to have it happen no and get my nerves in check than on race morning. I eventually settled down on the siwm back in and found a good stroke with my normal breathing pattern. One other thing I discovered: I guess I tend to take in mouthfuls of water when I swim and swish them around before I exhale. This is a much different experience in the ocean than in the pool! I got used to it after a few minutes, but needed a big swig of water after we got out.<br /><br />We didn't have anything "official" on the schedule for the evening, so we all went home to shower and then back out to grab some dinner for Teen's birthday. Back in bed by 10:00 or so and slept surprisingly well.Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-85694136157136695632007-04-18T18:07:00.000-04:002007-04-18T18:25:44.477-04:00Can't catch a breakThe weather this week has been pretty much par for the course: cold, wet, and generally crappy. The 40MPH winds the past couple of days just upped the ante. The forecast for this weekend has it sunny and in the 70s, though. Perfect timing: we finally get good training weather in D.C. and it's a week before we head to Florida. Preliminary race day forecast: mid-80s and sunny. A tad too warm for my tastes, but I'll take it after the winter we've had. My wave will be the very last to start at 9:15 AM, so we'll still be on the run course close to noon and the hot sun could make it rough.<br /><br />The temps for our last group workout on Saturday may still be in the low 50s in the morning. It's a practice triathlon. Coaches will be setting up a transition area and we'll run through the abbreviated stages: in our wetsuits (dry, but probably cold!), transition to an easy 30-40 minute bike, transition to a short run. It should warm up for the picnic afterwards. We'll be getting our race info including plane tickets (so help me if they are flying us out of Dulles instead of National ...) and our TNT logo triathlon jerseys.<br /><br />Sunday a few of us are running a local 5K in Alexandria. I'm waffling between actually running the race to beat my previous best from St. Paddy's and just going out for a short easy run. I'll probably choose the latter; we have another 5K two weeks after the race that I won't hesitate to go all out on. No sense in risking an injury trying to push it this close to my first race.<br /><br />10 more days!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-76924736265177837672007-04-13T16:10:00.000-04:002007-04-13T16:31:01.935-04:00Things are starting to taperWe are beginning to taper for the race starting next week meaning that the workout intensity will be gradually dropping off to almost nothing in the days leading up to the race. It's a time for the body to rest up and store energy for 3 hours of continual racing.<br /><br />The training is not the only thing that's seeing a reduction. I've lost over 25 pounds since we started this almost 6 months ago. Counting my highest weight from early last fall I'm down almost 30. Looking back I can hardly believe it!<br /><br />This past week was frustrating. I got called to attend a meeting for work in Seattle on Wednesday which meant a flight out on Tuesday night and then a red eye back on Wednesday night. I was able to get in the swim practice and long run on Tuesday but missed both the bike and run on Wednesday/Thursday. We did go swimming last night. The workout this week was some descending long sets: 20'/15'/10'/5'/2.5' . During each set we were supposed to work on something different: getting a good long glide for the 20', practicing sighting for the 15', etc. I lost track on one of them but in the end I swam a little over 3000 yards. That's by far the longest workout I've done in the water. I'm thinking the swim may end up being my best leg after having struggled so much in the early going!<br /><br />The weather continues to be a real pain in the ass. Tomorrow we have our last long ride in Prince William Forest down by Quantico. It's supposed to be a really nice route but with more hills than we've seen before. At least it is supposed to be above freezing. We skipped out on last week's Saturday brick because it was frigid and there was snow. Snow! In April! Screw that. We signed up for a spin class at the gym and did about 50 minutes on the bike before class for about 1:40 total. That's short of the goal, but that spin class was hard! We ran the treadmill for 30' to complete the brick. I actually felt really good and was able to push some faster paces, but my hamstring ached the next day and it's still a little tight. I don't think the plane ride helped.<br /><br />16 days to race day!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38053865.post-85671491460212630872007-04-02T09:44:00.000-04:002007-04-02T09:59:04.861-04:00Four more weeks to the other Opening DayThe Nats Opening Day at RFK is today (the first actual Opening Day in D.C. since they moved here). As of yesterday just 4 more weeks until the <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> Opening Day: the race. That's starting to sink in.<br /><br />Last week was the last of our EZ weeks. Due to a bad schedule I missed both of the bike rides in the middle of the week but was able to get the rest of the workouts in. Tuesday's swim was a number of easy drills and then some more open water simulations. Thursday we did 1950 for an "easy" workout. Those were our hard workouts only a month or so ago. I'm really feeling strong in the water. Yesterday I was able to go for 1800 yards in 30 minutes (that last 50 was an all out sprint, though). Too bad the swim is the shortest event! Saturday's bike was 60' and would have been really easy if we hadn't taken a wrong turn and gone up a big climb by the Mormon Tabernacle. That hurt. Luckily we won't get hills like those in Florida, but I probably will in the other races this summer. Might as well get used to it.<br /><br />This week is roughly the same intensity as two weeks ago, and then we start to taper:<br /><br />Monday: 50' bike, 3 x 7' AT (finally got out in the morning and did 3 loops around Haines Point for the intervals)<br />Tuesday: swim (2600 yards), run 45' with a bunch of intervals<br />Wednesday: Bike 70'<br />Thursday: swim (2600 yards again), long run 70'<br />Friday: OFF<br />Saturday: Brick - bike 120', run 30', swim<br />Sunday: 30' swim<br /><br />I will probably swap out the Tues/Thurs runs since we get done swimming so much earlier on Tuesdays and it's easier to get the run in before work. Short day at work today then off to RFK. I'm going to try and follow Liz's lead and go on the wagon for the next 4 weeks after a beer at the game. Oh, and maybe except for the wine happy hour that Teen is holding tonight. And the bourbon tasting on Friday. Seriously, I should be good after that!Tedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05149938545344237048noreply@blogger.com0