Now I Am Doing Something

2012 January Training Summary - More Run than Bike for First Time in 3+ Years

2012-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Below are the totals for January of 2012 compared to past Januarys. I also put in about 25 minutes on the elliptical that is not included in the times below. This January had the most swimming of any January and almost the most running. The last time I ran more than I biked was in Novemeber 2008, before my stress fracture. Biking was down, but I wanted to focus on running, which I did, in January. Feb will be a bike focus month and I hope to get in 10+ hours of biking.

Below you can see how I ramped up in January compared to the previous 3 months. I went from averaging 16 hours each of those three months to 22+ hours in January. Most of that came from upping my swim and run. I felt tired in January, which is to be expected in when you are ramping up. There was nothing I would call a "breakthrough" in January. I did run for over an hour, 70 minutes, in one training session. It has been awhile since I have run that long. I also had a couple of runs longer than 40 minutes.

Below are my totals and averages since 2007 and below that are my totals for this year, 2012, and since 2007. In terms of total time, January 2012 was an average month.

Totals and Averages Since 2007

YTD Totals and Totals Since 2007

Funny and True - Shit Triathletes and Cyclists Say

2012-01-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Both of these are pretty funny, so I thought I would post them

2011 Racing and Training Gear - Some Old and Some New

2012-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

In 2011 I got a couple of new things, mostly I used the same old stuff. I will start with the two new things for 2011.
The newest thing for 2011 was my Blue Seventy Axis wetsuit. Purchased at Gear West, as are all of my triathlon related purchased. This wetsuit is tighter, in a good way, I think, than my old QR. This wetstuit fits better in my shoulders and arms than my QR. It is tighter across my chest than the QR. The Axis fits better in the neck, about the same as the QR below the waist. I used a wetsuit less in 2011 than in previous years, partly due to the water temperatures and partly due to the distances I raced. So, I didn't get the use out it that I was looking forward to. The Axis does not have a "break away" zipper like the QR, so I had to get used to that. The zipper on the QR is one feature I really did like, but I think that a wetsuit that fits and feels better is more important than the zipper. The Axis does have the "swim panels" in the forearms, not sure how much of an advantage it provides. Based on articles I have read, the manufacturers do not know either, and just put them on because everyone is doing it.
The Axis does feel faster, this might be due to the better fit. Hopefully, I get to use it more in 2012.

I do continue to swim with Speedo Active Goggles - Air Seal Tri Mirror. I have been swimming with these goggles for a couple of years and I think they are the best goggles I have ever worn. They don't leak, they have a good amount of tint, and they fit my head right.
The other new purchase is Saucony Kinvara shoes. I have run on Asics for the last 6+ years and I decided to try something different. I went into Gear West Ski and Run, where I have been buying shoes for the last 4 years or so, and they took a look at the wear on my old Asics, I told them I was looking for something I could race and train in, and they recommended the Kinvara. I really like the shoe. It is light, but not as light as a pure racing shoe, and they are still supportive, also they are relatively inexpensive. I think the pair was about 90 bucks. In 2012 I will probably go with another pair. Apparently, there is now a Kinvara, hopefully they are the same, or better than the Kinvara.

So, those are my two new purchases for 2011. Now to the old stuff. Same QR Seduza I have had since October 2006. Same bike I will ride in 2012. I would LOVE a QR Illicito, but that is not going to happen. Maybe 2013? Before 2007 season I upgraded drive train with Ultegra front derailleur, brakes, and crank and it came with Dura-Ace rear derailleur. Before the 2007 I also bought a Zipp Z6 wheelset (404 front and 808 rear) and replaced the stock seat with a Serfas Tri Seat. I really like the Serfas seat and will replace it with another in 2012, since my current seat feels like it is done (Ouch). I am going with the another Serfas because the seat works for me and it is less than a hundred bucks. I see everyone riding those ISM split saddles, they are expensive and I don't feel like experimenting with a new seat. Maybe in the future.
I think it was 2009 that I got the Easton Attack TT bars, which I will stick with. Eventhough they are not adjustable and have an aggressive position, I am used to the feel and they make the cockpit look cool. I think in 2009, I bought my Lazer Tardis aero helmet, which was another great purchase.
In 2010 I purchased new Bontrager brake levers and the Zipp Sub-9 disc. The brake lever purchase was mainly to improve the look of the bike, the clunky aluminum brake levers looked terrible.
The wheel purchases are the best money I have ever spent. Those Zipp wheels are AWESOME. I love racing on those wheels, I never ride on them, only race on them. Race wheels are one of the best purchases you can make if you are doing triathlons and duathlons, and/or bike racing.

I think it was 2009 that I got a pair of SLS3 Compressions socks through the Gear West Test Team. At the time I was injured with a stress fracture and it seemed they did not feel right. In late 2009/early 2010 I got a new pair. During the season I wear the socks the day(s) leading up to the race, the day of the race, sometimes the day after the race, during hard training days, and during the offseason I wear them whenever I work at OHP or on hard work out days. I really like the socks, and I think they do help recovery, hence why I wear them when I wear them. At some point, I would like to purchase compression socks from another manufacturer to see if there is a difference, but for the moment I will stick with what I got.

2011 Training and Racing Totals and Comparison to Previous Years

2012-01-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Below is a comparison of my training, racing time included, data from year to year starting in 2007.

My swim time/yardage was down from previous two years, but most of that decrease is in the later half of the year. From 2010 to 2011 my average swim time, in races, basically stayed the same at the Olympic and Sprint Distance.

My bike training time was the highest of any year, without doing any half-IMs. My average bike speed in Olympic, Sprint, and Duathlons was basically the same from 2010 to 2011

My run time has been increasing since my injury in 2009. I would be surprised if I ever run as much as I did in 2008. My run time, not surprisingly, improved from 2010 to 2011.

I think there always needs to be a balance between intensity and duration. I think that in 2012 I need to pickup some of my training intensity to show improvement in speed. In 2012 I plan on racing less and continuing to race shorter (Sprint and Olympic), hopefully this will allow me to improve my speed.

Below is month-to-month, including 2010 off-season

The biggest months, are April and May, to be expected as we build volume before the race season, and July and August, the months where I did the most races.

2011 December Training Summary (No Racing)

2012-01-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

December was all training, and no racing. Pretty decent month, more swiming that the previous two months. A little less running and biking than last two months. My goal was to back it off in Oct, Nov, and Dec, and I did do that.
Not really much to say about December. I will need to starting bumping up the yardage and time in January. I am going to try and make January a run focus month, hope to get about 7 hours of running in, maintain the bike about 7-8 hours, and try to swim every Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
I am currently registered for 6 race in 2012, St. Anthony's Triathlon, Gear West Duathlon, Lake Waconia, OHP Manitou Sprint, OHP MinneMan, and OHP Twin Cites.

Comparisons of Decembers

Total and Averages Since 2007

YTD and Totals Since 2007

Wait - Another Look at My Weight at the End of the Year

2011-12-31T12:29:00.000-08:00

I track my weight out of curiosity and to see if there are any trends. I try to weigh myself every two weeks. Back in Feb I posted weight data for myself. Again, I weigh myself in the morning, nude, after going to the bathroom, so it is consistent. Below some of the yearly data is a graph of the measurements. 2011 was similar to 2010, in terms of average, but in 2011 the standard deviation was the largest ever since 2008, when I lost a lot of weight. Weight loss probably due to the fact I started training really hard and stopped drinking "regular" soda.
You can see about halfway through this year I started going up. I expect that once I get back to "normal" training intensity and time in 2012 I expect to drop some lbs. I should also start to watch my portion size a little more. I tend to eat large portions, especially when those portions consist of yummy meats. This is something I need to cut down on, especially since my doctor remarked on my cholestrol this year. Uh oh. She just said I need to take it easy on the meats and fried foods, which I will definitely try to do in 2012. Though, I don't think I am THAT bad at it. I will be more aware and cut back.

All weight in pounds

2007 Average Weight = 204.65
2007 Standard Deviation = 1.63

2008 Average Weight = 191.52
2008 Standard Deviation = 6.39

2009 Average Weight = 191.81
2009 Standard Deviation = 2.40

2010 Average Weight = 189.54
2010 Standard Deviation = 1.72

2011 Average Weight = 189.92
2011 Standard Deviation = 4.13

2011 Transitions in Pictures

2011-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

No words, just pictures of my transition spots from 2011

The Bike I Want - QR Illicito

2011-12-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Quintana Roo Illicito is the next bike I would like to purchase. Problem is price and the fact I will not have the money anytime soon for this beautiful piece of bicycling carbon fiber. The frame, fork, and seatmast is $3200, which is not bad at all, but still out of my price range especially since I have to provide a component groupe, crank, pedals, and cockpit, which could run anywhere from 2500-5000+ more dollars.
A review of the bike from TriSports University only makes me want to get this bike even more.

http://university.tri-sports.com/2011/12/05/2012-quintana-roo-illicito/

I will probably go on about this bike more in the future. So cool.......

Race Count - 2006 to Present

2011-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

I put together a table of all my races. I think all of them, since 2006. 2006 is basically when I started keep track of races. In 2004 and 2005 I did a lot of road races, mainly 5Ks, but I did not keep track of them.
Again, 2009 was the year I was injured. One triathlon was a relay, and the other I walked the run. The duathlon was a relay.

The two years with the most total races are 2008 and 2010.
The year with the most triathlons is 2008
The year with the most duathlons is 2007
The year with the most TTs are 2007 and 2008
The year with the most road races, running, was 2006
I have done a total of 48 triathlons since 2007 and 24 duathlons since 2006
I have done 33 TTs since 2006
I have done 25 road races since 2006

I would say I have amassed a pretty good amount of race experience in 6 years

2011 November Racing and Training Summary

2011-12-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

I am still in my "off-season" mode. By looking at my numbers and comparing to previous years, this means that I am swimming less, but doing more biking and running than in previous Novembers. So, I guess I am not taking that much time off.
I did one 5k in November. It was at the Dakota Athletic Center, I think that is what it is called, out by Mystic Lake Casino. It is on the golf course, actually it is on the paved cart path, and it is not flat. It was also windy and cold, below freezing. It hurt, I was sucking wind the whole day. I had a slow day. My time was 24:57, which comes out to 8:03min/mi. Not terribly impressive, but it is November.
On Thanksgiving Day Jackie and I did the Kenosha Mayor's Run. There is a 10k and 2 mi, we did the 2 mi down by the Lakeshore. Nice run. Good course with a mix of flat and some up and down.
On Monday nights I have been doing the CompuTrainer TT race at OptumHealth Performance. It is extremely painful. There is a 12.4mi course and a 27.2mi course, both are not flat, very challenging to go as hard as you can. I did the short course 3 times and the long course one time. Below are my times.
1st Short Course - 38:53 (19.1MPH)
2nd Short Course - 40:10 (18.5MPH)
3rd Shourt Course - 38:11 (19.5MPH)
1st Long Course - 1:41:11 (16.1MPH) - The long course is basically all uphill.
The 5 fastest times for the month, plus the course CR, are kept on the white board by the trainers for both the long course and short course, for both male and female. At the end of the month, the fastest person gets a prize.

I spent one week in November in a Holiday Inn Express Motel (not a typo, it was a motel, not a hotel) in CA. It had a terrible workout room. So I did some elliptical and upper body strength stuff on the small weight thing that was in the workout room.

I did a total of 1 hour of elliptical for the month, I don't count this as running, and about 45 minutes of strength work for the month.

Comparison of Novembers

Totals Since 2007 and Monthly Averages

2011 YTD and Totals Since 2007

2011 October Racing and Training Summary

2011-11-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

I took some time off in October. I decided to take it easy after the Dousman Duathlon and through October. I will start to pick it back up a little in November and December. I don't plan on really getting going until after the New Year.

In October I did the Baker Orchard Cyclecross race. It was a cool and beautiful morning. The coarse is a good mix of flat, climbs, decents, a sand trap (Thinking I could bike through it, I fell on one of the laps), and part of the race went through a barn. Cyclecross is very painful, almost from the get go I continued for all 4 laps. I finished second to last overall, which is good considering out of a field of 49 there were 7 DNFs. Cyclecross is very humbling.

I also did a 5k around Lake Phalen. It is a run put on by Jackie's PA program. It was a beautiful day and I had an ok run. I would have liked to have gone 7:30min/mi, but I will take what I can get. What I got was about 7:50min/mi. I was sucking wind pretty hard that day.

By far, this was not my lowest October on record. In terms of time spent running, it was my highest. Hopefully, I can build off that and increase my run time through the end of the year and into next year.

Comparison of Octobers since 2007

Totals and Average Since 2007

YTD Totals and Total Since 2007

Review of 2011 Duathlon Results and Comparison to Previous Years

2011-10-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Below are my Duathlon results for 2011. I had a pretty big improvement over 2010, again, when I was recovering from my stress fracture. In 2010, I took the GW Du and Apple Du "easy" to start off the year.
My run is not back to 2008 form, but my bike, and transition times, have gotten steadily better throughout the years. This improvement has resulted in my overall pace reducing every year, except 2010.

Now that I have all this data, and plotted much it, I have to decide what to do with it. I can use it to show improvement, or I can try to devise away to use it to improve my training and racing.

2011 Duathlon Results (Click on image to enlarge)

Below are the trend charts for each portion of the race. Pace is in fractions of minute/mile, bike speed is in MPH, and transition times are in fractions of a minute.
First chart is Run 1, second chart is Bike, third chart is Run 2, fourth chart is T1 and T2, and the last chart is Average Overall Pace, which, as always, is the total time divided by the distance I have dropped almost a minute/mi from my overall average pace over the course of 6 years, more than a minute/mi from my first run average pace, and 2 minutes from second run average pace. In 2006 I averaged 17.5 MPH on road bike with bolt-on aerobars, in 2011 I averaged over 21MPH, on a tri-bike with race wheels. My T2 now averages under a minute and my T1 time is just over a minute. I think that my duathlon improvments over the years have been greater than my triathlon improvements. I started out doing only duathlons in 2006 and I was in horrible shape when I started. I had a lot of room to improve from 2006

2011 September Training and Racing Summary

2011-10-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

September consisted of the St. Croix Valley Olympic Distance Tri and the Dousman Du. After the Dousman Du, basically the last two weeks, I started to take it easy. I did begin to add a little strength work. The strength work consists of doing some crunches, squats, tricep extensions, bicep curls, and some step ups. I would add some more strength work and time as the season goes on.

I took Sept 2007 off, 2008 was my biggest year. Almost every month in 2008 was my biggest month when compared to other years. This month was a lower month, taking a little time off. 2009 was a high for swimming and biking due to my stress fracture.

Year-to-Year Comparison of September

Totals and Averages Since 2007

Total Since 2007 and YTD Total

Review of 2011 Triathlon Results and Comparison to Past Results

2011-09-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Below is a table of all my Triathlon results for this year. I will put my Duathlon results in a seperate post.
Select the image to enlarge. I am pretty happy with these results.
I completed 10 races and in 7 of the races I had top ten AG finishes and 2 of them were top 3 finishes. I had a very good season, probably better than I could have hoped for.

Below I have chartered my triathlon results from 2007 to the present. The results are my averages for each leg, plus T1 and T2. I threw out my half-IM and Escape from Alcatraz in 2008 and my two half-IMs from 2010, so that I could compare 2007 and 2011 to 2008 and 2010 for equivalent distances. In 2009, I did two relays and walked the run at St. Croix Valley Sprint. I did not count any of the results from 2009.
I have started 50 triathlons since 2007. 2 of those were relays, 2 were dnfs, one was a flat and one was intentional, due to my stress fracture. One of them I walked the run, mentioned above.
So, the data below is for 42 races. You can see that from 2007 to 2008 I had improvement, then 2009 off, then 2010 and 2011 I was a little flat in some areas.
I am not sure that plotting averages per year against training time is useful. Increased training time does not necessarily improve performance. Though I might just plot that and post for curiousity sake.

Average swim time is fractions of a minute per 100 yards. Can I get under 1.5 minutes per 100 yards in 2012?

I had a large increas in speed from 2007 to 2008 and then flattened in 2010 and 2009. My goal for 2012 would be to get over 22MPH for an average and hit 24MPH, or 23.5MPH average, in a race

I would like to get me average run time below 8 min/mi. Below is fractions of a minute per mile. Taking most of 2009 off for injury really did affect my run average. I am back to my 2008 average. In 2007 I one Oly and rest were sprints, of nine total races. In 2008 I did 14 races, 12 in the chart data, and 5 of those were Oly distance or nearly Oly distance.

Below are my T1 and T2 average times. This year I was a little slower in T1, but every year I got faster in T2

I have also plotted my average pace, which is the total time it took me to complete the race divided by the total time, including T1 and T2. This time has improved year after year. I like this measure because it incorporates a lot of information. 2007 is the year I had the least number of tris and the shortest average distance, so my pace has improved at longer average distances.

My next post will have the same type of data except for duathlons

2011 Dousman Duathlon Race Report - Last (Multisport) Race of the Year

2011-09-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

This will be my 6th time at this event. When I was injured, in 2009, Jackie and I did it as a relay, otherwise I have done it 5 times as an individual.
Below are my results for this year and then below for the previous years, except for the relay.

2011 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) - 14:02 (7:01min/mi)
T1 - 1:01
Bike (21mi) - 58:44 (21.5MPH)
T2 - 0:42
Run (2mi) - 15:05 (7:33min/mi)
Total - 1:29:31
Ave Overall Pace - 3:35min/mi
Overall - 47/601
AG - 7/40

2010 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) - 13:59 (7:00min/mi)
T1 - 1:25
Bike (21mi) - 57:53 (21.8MPH)
T2 - 1:14
Run (2mi) - 15:01 (7:30min/mi)
Total - 1:29:30
Ave Overall Pace - 3:35min/mi
Overall - 86/791
AG - 15/62

2009 was a relay with Jackie

2008 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) - 12:58 (6:29min/mi)
T1 - 1:25
Bike (20mi) - 57:77 (20.9MPH)
T2 - 0:55
Run (2mi) - 14:06 (7:03min/mi)
Total - 1:26:39
Ave Overall Pace - 3:37min/mi
Overall - 34/615
AG - 5/54

2007 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) - 13:20 (6:40min/mi)
T1 - 1:19
Bike (20mi) - 1:01:50 (19.7MPH)
T2 - 1:17
Run (2mi) - 14:40 (7:20min/mi)
Total - 1:32:26
Ave Overall Pace - 3:51min/mi
Overall - 111/797
AG - 21/55

2006 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) - 15:12 (7:36min/mi)
T1 - 1:48
Bike (20mi) - 1:07:48 (17.7MPH), not on tri bike, on road bike with bolt-on aerobars
T2 - 1:44
Run (2mi) - 16:28 (8:14min/mi)
Total - 1:43:00
Ave Overall Pace - 4:17min/mi
Overall - 238/254
AG - 13/24

Big improvements from 2006 - 2008, flattened out after injury. I still have some work to do on the run, but I already knew that. Need more speed.

Jackie did not head down with me, so I made the drive alone. My dad did come with me to the race, which was excellent. This is the second race he has been to, but the first race he came with me. Last year he did go to the Racine 70.3. This year the weather was very decent. Cloudy, no rain, temperature was in mid-50s to low 60s. Did not seem like a lot of wind, but I did feel some out on the bike and at time is felt substantial.
I was in the 5th wave of about 14 waves going 3 minutes apart. Every year they "tweak" the run course a little. The adjustment is around the enterance and exit for the transition on the run. No big deal.
Up early, by 4AM, out of the house by 5AM, and in transition by 6:30AM. Picked up donut and coffee on the way, of course.
I did not know anyone at the race, so I setup my spot in transition spot, went on a short bike ride, and wandered around either talking to my dad or by myself.

I was in the 5th wave, so did not have to wait to long. I was a little nervous. I have been feeling more fatigued at the end of the year, more fatigue than usual, and I a little worried about my upper left hamstring that had been irritating me over the last 3-4 weeks. I took off at a decent clip and I was through the first mile in about 6:20, too fast, I was sucking wind bad. I was at the head of my wave through most of the 1st run, and got passed by one guy in the last quarter mile.
I got on the bike and took it a little slower at first. Took in some fluid and caught my breath.  Within the first 5 miles I passed the guy who passed me going into transition. No idea if this guy was in my AG or not, but at least if gave me a marker. This guy eventually passed me with 2 miles left on the bike and held a constant gap on me during the 2nd run. I later found out this guy was in my AG and beat me by 6 seconds overall. No big deal, just interesting. I congratulated him at the end of the race.
Back to the bike, I passed a lot people. There was a lot of yelling, "On your left!". One guy was riding down the middle and getting handed a bike bottle from a girl, this was new. I yelled, "On your left!" a couple of times for all our safety and got an angry "I heard you!" back.  Sorry if I irritated you, while you ride down the middle of the road (sarcasm). Anyway, the bike went pretty good, little slower than last year. No rain, but I think it was windier than last year.
I got off the bike and started running. The I mentioned earlier, who passed me in the last two miles on the bike, who I passed in the first five miles, was in front of me the whole way.  I ran faster than I thought, my legs felt cooked. I was surprised at my splits for the second run, pleasantly surprised.
After the finish I had a little to eat and drink, and then cleaned up and got out of there.
I was pretty happy with how the race went, I would like to have gone faster than 2010, but it is what it is. I was glad my dad could come and watch. It was nice to have him along for the last race of the year.
Now it is time for a break......I will probably do one or two 5Ks, or something like that, and maybe a cyclecross race

2011 Tuesday Night Time Trial Summary

2011-09-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

This year I felt pretty good about TNT. My average was up a little from 2010, the year I was recovering from injury, but down from 2008. 2008 is still my fastest year.
In 2009 I did two races late in the year and they were slower, as expected.
Below are all the results for 2011, plus the averages, and the number of races, for 2006 - 2010, for comparison.
My goal is still to hit 24MPH. To do this I am going to have to focus on my bike even more than I do, which I am not sure I have the time to do next year. I have to build strength (core and legs) and, of course, stamina (more time on the bike).
Can I get away with strength and core work in the off-season, and about the same amount of saddle time, or less in 2012, with more intensity, to get to 24MPH?

Race is always 11 miles of rolling hills.
2011 Results (5 races, missed two for work and one was rained out. First ever rain out)
West-to-East course

5/24/11 - 29:36 = 22.3MPH (65/93)
6/7/11 - 30:14 = 21.83MPH (37/62)
6/21/11 - 29:25 = 22.43MPH (18/33)
7/5/11 - 28:32 = 23.13MPH (31/52)
7/19/11 - 31:10 = 21.18MPH (41/53)

Average Time = 29:47 = Average Speed = 22.17MPH
Average Finish = 38/59

2010 Results (5 Races)
East-to-West Course

Average Time = 29:59 = Average Speed = 22.08MPH
Average Finish = 46/61

2009 Results (2 Races)
East-to-West Course

Average Time = 30:44 = Average Speed = 21.49MPH
Average Finish = 52/62

2008 Results (7 Races)
West-to-East Course

Average Time = 28:43 = Average Speed = 23.03MPH
Average Finish = 35/64

2007 Results (5 Races, First year on a tri bike)
West-to-East Course

Average Time = 30:45 = Average Speed = 21.46MPH
Average Finish = 40/52

2006 Results (2 Races, On Lemond Sarthe road bike with bolt-on aerobars)
West-to-East Course

Average Time = 34:13 = Average Speed = 19.3MPH
Average Finish = 51/52

2011 August Racing and Training Summary

2011-09-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

This month I had one duathlon (Turtleman Duathlon) and one triathlon (Maple Grove Oly). There were no Tuesday Night Time Trials. I missed the first one of the month due to work and the second one got rained out. I will put a post covering the TNT results of this year and a comparison to previous years sometime soon.

The time I spent swimming this year is lower than previous years, but it has been going well, in terms of race performance. My bike and run are lower than last year, but July and August of 2010 also include more races and Half-IMs. I am basically putting time and volume similar to 2008.

Comparison of August from Year-to-Year

Totals Since 2007 and Per Month Averages

YTD 2011 and Totals Since 2007

St. Croix Valley Triathlon (Olympic) - Last Tri of the Season

2011-09-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

2011 St. Croix Valley Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 29:00 (1:46 min/mi)
T1 - 2:22
Bike (24.8mi) - 1:10:31 (21.1MPH)
T2 - 0:51
Run (6.2mi) - 49:36 (7:59min/mi)
Total - 2:32:17
Overall - 40/103
AG (30-39) - 12/19
Overall Average Pace = 4:46 min/mi

2010 St. Croix Valley Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 28:12 (1:43 min/mi)
T1 - 1:41
Bike (24.8mi) - 1:10:49 (21MPH)
T2 - 1:31
Run (6.2mi) - 48:49 (7:51min/mi)
Total - 2:31:00
Overall - 26/103
AG (30-39) - 6/14
Overall Average Pace = 4:44 min/mi

I had a mild panic attack on the swim, it surprised me. I have not had an issue on the swim since 2008. At Waconia in 2008 the water was really rough and I thought I had no fear, well I was wrong and had my worst swim that year. I am not sure what happened on Saturday, about a quarter into the swim I just started feeling tight and I had trouble breathing. Maybe it was a combination of starting off faster/more aggressively than usual and the newness and tightness of my wetsuit. I came to a stop and took a couple deep breaths, did a little breast stroke, flipped over, did easy backstroke, and then flipped over and swam. I have no idea how much time I took, it seemed like forever. If you look at my time between this year and last year there is only about a 45 second difference. I must have really picked up after my little attack.
I will back up a little. When I left the house it looked like it had been storming, the pavement was wet and there was lightning to the north. While getting setup and ready, it looked like it might rain. It sprinkled a touch before the race. Otherwise, it did not rain during the race. It did stay cloudy until the very end. This was a good thing. It would have been hot and humid otherwise.
I did not really know anyone, I chatted briefly with Kortney (who won the women's race and was 5th overall) and Jared.
After the race a woman who swam/swims(?) at OHP chatted with me and the guy she was with, I think his name is Micah (sp?). The guys said he reads my blog, and knew my name. Hello to him if he is reading. Thanks for reading. Sorry if I was not cheerier post-race.
Once I got out of the swim I moved a little slower in transition and I took it a little easy on the bike to start off. The roads out of Hudson are terrible, so I stayed out of aerobars until out of town. Out of town the roads are pretty good. This bike course is challenging. It is not flat by any means. It varies with rollers and some short steap climbs. It does have some nice flat portions where you can get moving. I got passed near the end of the bike by one person, otherwise I did a bit of passing, which I needed to do.
On the way back in on the bike, still out of town, there was a left turn and there was a man down in the road. Laying almost in the interesection and surrounded by some people. He did not look bad at the time. As I kept going, two cop cars passed me at full throttle. Later I heard he was hit by a car. As I was cleaning up my transition spot I saw him by his car, I assumed it was him since he was on his cellphone talking about his injuries and how he felt. He did not look that bad, his face had some cuts and scrapes, and a large bandage on his leg. I thought I would mention it since I have not seen\heard many on course accidents.
I got off the bike fast, I had a transition time under a minute. I felt pretty good coming off the bike. Jerry said my name and asked me as I was leaving transition how many races I had done this year. I hand signaled 12 as I went by and he got it. With the announcement of my name and race count I got some cheers, which was nice.
This run is also challenging, I don't think it is as challenging Maple Grove, but it is one of the more challenging runs. There are some false flats, a number of climbs, and a lot of turns. The run did not go too bad. I got passed by a number of people, but that is what happens to me on the run. Next year I have to do more hill work. I get killed on runs with hills. I just don't have the strength. Both this year and last year I went under 50 minutes, which is pretty good for me off the bike. No pain in the ribs or in my left butt, which has been bothering me since Turtleman.
I was a minute+ slower this year and 14 places worse overall. If I was at my same time as last year, I am not sure I would have cracked the top 30, definitely faster competition. I think the same can be said for the 30-39 AG.
My goal was to go under two and half hours here, less so at Maple Grove. I thought I could do it here, eventhough I ran a little slower I could have done it if not for the poor swim. Oh well, I have another goal for next year. All in all I am fairly happy with how the day went. I think I came back pretty well from a crappy start.

2011 Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon Race Report

2011-09-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

2011 Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yds) - 27:26 (1:44/100yds)
T1 - 2:26
Bike (26mi) - 1:13:32 (21.2MPH)
T2 - 1:12
Run (6.2mi) - 50:15 (8:06 min/mi)
Total - 2:34:49
Overall - 44/216
AG - 9/33
Overall Pace - 4:41 min/mi

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yds) - 28:26 (1:48/100yds)
T1 - 1:57
Bike (26mi) - 1:13:14 (21.2MPH)
T2 - 0:54
Run (6.2mi) - 52:12 (8:25 min/mi)
Total - 2:37:09
Overall - 31/167
AG - 3/22
Overall Pace - 4:45 min/mi

Getting to be a little later in the season and I feel like I am losing some of that "Pop" I had earlier. I look forward to racing, but I am having some issues with motivation, especially around training. I feel like I have lost some "Pop" but I get out on the course and my times are better than last year. I was over 2 minutes faster this year than last year.
This race felt long. The swim felt long, even though I cut a minute from last year. The course was slighly different and went the opposite direction.  The bike felt long, and the run felt long.  Even though I nearly duplicated me bike time from last year, and my run time was almost 2 minutes faster. It just felt like a long day, maybe I was tired. Not sure.
Anyway, like I said, the swim felt long but there was little traffic.  Aside from feeling long, the swim went well. It was only the third race this year that I used my new wetsuit. I am still getting used to it, definitely feels different from my old QRoo suit.
My T2 time was long, still trying to figure out how to get out of the new wetsuit.
Bike was cooler and less windy than last year. Once I got to the olympic loop, at least for part of it, I was by myself.  Once I turned and started heading east, I had a few 111 athletes, and then when I got back on the shared portion there was a bunch of sprint people. The bike went well.
I did not do a flying dismount this year, too much traffic at the dismount line, so my time was a little slower.
My run was faster by nearly 2 minutes, surprisingly.  It did not feel faster, it felt more difficult than last year. It is a tough run, with a couple decent climbs and a the second lap has something of a false flat on the backside of the second loop.
So, cut 2+ minutes overall over last year. Last year I was 3rd in my AG this year 9th. Competition gets tougher all the time. Overall, I am happy. How could I not be? I cut time from last year on what I would consider a challenging course.
My ribs are still a little tender at times, but not enough to affect me. I started feeling some pain in my left glute, deep in my ass cheek, after Turtleman. I think I pulled something. The pain has been off and on, sometimes pretty painful. I felt it on Saturday, but did not affect my race.

Brian has a good race report for the sprint distance at: http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2011/08/race-result-2011-maple-grove-sprint.html
Brian also had an awesome race that day. Congratulations to him.

The pictures of me below were taken by Kerry Yndestad. I took the pictures not of me.

2011 Turtleman Duathlon Race Report

2011-08-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

This has taken me forever to get out. Late in the year, getting lazy
This is not an excuse for my performance, which I am very happy with, it is statement of fact. I was hurting a bit on race day. Why? Because the Thursday night before Turtleman I went tubing, the kind of tubing you do behind a boat, where the driver attempts to fling you off in the most painful way possible. It was the first time I had been tubing in about 20 years. I used to go a lot in high school, when I had friends with boats and family cabins in Northern Wisconsin. I was out on Lake Minnetonka on Thursday night with Jackie's family, and on a two seat tube with Jackie's cousin and her brother-in-law driving the boat. The first time I was flung off the tube I think I landed with my left arm\elbow in my ribcage and bruised, possibly cracked, a rib, or some ribs. I got the wind knocked out of me and had some pain, but kept tubing for awhile. I was in some pain that evening and the next morning at Masters, it was tough to swim and do flip turns. I was hurting, and I am actually still tender, it is more than a week later . Anyway, surprisingly, I felt little pain during the race, probably adrenaline. Hurt before the race and a lot more later in the evening, after race.
I went to packet pick-up on Friday and found that my packet could not be found. I filled out some paperwork and I got a new number. I later found out my packet was stuck to another packet and they did not see it. Since it was a numerical order on the start, I got pushed towards the back of the start.
So, on with the race. I got up and it was barely raining in South Minneapolis. On the way to Shoreview it started pouring and it was raining pretty hard when I pulled in the parking lot. I sat in the car for awhile, to finish my usual pre-race donut and coffee, and then decided to walk on down and check it out, umbrella in hand.
Before the race I talk to Cliff and Jill. One conversation we had was about the transition area setup. The run in and out were the same entrance and exit, the bike in and out were different. Bike out on the east, bike in on the west. The discussion, rationalized by Cliff, led to the decision to stay on the west side, near the run in and out, which turned out to be the best side. I also talked to Brian and relayed the discussion to him, he decide to pick the same as us. It turns out we made the best decision based on the T2 times. As always, Brian has a great race report at: http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2011/08/race-result-2011-turtleman-duathlon.html
So, before the race I got to chat it up with a few people and the rained had stopped. It was odd with less than the 200 people at the start. At one time this race had 1000 people, hopefully it can return to those days.
I started the first run off a little easy and picked up. I had never done a TT start on a run and I didn't want to go out too fast, with 22 mile bike and a 5 mile run to go.  The run is pretty flat and it felt pretty good.  There is not really too much to say about the short run, except that it was short. I passed a decent number of people on the run. In and out of transition went pretty smoothly.
I went out on the bike a little easy, took in some fluid, before getting into an aero position and hammering it out.  In the past, I had hammered the bike right off the bat, this year I have been waiting a little bit to get into the aero position. First take in some fluids and getting my head about me. It doesn't seem to have affected my bike splits much. Also, in the past, when cornering I would go through a corner and get, or stay, in the aero position.  This year, I made an effort to get out of the saddle and crank hard out of the corner and then get back in the aero. I am trying to get any speed lost going through the corner back as fast as possible.  Basically, this year I am putting more thought into how I exit corners.  I would say in the first part of this race I took the corners slower than normal. The ground was still wet and I was a little concerned with being too aggressive and going down. In the latter half of the bike I was more aggressive in through the corners.  Again, I passed a decent number of people on the bike, which feels pretty good. This bike course is flat, so it is fairly fast, as reflected by my average speed, which is my fastest average bike speed in a duathlon.
I got in and out of T2 fast. I am glad that I had the discussion with Cliff and Jill before the race. My bike placement was choice. I know this run course pretty good, this would be more 4th time running it.  Once out of the park there are 4 turns, basically you run one big block.  The first half is mostly flat, the quarter or so rolls, and the last quarter is mostly a slight uphill until you get to the finishing stretch. Usually, this run is mentally challenging, partly because of how open it is, partly because it is usually a hot sunny day and there is little shade. Luckily, it was fairly cool and cloudy. This was my fastest run time on this course, I really wanted to go under 8min/mi, but I will take what I got. The first 3 miles felt really good and I think I was on pace to go under 40 minutes, but the last 2 miles, especially the last mile, got to me.
All in all I am happy with how this race went.

This is was my fastest average bike speed in a duathlon, ever. Previously it was 21.8MPH, so I just got over my previous best. Maybe at Dousman this year I can go over 22MPH.

If this race goes back to a triathlon, I think I would be fine with that. As long as the water level is reasonable and it doesn't stink to swim in the lake. I think this race also makes a good duathlon. Either way, I will be back to this race.

2011 Turtleman Duathlon Race Results (with posted results and calculated results based on Brian's Garmin. I used calculated results from Brian's Garmin in my race log)
Run (Dist = 1.86 Garmin Dist = 1.8) = 12:50 (6:54 min/mi or 7:08 min/mi)
T1 = 1:11
Bike (Dist = 22.4 Garmin Dist = 21.18) = 57:50 (23.2 MPH or 21.97 MPH) - Either way, fastest average speed in a duathlon
Run (Dist = 4.97 Garmin Dist = 5.04) = 40:32 (8:10 min/mi or 8:02 min/mi)
Total = 1:52:59
Overall = 50/139
Age Group = 10/20
Average Pace = 3:52 min/mi or 4:02 min/mi

July 2011 Racing and Training Summary

2011-08-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

In the month of July I "triathloned" 5 times, every weekend, along with 2 Tuesday Night Time Trials. It was a full month, literally.

Year-to-Date TNT average speed = 22.17MPH
2010 average speed at this time = 21.98MPH
Skip 2009 since I was recovering from injury
2008 average speed at this time = 22.88MPH
2007 average speed at this time = 21.46MPH
Skip 2006 since I did it on a road bike and I was just starting out, ok it was 19.3MPH and I only did two of them.
I missed the first TNT of August so it is doubtful that I will bring my average above 23MPH, my average for 2008 was 23.03MPH

Highlights of July, dropping 3+ minutes on the run at Timberman from 2010, finishing 3rd in my AG at Chaska, having a good race at Twin Cities Triathlon, and winning my AG at Waseca Sprint. Low of July, crappy race at Minneman.

July Comparisons

YTD Totals and Total Since 2007

Totals and Averages Since 2007

2011 Waseca Sprint Triathlon Report - A Pleasant Surprise

2011-08-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Another early morning, up at 3AM for the second Sunday in a row. This time to drive to Waseca to do the Waseca Sprint for the first time. I was out the door about 4AM. I need time in the morning, especially when I have to drive about an hour and a half. I like to shower, have breakfast, you know, wake-up. Stopped along the way to get the required donut and coffee.

When I got there, the sun was just coming up and it was humid. There were mosquitos galore, first time for that this year.
I stopped at the Gear West tent and got my front deraileur checked out and chatted with Jared. I have mentioned in previous posts trouble I had with it, at the Twin Cities and at the last TNT. I adjusted it a little the night before Waseca and I thought it was ok, but I figured since I was early and no one was asking for Jared's help, I would get his assistance. The problem, I learned, is the cable at the bottom, where it comes out of the frame, gets clogged up with crap over time. He tried to lube it, clean it, and adjust it. It worked well during the race.
I also talked with Steve (who has a great blog and a race report at: http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2011/08/waseca-sprint-triathlon-race-report.html) on and off before the race and Kevin, the owner of Gear West who was doing the 1/3 iron distance race. I did a short bike warm-up, not much needed, it was getting hot and the humidty was already there. I wanted to check the bike and make sure all was good. All was good.

I spent most of the time down by the water. I did not wear a wetsuit, the swim was too short and the water, and air, too warm for it. I bought a brand new wetsuit this year and I have worn at two races and three times in a pool. At least it won't wear out too fast.  We had to wait about 25 minutes after the 1/3 IM distance start before the sprint start.  During that time I watched the long course and played around in the water. Tried to stay cool and relaxed.
I was in the first wave, which was 29 and under. I started next to Steve at the front. The problem with me starting at the front is that I swim pretty fast, but I don't get started very fast. So, at the start I get caught in a mass of people going fast at the start, if I start at the head, and I have to fight back through those people as I swim. Basically what happened today. No major collosions, just a lot of manuvering to get position. The swim went well, no real issues. As I got close to the finish, I realized the person next to me was Steve. He took off like a rocket to and through transition. I was a little slower.
The run up to T1 and then out of T1 to the bike mount is longish. I started out slow on the bike and took some fluid and then started hammering. I had no idea where I was in the pack, but I could see some people out in front of me. I know I am not the fastest runner, so as usual, I am going to try and hammer the bike and then let the chips fall where they may on the run. The bike course has no real steep climbs on it. Basically flat with some rollers, and it is out and back. If memory serves me correctly, I caught one guy early, then Steve, and then maybe one or two other guys. Take that back, one was a female, she is the super fast runner, and swimmer, Claire. Coming up to the turnaround I saw two guys coming back and immediately at the turnaround there were two other guys, I think. I passed those two quick after the turnaround, one of the guys came back around me, and I passed him about a mile or two out from T2. I was really trying to push it into tranistion, which I think I did.
I got through transition quick and I new immediately it was going to be a tough run. Right off the bat I was passed by two people. I knew Steve would pass me fairly fast.  My hope was to run a high 7min/mi to low 8min/mi pass. I figured that was the best I could hope for and Steve would be running low to mid 6min/mi pace, he caught me, along with Claire at about the 1 mile marker. By about a mile and half I was caught by the amazing 53 year old Charlie, who was running at a sub 6min/mi pace.  The run was a sufferfest, which was expected. Very little shade and mostly flat, some rollers near the end. The last mile or so I went back and forth with another guy, he walked and ran, I ran but still could not keep up with him. I wanted to run faster, but I just could not get my legs to go. I think a combination of the bike and heat and humidity just made it difficult.
I felt pretty good about how I finished. I was unsure of my run split. After the run I would have been happy with going 8:30 min/mi.  No results were up right away, but I figured I did okay on the day. I got passed by a lot of people on the run. I thought that last year they gave out awards in 10 year age groups, and I figured I was not going to make the top three in that range, considering who I knew was in front of me. Finally I saw the results come up and as I was walking over to the results, Steve was walking back he congratulated me for winning my age group. I was surprised, to say the least. I walked over and there it was, they had 5 year age groups and I had won mine. The age group below and above were faster, but today my age group (35-39) was right in my wheelhouse. What a pleasant surprise. So, I got to stay for awards.
During awards, Jerry announced my name and sounded a little surprised, that would make two of us.
It turned out that my bike split was the fastest in my AG and 8th fastest overall. That is basically what got me the win in my AG. The gap I put on the bike is basically the gap I won by.
So I got my first AG win ever. Hooray!
I thought this was a well run race on a fast course. I would consider doing this race again and I recommend it for someone doing a triathlon for the first time.
Waseca is my 10th race of the year, 8th triathlon plus 2 duathlons.
I have 4 races remaining, 2 duathlons and 2 triathlons.

2011 Waseca Sprint Triathlon Results
Swim (440yds) - 10:04 (2:18/100yds) I think the distance is longer, this by far the slowest split of the last two years. My "easy" pool splits are under 2min.
T1 - 1:11
Bike (14mi) - 37:47 (22 MPH) - 8th overall and 1st in AG
T2 - 0:43
Run (4.4mi) - 35:14 (8:01 min/mi)
Total - 1:24:57
Overall - 16/147
Age Group - 1/17
Overall Pace - 4:33 min/mi

1st Annual Twin Cities Triathlon by OptumHealth Performance and Shamrock's Nookie Supreme Eating Challenge Report

2011-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to challenge myself twice this Sunday. First challenge, get up and do the 1st Annual Twin Cities Triathlon, after taking Jackie to the airport at 3:30AM. Second challenge, go to Shamrock's (on West 7th in St. Paul) and complete the Nookie Supreme eating challenge. I will cover both of those challenges, first to the triathlon.
I was up at 3AM to take Jackie to the airport for her two week trip to Nicaragua, part of getting her MS for PA school. After that I came home and took care of the usual. Shower, shave, get stuff together, and head down to the race site. This would be another race where I am only getting about 4 hours of sleep going into it. I actually felt pretty good. As usual, on the way to the race I got a coffee and donut. For breakfast, at home, before leaving, I had an oatmeal bar, and yogurt with granola and frozen fruit, plus a banana.
When I got there I parked next to a couple guys I know from OHP and walked into transistion with them. The transition area is huge, and room to expand. You can see there are expectations for a much larger race.    I took a short ride to make sure the bike was ok. On Tuesday night, at the Tuesday Night Time Trial, I had trouble getting the front to shift from the small chainring to the large. I did not want this problem today. Everything was fine with the bike in warm-up, not the case on the ride......
It was a nice cool morning and the humidity was low, thankfully. After organizing my stuff and chatting with people, I got ready to get on the school bus to head to the start. It was announced that the water was 83 degrees. No wetsuit today. No worries.
Somewhat humourously (sp?), the driver of the school bus missed the drop off point and we had to come back around.  Just one of those first race issues.
The start area at the riverside is small and narrow, you could only do a TT start in such a place. I dipped my toes in and it was definitely warm. The start was about a half hour late. It was a little chilly waiting for the start. There was a lot of chatter. Finally it was announced that we would start. The starter announced that our order did not matter, since it was a TT start, so everyone just kind of lined up, with the Elites at the front.
As you can see by my 100 yard splits, the swim is fast. The current is fast. It did not feel as fast as it was, but it was fast. The swim went pretty smooth. I did make one mistake, I was swimming to close to the shore, I should have been more in the middle. I saw I was swimming close to this pier, people were yelling at us to go wide. I started to go wide, but not wide enough, and I got caught on a log, or tree, that was just under the surface. I literally got caught. I hit it, flipped on my back, and got stuck on it. A couple of people ran into me and I had a moment of panic. I settled and got off the tree and was able to keep going with no problem. I had some scrapes on my legs and one on my arm. No biggie.
I made the swim exit with no problem, I did not overshoot. I later found out that some people made the turn late and ended up having troubles getting back.
Surprisingly, my buddy Matt was waiting along the side between the swim exit and transition enterance. It was good to see someone that I know. I got in and out of transition with no problems.
The Ohio St hill was a challenge off the start, but not nearly as bad as I thought. Once up Ohio St, there as still some climbing to be done, not as steep. The bike course is challenging as a whole. The course had a number of climbs and a lot of rollers. It is a very good bike course. The road surface sucks at times, but that is what you get with a bike course in the city. I need to improve my bike handling skills and confidence, I could probably drop 2-5 minutes off my bike if I was not so worried about some of those downhills with turns at the bottom. Early in the bike, on a flat portion of the course, I guy went down on his bike. It was a left and the bike came out from under and he slid on his side. He got up quick and started going again.  I saw it coming up from behind. It shook me a for a minute and probably made me a little more hesitant through corners.
I felt surprisingly good off the bike. The run turned out to be challenging also. The run up the Wabasha bridge is decent climb, but it is nice view coming and going on the run. Once you are over the bridge you go right and immediately downhill, at the bottom of the hill you take to quick rights, and head along the river. This is actually the hard part of the course. Going out it is basically flat to a slight incline, a false flat, to a something of a defined uphill to the turnaround. It is straight as far as you can see. It is a mentally challenging run. If it was hot and humid, it would be a death march. There is no shade on the run. I would recommend at least one more water stop on the course. The run back is mostly downhill, except for the steep climb back up the Wabasha bridge. It is a tough climb at the end of the race.
It is a challenging course and I felt good finishing it. I definitely will do this race next year. I was happy with my final time and my splits.

2011 OptumHealth Performance Twin Cities Triathlon Results
Swim (2112 yards) - 19:46 (0:57/100 yards)
T1 - 1:46
Bike (25.1 mi) - 1:12:36 (20.8 MPH)
T2 - 1:06
Run (6.2 mi) - 51:19 (8:17 min/mi)
Total - 2:26:30
Overall - 51/118
AG - 8/15
Pace - 4:30 min/mi

After the race I went to Shamrock's on West 7th and met Jackie's brother, sister-in-law, and thier two kids. I had been planning throughout the week, to attempt to complete the Nookie Supreme eating challenge, but I was going to make a game time decision. The Nookie Supreme is like an oversided, and much better tasting, Big Mac. Bigger patties and better, thicker rolls. The cheese is more like a liquid cheese than melted slices. Along with eating two of those burgers, you have to eat the servings of fresh cut fries that go along with them, probably less than a pound of fries between the two combined baskets. I asked the waitress if I could start to eat one basket and decide later to order the second. That plan is acceptable. I started into the first basket, and it went quick and I was not getting full. So, I ordered the second basket. The second basket went pretty good, until I got to the last quarter of the burger. Then I started feeling it. Also, I was getting tired of eating and I was thirsty. The second burger seemed saltier and the cheese was getting to me. I did get through the whole things and initially I did not feel that bad. After I got my picture taken and my shirt, I went out to my car and sat down. Then I started feeling it. Really, really uncomfortably full. The drive home was really uncomfortable. I didn't really feel like I was going to barf, just super uncomfortable. I got home, was able to take care of cleanup, and then I get the hiccups. Then I thought I might barf. I laid down and fell asleep for two hours. When I woke up I felt much better. Still a little uncomfortable. I don't think I am ever going to do an eating challenge again. Picture below taken by Jackie's sister-in-law with my phone.

2011 Chaska Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2011-07-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

I woke up about 3:30AMish and it was raining hard, with thunder and lightning. I went back to bed until 4:30. First thing, check the weather, since it was still raining and lightning in South Minneapolis. Weather.com indicated that the storm was passing and would pass Chaska. I got ready to go. I had only about 4 hours of sleep the night before, my brother and girlfriend got into town about midnight for a weekend visit and I stayed up to greet them. Thursday night I went to the Twins game and did not get a lot of sleep, and not much good sleep. I was not expecting much today. I did get two days of rest in from working out, because I did not workout Thursday and Friday, so maybe that would help me a bit.
On the drive out it was raining pretty hard, but as I headed west and got past 494 the rain subsided. It still looked pretty nasty, but never turned into anything but a humid day. Thankfully, the sun did not come out and make it miserable.
This race turned out to be more competitive than I thought and a pleasant surprise to me.
I setup and checked out the area around transition. I had not done this race before so I wanted to get an idea of the transition enterance and exit, swim finish, and run path through and out of the park. I did a short warm-up to checkout the bike. I made a decision to go without a wetsuit. It was very humid, I was just standing there sweating before the race.

The swim is short and the time improvement with a wetstuit would be offset by the time it takes me to take it off. Also, the water temperature was in the 70s and the air was humid, so I thought no wetsuit would keep me cooler and I did not need to be overheated getting onto the bike.
The AG swim start is a time trial and I was in the last dozen or so people in the entire race field. The wait went by fast. When I got out in the water it was crowded and there was some bobbing and weaving to get around people. I took an aggressive line and I think it helped me get through pretty fast. I think I literally passed a hundred people on the swim. At least if felt that way.
I had no idea what the bike course was like. I had heard it was filled with rollers, and it is. It is a good bike course. I took the first 5 minutes or so "easy" on the bike, so I could get some fluid and get organized on the bike. I then picked up the pace and started to go hard. I felt pretty good overall. I passed one person in my AG initially, and then maybe 10-15 minutes in I was passed by a guy in my AG. He did not pull away from me like I expected. We went back and forth for awhile and then both of us were passed by a third guy in our AG. Then the three of us went back and forth. I was minding my distance so as not to draft and I believe the other two guys did the same thing. It dawned on me that I might have been racing for the top three spots in my AG. If this was the case, it was the first time for me in my racing history to be knowningly racing for a top 3 spot. I had finished 3rd in my AG twice before, but I had no idea where I was with regards to my competition. It was kind of fun to be in this position, to know where my competition was in relation to me.
I think the other two guys knew the course, because within the last 2-5 miles they took off on me, one guy took off, and then a little later the other one did.
Into transition I was only a little behind one of the guys, the other guy was out of sight. I passed the guy in sight at the first water stop, so briefly I was in 2nd in my AG. I started the steep hill and long hill at the beginning of the run. It is the longest and steepest hill I have encountered in a race, I think. I could see the guy who was 1st in my AG running up the hill. Not long after I started the hill, the guy I passed, passed me. I was in 3rd in my AG. As we progressed up the hill, I started making ground on the guy who was in 1st and the guy in front of me was also making ground. As we got to the top of the hill and onto the flat portion I could see I was making time catching the lead guy and so was second place. By the time we started to head downhill, about a mile out, the guy in 2nd was now in 1st and I was moving on the guy now in 2nd. On the steep downhill in to the finish, I passed the guy in 2nd, I was not going to catch 1st. I was hurting, in a good way, and my legs were starting to feel like they were not going to give me much more. I was not sure I how much space I had put on the guy I passed, apparently it was not enough. With the finish in sight, he sprinted by, cheering me on to stay with him. Props to him for being a good competitor and looking to have some fun. I tried to turn it on to stay up with him, but my legs would not have it. I think I used to much to catch him. I could not get them to sprint enough to catch or stay up with him. Should I have stayed on his tail or matched him to the finish for a sprint? Maybe. You have to race your race at the time.
In the end, I lost 2nd place by 13 seconds and first by 40 seconds. In a race that has 4 sections, swim, bike, run, and transition there are many areas that I could have taken that 13 seconds back, and 40 seconds, for that matter.
After the finish I congratulated both guys on a great race. It was a lot of fun.
It was a great race and I put up my fastest 3.1mi/3mi pace and one of my fastest run paces of all time.
Unfortunately, this is one of the only races where only 1st and 2nd get trophies. That is a little disappointing. It is always nice to get hardware. Again, I am super happy with my race and the race as a whole.
It is a challenging course, reminds of the Eau Claire triathlon course in many ways. Both have short swims, rolling bike course, and challenging runs. My average speed on both bike course was the same.
As I understand it, if I do this race next year I will be an "Elite" because my race time this year is under 1:25. Not sure I will do it next year, but if I do it, being put into the "Elite" wave would be interesting.

2011 Chaska Triathlon Results
Swim (587yards) - 9:40 (1:46/100 yards) no wetsuit
T1 - 1:32
Bike (16mi) - 44:33 (21.5MPH)
T2 - 0:56
Run (3.1mi) - 22:49 (7:22 min/mi) - Fastest 3.1mi/3mi pace off the bike, fastest pace for run greater than 3 miles
Total - 1:19:29
Overall - 21/259
AG - 3/18
Overall Pace - 4:06 min/mi

Next weekend will be the first annual OptumHealth Performace Twin Cities triathlon. It will have the Mississippi swim and the run through downtown Saint Paul. It should be a very interesting race.

2011 Timberman Triathlon Race Report

2011-07-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

One of the few out-of-town races this year is about three and half hours north in Grand Rapids, MN. I did this race last year for the first time. It is a very challenging course.
We stayed at the Country Inn in Grand Rapids. The room was a non-smoking room, but it had that stale smell. It was either a smoking room at one time, or someone smoked in it, either way, it smelled bad. Also, the room was an ice box, surprisingly the a/c worked better than most hotel rooms. Had to leave the a/c on all night to keep the air moving so it would not get so stale. The room was freezing. I don't think Jackie or I slept that well the night before the race.
I forgot my wetsuit. First time for everything. The night before and the morning of, I was a little worried. I knew I could do it without a wetsuit. I was a little worried about how much slower I would be and how it would affect my run and bike. Well, I was only 38 seconds slower on the swim than last year, so not having a wetsuit did not harm me that much. I also had a slightly faster average bike speed (bike was a mile shorter than last year) and a faster run.
Got up in the morning, took care of business, ate breakfast in the room, and then headed out. It was sprinkling on and off, it seemed like it might be ok. Setup transition, hung out, and went for a short warm-up ride. I headed down to the water for a warmup swim and it started to rain, then started to pour, and then about start time it backed off a little. The swim start is in the water and higher than knee deep. The start line is wide, which is nice, not too much crowding. The start went off well, and then probably about 5 minutes into the swim it started to pour. It rained hard. It rained the whole rest of the swim, through transition, and through some of the bike. The air temp was low 60s and the water temp was low 70s. The water felt good and I was not cold during the swim. Actually, pretty comfortable on the bike too.

Transition was easier without a wetsuit, but the soaking socks made getting them on much more difficult. My shoes had puddles in them.
It rained on and off during the bike. There was a nasty headwind at times on the bike. Timberman has a very challenging bike course, with rolling hills and a couple steep climbs. There are also some pretty fast downhills. It makes for a very interesting bike. One of the few bike courses that I shift into the smallest front chainring and get out of the saddle a few times during the bike.
No rain on the run, but my shoes were soaked from the rain and my socks were still wet. The run that is a mix of asphalt and gravel. There are some hills on the run, both on the asphalt portion and gravel. There was no sun on the run, thankfully. It was warm and humid, if the sun came out it would have been hot and miserable, like in 2010. I attribute my faster run partly to the cooler weather. I am really happy with my run. It was a painful run, not the kind of pain that is bad, but "good" pain. I felt like I was sucking wind the whole time, but, of course, made it through.
Timberman went better than Minneman. Timberman is longer and much more challenging than Minneman and I would say I had a much better race at Timberman. Not sure what happened last week at Minneman, I guess I was just tired. Next week I will head to Chaska to do the sprint triathlon there for the first time.

2010 Timberman Race Results
Swim (1760 yards) - 23:41 (1:21/100yards)
T1 - 1:54
Bike (23.8 mi) - 1:10:01 (20.4 MPH)
T2 - 1:56
Run (6 mi) - 51:50 (8:39 min/mi)
Total - 2:29:20
Overall - 60/122
AG - 7/13
Overall Pace - 4:51 min/mi

2011 Timberman Race Results
Swim (1760 yards) - 24:19 (1:23/100yards) - No wetsuit, forgot wetsuit, but only 38 seconds slower than last year
T1 - 1:44
Bike (22.9 mi) - 1:06:41 (20.6 MPH) - Shorten bike course a little less than a mile due to road construction, a hair faster on average speed
T2 - 1:26
Run (6 mi) - 48:34 (8:06 min/mi) - much faster run!
Total - 2:22:43
Overall - 45/115
AG - 8/16
Overall Pace - 4:46 min/mi

2011 OptumHealth Performance Minneman Race Report

2011-07-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

The weather was fantastic, could not ask for a better day. The course is short and flat, could not ask for a better course to have PR splits. The race was very well run and things appeared to go off perfectly.

I had a performance I was not particularly happy with. I did finish 5th, out of 28th, in my AG, which is pretty good. Of my three attempts at Minneman, this was my slowest. It was my slowest 5K/3mi off the bike since early 2009 and my bike was ok.
I just could not turn over my legs. I felt tired before I even got out there. Not sure what happened.
It was a good day and I am glad I could get out there. I am not really that unhappy, just slightly disappointed that I could not get moving that day.
As usual, I had my coffee and donut on the way there and I got there early. I got to chat up with some people and, as usual, it was great to do that. It was great to see people before, during, and after that I know.
I have a new OptumHealth Performance tri kit for this race and it is a good kit. It fits well and is comfortable. I will probably be wearing it again. It is a two-piece kit, I would prefer a one piece, but it fits and it is comfortable, so it will do.

Even if I had gone my fastest, I still would not have cracked the top 3. My AG was just too fast.

2011 Minneman Race Results
Swim (587 yards) - 8:20 (1:35/100yds)
T1 - 2:51
Bike (13mi) - 36:15 (21.5MPH)
T2 - 1:10
Run (3mi) - 24:30 (8:10 min/mi)
Total - 1:13:03
Overall - 68/342
AG - 5/28
Pace - 4:29 min/mi

2010 Minneman Race Results
Swim (587 yards) - 6:54 (1:19/100yds)
T1 - 2:15
Bike (13mi) - 34:57 (22.3MPH)
T2 - 1:30
Run (3mi) - 23:54 (7:58 min/mi)
Total - 1:09:29
Overall - 60/414
AG - 6/19
Pace - 4:16 min/mi

Injured in 2009 and could not race

2008 Minneman Race Results
Swim (587yds) - 10:19 (1:58/100yds)
T1 - 2:27
Bike (13mi) - 35:01 (22.3MPH)
T2 - 1:16
Run (3mi) - 22:32 (7:31 min/mi)
Total - 1:11:46
Overall - 35/350
AG - 3/30 (First podium finish)
Pace - 4:24 min/mi

Brian Keith Maas has a great write up of the race at his blog at:
http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2011/07/race-result-2011-minneman-triathlon.html

As an aside, at this week's Tuesday Night Time Trial I had my fastest TT of the year. It was my fastest time of the year by 30 seconds, which is huge. I got a flat before the race and was lent a wheel, Zipp 1080, by fellow racer Jey Carlson. So, I did not run a disc. Am I faster without a disc? Am I faster after 3 days of picnics and beer? Was it 3 nights in a row of 8+ hours of sleep? Something I probably have not gotten since I was in Mexico for vacation earlier this year. Was it a slight tailwind? I am going to do my next couple races and my next couple T'N'Ts on 808s and see what happens.

June 2011 Racing and Training Summary

2011-07-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

This June I was a little light on the swimming. I was having trouble getting up to swim the morning after Tuesday Night Time Trials. The last time I swam less than 20,000 yards in a month was Feb'09. I had a couple other days were I just had trouble getting out of bed. Bike was over 10 hours and pretty intense, since it includes TNT and races. I added a snapshot of each month, starting in Feb, for 2011. I am averaging 25+ hours a month, which seems pretty good to me. Overall I am feeling pretty good about things.
This month there were two TNTs and two triathlons. I had my fastest time of the year so far at the second one of the month. Still off my fastest ever, set in '08, by more than 1 MPH. That seems so strange to me that I am that far off. Maybe later in the year it will pickup.
At the Eau Claire Sprint I had my fastest 5K off the bike, 23:14 (7:30min/mi), on a challenging course. That was a good sign.
At Lake Waconia I had a course PR by 3min. The swim was as fast as last year, the bike was a hair faster than '08, and on the run I finally went under 8min/mi, 7:54min/mi,. on probably one of the most challenging run courses around. Another good sign.

TNT Results (11miles) for June 2011
6/7/2011 (over 100 degrees at race time) -30:14 = 21.83 MPH
6/21/2011 - 29:25 = 22.43 MPH

For comparison, TNT Results in 2008 (both over 23MPH) and 2010 in June
6/10/08 - 28:40 = 23.02 MPH
6/24/08 - 28:14 = 23.38 MPH

6/8/10 - 29:55 = 22.06 MPH

2011 Month-to-Month Starting in Feb

June Comparisons Since 2007

Since 2007 Totals and Averages

Since 2007 and YTD Totals for 2011

July should be interesting with four (4) triathlons and two (2) TNTs.

2011 Lake Waconia Triathlon Race Report

2011-06-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

The day before this race I felt pretty fatigued and kind of icky. So, I was not sure how race day would go. I woke up on race day and felt tired, but better than the day before. Not sure what was up with Saturday.
As always, on the way to the race I get a coffee and a donut, which I love.
Jackie was with me this morning, which was great. She read and then went to her friend's house while I was getting ready. She came back with her friend and her friend's kids, which was great. Always good to have more people watching.

The weather was cool and cloudy, but not windy in away that would cause waves. Waves have really caused issues with the swim in the past. Not today. It was good race weather.

There were a lot of people I knew at this race and it was great to see all of them and have some time to chat before and after.

On with the race.....
My swim was slower than expected, or would have liked, and I am not sure why. It felt good, I did not feel like I was pushing it too hard, but I did not feel like I was taking it easy. I like the TT start, but it does not have the same intensity as a wave start. That being the case, I don't think I start with the same intensity and continue to swim with the same intensity. At any rate, I had a good swim. The water was calm and cool, the conditions could not have been better.

I was slow through T1. Still getting used to getting out of new wetsuit, also put on my socks.

The bike course is rolling (read somewhat hilly). I did not remember this. No biggie. I was a tenth of mph faster than last year. There was some tailwind out and some headwind on the way in. It rained a little along the way. Aside from the wind, the conditions were good. The road conditions were good and there were plenty of volunteers (Thank You).

I was pretty decent getting out of T2, no flying dismount. Did not feel comfortable.

This run is tough, basically the first 3/4 mile is uphill, and then the run rolls up and down the rest of the way. The good thing is the last mile is mostly downhill, except that slight uphill coming in. In my previous two attempts on this course I could not go under 8 min/mi, this day I was able to. Hooray!

I was extremely happy with my results for this race and felt really good afterwards. I dropped 3 minutes from my previous best in 2008 and I did it on the run, which is a really good sign for me. It means I might be getting my run speed back. Also, I had the run speed, while still getting a good bike split out of it.

The picture of me below is courtesy of Nick Morales

2008 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 24:33 (2:48/100 yards), very wavy, catastrophically bad swim
T1 - 2:34
Bike (24mi, not distance in 2010 and 2011) - 1:07:57 (21.2MPH)
T2 - 1:35
Run (4mi) - 32:09 (8:03/mi)
Total - 2:08:45
Overall - 188/431
AG - 22/38
Overall Pace - 4:31/mi (total time/total distance)

Injured in 2009, Jackie and I volunteered and did traffic control on top of cemetary hill

2010 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 15:04 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 - 1:43
Bike (20mi, shortened from 2008) - 54:20 (22.1 MPH)
T2 - 1:46
Run (4mi) - 34:21 (8:36/mi)
Total - 1:47:10
Overall - 129/361
AG - 12/30
Pace - 4:22/mi

2011 Lake Waconia Results
Swim (880 yards) - 15:11 (1:44/100 yards)
T1 - 2:15
Bike (20mi) - 54:02 (22.2 MPH)
T2 - 1:07
Run (4mi) - 31:35 (7:54/mi) - Hooray! under 8min/mi!
Total - 1:44:09
Overall - 90/315
AG - 11/26

2011 Eau Claire Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2011-06-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of racing options this past weekend, Liberty (Oly and Half), Trinona (Sprint and Oly), and the OptumHealth Manitou Sprint Triathlon. Last year I did Manitou, this year I decided to go back to my "home town" (I went to high school and undergrad) to do thier 2nd annual sprint triathlon.

As usual, I showed up early, I think I was fourth in transition. The between bike spacing was good, the between rack spacing was tight. The transition area was long and a bit narrow. The bike in and out were at the same end, the in from the swim and the run out were the same end. Initially, I was unsure of the space in transition, but it actually worked out well enough.
It was a cool race morning, a couple hours before race time it was 40 degrees and foggy, by race time it was over 50 and it was sunny, still cool, but not bad. The water was perfect temperature for a wetsuit swim, the water was glass, and there were no weeds. Nice. The swim course is only about a third of a mile, has a inverted triangle-like shape and is tight at the start and finish.  There are only 4 waves and they are 3 minutes apart, so everyone was out on the course fast. I was in the second wave, 30 and over.
Brett Lovaas was racing and I am a much slower swimmer than him, still I decide to get in behind him and
try to get some "pull". It did not work too well. We were all crammed in, and at the start the guy next to Brett fell in behind him and I got knocked around alot to the first turn. I had a decent swim time, but it felt kind of rough. There was a lot of knocking around going on. The swim is too short to get people to spread out. Also, I was wearing a brand new wetsuit, which I really like and I have worn in the pool a few times, but it felt especially tight this morning. Anyway, I made it through the swim and I am pretty happy with my time.
Out of the water it is an uphill run to transition. Thankfully, they put mats down all the way from the water up to the transition, which was really nice. The run uphill was probably a couple hundred feet and a decent grade on rocky pavement.
Once in transition I struggled to get out of the new wetsuit and get on socks and shoes, but out of T1 I did go, and the time out was not too bad.
There is a significant climb out of transition, then you ride through some neighborhoods, and then out into rural area. It is probably 2-3 miles until you are out of town. When you get out to the rural area it is fairly flat, except for a few decent climbs. Not a flat course by any means, but not nearly as hilly as GW Du. There was some wind coming back in, but nothing too bad. The course was well marked and had sufficient volunteers. I would say that for a sprint course the bike is challenging.  Most of the sprints races I have done around here are flatter.
I did my first flying dismount of the year, got out my shoes successfully, and dismounted successfully, except I kicked my left shoe off the pedal, and had to stop to pick it up. My T2 was the fastest, I think, I have ever recorded. Got the new shoes on quick and ran out.
The run out is pancake flat. More than a half mile in there is a significant uphill into Carson Park, the main park in the city where most of the run takes place. Once you crest the hill and get in the park, it rolls gently, and there is two short, steep climbs. One of the more challenging runs I have encountered in a sprint. The run through the park is really nice. At about the half way mark you are on a bluff and can overlook the water and the swim start/finish, which is pretty cool. Good location for a run. The good thing is, you go out of the park the same way you came in so you get a downhill to the flat. The last half mile or so is a flat run in, so if you have anything left you can go all out.
That run was my fastest 5k, and splits, off the bike, by about 3 seconds for 3.1 miles, on much more difficult course than my previous best. My previous best was 2008 MinneMan, which is a much flatter run.
Brett Lovaas won the race and broke the course record by about 2 minutes. Nice job Brett.
Two critiques/complaints/suggestions, the food at the end was a little lacking. Apples, bananas, orange, granola bars, and plain bagels. To drink, two Gatorade choices, water, and about a half dozen choices for soda. They could add a little more flavor to the food choices. The other thing is they did not have music or an announcer while people were in transition. Almost every race I have been to has someone doing announcements, music playing, etc. It is strange to have nothing until about 10 minutes before start.
One more thing, they had age groups setup in 10 year (30-39 for example), it would be nice if they switched to the standard AG interval.

Hopefully they continue this race, it is a very good course, and overall everything went smoothly. The race had plenty of volunteers and they did a very good job. I would recommend this race.

2011 Eau Claire Sprint Traithlon Results
Swim (547 yards = 500 meters) = 8:24 (1:33min/100yards)
T1: 1:41
Bike (17mi) = 47:29 (21.5MPH)
T2: 0:45
Run (3.1mi) = 23:14 (7:30 min/mi)
Total = 1:21:30
Overall = 33 out of 192
AG (30-39) = 6 out of 26

May 2011 Training Summary

2011-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

I did one TT, one triathlon, and two duathlons and they are all included in my May summary.

This May I did one Tuesday Night Time (T'N'T) Trial and I was happy with it, considering it was two days after Gear West Duathlon. Here is the result from this May, plus some results from past May TTs for comparison. First TNT of 2011 is the fastest. Good sign?

2011 First (5/24) TNT Result - 29:36 = 22.3MPH
2010 First (5/11) TNT Result - 31:32 = 20.93MPH
2009 First (8/4) TNT Result - 31:22 = 21.04MPH
2008 First (5/13) TNT Result - 29:38 = 22.26MPH
2007 First (5/8) TNT Result - 30:33 = 21.59MPH (first with tri bike)
2006 First (5/6) TNT Result - 34:46 = 18.98MPH (Road bike with aerobars)

I posted my results for St. Anthony's Triathlon, Gear West Duathlon, and Apple Duathlon. I was happy with all three races.

Only did about 15 minutes of arm strength work for the whole month of May.

Comparison of May Training Data

Data Since 2007 and Monthly Averages

Data Since 2007 and 2011 Year-to-Date

2011 Apple Duathlon Race Report - A New PR

2011-05-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

First, I will list my previous times and my time for this year and then I will go into a race report.

2007 Apple Duathlon
Run (3.1mi) - 23:41 (7:38 min/mi)
T1 - 1:19
Bike (20.5) - 1:02:07 (19.8MPH)
T2 - 1:14
Run (3.1mi) - 25:35 (8:15 min/mi)
Total - 1:53:45
Overall - 135/255
AG - 14/23
Time/Distance - 4:21 min/mi (I do this metric for all races in my spreadsheet. I divide the total time by the distance to get an idea of my min/mi for the whole race. If a course changes somewhat from year to year, Gear West this year for example, I can still get a comparison for year to year. I don't always post this metric, but I will start now.)

2008 Apple Duathlon

Run (3.1mi) - 22:11 (7:09 min/mi)
T1 - 0:59
Bike (20.5) - 1:00:22 (20.4MPH)
T2 - 0:56
Run (3.1mi) - 24:14 (7:48 min/mi)
Total - 1:48:41
Overall - 100/261
AG - 10/26
Time/Distance - 4:04 min/mi

2009 Apple Duathlon - Injured, but volunteered

2010 Apple Duathlon (Intentionally took the run easy, recovering from injury)

Run (3.1mi) - 26:49 (8:38 min/mi)
T1 - 0:58
Bike (20.5) - 57:42 (21.3MPH)
T2 - 1:24
Run (3.1mi) - 29:10 (9:24 min/mi)
Total - 1:56:01
Overall - 117/238
AG - 16/31
Time/Distance - 4:21 min/mi

2011 Apple Duathlon

Run (3.1mi) - 22:55 (7:23 min/mi)
T1 - 0:59
Bike (20.5) - 58:31 (21MPH)
T2 - 0:53
Run (3.1mi) - 24:56 (8:02 min/mi)
Total - 1:53:45
Overall - 83/226
AG - 15/34
Time/Distance - 4:03 min/mi

In 2011 I bested my 2008 best by about 29 seconds. Run was slower, bike was faster.

The night before I had dinner from Noodles & Company, Pasta Fresca with Chicken and Parma (Yum), and I ate it fast for some reason. Also, I have mild sleep apnea and I have been sleeping with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) device for about 6 years on and off. I woke up a little before feeling pretty crappy. Occasionally, something goes wrong with how I am sleeping with the CPAP and I end up with cramps in my GI area, I think I get air in my GI tract or something. Anyway, I had cramps in my middle and lower GI and just felt ick. Between breakfast and the hour + drive things cleared up pretty well. Thankfully. I still felt a little ick, nausea, at the start and throughout the race, but nothing that I could not deal with.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day, nearly perfect. Blue sky and sun. I got there early, as usual, and could take my time. Chatted a little with people, warmed up on the bike and ran a little. The bike felt cold during warmup, that would not be the case during the race.
At the start, Jerry made a comment regarding my shaved head, as always, very nice.
My plan was to not hammer up the first hill during the start, and then on the downside pick it up, which I did. This is a pavement run and mostly flat which makes it a pretty fast run. I felt pretty good on the first run. I was surprised how warm I got. I was sweating really good at the end.
I took the hill out of transition easy and took some fluid. Once over the hill I got in the aerobars and began to go harder. If memory serves me, there are a couple of climbs where I typically get out of the aerobars. There are a couple of nice low grade downhills where you can get really going. Not steep downhills, but longish and flat to slightly downhill. I started getting passed by the guys over 40 about the half way mark, and Erik Hull passed me in the last couple miles (He had a great race and had a podium finish in his AG). Typically, the bike has a head wind on the 9ish miles back along the river. Today the head wind was not that bad, it was still there and causing some pain, but not as bad as in the past.
I coming off the bike I felt pretty good. I saw Erik coming out of the transition and tried to stay on him, but I could not. I took the hill out easy, and then pushed the downhill and flat. I was not feeling too bad, once I turned the corner on the course backside, which is a low-grade uphill, I started feeling it. I slowed on the backside and started to struggle a bit. By the time I turned the corner to head uphill to the finish line, I could feel my legs begging to stop. I was cooked coming into the finish. I would say I pushed myself pretty hard.
At the finish there was pizza, good pizza, buffalo and bbq wings, plus some fruit and cookies. The pizza and wings tasted surprisingly good. I had chance to chat with a few people after the race, which is always nice.
I am extremely happy with my race. I am surprised I was able to get a PR, with the slower run than 2008. I don't think there is anything I could have done differently on this day. It was a nearly perfect day for a race and a great race. Not much you can ask for.
I was racing on new shoes. Shoes I bought last weekend and had put about 40 minutes of running on. The shoes are Saucony Kinvara (http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/staticpage?CID=Print-Kinvara&content=Kinvara_saucony). They are good shoes, so far I really like them. Three people asked me about them, without prompting, which is unusual to be asked about shoes. All of them said they heard good things about them. That is good to hear.

As always, Steve has a fine race report at his blog: http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2011/05/apple-duathlon-race-report.html

I am sure Keith will have one up soon at: http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/

Both of these guys had great races, especially Steve who finished 2nd in his AG.

My next race is not for two weeks, it will be my second triathlon of the year at the 2nd Annual Eau Claire Triathlon. That should be a very interesting race.

2011 Gear West Duathlon Report

2011-05-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

The weather cooperated on Sunday for the few hours we needed to do the race. There was no rain before, during (caught a couple drops on the bike, nothing major), or immediately after (around the time awards started it was a different story). I knew going in, without seeing the course ahead of time, the run would be muddy, how muddy is the question. The answer, muddy enough.
As usual, I got there early, about the time transistion opened. Setup, chatted, warmed up on bike and run, listened to pre-race annoucements (where it was annouced the course had been changed and we now had to run a loop of the track at the end of each run), and went to the start.  I started in the 5th wave, waves are two minutes apart.
I felt pretty good this morning, my plan was to run hard, but leave some in the tank so I could get a good bike and second run in.  As I have mentioned before, I have not been running as much this year, or as intensely.
I had my Timex IM with GPS on, so I could get an idea of pace and bike speed.  When my wave started I took off at a pretty good clip, for me, in the 7 min/mi pace and it felt pretty good. I was actually going to start slower. No worries, I was slowed, by the course. Except for the first part, most of it is on grass or trail, which was now wet grass or mud of varying degree, which helped slow me down.  It was going pretty well, until I got to the backend where you go into the woods for a bit. There was a HUGE mud puddle/hole, guy in front of me went down, and I went party way down, up to me knee on the left side. I was able to get back going again. My coworker, and fellow triathlete, Tim, was near me the whole first run and that helped move me along.
I was soaked pretty good and covered with mud after the first run, but didn't care, it felt good.
There is not much to say about the bike. It is a hilly course, there was a decent headwind at times, and I was back-and-forth with a couple riders a different points. It felt pretty good, overall. Toward the end I felt myself getting a little lazy with my pedal stroke and had to get my head back in the game. Otherwise, it went pretty well.
I got into T2 feeling pretty good. Started the run off pretty fast.  As I was leaving T2 I heard the announcer, and coworker at OHP, Kris Swarthout, say my name and ask everyone to give me a hand. That was nice of him.
I pushed hard out of T2, and that held for the first half mile or so, then I slowed. My lack of running caught up with me, I still posted a time I am happy with, and a second run time that is my fastest at this duathlon. Surprise! I picked my footing a little safer on the second run, so I did not go down like the first.
I was pretty exhausted when I finished. This is a difficult race, in good conditions, even more so in less than ideal. The picture of me below was taken by Nick Morales. I took the picture of my shoes. They are basically destoryed. I got a new pair, belated BDay present from Jackie, the day before.

I saw my times, and my time for the first run was abnormally fast for a 5K in these conditions. When checking the results online they corrected the distance to 2.8 miles. The first time then made sense.
If you extrapolate my time to the usual course distance I would have set a PR, so let us call the race a PR day and be even happier about it. I like that idea.
I biked almost the exact same split as last year and last year I jogged the run in better conditions. I would say I am in pretty good bike shape this year, and overall shape. Yeah for me!

2011 Gear West Duathlon Results
Run (2.8mi) - 22:33 (7:59 min/mi)
T1 - 1:12
Bike (17mi) - 48:52 (20.9MPH)
T2 - 1:06
Run (2.5mi) - 21:16 (8:29 min/mi)
Total - 1:34:58
AG - 14/31
Overall - 129/321

Big thanks to Gear West and volunteers for a great race, as always.
Next Sat, 5/28, is the Apple Duathlon. A faster run course and, typically, a windy bike course than the GW Du

Rev3 Triathlon in Wi Dells in August 2012

2011-05-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

This is very cool news. Rev3 is going to hold an Oly and Half-IM starting in August 2012 in Wi Dells.
Sweet. I think this will be one to do
http://rev3tri.com/news/revolution3-triathlon-announces-new-2012-race-at-wisconsin-dells/

2011 Gear West Duathlon - Pre Race Thoughts

2011-05-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

I consider this a tough race. Why? The run course is similar to a high school cross country course. It is mostly on grass and there are a lot of ups and downs, the worst being the hill coming into the transition/finish line. It is a short, steep hill. The bike course is not very flat. Your legs get pounded and then you have to run the same course, again. The race is early in the year, at least for me, so I am not in the best of shape. Also, the weather can be iffy. It can be cold and raining, warm and sunny, cold and dry, etc. You can never tell this time of year in MN.
This was the first multi-sport race I did after deciding to give duathlons a try. I did the race in 2006 without a lot of training and on a road bike, with clip-on aerobars. I was probably about 40lbs heavier, if not more, than I am now. I was ill prepared for the race, but I finished it, along with a number of other duathlons that year, and I continue to come back for more. 2006 through 2008 I made huge performance improvements, partly due to training and partly due to better equipment.
It is a good race to test yourself early in the year.
Last year, I was coming off a stress fracture so I intentionally took the run easy. This year, I have not gotten the running in I would like, but I am going to go harder than last year. It will be interesting to see how I compare to last year, and 2008, which is my fastest year.
Below are my results for the last 4 years, see how I match up this Sunday

2006 Gear West Duathlon Results
Run 1 (3.1mi) - 27:49 (8:58)
T1 - 3:18
Bike (17 mi) - 60:37 (16.8MPH, ugh slow)
T2 - 2:25
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 26:59 (10:47, I think I ended up walking a little)
Total - 2:01:08
AG - 43 out of 44 (Not Last Place!)
Overall - 315 out of 353

2007 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 24:29 (7:54)
T1 - 1:42
Bike (17 mi) - 53:56 (19MPH, eh)
T2 - 1:29
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 23:15 (9:18, still problems with that second run)
Total - 1:44:29
AG - 39 out of 45
Overall - 201 out of 342

2008 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 23:58 (7:44)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17 mi) - 49:40 (20.5MPH, this is better)
T2 - 1:16
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 22:17 (8:54, finally under 9 min/mi)
Total - 1:38:24
AG - 26 out of 44
Overall - 151 out of 410

2010 Gear West Duathlon Results

Run 1 (3.1mi) - 27:57 (9:19)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17 mi) - 48:41 (21MPH, I would love to do this in 2011. With a faster run)
T2 - 1:47
Run 2 (2.5mi) - 25:42 (9:42)
Total - 1:45:19
AG - 38 out of 63 (New AG since 2008, now 35-49)
Overall - 200 out of 380

Additional St. Anthony's Triathlon Comment

2011-05-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention something about this race, the packet pick-up process and bike drop-off.
Honestly, for a race this size, it is smooth and fast. I have been to races much smaller and it has taken too long to do packet pick-up. Bike drop-off, is also easy and fast. Get your packet, quick, walk down to transistion, find number, rack bike, and walk out. Done.
Soon I am going to post some random pictures I took before and after the race. I am not going to buy the packet of race pictures, too expensive. I think there is 9 pictures in the packet and it would cost my 55 buck, or something like that. There are a few pictures I like, and there is one pick of the jerk drafting off me.

2011 St. Anthony's Triathlon Race Report

2011-05-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is my 4th consecutive year at St. Anthony's, in Saint Petersburg, FL. I say "at" because in 2009 I was diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture the week before leaving for the race. I went anyway and planned to swim, bike, and dropout. That year, 2009, the swim was cancelled for everyone but the Pros, so I did the bike and dropped out. Not terribly satisfying, but better than nothing.
In 2010, I had not started jogging until Jan, after taking about 8 months off doing any running. Still biking, swimming, some water jogging, and strength.  Having not really run for almost a year, I went knowing I was not going to really run the run. I swam hard, bike hard, and then jogged the run. I felt pretty good about the whole thing.
Coming into this year, I have been swimming a lot, and fairly hard, and biking a lot, and fairly hard. In fact, April 2011 was the most time I had put in on the bike since I started keeping track of my training in April 2007 (As a side note, my first season was 2006 and was 5 duathlons).
I did not have any real goals going into the race. I try not to for the first race of the year. I just hoped to go hard and get a feeling of where I am at.  At this time of the year, what I am most curious about is where I am in terms of stressing my body. How will I react, physically, mentally, and emotionally transitioning from swim to bike and bike to run, and attempting to go at a race pace this early in the year.
The day of the race, the air temperature felt warm, but the wind was coming off the water and made it feel cooler. As I do for every race, I arrived early. As expected, it was a non-wetsuit race, the measured water temperature was 78.5. The unexpected announcement, the swim course was moved. Start and finish moved, and the entire thing was shortened from the standard 1.5km to 1km. The course moved north of the transition to a beach start and finish in an area with less waves. Apparently, a reef provided some protection from the waves. The usual swim course has a beach start, goes along a pier, turns north, comes back and finishes at the sea wall with a metal staircase as the finish. The fear was that the high winds, causing waves, would push swimmers into the seawall and then the waves would just make the swim very difficult. The new location had the swim closer to the shore and a beach start and finish. While waiting to start (I had about an hour and half plus wait for my start) the announcer stressed how they went over many options, including no swim, and this was what they felt was the best option. I agree, I would rather have shortened swim then no swim at all.  Another hitch with the new swim location, is that the transition was now about a third of a mile run from the swim finish to the transition area. The run was on the cement bike/run path along the shoreline.   The shorter swim, plus the longer run, added a new dynamic to the race.
I took a fairly non-aggressive position for the swim start, a few rows back and on the left side, the turn bouy being on the right. I felt it was a good position to start from to avoid the log jam at the turn. I think I made a good decision. The first turn was close to the start and it jammed up. I made a pretty clean, but wide turn. All-in-all the waves were not that bad, for most of the swim they were going left to right across my body. I have a decent abrasive, and a little painful, mark under my arm, near my armpit. I assume this was from left arm rubbing against my side as the waves pushed me on that side.
The swim went pretty good, the long run to T1 sucked, but it did not suck as bad as I thought. I thought it would be more painful and I would be more winded. Surprisingly, I was not. Once there I got in my bike stuff and took off on the bike.
I started out a little easy and built up. Took some fluids in and got comfortable. The course has a lot of direction changes, which is good when it is a windy day. It means that you are not spending too much time with headwind, as opposed to an out-and-back course where you might get a tailwind for half and a headwind for half. The course is mostly flat, there are no steep uphills, mostly inclines one would call "false flats".
The biggest irritation of the day was the number of people in my AG, clearly drafting. To top it all off, there was a guy on a brand new Trek Speed Concept who drafted off me for at 10-15 minutes coming into T2.   I sped up and I slowed down, and he just stayed on my wheel. To top all that off, as he passed me going into the final stretch before T2, he thanked me for pulling him. What an a-hole.  The most I could muster at the time was a, "Not cool". Interestingly enough, he got into T2 before me and left after me, and did not pass me on the run. After the turnaround, he was at least a good few minutes behind me. If you are going to cheat (draft), at least pass me on the run. Come on?! What was your cheating good for if you can't pass me on the run?
Anyway, the bike split was my fastest split on this course in my 4 attempts.  Almost exactly the same as 2009, when there was no swim and I had fresh legs.
The run is flat, and it was hot and humid and my legs felt pretty tired. I could not turn them over like I so badly wanted to.  I am guessing this is due to a lack of brick work and a lack of speed work. All-in-all I was pretty happy with my run, all things considered.  The month of May will be speed work and brick work month..
I crossed the finish line pretty exhausted. I was overheating and thought I would vomit. Thankfully, I did not. I could not stomach much food in the tent after the race. About 45 minutes into the ride home I was able to stomach a large portion of pulled pork on garlic toast, with fries, at Sonny's BBQ. Yum.
I was very happy with how did in this race. I am "coaching" myself this year and I am a little nervous how things will go without the structure of someone coaching me. It seems so far so good.
Pro-Triathlete, David Thompson, from Saint Paul, finished in 13th place. His first time finishing out of the top ten in this race.  There were 54 Pro men in the field, and more than 20 women.  Largest pro field there ever? I think so. To see David's thoughts you can check his blog at: http://thompsontri.blogspot.com/
David puts up a pretty comedic race report through a computer animation called TTN (Thompson Tri News) that should be checked out.
There was a 19 seconds difference between first and third place for the Pro men. I would love to have seen that finish. The winner was Filip Osplay, with Matt Reed second, and last year's winner Cameron Dye in third.
Dan Hedgecock, an Elite Male out of Saint Paul, finished 4th in the Elite race. It was his first time at St. Anthony's. He works at Gear West Bike and Triathlon. Congratulations to Dan.

Here is a history of my times:

2008 St. Anthony's
Swim - 30:58 (1:53/100yds)
T1 - 3:38
Bike - 71:48 (20.8 MPH)
T2 - 3:42
Run - 52:54 (8:31 min/mile)
Total Time - 2:42:57
AG - 121 of 231
Overall - 1258 of 3351

2009 St. Anthony's - Bike Only - 70:43 (21.1 MPH)

2010 St. Anthony'sSwim - 29:36 (1:49/100yds)
T1 - 3:12
Bike - 75:10 (19.8 MPH)
T2 - 2:27
Run - 58:33 (9:22 min/mile)
Total Time - 2:48:56
AG - 156 of 287
Overall - 1264 of 3192

2011 St. Anthony's
Swim (shortened to 1km from 1.5km, no wetsuit) - 17:56 (1:48/100yds)
T1 (includes about 1/3 mile run from swim finish to T1) - 5:49
Bike - 70:44 (21.1MPH)
T2 - 2:45
Run - 55:04 (8:53 min/mile)
Total Time - 2:32:18
AG - 110 of 239
Overall - 980 of 3125

April 2011 Training Summary - 1 Million Yards (In Four Years)

2011-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

In the next day or so I will post my race report for St. Anthony's Tri, which I did on Sunday May 1, and had a race I am very happy with.
This April had my highest number of hours on the bike, ever. I guess working at a training studio (OptumHealth Performance) when they have spin classes going on is paying off for me. Based on my bike split from St. Anthony's it appears to be paying off (more later). Even with all that biking, still only my 3rd highest April in terms of total hours.
I started swimming in April 2007, after a 15 year break. This April I crossed over a million yards, by my log book. In all of 2007 I swam about 45,000 yards. The yards really started to rack up after I started in Masters in Dec of '08.
This April I did about 15 minutes a strength training the whole month, some planks and squats and crunches.

Year-to-Year April Comparison

Totals and Averages Since April 2007

YTD 2011 and Totals Since April 2007

March 2011 Triathlon Training Summary, plus Human Race 8K

2011-04-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind. Nearly two weeks ago I did the Human Race 8K in Saint Paul. It is an out and back course that starts a couple blocks east of St. Thomas and finishes in front of St. Thomas. It takes place almost entirely on Summit Ave, except for the section that goes around William and Mitchell. It was cool\cold and a little damp, by the end of the race it was sprinkling and starting to rain. I had tough time deciding between shorts and my long tights. I ended with the tights. I wore three layers, a tight Under Armor wicking shirt as the base layer, a long sleeve technical shirt, and my old Gear West t-shirt.
This would be my first road race, where I really went all out, in two years. The last time I did a road race all out was the 2009 Human Race 8K. At that race I had a average min/mile PR. In 2009, I did the 8K in 36:40 at 7:20 min/mile pace. Less than a month after that race is when I stopped running for 9 months due to my tibial stress fracture. The day I ran that race I felt pain in my left leg, continuing to think it was just shin splints that would go away.
Anyway, back to 2011. I felt pretty good, I had not goal, eventhough secretly I wanted to go under 40 minutes. I saw people from OHP and from Gear West, which helped get me going. Also, my friend Eric came out to do it with me. About 6 years ago, before I did triathlons and duathlons, Eric and I would do a bunch of 5Ks over the summer and he would always beat. No more. I have gotten a lot faster than him.
I went out pretty hard, and it hurt, it took about 2 miles to get into a good feeling grove. I had to remember to keep my hands turned up, so as not to drop my shoulders and to lean forward, keep the hips forward, so I could get more on my fore/mid foot. I think I did a good job form-wise. The good thing about this course is that it is mostly uphill on the way out and mostly downhill on the way back. I did not keep exact time of each mile, but I am willing to bet the first mile and the last mile were my two fastest.
In the end, my time was 38:49 which is a 7:49 min/mi. I am very happy with this time. Very happy.

On to the training summaries. Below are my totals for this March and previous Marches. The last week or so I have felt a little tired and blah during some of my workouts. Hopefully, that is not a continuing trend. I don't think it is, because I swam this morning and it felt pretty good. In addition, I did almost and hour of strength training, plus about 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer.
Total is a little lower than previous years, but that is ok. April I will need to ramp up a bit, mostly in terms of starting some speed work. If I have not mentioned it, I am not being coached this year, which is strange in terms of working out. Working at OHP has helped a lot, it allows me to get my bike workouts in consistently. I think without it I would have trouble getting enough bike in at an appropriate intensity.
So far this year, my weight has been slowly trending down. Hopefully, that continues.
I will break a million yards, since I started swimming in April 2007.

March 2011 Totals and Totals for Previous Marches

Totals and Averages Since 2007

2011 YTD and Totals Since 2007

Another Post Unrelated to Tri - Post from minnesotatrinews.com About Bad Movies

2011-03-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

A rambling post from http://www.minnesotatrinews.com/ that I did about bad movies

http://minnesotatrinews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=597:chris-takes-a-mind-dump&catid=40:latest-features&Itemid=53

Feb 2011 Triathlon Training Workout Summary Update

2011-03-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Below are my workout summaries for the month of February since 2007. YTD since 2007 and averages.
I had trouble all month getting into swimming. I just felt tired and it was hard to get going.
All my biking was done at OptumHealth Performance during the Monday Ride the Course Night, Wednesday Roadie Night, Saturday Spin Group, and the occasional Tues or Thurs spin class. I am working at those times, but I can usually get an hour or so in while I am at work.
I am doing my running according to how I feel. If I feel like running incline, which I am trying to do more of this year, I do that. If I want to run easy, I run easy. If I want to run fast, I run fast. I plan on doing that for the season. I need to do more incline work and build my running strength. I had trouble with running hills last year.
Coach Jonny J gave me some good running advice. Dan noticed I am dropping my left should when I run and Jonny recommended that I turn my hands up when I run and keep my elbows back, kind of pointed towards my back and this will stop my should from dropping. It has worked so far. The other recommendation is keeping to a cadence of 180. He recommened using a metronome. I have only done it once and it was really weird.
I am not going to hire a coach this year, so it will be interesting to see how things go this year. Money is the sole reason for "self coaching" this year. I am a little nervous, since I have been coach for the last 3 years and I worry that I will not be able to stick with it like I need to.

In addition to what I have below, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 1.2 hours of strength training.

February Comparisons

Since 2007 and Averages Since 2007

Year-to-Date 2010 and Since 2007

Watch Weight

2011-02-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

Below is a chart tracking my weight from late Nov 2007 until Feb 2011. I started out at 205-210, now I am about 185-188. At my heaviest, in 2004 and 2005, I was about 230ish. I stopped drinking regular soda and went to diet and that lost weight almost immediately. I also started duathlons in 2006 and that resulted in some major weight loss.
I cannot get below about 186. I have been trying to get under 180, but I have not been able too. Probably because I like beer, burgers, and pizza.
Over the last couple of years I have tried to weigh myself every two weeks, two days during that week. I go to the bathroom and then weigh myself nude on the scale, before getting in the shower. Hopefully, this adds some consistency.

Another Non-Tri Related Post on Minnesotatrinews.com

2011-02-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

I did a movie review of "True Grit" for minnesotatrinews.com.
You can read it here
http://minnesotatrinews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=568:nearly-perfect&catid=40:latest-features&Itemid=53

Jan 2011 Triathlon Training Workout Summaries and More

2011-02-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

Below are my workout summaries for the month of January since 2007. YTD since 2007 and averages. I spent a week in Mexico on vacation, which was wonderful, and spent very little time working out. I need to spend some not working out. Did a short run on a crappy treadmill, a short ride on a crappy recumbent bike, short workout on a crappy elliptical trainer, and a short run outside. The run outside was the best. The resort was great, the workout center was crappy. If you didn't notice.

I still had a high volume month. It was my highest total month since I started working out.

Into Feb I need to pickup the bike time, looking for 10-12 hours for the month. My intensity has been pretty good from doing spin workouts at OHP. The run and swim should go up a bit in Feb. See what I can do.

I am slowly creepy up on 1000 hours total racing and training and a million yards swimming.

January-to-January Comparison of Training Numbers

YTD 2011 Totals and Totals Since 2007

YTD Since 2011 and Monthly Averages Since 2007

Run, Bike, Swim December Totals, 2010 Totals, Year by Year Comparison, Totals Since 2007

2011-01-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here are my run, bike, and swim totals for 2010, comparison for previous Decembers, totals since 2007, and comparison of previous years. Totals include racing and training.
In 2011 can put in over 300 total hours?
Pretty amazing that in 2007 I put in less than 100 hours and in the last two years I have averaged over 100 hours swimming. By the middle of 2011 I will have a million yards swimming since 2007.

I put in 1.3 hours of strength training this December. In 2010 I put in a total of 15.2 hours of strength training. In my injury year of 2009 I put in 23 hours of strength training, but only 22 hours of running. Those 22 hours were in the first 3 months of 2009.

Year-To-Date (2010 Total) and Total Since Starting in 2007

December Comparisons

Year-by-Year Comparison

Totals and Average since 2007

Non-Triathlon Related Interview on Minnesota Tri News

2010-12-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Jerry MacNeil has a website called Minnesota Tri News. The website, as the name implies, has to do with MN related triathlon news. Every week or so he does a local athlete profile that is non-tri related. He sends out a questionaire. You fill it out, send it back, and he publishes it on his website.
He sent me a questionaire and I filled it out. It was pubulished on the MN tri news website today.
Link is here
It was kind of difficult for me to fill out. I guess that I am a little worried about how my likes\dislikes will be judged. Which is dumb. I like what I like, I dislike what I dislike.
Jerry asked me if I would write up some book and/or movie reviews in the future. I am going try and provide him some content. See what I can come up.

November 2010 Workout Summary and Registered for First Race

2010-12-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

This November was about the same as last November. This November had running, last November did not.
I did about 3 hours of strength last November, and this November about 2 hours. Feeling pretty good this November. I would like to get more biking in. See what I can do in Dec and Jan, I will need to ramp it up in Feb, March, etc.
As usual, for the 4th year in a row, I am registered for St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL. This year it is May 1. Last year I jogged the run because I was still recovering from my stress fracture. Hopefully, this year I can run it.

Here is a comparison of this November to previous Novembers. November of 2007 I did very little or nothing.

YTD and totals since 2007

Totals and monthly averages since 2007

Possible 2011 Triathlon/Duathlon Schedule?

2010-11-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a little bit about 2011 and the schedule I would like to race.
I am going to go from 18 races this year to maybe 12 races, or less, in 2011 and no Half-IMs. I would like to race less and possibly go faster. I might look at some small shorter races to substitute for some of these popular races.
This is incredibly tenative, but I thought I would throw it out there. No dates yet. My girlfriend is going to Nicaragua for PA school and we might go there and go scuba diving before she starts. This is mid-July and will result in some adjustments. I plan on doing all the T'N'T races this year. Hopefully, early in the year I can do some 5K and 10K runs.

St. Anthony's Triathlon - St. Petersburg, FL
Gear West Duathlon - Orono, MN
Apple Duathlon - Sartel, MN
Manitou Sprint - White Bear Lake, MN
Lake Minnetonka - Excellsior, MN
Lake Waconia (Long Course) - Waconia, MN
MinneMan - Oak Grove, MN
Timberman (Long Course) - Grand Rapids, MN
Brewhouse (Long Course) - Duluth, MN
Turtleman - Shoreview, MN
Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon - Maple Grove, MN
St. Croix Valley Olympic Triathlon - Hudson, WI
Dousman Duathlon - Dousman, WI
Cannon-Well Duathlon - Faribault, MN

Turkey Waddle 5K

2010-11-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

This morning I did the Turkey Waddle 5K. It is a 5K put on by the Augsburg PA school, which my girlfriend attends. It is pretty informal, no race numbers, no real timing, just some people from the PA program with friends, relatives, significant others, etc. This is the first open 5K I have done since April. That 5K I did as a walk and jog with my girlfriend. I was still worried about my stress fracture and I did not want to push it, I averaged over 11min/mi for that 5K
Back to this morning. The run is around Lake Phalen in Saint Paul and is almost exactly 3.1 miles by my GPS. This morning it happened to be about 33 degrees, snowing hard, and windy. It was cold and wet. I started out pretty hard and backed off a lot. The footing was sketchy and on the west side of the lake the wind was pounding with ice pellets. They guy who finished first came in about 20 minutes, second came in about 3 minutes behind him, and I came in third about 3 minutes behind at 26:15 (8:28 min/mi). Not my fastest by any stretch, but pretty good for the crappy weather.
Hopefully I can do one or two 5Ks for before the year is out in better weather

OptumHealth Performance Now Open

2010-11-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

OptumHealth Performance is now open. I am working part-time there at the front desk. Checking people in and working the "register" when people buy stuff in the Gear West satellite store or when they buy training or services. I will also probably help setup stuff for class and do other odd jobs.
OptumHealth Performances offers a host of classes, personalized coaching options, testing (VO2 Max, Lactate Threshold, etc), and analysis (Bike, Run, etc).
They have great studio setup with mulitple TVs, Tacx virtual trainers, CompuTrainers, and the necessary tools for building core strength. There is also the pool, where Masters swimming is held Mon, Wed, Fri morning from 6-7, and Tues and Thurs from 12-1. I have been swimming there for a couple of years.
The phone number for OptumHealth is 952-746-4442. If you call on Mon or Wed night after 5PM you might get me answering the phone.
The website, where you can check out all the classes and services is: http://www.optumhealthperformance.com//index.html
Email is performance@optumhealth.com

Check it out!

2010 Goals and Results

2010-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

So here are the goals I set for 2010 and the results for 2010

Complete 7 out of 10 events in the Midwest Events Series - Started 9 events, DNF'd one race on a flat, and finished the other 8 events.

Triathlon T1 Average <1:50 - Averaged 2:22 for all 14 Triathlons. I did not spend as much time as I should have lowering my T1, and T2, times. I am pretty happy with this, but could have been better.

Triathlon T2 Average and Duathlon Transition Average <1:05 - Du Average = 1:15 and T2 Average = 1:55. My T2 average should be better. Next year I need to improve that.

10+ Mile Bike at 24.5MPH or greater - Averaged 23MPH at Turtleman. I think this goal was a little too aggressive. Next year I will shoot for 24MPH.

Break Top 10 in my AG (35-39) - Finished Top 10 in AG in 7 races, including 3rd in AG at Maple Grove Olympic Distance.

10K <44min - This was a ridiculous goal from 2009, before injury. I will shoot for under 45 minutes in 2011.

Three Half-IMs/70.3 Races - I did two and that was plenty. This was kind of dumb goal.

Do some cycle-cross racing - I bought a cycle-cross bike and I have done 3 Tuesday night training races. Not sure I will do a "real" cycle-cross race on the weekend before the year is out.

I am pretty happy with my year and what I have accomplished, especially since I was coming back from an injury. Some time later this year, or early next year, I will have my 2011 goals.

October 2010 Workout Summary

2010-11-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

October saw a decline in the time spent working out, to no surprise.
After completing my season I backed off a bit, both intentionally and unintentionally. I ended up spending a week in Dresden, Germany for work at the end of the month. That week I only got about an hour in, which is probably a low for the past two years.
I intended to do more cyclecross, but only got in two training races on Tuesday night. These races were tough, exhausting. Maybe, maybe in November I will get one weekend race in, otherwise it will be next fall.
I hope to get my bike at 10+ hours in Nov, Dec, etc and keep the run about 5 hours. I would like to keep the total for the month about 20+ hours from now on.
I got about an hour in of strength training for the month of Oct. I would like to add to that in the winter months. My strength training consists of doing weights, upper and lower body, on the "machines" at LA Fitness. Also, doing core work with medicine balls, bosu balls, etc. I would like to do 20-30 minutes 2 times a week. Hopefully, I can do the strength work into March or April. Once it gets close to the race season I will probably devote much less time to strength and focus on the "big three".

October Workout Summary and Comparison to Previous Years

YTD 2010 Totals and Totals Starting in 2007

Totals Since 2007 and Monthly Averages

2011 Felt DA Promo Video

2010-11-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Got this from the Gear West Bike and Triathlon blog. Pretty cool promo video about the 2011 Felt DA.
This would be a sweeeeet bike to own

Triathlon Related Gear I Got This Year That I Really Like

2010-10-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to write this post for a little while, and being stuck in a hotel outside Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) seems like a good time to write. I am pretty tired. I have been in Dresden, Germany the last week working. I am exhausted. Weather was bad leaving Germany and my flight from Frankfurt to Amsterdam was delayed 2 hours due to fog, so I missed my flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis and I am stuck at the Park Place Hotel Schipol Airport. I could go into Amsterdam, but I am too tired and don't want to spend the money.
So, here are items I bought, or was given, in the last year that I really like, with some reasons why I like the items and some pictures.

Zipp Sub-9 Disc - Got a blemished one from Gear West, only way I could afford one. New they run $2000,, blemished they are significantly less. The obvious reason I like it, it is a disc wheel. Another reason, it is a Zipp wheel. It looks cool, it sounds cool, it is stiff, and just a great wheel. If you can afford one, get one. Racing wheels are expensive, but they make the biggest difference of gear you can buy for the bike. No substitute for training, but a helpful tool to increase speed.

SLS3 Compression Socks - I finally got a chance to really use compression socks. Last year I had a pair, that did not fit right and I was injured. This year I did 18 races, so I wore these socks before races, after races, and after hard training. Basically, when I expected my legs to be tired. I think they work well for me. I think they helped my recovery. At lot of people, pros and age groupers, use them and I now know the reason. I have not raced in compression socks, or guards, maybe next year.

Speedo Active Goggles - Air Seal Tri Mirror - Did every race this year in these goggles. I swam almost every practice this year with these goggles. They did not leak or fog up. They fit well. They are tinted just the right amount. These goggles do everything goggles should do, and I got them free through the Gear West Test Team. Nice. I think these goggles go for about 20 bucks.

Lazer Tardis Aero Helmet - Comfortable aero helmet, looks cool, and is aero. Need I say more. I think the helmet retails for about 150.

CycleOps Pro Series SuperMagneto - I needed a new trainer badly. My old one is over 8 years old and super crappy. I got a couple of trainers to test from Gear West and I liked this one the best. It is smooth and fairly quiet. It is heavy, in a good way, and the bike is easy to get in and out of the trainer. I think the trainer retails for about 400 bucks.

Felt F75X - First new bike in over 5 years. One reason I bought a cyclecross bike is I want to try cyclecross, which I have and I have gotten my ass kicked. The other reason is I wanted something like a road bike. I can swap wheels and ride this thing on the road with no problem. The new 105 setup is really nice and the bike has an aluminum main triangle, carbon rear triangle, carbon forks, and carbon seat post. I think the bike retails for about $1800.

2010 Duathlon Summary and Duathlon History

2010-10-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Below is my summary for the 2010 duathlon season. It started off slow, due to recovery from my injury, and ended up pretty fast. I am pleased with my duathlon results for this year. 2008 was my fastest season overall, my fastest bike splits were this year. Duathlon is where is started in 2006. In 2006 I did them on a Lemond Sarthe road bike with bolt on aerobars. As you can see from my times in 2006 I was really slow.

Duathlon is tricky for me, as I think it is for a lot of people. I think that everyone wants to go out and run that first run hard, but doing that can kill you for the bike and second run. I went to a duathlon clinic held at Gear West earlier this year, where cutting back on the first run was recommended and discussed, and it makes sense, but it is hard to do. I think it takes a lot of discipline to temper that first run. I don't have that yet.

In 2011 I plan on doing the same four duathlons I did this year.
Click on images below to expand

2010 Duathlon Results Summary (Average of 4 Duathlons)

Average Run Pace - 8:02 min/mi (Average Distance - 2.55mi)

T1 Average - 1:10

Average Bike Pace - 21.3MPH (Average Distance - 18.1mi)

T2 Average - 1:20

Average Run Pace - 8:38 min/mi (Average Distance - 2.65mi)

Average Overall Pace (Total Time/Total Mileage) - 4:12 min/mi (Average Total Distance - 23.3mi)

Average Overall Finish - 108/386

Average AG Finish - 19/43

2009 Duathlon Season Results (Injured Season)

2008 Duathlon Season Results

2007 Duathlon Season Results (First season coached, first season also doing triathlon)

2006 Duathlon Season Results (First season doing multi-sport, did all race on road bike)

Another Tuesday Night Cyclecross

2010-10-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

I did the Tuesday Night Cyclecross again. Go to http://www.mcf.net/ for more information. This time the course was flatter and had fewer barriers. The barriers were in two groups. One group of two barriers and one group of three barriers. It was equally as technical with many turns, both uphill and downhill.
Again, I got my ass kicked. I think I finished dead last, or close second to last. Of course, I will continue to do these Tuesday night races.
The people who do this well, really know how to cross those barriers fast. If I came up to a barrier even with someone, by the time I got through the barriers, they were on their bike and a good 50 feet or more ahead of me. I am fast enough getting off the bike, I am just not smooth getting over the barriers and back on the bike. I think I need to go out and get a barrier and practice on my own.
My legs really are not that tired when I finish, I am just breathing hard. Breathing hard through the whole race. I can do a sprint or olympic tri and I don't think my heart rate gets as high as it does during a half hour of cyclecross. This the opposite of a TT or the cycle portion of a tri. Here I am in a gear where I am spinning a lot, because of the uphill. In a TT or tri I am pushing a big gear at a constant pace. Cyclecross is a very different creature that requires very different training than what I have been doing.
I took some random pictures of the Masters and Female race that was after the Cat 4 race I did. I tried to give some sense of what the course was like.

September 2010 Workout Summary and Season Workout Summary

2010-10-01T04:52:00.001-07:00

This was my last month of triathlons and duathlons. One triathlon and two duathlons in September. I also did my first cyclecross race, it was painful.
The last day of September I added in 20 minutes of strength workout. For the next few months I will be cutting back on the swim, bike, and run, and adding some strength. I think I need a little break from swimming, I think I am getting a bit burned out on it. I also think I need to build strength. Not only arm and leg, but core. My back and abs, especially back, are weak and need building.

I have also stopped with a coach for now, coaching ended today. I have a coach for more than 2 years. I might start up again next year.

The main reason for the stop is money. The second reason is that I need to do some unstructured workouts and to do my workouts in more of a relaxed way. I fear burnout and getting sick of working out.

I do think that hiring a coach was the best decision I made for my training. I don't think I would have reach the point I have reached without the structure and insight of a coach. It is really the best way to focus workouts, make workouts more efficient, and save time. I do recommend OptumHealth Performance (http://www.optumhealthperformance.com/) and Kris Swarthout. Kris has been my coach for over 2 years and has done a fantastic job. I hope to return at some point.

Below are summaries for Sept, YTD, 2007 to date, averages, and the breakdown for every month of this season. Enjoy!

September 2010 Summary and Comparison

YTD Summary and Since 2007 Summary

Since 2007 Summary and Monthly Averages

Month-by-Month Breakdown of 2010 - Includes races

First CycleCross "Race" - Tuesday Night CycleCross Training Race

2010-09-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I did my first cyclecross "race", I put it in quotes because it is labeled a training race. It was, to say the least, humbling. I finished dead last. I learned that triathlon in shape, is not cyclecross in shape. The race made me feel very out of shape.

I don't have pictures of the course, so I will try to describe it. It is in Aquila Park in St. Louis Park and the course is marked out with stakes and yellow tape. The course changes every week. After listening to a couple of conversations, it appears that this weeks arrangements was one of the more difficult. The course had multiple climbs, all of them steep, one end of the park is a hill and the course stayed mostly on the side of that hill. All of the barriers, except one, are at the bottom of a climb. So you had to jump off your bike, jump over the barrier, and then run the bike up the hill and then mount at the top of the hill.

The race is 30 minutes long, Cat 4 and Jr, and the winner is the first person to cross the finish line who does the most laps. I did 4, I was lapped at least once. I think a single lap contained about 7 climbs. By my second loop I was basically stopping at the top of the hills to catch my breath. I thought I would going to loose my legs a number of times and just fall over while trying to get on and off the bike.

I need to practice my high speed mount and dismount, many of the people racing out there would put triathletes to shame with how fast they dismount, jump over the obstacle, and remount. They are incredibly fast.

I will continue to do this on Tuesday nights. It is a really kick ass workout and gives me something new to work on. I can see how doing this type of cycling can make you a much better cyclist. It is one hell of a workout. Next Tuesday I will try to take some pictures.

Cannon-Wells Duathlon Results - Final Race of the Season

2010-09-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

It was cold and wet last weekend for the Dousman Duathlon, it was cold and a little less wet for the Cannon-Wells Duathlon. It was in the high 40s/low 50s during the race. It started raining before, not too hard, and was not raining at start time. It was cold.

It was a mass start, everyone at once. Including the relays, there was probably about 140 people, so it was not too crowded. The run is flat, like last week, so it is basically a 2 mile sprint. I was a little slower than last week. I felt it, I was sucking wind last week, this week it felt like I was sucking more wind and had to put a lot more effort in for less of a result.

I would say the bike is 50/50 flat and hills. No major climbs, but many rollers.

The final run is mostly flat, there is a little uphill at the turnaround, nothing big, but you know you are going uphill.

I felt sluggish/fatigued during the week, and that morning.

I think my times show that I was fatigued, when compared to last week, they were not as good. The bike course last week was longer and more difficult, and my time was faster. My second run this week was a little off. I am pretty happy with my results. Last race of the year, so I cannot complain too much.

Interesting story during the bike. I was making up some time on the bike. About 5 miles in I come up on this guy, got next to him, and he started cranking away. He was probably about 3-5 minutes in front of me, at least, so I came up on him pretty good. When he started cranking, I backed off and got out of the draft zone. After about a minute he seemed to be slowing, so I passed him, and he stayed in my draft zone. We came up to a hill and he passed me, then I passed him, and he stayed in my draft zone. He continued to stay in my draft zone. On a climb, he passed me, and as he was passing me he said, "Rules say that drafting is not recommended, but nothing about being illegal". I just shook my head and did what I usually do, race my race. He continued to draft off me, when he had the opportunity. There was a guy on a road bike who was in our general area, and he came back and forth around us. He did not draft. I will come back to the guy on the road bike, he is 47 years old, I read his calf. In the last two miles of the bike we get on a bike path and I picked up the pace. The guy drafting off of me was still on me. I passed someone on the trail, the person passed me back, and the drafting guy passed me and drafted off that person. Anyway, I came into transition, and ran out. The guy on the road bike came out of transition faster, and so did the drafting guy. So on the run I caught the guy on the road bike and he told me he was doing his first race and we chatted a little. I am not much of a chatter while running. I have enough trouble breathing. At the finish, I patted the guy on the back and congratulated him. He was talking to the drafting guy. The first time guy came up to me in transition after the race and chatted about a couple things. He said that he knows the drafting guy and did not agree with him. He told the drafting guy he should probably not be drafting, even though the rules don't prohibit it, because he is pissing off the guy in the Gear West kit, that would be me. Drafting guy did piss me off a little. Drafting guy told his buddy that he barely had to pedal during the bike and his legs felt good during the run. Really? I race my own race, so I was not that pissed. "Drafting not recommened" is not draft legal in my mind. I have done 18 races this year, and nearly 60 in my short career, and I have never drafted. I want to know how well my legs/body can take it when pedalling the whole time and then coming off and running as hard as I can. That is why I do this. If I ever do a draft legal race, which I doubt I will do, then I would probably draft, because it is legal and part of the tactics of the race.

Enough with that. It was an interesting experience.

2010 Cannon-Wells Duathlon Results

Run (2mi) - 14:28 (7:14min/mi)

T1 - 1:05

Bike (14mi) - 40:14 (20.9 MPH)

T2 - 0:57

Run (3mi) - 23:46 (7:56min/mi)

Total - 1:20:28

Overall - 29/133

AG - 6/16

I am going to have a number of posts after this one that summarize different stats from throughout the year.

2010 Dousman Duathlon Results

2010-09-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

The weather was crappy and the race went better than expected, even though I was off my goal times, just for the runs and transitions. I am really happy with my results.

This race has gotten very big. I think I mentioned it before, but the first year I did it, 2006, there was a total of 254 individuals. This year the total was 791. It is also getting much more competitive, very fast times. The winner, who was in my AG, went right around 1:14.

My transistion spot had a tree behind it, see picture, which as a little bit inconvenient, but no real biggie. Prior to the race start there were no real issues. Went for a short ride to make sure the bike was ok. They had changed the transistion around, so I familiarized myself with it and made sure there were no hazards. Everything looked good.

I was in the 13th wave, so I had to wait about 26 minutes to start. Waiting to start I felt myself getting a little nervous. I had not done a duathlon since late May, and for those two I decided I was going to go out on the run super easy because of my leg. I was unsure of how I would do going out fast.

At the start of the race, it was cloudy and about 50-55, with some patches of sunshine. That would change.

I had my watch with GPS, so I could watch my pace. I went out about a 6:30 min/mi pace, maybe too fast. I was breathing pretty hard and rapid by the middle of the first mile. I finally settled down about the mile marker to a more steady pace, and breathing.

Once into transition I took a deep breath, I was still breathing pretty hard, and got my shoes, helmet and glasses on, and unracked the bike and got out of there.

Starting with 600 people ahead of you has some disadvantages, the main one being the amount of traffic you have to combat. There were people riding 2-3 abreast. There were people on the wrong side of the road. There were people swerving back and forth. I spent a lot time time yelling "on your left" and "coming up behind fast on left". It was a good bike, just a tad frustrating. I think on clear shot, no traffic, I could have averaged over 22MPH. It is what it is, people are a part of the race.

About 15 miles into the bike it started raining. Pretty hard, very hard. Sounded like pebbles off my helmet. I felt I kept a pretty good pace with the rain and the cold. The last few miles my legs started to feel the cold and dampness. They felt like they might get tight and I could see myself slowing down, I had my GPS on. The first 10 miles or so I would guess I was averaging close to or faster than 23MPH. Just a guess based on checking my speed occasionally.

Since I had socks on and it was wet, I opted to not do a flying dismount.

I got through transition pretty fast and ran as fast as I could for two miles. It actually felt a little better than the first two miles. It still hurt. I felt I could control my breathing better on the second run. The rain had stopped and it was cool and not humid, thankfully.

I finished strong and was really happy with my performance. I proved to myself that I could go fast, not as fast as 2008, but I proved to myself that I am back on my way to getting as fast as I was, and maybe faster. Next year.

It did pour after the race and I hung around for a little food and to watch some of the awards. I did not get warm clothes on right after, because it was pouring, and I ended up shivering cold for about about 30 minutes in the car, with heat on, once I left the race. I finally warmed up when I stopped at a Rocky Rococo's for two huge slices of sausage and pepperoni. Yum.

2010 Dousman Duathlon Results

Run 1 (2mi) - 13:59 (7:00 min/mi), my goal was 6:45 min/mi, which may have been unrealistic. I went out at a pace that was 6:30 min/mi. That might have been a bad idea, but it all worked out.

T1 - 1:25, I stopped to take a deep breath, gather thoughts, and then put stuff on

Bike (21mi, initially thought it was 20mi so goal based on that) - 57:53 (21.8MPH), fastest bike in a duathlon, ever.

T2 - 1:14

Run 2 (2mi) - 15:01 (7:30 min/mi)

Total - 1:29:30

Overall - 86/791

AG - 15/62

My last race of the year is this weekend, the Cannon-Wells Duathlon.

2010 Dousman Duathlon Preview

2010-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

This will be my 4th time doing this duathlon as an individual and my 5th time overall. Last year I did at as a relay with Jackie. She did the runs and I did the bike.
I have improved at this race every year. It is a FAST run course. Two 2 mile runs, both are the same course, and it is nearly pancake flat. I cannot recall the bike that well, but it is not that hilly. It will be interesting to see how I handle a two mile sprint. The first two duathlons I did this year were the first two races of the year, not counting St. Anthony's nearly a month earlier in FL, and I took those easy. I still had worries about my leg.
Now I would like to go flat out as fast as I can. I am not sure how fast that will be since I have done little speed work this year, compared to previous years.
Below I have posted my results for this race from previous years, along with a goal/hope for this year. I don't expect to run as fast as 2008, but I would like to bike fast, which is a possibility.
This is my second to last race of the year, my 3rd duathlon of the year, and the 17th race I will be starting this year.

2006 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) = 15:12 (7:36 min/mi)
T1 = 1:48
Bike (20mi) = 67:48 (17.7MPH), this was before I had a tri-bike, and a coach
T2 = 1:44
Run (2mi) = 16::28 (8:14 min/mi)
Total = 1:43:00
Overall = 238/254
AG = 13/24, actually this was Clydesdale. I was still over 200lbs.

2007 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) = 13:20 (6:40 min/mi)
T1 = 1:19
Bike (20mi) = 61:50 (19.7MPH)
T2 = 1:17
Run (2mi) = 14:40 (7:20 min/mi)
Total = 1:32:26, dropped nearly 11 minutes from the previous year
Overall = 111/797
AG = 21/55

2008 Dousman Duathlon Results
Run (2mi) = 12:58 (6:29 min/mi)
T1 = 1:25
Bike (20mi) = 57:17 (20.9 MPH)
T2 = 0:55
Run (2mi) = 14:06 (7:03 min/mi)
Total = 1:26:39, dropped over 5 minutes from previous year and a total of 16 minutes from first year
Overall = 34/615
AG = 5/54

2009 Dousman Duathlon Results - Bike Only (20mi) = 59:08 = 20.3MPH

2010 Dousman Duathlon Goal/Wish
Run (2mi) = 13:30 (6:45 min/mi)
T1 = 1:00
Bike (20 mi) = 56:00 (21.5 MPH)
T2 = 0:50
Run (2mi) = 14:00 (7:00 min/mi)
Total = 1:25:20, I would be happy to drop more than a minute, especially if I run slower than 2008. I expect that my run will be trimmed down a little. I would like to go out a little slower. I will see if I can be patient. It is hard to do with such a short run.

Product Review 25 - SLS3 Tri-Kit (Two Piece)

2010-09-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Pros

Tri-shorts fit comfortably and do what they are supposed to do, not get in the way while wearing them. I have not worn the tri-top racing, only swimming and biking, it is comfortable and has a nice pocket built in the back.

Cons

None at the moment

I have done multiple duathlons and triathlons with the tri-shorts. I also wear them for Master’s swim. I have not had a variety of tri-shorts, but these are best pair I have come across so far. I think the most important thing about a tri short is that it is not in the way of swimming, biking, or running. It should not bind, chafe, or be uncomfortable in anyway. These shorts fit comfortably for swimming, biking, and running. There is enough padding in the crouch to be comfortable, but not so much as to be intrusive, and not so little as to be useless.

I have not worn the tri-top racing. I have worn it for swim workouts and bike workouts; it is comfortable and breathes well.

I am not sure I would buy the tri-top, not because it is uncomfortable, but because I prefer my Gear West tri-top for racing or my Speedo FastSkin. I don’t really wear a tri-top when working out. I would buy the tri-shorts because they work great for both racing and training.

2010 Triathlon Results Summary

2010-09-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I did my last triathlon of the year, I have two duathlons left. That makes 14 triathlons started and 13 completed. I DNF'd Pigman Sprint on a flat tire. I am very happy with my results. I am very happy that I could race this year, after being out last year.

The screen capture of the Excel spreadsheet with my 2010 results, is below. If you click on it, it will expand. I am not sure how to embedded a spreadsheet in a blog in a good way, so this will have to do. Below the spreadsheet I will highlight my averages, with past results. I have shown some improvement this year over past years, which is all I can really ask for. When I am done with duathlons I will post those results. I will post my goals and if I completed them.

2010 Average Swim Pace (14 triathlons) = 1:40/100yards (2008 = 1:51/100 yards, 14 races and 2007 = 2:26/100 yards, 9 races)

Shortest swim = 440 yards, Longest Swim = 2112 yards, average swim distance = 1259 yards

2010 Average Time Spent in T1 = 2:22 (2008 = 3:16 and 2007 = 3:11)

2010 Average Bike Speed = 21.2MPH (2008 = 21.2MPH and 2007 = 20.6MPH)

Shortest Bike = 13 miles, Longest Bike = 56 miles, average bike distance = 25.1 miles

2010 Average Time Spent in T2 = 1:55 (2008 = 1:52 and 2007 = 1:59)

2010 Average Run Pace = 8:59 min/mi (2008 = 8:20 min/mi, 2007 = 8:02 min/mi

Shortest Run = 3 miles, Longest Run = 13.1 miles, average run distance = 5.72 miles

2010 Average Pace (Total Time/Total Distance of Triathlon) = 4:44 min/mi (2008 = 4:46 min/mi, 2007 = 4:57 min/mi), average triathlon total distance = 31.5 miles

Last Triathlon of the Year - St. Croix Valley Olympic Triathlon Results

2010-09-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

It was a cold morning. The temperature at about 6AM, when I got into transition, was about 45-50 degrees. I can't imagine that at 7:30, when the race started, the temperature was much above the mid-50s. This was both a good and bad thing.

I got there and got setup plenty early. Not alot of people there that I knew, basically 4 people, Jerry, Dustin (from Masters swim), Dan, and Courtney. I did a little "warm-up", it was pretty cold and it did not help much. I mainly did it to make sure the bike was good.

The race director did some annoucements, then we all went down to the beach. It was cold, the wetsuit definitely helped this morning. Did a brief swim before start, and the water felt pretty chilly. There were only 3 waves and I was in the first, it was pretty strange.

It was a two lap swim. I decided to come out faster than usual. I did and it worked out pretty well. It was pretty good swim, I was a little chilled, but warmed up partway through the swim and it went pretty well. No real issues on the swim.

When you get out of the swim, you run up the beach and up some stairs to the transistion area. The run up went well, I had a little trouble getting the wetsuit off, as Jerry announced to everyone over the PA system.

I did not realize how cold it was until I got on the bike. The course has some decent climbs and is combination of brand new black top and rough road. I would not have called the course flat. I don't think I warmed up until about 10 miles into the bike, at least. My bike split/speed was about my average for the year, but it felt really slow. I didn't think there was much of a wind out that day, but when I was out on the bike it felt like it. I just felt a little flat on the bike.

I did a "flying" dismount this race, two races in a row! I almost went down, I unintentionally had my hands on the brakes and as I came off the bike I kept braking and I almost flipped the bike. I realized, just in time, what was happening and let go of the brakes.

My feet were numb getting off the bike and I was slow to get shoes and socks on. Once on the run my feet were still numb and it took a mile or more before my feet started to warm-up. The run was pretty flat. If I remember correctly, there was definitely one short, steep climb, and another longer, climb, also possibly a shorter, flat climb. About 3 miles into the run, I came upon Dustin, from Masters, son who is 10 and doing the relay with his dad. He ran with me for about half a mile to a mile. Good to see a kid that young run like he was running. Very cool.

I had a strong run, so strong it was a PR 10K. So, I had an average swim and an average bike, but my fastest 10K off the bike.

2010 St. Croix Valley Olympic Distance Triathlon

Swim (1640 yards) - 28:12 (1:43/100 yards), right about my average for the year

T1 - 1:41

Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:49 (21 MPH), right about my average for the year, surprised I was this fast considering how I felt.

T2 - 1:31, a little slow

Run (6.2 mi) -48:49 (7:51 min/mi), PR 10K off the bike, previous best was 2008 Saint Paul Triathlon at 49:21 (7:57 min/mi). I would say the Saint Paul course is a flatter course.

Total - 2:31

Overall - 26/103

AG - 6/14

I am happy with my last performance of the year. A little sad to be done with Triathlons for the year, but I still have two Duathlons and, hopefully, a few Cyclecross races. I am going to try and post a Triathlon results summary by the end of this week.

August 2010 Workout Summary and Last Triathlon of the Year this Weekend

2010-09-03T07:01:00.001-07:00

Below is my workout summary for August of 2010, compared to previous years. The workout summaries include races. This August I did 1 TT and 4 triathlons, one of those triathlons was a half-IM.

Below is the YTD summary and the summary since 2007

Below is the summary and averages since 2007

This weekend I am going to be doing the St. Croix Valley Triathlon, the Olympic distance, which is on Sunday. The sprint is on Saturday. I did the sprint last year, and the bike has a very long and steep hill. I walked the 4 mile run, because of my stress fracture, so my time is very slow.

The Olympic course swim is two loops of the sprint course swim, I think the bike is a different course, and the run follows part of the swim course. Not knowing the course that well, and assuming the weather is not too bad, I am going to project a faster time than last weekend as my goal. I think the run at St. Croix is going to be faster than Maple Grove. If I remember the course it is fairly flat.

Goal time for 2010 St. Croix Valley Triathlon (Oly Distance) will be 2:30. It would be awesome to go 2:30 or faster for my last Olympic Distance race of the year.

Maple Grove Triathlon Results - Olympic Distance

2010-08-29T17:58:00.001-07:00

The inaugural Maple Grove Triathlon was better than expected, especially for a first year triathlon. I would do this race again.

The toughest part of the day was the wind, it made the swim a little more difficult, and it made the bike a lot more difficult. The swim had some chop, but nothing I that could not be dealt with. On the bike, it was pretty brutal. With the wind to my back I ran out of gear on the bike, even in the flats, the wind was that strong. Going into the wind, or with some of the cross-winds, it felt like I was using everything I could do go forward. The bike course itself, is relatively flat and the road surface was great. I like the bike course and look foward to trying it again with less wind. I think it is a course I could PR on.

Back to the swim, I thought the swim layout was good, only issue is that when you make the last turn into shore the sun is right in your eyes. It required me to do a little breaststroke on a couple occasions to make sure I was coming in ok.

The transition area was probably the roomiest, and one of the nicest, I have been in all year. It was nearly the entire park parking lot and there was plenty of room. The bike out of transition is uphill, so coming in is downhill, and care is need coming in and out. Luckily, I had no traffic coming in or out, but I could see issues if there was traffic, especially with all the novice racers on the course.

The bike was interesting, the Olympic distance people went first, and I was in the 4th wave, and at the head of my wave. On the bike I was going back and forth with another guy, I passed some people in the first quarter of the course, after that I saw barely anyone until I got back onto the last portion that shared with the sprint. Once I got back on that part of the course, the sprint waves were out, so there was some traffic, not too bad.

Coming in from the bike, I made my first successful "flying dismount" and had my fast T2 in a triathlon, ever. I was out of T2 in 54 seconds. The "flying dismount" helped a lot.

On the way out of transition there is a significant hill to run up. There were also some decent uphills along the course. More than I expected, all of them doable. Once off the part of the course that was shared by both sprint and olympic, I was running by myself, for the most part. It was strange. Again, there was one guy I was going back and forth with. We cheered each other on a little bit. It was a good run for me, I ran hard, and it felt good to run after last week's 13.1 mile run/jog/walk at Pigman.

A number of people complained about the lack of signage or direction on the run and bike. Apparently people had missed turns. I had no real issue, when I came to a corner I was not sure of, I slowed down and confirmed. I looked at the map a couple of times and had a decent picture in my head of the course. It is the racer's responsibility to know the course.

The water stops and volunteers were great. There were people cheering along the course, which is always great. Jackie and her friend Sarah came and watched, which is always great.

To my surprise I finished 3rd in my age group. I admit, it was a weak field compared to other races, but every once in awhile you need a bone thrown to you. It is only my second podium finish (3rd AG at 2008 MinneMan) as individual, and 3rd ever (Also, 3rd relay finish at Cannon-Wells Duathlon in 2009). I have a picture of my 3rd place "trophy" posted above. It is a hand made pottery plate, nice trophy. I like it better than a medal.

It was a really good race day for me, possibly the best of the year.

I would definitely do this race again. I can find no glaring fault with the race. If it gets too big, then it might be problematic, the current size, maybe a little larger, is good. Maybe a little different food at the finish (cut oranges, watermelon, and some soda), and some more directions on the course, but now I would be nit-picking.

My goal was to go 2:35, I went about 2:37, I think without the wind I would have gone under 2:35.

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon "Olympic Distance" (Bike a little long for Oly) Race Results

Swim (0.9mi) = 28:26 (1:48/100yds), 2nd in AG to an Elite

T1 = 1:57

Bike (26 miles) = 1:13:14 (21.2MPH), 3rd in AG, again Elite was first

T2 = 0:54, this was FAST for me

Run (6.2mi) = 52:12 (8:25min/mi), fast for this year, and I happy with this, especially for the course

Total = 1:37:09

Overall = 31/167

AG = 3/22, 1st Place was an Elite. I got some hardware :)

Brian also has his comments on the race here - http://www.tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/

Maple Grove Triathlon Pre-Race Thoughts

2010-08-27T06:03:00.001-07:00

I am not sure I have much to say, since this is the inaugural running of this race, and I am trying to keep my expectations in check. They limited the participants to 500, which I think is a good idea for a first year race. Also, there are no relays.
Brian, has a very good pre-race post at: http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2010/08/race-preview-maple-grove-triathlon.html
I agree with his comments. They seem be talking this race up a lot, especially for a first year race. Hopefully they can keep up with thier hype.
There is an Olympic distance and a Sprint Distance race. I am doing the Oly and I am feeling really good. I will throw out an estimated result.
Let's assume I have the best Oly of my life, I PR this race - 2:35, I think this is realistic. Fast, but realistic. I feel good this week, so I think a PR is possible. I think I can pull off the swim and the bike, it will hinge on the run. If I can run 6.2 in 50minutes or less I can probably pull out a 2:30ish Oly. If I did that it would be huge.
As usual, I just have to race my race.

Pigman Long Course (Half-Ironman) Triathlon Results

2010-08-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

2010 Pigman Long Course Results

Swim (1.2 mi) - 37:23 (1:47min/mi)

T1 -4:04

Bike (56 miles) - 2:50:00 (19.8MPH)

T2 - 3:16

Run (13.1 mi) - 2:55:13 (13:23 min/mi)

Total Time - 6:29:54

Overall - 263/398

AG - 31/37

This is was my second trip to Palo/Cedar Rapids, IA this year. First trip for the Pigman Sprint ended with a DNF due to a flat. Again, Jackie came with me, thankfully. Her support, as usual, helps alot, especially on this day.

Drove in on Saturday, checked into hotel, got race stuff, ate dinner (Actually ate my dinner, at Olive Garden, of breaded pork chops and pasta and then ate about a quarter of Jackie's leftover chicken, brocolli and pasta when returning to the room), went back to hotel, and went to sleep. Got up early, as usual, and had breakfast of two yogurts, a banana, OJ, and some water. I thought I ate something else, but cannot remember right now. Got the usual coffee and donut on the way. Transistion setup was no problem and had another banana, more water, and some Power Bar Ironman drink, which I bought the previous day at the Gear West stand at packet pick-up. I like that beverage, less sweet than a lot of the other pre-made stuff.

The morning was foggy and a little warm. The race start was delayed about 45 minutes to an hour, due to the fog. The water temperature was almost right at 78, so it was wetsuit legal, barely. The delay left time to stand around and think, and sweat in the wetsuit.

It was a TT swim start and everything went well. There were no issues on the swim. It was not my fastest swim, nor slowest. It went well. The run to transition is long and uphill. I ended up walking most of the way from the swim finish to my area. No need to hurry too much, it was going to be a long day.

Got out on the bike a little easy, I didn't want to burn it up right away (sarcasm). The course was hillier than I expected and it got hot out there. My only real complaint is the water at the water stops, there were 4 of them, was hot. I basically put some water in my mouth, spit it out, and sprayed the rest on myself. The water I kept in my lower bottle cage stayed cooler than the water I got at the stops. During the bike I took one gel, half a Clif bar, two Clif Shots, my large bottle with Clif drink (can't remember the name), and then my water bottle. This was probably not enough, but basically all I could stomach.

Took my time heading out on the run once into T2. I should have taken a little more time and put on some more sun screen. I got a bad sunburn, maybe post pictures in a future post.

I went out on the run in a jog/run, plan was to take it slow and survive. On the way out, Kevin O'Connor, owner of Gear West, was riding his bike (he did not race but was there and out on the course on his bike) and made the comment to me to race smart and take it easy, because a lot of people were having trouble. He was right. It is two miles out of the park and then down a large hill and then the course is flat to the turn around, the turn around is up and down a decent hill. I ran/jogged to mile 4, at that point I started fading. The heat really started getting to me. There was not an inch of shade and the road just radiate heat back up to you. I walked/jogged from mile 4 to the turn around, from mile 7 to 10ish I did more walking, and from 10ish to the finish I was doing a lot of walking, but ended up jogging some more. I walked/stopped at each water stop and took water, occasionally a little HEED, maybe a little bite of orange, and ice. I felt pretty lucky to make it through the day. I can say I was closer to calling it quits then when I was at Racine 70.3. I think the fact that people were still out there kept me going.

When I finished, Jackie was there waiting for me, which was great. She spent the whole day out there and got a sunburn for it. She helped me over to the ice bathes they had setup, which felt fantastic. I don't drink regular soda, usually, but I got myself one here. Sat in the pool for a little while with a Mello-Yello and cooled off. Once out of the pool, more food, lots more fluids, a cold shower, more food, more fluids, and then out of there

I am always grateful that Jackie comes to watch, but today I was especially grateful. It was nice to have someone waiting at the finish of an especially grueling day.

Interesting side note, I have done 3 Half-IMs (This one might be my last for awhile. I am not sure I want to do anymore until I can train specifically to do one and do one when I am doing less races in a season, it is just not my distance) and I get out of T2 at basically the same time for all of them. The only real difference is the run time.

2008 Longhorn 70.3 - Out of T2 time = 3 hours and 24 minutes - Total Time = 5 hours and 45 minutes

2010 Racine 70.3 - Out of T2 time = 3 hours and 34 minutes - Total Time = 6 hours and 17 minutes

2010 Pigman Long Course - Out of T2 time = 3 hours and 34 minutes - Total Time = 6 hours and 29 minutes

Very, very consistent

Pigman Long Course (Half-IM) Thoughts and 2010 TNT Results

2010-08-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

I have not done the Pigman Long Course (Half IM) before. What I have heard is that if it is hot day, it will be a really hot day on the course since there is almost no shade. From what I know of the course it is fairly flat. This will be my third half-IM race, second this year, and my goal is to finish. I would like to finish under 5:30. I can get a swim in around 30 minutes, the bike should be about 2:45, under 3 hours, and then the run is a toss-up. It pretty much all hinges on the run.

I did 6 of 8 Tuesday Night Time (T'N'T) Trials this year. I am fairly happy with the results. I did not break 23MPH this year, which is a little disappointing to me. I consistently broke 23MPH in 2008. I think that in terms of my speed on the bike, and definitely the run, I am still recovering from the time off due to the stress fracture.

2010 TNT Result

2009 TNT Results and All TT Results

2008 TNT Results (Fastest Average)

2007 TNT Results and All Results

2006 TNT Results and All Results (no TT bike, LeMond Sarthe with clip-on aerobars)

New Bikes! - Trek 1.5 and 2011 Felt F75X

2010-08-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

We got new bikes. Jackie got a new Trek 1.5 from me for her birthday. I got myself a brand spanking new 2011 Felt F75X cyclecross bike. Of course, both were purchased at Gear West Bike and Triathlon (http://www.gearwestbike.com/). Jackie has got some miles on her new bike, I have yet to ride mine. The plan is to do some cyclecross racing this fall. See how that works out.

Turtleman Results

2010-08-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, there was no rain and low humidity, at least low for how the weather had been for the previous week. I had the usual breakfast of yogurt, frozen fruit, and granola with a banana, and OJ. I attempted to have my donut and coffee, but the gas station I stopped at had only pre-packaged sweets. So I had a Little Debbie Cheese Danish and coffee. Jackie came with and brought her bike, so she could ride to her stepmoms before the race and come back with her stepmom and stepmom's two nephews before the race. We got there with plenty of time and I got setup and ready with plenty of time, as usual. It was a great morning. Sunny, a little humid, but the temperature was not too bad.

One comment about people at the race. A number of rude and inconsiderate people. At the entrance to the park there was a sheriff volunteer who was asking, and telling, people to get off thier bikes and walk them. He was ignored by a ton of people. I was amazed at how people behaved. Very sad. Also, I saw a number of people, and heard stories of people, being rude and inconsiderate about other people's transition spots. A little disturbing.

I forgot socks, so this was going to be a race where I got to find out what running without socks was going to be like.

The water was about 82 degrees, so wetsuits were not legal. I wore my Speedo FastSkin, most elites wore speedskins of some type over thier tri-suits. If you wore a wetsuit your results were seperated and you were not eligible for anything, points, etc. The relays and elite have a wave/group start and they waded out to the first bouy before starting, out to about chest deep water. The individual start was TT and this made a difference. The bottom of the lake is mucky and nasty. You ran in the water and would be on solid bottom at one point and then sink up to your hip the next. It smelled horrible. I went down to my hips twice and finally decide to start swimming. The water was pitch black and smelled awful. The kind of awful that makes you want to vomit. Once I swam about a hunderd yards or more the water cleared up and swimming was smooth to the end. When you got out it was similar muck. Probably the worst swim environment of the year. The swim itself went very well. I wanted to go around 17 minutes and I did.

T1 went fine. No wetsuit, sunglasses on, helmet on, shoes on, and you can ride in transition, so out I went.

I set my fastest bike in a tri or du this race, I averaged 23MPH. My goal was to make this race my fastest bike split of the year, not sure I would. I think a weekend off of racing and a rest week helped me out. I concentrated very hard on my body position and my stroke and leg position. I am sure this helped alot. I know I can get sloppy on the bike at times and I just don't have the power to be sloppy. I think the temperature, the fairly flat course, and the lack of a serious headwind, really helped. It was one of the first short races where I took a gel in during the race. I took it in with about 15minutes left on the bike. Only hitch on the bike was I took the first turn, once out of the park, too fast and almost clipped a cone. If I had clipped that cone, it might have ended my day early.

When I get off the bike at T2 and went to put on my shoes, I got a massive, massive cramp in my abs. I had to stop, breathe, and stretch, before running. It was a huge cramp.

Once I got off on the run, I knew it was going to be a long run. One, because I expended so much on the bike, and two, the run course is challenging. It is not really hilly, there are some uphills, nothing steep, long and gradual. There is very little shade, and only 4 turns, so you have long stretches to run. I find it somewhat mentally challenging with the lack of turns and the lack of shade. I was happy with my run time, it was between my 2008 time and my 2007 time. I felt I gave it my all. There were no issues with not wearing socks. Nice.

This is a fast course and lots of fast people race this race. You can tell by the bike splits for the Elites (males at 27MPH) and that I ended up in the middle of my AG.

I am really happy with my race results. This was one of my best races of the year. It was nice to have Jackie come back with her stepmom and her stepmom's nephews. I think they were ages 6 and 9, or close to that. I don't think either had seen a triathlon before. The 9 year old seemed much more interested. It was nice to have a little bit larger cheering section.

Turtleman 2010 Results

Swim (1094 yards = 1km) = 16:14 (1:29 min/100yds)

T1 = 1:25

Bike (21.5mi) = 56:04 (23MPH), Fastest bike in a tri or du, ever

T2 = 1:29, ab cramp off of bike. I had to stop and stretch

Run (5mi) = 41:58 (8:24min/mi)

Total Time = 1:57:07

Overall = 138/403, in 2007 and 2008 there were over 700 individual participants

AG = 22 of 43, large and very fast AG

Post pics of Jackie's new bike and my new bike at some point this week. Maybe preview Pigman Half, which I have never done.

Turtleman Preview

2010-08-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

There was no race last weekend, but I had a long workout on Sat and Sun, long for me.
Saturday I had an hour and a half bike workout. Did the bike workout outside, in the glorious heat and humidity. Then I did a 40 minute run workout, in the rain and heat. Again glorious. On Sunday, I did an hour run. Did the first 10 minutes with Jackie and the rest on my own. I felt pretty fatigued last week and into the weekend. Feeling less fatigued this week.
This week is an easy week. Mon and Wed Master's swim workout. Tuesday 30 minute bike, on trainer, fairly hard, then 15 min run at a pretty good clip.
I have done Turtleman 2 times previously, 2007 and 2008. I volunteered in 2009 at the swim, no-swim, start, and then left. Hopefully, this year is not like last year. Last year, the swim was cancelled due to weather, and then the race was stopped eventually due to weather. I talked to people and it sounded like it sucked.
The race has always been tough for me, maybe because it is a late season race and I am worn out. It is usually hot and humid, which makes it tough. The course, both bike and run, are not very hilly. The run has very little shade, it makes it tough. The course distance has changed over the years. This year the swim has been shortened.
The lake is usually kind of crappy. Mucky, shallow, and there is a sand bar you cross twice as you go back and forth.

2010 Turtleman Distances - Swim is 0.6mi (1094 yards), Bike is 22.3 miles, Run is 5 miles
Goal Time for 2010 - 2:02:00

2007 Turtleman Results
Swim (0.9mi = 1630 yards) = 31:30 (2:03/100 yards)
T1 = 2:03
Bike (21.1mi) = 1:04 (20.7MPH)
T2 = 1:40
Run (6.2mi) = 54:39 (8:48min/mi)
Total = 2:32:55
Overall = 316/715
AG = 50/85

2008 Turtleman Results
Swim (0.9mi = 1630 yards) = 27:45 (1:42/100 yards)
T1 = 2:11
Bike (21.4mi) = 57:10 (22.5MPH)
T2 = 1:42
Run (5.1mi) = 41:36 (8:10min/mi)
Total = 2:10:06
Overall = 206/795
AG = 24/72

As an aside, on Saturday I bought my girlfriend Jackie her first "real" bike for her belated Bday present. I bought her a Trek 1.5. We got great treatment at Gear West, not surprising, but I am noting it. It is alway nice to get great treatment when making a purchase. Hannah spent the time to make sure the fit was good. Tried some different saddles and stems. It all went very well. I might be picking up a 2011 Felt F75X Cyclecross bike in the very near future. When I pick that bike up I will post pics of both new bikes.

July 2010 Workout Summary

2010-08-04T08:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a comparison for previous July workouts. Race time/yardage is included.

This July I did 2 TTs and 4 Triathlons, one triathlon was a 70.3 race.

I put in a lot of time this July. This month had the most run time of the whole year and very close to the most bike time, second most. The 70.3 definitely boosted my time for the month. Last July I still had not raced, due to the stress fracture. I think I had done 4 tris and 2 TTs in July of 2008.

Below is YTD and totals, including everything this year, since 2007

Below is totals and averages since 2007

In August I have 2 TTs left and 4 Tris. One of those is a Half-IM, two are long sprints, and one is a long Oly, for lack of a better description. August should be a pretty hefty month also. September has a Tri and 2 Dus and things will start to come down from there as I get lazy for the rest of the year.

2010 Brewhouse Triathlon (Long Course) Results - 51st Multisport Race Completed

2010-08-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I finished my 51st multisport race since 2006. I have done 34 Triathlons and 17 Duathlons as an individual. I have also completed 2 relay Duathlons and 1 relay Triathlon. I also had 2 DNFs, one flat and one intentional when I had my stress fracture. So, I have started 56 races, completed 54 races. That includes sitting out 2009.

Jackie and stayed at an AmericInn in Cloquet, MN the night before Brewhouse. The hotel SUCKED. I reserved a room online about 4 weeks before, maybe more, maybe less. At any rate, I know I reserved a non-smoking. They said sometimes the website screws up and we should call to confirm. Good to know. Why don't you put that on your F'n website. Basically, we got a too bad for you from them. I call Holiday Inn and they had a vacancy for 300 bucks a night. Almost every hotel in the area was sold out due to the 'Tall Ships" being in Duluth. So we stayed in the "dungeon" as Jackie referred to it. It was a nasty room and a nasty hotel.

Packet pickup was a little disappointing. It was probably the longest line I ever waited in for a packet pickup. Probably more than 20 minutes. They seemed a little disorganized.

We went into Duluth for dinner and ate a Thai restuarant. The meal was good. I am a fan of Thai food, I would go back to this place. They give you a healthy portion of veggies in your curry. We went for a walk around canal park before heading back to the crappy hotel. Canal Park was fantastic with the boats and the people. What a great area.

I got up on Sunday, after sleepy pretty badly, and had two bananas, yogurt, and some Gatorade. We stopped at a gas station and I got the usual coffee and donut for the pre-race.

No issues setting up transition, getting numbers marked, and using the bathroom.

Headed down to the beach for the swim start. The short course started at 8:30, the long course at 9, so I had some time. I chatted with David Thompson and Devon Palmer while warming up and waiting. David finished first, no surprise, and Devon finished second.

The day was cool, for the most part, no real wind, and light humidty. The swim went off without a hitch. My swim time was about 1:20 faster than two years ago. The transition is long and narrow, and the long course athletes are at the opposite end from the swim enterance. It was a long run up transition and to the bike.

Since there is a long hill at the start, I stayed out of the aerobars and in easier gear until it flatten out a bit. Then I shifted down and got into the aerobars. The long course is two 10.3 mile loops. Half of the 10.3 miles is some of the worst roads I have ever ridden on. Potholes, cracks, uneven, just all kinds of bad road. Very rough on you when you are in the aero position. I thought I was going really slow, but I was only about 1 minute slower than 2 years ago. So it was not that bad at all.

I was grateful to get off the bike. I did not sprint out of transition, because I knew I was going to have to run uphill for awhile once out. I settled into a comfortable pace to start. I forgot how hilly the run was. It feels like a tough run course. The last mile in it started to rain a little and the pavement started to feel hot and humid, almost suffocating. Even though the sun had not really been out all day, it still started to feel nasty when the rain came down. Luckily, most of the last mile is all downhill and that made it bearable.

I felt good, as good as I have felt on just about an run this year. I was pushing myself about as hard as I could and was surprised with my results. I was only about 1:46 slower than two years ago.

2010 Brewhouse Triathlon (Long Course) Results

Swim (1408 yards) - 24:17 (1:39/100 yards)

T1 - 2:26

Bike (20.6mi) - 58:29 (21.1MPH)

T2 - 2:18

Run (5mi) - 40:39 (8:08min/mi)

Total - 2:08:06

Overall - 61/154 (small field, smaller than 2008)

AG - 9/12 (really small field, about half the size of 2008)

No race next weekend. After 11 straight weekends, I get a weekend off. Next stop, Turtleman

2010 Brewhouse Preview

2010-07-30T03:08:00.000-07:00

I did the race in 2008 and I don't remember the swim at all. I remember the bike because it is two loops and the roads were pretty bad. Very rough roads, potholes, cracks, etc.

I remember the beginning and end of the run because in the beginning you are going up a long low grade hill and if I remember correctly, near the end the grade increases. You run down this hill on the way into the finish. Finally, a finish at the end of downhill. Also, you can see the hill all the way, no curves, no shade, no nothing. You also have to bike up the hill twice.

I think the run is kind of rolling.

In 2008 the day started off sunny, and then went to partly cloudy, and then cloudy, and then it rained after awards. I don't remember it being terribly hot that day.

In 2008 I ended up staying in a hotel in Silver Bay, I think I was an hour from the race site. It was "Tall Ships" weekend in Duluth and all the hotels were booked. This year it is also the weekend of "Tall Ships", but this time I was on the ball and booked a hotel much closer.

2008 Brewhouse Long Course Results

Swim (1408 yards) - 25:39 (1:44/100yards)

T1 - 2:55

Bike (20.6 mi) - 57:27 (21.5MPH)

T2 - 2:39

Run (5mi) - 38:53 (7:47 min/mi)

Total - 2:07:29

Overall - 86/188

AG - 14 of 23

My plan is the same as always, swim hard, bike hard, and take the run as it comes.

2010 Chisago Lakes Sprint Triathlon Results

2010-07-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

My plan, as usual, was to go as fast as possible on the swim and bike, and take the run as it came. I really wanted to have a good bike today, and I had one of the best rides I have had all year (3rd on the bike in my AG).

The weather was nearly perfect, sunny, not too humid, not too hot.

Midwest Sports Events has an interesting arrangement for waves, they are arranged by registration order, not by AG. It makes for interesting waves because they are mixed age and sex.

Swim was the shortest swim of the year. I was out of the water in about 7:30, the swim time includes a run up a fairly steep hill to the start of the transition area. The swim is short, but hectic, the waves are two minutes a part but the area is tight and mixed with slow and fast people, so you have to do a lot of darting around to get through the short course.

Once out and up the hill the transition area is grass, tight, and goes up and down the crest of hill. I got in and out pretty good, no real issues.

The first part of the bike is short ride on the street, quick on a grass area, onto a bike path, through a tunnel, and off the bike path onto the road. The course is mostly flat, with no real tough climbs. I was able to spend the entire bike on the aerobars, except when taking some sips out of the water bottle and turning corners. It was nice to stay in the big front chain ring, and the smallest gears in back for most of the bike. It felt like a really good bike. For about 10 miles of the bike I was back and forth with two other guys, not sure what age group they were in. Being that the waved were mixed, I did a lot of passing and a lot of yelling "On Your Left". There were people going 2 and 3 wide and people riding in the middle of the lane for no good reason, as usual. As usual, I got through it with no issue.

I got into T2 with no issues. I had the usual time with socks and shoes. No biggie. I am used to it.

The run is a 5K and not terribly flat. Getting out of the park is down a decent hill and up a decent hill. Once out of the park you go out on the street and up a large hill. At the top of the hill you get a little relief with some flatness. Then you hit something of a false flat and long incline. The worst part of the run back is getting into the park and having to run a hill immediately into the park, the one you ran up and down on the way you, then the course turns away from the T2 exit to the finish, which is a short and steep switch back hill. Kind of a kill to have right at the finish.

My friends Matt and Jen and their 3 kids were at the finish line waiting for me, which was really nice. After a little refreshment and chatting with some people, I met them at the beach and played in the water with Matt and the kids. I think playing with the kids in the water wore me out as much as the race. I was exhausted after the race, I was really exhausted after playing in the lake. It was the first time playing in the water in awhile and it was a fun way to end the day at the race site.

2010 Chisago Lakes Sprint Results

Swim (440 yards) - 8:44 (2:10/100 yards), includes run up to transition

T1 - 1:59

Bike (21 mi) - 56:23 (22.3MPH), same as two year ago but on a longer course

T2 - 1:40

Run (3.1mi) - 25:03 (8:04 min/mi)

Total Time - 1:33:49

Overall - 59/808

AG - 5/57

2008 Chisago Lakes Sprint Results

Swim (440 yards) - 9:18 (2:19/100yards), includes run up to transition

T1 - 1:54

Bike (17 mi) - 45:39 (22.3MPH)

T2 - 1:09

Run (3.1mi) - 24:25 (7:52 min/mi)

Total Time - 1:22:25

Overall - 68/779

AG - 7/51

Product Review 25 - SLS3 Compression Socks

2010-07-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I reviewed these last year, but I got some new ones this year, so here is a new review

Pros - Fit well and they are comfortable. They feel like they help with recovery, but it is hard to quantify.

Cons - None at the moment

Last year, 2009, I had a pair of SLS3 Compression socks and was injured with a stress fracture so I was not able to test them under appropriate conditions. The socks also did not seem to fit my feet\legs correctly. They seemed to be too tight, to the point where they were hurting my feet and legs. This year I recieved a new pair and I have worn them mainly the day before, the day of, and the day after races. I have also worn them after certain training days, if the day was especially painful or difficult. This pair seems to fit correctly, so there has been no issue wearing them. They are fairly comfortable to wear. They do seem to help with recovery, but it is hard to quantify. I think my legs feel less tired and better rested before and after races. The more I wear them, the more they seem to help. It is hard to quantify something like, "feels better" or "less tired", since so much of that depends on the day, the training, the race, etc. I would, and I am, considering purchasing another pair of compression socks. I am not sure this brand, just because I would like to try another brand for comparison.

Racine 70.3 Results, TNT Results, and Chisago Sprint

2010-07-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, on Sunday I did my second 70.3 (half-Ironman). The first was Longhorn (Austin, TX) 70.3 in October of 2008, the results of which I put in my last post.

I will cut to the chase, everything went pretty well until the run, then the wheels kind of fell off the cart. I finished, the run was just crappy.

Now I will go back to the beginning. Drove down on Saturday, took care of getting race packet and putting bike in transition. That part did not go too bad. They had things setup pretty good and getting through the process of packet pick-up went pretty fast. They could have done a better job letting people know where the transition area is located, in reference to where we had to pickup the race packet. I didn't see anything displayed that would make the location obvious to people.

Anyway, I stayed at my Dad and Stepmom's house in Kenosha, less than a half hour from the race site. It was nice to be able to stay close and not have to pay.

I got up early, as usual, on Sunday had a breakfast of two yogurt cups and two bananas. This is less than I would normally have, but it felt like enough. I guess that nervousness was making me fuller than I actually was. I got my stuff together and headed out, stopping at a gas station to get coffee and a couple of donuts, my usual pre-race pick-me-up.

Transistion area opened at 5AM, with the first wave (Pro Men) heading out at 7AM and my wave (Men 35-39, A-J) heading out about 8:17AM. I got there at about 5:10ish. They had a lot of people body marking and I did not have to wait. I got through and went right to my bike and setup my area. The quarters were pretty tight, probably the closest transition spots I have seen in a transition. I thought I heard some say that the Spirit of Racine had a limit of 1500 people and now the 70.3 had a limit of 2000, using the same transition space. Even though it was tight, everything still got in ok.

Once setup I kind of hung out in transition. I saw, and talked, to more people from MN than I thought I would have. I saw 5+ people I knew. I was surprised, it was nice to have some people to talk to while waiting.

At about 6:40 I started walking, along with everyone else, to the swim start. It is a point-to-point swim and takes about 15 minutes to walk to the start. As I walked to the start I finished off a bottle of Gatorade and a Clif Bar. I wish I would have had my camera to get a picture of the 2000 people, plus spectators, walking down the beach to the start. It was a very cool sight.

From about the time of the Pro start, until the start of my wave, I was either talking with people I knew or warming up in the lake, trying to keep down my nervousness.

The weather all morning had been cloudy, humid, and cooler than expected. That would change drastically as the day went on.

The start went well, I stayed outside, took the first turn bouy wide to stay out of the usual traffic, and just swam. There was a little wind and chop, but nothing major. I really don't have much to say about the swim, it was uneventful. I was a little disappointed with my time, but at the same time I felt pretty good coming out of the water. I think coming out of the water feeling pretty good is more important. I checked my watch when I got out of the water and under the swim finish arch, I was at about 37 minutes, when I ran up the beach and hit transition, where the timing mat was located, it was about 39 minutes. My swim time, and everyone elses swim time, includes the run up the beach. It would have been nice to have the timing mat at the swim finish, rather than the transition start.

To sidetrack for a moment. My Dad was there, he was right at the swim finish, and then when I was in transition he was right behind me at the gate around transition. It was good to have him there. He was there the whole, long day. I was happy for this.

I got out of transition with no issues. At this point the weather was still cloudy and fairly cool.

The bike starts in the streets of Racine, so I spent some time both in and out of the aerobars, for safety reasons. Once we were more out in the "country" I switched to aerobars. The course has a couple of decent climbs, some rollers, and some flat areas. There were times on the course when the headwind was pretty tough. I am not sure at what point it happened on the bike, but the clouds went away and it got hot and humid. I was taking in alternating water and Clif Lemonde every 5-20 minutes, kind of by feel. Coach Kris recommend every 5 minutes, and I tried to stick to it, but didn't do as good a job as I would like. I did drink all the water and sports drink I had on board. I got water from 3 of 4 bottle stops, I missed the hand off at one and did not stop for safety reasons. A lot of the water on the bottle stops went on my person to cool off. Kris also suggested eating a bar after about an hour and a half on the bike. I ate about a half a Clif Bar, I had trouble stomaching it and chewing it, and most of a gel pack. I also had one of those gummy Clif Shots. I should have probably ate more, but I think the heat was making it hard to eat.

I was doing 20MPH+ for the first 30 miles, then my speed started tapering off. I know the last 10 miles I really started slowing down. My lower back really started bothering me and I had to sit upright a lot of the time and stretch. Like my swim, I would have liked to have gone faster, but I am happy with the results.

About 10 minutes out of T2, it clouded up and downpoured for about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, as soon as the rain stopped it got more hot and humid. Just in time for the run.

I went into T2 feeling ok and was going to go with the plan to run to each aid station and then walk through the aid station taking in fluid, etc. It was hot and HUMID. Nasty.

I wanted to start out slow and build up, I started out slow, and never got to the build up part.

The course has little to no shade and there are three areas where there are uphills and the rest is basically flat. The uphills are not that bad, if you are fresh, I was not fresh.

I jogged the first loop and used the water stops. I walked through them and made sure to sip and not drink and to take in a variety of fluids. The only food I took in the whole time was a few orange slices. I was putting ice under my hat, which occasionally gave me a headache, and/or in the back of my tri top. The ice did help. I started feeling nausea and general crappiness by the end of the first loop. I did very little jogging the second loop and walked most of it.

I wasn't the only person having trouble, there were a lot of people out there sufferring in the nasty weather. I guess there was some solace in that.

In a nutshell, I finished. At the finish we got t-shirts, hats, and finisher metals. My dad was there, and that was really nice. Even though I could not talk to him because there was no saliva in my mouth, nor would there be for a couple of hours. They had bagels, Cousin's subs, and lots of beverages at the finish. It was hot and uncomfortable, and after taking in enough to get me to my car and back to my Dad's, I got out of there.

I took my first ever ice bath when I got back to my Dad's house, it felt great. I picked up an 8 pound bag on the way back from the race. I filled the tub with cold water and let me legs dangle in as it filled. Once it filled I got all the way in and opened the ice bag. Glorious! My dad was afraid to have me do it, he thought I would go into shock or have a heart attack, I assured him it was safe and a lot of people do it. He seemed doubtful. Of course I survived. Would have been pretty bad for me to have spent 6+ hours out in the heat doing a Half and then die in an ice cold bath tub.

I know why the run, and to a lesser extent the bike, are not as good as I would have liked. I don't/can't spend all the time training on those two to do a Half well/better. I am still recovering from my leg injury and have not been able to put in the run volume or speed work. I also need to practice nutrition better at that distance. I don't think I know how to take in solid food well when racing.

Putting everything in perspective, I am happy with how I did. I would rather have had the day I had on Sunday, then sitting on the sidelines like last year.

2010 Racine 70.3 Results

Swim (1.2 miles) - 39:20 (1:52/100 yards), includes ~2min run up to T1

T1 - 3:42

Bike (56 miles) - 2:48:14 (19.97MPH)

T2 - 3:14

Run (13.1 miles) - 2:42:51 (12:25 min/mi), ugh

Total - 6:17:21

Overall - 1016/2002

AG -128/245

I did the Tuesday Night Time Trial this week, two days after a Half. Almost thought better of it, but thought it would be another good learning experience. It actually went better than I thought it would. I could feel my inability to generate power. It didn't hurt, I just could not turn the crank. When I was done, I didn't feel that winded, I just felt more tired. After the race I went for a light half hour jog.

Time (11 miles) - 29:57 (22.04MPH)

Average for 5 races completed this year - 30:11:21 (21.98MPH)

I am doing the Chisago Lakes Sprint on Sunday. I did it in 2008 and I don't really remember anything about it except the run. I remember the run because you go up a large hill at the start, then it is mostly flat. I remember it was hot in 2008. In 2008 the bike was 17 miles, this year it is 22 miles. The website states the bike is all new and a flatter course. I hope that is true. I don't really have a plan except to go out and do it hard. Not sure what will be left in the tank after last weekend. Should be interesting to see. I will post my results from 2008 when I post my results from this year, after Sunday.

Racine IM 70.3 - Some thoughts, a little nervousness

2010-07-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have only done one half-ironman, or 70.3, and that was the Longhorn 70.3 in Oct. 2008. I will be doing my second one this Sunday and my first of this year. I also plan on doing the Pigman Half in August, about a month away.

I am a little nervous about Racine, partly due to the unknown, partly due to what happened at Longhorn. So I sent my Kris, my coach at OptumHealth Performance, an email with some rambling thoughts. He told me to give him a call, so I did. He gave me a plan, that sounds pretty good and I am going to go with it. I just need to cement it in my brain and make sure I stick to it.
No plan for the swim, just do it. Not worried about it.
On the bike, sip water and/or electrolyte fluid every 5 minutes. At about an hour and a half eat something. Gel is good. Something more solid is better. I am going to carry a Clif Bar (I like blueberry the best) with me, plus some gel. I think I can stick to this plan.
On the run, come out slow and work up to a pace, and walk every aid station. Take some water, or other fluid as needed, at every station. Take a gel every 45 minutes, with water. I think this is a plan I can do also.
It is supposed to be hot, 90s, on Sunday, so getting water on me is a necessary also.
I had a plan at Longhorn, and I did not stick to it. I probably took in enough water on the bike, but not enough other stuff. I came out on the run to fast and did not stop at aid stations until I need it, instead of before I needed it.
I just need to stick to the plan and be patient.
Not that the two can be compared, but below is my result from Longhorn. Longhorn is much hillier course, especially the run, than Racine.

2008 Longhorn 70.3 Results
Swim (1.2 miles = 2112 yards) = 29:23 (1:31/100 yards), I think this was short
T1 = 4:27, what was I doing?
Bike (56 miles) = 2:50:48 (19.7MPH), I was happy with this
T2 = 2:26
Run (13.1 mi) = 2:19:37 (10:39 min/mi), and there is the collapse. I ran the first 4 miles or so and then just walked the rest.
Total = 5:46:43
Overall = 741/1929
AG = 97/219

I don't have a goal time in mind for Racine. I would like to be out of the water around 30, off the bike in 2:45, and I will take what I can get from the run. If I went under 5:30 I would be thrilled.

2010 Timberman Triathlon (Long Course) Results and Racine IM 70.3 Thoughts

2010-07-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

I will say up front that I think Timberman is one of the most challenging courses around. The bike is hilly and the run has hill and doesn't have a lot of shade, neither does the bike for that matter.
I drove up to Grand Rapids Friday after swimming in the morning, having coffee, and working at the Gear West area at the Lifetime Fitness Expo for 2 hours. I went by myself because Jackie had school, then had a "Lady's Night" at our apartment, and wanted to get some studying in on Saturday. The drive up to Grand Rapids is about three and a half hours and alternates between being nice scenery and kind of dull.
I got to the Sugar Lake Resort about 5. The swim was already setup, so I gave it a look. The swim looked long, the water looked really nice. I went and got my race packet, no problem. Then I had the 7 dollar all you can eat pasta dinner they had at the resort. I ate with Dan and Suzie, it was nice to have some company for dinner. The all you can eat dinner was simple salad, red sauce, pasta, and meatballs. Desert was a blackberry crisp. It was surprisingly good meal, especially for 7 bucks. I had two helpings everything except the desert.
After I ate I drove the 15-20 minutes to the AmericInn in Grand Rapids. Hotel was ok. Next year, especially if Jackie comes with, I would like to stay at the resort for Friday and Saturday night.
Anyway, I went to bed early and got up about 4:45AM. I brought some stuff for breakfast and picked up some stuff from Cub the night before. I got up, showered, ate, packed, and got to the race site about 6:15. The weather looked a little sketchy at first, but by the time the race started it was clear and sunny, and warming up.
I found a nice spot in transition at the top of the hill , the tranisition is on a hill with the enterance from the swim and bike at the bottom and the exit for the run and bike at the top.
There were more people than I thought I would know at the race, so I chatted a little and did a short bike warm-up. I was feeling a little tired/lethargic, and it felt even more so when I went out on the bike warm-up. I was a tad worried about how I would feel.
The race is in waves, there is no Elite wave, so everyone 39 and under started together. I started on the outside and probably stayed there too long. The water is very clear and the temperature was probably perfect. The swim was very uneventful and felt ok. I didn't feel like I could go much faster than I went. I think the swim was shorter than the stated mile, based on my time.
I got of T1 with no issues and started the bike. The bike for the long course is two different loops. First loop is the same as the short course (10 mi) and then you split off and do another loop that is longer and the last part meets up with the short course loop. The ride was hilly, some pretty descent climbs, some pretty cool descents, and some nice scenery. There were some areas of bad road that made for rough ride on the second part. This was the first race where I had to go into the small chainring on the front, also probably the most I was ever out of the saddle in a race. It was a tough bike. When it was over, I was glad.
I got out of T2 with a little sock trouble, but otherwise ok. There are some short, and somewhat steep hills out of the start. The first 2 miles is on pavement, with very little shade, the next two miles, out a mile and back a mile, is on hard pack gravel/dirt, and the last 2 miles is pavement. It was hot, hard run. I thought about stopping and walking, but I made it without stopping, I kept running. You have to run a nice little uphill before the finish and then when you come in there is a guy on the other side of the finish line with a house and a showerhead type sprayer. I let him spray me, it felt great, but I thought I was going to go into shock. I wish they had more of those at other races.
I was pretty proud of myself. I felt kind of cruddy most of the day, just tired. Making it through the run, actually the whole race, was more of a challenge than usual, and I am really happy with my time. I was thinking something close to 2:40, so just under 2:30 was a nice surprise.
I recommend this race to someone who wants a real challenge, especially if it is a warm day.

2010 Timberman Long Course Results
Swim (1760 yards) - 23:41 (1:21/100 yards), I am not that fast, must have been short
T1 - 1:54
Bike (23.8 miles) - 1:10:01 (20.4 MPH), I am happy with this, considering the conditions and how I felt out on the course
T2 - 1:56
Run (6 miles) - 51:50 (8:39 min/mi), this surprised me, I would have totally been happy at or over 9 min/mi
Total -2:29:20
Overall -60/122
AG -7/13 (including at least two Elites)

Next weekend, the day of Sunday 7/18, I will be doing Racine IM 70.3. My first, last, and only half-iron/70.3 was Oct 2008 at Longhorn 70.3. That effort was a little unsuccessful. I had a good swim and bike and 4 miles into the run I hit a wall and ended up walking 9 miles. I finished, but I ended up in the med tent with an IV. I learned some lessons out there that day. I need more/better nutrition was the biggest thing I learned that day. It was hot and I did not take in enough stuff besides water. Hopefully this coming weekend I can take better care. Racine is supposed to be a flat course, so that will be nice, especially after this last weekend. There is a good chance it will be a hot day and I have no idea what the shade will be like. Basically my goal is to finish this race, I think my training, and extensive racing, will allow me to finish. I also think that because I race so much, and that I do not train specifically for this distance, it will be hard for me to have an awesome performance. I would be glad to go faster than the 5:45 I did at the Longhorn 70.3, but I will take a finish next Sunday.

June 2010 Workout Summary

2010-07-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here are my numbers for June 2010 compared to numbers from previous years

2010 Includes 4 Tris (one DNF on bike) and 1 TT

2009 I did no races, 2008 includes 4 Tris and 2 TTs, and 2007 includes 3 Tris and 1 Du

Year-to-date totals (6 month total for 2010) and totals since 2007

Average and totals since 2007

2010 MinneMan Tri Results and Timberman Preview

2010-07-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Up and out early, as usual. Got there and setup early enough that I could warm-up and chat with people. I actually talked to a number of people before the start and finally I got to me Brian Mass (visit his blog at www.tundrat-zone.blogspot.com ), who I have communicated by way of FB and blog in the past, but never met until this day. It was great to finally meet him, and get passed by him on the run. It appears that he a had very good day.

The weather for the day was on and off windy, when not windy it was hot and humid. It was a pretty good day to race.

The swim was a little ridiculous. There was a lot of people, the course was tight, water was shallow, and there was some chop. Most people ran half way, or more, to the turnaround bouy. I did not wear a wetsuit, and I am glad I did not, it would have been a waste. I had moment of panic on the swim, the first in a long time. I got jammed up on the turn bouy and my left arm got caught in the rope. It took me too long, it seemed like forever, to get untangled from that bouy. I was right up against the bouy, people were swimming around and into me. I was trashing my left arm around and finally it came free. I did not panic too much, but there was a little panic there. Once around the bouy it was a little less crowded and I could actually swim. I would say this is the worst swim course, swim setup, I have done this year. Possibly the worst in any triathlon I have done. They need to rethink how they do the course. Maybe go to a TT start like Pigman Sprint. I can't remember what was different in 2008, but something was definitely different, and better.

Got through the longish transition run with no problems, got bike, and got out of transition with no problem. Initially, the bike felt windy. I think we were biking south and it was in our face. When the wind was at the side it was not too bad. The last part of the bike was through a residential neighborhood, and for the most of that the wind was mostly a headwind. That made the last few miles tough. This course is mostly flat, so that made the wind slightly more bearable.

I did see one thing on the bike that was disturbing/frustrating. I got passed about 5-7 miles into the bike by 3 guys in the 40+ AG, so they started 3 minutes behind me. That was not the disturbing/frustrating part, the fact that they appeared to be drafting was the aspect that irritated me. Maybe it was a coincidence the 3 passed me at the same time. Maybe they were not cheating. Who knows.

I came into T2 with the intent of trying a flying dismount. I did not. I got my feet out of my shoes and on top with no issues and I have plenty of room for the attempt, but I backed out and just stopped on the dismount and ran barefoot into transistion, rather than run in my cleated feet. I had the usual slow time getting my socks and shoes on and busted ass out of transistion as fast as possible.

As expected the run was painful, not the leg, just whole body pain. It was humid and I had biked hard. I pushed the run as hard as possible and I am happy with the result, even if I would have liked to have gone closer to a 7:30 min/mi. At this point, I have to take what I can get. I think it is going to be a long time before I can consistently run below 7:40 min/mi pace. I got passed by one guy in my AG, there was no way I was going to catch him. I checked the results and he finished about 30 seconds in front of me. He was running at about a 6:48 min/mi, so almost a min/mile faster than I was running. My average speed on the bike was 2+MPH faster, but his run was too much for me. No biggie. I gave it all I got, as usual, that was all I could do.

It was good race, and aside from the swim, it was a very good race.

Swim (something less than a third of a mile) - 6:54 (1:19, yeah, defintely shorter than a third of a mile)

T1 - 2:15 (long run to transition)

Bike (13 mile) - 34:57 (22.3 MPH, same average speed as 2008)

T2 -1:30 (I have to do something about socks and getting my shoes on)

Run (3 mile) - 23:54 (7:58 min/mi)

Total Time - 1:09:29

Overall -60/414

AG - 6/19 (The AG winner was under an hour. I checked the results from the last two years, and no one in my AG was under an 1:05)

I have never done Timberman. I have heard it is a beautiful course. I also heard that Waconia and Timberman are the two toughest races in the series. My sources have told me that the bike course is hilly, with some challenging climbs. Apparently, the first part of the run is hilly and then flattens out later. The run is a mix of pavement and gravel and there is not a lot of shade, so hydrate well. Since I have not done this before, and it is the second longest race I have done this year (1mi swim, ~24mi bike, 6mi run) I will just do my best to get through it.