April 2013 Training and Racing Summary

The only event in April was the St. Anthony's Tri, which I posted a report for.  The most important thing to come out of that race was an above average run time for this early in the year, which was very cool. 
A local pro-triathlete, Devon Palmer, has been doing some spin/run bricks out of his house in the month of April and I have been taking advantage of those.  In fact, and unfortunately, I have been the only one to take advantage of the opportunity.  I say unfortunately, because it is a good, inexpensive workout that a lot of people could benefit from.  Anyway, the two I did in April were hour spins, tough, and then a fairly easy run, in the snow\sleet both times, around Lake Nokomis.  Those workouts have been helpful.
May is a big month, two open 5K road races, a Tuesday Night Time Trial, Gear West Du, and a 10 day vaca in Hawaii.  Of course, 10 day vaca in Hawaii is the most important part of the month.
My April swim time is about average.  I believe that my intensity is much higher than previous years. As I have mentioned in the past, I think that the coaching I am getting at I Swim is much more focused and intense than previous Masters.  It can be seen, that for the time I am putting in, my yardage is higher than previous years where I put in more time.  Run time, and I believe intensity, is up from the previous 3 years, which hopefully shows up in performance. I think my 8K in March and my off-the-bike 10K show good results so far. Bike is down a little, about average, but I think my intensity has been good.  All in all, aside from the weather, April has been a good month.  Again, May will be a very interesting month, hopefully I have set a good base for it.
I just remembered, I need to post my goals for 2013.  I think that will be my next post.

Year-To-Year April Comparison

 

Totals and Averages Since 2007

YTD Totals and Since 2007

 

2013 St. Anthony's Triathlon Race Report

This is my first race of 2013 and it is my 85th triathlon\duathlon that I have finished. I have only had two dnfs, one, intentional, at St. Anthony's in 2009, and one from a flat in 2010.
This is my 6th time at St. Anthony's. 2008, 2010, 2012 were full Olypmic distance, 2009 there was no swim for the AG due to weather and I had a stress fracture, so I did the bike and dropped out. In 2011, the swim course was shortened and moved to a different location. 2010 I was recovering from the stress fracture, so I took it easy on the run. Typically it is hot, especially the flat, mostly shadeless, run course. This year was no different. This year was similar to 2011, in as much as the swim course was shortened for everyone but the pros.  More below.
I arrived in Orlando and drove to Ocala to my mom and stepdad's on Thursday afternoon. Just hungout there Thursday night. My rental "car" was a slightly used Toyota 4Runner.  The 4Runner is a decent vehicle, bigger than I thought it would be.

Friday morning I got up and assembled the bike, which was nicely packed and shipped by Gear West, some pictures above. No problem assembling the bike. Went for a ~22 minute bike ride in the late morning and it was already getting hot. I biked a little easy and a little hard, wanted to make sure the bike was ok, and make sure I was ok.  I felt ok.  I then went for a short run, about 8 minutes. It was hot. Spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Saturday we got up and drove to St. Petersburg and checked in at the race. As usual, packet pickup and bike deposit was super easy. They do a really good job of getting people through. Probably one of the best races to take care of packet pickup, especially for such a big race.  The twist this year is that each athlete was given two clear plastic bags to put all thier gear in.  Due to the Boston bombings, the organizers decided that no backpacks in transition was the best thing to do.  So, I put about half my stuff in a bag and left it under my bike the day before, and the next day I brought the rest of the stuff in the other plastic bag.  All in all, it was not that much of an issue to not use a backpack.

When I got to the hotel, I was dripping with sweat, just from walking around to do packet pickup and bike drop off.  Just relaxed before dinner and laid out my stuff for the next day. Had dinner at the usual place, a sports bar near the hotel.  Usually, I have a good spiral meatloaf (beef, pork, cheese, red peppers, and spinach) that they have.  Not on the menu anymore! So I had a sirloin with green and yellow squash, and mashed potatoes. Yum. Also had a Yuengling. Yum.  My cousin, who lives in Tampa, and I have not seen for a few years, joined us for dinner.  Her joining us for dinner was a nice addition to the routine.
Fell asleep by about 9:30, woke up about 4 times during the night, but fell back asleep quickly.  I think the second time I woke up I was covered in sweat and my sheets were soaked.  No idea why.  My hotel room was not hot at all.  Kind of strange.  Woke up with my alarm at about 3:30, showered, had coffee, apple fritter, oj, water, a little Clif Bar, and banana for breakfast. While setting up in transition I drank some Gatorade and water. In hindsight, I probably should have had a little more to eat. I think I drank enough. Besides a cup of coffee, 8 oz of oj, I drank about 3/4 of 32 oz Gatorade and a liter of water+. 

Transition was tight, but not as tight as usual.  I think people not being allowed to bring in backpacks made for some extra room. With my bike already there it was pretty easy to setup, and I was early, so I did not have to fight for space.  Like last year they let us put our bags along the massive fence line, this was helpful.  This year they allowed us to do the same thing with the plastic bags.  I had some time to burn, as I usually do, since I show up so early. I saw David Thompson, the pro from St. Paul, and said "hi" to him, and also said "hi" and chatted with Jerry, the announcer who announces races everywhere. 
I said one last "by" to my mom and stepdad and walked to the swim start. It is a point-to-point, so basically it is a one mile walk for about 2500 people. 
It was a windy day, and the water was choppy.  I had a sneaky feeling they were going to shorten the swim, and they did.  After the pros took off they announced they were shortening the swim, by half.  It resulted in about a 15 minute delay, which was much better than 2011.  In 2011 they had to put together a new swim course that morning, this year they already had the new course, and they had setup up an early swim exit, so all they had to do was move a bouy to indicate the turn into shore.  It was a little disappointing to have the shortened swim, but understandable. 
My wave was supposed to start at 7:45, but ended up starting about 8.  It is an open water start in water that is just too deep to stand in, so you have to tread, or float in this case since we are wearing wetsuits.  The water was choppy, going from left to right, shore is on the right side.  Even though there as chop, the swim was not too bad.  There were no real issues during the swim.  It felt ok.  The only issue that once you turn and head for shore, it is not long before the water is too shallow to swim in, so it is long walk\run in shallow water to get up to the beach.  Then it is a really long run\walk\jog from the swim exit to the entrance of transition.  When the shorten the swim course, you are ridiculously far from transition.  So, you have a bit of a jog to contemplate things.
I was in and out of transition pretty fast, once I got there. 
The first part of the bike, probably less than a quarter mile, is on a cobblestone section of street, it is kind of treacherous.  Twice on the stretch my water bottle, on holder between my aerobars and held with a rubber band, started to bounce out.  The second time it fell out.  I know it is penalty if you drop equipment and do not pick it up, but sometimes it seems safer to me if you drop something to leave it.  Suddenly, trying to stop and turnaround to go get something, especially in traffic, seems much more dangerous.  So, I left the bottle, which means I was without fluids for the bike, except for the water stop midway through.  I mentioned the wind early, resulting in the shortening of the swim, at times the bike was challenging due to the wind.  There were sections on the bike where the wind was tough.  My bike this year was pretty average, compared to previous years.  Not my fastest, not my slowest.  I did not get to take much fluid in during the bike and I was worried about how that would affect my run.  It did not affect it too much, since I had my best run ever and my best run since 2008.  I was thirsty off the bike, and the first water stop was great.  I came off the bike not too fast, but I was not jogging.  As always, it was hot.  Very little shade and lots of sun.  I felt pretty good on the run, not fantastic, but good.  I was pleasantly surprised with my time.
At the finish I got the ice towel and ice water, two of the best feelings all day.  Got a little food, packed up my stuff and left.  We stopped for lunch at Sonny's, a bbq chain in FL.  We stopped there for lunch the day before.  I really like the bbq there.  Good stuff.  On Sunday, they have all you can eat chicken, I had all I could eat on the way home.
I am happy with the first race of the season.  I would say that everything went really well.  It was a good trip to FL.  I don't think I could ask for much more to start off the season. 
Below are bunch of pictures taken during the race by mom and stepdad, and a couple I took after the race.  Additionally, a photographer and triathlete from MN, Nick, was working for Competitive Image, and was taking pictures at the race.  Specifically, he was tasked with taking pictures of former pro football player, turned triathlete, Hines Ward.  Nick did catch me on the course, near the finish, and one of those pictures is below also.

2013Results
Swim (820 yards, shortened for weather) - 14:05 (1:43/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 6:27 (shorter swim course, loooonnnggg run to T1)
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:11:35 (20.8 MPH)
T2 - 2:29
Run (6.2 miles) - 52:43 (8:31/mile)
Total - 2:27:18
Overall -  752/2404
AG - 91/201
Overall Pace - 4:41/mile

2012 Results
Swim (1640 yards, new course) - 29:03 (1:47/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 2:18
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:12:54 (20.4MPH)
T2 - 2:42 (sprayed some sunblock on myself, put on socks, and forgot my race belt and had to turn around and get it)
Run (6.2 miles) - 55:04 (8:53/mile)
Total - 2:41:51
Overall - 977/2689
AG - 124/236
Overall Pace - 5:04/mile

2011 Results
Swim (820 yards, shortened for weather) - 17:56 (2:11/100 yards, no wetsuit)
T1 - 5:49 (shorter swim course, loooonnnggg run to T1)
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:44 (21.1 MPH)
T2 - 2:45
Run (6.2 miles) - 55:04 (8:53/mile)
Total - 2:32:18
Overall - 980/3125
AG - 110/239
Overall Pace - 4:49/mile

2010 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 29:36 (1:49/100 yards, this was wetsuit)
T1 - 3:12
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:15:10 (19.8 MPH)
T2 - 2:27
Run (6.2 miles) - 58:33 (9:22/mile, coming off stress fracture)
Total - 2:48:56
Overall - 1264/3192
AG - 156/287
Overall Pace - 5:18/mile

2009 Results
No swim due to weather, then dropped out after bike due to stress fracture
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:43 (21.1MPH)

2008 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 30:58 (1:53/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 3:38
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:11:48 (20.8MPH)
T2 - 3:42
Run (6.2 miles) - 52:54 (8:31/mile)
Total - 2:42:57
Overall - 1258/3350
AG - 121/231
Overall Pace - 5:11/mile

2013 Racing and Training Playlist - Music!

Since I have been racing and had an iPod, I have had a "Racing and Training" playlist.  A playlist to listen to while training, indoors, and before races, and sometimes just to enjoy. Way back I posted my first playlist and for the longest time I had the same playlist, just swapped out songs here and there.  This year I dumped the whole thing and started new.  Some songs are from the previous playlist. 
I made add some as the year progresses, but this is basically what I have been listening to on the treadmill, lifting, and on the trainer.  As you can see, I am mostly into rock.

Star Machine - Bob Mould
Mind Eraser, No Chaser - Them Crooked Vultures
Gun-Shy Sunshine - Silversun Pickups
Rope - Foo Fighters
No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age
Bandoliers - Them Crooked Vultures
Anything We Want - Fiona Apple
A Good Idea - Sugar
Dead End Friends - Them Crooked Vultures
There's No Secrets This Year - Silversun Pickups
Scumbag Blues - Them Crooked Vultures
Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells
Silver Age - Bob Mould
Automatic System Habit - Garbage
Evil - Interpol
Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
Gunman - Them Crooked Vultures
Hot Knife - Fiona Apple
No One Loves Me & Neither Do I - Them Crooked Vultures
All My Life - Foo Fighters
The Descent - Bob Mould
Metal Heart - Garbage
Celebrity Skin - Hole
Crush - Sleigh Bells

March 2013 Racing and Training Summary

I actually have a race summary for this month, along with the usual training summary. 
I did the Irish for a Day 8K, previously the Human Race 8K, which I have done in the past.  This was my fourth time doing the 8K. It was unseasonable cold, but I still had a very good race.  I would say every year previous it has been above 50 degrees, I think last year it was in the 70s or 80s.  This year it was in the low 30s and a little windy.  It was definitely chilly. 
The race is run in the afternoon, typically starting around 1PM.  This year it started at 1:20PM.  This is unusual for most races, which as we all know typically start before 10AM.
It was my second fastest time at this distance, in this race. The course was slightly different from previous years.  It started further east, you went west for about half a mile and then east.  In the past it has started further west and it is a straight out and back course.  The course is run almost totally on Summit Ave in Saint Paul, you take a slight detour on a side road to turn around. With mostly uphill east, and then back mostly downhill.  I would say it is a challenging 5 miles, it is not flat.
Here are my results from this year, and my previous results:
2013 - 8K (5mi) - 38:10 = 7:40min/mi
2012 - 8K (5mi) - 39:11 = 7:53min/mi
2011 - 8K (5mi) - 38:49 = 7:49min/mi
2009 - 8K (5mi) - 36:40 = 7:20min/mi

In 2010 I did the 5k, coming off my stress fracture.  This year I am running more, and more intense, than last year, and I think it is paying off.  In 2009, I unknowningly ran this race on my stress fracture.  A week or so later I went to the doctor and found out I had one.  I remember having some leg pain after the race, I had been having pain up to that point, and thinking it was just shin splints.  I had dumbly been thinking this all along.  Anyway, maybe I will get back to that 2009 time, and run that fast without a stress fracture.  It appears that I am on my way this year.

Below are my comparison for this March to previous years, plus the usual YTD totals, and totals since 2007.  I am pretty happy with this month.  I got over 10 hours of cycling, almost 10 hours for swimming, and nearly 5 hours of running.  Good volume and I think I got the intensity that I need. I would say it is one of my best balanced Marches.  The end of April is my first triathlon of the year, so the beginning of April will be intense and I will taper down a bit as the race gets closer.

March Year-to-Year Comparison

Totals and Averages Since 2007

YTD Totals and Totals Since 2007

 



Walk for Talk 5K (Walk or Run) - Please Donate or Do It!

My nephew, my wife's brother and sister in-laws youngest son, Nolan, was born with a rare hearing disorder, and has no hearing in one of his ears. 
He attended Northern Voices, a school that helps hard of hearing children learn to speak.
Website is here: http://northernvoices.org/
They are having their 4th Annual Walk for Talk.  In the past, it was only a walk.  This year it is a walk and a chipped timed run around Lake Como in Saint Paul, MN.  It is Sunday May 4th.
 https://sites.google.com/a/northernvoices.org/walk-for-talk/

Registration for the run is on active.com

Please consider making a donation to Nolan's Walk Team and doing the run or walk.
Go here for the donation page: http://www.razoo.com/story/Leah-Paul-Fundraising-For-Walk-For-Talk-5k-Run-Kids-Fun-Run-2013?fb_action_ids=10200896331314792&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

If you run, walk, or just donate, it is appreciated.  Thanks, Chris

2013 Race Schedule (Most Likely Schedule)

Below is my 2013 race schedule, also to the righ in the sidebar, most likely race schedule. Already one change, I registered for Lake Minnetonka, but just found out I have a wedding that weekend, so I will miss it. I have registered for Lake Minnetonka 4 times, I have done it twice. Both times family stuff as come up after registration and I missed the race. Oh well, that comes with early registration.
I will be starting the season for the 6th year with St. Anthony's in Florida. I will racing the Gear West Du for the 7th time in 8 years.  I have been there 8 years in a row, in 2009 I was injured and volunteered.  I will be doing Waconia for my 5th time.  I will be doing Maple Grove for the 4th time in four years, each time Oly distance, since it started.  I will be doing the St. Croix Valley Oly for the 4th time.  I did the sprint in 2009, on my bad leg.  If I do Dousman this year, it will be my 8th year in a row.  2009 I did it as a relay, all other years as an individual.  I am not sure if I will do Dousman this year.  I have a family wedding the weekend before down in that part of Wisconsin.  It will be a lot of driving in a 10 day period if I do the race the weekend after the wedding.  I will see how things go. 
I am thinking of adding 3 new races, I am registered for one of them, Graniteman St. Cloud.  I am considering, and will probably do, the other two Graniteman races.  All three races are sprint distance races.
Additionally, I am doing the "Irish for a Day" 8K in St. Paul next weekend, Sun March 24th.  I am doing a Friday evening 5K in May at Valley Fair.  I will probably do some, if not all, of the Salomon Trail Races in September and October.  Also, as usual, I will do as many of the Tuesday Night Time Trials (T'N'T) as possible.  The Tuesday Night Time Trials are one of the best, if not the best, bike workouts of the year.  The races are every other Tuesday starting in May and go into August.  I highly recommend doing these races.
An "R" means I am already registered. I have a "normal" schedule for this season, 12-13 races.

4/28/2013 - St. Anthony's Triathlon (St. Petersburg, FL)R
5/19/2013 - Gear West Duathlon (Orono, MN)R
6/9/2013 - Manitou Sprint Triathlon (White Bear Lake, MN)R
6/15/2013 - Lake Minnetonka Triathlon (Minnetonka, MN)R
6/23/2013 - Graniteman Triathlon (Saint Cloud, MN)R
6/30/2013 - Lake Waconia Triathlon (Waconia, MN)R
7/13/2013 - Graniteman Clearwater (Clearwater, MN)
7/21/2013 - Heart of the Lakes Triathlon (Annandale, MN)R
7/28/2013 - Chisago Lakes Sprint Triathlon (Chisago Lakes, MN)R
8/2/2013 - Graniteman Big Lake (Big Lake, MN)
8/24/2013 - Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon (Maple Grove, MN)
8/31/2013 - St. Croix Valley Olympic Triathlon (Hudson, WI)
9/15/2013 - Dousman Duathlon (Dousman, WI)

February 2013 Racing and Training Summary

This Feb was pretty average in terms of total time spent, when compared to previous Febs. 
My swim distance and time continue to grow since the end of 2012. 
I am keeping with the my training goal of increased intensity over last year.  The new Masters group I am in is definitely more intense and the distance keeps up.  I Swim has the intensity workouts, distance workouts, and form workouts.  Hopefully, the change up in types of workouts and coaching will translate to some extra swim speed.  I did a timed 100yd sprint off the blocks for the first time in a long time.  My legs were a little tired from a hard bike and run weekend.  I was able to pull out a 1:06 for the 100.  I was very happy with that. 
I am keeping my run and bike intensity up.  Not really much to say about Feb, except trying to be consistent and keep up my intensity.  Trying to hit those Sunday morning LA Fitness spin classes. 
Through the first two months of 2013 I am on pace to be where I want to be.
Below are my usual monthly summary tables

Comparison of Feb Time Year-To-Year

Totals and Averages Since 2007



Totals for 2013 and Totals Since 2007