Product Review 28 - Castelli One-Piece Tri Kit

I am starting my 10th season of multi-sport racing.  My first season was 2006 and I did 5 duathlons, all of them in bicycle shorts and a bike jersey.  Dumb.
In 2007, when I started doing triathlons, I got smarter and went with a two piece tri kit, Sugoi. I used the two piece for a many years.  After that, I tried a Speedo Fastskin for a little while.  Then for a few years, went to a Sugoi one piece kit.  All of these purchased at Gear West.  Last year, Gear West switched to Castelli, and I got one of these to try out.  The Castelli kit is by far the best tri kit I have ever raced in, these are great.
Initially, as you put it on, it feels too tight in the waist.  It turns out that it is ok.  The fit is nearly perfect, at least for me.  Not too tight or too loose.  One of the problems with the Sugoi one piece, I had two of them, was that they would rub on my armpits and occasionally the neck.  The fabric around the arm openings in the Castelli is much flatter, smoother, and doesn't rub or slip.  The padding in the crouch is decent, not too much so it is bulky, not so thin that it does nothing.  The elastic around the leg openings, is thin and wide and fits comfortably.

 

 

 

St. Anthony's Triathlon 2015 Race Report

Going into this race, I had less training than last year.  So, I was a little worried about how I would do.  I shouldn't be worried, not like I am an elite or pro.  Given the conditions and my training, I think I did ok (At the bottom is an update about my results.  A surprising update!). 

Again, I used Tribike Transport, instead of shipping the bike, assembling at my mom's, taking to the race, bringing back from the race, disassembling, packing, and shipping before I leave.  TriBike Transport sets up right outside transition, so all you have to do is pick up the bike and walk it into transition and then drop off after the race.  Very easy and very nice.  I highly recommend using it, if it is available for a race you and you need to get your bike to the race.  It is cheaper than renting a bike box and flying, and slightly more expensive than shipping.  As long as I do this race, I will probably use it from now on.

As always, packet pickup at this race is so fast and easy.  In and out.  They do a really good job.

Below are the usual transition pictures and a picture of the water the day before.  Below are my race results from the previous years. 

The weather this year was not nearly as nice as last year, there was more wind, with more heat and humidity.

I had my usual breakfast of oj, coffee, water, apple fritter, yogurt, and banana.  Had some Gatorade here and there before the start.  Transition setup was pretty easy.  Morning was uneventful and went well.  It was nice to have Jackie, second year in a row, to walk with me to the swim start.  I usually don't have someone out there before the start. 

There was no time for a short swim before the start, no real warm up except for the walk to the start and jumping around a bit.  It is an in water start, so I did swim out to the start when the time came.  The announced water temperature was 81 (!), so no wetsuits.  I was warm, not sure 80 warm, but it was warm. The portion of the swim that was parallel to the shore went pretty decent, once you turned and headed for open water it got pretty tough.  It is a left turn out, and people were getting jammed up on the turn buoy heading out. There were some people struggling out there.  I could see people doing backstroke or breaststroke, or just bobbing.  When I was swimming into the waves, at times it felt like my body was popping almost entirely out of the water.  It was almost as bad going back in, where the water was coming over the top.  Last year the conditions were rough, not this rough, and we had wetsuits last year.

Once out of the water transition went pretty well, especially for it being the first time of the year. I am always a little nervous for this race, since it is usually the first time outside on the tri bike.  Like last year, this year it was the first time outside on any bike.  The bike was pretty uneventful.  I felt like I was really hammering it, see run comments below.  As expected, I started getting uncomfortable about mile 20, that has to do with a lack of time in the aero position and I expected it.  I spent less time on the bike this year than last year, and last year was my fastest split, and the weather was better, but I was only a minute off my split from last year.  That was pretty surprising.  

Second transition went fast.  Going out on the run I felt like lead.   I think I hammered it to hard on the bike.  About 2 miles in I started to go through the mental work of telling myself to run to the next water stop, that no matter how slow I run, I wasn't going to walk, etc.  It was hot and humid and my legs were not doing it that morning.  I have a co-worker who does this race each year, this year he did the sprint instead of the Olympic due to a medical condition.  By co-incidence he caught up with me on the run with about half a mile left and he ran in with me.  It was really helpful to have someone with me in the last stretch.  This was my second worst run on this course.  It was a little disappointing, but I got through it without walking.
The run is through a residential neighborhood.  It seems that every year the people along the course get more into it.  Like last year, this year there was a guy at the end of his driveway with a Tiki bar setup, and cases of Corona around it.  He was handing out beers if anyone would take them.  It is pretty cool to see people along the course out cheering and celebrating.

What can I attribute me poor performance this year compare to previous years and last year, especially?  Weather conditions, no wetsuit, less training?  Hard to say.  I feel I am in good swim shape, but the swim conditions were tough, and I think everyone was slower. My bike was surprisingly good, all things considered.  My run was disappointing, but that could have been due to the swim and bike.  I felt I trained pretty good for the run this year.

As always, this is great race to do.  Great course, well executed.

Last year, when I did this race, I had my fastest time, and I qualified for USAT AG Nationals.  After this year's race, I figured I was not going to qualify.  You have to be in the top 33% of your AG to qualify.  Well, surprise, surprise, I qualified.  I must have barely, just barely qualified.  So, this year I will be back at AG Nationals.  Hooray!

2015 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 33:08 (2:02/100 yards, no wetsuit)
T1 - 2:12
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:28 (21.1 MPH)
T2 - 1:52
Run (6.2 miles) - 56:24 (9:06/mi)
Total - 2:44:02
Overall - 348/1474
AG - 45/139
Overall Pace - 5:08/mi
 
2014 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 29:00 (1:47/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 2:50
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:09:36 (21.4 MPH, fastest bike)
T2 - 1:43
Run (6.2 miles) - 51:34 (8:19/mi, fastest run)
Total - 2:34:41
Overall - 344/1687
AG - 48/182
Overall Pace - 4:52/mi 

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

April 2015 Racing and Training Summary

This April was a little below average in terms of swim, bike, and run.  I tried to keep my intensity up.  I think I did a good job of that.  I feel pretty good.

I crossed over 2000 hours of training since 2007.  Seems like it should be more.......
That comes out to a little over 21 hours a month in total training time.  That total and average includes months where I had no time, which hasn't been 2007.  Since 2007, the least amount of time I have put in training has been 6 hours in 2008. 

I had one race, St. Anthony's, as usual.  Race report for that coming up soon.

There isn't a whole lot to say about the month, except I tried to be consistent, as always, and keep up my intensity.  I felt pretty good throughout the month.  With the race season coming up in MN, I think keeping things going in May, Gear West duathlon and TTs, will be important, for when June - August races come around.  Just have to keep being consistent, it is all about consistency.

May through August should be more exciting.  Hopefully.

Year-to-Year April Comparisons

Since 2007 and Year-to-Date Totals

Total Since 2007 and Averages

2015 Tentative Race Schedule

Here is my tentative 2015 race schedule.  Traithlon, duathlon, TT, and running, as far as I know. 
A bit less than previous years.  More on that later......
This will be my 10th season of multi-sport.  2006 was duathlon only.
Getting this out a little later than usual...so there are comments about what I have already done, changes, etc.

4/26/2015 - St. Anthony's Triathlon (St. Petersburg, FL), it will be my 8th year in a row starting the race, if I finish, it will be my 7th year finishing.  I didn't finish in 2009 because of a stress fracture.  Done, race report coming out later this month.  Didn't go as well as I would have liked, but.......see below.

5/17/2015 - Gear West Duathlon (Orono, MN), this will be my 9th year doing this race, it would have been my 10th, except in 2009 I had to volunteer because of a stress fracture.  So, I have been at the race for 10 years in a row.  Tough Du.

6/7/2015 - Buffalo Triathlon (Buffalo, MN), this will be my second year in a row at this race, doing the Olympic distance.  I did the sprint in 2007.  Last year I had a good race here.

6/20/2015 - Lake Minnetonka (Minnetonka, MN), this is will be my 4th year at this race.  Fast race.

6/21/2015 - Manitou Sprint Triathlon (White Bear Lake, MN), may or may not do this race.  Might be last minute decision.

6/28/2015 - Lake Waconia Triathlon (Waconia, MN), this will be my 7th year at this race.  Always challenging.  Tough run course.

7/11/2015 - GraniteMan Clearwater (Clearwater, MN), I have done the Sprint.  This year there is a Sprint and Oly, my plan is to do the Oly.

8/8/2015 - USAT AG Nationals (Milwaukee, WI) or Graniteman Big Lake (Big Lake, MN),  this was an "or" for two reasons.  One, I had to qualify.  I didn't qualify at Maple Grove last year, I think I missed it by one spot.  So, I had to qualify at St. Anthony's this year.  My race was not as good as last year, tough day (more in race report), so I thought I would not make it.  Today, May 8th (my birthday), I got an email from USAT and I (surprise) qualified.  So, now I talk to Jackie and if all is cool I will probably go again, for the second year in a row.  Otherwise, Big Lake Oly.

8/16/2015 - Lake Marion Sprint (Lake Marion, MN), I have done the Sprint two years in a row, both years I have placed in my AG.  This year I might do the Oly instead.  Sprint is a tough run course, Oly is two loops of the Sprint course..

8/22/2015 - Maple Grove Triathlon (Maple Grove, MN), this will be my 6th year in a row at this always challenging race.  Last year was my fastest year at this race.  Last year was also some of the best weather.  Tough course, when hot and humid it is even tougher.

9/5/2015 - St. Croix Valley Olympic (Hudson, WI), 4 years I have done the Oly, and one year the Sprint.  Last year I missed it for the first time in 5 years.  Would like to do it again this year.  Bike course is fairly challenging.  Run is challenging, some steep runs, some long hills, can be tough in heat in humidity.  Had one of my worst times at Oly distance on this course.

I plan on doing all the Tuesday Night Time Trials, or as many as possible.  I did the first one last Tuesday on a slightly modified course in fairly windy weather.  My time was ok.  I would like to have been a bit faster.

On 3/22, I did the Irish Run St. Paul 8k.  It was my 6th year doing this race.  It is always on Summit Ave, but they have changed the course slightly over the years.  I wrote about it in my March report.  It went well.

I think I am doing a charity 5K on May 30th.  Cody's Dash for Down Syndrome.  I might walk it with my wife, might run it, see what happens.

So, that is the plan for 2015.  See how it all turns out. 
 

March 2015 Racing and Training Summary

February and March are typically the months where I put in the most training, as I try to get ready for St. Anthony's and the season as a whole.  This year, with travelling to Europe, I lost some time in Jan and Feb.  No biggie!  I am doing this for fun and sometimes I need a vacation.  Anyway, a 3 week break at this point in the season might be very helpful.  I learned last year, taking some extra recovery time before a race can be very helpful.

In March, I tried to pack some more in with the hope that I can get in what I need before I taper a little before the race at the end of April. 

For the 6th year, 5th in a row, I did the Irish run 8K.  They changed the course a little bit this year.  I think it is a little easier, hard to say.  Weather this year was better, last year I think it was below freezing. The run felt pretty good.  I didn't feel any odd pain or stress on my body anywhere.  Nothing unusual.  It was painful, but it was meant to be.  In an attempt to work on my patience while racing, I started out a little slower and tried to get faster throughout.  
This would the 3rd course change in 6 times I have done it.  Always up and down Summit, they just change the start and finish lines.
Here are my results:
2015 - 37:47 (7:36/mi)
2014 - 37:53 (7:38/mi)
2013 - 38:10 (7:41/mi)
2012 - 39:11 (7:53/mi)
2011 - 38:49 (7:49/mi)
2009 - 36:40 (7:20/mi)
Good news, I have gotten progressively faster over the last 4 years.  Slowly, faster, but faster.  I have mentioned this in the past, I did run that fast time in 2009 on a stress fracture.  Have not been able to get back to that.  It must have been the right combination of something on that day.

Below is the usual, comparison of March to March year after year.  Totals since 2007, averages since 2007, and YTD totals.  It was my highest swimming total for a month in a long time, and I was able to go over 10 hours on the bike, so it was the kind of March I would like to have.

Year-After-Year March Comparison



Total and Averages Since 2007

YTD and Totals Since 2007

 

How to go from bottom 10%-25% finisher (Overall and AG) to top-half (middle) to top-third in about 10 seasons of Multi-Sport, and some other thoughts - Part 1 of more than 1 Part Series

I have decided to write a multi-part blog series on how I went from the bottom 10%-25% of finishers (Overall and AG) in multi-sport (triathlon and duathlon) to the middle, top 50%, to top-third.  Mind you, I am not a pro, an elite triathlete, in fact, and I have never won a triathlon. 

First, here are my qualifications that allows me to tell you how to get better:

• Since 2006 I have started and completed 30 duathlons, also 2 duathlon relays (bike portion in both)
• Since 2007 I have started 78, and finished 76 (3 70.3 and the rest are Oly and Sprint).  One of the races I did not finish was due to a stress fracture and I bowed out after the bike and the other was due to a flat tire.  I also did one relay, where I swam and biked.
• I have started and completed 53 time trials.
• I have started and completed 40 running races.
• Since 2007 I have put in over 2000 hours of racing and training (I didn't keep very good records in 2006, but I did do some training when doing those first duathlons)
• I was coached, by a very good coach for almost 3 years (2007-2010), so I understand something about coaching.
• I do read triathlon magazines, articles, blogs, occasionally, but I don't get into any "fads" or anything. I don't bounce around between the newest diet, gear, or training thing that is "in".
• I am an engineer and scientist, by degrees and by job, so you can trust me

There are some pretty simple things you should know:

• To race faster, you need to train faster.  Not always going fast, you do need to recover and you do need to do base training, etc.  If you never train at or above race pace, you will never go faster.  My wife's cousin runs the same pace, no matter 5K or half-marathon, about a 10 min/mi pace..  She asked me "How come I never get faster?".  I asked if she ever does intervals, or anything above her race pace.  She doesn't.  She just goes out and runs farther, or shorter, but never goes faster.  That was my problem for awhile.  All I did was run shorter or longer, never really concentrating on speed.  Then I started doing fartleks and intervals, etc.  Guess what?  I got faster.  This goes for everything, swimming and biking.
• Learn to swim and swim well, and swim often.  A lot of triathletes think they can get away with not swimming much, or at all, and a lot can, because they are fast cyclists and\or runners.  If you are well conditioned at the swim, the other two things are easier.  If these people who are naturally good runners and/or bikers spent a little more time on the swim, they would probably be much better overall triathletes.  Instead of coming out of the water in the middle or back, and running and biking up to the front, they could come out further ahead and have even better bike and run splits.
• I am going to reference Devon Palmer's blog and blog post from Feb 20th (https://palmertri.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/over-and-under-training/).  Devon Palmer is a amateur turned pro turned amateur triathlete, coach, self proclaimed spokes model, who has some funny and reasonably good advice, at times.  The post is about over-training and use of that word.  He doesn't like it and neither do I.  It is probably not possible for your average amateur triathlete to be over-trained.  More than likely, they are stressed and/or not getting enough rest or nutrition, or they are just not in good enough shape.  There have been times that I thought I was over-trained.  In reality, I could maintain the training level I was at, if I just got more rest and ate enough\correctly. 

Don't take yourself too seriously. 
When I think of some more sage advice, I will write a similarly titled post, except it will be "Part 2"

February 2015 Training Summary

I spent the first year of Feb in Italy.  Florence, Italy.  It is a beautiful city.  Had a great time.  Did not get much training.  This Feb is lower, than average, lowest training of any Feb, expect when I did no training, or not enough to count.  It is worth it, need the break.  Between going to France for work and Italy for vacation, this two month span is the least amount of training I have done this early in the year, which is fine.  I need the break.  I am not sure I needed to work in France.  I am going to have to pick it up in March and the first few weeks in April to get ready for St. Anthony's. 

Getting back in the pool after being out for 3 weeks has been rough.  I have not gotten back into the groove yet. My 100 splits are off 5-15 seconds, depending on the morning. I am going to try to go 3 days a week up to the week before St. Anthony's.

I did a 5 mile TT on the treadmill, to see where my run is at.  I am about 3 weeks away from the Irish 8K in St. Paul, which I use as an early season judge of my run fitness.  I did a 5 min warm-up and then did the 5miles in 38:04 (about 7:36/mi).  I am pretty happy with that.  I started the first mile at 7:54/mi.  At about 1.2mi, 2.2mi, 3.2mi, and 4.2mi I ran about a minute at 2%, otherwise I ran at 1% incline.  After the last 2%, I did 30 seconds at 0%, and near the finish I did 0% for 30 seconds.

I think my biggest concern is going to be the bike.  Hopefully, I can get enough in March, and April, to get my legs ready for St. Anthony's.  It is not like I am super competitive, but I still want to have a good race.  I want to be able to race hard, not for the race to be difficult because I am not in shape.

Anyway, below is the usual comparison to previous Februaries (sp?), YTD, and since 2007 tables.

Comparison of February from Year to Year

Since 2007 Total and Averages

YTD and Totals Since 2007