Race, Recover, Repeat

It's June and summer has unofficially arrived - the days are long and beach weather is here.  In my last post I mentioned some of the early season races I had planned.  It's been a relatively unusual early season for me with bone Island back in Jan when I'm typically taking some down time and unstructured training.  Instead, I trained through the holidays and cruised into February needing to take things easy and go with the flow a bit more than usual.  I definitely stayed active but never really got settles into a consistent training progression.  My primary goal for this season is IM Chattanooga on Sept 28, so I knew the timeline didn't require too much through early spring. So even though I stuck with my racing plans I haven't been as prepared as previous years for these early events.  I just finished a month of what can best be described as race, recover, repeat...although the recoveries have been less than complete due to the 7-day turn-around cycle.  I didn't plan it out specifically but this was essentially a one-month kick-start to my 2014 training - a little fitness by brute force.

Here's the rundown:

May 10 - Kinetic Half - A perennial event for me with a challenging run course.  The swim always feels like crap this early in the season but my run is typically pretty decent despite the two significant hills on each of the 3 loops.  This year I had a solid bike but dialed back the run knowing that I wanted to get some quality training on over the next few weeks before Raleigh 70.3.  Still, I probably couldn't have run more than 3-4min faster if I was giving it 100% - definite sign that my run training is lagging.

May 17 - Cary Long Course Duathlon -  Another race I've done every year for 4-5 years.  The run course was different this year because this was the USAT National Championships and they moved the transition area to accommodate a larger field.  I'm usually top 5-10 in this race but this year actual duathletes showed up - guys who had been training for this specific race for months. I struggled some on the second run and I got my ass handed to me but didn't think much of it. Still qualified to race for Team USA at the World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland this September - as if I can afford a trip to Switzerland for a 3-hour race.

May 24 - Mountains of Misery -This isn't technically a race but if you are at all competitive then a 100+ mile ride with 10,000ft of climbing is a challenge you might be interested in accepting.  I learned last year that the lead group doesn't stop at aid stations...EVER.  They literally rode over the the first climb at 60 miles and kept on trucking.  I had no choice but to stop to fill my bottles and grab some calories.  This year I was prepared with 4 bottles and plenty of nutrition.  I didn't stop but just barely missed hanging with the lead group to the finish.  This was still my best ride on this course in about 5 years and I was in the top 20 overall - not bad for having one 60-mile long ride in dead flat VA Beach for for training.

Here is my TrainingPeaks file and Strava log for the data geeks.

June - Raleigh 70.3 - This was initially planned to be an "A" race but really turned into a "B" race because I simply hadn't been training specifically for it as a priority.  Still, it was a good test of my current fitness to see where I'm starting from.  I had my typical swim, a good bike although on the slow side based on my split, and respectable run.  I'm basically a perpetual 32min swimmer no matter how early or late in the season.  I suppose I could put some focus on my swim training but it would take an inordinate investment of time to trim a couple minutes off my race...and I don't like swimming.  There was a light but steady head wind for most of the ride so I'm assuming that's why my split was slower than I expected.  My goal for the run was to go out easy and not blow up despite knowing that I didn't have good long run training.  I struggled a bit around miles 7-10 but managed to hang on well enough to finish 4th in my AG and earn a slot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mont Tremblant, Quebec on Sept 7.  I passed on the slot because IM Chattanooga is 3 weeks later and that's my priority this season.

Splits from IM 70.3 Raleigh - HERE

June 8 - Jamestown Gran Fondo - Another NOT race but why not go as fast as you can?  This is a pretty flat course and we had a small lead group of 5-8 most of the morning.  Around mile 20 I looped back to help a friend who got a flat and had to push it pretty hard for the next 20min to get back on the group.  I don't know if that ultimately hurt me but I cramped up badly with about 6 miles to go and had to sit up and cruise it in easy.  I logged a decent 4:31 for 100+ miles on a road bike.

All in all it's been a busy month with a series of big weekend events separated by a week of marginal recovery training.  I still managed an AG podium at Raleigh 70.3 and a couple of World Championship qualifications so I guess I can't complain. Overall I think it will do me some good and it's early enough that it won't impact the start of my IM training.  One last kick in the nuts before I settle in for a few months though - Ragnar Trail Appalachians this coming Fri/Sat at Big Bear Lake Campground in WV.  I'm racing with an ultra team so I'll get about 35 miles of running over ~18 hours.  My team was second overall last year and this is probably the best trail running I've done in my life.  I highly recommend checking it out.

Year of the Masters Mowhawk

Welcome to 2014! It's only the first week of February but I already have most of my 2014 season mapped out and locked in - IM 70.3 Raleigh and Ironman Chattanooga set the structure and everything else serves a purpose in between now and then.  Many of the events I'm doing are fairly typical for me - Cary Long Course Du, Mountains of Misery, Kinetic 1/2.  I've got a couple of other cycling events mixed in - Blood Sweat and Gears and Jamestown Gran Fondo, and I'll for sure be making a couple of weekend trips out to ride my favorite Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

So with that taken care of I logged a very early season race to kick off 2014. I typically take some time off through the holidays and definitely forget where the pool is for a few months but this year a group of us from VA Beach decided to invade Key West for the Bone Island Triathlon, so that kept me mostly motivated to maintain at least some consistent level of training. I've only been swimming 1-2X per week for ~2k each and been loosely following a high intensity off-season plan (primarily tempo and threshold work) with some modifications to get a long run and ride in when the weather cooperates.

By all accounts the swim was a good 200m long at least but we all swam the same distance so it's not a big deal.  The bike was flat and relatively fast, if not very interesting.  I rode fairly strong and felt good coming into T2.   I've basically held my FTP exactly where it was when I peaked for B2B back in Oct and rode the same power for this race so I'll come into the spring without any drop in my bike fitness. Even though I've had some decent run training I just wasn't feeling it and lost all motivation after the first loop. I wasn't expecting to crush the run but I had hoped for something in the 1:30-1:32 range off of a solid bike. The temps got into the upper 70s but it felt hot.  A respectable race overall but nothing to blow my socks off.

S: 36:xx
B: 2:18:38, IF - .87, DATA
R: 1:34ish - Garmin missed the first 2-3min, DATA

This race also apparently marked my arrival in the "old" category - surprise to me. Based on USAT rules your age group is determined by how old you will be on Dec 31 of that year.  So even though I'm still 39, I'll be 40 in September so this year I race in the M40-44.  I was 5th overall at Bone Island and expected to get the M40-44 first place award...until I heard my name called for the Male Masters Champion.  Can you believe that shit?  I didn't realize it but Masters division is 40+ so I snuck in and cherry picked an award from the old guys. Personally, I would have rather they had top 5 overall podium instead of top 3 but this was a relatively small race so I understand.  Doesn't change how I races and it was kind of cool to enter a new phase of my tri career still feeling like I'm in the hunt for overall podiums.

I won't go into detail on a race report and review but in general I have to say that I'm disappointed with the quality and management of this event.  It's definitely not what I have come to expect fro SetUp Events.  If you are interested I posted some comments on a thread over on Slowtwitch. We had fun regardless and it was great to have a group of friends all racing together and supporting each other.  All in all it was a nice break from the frigid weather we've been having in VA recently and has kept me honest with some training through the holidays.  That should pay dividends coming into the spring and hopefully help me show up in Chattanooga a step above where I would otherwise be - On-On to Kona?

Old guys wave start - I'm 4th from the far right going counter-clockwise - in the black wetsuit and white cap :)

Party Koozie was on hand along with the Final Kick Sports crew to lend support to the racers.

A final note on the race - my wife kicked ass riding the bike leg as part of Team 757 Chicks.  This was her longest bike ride ever and she cruised right through although she did learn a valuable cycling lesson - Chamois Butt'r is your friend on long rides :)

Team 757 Chicks celebrates their accomplishment!

Of course the race was mostly a cover for all of us to travel down to Key West and celebrate Paul McGraw's birthday in style with the first (annual?) Paul McGraw Birthday Pub Crawl.  I won't even try to recount how many drinking establishments we frequented that day but I'll leave you with a bit of photographic documentation.

The man himself with his birthday shirt.

Those might just be 32oz mojito glasses.

The "all day" crew still going strong.

I introduce you to the Masters Mowhawk.

Instagram from Sunset Pier

More photos from the weekend in my Facebook album.

An alligator walks into a bar...

There I was, running in second place overall off the bike at the PPD Beach 2 Battleship 1/2 Triathlon on Saturday.  Not another competitor in sight (although I knew there was one guy way up ahead) when I come around the bend and see...

He's clearly running the tangents...smart reptile.

Yep - that's an alligator on the course.  It was definitely a first for me and something not many others will ever be able to claim.  It was in the upper 30s in the morning but by this time the sun was out and temps were moderating.  The asphalt was probably the best place for a cold-blooded animal to soak in some heat.  By the time I hit the turn-around and cam back through they had managed to convince him to move on.

On to some details about my race.  It was a good day and everything pretty much came together.  I'm knocking on the door of sub-4:20 and if it had been a bit warmer early in the morning I would have had it.  I've always heard good things about B2B but never been able to work it into my schedule until this season.  The swim is a point-to-point that typically has a tidal current pushing you but by all accounts this year it was basically a slack tide swim.  Still, I felt pretty smooth and going off in the first wave meant mostly clear water ahead aside from a few stragglers from the Full.  There is a long run to T1 where the timing mat is so I don't have a good split on my actual swim but it had to take me at least 60sec to strip my wetsuit and run there.  That means I actually got under 30min on the swim which is good for me.

Enter the time-suck transition.  Riding 25mph soaking wet in 40 degree temps sounded like a bad idea so I planned to put on a long-sleeve thermal jersey and full gloves in T1.  I toweled off quickly and managed to get the jersey on without much trouble.  The gloves on the other hand were extremely frustrating and probably cost me at least 60sec.  Eventually I won the battle and headed out on the bike.  Most of the athletes doing the Full were already out on the course ahead of me so I did a lot of riding on the left passing an endless string of bikers.  The road surface was very nice for the most part and the wind wasn't too bad although it could have been better.  I was averaging a bit over where I thought I should have been on my power meter but gradually brought it down 2-3% by the time I was off the bike so I thought I was probably okay.

Garmin data on TrainingPeaks
2:21:44 (23.7mph)
238W NP, 1.01 VI

I came into T2 all alone and initially thought I was leading but someone told me a guy was out ahead after I got about a mile into the run.  I was told everything from 1/2 mile to 10min but I wasn't going to know for sure until I pass him on the out-back.  [insert alligator sighting here]  Eventually I saw him coming with a bike lead and noted the time.  Turns out he was 9min up on me with only 5 miles to go.  It didn't really matter because I knew what pace I should be running anyway and couldn't do anything about him unless he had a melt down.  I really enjoyed the run course but with about 3 miles left I got a bit of head wind and the pace started to get challenging to hold.  I got focused, tried to stay relaxed and smooth and made the turn down the only hill on the course just before the final 400m to the finish. I managed a 10sec/mile negative split and finally had a good run off the bike to end the season. The Garmin didn't link up immediately so I missed the first .75 miles of distance even though the timer was running in the data file.

Garmin data on TrainingPeaks
1:21:34 (6:13/mile)

After the later waves had finished I ended up 3rd overall (4:21:16) with over a 2min PR.  If it were 10 degrees warmer in the morning I wouldn't have needed gloves and been at least 1min faster on the day. Still, I can't complain about a nice PR.  I know I have sub-4:20 in me but that will have to wait until next year.  Oddly enough, the guy who was way out ahead of me didn't end up in the overall results, or at least not in the top 5.  I need to figure out his name and find out what happened.  I know he finished but maybe got DQ'd for some reason?

ADDENDUM - apparently they got the results screwed up at the awards ceremony.  The finally had the official results posted on Monday and the guy who was running in front of me had resurfaced and was 3rd, which bumped me down to 4th. 

Full results here 

My award was a cool plank with the race logo and my finisher position engraved in it.  Apparently it was made from reclaimed deck boards from the USS North Carolina.  Here's a nice montage of my celebration dance.

Kona in the Rearview Mirror...and on the Horizon.

Athlete's badge of honor during race week.

I started writing this post back in October but never finished it...just didn't seem important.  After reading it through again I decided to toss it over the fence for the world to see.

Two weeks ago I crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, HI. I assumed it would be the highlight of my season and my triathlon career but it was oddly anti-climactic.  With only 60 days from qualifying to the cannon going off I struggled to reset my body and mind.  I eventually found some focus in those last few weeks before heading off to the big island but it was barely enough to arrive feeling prepared to simply cover the distance. I didn't have any expectations for race day - this was all about taking in the experience of race week and appreciating the fact that I worked so hard to earn the right to be there wearing that athlete wristband.

My goal was to simply enjoy being out there and hopefully not spend all night out on the course.  I figured 10:30-11hrs was realistic and I was on target to be in that range through the first few miles of the run.  By most accounts the conditions were some of the toughest in the past 5 years - swells and current on the swim, wind and heat on the bike, heat on the run.  It's nothing I didn't expect and honestly, it didn't seem too bad through the swim and bike.  The worst part of the swim for me was the battle royale that ensued for at least the first 1/2 mile - beyond anything I've ever experienced - pure combat swimming.  The bike was reasonable but the winds really got angry during the 8 mile climb up to the turn around in Hawi.  The reward was a ripping descent - I averaged over 30mph for 12+ miles - but it was short-lived.  The winds had also picked up on the Queen K and that made it tough going all the way back to transition.  Despite the challenges on both the swim and run I took it relatively easy, sat up lots on the bike, and managed splits in line with what I expected - 1:12 swim and 5:36 bike.

Calm before the storm in Kailua-Kona harbor.

Heading out on the run I felt the fatigue of an already long day start to set in and the reality of a marathon still ahead of me wasn't exactly a welcome thought.  With so much wind on the bike you don't fully appreciate the heat that you are dealing with. Once I was heading down Ali'i Drive on foot I got a firm smack in the face - it was HOT and getting hotter.  I cruised the first few miles at a reasonably comfortable pace and figured even if I end up slowing down a bit I probably wouldn't be much over a 3:30ish marathon. Somewhere in the 6-8 mile range the heat and fatigue was weighing on me.  On top of that I was struggling to find a reason to suffer, even mildly. I always walk every aid station to ensure I get my fluids and nutrition but I don't doddle - typically 5-8 seconds then right back to running - but running was work and it was starting to get tough.  I actually enjoyed walking but not just because it was easier.  When I was walking I could appreciate what was going on around me - this was the Ironman World Championships and I was part of it.  From that point on my walks got longer and it became more difficult to get back to running.  It was 50% physical and 50% psychological.  I still had a long way to go and the Queen K was brutal this time of day.  I alternated walking and running but I really just wanted to walk because I had no reason to run - I had nothing to prove, no pressure, no specific goals except to finish.  The usual motivation to push with whatever I had available just wasn't there.  The only thing that kept me getting back to running was knowing that I'd be done sooner than if I walked the rest of the way.

I ended up dragging myself back to Palani shortly after sunset and with just over a mile left to the finish I was able to drop a gear or two and head down Ali'i towards the finish line at a decent pace.  I don't remember a whole lot about the finish - I was happy to be done but otherwise I felt no emotion, no real sense of accomplishment.  Sure, I finished but I never had any doubts about my ability to simply finish.  My official time was 11:30:34, my slowest IM by nearly 90min, but I don't really care what the results say - at 2 weeks after race day I still haven't bothered to look up my finishing place but I'm sure it's near the end of my age group.  After a couple weeks of reflection on that day I feel very indifferent about the experience.  It's strange but racing Kona wasn't the highlight of my season.  The highlight was actually qualifying and getting a 5th place podium spot as a bonus. I worked hard for that and challenged myself - the accomplishment was rewarding. Kona was the reward and I just wanted to enjoy the experience of being there. I thought that would be enough but there is something that feels unfinished - I didn't give it my best.

New Season - New Adventures

So it's been many months since my last post and I decided it's time to fire up the interwebs again.  I never posted a race report after Kona although I started to draft one up.  It really wasn't about the race or how I did (not great BTW - total melt down on the run).  It was all about the journey and documenting some points along the way.  I thought that maybe I'd be done with IM distance after making it to Kona but I really want to give it another go and make at least one more trip back to the big island.  last year my entire season was planned around IMNY and I never thought beyond that goal.  That left me in a not so great place when it turned out I had to keep training for another IM only 60 days out plus pay for a vacation.  I showed up in Kona prepared to make it to the finish line but nothing more.  I don't expect to ever be competitive there but I have some unfinished personal business with the course to take care of.  I just want to give it a good honest build-up and see what I'm capable of.  Then I think I'll be satisfied. But all of that is for another year - this season is much more relaxed.

I'm already at my mid-season break for 2013.  I raced Rev3 Williamsburg 1/2 this past weekend with mixed results - looks decent on the surface (12th OA and 4th AG) but I kind of crashed and burned on the back side of the run dropping 6-8 places and out of the top 5 overall amatuers.  Shit happens and I'm not really upset about it...plenty more races in my future.  I'm going to take a week or two easy and then shift gears a bit for some Oly distance races through the summer.  I've also just registered today for the Beach 2 Battleship 1/2 to cap off the season and maybe score a new PR if everything comes together.

Between now and then I'll try to post fairly regularly about whatever seems interesting.  I already have at least one topic from the race this past weekend that I need to document here where it can't get censored by others - details to come soon.

I'll end this post with a shout-out to two of the athletes I coach for both being rock stars this past weekend.  Julie Lestyan finished her first IM at CdA.  She absolutely crushed the swim in 57:xx (with "pedestrian effort" according to her) and had a very solid bike but then dealt with terrible stomach issues for 20+ miles of the marathon. She pushed through and finished under 14hrs.  Then there was Rosalyn Singer who was also racing Rev3 1/2.  Unfortunately we swam into a nasty strong current coming down the river from heavy rains - swim times were as much as 20min or more slow - and then had pretty bad heat and humidity along with a challenging run course.  Despite a slow swim she managed to PR both the bike and run as well as the race overall.

Julie Lestyan finishing IMCdA and Rosalyn Singer after Rev3 Williamsburg 1/2

Hurry up and wait

Friday, October 12 - Noon Hawai'i time.  It's 17 hours till the cannon blasts from Kona pier and a long day begins. Right now I'm sitting in my air conditioned room with Blue Crush on the little 20" TV.  I check my bike and gear bags in at 2:30pm.  After that there is nothing left to do but wait patiently for morning (actually, 4:30 AM doesn't qualify as morning as far as I'm concerned).  The heat and wind on the Queen K are no joke.  I rode about 25 miles on Wednesday and while it didn't feel all that hot when we were cruising at 20+ mph, you could tell how brutal it was when you stopped at an intersection - felt like an oven.  Well, nothing I can do but keep the pedals turning and try to enjoy the journey out to Hawi and back.  Then we run.

It's been a great week so far - Lava Java, Underpants Run, floating coffee bar, riding the Queen K, running Ali'i - taking in the entire experience.  I've been adding to a Facebook album each night but here are a few shots covering the week so far.

Traveling koozie meets Kona

Doesn't suck

Stay hydrated

Refueling with a Mai Tai

Finish line construction in progress

Riding the Queen K Highway

Dig Me Beach

Underpants Run with Mike Riley

Underpants run with hot chicks (built for speed)

Katie Bell in paradise

Katie meets the fastest female in the world

Getting ready to rock

Coffees of Hawai'i floating coffee bar

Relaxing at Lava Java

The Big Dance

I'm sitting on a plane somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, headed to the Big Island – Kona. I've been to Kona before, run down Ali'i Drive, put my feet in the sand at Dig Me Beach, and walked the asphalt on the Kona Pier. It was a sleepy time of year in the little town and nothing like what I'm about to experience this week. Kona becomes a circus for one week in October each year. Thousands of athletes, family and friends, and industry professionals converge for the Ironman World Championships. With a few exceptions you have to earn the right to subject yourself to the heat and winds of the lava fields for anywhere from 8 to 17 hours. It's a grueling day for sure but the suffering is something many triathletes dream of and few actually get to experience. And that's what this first trip to Kona on race week is all about for me – the experience.

If you've followed my blog this past year you've caught glimpses of my journey. I've worked hard and invested a lot of time, energy, and money with the goal of some day earning myself the right to swim, bike, and run 140.6 miles with 2000 of the best long course triathletes in the world. I qualified less than 60 days ago at the one-and-done Ironman US Championships in New York City. I knew I had a good shot at qualifying but wasn't prepared for the reality of it happening. The excitement of a podium finish and Kona slot was quickly replaced with the stress and anxiety of having to do it all over again in two months. Not just the training and racing but the expense of a week-long vacation to HI (which conveniently became a one-year anniversary present for my wife) and time away from work that I didn't have saved up. 2 weeks after IMNYC I forced myself back into some training but had ZERO motivation. I honestly dreaded getting out of bed every morning. On top of that I needed to work 50hr weeks to stockpile enough comp time to cover the week I'd be taking off. It was the toughest month or so I can remember having to deal with in a long time but I managed to pull through it with the support of my wife.

Eventually I was enjoying training again, although definitely on a minimalist schedule. I only needed to do enough to maintain basic endurance so I focused on a weekly long ride and long run. If I felt like getting anything else in that was a bonus. I had a couple of good long runs and a really strong 70 mile ride in Pensacola Beach during a road trip to DeLuna Fest a couple of weeks back. I also had a blast running 38 miles over 6 legs of the Colonial 200 Ultra Relay with Team 2 Boobs, 5 Dudes Sept 28-29. I averaged about 6:40/mile and we crushed the previous course record. I haven't run a step in the 10+ days since. Otherwise, I've done a couple of 25 mile group rides and had a couple ~30min open water swims in the past 2 weeks. That's the extent of my training and I feel completely at ease with it.

So if you are going to follow my progress online (I'm bib #1383) Oct 13 don't worry if I'm a little slow out of the water and my bike/run splits seem a bit off. I'm doing just fine – sitting back and enjoying the day. It's going to be a really nice cap to a great season and a fun week in that sleepy little town on the big Island. We're planning to take in the whole experience. We're staying in a condo apartment right on Ali'i behind the famous Lava Java within 5 blocks of the pier and all of the race week action. I'll be swimming out to the Coffees of Hawaii floating espresso bar, partaking in the infamous underpants run, attending both the welcome dinner and awards banquet, looking for glimpses of Macca and Crowie, meeting up with friends, and visiting the Kona Brewery on several occasions – need to stay hydrated. I don't have any specific race goals except to enjoy the day but I'm thinking a 10:30-11hr finish is reasonable – 1:15-1:20 swim, 5:30-5:45 ride, 3:30ish run.

Stay tuned through the week for a daily photo blog update.

View from below - Ironman World Championships