April Weekly Mileage Totals
Swim Bike Run
2.24 64.14 14.30
April Total Mileage
Swim Bike Run
9.57 274.50 61.20
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Official Results
I dropped to 21st overall, 3rd in my AG.
http://www.ridgerunnersports.com/race/2008STEAMBOATTRIATHLON.htm
http://www.ridgerunnersports.com/race/2008STEAMBOATTRIATHLON.htm
Monday, April 28, 2008
Pictures
Getting ready to swim.
The first length. I like this picture because you can make out the wave next to my head, whose trough I breath in.
Coming into T2
Justin, coming out of the swim, just minutes before his flat.
Finishing up the run.
My trophy. We didn't wait the extra hour for the awards ceremony.
The first length. I like this picture because you can make out the wave next to my head, whose trough I breath in.
Coming into T2
Justin, coming out of the swim, just minutes before his flat.
Finishing up the run.
My trophy. We didn't wait the extra hour for the awards ceremony.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Cape Girardeau Race Report
We woke up early to hit the road for Cape Girardeau. After fitting 2 bikes, gear, and 4 people into one (1!) car, Justin and I picked up Julie and Garrett and drove the two hours south to Cape Girardeau. Once there, Justin and I got set up with Julie and Garrett got doughnuts. Lucky.
After getting registered and numbered, I warmed up with a quick run and strech, a quick spin on the bike to make sure everything was working, and then headed into the pool. The swim start was staggered so one person started every 20 seconds. I was feeling pretty good about the swim, as I had had a couple great pool workouts in the past couple weeks. I mingled with the 10-minute-expected-finish group and got started about 35 minutes after the first swimmer. I settled into a good rhythm right away, and felt pretty strong. My breathing was good, and I only 'missed' (i.e., got a mouthful of water) once the whole swim. I passed one person and got passed by one person (who was cruising!). My swim time was great for me: 9:08! My best time in practicing was ~9:30, and my time last year was... 12:34. Great improvement for me. I felt good exiting the water.
T1 was good for me as well, I stripped my googles and cap, and threw on my number belt, helmet, and shoes. I did drop my sunglasses, which cost me a few seconds. I think I was ~56 seconds for T1. Last year I was 1:46.
After a successful flying mount, I spent the first half mile of the bike spinning my legs and strapping on my shoes. After that, I went to work. This course was much harder than I remembered - lots of short, steep climbs and a few significant climbs. Much of the first 6 miles or so was uphill. I didn't feel great on the bike, my stomach was cramping up a bit (not sure why) as well as my hip flexors. I just had to stand up a couple times for a couple seconds to release that though, no problem there. I passed a bunch of people, and didn't get passed at all during the bike leg. I pushed hard but still stayed a bit conservative on the climbs, generally just sitting and spinning up the hills. The official times are not up yet, but I think I came through in about 46 minutes, just over 20 mph, for the bike leg. Last year I went 52:20.
T2 was great. I got my shoes off on the bike, had a running dismount straight to my rack, and pulled my running shoes on. I did have a piece of tape in my left shoe, but it settled to a nice part of my foot and didn't cause any problems. I'd guess my time was about 30-40 seconds.
The first part of the run was brutal. My stomach was not feeling good at all, and cramping a bit. My legs were extremely heavy. After about a half-mile, everything started to loosen up and I picked up the pace as I picked people off. After about 1.5 miles I was feeling great (well, not great, but no cramps) and kept pushing the pace as much as I could. The run course was very nice with a few hills, but nothing major.
I ended up at about 34 minutes for the 5 mile run, so right about 6:45-6:50 pace.
My finish time was 1:30:50. That is a drop of 16 minutes (!) from my time last year. Loyal readers will also take note that my goal time was 1:30:45. I wish I didn't drop my sunglasses.
Last I saw, I was 18th overall, and 2nd on my age group (the winner went 1:25:xx).
Overall, I felt great about the race. If I had to do it over, I would have taken water on the bike instead of gatorade. That is about it, though. This race felt much, much different than past triathlons. I was extremely confident, calm, and in control the whole race. I never felt like stopping or cutting back on the pace. I really was able to trust my training and do my best. I think this was the first race I was really fit for, well prepared for, and knowing that through the planning and execution of the race made a huge difference in the overall experience.
Julie is responsible for sending me some pictures, I will post them ASAP, hopefully with the official results.
After getting registered and numbered, I warmed up with a quick run and strech, a quick spin on the bike to make sure everything was working, and then headed into the pool. The swim start was staggered so one person started every 20 seconds. I was feeling pretty good about the swim, as I had had a couple great pool workouts in the past couple weeks. I mingled with the 10-minute-expected-finish group and got started about 35 minutes after the first swimmer. I settled into a good rhythm right away, and felt pretty strong. My breathing was good, and I only 'missed' (i.e., got a mouthful of water) once the whole swim. I passed one person and got passed by one person (who was cruising!). My swim time was great for me: 9:08! My best time in practicing was ~9:30, and my time last year was... 12:34. Great improvement for me. I felt good exiting the water.
T1 was good for me as well, I stripped my googles and cap, and threw on my number belt, helmet, and shoes. I did drop my sunglasses, which cost me a few seconds. I think I was ~56 seconds for T1. Last year I was 1:46.
After a successful flying mount, I spent the first half mile of the bike spinning my legs and strapping on my shoes. After that, I went to work. This course was much harder than I remembered - lots of short, steep climbs and a few significant climbs. Much of the first 6 miles or so was uphill. I didn't feel great on the bike, my stomach was cramping up a bit (not sure why) as well as my hip flexors. I just had to stand up a couple times for a couple seconds to release that though, no problem there. I passed a bunch of people, and didn't get passed at all during the bike leg. I pushed hard but still stayed a bit conservative on the climbs, generally just sitting and spinning up the hills. The official times are not up yet, but I think I came through in about 46 minutes, just over 20 mph, for the bike leg. Last year I went 52:20.
T2 was great. I got my shoes off on the bike, had a running dismount straight to my rack, and pulled my running shoes on. I did have a piece of tape in my left shoe, but it settled to a nice part of my foot and didn't cause any problems. I'd guess my time was about 30-40 seconds.
The first part of the run was brutal. My stomach was not feeling good at all, and cramping a bit. My legs were extremely heavy. After about a half-mile, everything started to loosen up and I picked up the pace as I picked people off. After about 1.5 miles I was feeling great (well, not great, but no cramps) and kept pushing the pace as much as I could. The run course was very nice with a few hills, but nothing major.
I ended up at about 34 minutes for the 5 mile run, so right about 6:45-6:50 pace.
My finish time was 1:30:50. That is a drop of 16 minutes (!) from my time last year. Loyal readers will also take note that my goal time was 1:30:45. I wish I didn't drop my sunglasses.
Last I saw, I was 18th overall, and 2nd on my age group (the winner went 1:25:xx).
Overall, I felt great about the race. If I had to do it over, I would have taken water on the bike instead of gatorade. That is about it, though. This race felt much, much different than past triathlons. I was extremely confident, calm, and in control the whole race. I never felt like stopping or cutting back on the pace. I really was able to trust my training and do my best. I think this was the first race I was really fit for, well prepared for, and knowing that through the planning and execution of the race made a huge difference in the overall experience.
Julie is responsible for sending me some pictures, I will post them ASAP, hopefully with the official results.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
First Race
My first race of the season is a week from tomorrow. I will be returning to Cape Girardeau, where I did my first tri ever one year ago. I convinced my buddy Justin to come down and race as well. It will be his first tri, after completing a couple marathons the past few years.
The distances are: 450 meter swim (pool), 15.5 mile bike, and 5 mile run.
My goal times:
------------
Swim: 10:00 (Last year- 12:37)
T1: 1:00 (1:46)
Bike: 45:00 (52:20)
T2: 0:45 (l:28)
Run: 34:00 (38:42)
------------
Total: 1:30:45 (1:46:50)
I think this time might be a bit ambitious - I remember the bike course being a bit hilly. However, if the stars align and I put together a perfect race, I think I could finish around 1:30. Last year's age group winner was 1:26, followed by a 1:27 (third place was 1:40 or so), so I could be in there for top 3 in the age group. I need to make some time this week to practice my transitions - its been a while!
Training for the half is going well. I started the training program a few weeks ago and have been able to stick to it pretty well, only missing one workout so far (in order to play basketball) which I made up later in the week. Swimming and running have gone really well, but biking had been a little tough. My legs felt pretty tired on the bike until today's workout. I did 34 miles in 2 hours. My legs started to feel really good after an hour or so of riding. Maybe these shorter rides I've done haven't given me a chance to get good and warm on the bike, I don't know. Anyway, I did 2 hours in the saddle followed by a quick 1.2 mile run (minibrick) to get used to the bike to run transition. My legs felt great off the bike, I felt good settling into a 7:00 minute/mile pace right away.
April training totals thus far:
Swim: 10850 yards (6.16 miles)
Bike: 175 miles
Run: 40 miles
The distances are: 450 meter swim (pool), 15.5 mile bike, and 5 mile run.
My goal times:
------------
Swim: 10:00 (Last year- 12:37)
T1: 1:00 (1:46)
Bike: 45:00 (52:20)
T2: 0:45 (l:28)
Run: 34:00 (38:42)
------------
Total: 1:30:45 (1:46:50)
I think this time might be a bit ambitious - I remember the bike course being a bit hilly. However, if the stars align and I put together a perfect race, I think I could finish around 1:30. Last year's age group winner was 1:26, followed by a 1:27 (third place was 1:40 or so), so I could be in there for top 3 in the age group. I need to make some time this week to practice my transitions - its been a while!
Training for the half is going well. I started the training program a few weeks ago and have been able to stick to it pretty well, only missing one workout so far (in order to play basketball) which I made up later in the week. Swimming and running have gone really well, but biking had been a little tough. My legs felt pretty tired on the bike until today's workout. I did 34 miles in 2 hours. My legs started to feel really good after an hour or so of riding. Maybe these shorter rides I've done haven't given me a chance to get good and warm on the bike, I don't know. Anyway, I did 2 hours in the saddle followed by a quick 1.2 mile run (minibrick) to get used to the bike to run transition. My legs felt great off the bike, I felt good settling into a 7:00 minute/mile pace right away.
April training totals thus far:
Swim: 10850 yards (6.16 miles)
Bike: 175 miles
Run: 40 miles
Monday, April 07, 2008
Marathon Pictures
A friend sent me a couple pictures from the marathon in January, and I am looking spectacular.
Around mile 20. Check out that smooth stride.
Probably mile 22 or so? I'm either smiling or just puked a little in my mouth. Your call.
At the finish. Lookin' good.
Around mile 20. Check out that smooth stride.
Probably mile 22 or so? I'm either smiling or just puked a little in my mouth. Your call.
At the finish. Lookin' good.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
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