Friday, November 16, 2007
Longest Run Ever!
I went out for a run today at about 12:30. I did 17 miles at 8:50 pace. The first half felt great, the second half was harder, partially because there was wind I didn't notice when it was at my back. I experimented with nutrition a little bit, ate 3 Gu and had ~200 calories worth of Gatorade. My stomach never felt great, but it didn't slow me down either, so I guess thats okay.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Trebuchet, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmPUiHqJS8U
Mike and I (mainly Mike) build a trebuchet a few weeks ago to compete in a pumpkin launch held on campus. It wasn't the best machine ever, but it worked, and it could launch a pretty light soccer ball well. We ended up getting second to a gigantic (~40 ft. high) trebuchet another team built. If anyone wants to tell me how to post this in-line that would be great.
I biked 40 miles by myself on Friday after class. It was way, way harder than the 50 miles with a group (and drafting) the other week.
Mike and I (mainly Mike) build a trebuchet a few weeks ago to compete in a pumpkin launch held on campus. It wasn't the best machine ever, but it worked, and it could launch a pretty light soccer ball well. We ended up getting second to a gigantic (~40 ft. high) trebuchet another team built. If anyone wants to tell me how to post this in-line that would be great.
I biked 40 miles by myself on Friday after class. It was way, way harder than the 50 miles with a group (and drafting) the other week.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Steepncheap.com
I love this site. I haven't bought anything, but I want to. If anyone wants to buy me Christmas presents feel free. Props to Justin for showing me the site.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Long Bike
Hey all-
I joined the SLU cycling club on their group ride this morning at 10:30. There were about 10 of us that hit the street, it was nice having a large group to take over some roadway. I ended up doing about 50 miles. There was a long hill about 25 miles in (~1 mile long uphill) and we turned around after that. It was a good ride. I met a guy named Austin, a grad student here, that is training for Ironman Wisconsin next year! Pretty cool.
I joined the SLU cycling club on their group ride this morning at 10:30. There were about 10 of us that hit the street, it was nice having a large group to take over some roadway. I ended up doing about 50 miles. There was a long hill about 25 miles in (~1 mile long uphill) and we turned around after that. It was a good ride. I met a guy named Austin, a grad student here, that is training for Ironman Wisconsin next year! Pretty cool.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Midterms Over!
I didn't have much time to run/ride this week with three midterms this week: French on Wednesday (Yes, I'm taking French 110.), Ethics and Signals today. So naturally, as soon as I got out of my Signals test I got on my bike. It was so windy! I went 18 miles straight into a headwind in about 1:15:00, then back in about 1:00:00... It was windy. I also think there is more climbing on the way out then the way back, but I'm not sure. Fall break is this weekend, we have Monday and Tuesday off, and I'm headed to Great Smokey National Park to camp for a few days with some friends!
Maybe I'll see some sweet waterfalls.
Maybe I'll see some sweet waterfalls.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Solo Half-Marathon
I did my longest run ever today all by myself, 13.1(ish) miles from SLU, through Forest Park, past the Wash U campus, and back. It was a really nice run, shady, and I ran on grass for ~9 miles. There were 4 water fountains, spaced about every mile and a half. I ate a compression-short warmed chocolate Gu at the turn around, about an hour into the run, and it was delicious. I ran 1:59:10 total with an extra 1/3 mile or so on the way back, so I ran a couple minutes faster on the way back. I felt really strong the whole time, probably because I was running slowly, but it was good volume for me.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
6 Miles and Belated Accolades
Hey everyone-
I took Monday off from training but played 3 (50 minute) soccer games and 1 football game Tuesday (it was intramural playoff night). I was sore Wednesday and rested again, then today ran about 6 miles with my buddies Justin and Joe, at about 7:40 miles. It was the first fall weather run, and it felt great!
Also, I got a package yesterday in the mail unexpectedly. [Side note: If any of you want to send me baked goods or money or anything via mail, my address is
MSC #5576
Greg Cooper
20 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103]
Anyway, I got my package and it was my first triathlon hardware! Apparently the Cape Girardeau tri this past spring awarded trophies for 1-5 in the age group, and I was 5th! Solid.
I took Monday off from training but played 3 (50 minute) soccer games and 1 football game Tuesday (it was intramural playoff night). I was sore Wednesday and rested again, then today ran about 6 miles with my buddies Justin and Joe, at about 7:40 miles. It was the first fall weather run, and it felt great!
Also, I got a package yesterday in the mail unexpectedly. [Side note: If any of you want to send me baked goods or money or anything via mail, my address is
MSC #5576
Greg Cooper
20 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103]
Anyway, I got my package and it was my first triathlon hardware! Apparently the Cape Girardeau tri this past spring awarded trophies for 1-5 in the age group, and I was 5th! Solid.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Race Pictures
Heading back on the bike after the turn around, about mile 15.
Going past the fan-car.
Heading out of transition on the run.
The (too soon) finish! I'll probably never use that
phrase ever again. My offset time was 31:15
Post-race.
Heading out of transition on the run.
The (too soon) finish! I'll probably never use thatphrase ever again. My offset time was 31:15
Post-race.St. Peters Results
The St. Peters tri was this morning. I got up at 6 and left at about 6:30 after a small bowl of oatmeal. Julie drove me out, I got there, set up transition, got my body markings, and did a tiny bike ride to make sure everything was working fine. I grabbed my swim stuff and headed inside to the pool after eating a Gu at 7:45.
The start was time-trial style, with swimmers going every 15 seconds. My start time was 8:01 and it was a 500 m swim in a 50 m pool. The swim was fine, I passed 3 people and was passed once. The start times were not based on projected swim times, so it was a little chaotic. I swallowed a decent amount of water, but emerged fine in 11:20 (rank 233rd/400) I hoped to go closer to 10:30, but 11:20 was fine considering having to stop and duck under ropes, and swimming an extra 25 meters or so to get from the left to the right side of the pool.
Transition 1 was good, I ran hard to my bike. Shoes and helmet came on, and I took off. I did my first flying mount in a race, it was good! Julie has a video of it, when I get my hands on it I will post it.
The bike ride was great! Really flat, few problems. I decided before the race I wanted to push the bike hard, and it worked out. I averaged 22 mph over the 21 mile course (which I think was a bit long), managed to eat another Gu after my stomach settled down from the pool water. I passed a ton of people and was passed only twice. My bike time (which included both transitions, this race had no chip timing) was 1:02:45 (rank 45/400). I credit my bike improvement to riding about 40 miles/week extra around campus.
T2 was pretty good. I took my shoes off a little too early in the bike, but that was no big deal. I forgot to take my gloves off while on the back so I had to do that in transition, which was an extra few seconds. After that, I pulled on my shoes, number belt, and watch and headed to the run.
The run went really well - my legs felt great off the bike! First time for that. The 5-mile run was shady, on paved trails behind the Rec-Plex (where the pool was). I passed a ton of people and was passed twice. I started off at what I thought were about 7:00 miles. I felt decent, kept trying to pick up the pace a little. The path had a lot of short up and downs that threw off my pace a bit, and a lot of corners. The race ended before I was ready - I thought the finish was another quarter mile or so away when it came, so I had about a 25 yard kick. Final time was 33:03, 6:53/mile (rank 30).
I ended up 4th in my age group, by 8 seconds. If I would have known where the run finish was I'm pretty confident I could have taken 3rd, but that will have to wait for next season. I was 41st over all, out of 400, so top 10%! My first race I was top half, then top quarter in my second.
Anyway, this was my best race by far. I swam pretty well, biked really well, and ran well. My goal time was 1:51, and I finished in 1:46:43!
The start was time-trial style, with swimmers going every 15 seconds. My start time was 8:01 and it was a 500 m swim in a 50 m pool. The swim was fine, I passed 3 people and was passed once. The start times were not based on projected swim times, so it was a little chaotic. I swallowed a decent amount of water, but emerged fine in 11:20 (rank 233rd/400) I hoped to go closer to 10:30, but 11:20 was fine considering having to stop and duck under ropes, and swimming an extra 25 meters or so to get from the left to the right side of the pool.
Transition 1 was good, I ran hard to my bike. Shoes and helmet came on, and I took off. I did my first flying mount in a race, it was good! Julie has a video of it, when I get my hands on it I will post it.
The bike ride was great! Really flat, few problems. I decided before the race I wanted to push the bike hard, and it worked out. I averaged 22 mph over the 21 mile course (which I think was a bit long), managed to eat another Gu after my stomach settled down from the pool water. I passed a ton of people and was passed only twice. My bike time (which included both transitions, this race had no chip timing) was 1:02:45 (rank 45/400). I credit my bike improvement to riding about 40 miles/week extra around campus.
T2 was pretty good. I took my shoes off a little too early in the bike, but that was no big deal. I forgot to take my gloves off while on the back so I had to do that in transition, which was an extra few seconds. After that, I pulled on my shoes, number belt, and watch and headed to the run.
The run went really well - my legs felt great off the bike! First time for that. The 5-mile run was shady, on paved trails behind the Rec-Plex (where the pool was). I passed a ton of people and was passed twice. I started off at what I thought were about 7:00 miles. I felt decent, kept trying to pick up the pace a little. The path had a lot of short up and downs that threw off my pace a bit, and a lot of corners. The race ended before I was ready - I thought the finish was another quarter mile or so away when it came, so I had about a 25 yard kick. Final time was 33:03, 6:53/mile (rank 30).
I ended up 4th in my age group, by 8 seconds. If I would have known where the run finish was I'm pretty confident I could have taken 3rd, but that will have to wait for next season. I was 41st over all, out of 400, so top 10%! My first race I was top half, then top quarter in my second.
Anyway, this was my best race by far. I swam pretty well, biked really well, and ran well. My goal time was 1:51, and I finished in 1:46:43!
Friday, October 05, 2007
Fast Bike + T1 Training
Hey all-
I went for a short, fast bike ride today, probably averaged 21-22 mph over ten miles (not counting all the stoplights). Then, I practiced my swim to bike transition, which should be really fast. I just have to:
1. Put on my helmet
2. Pull of my shoes
3. GO!
And I have gotten the flying mount worked out, so T1 should be fast for me!
Tomorrow I'm resting, and then I start at 8:01 Sunday morning.
Here is me starting the bike in Cape this past spring. Sunday will be a lot different:
1. New bike
2. Aerobars
3. Water!!! (I can't believe I did that tri without water on the bike...)
4. New shoes
5. No shirt
6. New shorts
7. My own sunglasses (Thanks, Justin!)
8. No gloves
9. Maybe a little form on the bike
10. Infinitely more experience.
I went for a short, fast bike ride today, probably averaged 21-22 mph over ten miles (not counting all the stoplights). Then, I practiced my swim to bike transition, which should be really fast. I just have to:
1. Put on my helmet
2. Pull of my shoes
3. GO!
And I have gotten the flying mount worked out, so T1 should be fast for me!
Tomorrow I'm resting, and then I start at 8:01 Sunday morning.
Here is me starting the bike in Cape this past spring. Sunday will be a lot different:1. New bike
2. Aerobars
3. Water!!! (I can't believe I did that tri without water on the bike...)
4. New shoes
5. No shirt
6. New shorts
7. My own sunglasses (Thanks, Justin!)
8. No gloves
9. Maybe a little form on the bike
10. Infinitely more experience.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
One more race!
I was thinking today about how I wished I did one more race this season when I checked the local tri club website and saw there is a race this Sunday in nearby St. Peters. I am going to register tomorrow. It is 500 meter pool swim, 21 mile bike, and 5 mile run.
My last 'longer' sprint was my first tri, this spring. I went 1:47 for 450 meter swim, 15.5 bike, and 5 mile run. If I race perfectly I could probably go about 1:51 for this race.
Wish me luck!
My last 'longer' sprint was my first tri, this spring. I went 1:47 for 450 meter swim, 15.5 bike, and 5 mile run. If I race perfectly I could probably go about 1:51 for this race.
Wish me luck!
Monday, October 01, 2007
Back in the pool
I did a speed workout today (since Kate called me out on doing no speed work a couple posts ago). After a 400 meter warm up, I swam 12x100 at 2:00/100 with15 seconds rest. Andy: read Horton's repeat 400's red shirt day, only in the pool, and by myself. A 400 cool-down brought me to 2000 meters on the day, a little over a mile. My HR was at about 140 when I got out of the pool, and the workout took a good half hour or so, which is easily the best/most intense pool workout I've done, and got good distance in too. The hot tub for a few minutes afterward felt great as well.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday Run
I went from campus down to the Arch and back, about a 6 mile loop, with my friend Joe earlier today. Joe is a non-runner training for his first half-marathon coming up in a couple months. It was a little warm, but enjoyable. I didn't wear a watch, but we probably did 8:15-8:30 miles. I think I took 3 steps for every 2 of Joe's (he is 6'3" or so), but it was fun.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Quick Bike
Hey all-
Just got done with an easy 20 miler, at about 18 mph. Weather was nice and the ride was pretty easy. St. Louis is not great for biking. It takes about 10 miles to get out past the gridlock of stoplights. The law of conservation of momentum is shot to pieces in downtown St. Louis. Oh well.
Just got done with an easy 20 miler, at about 18 mph. Weather was nice and the ride was pretty easy. St. Louis is not great for biking. It takes about 10 miles to get out past the gridlock of stoplights. The law of conservation of momentum is shot to pieces in downtown St. Louis. Oh well.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
This one's for Josie
Hey all-
I've upped my volume since the last time I posted. I am doing longer and longer training sessions to hopefully do either a half or full marathon this winter, and then olympic (maybe half-iron?) distance triathlons next season. My longest training sessions the past couple weeks have been a ten mile run (from 1 PM to 2:30 PM on a hot St. Louis day... thank god for water fountains!), a 30 mile bike, and ~1.3 mile swim (continuous). For those interested, olympic distance is 1.5/40/10k (1/25/6 mi) and half iron 1.9/90/21k (1.2/56/13.1 mi). I think the olympic distance is doable... a half iron might need another season to get that volume.
I've upped my volume since the last time I posted. I am doing longer and longer training sessions to hopefully do either a half or full marathon this winter, and then olympic (maybe half-iron?) distance triathlons next season. My longest training sessions the past couple weeks have been a ten mile run (from 1 PM to 2:30 PM on a hot St. Louis day... thank god for water fountains!), a 30 mile bike, and ~1.3 mile swim (continuous). For those interested, olympic distance is 1.5/40/10k (1/25/6 mi) and half iron 1.9/90/21k (1.2/56/13.1 mi). I think the olympic distance is doable... a half iron might need another season to get that volume.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Back to training
The combination of being away from home for a few weeks (in Libertyville with Julie and then NC with Barb and Dale) and some strange knee pain during/after biking led to a couple weeks of rest for me. Last Thursday I got on the bike again and did a slow ten miles or so, and felt fine. Yesterday I swam about 1000 yards between classes. Today I got out for about 4.5 miles at an easy pace. It was about 95 degrees already at 11:00 a.m. I will decide in the next week or so if I will do the Cape Tri. I might just start building for next season.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday August 11 Run
I went out for an easy 40 minute run today in Libertyville. I picked up Julie from O'hare this morning at 11:30. She just got back from 3 months in Madrid (with visits all over Europe), and seeing her was great. I snuck off to get a run in about 4 p.m., it wasn't too humid and there was lots of shade, all in all enjoyable run. I ran the last ten minutes just slower than what I think my race pace would be, and it was tough.
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