Podium Bound - Week 3 & 4 Review

Due to life rearing its ugly head, I missed out on a timely review of week 3, but in some ways it's better since I now get to kill 2 weeks in one blog post!   Life tried its' best to derail my training, but I was having none of it! I was able to rearrange my schedule and complete as many workout as time would allow.  As always, when it comes to training, it's best to plan ahead and be flexible!

Week 3

Usually I start the week off with a swim, but having done a 1050 yard time trail on Sunday, I moved some things around and decided to do my bike workout first.  My swim partner (who doubles as my wife), had issues of her own so we decided we would try to swim later in the week.  My surgically repaired knee was also bothering me, so I front loaded the week with cycling and swimming to give it a rest.  I also included copious amounts of Ibuprofen and icing to help as much as possible.  Eventually, my run workouts rolled around on Thursday and Friday, and needless to say they were tough.  I stuck with it though, and even managed to get through my first brick workout of the week on Saturday.  My running was slower than usual, but I wanted to take it easy until I saw my orthopedist on the following Wednesday.  I ended the week with a lovely bike workout on Sunday and despite missing a swim and a strength session during the week, completed the vast majority of ny training sessions.  Not to mention the fact I squeezed in a bike handling clinic on Saturday morning!  Overall I would grade this a week a B-, but I get an A for effort!

Week 4

This week's schedule include the first challenging workouts since I began this training plan.  My work/life stress was showing no signs of abating, so I knew the challenge might just be getting to the workouts themselves.  The week started off on a bad note as I was deluged with meetings and my swim partner had tests to study for, so that coupled with the now longer swim workout convinced me to bite the bullet and skip this workout.  I had my first run workout with intervakls scheduled for Tuesday and with my knee still swollen with fluid I was not looking forward to it.  Despite that, I soldiered on and got through my first set of 200 meter intervals, at a surprisingly fast pace.  I couldn't wait to see my orthopedist the next day.

Wednesday arrived and it was like a summer day!  First stop the orthopedist.  I went in with my knee swollen and came out feeling like new.  Here's why:

Yeah, all that came out of 1 knee!  I took a break to let my knee enjoy feeling normal for a bit and grabbed some lunch.  Around 2pm I headed out for my first REAL brick workout of the training plan. The cycling portion was 65 minutes with 45 minutes in Zone 3 followed by a 15 minute transition run.  The run ended with about 500 meter very steep hill.  It was a tough workout and for the first time during this training plan I felt a bit sore afterwards.  It was a good sore, but sore none-the-less. I was sore enough the next day that my recovery run turned into 2 recovery walks.

I was back in the pool on Friday, but I got lazy and skipped my recovery bike workout.  Mind you, I did have my first race of the season the following day (race report soon!), but I really have no excuse, I just didn't feel like it, and knowing I had a hard day ahead helped me rationalize skipping the workout.  Would it have made a difference on race day, I doubt it, but still I don't really have any excuses.

All I am going to say is, "It went well".  Read the upcoming race report if you want all the details.

Sunday rolled around and I had 2 workouts on the calendar.  A long run in the morning, and a swim in the afternoon, this is my normal Sunday schedule.  Except I had neglected to realize that this particular Sunday, was Good Sunday!  So of course the pool was closed!  I definitely missed too many workouts this week.  The only saving grace was the increased intensity from the brick workout and the race.  So I'm going to only give myself a C+ this week.  Needless to say I will be better at sticking to the plan in Week 5.

 Week 5 is a bit of recovery week before I jump into my build phase.  I am looking forward to the increasingly tougher road ahead.

Thanks for reading!

Happy training!

Coach Rob.

Podium Bound - Week 2 Review

Week 2 started with a relatively easy swim.  This week was interesting because it's TEST WEEK!  FTP test, run test and swim test!  Here is how the week went.

Week 2

After starting the week with a successful swim, Next up was my power profile test.  I wasn't expecting a great result as my training stress was in the negative numbers.  Despite that, I still needed to get an idea of my current bike fitness.  First up in the power profile test is a test of my 5 second power (i.e.  my neuromuscular or sprint power).  I was able to tie my highest ever 5 second power, so I  was cautiously optomistic that I was in line for a decent test.  I probably should have waited until after the 5 minute VO2 max test because, mine was horrible!  I had never seen numbers anywhere close to being that low!  Now granted I have done absolutely no VO2 max workouts in the past 3 months, so I suppose this should not have been a surprise, but never-the-less it still came as a bit of a shock to me.  I thought this would not bode well for the FTP portion of the test, but to my surprise (again), my FTP increased by about 3% from my last test.  Not a huge increase, I know, but even small progress is progress.

Wednesday was a recovery ride (my legs thanked me) and a much need strength session.  I am only doing strength once per week right now so as to not to become fatigued from the increased work load. 

Thursday was time for my run test.  My knees had let me know all week this was not going to be a lot of fun.  I have a persistent problem with fluid on my left knee and when there is a significant amount of fluid built up it makes running tough.  After a 15 minute or so warm up, I started my run test.  Once again I was cognizant of the fact my straining stress was relatively high this week, so I had a somewhat lower expectation than the last time I did this test.  The test is basically a 5k run on the track.  I ran an 8:23 minutes per mile pace.  I good ways off from the 7:57 I had done back in November.  I didn't feel to bad about that, but I recognize I have a ton of work to do to get my run form back to where I want it to be.  I immediately iced my knees after the workout to make sure to keep the swelling down.  This has become somwehat of a ritual with me.  I am no longer kidding myself,  I don't have 25 year old knees anymore.

Friday was the first day since I started serious training that my training took a hit.  Basically work combined with other obligations made me miss my first swim workout.   I also had a recovery run due that day, and I managed to salvage something by doing a recovery walk in the early evening.   Mentally I was drained that day, better to get something in than nothing at all.

Saturday I was back on the bike for a 90 minute aerobic base building ride.  It was cold in the morning so I hopped on Zwift for 100 minutes and got a new route badge in the process.  I have now completed all the Zwift routes except for Four Horsemen (which is like 7,000 feet of climbing) and the PRL Full which is 107 miles.  Those 2 will have to wait until winter when I have nothing better to do.

Sunday was a two a day weekend, running and swimming.  My knee was still a bit unhappy from the run test so I shortened my Zone 2 run from 55 mintes down to a bit over 35 minutes.  I am easing up on the running until I get my knee drained.  Next up was my swim test.  1000 yards.  Of all the tests this is the worst, mostly due to the montony.  Swimming 40 laps in a 25 yard pool is SO BORING! (and also challenging to keep track of since I ended up swiming 1050 yards!).  My pace was less than stellar, but I was easily able to complete the distance which is reassuring.  I am still working on my body position which seems to go awry on some laps.  For instance, I average around 30 seconds per lap, but in looking over each lap during the 1000 yards, every so often there will be a 36, 37, or 38 second lap.  These "bad" laps really impact my overall time so I need to work on my form staying more consistent.

All in all not a bad week. I give myself a B+.   Getting ready for Week 3, increasing endurance and the first brick workout.  Should be.... fun?

Happy Training

Coach Rob 

Podium Bound

 Last year I finished 3rd in my age group at Rev3 Williamsburg.  Using that as motivation, this year I want to win my age group.  What follows is a weekly look at my journey towards that goal.

Starting in November of 2021 I started working on my perceived weaknesses.  My biggest obstacle is I am recovering from knee surgery.  I started off running slowly, but regularly.  After several weeks of steady running I gave myself a run test.  I was nervous, not so much about the results but more so about the perceived stress on my knee.  I started conservatively at an 8:06 pace per mile, I didn't feel stressed so I dropped the pace 5 seconds per mile.  The last mile I ran at 7:49 per mile and then ran the last tenth of a mile at whatever I had left.  My final time was 24:48, a 7:57 pace.  So that's the benchmark for the first run test, which comes in week 2 of training.  I am planning on16 weeks of training for this race, so let's talk about how week 1 went.

Off to a Good Start

I planned a little over 7 hours of training for week 1.  Mostly base training, zone 1 and 2 work to start builiding endurance and not put to much stress on my kness too soon.  I often tell my athletes consistency is the key to improvement so my main goal was to practice what I preach to the nth degree.  Normally 80 - 90 % of completed workouts will make me happy, but since I have loftly goals I was shooting for 100% in week 1.  I was concerned bad weather would interrupt some of my running so I invested in a Sole F63 treadmill.  I caught it on sale and I have been generally pleased with its performance so far.  If I have one gripe about it, the fan it comes with is ABSOLUTELY USELESS!  I can hear it, but I can't feel anything! It's like a gnat is blowing on you, and that is being generous.  They really could have left the fan out.  On the flipside, the bluetooth speakers are actually pretty nice.  Another nice feature is the treadmill paired effortless with Zwift, that really helps take some of the boredom out of being on the treadmill.  Right on cue the weather cooperated (or didn't depeneding on your point of view) and I found myself building my run fitness indoors for 2 out of 3 runs.  I completed ALMOST all of week 1 training, I missed out on about 20 minutes of my strength training due to an overlapping commitment.  I made up for that with some extra yoga sessions.  I finished the week tired but happy.  So week 1 is in the books, Grade A. 

Off and Running to Week 2

Week 2 started today with a relatively easy swim.  This week is going to be interesting because it's TEST WEEK!  FTP test, run test and swim test! I will check in with you guys next week.  

Happy training!

Coach Rob

Rev3 Williamsburg Sprint Triathlon Race Report

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you..." - Rakim

It's been almost 2 years since I last jumped into open water, and it had been about 18 months since I had knee surgery.   So to say I was rusty would have to be an understatement.  In addition to the layoff from racing, I was also dealing with a new knee injury which had severely curtailed my running.   My training strategy therefore was to maximize my swim and bike training and do just enough running to be sure I could complete the distance.  I set some modest goals for myself and showed up in Williamsburg the day before the race, fit but apprehensive.

Goals:

I set some peformance goals for myself based on my training and to keep myself accountable.  Here were my pre race goals :

Swim split : 19 minutes

Bike split : 38 minutes

Run split : 27 minutes

I didn't have any goals for transition since I hadn't seen the course and I had no idea the distance from swim exit to the transition area. I just figured I'd wing it.

The swim and run goals were modest, during covid it was hard to find an open pool, and as I mentioned my knees had curtailed my run training.  My bike was a totally different story however.  I had practically lived on my bike, both on the trainier and outdoors, so bike fitness was not an issue.  I was really hoping to have a solid bike split.

How the race unfolded:

I awoke race morning to drizzle and humidity, not exactly ideal conditions, but the rain had stopped by the time the race started, so I was not worried.  

The water temperature was 81 degrees so this was a no wetsuit affair.  I wasn't really concerned since I train without one and would have been too warm in one with the water temperature that high anyway.  The swim start was from a small dock where you had to sit down and drop into the water.  The race director had informed us that to the right of the bouys the current was strongest, so as soon as I got in the water I headed straight for it.  I had a bit of swim anxiety after about 200 yards, most likely due to the fact that I started swimming too fast. I had to talk myself down while continuing to sight, which was challenging as the bouys did not appear to be well placed.  After about 10 minutes I settled in and got on with it.  Swimming in open water always seems like an eternity to me, perhaps because there is no visual component to distract you from your thoughts.  Its just breath, breath, breath, check if you are headed in the right direction, breath some more, repeat.  I was overjoyed when I saw the swim exit and picked up the pace to finish in 16:49.  Not a stellar time but much better than my goal so I was happy.

(Grade : A)

It was a LONNNGGG run from the swim exit to transition and running on rocks in bare feet did not help.  Note to self, next year, bring some old sneakers to leave by the swim exit.

I got into and out of transition reasonable fast once I got there and was out on the bike.  My bike goals was reasonable based on my training, but secretly I thought I could go faster.  I had a had taped down quite a bit and in the end this may have left me a tad short of condition.  So while my bike split of 38:33 was pretty close to what I predicted, my power numbers from the ride were a good bit short of what I know I am capable of.  I willl have to taper a little less for my next sprint race.  I felt good on the bike and followed my race plan by not starting out too fast (for a change) and staying aero for almost the entire ride.  I did notice some tightness in my left hip with a few minutes left on the bike, so hip stretches will be added to pre race ritual.

(Grade: B+)

I had a quick bike to run transition and was soon out on the run course.  I was really unsure of how I would run, since I had been limited to, at MOST, 2 runs per week.  A lot of weeks I had run only once and usually for short distances at a relatively easy pace.  This run was more mental than physical,  I was paying close attention to how I felt and determined to run a negative split by easing into the pace to starting and picking it up as I got closer to the finish.  I knew the only real obstacle for the run, other than my lack of training, would be the bridge.  Right out of transition, is the steepest hardest part of the run, so I made sure to just keep calm, maintain my pace and just get over it, knowing once that was over the hardest part was behind me.  My run splits were exactly what I wanted Mile 1 : 9:00, Mile 2 : 8:59,

Mile 3 : 8:48.  Now these times are nowhere near what I am capable running when I have been training consistently, but given all the injury issues. I will take it!  Final run split 27:49

(Grade: A)

Nutrition:

I typically don't eat before a sprint.  I rely on a good dinner the night before and my race nutrition to get me through.  During the pandemic I tried out a few different brands of race nutrtion and finally settled on Maurten.  This is a relatively new product and I am extremely happy with it!  Due to its formulation you can get up to 80 grams of carbs in one water bottle.  I used this formulation on long rides, with no stomach upset and no loss of energy.  It is also available in 100 calorie / 25 grams of carbs gels.  Their products are mostly tasteless (the 80 grams drink mix is slightly sweet), the gels are the consistency of Jello and very easy to digest.  Starting 90 prior to the race I downed a bottle of the 80 grams carb solutions and felt strong for the duration of the race (I did supplement about an hour into the race just to keep my levels up).  I highly recommend this product, although I should note compared to other products it is expensive.

Everything else:

Shout out to my friend and amazing leader Col. Von Spencer for making this one of the most entertaining events I have ever been to!  Her FastChix nation made the weekend a huge success!  They even scared the heck out of me when I came into transtion from the bike course!  I think their cheering was the reason I managed to snag 3rd place on the podium.  I'm looking forward to returning next year and moving up a few places on the podium!

Ironman Atlantic City 70.3 Race report 2017

Let me start off by saying I had a great time at this race.  This in and off itself could be my race report.  For once, I didn't have a really horrible 70.3 race!  I have been trying to get my act together at this distance and various factors have conspired to subvert me at every turn. 5 years ago at my first 70.3 it was a combination of illness, fatigue and a 101 degree unshaded run!  Last year it was illness, a broken fork and once again insane heat!

This year I had very few expectations of crushing the course, because for most of the year I have been injured.  A nagging shoulder injury and an inability to find time for enough long runs had made me less than optimistic about crushing the race.  Despite that, I went in with some stretch goals anyway and I decided I would push myself as much as possible and try to make good decisions on the course.

But before we get to that, let me tell you about the best part of the weekend.  On Saturday before the race, there was a kids fun run.  I asked my son Tyler if he was interested in racing it.  The race was 1/2 mile long.  Run 1/4 mile out then 1/4 mile back.  I had no real idea how he would do but i thought it would be a good experience for him.  There were some bigger kids in the race so I kind of resigned myself to the fact that he probably would not win, and would finish somewhere in the middle of the pack.  It was really foggy in the morning so when the kids took off I could only see them for about the first 50 yards or so.  Off they went and I waited patiently for them to return.  The announcer started urging the kids on as they got closer to the finish line and as they started to appear I first saw this big kid, followed just behind by Tyler!  He looked gassed but he was pushing with everything he had left.  He came in second!  How cool was that!  He had earned his first Ironman medal!

Of course now the pressure was on!  Tyler was expecting me to come in second in the race too.  Sorry kid, NOT GONNA HAPPEN!  I had a good dinner Saturday night and got to sleep early (a first for me before a race).  I awoke at 4 AM, ate some of my leftover pasta from dinner, and started mentally prepping for the swim.  I have a very practiced transition routine, so by 5:30 I was all set and ready to race.  I decided to stroll around transition and give aid and comfort to anyone I could, or to just shoot the breeze, whatever seemed appropriate.  I managed to meet Shauna Gold and Crystal Pringle whose Facebook posts I follow diligently.  I marvel constantly at anyone who can get up so early on a regular basis.  I also started my nutrition plan, 30 minutes from the start I took 2 Hammer Endurolytes capsules and 2 Hammer Anti-fatigue capsules.  I also took 1 Hammer gel 15 minutes prior to getting in the water.

The Swim:

I was really anxious to get the swim over with.  Not so much because I dislike the swim, but more because I have been nursing a shoulder injury for the last month or so and I was just hoping it would hold up without causing me too much pain after I got out of the water.  I had gone to physical therapy twice the week of the race to have it worked on and also had a masseur work on it at the Ironman expo.  I doused in it Tiger Balm the night before the race and it was feeling the best it had in some time so I was cautiously optimistic.  When the swim waves started lining up I got as close to the front of my wave as I could.  I knew it could turn into a hot day, and though it was still cool and overcast, I wanted to make sure I had to endure as little heat as necessary.  As usual the first 300-400 yards it felt like my arms would explode but by the 500 yard mark I had settled in a rhythm.  Not a particularly fast rhythm, but a rhythm none-the-less.  The swim out was relatively uneventful, but after the turn to return to the start,  the current began trying to force me to the left of the buoys.  I had to switch from sighting every ten strokes to about every 5 or 6 to make sure I was still on course.  I could also feel my midsection tighten up as my I fought to keep my line straight.  I ended up swimming 2369 yards, yeah about an extra tenth of a mile.  I would like to be disappointed with my 49 minute and change swim time, but with a bum shoulder and extra yardage I can't be too hard on myself (not to mention the fact that I didn't start training for the swim until damn near August!)

T1:

As I came out of the water I saw the wetsuit strippers, I had actually never seen them before at a race! I ran right past them, not really knowing what to do.  I was somewhat surprised to see some guy plop down on the ground and two women grab his legs and begin yanking his wetsuit off!  Wow!  It looked violent!  I trotted into transition and wiggled out of my wetsuit all by myself.  T1 was fairly uneventful.  I got my bike , took 1 Hammer Perpeteum solid and got outta there.

The Bike:

My bike plan consisted of the following:  3 hour bike split (or 2:59 to make my coaching partner Lloyd Henry happy!)  1 bottle of Heed w/ 1 Endurolyte Fizz per hour on the bike.  The goal was to ride at about 75 - 80% of my FTP and keep a steady tempo the whole time.  Due to the size of the field I knew drafting might be an issue.  The referees had spoken quite seriously about it at the race briefing the day before and I made it a point to get out ahead of anyone who might start out fast then slow down just enough to make me have to push past them.  The goal speed was 18.7mph but I rolled through the first hour at 19.3 miles an hour holding steady at my 75% of FTP goal.  I was not too worried as I was feeling good but I resisted the urge to dial it up a notch.  I kept reminding myself I needed as much as I could spare in the tank for the run to follow.  The second hour was also nearly perfectly paced.  I averaged 74% of FTP and managed to push the speed up just a notch to 19.6 mph. I knew I was in a good place as my heart rate was a rock solid 143 beats per minute for almost the duration of the first 2 hours.  Around the 45 mile mark I guy I had been playing tag with for about 10 miles rode up next to me from behind and said, "What do you expect your bike split to be?", I replied somewhere between 2:55 and 3 hours.  He then gave me the nicest compliment I have ever received in a race, he said, "I have never seen anyone pace as consistently as you."  That just about made my day!  Around mile 50 I had my first bad patch of the race.  I got a strange, all I can call it is a sensation, in the areas between my thigh and my psoas muscle.  It was weird.  I reminded myself I would have rough patches but this sensation was just bizarre.  I turned the power down just a notch and started to concentrate on recovering a bit before the run.  Keeping in mind I still had to get under 3 hours, I only backed off slightly.  The final hour was ridden at 67% of my FTP and 18.4 mph, a bit slower than I hoped but I made the cut!  Bike time was 2:59:22, I nailed it!

T2 :

My bike computer fell off as I dismounted by bringing my leg over my handlebars.  I actually find this easier since my seat is so high compared to the handlebars.  No way I was not going to pick my Garmin 520 Edge with all my data!  That slowed me down a bit and coupled with the larger than I expected transition area I had a somewhat slow 3 minute transition.

The Run:

My  plan was to run 10 minute miles.  Long story short, that didn't happen.  It was not for lack of trying however.  This is where my training (or more specifically lack thereof) caught up with me. I was unable to string together enough long runs during training.   Instead, I relied on some tough race runs in their place. Suffice it to say they weren't enough.  As I was coming out of transition, a woman running behind me yelled that I had dropped my Hammer gel. I stopped to pick it up, but I failed to notice that I had also dropped the 2 other gels as well.  I was now about an hour short of my nutrition  for the race (more on that later).

My run splits started off well enough:

Mile 1 : 9:05 (a tad fast, I figured I better slow down)
Mile 2 : 9:31 (a bit better, not feeling too shabby)
Mile 3: 10:23 (ok I'm gonna try and stay at this pace)

Right after mile 3 I ate a gel, and that is when the sun finally reared its ugly head.  It had been overcast most of the day but now that I was up on the boardwalk the sun, in all of its glory, jumped out from behind the clouds.  I was determined to get to mile 6 before I needed a walk break, but the heat changed my plans rather quickly.

Mile 4: 12:46 (I was now in walk / run mode)
Mile 5 :12:41 (more walk /run)
Mile 6: 13:37 (I hit my first really bad patch here, I started to feel the pre-cursor of cramps coming on so I stopped at a water station and drank as much as I could stomach along with 2 Endurolytes.

Mile 7: 12:53 (We pass by the start/finish area and I see my wife and son, I RUN this section).
Mile 8: 13:06 (OK my wife and son can't see me, so I start walking again, of course I find out later they still could see me so, oh well...)
Mile 9: 12:31 (I gain a partner, someone who is struggling just as much as me, we walk /run in tandem pushing each other to run just a bit longer).
Mile 10: 12:04 (The push helps a bit, we gain a whole 30 seconds....)
Mile 11: 13:21 (Back to more walking than running, I guess I paid for that 30 seconds...)
Mile 12: 12:04 (I can feel the finish, a little less walking, a bit more running)
Finally!  Mile 13: 12:35 Unspectacular but a finish is a finish. Great to see my wife and son as I ran down the shoot!


Time : 6:32:00

I was shooting for somewhere in the 6:15 range but the lack of long runs sabotaged that goal.  All in all I felt it was a good effort.

Fort Ritchie race report

Pre-race

OK let’s be clear.  I had absolutely no ambitions going into this race.  Training has been a disaster the last few months and racing hasn’t been much better.  Life, work, and family have all been acting up in ways designed to make racing a chore as opposed to fun.  But, I’m not complaining.  I realize life is like that sometimes, and every season can’t be like my dream season of 2015 when I finished ranked as the #1 duathlete (50-54) in Maryland.

I have been trying to stay positive and keep in mind that my big goal for the year comes later at Ironman AC 70.3.  Knowing this, I decided to race Fort Ritchie with one goal in mind, have a strong second run.  I wanted to prove I can run strong off the bike and if I can’t do it on a 10k, then it will be really challenging to do it in a ½ marathon when September rolls around.

Despite having no ambitions for this race, I have won my age group at this race 2 years in a row. The rational side of my brain, knowing that was unlikely this year was willing to concede the title but the athlete in me was like, “You gotta go all out!  You gotta title to defend!” I pushed that thought aside for the week leading up to the race and was steadfast in my intent to be conservative on the first run and let my power meter guide me on the bike.  That was all well and good until the gun went off.  I saw several my rivals from other races go out at a pace I normally can match.  I had a real internal battle going on.  The rational side saying, “Run conservatively, follow the plan.”  The competitor saying, “Pick it up, stay with those guys!”. Luckily (I guess) my body weighed in and was like, “Today is not our day.  We will not partake in any chasing of said rivals!”  Put another way, I just wasn’t feeling that great.  I attributed this to 3 things.  1) I had a relatively light training week with virtually no intensity.  2) I didn’t do a real warm up since I was “supposed’ to run conservatively.  3) The first mile is a very “un-fun” uphill segment, which made me feel just that much worse.  After what seemed like 10 miles but was only the first mile, I looked down at my watch as it beeped off the first mile. 8:19 pace. That is somewhat conservative for me, the last couple of years I have run around 7:50 or so, still, I needed to pull it back a bit more so I ran 8:24 for the second mile.  The third mile is all downhill so my 7:55 was a lot easier than it sounds, 2 years ago I ran that mile at a 7:28 pace. 

By now all my rivals were out of sight and, to some extent, out of mind.  I zipped through T1 content in the knowledge I could now ride at my own pace.  There is a brutally steep hill right out of T1 and I had originally planned to try and get over it in under 6 minutes, which would be a pretty big improvement from last year. NOPE.  Wasn’t going to happen today!  This let me know right then and there I needed to just enjoy the ride as much as I could.  Luckily, a 3 mile or so descent follows this climb so I could get on top of a big gear and get the legs spinning!  After that descent I was in a valley of gently rolling hills and I began to pick off riders who were ahead of me, it was about this time that I started to feel pretty good. I had downed a bottle of Heed by this time and I was sticking to my nutrition plan to the letter, drinking every 15 minutes and taking in a Perpeteum solid every hour.  I knew the hardest part of the course was still awaiting me so I kept my enthusiasm in check and rode very much within myself.  After leaving this valley the real challenge of the course begins.  An almost non-stop 4.5-mile climb.  There are brief moments of respite, but they are few and far between and there is one beast of a segment that must average 7% for a good mile and a half. I was catching a lot of people on the climb and only 2 people caught me so I felt pretty stoked, and unlike last year I didn’t feel wasted when I crested the top of the climb.  I plunged down the last descent into T2 and was ready for what I knew to be the toughest part of the race.

10K to go!  This has always undone me in this race although, I have improved both years I have done this race and I was hoping this year would be no different.  Last year, just as I started to run up that awful first hill, I cramped badly and had to walk for a bit to shake it out.  This year thanks to a dose of Hammer Endurolytes and Anti-Fatigue tabs, plus the Endurolytes Fizz in my water bottles, no cramps and I felt pretty good over that first mile.  What really surprised me though was how good I felt after getting through that first mile.  I felt strong!  I have usually struggled through my runs, feeling like a run-down battery.  Now I could pick up the pace and maybe even entertain a negative split run (OK so this didn’t actually happen, but even being able to entertain that notion was a step in the right direction!). My mile times started dropping and even the dreaded hill at the 2-mile mark seemed manageable. There were a bunch of runners ahead of me and I was chasing hard and trying to catch them before the finish.  By the 5 mile mark I had caught and passed all of them except for one, and I was pushing hard to catch him.  As we approached the finish I realized it wasn’t going to happen.  This run is a 2-loop course where you must pass the finish to go out on your second loop and I suddenly realized this guy was on his first loop!  I didn’t need to catch him as he was 3 miles behind me!  This lifted my spirits enough that I was able to sprint into the finishing shoot.  I had a new triathlon 10K PR 52:39. 

I had PRed without trying!  Funny thing was I didn’t realize it until I went home and looked through all the data.  What impressed me most was how much of an edge the slightly more conservative run and bike gave me on the final 10K.  I knocked 5 minutes off my final run.  I even out-ran some of my rivals (next time I will try not to give them such a huge head start!) I am now planning to model my 70.3 race strategy by taking a page from this race.  Once again the adage “bike for show, run for dough” lived up to its reputation.  I ended up nabbing 3^rd place in my age group with that run.  Not bad of an old guy!

Peace,

And keep training!

Race Report - Cascade Lake Sprint Duathlon

Race day started cold and dreary.  Wet roads, clouds, and sub 40 degree temperatures meant this race was easily outside of my comfort zone.  Despite the conditions, I was determined to repeat the success of the previous two years in which I had come in 1st and 2nd respectively in this race.  In conditions like these, nutrition is a key element.  This being the case,  of course,  I forgot to check my supply of Hammer nutrition Endurolytes that I carry in my bike bag.  Normally I take 2 Endurolyte tablets 1 hour prior to race start.  However, when I checked my supply I found I had run out!  Never a good sign, I decided to drink a little extra Hammer nutrition Heed prior to starting the race.


Run #1

The race went off on time and and I stuck to my plan of running slightly faster than my training pace since the first mile is downhill.  I went through the first mile @6:52 so I knew I was just about on target.  The next mile is uphill so I expected my time to slow and it did.  I was looking to run a 7:45 to 8:00 pace, but I was slightly off that time and the cold was definitely affecting my breathing.  Despite feeling winded my pace was about the same as last year even though I didn't feel nearly as good.

T1

T1 went smoothly and I made up time on some of my rivals and even passed a few as I left transition.

Bike

I started well, passed a few people in the opening 1/2 mile, which is straight downhill, before you turn onto the first climb of the race.  I was rolling at close to 30 mph just as I hit the first climb and took a few swallows of Heed. Within a few pedal strokes I knew this was going to be a long day.  The Cascade Lake bike course is nothing but one hard climb after another.  I can usually tell on the first climb how I am going, and I knew pretty early on I was not going well.  Despite putting up good power numbers in training, I was unable to replicate those numbers in the race.  Look at the difference in time between the first climb (0.6 miles in length) last year and this year:

• 2015 Climb #1: 3:04 12.6 mph
• 2016 Climb #1: 3:29 11.0 mph

That's a huge disparity coming so early in the race.  Granted there was a headwind, but that does not explain the entire time loss.  I was also none too pleased to see 2 of my age group rivals pass me on the climb.  So I began a chase that would last the entire bike leg.  My times as the race went on got better, but nowhere close to last year.  For most of the bike leg I could see my rivals but whenever I tried to close the gap, it would get a bit smaller then balloon out again on the way up the next climb.  Finally I decided to just pace the bike as best I could and let the run decided the outcome.

T2

T2 was quick and uneventful.  I finished off my Heed from the bike and out I went.

Run #2

My running has been improving greatly the last two years so I felt confident I could close at least some of the gap on my rivals.  I wasn't sure if it would be enough but I was going to give it my best shot.  It really just depended on how much time I needed to make up.  Unfortunately the last run is only 2 miles.  I was running strong right out of transition and immediately passed some other runners.  After about 1/4 of a mile I could see the two guys in my age group who were ahead of me.  They were a good 90 seconds up on me by my estimation.  I needed to run really fast to close such a big deficit.  One guy I passed latched onto me and we ran together until about 1/4 of a mile from the finish, when I upped the pace just to make sure I didn't lose my overall place.  To make a long story short I didn't catch my two rivals and ended up third in my age group.  I did manage to pass other runners and hold off any chasers so the race was not a total loss.

I didn't feel tired at all after the race.  That is a good sign my fitness was there even if my race results didn't show it.  I also stuck to my nutrition plan (with the exception of the missed Endurolytes, which I re-ordered I might add) and I think that kept me in the race.  I downed a bottle of Recoverite to jump start my recovery as soon as I crossed the finish line.  Hard to be too disappointed with third place, especially when the top step was in reach.  Check back in 3 weeks time to see how I manage in my first triathlon of the season.

Peace and good training.

Coach Rob