Monday, March 28, 2011
Swimming - Part 1
Since I started competing in triathons in 2005, I have made a huge improvement in my swimming abilities, but it has been a long journey. I started swimming for fitness in 2004 when I was injured and I couldn't run. I had a friend go over the basics of swimming freestyle so I went to the pool and put it to work. I swam "water polo" style for awhile but I eventually upgraded to putting my face in the water. I would swim 2 - 3 times a week and I really enjoyed the workout. I decided right then I would also look into cycling and if I enjoyed that I would attempt a triathlon. That fall I bought a bike, liked it, and decided to train for the winter going into the 2005 tri season. That first year competing in triathlons I swam in the ball park of 23 - 25 minutes for a 1.5k open water swim. I did so by swimming twice a week with maybe a third swim on big weeks. I was able to bike/run down most of my competitors at the local races so I was happy with how I was finishing in races. The following year I got a little faster in the water (but not much) and started to win some of the local races (I was also stronger on the bike so that helped). I was swimming 2 - 3 times a week of maybe 3,500 yards. So swimming 10,000 yards in a single week was a HUGE week. I was content with having a small deficit out of the water and then chasing everyone down. This worked great at local races, but I got my eyes opened at USAT Nationals in the summer of 2006. This was my first "big" race so I was very niave going into the race about my abilities. I got SMOKED on the swim. I came out pretty far back from the leaders and was also extremely worn out from the swim. I had never felt that "out of shape" after a swim leg before. I did manage to qualify for the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. I went there in September of 2006 and again came out of the water pretty far back from the leaders and that left me a lot of work to do on the bike/run. When I got back to the US, I decided I was going to improve my swim. I joined the Wildcat Master's swim team and this helped a lot. I was swimming with faster swimmers, I increased my weekly yardage to roughly 15k a week, and was in the water about 4 times a week. That next spring, my first several races I was in the ball park of 19 minutes for the 1.5k open water swim. I was top 20 out of the water at Collegiate Nationals allowing me to finish in the top 10 overall at the end of the race. I kept that routine for 2007 and really didn't improve much. During the off season after the 2007 season, I decided that 2008 was going to be my year. I worked hard during the off season and was in the water 4 - 5 times a week, sometimes swimming more than 20k in a single week. That season I was regularly in the top 10 out of the water at big races such as Memphis in May, St. Anthony's, Clearwater 70.3, Chicago Triathlon, etc. and this allowed me to finish VERY well in most of those races. I got my Pro card at the end of 2008 and increased my yardage even more in 2009. I was swimming around 100k a month and having some really solid workouts. However, I learned the difference between a Pro triathlete and an AG'er triathlete: Pro's are VERY strong in the water. They were all great swimmers and I went from being top 5 - 10 out of the water to "back of the pack" swimmer. I found that the wetsuit gave me some confidence and I was able to hang with the average swimmers when I swam in a wetsuit. I kept working on my swim, but was getting a little burnt out so I wasn't as consistent with my swim workouts as usual. I might make it to the pool 4 times a week and was putting in about 20k a week, but this was a decrease in yardage from the beginning of the year. I had some decent results for my first year as a Pro, but I was happy to end the season at the end of September after Augusta 70.3. I took a long down period and enjoyed taking time off. I actually enjoyed it too much and didn't train hard until almost April of 2010. I didn't touch my bike for several months, I was swimming but not regularly, and was running only about 30 - 40 miles a week. This really hurt everything that I had built up over the past 4 years. I swam about 4 minutes slower than the leaders at the Kansas 70.3 race. I knew I needed to get stronger in the water. That summer I swam more long course than I ever had and I was actually 4th out of the water in August at the Steelhead 70.3 race. This gave me a lot of confidence about my swimming, so I focused on my run and bike for the next 1.5 months and I lost some of my swimming fitness. I was only in the water 3 - 4 times a week going into Augusta 70.3 and I paid for it. I finished 7th at Augusta 70.3 (after being 18th or so out of the water) and had a "light bulb" go off at that race. It is a down river swim, and I was still about 2 minutes back from the leaders out of the water when I was within 45 seconds of the leaders the previous year. This "light bulb" told me I should work on my swim. To be con't. A great link to check out before I post "Part 2" is from Matt Dixon at Purple Patch Fitness. He discusses the importance of swimming yardage. http://purplepatchfitness.com/purplepatch_fitness/Knowledge+/Entries/2011/2/19_Secrets_of_the_Triathlon__Secret_1_Swim_More!.html
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Pics from San Juan
Our hotel.
Pool #1 (view is from the 3rd floor, but definitely not our room)
Pool #2
And where the lagoon in which we swam in connects to the Atlantic Ocean. You can also see the host hotel on the far right in the pic.
Me sitting pretty on some guys feet in the water. Got this pic since we swam under a bridge and Casey was posted up on the bridge to watch me go by. I was easy to find considering I was 1 of 3 pros not wearing a swim skin and my suit was red.
Me right before heading out for lap #2 on the run.
Here is a pic of me coming into the finish area.
Here is a pic of the sweat bands that Casey made for me out of her old socks when I remembered that I had forgotten to pack mine. They worked great.
Casey and I sitting before our beautiful Mofongos the night after the race. I got one with Chicken and her's was with Pork. That is a Plantain chip that is sticking out from the top.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
My Trip to Puerto Rico
During my trip to Colorado in January to get my USAT Level 1 Coaching Certification, my coach threw out the idea to travel to San Juan 70.3 in March. I kind of laughed off the idea because of how early it was, and I really am not a fan of flying to races. I later decided to go ahead and give it a shot as it was during my GF's spring break so we could have a little getaway.
I left on Tuesday March 15th from Lexington at 6:30am. We had a connection in Charlotte before we headed south. We landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico around 2pm. Luckily, I had no problems with my flights or luggage and grabbed a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Conrad Hotel which was really nice. We did not have an ocean view room, but we were staying there at a discounted rate thanks to Ironman so I can't complain. We mostly hung out by the pool for the remainder of the day and I went out for a little shake out jog before dinner. We tried the hotel restaurant and it was very good, but a little pricey. I did get a side item of fried plantains which was amazing.
The next day I woke up and went for a run, grabbed a little breakfast, then hit the pool. We sat out for a while before checking out the swim course. It just so happened to be attached to our hotel so we only had to walk about 100 meters from our hotel to the starting line for San Juan 70.3. We swam in the lagoon and had a blast. We were told there were Manatees in the water so we kept our eyes open but unfortunately didn't see them. They are very gentle creatures so we knew not to worry about them. We grabbed a little lunch, hit the pool again, and I took off for a bike ride later in the evening. This was an experience. The roads in downtown San Juan are in terrible condition with lots of pot holes. And it was also rush hour so I managed to make it 18 miles over a span of 1 hr and 15 minutes. This wasn't the "loosen up" ride I was expecting so I called it a day. I was scared of getting a flat tire the whole time as I was on my race wheels and I was either stopped at a light or sprinting for my life away from traffic, haha.
We hit up a local Puerto Rican restaurant that evening and it was delicious. I had a stuffed plantain w/ shredded flank steak which is called a Mofongo. And I had to try the local beer of Medalla, which is just a light beer. Nothing too special.
Thursday was more of the same just without the bike ride. We were enjoying the warm weather and taking in a little sun. I had to go up to the room in the middle of the day so I could watch the Cats take on Princeton. We had a much closer game than expected but pulled out the victory in the final seconds. We ate at a local pizza place for dinner and it was very good. Friday I had my usual day before a race day as I had to attend the Pro meeting, get in some short workouts, check in my bike, pick up my packet, and try to rest as much as possible. I managed to swim everyday in the lagoon and Casey swam each and every time with me. We did a little snorkeling without the snorkels after our swim on Thursday which was kind of fun.
Saturday I raced, and then after the race had my feet attended to as my shoes cut my feet up pretty good. This was not the shoes fault as I did not straighten out the tongue of my shoe so it was folded over. I hurried from the medical tent back to the hotel to watch the Cats take on W. Virginia at 12:15pm. I made it back to the room just in time.
After the game I picked up my bike, took it apart, and went down to the pool to relax some. That evening we took a taxi into Old San Juan, ate at "Raices" which was very good (I got another Mofongo, only with chicken this time). We then walked up to the Fort El Morro, to check it out. We couldn't get many good photos as it was already dark but it was extremely nice. We were overlooking the ocean, enjoying the ocean breeze, and checking out some really old Forts that were built by the Spanish (I think?).
We made it back to the hotel and I finished packing my bike before hitting the sack. I did manage to go for a shake out run Sunday morning before my flight and I ran past a bar at 6:45am and it was still bumpin' from the past night. The music was still going and it was still PACKED with people. I thought that was kind of funny as I have never seen a bar still full at close to 7am on Sunday morning.
All in all, it was a great trip. I got to enjoy 80+ degree temps for several days in a row and it was sunny the whole time. I got to race against some of the fastest guys in the World including the reigning Ironman World Champ. I may post some pics that my GF took in the next day or two.
Thanks for reading.
Tony
I left on Tuesday March 15th from Lexington at 6:30am. We had a connection in Charlotte before we headed south. We landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico around 2pm. Luckily, I had no problems with my flights or luggage and grabbed a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Conrad Hotel which was really nice. We did not have an ocean view room, but we were staying there at a discounted rate thanks to Ironman so I can't complain. We mostly hung out by the pool for the remainder of the day and I went out for a little shake out jog before dinner. We tried the hotel restaurant and it was very good, but a little pricey. I did get a side item of fried plantains which was amazing.
The next day I woke up and went for a run, grabbed a little breakfast, then hit the pool. We sat out for a while before checking out the swim course. It just so happened to be attached to our hotel so we only had to walk about 100 meters from our hotel to the starting line for San Juan 70.3. We swam in the lagoon and had a blast. We were told there were Manatees in the water so we kept our eyes open but unfortunately didn't see them. They are very gentle creatures so we knew not to worry about them. We grabbed a little lunch, hit the pool again, and I took off for a bike ride later in the evening. This was an experience. The roads in downtown San Juan are in terrible condition with lots of pot holes. And it was also rush hour so I managed to make it 18 miles over a span of 1 hr and 15 minutes. This wasn't the "loosen up" ride I was expecting so I called it a day. I was scared of getting a flat tire the whole time as I was on my race wheels and I was either stopped at a light or sprinting for my life away from traffic, haha.
We hit up a local Puerto Rican restaurant that evening and it was delicious. I had a stuffed plantain w/ shredded flank steak which is called a Mofongo. And I had to try the local beer of Medalla, which is just a light beer. Nothing too special.
Thursday was more of the same just without the bike ride. We were enjoying the warm weather and taking in a little sun. I had to go up to the room in the middle of the day so I could watch the Cats take on Princeton. We had a much closer game than expected but pulled out the victory in the final seconds. We ate at a local pizza place for dinner and it was very good. Friday I had my usual day before a race day as I had to attend the Pro meeting, get in some short workouts, check in my bike, pick up my packet, and try to rest as much as possible. I managed to swim everyday in the lagoon and Casey swam each and every time with me. We did a little snorkeling without the snorkels after our swim on Thursday which was kind of fun.
Saturday I raced, and then after the race had my feet attended to as my shoes cut my feet up pretty good. This was not the shoes fault as I did not straighten out the tongue of my shoe so it was folded over. I hurried from the medical tent back to the hotel to watch the Cats take on W. Virginia at 12:15pm. I made it back to the room just in time.
After the game I picked up my bike, took it apart, and went down to the pool to relax some. That evening we took a taxi into Old San Juan, ate at "Raices" which was very good (I got another Mofongo, only with chicken this time). We then walked up to the Fort El Morro, to check it out. We couldn't get many good photos as it was already dark but it was extremely nice. We were overlooking the ocean, enjoying the ocean breeze, and checking out some really old Forts that were built by the Spanish (I think?).
We made it back to the hotel and I finished packing my bike before hitting the sack. I did manage to go for a shake out run Sunday morning before my flight and I ran past a bar at 6:45am and it was still bumpin' from the past night. The music was still going and it was still PACKED with people. I thought that was kind of funny as I have never seen a bar still full at close to 7am on Sunday morning.
All in all, it was a great trip. I got to enjoy 80+ degree temps for several days in a row and it was sunny the whole time. I got to race against some of the fastest guys in the World including the reigning Ironman World Champ. I may post some pics that my GF took in the next day or two.
Thanks for reading.
Tony
Monday, March 21, 2011
San Juan 70.3 RR
This post will be only for race day and I'll talk about my travels and experiences in Puerto Rico here in the next few days. The weather was amazing and I had a blast while I was down there. I am now back in Lexington and getting back in the swing of things.
March 19 - Race morning is here and I wake up ready to roll. I didn't sleep well as our neighbors in the hotel are on spring break and they didn't get in until around 2:30am. There was also some alarm outside going off for about an hour during the night so that wasn't pleasant, but the hay was in the barn as I had slept amazingly the past several nights. I had some coffee and a clif bar before walking over to the transition area. I noticed that I wasn't really as hungry as usualy and actually my stomach didn't feel "right." I shrugged it off and tried to eat my 2nd Clif bar as I usually have 2 for breakfast before a 70.3 event because they settle well and very easy to travel with. I ate maybe half of the 2nd one and threw the rest out. I sipped on some water as I set up my transition area and walked back over to the swim start / my hotel area. I was fortunate enough to have a hotel that was about 100 meters from the swim start so I went back up to my room, dropped off the stuff I didn't need for the race, and put on my race gear. I still didn't feel normal, but decided I didn't travel all the way to Puerto Rico just to watch a 70.3. I figured I would at least give it a shot, and if I'm not able to finish, no big deal, I would have at least given it a shot. I headed back down, got in a great swim warm up, got a good luck kiss from Casey, and we were told to enter the water at 6:45am.
6:50 - the gun goes off and I'm on the far left side of the start line. This is exactly where I wanted to be as I hate getting stuck right in the middle of everyone. I had clear water for the first 300 yards or so and got out great. I came over, found some feet, and sat right there for the rest of the first 700. We made the first turn and I got cut off by another guy. We made the next turn and then had a 900 swim to the bridge that we swam under, then another 250 to the finish. I sat on this guy's feet for about 400 yards until he stopped to fix his goggles. When he did this, he lost the feet in front of him and cut me off from closing that gap to those feet. I ended up back on his feet until after the bridge and I went around him and came out of the water about 20 seconds down from the first swim pack and in 11th position. I had a great T1 and got out on the bike. It took a few miles for my legs to come around but I needed to go HARD so that I could bridge that gap to the leaders. I could see 2 - 3 guys just up the road, but they had about 30 seconds on me. I went really hard but just couldn't close that gap. I settled into pace and stayed put for a while. I had 2 guys pass me over the next 25 miles and then had a group of guys catch me with about 15 miles to go. I was able to stick with these guys going back into T2. We had a head wind for those last 20 miles so it was nice to have a few other guys to ride with.
I came into T2 with HUGE salt stains on my red tri suit. This made me a little worried I didn't consume enough electrolytes during the bike, but I knew that I really couldn't have taken anymore as I had taken more than usual. I had a pretty solid transition and passed 2 guys in the transition area. I passed 2 more guys before the 1 mile mark on the run. So I'm now sitting around 11th place and I could see 2 more guys just up the road. I knew this would be a battle of attrition as the heat was just unbearable (at least for this time of year in the US). I walked the next aid station to insure I took in enough liquids and I got at least 4 sponges to stuff in my suit before I took off. This was an out and back run and also a 2 loop run so I could see exactly who was in front of me and how far they were up on me. I was slowly catching the 2 guys in front of me. I caught these guys between the 5th and 6th miles. I got to the run turn around to see Casey going crazy screaming that Macca was less than 1 minute up the road. I could tell he was hurting and if I was able to maintain pace, I might catch him. I got to the aid station around the 8th mile and I walked again to make sure I got in my fluids and cold sponges on my head. I took off and was able to catch Richie Cunningham just before the 10th mile. This put me in 8th place and in the money. I knew all I had to do was hold on. We start to run up the hill just after the 10th mile and my boy Nick is running down telling me that Macca is just in front of me. I put my head down, make it to the top, and before I know it I'm passing Macca around the 11th mile. I know that I'm in 7th place and have less than 2 miles to go before the finish. I attempt to maintain pace and around the 12th mile I see another guy just up the road. I assume its an AG'er on his first lap but as I get closer I realize it was Oscar Galindez. I pass him and have an all downhill run to the finish. I crossed the finish line in 6th place in a time around 4:04:15.
I was extremely pleased with the effort on the day. This was the closest I've ever been to the lead swimmers after the swim, and I had a great run considering the difficulty and heat on the run course. I was able to pace myself properly and pass a lot of guys who went just a little too hard on the bike.
The course was amazing. This was, by far, my favorite swim of any 70.3 I've ever done as it was in a lagoon that is attached to the Atlantic Ocean. It was pretty much like a salt water lake and it was fun to swim under a VERY low bridge. The bike course was pretty flat, and had some rough areas, but overall was a good course. They had repaved some areas so the asphalt was perfect in those areas. The wind was brutal but that is something you have to deal with on different days. The run course was the most challenging 70.3 course I have been apart of. It was very rolling with 2 STEEP hills per run lap. These hills were shorter than 200 meters, but they sure hurt a lot. It was awesome to run by Fort El Marro there in Old San Juan and having a view of the ocean at all times on the run course.
Overall it was a great trip and I'm very pleased with how my first 70.3 went for the year.
Thanks for reading. Another post soon to follow about the other aspects of the trip.
Tony
March 19 - Race morning is here and I wake up ready to roll. I didn't sleep well as our neighbors in the hotel are on spring break and they didn't get in until around 2:30am. There was also some alarm outside going off for about an hour during the night so that wasn't pleasant, but the hay was in the barn as I had slept amazingly the past several nights. I had some coffee and a clif bar before walking over to the transition area. I noticed that I wasn't really as hungry as usualy and actually my stomach didn't feel "right." I shrugged it off and tried to eat my 2nd Clif bar as I usually have 2 for breakfast before a 70.3 event because they settle well and very easy to travel with. I ate maybe half of the 2nd one and threw the rest out. I sipped on some water as I set up my transition area and walked back over to the swim start / my hotel area. I was fortunate enough to have a hotel that was about 100 meters from the swim start so I went back up to my room, dropped off the stuff I didn't need for the race, and put on my race gear. I still didn't feel normal, but decided I didn't travel all the way to Puerto Rico just to watch a 70.3. I figured I would at least give it a shot, and if I'm not able to finish, no big deal, I would have at least given it a shot. I headed back down, got in a great swim warm up, got a good luck kiss from Casey, and we were told to enter the water at 6:45am.
6:50 - the gun goes off and I'm on the far left side of the start line. This is exactly where I wanted to be as I hate getting stuck right in the middle of everyone. I had clear water for the first 300 yards or so and got out great. I came over, found some feet, and sat right there for the rest of the first 700. We made the first turn and I got cut off by another guy. We made the next turn and then had a 900 swim to the bridge that we swam under, then another 250 to the finish. I sat on this guy's feet for about 400 yards until he stopped to fix his goggles. When he did this, he lost the feet in front of him and cut me off from closing that gap to those feet. I ended up back on his feet until after the bridge and I went around him and came out of the water about 20 seconds down from the first swim pack and in 11th position. I had a great T1 and got out on the bike. It took a few miles for my legs to come around but I needed to go HARD so that I could bridge that gap to the leaders. I could see 2 - 3 guys just up the road, but they had about 30 seconds on me. I went really hard but just couldn't close that gap. I settled into pace and stayed put for a while. I had 2 guys pass me over the next 25 miles and then had a group of guys catch me with about 15 miles to go. I was able to stick with these guys going back into T2. We had a head wind for those last 20 miles so it was nice to have a few other guys to ride with.
I came into T2 with HUGE salt stains on my red tri suit. This made me a little worried I didn't consume enough electrolytes during the bike, but I knew that I really couldn't have taken anymore as I had taken more than usual. I had a pretty solid transition and passed 2 guys in the transition area. I passed 2 more guys before the 1 mile mark on the run. So I'm now sitting around 11th place and I could see 2 more guys just up the road. I knew this would be a battle of attrition as the heat was just unbearable (at least for this time of year in the US). I walked the next aid station to insure I took in enough liquids and I got at least 4 sponges to stuff in my suit before I took off. This was an out and back run and also a 2 loop run so I could see exactly who was in front of me and how far they were up on me. I was slowly catching the 2 guys in front of me. I caught these guys between the 5th and 6th miles. I got to the run turn around to see Casey going crazy screaming that Macca was less than 1 minute up the road. I could tell he was hurting and if I was able to maintain pace, I might catch him. I got to the aid station around the 8th mile and I walked again to make sure I got in my fluids and cold sponges on my head. I took off and was able to catch Richie Cunningham just before the 10th mile. This put me in 8th place and in the money. I knew all I had to do was hold on. We start to run up the hill just after the 10th mile and my boy Nick is running down telling me that Macca is just in front of me. I put my head down, make it to the top, and before I know it I'm passing Macca around the 11th mile. I know that I'm in 7th place and have less than 2 miles to go before the finish. I attempt to maintain pace and around the 12th mile I see another guy just up the road. I assume its an AG'er on his first lap but as I get closer I realize it was Oscar Galindez. I pass him and have an all downhill run to the finish. I crossed the finish line in 6th place in a time around 4:04:15.
I was extremely pleased with the effort on the day. This was the closest I've ever been to the lead swimmers after the swim, and I had a great run considering the difficulty and heat on the run course. I was able to pace myself properly and pass a lot of guys who went just a little too hard on the bike.
The course was amazing. This was, by far, my favorite swim of any 70.3 I've ever done as it was in a lagoon that is attached to the Atlantic Ocean. It was pretty much like a salt water lake and it was fun to swim under a VERY low bridge. The bike course was pretty flat, and had some rough areas, but overall was a good course. They had repaved some areas so the asphalt was perfect in those areas. The wind was brutal but that is something you have to deal with on different days. The run course was the most challenging 70.3 course I have been apart of. It was very rolling with 2 STEEP hills per run lap. These hills were shorter than 200 meters, but they sure hurt a lot. It was awesome to run by Fort El Marro there in Old San Juan and having a view of the ocean at all times on the run course.
Overall it was a great trip and I'm very pleased with how my first 70.3 went for the year.
Thanks for reading. Another post soon to follow about the other aspects of the trip.
Tony
Monday, March 7, 2011
ITU Sprint US National Champs RR
I am back in KY and not happy about it. The weather in Florida was amazing and it would have been nice to stick around for a few days to get in a solid training block before this 70.3 that is now less than 2 weeks away. I ran yesterday morning before hitting the road and it was 65 degrees at 5:15AM. When I got into Lexington at 6:30pm last night, it was 36 degrees and we drove through a little snow close to the KY/TN border which did not make either Kevin or myself happy.
Anyways, it was great to be in Florida. We left Wednesday afternoon and headed towards
Atlanta where we would be staying overnight with a friend's brother. He welcomed us with open arms and provided us with some very comfortable couches. We woke up and headed South from there. We rolled into Clermont around 4pm on Thursday and went straight to the National Training Center to get in a swim. Luckily, they had it set up for long course and the pool was outside so this was a GREAT change from the usual indoor, short course swim for me. We swam a little over 3000 meters and shared a lane with Michael Raelert (whom you may have heard of). The highlight of the swim was Kevin going to the bottom and "blossoming" Raelert. It was a little dissapointing that he gave no reaction what-so-ever. I guess he isn't used to seeing the underside (just to clarify, Kevin was not naked, he was in his speedo) of people whom he has never met. Anyways, we grabbed some dinner from Outback after the swim and stayed with an ex UK swimmer, Eric, who was gracious enough to allow us to stay with for the whole weekend. Thanks Eric.
Friday we woke up, had a little breakfast, then headed out to the race course to check it out. It was sunny and 65 and I wished I had 2 days before my race as I wanted to ride for 2+ hrs. After a nice little 45 min. bike ride, 15 min run, and then a little swim to check out the swim conditions, we were headed back to the apartment for a nap and some relaxing. I had a Pro meeting at 5:30, hit the Olive Garden with two other former UK swim and dive team members, then hit the sack for the evening.
Saturday, Kevin raced at 10:30 and I took off at 1:30. I'm not used to racing in the afternoon so I had a normal breakfast, then a small lunch at around 10:30 to insure I wouldn't feel it during the race. I got everything ready, and was ready to roll at 1:30. I got a good warmup swim in by swimming the whole swim course, but I wasn't sure how the swim would play out due to the shallow water. I was able to run for over 100 meters in the water, and then could dolphin dive for at least another 100 meters. The first buoy was only 350 meters from the shore so that would only be 150 meters of actuall swimming before making the first turn.
I made it back to the beach for the introductions and the start. The cap size of the field was 75 and we had 73 guys on the start list, with many of them being Americans who were biting at the bit to get a chance to race an ITU race, like myself. Sure this was going to be less than an hour of racing when I'm used to racing for around 4 hours, but this would be fun, right?
At 1:30, the gun went off. Just like I had thought, I ran for 100 meters or so, then started to dolphin dive for another 100 or so. I was towards the front of the pack, but the pack was really tight. We hit the first turn buoy, and I went under water. With about 60 guys all hitting 1 turn buoy at the same time, it doesn't make for an organized swim turn. I had at least 4 or 5 guys grab me and push me under (at least I could still touch bottom, right?). I lost a little bit of time at that turn but was able to fight back and get going again. I made the 2nd turn and was still sitting pretty on some feet that were in the middle off the pack. We hit the shallower water, I started to dolphin dive, and then I was running out of the water. I could see a huge pack of guys just about 10 seconds up, so I knew it was crucial for me to sprint up the beach and have a fast transition. I did so, but fumbled with my helmet a little (I don't like it that much but it was my only road helmet) and was off. I came out of T1 (probably had my best bike mount of my life) and was sitting behind about 7 - 8 guys as we started the bike segment. Unfortunately, there was a 10 - 15 sec. gap in front of those guys to the main pack and I knew it was crucial to catch the pack before they started pulling away. I got my feet in my shoes fast, then took off. The guys I was with all decided to put their shoes on at the same time and I dropped them and was in no man's land for about 1 minute or so. I was ALL OUT but not making much ground on the main pack and not really dropping the pack behind me. I decided to sit up and wait so we could all work together and maybe catch the pack. Well, this never happened. We worked together, but not really well, so we ended up losing about 45 seconds or so over the course of the 20k bike course. We came into T2 about 1 minute or so down from the leaders and knew there was no chance of catching most of them as they are all phenominal runners. No problem, I would just run my best anyways. I had a good T2, and was out running. My legs felt like bricks due to all of the sprinting and ALL OUT efforts that I had put forth during the bike segment. It took me a minute or so to start feeling decent but I never really felt great. I was in no man's land and I pretty much stayed there the whole time. I crossed the finish line way back from the winners but in front of a small group of guys so I wasn't last, haha.
I knew that this type of racing isn't my forte so I didn't have any expectations except to have fun and get in a solid first effort of the year. I was happy with the effort, just not the result. I was hoping to be apart of the main bike pack coming into T2 and my fumbling with my helmet and getting caught behind the guys that I did coming out of T2 cost me this position. Sure I should have swam 10 - 15 seconds faster and I wouldn't have had to worry about it. But it just goes to show you how 1 - 3 seconds at a critical point in the race can end up costing you several minutes later in the race. I may have lost about 1 minute during the bike portion, and then another 30 seconds or so on the run since I wouldn't have exerted as much energy on the bike. I would have had a better draft and only had to sit in and not have to push the pace.
In the grand scheme of things, I did swim(run) under 8 minutes for the swim, biked a 28:something for the 20k bike segment, then ran 16:18 for 3 miles (course was a tad short) so it wasn't a terrible day. But when the top guys biked 27:30ish and then ran under 14, I have a long way to go, haha.
But it was a great experience and fun to compete at a distance like that against some of the top names on the ITU circuit. I now have San Juan 70.3 less than two weeks from now and then a month before New Orleans 70.3.
Back to training.
T-Bird
Anyways, it was great to be in Florida. We left Wednesday afternoon and headed towards
Atlanta where we would be staying overnight with a friend's brother. He welcomed us with open arms and provided us with some very comfortable couches. We woke up and headed South from there. We rolled into Clermont around 4pm on Thursday and went straight to the National Training Center to get in a swim. Luckily, they had it set up for long course and the pool was outside so this was a GREAT change from the usual indoor, short course swim for me. We swam a little over 3000 meters and shared a lane with Michael Raelert (whom you may have heard of). The highlight of the swim was Kevin going to the bottom and "blossoming" Raelert. It was a little dissapointing that he gave no reaction what-so-ever. I guess he isn't used to seeing the underside (just to clarify, Kevin was not naked, he was in his speedo) of people whom he has never met. Anyways, we grabbed some dinner from Outback after the swim and stayed with an ex UK swimmer, Eric, who was gracious enough to allow us to stay with for the whole weekend. Thanks Eric.
Friday we woke up, had a little breakfast, then headed out to the race course to check it out. It was sunny and 65 and I wished I had 2 days before my race as I wanted to ride for 2+ hrs. After a nice little 45 min. bike ride, 15 min run, and then a little swim to check out the swim conditions, we were headed back to the apartment for a nap and some relaxing. I had a Pro meeting at 5:30, hit the Olive Garden with two other former UK swim and dive team members, then hit the sack for the evening.
Saturday, Kevin raced at 10:30 and I took off at 1:30. I'm not used to racing in the afternoon so I had a normal breakfast, then a small lunch at around 10:30 to insure I wouldn't feel it during the race. I got everything ready, and was ready to roll at 1:30. I got a good warmup swim in by swimming the whole swim course, but I wasn't sure how the swim would play out due to the shallow water. I was able to run for over 100 meters in the water, and then could dolphin dive for at least another 100 meters. The first buoy was only 350 meters from the shore so that would only be 150 meters of actuall swimming before making the first turn.
I made it back to the beach for the introductions and the start. The cap size of the field was 75 and we had 73 guys on the start list, with many of them being Americans who were biting at the bit to get a chance to race an ITU race, like myself. Sure this was going to be less than an hour of racing when I'm used to racing for around 4 hours, but this would be fun, right?
At 1:30, the gun went off. Just like I had thought, I ran for 100 meters or so, then started to dolphin dive for another 100 or so. I was towards the front of the pack, but the pack was really tight. We hit the first turn buoy, and I went under water. With about 60 guys all hitting 1 turn buoy at the same time, it doesn't make for an organized swim turn. I had at least 4 or 5 guys grab me and push me under (at least I could still touch bottom, right?). I lost a little bit of time at that turn but was able to fight back and get going again. I made the 2nd turn and was still sitting pretty on some feet that were in the middle off the pack. We hit the shallower water, I started to dolphin dive, and then I was running out of the water. I could see a huge pack of guys just about 10 seconds up, so I knew it was crucial for me to sprint up the beach and have a fast transition. I did so, but fumbled with my helmet a little (I don't like it that much but it was my only road helmet) and was off. I came out of T1 (probably had my best bike mount of my life) and was sitting behind about 7 - 8 guys as we started the bike segment. Unfortunately, there was a 10 - 15 sec. gap in front of those guys to the main pack and I knew it was crucial to catch the pack before they started pulling away. I got my feet in my shoes fast, then took off. The guys I was with all decided to put their shoes on at the same time and I dropped them and was in no man's land for about 1 minute or so. I was ALL OUT but not making much ground on the main pack and not really dropping the pack behind me. I decided to sit up and wait so we could all work together and maybe catch the pack. Well, this never happened. We worked together, but not really well, so we ended up losing about 45 seconds or so over the course of the 20k bike course. We came into T2 about 1 minute or so down from the leaders and knew there was no chance of catching most of them as they are all phenominal runners. No problem, I would just run my best anyways. I had a good T2, and was out running. My legs felt like bricks due to all of the sprinting and ALL OUT efforts that I had put forth during the bike segment. It took me a minute or so to start feeling decent but I never really felt great. I was in no man's land and I pretty much stayed there the whole time. I crossed the finish line way back from the winners but in front of a small group of guys so I wasn't last, haha.
I knew that this type of racing isn't my forte so I didn't have any expectations except to have fun and get in a solid first effort of the year. I was happy with the effort, just not the result. I was hoping to be apart of the main bike pack coming into T2 and my fumbling with my helmet and getting caught behind the guys that I did coming out of T2 cost me this position. Sure I should have swam 10 - 15 seconds faster and I wouldn't have had to worry about it. But it just goes to show you how 1 - 3 seconds at a critical point in the race can end up costing you several minutes later in the race. I may have lost about 1 minute during the bike portion, and then another 30 seconds or so on the run since I wouldn't have exerted as much energy on the bike. I would have had a better draft and only had to sit in and not have to push the pace.
In the grand scheme of things, I did swim(run) under 8 minutes for the swim, biked a 28:something for the 20k bike segment, then ran 16:18 for 3 miles (course was a tad short) so it wasn't a terrible day. But when the top guys biked 27:30ish and then ran under 14, I have a long way to go, haha.
But it was a great experience and fun to compete at a distance like that against some of the top names on the ITU circuit. I now have San Juan 70.3 less than two weeks from now and then a month before New Orleans 70.3.
Back to training.
T-Bird
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)