Powerman Alabama

I came, I saw, I conquered. At least in some respects. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this race. Many, many moons ago, I did the shorter version of the race as my first ever multisport event. I vividly recall the anxiety of surviving. And I am talking about transitions.

I later came back for two more long course races. The late March race was an early season tune up. It gave me great feedback in regards to my run and bike fitness. In 2008, I swore I would never again return to this event. Duathlons hurt too damn much. The old course was challenging in many respects and after 3 hours of racing, I was spent.

I don't know what it was but I felt a small desire to return this year. Maybe it was a few clients that were also racing. Maybe it was a desire to get out of town again. After spending a day at the multisport expo next to Team Magic, I was convinced to sign up for the race. It was on.

Race morning quickly arrived and so did the anxiety of doing a long race. The temperatures were in the mid-50s and overcast. I opted for a tri top, arm warmers and shorts. My hope was that the first run would warm me enough and the adrenaline of the bike would carry me through that portion. I also learned that morning the race was serving as the long course duathlon national championships. That meant the big boys were there. And it also explained how my age group grew from 6 people last year to 20 this year.

Getting set up is so easy in a duathlon. You are already wearing half of what you need so it is just your helmet, bike and shoes. That simple. This gave me ample opportunity to catch up with a few FTP athletes and friends. I was unusually loose before the race. I guess I didn't feel like I had much riding on the outcome. I was just hoping for a solid training day.

Run #1-10k

We were the final wave to go off. I didn't plan on killing it. I wanted to run a comfortable 7:15-7:30 pace. My goal for the day was to have a strong second run. Or at least one that was close to the first run. The course was rolling for the first 2.5 miles. There were no major climbs over this portion of the race, just enough to make you work. While I was a ways back in the wave, my first mile was 7:02, the second 7:11. I felt good.

And then we began to climb. And climb. And climb. And climb. This might go down as the second hardest hill I ever encountered during a race. The only competition would be Triple T Ohio. And while I have tried to erase those memories, I am not sure that a single hill on that course rivaled this one.

This hills began climbing at 2.7 mile and didn't stop until 2.85. It was over one mile to the top. And there was only one brief stretch of flat/downhill slope. It climbed over 300 feet during that distance. It was something. That's about all I can say about it. I began the climb, turning over mile 3 at a 7:25 pace. Still in control.

I keep my Garmin on average mile pace. For the first quarter of a mile, it registered a 9:45 pace. It was that type of hill. To make matters worse, it was winding so you could always hear and see people above you. It seemed as if not end was in site. Once you hit the turnaround (the hill went on) and began the descent, you passed mile 4. 8:25 . Ouch.

As you might imagine, the downhill was fast. The pitch of the hill was too much to completely let yourself go. Your momentum would carry you with plenty of speed but you needed to keep yourself in check. Mile 5: 6:55.

At that point, my biggest concern was repeating the performance and the excruciating pain that my quads would come to know the next day. I cruised into transition at a 7:25 pace and put the first run behind me.

Run #1 time: 45:37 (7:22 pace). Solid

T1: :48 Nothing to report. Not much to do.

Bike: 60k (3 loops)

I knew this course as I had raced a sprint triathlon a few times in this location. It was a tight, rolling course. There was 1-2 climbs that forced you to pace and the a few twisting descents that didn't allow you to be too aggressive.

My goal was to pace the course conservatively. I wanted to enjoy the first loop and hold back. Mainly because after the first lap, I still had to do an Olympic tri-40k, 10k brick. Then I wanted to pick it up a bit on each lap trying to move my power higher and higher. My guess was that the runners that went out hard on the ride would begin to fade around mile 30-35.

Lap one was steady as could be. I kept my power in check. I kept my climbing under control. And I kept the pace very comfortable. So much so that I didn't even average 20 mph. I was riding with the same pack of guys playing leapfrog for the first lap. I came back around with a smile on my face. I was actually enjoying myself.

During the second lap, I made my first move. I put it on the group and instantly dropped them. I upped my power by about 10%, still working on keeping the climbs under control. I began gaining on the next pack of riders. The course going out was noticeably slower than the return. I finished lap 2 still feeling good and about 90s quicker than the first lap.

Lap three was much of the same. I made my second move at the final turnaround. I shot out of the turn and attacked the hill. And I subsequently attacked the downhills even harder. At this point the course was really spread out. You could be a little more aggressive. Plus, you knew the course by now. I picked up the power another 90% and rode away from the last few people.

Bike time: 1:51:17 (20.3 mph)

T2: Changed shoes and ran.

Run #2-10k

Back to the course again. While I didn't feel cold on the bike, I realized that I must have curled my feet the entire time because I couldn't feel my left foot for the first mile. I thought it was hinder me but it seemed to work itself out quickly.

The course was carnage. There were some people hurting out there. For a fleeting moment, I felt like a runner because I was passing people. Better yet, I felt comfortable. Mile 1: 7:35, 7:24, 7:43. A bit slower than I would like, but well within the margin of error.

And then that damn hill. Grrr. At this point it was all about mental training. It hurt. And not in a good way. And I swear it was longer than before. I vowed to not walk. Keep running. I finally hit the top. I did take a moment to gather myself, consume fluids and get my HR down. Mile 4-9:04 And then I went pounding down the hill. But not as quickly as the dude who passed me. One guy came down the hill so fast that I feared for his life. Crazy.

Mile 5-6:57. And then I ran out of steam. The hill won. I gambled a bit with my nutrition. I took a double concentrated bottle of Infinit on the bike. And nothing for either run. I planned on take in a gel during the first part of run #2. But after I went through the first run, I questioned how a gel would feel in the stomach climbing that hill. I didn't wear my HRM but I easily suspect that I set a new HR high. So I skipped the gel. But now I was starting to hurt as a bonk was coming on. Fortunately the finish line was close enough to hang in there. Mile 6-7:58.

Run #2 time: 47:33 (7:40)

Overall time: 3:26

It wasn't the prettiest race but it was a consistent, solid effort. I did what I wanted. My second run was only about 5% slower than my first. I hung in there on the long, challenging course. I didn't give it. It has been a while since I pushed the 10k after a pick. Usually, I just settle into a comfortable pace. Hopefully this will bode well for Memphis in May.

Crushing the Bike

No complaints from the weather department here. The past week has climbed into the 80s. Even the mornings were nice. I certainly took every opportunity I could to ride, ride and ride. I ended with just over 150 miles in 5 days...with a day off. Volume wise that isn't killer but given that nearly all of it was at a high intensity, there was no rest for the weak.

Wednesday: 90' of riding 30 miles as 4 x 10' @ 90-95% of FTP
Thursday: 150' of riding 47 miles on road bike. Mainly z2 effort but the terrain was more challenging than expected.
Friday: 90' of riding 32 miles as 60' at 80-85% or race simulation
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 120' as 4 x 15 at 75, 85, 90% in 5' increments.

While my legs are completely numb right now, I know this is what I needed. I feel like I riding well right now but I need to breakthrough to that next level. I like putting in these big blocks of riding. I am curious to see if they pay off. I would love to average 150 miles each week for most of the season. That's a lot more riding than I am accustom. I think if I can commute downtown and back once a week then this is easily attainable. I just need to ensure proper rest and recovery.

Tom King Rewind

I can't express how happy I am that Tom King is over. I will be even more happy when Powerman is over this weekend. It is time like this that I truly wonder where my desire comes from to continue participating in this sport trying to achieve a higher level. But in the end, I know these decisions are just tough. And when you make tough decisions, then the outcome isn't always fun. You look for the lining--and sometimes it is character building.

It took me about a week to shake off my Tom King performance. I was at peace with it...for the most part. Sure I was unhappy but I have never once regretted backing off and shutting it down. I KNOW that was the right decision. However, there were a number of key mistakes I made in training all along the way. I think in the days leading up to the event, I began to realize them. Or maybe I just accepted what I knew all along.

1. Over-reaching. This race was simply me over reaching for a goal. I want to be a sub 1:30 half marathoner. But I am not. I am not. I am not. I am close, but I am not there yet. All the race day calculators told me I would run a 1:34. I wouldn't listen. And I began lying to myself. I convinced myself that the flat terrain would give me an advantage. I convinced myself that my 5k time would be faster. I simple over reached.

2. Failure of long runs. Well I knew this was going to be a problem. I knew I could run 13.1 miles...and I did. But the lack of longer tempo runs. Or strong negative splits prevented me from staying strong for 90+ minutes.

3. Over reliance of mile repeats. Nearly each Tuesday I did mile repeats in the park. I usually did 3-5 at HM pace. Easy peasy. No problem at all. I cut the recovery times in half and could pound them out. But I nearly always had an excuse as to why the workouts wasn't 6-8 repeats.

4. Over estimation of volume impact. Jury is still out on my volume experiment. I am still not convinced that more volume for the sake of volume is good for me. When I did the 50 runs in 50 days I started down a path and transferred over to race specific training. I became really efficient at running 3-5 miles. I have no doubt that my 5k likely improved. But all that volume didn't do much for my longer endurance needs. Consistency is great but it needs to be aligned with your goals.

5. Obsession with a time. This is a lesson that I continually learn the hard way. Three years ago, I took a DNF at NOLA 70.3 because I was chasing the wrong carrot. At Tom King that carrot returned. I wouldn't simply let things just be. I wanted the wrong carrot and it messes with me mentally.

The race is over. My legs are still a bit fatigued. I didn't plan on running much between the race and Powerman. Once the next race is over, I feel like I can back off the throttle a bit and let go of the early season longer races.

Tom King Classic Half Marathon

Go big or go home. That was my approach for Saturday's race. I had one goal. I only wanted one outcome. Anything less was unsatisfactory for me. And maybe that was wrong of me. But more about that in a future blog.

I felt really good the day before. I went for an easy 35 minute run in the morning. I and put together a strong 70' minute ride in the evening. I made sure I ate well. I was in bed, in my tights, at a very reasonable hour. As usual, I was a little wound up. Maybe it was not having raced lately or nervous that I was really over stretching.

The race had a different feel for it. It is very much a community event. It has a 5k run and 3k walk prior to the half marathon. That means gun time wasn't until 8:30. We arrived around 7:00 and I took the first hour to work with FTP athletes that were racing the 5k. We were able to watch them participate before needing to warmup. I never felt rushed. I liked being on my feet moving around prior to the race.

I entered the corral moments before the gun started the race. I knew what was needed at nearly every step of the race. My plan was to cruise for the first 4 miles. And then begin to slowly picking it up through 10 miles. Then I needed a solid 5k to finish off a killer race. I knew it was a stretch but I thought it would come down to two things--establishing a steady pace in the beginning and having the heart to kick in the end.

Unfortunately, neither of those panned out for me on Saturday. Last year, I started ING half mary with a fast first mile. I didn't want to make that mistake this year. So I paced myself. First mile was under control. Nice and smooth at 6:57. I let the jitters move out and worked to establish a smooth pace around 7:00. The next two miles ticked off at 7:03 and 7:04. Smooth and in control.

Or so I thought. Mile 4 slipped to 7:10. Hmmm. This is a flat course with little to no elevation gain. Maybe it was a false flat. Mile 5 is slipping even more. 7:15 pace....7:20 pace. WTF??? I don't feel tired yet. I still feel strong but my mental strength is slipping fast. Next thing I know, I am 30s off pace.

Houston, we have a problem.

I tell myself to make it to the turn around and then mentally reset. But things aren't looking good as I make the turnaround at 6.3 miles. I tell myself to run one mile at a comfortable pace and then negative split the backside. I have always been stronger on the back side.

No go. It just isn't happening today. 7 miles in, I am reduced to a 7:45. Just trying to hold it together now. 8 miles and pace is shot, I am over it. It is going to a be a LONG jog back. I take some time to talk to other struggling athletes. Misery loves company. I learn that most have no clue how close they are to still meeting their goals. Two guys were ahead of pace.

I decided to completely shut it down at this point. There is no reason to trash the body. It is time to start recovering. I take my time at each aid station and put back some fluids. I am also taking walk breaks each mile. Time to focus on the next race.

I ended up crossing the line at 1:50 (8:25 pace). I realize that for many this would be a great race but it was nearly 20 minutes slower than I anticipated. I really don't have an excuse. Likely, I was overstretching in my goal. I just didn't have it that day. I went for it and it backfired.

I was generally in a good mood after the race. You never want to have a bad race but I do believe in going for it every once in a while. And I don't regret going for it. I think I made the right call in completely shutting it down. This was a low priority race and had little implication on my upcoming season. I even had the energy to coach a group ride 1.5 hours after crossing the finish line.

Now onto more important matters....

Swim Progress

This is very difficult for me to admit. I can't believe I am about to say this.

But I am swimming really well right now. And kinda enjoying it

(runs and hides)

It was about this time last year that I took the plunge and joined masters swimming at Dynamo. Under Maria's direction, I became a much more confident swimmer. And I assume I became a faster swimmer. But I never really came to terms with swimming. The 5 am wake up calls sucked. The initial shock of the pool at 5:45 am was never well received. It often took me a solid 1000m before I was awake. So while I continued to build my volume and endurance, I never took a solid liking to swimming. Fast forward another year and I have a different outlook...and possibly different results.

Naturally, I went back to my training log to determine if I am swimming more. I typically take about 3 months off from swimming at the end of the year. My training log seems to indicate that I was a bit sheepish about getting back into the water in January. That being said, I expected my swimming to be limited. For the first 10 weeks of the year, I only averaged 5600m a week. This began to pick up steadily in March when I joined Dynamo.

This year was a bit similar. In November and December, I swam once a week at most. In January, I picked it up a bit. By February, I was swimming masters with NAC. If I control for the two weeks that I didn't enter the pool at all, then I am averaging 5700m a week for the year.

As I am writing this, I am actually a bit dumbfounded. I thought for sure that I was just putting in more regular volume. I thought maybe consistency was the key. I guess not. Onto theory number two.

So today I tested a different thought. I love the pool where I work and swim. It is a great competition pool. It is deep throughout, has super wide lanes, wave breakers and basically no current. After talking with the masters group, I have learned that this is a 'fast' pool. Well that might explain my swimming. I was noticing that my intervals were often a few seconds faster than normal. My t-pace (1:32), tested a few weeks ago, was a PR for more and netted a per 100 pace faster than my in season speed. Must be the fast pool. Or so I thought.

I had the day off today so I visited another masters group in town. The workout called for repeats of 3 x 100 on 1:40 or holding a 1:30 pace. I was confident that I would easily hold the pace. But I was uncertain how the pool dynamics might slow me down a bit. Was it just easier in the other pool? Well I pushed the first set and came in around 1:25. I worked to back it off, as to play nice with my lane mates. I finally settled into a comfortable 1:30 pace. In fact, it was a bit too comfortable. It didn't feel tempo at all. In between the sets were an easy 300. I was cruising to a 4:35 finish and feeling like I was just enjoying the swim. During the final 100, 2000y into the workout, I was still able to push it a bit and go under 1:25. The final confirmation came when we were told to do a 200 all out. I went 2:35. That is probably 15 seconds faster than I can ever recall. Guess something is working for me.

I came home, talked to Jess and contemplated this for most of the day. As mentioned, I thought for sure it was just a volume thing. But apparently not. Onto theory 3, 4 and 5.

Theory 3: I am trying at a time that makes sense for me. The 5:45 am class didn't work for me. I typically had decent evening swims on my own but I was often fatigued from work. Instead, now I am swimming a masters class at 9 am. When I swim on my own it is often around 7:30, after I coach a class. I think my body is awake. I can't say that I look forward to jumping in the pool but I do so less begrudgingly. And I am ready to work once there.

Theory 4: I am training with swimmers. At Dynamo, I opted for the triathlete lane. We pushed it, but there was plenty time for social hour. Not at NAC. The 9 am class is brutal. And I fall behind quickly. Half the class is former D1 swimmers. The other half triathletes. As a coach and a business owner, I see it as my job to be fast...or give that appearance. So I work when I am there. Or maybe I get worked. Swimming with faster people pays off.

Theory 5: Stroke improvement. I will be the first to admit that I am very overwhelmed teaching people to swim. This is my weakness as an athlete. And I don't have all the experience as a coach. Doing so gives me a lot of time to reflect on the different aspects of the stroke. Whereas before, I would get information overload when I googled swimming tips, now I have a very direct approach to it. I am looking for very specific things like--drills to develop a high elbow during recovery. This forces me to think and learn more and more and more about swimming. Now when I am in the pool, I am thinking more about implementation. Somewhere along the way, I think my stroke changed. I think I developed a much stronger pull. And now I am onto working on better hip rotation.

It is really hard to pinpoint what is working. I am actually concerned about getting ahead of myself. However, there are very few times in the past 6+ years that I can admit enjoying swimming. I am seeing really good results. I have a better attitude about it. And I am *almost* looking forward to the swim portion of the season.

Race Week is Here

As you can see, time continues to elude me. I used to take great pride in blogging but I guess since it is also my job, my personal blog continues to take a back seat. So much to say, so little time and energy to get it out.

Nonetheless, race season is officially here. This weekend I have my first real race of the year--Tom King Classic Half Marathon. It is flat, fast and on a fairly familiar course for me. It has all the makings of a great race. Well, except...

My long runs continue to hinder my progress. This is nearly two years of rarely hitting a good long run. Long run to me is 10 or more miles. I don't know why I can't do it. It is as if there is a mental block. I used to love long runs. I used to love sitting in z2 for 2 hours. Not anymore. They just don't happen for me.

So this leaves me feeling really unprepared for next weekend. I know I am running more than last year. I don't quite know if I am running better than last year. Fortunately, I keep an extensive training log that allows me to run some basic analysis on the situation.

So last year, I completed the Atlanta ING Half Mary in 1:36:04 (7:11 pace). I knew during and immediately after the race that I ran it stupidly. I went out WAY too hard, felt a bit flat and let go a bit toward the end. My goal for the race was 1:35. Finishing 64 seconds after your goal kinda sucks. But I knew I easily had a 1:35 in my. It was just a matter of using my head.

So my goal this year made that next big leap. I want to run a 1:30 half. I tend to think that real runners begin at the 1:30 mark. That is simply my opinion. I really want 1:29:xx but for now I will settle for 1:30:xx. That is a big leap in a matter of a year. One that I am not 100% certain I am ready to make. My training has been slightly sporadic. But the volume is there.

I took the opportunity this year to train more by volume than intensity. I wanted to see what would happen. I did the 50 runs in 50 days challenge. I have a regular running routine. I have long felt that running was my weakness. And I don't really even know how I survived with such low running volume. Last year, I was lucky to get in 20 miles a week. This year it was different.

Data on the four months of running prior to race

	Last Year	This Year
November	57.2	103.7
December	83	121.3
January	56.8	81
February	77.4	84.9
	274.4	391.9

Weeks Out	Last Year	This Year
1	16.5	27.5
2	20.9	9.5
3	25.7	21
4	23.4	27.1
5	14	26.4
6	14.3	25.1
	114.8	133.1

So my monthly volume shows a 41% increase in total running or about 100 miles more. Additionally my weekly volume shows a significant increase (despite being ill for 5 days last week). Even with the abysmal 9.5 mile week, I was able to bounce back to 27.5 the next week and would have been 30+ had it not been for a series of thunderstorms.

But lost in all the mileage is the lack of long runs. This year I have likely passed 10 miles 3-4 times total. And I can think of two runs that were horrible. But looking back on last year, this seems par for the course.

I don't quite know if I will reach my time on Saturday. I know it is a bit of a stretch. Based on a hilly 5k I did in January, the running calculators predict 1:33. Blech. The course is flat so I know that will help. Guess we will see if I can hold 6:52 pace for the entire race.