Mach Tenn Race (6.4.11)

With race season well under way, I am quickly becoming overwhelmed with trying to keep up with my personal blog. As much as anyone, I understand the need to continue to write race reports. These things are vital as I review my progress from year to year. BT does that for the most part but I tend to be more honest here. Therefore, I have a feeling that this blog is quickly about to become nothing more than a results and totals blog. Sigh.

Mach Tenn is about 80 minutes southeast of Nashville in the community of Tullahoma. I heard numerous good things about this race and was very eager to take on the challenge. The race is a unique distance 1000m-16mi-4 mi. The terrain is rolling and the field is stacked.

Swim 1000y

I thought this would be a perfect tune up for more olympic races. Given that the bike and run were shorter, I set out with the goal of really trying to push the swim. I seeded myself high but ended up being the 42nd person in the water. The course was a simple long rectangle in a bath water warm lake.

I immediately jumped on the feet in front of me and used them to round the first buoy. Then it became a free for all. I couldn't hold the faster people and quickly found myself in no man's land (story of my racing). I felt like I continued an aggressive pace and pushed until I found the bottom of the lake

Time: 16:20 (1:43 pace)

T1: 1:13

Straight up a big hill into the area and retrieved the bike. Up some more hill and on the bike.

Bike: 16 miles

The course, I think, was a giant circle with one out and bike. It was around an airforce base with flat to rolling terrain. It was definitely fast. I spent the first few minutes working on getting my HR into check. Once I felt comfortable I took off and began taking names.

I really tried to push but found no extra pop in the legs. They were strong but didn't have that extra gear. As usual, there was no one around to push me. That is until the last mile when I was finally caught and passed as if I was standing still. That hasn't happened in quite some time. I thought to myself...I bet he blows up on the run (he didn't).

I felt good about the bike. I knew that I had moved up considerably and put myself in contention for placement. But the run would be where it mattered

Time: 41:51 (22.9 mph)

T2: 0:50

Off the bike and back down the hill

Run:

Challenging run course. The first mile has about 3-4 rollers. The second mile is flat. And then you return. Given the number of bikes in transition, I knew exactly where I stood. But I also knew that a 4 mile run would present a challenge to me and opportunity to be caught. I beat the guy who passed me out of transition but he quickly countered and moved around me. About three minutes later, another guy in my age group caught me. I knew he was the third place athlete. They were running a solid 20s per mile quick and I didn't have it in my legs.

When the course flattened out, I could count the number of people in front of me and saw it was about 12. My goals was to NOT get passed on the final two miles. Since it was a time trial start, I still needed to push but certainly didn't feel the presence of anyone breathing down my back.

And then something happened that I have NEVER experienced in a race. I was making the final left turn back into the park with about a third of a mile left in the race. At this point there was 2 way traffic. Some dumbass decided to caught the corner and we ran smack into one another. Not sure who won but we kinda bounced off each other. I know my chin hit is left shoulder and I took a fist/forearm to the gut. Felt those for about 3 days. I shook it off the best I could and finished strong.

Run: 27:22 (6:50)

Overall time: 1:27:34

Unfortunately, I really had high hopes of placing in this race. But it wasn't in the cards that day. I ended up 5th in my age group out of 32 (lost 4th by 1s due to the collision). I did end up about 16th out of 400. Any other year and my time would have been 1st or 2nd in my age group. Goes to show that you can't control who shows up on race day.

Age Group results:
Swim: 9/32
Bike: 5/32 (2-5 were 8s apart)
Run: 5/32
T1: 3/32
T2: 10/32 (???)

Memphis in May Race Results

Better late than never....

This year I opted out of doing an half iron early in the season. I decided that my time is better spent establishing the business and I wasn't quite sure what my training would look like. So I targeted Memphis in May as my early season "A" race. I spent some time last year working on my Olympic distance racing. Of all the distances, I tend to find it the most difficult to master--too long to redline, too short to pace. Kinda like the 400 or 800 of track.

My training builds were good. But then the wheels came off during my peak. I still don't know exactly what happened but I think I had to shift some training around and was stuck stacking too much on top of each other in too short of a time span. At the same time, I experienced rapid weight loss and that is always a recipe for disaster. By the end of my first peak week, my legs were zapped. I was struggling to lead my group workouts. So taper started early and slowly the body began to recovery but mentally it was tough to know that I didn't hit the 2 peak workouts that I really wanted.

I have always wanted to do Memphis in May. It used to be one of the biggest events. But competition has slowly invaded the territory and splits athletes among a few different races. It is primarily known for two things--heat and speed. It is a flat, fast course. I was looking forward to setting a new pr. My goal was to go sub 2:15 and I felt like with a modest run, I would be able to achieve it.

We arrived in town a few days early to spend some time in the area so it gave me a chance to ride the course ahead a time. How fast is the course? I averaged 21+ mph on a z2 spin. Sweet. We also watched the sprint race the day before and had 2 athletes racing it.

Race day morning came and due to the logistics of the event, breakfast wasn't readily available. I opted for a pair of delicious pop-tarts and made my way to transition.

Swim: 1500m

It was a time trial start by age group. I was lucky to be one of the age groups starting early. My goal was to be aggressive in the swim. I felt like I have been swimming a lot lately and hoped that the work would show up on race day. I planned to draft as much as possible.

The swim is in a private lake on the Harrah's property. The lake is actually really shallow and some people were rumored to walk a great deal of it. There was a noticeable but small chop due to an impending storm but overall a good swim venue.

I can think of only a few swims where I was unable to ever find a draft. It seemed like there was nothing but slower swimmers spread out in front of me. The few people that passed me were in a different league as they quickly dropped me. I went from feet to feet never finding anything to work with. So I just had to do it on my own.

Swim time: 26:18 Not quite what I wanted but I will take that.

T1: 1:15

Bikes were racked in blocks, which I love. Plus I had an good placement. Took my time and prepared to crush the bike.

Bike: 24.8 miles (or a little shorter)

My goal for the bike was to try to break an hour. I didn't really think it was possible but I felt like I could be very close. Starting out it was just dodging people and finding a groove. I made quick work of the swimmers and mentally prepared for the next hour. The race course in general was windy. I felt it on my training ride and race day was no different. With each turn the wind shifted just a bit. You just had to wait for the time it was behind you.

Well on race day, it was a head/cross wind for the first 12-14 miles. It was noticeable but nothing too severe. After the bottle exchange, the wind shifted behind you and it was time to do work. WOW. That's the feeling I had. I instantly took off and knew that it was my make or break time. Several times, I ran out of gears as I tried to push.

While being wind aided, I tried to up my watts on the return and it just didn't happen. This is a reoccurring issue--I ride really strong but lack that pop during the race to take it to the next level. So I had to settle for what I felt was a moderate-hard effort. In hindsight it is interesting to see how low my heartrate was. It was about 6 beats below where I expected.

I was never challenged on the bike--which I hate. I have worked hard on mentally dialing it in so that I can race against the clock. However, nothing beats the adrenaline rush when you are passed and need to make a counter move. Alas, it was me and myself.

The one remarkable note was that it began storming around mile 5 of the bike. And I mean pouring. I can recall racing in one other major downpour. But this was thunder and lightening storms. I am still shocked that we continued to race. I just put my head down and eyes about 10 feet in front of me.

Bike time: 1:01:10 (24.3 mph) Fine. No sense in complaining

T2: 1:10
Talk about a mud pit. T2 was nothing but a muddy run to the rack. When I made it to my rack, I didn't quite know what to do. I looked down and mud was caked between the toes. I still opted to put on my wet socks and hope for the best.

Run: 6.2 miles--give or take .5 a mile

And it always comes down to the run for me. While my build wasn't perfect, I felt like I had put in some solid work in the running department. In my previous two races, I ran well off the bike. And this was a flat course so certainly I was primed to run a sub-45 off the bike. And I was on target to meet my 2:15 goal.

I started aggressive and moved out of T2 quickly, ascending the only hill of the course. The half mile mark I was passed for the first time. No way I could run with him. Just after the first aid station, I was passed again. This time by an acquaintance in my age group. We exchanged some pleasantries as he tried to pull away. Not today. I rode his shoulder for a while....then stared at the back of head working that adrenaline rush....repeating--I can run with him, I can run with him. Ooops....I can't run with him. The body held on for about 5 minutes and quickly let me know that I was asking a bit much. So I backed off.

My plan was to carefully stair step down each mile and open it up on the last one. I found out that much like the bike, my body had one speed today. It was a good speed but it wasn't going to let me pick it up. At the half way mark, I knew something was up on the course. My garmin was off--and not just a little. I waited for the course to correct itself.

At mile 4 of the run, my garmin read 4.45. Hmmm...I hope that miss measured the final two miles. Nope. It was increasingly clear that the course was going to be long. And not in a good way. So much for an official pr. I did check my watch when I unofficially ran 6.2 and it was at 44:10. I can live with that. But today I still had another half mile to go.

Run time: 47:21 for 6.7 miles (7:04 pace)

Total time: 2:17:14

It still ended up being a PR for me by several minutes. I quickly came to terms with not making my sub 2:15 goal because I know it was there had the course been measured properly. Everyone was groaning about the run post race and officials did apologize and correct it. Overall it was a solid race. I can't complain much. I raced within my abilities and don't feel like I left much more out there.

Now, I just need to get the 2:15 monkey off my back.

Music City Olympic Triathlon

If case you don't know, the heat is on. Someone please remind me to not race long in the middle of summer. When I missed out on Chattanooga, I knew I needed to get another olympic distance under my belt. I rarely race this distance but wanted to assess where I was prior to Age Group Nationals. Plus it just happened that I was in Nashville for the weekend.

For some reason this race started later than normal. They were running a concurrent sprint that didn't start until 7:30 so we were able to sleep in and take our time making our way downtown. After setting up, I spent some time in the Middle Tennessee Triathlon Club tents chatting with other competitors. The club had 10 relay teams participating and numerous individuals.

The weather was miserable which made the late start even worse. Still not sure why Team Magic insists on pushing back start times when there is more than enough sunlight by 630. The other downside is that they use a time trial start (rolls eyes). This means I didn't get in the water until nearly 8:20. That is too late on a hot day. Rant over.

Swim: 1500m

The swim was in the Cumberland River and set up similar to age group nationals. You swam downstream into a slight current before two right turns and a long swim back. Then you make two more turns and returned to the pier. You could see there was a slight, noticeable current to fight but nothing significant.

You were seeded based on your estimated swim time. Naturally, I put in a swim time I couldn't swim so that it placed me closer to the front (you get in the water earlier and have fast swimmers to draft). I knew I was out of my league since I knew a handful of people around me but that worked to my advantage.

The swim was naturally uneventful. I found feet for the first few hundred meters but they quickly pulled away and I found myself in no man's land...as usual. I felt like I was engaged the entire swim which is rare for me. The oddest thing is that I wasn't getting passed very often. I rarely found feet. So I just focused on long, powerful strokes. I popped out of the water feeling really good.

Swim time: 27:40 (1:40 pace)

Transition 1:

I really feel for non runners in some of these races. From swim exit to bike exit, this transition was just over .25 mile. You had a long run back up the boat ramp into the parking lot. Another advantage to seeding yourself slightly higher in a time trial is that most of your rack mates are swimmers and it makes it easier to find your bike. The volunteers controlled the flow of traffic in transition so you had to take the long way around.

Time: 2:34

Bike: 25 miles

This was a fun bike. Once you left LP Field you hopped up onto the parkway which was completely closed to traffic. You basically did two loops on this. The terrain was rolling...certainly nothing big. I may have gotten out of the saddle a couple of times to surge and stretch but never dropped out of my big gear. The downside is that the course offered NO shade whatsoever.

I took off from the get go. I wanted to ride the first lap somewhat conservatively and then pick it up. For the first 6 miles, my watts were a bit high but I felt very composed and my HR was down. On the return, I pushed it a bit more and destroyed the downhills.

Another downside to a time trial start is that you never know where you are in the race. In this case, I was crushing all the swimmers and there wasn't a good cyclist in sight. To start the second lap, I was finally passed by a cyclist who was part of a relay. I used him as a carrot for a while until he pulled off into the distance. Other than him, I felt pressure from only 1-2 other cyclist but they quickly faded.

On the second lap, I picked it up a bit more but felt very comfortable. Probably too comfortable. I wanted to push it more but had a good groove going. It was a ghost town when I finished the lap and returned to transition.

Time: 1:06:08 (22.8 mph)

Transition 2:

Not quite as long. Clearly I was not thinking prior to the race as I left my shoes tied. Grrr. Must use head in future.

Time: 1:12

Run: 6.2 miles

Ouch. When I came off the bike I knew I was in trouble. I felt so overheated and when I feel this way, my body shuts down quick. I went through nearly 2 bottles of fluid on an hour long ride and still felt beat. I just hoped to hold on.

This course was brutal. Two loops with 3 solid climbs on each loop. There was a little shade when you ran downtown but that was it. The rest was wide open. I went out fast and tried to go. I survived the first mile. I started to suffer during the second. I really wanted to run a 45 but that was not going to happen. The heat, humidity and hills were my biggest enemy.

By mile three I was mentally cooked. I was grabbing as much fluid as possible and dumping it on my head. I walked the final three aid stations to just cool off enough to run. The miraculous thing is that I kept the negative demons from getting to me. I wanted to walk the hills so bad.

Interestingly enough, I wasn't getting run down in this race. I was probably passed by 6-7 runners. And I easily passed 10 more, including two in my age group. It was miserable for all of us.

Despite walking the aid stations, I bounced back nicely the second lap and kept move as quickly as my body would let me. I pushed the final mile a bit more because I could hear people behind me. I didn't want to give up positions.

Run: 48:47 (7:52 pace)

Total time: 2:26:45

I was initially disappointed because of my run. The reality is that my goal was 2:25. I will take that given the heat and terrain. It wasn't my best race but it was FAR from bad race. I need to put this in the good column. Now I just need to get myself running for September.

AG 5/47
OA 37/478

Blalock Lakes Sprint Tri

Another racing opportunity! I have grown to love sandwiching a few sprints into the race calendar. Despite how much they hurt, it is good to test your training...or lack of training. Since Rev3, I haven't really trained like normal. I took off a solid two weeks and spent the past two easing back into 8-10 hour weeks. I have only trained with any intensity 2-3x. I am keeping everything around z2. So I didn't really know what to expect this weekend. I was also battling a cold so my body was especially achy.

I left the house with Dan at 5:30 to make the hour drive south. One of the things I love about TTP races is the 8 am starts. It just makes the morning easier on the body. I arrived in plenty of time to check-in and set up. I even had time to take the bike for a 10 minute spin.

Swim: 600m-11:02

After getting mauled at John Tanner, I seeded myself behind the lead pack. And it worked well as I didn't get trampled. I felt really good and smooth the first 200m. I rounded the buoy and tried to maintain my pace and form. I could tell that I wasn't killing myself but maintained an aggressive pace.

One of the things I am learning is that I keep getting strung out in no man's land...even if it is just for a few minutes. I am not fast enough to hang onto the back of the fast group. I am faster than the group behind me. The swim is often lonely. I finally found feet for the final 100m and used them.

It was a slow swim for everyone. I was nearly a minute slower than John Tanner. Maybe it was the lack of wetsuit. Maybe it was the non-aggressive pace. Not sure but I was generally happy.

T1: 43s
One of my goals for this race was to focus on transitions. I feel I have gotten sloppy. I need to get in and out without giving up time. I made one minor mistake but felt like I was moving.

Bike: 14.9 miles (39:32)

For a sprint race, this was a longer bike. Naturally this played into my advantage. I wanted to push hard and open up a sizable lead so that I wouldn't get mowed down on the run.

The course was rolling and a bit tough. The hills weren't crazy but they kept you honest and constantly shifting. I hit the road with 3-4 other guys and played leap frog for the first few miles. No one wanted to budge. I finally made a move and hoped to break up the pack but most of them just grabbed a wheel. I refused to play that game so I backed off and focused on getting my HR under control. I proceeded to watch 3 guys draft all the way until mile 10. grrr.

On the second half of the course, I picked it up a bit more. I was pushing the pace but not quite to the uncomfortable part. I was quickly picking off people left and right. Finally, I kicked it in the last 3 miles. I could tell some people were dragging and I had some extra energy so it was time to make my move. And it worked really well. I didn't see anyone for a while.

T2: 31s

I fumbled with my shoes but otherwise had no issue.

Run: 3.1 miles 22:50

My body was really tight coming out of transition. I knew this run was going to be brutal. I found a nice stride and started moving. I tried my best to focus on just running and figuring it out. Lucky for me, my plan worked. I didn't get mowed down. I would say about 5 guys caught me. And I actually caught 2 guys.

I ran right behind one of the drafters and I was determined to beat him. I pushed a few times but the body only had so much to give. The run was rolling terrain. And each hill hurt that much more. I was never able to catch the guy. However, I did run very consistent splits which made me VERY happy.

Total time: 1:14:44

Rev3 HIM Race Report

Tons of fun this past weekend. It really was more of an event than just a race. I was completely relaxed on race morning. We got to bed at a decent hour the night before and sleeping wasn't difficult. I was concerned that my legs would be really tired from being on them the day before but I woke up fairly refreshed.

One additional thing that I loved about this race is the 8 am start. That meant an extra hour of sleep and no rush in the morning. Therefore, a 6 am wake up call was an simple accommodation. We left the hotel around 6:40 and made the 10 minute walk to transition. The morning was cold. A blast of cold air crept in the day before and left us all shivering that morning. The weather channel reported 48 degrees at sunrise and the temps weren't expected to rise beyond 60 before noon.

I slowly shed layers in transition. Since we checked the bikes the night before, there wasn't much to do. I decided to just chill and stay warm. We eventually made the walk down to the swim start. I was ready to get the blood flowing a bit more. I went for a quick jog to jolt the heartrate and then jumped into my wetsuit to stay warm. A few pics later and it was time to head down to the dock. We were able to enter the water a few minutes prior to our wave start. I did a brief warm up and just focused on having a steady day.

Swim 1.2 miles

I think this was the first time I raced with a floating start. We just sat there bobbing like corks waiting for the gun. The wave likely had just over 100 people. Since it was in a river we were spread out pretty evenly. I located a small groove an waited the start.

The first 2-400m were easy. There was little to no fighting. You had to battle for position but it was one of the gentlest I ever had. I just focused on finding feet and getting loose in the water. I always hate the first 5-6 minutes of a long swim. Once the crowd separates, I start remembering how much I hate swimming. It happens every time.

I felt really engaged for the first 10-15 minutes of the swim. I rounded both buoys and just glided. For the longest time, I was in no mans land. I couldn't hold the feet in front of me while pulling the ones behind me. Eventually, we merged with the Olympic distance race and a whole new slew of people appeared. Fresh feet. I never felt particularly fast but I felt smooth. The last few minutes were a bit of a struggle as I could tell I was getting a bit tired.

Time: 31:57 (1:31yd per 100)

T1

It was a long run up the boat ramp and around the corner into transition. Luckily I was racked on the end and had no trouble finding my bike. I debated putting on socks but felt the feet had too much debris to fumble with. Instead, I opted to just deal with the cold. Time to ride

Time: 2:27

Bike 56 miles

Hands down this was one of my favorite bike races. The course was beautiful and challenging. It forced you to stay engaged the entire time. You were constantly shifting, in and out of aero and then descending down a blind hill.

My goal for the race was to ride conservatively. Apparently I felt really good when I started because I was riding hot with my watts a bit high. I tried to take each hill easy. My plan was that if it felt like a hill, then I would shift to my easiest gear and spin up it. I would make up my time on the downhill.

I quickly settled into my race pace. My RPE felt really low. My watts were still a bit high. I made it up and over the first two real climbs and blasted down the backside. The course flattened out and hugged a creek around mile 20. I picked it up a bit through this stretch. I hit the 28 mile turn around feeling pretty good. My watts were higher than where I felt they should be and I was slightly ahead of schedule.

On the return, I was riding with 3-4 other people. I would build a lead, they would catch me on the climb and I would pass them again on the other side of the hill. This went on for the nearly an hour. Finally, I made the decision to pee the bike and I lost the pack. I frequently saw them ahead of me in flat spots but didn't want to push the pace. Things were going my way.

The backside of the previous climbs were a bit more challenging. 45 miles into a ride and a long hill can take it out of you. I started feeling a bit tired around the 2 hour mark. I had to just focus on executing the same game plan.

When I finally hit Neyland Dr, I picked it up a bit more. I tried to wake up my legs. I was unable to feel my left foot for most of the ride. At the time, I just assumed it was the cold weather. I hopped off the bike and prepared for the run

Time: 2:40:12 (20.9 mph)

Transition 2

A bit of a cluster here. Racked the bike, put on socks and shoes and looked for an exit. I had to run down a volunteer to ask where to exit. No signs and nothing in the guide about transition. Just a minor annoyance.

Time: 2:17

Run 13.1 miles

I had a plan. I wanted to try a new strategy for the HIM distance. My goal was to slow down for the first 3 miles, focus on running the next 3 smoothly and then trying to negative split the run. While this race was never about a specific time, I managed to glance at my overall time running out of T2. I knew if I ran a 1:45 then I would go sub 5. That might be doable if I am smart.

I was successful in slowing down the first 2 miles. I nailed an 8 minute pace. By mile 3, I felt like I could hold this pace all day. During the 3rd mile I pushed a little harder and the pace quickened. I hit the first out and back turnaround feeling really good.

On the next stretch the leaders passed and that gave me some added motivation. Nearly the entire run was on a greenway through the woods. It provided plenty of shade and some decent scenery. I hit the 6.5 mile split at about 51 minutes. I had a solid first half of the run. Now it was time to start working.

I knew I need some calories at this point. I then did something...twice...that I have never done in all my years of racing. I refused to stop running at aid stations. I opted to grab what I could. So I grabbed a gel at the next station...ripped it open with my mouth...and threw the packet on the ground. Crap. That wasn't supposed to happen. I kept trucking along and made it to the next station. I did the same thing. Of course I could have turned around but I was worried about breaking my streak.

And then it went downhill. Only fitting. Somewhere around mile 7.5 I noticed that I was feeling a bit lightheaded. I wasn't running straight. I knew a bonk was coming up and quickly. My pace slowed big time. My heartrate plummeted and I entered that dark place. My undefined goals were slipping away. I kept reminding myself that if I finished strong, it would still be a solid race.

My sub-8 pace slowed to 8:45 at mile 8. The next mile was just over 9. At this point I had to force calories into the body. I stopped at the aid station and grabbed everything I could. I forced fluids into the system. I climb the hill back onto campus and talked to Jessica briefly. The wheels were slowly coming off.

And then the calories hit the body and I started running again. At mile 10, I knew I had a 5k to go. I glanced at the overall clock and had to run about a 23 minute 5k to go under 5 hours. I began pushing harder as the terrain flattened. I once again found a 8:20 pace. I pushed for more. I hit the last out and back hoping that I had banked enough time but was very uncertain.

I pushed hard during the last mile until I encounter the most cruel obstacle I have ever encountered in a race. Sitting at mile 12.5 was the biggest hill of the run course. They course needed a little extra distance and all they had was this final hill. And the hill was steep...and then it went up some more...and then some more. It was a quarter of a mile straight up...and then back down. I pushed and it hurt. I had not walked all day until then. I walked the final 15-20 feet of the hill and came back tumbling down. Brutal.

I hit the finish line thrilled.

Time: 1:45:47 (8:05)

Total Time: 5:02:49

I really couldn't ask for a better day. I executed 95% flawlessly. I stayed engaged the whole time. I struggled but bounced back. I raced then entire distance....something I haven't done in quite some time.

One Mean 5k

In this sport there are many highs...and many lows. You spend all your time training for an event. The competition is the reward. But then you cross the finish line and recall how much you hate it. That was my weekend.

I live in a very runner friendly area and only about a mile from one of the most popular running stores in Atlanta. Each May they host a local 5k that basically runs past my house. Hard not to participate. Last year, I ran about 6 miles prior and still managed a 22:18. It was my first stand alone 5k in nearly 3 years. This year provided me the opportunity to compare results.

My running has slowly come back around and after 2 decent weeks of running, I felt ready. I didn't anticipate leaving tread marks on the road but I thought I might be able to pull off a decent race. Plus, I knew that I didn't push the run at John Tanner. So I wanted to push this 5k and use it to obtain new pacing zones to use at Rev3.

Fortunately, I run these roads all the time. However, I usually run this route in reverse due to the long hill that awaited me. It is nearly a mile long with three different sections of incline. While I still wanted to set a pr, I was not willing to power up the hill too hard. I know my body well enough to know it will leave me injured.

I left my house at 7:30 and jogged for 10 minutes to the start line. Summer also decided to show up that morning. It was the first really humid day of the year. 1.25 miles later, I was soaked. This was going to be slightly more challenging than I anticipated. I toed the line toward the front and took off at the sound of the gun.

First mile was pretty fair. A small bit of climbing, mostly flat with a bit of a downhill toward the end. Mile 1: 6:15. Gulp. Too fast. This is going to hurt. I hit the bottom of the next hill and started climbing the long hill. The pack sorted itself quickly. You could tell who ran hills and who didn't. And then you had me in the middle. Mile 2 fell to about 6:47. Once I hit the top of the hill it flatted out. I remembered that last year everyone died at the top. That didn't change. I was struggling and hurting quite a bit. I pushed hard the last mile and saw my pace picking up but the damage was done. Mile 3: 7:11. I hit the final .1 of a mile with some added effort.

Total time 20:58
Last years time 22:18

I will take that type of improvement. The course is pretty tough so I know there is easily another 30 seconds in the legs without trying. What kills me is that the winners went low 15:00. That is nearly six minutes faster than my effort. That is crazy.

Overall: 72/789
Men: 64/412
M30-34: 14/77

Chattahoochee Challenge 10k

First race of the season, YIPPEE!!! Oh how I have missed 5 am wake up calls, driving to random venues and standing around in the cold. :)

My recent run training has left me a bit confused. It seems that my pace zones are off. I am not having any trouble hitting the more difficult workouts. Better yet, I am doing so at an extremely low heartrate. Of course this is a great problem to have. I like increasing the pace while maintaining a steady heartrate. However, it might suggest that my zones are off and it is time to increase them. Test time.

Dan and I headed up to Roswell early Saturday morning for the local 10k. We arrived around 7 and had to make the one mile trek to the packet pick up (read: annoyance). About 15 minutes before the race, I stepped back into the cold and loosened up. The body was feeling normal, no major issues going on, just looking forward to the run as much as I could.

I knew it was going to be a pr day for me. My 10k pr was during a subpar Peachtree last year where I ran a 45:52 (7:25s). In fact, on New Years Day I ran my own unofficial 10k and put together a 44:15 (7:08). However, I was really hoping to burst through the ceiling and have a solid race around 42:00. Dan predicted me to go sub 42. I can't say that I thought this would happen.

The plan was simply. I always seed myself to the front, jump out hard for the first quarter mile and then settle into my pace. I wanted to push a 6:45-7:00 pace until the three mile mark and then take the pace down to 6:40-6:50 for the next two miles and then blow it out on the final mile.

Well I got the jump I wanted and found space to run. I settled into a comfortable pace around 6:45 and started cruising. The course was relatively flat with a few minor annoying rollers and false flats. During mile two, my pace slipped a little but I was very comfortable. At mile three, the pace slipped a bit more. I was still on target as I hit the mile 3 marker under 21 minutes. So I begin to push a bit harder. And a bit harder. Well the body didn't like it. I tried to pick up the pace and it wasn't happening. My body was VERY comfortable with a 6:50-7:00 pace. So I decided to hold it until the last 1.5 miles.

When I hit mile 4.7 I pushed again. There was simply no pop in the legs. I kept trying to surge but I wasn't getting any faster. I was passing plenty of people but my pace wasn't increase. I held back for one last surge and pushed but it wasn't happening. I kept it at a tempo level and crossed the finish line with a chip time of 43:40. I had my unofficial time at 42:53 (6:55s).

Overall, it was a 3 minute pr for me. I know I should take great joy in this but I didn't have the race I wanted. I wasn't able to push when needed. My HR stayed really low. I only did 10 minutes of racing in z4 and NONE in z5. Either my body is telling me something or I didn't push it enough. However, I am finally happen to break through the sub-7 celing. I have been trying to do that for quite some time so I am thrilled about that result. Now, I need to work on getting the time under 42.....then 40.

Splits

Lap	Time	Distance	Pace/Speed	AHR	MHR
1	06m 48s	1.00 miles	06m 48s /mile	159	167
2	07m 00s	1.00 miles	07m /mile	167	169
3	06m 58s	1.00 miles	06m 58s /mile	168	171
4	06m 55s	1.00 miles	06m 55s /mile	169	172
5	06m 55s	1.00 miles	06m 55s /mile	168	170
6	07m 01s	1.00 miles	07m 01s /mile	167	171
7	02m 05s	0.32 miles	06m 34s /mile	169	171

Results:
Overall: 68/903
Mens: 61/472
Age Group: 9/71

Indian Springs Sprint

Saturday marked another race on the calendar. With everything that has been going on mentally and physically I wasn't quite sure how to feel about the race. I was really run down so my expectations were low. I was also hoping that by racing it would once again remind me why I love doing this...and maybe change my attitude.

I departed around 5:30 after my typical peanut butter bagel and a banana. The race was about an hour south so the drive provided me an opportunity to zone in to the race. That didn't happen. I felt very sluggish and unenthusiastic. I arrived at the race venue and went through the motions of setting up transition and catching up with friends I haven't seen in months.

I managed to get in a small warmup before the race but my body was feeling a bit lethargic and resisted the temptation to move any quicker than what was required. I made my way down to the swim start and still found myself chatting with less than 30 seconds before my wave started.

I had no real goal for this race outside of a solid effort. I want to work on my drafting in the water. I want to continue to push hard on the bike. Finally, I want don't want to get dropped on the run.

I hit the water and had a solid first 100-150m as I navigated through traffic. As I made my way around the first turn buoy, I settled into a comfortable pace. I was very relaxed. More importantly, I was sticking to this guys feet perfectly. I could tell that it wasn't a super aggressive pace. I looked around and didn't see any other feet so I stayed with my fish until the end. I popped out of the water in 11:05, which is about 45 seconds faster than High Falls.

Swim time: 11:59 (includes hill run)

The run to transition was straight up hill. As I pushed up the hill, the body pushed back a bit and I realized I was lacking the pop in my legs to run up that hill. I made my way through the world's narrowest transition and to my bike and spotted Kirk a few seconds ahead of me.

T1: 58s

The first mile was a technical descent down and out of the state park. I took the opportunity to settle down and think through the bike. I wasn't feel good for the first few miles on the bike. At the last turn buoy I caught consecutive waves of water and my stomach was letting me know that it doesn't enjoy drinking lake water. To make matters worse the first few miles were uphill and my heartrate was not settling down. I was doing all I could to not get mentally defeated.

I caught Kirk a few miles in and try to motivate him to come with me on the bike. I began picking up the pace and taking aim at the next few athlets. Around mile 5-6, my heartrate finally came down a bit and I was ready to really begin pushing the bike. About that time Whitwell caught me and pulled ahead. I used him as a carrot to make me push. I passed Chuck, offering him a congratulatory good swim, passed Street telling him to quit being such a p*ssy. And then I repassed Whitwell calling him an old fart in an attempt to light an fire under him.

At this point I was finding a solid groove. I also could tell how tired I was. I definitely didn't have any pop in the legs today so my strategy became to just hammer the bike. My run was going to suffer either way. Whitwell came roaring back and took off (guess I did my job). And then I was stuck out in no man's land for a while. The course was fairly challenging. Not hard...but not easy. It had moderate rollers for the first half that prevented you from getting into a solid groove. The back half was F-A-S-T as I ran out of gears 3x and was spinning 36 mph.

Bike time: 39:53 (21.6 mph)

T2 really sucked. You had to hop off your bike on and incline, rack the bike and run straight up a hill to get out. I fumbled a bit here getting on socks. I still feel like such a clutz in transition this year.

T2: :55

I headed out on the run not knowing what to expect. My HR was zone 5 instantly and I just trotted along. I didn't quite know how challenging this course would be. Oh my. I came out of transition right behind another guy so I stuck to him as long as I could. At the first turn around I saw Kirk and Street. I waited for both of them to catch me.

At the first mile, I was only running an 8:15. Wow, I am slow. But oddly enough no one was catching me. That all changed a few minutes later when a group of guys, all in my age group soared past me. FAIL. I knew at the first turnaround that I was in 3rd or 4th AG place. Oh well...the story of my life.

I kept pushing through the challenging run and it was brutal. The loops through the campground were beating me senseless. After the 2 mile mark I tried to pick it up a bit and caught a few people. In the last quarter mile, two more passed me and I went with them before realizing that I am not going to fight it out over the last 200m just for 1-2 overall places. There was no one behind me so I just cruised to the finish line.

Run time: 24:18 (7:50)

Total time: 1:18:06

I felt like my performance was subpar. Overall, it ended up being a good race for me. I felt sluggish throughout but I didn't give up. I continued to push through the harder times and put together a solid effort. I am still pissed about how deplorable my running is right now but that is going to change soon.

Scenic City Triathlon

Race day finally arrived. The funny thing was that I found myself really anxious and nervous leading up to the race. I can only believe it was facing the fear of what happened in New Orleans. In fact, I couldn't sleep the night before. I was out like a baby before Ironman and I can't sleep before a sprint. Some things I will never understand.

I spent most of the week providing positive reinforcement for my mindset. I knew it was a low key race falling on a BIG race weekend for most of the southeast. Given this, I knew the race wouldn't draw a deep field of talent. So I used this to my advantage. My goal was simple--to win the race. :) No pressure. Joking aside, I wanted to give it 100% for the entire race. And if that puts me in the front great...I would love to lead off the bike.

Jess and I drove to Chattanooga Saturday afternoon, picked up our packets and drove the course before retiring to our hotel. Morning finally arrived and I was ready to go. I ate a banana and clif bar while sipping on gatorade. Transition was open racking so I was determined to be the first there. We were the third car to arrive and I was the first bike on the rack, right where I wanted to be.

I was feeling good Sunday morning. I was loose but very focused. I took my shot of caffeine and a gel around 7 and then headed down to the water. I made sure to swim for about 10 minutes to get warmed up. The lake temp was perfect at 67 degrees. What I really love about these low-key races is the informal nature of them. There was no grand swim start. Instead, the race director yelled go. Then did it again. Finally he hit the air horn because no one was listening. Awesome.

I lined up to the far right on the front. My goal was to go hard for 600m. I wanted to come out of the water with the lead pack. Fortunately, I heard the second yell from the race director so I hit the water early and got out in front. I was sighting to my left and slowly inched over to hang with the lead pack through the first turn buoy. Somewhere over the next 50m they began pulling away. I was killing myself and nearly panic.

I made the second turn and settled into an aggressive pace but could tell that I was leading the second pack. Not good. The best position is the 2nd position. Let someone else do the work. So I slowed and let the pack come around me. I grabbed what feet I could and continued to swim beyond my ability.

I came out of the water winded and dizzy. Whew. I had never pushed that hard. The run to transition was brutal (think Emerald Point). I was sluggish going up the hill and had all kinds of trouble getting out of my wetsuit. What's up with that? As I began to reach transition I saw the leaders starting the bike. I could tell that I was probably top-15 at this point.

I found my gear and jumped onto the bike. It began downhill so I allowed myself the free speed to get adjusted. The goal for the bike was to hammer and catch everyone. Coach Dan recommended 240-260 watts for me. I just went and went hard. In the first 10 minutes I caught three people. The bike was 14 miles. I was just hoping that I could hang on that long.

I will say that the course was probably the hardest sprint course I have ever done. There were 5-6 solid hills and at that pace, you had no choice but to hammer out of the saddle. I did play it smart and dropped to small chain ring to climb up the hill. I noticed that the small pack of riders would draw closer as I climbed but I dropped them immediately on the other side of the hill. At the 20 minute mark, I knew I was still on pace for a good ride.

The back half of the course had two nice hills. The last one was brutal and dropped my cadence to about 50. Poor beginners. Jess said she saw dozens of athletes walking their bike up the hill. I didn't seen anyone. The last 6 miles were really lonely. I could see one guy about a 1/2 mile in front of me but I wasn't gaining on him enough. On the final 4 miles, I dropped the hammer and just gave it my all. I was feeling REALLY strong. Of course, I wondered if I would pay for it on the run.

I took a few peeks behind me and there was no one. I had a pretty good idea of where I was in the race. I hit transition and saw only 4 bikes. Sweet!. I grabbed my headband and wristbands (kicking it 80s style for the race) and bolted out of the transition.

I hit the run and felt the legs. I really wanted to have a good run in this race but wasn't sure it would happen after that bike. This run course was killer. It was nothing but rollers and was very technical. You started off downhill and took a hard left that required you to stop your momentum over the loose gravel. Then back up the hill and more hills.

I didn't see a soul for over a mile. No one behind me, no one in front of me. At about 1.3 miles, I saw the leader and then 3 more guys about 20s behind him. I realize at this point I was in 5th place. I just needed to hang on....I knew I wouldn't catch these guys. At another sharp turn, I saw 2 guys behind me. The first guy caught me about a minute later. I turned it up another notch...doing whatever I could to keep the next guy off.

I cleared 2 miles and tried to push with whatever I could. At 2.5 there was another big hill (it clearly broke everyone). My plan was to get to the top and then let it all out for the next 3 minutes. Imagine my surprise when I get to the top and POOF the finish line. Course was short by 1/3 of a mile. Someone forgot to put a cone out and every athlete except one cut the course. I really can't say that I am upset. I didn't want anymore hills.

Official results aren't posted. I took 1st in the 30-34 age group and likely about 7th overall. Once all that gets posted, I will blog about it. Overall, I am thrilled. Not overly excited about winning my age group. Instead, I am more excited about pushing the race so hard. I just need to learn how to run off the bike. I need to shave a few minutes off my 5k to be really competitive. But for now, I will enjoy my moment. :)

NOLA 58.4

(though I didn't finish the race, I am going to still produce a race report. I am going to attempt to write it from the perspective of a race report as if I did finish. I will then come back in later blogs and fill in more about what happen).

I headed out of Atlanta Thursday night for Birmingham to stay with my parents before heading down to New Orleans. Friday morning, my mother and I began making the six hour journey through rural Mississippi down I-59. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast on the northwest side of the French Quarter.

That evening I went to pick up Jess and attend a mandatory athletes meeting. This was the most absurd thing I have ever had to do in this sport. They would not let you pick up your race packet unless you attended one of these meetings. To make matters worse, they didn't discuss anything substantial. In fact, they gave out bad information such as saying NO garmins were allowed on the run. WTF? (reports later said he correct himself. Oops for the 300 athletes in one meeting). So packet pickup took nearly 2 hours and left me in a cranky mood. We I got back to the hotel I went for a small run to shake out the legs. That night we found an Italian restaurant where I had some fettuccine pesto with shrimp.

I managed to get a really good nights sleep and meandered around the B&B for a while. I went to pick up Tony 2Goggs and headed up to the lake for a brief workout. The lake was fine. Temperatures were good. The downside was there was NO visibility. I mean maybe 18 inches. I swam for about 15 minutes. I even jumped on a guys feet and still couldn't see them. No worries....just swim by feel. Later that afternoon, I returned to transition to drop off my bike. I must say that it was the largest transition I have ever seen. With nearly 3000 participants, transition seemed to span nearly a dozen parking lots. I am not exaggerating when I say that my rack was the furthest from the swim entrance and run exit. It felt like a quarter of a mile, lol.

I tried to stay off my feet that night but it really isn't possible in New Orleans. We walked down to a pizza joint and grabbed dinner before retiring to the room where I stayed up watching the Tar Heels play.

The alarm went off at 4:30 and I was out of bed without any problem. I was giddy as always as I bounced around the room. I ate a banana and an untoasted bagel, then drowned myself with an ensure. Yummy...breakfast of champions. Then it was time to head to transition.

I got to transition and settled pretty easily. I put my stuff down, said hello to Desiree and decided to get out of there. I never see the point of obsessing about things in transition. It only makes you more nervous. Since the swim was a point-to-point, they had shuttles heading down to the swim start. The problem was that you still had a long walk from the drop off to the start. Next time I will bring an extra pair of shoes.

I hopped in the water for a few minutes to warm up. The sun was barely up so the visibility was nil. I seriously couldn't see my hand under water. I made my way out of the water and to the corral. I was in the first wave group after the pros. We finally made it into the water and began positioning ourselves. I started left, closer to the buoy and in second position. I had a seem than I planned on exploding through to find the fast feet. The gun went off and so did we.

My first 2-300m were solid. We spread out easily. I swam over people when needed and had no problem. In fact, I would say my first 5-8 minutes were one of the best I ever had. I never looked up. I had people on both side of me and someone in front of me. I just swam with them. I continued to keep the head down and focused on the people around me so that I could draft. I wasn't sure how hard I was swimming at this point. I felt like I was being aggressive but I was also a bit winded and tired.

About the 15' mark I got dropped and strung out in no man's land. I popped out of the water looking for feet and made a move to my left as I spotted a couple of fish to swim with. The problem with the point to point swim is that you never really have a good idea where you are on the course. There was a 'half way' red buoy. I knew I had been in the water for a while and felt like that buoy had to be further than .6 miles. I peeked at my watch and it said 18:40. I was pissed. No way half this course took me that long. I tried to refocus on finding feet and for the most part I was successful. By the 30' mark, I was tired of being in the water. I thought for sure I was going to hit transition any minute but it still looked far off in the horizon.

I made the final turn toward the exit and came across a big group of rocks. About 100m later I stood up and started wading toward the exit. I glanced at my watch and it read 35:37. I was pretty deflated. I pushed out of the water toward the wetsuit strippers. The carpet was very thin and you felt every rock under you. I decided to forgo the strippers because I was worried about landing on some rocks. I made the long trek to my bike and hopped out of the wetsuit, grabbed what I needed and was out of transition. T1: 2:34

I started the bike pretty deflated from the pathetic swim. I thought to myself that I would push the final 15-20 miles of the bike and try to make up a few extra minutes and I would be right on target. The bike started with a short out and back through the crowd. I spent the time settling into the saddle and finding my watts. After we zipped through town, I took my 5 hr energy drink and I was ready to go.

One of the greatest aspects of this race was that it was completely closed to traffic. I have never seen so many cops. There were literally cops at EVERY road....including each neighborhood or church outlet. The race really shut down the city. I found my groove relatively easily. I was playing it smart. When I hit the bridges, I didn't grind. I dropped to small ring and spun up them. I was keeping my watts on the lighter side of my plan. I felt like I was racing it conservatively.

On the way out, I felt like were were on a small false flat. It felt much like the Silver Comet Trail and I was anticipating coming back at a slightly faster pace. As we turned onto the Chef the winds began picking up from what seemed like every direction. The coolest part of the race was being able to see the pros. You rarely get to seem them on the bike. I saw nearly all the women pros since I was only about 10 minutes behind them. I made it out the 24 mile turnaround and I was dead on my watts. I peeked at speed and was riding what I was expected to ride.

I continued to slice through the wind on the return before hitting Hwy 11. This was one of the most brutal stretches of roads I have ever endured. The wind was whipping me around like I have never experienced. It was unrelenting for the 5 miles out and 5 miles back. I did my best to stay aero tight and hold my prescribed watts. The sun was starting to come out so I grabbed a water from the aid station and began cooling myself down.

When we turned back onto the Chef we were into a solid headwind. I knew I was still on par for a good ride but it was time to push a bit more and gain a few minutes. So I pushed and the wind pushed back. I tried to wait it out and it didn't seem to want to help. Even coming back on Haynes Blvd the wind was unrelenting. This is where I thought I would have a slight downhill. I kept my eyes ahead and I wasn't gaining on the athlete despite feeling like I was giving it more effort. I peeked behind me and saw that no one was gaining on my anytime soon. We were all in this together.

At this point I was still trying to fight off the negative demons in my head from the swim. I was pushing the bike but not making up ground. Essentially, I was drowning in negativity. The wind was really taking it out of me. Physically, I was tired but felt like I should be from pushing the bike. But I really felt like I was having to give it more effort than I should to hold my watts. I made the mistake of peeking at my watch to see what the race time was. It was becoming very apparent to me that I wasn't going to be sub-5. This didn't sit well with me. The demons were infiltrating my head at a rapid pace. I didn't feel like running 13.1 miles today.

I struggled the last few miles. I tried to surge to get to feeling better but I was pretty beat. I was hoping the crowd would energize me. It didn't. I came off my bike and I had NO desire to run today. None. The worst part was that I couldn't realize that I actually had a good ride. The results show that I was 53/352 at that point. That is top 15% in my age group. But my mind was focused elsewhere. I didn't care. I had no passion or desire in my body.

I entered transition and yelled to Jess to call Dan and see if he would rather me DNF than run 13.1 miles. To me, if I wasn't going to meet my goal, I am not sure it made sense to tax my body over a hot 13.1 miles just for a t-shirt and medal. I made the decision to not stop and continue out of transition to start the run. T2: 2:17

As I exited transition, I was getting passed left and right. I felt like my form was horrible and I was running the pace of molasses. I continued to push and didn't like the way my body felt. I knew that it would take a miracle run to pull of a sub-5 race. I hit the one mile mark at 8:47. I was completely defeated. If 8:47 felt like that then I wasn't sure I would even PR on this day. Running a 2 hr half mary sounded miserable. I wasn't even sure I could pull that off. Doing a 5:30 meant nothing to me. I was not happy at all with my mindset but after stewing like this for well over 2 hours I couldn't move past it.

I decided to stop. I knew I needed to regather myself. I began thinking through the mental aspect of quitting a race. Was I being a wuss and this is the pain that I expected to experience? It didn't feel like the pain I remember from other races. Is it worth slowly jogging 13.1 miles or should I save my body and prevent any potential injury? Why did I want to quit? What went wrong today? Did I push the bike to hard? Were my watts wrong? All of these thoughts race through my head not making the situation any better. I decided to continue moving forward by walking in an attempt to regain my composure.

I was 1.5 miles into the run course and I had already stopped and was walking. I was done. I had given up on the race. I just needed to convince myself of it. So I turned around. I took off my race belt and chip. I walked back to the aid station and asked them to radio in Athlete 152-DNF. Due to the layout of the course, I had to walk back against the flow of run traffic. I pulled down my visor and tried to hide behind my sunglasses. Wouldn't you know that I am the most easily identifiable person in the world. This was truly the walk of shame.

I made it back to transition and gathered my thoughts. I sat under a tree and watched the rest of the race carnage unfold. When my watch beeped 5 hours, I turned it off. When my ride arrived, I walked past the other athletes who were still coming off the bike. I got in the car and headed back to the hotel. I just wanted a long shower and some quiet space to think.

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In the end, I got mentally defeated. I let the demons get the best of me today. And I let them get the best of me for all the WRONG reasons. I will never fully understand what happened out there on Sunday. I will never understand how I was able to actually turn around and walk back to transition. 48 hours later I am still just as shocked as anyone else. The key for me is to begin understanding why it happened so that it doesn't happen ever again.