Is this a mental breakdown?

This isn't fun. I am a complete mess right now. On a scale of 1-10, I rate myself around a 15. I am a complete nutcase and feel that I am on the verge of a breakdown.

I have been so successful this season. Every single race has been a personal best for me. I have trained with more focus than I ever have before. I took the offseason to attack my weaknesses. And now, in the middle of the season, injury strikes. It puts in jeopardy my two biggest races...the ones in which I will use to largely define success

The outlook is not positive on the ITBS. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and have visited my physical therapist three times in the past 5 days. Improvement? Not really. ITBS isn't one of those things that just go away. It often takes time and an aggressive strategy. Right now there is NO running.

It kills me because I have finally come to terms with being injured. I tried to deny it all I could. I tried to run through it. But the pain is too severe. I grimace when I run. I clinch my teeth with every footstrike. The pain is comparable to an ice pick being jammed into your knee.

What is hard to swallow is the next four months of training. I can only hope that I am thinking worst case scenario, but I don't really know what's in store for Belgium and Ironman Florida. It tears me up inside to see my goals slip out of my grasp due to an injury. And to make matters worse, it is an injury that I can't do anything about. I had almost rather have a serious injury. At least that way I could feel sorry for myself.

My largest concern is that being injured will only make me beat up myself more. I will lose my edge. I see it already happening. First, I lose my mental focus with regards to training. I start skipping workouts. Second, my diet goes. Right now all I want to do is eat out or have cocoa krispies for dinner every night. Third, my social life picks up big time. I find myself going out and more importantly staying out WAY too late. These are my coping mechanisms. But overindulgence in them will cause more problems in the future.

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Daily FU to the coach

He tells me that I can only curse him on long, hard workouts or during my recovery/rest days. Well today he gets his first blog. All to himself.

One thing Coach Dan stressed to me prior to reluctantly agreeing to coach me is that feedback is crucial to the coaching process. He referenced academic works, personal experience and other bullshit. In the first week, I think he learned his lesson and I continue to give him feedback of small, subtle GFY (go f*ck yourself) and I hate you messages. And to think, he is sick enough to enjoy that type of abuse.

Aside from Belgium and IMFL, one of the reasons I hired a coach this year is to learn how to train with intensity. I felt my training was getting a bit stale. I was using bland, ubiquitous workout plans. They assumed the one-size fits all mentality. They work. I am living proof. They have guided me to successes in the past. However, I feel that it was less about the plan and more the fact that I was training consistantly that guided me.

Developing a unique training plan is far from rocket science. It is understanding the variables and knowning when to throw togther a E1a v. S4d workout (sorry geek talk). But more importantly, coaching has me training with intensity. I worked on this a lot in the early part of the season with my half marathon training. Never had I incorporated it in cycling and it was rarely used in swimming. That is how workouts become stale. I start losing focus of workout's objective. It is too easy to plateau when that happens.

Instead, intensity is how you learn to train in those uncomfortable areas. It is learning how to maximize each workout. No longer do I get to enjoy 45-60 minute zone 2 rides during the week. Sure the miles help base build. But now I am stuck doing sets of 2x10 minutes in z4. Vomit. No thanks. I just keep telling myself that it will pay off in the long run. It will, it will.

The intensity has also contributed to the lack of blogging. I am tired. Yesterday alone was a 2h 41m training day. And of course, that didn't count the travel and prep time.

Swim at 6:30 am: WU: 300 free, 4 x 100 done as 25 pull, 25 R arm only, 25 L arm only, 25 free. 6 x 100 Odds: 25 pull, 25 R arm only, 25 L arm only, 25 free, evens: 25 swim, 25 kick, 25 pull, 25 swim. MS: Try to make the times for these as consistent as possible. 10 x 100 @ T-pace (10”). 10 x 50 @ T-pace (10”). CD: 200 easy.

--For the training plan illiterate, that means about 30 minutes of drills then 10x100 at race pace. Followed by 10x50 at race pace. Just a mear 1500y nearly all out.

Ride at 5:00 pm: 10 min Z1/2. 5 min ON/OFF (:30 Z4/:30 Z1). 5 min upper Z2. 2 x 30 min Z3 with 5 min Z1 recovery. 5 min Z1 cool down.

--Two 30 minute intervals. For me on Columns Drive that is holding about 21-22 mph for the entire duration. A typical, non-interval based workout would have likely yielded 19-20 mph the entire time.

So what does all this mean? Other than the fact that I am really tired. Hopefully, it means that I will become a stronger, faster and more competitive athlete. Either way I get to curse Coach Dan on a daily basis.

The key to getting fast is training fast (in a smart way).

ITBS is winning

ITBS not Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is kicking my ass right now. I am fortunate so far that that pain remains in the manageable/tolerable phase. However, I don't think I continue to defy its on set.

I am trying to be proactive about this. I am popping anti-inflammatory medicine, stretching about 4-5 times a day and hitting the foam roller 2-3 times a day. It isn't for a lack of trying. This issue is, of course, compounded by the fact that I can't just take off 3-4 weeks of running. I need to build, build, build for Belgium right now.

The pain is just one of the oddest sensations. It rests on the lateral side of my right knee and is comparable to someone stabbing you. But it ends the moment you are done running. Then for the next 12-24 hours, you just deal with stiffness in that area.

I will beat ITBS, I just might go broke from all the visits to the chiropractor, massage therapists and doctors. UGH!

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From wikipedia:

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS or ITBFS, for Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome^[1]) is a common thigh injury generally associated with running. Additionally it can also be caused by biking, hiking or weight-lifting (especially squats).

Definition

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front during the gait cycle. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed.

Symptoms

Iliotibial Band Syndrome symptoms range from a stinging sensation just above the knee joint (on the outside of the knee or along the entire length of the iliotibial band) to swelling or thickening of the tissue at the point where the band moves over the femur. The pain may not occur immediately during activity, but may intensify over time, especially as the foot strikes the ground. Pain might persist after activity. Pain may also be present below the knee, where the ITB actually attaches to the tibia.

ITBS can also occur where the IT band connects to the hip, though this is less likely as a sports injury. It commonly occurs during pregnancy, as the connective tissues loosen and the woman gains weight -- each process adding more pressure. ITBS at the hip also commonly affects the elderly. ITBS at the hip is studied less; few treatments are generally known.

[edit] Sports activities to avoid while symptomatic

• Running
• Stair stepping
• Dead lifts or squats
• Court sports, such as tennis, basketball, or similar
• Martial arts, such as karate (especially where being bare foot emphasises any symptoms being caused by leg/foot abnormalities)
• Cycling

Causes

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is the result of poor training habits, equipment and anatomical abnormalities.

Training habits:

• Running on a banked surface (such as the shoulder of a road or an indoor track) bends the downhill leg slightly inward and causes extreme stretching of the band against the femur
• Inadequate warm-up or cool-down
• Increasing distance too quickly or excessive downhill running
• In cycling, having the feet "toed-in" to an excessive angle
• Running up and down stairs
• Hiking long distances

Abnormalities in leg/feet anatomy:

• High or low arches
• Overpronation of the foot
• The force at the knee when the foot strikes
• Uneven leg length
• Bowlegs or tightness about the iliotibial band.
  • Excessive wear on the outside heel edge of a running shoe (compared to the inside) is one common indicator of bowleggedness for runners.

Muscle Imbalance:

• Weak hip abductor muscles

Treatment

As with any injury or ailment, one should see one's physician, physical therapist, chiropractor or athletic trainer for diagnosis and treatment.

For a runner with acute ITBS, reduce weekly distance training to 50% for 2 weeks, and only run on flat ground. After, in the absence of ITBS pain, slowly begin to build distance again. If ITBS pain remains or is chronic, one should stop running immediately for two weeks (minimum). If the pain and inflammation are still present, another month of rest may be needed. Once the injury begins to improve, resuming activity can be possible, doing low distance, low speed jogging on flat terrain. Also, changing one's route may help counteract re-injury, as running a common route may put increased stress on the iliotibial band of one leg.

To prevent, or cure chronic ITBS there are some essential exercises:

• Strength building of the hip abductors (especially the gluteus medius), which control ITB tightness
• Performing specific stretches; Iliotibial band stretch, stretching the gluteal muscles, and other leg based static stretching

To create a good treatment program, proper assessment of injury severity is critical. Once the injury has been properly assessed, a treatment program (usually consisting of three steps) can be planned. The length of time spent on each phase varies depending on the athlete, the reasons for the initial injury, and the severity of the injury.

Immediate treatment

After noticing symptoms, the important task is controlling pain and inflammation. For these symptoms, treatment of rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) works well. Stretching is second in importance, to make sure that the iliotibial band does not become taut. Next, examining what may have caused ITBS is important. Issues range from poor training habits to structural abnormalities, but the shoes a runner uses are another consideration. For example, after 500 miles most shoes retain less than 60% of their initial shock absorption capacity, increasing the chance of ITBS injury. Massage therapy can also improve the chance of a quick recovery. Lastly, anti-inflammatories or ultrasound may be helpful to relieve symptoms.

Short-term treatment

If the pain and inflammation do not subside, all painful activity should stop while continuing immediate treatment. A regular stretching regimen is important. A video analysis of running movements may provide insight into problematic running mechanics. To retain fitness, a number of options will work at this stage, as long as they do not promote pain. Altering these exercises will minimize overtraining:

• Swimming, though abstain from the breaststroke as it may aggravate symptoms
  • Optionally, wearing a life jacket, one may run in the pool (depth allowing)
• Cycling, though with care, as it may aggravate symptoms
• Speed walking, especially straight-legged to discourage pain
• Cross-country skiing
• Yoga, or similar low-impact aerobics

At this stage, steroid injections may be helpful, though some risks are involved.

Lactate Threshold Run

Yep. It is that time again. I haven't done an LT run since 3/19. I thought I would keep up with this routine a bit more but as the need to build endurance took over, I let it fall by the waste side. Now it looks to be a regular part of my training regiment.

WU: 10:00 1.25 miles (8:00 pace) Avg Hr 142
MS: 19:59 2.83 miles (7.04 pace) Avg Hr 167
CD: 5:00 .50 miles (9.57 pace) Avg Hr 161


11/21 20:01, 2.50 miles, 8:02 pace
12/20 20:01, 2.71 miles, 7:23 pace
1/16 20:00, 2.74 miles, 7:19 pace
2/17 20:00, 2.74 miles, 7:19 pace
3/19 19:59, 2.71 miles, 7:23 pace
6/19 19:59, 2.83 miles, 7:04 pace

Well it comes as a bit of a shocker than I had my best LT run of all time. That is roughly a tenth of a mile further than I ever ran before. Suh-weet! It sucked out there. I was struggling the whole way but clearly something was working. Plus it gives me a bit of an incentive--I want to get that pace under 7:00 per mile. I haven't seen numbers like that in a LONG time

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Injury update: My IT bands held up today. I was nervous ALL day. I experienced discomfort but little pain. I just hope my diet of foam rolling, stretching and advil are able to keep the irritation in check. I am ready to start training. The stress of Belgium is beginning to set in. Less than two months....ack!

Buster Britton Race Report

What started to look like my first did not start (DNS) became my first hardware.

I did this race nearly 2 years ago. At the time it was just my second tri and my first in open water. It went really well and I was more than thrilled with my finish. So I decided to return to the race this year just for fun. Plus, it was father's day.

I was remarkably relaxed before this race. It is the only sprint on my calendar and quite frankly, it isn't a priority. I wanted to have a good race but having fun was more important. I woke up at 4:30 had 2 pieces of PB toast and some fruit. I made the drive to Oak Mountain arriving at the race venue around 6:00 to picked up my packet and set up transition.

Here is where things took a turn for the worse. Just before 7:00 am it began raining. And I don't mean a few sprinkles....it was an absolute downpour. I can only think of one time in my life where I have been outside in a worse storm. Well it wasn't letting up. Within 5 minutes there was no sense in trying to keep anything dry, everything was soaked. Transition had a downhill slope and I was just sitting next to my rack in a river of water. There was nothing I could do. I did have a gallon sized ziploc bag that I placed over my running shoes hoping to keep them the slightest bit dry.

The RD announced that they were going to delay the start of the race by 15-20 minutes because of the lightening. Well 15-20 minutes later, they are considering a duathlon format. No thanks. I don't want to risk any injury for a race this small. The last thing I need to do is go all out for one mile and screw something up. If the race comes to that, I will pack up and volunteer. However, I knew my parents were on their way so I kinda had to wait it all out.

Around 8:00 the weather began to cooperate and they announced the race was back on in the normal format. Sweet! Still I wasn't excited about racing on soaked roads and in wet shoes. Finally, I made my way to the beach and got in the water for a few warmup strokes. The water felt like bathwater. It was probably low to mid 80s. Quite the contrast to Triple T. When I got out, my teeth were chattering.

Swim:
Swim start was time trial fashion every 3 seconds. I had estimated my time for the race was 6:40. Heh. Boy were their some slow swimmers that mis-estimated their times. I have never caught so many so quick. My plan was to go as hard as I could for the first 50, then settle into a pace and find feet. The first 50 went really well as I passed about 10 people. I was really good at rounding the buoys as there was no log jam there.

For the first time in my life, I swam over people. Sorry. It happened twice. I wasn't about to go around them so I went right through the middle and basically over the top. I felt bad for a brief moment. I even looked back to make sure bubbles weren't surfacing. I could tell that I was hauling on the swim so I was a bit surprised to pop out of the water at 6:41. Hmm. Maybe the course was a bit long because I felt fast.

T1:
Transition was totally different than it was 2 years ago. Out of the water and up three sets of stairs. Ugh. There was no quick way to do this. However, I did manage to pass 2-3 people. Because I got to transition early, I secured the end rack. I found my bike and put on my helmet only to have water pour down on my head. Nice. Off I went.

Bike:
As mentioned, the roads were soaked and to make matters worse the course was full of winding descents. I spent the first few miles settling into a comfortable race pace. My plan was to go as hard as I could on the bike but my concern was the wet roads. I pushed the hills hard out to the first turnaround. When I saw the leaders coming back, I had a good indication of where I stood in the race.

My race plan was to attack at mile 6 and then again at 9. I hit mile 6 at the base of the hill and blasted past people. I was still feeling good at the top and decided to get aggressive on the downhill. Gulp. Wet roads, hard turns, carbon brakes = HR through the roof. But it worked. I was gaining confidence in my cornering. Now I set my sights on picking off people.

At mile 9, I just dropped the hammer and went for it. By mile 10 it was like people were standing still and I felt good. The final .5-.75 miles back to transition is up hill so I got out of the saddle and just pushed. When I could see transition, I settled down my HR, got my feet out of the saddle and knew that I was having a good race




T2:
Fast as lightening. Ok, not really but it was quick. I hopped off the bike right on the dismount line, picked it up and started running. This approach seems to work for me and I like it. I grabbed my wet running shoes and I was out.

Run:
The plan all along was to have a killer swim and bike then just hold on for 3 miles. I knew this would be my weakness, I hadn't done any speed work in forever and my running volume is down due to an injury. If I felt pain from my IT bands, I was to shut it down immediately.

I came out of T2 and saw my parents, I gave them a smile and they knew I was having a good race. I went out hard. And this course had more hills than it did two years ago.

I hit mile 1 at about 7:30 and still hadn't been caught. I could hear a pack of wolves behind me and I was trying to power it up the hills. The second place female caught me on a hill and I tried to go with her. At the turnaround I saw the wolves and thought...crap there are some people my age right on my heels.

I hit the downhills as hard as my body would let me. Mile 2 was just over 7:00. Then I was caught. A small peloton of runners came by me. I was starring at every left calf. Whew...they were younger. I hit the final half mile and I was completely out of gas. There was nothing. I could hear others kicking behind me but I was unable to pick it up.

Then I was passed by some one in my age group. I pushed and the body pushed back. No go. I let out a string of expletives. At this point, I had no idea where I was in my age group but I felt like I was close to the top five. I tried to push again...nothing. I made it to the last turn and had to watch an age grouper beat me by less than 20 feet.

Post race:
So this is where it got interesting. They posted results and I could see that I finished in the top 30 and beat my time by nearly 5 minutes on a more difficult course. I was more than pleased with that. I frequently race with a guy I went to high school with, so I found him and told him that I think he pulled 3rd in the AG. He was stoked but he tells me that he thinks he got called for drafting (he was being blocked and didn't drop back). Sure enough, 2:00 penalty dropped him behind me.

Then the age grouper that passed me in the last half mile? Well he started about 20 spots ahead of me in the swim. The time in which he beat me was less than the time in which he started ahead of me. So I slid into 3rd place. Talk about a surprise! My first hardware!!!!



Note: I need to remember to push it 100% for 100% of a sprint race. I only beat 4th place by HALF of a second. That is why you sprint the last 25-50 meters of EVERY race. Had I let up on more inch, he would have taken the spot.

What can I say? I really surprised myself. I was even more shocked to grab my first hardware (or glassware in this case). I went into the race hope to shave 2-3 minutes off my time from 2 years ago. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought 5 minutes were possible. Much less in horrible weather. And to think I didn't give it 100% of the bike. Increasing my intensity on the bike is one of my goals for the remainder of the year (stop grinning Arnett).

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
Avg Time	8:22	3:09	0:47:14	1:40	26:47	1:27:12
Best Time	4:36	1:21	0:32:25	0:39	14:50	0:53:51
My Time	6:41	1:55	0:37:01	0:59	22:14	1:08:47
Rank	59	26	21	36	53	28

T-pace pt 3

It is that time again. This week's agenda is full of threshold testing. I haven't partaken in this activity since about March which means it is going to hurt even more.

1/15 TT 1000y 18.01 1.48 pace
2/24 TT 1000y 16.44 1.40 pace
6/17 TT 1000y 16.07 1.37 pace

Almost 40s shaved off my time. Sweet. Even better given that I haven't been consistently swimming the past few weeks. Even more so, that is 10s/100 off my time in the past 5 months. That translates to about 7 minutes for a 2.4 mile swim. I am still convinced that I can get this under 1.30. It looks like I have a break in my schedule for the next 4 weeks so I think this might be the time to finally show up at masters class and see what it is all about.

Updates

Sorry for the break in blogging. The cause is twofold. Taking off about 10 days meant I was a bit backlogged at work. Despite the fact that my mother and friends never think I work, the past 2 weeks were one of those periods where I had to earn my pay (it happens). Second, I am still in the recovery phase from Triple T. Though I didn't know it at the time (or afterwards), the race did quite a number on my body. My chiropractor and massage therapist were NOT happy with me. I wasn't happy either as I am teetering on the edge of a few injuries. So training has been mediocre at best. I think I am finally turning the curve.

Other updates:

--I bought my ticket to Belgium. Shit that cost as much as a new bike. How is it that I manage to find the MOST expensive things to get involved in? I did splurge a little and found a flight into Belgium and out of Amsterdam. Plus they are both nonstop. :)

--I hired a coach; Dan Arnett of Endurance Concepts. Dan has become a good friend of mine and hopefully will take my training to the next level. If you thought I was training before watch me over the next few months.

I didn't see anyway around it. And I am already glad I made this decision. In my stubbornness, I would have already been out training instead of recovering. So I am putting my faith in him. Scary...I know.

--Buster Britton Sprint is this weekend. This looks to be my only sprint race of the season. How sad. This was my second triathlon two years ago. It was also one of my best. I went 1:13 then. I only hope to beat that now. No expectations this weekend (yet). I just plan on listening to my body and hope that it can push the limits for 75 minutes.

--The summer heat SUCKS. There is nothing I can do about it but eat more ice cream at night???

--Worlds is less than 60 days. Oh Shit. Dan can I still run 12 miles? Not sure I remember how.

--I need to get back on a diet. Well kinda. My weight seems stuck at 161. I told you cycling would make me fat. I will start tracking it once again.

--Looks like I will be doing South Carolina Half again in late September.

--I WILL, I WILL, I WILL go to masters class!

Triple T Race #4

Sunday finally arrived but not without Saturday night going off without problems. We again arrived back at the hotel a bit later than expected. We didn't even haul in the gear...I didn't want to deal with it. I stretched out, showered and attempted to wash my nasty uniform.

I was feeling pretty good that morning. I was definitely tight but I was energetic and ready to take on the days events. We were a bit lethargic leaving the hotel and getting to the race site. Once at the site, I took care of all those things that we failed to do the night before.

The whole weekend was unsupported. This means there were no bottle exchanges on the bike course. To assist the athletes, they placed a couple of tables out at the bike turnaround where everyone placed their bottles. Imagine 300 athletes placing 2-3 bottles on a table. How in the world were you expected to find your particular bottle. Thinking ahead, I left mine with Jess and told her I would meet her on the road.

It was yet another cold morning and it didn't help that my uniform didn't dry out from the night before. It was quite the icky feeling putting on damp shorts and shirt in really cold weather. This actually lowered my body temperature even more. I think my teeth were chatter like I have never seen before. As a result, I skipped the bike and swim warmup (big mistake).

Swim:
By the fourth race, the excitement and energy is gone. We all made the death march to the beach. The swim start was so uneventful. I started the swim by slowly walking into the water and talking to the other athletes. Rather than diving into the swim, I just kinda fell over laughing. Time to swim.

First lap was really good. I found tons of people to draft off of and used that to my every advantage. I was feeling really good until the second lap. At this point all the swimming began to catch up with me. I was tired. I worked through the fatigue but people were passing me left and right. I honestly felt like the only person in the water. When I got out, I actually looked back to make sure there were others in the water.

T1:
Again, I took my time. I was planning on riding with socks but decided at the last minute to ditch them. I was in no hurry so I gathered my stuff and got moving.

Bike:
This is where the race began to come unravelled. I started out of transition and onto the main road. I could tell something wasn't right. I struggled to get up to speed and debated pulling over. I finally convinced myself to pull over and check the bike. Front wheel was flat. FUCK! I was only about 1/4 mile into the race and was already flat. I quickly assessed the situation and determined that I could turn around and race back to Jess' car quicker than I could change my wheel. I dumped the bike and dove into her backseat for my second wheelset. At this juncture she was walking toward me a bit so I yelled at the top of my lungs. She heard the call and came running. I grabbed my extra front wheel and threw it on the bike and pumped it up. She topped me off and got me on my way.

In retrospect, I think it was totally my fault. I began to pump my tires this morning and got distracted. I came back to the front wheel being flat. I think I pumped it up again. I don't see why I wouldn't have pumped it. But I guess the air didn't take or the valve was leaky. I checked the tire in Kentucky and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I put air in it and still didn't find a leak. Not sure what happened.

This malfunction threw me. Mentally I was off my game. I easily lost 8-10 minutes time. To make matters worse, I was riding a front clincher and rear tubular. I had a spare tubular on me but not a spare tube. This was a chief concern of mile for the first 5 miles....not to mention trying to play catch up.

We hit the first climb in about 20 minutes. And a climb it was. Gawdzilla it is called. I called it the mini-gaps. It winded back and forth through the mountains for a few miles. As we began the steepest part of the climb, I dropped my chain. FUCK! So I got off and put it back on. Back to climbing. I did my best to catch up with the pack from before. It was really sad when you hit the flats because there you felt exactly how tired you were. I was mashing the pedals and going no where.

At the base of the second hill, I dropped my chain again. FUCK! That's twice. I was nervous about this all weekend and watched the shift every single time. Ok...just need to stay composed. I made it to the final hill and that was the real gut checked. I forced myself up it but I knew the second lap was going to be brutal.

When I hit turnaround, my plan worked flawlessly. I stopped by and talked to Jess. We exchanged bottles and she topped off my aero. I was good to go.

The second lap was brutal. Gawdzilla broke me. I had nothing at this point. My chain dropped at the same exact spot. I was close to the top and I honestly debated pulling off and just sitting down. I was physically spent. I pulled deep from inside and powered myself to the top. Every stroke hurt.

The flats were even more depressing. I will giving it my all and I doubt I was pushing 17 mph. I watched my overall pace continue to decline. The second climb hurt just the same. And just the same, my chain popped off. That's four times. I let out a whole string of words that caused the rides to just look back. I was done. When I reached the summit, I could see the path below. I began to wonder if it was just easier to ride off the cliff. Sure it would hurt but it might save time. Yep, I was delirious. With 10 miles to go I just get counting down the minutes.

The final climb wrecked me emotionally. I wanted to quit. I have never wanted to give up in a race. I was done. Completely spent. The only thought was that when I got off the bike that I was going to sit down in T2 and just cry. It sounded a lot easier.

T2:
This was the longest transition in the history of man. I stepped off the bike and just put my head down. I slowly walked toward transition and let plenty of people pass me. I don't even recall going through transition. I was completely lost. I came walking out of T2 talking to Jess. I don't recall what was said and she said I was just spitting out garbage. I was reduced to the idea of walking the entire 13.1 miles.

Run:
Well I began to run, stopped, walked, run, stop walk (repeat). I didn't make it half a mile before I had to walk. It was that bad. I kept trying. My first mile time wasn't horrendous. I stopped at the portapotty for a brief moment. Run, walk, repeat. It hurt and it hurt bad. My plan today was to walk when I needed and to walk ALL the hills. This meant the first few miles SUCKED. I did what I could when I could. I hit all the aid stations and put back as many calories as I could.

When I hit the peak, I let the momentum take me down the hill. Ahhhhh.....the feel of running. I suddenly felt better. I walked back to the top on the steeper parts and welcomed the downhill. It is amazing how much better I began to feel running. My spirits were quickly lifted. I still stopped a number of times but my walk breaks were much shorter.

All weekend I thought the death of me would be starting out on the second lap. I was actually feeling better at this point. And I was running a bit more consistently. My goal became to negative split the run. At this point I was running a bit of the hills or at least to a certain point. I was still taking in as much hydration as I could. The downhills couldn't come soon enough. I was pumped and the adrenaline was flowing. I was able to step it up and actually began to find a solid stride. I was going to survive this dame race.

Post race:
I felt ok when I crossed the finish line. Of course, I was really disappointed by my performance but overall I was pleased with the weekend. I jumped in line for some food then cooled off in the creek. Rick, Brian and I chilled for about an hour before we finally departed.

		Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
Average Time		0:35:45	4:03:57	3:39:07	2:26:52	2:13:46	6:30:21
Best Time		0:22:14	0:50:00	2:44:48	0:48:00	1:26:22	4:42:35
My Time		0:36:36	2:18	3:43:37	2:36	2:20:51	6:45:57
Rank		154	55	182	174	179	168

Triple T Race #3

Time for the third installment of the Triple T. I had spent the previous 3-4 hours just chilling at the park. In retrospect I should have stayed out of the sun a bit (can anyone say Marc Street, lol). But the shade was cold and I swear the sun was chasing me every time I moved my chair. I did my best to stay hydrated between the races and eat just enough to fuel the system. I think we had some fun with me running around looking like a hick.

About a 90 minutes before the race, I started moving. There wasn't any need to set up transition because it looked like how I left it. I did swap out shoes and socks. The key to this race was mentally trying to prepare for a bike-swim-run triathlon. Generally I was feeling pretty good. I felt the fatigue in the legs and took a few minutes to spin them out prior to the start.

Bike:
Time trial again made things a bit interesting. I quickly caught the first 4-5 people when we got out of the park. This was also a team race. If you raced as a team, then you could draft off each other. This proved to be a HUGE advantage. As we made our way out of the park we hit a climb at about mile 5. We had descending this hill in the morning so we knew what to expect. It was a sturdy climb and you felt the tenderness in your quads. I was overly cautious on the downhills as I didn't feel comfortable on the tri bike zooming through switchbacks. I really need to work on this but after crashing at 30 mph...you are a bit more cautious.

The next climb was another good one. Short and steep then long and gradual. At the top you had another screaming descent. I so wanted my road bike. I would have easily thrown down 50+ mph. Instead I relished to the fact that upper 30s was my limit. And it really sucks to be passed on a downhill. At the base of the hill was a nice flat section for a few miles to the turnaround. It was here that you saw the benefits of teams. They just zoomed by. I caught a wheel for a little while and though I felt a slight benefit, I still felt like I was overworking to stay tucked in to the draft zone.

Then we hit THE climb. OMFG. That just hurt. It was long and steep. I kept pushing it, wondering if I was going to roll backwards. I knew this was going to hurt in the morning. I have long thought of myself as a climb. I am a masher at the core. I like the pain and I like to inflict the pain on others. Usually this works. Not in this race. There weren't many athletes stupid enough to go with me on the climb. I was more than relieved to reach the summit and back off for a few moment. I threw back as much hydration and nutrition as I could and enjoyed the coast down.

When I hit the final hill for the second time that day, I realized exactly how tired I was. The second part hurt...a lot. I did my best to get to the top and enjoy the final few miles. This race didn't have a dismount line so we were able to ride to the transition start. Feet out and I was off and running.

T1:
I would have loved to watch 300 tired athletes try to put on wetsuits quickly. And I wonder how many people forgot their goggles. I got to my rack and had plenty of space to suit up. I actually feel like I got it on relatively quickly. I met Jess on the beach and she zipped me up.

Swim:
Ker-plash. I hit the water and it felt good given that my body was quite warm. I was very concerned for this swim as I have ready too many stories about athletes cramping during the swim. Apparently this was common as Jess indicated a number of people were pulled from the water. I had a very numbing odd sensation. I did my best to rely on my upper body to pull myself though the water.

Due to the bike being first, there wasn't a major draft. I did manage to find feet a number of times and did what I could. It was also beneficial to have the morning's swim on the mind because I was able to think through what worked as it pertained to drafting. Of course, it didn't help to have the morning's fatigue in the arm or the feeling of a some sunburn.

The first lap was ok. The second lap was a bit tougher. But I felt like I was making good time. I was actually a bit surprised that this swim wasn't a bit better. But I am more than happy with it. I took my time getting out of the water. I needed to re-engage the legs and I wanted to take my time to do that.

T2:
Out of the wetsuit. Helmet. Check. Cleats. Check. Shit. Already did that. I did pause before putting on my running shoes. I also had elected to swim without a top so I tried to put the dry shirt on my wet body. Not easy. Grabbed my gels and I was off to run....again

Run:
It really isn't easy to prepare to run 6.5 miles at 9:30 am and 5 pm. I didn't do too much of that in training. In fact, I didn't do any. Oh well. My plan was to just go with the flow. Run what I could. Walk if I needed. In fact,

I walked the steepest parts of the hills. I wanted to save the legs. This seemed to work. Numb was the only way to describe the feeling. I knew I was climbing but it didn't seem like the same course as the mornings.

I also began taking in as much fluid as I could. I could tell my nutrition was off because I was hungry. I switched to Heed at some point and I HATE Heed. The downhills were a nice welcome. It is funny how the downhills picked up my spirits all weekend. It was just nice to feel fast for a few moments. I hit turnaround and knew I had to make the best of the final 2.5 miles. I had a horrible side stitch which kept dropping and irriating the heck out of me. I actually had to stop in the final mile to keep myself under control.

		Bike	T1	Swim	T2	Run	Total
Average Time		1:22:45	3:30:11	0:32:34	2:42:48	0:58:06	2:54:31
Best Time		1:02:53	0:31:00	0:17:15	0:50:00	0:38:49	2:08:35
My Time		1:22:27	2:45	0:27:28	2:39	1:02:36	2:57:54
Rank		147	98	144	144	201	165

Triple T Race #2

This race report began where the last one ended. As mentioned in a previous post, Portsmouth is far from a tourist destination. Our hotel was a solid 20 minutes from the race site and Walmart or anything was another 15 from the hotel. We didn't leave the race venue until 6-6:30 the night before and quickly lost track of time. By the time we checked into the hotel, hauled the gear to the room and made it out of walmart it was nearly 9 pm. We grabbed nasty pizza/pasta and retired to the room. I wanted lights out by 10. Or at least lights out and the Karate Kid on tv.

The alarm went off at 4:30 and I was my normal spring chicken as I somersaulted out of bed. My breakfast was an ensure, PB bagel and a banana. I packed up the gear for a long day of racing and we loaded up the car...again. It was rather chilly out Saturday morning. Correction--it was butt ass cold. The bank marquee said 51 degrees. At the race venue, the car said 42 degress. Guess who didn't bring any cold gear? Arm warmers? Nope. Tights? Ha.

It was an eiree feeling rolling up to the race sight. We arrive shortly after 6 am for a 7:30 race. We were like the 5th person there. No one in site. I don't think the race director was there. We just laughed at how laid back everything was. And it makes sense. If you are doing the Triple T, you are an experienced racer. There is no need to obsess and stress about the little stuff. Well, that was at least my motto so I stayed in the warm car for another 30 minutes.

As the sun began to peak out from behind the mountains, people started arriving. The sounds of 300 people's chattering teeth could be heard in the distance. Race prep was much of the same. I set up transition per my normal routine, did some warm ups and tried to stay loose. I felt relatively good and was eager to get the day started.

Swim:
Another time trial swim. This time two laps for 1500m. The sad part is that the water felt good compared to the cold air. There was actually 'steam' coming off the water. I hit the water a few minutes after the elites and quickly found a solid stroke. I initially found myself gasping for air but easily settled into my breathing cycling. I found a great pair of feet and pushed the swim to the first buoy. As expected it became congested around the buoys which worked to breakup the draft pack. As I rounded the last buoy the leaders swam right over me. For a moment (very brief), I jumped in their draft line. It was only 2-3 strokes, but I hung with Gordo, Craig Evans and Bruce Gennari. It was brief and very short lived. I started the second lap finding yet another good swimmer to draft off of. One of my key goals for the weekend was to focus on the swim. I hung with my fish as long as I could or until I passed him. This strategy seemed to work. I exited the water feeling pretty good about the swim.

T1:
Another transition. I was having fun hear and even stopped for a pose. Wetsuit off. Helmet on. Shoes on. Run with bike. Go.

Bike:
This was the first of two races for the day so I wanted to keep a moderately aggressive pace. The course had a nice climb stuck in the middle of it and took you down to your easiest gear and out of the saddle. You could feel the pounding. I knew this was going to hurt. I tried to find that fine line between pushing it and saving my energy. The hill also had a screaming descent. Not fun on a tri bike with carbon wheels (I hated this all weekend).

It flattened out for bit until it climbed back to the park. The final climb was a bitch all weekend. You climbed the same hill a total of 4 times. I could feel some fatigue setting in on the legs and began to worry a bit. However, I also found it nearly impossible to hold back. Given my gearing, it was really difficult to not pound the hills to get them over with. I made it back to transition feeling good and managed to get my feet out of my shoes in plenty of time.

T2:
Nothing exciting. Found my rack easily due to the fact that I was one of the first in my area to return. Grabbed my shoes and set out on the run.

Run:
For the past few weeks my HRM has been acting screwy and this race finally killed it. So I threw out the idea of running my HR zones and switched to RPE and pacing. My race plan included running at about 8:30 pace. Sounded good a week ago. Of course, this was also the first view of the course. This race would serve as a primer for the afternoon and the two loops on Sunday.

Within the first mile, I linked up with another runner who liked my pace. We chatted a bit and I told him that he is free to hang if he wants to run 8:30-8:40s. Sounded like a plan. I altered my race strategy to run at a conversational pace. If I couldn't carry a conversation, I was running too fast. It seemed to work.

The first mile is relatively flat but the following two miles were uphill. And they had some pretty significant climbs. The terrain was an old gravel road. On the inclines, you had to deal with washouts so it became a bit like trail running. At the summit of the hill you came tumbling down to the run turnaround before you began climbing again. The backside of the course was great. The downhills and flats for the final 2.5 miles came in handy. I held the pace for the most part and made up a bit of time on the downhills continuing to run with my friend.

It was really odd to get passed in the last mile and not really care. I wasn't about to get into a shoot out with a guy over a few seconds. I will save that for another race.

Post race:
I instantly took off my shoes because I felt the blister forming. I stood in line and got food despite my intentions to bypass the buffet. But free food was really tough to pass up. I downed a bottle of endurox to help. We then found some shade and sat down. I had about 4 hours to kill in between races so we planned on just hanging out at the venue. I set up my foam roller and lounge chair, put on my overalls and stretched out for a while (occasionally dancing a jig for the locals).

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
Average Time	0:24:08	0:02:44	1:25:34	0:01:21	0:53:29	2:47:07
Best Time	0:15:16	0:00:41	1:06:22	0:00:37	0:38:04	2:05:08
My Time	0:24:44	1:59	1:22:32	1:06	0:53:52	2:44:14
Rank	158	112	111	96	166	135

Triple T Race #1

This ended up being a much longer day than it needed to be. We left Nashville around 8-8:30 that morning en route to BFE Ohio. But first, I received the scenic tour of Kentucky bluegrass. Well that was about all there was to look at because there was NOTHING out there until we hit Lexington. A few wrong turns later, we entered Ohio. It was even more depressing. I think reality began to set in around 2 pm because Jess suddenly found me quiet.

We finally rolled into the race site around 3 pm and began to look at the weekend ahead. I got registered and found my rack. The vibe was definitely different than most races. I didn't detect the nervous tension in the air and people were just chillin. So I was set. #145 for the weekend. We actually parked next to Martin Cole #144 so we instantly became friends.

The weather was overcast upon arrival, temperatures were a modest 70 degrees. About an hour before the start, I started moving around only to find that my glutes had a deep cramp from sitting in the car all day. I tried to work it out but nothing seemed to work. Fortunately the race was going to be short. To make matters worse, it began to rain about 15 minutes before the race start.

I had to make 2 key decisions before the race. 1) Should I wear a wetsuit. The water was COLD. The race director announced 56 degrees. But I knew it was only a 250m swim that would take me less than 5 minutes. Thats hard to justify wearing a wetsuit. Regardless, I wore it. 2) Should I wear socks on the run? Was one mile going to bother my feet? Tough to say but I erred on the side of caution. So I grabbed my wetsuit, popped a gel and made my way to the swim start.

All the race starts were time trial. You lined up according to your race number and participants started every three seconds.

Swim:
250m. Not much to say here. The water wasn't deep so the first 10-20m were spent trying wade to deeper water. Only I plunge my face in the water I was off. The only problem was that my right goggle never sealed so I had that constant irritation. Due to the short swim and a time trial start, the whole swim was one big draft. I instantly passed about 10 people. My goal was to swim nearly as hard as I could. I could go all out for a few minutes. The final 10m were spent wading too. As you exited the water you had about a 100 foot run into transition.

T1:
I got out of the wetsuit relatively quickly. I found my gear and got moving. I didn't rush it but kept things moving.

Bike:
Ugh. 5 mile gut buster. The first turn took you downhill to a quick turnaround before heading back past transition. Due to the wet roads and crowded nature, I wasn't going to push it on the bike. The climb started at mile 2. It was enough to get you out of your saddle. You hit a cul de sac at the top of the hill and came back down. The downhill was enough to make you feel a bit squirrelly with the conditions. I kindly let people pass me. I managed to get my feet out of the shoes and had a good run with my bike back into the transition.

T2:
I took an extra moment to put on my socks and get myself situated.

Run:
My goal was to not kill it. Half a mile out on a grassy field and dirt road and back. I kept a comfortable pace and was amazed at how strong some of the runners were. Maybe I should have picked it up a bit but I couldn't rationalize saving 20s over the course of the weekend.

Post race: I grabbed a bottle of water and just chilled. I wasn't winded but felt like I did a solid 30 minutes worth of intensity training. First one in the books!!









Freaking Gordo!!!!

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
Average Time	0:05:59	1:25:08	0:13:17	0:49:24	0:07:11	0:28:38
Best Time	0:04:13	0:00:29	0:10:01	0:00:21	0:05:25	0:20:56
My Time	0:05:46	1:05	0:13:22	0:53	0:07:30	0:28:36
Rank	131	94	160	190	204	149

May Training Results

May monthly totals look good. I was tapering for half the month which makes it a bit more impressive. Additionally, I took my running WAY down in fear of a few injuries. Overall I am pleased. It puts me ahead of schedule for the year.

May's totals:
Bike:	24h 23m 18s - 440.05 Mi
Run:	9h 50m 29s - 67.21 Mi
Swim:	5h 26m 28s - 17466.24 Yd
Yoga:	20m

2008 totals
Bike:	87h 02m 10s - 1512.95 Mi
Run:	60h 12m 04s - 421.01 Mi
Swim:	36h 02m 45s - 104566.3 Yd
Strength:	7h 10m
Yoga:	6h 25m