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.

I hear the Sirens singing....tie me to the mast

Goodness...I am really having a love/hate relationship with triathlon as evidence by my last few posts. What disturbs me is that I know what I need to do to get better at the sport but it requires tons of hard work. On the other hand, I don't mind putting in the work as long as it is fun. Enter Ironman.

I have blogged about it before. The pull of 140.6 miles is tremendous and overwhelming. I have fallen victim to it before. I understand its calling and why it steamrolls masses of people each year.

Well Ironman season is upon us and guess who feels left out of the party. ME. This past week kicked off the season which IM CDA. It still amazes me that it was only 2 short years ago that I was out there peeing in my wetsuit at the fear of the race. Or maybe I was peeing to stay warm. Or maybe you just pee in wetsuits because it is fun to stand next to your friend Steve and pee on his foot without him knowing. But I digress.

Competing in an Ironman is fun. The distance and reward is tremendous. So I am sitting here trying to be a patient little triathlete who is struggling with motivation and goal setting issues. I know it sounds contradictory. But you can't half ass train for an Ironman. It lingers over your head. I sometimes wonder if I should sign up for one (cough Battleship to Battleship) and that would put be back on the right track. Give me a steady 5 hour ride and I get excited. I groan at the thought of 3 hours at certain thresholds.

As the season progresses and I follow friends and foes through their journey the calling will only amplify more and more. I will likely journey up to Louisville for a race and the desire to race will be there. The line to register the next will be even more tempting.

Even more so, I am itching to do another race overseas. Hearing the stories from friends returning from Brazil, Japan, etc only feed that desire even more. I wonder how I would feel to moderate train for an overseas IM and compete in anticipation of enjoying a vacation after the race.

So Ironman season is here. I hear the song it is singing. People need to sign up for shifts to babysit me and ensure I don't do something dumb.

Changing the Approach

Things still aren't looking up for me right now. I went to the pool last night and walked out of the gym after only completing 3 of my 7 reps. My times were dropping and I felt like I was working way too hard to be going that slow in the water.

This morning, I did manage to run 6 miles prior to work. I kept the pace right around 9:00 miles and solidly in zone 1. It helped that it was a nice, cooler (relatively) morning. I didn't feel too taxed. My body was tired but the slower, steady rate came a bit easier than I thought it would.

Coach Dan and I are mixing things up this week. I am to not look at my power numbers on the bike. Instead, I am supposed to just go ride a couple of times. My effort should be solid but not hammering and not sandbagging. There are no interval sets this week. There are no long runs this week. Right now, there are no long rides. I might even go for a spin on my road bike this weekend.

The body still feels really beat. It doesn't help that I have been sick the last few days. I came home from work early on Monday. I can only assume it is some form of heat exhaustion from the weekend. I feel like I have hydrated well. But I am suffering from a piercing headache, suppressed appetite and a chronic feeling of being run down. I took some sinus medicine last night and that alleviated some of the problem but it returned this morning. I can't recall a time in my life when a headache lingered this long.

I am, however, still racing this weekend. Indian Springs Sprint. I don't have too many expectations for the race other than just having fun down there. It is always fun to catch up with people that you only get to see at races.

On Saturday, I will do what the body will allow....which hasn't felt like much lately. I am often pondering the notion that I asked so much of my body last year between Duathlon Worlds and Ironman Florida that it is taxed to the max. Sure I took some down time to recharge but not really. And probably not enough to overcome a really long season AND an injury. And then I stacked the early season.

I am working hard this season to listen to my body. And I think it is talking. Part of me says shut it down for the rest of the year. The other half just says back off from the HIM distance and focus on Olympics and Sprints. I am going to give myself until next week to make a few decisions about what I want to do with the rest of my season.

Pity Party, All are Invited

Someone asked me the other day why I haven't been discussing my training much in my blog. The answer is two-fold. First, it slips my mind. When you do the same thing week in and week out, it becomes difficult to blog about it in an exciting way. Secondly, I am in a training funk.

Right now, training is not going very well. I am uncertain as to the root of the problem. Some of the issue is the heat we are experiencing. Some of it is likely fatigue on the body. Some of it may be mental. I just don't think I have trained well since New Orleans. As I make another final build toward my next big race, things don't appear to be falling in place for me.

My running is not coming along like I feel it should. Instead of seeing gradual improvement over the past few months, I feel like I have barely held my fitness. My long runs in fact are a bit slower. After running 385 miles this season, I would like to see the results show up more often in training versus hoping they are there on race day.

The more glaring problem is how much I am struggling on the bike. My long rides are falling apart. Too often, I am not able to hold my prescribed wattage. I can't explain how demoralizing it is to plan for a moderate intensity 3 hour ride and have it fall apart without too much explanation.

Yesterday was yet another disaster. My ride called for 3h 25m with 3h at 70-75% of FTP and then the last 15m at 75-80%. In theory, this should be an easy ride for me at this point. What unfolded was sheer carnage...

Time	Speed	% FTP	HR
30	19.7	70.5	145
30	19.6	72.5	150
30	19.4	68.4	150
30	19	67.6	150
30	18.4	61.5	149
30	16.8	54.3	147
20	17.7	44.5	146

I finished my first 31 miles feeling pretty good. I knew my watts had dropped but as I restocked with cold nutrition, I was ready to go out and work the next 31 miles with more intensity. As demonstrated in the chart above, that didn't happen. I was completely flat on the second lap. I tried hard to pull it together and only became more and more frustrated. At 2:45, I just gave up. I saw my speed and watts sinking faster than the Titanic.

This is quickly becoming a frequent occurrence. At this point, I can only speculate the cause. I am under the impression that post NOLA, I was overtrained as an attempt to peak again for Gulf Coast. I can't help but to wonder if it is now coming back around to bite me in the arse.

Dan and I are sitting down again this week to discuss. As it currently stands, we have completely different opinions on the source of the problem. All I know is that I don't want to go down this destructive path any longer. Right now, I am leaning toward shutting it down for summer and just racing sprints. I just don't think I can optimally perform at the longer distance...so why push it.

Training and Racing in the Heat

It has happened to nearly all of us. We have a good swim, an above average bike and then we melt away on the run. We know we are trained for the race but the heat destroys us mentally and physically. The same thing happens on our long workouts...either we see performance declines or we are wiped out for the rest of the day.

Hopefully by now, you understand the importance of understanding your fluid loss and how a decrease in body weight can be detrimental. In addition to fluid loss, it is important to take proper steps to reduce your core temperature. The body loses heat from areas where there is more blood flow--hands, feet and head. Thus, you must learn to combat the heat lose through a series of heat reducing techniques.

• Heat Acclimatization--It takes time to get used to the heat. If you have an upcoming in warm conditions, then you should spend some time outdoors during the warmer part of the day. For most Ironman athletes, the run starts around 1:00-3:00. It is strongly encouraged that you try running during this time of day so that you can simulate race conditions.
  

• Get Outdoors--It shocks me how many athletes spend a majority of their time indoors. I have no doubt that running on the treadmill with your air conditioning set at 72 is a pleasurable experience. But on race day, you will not adjust. Your core temperature and heart rate will increase. You might actually melt.
  

• Proper Running Attire--This also amazes me when I run around my neighborhood. I am not shy person, so I will run shirtless and always in running shorts. Ditch the cotton t-shirts in favor of some wicking material or something mesh-like. You clothes need to be breathable. There is a reason running singlets are so unattractive. I am also a big fan of a hat or visor. It keeps the sun out of your face.

• Proper Hydration--Understanding fluid loss is just the beginning. Your body needs more than just water to stay properly hydrated. This is why sports drinks are served during races. Sports drinks contain glucose and sodium which increase the water absorption rate in the body. They also contain a number of vitamins and calories which aide in performance. In the summer, I carry a water bottle with me for any run longer than 30 minutes.
  

• Electrolyte Replacement--Similar to above, replacing electrolytes aides in speeding up water absorption. Potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and chloride all can be packaged in a number of ways. While sports drinks provide a basic level of electrolyte replacement, many athletes use supplements. Personally, I am a fan of Hammer E-caps on the run and Nuun in a dissolved form.
  

• Recover and Rehydrate--It sounds like common sense but I imagine most of us shirk this responsibility. To recovery, you need to restore your body to its previous form. This means fluid, electrolytes, etc. A good recovery drink is always beneficial. I prefer chocolate mike or Endurox. But recovery goes beyond just that 30-60 minute window. It is keeping up the rest of the day. I am a huge fan of using Nuun as a recovery drink several hours later. I have learned that when I am still feeling wiped out, it is likely an electrolyte imbalance. I will drop a Nuun tablet in a bottle of water and enjoy.
  

These are just a few basic tips to apply in your daily training. As you become accustomed to training in the heat, you need to start thinking about how you can better race in it too. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

• Cups of water--Use the aid stations to your advantage. I will douse myself in water whenever possible. The cooler I can keep my head, the better I feel.
  

• Sponges--I love these things. I prefer to place two in my tri top near my shoulders or pecs and one on the back of my neck. When I dump water on my head, the sponges catch some of the excess fluid and keep me cooler for the next mile.

• Holding ice--Races with ice at aid stations get the best reviews from me. At Gulf Coast, I experimented with this idea and it worked. I asked for a cup of ice and during the mile, I would pour some of it into my hand and clench it. What it did for me was forced my brain to acknowledge the cold sensation in my hand rather than the pain in my legs. Also, it helped keep me cool. When the ice melted, I would rub that hand across my face to provide it some cool relief.

• Cold towels--Similar to sponges, I strategically place them on my body--namely the back of my neck or I wipe my face with them.
  

As summer approaches, it becomes even more critical for us to rethinking our nutrition and hydration plan. As stated before, the plan begins before the workout. If executed properly, the body will recovery more effectively and efficiently thus allowing you to reach even higher performance gains.

Here is a picture of my Nike Dri-fit sleeveless running shirt 10 minutes after a 90 minute run.

Fluid Loss, part 2

As highlighted the other day, monitoring fluid loss is a critical part of training, especially in the warmer months. The reality is that as athletes we often shirk our responsibly to develop a comprehensive nutrition plan. Instead, we remain short-term focused and only think through the next workout. It is no wonder why we have a bad Sunday ride when we lost pounds of fluid the day before.

Thus it becomes even more important to regularly monitor your fluid loss so that you can adjust your nutrition plans. Most of us know what basic dehydration feels like. The concepts can probably be extrapolated into a basic understanding that dehydration affects overall performance. Take for instance the following study:

• A group of cyclists rode in hot conditions for 2 hours then undertook a simulated cycling hill-climb to exhaustion on an inclined treadmill. On one occasion they were well hydrated, and the other time allowed to lose 2.5% of their body mass prior to the hill climb. Despite having a lighter body weight (by nearly 2 kg), the dehydration made them stop riding 29% earlier and reduced their power output for a given speed. (Ebert)
  

Think about your last long ride and imagine you stopped 29% earlier. Was it a good workout? Probably not. The key here is that dehydration begins to significantly impact performance at a mere 2.5% change in body weight. Think about that for another minute.

In my last post, I conducted a basic fluid loss test. In just a 67 minute run, I managed to shed 3 pounds of body weight...or 1.8%. Another half a pound and I begin approaching the level of the cyclists referenced above. Now consider the following chart demonstrating the severity of fluid loss on a 150 pound athlete:

Weight Loss (150 lb athlete)	% body weight	Physiological Effect
3 lbs	2%	Impaired performance
6 lbs	4%	Capacity for muscular work declines
7.5 lbs	5%	Heat exhaustion
10.5 lbs	7%	Hallucinations
15 lbs	10%	Circulatory collapse and heat stroke

Fluid loss is inevitable on a warm day but minimizing the loss helps you maintain performance. As you can see, performance begins to decline at just 2% of body weight. For me that is roughly 3.5 pounds. But just as important, is how the weight loss impacts recovery.

I contend that recovery should never be limited to post workout. Instead, recovery is every bit integral to pre workout and workout nutrition strategies. Understanding the impact of fluid loss highlights the importance of being properly hydrated going INTO the workout. Endurance athletes can ill afford to be under hydrated on a warm day. It is like playing with fire.




Footnotes:

Ebert TR, Martin DT, Bullock N, Mujika I, Quod MJ, Farthing LE, Burke LM, Withers RT. 2007. Influence of hydration status on thermoregulation and cycling hill climbing. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 39: 323-329.

"The Maintenance of Fluid Balance during Exercise", International Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 15(3), pp. 122-125, 1994--chart

Fluid Loss and Heat Training

Summer is here. For those of us in the South, we were met with 90 degree temperatures a number of times over the past week. Just as predictable as heat and humidity to Atlanta, it is the time of year where athletes begin feeling less energetic and more fatigued. The reality is the heat beats you down.

To understand why, you need to look no further than a basic science book. The body is made up of water. Sweat is 99% water, blood is 90% water, muscle mass is 75%. This easily demonstrates why we weigh ourselves and find our weight often +/- a few pounds. Most of it is water loss or retention.

This becomes crucial for athletes who train in warm and humid conditions. As heat and humidity rise, the body begins to sweat as a cooling mechanism. In order to sweat, there needs to be an ample supply of water. As the body loses fluids in the form of sweat it becomes even more critical to replace the fluids to keep the body hydrated. Most of this is common sense. But have you really ever thought, beyond basic dehydration, about how fluid loss impacts your training?

Over the past year of training, it has come to my attention that I am a VERY heavy sweater. This seems to stand in face of conventional wisdom given my general fitness level and lean build. However, I often walk back into the house with a heartrate strap that will produce a small river beneath. I think this problem has the potential to become a major detriment in training...both during the workout and in the recovery process. My goal is to devote time this summer to determining my fluid loss rate and developing a better hydration strategy.

Your nutrition that worked in April might need a slight modification to meet your needs on a hot day. However, most of us still stick to the one bottle per hour rule of the thumb when training. Instead, we need to think past this general concept and begin understanding how much fluid our body actually NEEDS during the workout.

Calculating your fluid loss or need is a simple process:

1. Weigh yourself prior to the workout
2. Workout, 60 minutes at a moderate intensity is most ideal
3. Weigh yourself after the workout
4. Subtract the difference between the weights
5. Repeat often


The difference in weight can then be converted to fluid loss if you assume that 1 pound of body weight equals 16 ounces of fluid. Thus, the key becomes determining the proper level of hydrating to prevent significant weight loss. For example, I conducted this test on a humid morning run:

1. Pre workout weight: 168.4
2. Workout: 67 minutes, 7.5 miles, moderate intensity
3. Post workout weight 165.4
4. Total weight loss: 3 pounds or 1.8% of body weight.

So in theory, I needed 48 ounces (3 x 16 oz) of fluid to maintain my weight. Over the course of the workout, I likely consumed about 14 ounces of water....so I really needed 62 ounces (48 + 14) to offset my weight loss. Of course, consuming 62 ounces over the hour is improbable. Generally, the body is only able to absorb about 34 ounces (1 liter) per hour but the deficit illustrates the importance of maintaining proper body hydration, both before and during training.

So as the training and the heat begins to increase, I encourage you to give more thought to your hydration plans. The old rule of one bottle per hour may work for you...it may not. And unless you determine your fluid loss need, then you might be putting your body in jeopardy and setting yourself up for performance failure. Therefore, the question becomes at what point does weight loss become detrimental to training and recovery?

In the next few days, I will go into more detail about the detriments of fluid weight loss and what you can do about it.

Mid Season Status Check

We are at the midway point in the tri-season and the end can't come soon enough. I can't recall who I was talking to at High Falls when I mentioned that I am very ready for this season to be done with. The ironic part was that High Falls was the person's first tri of the season. They were just getting started.

I thought I was take a look at the past six months and figure out what has been going well and where I feel like I need to make adjustments. Each year is different so it is hard to compare to year's past. In fact, the past two years were marred with BIG races by this point. Two years ago, I would be tapering for Ironman Coeur d'Alene. And last year, I had just finished Triple T on my way aboard the injury train.

Swim: B-. I don't know what my deal is here. I came back from Hawaii with some good speed but I have seemed to let it fade away. One of my problems is that I have a default comfort zone in the water so I spend too much time training there. All in all, I don't feel like I am swimming well or where I want to be right now. A lot of this is mental. One of the things I am working on is to cut down on my rest intervals. I have long cheated here...taking extra time to gather myself before launching into the next set. I need to cut those out so that I am force to work through some pain. I think this will be my last ditch effort at swimming before I decide that the only way I will break through the plateau is individual coaching or masters classes.

Bike: B+. I am pleased with the progress that I have experienced. Cutting back on the volume allows me to increase the intensity...and it shows. I am certainly riding better than I have in years past. This past weekend was the first race that I clearly broke through the 22 mph barrier. The downside is that I am seriously struggling with adapting to power. I love having the numbers and conducting real time analysis. However, I am often NOT keeping my watts during my workouts. I seem to be consistently 7-10 watts below where I should be.

Run: C. I am not running well at all this year. This is a major source of frustration for me. I felt really good about my run going into NOLA but since the race, I feel flat. Part of it is that I am probably scared to reinjure myself so I am apt to backoff. I am trying to work on understanding where that pain threshold is for me but it seems that I am not pushing it mentally enough to get there. Dan keeps telling me to be patient as we will wrap up the season with a run focus and my speed will be there. I guess we will see.

Training: A. I would say that I am training well. I am often unhappy with my workouts and not hitting my targets but I am getting them done. For reasons mentioned above, it is just a bit of an adjustment to focus on intensity. I miss those long rides where you could zone out and cruise at an aggressive pace. For the most part, I feel like I am making it through my workouts.

Racing: B-. Eh. The sprints have been good but I can't recall the last time where I had a bad sprint race. We will see what the next few weeks hold for me.

Recovery: B. I have lost sight of how to properly recover. In the past, I was the king of ice baths. The gas station guy knew I needed 3 bags of ice everytime I entered. Last night I took an ice bath woke up feeling much better. I have also stopped taking recovery drinks. I don't know why. It just seems to slip my mind. On the positive, I owe a lot of gratitude to my massage therapist. I am able to see her every 2-3 weeks now which helps a lot

Overall, I feel like I am having a subpar season. I set my sights really high going in and haven't quite lived up to my own expectations. I think there is still time to turn it around and that is where I need to focus all of my attention.

Sportsmanship & Triathlon

This past weekend, I experienced something that I am not certain I have really seen in my years of racing. Blatant cheating. Every race has some degree of cheating but most of it is innocent and typically subjective. But what I saw this weekend certainly appeared to be concerted and steadfast.

The sport is governed by USAT who develops the rules for competition. Most of the rules concern safety--wear helmets, no headphones, put your stuff where it belongs. Others are directed at preventing cheating--people helping you, illegal equipment. Occasionally, you will here about blatant cheating--someone cuts the course or in the case of IM Florida, a guy using fins on the swim. But the reality, the logistics of a race make it kinda difficult to cheat and not get caught. Unless, we are talking about drafting.

There is no subject that gets athletes riled up more in this sport. The USAT rules clearly state that you must keep 3 bike lengths (21 feet) and must pass within 15 seconds. Otherwise, you are drafting. The benefits are substantial to the second rider as they aren't required to expend as much energy to hold the same pace. This is why the peloton often catches the sprinters in Tours. The stay fresh and alternate hard pulls before sinking back into the pack.

In a sport that doesn't end with just the bike portion, it becomes even more benefcial to the second rider. I would love to ride at 40 less watts but still maintain my speed. That would be a nice recipe for a quality run. While illegal, it is sometimes difficult to prevent. I contend that there are four types of drafting:

1. Inadvertant drafting--Sometimes you just find yourself within the 3 bike lengths of a competitor that is your same pace. You have no intention of drafting but due to the effort, you are unable to pass within 15 seconds. Or if you do, he passes you right back. You get stuck in a situation where the only option is to drop back but you certainly don't want to do so.

2. Too much volume--In large races (Ironman), sometimes there is too much traffic on the road to prevent drafting. Ironman Florida was this way for about 5 miles. There was NO way to avoid it minus dropping off the very back of 100 riders. It sucked and I hated every minute of it. We were riding 5-6 wide and 15-20 deep. You couldn't even maneuver your bike out of it. The sad part was that while my heartrate was in zone 1, I thought the pace was slower than what I would be travelling.

3. Paceline--You see this occassionally in big races. It starts with one guy latching onto the wheel of another and as they make passes, others climb aboard. Typically it is 5-10 people. These are less common mainly because they are hard to form and they are easily identifiable. In fact, my favorite thing to do when I see one is to yell "REF." It seems to break them up.

4. Direct drafting--Athlete "A" passes athlete "B" so "B" decides to suck wheel and go with him for an extended time period.

On Saturday, I experience a combination of #3 & #4. Around mile 8-9 of the bike, Tony, Marc, Doug and I were passed by two people who were a bit too close to one another. It is quite unusual to be passed by two people at the same time without thinking it is cheating. And to make matters worse, they belonged to the same triathlon group/club....so they were likely training partners.

Over the next few miles, what I saw shocked me. They stayed 25-30 meters ahead of me and it almost appeard to be one unit. They were clearly working together. I saw Tony and Marc move closer in hopes to break it up but they couldn't even hang with these guys. The teammates were trading positions more often then I change underwear. One would pull, then switch. This went on for the remaining 5 miles. All I could do was keep pushing the pace because I couldn't catch them. I am sure if all the EC guys rode like that we would have blown them away.

So I entered transition pissed off. I asked the guys if they saw it the same way, all were in agreeance that it was blatant cheating. I offered $20 to any of the EC guys who tripped either of the guys on the run (jokingly). I ended up running down the guy at mile one. As I approached him, I debated what to say if anything. I chose to speak my mind and basically tell him that was bullshit cycling and he was an f'ing cheater. Needless to say he didn't take to kindly to that and had a few choice words back. Fortunately, he was somewhat reserved but I could tell I got under his skin. He came back up to me after the race trying to provoke me and I stood my ground. I had 3 others that saw the same thing. He just didn't want to admit that he was cheating.

So the question is what do you do about blatant cheating like that? I don't believe in complaining about the officials. While it IS their job, they can't be everywhere at once. It does no good to talk to them after the race because the official can't do anything about it. Do you just suck it up and let it go? Or do you confront the person? How should situations like this be handled in the future?

And don't worry, I got his name and tri club. I will certainly be watching for this in the next few races.

Tri the Parks: High Falls Sprint

Back on to the race scene. This was a big volume week for me that included a couple high intensity rides plus my long run occurring prior to the race. I was definitely feeling the training on the body but remained ready to redeem myself on the race course.

I left the house around 5:30 making the 50 minute drive south. I end up arriving with more time than needed. I picked up my race packet and found my way into transition. It was a late race start (8:00 am) which provided plenty of time to take the bike for a spin as well as jog. I hit the water about 20 minutes before the start and swam our for about 5 minutes. I was feeling loose.

Swim: 600 meters

My goal for the swim was to push as long as I can and draft as much as possible. I initially seeded myself in the front middle, about 3 deep. As the race director counted down from 10, I began looking for seems and made a move to a better position. I instantly took off and found good feet. I didn't site all the way until the first turn buoy. The guy in the front of me had a solid half stroke on me but I stuck to his feet and didn't move.

I got a little turned around coming around both turn buoys and went a bit wide on the course. I quickly found a new fish and attacked. It was also clear that everyone's pace was slowing a bit. I found a good set of feet and spent the next 2-3 minutes irritating him. With every stroke of my left hand and made sure to hit is feet. And just as expected, he fluttered and tried to speed up. Keep expending the energy while I glide. I made one last adjustment and made my way to swim exit.

Swim time: 11:50


I was a bit dazzed in transition. I found Tony and Marc. I am not quite sure what took me so long. I must have started to think. I remember getting to my bike and being confused. This resulted in a slow transition for me

T1 time: 1:03

Bike: 13.7 miles

I did the course two years ago and I remember it being a bit challenging while a number of rollers. My strategy was to push the first few miles, establish a steady pace and then pick it up for the last few. Marc, Tony and I played leapfrog for the first few miles. I was using them to push me a bit harder. I finally settled into a solid pace and began pushing a bit more.

The course was as I remembered. It was a lot of uphills and a few very steep downhills. The last 1.5 miles were down hill. My watts started to suffer around mile 9. I was still able to hold a reasonable pace. Doug caught me in the last couple of miles and gave me someone new to use as a carrot.

Bike time: 36:42 (22.4 mph)


I was pissed off entering transition due to a pair of major cheaters that caught us in the last few miles (blog forthcoming). Tony, Doug, Marc and I all came in at the same time.

T2: 47s

Run: 3.1 miles

The plan was to hold on as long as I could. I went out hard and felt like I wasn't holding much back. I new I was moving and kept telling myself that I only needed 20 minutes out of the my legs. I caught one of the cheaters and had a few choice words for him. He mouthed back and I honestly thought we were going to throw down in the middle of the 5k. I just cleared my mind and took pride in the fact that I was passing him with ease.

The course was a rolling out and back. As the leaders came back, no one looked good....everyone was hurting. I was there too. I finally got caught around the turnaround and I tried to go with him but there wasn't much left in the tank. The part that pissed me off most was getting caught in the last half mile. I tried again to push and I couldn't. I was barely keeping it together.

Run: 22:59 (7:25)

Overall time: 1:13.23

I am pleased with the race. I felt like I pushed and gave it all that I had to give on that day. I feel like I had strong showings in all three disciplines. I would always like to be faster but I will take what I can. I did manage to take 6 minutes off my time from two years ago. While I was slightly injured at the time, not all of the time came from the run. My bike was significantly better.

The interesting part is that I thought physically I had a good race, but on paper, I look horrible:

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
Fastest	8:20	0:35	33:27	0:28	17:00	1:03.21
Benchmark	9:55	0:52	35:07	0:39	19:26	1:06.01
Andrew	11:50	1:03	36:42	0:47	22:59	1:13:23
Overall Rank	51	47	29	64	77	39
Age Group Rank	6	5	2	9	10	29

May 09 Totals

I haven't been inspired or motivated to blog this week so I will just post my totals. If you have an idea for a topic, please leave a comment and email me. I have a few blogs in the queue...but not too many. I need new material.

May's totals:
Bike:	13h 10m 07s - 261.2 Mi
Run:	10h 04m 36s - 69.9 Mi
Swim:	4h 22m 12s - 13910 Yd
Strength:	1h 19m
Kayaking:	1h 30m
Yoga:	1h 20m

I feel good about this month especially since it included a week of recovery and vacation. I feel like it was a solid month of training. I have a feeling that the June numbers will be big.

2009 totals
Bike:	67h 56m 02s - 1261.54 Mi
Run:	49h 37m 59s - 343.75 Mi
Swim:	27h 02m 07s - 81766 Yd
Strength:	10h 21m
Boot Camp Conditioning:	30m
Kayaking:	1h 30m
Running Drills:	1h 00m
Yoga:	6h 30m

I would say that this is on par for the year. I am not swimming near as much as last year but my bike and run seem to be in the ballpark for where I want them.

Vacation, Shark Attacks and Humidity

Sorry for the general updates lately. I promise to resume blogging this week and hope to unleash a series of blogs in the very near future.

I have now returned from vacation. This was my first vacation in several years that did not involve a race or taking my bike with me. I am the King of short vacations but I never return relaxed. I am quick to jump on a flight to go watch an Ironman or take my bike to another city for 3-4 days. This was different. I left it all behind. Well, I took my running shoes and goggles, in case I wanted to train.

I left Atlanta Wednesday morning for Fort Lauderdale with Jessica. We were appreciative of the opportunity to check into our hotel really early. We stayed two nights at the W Fort Lauderdale. Apparently it had just opened. We both really liked its trendy nature. The down side was the the weather sucked. Wednesday we decided to go to the pool and no sooner than we put down our towels it began raining. This became a theme for the rest of the vacation. Everyday at 12 it became cloudy and by 1:00 it was pouring. Sadly, the storms didn't just pass, they lingered and we never saw the sun again.

On the brightside, we ventured out and had some delicious dinners. Wednesday night I had one of the best pieces of tuna, despite it being overcooked. Thursday we splurged for sushi. We ordered so much that they had to put it on a boat to serve. Our waiter delivered it to us and said let him know when we needed a to go box. At this point, I was determined to put a hurting on. And sure enough, Jess held her own and I devoured the rest.

Friday afternoon we departed for Key Largo and got stuck in the pouring rain for 2 straight hours before arriving at the Ocean Reef Club. We were attending a wedding there so our afternoon mainly consisted of relaxing and then getting ready for the reception.

On Saturday morning, we joined a group and went on a 90 minute kayaking eco-tour through the mangrove forest that encompasses the resort. It was a really cool perspective of the living ecosystem that helps define the area. It was also a great opportunity to see the native wildlife that included crabs, jellyfish, sand dollars and eels. About an hour into the journey, we spotted a pair of 15 foot, man eating nurse sharks. Ok...maybe there were only about 3 feet. I guess they felt threatened as they turned into vicious animals and darted right towards us. In fact, one attacked me directly, hitting my kayak trying to toss me into the shark infested waters. Fortunately, my keen sense of awareness allow me to remain afloat. I suppose I survived my first real shark attack.

We decided to spend the rest of the morning by the pool trying to soak up all the sun possible before the storms arrived. That afternoon was the wedding ceremony and dinner reception followed by dancing. We decided to retire early and not participate in all the late night shenanigans. We got up Sunday and hit the pool a bit longer before driving back to Fort Lauderdale to catch our flights.

All in all it was a good trip. I did manage to run a couple of times. I went out on Wednesday for 45 minutes and then tried run on Friday. My interval run turned into a survival run. I am not ready for that level of humidity. I was completely drenched by 20 minutes. I even got in the ocean to swim Thursday morning but got so chaffed that after 15 minutes I was done. Instead, I took the oppotunity this week to let my body relax a little bit. I did cross train in the form of kayaking, pool and beach volleyball. Hopefully, I will bounce back this week and resume a high level of training.

Long Rides, Kettlebells and a 10k

That felt like one of the longest weekends in quite some time. And there is NO doubt, this is the sorest I have been probably since my first Ironman. And I fear it will get a bit worse before it gets better. However, vacation is a few days away so I think the beach should provide ample opportunity for recovery.

The pain began on Thursday with a lactate threshold test. Warmup hard for 10 minutes then all out for 8 more. I managed to hold a 6:40 pace for the duration of the test. And for the first time in nearly three years, my LT actually went up about 5 bpm. My only regret was that I conducted the test in the morning and then had a conference the rest of the day. I was wiped out by dinner.

I headed to Nashville on Friday. I have asked Dan to make a number of changes to my training plan. One of the first changes was to incorporate more pace based training instead of isolated heart rate training. This was one of my first opportunities as I set out on an easy 5 mile run.

Saturday was 2:15 in the saddle, simulating race pace. I hit the road early and rode hard. The downside of riding in Nashville is the terrain. I haven't trained on hills in quite some time so I find it really difficult to have good rides up there. I feel like I never get into a solid groove. This one was a bit different. I was able to hold my watts and find the energy to get through the ride.

I was a bit beat on Sunday from the hard ride. The plan was to drive up to Clarksville to participate in the Clarksville Rotary Annual Metric (62 miles). The course is billed as the nation's fastest due to the flat terrain. My plan called for 3 hours so I was looking forward to the fast, flats. Well Jess and I arrived shortly after 7 am and were the only people in the parking lot. Apparently the ride was yesterday. Oops. My bad.

I was still determined to ride so I looked at the cue sheet to see if I thought I could still pull off the 62 miles. It had a few too many turns for my comfort. So we looked at the map and routed our way back to Hendersonville via country roads. And wouldn't you know that it started raining the minute I put on my helmet.

My plan of attack was to hammer the flats to gain time and distance while I could. Needless to say, riding east put me in the direction of the ridge in the middle of the state. The flats weren't there after a few miles. Jess was gracious enough to sag the ride. Due to many of the unmarked turns, she was there pointing me in the right direction.

Well the rain didn't stop for the entire first hour. I did what I could and was still managing to have a good ride. The funniest part was the rural, farm road that was littered with cattle. Jess comes roaring down in here SUV and it doesn't disturb a sole. I come by on my 17 pound bicycle and the cattle scramble. I can only laugh at the situation.

I kept pushing the pace despite the weather and terrain. I was begining to wear thin. My pace and power were beginning to slip from the fatigue. I made the decision to get off the bike at the 2 hour mark. I just wanted to lie down and dry off.

That afternoon, Jess and I went to the gym to workout. I knew I would regret the decision but I went through the kettlebell routine with her. About an hour and nearly 100 squats, swings and lifts later I was wiped out. I was sore in leg muscles that I didn't know existed. And I knew I was hurt the next day.

Though reluctant, I allowed Jess to talk me into doing a 10k on Monday morning. I hate running 10ks because it is nothing more than a 6 mile threshold run. Dan gave me a prescribed workout so that I could work on pace so I knew I wouldn't be setting a PR. I went through a brief warmup and couldn't believe how sore my core was when I tried to run...glutes, groin, lower back.

I did what I could in the run. I went out a bit hard during the first mile and that set the tone for the day. I just tried to maintain the pace. At the four mile mark, I tried to push. My lower body was too sore. Usually it is my head that won't let me push. I felt fine there. Heartrate was up but not through the roof. My legs just hurt. I kept digging for more effort and I got a little more out of the body. I crossed the finish line around 50:25....easily 4 minutes off my pr but good enough for 3rd place in my age group, lol. The best part is that I turned back and went to find Jess and pushed her as she finished an awesome 5k and achieved her goal.

Needless to say, my body is beat. I soaked in a long hot bath for a while and took a nap. I need to get through tomorrow's workout and I can look forward to recovery on the beach.

Ironman Burnout

In thinking through my motivation issues this year, I have developed what I would like to call the Ironman Burnout syndrome. Before you stop reading, it isn't quite what you think. There are two ways this can play out. Certainly, one can burn out from training long all the time and focusing only on Ironman. The other way, as I see it, is to complete an Ironman TOO early in your triathlon career.

I did my first Ironman 18 months after I purchased my first bike. I did my second nearly 18 months after the first. The gained me a number of accolades, popularity and notoriety among friends. But what does all that mean now? This is why I STRONGLY encourage beginners and other athletes to take their time to reach the Ironman status. Getting there too early sets you up for a rocky road the rest of the way.

For me, it has helped to create a condescending attitude. I don't look at a half-iron race with the same fear as I view the 140.6 miles. I don't have the same excitement. It is just half of what I have completed twice. I mean, I have done an Ironman...what is half of one to me. That attitude is evident.

The thing about rushing the Ironman process is that your return down the ladder isn't near as rewarding. When you are climbing the ladder you fear each new distance. You tackle training with a different mindset as the prospect of a new goal or challenge awaits you. The payoff of crossing the finish line provides a whole new physical and emotional reward system. I remember this feeling. I remember bonking in Chattanooga during my first olympic. I remember struggling at SC Half on my quest to cover 70.3 miles. I recall the euphoria the accomplishments brought me.

But once you achieve success at the top of the ladder, what do you have to look forward to? How pumped up do you get about doing a sprint? How do you carry the motivation and intensity forward when you don't fear the distance? I said the other day that I should just sign up for another Ironman. That way I would be more motivated to train. (must....not....sign...up)

It stands to reason that one should perfect their racing at a particular distance before progressing to the next. I give this advice all the time. Want to do a full-iron? How is your half? Do you race that well or do you break down? Do you think doubling the distance will yield different results? Unfortunately, no one listens. I didn't so I can't blame them. So now I am stuck going back to perfect the shorter distances. That isn't exactly glorifying.

All this boils down to changing my mindset. I am shifting from racing to complete to racing to compete. The things that motivated me in the past no longer work. I need to search within and around me to find motivating stimuli. I need to change the way I train on a weekly basis to stress both my body and mind. I need to remain focused on the bigger picture of what I am trying to accomplish instead of shirking the responsibility.

All of this because I did an Ironman too early in my triathlon career. I reached the pinnacle of the sport and found success. The achievement makes success at the lower levels even more difficult to see. It requires a change in mindset. It forces me to alter my philosophy and way I approach the sport. Once I alter that mindset, hopefully, I can re-enter the path of progression in the sport.

Georgia Cup Time Trial #5

Saturday definitely marked a good to great day. I was given an option to go on an easy 1.5 hour training ride or follow my race schedule and give a time trial another go. Despite the foul weather, I left town around noon and headed up to Gainesville to take part in the Georgia Cup #5 time trial. I really like racing with this group. It is really a testament to how races were back in a day. There is a guy with some numbers, a table and a computer. That is about it.

I was still struggling a bit with recovering from Gulf Coast but I thought this would be the better workout for the weekend. And despite my fatigue, I warmed to the idea of taking out some frustration on the bike. I arrived shortly after one. The weather wasn't cooperating. It would rain then the sun would make it hot. Humidity was though the roof.

I reluctantly brought my trainer with me. All the cyclist set up shop under the elementary school's awning. The downside of course was that no breeze came through. I hopped on the trainer for about 15 minutes before I reached my threshold point. I focused on just getting warmed up enough. I was warm enough, I was drenched in sweat. I then hopped off and went for a quick spin on the open roads.

The course was a simple out and back on country roads. The terrain was gently rolling with no major sustained climbs. I had an idea of how long it would take me so I mentally divided the race into quadrants. Looking at my power, it worked out pretty well.




As usual, I started out a bit hard. I knew when I hit the two mile marker, I was flying. By four miles, I was feeling good. I can tell that I backed off during the second part of the race. I was pushing it but not quite as hard as I was.

When I hit the turn around I was a bit winded. Plus, I could see how many people were close to me. At this point I had been passed once but others were gaining. I picked it back up a bit on the return. When passed, I tried to pace off him. This seemed to work for a few minutes but in the end, my legs simply didn't have the power in them.

The final stretch was uphill. I ran out of gas at the 45 minute mark. You can actually see where my power dipped as I let out a huge sigh and tried to refocus. I pushed hard up the hill but I was pretty spent at that point. Fortunately, I didn't have to run after this ride.

I really enjoy these events because it breaks up the monotony of training. However, they are VERY humbling. It kills me to know that I had a 2-3 minute headstart on someone only to have them blow by me as if I was standing still. What I try to keep in mind is that a lot of these guys are pure cyclists. They don't train for the swim or run. I am sure if I was able to devote 4-6 more hours to the bike, I would be up there too.

Results:
Time-50:20
Distance: 19.6 miles
Speed: 23.4 mph
Watts: 235
AG Rank: 3/4
Overall: 13/32

Going from Good to Great

We all have different perspectives on this sport. Those perspectives drive us to different opinions of what fast, front of the pack or great might be. If you recall, a few weeks back I blogged about Training With Perspective. I have spent a great deal of time thinking through perspective and how to use it to help define my season. I would also like to thank the numerous people with whom I have discussed this exact topic.

I have struggled with defining exactly what I want to accomplish this season. I thought it was sub-5. I thought it was securing a Clearwater spot. I thought it was simply getting faster. All of those goals still remain with me. However, at the core is a more demanding goal....going from good to great.

We all have different perspectives of what great is. For some it is winning Kona. For others, it is qualifying for Kona. And some it is finishing an Ironman faster. All are drastically different outcomes but they all share the desire to perform at a higher level.

Some time back I wrote a unpublished blog about Craig Alexander, the 2008 Kona Champion. In his 2007 Kona debut, he pulled off an amazing 2nd place finish in 8:19:04. While I have no doubt his excitement lasted, I imagine there is no worse feeling than falling second in a championship race. You are the first loser. He returned in 2008 with one goal and one goal only...to win.

What amazes me is not that Crowie won the race. Instead it is how he approached it. I can't even begin to put into perspective the depths of his training the next year. The hundreds of hours sweating and bleeding. He shows up to Kona, races and puts up a time 80 seconds faster than last year. ALL that work over the season just to shave 80 seconds off your time. But that 80 seconds guided him to victory. He went from good to great (maybe immortal) with just 80 seconds.

I think most of us all agree Crowie is already at that great stage. I am sure he often thinks of himself there too. However, I have no doubt that when he made the leap from 70.3 to 140.6 he asked himself what will it take to go from good to great at this distance?

I find myself in the same boat, albeit a paddle boat to his speed boat. This season I am spending my time and energy trying to reach the next level. I know I have talent. And this is the problem. I know I can go out and race a HIM at a 5:30 level. To some that is great. And I am appreciative to many for their kinds words over the past few weeks. But to me...great only begins with busting my ass for 100% of the race. I understand that I might only improve my time by 80 seconds. I would rather go back to Gulf Coast, give it 100% and race a 5:24 than coast to a 5:25 finish

Going from good to great means changing my mindset completely. It means staying mentally and physically engaged the entire race. I remember how hard I worked in Hawaii to draft off faster swimmers. I recall when I had that ah-ha moment. I remember how I swam when I stayed mentally engaged to the buoy. I also remember looking up and being dropped when I let my mind wander. When the gun goes off I need to enter and stay in that zone.

Mentally I need to strengthen my skill set more. Next time I am passed at mile 40, I need to go with him. I can't settle for the I don't wanna attitude. I must remind myself that I will be on the bike for only 150 minutes. Each one of those matter. Physically, I need to stop relying on my natural talent. A 2:10 needs to be completely unacceptable for ME. That is a training run...not a race. I need to continue to hone and sharpen my skill set with every workout.

I am not exactly sure what great looks like. I don't know if I race a 4:59.59 if I would regard it as great. I don't know if qualifying for Clearwater would give me that feeling. I am not certain standing on the awards stage Saturday would give me that satisfaction. What I do know is that Saturday's effort did not bring great out in me. It was a good race.

I also accept the fact that I may never reach this level. I think it requires a higher level of commitment to training than I may be willing to deliver. The sport will change from a hobby to a true lifestyle. It will take a re-prioritization of a number of things. There won't be a race season, it becomes bigger than one season. It is dedication to a long term plan. It is a trust factor between the coach and the athlete that every workout prescribed is a means to that end. It is a mentality and attitude that I need to carry with in every workout. It is not settling for mediocrity because I am having a bad day.

Maybe I just found what great actually is. Maybe great is a dedication to all of these ideals. While it may appear I am there on the surface, I certainly know the commitment doesn't run that deep. I know I am not there. I guess that is the goal of the season...to strive for great and ask of myself, do you want it enough to make the commitment to these higher ideals.

Post Gulf Coast Thoughts

As many of your know, I am extremely hard on myself when it comes to many things in life. Triathlon is no different. Thus, I have mixed feelings about my Gulf Coast performance. Overall, my time was pretty competitive but by my standards I thought I raced poorly. I always like to give a race 48-72 hours to set in before I begin obsessing over the data.

Typically, I comb through the results looking for the fastest and average stats. I like to know where I ranked against the fields in each discipline. I like to take it one step further and look at cumlative times to see where I gained and lost positions. Yes...I am OCD.

More recently, I have began bench marking myself against the top 10 in my age group. I feel that this is a good barometer. And on a day where the heat destroys the field, it is critical that I remember that its not always about a time goal. On Saturday, a sub-5 race was a level that I am not capable of achieving. A mediocre (by my standards) 5:25 ends up competitive against much of the field.

Rankings:

	Overall	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
Fastest	4:06	25:08:00	1:35	2:10	0:40	1;22
My Time	5:25	37:05:00	2:52	2:33	1:39	2:10
Overall Rank	164/1045	236	97	129	101	282
Men Rank	127/739	208	74	125	57	213
Age Group	23/92	31	12	19	9	38

Looking at the numbers, it actually appears to be a solid race against the field. Of course, I am not happy with my performance unless you look at it from the 100 foot view.


Benchmarks:

	Overall	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run
Top 10 30-34	4:49	33:33:00	2:57	2:24	1:49	1:46
My Time	5:25	37:05:00	2:52	2:33	1:39	2:10

Looking at the benchmarks gives me something to strive for. None of those results are way out of my grasp. Instead, they are pretty close to where I am. The bigger question becomes what does it take to get there?

-------------

Grading my performance:

Overall: C
I certainly didn't push it in this race. I think I just needed to mentally get through it. I know I left a lot on the course and that is ok for this race but it leaves a ton of room for improvement.

Swim: C
I failed here. I followed feet out but I dropped off at the first sign of struggling. I really need to figure out how to stay focused for 30 minutes. Hopefully I have some opportunities in training over the next few weekends.

Bike: B+
It wasn't a bad bike by any measure. My watts were down and that was slightly problematic. But I didn't push it. I got passed around the 40 mile mark and tried to go with him. Then a backed off. I need to push harder on the bike

Run: C-
I totally sandbagged it If I got hot, I slowed down. I was ok running a dreadful pace. Hell, my pace was exactly the same at IMFL for twice the distance. I know I am capable of much more. And I know I was capable of much more on Saturday.

Mental Strength: C-
I finished and hung in there. That is the positive. I let myself settle too much in the race because I didn't want to hurt.

Physical Strength: B-
I was fatigued going into the race and that is likely where I lost my power. Looking at how I compare to the rest of the field, it looks better than a B-. But i will never be happy with my effort from a race where I walked that much.

----------

Overall I am very much at peace with the race. I think after NOLA, I just needed to mentally prove to myself that I am strong enough. I think GCT did its job. I feel a bit renewed whereas I was feeling burned out. I am actually looking forward to Cardinal Harbour in July (minus the heat). Hopefully this race will propel me mentally and physically to where I need to be for the rest of the season.

Gulf Roast 2009

What a whirlwind 72 hours. There was good, bad and plenty of ugly to go around. But it is over and that is what truly matters. There is a reason I never want to Gulf Coast...the heat. It always seems to fall on one of the first HOTTT (3 T's) weekends of the year. The fact that no one has acclimated to the heat contributes to the carnage that unfolds during the day. 2009 would prove no differently.

As previously mentioned, I was extremely loose before the race. I was so loose that I didn't follow any routine, I just went with it. Jess took the kids out of the school on Thursday, swung down to pick me up and we rolled down to PCB arriving shortly before midnight. Friday, I finally decided to register for the race and then hit the beach for some sun and fun. I tried to prepare for the race but I really just wanted to enjoy myself down there. For dinner, we grabbed a pizza and just chilled at the condo. Then I performed the annual shaving of the head...making sure to leave a nice mohawk in place.

I woke up at 4:45 and began putzing around the condo. I had my traditional PB bagel and a banana. My stomach was a bit distressed in the morning which rarely ever happens. It is likely attributable to all the junk food I ate on the way down there. I was out the door by 5:30 and took the short stroll down to transition. My focus for the morning was positive re-inforcement...reminding myself that I was going to have a good race. I did my thing in transition and got out of there.

The wind was kicking in the morning and the water was choppy. It wasn't horrible conditions but the swells were certainly going to push us around. I got suited up and hit the water for a few minutes of swimming. I tried to keep myself mentally dialed into the race. Finally it was time to enter to the corral and start the day.

Swim:
I lined up to the right with the plan to move to the left throughout the swim. I watched the waves prior to me and it seemed that the undertow was pushing left. When the gun went off, I went dolphining through the first group of waves. For the first 200m I felt good. I remembered what it was like to race. And then I decided to swim to Destin. I was following the feet in front of me but it seemed like I was out to sea and no where near the course. I made a few adjustments and moved more to the left. Suddenly I was inside the buoys.

I made it out to the first turn buoy feeling ok but not exceptionally strong. I could tell that I wasn't with the fast group anymore. I made my way to the second turn buoy and it felt like that....I was making my way over. No hurry in mind. I set my sites on the Boardwalk condos and cruised. I could tell I wasn't having a good swim. I was off in my own little world just trying to get through the 1.2 miles. It seemed that the last buoy was always just a little bit further.

Swim time: 37:05

Transition was the same as IMFL as you made you way up the beach, through the sprinklers and into the parking lot. I grabbed my stuff and was off. I did feel particularly fast but it seems like I got through it at a very reasonable rate.

T1: 2:52

Bike:
I didn't really know what to expect from my body today. Going into the race, my body was not peaking. Instead it was very fatigued. I had a mental plan that I wanted to execute but I kept in mind that I need to just adapt to what my body would give me. I could tell on the short out and back that it wasn't there. I had trouble getting my power up to speed and maintaining the wattage. I kept trying to relax and remind myself that I had 50 miles and the body would react.

We came zipping back through town and you could feel the northern breeze off the ocean. And you felt it between each condo where the dead space acted as wind tunnel. I struggled a great deal in the first 30 minutes to settle into aero position. It was difficult for me to find both a comfortable spot as well as the right gearing. More importantly, my stomach was really bloated and my nutrition tasted like crap. I think I drank the whole Gulf of Mexico.

As we turned up 79, I began to give it a bit more power but the numbers were still a bit low. I found a good position and gear and just focused on executing MY race. Just before the bridge, a cyclist came flying past me as if I was standing still. I sat up wondering WTF. Then I realized the nice tailwind we had. I found a few more gears and took off. I went up and over the bridge and was feeling pretty good on the bike. I reminded myself that the headwind may be my demise on the return.

The stretch on 388 was a bit lonely. The condition of the road was miserable at time. Plus it was so desolate out there. It was also at this time that I started to realize how hot it was. I knew that the key to this race for me was to not get over heated. I took a water bottle from the next aid station and dumped the entire bottle on me. I squirted it into the helmet, back of the neck and chest.

I hit the 28 mile mark and was feeling good despite my power numbers being about 10-20 watts lower than where I wanted them to be. At the turnaround, it was much of the same. I took another water bottle to stay cool. At this point, I was growing aware of how I was slipping behind on nutrition. My stomach was having trouble processing it. I found myself very gassy. I decided to alter my plans given the problem. When I began feeling bad, I had to force some nutrition into the body, then I chased it with some fresh water and doused myself to cool off.

A couple of cyclist began catching me on 388 and I tried to go with them. I just didn't have it. The power still wasnt' there. I tried to remain calm because I was still on par for a solid ride...I took what the body gave me. When we turned back onto 79 we found a nice little headwind. It wasn't brutal like NOLA. But it was enough to slow you down a bit. I took this opportunity to try to relieve my bladder only to fail a number of times.

Though I know not to try anything new on race day, I planned on altering my nutrition plan during the last 20 minutes of the race. I had frozen a bottle of nuun so that I could up my electrolytes. And given the heat, I think it was the right call. I probably got half that bottle down during the last 20 minutes. Too bad Nuun doesn't have calories because my 1.5 bottles of infinit left me well short of where I needed to be.

Bike: 2:33.40 21.9 mph

I felt pretty good coming off the bike. While I fought off plenty of negative thoughts while on the bike, the prospect of not running wasn't there. I felt like a totally different athlete compared to NOLA. I found my rack and slipped on my running shoes. I realized that I had forgotten to put out my salt tabs. Damnit!!!! Oh well...got to roll with what I have.

T2: 1:39

Run:
I immediately found a decent pace and started pushing. My goals for the run were to stay cool and make sure that I put some calories in the body so that I didn't bonk. Jess was waiting about half a mile down the road. She gave me the race time. At that point I had to run a 1:45 to break 5 hours. Doable? Certainly. Just not today. And I was totally fine with that. The bigger key was finishing.

I pushed for the first two miles. I was on fire. I grabbed sponges at the aid stations. I doused myself when I could. At the third aid station I decided to stop. I made the choice to take in tons of fluid and try to cool down. I literally stopped in the middle of the road and drank two cups of ice water. Cold water was the nectar from the gods. All throughout the run, it was the best thing I had ever tasted. One of these days I will learn to develop a calorie rich nutrition plan that only include cold water. :)

The stop certainly cost me time put it probably saved just as much since I felt like I was overheating. I then switched to walking the aid stations. The next few were rough. I would drink anything I could get my hands on. I also began eating oranges for a few extra calories. I worried that my pace was putting me on a destructive path time wise...but I was ok with that. Mentally, I just needed to get through it.

Entering St. Andrews was brutal. There is about a 3 mile stretch with nothing but sand and asphalt adding to the miserable conditions. I continued to walk the aid stations. I also allowed myself to walk past them until I felt like my HR was down enough to start running again. At one point around mile 7, I realized that I was totally sandbagging the run. I decided to pick it up a bit and make sure that I negative split the run. I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to push the pace a bit. However, I didn't find the pace as pacifying or cooler as before so I easily slid back to the slower pace (lesson to learn here).

When I came back out of the park, I had about 4.5 miles to go. While the run time was absymmal, I knew I was still on par for a good race. And athletes weren't catching at a quick rate. I asked for a little from the body and surprisingly....it responded. My times began coming down. I had a different attitude about the race. I hit the aid stations and switched to cola to keep me pepped up. I splashed myself with more cold water and kept chugging.

In retrospect, I realize how close to bonking I was. In my mind, I was calculating my time/pace/etc. I was so far off. I couldn't do simple math. Fortunately the body and mind held up as I pushed the final three miles getting my pace well back down to sub-9. And I was shocked how easy it was (kicking myself). Of course, it helped that the race was almost over.

Run: 2:10

Total time 5:25

I hit the finishing chute feeling ok. I walked over to medical tent and asked for some ice. They gave me a freezing cold towel and an ice pack. Once I felt like my core temp had stabilized I got moving. All I wanted to do was put on dry clothes and sit down.

Overall, it was a good day...just HOT. It wasn't a pr. I consider my performance poor by my standards. But given the conditions, I put up a competitive time. I also adapted and adjusted throughout the day. That was something I didn't do in NOLA. Sure it slowed me down, but mentally, I just needed to prove to myself that 70.3 miles was achievable.

I also give major props to the race. This might have been my favorite race experience. The aid stations had everything you need. I didn't have any problems on the course. I was more than impressed with Gulf Coast.

Gulf Coast Mindset

All is calm in the world of Dollar. I am putting together final preparations to head down to Panama City and race Gulf Coast (despite not being registered yet). I have spent the last 5 weeks thinking a lot about what happened in New Orleans and trying to ensure that it won't happen again.

I am very loose right now. If anything, I am too loose. I haven't even began thinking or stressing about the race. I am more anxious about getting down there than anything. The good thing is that I know this course. I was there in November. I remember the feeling very vividly. So this puts a very positive connotation in my head.

Also, I am trying really hard to not put any pressure on myself to perform. And this is a double edge sword. On one hand, I know I am not peaking for the race so I need to focus on going out and just executing what I can. However, I still have the same time goal...sub-5. I have no clue if I am able to achieve this. I know I am capable of it but it might not be on Saturday. I was there for New Orleans just not certain now.

The bigger conundrum is will I be able to push myself at all on Saturday. I am so relaxed about the race that I am concerned that I won't push through the pain. This time I am fine if I go 5:05 or 5:30 or 6:00. I am going to let the cards fall as they may. Moving past the New Orleans incident is probably the more important lesson here. But will that satisfy me? Have I become complacent again?

I don't know what will happen on Saturday. Generally, I feel good going in. I like that I still have expectations but I am not obsessing about things. I don't feel any pressure. We will see if that is the right mindset or if it only produces a mediocre race.

Knee Issues, Big Peach 5k and Gulf Coast

There is a lot going on right now in my world. Training has been average over the last few weeks. I haven't really pushed the pace but instead held the status quo. On Thursday I set out on my typical running intervals workout and had a nasty wakeup call. On my second of three intervals, I could tell that my right knee was getting a bit stiff. I hoped it was just because I was pushing it up the hills and hadn't fully recovered from the weekend's race. On the third interval it stopped my dead in my tracks. My IT band was killing me.

I tucked my tail between my legs and walked home. I sat around most of the night concerned that I am slowly going back down the injury route. I hopped on the foam roller a few times, I popped a few too many advil and I went to bed hoping the next day would bring me some relief.

It was up to me to try out the knee on Saturday mornng. My schedule called for a 10 mile run. I also scored a free entry into the Big Peach 5k which was held less than a mile from my house. The plan was to head out around 7 am on a six mile run. I would know within the first 20 minutes if the knee was going to play ball. I routed myself in a way that I would end my 6 mile run at that start line of the 5k and then race the 3.1 miles followed by a slow run back home.

Luckily, the knee held up. I head down and through Brookhaven while covering 5.7 miles prior to joining up with all the 5k participants. I thought this was just a small, local 5k but the 3-400 people indicated otherwise. The course was simple because it is the same route that I run nearly everyday. I didn't really have any expectations, I wanted to run hard but keep myself from going all out.

I hit the first mile at about 6:50. I felt really good but I knew the pain was coming in the form of a few hills. The second mile slowed to about 7:20. I backed off the pace going up the hill as that has been the irriation stimulant in my knee. When I hit Peachtree, I opened it up a bit more. Most people were gassed by that point so I just cruised to the finish line. Overall time 22:19 or 7:11 pace.

I am pleased with this. I haven't run an open 5k in nearly three years and I think I went 24:01 at that race. I also know that had I not run for 50 minutes prior to the race then I would have broken 22 minutes. That is the goal. I then grabbed some water and cruised back to the house. 10.2 miles in the bank.

While I have been mum on the subject, I made the decision to race Gulf Coast next weekend. When the knee flared up on Thursday it caused me to re-evalute things. But today's run gives me the validation that I need. Sadly, I learned that online registration closed last night. Just my luck. Fortunately, there is on-site registration so I emailed the race director to ensure that slots are available. Guess I will find out what I have in me next weekend.

Balance (open thread)

I have so much to talk about but I just don't seem to have the time. Today's topic is balance. This issue seems to come frequently in our daily lives. Jess and I have talked about it a lot lately too. It came up today in my mentor thread. The inevitable question is

How do you strike a balance between the sport(s) and other obligations in life? When life feels out of balance what do you do to achieve equilibrium again?

We all wear different hats as friends, parents, significant others, community volunteers, boss, employ, mentor, athlete, etc. Balancing is a very difficult act. Jess read an interesting passage the other day that basically said that multi-tasking ensures that you will never be really good at one thing. Multi-tasking is a way of life now and it does breed mediocrity in some parts of life as you shirk responsibility in favor of other obligations.

I realized all this early this morning as I looked my house and found it in shambles. Clothing everywhere, tri gear spread as if a hurricane just came through. I have also be feeling this lately at work. I feel like I am not being a good manager and employ. I am not giving work 100% because my time and energy is focused everywhere (nevermind I am blogging from work). Essentially, I am not balanced. I feel a bit stretched thin.

Consider this an open thread. How do you deal with the question posed above? Talk amongst yourselves as I try to switch back into work mode..

Oh....look....something shiny.

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. :)