Age Group Nationals

I was really uneasy going into this race. I didn't really have any desire to compete and knew I wasn't very well trained for it. Plus, it is always hard to go into a race where you know you ass will be handed to you. Nonetheless, I made the decision to travel to Tuscaloosa after what was probably the most stressful week of my life.

I arrived in town late Friday and grew increasingly frustrated with the 20,000 students crawling around on campus and the lack of USAT signs pointing us to registration. One day a race will get it right. You can't put registration and bike check-in on opposite sides of the world. I went for a quick spin to workout some frustration before finally retiring back in my hotel.

I woke up at 5 am Saturday morning and was ready to get it over with. I ate a banana, clif bar and consumed a bottle of gatorade en route to the race. Because bike check-in was the previous night, there wasn't much to do but put my stuff out and chat with friends. The race started in small waves so I didn't start until about an hour into the race.

Swim:

This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. You could tell there was a bit of a current so I watched the earlier waves. It was almost as if they weren't moving out there. The current was strong enough to slow them down that much. I tried to tell myself that I am just watching a pack of mediocre swimmers and my wave would be much better.

I got in the water about 10 minutes prior to my wave start. The current was evident as you struggled to hold onto the peir. My plan was simple--have a nice relaxed swim and draft as much as possible. Well I did that for the most part.

The first 150-200 was with the current before making your way across the river. I made my way around the first two turn buoys and prepared for the back stretch. I stuck to the feet of the guy in front of me. I could tell he was zig-zagging but I didn't want to lose my draft. After about 10 minutes on the backstretch, I popped out of the water to see where I was on the course. Wow....I had barely moved. I was using the dorms as a site when I breathed to my right and it wasn't getting any closer. I just put my head back in the water and focused on smooth strokes and following the bubbles in front of me.

Nearly 10 minutes later I could tell we weren't making any quick progress. I was hoping that the river was playing tricks on my mind so I did a fish roll to look at my watch. 30 minutes. Wow. I had been in the water for 30 minutes for the 1500m swim and I wasn't even at the final turn buoy. A few minutes later I was at the final buoy and struggled to get around it. All of us were getting sucked under the buoy because of the current. I stuck to the feet of my fish and made a bee-line for the swim exit only to miss it by about 20 feet.

I exited the water in 42 minutes. All I could do was laugh.

T1

I exited the water and made the trek up the stairs into transiton. I had the best rack ont the course. I the last person on the row of 200 bikes. There weren't many bikes in my area so it wasn't difficult to find my bike. I grabbed my stuff and got out of there asap

1:37

Bike

The plan was the to push the bike in a conservative/aggressive way. I didn't want to kill myself but I knew that this was my time to play catch up. I saw a number of friends and teammates on the first out and back. They were a few minutes ahead of me. I just put my head down and went.

The course was two loops with about 3 solid rises in it. I would try to back off during the climbs and make back up the ground on the descents. I finsihed the first loop feeling pretty good. I proably went out a bit too hard as my watts were high. My plan for the second loop was to just maintain the aggressiveness, catch who I can but try to keep my heartrate in check. Around mile 20, I felt my stomach get a bit bloated from my nutrition. Due to extenuating circumstances, I had to change my diet and race nutrition around for the weekend. DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.

I backed off the pace for the final few miles and mentally prepared for the run.

1:05:33 (22.6 mph)

T2

I had a good dismount and run to the rack. I slipped on my Nike Free's, tried to motivate Kirk and took off running.

0:54

Run

I knew I would get smoked here, as usual. My instructions were to go out at 5k pace for the first mile and the back off. That hurt. I developed side stitches high in my ribs that aggravated me the rest of the run. I presume they are from my back being really tight. Normally I can work through them but I can't recall the last time I got one that high. I hit the first mile around 7:15 and backed off.

The course had three short but steep hills that just took it out of you. One the second hill the combination of the heat and extended time in the water began taking its toll and I began slowing. I was still determined to have a good race so I somehow found the energy to keep moving. I tried to pick it up around mile 4 and then again at mile 5. The side stitches just screamed at me so I focused on maintaing the current effort and that seemed to be enough.

48:32

Total time: 2:39:20

It was far from a PR day for anyone. Aside from the half I did on the final day of Triple T, this race was hands down the hardest I have every done. The odd thing is that none of the individual disciplines were all the difficult but the combination of all three made it a brutal day. The run was little to no shade and while it was cool for Alabama in August the sun was beating down hard.

Overall, I am pleased with my race. It went about as expected. I need to have a decent race after my last few showings. I feel like I executed well and pushed through some of the more difficult times. That is the least I could ask for given how my season turned out. As for the rankings, it was humbling. I just need to remember that I was racing against the best of the best. And I was clearly out of my league.

Rest of the Season

So I am behind on blogging again. I have so much to say but little energy and even less time. There are pressing concerns so I will address them immediately.

Training has been mediocre over the past few weeks. I was hoping to bounce back from my time off with more energy and motivation. That hasn't exactly happen. I seem to keep running into the same issues...not recovering well and not producing at high levels. This has caused me to reshape what I want from the rest of the season.

At the urging of Dan, I decided to race Age Group Nationals in Tuscaloosa in two weeks. This may be my last race of the season. I decided a few weeks back to dial it back even further. I would race this Olympic and if I race well, I will consider 1-2 more races. Otherwise, it is time to shut it down to mentally and physically focus on different things.

This all leaves me thinking through how I am going to approach Nationals race. I need/want to have a solid race. I am trying to put my all into training right now so that I will be ready. But more importantly, I am trying to mentally prepare for the race

The key for me is to have a solid race. I really want to feel like I gave the race 100%. I don't care where I rank. I do want to PR but that is contingent on too many variables right now. My focus will be to remain mentally engaged the entire race. I know I will be run down. But do I step it up a notch and force myself to push through the hard part or do I crumble and just tell myself that I am giving it my all...for the day.

July Totals

Where did July go? I think I remember it but it sure left in a hurry! July was a big down month. I was feeling run down to start the month and wanted to take a few months off to see if I could turn things around.

I had a shoulder issue at the beginning of the month that kept me out of the water for a couple of weeks. Nothing long this month. Longest run was at an hour. Longest ride was probably 40 miles. Hopefully I am recharged

July's totals:
Bike:	12h 23m 05s - 234.4 Mi
Run:	8h 40m 03s - 63.75 Mi
Swim:	2h 54m 11s - 9450 Yd
Walking:	58m 19s
Yoga:	40m

Mistletoe by the numbers

Not too surprising the numbers on paper don't look much better. The interesting thing to note is that had I pushed hard through the run and finished in a more respectable time then it would have only improved my age group standings by about one. Instead, I ended up about where I typically am in these races.

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Overall
Overall (349)	69	41	24	124	114	49
Age Group (21)	6	5	3	12	11	7
Fastest	0:09:48	0:00:28	0:28:52	0:00:23	0:18:47	1:00:55
Top 10	0:10:40	0:00:49	0:30:55	0:00:35	0:21:03	1:04:02
Andrew	0:12:56	0:00:52	0:32:26	0:00:53	0:26:01	1:13:01

Where has Ironman gone?

I am left wondering if the novelty of doing an Ironman has run its course in the triathlon community. Has it become such a bucket list item that only those who are competing, their family and closest friends actually care?

Sure that is an elitist attitude but hear me out. Over the past few years there has been a significant decline in following participants from the online communities. This year IMCDA and IMLP passed without much fanfare.

Where has the love gone? In the past it seemed that there were dozens of people signed up for these races. The online community rallied around its participants. People spent all day watching the races and commenting on people's performance. There were comments flying left and right. The support for the well known participants was equally rivaled by all the first timers.

It just seems to me that the love has slipped. Maybe it is because I am out of the loop. Maybe I am just disconnected this year. Or maybe, it has become a bucket list thing that everyone is doing so it isn't receiving any fanfare from the masses. What do you think?

(this isn't to discourage all the people training for their first, second, third, etc. Clearly I love the IM distance and have traveled many miles to watch them. If you want me to follow you, drop me a line. I promise to show you support.)

Mistletoe Sprint

My third race in the Tri the Parks Series came and went this past weekend without much fanfare. It was definitely a less than stellar performance for that distance. It began with a logistical screw up. I never really knew where the race was held. I thought it was a bit closer than it actually was. To my surprise it was nearly in Augusta...2 hours away.

So Jess and I were up and out the door extra early Saturday morning for a 75 minute race. I arrived with just enough time to get checked in and racked. I didn't have the opportunity to get in a solid warmup and the two hour drive sucked the energy right out of the body. I was trying to be optimistic and just have a solid race.

I made it down to the water and had about five minutes to loosen up. I knew the swim would be troublesome that day. I really haven't swim this month. I had a shoulder/neck issue that lingered for about two weeks so I have been uber-conservative in the pool. Or I just haven't gone. I still wanted to go hard.

Swim: 12:56

I lined up right behind the big boys and right on the buoy line. I hit the water hard and immediately got sandwiched between two bigger guys. The race to the first buoy was solid but I was loosing my positioning. I moved over one of the guys and rounded the buoy on this feet. This lasted until about the half way mark where we swam up on the wave before us. I have focused really hard on keeping my head in the water this year and reducing the amount of sighting. This backfired.

I didn't quite see the group split around the slower swimmers. Instead, I just latched onto the next group of feet. This lasted about a minute before I realized we were going way too slow. I popped out of the water and saw my pack of swimmers about 20 meters ahead. I knew I couldn't catch up. I just focused on long, smooth strokes. With about 100m left the leaders from the next wave came around so I grabbed feet and glided in. I came out of the water at about 11:50. Once again there was a long run up a hill to transition that seemed to take forever.

T1 0:51

My rack was the first one when you entered transition so I jumped into my shoes and was off running to the other end of transition in decent time

Bike 32:26

I was a fumbling idiot when I reached the mount line. For some reason I couldn't clip in. I missed it three times. Oh well, finally I was off. My plan was to ride hard and pick up the pace on the way back into the return. As I exited the park, I could tell my HR was still a bit jacked up. I tried to hammer each downhill and make up time there.

I could see the pack of swimmers that dropped me. They were about a half mile ahead at that point. At each of the turnarounds I could tell I was making progress, just not enough to catch them on such a short course.

I knew I was riding hard but I definitely didn't have any extra oomph in my legs. I tried to pick it up a few times but there was nothing there. I just maintained a steady pace and cruised back to transition.

T2: 0:53

I had a very nice dismount and then ran well back to transition (30s run). Then I made a rookie mistake. I made it to the end of transition and couldn't find my rack. I have never done that in 4 years of racing. Evidently, I came down the wrong row so I moved over and threw down the bike and was off.

Run: 26:01

Blah. I knew I wouldn't have run legs if I felt that dead on the bike. And I really didn't care either way at that point. The first part of the run was on a trail that had once of the steepest hills I have ever encountered. I actually walked half of it and wasn't losing ground to the guy in front of me. The it popped out on the road for about a mile before diving back into the woods.

The funniest part was when Chuck caught me about 1.75 miles into the run. We were running downhill chatting, not paying attention. Next thing we know we stopped dead in our tracks because the trail ended with a wooden lookout point. We scratched our heads before we saw the cones indicating which direction to go. Oops.

So I just cruised along without much care in the world until I hit the finish line.

Overall: 1:13:09

I took a few minutes to cool down and then hit the road. I knew it wasn't a good race and just wanted to get back to town.

Xterra Lock 4 Blast

Yes...I am alive. I just took a hiatus to get some stuff in order. I wanted to blog but just didn't have the motivation and energy. Alas, I am back.

Two weekends ago, Jessica and I went to volunteer at the Xterra Lock 4 Blast. Her friend helps put it on and they were well short on the volunteers. I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to the sport. I had an 80 minute run on the calendar so the plan was to help with body marking and the swim then I would head out on my run. No worries.

We arrived well ahead of the race start. We did our volunteer thing for a while and were enjoying our nice morning. The race director came over the loud speaker and announced that a relay team was short a runner. I looked at Jess and shrugged my shoulders. I gave it some time in case others wanted to take the slot before I stepped up. About 20 minutes later, the team was less than thrilled with their prospects. I introduced myself, told them that I was in shape and could run 4.5 miles. They accepted me.

I didn't really know what to expect. I ran on those trails the other day so I knew what the terrain would be like. But that was an easy training run. This was a race. My teammate was a 15 year old female as the swimmer and an 18 year old cyclist. I felt confident that I wouldn't let them down. Then I learned they were racing a relay again friends. I met the other runner. I despise 18 year old cross country kids who are fast as lightening. I thought I might be in trouble if I had to duel it out with him.

The race started and I was taking transition splits. Our swimmer came out of the water about a third of the way back. Once the swim was over I began loosening up. The bike and run were two loops. Our cyclists comes through....in FOURTH place. Gulp. I thought...he went out too hard. I nervously wait in transiition for the exchange. A short time later he comes flying back...in THIRD place. No pressure.

So here I am am in my first off road race and I am starting the run in THIRD place overall. F-me!. To make matters worse, I have NO clue where the course even goes. My plan was to just follow the people in front of me. The leaders were minutes ahead...there was NO one around.

I just take off sprinting...there is podium on the line. I hit my first mile around 7:30 and wonder if I am going to just die. The single track course is pretty technical in nature. There are two steep drops and climbs and one section that you have to stop completely to jump down. At one point I am running so hard that I lose track of what is going on. I wasn't paying attention and wondered if I was even on the right path anymore.

I popped out of the woods and headed back to transition for the the second lap. The worst part was running on the grass. The put the course on the side of a hill so the cambered surface was brutal. I start the second lap still in third place but I can see another runner about 30s down.

As I re-enter the woods I can hear his footsteps in the not so far distance. I know I am toast. I am beginning to hurt at this point. Suddenly he is on my shoulder. I notify him that the trail is his when he wants to pass. He just sticks to my shoulder. I am pushing and pushing but the body is hurting. He makes his move and I try to go with him. I look behind me as we dart out of the woods toward the finish line. I have no one pursuing me so I back off the throttle a bit.

So we ended up 4th overall and naturally the 1st relay team by a large margin. Needless to day, I didn't plan a 4.5 mile LT test through the woods. But all is good. It was a fun race. I am glad I was able to step up for a couple teenagers and the team. Volunteering, racing and hardware. Not a bad day.

Trail Running

Traveling always throws a small wrinkle into my training plans but sometimes it affords me the opportunity to return to the basics and find pure enjoyment in the sport.

I abandoned my run workouts for the week and instead headed to the trails for some training. I previously ran the trails at Brasstown during my last visit. This time I tried to do better but the unmarked trails sent me the wrong way. Fortunately between the hiking trails, equestrian trail and golf cart path I was able to wind through the woods and log some mileage.

On Sunday, Jess and I went to a state park that has a few mountain biking trails. My plan was to do about 75 minutes but trail running just beats you down. 5 miles later I was whipped.

I admit that I miss trail running a lot. It reminds me of my youth...spending hours running cross country. Our home course was a beautiful and challenging run through the woods. 10 years later, I am starting to remember exactly how hard it was. And why I don't recall any of my times.

In trail running, you really never get into a rhythm. Up, down, hop, jump. Repeat. The course yesterday was awesome. It had rocks, roots and jumps throughout it. You literally had to stop a few times to maneuver. You also have to let go of time goals when you trail run. I am lucky to hold a 10:00 mile pace. That felt like pushing it.

Most importantly, I know I need to do more of this. It is great cross training. My joints were jolted in a number of directions. I was using muscle groups that I didn't know existed. One of my off-season goals was to focus on non-vertical axis moves. Since swimming, cycling and running generally occur on the same vertical axis, it seems that most of the injuries we receive are due to failure in muscles that support our movement laterally. Trail running combines a number of these elements. Hopefully, I am able to get out more in the offseason and attack this weakness

Dancing along at 47 rpm

Time to resume training and some of the focus is to have fun. This week marked our annual meeting in north Georgia at Brasstown Valley Resort. Last year I was injured when I came to stay so I wanted to capitalize on the great riding opportunity this time. I left work early on Wednesday and prepared to ride the back three gaps--Jacks, Unicoi and Hogpen.

I was like a little kid on the ride up here. I was giddy. I haven't ridden up here in over a year and I missed it. The gaps are hands down one of the best places to ride in the entire nation. 40 miles will work you over like no other. The reward for climbing to the top is the fast and swift descent down the other side of the mountain.

I parked at the intersection of 19 & 180 and I started east toward Brasstown Bald. In the past, I have always ridden my road bike up here because of the easier gears. I was too stubborn to bring it this time so I opted for the tri bike...and non climbing gears. All I had was a 53/39 and a 12-25. Hmm...guess it will have to work for me.

Jacks is just a long warm up. It was 5-6 miles out to Brasstown Bald. The climb is steady and rises about 5-600 feet over the course of the trip. There is only one brief spot where it spikes. As I am getting warmed up, I am finding myself out of the saddle and in my 39-25 a bit more that I want to be. This could make Hogpen challenging. Brasstown comes and goes and I tuck into aero position for the nice long descent for about 4 miles.

Unicoi provides a slightly different challenge. It is more short and steep as you climb through a number of switch backs. The climb is about 6-700 feet over the course of 3 miles. None of the climbs are too challenging...just enough to make you burn and hurt as you power your way through them. The best part of Unicoi is the LONG descent....over 1500' spread among 7 miles.

The downside to take the tri bike up there is that I couldn't fully enjoy the descents. The bike just doesn't handle like a road bike in the turns. Of course, all I can think about is all the crashes from the previous days Tour where pro riders lost control of their TT bikes. The bikes just are responsive like that. So I ride the brakes most of the time trying to keep the speed around 35.

Finally, I make the turn onto 75. I am nearing the base of Hogpen. And I know what goes down...has to go back up. The Hogpen climb is legendary...not just locally but nationally. It is part of the Tour de Georgia course and has been known to break the best of riders. People come from all around the nation to give it their best...if they can. The total climb is 2000' over about 10 miles. The main section is 7 miles of climbing of about 1500'. Relentless.

This was only the fourth time I have ever attempted it. I typically stick to the front three gaps...just enough climbing to make you really work without destroying you. I still recall the first time I tried it. I remember pull off on the side of the road twice because I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I remember wondering if I could catch a ride to the top. Last year I had a much better climb. I was a stronger cyclist and determined not to let it break me. I still remember getting to the top and pulling over for a few minutes to catch my breath.

I started at the base determined. The first few miles were enough to make me question my sanity. You climb a few hundred feet and then go back down. Then you climb about 600' and go back down. It just teases you like this. Each time you return to the base of the hill. And then it begins.

I started my clock to time how long it would take me to reach Hogpen's peak. 7.3 miles in about 48 minutes. That translates to about 9 mph...which actually shocks me. I am finding a rythem of standing and climbing for 15 seconds and then back into the saddle for about 5 seconds. My cadence is hovering about 60 rpm. About every 10 minutes it will flatten out for about 100 feet. When my cadence hit 70 it felt like I was taking off. I used every opportunity to catch my breath.

The hardest part of ride occurs on a two mile stretch near the top. The two miles takes me 19 minutes. My cadence is in the low 40s. Let me just say that when you reach a point where you can only hold 40 rpm...it feels like you are about to roll backwards.

The worst part of Hogpen is how it teases your near the top. There are 3-4 places where you can pull off and look into the valley created by the mountains. This typically signifies the peak. Not on Hogpen. You reach a turnoff only to see the road continue to climb until you see the sign for the Appalachian Trail. Finally. It is over.

The descent is breathtaking. A few years back, I hit 54 mph going down the other side. Today, I only peaked at 42. That was fast enough with carbon fiber shaking under me. It was fun to tuck into aero on the long stretch and get some real speed.

I made it back to my car covering 39.9 miles in 2h 37m averaging 15.2 mph. I was more than pleased with that ride. I got off the bike and my legs were complete jello. Now I just need to hope I didn't trash the body along the way.

Peachtree 10k

Nothing like running 6.2...err...6.3 miles with 55,000 of your favorite Atlanta friends. The Peachtree is an Atlanta tradition just like the Varsity, Clairmont Lounge or traffic standing still at the oddest of times. In recent years, the Peachtree has earned the distinction as the world's largest 10k. And it lives up to the billing as 55,000 people gather and run, jog, skip, walk, stroll down the city's main artery all in the name of receiving the coveted t-shirt. Alas, I fell victim to joining the masses again.

Luckily, they offer runners the opportunity to get sub-seeded. That is...ahead of everyone else. By submitting previous accomplishments they gladly place you ahead of the 45,000 people who are first timers or walkers. I learned my lesson the first time. ALWAYS submitted a time and get sub-seeded. I makes your race and day much better.

This Fourth of July was a pleasant surprise as Atlanta was greeted with cooler weather throughout the week. The mornings were quite comfortable. The cooler temps provided a great atmosphere for the race.

Living close to the start of the race, it made sense for me to just jog to the start. For some reason, I changed my mind. I didn't really want to jog the mile home from marta. So I planned on driving to marta, parking and jogging to the start line and then benefit from having my car for post race. As I parked, I realized I forgot my HRM strap so it was back to the house. At this point I was officially running behind.

I decided to park a few blocks away from marta to cut down on my warmup jog to the start line. I stepped out of the car at 7:10. Race began at 7:30. I was a mile away and had to navigate through 55,000+ people to locate my corral. So my warmup was a little more than that. I wasn't afforded a nice easy jog as my 8:30 pace got me there in time for the National Anthem. I quickly made my way through the crowd and entered my corral with about 3 minutes to spare. A few quick stretches and I was ready to go.

Coaches instructions were simple. Warmup for the first mile, push the next 4, gut it out if you can but feel free to cool down after that point. He just wanted a solid 30 minute effort. Sounded good to me. Personally, I have never wanted to 'race' the Peachtree. Too many people fighting for space. You would really think 6 lanes on a road would be enough but it never is.

The gun went off and so did my corral of 5,000 people...all pushing and shoving trying make room. I settled into a nice, comfortable pace. I figured I would run the first mile in about 8:00 and then push it down to sub 7:30 and go into cool down.

About half a mile into the race, the crowd thinned out and you could move. I was able to push the comfortable pace a bit more. First mile, 7:47. Feeling good. The next 1.5+ miles are downhill and so I opened up a bit more. It still amazes me how many people never take the time to learn to run downhill properly. Mile 2: 7:15. Much of the same for the next mile until you hit the base of Peachtree Battle and start working Heartbreak Hill. Mile 3: 7:04

At mile 3 the race really begins....nearly 2 miles of nice hills. Per instructions, I attacked the hills. Despite the lack of hill training I wasn't going to let them break me. Mile 4: 7:45. The next mile flattens out a bit more and it ends up being false flats with gentle inclines. Mile 5: 7:45.

I am feeling pretty good at this point. I can tell that I just pushed it up the hills but I am far from exasperated. I tell myself to just hang tough for the next half mile and then I will re-evaluate. At this point, I realize that I am pretty close to setting a PR. That certainly wasn't the plan for the day. I also recall the final half mile is more or less down hill so I decide to keep holding my pace. I debate picking it up but as always I refuse to go into that hurting zone when I know my pace is solid. Mile 6: 7:04. On 10th street, I just cruised. I enjoyed picking up the pace on the down hill and seeing the finish line in front of me.

Chip time: 46:23 (7:22 pace)
10k time: 45:52

Boh are PRs at this distance which caught me by surprise. I grabbed my t-shirt, something to drink and headed to marta. My IT band was killing me after the race so I just wanted to get home.

Another Peachtree in the bank. That makes it 4 in a row for me. And despite complaining about it, I know I will be back next year. Now I just need to figure out how to run and learn to hurt

Indian Springs by the numbers...

Well the data confirms what I already knew. Within my age group, I came back into T2 in 3rd place then I got run down. It really is defeating to look at how out of line my OA ranks are. Guess it is time to attack that weakness and change that.

	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Overall
Fastest	8:39	0:30	0:35:45	0:20	0:16:55	1:06:22
Benchmark	10:33	0:45	0:37:34	0:41	0:19:40	1:09:11
Andrew	11:59	0:59	0:39:53	0:55	0:24:18	1:18:06
AG Rank (32)	7	5	4	6	13	6
OA Rank (424)	63	52	28	79	90	38

June Training Totals

June was a big month for training. It should have been bigger but I had a few minor set backs.

June's totals:
Bike: 21h 50m 06s - 420.4 Mi
Run: 7h 31m 54s - 52.5 Mi
Swim: 6h 54m 01s - 22512 Yd
Strength: 35m
Yoga: 1h 40m

The focus this month was clearly the bike. I found myself on it more often than I do laundry...which creates a problem when you need clean shorts. The volume really only represents three solid weeks of training. Last week was little to nothing. I also raced two sprints in June that prevent a bit more training.

For the year, it looks like this:

Bike: 89h 46m 08s - 1681.94 Mi 56% of goal
Run: 57h 18m 09s - 397.35 Mi 53% of goal
Swim: 33h 12m 20s - 101978 Yd 51% of goal

It looks like I am on par with where I thought I would be for the year. Of course, the goals were a bit random. I actually think I will be hard pressed to reach the bike and definitely the swim. I think the run goal will be achieve easily.

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.