Post Race Sushi

I worked up a big appetite at Evergreen. The post-race feast was sushi from Ko_Fusion and a couple of Asahi beers. We ordered a bunch: Tuna, Shrimp, Salmon, Yellowtail, Unagi, White Tuna, Snapper, Hotategai, Smoked Salmon, Tako, and California roll (center) and added three rolls - Hot Mama (asparagus, snapper, salmon and tuna in a spicy sauce topped with a hot sauce...on the left), Crunch (Spicy tuna roll topped with masago, crushed cashews and tempura crunch flakes...foreground), and Dragon (Baked unaki, avocado, tobiko on top...back). Yum!

Evergreen Lake Race Report

The 2008 Evergreen Lake International distance triathlon in Hudson, IL was designated as the USAT Regional Championship race for the Mideast. Athletes who finished in the top 5 places of their age group, or in the top 33% (whichever was greater) qualified for the Age Group National Championships to be held in Portland, OR on September 20.

I raced Evergreen in 2006 and 2007 and was excited to learn when I was planning my 2008 season that the race held this designation. Knowing that I would be racing in a Regional Championship event, I set my season goal to earn a qualification and to race in the National Championship.

I analyzed my 2006 results (2007 was kind of a throw-away season for me) to see where I placed that year. I was 13/27, 4 places out of the top 33%. My time was 4 minutes slower than the 9th place finisher. I told myself that to qualify I needed to cut 5 minutes off of my time.

Fast forward to July 19 and Evergreen. Prior to the race I set my time goals to be sub 30 minutes for the swim, sub 1:08 for the bike, and sub 50 minutes for the run. I hoped my overall time would be 2:28:00 or so. This would have bested my 2006 time by nearly 10 minutes, and with that I was confident I would meet my goal of qualifying for Nationals.

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Pre-Race

My alarm went off at 4:15. I didn't really sleep too well due to excitement and anxiousness, so I was up pretty quickly. I had packed everything the night before, so all I had to do was get in and drive to the race site. It was just about an hour away, so my wife and I got in the van and headed off. About 10 minutes into the trip we hit a strong rain storm. I was worried that it might affect the race because the rain was coming from the west...where we were headed. We continued to drive through rain storms until we arrived at the race site. I got checked in quickly and was happy to see that the water temperature had dropped enough to make the race wetsuit legal. I got my bike racked and my transitions setup. (I was hoping to save time in transition by skipping socks in T1, but putting them on in T2 for the run.) It continued to stop and start raining, but there was no lightning or thunder, so we started just a few minutes behind schedule.

Swim
Based on my race a couple of weeks before, I made sure to emphasize sighting during the swim. I didn't want to zigzag around the course and waste time correcting. So I sighted for buoys very frequently. I felt like I was moving along pretty well. I was passing some people from the wave that started 3 minutes before mine and I was feeling smooth and strong. I hit the swim exit and checked my watch. 28 something...Great! (Swim time - 29:19)

T1
It was a long run from the water to transition, but I felt strong...thank you wetsuit! I had counted racks based on the wave numbers they were labelled with, so I found my bike pretty quickly. I struggled getting my leg out of the wetsuit a little, but I was putting my helmet on at the same time, so I didn't really lose any time. I got out of my wetsuit and into my shoes (no socks), grabbed my bike, and headed for the exit. (1:35)

Bike
The rain had continued during the swim, so the roads were wet. I wasn't going to let that slow me. I was riding safe, but I was trying to go fast. I started passing people almost immediately. The collegiate (men and women) and men 34 and under waves had gone before my wave (men 35-44). I was passing alot of riders in other age groups, but wasn't seeing alot of 35-39s on the bike. I wasn't sure if this meant that they were all ahead of me, or if it meant they were all behind me.

I had planned my nutrition strategy to hopefully maintain energy througout the bike and into the run. I was planning on drinking water and using Hammer gels every five miles. I was alternating Tropical (with 25mg caffeine) and Raspberry (no caffeine). I hit 5 miles and took the first gel. I continued on with this plan taking gels at miles 11 and 20. I felt very strong for the entire ride. Around mile 18 I finally passed a rider in my age group, then another shortly after. We yo-yoed back and forth a couple of times, and I finally passed them for good within the last 1.5 miles. I dismounted at the line and headed into transition. (Ride time - 1:09:22)

T2
It had continued to rain on and off (mostly on) for the entire ride. My shoes were soaked and the socks I had planned to wear were soaked as well. I made a split second decision to forget the socks, knowing that my feet would suffer for it. (I had tried running sockless for a training run only to return home after 2 miles to put socks on.) But I didn't care, I was in this race to try and go as fast as I could and I knew that the soaked socks would slow my transition way down. I pulled on my shoes grabbed my hat and race belt and took off for the run exit. (1:17)

Run
I was hoping to average 8 minute miles for the run and to come in under 50 minutes. Leaving transition, I reminded myself to control my breathing, relax, and stay in control. Also, I needed to run my own race and hold my own pace. I hit mile 1 and looked at my watch - 7:44. A little bit fast, but I felt ok. I forgot to hit my lap button right away, so my remaining miles were mistimed. The rain picked up again. I love to run in the rain. I hit mile 2 and my watch said 7 something, which I knew was wrong - it had to be closer to 8 something. Right after mile 2 I started feeling the hot spots on my feet - right in my arches - just like on the training run.

Between miles 2 and 3 I ran with someone from the Tri-Shark club. We were holding the same pace and it felt good to run with someone for a little while. I talked about the rain a little bit, how it was holding off the heat. I did glance at his calf to make sure he wasn't in my age group...Nope, he was younger. The two guys from my age group who I passed on the bike both passed me on the run, but they were clearly strong runners and I wasn't able to match their pace. I watched them run away, one at a time, wondering if I was going to be able to hit the goal that I had worked so hard for.

At the mile 4 water station I ran away from the Tri-Shark guy, trying to pick up my pace a little. I was hurting. My feet were blistered and on fire and the exertion of the race was starting to take its toll on me. I started telling myself, "I am strong. I am strong. I am strong." It became like a little chant to time my foot falls to...I-am-strong. I-am-strong. I-am-strong.

Mile 5 was a welcome site. I knew that the finish was near and I just had to hold on a little while longer. As the road wound around towards the lake I could hear the sounds of the finish line and I just wanted to get there. I looked down at my watch and saw that my goal time was going to slip by while I was still on the road. At this point I had no idea where I was within my age group, and I was just hoping that I had a good push to the finish in me.

We hit the turn onto the road toward the finish and I told myself to pick it up a little. The Tri-Shark guy apparently picked it up too, because he passed my and cruised on towards the finish. I told myself, "Don't hold anything back" and started my finishing kick. I got up the road a little and saw the cones that marked the entry to the finish chute...about 100 more yards to go. The cones were laid out in an s-curve - left then back right and on to the finish line. I hit the left started back to the right and WHAM! my left hamstring just balled up into a massive uncontrollable cramp. I stopped, grabbed the back of my leg and started screaming in pain. People were yelling "Keep going!! Keep going!!" But there was nothing I could do, the pain was horrible. People started rushing by me...other racers pushing to the finish. I started to hobble, then grabbed and squeezed my hamstring as hard as I could. Another runner from my age group passed by. I could feel the cramp start to release a little, and I began to run again. I tried to catch him, but he had momentum and I couldn't catch him in those last yards. I was crushed. I just knew my goal wasn't going to be realized. I was so close. I tried so hard and a stupid cramp just robbed me of what I wanted - right in sight of the finish. (Run time - 51:16) Post Race

I wandered around a little bit. Drank some water. Hobbling. Feet hurt. Leg hurts. Feelings hurt. I did the best I could. I was so close...2:32:50...my best Evergreen finish by over 6 minutes. Was it good enough?

I got some food and started looking for results sheets to be posted. I had to know how close I was. I headed towards the shower building and saw people gathered around. Preliminary results were posted...I scanned the sheet, picking out ages and counting. One, two, three, four...FIVE!!! "I'm fifth! I did it! I'm in! I'm fifth! I should have been fourth! It doesn't matter - I did it!" Yahoo!!! Wow, what a relief. I am happy!

Happy Birthday to me.

I'm officially at the end of my age group. Next year I move up with the fast 40s.

Three days until race day. I've already done the race about 15 times in my head. I'm getting pretty good at it.

I went for a short, but hard run last night. I really pushed the pace for the first mile, took a walk break, pushed the pace for another mile, took another walk break, etc. It was hot and humid and when I was done running, I felt really crappy. I think that qualifies as a good workout. I feel fine today. I even had a couple of beers last night. This week I'm concentrating on getting plenty of sleep, eating good simple meals, and hydrating. I hope all of my effort pays off.

Great Ride!

Just finished a 30 miler. I felt great the whole time. I gave myself about 2 miles to spin and warm up, then I just cut loose. I was cruising around 22-22.5 mph...right where I want to be for Saturday's race.

I tried a little bit of new nutrition tonight too. I normally use Raspberry Hammer Gels, but I bought a couple of Tropical flavored ones to try on my ride tonight. They each contain 25 mg of caffeine. I read recently that when combined with water and carbohydrates, caffeine ingestion increases the force of muscular contractions. So, I thought I'd give it a try tonight. I wanted to make sure it wouldn't upset my stomach.

My bike legs feel ready for Saturday. I might spin a little bit later in the week, but this was my last bike workout before the race.

Taper Time

Saturday the 19th is "A" race day - Evergreen. I'm excited...and a little nervous.

I got a long run of 7+ miles in on Saturday. It was hot, hot, hot and humid, humid, humid. I was completely soaked with sweat when I got home. I did take it a little bit easy and took several water breaks.

Sunday my legs felt good, but I could tell my body needed a little more rest. I was going to go long on the bike, but I have bumped that until today. After work I'll head out for 30 miles or so on the bike - last long workout before race day.

I'm going to go with a taper that maintains intensity but drastically cuts volume. After today's ride, I'll get one more run and possibly two swims in. I do have softball games on Wednesday (my birthday). I'm hoping they don't beat me up too much. The past couple of softball weeks gave me a sore knee, sore muscles, and a huge bruise on my inner thigh from a grounder that took a nasty hop. I contemplated skipping the games this week, but only briefly. I'm playing.

Back With a Vengeance

Ran and swam tonight. 6 mile run then a 1750 yard swim. I planned to do this workout on Tuesday, but our 60% chance of rain turned into massive thunderstorms. I've been dealing with some motivational issues too. This is supposed to be a big training week leading up to my A race, but other life issues (looking for a new job) have gotten in the way, caused some stress, and made me a little depressed.

I went for a ride last night, but had to force myself to go. I got all dressed and ready and then just felt like sitting. I finally rolled out and felt pretty good afterwards. I only went a little more than half of what I had on my training calendar, but I think it helped a lot.

Tonight's run was hot. The bank clock/thermometer on the corner where I start my run said 87 when I left, and 85 when I got back 46 minutes later. It's in the sun, so it usually reads a couple degrees higher than what weather.com says, but I'm in the sun too. Regardless, I was hot and looking for shade to run in.

My swim felt good. Although, about 300 yards into my second 500 one of my feet started feeling like it was going to cramp. I stopped and tried to stretch it out. Then about 10 minutes later my other foot started to cramp. Then I was getting the beginnings of calf cramps when I pushed off the walls. I cut my swim a little short, hoping to avoid any serious cramps. My right calf did cramp when I got out, but I was able to stretch it and keep it from really balling up.

All in all, I feel like I'm back into my training groove after tonight. Tomorrow's a rest day, but I'm going to get an open water swim in this weekend and a long run and bike before tapering next week. Evergreen in 8 days!

Rodney T. Miller Memorial Lakeside Triathlon

Yesterday I competed in the Rodney T. Miller Memorial Lakeside Triathlon in Decatur, IL. I wasn't sure what to expect from this race. I added it kind of last minute and didn't know too much about it. It's a tweener distance event, within USAT's range for an intermediate distance event, .7mi/19mi/4.5mi, but not an olympic distance event. This was only the second running of this race.

I have to say...I'm impressed! The race was very well organized, the venue was nice, and the courses were well thought out and challenging. I look forward to doing this event again next year - and not as a warm-up to another race.

Pre-Race:
My morning was not particularly eventful (this is a good thing). I got up and followed my usual pre-race routine: cup of coffee, bathroom, body glide, get dressed, make PB&J for the road, fill water bottles, load gear and bike into the van, write down directions, double-check directions, stand at the front door and try to think of anything I could be forgetting, walk back through the house trying to think of anything I could be forgetting, lock the door, unlock the door to retrieve whatever it was I forgot, re-lock the door, get into van, drive to the race.
Decatur is only about 45 miles from Champaign, so it was a quick road trip.
We got to the venue and my wife dropped me off near transition and went to park the van. I got checked in quickly, got body marked, and set up my gear. They had thought out the details well from a racers point-of-view with simple, yet effective elements like a place to rack bikes at body marking. Also the goodies in the goody bad were actually useful. The water bottle was a real water bottle, not one of those cheapy ones. And the race shirt is a technical t-shirt - good for training. Also, the transition area was well laid-out with bike racks assigned by wave, the swim cap color matched up with a colored rack identifier. (Great idea!)
Swim:
The race was wetsuit-legal. I didn't catch the water temperature from anyone, but all of the volunteers were well informed that wetsuits were allowed. I'm always happy when I hear that. My wave was first and we hit the lake right at 8:00. I could tell I hadn't been in open water for a couple of months. I felt strong enough, but I wasn't sighting well and I was zig zagging back and forth. I took my first turn a little too early and had to backtrack to go around the turn buoy. I was pulling to the left badly...I need them to paint a big line on the bottom of the lake so I can stay on course. I don't know how much extra I added to my swim, but it was probably at least an extra couple of minutes. Swim time for .7 mile - 23:27
T1:
2:04 - Too long...it was a long run from the water to the far end of transition, and my rack was all the way back through transition. I can probably pick up some free time by ditching the socks...so far I haven't been able to, but next race fo' sho'.
Bike:
Right out of transition was a climb up a pretty healthy grade. There were a couple of guys in front of me that I zipped by because they weren't set in the proper gear to get up the hill. The first 2 or 3 miles of the bike followed the road next to the lake - plenty of curves and rolling sections (seemed more uphill than down). After the lake road we hit a section of a large Decatur street which was very bumpy...potholes, some patches, some places in need of patches. All of the pavement defects were well marked with brightly colored spraypaint, so that helped a bit. Once we got out of town and onto the country road, it was smooth and nice. I got into a good cadence and except for a couple of long false flat sections, hovered right around 20 mph for the ride. Those false flats were nice on the way back, much better to ride down than up. I hit 32+ mph on two different sections. It was an out and back bike route, so we hit the same bumpy city street and lake road back to transition. (19 mile bike - 54:49 - 20.8mph) Big uphill a half mile before transition, then downhill into...
T-2:
That uphill section out of T-1 was downhill into T-2. I came screaming in towards transition, but there were plenty of volunteers with flags alerting me to slow down. I got off the bike and made my way to the rack...also downhill (not fun in bike shoes with Look cleats). T-2 was pretty quick in 1:01.
Run:
The run left transition and after a short run down the road and a turn around, headed back onto the lake road we had seen on the bike (the curvy, rolling, hilly parts). There was a challenging hill similar to the one at the exit out of T-1 near the beginning of run...ouch. I didn't feel super strong on the run. I felt like I could have gone a little faster, but my body wasn't really ready for that. It must have been the hills. I hit mile 2 at about 16:50, so I knew I was going too slow, but I wanted to just maintain a steady pace and stay comfortable and in control of my breathing. I walked through the water stop at the turn around point of the run and dumped some very cold water on my head. It felt shockingly good. I remember passing two guys in my A/G on the run and two others passed me, then a third went by within a half mile of the finish. We had to climb the same big uphill from the bike course heading back to the finish. But that ouch uphill from the beginning of the run was there at the end of the run too - downhill - like a ramp to the finish. Another good idea! Let the course help us run strong through the finish chute...I like! Run time for 4.5 miles: 38:26 (8:33/mi). Not great, but it served its purpose...getting me ready for my next race.
Overall:
1:59:47 - I was 7/21 in my A/G, so I hit my season-long goal to finish in the top 33% of my A/G in all of my races. I really enjoyed this event. It has a big event feel to it, even though there were only 218 finishers. Race organization was wonderful, there were plenty of enthusiastic volunteers, and the race course was challenging but fun. I'm hoping that this event will give me the momentum to have a strong race at Evergreen on July 19th.

Gearing Up

I had a pretty good run last night and a good (short) ride on Sunday. I was forced to take a few days off due to soreness above my right knee. It felt like a sore muscle at first, then more like a contusion when I tried massaging it. I'm not entirely sure of the cause, but I play softball on Wednesdays which puts a different set of strains on my body than endurance training does. I'm thinking that I tweaked something while sprinting, because I don't recall being hit there by anything or anyone.

I just added another race to my calendar, the Rodney T Miller Lakeside Triathlon in Decatur. I'm treating it as a warm-up race for my two "A" races this year: Evergreen and IronAbe. These are both qualifying races for Age Group Nationals. I set my goal early in the year to qualify to go to Portland. After looking back over my previous results in these races and hoping to train harder and get faster, I have hope of hitting this goal. The qualifying standard is a top 33% A/G finish in a qualifying race, or a top 10% A/G finish in any USAT sanctioned event. In my previous races at Evergreen and IronAbe, I was within striking distance of top 33% finishes.