I decided to take advantage of the great weather here in Coeur D'Alene. I saw a post on Slowtwitch looking for people riding the course. I replied with, "wanna be triathlete will be there trying to average 15-16 mph." I raced this course in 2007 & 2008 and average 20+mph. Someone else saw my reply and was interested. I wonder what happen to the original post. Was he intimidated by my raw power?
We left the hotel at 8:15AM and headed toward Lake Coeur D'Alene. The winds were stronger than I remember. I thought the big bad wolf was trying to huff and puff and blow me off the bike. I found a Chevron to stop at every 60-90 minutes. This worked out well for refueling. My goal for the ride was to be faster on the second loop. My power number was better, but the speed stayed the same. It seemed the winds picked up and changed directions on the way back.
I just missed Josh and Bi33y when I finished the ride. They were at the Olive Garden. I told them I would pay them 1 million pesos if they brought me some food back. They did, they did :-) I was so thankful. My arm just didn't taste so good.
Josh and I went to watch "Knight & Day" to give Bi333y peace and quiet. The movie was better than expected. The rest of the night will be low keyed. Tomorrow Bi3333y is gonna drop the hammer!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Swimmin in Lake Coeur D'Alene
This morning the weather sunny with a few clouds. After breakfast I headed to the lake for a swim. They no longer have a swim check in. GRRR!!! I walked back to the car to drop off all valuables, just in case someone wanted to walk away with my bag/towel. I decided to demo a new wetsuit. You cannot zip the wetsuit up, unless you have three arms. I had to ask a stranger for their name, blood type, and phone number (just in case they zipped me too tight ;-)). There were no buoys set up, so I would swim out a quarter mile then turn around. I managed to swim 2.3 miles. The water was a little choppy with a current on the way back and felt like 59. Typical swim conditions. I definitely prefer my XTERRA VENDETTA!!!
I was hoping to get back to the hotel for second breakfast, but no such luck. Elizabeth was ready to head over and get her race packet. We ran into Ray and Elizabeth. He is racing this weekend too. We then ate lunch at the Pita Pit. I almost managed a free strawberry smoothie. Nobody was claiming it until the employee walked outside. :-(
After lunch, we drove the course, picked up her bike, and stopped at the grocery store. I decided to go out for a short run.
Bi333y made me go to the athlete dinner :-( I kicked, screamed, and pouted to no avail. It was standing room only.
There was a guy who lost 190 pounds while training to finish the Ironman. His story was moving.
I have everything ready to ride the full course tomorrow. It will be fun!!!
I was hoping to get back to the hotel for second breakfast, but no such luck. Elizabeth was ready to head over and get her race packet. We ran into Ray and Elizabeth. He is racing this weekend too. We then ate lunch at the Pita Pit. I almost managed a free strawberry smoothie. Nobody was claiming it until the employee walked outside. :-(
After lunch, we drove the course, picked up her bike, and stopped at the grocery store. I decided to go out for a short run.
Bi333y made me go to the athlete dinner :-( I kicked, screamed, and pouted to no avail. It was standing room only.
There was a guy who lost 190 pounds while training to finish the Ironman. His story was moving.
I have everything ready to ride the full course tomorrow. It will be fun!!!
Kaptain Karen
I write workouts for one of my athletes. Since we are about the same in swimming ability, the workout have the same send-offs. I recently learned she created a team at the pool. There are 3-5 swimmers showing up for these great workouts. She charges them a drop fee. She even makes them call her Kaptain. What kind of poop is that?
I am at a little over 15k of swimming this week. The best workout of the week was on Wednesday. Rumor has it I was swimming faster than Kaptain Karen's team. The main set was 3x250s with a 50 kick that moved each set followed by a 100 cruise on 2. The set was repeated four times. The 100 swim, 50 kick 100 swim was always harder than the other 2. Now I know why I don't like swims that make you get out and run back in for another loop.
Yesterday, I did a quick bike workout before leaving for Coeur D'Alene. My legs were a little tired on the drive over. They felt better after a few hours of sitting in the car. The drive over was super exciting. I watch a movie on the DVD player and called everyone I knew in my contact list. I didn't even use blue tooth. Just Kidding. It was super boring. I pulled into Spokane Airport with an hour to spare.
One of the athletes I coach is racing at Ironman Coeur D'Alene on Sunday. The weather forecast is low 80s, which is the opposite of the rain and cold of last year. She is in peak form and ready to drop the hammer.
I am at a little over 15k of swimming this week. The best workout of the week was on Wednesday. Rumor has it I was swimming faster than Kaptain Karen's team. The main set was 3x250s with a 50 kick that moved each set followed by a 100 cruise on 2. The set was repeated four times. The 100 swim, 50 kick 100 swim was always harder than the other 2. Now I know why I don't like swims that make you get out and run back in for another loop.
Yesterday, I did a quick bike workout before leaving for Coeur D'Alene. My legs were a little tired on the drive over. They felt better after a few hours of sitting in the car. The drive over was super exciting. I watch a movie on the DVD player and called everyone I knew in my contact list. I didn't even use blue tooth. Just Kidding. It was super boring. I pulled into Spokane Airport with an hour to spare.
One of the athletes I coach is racing at Ironman Coeur D'Alene on Sunday. The weather forecast is low 80s, which is the opposite of the rain and cold of last year. She is in peak form and ready to drop the hammer.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sunday was a nice relaxing day. I went out for a short run with the dogs. I wanted to run slow, but the girls were on a different mission. I finally got over to the trails and let them off leash.
Yesterday, I swam 4k. My legs felt like anchors. I muscled my way through a few 400s.
This morning, I swam 3.3k mostly IM. I felt much better today.
I wanted to go for a ride this afternoon in the sunshine, which has been a rarity. Unfortunately, my stomach was feeling queasy all morning. I left work early and chilled at home.
Yesterday, I swam 4k. My legs felt like anchors. I muscled my way through a few 400s.
This morning, I swam 3.3k mostly IM. I felt much better today.
I wanted to go for a ride this afternoon in the sunshine, which has been a rarity. Unfortunately, my stomach was feeling queasy all morning. I left work early and chilled at home.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Cascades Edge Olympic - Jun 19
I woke up at 5 this morning. I cleaned up and was on the road by 515. The roads were wet from the rain overnight. Would I stay dry today? I pulled into the race site at 615. The good thing about getting the to race early is a good parking spot and first choice on the bike rack. I got everything set up and chilled in the car until warm-up.
As I was getting ready to ride the bike, I ran into several locals (Karen, Lisa, Megan, Jared, Ellina, Ross, Micah, Travis). They also informed me the swim would be cut in half due to the cold temp, 52. :-( I like cold water :-) I grabbed my bike and warmed up for 20 minutes. The roads were wet and it was misty outside, so definitely no sunglasses for the race. I threw in a few 30" hard efforts then back to transition. I decided to switch the direction my bike was facing to cut my transition time down during the race. I went out for a short run to loosen the legs. Everything was set up. Have you ever tried to put a wet suit on when your wet from the rain/sweat? I wrestled with it for 5 minutes and finally won. Once the sprint racers were off, I swam out to the first buoy to acclimate to the water. The temperature was perfect, for me. The girls went first. We waited 5 minutes and were off.
SWIM - 13:22 (800-900 meters) 8th overall
The swim went well. I tried to start right behind Jared. The key word tried. I started to catch some of the swimmers in the previous wave by the first buoy. The second buoy had a hard right turn. It took a couple of strokes to get the next buoy in sight. The swim felt strong. The brand new XTERRA VENDETTA was the main reason. No water in my wetsuit.
T1 - 1:33 2nd overall
As I ran up to my bike, I saw Ellina. I was taking off my wetsuit and heard Jared. I was very perplexed. I found out later, he was a little dizzy. Maybe he shouldn't have partied it up so hard last night. I put on my SPIUK, grabbed the LYNSKEY and did a Usain Bolt 100 meter sprint to the bike mount line.
BIKE - 1:04.15 (23.21mph) 8th overall
I was passed within the first mile by a guy who started out like he was being chased by a bear. I passed him back 2 miles later and never saw him again. I guess the bear had a taste of triathlete burger ;-) I was only passed by one other guy, who ended up as the eventual winner. I felt good on the bike. The course was relatively flat with several small rollers and false flats. I caught up to Karen around mile 12. I also saw Lisa, Jared, and Megan at the beginning of the out and back. Megan looked like a tiger chasing down her prey. Jared looked like he was doing tricks. I have never seen a guy ride on his handlebars during a race, very impressive. I think Lisa had NOZ. One second she was there, the next she was gone. I decided to test my bike handling skills as I weaved in and out of the cones. Actually, I had too much speed on the turn and veered into traffic. It was hard to tell who else was in front of me because of the duathletes racing.
T2 - 0:59 2nd overall
I dismounted, racked the bike, put on my NEWTONS, grabbed (visor, race belt and water bottle) and left transition all in under a minute. Try saying that 5 times fast.
RUN - 39:31 (6:35 pace) 12th Overall
I saw a 2 guys ahead of me within the first mile. I passed them both just after the first mile. During that time, I was also passed by 2 guys. One triathlete and one duathlete. I was back to zero on the overtaking of runners. I hit the turn around and saw a few people chasing me. I started to run scared. I tried to picture a guy with a chainsaw. It worked well until mile 5. I heard footsteps on the trail. It was a a girl running like a cheetah. I tried to ask if her feet were tired, but she went by too fast. She ended up having the 3rd fastest run overall averaging 6:03. This was my fastest run off the bike for an Olympic to date.
AFTER THE RACE 1:59.41
I ended up 5th overall and 1st in my age group because the overall winner was in my age group. I can't wait to race later in the season. I also ran into Phil. I haven't seen him in over a year. It looks like he is back to blazing the triathlon scene.
As I was getting ready to ride the bike, I ran into several locals (Karen, Lisa, Megan, Jared, Ellina, Ross, Micah, Travis). They also informed me the swim would be cut in half due to the cold temp, 52. :-( I like cold water :-) I grabbed my bike and warmed up for 20 minutes. The roads were wet and it was misty outside, so definitely no sunglasses for the race. I threw in a few 30" hard efforts then back to transition. I decided to switch the direction my bike was facing to cut my transition time down during the race. I went out for a short run to loosen the legs. Everything was set up. Have you ever tried to put a wet suit on when your wet from the rain/sweat? I wrestled with it for 5 minutes and finally won. Once the sprint racers were off, I swam out to the first buoy to acclimate to the water. The temperature was perfect, for me. The girls went first. We waited 5 minutes and were off.
SWIM - 13:22 (800-900 meters) 8th overall
The swim went well. I tried to start right behind Jared. The key word tried. I started to catch some of the swimmers in the previous wave by the first buoy. The second buoy had a hard right turn. It took a couple of strokes to get the next buoy in sight. The swim felt strong. The brand new XTERRA VENDETTA was the main reason. No water in my wetsuit.
T1 - 1:33 2nd overall
As I ran up to my bike, I saw Ellina. I was taking off my wetsuit and heard Jared. I was very perplexed. I found out later, he was a little dizzy. Maybe he shouldn't have partied it up so hard last night. I put on my SPIUK, grabbed the LYNSKEY and did a Usain Bolt 100 meter sprint to the bike mount line.
BIKE - 1:04.15 (23.21mph) 8th overall
I was passed within the first mile by a guy who started out like he was being chased by a bear. I passed him back 2 miles later and never saw him again. I guess the bear had a taste of triathlete burger ;-) I was only passed by one other guy, who ended up as the eventual winner. I felt good on the bike. The course was relatively flat with several small rollers and false flats. I caught up to Karen around mile 12. I also saw Lisa, Jared, and Megan at the beginning of the out and back. Megan looked like a tiger chasing down her prey. Jared looked like he was doing tricks. I have never seen a guy ride on his handlebars during a race, very impressive. I think Lisa had NOZ. One second she was there, the next she was gone. I decided to test my bike handling skills as I weaved in and out of the cones. Actually, I had too much speed on the turn and veered into traffic. It was hard to tell who else was in front of me because of the duathletes racing.
T2 - 0:59 2nd overall
I dismounted, racked the bike, put on my NEWTONS, grabbed (visor, race belt and water bottle) and left transition all in under a minute. Try saying that 5 times fast.
RUN - 39:31 (6:35 pace) 12th Overall
I saw a 2 guys ahead of me within the first mile. I passed them both just after the first mile. During that time, I was also passed by 2 guys. One triathlete and one duathlete. I was back to zero on the overtaking of runners. I hit the turn around and saw a few people chasing me. I started to run scared. I tried to picture a guy with a chainsaw. It worked well until mile 5. I heard footsteps on the trail. It was a a girl running like a cheetah. I tried to ask if her feet were tired, but she went by too fast. She ended up having the 3rd fastest run overall averaging 6:03. This was my fastest run off the bike for an Olympic to date.
AFTER THE RACE 1:59.41
I ended up 5th overall and 1st in my age group because the overall winner was in my age group. I can't wait to race later in the season. I also ran into Phil. I haven't seen him in over a year. It looks like he is back to blazing the triathlon scene.
Friday, June 18, 2010
First Olympic of the season
Yesterday I jumped on the bike for a little over an hour. It was a short with a good effort. I forgot to replace the battery on the power meter, so no real data to report.
Today, I did a little bit of everything. I brought out all the replacement/new gear to make sure everything was gonna work for me tomorrow.
I went to the lake and swam with my brand new XTERRA VENDETTA. The difference between this suit and my other suit is huge. I swam 1500 meters and there was absolutely no water in my the suit.
I transitioned to the bike and did several pickups and one sustained effort. I felt strong. The GARMIN 310XT worked like a charm. I don't know why it has an autolap feature automatically set for every mile on the bike. I adjusted the watch while doing a wheelie with one hand ;-)
I grabbed the dogs and ran a quick 3 miles to get the legs moving.
I wore my race suit from OOMPH. It looks fast!!! It will be my first race with a one piece suit. I might use it for the longer races.
Today, I did a little bit of everything. I brought out all the replacement/new gear to make sure everything was gonna work for me tomorrow.
I went to the lake and swam with my brand new XTERRA VENDETTA. The difference between this suit and my other suit is huge. I swam 1500 meters and there was absolutely no water in my the suit.
I transitioned to the bike and did several pickups and one sustained effort. I felt strong. The GARMIN 310XT worked like a charm. I don't know why it has an autolap feature automatically set for every mile on the bike. I adjusted the watch while doing a wheelie with one hand ;-)
I grabbed the dogs and ran a quick 3 miles to get the legs moving.
I wore my race suit from OOMPH. It looks fast!!! It will be my first race with a one piece suit. I might use it for the longer races.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Fun swim this morning
There was a rumor floating around that a staff member was as fast if not faster than me. I asked her is she wanted to do some 200s today. She jumped in during the middle of my first set. I told her to warm up 400 and she could start the second set with me. It was 3x200 on 3:00, 2:50, 2:40. I wanted to descend the set, so my first one was 2:45. She was over 30meters behind. I pushed off for #2 and she was at least 12 meters from the wall. I finished up the set and saw her sitting on the side. I asked what happened. She didn't understand the set. I started my last set of 3x200s on 3:20. I wanted the last 200 to be the fastest one of the day. She didn't make the first one again. I finished with a strong swim at the end. She told me later, "It wasn't her day." She would be ready to swim with me next time. The workout totalled 3.9k.
I received my new race suit from Oomph. It looks awesome!!! I can't wait to race in it!!!
I received my new race suit from Oomph. It looks awesome!!! I can't wait to race in it!!!
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