Boulder 70.3

LG and I talked about doing this race last November. The race opened in December and was sure to sell out. I talked it over with my better half and we decided to make it a short family vacation.

I stopped riding the bike in early September and got back on in late March, so a little over 6 months with no cycling :-/  During that period, I maintained some fitness with 2-3 swims and 3-4 runs a week. I threw in a few run races (Turkey trot with stroller and 2 dogs, Santa 5k with stroller, Arizona Rock n Roll half, St Paddy 10k with stroller, and YMCA 10k with stroller).

It is tough to train for early summer races in the Northwest. You choose to go outside and get soaked or sit on the trainer. We were fortunate with several sunny days in April and May. My power numbers slowly started to come back in mid May. Everything was coming together until late May when I got a horrible cough and a stomach bug that lasted 2 weeks. I didn't swim for a week. I also cut back on the bike and running with short and easy workouts. I started to finally feel better the week before the race. 

During my final week, I did a few key workouts and it showed I might be able to still put together a decent race. Thursday morning while getting in one last bike ride my right aerobar extension seemed very loose. I thought no big deal. I got home that night to find 1 of 2 screws connecting the aerobar extension to the base broke in half. Another screw broke as I was trying to loosen up the aerobars. I was in complete panic mode. I call DC to help me out. He contacted JOYRIDE and they looked at it Friday morning. It was good news bad news. They were able to get the screws out, but the extension was so corroded that a screw would not work. Thankfully my wife uses the same aerobar set-up and Joyride had enough time to swap out pieces.

We flew out Friday evening. Flight was scheduled to depart at 7:25pm. Southwest delayed the flight 3 more times. We departed Sea-Tac at a little after 9. At Denver airport, the baggage claim carousel was malfunctioning, so we lost another 30 minutes. We walked into the hotel room a little after 2am. LA slept thru entire flight, carousel hold up, and drive to the hotel. He woke up as we were getting ready to unpack in the room.

Saturday morning we headed over to LG's house. I put my bike back together only to discover my seat clamps are cracked. There was nothing I could do, but cross my fingers. LG and I headed out to the race site to check-in and turn in our bikes.

Sunday morning we were up at 4am and out the door within 30 minutes. We picked up 2 more racers and headed to Boulder. We pulled into Boulder a little after 5:30. This gave us plenty of time to set-up a canopy for the families to hang out during/after the race and then our race area. I ended up forgetting my watch. I sprayed on sunscreen before putting on my sleeveless XTERRA VENDETTA.

Swim

Course: 1 loop clockwise with 2 right turns, okay visibility, water temp 67 degrees.
Plus: It was great to have a designated area to swim that did not interfere with the race, so I warmed-up 10-15 minutes.
Gear: XTERRA SLEEVELESS VENDETTA, OOMPH SPEEDSUIT, & Blue Seventy Nero Mirrored Goggles
Race action: I was in the 5th wave. They sent us off and I notice a few guys getting out quickly. I felt good during the swim and had mostly clear water through the first turn with a little traffic for the remainder. I exit just behind the guy who started in front of me.
Next time: Push the first 200-400 meters to stay with the faster guys.
Result: (28:52, 1:29 per 100m)

Bike

Course: 1 loop on decent roads. The first few miles are a gradual incline then its fast for the next 20-30 miles. The second half of the ride is slightly rolling.
Gear: LYNSKEY TI BIKE, OAKLEYS, Rudy Project aero helmet, Shimano custom shoes, and XLAB 400 torpedo.
Nutrition: INFINIT CUSTOM in 3 BOTTLES
Race action: I felt good throughout the entire bike ride. I made sure to drink frequently. Near the 50 mile mark, several guys in front of me turned right, so I followed. We ended up adding 0.6-0.7 miles to the ride. Luckily we got back on track with only a few miles left.
Next time: Get the bike checked out sooner. Know the course!!!

Result: (2:25.41 23.06mph)

Run
Course: 2 loops on 90%trails with a shorter hill and a longer hill within the first 2 miles then mostly flat.

Gear: NEWTON DISTANCE SHOES & VISOR and bottle of GU Brew Blueberry Pomegranate.
Race action: I had to control the effort at the beginning because quads were cramping and breathing was labored. Normally, I take a drink every mile but changed it up to approximately every half to try eliminate the cramping. I felt stronger after the 5k, so started grabbing coke at the aid stations. I saw my 2 favorite people just before going out on the second loop. I caught up to a 30 year old, who passed me around mile 5,  and encouraged him to keep running as we only had a 5k left. He ran with me for a little over a mile and then faded as I was trying to get er done. As I neared the finish, I saw my 2 favorite people again, so I stopped and gave them each a kiss before crossing the finish line.
Next time: More time to acclimatize to altitude.
Result: (1:36.38, 7:22 per mile)

Finish: 4:34.00 (9th in age group and 63rd out of 1544).
Overall: It was the first race in a few years that I really enjoyed.
Upcoming: Take the week to recover and decide if I want to try and do Nationals. Should I do the Olympic race Saturday and Sprint race Sunday?

Rock n Roll Arizona Half Marathon

A group of us decided to go to Arizona for some fun in the sun. Who can argue with 75 and sunny?

Originally when we planned the trip I was not going to run. A buddy told me to sign up for Boulder 70.3 in June. Once I committed to that race, I had to sign up to run the half marathon.

I wasn't sure how my Achilles would feel about training for a race. It was still healing from last spring. My plan started 10 weeks ago. I wanted to run 5-7 times a week. The Achilles told me that was not going to work. I found that 4 runs a week was the magic number. I also swam 3 times a week 2000-3500 yard workouts.

The plan each week was 2 easy/short runs, 1 tempo or hill workout and one longer workout. Every once in awhile I threw in one extra run and kept it very easy. Some of the training was done with Lucas in the stroller as long as he was willing. He slept or looked at the scenery around. I had to cut 2 of the workouts short because Lucas had enough.

Race morning we headed out the door at 6:15AM. Traffic got crazy 1 mile from the site. We ended up parking in front of a Thai restaurant that opened at noon. It was only a 1/2 mile to the start, so we walked the rest of the way. I got in a short 10 minute jog and lined up in the first corral.

It took me almost 30 seconds to cross the start line once the race began. I passed a lot of people in the first mile. My plan was cruise the first 5k and progressively build my speed. I felt strong thru 7 miles. I started to have a rough patch miles 8-10. I had a hot spot on each foot. I knew they were turning into blisters miles 11 to finish. If I walked it would take me longer, so I powered thru to the finish. I finished 11th in my age group, 112th overall out of 13,000+ with a 1:26.08.

Once we got back to the house I checked out my feet. Just as I suspected, a blister on each foot a little bigger than a quarter. JOY!!!

The best part of the day was watching the Seahawks pull out the win. It was a good day!

Bonney Lake Sprint Triathlon...

I decided two days before the race to enter. I knew my cycling was strong. I figured I could swim a 500. My running on the other hand was somewhat minimal. All the crazy running I did back in the spring caught up to me. I kept the running short and only 2-3 times a week. I didn't know what to expect out of myself since I had not raced all year and done no fast running all year.

Race morning I ran into a few familiar faces. I got everything set up and went out for an easy ride to warm-up. I bought a new sleeveless XTERRA VENDETTA. This would be the first time in a sleeveless and in it. I felt great warming-up.



Pre-swim with Lucas

I felt good at the beginning of the swim, there was a guy swimming to my right. I put a little distance on him at the turn-around. I love the sleeveless XTERRA VENDETTA. I can't believe it took me so long to purchase one. I saw a guy exiting the water just ahead of me. I ended up 4th out of the water.

I quickly transitioned from swim to bike. I put on my helmet, grabbed the LYNSKEY, and passed one guy out of transition. I was quickly passed in the first 1/4 mile by the guy who was right behind me on the swim. I knew there were at least 2 guys in front of me. I kept them in sight. After a couple miles, we caught up to the lead swimmer. He was a high-schooler on a road bike. It looked like he did a lot of draft legal races. As we passed him, he would just sit on the wheel. After a few more miles we dropped him. We were cruising along and the passed by a blur. Of course this made us all pick up the pace. I was in fourth while entering transition.

I quickly switched to run mode. I put on my NEWTONS and left in second, right behind the guy who had the fastest bike split. I knew it was going to be a dog fight to the finish line. As we left the parking lot and got onto the road. He went straight. I looked down and saw an arrow for left turn. I assumed I was making the right choice. I heard the 2 guys behind trying to figure out which way to go. I had no clue if I made the right decision until I saw the next arrow. I ended up running into the guy who missed the turn with less than a mile to go. He knew he made a wrong turn, so ran it in behind me then disqualified himself.

I ended up defending my title from last year. I was a few minutes faster. The swim was a little shorter, the bike was the same, and the run was a little longer. I ended up breaking the course record as well. BUDU Racing put on another great race. The best part was having Lucas there to watch his first triathlon.

Week of ironman whistler

I have been riding 3-4 times a week for the last several weeks. Most of the rides are cruise rides. Once a week I ride with Nick or Eric for 40-65 miles. After warm-up, we pull for 5 minutes then recover for 5 minutes. Rinse and repeat until home.

Last Tuesday, Nick and I decided to ride out to Ranier and back. After 20 minutes of warm-up, we took turns pulling. As we started on the range roads we quickly spun out because of a nice tail wind. This section of road is 6.5 miles long. If you have a tail wind at the beginning you will get a head wind at the end. I knew there were going to be some challenging sections due to the wind. It was the hardest ride I have ever done, almost 2.5 hours of hard riding.

Drove up to whistler to cheer on a couple of friends racing. The drive up was very scenic. I rode the course on Friday. It is a tough course. The garmin had 7000+ feet elevation gained. Many of the pros had it over 6000. The first 58 miles consists of rolling with a few steep pitches spread out. The next 32 miles are pancake flat with a little wind. The last 22 miles involves some of the hardest climbing of the course. My average speed for the ride dropped from 20.6 through the first 89 miles to 19.1 during the section back to whistler. If the winds and heat are present, the bike will be so much more difficult.

Saturday I ran to the swim start, jumped in for one loop, and ran back. It was a little choppy in the water because it rained that morning on and off, so conditions were not favorable.

The conditions on race day were almost perfect, little to no wind and mild temps.

bike cobwebs

After all the running I did earlier in the year, I decided to drop the miles back down. Actually I didn't decide, my body did. I started to have a few minor aches and pains. I still feeling pretty good in the pool. I am maintaining fitness by running around 30 miles and swimming 11000 yards every week.

The weather has been so nice lately that I decided to dust the cobwebs off the bike and finally take the bike outside last week. First I had to make sure everything was in working order. I had a buddy, who recently finished bike mechanic training, check it out. Everything looked good except the rear wheel. I found a decent set of wheels to use for training. I finally have a dedicated trainer wheel. No more switching the tire back and forth. I tried to turn on the QUARQ power meter, but no power meter present. I started to unscrew the battery cap and it broke. I grabbed the cap off my wife's bike and still nothing. I tried her batter too and still nothing. I bought new batteries to make sure there wasn't a bigger a problem. I guess the batteries were dead. I contacted QUARQ and explained what happened. They sent out a new cap the next day. Awesome customer service!!! . Once I set the new battery with cap, the bike was ready to roll.

On Tuesday, I took the Lynskey for 2 hours. I wanted one of the athletes I am coaching to ride a hillier route. We rode from Dupont thru Steilacoom, University Place, and turned around at the top of 6th Avenue in Tacoma. The last time I sat on the bike was back in March, but that was indoors. The last time I took it outside was October. It felt great to be back on the bike.

Two days ago I went out with a few friends for a longer ride. We rode from Dupont Forza thru JBLM, Yelm, Ranier then back home. I felt pretty good for most of it except the last few miles. I am definitely lacking some bike fitness. I finished just shy of 57 miles. I spent more time on the bike Sunday then combined for all of 2013. It's time to start riding the bike more.

All I do is run, run, run, and swim...

After Leadman race in Bend, Oregon and 7 years of triathlon, I decided to take a break from racing. The last couple years were very tough for me mentally and physically. For the rest of 2012, I worked out minimally and ate maximally. I gained 10+ lbs over the winter.

Once the new year started, I kind of got back into a routine. I slowly increased my running and swimming. The desire to get on the bike was non-existent. My bike is gathering more dust each day with only 2 hours of total saddle time for the year.

April was my biggest month of running ever. I ran 227.5 miles with a peak week of 59. I think the most I ever ran in a month previously was around 180 miles. I also flopped 49000+ yards in the pool.


"I just felt like running." - Forrest Gump

Leadman 125 - Redemption

After the World 70.3 Championships, I knew I did not race anywhere near my ability. Bottom line was I did not drink enough fluids, which caused me to flirt with heat exhaustion. I was back to training after 2 days and noticed quickly that I rebounded from the Vegas heat. I needed redemption, so I signed up for Leadman 125/250. Lifetime Fitness offered two races and the numbers represented the total kilometers travelled. I thought about the 250k for a few minutes. I knew I could get through a 5k swim and a 22k run, but did not have the training under my legs for 138 miles of cycling. Especially since you biked up Bachelor twice. I opted for the 125. It was advertised as 2.5k (1.55 miles) swim, 106k (65.87 miles) bike, and 16.5k (10.25 miles) run.

There wasn't any fitness to gain in the 10 days leading up to the race. The key was to nail race pace efforts and not add any fatigue while keeping the workouts short. All of my swim workouts were great. I even swam 5200 yards in the Lake on Sunday and felt awesome. I knew I was going to have a great race until Tuesday morning. I ended up tweaking my back at work trying to move a security cover around. I hoped it was nothing. I tried to run that afternoon, but only managed 6 steps because of the extreme pain. I called my A.R.T. and she squeezed me in before they closed. I tried to swim on Wednesday and it was pathetic. I had to use the ladder just to get into the pool. I had to warm-up with open turns because I wasn't sure my back would cooperate with flip turns. Every time I pushed off the wall, pain radiated in my lower back. I could swim as long as I pushed off the wall gently. I swam the rest of the workout with a pull buoy. That afternoon I rode my bike. Surprisingly, I felt good on the bike and my back did not hurt. The only time it hurt was when I got off the bike and stood straight up. There was still hope that I might be able to race. Thursday morning I attempted a short easy run with the dogs. No pain. Everything was coming into place. Was this a sign that I needed to rest more before races? Before driving down to Bend, Oregon, I stopped in for one more visit with my A.R.T to make sure I was squared away then headed south. It was a nice drive down Highway 26 to 97.

On Friday, I linked up with Lindsey and her friend Matt, who was from Seattle. We rode over to the Web Cyclery to get her bike shifting fixed. It really sucks when you can't get into your big chain ring. Then finished up with a few minutes up toward Mt Bachelor before heading to packet pick-up. Along with our race necessities, we were given a bag, long sleeve technical shirt, cycling jersey and visor. I looked down at my watch and realized it was lunch time. I was standing in line to get a sandwich from Jimmy John's. Lindsey said she was going over for sushi. I love sushi, so quickly got out of line and headed over. The sushi was so good that I went back for dinner. After lunch I went back to the hotel to set-up all of my gear, so I could drop it off at both transition sites. I ended up taking the longer drive to the swim start at Cultus Lake. It is a must if you are ever in Bend. This ended up being the route for the bike back to Bend. I racked my bike and decided to swim without a wetsuit. The water was clear and the temperature seemed to be in the lower 60s. After 9 minutes of battling chop, I turned around and rode the current back. I dried off and heading back to town. It took me 30+ minutes to get warm from the swim. I even had the heat set at 80 in my car. Maybe the water was colder? I spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the hotel. My support crew rolled in a little after 11pm. Thanks to the Schmitzs' for bringing my better half!

I woke up at 2am with stomach pains. This was a first. I fell back to sleep. I woke up an hour later in a hot sweat. I really started to question if I would be able to race. The alarm sounded at 5:05. My stomach still bothered me. I asked my wife to drive me to the race. I was not sure if I could even race. As we drove to the race, I glanced at the temperature gauge several times. It read 40, 28, 34 along the drive. Really?!? The stomach issue persisted. Would I even be able to race?

PRE-RACE
I pumped up the tires, placed my water bottles, and made sure everything would be ready to go. I was planning to ride with socks, so I left my shoes on the ground instead of clipping them to my bike with my socks stuffed inside. They decided to delay the start of the 250 racers because one of the buses got lost. They started them at 7:20. I went back to the car to warm-up and put on my XTERRA VENDETTA wetsuit. My wave was scheduled to start at 8:09. I had plenty of time to relax. Right?

SWIM - (28:23 my watch time, 29:06 actual time for 1.2 miles)
I swim out to the start and look up to see guys lined up. I assume it is 30 and under males because the time is 8:03. I hear the air horn and continue to swim closer to the start. Once I got close enough to the race boat, I yelled out, "Which age group?" A man yelled back, "Men 35&over." "CRAP!!! REALLY?!?" I sprint to catch-up to my wave. I actually felt good during the swim. After the turn around buoy I start to pick up the pace. One of the guys in my wave almost ran into me because he was on the wrong side of the buoys. I continue to swim along the buoys. I know I am only a couple hundred meters away from the swim exit. A kayaker comes up to me and points toward shore. I assumed we had to swim around the first buoy before heading to shore. Sure enough. I look to my left and see several swimmers nearing the swim exit. UGH!!! I break hard left and sprint the last few meters. I quickly exit and run past the wetsuit strippers to my LYNSKEY.

T-1 - (2:11)
I quickly take wetsuit off, put on my OAKLEYS/helmet, and slip my feet in to my cycling shoes. I chose not to use the socks. Good thing I put toe covers on my shoes before the race. I threw my wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, socks, gloves into the bag. Would I regret not putting my gloves on?


BIKE - (2:59. 22mph for 66.3 miles 3100+ft elevation gained and top speed of 49.7mph)
In the first 10 seconds, my hands started to hurt. I almost headed back to transition to grab the gloves. It didn't help that the first 10-15 miles were shaded with trees and very little sun. Luckily, my hands started to work again as the temperature warmed up. I passed a few 125 racers who started in earlier waves. It was very scenic and challenging ride. It started with flat to slightly rolling in the first 35 miles, then sustained longer climbing for the next 15, and finished with a long descent back to Bend.

• During the ride, I saw several squirrels and chipmunks. A total of 10 with 3 as road kill.
• I stayed on top of my hydration and calories. I drank every few minutes and consumed 5 bottles with 1300 calories.
• The only frustrating part of the ride was shifting from the small chain ring to the big. Several mechanics have looked at the bike, but can never find a problem. It only seems to happen as I am cresting a climb. Anyone have an idea?
• Only 3 guys passed me during the ride. Joel Maley (5th OA) passed me around 10 miles. I kept him in sight for the next 15 miles, but he eventually pulled away. Mark Loreen (8th OA) during the long climb between mile 40-50. I passed him back at the top of the climb. The last guy was part of a relay and he passed me in the last few miles in town.
• I averaged 30.8mph for 19.2 miles on the long descent.

Near the top of the final climb, I saw Linsey Corbin cheering racers on. After cresting the last climb, I flew back to town. As I neared transition, I slipped my feet out of the shoes and prepared to dismount.

T-2 - (51.56 seconds)
I jumped off my bike and ran into transition. My rack was second on the right. I quickly racked the bike, slipped my feet into my NEWTONS, grabbed my visor/water bottle, and headed out.

RUN - (1:16.00 7:52 per mile for 9.75 miles)
From the beginning of the run, my quads felt tight. I figured this would pass after a few minutes. Not a chance. The run started out flat in the first mile. Two racers passed me, a relay runner and Daniel Soper (6th OA). The next few miles had either short steep hills or longer not so steep hills. My legs were not happy, so I walked most off the steep hills and split the longer hills up into jog/walk/jog. I popped a salt tab to try and fix the legs. It made it worse as my legs cramped up. I drank extra fluid and the cramps faded. My legs finally loosened up in the last few miles as it was mostly downhill and flat. My legs cramped a little more in the last mile. I sucked it up and crossed the finish line.

I finished in 4:47.32 and 1st Age Group/7th Overall.

Thanks Karen for encouraging me to start the race!

I would definitely do this race again or even try the double distance.

My 2012 triathlon season is officially done. Thanks to all of my sponsors!!!