Sunday, 25 April 2010

Adjusting My Season

The 2-3 weeks of reduced exercise due to injury has been a major set back to my season. At this point there is nothing I can do about it, but reorganize and reschedule my yearly plan. I have spent my time injured working on various scenarios depending on how long I was injured. Fortunately, I have only missed 2 weeks. It could have been much worse. Unfortunately, it was right at the beginning of my first build period.

I have decided to step back into a fourth base period that will only be three weeks long. The goal will be to try and get back as much of my base gains as possible. I don't know how realistic that goal is. I have been running twice since my return and both times my heart was really elevated at what should have been a high zone 2 run. You have no idea how discouraging that feeling is. I was basically running at what I felt like was a good solid pace and my heart was racing like I was running at full speed. Hopefully, my body will quickly adjust to the stress allowing me to return into the same ball park as my fitness pre-injury.

I am going to follow up my short base 4 with a 5 week build period. The end of the build period will coincide with my first A priority race of the year. Knowing I won't be peaking, I'm going to re-prioritize the race down to a B category. I'll then transition into a 3 week build/peak phase leading up to my second A race. I should be able to peak in time for this race. I know I won't be as strong as I should be, but it is the best I can do.

How does this affect my racing schedule? I am skipping the race next weekend. My current level of fitness would just frustrate me if I tried racing. Rather than worrying about racing, I am going to focus on getting the most out of my shortened base period. As of now, I am planning on keeping the rest of the races on my schedule. As mentioned earlier, I am planning on demoting the Olympic distance race in Shelbyville from an A priority down to a B+. Instead, the sprint in Indianapolis the weak after my A Olympic race in Chattanooga will be promoted to an A race.

After those final two races in July, I have a vacation planned which will chop up the rest of my season. Afterwards, I'll come back spend time in base and build to work on my speed before calling it quits for the year.  I'll take a month off before getting back into training. Most of the end of the year will be spent in cross training. I'll probably start up my base training in the second half of December.

Posted by brians at 12:51 PM in Training

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

I'm Back!

I had pretty much stopped organized training over the last two weeks in hopes that my Iliotibial band would heal. Since the injury only occurred while running, I had no idea if had healed or not. Well, today I set out to test it by doing a short 6k run. I started at a slow 6:00 per km pace and ratcheted it up every km until I got down to a 5:10 pace.

The results of the run was good and bad. The good news. My knee didn't flare up! That means I can resume training! The bad news. I am out of shape! I know it will return quickly, but much that was gained in the last three months of base training had been lost. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll quickly regain most of my lost form. I know I won't regain it all, but it is better than being out for a month and losing an entire season.

While I plan to return to normal training in biking and swiming, I'll probably take a more measured approach to running. I want to run at the desired intensity, but for shorter distances. I am planning to slowly work up the lengths of my runs until I can get back to the hour mark. The last thing I need is a flare up of the knee. I'd rather be conservative with it than force my return. The exciting part is I am back!

Posted by brians at 9:10 PM in Training

Monday, 19 April 2010

Getting Back Up On The Bike

I pretty much took last week off from training. I did some strength training with push ups and pull ups. I did some Kenpo X to try and maintain some of my cardio conditioning. I did some 10-15 minute drilling in the hotel pool. I did some yoga and stretching. But for the most part, my effort was more random and not very intense. I was resting my body so it would heal quicker.

Over the weekend, I decided to test myself on the bike. I was in Mississippi and wanted to get out and see the country side. What better way to see the countryside that on the back of a bike. Saturday, I went down from Jackson, MS to Prentis MS to ride the Longleaf Trace (Rails to Trails) riding path. I don't have my aerobars on the bike so I wasn't tempted to push hard on a training ride. Instead, I decided on a high zone 1 / low zone 2 effort for 50 miles.

It was a flat ride on a beautiful day. I thought I wouldn't have any problem. Right... About the 40 mile mark I was done. I had nothing in the fuel tank. I don't know if it was proper nutrition or just being out of shape that caused me to hit the wall. I imagine it was a combination of the two. I was exhausted by the time I finished and my thighs were on fire. I realized two things from the ride. 1) it is going to take some effort to get back my base fitness. 2) My IT band wasn't hurting.

Sunday I went over the Vicksburg to ride around the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park is on a 15 mile loop that travels up and down both battle lines. It is an amazing park with tons of memorials. It was cool to see how close the two sides were during most of the conflict. Anyway the ride is fairly hilly with a couple of nice climbs which took me into zone 3 and zone 4. I wasn't trying to get up in those zones it was just a by product of the hills. Even though there was a good deal of climbing I still felt strong after the ride. Heck I was feeling good enough to play four hours of cricket afterwards. Maybe Saturday was more nutrition and less being out of shape. I can only hope so!

Anyway, I am happy to report that my IT band felt no soreness after the weekend. I am hoping that is a sign that it has healed. I am not going to take any chances and have plans to ease back into running. I intend to slowly add pace and distance to my runs. If it flares up again I am going to have to go visit a physical therapist to receive treatment and I don't want that.

Posted by brians at 7:27 PM in Training

Monday, 12 April 2010

Injury Recovery Week

I am in Jackson Mississippi this week, and I am trying to recover from illiotibial stress syndrome. To help speed up the recovery process, I decided to spend the time away from home to stop my hard core biking and running. I accomplished this by doing two things. First, I didn't bring my running shoes down here so I have no way to run. Secondly, I left my bike at home. No, I couldn't do that. Instead I took the aero bars off my bike. That way I won't have any way to train on the bike. I can just use my bike for pleasurable rides. In addition, I can take the time away from riding to get my bike tuned professionally. Tomorrow, I'll look at my vacation training plan.

Posted by brians at 3:24 PM in Training

Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Review Base Period III

This week I start of the beginning of the build phase of my training. Unfortunately, I am limping into my first week nursing an injury which is a minor set back. So now is a perfect time to review base III and how I did with respect to my goals. Let's break down each goal.

Prepared For First Triathlon

I think I was prepared as well as I could for my first triathlon. I wasn't ready for the chaos in the pool, but their is no way to replicate the experience so I am not going to hold it against myself. I didn't have any problem completing the distances and did it quite well. My transitions were not great, but they weren't horrible considering it was my first race. The only thing I didn't do was push myself as hard as I could have. I held back and had way too much in the tank at the end of the race. Personally, I think that is more of a learning experience than anything else. Hopefully, I can apply what I learned in my first race and knock 5 minutes off my time next go around.

Nutrition: Goal Weight Under 155

I struggled early on, but towards then end of the period the weight started falling off. I am now below 155 and starting to head south of 154. I feel like I am in good position to hit my goal weight by the middle of June.

Sport Goals: 400 Yard Swim in 10:00, 75 Minute Run at 5:10 pace, 86km in 3 Hours On Bike

I easily broke 10:00 on the swim in 400 yards. Heck my race swim which was horrible was under 10:00. Now I am trying to bring it down under 9:00 for my next race.  I didn't get a chance to do a 75 minute run because the race interfered with my last weekend run, but I was able to maintain that pace for over 60 minutes which puts my basic endurance where I want it for running. Now I just hope I don't lose too much of it waiting to heal. On the bike, I was able to do 85km in 3 hours, but there was a strong wind that day so I think I met my goal. I am really starting to feel good about my 60-90 minute rides where I need to be to start training the build.

Overall, I think my entire base period was a success. I built up the basic endurance in all 3 sports. I am ahead in running, a little behind in cycling, and still trying to learn the art of swimming. It is exciting to feel myself getting stronger and I am really looking forward to the intensity of the build period. Now if only I could heal quickly!

Posted by brians at 8:24 PM in Training

Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Injured

I am just about to head into the build phase of my training when the injury bug has jumped up and bit me. Last two weeks I started getting pain in my knee after running a couple of kilometers on the run. Well, I have been doing some research and it appears that my iliotibial band has been damaged. Sigh.

I know when I damaged it. It happened when I was doing hill running around my house. The hills are really steep and running down the steep slopes put a tremendous amount of strain on that band. My iliotibial band started hurting after that run, but it didn't really start hurting for another week afterward. The inability to run more than a couple of kilometers makes it impossible to train.

I don't think the injury is serious, but it will require rest, stretching, and strength training to heal. I am planning to take 3-4 days off from biking and running to spend time recovering. The worst part is I'll probably have to spend a week ramping up the distance and intensity. I hate to miss the training during this key phase of my development, but if it doesn't heal I won't be able to train or race at all. Hopefully it will heal quickly!

Posted by brians at 9:24 PM in Training

Thursday, 1 April 2010

Packing List For Last Weekend's Triathlon

Last weekend was a cold and rainy triathlon, so my packing list included things I wouldn't normally include to a race in better weather. Anyway, here is my list from last weekend's triathlon.

Swim
  • 2 pairs of goggles
  • swim cap
  • tri-suit
Bike
  • bike
  • helmet
  • bikes gloves (necessary in the cold)
  • 2 extra tubes
  • bike pump
  • 2 co2 cartridges
  • bike shoes
  • sun glasses
  • under armour long sleeve shirt (necessary in the cold)
  • orange bike jacket (necessary in cold)
  • plastic bag for helmet and shirt (necessary because of rain)
  • dental floss
  • Garmin watch
  • 2 full water bottles
  • tool box (wrenches, electrical and duct tape, chain oil, flat kit)
Run
  • running shoes
  • socks
  • visor
  • running belt
  • extra shoe laces
  • bucket (necessary because of rain - keep running stuff under)
  • body glide
General
  • 2 large and small towels
  • 2 garbage bags (put post race stuff in)
  • rain suit (pre-race to deal with rain)
  • baseball cap for after race
  • winter crocs for pre and post race
  • post race warm clothes (to change into after race)
  • post race food (turned out to be unnecessary)
  • marker (turned out to be unnecessary)
  • USAT license
  • mp3 player (pre-race relaxation)
  • medical kit (glide, band aids, chapstick, aspirin)


Posted by brians at 9:25 PM in Racing

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Lessons Learned From First Race

Now that I have had a couple of days to reflect on my race, I feel I have learned a thing or two that I hope to apply next time I race in about a month.

Swim

I was not prepared for the chaos that was the swimming segment. It threw me for a loop and one that I never truly recovered. Next time I am going to do a couple of things differently.
  1. I am going to practice getting my head further out of the water when breathing so I don't take in water from splashing and waves. I swallowed way to much water the last race.
  2. I am going to work on short sprints followed by normal swimming so I can quickly pass people without falling to pieces.
  3. I am going to be more relaxed during the swim and stick to my stroke counts. Part of this will be to improve my breathing.
  4. I am going to warm up in the pool before the race. It will better prepare me to swim if I can get a bit of practice in before hand.
If I work hard at practice I think I can drop a minute off my swim time.

Bike

Looking back I realize I didn't push myself nearly hard enough on the 20k course. The biggest blame for that comes from my forgetting to start my watch or reseting my bicycle computer before the race. I didn't really have a good idea how fast I was going. I was so focused on not going to hard, I didn't go nearly hard enough. This is a mistake that I will be able to rectify with some harder training efforts of the coming build phase and a timer to watch.
  1. I am going to do a better job with my pre-race routine. Part of my problem was not really having any idea what the setup was going to be like. I understand the process now and it should go a lot smoother. I am thinking about making a todo list on my phone for the next race so I don't miss any steps. I am also going to spend time before heading to the race site to go over my routine in my head a few times.
  2. I am going to be more aggressive with passing on the course. I am just going to go around people in the way.
I think I can pick up anywhere between 1 - 2 minutes if I really push next time.

Run

All in all my run was the strongest part of my day. I ran a solid pace throughout. My only disappointment was my inability to push. I felt like I should have been able to run faster, but I had trouble breathing and started feeling nauseas. I had plenty of gas in the tank. The car just didn't want to go. Part of my build period will be inclusion of bricks and short runs after rides. I really need to make sure I can run after I swim and ride.

A stronger pace I can probably pick up another minute on my run time.

Transitions

My transitions were marred with two events. The first transition was slowed down by my inability to determine if I need to wear my number during the ride. Not only did I spend time deciding if I needed it, but I had to reach back down under my bucket to get it once I did. The second transition was broken up by my dancing around trying to keep my feet dry will putting on my shoes. Next time I am going to understand the rules or at least get a clarification so I don't have the same confusion. Secondly, I am going to come up with a better solution for changing shoes in the rain. If it doesn't rain then it won't be a problem.

I can definitely pick up another minute by smoothing out my transitions.

Overall

The big items for next time are the following.
  1. Improving my swim technique to better handle the chaos
  2. Better pre-race preparation
  3. Push harder in the bike and run
  4. Know the rules
I am happy with my first race., I learned a lot and hopefully I can apply it to the next race. If I fix my mistakes I should be able to knock up to six minutes off my time. Now that is exciting! The next 5 weeks are going to seem like forever. But at least I have things to focus on in my training to improve between now and then.

Posted by brians at 8:19 PM in Racing

Monday, 29 March 2010

Race Report

Yesterday was my first triathlon race and to be honest it was a blur. Only now, a day later, have I been able to piece together what happened. Today, I'll be focusing on the race and the coming days I'll focus on things I learned and things I need to improve next time.

Pre-Race

I got up a little later than I originally planned, but it wasn't a problem. I had plenty of time to eat and pack up my gear. It would have been nice to have a few more minute to meditate and review the day, but I was able to get up to the event about 80 minutes before the race. By the time we arrived at the race site, it was already starting to drizzle. A prelude to the rain that was to coming.

The first thing I did was get my race pack. They had people there to put the race number on your arm and leg which was nice. After being marked and collecting my packet, I headed back out to the car. The race pack contained a t-shirt, some gel packs, my race number for the day, and my timing bracelet. I put my number on my race belt and put my timing chip around my ankle.

The next step was to get my bike out and give it a quick ride to make sure everything was OK. It checked out so I headed over to the transition area and racked my bike near the bike exit for transitions. Apparently that is where all of the top athletes were mounting their bikes. I guess I picked the right spot. I immediately set about setting up my transition area like I have practiced at home.

I then wandered around not really knowing what to do for about 10 minutes before heading into the pool area. It turns out I was late for the pre-race meeting where he was talking about the swim portion of the race. I caught the end of it and was able to piece together that we would be going back and forth down each lane and that we would line up by our number. He went on to explain that the we should stay on the right during the bike ride. We then lined up to race.

400 Yard Swim

I was in one of the slowest groups so I was at the back of the line. Since I knew it would take a while to get to the front I headed into the bathroom for a last minute pit stop. I got back in line and chatted it up with some students before we entered the pool. The way it worked is that they started the race at a particular time and then had gaps for each number. Thus they could accurately tell when each person started. I waded into the water to await my start and in what seemed like an instance before she was telling me to go. So much for getting your mind right before a race. It was time to go and I was off.

Nothing I had done prepared me for the swim. I don't think there was anything I could have done to prepare me for the chaotic melee that ensued. The waves in the pool were rough and I quickly realized I needed to pass the girl in front of me. Doing so took me out of my breathing pattern, and once you struggle to breath during a swim it is almost impossible to get back into rhythmic breathing. I knew I was in trouble. It didn't help that I began to take in water instead of the oxygen when trying to breath. I'll be honest. I almost had a panic attack. I held onto the next wall for 2 seconds to regain my breath and composure after the adrenaline surge.

About 150 yards into the swim, I began to find a rhythm. I was breathing every 2 strokes which was not what I had been practicing, but it was all I could do. I was also rolling more to the air to avoid water splashing into my mouth. Fortunately I didn't have to pass anyone else the race and could maintain my new found pace. A couple of the fast racers who registered the day of the race (they ended up at the end of the swim line) passed me but none of them interfered with my travails.

Eventually, I made it through the swim and hopped out of the pool. Unfortunately, the surge of adrenaline messed with me. I continued to have some difficulty breathing throughout the rest of the race. Nothing major, but enough to keep me from performing at a level I feel like I can compete. The swim was definitely a learning experience.

Swim Time: 9:50 (53rd out of 60)

I'll take that. It was not as fast as I can swim. I probably should have been closer to 9 minutes but not bad considering my swim goal was to break 10 minutes just about a month ago.

T1

I ran out into the cold rainy morning air and I didn't feel a bit cold. I ran to my transition area and put on my shirt, jacket, watch, sun glasses and helmet. It was at this point, I realized I hadn't turned on my Garmin watch and set it up for the race. Oops. I turned it on hoping it would sync with the satellites while I was riding my bike. Fortunately it was set up for the run so I could at least use it for that leg of the race.

I was about to run out when I noticed everyone with their race number on. I didn't know if it was necessary for the bike so I spent a few seconds looking for someone without a number. Not seeing anyone, I had to reach back down and grab the number from under a bucket and put it on costing me time on the transition.

After the number was on, I grabbed my bike and headed to the mount line. I decided against tying my shoes to my bike with dental floss before the race. The trick allows the shoes to be right side up when mounting the bike. I thought it would better if they were down so rain wouldn't get into them. That caused me to struggle getting them flipped around on the slight uphill start of the bike leg. Once situated I had no problem getting my feet into the shoes and off I was on my bike portion.

T1 Time: 2:39 (27th of 60)

Ugh, that was horribly slow. I should have been in the 1:30 time frame. Defintely under 2 minutes which would have put me in the top 10.

Bike

I was worried before the race how close to the side of the road I would be expected to ride during the race. That wasn't a problem as the bike segment was almost as wild as the swim. People were not staying on the right side of the road. Most rode down the middle and some on the left side of the lane. Heck at first I thought I wasn't supposed to ride on the right side of the road. It was almost as chaotic as the swim.

I almost immediately began passing people. Fortunately when I called out "passing on the left" they would at least move over a little to the right making it easier to pass. But one guy I ended up passing on the left because he was all the way to the left edge of the lane. When I wasn't passing I made sure I road on the right side of the lane like I am supposed to. The least I can do was set a good example even if it was my first race.

Everyone I passed I let them know that I was coming up behind them and where I was passing. I didn't get anywhere near the same courtesy. Some of those fast racers that were behind me in the swim passed me on the bike leg. It was only 3 or 4 riders, but none of them said a word. They would just show up beside me. So much for courteous riders.

At the half way point one guy passed me and then slowed down right before the turn. I was forced to slow down because I didn't want to draft. Even so I was right on top of him at the turn around. Then he did the weirdest thing. He turned around looking for something and in the process road off the road and promptly fell almost taking me with him. I asked if he was alright. He said yes and off I went.

Another weird incident I had was on the way back and two guys were riding side by side up a hill. It seemed like they knew each other and were riding together. Anyway they were blocking the road. I couldn't pass because the rule book states that you can't cross a yellow line on the bike without being disqualified. So I patiently waited for these morons to make it to the top of the hill before passing them. Of course the didn't stop some guy who crossed the yellow lines to pass them. Good thing the rules were being followed.

The other major rule infraction I saw during the ride was a couple of morons wearing music players. Not only is that against the rules it is incredibly dangerous on the roads. Not only for them, but for the other bikers. The whole thing was quite an experience.

As far as my ride went, it rained throughout but it never poured so we didn't really have any standing water. It allowed me to go my normal speeds without fear of crashing. The first half was down wind and I took advantage of it to ride pretty fast. I had no idea how well I was doing because my watch and bike computer weren't reset. The way back was slower into the wind, but I was still passing people and seemed to be riding well. I couldn't get a feel for how hard I was riding (probably because the adrenaline) but I wanted to make sure to save energy for the run.

Bike Time: 39:44 (25th out of 60)

Looking back, I was way to conservative during the bike. I averaged just over 30kph for the 20k, but that was basically a high zone 2 ride. I should have pushed much harder on the bike. Part of that was due to my lack of really knowing how I was performing because I forgot to reset my computers before the race.

T2

I didn't have any problems getting my feet out of my shoes before the transition, and I hopped off my bike and ran back to my transition spot to re-rack my bike. Putting on my shoes was complicated by the fact that my towel was soaking wet. I put on my first dry sock and put my foot down to sit it on the sopping wet towel. I was quickly hopping around and using the bike rack to steady myself to put on my socks and shoes. More time lost in the transition.

T2 Time: 1:32 (43rd out of 60)

That should have been under a minute which would have put me in the top 20.

Run

The run was pretty straight forward and organized compared to the rest of the race. I started out strong on the run. I was holding a 4:40 pace which I was hoping to lower during the run. Unfortunately, the shortness of breath came back to haunt me. I shouldn't have had difficulty breathing at the rate I was running. I had plenty of energy, but my breathing was unsteady. I shouldn't have been breathing as hard as I was for the pace I was running.  On top of that I started to have a growing feeling of nausea which kept me from really pushing the run. I was able to maintain the original pace throughout the run, but finished the race with way to much energy left in the tank.

It was fun passing people in the run because once you pass someone on the run they stay passed. I was running fast enough that no one passed me so that was gratifying. It was also nice that the rain stopped during this last leg. The rain was getting old.

Run Time: 23:09 (17th out of 60)

It was a respectable time, but I left a minute of time on the course.

Total Time: 1:16:54 (23rd out of 60)

All in all, I thought it was a good time for my first race. Especially considering the weather conditions. Heck it was good enough to get me second place in my age group. That was a huge and pleasant surprise. It feels good to "medal" in my first race. Even if it was first of the losers (joking).

I learned a lot from the event and am looking forward to the next race. I feel like I left 4-5 minutes out on the course and should be able to do much better next time. I believe I should be able to easily break my year long goal of 1:15 for a sprint distance triathlon in my race in May.

Post Race

Like I said at the beginning, the day was a blur. I never really got to take in the experience. I was so absorbed into the process that I never got to take in the fact that I finished my first race. Only a couple hours afterwards did my accomplishments for the day really begin to sink in. It was a great feeling and I look forward to the next race.

Posted by brians at 8:45 PM in Racing

Saturday, 27 March 2010

Day Before First Race

The day before the first race and the weather is cold by sunny. The temperature should get into the 60s. Very comfortable weather. That is more than I can say about the forecast for the morning which keeps getting uglier and uglier every time I check. Right now it looks like 80% chance of rain is going to move into the area about 2 in the morning and stay until the evening. Rain accumulation for the day is supposed to be about an inch. So it probably won't be a light rain. The temperature is going to be in the low 40s with 13mph wind with gusts in the 20mph range.

I don't think I could have made up a worse weather report for my first race. I have spent almost a year preparing for this moment and I just hope the experience isn't completely miserable.

The rain will change a number of things about my race day strategy. Especially the pre-race routine. The rain will definitely shorten my bike prep time in the morning. I'll probably bring a poncho to put over the bike until the start of the race to try to keep it and my bike shoes dry for as long as possible. Heck the goal will be to try and keep all of my stuff as dry as possible . I will also need my serious rain gear for pre-race preparation and probably won't be able to warm up much outside.

From a racing standpoint, not much changes other than my biking strategy. I'll have to be more careful on the road and won't be able to really push it which is disappointing because the course is set up to be really fast. Especially if their is a strong tail wind over parts of the course. I just need to remember to keep the cadence high when riding into strong winds and not worry about my time. That is the thing. My expectations for the day have plummeted with the weather. Originally I thought I had a good chance to break one hour and 15 minutes. With these conditions that seems unlikely. Throwing in some extra time for bike and transition sub 1:18 might be a more realistic goal.

I'll be practicing rain transitions today, so I should have a good feel for everything that needs to be done with my gear covered instead of easily accessible. Other than practicing transitions, I will be packing my stuff for the race today. Tonight I will spend some time stretching while watching basketball. At this point there is nothing else I can do to prepare but to relax and be ready to race. My theme song for the day is Tim McGraw & Jo Dee Messina's song "Bring on the Rain".

Posted by brians at 10:44 AM in Racing

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Rain In The Forecast

I knew my first triathlon was going to be chilly. It is March in Kentucky. Not exactly the warmest month of the year. I was OK with that. What I feared more than anything else for my first race was rain. Guess what the predictions are for Sunday morning? Rain. Yep, there is a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms. It's not that I am afraid of racing in the rain. It is just compounds problems for a lot of unknowns going into the race.

Let's look at the challenges of a first race. I have to swim in a race format that I am unfamiliar with and have never done before. I am going to be biking in a race with other bikers on the road. Something I have never done before. I am going to have to do transitions in a large potentially crowded space. Something I have never done before. I am running a road race which I haven't done in 20 years. All of these things are new and I am sure will present some unexpected challenges. Now throw on top of that rain and the complexity increases quite a bit.

The biggest thing I need to plan for is keeping my running socks and shoes dry in the transition area. I was going to put them underneath a bucket to keep them dry. It seems like the fastest way to get to them off the bike. At least it seems faster than wrapping them in a plastic bag.

Speaking of the bike, I might have to try riding my bike without socks because the ground will be sopping wet making it difficult to push my bike to the mount line without soaking socked feet. I'll try riding my bike tonight without socks to try the concept. If it works then it will definitely be easier riding without socks. On the other hand, the decision on wearing a jacket is made. I will definitely have to wear a jacket out on the road to keep the rain off and to stay warm. Did I mention it was going to be cold as well.

There are other practical matters that need to be addressed. Rain means I need to lower tire pressure into the 90s. It also means that I probably should put rain-x on my glasses so they don't have water clinging to them making it difficult to see. I'll probably have to ride slower to avoid puddles and other road hazards associated with riding in the rain.  I also will need dry clothes for after the race.

It isn't the end of the world, but it just adds more stuff I have to worry about for the race and more preparation that will need to be addressed. Now that I realize the worst will probably happen I am beginning to embrace the challenge and look forward to the conditions. Maybe I can use it to gain an advantage over my fellow competitors. Regardless, I am ready to go. Bring it!

Posted by brians at 4:36 PM in Racing

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

Race Plan For Sunday's Race

It is hard to believe that this weekend will be my first race as a triathlete. It seemed so far away at the beginning of the year, but now it seems like it is coming too fast. I feel like I am no only physically fit enough to make it through the race but I think I can  perform well in each phase of the race. I realize I can't prepare for everything and I keep telling myself not to worry about my performance in the first race. I have a lot to learn and my ignorance will undoubtedly cost me time. With that said, here is my race plan heading into my first race.

Pre-Race Plan

The race starts Sunday at 8:30 in the morning. I want to arrive at the race by 7:00 which means that I will have to leave my house around 6:30 in the morning. My plan is to get up around 5:30 to 5:45 and fix a warm breakfast and use the bathroom before putting everything in the car and heading up to the race. Since I will have everything packed the night before the race, all I will need to do in the morning is put my bike in the truck and put my backpack in the car. I will be dressed in my race gear with sweat pants and sweat shirt over top for the cool morning temperatures.

Once I arrive at the race site, my first task will be to register and get a lay of the land. Once I have a good feel for the site, I'll take my bike for a quick spin to make sure everything is working properly and tires are properly inflated. Once the bike is deemed ready, I'll set up my transition area. IOnce everything is ready, I'll just try and relax and keep my nerves in check until about 15 minutes before the start of the race. I'll use the last 15 minutes to turn on my watch so it will pick up the satellites and do some light calisthenics to warm up the body and prepare it for the race.

Swim

The whole swim phase is a bit of a mystery. I really don't have any idea what it will be like until the event is under way. My goal for the swim is to stay relaxed and focus on my swimming cues and try to find a good rhythm. When I get out of the pool, I'll take off my cap and goggles while running into T1.

T1

I am going to quickly wipe my face and legs with a small hand towel sitting on my bike once I arrive at my transition area. Hopefully, my feet will be somewhat dry from standing on the end of my towel. If my feet are really wet, I'll wipe them quickly before putting body glide that I'll have in a plastic spoon on my big toes. Next, I'll put on my socks and the shirt I'll wear biking. After the shirt will come the sun glasses, watch, and helmet. Once my helmet is on, I'll decide if I need a jacket to stay warm while biking. I'll put it on if I need it. I'll grab my bike and head to the bike mount line.

Bike

First thing on the bike is to get away from T1. Once out of the parking lot and into the straight away at the entrance to the FAC, I'll slip on my shoes and velcro them tight. Once out of the FAC, I'll take a drink from my bottle. My goal effort for the bike is to maintain a zone 3 pace on the flat and downhill sections. That means riding with a slight burn in the quadriceps. I'll go into zone 4 on the uphill sections. Another key will be the cadence. I want to keep my bike cadence above 95 as much as possible throughout the bike segment. I want to push but not enough to wear me down for the run. At the turn I'll take a second drink. As I get ready to pull into the FAC I'll take my 3rd drink. In the stretch were I put on my shoes, I'll slip my feet out of the shoes. At the dismount line, I'll hop of the bike pick it up and carry it into T2.

T2

Once back at my transition site, I'll re-rack my bike, take off my helmet, and put on my running shoes making sure the shoe tongues are flat. I'll grab my run number and my hat (which should be on top of each other) and head out for the run. I'll put on my number and hat while leaving T2. I'll also turn my watch around and tighten the strap.

Run

For the first kilometer, I want to keep a high cadence and try to maintain a sub 5:00 pace. There will be a long down hill section near start of the race that I'll have to open up and run at a high speed. At the bottom of the hill, the course should flatten and I am hoping to settle into a 4:30 pace. Once I make the turn, I want to try and increase the pace by 5 to 10 seconds and see if I can hold it until the climb. Once I make it to the climb I am going to push with everything I have left and try to finish the race strong.

That is my plan. I'll let you know how it turns out in the post race report!

Posted by brians at 8:52 PM in Racing

Monday, 22 March 2010

Sick

I was out running Sunday on my weekend long distance run, and I began to struggle about 6k into the run. I started aching and not feeling very good. I was struggling to maintain a comfortable pace. I knew something was wrong just 30 minutes into the run. I ended up stopping at 7k and walking back home. I can't say I wasn't frustrated, but I quickly discovered my problem. I was sick.

Apparently, my wife went over to her sister's house and picked up some nasty germs and brought them home. Unfortunately, she got strep throat and I got some type of cold. I spent Sunday and today in a partial fog. I felt weary and achy. Not a lot of fun. But I figure I needed to rest. No sense in pushing my body when it is under the weather. Hopefully, it will pass quickly so I can return to training. Especially with my first race only six days away. I would hate to lose too much fitness before the big day.

Posted by brians at 9:18 PM in Training

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Monday And Tuesday Training

Monday

Monday morning, I was tired. The move to day light savings time messed up my sleeping, and I didn't get a good night's sleep. I was weary, but I trudged up to the FAC for some swimming practice.  One of the things I wanted to work on was speeding up my stroke rate so I can take three strokes before each breath rather than two. I was able to maintain the three stroke per breath rate for 200 yards and two sets of 400 yard swims. Wednesday, I am going to focus on smoothing out the strokes and make each stroke more precise.

In the evening, I was wasted so I decided I need to get some rest rather than subject myself to an intense weight lifting session. I decided to do 15 minutes of core work and call it a night.

Tuesday

In the morning, I felt much better after getting a good night's sleep. I went out for my 60 minute zone 3  tempo run. I warmed up for 2km at a 5:50 per km pace. My next km I picked up the pace to zone 2 at a nice 5:05 per km rate. The next 7 km I picked up the pace to zone 3 - 4:45 per km rate. I finished the run in zone 2 back at a 5:10 pace rate. I felt strong for most of the run. My strength faded towards the end, but I was able to maintain a solid pace throughout.

In the afternoon, I went out on my bike to get in a nice 80 minute zone 2 ride. After a 5 km warm up, I picked up to a nice solid zone 2 pace and maintained it for the entire 30km ride.  One of the things I did was tilt my seat down at a very slight angle (less than 5 degrees) because the seat seemed to be sticking into my groin while riding. It helped, I didn't have any problems with discomfort in the crotch area while riding. I may have to adjust it up slightly because it now feels like I am falling forward while riding on the aero bars. Stupid bike adjustments. They seem like they are never ending.

Posted by brians at 8:50 PM in Training

Monday, 15 March 2010

Weekend Training

The goal for the weekend was two fold. First, the weekend brings my long endurance run and bike for the week. Secondly, I wanted to spend some time working on my transitions for my upcoming race.

Saturday

Saturday, I did my long distance run for the week. This weekend it was a 60 minute run. After a 2k warm up, I spent the next 9.5km running at my top zone 2 pace (5:05 per kilometer). I was able to hold the pace throughout the run which was outstanding. The only down side was I did start to feel myself fade a bit towards the end of the run. I had enough to hold on, but I am not sure how much longer I could have held the pace. I guess we will find out next weekend when I extend the time by 20 minutes.

In the evening, I spent about 30 minutes practicing transitions. The first few times I tried it, I struggled to get everything right. As I practiced a few more times I was able to move through all of the steps quickly. I was able to simulate both transitions in under a minute. About 45 seconds for the first one and 30 seconds for the second one.

Sunday

Sunday morning I woke up to a steady rain so I continued my practice on transitions. I was able to smooth out the putting on of a shirt in T1 and straightened out how I would arrange everything. The only thing I had problems with were putting on my watch and putting on my shoes. The band holder kept sliding up and I had to adjust it to push through the other band. I just need to practice putting on my watch. My shoes were the other major snafu. I run in Nike Frees and one side of the shoe tongue is attached to the show and it is difficult to slide on with Yankz shoe laces. The problem is the tongue tends to curl in on itself causing me to stick my finger down in the shoe to make sure it is not curled. Even with those slow downs, my transition times were both under 40 seconds.

I know they won't be that fast in the real situation, but if I can learn the correct order of stuff and ingrain the steps. I think I can keep my transition times well under two minutes for both T1 and T2. At least that is my goal for the race. I would love to be able to keep my total transition time under 3 minutes.

The rain passed later in the day and I was able to go out for a two hour ride in the cold grey afternoon. I held up well for about 90 minutes into the ride and maintained a solid zone 2 pace. Then I hit the wall. The last 30 minutes was a struggle as I was unable to maintain the pace and fought for everything I could get.  I am not sure why I bonked late in the ride. I hope it was because I didn't have enough fuel for the ride and not from a lack of general fitness. I'll find out next weekend when I go out for another long zone 2 ride.

Posted by brians at 8:41 PM in Training
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