Milestones

Pain in the Pool

2012-02-16T15:50:00.003-05:00

I hit the pool in a pretty good mood this morning, ready to roll with my regular Tuesday and Thursday morning Masters Class. Another local triathlete, Bill, has joined the group recently and it's a good match. Bill's a solid sprint specialist; younger than me (early 40s). He swims well, but hasn't been doing as much yardage, so he starts to fade towards the end of class. But it's a good match -- the inevitable friendly competition keeps me moving during the early sets, and he's getting a chance to improve his endurance.

Today's class started with a 12-minute warmup swim. 700 yards for that, keeping my pace right around 1:40/100. Then a continual 300 yard kick with the board and fins. Then a 600 yard set with the pull buoy, breathing every 3 strokes for 200 yards, then every 5 for 200, and finally gasping for air with 7 strokes for every breath over the last 200.

Warmup done. Whew.

Now the meat of the session. 18 x 100 yards. 1-6 on 1:50; 7-12 on 1:45 with paddles; 13-18 on 1:35 with fins and paddles. An easy 50 to collect ourselves between sets of 6.

1-6 nice and smooth, hitting each 100 on 1:35-1:36. Bill's drafting along and providing a nice incentive to me.

7-12 I pushed hard with the paddles and clocked each interval at 1:30. I'm tired, but this is going well.

On to the last 6, and a morning well spent. First two, coming in nicely at 1:22 and 1:23. Then on the third, BAM! I push off from the wall and caught a cramp in my right calf, and a bad one, too. I floundered around in the water for a few moments until I could finally straighten out the leg and hobble back down to the end of the pool. I collected myself enough to put in a few easy 100s to finish the day out, but the rest of my morning was shot. No post-swim run or kettlebell class for me -- this thing hurt. It was all I could do to walk without limping.

Well what to do? I got a free protein smoothie at the gym snack bar (my birthday gift from the club), then went home and took a nap before rolling into work. I guess recovery is important too!

Ken

On (to) Wisconsin -- Wrapping up an easy week

2012-02-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

One of the key principles for any type of athletic conditioning is recovery. You have to give the body a chance to make adjustments and repair itself after you stress it. So it's typical to see an easier week about once every four weeks on a training plan.

No exception here. I've been doing a lot of base training at targeted heart rate zones -- typically in the extensive endurance zone, with some step ups into the intensive endurance zone. (roughly zone 2 and zone 3 in most plans.) Nothing too long so far -- my bikes are peaking out at around 2 hours and my weekend runs at 10 miles. But this weekend I'm reaping the benefit of the easy week -- no workout today!

Back at it next week, then my base training period wraps up. Going on from there, the biking will start to pick up, and hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate. Only about six weeks now until the Belmonte 25K trail run, though I might shoehorn in the Martha Jefferson 8K before then -- it's a popular early season tune up on a very tough downtown C-ville course.

Weekly totals:

Swim -- 2:25, 7250 yards
Bike ----3:00, 54 miles
Run -----2:50, 20 miles
Strength -0:20

Totals -- 8:35

60 and counting (and that's not my age...)

2012-02-10T11:39:00.001-05:00

Actually, I turn 53 on February 16...

I've known for a while that I've had a good streak of workouts going since I got my training back on track in December. But the other day I counted it up, and realized that today will be 60 days straight of not missing a workout. So obviously, I have incentive not to miss my time on the bike this afternoon.

Now, that doesn't mean I haven't had a few days off during that streak, or I haven't had to shift things around on occasion. And, truth be told, there have been a couple of times where I've had to cut the scheduled workout a little short.

But on the other hand, sometimes I've done more work than my training plan has called for. And there have been many days with multiple workouts. In fact, there were about 90 different workouts in those 60 days -- all told about 75 hours of work. It's a good start, and I'm confident I'm putting down a solid foundation for this early in the year.

This has been a pretty good week so far. Had two good masters swim classes, and a good result with my heart-rate run test on Wednesday. And best of all, I get a day off on Sunday -- I'm gonna enjoy that!

Ken

On (to) Wisconsin -- Adapt and Focus

2012-02-06T09:36:00.000-05:00

Sometimes your workouts don't go the way you want, but if you stick with it there's always an opportunity to get something positive out of it.

Case in point was my Sunday run. I'd had a solid week of training, and was really starting to feel some positive energy and improved fitness coming out of this base-building period. But as I started the run -- an easy-paced 10 miler -- something just didn't feel right. My form felt clumsy, my heart rate was way over target, and I just couldn't get into a smooth rhythm.

I tried pulling back on the speed and settling down, but after 3 miles I felt gassed, wobbly and worn out. I considered turning it around and calling it a day, but then I started thinking to myself -- in a long race there are going to be some tough patches to go through -- try to work through this one.

Time for a change in strategy. First get the heart rate down, second break the remaining 7 miles up into easy chunks. Get through this. I shifted into a run/walk mode with a 1-minute walk at the start of every mile. On the runs I counted steps to 50, then checked my heart rate to make sure I was keeping it easy.

It worked -- after a couple of miles I was into a good, smooth running rhythm and was still holding 9-minute/mile pace -- plenty fast enough on an easy day. And I got home satisfied -- I'd stuck to it; my 10 miles was in the bag, and I'd taught myself a valuable lesson in adapting and staying focused on the goal.

Weekly Totals:

Swim -- 2:10, 5950 yards
Bike --- 3:45, 65 miles
Run ---- 3:19, 23 miles
Strength/Core --- 1:20

30 weeks to go.

Mid-week thoughts: Keys to success

2012-02-01T15:53:00.001-05:00

I've been racing tris for 8 years this season, and have been a runner for 10 more. I've been fortunate enough as a triathlete to have achieved a pretty good level of performance. I've been in the top 20-25% of my age group (50-54) each of the last three years, have qualified for USAT Age Group Nationals the last two years, and I usually get on the podium for my age group a few times each season.

I think one of the next challenges I want to bite off is to start coaching triathletes. There's a lot I think I can pass on to newer athletes, especially. So, I was wondering to myself -- if I could tell a new triathlete three keys to improving in triathlon, what would they be?

1. Have a goal

It's a good starting point. Goals aren't the same for everybody -- to some it's "just win, baby," while to others it's "just finish." Or you may want to do a lot of short races, or a few longer ones. But a goal that defines what you want to get out of the sport is important, because it helps you avoid an aimless approach to your training. And unless your bar for success is very low, you likely won't achieve your goals with an aimless approach. That leads us to...

2. Have a plan.

I start each season with a plan on what I want to do, and why I want to do it. For example, this year it's do an IM, because I want to take on the challenge of racing the iconic triathlon distance. Last year the plan was to race longer (two 1/2-IMs) in order to get more experience in longer races. Once you've decided on your plan, you can tailor your training to that purpose. And with a purpose-driven plan, you may find yourself able to reevaluate how you measure success, too!

3. Be consistent.

Once you've got a plan in place, it's time to execute it. Consistency in executing your plan is one of the most important keys to improving and meeting your goals. Your body improves through many small adaptations and progressions, not through huge leaps as the result of a single workout or two. And consistency will yield habit -- habit that may keep you active and healthy even if you're not racing.

On (to) Wisconsin -- 31 weeks to go

2012-01-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

Another week done, and looking ahead to the next -- 31 to go! I should point out that at this stage I'm not yet training specifically for IMWI. This is the base period: time to get in steady, lower-intensity miles, work on technique, and train very specifically in heart rate zones designed to increase endurance. So a lot of time I'm trying to work at very specific levels of effort -- not too much, not too little. Just call me Goldilocks!

Totals for week 32:

Swim: 2:25, 6900 yards
Bike: 3:20, 55 miles
Run: 4:00, 28 miles

Core/strength: 0:40

Total: 10:25

On (to) Wisconsin -- Late Week Thoughts

2012-01-27T14:02:00.002-05:00

I've been reading "Going Long" by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn. A lot of good pratical advice in there, though I think I'd probably self-destruct if I tried to put together a training plan from it. A lot of it's a bit over my head at this point.

But one thing they talk about that's pretty relevant to me is the discussion of "limiters." A limiter can be as simple as weighing too much, or being a poor swimmer, or it can be a bit more refined, like your approach to pacing during the bike leg. It's got me thinking about my limiters. So let's see -- here's three off the top of my head, with thoughts on how to correct them.

1. Too heavy. OK, Carmel would slap me for saying that, but I do weigh a bit more than I need to. I weighed about 165 at the time of Eagleman back in 2006. I've stayed near that since then, but I've drifted up a bit this winter and I'm at around 171 now. Better diet, less beer and more training should correct that over time. No need to panic or diet.

2. Bike endurance. Relative to my age group, I ride pretty well, but I don't always come off the bike as well as I'd like considering my strength as a runner. In an Olympic, I can run pretty close to my 10K standalone time (46 minutes olympic vs. 43 standalone), but I've had less success in longer races. My standalone 1/2 time is 1:34, but I've never broken 1:50 in a 1/2 IM. More long rides and better run pacing would suggest themselves as answers.

3. Focus. I've got a tendency to get too caught up in the moment when I'm racing. Getting too pumped up is bad for my pace, and getting frustrated with other racers for sloppy riding, etc. is just wasted energy. Got to work on just getting in a zone and chilling out. A lot can happen in the course of a long race, so I'll need to stay on an even keel. I'm looking forward to my 25K trail race coming up -- it should be good experience in going with the moment and rolling with what comes.

On (to) Wisconsin -- 32 weeks to go.

2012-01-22T17:12:00.002-05:00

Wrapped up a good training week today with a snowy 10-mile run. It was warm enough that I didn't have to worry about footing, but the big wet flakes of snow gave it an appropriately wintry feel. Ran with Marc, a 30-something runner and triathlete. Good company -- he's pretty new to the sport, so I was able to pass on some veteran wisdom (or at least opinions) as we ran.

It was nice to get some time outside, even with the snow. I end up spending a lot of time indoors during my winter training. I've usually got cycling and swimming work in the morning, and if there's a run to do as well, I just hop on a treadmill or scoot around the indoor track at my gym. And my tolerance for cycling outside drops quickly when the temperature starts falling below 40. Of course, that's once reason I chose to do a September IM!

Training totals for last week:

Swim: 7000 yards, 2:20
Bike: 60 miles, 3:30
Run: 23 miles, 3:20
Core/strength: 1:20

Total time: 10:30

On (to) Wisconsin -- 33 weeks to go.

2012-01-15T20:35:00.004-05:00

Last week was a good one. Nothing huge in terms of miles or time, but every session felt good. Wrapped it up on Sunday morning with an 8-mile run. The plan was to pick up the pace over the last 20 minutes, finishing at around 10K pace.

I ran an out-and-back course, and as usual on a 32-degree winter morning, it seemed the wind was in my face no matter which direction I went. But with a long-sleeved shirt, vest, tights, hat and gloves, it was pretty tolerable.

Out to the turnaround in 35 minutes and change. Flip around and head back (wind in my face, of course). Pace picking up nicely. I felt smooth and pretty quick -- concentrate on a good forward lean and keep my core tucked in. With 20 minutes to go I kicked it in. Down a hill, across a busy highway and then a steady climb. Big breaths of cold air, and I can feel the sweat building up, even with the chilly air.

The turn for home and a mile to go. 10K pace should be about 7 minutes, so it was time to dig in and go. I was running harder than I had in quite a while -- time to put those base miles to work.

Done. Hit the watch. Back in 31 minutes and change. Last mile in 7:30 -- not too bad, considering a steep hill near the end -- and the wind WAS in my face.

Totals for the week:

Swim -- 7000 yards
Bike -- 49 miles
Run -- 18 miles
Core -- 60 minutes

Total time -- 8 hours, 40 minutes

34 Weeks Update -- Testing and Training

2012-01-13T10:35:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, the schedule for this week hasn't been too heavy, primarily because there were a few test sessions involved.

I did the first on Thursday morning. A bike test of 20 minutes all out. I did the test on one of my gym's spin cycles, since they have a watt meter and HRM installed on them. I don't train with power on my bike, but at least I can use that as a reference point for future tests. After warming up, I dove in, and felt pretty good about the effort:

Time: 20 minutes
Avg HR: 161, with a max of 171 near the end.
Avg Wattage: 296
RPMs: 96

This morning was a run test. After warmup, 4 miles, with 1-minute rest periods, each at 70% of my Heart Rate Reserve (HRR). The idea is to see if you're able to maintain speed without spiking up the HR. If so, it's time to ramp up the intensity of the runs a bit.

I think the results were good. Speed stayed the same or got faster as I went along, while keeping the AHR below the 70% HRR. I was surprised to find myself running at marathon pace with such a relatively easy effort -- guess the discipline of holding back this winter has been paying off.

1 - 8:24 - 134 AHR
2 - 8:17 - 138 AHR
3 - 8:15 - 140 AHR
4 - 8:20 - 138 AHR

We'll see what Coach Debi has to say about where I stand, but I'm feeling pretty good about that.

The rest of the week is pretty light: an hour easy ride and 4 mile run on Saturday, then an 8 mile run with some speed towards the end on Sunday. I'll post totals and look ahead on Monday.

34 Weeks to go

2012-01-08T20:42:00.002-05:00

Good training last week. Basketball season is on for Colin, which makes the schedule a little tricky. The weekend bike ride had to be turned into an early morning spin session on Friday, since we'd be in Richmond for a tournament on Friday and Saturday. Of course, that meant I'd have to run on Saturday and Sunday, but that's life.

Had a good run on Saturday morning, but felt a little dead on Sunday morning, so I cut that run a little short. Otherwise, I felt good about everything else, including a good kettlebell session on Thursday morning. Think I'll do some more of that.

This week looks pretty easy, with a bike and run test to provide Coach Debi some feedback. Here's last week's totals:

Swim: 1.7 hours, 5100 yards
Bike: 3.25 hours, 55 miles
Run: 3.25 hours, 21 miles
Strength: 1.35 hours

Total time: 9.55 hours

35 Weeks to Ironman Wisconsin

2012-01-06T13:13:00.003-05:00

I've put off doing an IM for some years. This will be my 8th season of competing in triathlon, and I've been pretty lucky along the way. I've stayed pretty much injury free, with the exception of knee surgery after my first season, and I've had some pretty good results along the way -- a 5:09 1/2-IM, got to race Boston, plus a smattering of AG awards.

So with my son Colin graduating from HS this year, it was time for me to pull the trigger and give the IM distance a shot. We'll see how well my 53-year old body will handle the training and racing, but I'm feeling pretty confident at this point. My coach, Debi Bernardes, will have a good plan for me, and I've been getting in a good training rhythm over the last month or so. Need to work off a bit of weight, but I'm confident I can do it over the long haul.

I'll try to update how training is going every week, going forward, along with my usual race reports.

Ken

Giant Acorn Intl. Triathlon -- 10/1/2011

2011-10-04T13:28:00.001-04:00

Summary: Olympic distance tri -- 2:27:42 (PR). 2nd Age Group.

Long report:

It's odd, but sometimes I come off of a bad race feeling very motivated and strong for the next one. In this case, the bad race was my melt-down at the Patriot's Half-Iron, where the only good thing about my result was that I managed to have a "5" as the first number, not a "6." And that was a near thing. Debi sagely made me take it very easy the next week, then gave me a week with some nice intervals, followed by a week of mild taper before the race. It seemed to work -- I felt sharp coming into the weekend. My running felt especially strong. Relaxed, but speedy.

Race day was breezy and cool (low 50s), with some scattered clouds. As I set up in transition, I heard many of the triathletes debating what they would wear on the bike and run. They were concerned about it being cold. I wasn't -- this was perfect racing weather. I was there early, so I puttered around my set up, adjusting things this way and that while I waited, sipped some hot tea, and socialized a bit with Debi and some other Charlottesville triathletes who'd made the trip.

Swim:

I'd warmed up a bit in the sheltered waters near the docks, but when out wave swam out to the line I could tell it was choppy. The first leg of the triangle had the wind and swell in our face, followed by a sideways swell. We'd finally be able to ride the waves on the way in for the last leg. The weather was clear, so sighting was good, and since the old guys were in the 6th wave, there'd be plenty of other swimmers to sight off of. I seeded myself up front on the right side and the horn blew.

The swim was rougher than any I'd done before, but I got into a good rhythm and was sighting well. Despite a few momentary collisions I managed to stay in the clear pretty well. The water temp was in the low 70s, so it was ideal for swimming with a wet suit. I came out of the water in the middle of one of the previous waves and hustled around them best I could as many of them strolled into transition (guys -- it's a race!). My watch said 28:47 -- no way of knowing how that stacked up, but I felt strong and ready to punch the bike.

Bike:

The area around my bike looked like a bomb had gone off, but my less-than-neat rack mates hadn't disturbed my gear. Thanks to a heavy spray down of PAM, my suit slid off smoothly and I grabbed my bike to jog over to the mount line, fighting slow traffic along the way. It's a price you pay for being in the older AGs -- you're always going off in the last waves and having to pass slower competitors.

After moving past the scrum at the beginning of the bike, I settled in for the ride. The course is two loops, and roughly rectangular. I've ridden it before, so I knew to lay back a little over the mainly uphill rollers during the first few miles. I felt good, and worked on accelerating over the top of each roller to maintain my speed. In the first 5 miles I caught and passed three guys in my AG. Hopefully that was a good sign.

While I was passing a lot of riders, I did have to keep an eye back. The race was the USAT Collegiate Regional championship, so some fast young riders were making their way around the second lap and zipping by fairly frequently. I felt strong as I got into the ride, but kept my RPMs high and avoided kicking it out too hard -- I wanted to hit the run fresh.

As lap two started I fired down a couple of Endurolytes and a gel. The speedsters had peeled off to transition and I kept working at the same effort level, putting in a bit of a burst over the last few miles. Life was good, and this was fun!

Run:

One of the cleats on my left shoe had come loose, so I kept my shoes on for the dismount and did the long run into T2 in my cycling shoes. As I started to put on my running shoes I realized I couldn't feel my toes and had to guide them into the shoe carefully. I guess it had been a little cooler on the bike than I'd thought. Not to worry, they'll warm up soon enough...

The run at Giant Acorn is a 2-loop out-and-back. It made for a crowded run course, but it was fun to have people to key off. My plan was to take the first two miles easy, kick into a good rhythm through 3 and 4, then take it home hard. The run was feeling smooth, and the advantages of knowing the course were helping -- I knew how long each of the hills would be, and where I could kick it in harder.

At two miles my watch showed 14:45 -- excellent, and better yet I felt in control. I notched it up a bit and settled in at a little faster pace. I saw Mark Robbins coming the other way -- looked like he had about 8-10 minutes on me. No surprise there. Debi passed going the other way shortly after. She'd had a 4 minute head start, and it looked like I had a chance to beat her time.

Miles 3-4 zipped by as we started the second lap. The faster runners were off the course now, and I was catching runners starting their first lap. Lots of incentives ahead of me. I caught and passed a 51-year old. No way of knowing if he was on the first or second lap, but I wasn't taking any chances. Now was the time to go hard, with only two miles left.

As I passed the 5 mile mark it was hurting, but a good hurt. My stride felt good, I just needed to gut it out for the last bit. I passed a 56-year old, a competitor who used to beat me on occasion when he was in my AG. I heard him tuck in behind me, maxing out his effort. After about 20 seconds he said:

"I don't want to be a ****, but does that say 58 or 52 on your calf?"

"52."

"Thank God," he said, as he dropped off.

Now or never, as I got the finish in sight and went full bore across the line. Hands on hips, spent, but a satisfied feeling.

Run --

Stats:

Swim -- 28:47 ----- 8/30 AG, 157/454 OA men.
T1 ------ 1:59 -------1/30 AG, 93/454 OA men
Bike --- 1:09:07 -- 4/30 AG, 126/454 OA men
T2 ------ 2:14 ------ 3/30 AG, 152/454 OA men
Run ---- 45:38 ---- 3/30 AG, 101/454 OA men

OA -- 2:27:48 -- 2/30 AG, 103/454 OA men

Ken

Patriot's 1/2-IM Race Report -- 9/10/11

2011-09-16T12:11:00.001-04:00

It's been a long summer, and quite a while since I've posted a race report. My goals for the season centered on doing two 1/2-IM races -- preparation for the jump to the long journey at IMWI in 2012. The season got off to a pretty solid start: I had a good international with a strong run leg in April, and then snagged a PR of 5:09 at the Kinetic Half in May, though a miscalculation on my run pace probably prevented an even better time. If I put together a good summer of training, I felt that a sub-5 was in reach on the flat course at Patriots in September.

Life has a way of intruding on the best-laid plans, though. My father-in-law's terminal illness meant we spent many weekends on the road to WV, and the entire process left all of us wrung out, physically and emotionally, before he found his final relief at the end of July.

I managed to shoehorn in a couple of small sprint-distance races after things settled down, and had a couple of AG podium finishes. But the run-up to the race was a little more dramatic than I wanted, with a stingray assault on my foot while at the beach, a nasty summer cold that I just couldn't shake, and an unpleasant bonk during a 4-hour ride. Lingering hot and humid weather didn't improve my mood either. But race day wouldn't wait for me to get everything right -- it was time to do the best with what I had.

After meeting up with Debi and a fun bunch of other athletes for dinner on Friday night, things went smoothly on Saturday morning. I snagged a good spot on my rack and got my gear in order in plenty of time -- no drama, just the way I like it. The word came down that tha water in the tidal James River at Jamestown was at 79 degrees, so no wetsuits for the competitors today. Eh, no problem, just keep it steady.

The race

As usual, the old guys were one of the last waves. That's not all bad, at least you can sight on the caps ahead of you. . We'd been promised that the current would be coming in on the roughly triangular course -- a factor that played into the swim later on. I got into a nice smooth rhythm on the swim, sighting every 4 strokes to correct for my inevitable leftward drift. Rounding the first buoy we caught the current and made good time. Almost too good of time -- I got a little wide and it was a bit of a challenge to keep on course for the second buoy.

The last short stretch of the swim was back against the current, then a hard left to the beach. This dragged on for quite a while as we fought against the tidal flow. Though I felt great throughout the swim, but could tell I'd been in the water a long time. As I exited the water I could see I was right -- 47:36(!). No panic -- there were lots of my competitors around me. And the times for the race bore this out -- only 3 out of 33 in the 50-54 AG were under 45 minutes.

Swim: 9/33 AG -- 47:36.

Transition is where I always make up time. This race had the longest run to T1 that I've ever seen, about 1/4 mile over muddy fields. I'd scoped out the run on Friday afternoon, so there weren't any surprises in store. I kept up a nice jogging pace and got into transition feeling good. I wiped off my muddy feet with a towel, got into my shoes and took off. A smooth clip-in and away I rolled.

T1: 3/33 AG -- 4:22.

The goal for the bike was to set myself up for a good run. At Kinetic I hadn't left enough in the tank and faded over the last few miles of the run. Today I resolved not to get caught up in jockeying for position on the bike.

Soon I was jockeying for position on the bike. I found myself in an annoying pack of riders (especially YOU, Mr. Draft Everybody and Pass On the Right, wearing the Alaska bike jersey...). It was an annoying round of getting caught behind someone slow, pass them, have them suck on your wheel then pass and slow down. Patriots isn't a hard bike course, but a few rollers along the way finally broke up the group and I could concentrate on my own thing.

My bike computer wasn't working, but some simple calculations at the 5-mile markers showed I was easily averaging over 20 mph. I drank Cytomax on my watch's timer, every 12 minutes, and fired down a gel about every 4th time, with a few Endurolytes thrown in for good measure. One positive for this year has been that my cycling has gotten stronger, and I felt it today. I only had a few short bad patches along the way, and stayed pretty comfortable for most of the ride, keeping a nice brisk pedaling tempo and staying in control throughout. Still, it was relief to see the 55-mile mark and know I only had 3 miles to go (yes, it was a 58 mile bike course). I did a shoes-off dismount to the ringing of cowbells and jogged into T2.

Bike: 6/33 -- 2:48:40 (20.75 mph).

T2: 3/33 -- 1:24

If you'd asked me when I started the run how the rest of the race would go, I would have predicted "great!" I had a smooth transition and my legs were clicking along nicely. One of my local rivals was about 50 yards up the road, but I entertained hopes of keeping with him (he eventually got 3rd AG). I passed by Debi with a jaunty wave and kept moving along, stopping for my planned walk breaks.

The first mile was 8:15, and the second, with a walk break, at 8:30. Then the wheels came off. First the quads, then the calves started cramping. That, combined with the sun and heat (high 80s and humid) were enough to take the wind out of my sails. I kept slogging along, adding more walk breaks as my legs failed, but the splits got slower and slower, as I got crampier and more nauseous with each mile.

It was a long and depressing finish to what had been a strong day, as I limped along at 11-12 minute pace over the last 5-6 miles. I put on a brave face in the final chute, but it was a disappointing finish.

Run: 11/33 AG -- 2:16:12

Overall: 7/33 AG, 162/407 Men -- 5:58:12

Postscript

As I lay in the medical tent getting my IV (ah, relief!), I tried to put it all in perspective. I've always prided myself on good race execution, but there was no getting past the fact that I'd screwed this one up. True, conditions were very tough, and a lot of people had bad races. But in the end, you've got to be prepared for what mother nature and the race throw at you. But I learned a valuable lesson -- one that I hope I can apply to my next big race.

Ken

Dual Race Reports: Bath County Tri and Men's 4-Miler -- 6/18-19/2011

2011-06-20T12:13:00.001-04:00

Summary: A busy Father's Day weekend.

Saturday -- Bath County Tri -- 1:17:58. 2/8 AG, 20/131 OA male.
Sunday -- Men's 4-Miler -- 26:41. 4/48 AG, 53/449 OA

Bath County Sprint Tri:

A small field, beautiful scenery, and a course with a few tough wrinkles summed up the Bath County Tri. Bath County is located in the Allegheny foothills of western Virginia, and is notable for bed-and-breakfasts, The Homestead Resort, and miles of beautiful and wild rivers favored by anglers. A scenic but long drive deposited me at Lake Moomaw, a small reservoir with clear mountain water in the George Washington National Forest.

Packet pickup and setup was uneventful. I chatted it up with a 50-year old on my rack who saw my Boston hat. "2010, huh? I've got the same hat. It was windy this year..." We chatted a bit more as we sized each other up. Nice guy, but probably my competition. A short jog, a little practice with my shoes on the pedals mount/dismount, and a little swim and it was time to race.

Second wave for the swim, a long rectangle in nice mountain water. 76 degrees, so I wore my wetsuit. Thought I sighted well, and moved up through the first wave as I went along. Stopped my watch at 15:24 for the swim, which seemed slow. Based on other times, I think the course was a bit long.

Swim -- 15:24. 3/8 AG, 32/131 OA male.

Wetsuit off in a jiffy at T1 -- plenty of BodyGlide this time around. Helmet, glasses on, grabbed the bike and ran. Smooth shoes on the pedal mount and off to the bike.

T1 -- 1:03. 1/8 AG, 20/130 OA male.

The bike was an out and back on closed roads with pretty smooth asphalt. There was a steep climb about 1/2 mile in that caught me by surprise and in the wrong gear while I was grabbing a drink. Weaved embarrassingly across the road while I got into the right gear. I hammered down the other side of the hill and then into the false flats and small climbs of the outward leg. There weren't many on the course around me, but I overhauled a few riders. 21 minutes and change for the first 6.2 miles.

At the turn-around it was hammer time and I really got rolling. This was fun! Payback came on the return of the course's first hill, but at least I was ready this time. A nifty barefoot flying dismount and it was into T2.

Bike -- 37:00. 1/8 AG, 21/131 OA male.

I noticed that my rival's bike wasn't into transition yet as I racked. Maybe I could hold him off, since I figured he'd have a strong run leg. Shoes on, grab my hat, belt and gel and go.

T2 -- 0:36. 1/8 AG, 9/131 OA male.

Not a good start to the run -- there was a nice hill right out of the gate, and I couldn't get my legs on track right away. After about a mile in the course leveled off and I got into a good rhythm.

Then my shoe came untied. I ran with it for a while, but finally decided it had to be tied. The second I knelt down I saw a figure with a "50" on his calf zoom by me. C***!

I took chase, but he had too much speed for me on this day. Nonetheless I made up for a disappointing start for the run with a strong finish over the last mile. Not a good run though, even factoring in a hilly run course.

Run -- 23:56. 3/8 AG, 32/130 OA male

Overall, I thought my run let me down a bit. I'd done everything I'd needed to win my AG until that point. Anything near what I think I'm capable of would have sealed the deal. But hey, I won an insulated lunch bag!

Overall -- 1:17:58. 2/8 AG, 20/130 OA male.

Men's 4-Miler

This race, which benefits prostate cancer research has always been the junior partner to the Women's 4-Miler. This year, with the date changed to Father's Day, and the location changed to UVA, there was a much bigger field. I think a lot of us looked forward to the on-field finish projected onto the stadium scoreboard video screen. Pretty cool.

I started towards the front, near Mark Robbins. As we got onto the course he pulled about 5 seconds ahead. In our last race together that was the end of it, and he crushed me by over a minute at the MJH 8K. Today I didn't let the string snap and kept him in sight, but couldn't quite find the speed I needed to overhaul him.

Had a good finishing 1/2 mile or so, and came in strong. Really fun to emerge out of the stadium onto the field. Overall a good run on a warm and humid morning.

26:41 (just off my 2008 PR). 4/48 AG, 53/450 OA.

Kinetic 1/2-Ironman Triathlon -- May 14, 2011

2011-05-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

It's unusual for me to be writing a second triathlon race report this early in the season. But I decided late last year that I wanted improve my racing at longer distances in preparation for an IM debut in 2012. So the Kinetic 1/2 looked like a good early season race to keep me working through the winter.

I felt good going into the race. I've done a lot more riding than I normally do this spring, and a pretty solid bike/run combo at an international-distance race a few weeks back looked like a good sign. And despite some issues with my knee in the winter that limited my speed work, my last few long runs had felt nice and smooth.

Sub 5-hours? Probably a bit of a stretch, but I was thinking I could get close. At least, I wanted to ditch my old PR (5:13).

The weather was a bit misty and hazy, but the water was a comfortable 71 degrees and there was no wind. I ran in from about the 3rd row on the beach start and found a good spot with some open room around me but plenty of other swimmers to sight off. Felt nice and smooth throughout the swim, popping my head up about every 6 strokes or so for sighting. Got out of the water in good shape and jogged up the long path to transition with a lot of energy. Lots of pool time this winter paid off -- I'm still not really fast, but the distance was no sweat.

Swim -- 36:05. 12/33 AG, 151/410 OA men.

My last race had been a disaster in T1, when I decided to put on arm warmers. No problem this time, the weather was perfect and I could go minimalist -- tri top, shorts, shoes, no socks, no gloves. Because the run out to the mount line went through a gravel parking lot, I slipped on my shoes rather than leaving them on the pedals. On the way, no drama.

T1 -- 2:15. 3/33 AG, 62/410 OA men.

I started conservatively on the bike, getting comfortable and settling in for the ride. The first couple of miles out of the state park are uphill anyway, so there's no reason to pound it hard at the beginning. As we got out on the course I got into a nice rhythm on the mainly flat-to-rolling course. I'd set my watch timer to 15 minutes, so each time it went off I got a drink, then stood up on the pedals for a few seconds and stretched out. Once every 3-4 intervals I fired down a gel (Honey Stingers).

Coach Debi passed me, then I passed her back, and I found myself out by myself for large portions of the ride. Around mile 30 I stopped briefly at a water bottle hand-off to top off my Cytomax concentrate with water and get free of draft pack that had sucked me up a mile or so before.

Through the second time around the course's loop I kept up a nice tempo, shifting gears to the big ring on the flats, but dropping it down and being conservative on the rises. Hitting mile 50 I was psyched -- I felt great, and was rolling along well below my goal time of 2:45.

A few seconds of wobbly legs off the dismount and I ran into T2 feeling ready to hit the run strong.

Bike -- 2:40:11. 14/33 AG, 146/410 OA men.

The run ended up being a "close but no cigar" moment. My goal was to do 8 minute miles, and after a slow first mile up the 3-loop course's first hill, I was on pace. By the end of the first loop I'd gotten about 20 seconds ahead of pace and was moving smoothly -- taking a short 30 second walk on every second water stop and alternating water/orange slices and HEED.

I started to give a little back on the second loop, but was still only about 20 seconds over pace by mile 8. But the cumulative effects of the course's hills had trashed my legs by now. I hung on, but by mile 10 I couldn't will them along any faster and started shoveling bucketfuls of time back. The last downhill to the line was gutting it out to try to get under 5:10 with some seriously sore and straining quads.

Run -- 1:49:28. 12/33 AG, 166/410 OA men.

Total -- 5:09:26. 13/33 AG, 144/410 OA men.

Post-mortem:

Tickled pink with a new PR, but humbled by the competition in my AG. There's a lot of fast guys moving up. The top three were all 4:52 or better, and there were 8 guys in the 5:01-5:09 range. Solid competition!

But, I think I've got a good base to move into summer training and racing. Let's see if I can drop that PR again at the Patriot's 1/2 in September!

Now off on a 6-day backpacking trip on Wednesday -- a great way to recover and relax!

Ken

--
"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

John Wooden

Rumpass in Bumpass Internation Triathlon -- 4/16/2011

2011-04-17T19:32:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've ever started a race with more apprehension than I have with the 2011 Rumpass in Bumpass International.

It wasn't the distance or my training. I've done plenty of Olympic-distance races, including Giant Acorn last season, which is on the same course, and my training has been very solid this winter and spring. In fact, I don't think I've ever come into a tri season with such a good base so early in the year.

It was the weather. In a word, it sucked. A steady rain was falling, with increasing and gusty winds. And the temperature, in the 50s at race time, didn't do anything to keep me warm. After setting up transition and covering my gear as best as possible I sheltered for a while under the C-ville Tri tent, shivering in my wetsuit.

By the time I got into the water for the 6th wave I was thoroughly discouraged. Cold, wet, and with no confidence. But the activity of treading water started to warm me up as we waited, and being in the water took away thoughts of the rain.

Swim

The triangular swim course starts on one side of peninsula and finishes on the other, with the transition area located on the ground in-between. The first leg went smoothly, after the initial bumping and jostling. Turning to begin the second leg I had trouble sighting the second leg. After a while I realized I was well off to the left and had to adjust to get back onto course. Eventually I sighted the second turn buoy and got my bearings. By the second leg the wind was coming from our right, and the water was much choppier. For some reason this made me happy, and I found myself enjoying the pitching around I was taking as I finished this and the final leg.

Swim -- 32:54. (9/32 AG). This was ridiculously slow for me. Everybody seemed to have slow swim legs, but I usually place higher relative to the field. I can only assume that my navigation errors really held me back.

T1

I decided before the race that I would put on arm warmers for the bike. I knew it would be slow, but I was afraid of the cool air and rain. My transition time, usually a strong point, showed the effects of this decision. T1 -- 3:32, (17/32 AG).

Bike

As I got on the bike I felt comfortable and warm, despite my earlier fears. I got down in the bars quickly and started overhauling riders from the previous waves.

Rumpass has a two-loop bike course, and it's one of my favorites. A few rollers, and several sections where you can really get going. I was surprised at how many riders I was passing as I got going.

By the end of the second loop I was feeling good and ready for the run. Coach Debi's infamous "double bricks" had me ready to go. A shoes-off running dismount and it was on to the final acts. 1:08:59 (4/32 AG, 21.5 mph avg) -- Very happy with this. A good bike leg.

T2

Transition was a mud pit by now, but I got a pretty quick change and got out on the run with no problems. 1:35 (6/35 AG)

Run

Despite the mud bog that was transition and the run start, I felt comfortable going into the run. Got in a good groove with a solid woman runner for the first few miles, then started to pick up my pace on the second half. Saw Mark passing the other way on both legs of the run, about a 1-1/2 miles ahead -- c'est la vie.

A strong run leg -- over 2 minutes faster than my run leg from last year's Giant Acorn, after a similar bike split. A good omen for the rest of the season. 46:12, 6/32 AG.

Recap

I had an enjoyable race, not what I anticipated when I was shivering at the start. Were it not for a lousy swim leg and T1, I had a good shot to fight for the 3rd podium spot. Nonetheless, I was very pleased for an early season race, especially with a strong run off of the bike. Next up, the Kinetic 1/2 IM, then a relaxing 6-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. 2:33:10 (6/32 AG, 109/435 males)

Happy Racing!

Ken

Philadelphia 1/2-Marathon (11/21/10)

2010-12-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Summary: 1/2 marathon -- 1:34:59. 10/228 AG, 225/8412OA.

Long report:

I'd decided that I'd close my season this year with a 1/2 marathon. I'd already run a marathon in the spring, and I thought that training for a fast half would be beneficial in building stamina and speed for future longer runs and triathlons. Going into the race I felt good about my training -- I'd had a good series of track workouts and had tapered nicely. I'd even lost a few pounds in the previous month, thanks to some careful calorie counting.

After an uneventful drive up on Saturday, I got checked in, went to the expo and headed out to dinner. It was great to actually meet so many of the regular list contributors in the flesh.

Sunday morning I was up at 4 AM and driving in at 5:30. Got right off the freeway and into a parking garage, then a short walk to the starting area. It was a beautiful morning and I relaxed for a while, watching the hustle and bustle that's such a part of a big-city marathon. With 30 minutes to go I checked my bag, jogged for a while and worked my way up to the first corral.

Standing in the first corral, with about 16,000 people behind me, I reminded myself not to get too amped up, and seeded myself at the very back of the pack in my group. At 7 AM the horn went off and the journey started.

Debi had given me strict marching orders -- first mile at 7:30, then drop it down to 7:05 or so and go hard. "Quit thinking that you're slow," she'd said, and I was determined to break out of my usual conservative racing style (within reason, of course).

I settled in nicely during the first mile, right on pace. The weather was perfect, and I took off my fleece hat and tucked it into my shorts. Now I was wearing shorts, a short-sleeve technical shirt, home-made arm warmers and throw-away running gloves. Mile 2 clocked in at 7:08, as we headed across town. As we turned south along the river I passed the 3:10 marathon pace group and got some open space around me. We turned back and started back across the city. Some great crowds lined the streets in the central city and it was easy to feed off their energy as I kept the pace in the low 7's.

After crossing the river we turned onto the Drexel campus and passed a couple of rowdy frat houses. The first notable hills were here, and I had to push hard to keep up with the runners around me. It was a little humbling to try to keep pace with the marathoners who were shooting for times in the low 3-hour range. They were running easy, and I was having to dig deep to keep up.

Mile 8 was a tough uphill slog, and my speed was dropping, but I kept telling myself I just had to gut it out a little longer then kick the downhill to the river and the final flat stretch. I grabbed a gel at mile 9 (I'd forgotten and left mine in my checked bag) and choked down a little bit. I was into that stretch in every race where your body starts telling you it doesn't want to do this anymore.

Finally we hit the fast descent to the river. I picked up some time, but when I hit the flats along the river I could feel my speed slipping. I had a bad patch from mile 10 to 11, but rallied a bit and pulled my form back together when I saw mile 11. If I could just keep it together I could break 1:35. Off came the gloves and arm-warmers -- pitched to the side of the road.

After the 12th mile I sensed something behind me. I glanced back and saw the 3:10 marathon pace group. They'd gathered numbers and were catching up. I felt like a wounded elk being chased down by a pack of wolves. As I came to the turn-off for the 1/2 marathon finish I had to fight my way through them to get to the right side of the course. Then suddenly I was in the clear, with just a run past the art museum, a looping turn and a short straight to the finish.

I crossed theline breathless and totally spent. 1:35:03 on my watch, but the official results have my chip time at 1:34:59. A fun race on a great course, and then I went and got a cheesesteak sandwich. Good times all around.

Ken

Giant Acorn International Tri (10/2/10)

2010-10-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

Giant Acorn International was the end of the triathlon season for me in 2010, and I couldn't have asked for a better day to get out and race. Comfortable water temps, wetsuit legal, bluebird skies, light wind and sun. Add a fast course, a strong field, plus SetUp Event's usual competent management.

To top it off, a big contingent of C-ville athletes were on hand, complete with tent and post-race goodies. It made for a fun Saturday at Lake Anna.

I got to race early and snagged a sport near the end of my rack segment, got my gear laid out and hung out at the tent for a while, watching the transition area fill up with the usual assortment of contenders, newbies, and "just happy to be here" competitors. After liberal applications of Pam on my legs and wetsuit, I was ready to get started.

As usual, the gray hairs were near the back. Wave 6, in fact. The swim started in-water, then followed a triangular course with a long middle segment before we turned for home and T1. I felt smooth throughout the swim, and sighted pretty well -- easy because of all the people in front of me. Got a nice kick in the face from a red cap on the last leg, but otherwise no big issues.

Swim -- 28:54, 5/28 AG

I was determined to blast my transitions today, and I went hard through T1. The wetsuit came off quickly, and it was glasses/helmet on, grab the bike and go. It always surprises me how many people I see jogging or walking through transition -- I know I can't afford to give up any chance to make up time!

T1 -- 1:45, 1/28 AG

The bike started with a long run over the grass then a run up a hill on some pitted asphalt to the mount line. I was running barefoot, but it didn't seem to bother me any. I got on the bike, keeping it in the small ring for the first minute or so while I got my feet into the shoes and my breathing under control.

I enjoyed the two-lap course, and felt very good on the bike. Knowing the course for the second lap was a real advantage, and I upped my average speed on the second lap. I had a couple of 40-somethings pass me, and then played tag with a 51-year old who caught me on the second lap. He was a bit stronger so I let him go, figuring I'd get him in T2. It was one of my better bike efforts, but I've got to hit the bike harder this upcoming year if I want to be competitive (so look for me bringing up the rear on the Saturday rides in the future.)

Bike -- 1:08:32 (21.72 mph), 6/28 AG.

A flying dismount got me a few kudos from the crowd, then I booked hard down the hill into T2. I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my gear and headed out, keeping an eye ahead for the guy who'd passed me on the bike.

T2 -- 1:31, 1/28 AG.

The run was also a two-loop course, and hillier than I'd anticipated. At the first turn-around, I saw my bike competitor, maybe 30 seconds back, so I had some good incentive to keep it going. The first two miles came in at around 7:45 pace, but I started to fade a bit in the third mile. Fortunately I got a second wind as the second lap began and started picking up speed. Barry Young, a fellow C-ville triathlete (and Masters winner) went flying by at one point, causing the guy I was passing to say "that dude is fast." I could only agree.

By the last mile I knew I'd given it a good effort and was putting on as strong a finish as I could manage, hoping no one would sneak up on me. No worries -- I had space on either side as I finished.

I felt great about the effort on the run -- I was completely cooked at the end. The time was a bit slower than I would have liked, but I'll chalk that up to the rough patch in the middle.

Run -- 48:21 (7:41/mi), 5/28 AG

Overall -- 2:29:02, 4/28 AG

I felt good about the race. I figured I'd need to get under 1:30 to have any chance to place in AG, but that wasn't quite good enough. But no regrets, I gave it the best effort I had that day. It's been a good season, and an eventful year. Time to try and raise the bar for next season.

Ken

Big Lick International Triathlon -- 9/26/10

2010-09-26T21:32:00.000-04:00

Summary: International distance. 2:37:57, 1/10 AG 50-54.

Long report:

The Big Lick International, at Smith Mountain Lake, has been around for over 20 years, but this was the first time I've ever traveled to it. The race has a reputation for being a pretty challenging course, with a lot of rolling hills on the bike, and a pretty challenging run course. Complicating the day would be unseasonably warm weather coupled with a late start -- meaning a hot, sunny run.

I rolled out of bed at 4 AM, loaded the truck and hit the road. Got to the race site with no problems, even before packet pickup had opened up. I picked up my packet when they opened, got marked, grabbed my chip, and snagged a good spot on the end of my rack. I puttered around for a while with my set up, then settled down to wait.

Since the race was serving as the mid-Atlantic Collegiate Championship, waiting was pretty entertaining. Lots of college kids running around in their team kit getting set up and pumping each other up. College tri teams are always an interesting contrast. Since they're strictly club teams, you'll see everything from serious young athletes, like the young lady from Virginia Tech with the P3 racking next to me, along with kids who are doing their first or second races ever.

Swim --

The swim was wetsuit legal and comfy at 77 degrees. My wave, the fourth, started on the beach. I lined up on the outside and found pretty clear going as we charged to the first turn of the triangular course. Not much to report on the swim -- I had a good rhythm throughout and no problems siting as I went along the course.

The swim ended with a quick jog up the beach, up a short flight of stairs and then a relatively long run to transition.

T1 --

After my last race, where I'd had some difficulty with my wet suit, I'd planned ahead. I'd trimmed 1 inch off the legs of my suit and applied liberal amounts of PAM on my legs and the inside my suit. Of came the suit, quick as a whistle. On with my glasses, then the helmet, grabbed my bike and trotted out.

Bike

T1 to the mount line required a short run up a pretty steep hill. I was a little breathless as I mounted the bike, but got riding and got my feet into my shoes without any problems.

Then the fun started.

Three times in the first four miles I dropped my chain. No rhyme or reason, except that each time I was in the small ring. Well, enough of that, I'll just stay in the big ring. After getting my wits back about me, I settled into a good rhythm, passed a couple of guys in my AG and was starting to enjoy myself. But the second half of the course is harder than the first, and my decision to stay in the big ring started telling on my legs. Still, I didn't want to risk another thrown chain, so I kept grinding away.

The last mile or so was a nice relief as the course sloped back down to the lake. I jumped off at the dismount and trotted down the hill barefoot into T2. Not the best bike, but at least I didn't panic too badly after the snafus at the start.

T2 -- smooth sailing.

Run --

No fun here. It was definitely hot now. The first mile was uphill, around 8:15 then picked it up a little on the next couple miles. But I didn't have any legs to go faster -- it was just suck it up and grind it out. At least most of the other people I saw on the course didn't look like they were enjoying themselves any more than me.

I managed to slog through a couple of difficult miles at 4 and 5, and picked it up some on the last downhill mile. Still, I was darned happy to see the finish line.

Stats --

Swim -- 29:15, 5/10 AG
T1 -- 1:31, 1/10 AG
Bike -- 1:13:43, 1/10 AG
T2 -- :57, 1/10 AG
Run -- 52:29, 1/10 AG

2:37:54, 1/10 AG

Ken

Colonial Beach Olympic Tri --7/11/2010

2010-07-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

Summary -- Olympic Distance Tri -- 2:28:32; 2/12 AG; 35/120 OA male

Long report --

I'm going to skip the usual narrative report and grade myself with comments for each section. I'll throw in an overall grade and comments at the end.

Swim -- 32:52; 3/12 AG.

The swim was warm and wet-suit free. Actually the first time I've ever done Olympic distance without a wetsuit. I chose to start out a little on the easy side which was probably good from a pacing standpoint, but bad from the standpoint of traffic -- I really got jostled around badly on the first 1/6th of the course. Navigation was pretty good on the 2-lap triangular course, but I did drift badly off to the left on the end of the first lap.

I got out of the water feeling good, so I was able to scoot up the beach and into transition at a good pace.

Grade -- C. I swam within myself and at a good steady pace, but I've got to stretch what I'm doing in training -- maybe by finding some fast swim partners. My AG's winner put 3:28 on me in the swim. The race was never in doubt from that point on.

T1 -- 1:15; 2/12 AG.

Grade - A. Smooth, steady. Quick jog out with the bike and a trouble-free getaway.

Bike -- 1:07:06 -- 22.2 mph avg; 4/12 AG.

Although this had my lowest AG placement, it was my highest OA male placement, and significantly faster than my ride from last year. Drinking and nutrition were spot on, and I kept the RPMs high throughout the ride. I also caught up to, and passed one of the stronger female competitiors. Forget her name -- Bernardes, maybe? ;-)

Grade -- B+. It's possible I could have gone a bit harder, but there was the matter of a 10K run to follow. It's hard to say whether pushing the bike a little more would have helped or hurt. At any rate, I got off the bike feeling strong and satisfied with the leg.

T2 -- :57; 2/12 AG.

Grade -- A. Smooth and steady. Shoes on, grab my hat, race belt and e-caps -- jog out.

Run -- 46:21; 3/12 AG.

Debi followed me off the bike into transition (yes, I passed her on the bike) and shouted at me to start easy. Good advice, since I'd buried myself on the first mile of the run last year. I kept the pace moderate and concentrated on form while I got my legs under me. My splits reflected this -- 7:30, 7:30, 7:23, 7:18, 7:30, 7:30 (pace for 1.2). Got about the right amount of water in, and more on my head as it heated up.

Grade -- B. I wanted to drop the splits consistently over the last 4 miles, but stalled out a little bit on miles 5 and 6. Some of it might have been lack of motivation. I was running most of the end of the run alone, without anyone to key on in front of me, and no one behind to push me. I've got to find an inner motivation to draw on when that happens. Overall pacing was good, though, and I think my running form held up very well.

Summary and Overall Grade.

A solid B. I think I raced very near the top of what I'm capable of doing right now. I liked the fact that the sum of the race was more than the parts -- it's nice when your OA placement is higher than either the swim, bike, or run legs.

Going forward I've got to decide where I'm going with the sport. It's fun be able to go out and place in my AG at local races, but the best guys in my AG are clearly stronger -- 1st had 5 minutes on me. And with more guys aging up next year, I can't count on taking home hardware unless I keep improving and pushing myself more in training.

I'll keep my nose to grindstone and see where it takes me.

Ken

Boston Marathon Race Report

2010-04-26T16:33:00.000-04:00

Summary: 3:41:17. 8:27 pace.

Long report:

As you can imagine, I've been excited about the opportunity to compete at Boston since I slid under the qualifying standard back in February 2009. Excited mainly because running at Boston was something that I always assumed I couldn't do. "I'm too slow." "Real marathoners run at Boston." "I'll never run that fast." But as I slowly started to evolve from an overweight 40-something to a decent 50-something racer, it dawned on me that what had seemed impossible was possible, if I devoted my efforts toward the goal.

And now, here I was.

You could sense the energy in the town from the moment I stepped into my hotel lobby. Lots of fit-looking people casually lounged about in their apparel of choice -- the ubiquitous Boston jacket. We were all around town, eying each other unobtrusively on the T, clutching our race packets and Adidas shopping bags like they were our most precious possessions.

Saturday and Sunday were a whirl. Packet pickup, dinner and brunch with acquaintances from my email group. An excellent Italian meal in the North End on Sunday night (thank goodness I made reservations), then back to the hotel for a sleepless night.

Monday dawned bright and clear, cool with a stiff breeze from the North. Really couldn't ask for better. As I stepped off the T at the Boston Common I stopped and did a double-take. Runners everywhere, herded into lines by friendly volunteers, all waiting their turn for a ride on a yellow school bus to Hopkinton. I chatted up my fellow riders on the way out. A few vets, outwardly calm; a lot of first-timers, all nervously repeating "the advice" -- don't go out too fast!

At the Athlete's Village I grabbed a coffee and settled down to wait. I was number 14332, so second wave, first corral for me. The crowd thinned as the first wave departed, then finally it was time to start the hike down the road to the start. The energy in the air was palpable, and I made myself slow down as I walked towards my corral. The start area was like an ants nest that's been kicked over -- runners scurried everywhere, afraid they wouldn't get into their corral on time. No worries for me -- I slipped in with minutes to spare and took lots of deep breaths.

And we're off.

From the start the road was lined with spectators clapping and cheering. I couldn't believe that I was actually there, 26.2 miles from the finish, running down a two-lane road that would lead me through all this history and tradition. I had to reach up and dab my eyes so I could see ahead of me. Wow.

But now it was time to concentrate. They were right about the course -- it WAS a steep downhill. I held it back nicely through the first mile, around 8:45, then let it stretch out a bit for the second and third. Probably just a bit too fast there, with both in the low 8s.

5K -- 25:11. 8:07 pace.

As we passed through Ashland and a rowdy biker bar I eased off the pace a bit. Hold it back until Framingham and then lock in, I told myself. The downhills leveled a bit and we passed over a few easy rollers. I tested my legs a bit on some of the short uphills and felt strong. So far so good.

10K -- 51:09. 8:15 pace.

Framingham now, and we passed the train station. The crowds have never gone away, and now they're growing in size. I've never done a run with so much enthusiasm and energy along the way. You almost feel as if you're being carried along by the crowd's support. The miles started clicking off smoothly now, all right in the range I was looking for. I was into a smooth routine -- hit a water stop about every 16-17 minutes, rotating between Gatorade, water with Endurolytes, and a gel packet. On through Natick and yet bigger crowds.

15K -- 1:16:39. 8:15 pace.

Now a crucial section was coming up. A downhill leading into Wellesley, followed by the half-way mark. I reminded myself not to get suckered into picking up my pace. Relax and enjoy the attention of the young ladies. As I approached Wellesley I realized it was true -- you could hear the girls screaming a half-mile away. My rock star moment approached.

Wellesley was loads of fun--virtually every girl held up a sign saying "Kiss me, I'm...." How could I not oblige? So, my thanks for the kisses from all five of you.

20K -- 1:42:14. 8:15 pace.

It was time to gather myself for the test to come. I passed the 1/2 marathon in 1:47:43, and concentrated on keeping in control, saving myself for the Newton hills. The miles were sliding by in a blur by now, a steady repetition of screaming crowds, waterstops, and repetitive footfalls. My confidence was growing with every stride.

25K -- 2:07:45. 8:15 pace.

Here it was -- the steep downhill I'd seen on the course maps, leading into the first hill. Down we went and then I started up. It was time to put it into my hill gear -- shorten the stride, swing the arms, eyes on the road, not looking up. Emotion got the better of me -- I was at the Newton Hills, ready to run and take it home strong, and I had to brush away tears from my eyes. I started passing runners and fed off the energy. Over the first hill, gather myself, and then over the second, relaxing my stride and regathering on the downhills.

30K -- 2:33:20. 8:15 pace.

Number three was steep but short. The effort was starting to tell on me now, but I felt confident. One more climb, then downhill to Boston. Heartbreak Hill appeared, with all its mad insanity. The BC students were enjoying the day with gusto and cheering us on like a pack of howling wolves. I couldn't help but be caught up in the energy of it, and went over the top of Heartbreak Hill as if I'd won the Superbowl -- high-fives, fist pumps, yelling out loud. YES! I'd done it -- now just hold it together.

The long descent began. I tested my legs. Sore, but not too bad, so I relaxed on the downward slope and gather myself for the final push. I ran conservatively as the road descended into Brookline.

35K -- 2:29:56. 8:17 pace.

I'd lost a little bit of time on the last two hills but as I hit Mile 22 I felt confident I could get back into rhythm and click off 4 miles at around 8:05-8:10 pace. That would get me my ticket for next year, and at that moment I wanted nothing more than to come back and race here again. Mile 23 told me a different story. The legs and body wouldn't respond any more. My pace was slowing. I tried to grab onto every runner who passed me and match pace, but it was no good. Mile 23, Mile 24, Mile 25 -- each hammered home the depressing truth. I was cooked.

40K -- 3:27:45. 8:22 pace.

There's nothing more deflating than watching a goal slip away at the last moment. I kept running for pride if for nothing else. Finally the turn onto Hereford, and the final stretch onto Boyleston. Huge crowds still, cheering like maniacs for the middle of the pack. No sprint to the finish for me, but I held it together for the obligatory two fists in the air victory salute.

26.2 -- 3:41:17. 8:27 pace.

10405/23126 overall (seeded 14332),
964/1894 in M 50-54
7572/13354 overall men

Any disappointment in not punching my ticket for next year or getting a PR was pretty short-lived. I'd gotten to Boston, and I'd given it a good effort. No regrets, only amazing memories.

Ken
(What next?)

Beach2Battleship Half-Ironman -- 11/7/2009

2009-11-10T10:07:00.001-05:00

The Beach2Battleship 1/2 IM was definitely my "A" race on the calendar this year. The late season date was a good thing and a bad thing -- I'd had plenty of time to train, but also plenty of time to get tired of training too. Credit here to Coach Debi Bernardes for help keeping me focused when I was sick and tired of working.

But except for a couple weeks hurt by family business and an asthma flareup, training had been solid. I felt good going into the race, and I was confident I could knock my old 1/2 IM PR (5:41) down quite a bit. Competitively, it's been a good year for me, but I've stuck pretty close to home -- I was looking forward to getting out in a bigger race and seeing how I'd stack up.

Got to Wilmington the day before, and hopped around town picking up my packet and driving out to T1 (there are separate T1 and T2 areas). Dropped my bike off, and by then it was late afternoon. I skipped a tune up ride and run and we went off to dinner and then hotel check in. I relaxed the rest of the evening by taking a stroll down the River Walk and packing my bags.

Saturday was up and at 'em early. Carmel drove me down to T1, where I got marked, dropped off my T2 bag and put my bike gear in place. Then it was back to the car to stay warm. The morning was cold, in the high 30s, but temps were due to rise quickly as the sun came up. Finally it was time to go, and I caught the bus to the swim start. Got there with over an hour before the 1/2 swim started, but settled in and chatted with fellow athletes while sipping coffee from my thermos (got some envious looks for that). Talked to Brad Yoder, who looked ready to go (and I believe he got a PR, if I'm not mistaken).

A bit after 7 AM the full-distance racers zoomed by up the inlet. The swim looked like it would be as advertised -- fast, thanks to a strong tidal current. Then at 8:30 our waves started taking off, and finally it wast time me and the rest of the old guys at 8:55. The water was a bit cold but not frigid, and it was easy to settle in comfortably on the swim. I flew up the inlet, took a left at the big boat, and then spent a fair amount of time figuring out which way to go. After some unnecessary zigging and zagging, I got to the marina dock, and climbed one of the numerous ladders to get out.

Swim -- 27:12 (gotta love that tide!)

After trotting along the longest run to transition I've ever had, I got to my bike. The sun was up, and the air was warm -- the original plan of armwarmers and gloves went out to window. I stripped off the wetsuit, stuffed it and the rest of gear I didn't need into my bag, grabbed my bike and got going.

T1 - 5:50 by my watch -- slow, but about normal given the long run and the necessity of packing your wetsuit in a bag so it would get returned later.

Right away I felt strong on the bike. After a few twists and turns we settled into the first of many flat, fast segments on smooth 4-lane roads and headed north. A lot of people had started in the waves before me, but that gave me a lot of people to pass, and kept me feeling strong and confident. About 10 miles in the bike course rolled onto to I-140, a bypass road around Wilmington. This was heaven -- an entire lane of Interstate highway blocked off, smooth pavement below, and a slight quartering breeze. 90-100 RPM, 23-24 MPH -- the miles slid away underneath my wheels.

We turned off the bypass and headed north, with more good pavement, then turned west onto a 2-lane.My rhythm was still steady, and drinking and nutrition seemed right on schedule -- a drink every 15 minutes, with gels and eCaps added in at 30 minute intervals. My only problem was a constantly running nose -- the salt water of the swim was more effective than a neti pot at clearing out my nasal passages. Wipe, spit, rub my hands on my shorts -- the glamorous life of a triathlete!

Then the turnaround point and it was time to head back south. The breeze was no longer at our back, and had turned into a steady headwind. We retraced our steps, rolling south towards T2 at the battleship USS North Carolina memorial. The headwind was starting to pick up at this point, though not as badly as it did for the full distance racers to follow. Still, it was an effort to stay focused and stay within myself as the ride dragged on.

Finally a highway sign "Battleship 3 Miles." All right! Except for -- a bridge? A big one too, rising high enough to cross the Cape Fear River and let ocean-going ships underneath. Note to self -- pay better attention to the course maps next time. Not to worry -- I downshifted to the small ring, then up and over. Down the other side, a hard left onto a narrow road lined with spectators and suddenly the dismount line.

Bike -- 2:46ish (timing problems with the event, not quite certain, but about 20.5 avg.)

A volunteer grabbed my bike (new experience for me), and directed me towards my gear. A smooth transition and it was time to run.

T2 -- 1:42.

The way I see it, the run is make or break in a tri. My plan was to start steady, walk through the first four aid stations, then pick it up to the end. The run course takes you from the west side of the Cape Fear River, over two tall bridges, and then dumps you onto the riverfront of Wilmington, on the river's east side. From there, you climb south into a lovely city park, then turn around and retrace your steps back to the battleship.

I fell in with a smooth-running 30 year old woman and kept pace with her, successfully navigating the climbs over the bridges. I knew I'd have to come back over them, though. After 4 miles, I started cranking up the pace.

As we hit the turn around at mile 6.55, I pulled off to the side to brush off a pine needle that had gotten caught in my sock. Immediately I saw a "54" on the calf of a runner passing me. Now it was time to make a move. I matched stride and then putting on my best "hey I'm enjoying this" grin, I dug in and picked up speed.

"Don't look back" I told myself -- just keep going. I caught another AG runner -- "53." Then another -- "50." Mile 7, mile 8, mile 9. Now I was feeling the strain. My quads and calves were tightening up while I tried to hold form. I snuck a look back when I turned a corner. "54" was about 50 yards back, but "53" and "50" were gone.

Unfortunately, I was about gone too. At mile 10, I was feeling slightly nauseous, and my quads and calves started to seize up on me. I dropped the pace a little. Mile 11, and time to climb back up the bridges. I looked back -- 54 was still there, running steady.

Mile 12 -- the cramps were coming more often, and my pace kept slowing. The last bridge to climb was a struggle, and some stronger runners started to pass me. Finally I was at the top. And at the top 54 made his pass -- I tried to match pace but couldn't. A little deflated I pushed on, waved and smiled for Carmel as she took my picture and then did my best finish line pose as I crossed.

Run -- 1:52:16

After about 30 minutes of lying in the grass feeling ill I'm was finally ready for some pizza and beer. I'd hoped to break 5:10, but the last few miles killed that chance -- 5:13: 58 was the final total. In retrospect I was still happy -- I put myself in position to make my move on the run, and when I saw the opportunity I went for it. I got beat by 54 (congrats, Steve Thompson, of Chapel Hill, NC), but he had to earn it.

Icing on the cake was a nice plaque, carved from a genuine teak board from the deck of the battleship USS North Carolina, for 2nd place in the 50-54 AG. Pretty cool, and a pretty cool day.

Ken

Buck Mountain 1/2 Marathon -- 10/11/2009

2009-10-13T10:44:00.001-04:00

A race report in three parts.

Prolouge -- This has to be about as low key as any race out there. It's put on by Charlottesville's local running store, Ragged Mountain Running Shop, primarily as a test "race" for their fall marathon training program participants. It's open to anyone, though I had to call the shop to find out when it started -- 7 AM (ouch). There's no entry fee (donations to Meals on Wheels are accepted), no splits being called out, no road closures, and the water stops are self serve. Mile markers and directions are simply chalked onto the road.

What it does have is an incredibly scenic course in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, with some challenging hills. It's a fun course and a great test.

Part 1 -- I started out easy, planning on keeping the pace under control for the first four miles. Mile 1 slid by in 7:24, and I was feeling pretty smooth, so I decided to stick around there. By mile 3 I was on my own, with one runner about 200 yards ahead, and nobody in sight behind on the curving roads. Mile 4 was a long downhill, and I stretched it out to pick up some time.

Mile 1 -- 7:24
Mile 2 -- 7:27
Mile 3 -- 7:39
Mile 4 -- 6:58 (downhill)

Part 2 -- As the course turned onto a gravel backroad, I kicked it up a gear. This stretch was tougher, with some long climbs, and some short, steep ups and downs. I started making time up on the runner who was ahead of me, and concentrated on keeping my tempo up on the hills. Around mile 6 I was overtaken by a group of 6 post-collegiate runners, members of the Ragged Mountain team. Not sure why they'd ever been behind me, since they were running effortlessly as they passed. Around mile 7, I caught the runner I'd been chasing, then we turned back onto the main road with a long downhill. I took the opportunity and picked up the pace as mile 8 finished.

Mile 5 -- 7:57 (uphill)
Mile 6 -- 7:38
Mile 7 -- 7:44
Mile 8 -- 6:50 (long downhill)

Part 3 -- Now it was time to take it home strong. I had about 3 miles of long gradual ups and downs, then the course turned onto the final stretch, a mainly couple of miles back to the start. I paid for the downhill on mile 8 with a long uphill on mile 9, but then settled into a series of smaller hills. I kept my tempo well, and settled into a counting rhythm -- 100 steps, then switch the gloves I was now carrying from the right hand to the left. Another 100 steps and switch again. It kept my mind totally focused on the mechanics of running.

With the last turn onto the relatively flat ending stretch I started to pick it up. Still counting, but picking up the tempo for the first 20 steps of each 100. Mile 11, then picking up the tempo every 50 steps. Mile 12 came and I went for broke, finishing feeling pretty strong.

Mile 9 -- 7:50 (uphill)
Mile 10 -- 7:11
Mile 11 -- 7:10
Mile 12 -- 7:02
Mile 13.1 -- 7:57

1:36:54, 7:24 pace. Knocked about a minute off of my PR time from last year. Pretty good morning, all in all.

Ken

Naylor's Beach Tri Race Report - 9/27/09

2009-09-28T09:59:00.002-04:00

I went into the Naylor's Beach Triathlon with a pretty specific goal. While my triathlon racing had been pretty successful so far this year, I felt like I wasn't quite performing up to my potential because of poor decision making and pacing. And with a 1/2-IM coming up, I wanted to improve that. Poor pacing in a sprint tri can be worked through, but in a 1/2-IM it could bite me pretty badly!

Heavy rain on Saturday kept me at home, rather than camping out at the race site, so the family staggered into the car at 5 AM on Sunday morning for the drive over. The rain continued intermittently, and when I got to the race it was coming down heavily again. I got my packet, hung out in the car, and finally slogged over to set up my transition area. Finally, 5 minutes before the first swim wave, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and a rainbow stretched across the river we'd be swimming in. The weather was great for the rest of the day.

I seeded myself at the front of my swim wave, and got off with no trouble. We were swimming in the Rappahanock River, which is wide, brackish, and tidal at the race site. Current was negligible at the start, but as I rounded the first turn and worked downstream, I found myself getting pushed strongly towards the left, and had to correct constantly. My swimming rhythm felt pretty good, so I told myself not to worry, it was the same for everybody. I managed to stay on course pretty well, sighting off the buoys and my fellow swimmers. As I turned the final buoy and headed in, I was pretty well satisfied -- the pace felt good, and I seemed to be pretty far up in the field. My watch gave me a split of 28:43.

T1 was a bit more of a thrash than I normally like -- not enough body glide on my legs and feet. But I got out in good shape and started off on the bike without much traffic around me. My mantra for the bike was "tempo." Paradoxically, my new tri bike has been a two-edged sword. I'm faster on the bike, but I'm also more tempted to go for broke and hurt my run leg. Today I'd keep the RPMs up, save my legs, and take what I got. The strategy felt pretty good as I was riding. I had a solid tempo going, but never put myself in the redzone. Nutrition went smoothly, with regular drinks from my aerobottle, and a GU at about the halfway point.

At about the halfway point of the ride we started hitting some fairly stiff head and cross winds, brought in by the changing weather. I kept to my mantra, downshifted to lower gears so I could keep my tempo up, and stayed patient. I came into the dismount with a stylish shoes-off flying dismount and went into T2 feeling good. The bike was unofficially around 1:16, for about a 20.5 average.

T2 went smoothly, and I was out on the run in no time. By now the sun was out and it was getting a bit warm. My plan was to split the run into three parts -- 2 miles getting into a groove, 2 miles picking it up, and surging to break up the last 2 miles for a strong finish. Holding it back a bit, I got into a good rhythm running and breathing at the start, and was encouraged to be picking off a lot of other runners. I popped two endurolyte tablets at the first water stop, then half a gel at the second, washing each down with water and pouring half the cup on my head.

After two miles I was averaging around 7:30/mile and felt good. Picking it up, I hit mile 4 at around a 7:15 pace, and then started surging to break up my pace and stay focused. By the time the finish line came into sight I'd caught a group of 30-something runners, but couldn't quite hold with them as they found some fresh legs for the final sprint. Still, I was ecstatic with the run -- 44:47, my first time ever under 45 in a triathlon 10K.

All in all, a very satisfying day. I beat last year's time by about a minute, on a day when most times were slower than last year. More importantly, I'd really had a consistent, solid effort all the way through. A good training program was at the heart of that, but I helped myself by smart decision making -- it was a valuable lesson!

PS -- Got second in my AG, and won a plaque and a tote bag.

Ken

Pepsi 10K Race Report -- September 19, 2009

2009-09-22T12:01:00.002-04:00

Long time since I posted. I'll try to dig up my old race reports and get them on here.

Here's my most recent effort --

Summary: 43:01, 10K.

Long Report:

I've got a sentimental attachment to this race. It was my first race, back in 93 or 94, and aside from triathlon legs it's the only 10K race I've ever done. Got my 10K PR there in '97 at 43:07, and I've been shooting at that mark ever since I got back into my athletic "career" back around 2005. It's a fast course by Charlottesville standards, with a couple of hills at mile 2 and 4, but otherwise rolling, rural, and scenic.

The weather was good, in the mid 60s with just a bit of humidity, and there was a pretty good-sized field -- probably about 300-400 I'd estimate. Lots of UVA college students, including several teams in the off-season out for a good time. My plan, developed in consultation with Ms. Bernardes, was to start easy, around 7:10, then gradually pick up the pace. At mile 4 to the end, throw in some surges every hundred yards or so and try to kick it home strong.

The start was the usual scrum of inexperienced runners blasting ahead, but I found some space and settled down, telling myself "easy, easy." At mile 1 it wasn't quite easy enough -- 6:35. Damn! I chalked it up to a downhill stretch and resolved to settle down as we made our first turn on the double out-and-back course.

Through the second mile in 7:08, which included the first uphill. Not too bad. By now the field was spread out pretty well, and I was running pretty much alone. Mile 3 in 7:05, and I didn't feel too bad.

I started to pick it up just a bit over the next mile, which featured a couple of downhills, and hit mile 4 in 6:42. Another turn, and onto the last hill, and the inevitable period of pain that comes with any 5 or 10K race. I started to throw in some surges, picking up the pace for 20-25 steps every hundred yards or so. It helped break up the last couple of miles and kept my pace up pretty well.

Finally the turn into the school where the race ended. I saw the finish line clock -- 20 seconds left if I wanted to break 43 minutes. Dig deep and go! I hit the line right around 43, and gasped my way through the chutes, totally blown.

All in all, a good race. Snagged my PR, with an official time of 43:01, and got 2nd in M50-54. Looks like I'll have to wait for next year to try to break 43:00!

Ken

New Year's 5K Race Report

2009-04-22T16:39:00.000-04:00

Race: New Year's 5K, Free Union, VA.

Executive summary: Pretty solid race -- 20:49, 5th AG (45-49), and 29/367 overall.

Long form:

Back at the beginning of December I blasted through the Charlottesville Men's 4 Miler in 26:35. I felt primed for an attempt on a sub-20 5K at this race. It's a simple out and back, following almost exactly the same route as the 4-miler. We lined up for the start in pretty good conditions. Sunny, temperature in the 30s and rising, and a little bit of a head wind on the outward leg.

I settled in pushed the pace a bit early, maintaining contact with the faster guys longer than I usually do. The first mile split was a very speedy (for me) 6:18, but I felt good and hung tough. The second mile started to kick in a few easy rollers, but I was still feeling pretty solid. As the leaders started coming back past me, I counted positions and found myself in 25th (!) at the turn around. A glance at my watch showed me at a little under 10 minutes for the 1/2-way point. So far so good.

Mile two passed -- 6:46. I'd definitely slowed, but I wasn't in distress.Still, the smarter runners who'd held back a bit were starting to reel me in, and I had no extra gear to shift into. By mile 2.5 it was time to hang on.

And I did -- I managed to find a little bit extra for the final stretch, but the clock didn't lie -- 20:49. No doubt about it, my overly ambitious starting pace hurt my overall effort. Still, not a bad way to start the year, with a sub 21 race at 6:42 pace. Onward to Myrtle Beach, with a valuable lesson learned.

Ken

MJH 8K Race Report -- March, 2009

2009-04-15T08:57:00.001-04:00

Another race from the archives!

I've done the Martha Jefferson Hospital 8K for the last 3 years in a row. It's a great tune up for the Charlottesville 10-Miler, which follows in 3 weeks, and it draws a pretty big field (over 500 this year). The course is a real tester, winding up and down through the downtown streets of Charlottesville. There are over 20 turns on the course, and I can only think of about 2 spots that are flat. The rest is up and down, with an emphasis on short, steep hills.

Race morning was cool and overcast, in the upper 30s, but the expected rain was holding off. I got a good warmup run in, and went to the starting line in shorts, long sleeve base layer with a short sleeve technical shirt over top, gloves, and a polypro hat.

The start was a bit downhill, and one of the longer straights of the run. I'd been feeling a little nicked up over the last week or so -- a little knee pain and a tight hip -- but I was happy to feel good and smooth as I took off. The field strung out pretty quickly. It's one of the nice advantages of getting a little faster -- I can line up nearer the front and avoid the usual craziness of the crush at the start.

The first mile featured a couple of downhill stretches, and my time showed it as I hit the Mile 1 marker -- 6:30. A little fear at that, since I know I'm not that fast, and there were some tough stretches to come. I backed off on the throttle a little bit and settled into a good rhythm. I caught a few runners, but lost position to some others. No worries -- this felt good. Mile 2 hit at 13:22, a 6:53 mile. That felt solid.

As we twisted and turned through the streets, I knew the first real challenge was coming up -- a fairly long and steep climb near the 2.5 mile mark. I hit the bottom of the hill and started counting on every left foot strike. 1, 2, 3... I knew I could keep this up to 100 at least. 33, 34, 35...starting to get winded, keep the pace up. 75, 76, 77...near the top. Finally around the corner at the top and a chance to stretch it out on the next downhill. Mile 3 -- 20:06, a 6:44 mile. Good.

The next obstacle was looming. Near the end of mile 4, a San Fransisco worthy street that'll hit you like a ton of bricks. I kept my pace up, running strong with some 40-something age groupers in a loose pack around me, and we hit the hill. Counting steps helped here, at least to keep my mind off the uncomfortable thought that I might get sick. Finally we crested the top, and started down, past the Mile 4 marker. 27:00, a 6:53. Not bad.

The last chunk was anti-climactic. I was running strong, but the age groupers around me gradually pulled away. No shame on my part -- these guys were solid, and just had a little bit better top end gear. I was running strong, and powered up the last gradual climb and turned to do the final stretch. Across the line, stopped the watch and let it sink in.

33:26. 6:45 pace, and almost a 2 minute PR over last year's 35:15. Best of all, while it had been a hard effort, I never felt out of control, or on the edge of losing it. And with the Charlottesville 10-Miler in three weeks, the idea of running under 70 minutes seems like a real possibility.

Ken

Charlottesville 10-Miler Race Report - 4/4/09

2009-04-15T08:45:00.002-04:00

I've been way behind on posting, including the news that I qualified for Boston with a 3:34:54 at Myrtle Beach on February 14. A sweet treat!

Here's my most recent race, the Charlottesville 10-Miler, on April 4, 2009

Executive summary:

1:11:04, 7:06 pace. 149/2300 overall, 7/92 AG (50-54 M)

Long report:

I imagine most running communities have a race like the 10-Miler. The local race with a long history that the hardcore runners aim at, but that also attracts a large community following. The 10-Miler qualifies: it's been around for over 25 years, and draws a field of over 2000, mostly local runners, whose goals range from picking up an AG win to seeing if they can actually run 10 Miles.

The 10-Miler also has a great course going for it. A scenic tour of the UVA grounds, downtown Charlotesville, and some attractive old residential neighborhoods. Crowd support is vocal and enthusiastic for much of the course.

I came into this year's race feeling pretty strong. I'd gotten my BQ at Myrtle Beach by running a well-executed marathon, and I'd blown away my 8K PR just a few weeks before. 1:10, 7-minute miles seemed doable. A stretch maybe, but doable.

Race morning was bright, sunny, about 50 degrees, but quite windy. I seed myself in the first 4-5 rows and took off with the pack. A little jockeying around for position, and working through the rolling roadblocks of people who didn't understand where to line up, and I found some space. The key to the course is to hold something in reserve for the end. The course gets progressively more difficult as you go along, and a too-optimistic start can bite you later on.

I hit mile 1 in 7:00 flat. Good and bad -- good because I felt great, bad because I knew that was probably about 15 seconds too fast. No problem, relax on the next mile. Mile 2, which curls around the UVA football stadium has one of the first big hills. I held back, trying not to get caught up in the excited runners who attacked the hill like Marines going up Mt. Surabachi. Mile 2 -- just under 7 minutes. Hmmm....still felt good, but had a nagging feeling that this wasn't good in the back of my mind.

Mile 3 featured some slight rises as we passed by the center of the UVA grounds, designed by Thomas Jefferson. A beautiful place to run, to be sure. I concentrated on a conservative pace and came in a little over 7 minutes. Good. As we moved into Mile 4, I got ready for the long downhill that heads towards downtown C-ville. This is a mile to bank up time, and I did, coming in at 6:45. OK so far -- I was under 7 minute pace and feeling pretty solid.

Mile 5 heads up the Downtown Mall, a brick pedestrian street. The crowds are enthusiastic here, and the confines tight, so there was a lot of shoulder-to-shoulder racing. A had a good stride going here, and clipped it off right at 7 minutes. We turned off the Mall into the hilly neighborhoods north of the mall. This is always a moment of truth. The hills here aren't long, but they're numerous and relatively steep. Mile 6, a little over 7 minutes -- still OK. A wave to my wife and son, and onto the last long hill of downtown.

Now my early enthusiasm was creeping up on me. I kept pace with most of my competitors, but I could feel my strength fading and hear my breathing getting a bit ragged. Hold it together -- over the top, and back across the downtown mall. Grab a Gatorade, regroup and prepare to take on the last three miles. Mile 7 -- about 7:15. Not good. Not a deal-breaker, but not good.

Into the wind now, I head up the longest straight stretch of the race. A long false flat leading back to the UVA grounds. Runners who'd run a smarter tactical race than me were overtaking me, and I kept trying to match their pace, eventually finding one runner to draft off of. Mile 8 -- about 7:10. A had about a 20 second defecit on my dream goal now.

Mile 9 would decide the race. The route hits the last killer hill here, an ascent up the UVA "Corner," a student-oriented business district. I had to hit this hard if I had any chance to get back on pace. It didn't feel good. My legs were heavy and I was hurting. You can throw all the cliches you want at a hill, but if you don't have the wheels, the hill has the advantage. Finally over the top, then retracing the route back up the race course. Mile 9 -- fail -- 7:35.

OK, time to regroup -- push for as big a PR as possible, at least go under 1:11. Then -- YOW -- calf cramps. Both legs. Shorten the stride, stay under control. I watched my pace setter disappear into the distance as I alternated between sets of short strides and longer strides, trying to work out the cramps. I kept my pace up as well as I could, but there wouldn't be any sprint to the finish today. As I saw the finish line in the distance I looked at my watch -- 1:10. Darned close. I took it in best I could, and got across in 1:11:04.

I got my hugs from the family and reflected on the race. It was easy to be disappointed, but that faded quickly. 1:10 would have required doing everything right, and I had nothing to be disappointed about. I'd beaten last year's time by over 2 minutes, and taken out a 10-year old PR of 1:13:01. And I'd learned a lesson, too. You've got to train, you've got to plan, but most importantly, you've got to execute the plan when the race comes. The longer the race, the more important that fact is. I'll get it right next time.

Ken

Naylor's Beach Triathlon -- 9/28/08

2008-09-29T13:52:00.000-04:00

Executive summary:

1500M swim, 26 mile bike, 10K run -- 2:34 (2:36 with penalty).
9/30, 45-49 AG

Long report:

This was my first time at Naylor's Beach. The race is situated on the north shore of the Rappahanock River, in quiet rural surroundings. I arrived on Saturday afternoon, and pitched my tent at the pleasant campground right across the street from the transition area, got out my gear, and enjoyed a short swim, bike, and run. After I cooked dinner, the weather changed for the worse, as thunderstorms rolled in, so I called it a night and dove into my tent at around 8:30 -- that's life in the country for you.

Race day dawned overcast, with occassional showers, but warm temps and light winds. For whatever reason, I'd woken up at 2 AM and couldn't get back to sleep until nearly 5, so I wasn't feeling too fresh as I crawled out of my tent. I rolled my bike across the street and racked it, then came back to get my gear together and have some breakfast. For whatever reason, it just wasn't my morning. I'm normally methodical (compulsive? anal?) about getting my gear together the night before a race, but this morning I couldn't get organized. I ended up making three trips back and forth to the transition area as I kept realizing I'd forgotten items. In retrospect I didn't get as good a breakfast as I needed and I skimped on my hydration. Live and learn!

Swim: 27:32, 12/30 AG

Water temperature (70 degrees) and conditions were very good for the swim. The Rappahanock is wide and brackish at this point, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay, really. I was in the second wave, a pretty large group of all the men 40 and older, plus the clydesdales. As we took off I tried, unsucessfully, to get some open water around me, but was hemmed in by a pack and played bumper boat all the way out the first leg. There was a steady current flowing right to left that pushed us left of the buoys, and by the first turn we'd already caught up to the stragglers from the first wave, which made for a pretty big scrum at the buoy. Now we were swimming the longest leg of the course, with the current mainly at our back. I finally got a bit of space around me and got into a good rhythm. I felt good and smooth, but had gulped down some water when I got dunked at the turn, which wasn't sitting too well on my stomach. As I rounded the second turn I had to fight back up against the current as I went towards the beach. Fortunately it was easy to get a sight on the exit and I kept swimming strong, kicking hard to loosen up my legs as I approached the shore. Onto the small sandy beach and over a small seawall, then up a grassy lawn, and I was into T1.

T1: 1:37, 3/30 AG

The usual blur -- toss down the goggles and cap, step out of my suit, slip into my shoes, grab the bike and start running. Wet and breathless, it's always sort of surreal, but I usually do a good job on these. No exception this time.

Bike: 1:16:40, 20.3 mph, 10/30 AG

I'd heard people talking about how tough the bike course was. They had to be kidding -- it's flat down there. Still, I gathered there were a couple of hills to be concerned with on the first half of the course. Traffic was tight as we came out of transition, but got myself into a rhythm and started concentrating on RPMs -- keep 'em at 90ish. While most of the course was pretty flat, there were a lot of fairly sharp turns throughout. Still, plenty of room to get down on the bars and roll through the countryside. Around 8 miles I hit the first of the hills. Fairly steep, but not too long. With my granny gear engaged I spun past a long line of riders and over the top. At mile 13ish we hit the second hill. This guy was steep -- I could look up it and watch cyclists tacking back and forth like drunken sailors after a night of shore leave. With a hearty "Hi-Ho Silver," it was "Granny Gear Away!" and I spun up and over.

I was cranking along at 90 RPM when the Coach Debi express went ripping by on my left. Good incentive. I picked it up just a notch to keep her in sight, and passed her on an uphill. She returned the favor on the next downhill, and I followed, gradually dropping back as we went round a corner and then up a short hill. Then I heard the motorcycle go by, and watched as the official jotted something down in his notebook. I had a bad feeling about that, which turned out to be correct. A 2-minute penalty for not dropping back fast enough. What can I say? We were going downhill, then slowing for a turn and starting a climb. Technically correct, but...disappointing -- I take a lot of pride in racing clean.

Back to business at hand, and I took advantage of the last few flat miles to pick up the pace -- I got my final revenge by passing Debi on a small rise, and then amused myself by jumping my bike over a series of speed bumps right before the transition area. Off the bike and done.

T2: 1:00, 3/30 AG

Rack, shoes off, shoes on, grab my race belt and go. Pretty fast.

Run: 47:11, 7:35 pace, 9/30 AG

Coming out of T2 I could see Debi about 10-15 yards ahead of me. Damm, that was a fast transition for her. Well, here's some incentive for me -- try to keep up with her.

After about 3 minutes one thing was clear -- that wasn't going to happen. Time to refocus on the task at hand. I got my running into a good rhythm and concentrated on my own race. Past the first water stop I picked off two guys in my AG, then a mile or so later I got by another one. As I got near mile 3 my right quad started screaming at me. My poor hydration and pre-race nutrition was catching up to me, most likely. I held back on the pace a bit, hoping I wouldn't push it over the cliff into a full-fledged cramp, and worked through it. We turned for home and I could see an AG competitor who'd passed me on the bike ahead and within striking distance. I slowly kept reeling him in and by mile 4 was within a few steps. As we hit a slight rise I passed him.

He wasn't going to give up easily. I could hear his footsteps right behind me, so I surged slighty, then relaxed, surged, relaxed, for several minutes. Sneaking a look back I could see I'd opened a gap. We turned to go down a short, final out-and-back leg and both quads started to tighten up on me. I had to slow somewhat. We turned and headed for home -- maybe a half mile to go. My rival saw his opportunity and came past me, opening up about a 10-yard gap. I almost mailed it in then, but the tightness in my muscles had eased a bit, and it was worth a final shot. I picked it up and drew even. He surged. I surged. With two short turns to go I drew ahead. Rounding the last turn, 10 yards to go -- there he goes, and I don't have an answer. He beats me by less than a yard.

We congratulate each other and I go sit down -- I'm cooked.

2:34 (2:36 w/ penalty) -- 9/30 AG, 41/154 men

Summary:

My last tri of the year, and a pretty good result. My age group was stacked with strong athletes, so I'm pleased with the placement. A typical result for me -- even performances in all 3 disciplines, with quick transitions.

Looking ahead, next year I'll be the new kid in the 50-54 AG, and I know I've still got plenty of room to improve. In particular it's time to spring for an honest-to-gosh tri bike. I think I've earned it.

Pepsi 10K Race Report

2008-09-16T08:32:00.001-04:00

Short report:

Pepsi 10K - Charlottesville,VA - 9/13/2008
43:21
33/416 overall, 4th in 45-49

This is a great local race. If you want a nice test of your running speed and stamina, 10Ks are an excellent way to go.

Long report:

I've got a soft spot in my heart for this race. It was the very first road race I ever did, back in the early 90s. I ran a 48:50 and then went home and slept the rest of the day (I wonder whatever happened to that shirt?)

Fast-forwarding to the present, I went into the race with two goals: 1. Get a good test of my marathon preparation for Richmond in November. 2. Beat my co-worker Tommy, who's 39, and has beat me by about 15 seconds in each of the two races we've both competed in this year.

The weather on Saturday was oppressive. Humid and hot, though the sky was overcast to start the race. Got in a good warmup and kibbitzed a bit with some of the guys, then it was time for business.

The course is a double out-and-back: out one mile, turn back past the start, then out to mile 4 where you turn around and head for home. It's a pretty run, on rolling country roads. I found some space in the insanity of the start, and weaved my way around the usual quick-starting flameouts, running downhill to the first turnaround. I hit the mile in 6:50 -- that felt about right, given the downhill.

As I came back up hill I settled into a good rhythm and counted my footfalls -- 90 for the minute -- good running tempo. Tommy and I traded spots a few times and I pulled ahead a bit as we came to the first waterstop. Mile 2 came at 14:06 -- OK, considering the hill.

Now was the time to really settle into a groove, as the course flattened a bit. I'd opened a little gap around me and kept motoring along. I knew Tommy was just a bit behind me, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me look back, so I focused in like a laser on the road. Mile 3 -- 21 flat.

A couple of stiff little rollers hit me hard as I moved into the fourth mile. I kept concentrating on my tempo as I climbed the hills trying not to bog down and lose time. I turned around and headed for home at mile 4 -- right on time at 28 and a couple of seconds.

This was starting to hurt. I started to pass more runners as they slowed. Picking them off was a nice distraction. I kept checking my watch and counting steps, striving for a fast turnover, thinking about keeping my form together. The sun was out now, and the humidity brutal. My singlet was stuck to my skin and I could feel water dropping off my shorts as I ran. Finally, mile 5 -- 35:00.

By now I just wanted to slow down and rest -- man, 10Ks hurt... As I closed towards the finish a young woman flew by me -- whoa, I can't catch her. Next it was my turn, as I passed a young 20 something guy. He tried to make a game of it, passing me back up, but I quickly dropped him.

Finally I turned down the road into the school where the finish is. I peeked over my shoulder. Tommy was hanging on, about 5 seconds back. Now or never -- I gave it everything I had left and went home hard. One more look -- I'm safe.

Done. Crap, I can't even breathe...well, that'll pass.

Felt pretty good about the race -- 43:20 in those conditions was a very good time for me. I'm right on track for Richmond, and I beat Tommy by 15 seconds. Life is good

Ken

Charlottesville International Tri, 7/27/08

2008-07-30T09:47:00.001-04:00

A hard day, with a good result -- 3/18 in my AG!

In the four seasons I've been doing triathlons, the Charlottesville International is one of only two that I've done more than once. It's more a point of pride than anything else, really. The course is tough, and late July weather doesn't make it any easier. Last year I fell apart during the run -- 6 miles of hilly single-track -- and I was determined to do better this year.

I got up at 5:00 on Sunday, and after a quick breakfast, threw my gear onto the truck and headed for the course. It's only a half-hour from my house, but there are no assigned racks in the transition area, so the early bird catches the worm as far as primo racking spots. Sure enough, I pulled into the parking lot at 6 AM, and got one of the best spots in the transition area. Hey -- I'll take any advantage I can get. The usual fiddling around ensued, as I placed my gear, then a trip to the men's room, some meet-and-greet with friends at the race, and it was time to head to the beach.

Into the Bathwater:

Water temps were in the low 80s, no wetsuits today. Surprisingly I hadn't raced without a wetsuit since my very first tri, back in 2005, and I was a little nervous about it -- you kind of get used to knowing you'll have the wetsuit on, I guess. The swim was advertised as 1500 meters, a two loop course, but it looked a little too long to most of us on the beach. Finally it was our turn, and the old guys waded out into the water. The horn caught me a bit by surprise, and I was treading water further back in the pack than I had planned on, but after about 50 yards of bumper boat I got some space.

I quickly got into a good rhythm. The course was a very long rectangle, so after a quick turn, it was down the backstretch. It was a dead-flat calm morning, and the lake is small, so there was no chop in the water. Normally I'll sight every 3-4 strokes, but with the calm water I went for 10 strokes or so before sighting. That kept me in a good rhythm, but I quickly discovered that I drift to the left when I swim. Couldn't blame the current today. By the time we started the second loop I began to be passed by some of the faster women swimmers in previous waves. That cured the drift -- when they passed I jumped onto their feet for as long as I could, trusting to their superior navigation.

Finally around the last turn, and we started towards shore. I powered through some lake grass and vines, then stumbled through the mud and jumped up onto the grassy run to the transition area. I crossed the mat and hit my watch -- 30 minutes and change -- that had to be too long a swim. Running up to my bike I saw a friend's bike still on the racks. He's a good swimmer, so I must not have done too bad.

Swim - 30:41 - 9/18 AG (45-49)
T1 - 1:02 - 2/18 AG

Onto the Hills:

A quick trip through T1, and I was on the road. The bike course at Charlottesville is a litle short, at 23.5 miles, but it makes up for it in difficulty. Lots of hills, mainly short steep pitches. While there are a few good areas for getting down in the bars, for the most part you need to be patient. Last year I blasted through the bike like a steroid-enhanced pit bull and left nothing in the tank for the run. I was determined to ride smarter this year.

During the long climb out of Walnut Creek Park I thanked my lucky starts that I was riding a road bike with a triple, after passing several people tacking back and forth across the road on their tri-bikes. Spin away and keep going, I said to myself. I was determined to ride within myself, keeping my gearing down and cadence up on the climbs. After leaving the park, I settled in as I zipped down the two-lane country roads of the course. It was surprisingly quiet -- maybe it was the way the waves had been set up, or maybe I had a good position, but always had plenty of room around me. After about 6-7 miles I was passed by a few riders, none of them in my age group., and I was starting to pick off riders from earlier waves.

The middle section of the course had some good spots for going fast, and I took advantage, but I played it safe on the many climbs. As we turned back the last few miles to the park I continued to keep my RPMs up, and avoided the temptation to attack the last few hills. Turning back into the park, I spun in an easy gear on the long descent back to transition and collected myself. Where was everbody in my AG? Usually there'll be some cat and mouse games on the bike, but I hadn't seen anybody I was competing directly against.

Off the bike and into T2 -- time to go minimalist -- don't need sunglasses and a hat in the woods. Rack the bike, shoes on, grab my stuff and go.

Bike -- 1:15:40, 4/18 AG
T2 -- :40, 2/18 AG

Into the Woods:

The run at C-ville is a beast. Six miles of hilly, tough, honest-to-gosh singletrack. A two-lap course that only briefly peaks out of the woods. Last year I'd suffered major cramps, and had barely got it done in less than an hour. I was hoping for much better. By now it was hot, and the woods held in the humidity like a steam bath.

Even before you get your legs under you there's a steep rocky downhill. My quads are starting to scream already. Then an uphill -- ouch -- was that a cramp? I grabbed a water at the first stop and slugged it down, walking a few steps and collecting myself. Back into the woods, the trail started winding up, but it was gradual and I started to get my feet under me. Better, I started to track down slower runners -- a nice moral boost. Suddenly I was passed by a sprightly 19 year old. She yelled out a "good run" as she skipped by, leaping through the forest like a deer (turns out she finished 3rd overall for the day). She had the right idea -- I relaxed and started flowing through the run, keeping my feet light.

I couldn't keep the feeling going though. Every downhill wound up my quads into a knot, and the following steep uphills made them feel like wooden posts. Finally I was out of the woods, past the finish line, and back for a second lap. More struggles through the ups and downs, until finally I hit the 4 mile mark. There's something about the four mile mark that always encourages me -- only two more to go! I collected myself and got my feet turning over in a good rhythm. Back out of the woods, and there's the finish -- zip up my jersey and try to look good for the photographer.

I'm done. Cooked is more like it -- my clothes are wringing wet, there's dirt and mud on my legs and my shoes are soaking wet, even though it wasn't wet on the trail.

Surprisingly, my run was good for second in my AG, even though I thought I was giving time away to the field. I checked the results when posted, and sure enough, I placed 3rd in my AG -- first time ever placing.

I got a hat...

Run -- 53:44, 2/18 AG
Overall -- 2:41:37, 3/18 AG, 36/101 overall men.

Colonial Beach Triathlon - July 13, 2008

2008-07-14T15:22:00.003-04:00

Summary -- 2:10 and change, 5th AG for this "short Olympic" distance tri.

Lengthy report:

This was my first time doing the Colonial Beach Triathlon. A relatively small race, in a "beachy" town on the Potomac river, very flat when compared to races around Charlottesville.

I headed down on Saturday to pick up my packet and get in a short ride and run. The weather was hot on Saturday afternoon, but a nice breeze off of the Potomac kept it tolerable. I checked out part of the out-and-back bike and run courses, then drove over to Debi's house, where she and her husband were kind enough to host me for the night. Pizza and a movie, then off to bed.

4:30 in the morning came quickly, and after a cup of coffee and breakfast, we hit the road for the race site, about 25 minutes away. Our early arrival paid off -- I snagged a primo end spot on the rack in the transition area, then fiddled around endlessly with my gear while I counted down the time until the start. The water was warm, but wetsuit legal, so I took advantage with my short-sleeved suit. My race packet had the wrong color of swim cap, so I got a lot of odd looks and some concerned questions from other racers as all the green caps except me took off in the first wave. After a couple of minutes, I waded in with my group and off we went.

Swim (advertised as 1000 yards, probably around 750-800)

The swim started well. A couple of collisions, then clear water and easy sighting to the first buoy on the triangular course. Turning round the first buoy I could feel swells picking me up and down as I went down the next leg. The Potomac is very wide and salty at this point, wider even than the Choptank at Eagleman, so there was really an "open water" feel to the swim. Stayed on course pretty well, then turned for home. For whatever reason I couldn't sight worth a darn on this leg, and realized after a bit I was drifting downstream, away from the swim exit. I corrected, but I'm sure it cost me a few spots. Hit the shallow water and dophined a few times then ran up onto the pebble beach, down a concrete sidewalk and into the asphalt transition area -- pretty hard on the feet! (13:58 -- definitely not a 1000 yards! -- 8/20 AG)

T1

This flew past -- I thanked my lucky stars for the end rack spot, got out of the wetsuit without too much bother, and ran for the mount line (1:17, 3/20 AG).

Bike (40K)

Transitioning into the bike always feels strange to me. Suddenly my wet body is pedaling away on a bike and my heart's going a mile a minute. I navigated away from the bike start, held up temporarily by an old guy driving a golf cart (they drive them around town in Colonial Beach). In a few minutes I was rolling down the highway, drinking out of my aerobottle and settling in for the ride. The course was a simple out-and-back, with minimal turns, and was well-suited for putting in a fast time. I kept my concentration on the RPMs -- keep the tempo at 90+, go fast without trashing the legs. I jockeyed around a bit with several other riders in my AG through the first few miles -- passed a few and had a few pass me. When it was all done, it evened out pretty well.

After about 6-7 miles we turned right and started climbing. What? There's a hill? Sure enough, a fairly long, gradual climb. Nothing bad, but enough to make you notice. I kept an eye on the RPMs, and downshifted when necessary, only interrupted by the whooshing sound of Debi passing me up. I kept it smooth, and didn't try to be a hero, since she's faster than me anyway. Over the top, and then a sharp left after a short downhill. Another long straight stretched in front of me, and I started to see the leaders coming back. Here's the turn, and I was feeling good. Best off all, it's a net downhill going back to the river.

I kept the tempo up on the return, playing hopscotch with a couple of riders from the Richmond Tri Club. They pass me, I pass them, they pass me, etc. Kept it interesting. As the end approached I took a flyer and started cranking up the RPMs and laying on more speed. It'd been a good ride. A couple of turns past the crowds, a quick stop and back into T2. (1:09:57, 21.3 mph, 8/20 AG)

T2

Smoked this. Racked the bike, helmet/shoes off, shoes on, grabbed my hat and race belt and go! (:50, 1/20 AG)

Run (6 miles)

The run was an out and back 6 miler, following shore on the small peninsula that the town is on. My legs felt pretty good coming off the bike, and I concentrated on my running cadence for the first 5-6 minutes. Check the watch, count my footfalls to 90, check the watch. My rhythm was good, and started to gradually close in on some runners ahead of me. Passed one -- there's a 48 on his calf -- my AG -- yes! Hit the first mile in 7:30, and felt good. Just have to keep this up.

By now it was getting hot. Water stops were available every mile, and I doused myself down and drank each time. As we rounded peninsula, we hit some shady neighborhoods, which helped. At three miles we turned, and I hit a rough patch. My legs started getting tight and the heat started to wear me down. Back to my old trick I went and started counting my cadence. This took my mind off of my problems and I got back into a rhythm. 4 miles, 5 miles, still on pace, and catching a fair number of other runners. After 5 I caught another runner. There's a "46" on his calf -- I've got to get this guy. I pulled behind, and decided to give it a strong push. As I passed his right shoulder I put as unconcerned an expression on my face as I could and picked up the pace, counting my steps. 10, 20 , 30, 40, 50 -- hopefully he wouldn't realize how tired I was and try to come after me. As I hit the final turn I took a look back and saw I was in the clear. As I crossed the finish I was too tired to mug it up for the photographer, but happy when I checked my watch -- 44:36 for 6 miles, 7:26 pace, 5/20 AG.

I'd hoped to go under 2:15, and I did, with a 2:10:36. Good time, and a fun race.

Ken

Little Pepper Sprint Triathlon - May 18, 2008

2008-05-23T11:54:00.002-04:00

Summary: (750 meter swim/15 mile bike/5K run) A great day for racing, and a good balanced effort.

1:28:20 -- 6/25 45-49 AG, 50/237 overall male.

Long report:

I did my first triathlon at Culpeper in August of 2005, so doing this race was a homecoming of sorts for me. It's a great venue: the swim is in a small quiet lake, with the transition area in a large grassy swale just a few yards from the waters edge. The bike takes full advantage of smooth highways and rolling country roads in the surrounding countryside, and it's topped off with a run on a closed highway that pops in and out of a couple of suburban neighborhoods. As the morning sun comes up over the lake, I can't imagine a prettier place to have a race.

Thanks to an early start, I completed my 45 minute drive and was at the race site with plenty of time to spare. Checked in, got my packet and chip and snagged a primo spot right on the end of my rack. Plenty of time to set up, so I was even more fussy than usual in getting everything "just so" in my transition area. I keep it pretty simple anyway -- helmet and glasses on the bike; bike shoes, running shoes, race belt and hat on my towel. A full aerobottle on the bike and I'm ready to go. After a liberal application of BodyGlide I strolled to the lake and checked out the water with a quick swim. Cool, but not bad. No morning fog, so visibility is excellent. Kibbitz with Debi, who made some noise about not running (sure, Debi...), and talked to a few acquaintances from C-ville and the race got underway.

My wave was next to last, so I killed time trying to stay warm until it was my turn. The sunny morning had turned overcast, with a bit of a breeze picking up. Great weather for racing, but kind of cool for standing around in a damp sleeveless wetsuit. Finally, the Women 35-up took off on the swim, a big school of yellow swim caps spreading out across the water, and it was my turn to wade in. A short wait, and the horn blew.

I'd seeded myself near the front of my wave. I'm not super fast in the water, but I can hold my own. The strategy worked well, and I had a nice pocket of space to myself right away. I got into a good rhythm and concentrated on having an efficient swim. A quick flick of the head every 4th stroke or so kept me sighting and right on track. By the first buoy we started hitting traffic from the previous wave and I played bumper boats with a couple of guys from my wave. Soon enough I was back in clear water and moving nicely down the back leg of the triangular course. I rounded the second turn and pushed the tempo up on the home leg. It'd been a good swim -- in particular I'd sighted well and stayed right on course throughout. As I hit the shallow water I went hard up the ramp, shooting for a good T1.

Swim: 14:05, 10/25 AG

A straight shot into transition, and I pulled off my cap and googles and undid my wetsuit's zipper as I jogged along. No problems with the wetsuit (thanks, BodyGlide) -- shoes on, glasses and helmet on, grab bike and go. A run up a grassy slopt to the mount line and I hopped on and coasted down the road as I clipped in.

T1: 1:33, 3/25 AG

The bike is a real joy on this course. It's hilly and fairly technical, which keeps you thinking throughout. And the scenery is great. As we headed west towards the Blue Ridge Mountains, I would have stopped to take a picture if I'd had a camera. In the first few miles of the bike I played hopscotch with a few other racers from my AG, but soon the field shook out and I found myself in my own comfort zone, keeping the RPMs up, and taking advantage of the flats and downhills to put on some speed. There were a lot of short steep uphills, and I attacked them conservatively, gearing down to keep up my momentum and pedaling speed as I went over the top.

It seemed to be working -- I was picking off dozens of riders from the earlier waves, and holding off anybody behind me. At about mile 12 another racer in my AG caught me on a downhill. Good incentive. On the next uphill grade I stepped up the effort and pushed past then put the hammer down for the last few miles. I was feeing good --- it'd been a solid ride overall.

Bike: 49:38, 8/25 AG

T2 reversed the direction of T1 -- run down the hill from the dismount area, bike on the rack, helmet off, shoes on, grab hat and race belt and out the chute. Nice smooth transition.

T2: 1:02, 2/25 AG

I've been working on the run a lot this year, and I'm feeling the benefits in my racing. The first mile of so of the run course was mostly uphill, but I got settled in pretty well. I was breathing hard (a bit of a cold wasn't helping things), but my legs felt good. No cramping, and the muscles felt pretty fresh. The course was an out-and-back, with a couple of out-and-back spurs on the way out. It made it interesting, because you could see the field in front of you a couple of times. As I hit the first spur, I started to really get into a strong running rhythm. Jack Bernardes, Debi's husband whooshed by going the other way -- I wasn't going to catch him, it looked like. But there were plenty of other people in front of me. Just like on the bike, I was passing lots of other racers. Into the second spur -- there goes Jack again -- well, at least he's not any further ahead. Finishing the second spur, I turned for home. This had the potential to be fast -- it was mainly downhill, retracing the tough first part of the run course.

I zeroed in on a pack in front of me and tried to catch them. Then I saw the "45" on the leg of a guy in front of me. Yes -- I can pick up a spot. I tucked in behind, then made a hard break past, hoping he wouldn't try to latch on. The strategy worked and I cruised in over the last 1/4 mile by myself and gave it a good shot across the line.

Run: 22:03, 7/25 AG

Overall a good race for me -- interestingly enough, my overall AG finish was better than my swim/bike/run placements. I'll thank the fast transitions and a pretty balanced performance for that. I'm not exceptional in any of the disciplines, but I won't count any of them as weaknesses, either.

Some people just don't get it...

2008-05-07T13:26:00.004-04:00

Witness the wilderness geek in the picture. For the good of all, he subjected himself to two grueling nights in the woods, testing out gear that would keep him connected to the internet during his wilderness sojourn.

Why bother? Look, I'm no Luddite -- I'll take a digital camera, a small sports radio, and a cell phone for emergencies with me when I go backpacking, but our hero misses the point. If you've got to stay connected that badly, stay at home.

The wilderness has a powerful effect on me. I find that the time I spend there refreshes me mentally and physically. There's something powerfully meditative about focusing on a goal as simple as walking from here to there, carrying all your necessities of food, fuel, and shelter on your back.

Sure, I love the convenience and connectivity of modern life, but there's something to be gained personally by leaving that behind for a while sometimes. Our internet Davy Crockett just doesn't get it.

Ken

I qualified for Jeopardy!

2008-05-06T11:26:00.002-04:00

Short version:

Weekend before last, the Jeoparday contestant search was in Charlottesville, and I took the contestant test on a whim. I qualified!

Long version:

I'm one of those people who watches Jeopardy and shouts out the correct answers all the time, so when the Jeoparday contestant search came to town I thought "what the heck," and went to try out. They were set up on Sturday at a local auto dealership. I walked in, sat down, and they handed me a 10-question test. Easy stuff, and I sailed right through in a couple of minutes. Handed it over to the guy running the test, he glanced at it and handed me a couple of sheets of paper.

"You did great -- come back tomorrow tomorrow to the Omni Hotel downtown at 11:30."

"What? I've got a race in Richmond in the morning."

"What kind of race?"

"A duathlon."

"Is that some kind of shooting race or something?"

"No. Run, bike, run. Kind of like a triathlon, only drier."

"Can you win money there?"

"Me? No, I'm not a pro."

"You can win money on Jeopardy -- you'll do well -- try to make it."

So, there I was on Saturday night -- not only getting my gear ready for the race, but packing a sports coat, shirt, and tie (the test invite for Sunday said come dressed as you would if you were on TV). If I got the race done in about 2:30, and drove straight back, I might make it to the hotel by 11:30.

Race over, I hustled back to my car and hit the highway, zooming up I-64 back to Charlottesville. A quick change of clothes at a rest area and a dab of deodorant, and there I was, at the hotel at 11:25. A crowd of about 125 or so of us was ushered into a ballroom and sat down at tables. After a quick intro, and a video from Alex Trebeck, we took a 50 question written test. Eight seconds for each question, then on to the next. Pretty easy stuff, mainly. The tests were taken up to be graded, and a young lady on the Jeopardy crew took questions from the audience. Amazing how many people want to know what Alex Trebeck is like in person.

Here comes the big moment. They start reading out names -- I've made the cut! The losers are ushered out, and the 20-25 survivors gather at the front of the room. A few forms to fill out, and a quick sample game and interview (our screen test, in effect) and I'm done.

Now the wait -- I'm in the contestant pool for 18 months. If they call me, I fly out to LA and give it a shot in person. No guarantees I'll actually make it onto the show, but I'm already starting to study -- I think I'll brush up on Shakespeare first.

Duathlon Nationals (10K/40K/5K)

2008-04-29T17:22:00.001-04:00

I'll admit when Debi suggested this race I was a little taken aback. Nationals? Me? Duathlon? Granted, there's no qualification standard and anyone can race, but I was prepared for my ego to get a little bruised by the competition.

Sure enough, the atmosphere in the transition area as I set up was pretty hard-core. I don't think I've ever seen so many aero helmets in one place, not to mention lots of wiry looking guys wearing "Team USA" outfits. Not like the usual local sprint tri, that's for sure. It was pretty clear that if I wanted to make this a profitable day, I'd best concentrate on my race, and not worry about the rest of the guys out there.

Men aged 40 and over were in the last of three waves, so after we watched the young guys and then the women go, it was our turn. I seeded myself conservatively in the pack, determined not to get caught up in the moment, and settled into a comfortable pace as we took off. The course was a two-loop 5K, crossing the James River on a footbridge suspended beneath a highway bridge, and then looping around Belle's Island on gravel and dirt paths. Pretty flat for the most part, but running onto and off the foot bridge required going up a series of ramps with several 180 degree turns. When I hit ground on Belle's Island I started to catch some of the slower women runners and a few of the men. My rhythm felt good, so I stayed focused on how I felt. Oddly enough, there weren't any mile markers on the course, so I didn't have a clear idea of my pace.

By the time I'd started back across the James, the leaders were recrossing, and there was two-way traffic in many spots. It got interesting as we rounded corners, particularly on the bridge ramps. As I turned for the second loop, I glanced at my watch -- around 24 minutes and change -- not bad. Knowing the course for the second loop made it easier to judge my effort and I held pace well. By know, a light drizzle had started. As I finished the second loop and went into T1, I was at 49 minutes. Most importantly, I felt good, and was looking forward to the bike. (49:04 - 7:54 pace, 22/32 AG).

The bike course was a four-loop affair. I'll take a moment to describe it. Leaving transition there was a steep, two-switchback climb up a hill. Then we looped around some office buildings, went downhill past transition, and then climbed an entrance ramp onto a highway bridge over the James. Once over the river, we went down the ramp and onto Riverside Drive, a mainly residential street with a series of climbs, turns, and descents. The course then turned from Riverside drive, climbed into a residential neighborhood, and made several sharp turns in a park, before retracing our path back to Riverside Drive and back over the bridge. From there, back up the switchbacks and repeat.

The course was technical, but a lot of fun -- no time to zone out or you'd pay for it. And, as a matter of fact, I saw several riders down along the way, owing to the slick conditions, and a lot of riders with flat tires, probably the result of debris on the highway bridge. The lowlight of the ride was the bridge. To avoid going over the expansion joints, you had to stay on the shoulder, which had it's fair share of obstacles. After a few laps I knew what to watch out for, but a lot of riders weren't so lucky and had to pull over for flats and mechanicals. Coming back across the bridge went directly into a steady headwind. I didn't choose to fight it, and geared down to keep my RPMs up.

As I started the bike I paid strict attention to my heartrate and settled into a good riding rhythm. The first loop was a feeling-out process, as I got familiar with the circuit. By the second time around, I knew where to go, gear wise, and was feeling in control. Finishing the second loop, I checked my average speed (17.5) and started to go a little harder. So far I'd judged the race well, and had plenty left in the tank. It's difficult to keep track of the race on a multiple loop course. You're being passed by the faster riders, while catching up the slower ones. Pretty soon you're wondering who you've seen before.

As I started the 4th loop, the early waves and faster riders were starting to hit the transition area, and there was more room on the course to go hard. I picked up my pace to a 17.9 average on my computer over the last two laps and felt good about the effort. As I hopped off into T2 I was confident about the upcoming 5K run. A quick transition and back out onto the course. The race finished with the same 5K loop we'd run at the start -- a real advantage, mentally, knowing what to expect. (Bike - 1:24:49, 22/32 AG).

I got into a good rhythm right away, and started to pick off slower runners. Over the bridge and back onto the wooded paths of Belle Island and I found myself alone. No one in front, no one running with me. Time to concentrate, now. Think about form, turnover, keep going strong. Suddenly a mountain bike blew past, with a quick shout to stay to the right, and the runners from the elite race blew past (they'd started while I was on the course). Speedy.

Back on the bridge I zeroed in on some runners ahead of me and tracked them down -- nothing like fresh prey to give you incentive. Finally, I hit the line. 2:39:37. (5K run -- 24:06, 7:46 pace, 16/32 AG).

All in all, I was pleased with the effort. I executed well, and finished with a pretty strong effort on the 5K. The level of competition was an eye-opener, but not really a factor in what I did. When you race, you try to execute your best race at the moment, and I thought I did that pretty well. Getting faster is about executing over the long term, so it's nose to the grindstone and keep it at until next time. A fun race, and a nice challenge.

Charlottesville 10-Miler Race Report

2008-03-31T16:46:00.000-04:00

Summary: 1:13:15, 16/126 AG (M 45-49)

Long report:

"Lean forward," I said to myself, "Pick it up -- you've got this in the bag."

I was 7-1/2 miles into the 10-Miler, and everything had gone right so far. Know I was within reach of beating my PR, set 10 years ago. It was time to see what was left in the tank.

The morning of the race had dawned colder than expected. Temperatures were hovering around 40 at my house as I had my breakfast. Just to be on the safe side I threw a short-sleeved shirt in with my bag along with my singlet. The rest of my gear -- hat and gloves were already set to go.

I drove down to the race start with plenty of time to spare. Although the race had a record field this year -- over 2100 finished -- the race starts by the University of Virginia's basketball arena, so there's plenty of space for parking. I got in my warmup run, hit the men's room, and lined up towards the front, not too close to the speedsters, but away from the crowd.

With the gun, we were off! My location was good. I went out conservatively, and had room to run without dodging other runners. At the half-mile I was at 3:50. That was perfect -- Debi's instructions were to do the first mile in 7:40 and pick up the pace from there. I was determined to follow the advice, after heading out too fast in my last race.

Like all the 10-Miler course, the first mile has some hills. I kept my effort even, but stretched it out on the downhills. At the first mile I was at 7:30 -- maybe a touch fast, but there was a long downhill stretch in there. More importantly, the effort felt good. I was breathing easy and running relaxed. I could hear some of the runners around me who'd gone out to fast breathing heavily, and it was a good reinforcement to me.

Mile 2 circled the football stadium, and the pace stayed consistent - 7:25, despite a couple of hills.

Mile 3 continued through the University grounds, passing many of the University's original buildings and Thomas Jefferson's enlightened architecture. At the close of the mile I was at 22:23 -- nice consistent pace through three of the more challenging miles on the course. Most runners leave too much effort on the ground after three miles, but I felt good -- relaxed, running well and in control. Now it was time to take it up a notch.

Mile 4 passes out of the University of Virginia grounds and into the city -- it's a fast mile, with a long downhill stretch. I took advantage and hit it in 7:05.

Now I was approaching the Downtown Mall, a pedestrian mall that's at the heart of the city. Good size crowds were out as we ran up the brick paving, and turned north into some of the older residential areas of Charlottesville. Despite the slight uphill, I came in at 7:17, hitting the 5 mile mark at 36:46.

This was a key moment. The 10-Miler is notorious for sucking runners in during the first 5 miles and then chewing them up. Negative splits are the exception, not the rule. I felt good after 5 -- plenty of gas in the tank, and prepared for the next couple of miles.

Mile 6 hits with a downhill, then a tough uphill. I gathered strength by starting to pass some of the runners who had left me early in the race. Every hill seemed to take a little more out of them, and I started passing more and more familiar faces from the first few mile. 7:24 for this tough mile.

Mile 7 is the breaking point for a lot of runners -- a long uphill past a cemetery (today featuring a bagpiper mangling some Scottish airs) and then a turn onto a short, steep uphill. The course passes back by itself, so I could see the crowd of runners still coming on behind me. A short jaunt back onto the Downtown Mall, then off onto another street. 7:29 -- the pace was a bit slower, but I was holding my own, picking off other runners consistently.

As I ran back towards the University I started doing the math. My PR was in site. 1:13:01. I'd need to average a little over 7:00/mile and I'd have it in the bag. The longest straight stretch of the race, Main Street, was in front of me. "Lean forward -- you've got it in the bag."

Mile 8 -- 7:23. Damn.

Mile 9 -- The University "Corner" -- shops, restaurants, and one of the toughest hills on the course. Keep it going -- fast legs, go hard. A left turn back onto the University grounds, and then a sweeping downhill. Here's the mile marker -- 7:19. This is going to take a heck of an effort.

Mile 10 -- There's no rest on the home stretch -- it's a tough section of rolling ups and downs as you retrace the opening mile back to the start. I focus on each runner ahead of me, focusing on catching one runner at a time, rather than the growing fatigue. Then I see him, up ahead. My co-worker, Tommy. I've been trying to beat him all year. I'd seen him at the start, then put him out of my mind, knowing he'd go out much faster.

Now I'm gaining. I keep digging. There's the finish. I'm not going to get him -- or the PR -- go hard anyway.

Finish -- 1:13:15.

No PR, no victory over my co-worker. But one of the best races I've run in years, and 3-1/2 minutes faster than last year. That's a good day's work!

MJH 8K

2008-03-11T11:25:00.001-04:00

Summary: First race of the year, 35:15 (PR). AG placement: 4/29

My big goal this year is to improve my running and qualify for Boston at the Richmond Marathon in November. So road race results seem to take on extra significance. Despite a bout with a bad cold in January and February, I felt pretty strong coming into this race. I had a pretty solid base and had done significantly more early-season track work than I've done before.

The Martha Jefferson Hospital 8K is a pretty popular local race in Charlottesville. A lot of runners use it as a tuneup and yardstick for the Charlottesville 10 Miler, which follows in three weeks. And the course covers some of the same territory, albeit in a different direction. It's a pretty tough course -- urban and hilly, with about one significant climb in each of the 5 miles it covers. It'll tear you up quick if you're not careful.

Saturday morning was just as bad as the Weather Channel had said it would be. Grey skies, pelting rain, and temperatures in the mid 40s. Five minutes into my warmup jog, the rain changed into a downpour and I took cover on the porch of a house until it passed. Eventually I hit the streets again, finished my warmup, took care of business and got ready to race.

Despite the bad weather a pretty solid crowd was ready to go. I seeded myself a bit more to the front than usual, hoping to get a little running room early and settle into a steady pace. Amazingly, the rain stopped -- no rainbows, mind you, but at least no more cold rain in the face for a while. The gun went off and I began.

After a couple of quick cuts, I found the space I wanted. Settle in and shoot for a seven minute first mile. With the hills there's not much advantage taking it out too fast. As we wound through the residential streets north of the hospital I felt pretty good -- nice tempo in the legs, breathing under control. The first hill came as we neared the end of Mile 1. I kept my tempo, but didn't try to go too hard up the climb. Here's the mile marker -- 6:45.

Finishing the first mile, Tommy, a coworker of mine passes me. I've never beaten him before, but I see an opportunity here. He tends to go out too fast in his races, so I didn't try to stay on his heels. He'll come back. More residential streets, then the second major hill. As we pass the County Courthouse, running down the same street that Jefferson and Madison used to walk, I hit the second mile -- 13:49.

After the Courthouse, we turn onto the Downtown Mall, a brick-paved pedestrian mall. Normally an active spot on a Saturday morning, but today quiet and rain-slicked. The mall's a slight downhill, but at the end we turn and start up hill number three. There's Tommy in front of me -- he's stretched his margin out to about 75 yards. At the top of the hill we turn and start downhill again. I try to stretch my stride out a bit and make up some time. Here's mile three -- 21:00.

OK -- time to dig in -- I've been losing time since that 6:45 first mile. I've got to kick it up to keep it at 7 minute pace. Problem is, I'm in no-man's land. There's a loose pack about 25 yards ahead of me, and some stragglers behind. Nobody's energy to feed off of. But here's something -- I'm closing the gap on Tommy. Yes, I'm reeling him in.

Up ahead comes the toughest hill on the course, right at the end of mile four. I've got Tommy in my sights and the distance is dropping. As he turns to go up the hill, I can sense that he knows I'm coming after him. We both motor up the hill -- he gains some of his ground back, but he can't shake me. Cresting the hill a woman passes me, running well. She's looking strong, and I see an opportunity. I jump onto her heels and let her set pace. Here's mile four -- 28:23.

OK, I'm going to have to dig deep now. Trailing my pacesetter I pull up close to Tommy. The gap is only a few feet now. As we turn to hit the final hill, my pacesetter makes her move, accelerating away. I can't cover the move and her gap over me increases. As she passes
Tommy he picks up her energy and pulls away. Dang!

Now it's just me -- keep my stride together, don't give up. I make the last climb, pushing hard, feeling another runner closing the gap. Here's the final turn -- go! As we hit the line my pursuer pulls up and lets me across first -- a nice gesture to the old guy -- he could have had me. Stop the watch and walk breathless through the chutes -- final time 35:15. Over a minute off of last year's time, and a PR.

A good way to start the year. Now it's on to the 10 Miler in three weeks.

Ken

It's not the cold, it's the wind...

2008-01-02T09:40:00.001-05:00

There is a certain macho appeal to bundling up and getting a run in on a cold January morning, but I draw the line sometimes. I mean, 31 degrees isn't too bad, but match it up with 20 mph breezes and you've got tough conditions. And since my gym is only 5 minutes away...

So this morning's 8 mile run was indoors. Since I had some HR zone training to do, it actually worked out pretty well. I did 15 minutes easy on the track, then hopped on a treadmill to do 5 repeats of 4 min Z3, 4 min Z1. Getting to Z3 was easy -- just increase the incline and watch your HR go up. I'd start each Z3 repeat at 5.5%, 9 min/mile, and decrease the incline as I started to hit Z4. For the Z1 segments, I'd slow a bit, and drop the incline to 1% until my HR came down. Gradually speed up the treadmill, then up the incline for the next repeat. Worked pretty well.

After the treadmill, back onto the track for an easy 15 minutes. Good workout, and I didn't even need to put on chapstick.

Ken

Weak

2007-11-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

I didn't think I was weak. I'm loads stronger in my swimming/biking/running than I was last year, my weight's at a good level, and I'm feeling pretty fit.

Then I did my "Core" workout this morning.

Coach Debi has me on a core routine twice a week. Simple stuff, easy to do at home with just an exercise ball, which is cool because I hate doing weights at the gym. So for my first time, I started easy -- just 10 reps of each exercise and only one set.

Now, hours later, I'm sitting at my desk with aches in places I didn't know I had. I feel the weakness now, and I could feel it when I was doing the exercises. Weak ab muscles in particular, with a real lack of flexibility. I've got a long way to go.

The good news is that I can see the utility of the exercises and I'm going to stick with them. If I want to improve (i.e., beat people) it's what I've got to do.

Ken

Top 32% !

2007-11-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

If you want a definition of "anal" look no further.

I just checked the USATriathlon rankings, and all my races for the year are now listed. A quick search and a calculation later and I'm elated to discover that I'm in the top 32% of my age group (M, 45-49) for the nation in 2007.

Sounds a little silly, I know, but one of my goals has been to be a consistent top 1/3 finisher in my AG. It doesn't always happen, because it's so dependent on who's racing on a particular weekend and the size of the field.

But it is nice to see that when you average it out across the country for the entire year I've hit my goal.

Next year -- top 20% is the goal -- tough, but doable I think.

Ken

Moving On

2007-11-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

Seems a little early to be talking about a new year, but my work's just getting started. Last year was all about Eagleman, and taking on the challenge of doing the 1/2-IM distance.

Mission accomplished. The race went very well, and I've reaped the benefits of the training. All my race times have improved this year, and I'm feeling fit and ready to take on new challenges.

So what is the new challenge?

Boston.

With a marathon PR of 3:58 (set almost 10 years ago), Boston qualifying used to look incredibly remote to me. But two things have changed. One -- I'm getting older, so my qualifying time is getting closer. Two -- Coach Debi. Under her guidance, I've gotten to a level I never thought I could acheive, and I can still see lots of room for improvement.

The plan is to run the Richmond Marathon in 2008 as my qualifier, with Boston in 2009. Since I'll be 50 at the time of the race in 2009, my qualifying time is 3:35. Coach Debi's response when I told her the time requirement?

"Oh PLEASE. You can do a lot better than 3:35." Nice to know your coach has confidence in you!

At any rate, I'm working with Debi again, after a few months of steady maintenance on my own. I'll keep things up to date here on the blog.

I wonder if I should give it a new name?

Ken

Finishing out the tri season

2007-10-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

Although I haven't written much lately, now's a good time to get the blog up to date on the rest of my triathlon racing season.

The Mountaineer Tri was a blast, and a good result for me. The next race was another Olympic distance event, the hometown C-ville International Distance Triathlon, on July 29 at Walnut Creek Park, south of Charlottesville.

C-ville International Tri

The C-ville Tri is notable because the run is almost entirely on technical single-track trail. As a result, run times tend to be kind of slow for this one. I'd had some good training leading into this, and felt ready to put down a good effort. And it was good -- up to a point.

The 1500 meter swim was barely wetsuit legal, and I opted to take that route. Since the swim takes two laps, traffic was an interesting issue, especially as I started around the second time. Despite some sighting difficulties, I got out of the water in pretty good shape -- 25:20, good for 8 out of 13 in my AG.

I smoked through T1 and got out quickly on the bike. The bike course is a challenge. It's hilly, with lots of rollers and a couple of lengthy climbs, and has a fair share of tight turns. Fortunately I'd ridden it before, so I know what to expect. From the beginning, the bike felt strong. I got passed by a couple of the faster riders in my AG, but got to return the favor to some others. Time was a solid 1:14:29, good for 6 out of 13. I was psyched!

I blasted through T2, feeling confident, and then the **** hit the fan. The first mile on the trails was tough, but I felt myself starting to get into a rhythm. Then on an uphill stretch, both legs seized up with cramps -- big time cramps. I stopped dead by the side of the trail, and thought for a few minutes that I'd have to DNF. But as I started hobbling up the hill, the cramps eased enough that I could continue, slowly.

The rest of the run was just an exercise in gutting it out. My time was 58:54, good for 8 of 13 in my AG. Overall, I came in at 2:41 -- disappointing, and 7/13 in my AG.

A tough race, and a tough age group field, as well.

Giant Acorn Tri (sprint)

I'd planned on doing the Culpeper Sprint in August, but missed it due to family business. By the time October rolled around I was itching to go. I felt strong, having done a local 10K in 43 minutes and change in early September -- the fastest I'd run in almost 10 years.

The Giant Acorn Tri is a classic sprint (750M, 20K, 5K). The weather was outstanding, warm and sunny, and the water was just wet-suit legal. SetUp Events puts the race on, and they pulled it off with their usual competence.

My swim wave was one of the last, and almost immediately I was overtaking slower swimmers from the earlier waves. I'd seeded myself near the front of the wave, and had a clear shot and view of the buoys. SetUp had yellow buoys at the turns, so sighting was easy. I got into a good rhythm right away and popped up for a sighting every 2nd or 3rd stroke. As a result, I stayed on course throughout. Running out of the water I spotted a fellow C-ville triathlete and master swimmer just in front of me. He's a solid swimmer, so I felt pretty good about that. 14:57 for the swim (course was a bit long) -- good for 7/33 in my AG.

Into and out of T1 and onto the bike. I was looking forward to this -- my cycling has really improved this year, and the course was fairly flat and short at 12.4 miles. Traffic was an issue throughout the ride. Lots of newbie triathletes it looked like, with a fair number cruising down the center of the road on hybrids and mountain bikes. I spent a lot of time shouting "on your left" and "keep right!" Hopefully nobody thought I was some sort of tri-nazi. But seriously folks -- read the rules and stay to the right!

Lots of passing by me, and a great bike leg -- 35:23. Over 21 mph, and good for 11 out of 33 in my AG. Best of all, I'm getting closer to the fast guys -- the 5th place bike in my AG was only 1 minute faster.

I made the bonehead mistake of running to the wrong rack during T2, so I lost a few seconds there. Got a pretty quick turnaround otherwise, and was on my way pretty quickly. I caught a cramp in my calf during the first 100 yards or so, but I've come to expect that. I kept my cadence quick, and it faded away.

The run course at Giant Acorn is a flat out-and-back, so you get a chance to see a lot of other racers. I got into a good rhythm and kept picking off runners from the earlier waves. I also got a chance to measure my distance from some of the other competitors in my AG. Coming back in, I got on the heels of a strong runner in the 55-59 AG and kept pace with him. As we turned for home, my coach Debi Bernardes shouted at me to catch up to him, and the extra incentive gave me enough boost to take it in strong. I finished the run in 22:42, good for 8 of 33 in my AG.

The totals: 1:15:55, 7 of 33 in 45-49, and 68th of 281 males overall. An excellent end to the season -- I progressed from a solid middle-of-the-packer to a position where I'm getting close to the guys who place. Or as I like to say, I've gone from MOP (Middle of the Pack) to BOFOP (Back Of the Front Of the Pack). The next step will take some work, but I'm ready to give it a shot!

Ken

Mountaineer Triathlon (International Distance)

2007-07-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've been keeping at it. Here's my most recent race report:

Mountaineer Triathlon (International) - July 1, 2007

I entered the Mountaineer Tri on a whim. I hadn't originally planned to be in the area, but a change in schedule had my wife and I visiting her parents in Fairmont (30 minutes to the south) that weekend. Since I'd just finished Eagleman a few weeks ago, the International distance option sounded just right.

I checked my bike in on Saturday afternoon after taking a short ride and run on the course. The race is centered on the "wharf district" of Morgantown. In the years since I went to school at West Virginia, Mo-town has diversified and gentrified quite a bit, with a lot of development and revitalization based around the riverfront. Former light industrial areas now sport high-rise hotels and condos, and a well-used bike path follows the river in place of the old rail line. Open real-estate is scarce in the wharf area, so the transition area occupied the ground floor of a parking garage. Space was at a premium, so I was glad to get there early and get a decent rack spot.

On Sunday an early fog lifted off of the river, and the sun came out bright and clear. Temperatures were forecast for the 70s. Perfect racing weather. After setting up my wife and I watched from the bike path as the first waves took off on the swim.

The swim started from a new boat dock. Each wave jumped in from the dock, paddled around for a few minutes waiting for the signal, then swam a long rectangular course that went first downstream, then turned, going back up river past the dock, and turned again to finish back at the dock. Since the International racers went last, we got to see the early waves take off, and cheer the pros as they returned just a few yards away from our starting point.

Finally it was my turn. Into the water and I positioned myself to the inside and fairly near the front. Let them pass me -- I'll avoid the traffic if I can.The horn blew, and we were off. I got around the first end of the rectangle in good shape, and started the long swim up river. The course headed directly upstream towards a navigation lock and dam, which the Army Corps of Engineers has kindly turned off, so there was virtually no current to swim against. As an old industrial river, the Mononghalea has a bit of a shady reputation, but the water was surprisingly clear -- much better than many of the lake swims I've done. Traffic got thicker as I turned for home and started to overtake slower swimmers, but I stayed close to the buoys and had a pretty clear path.

I gave it an extra burst as I reached the dock to get ahead of the other swimmers. A waiting hand grabbed my arm and yanked me onto the dock. I scrambled onto my feet and off I went.

Swim (1500 M) -- 29:08, 7/20 AG

The dock was a great place to start the swim from. Unfortunately it was almost 300 yards away from the transition area. I stripped my suit down and settled into a jog on the paved bike path. My right calf cramped slightly so I had to keep the speed down a bit, and a couple of people from my wave passed me by. As I got to my bike, I thanked the genius who invented Body Glide, as my suit came right off with no problems. After the long run, the rest of T1 went very quickly and I got out in good shape.

T1 --3:24, 4/20 AG

The mounting area was right outside the parking garage on a quaint brick street in the wharf district. A nice crowd had gathered to witness the madhouse of wobbling bicycles and traffic jams associated with us MOPer's. I ran over to the side away from the madness and took my time to clip in before setting off. A quick wave to my wife, and away I went.

I had some trepidation about the bike course. West Virginia can be hilly -- very hilly -- and I didn't know the course. I'd decided to adopt a strategy of riding hard, but always at high RPMs. Keep an eye on the cadence meter. If it dropped below 85, downshift. I figured it would be better to stress my lungs rather than my legs.

As the bike unfolded I got more and more confident. The route crossed over the Mon and then rolled along the river, giving us some surprisingly flat terrain. After about 6 or so miles we turned away from the river. As is usually the case in West Virginia, the road paralleled a creek and began rising slowly as we traced the stream back to it's source. Initially the rise was not very steep and I kept up a nice brisk pace, downshifting occasionally to keep my cadence high. Since the Half-IM field had started before the International I had plenty of riders to zero in on and overtake. They had to do the bike loop twice, while I had only one go-round -- I could afford to go harder.

The easy climbing ended and I got a good view of a long grade. No use being a hero -- my bike has a triple ring, and I'm not ashamed to say that "granny" is a good friend of mine. Sit up, downshift, and spin like a madman.

Finally up and over the top, the route settled into a short stretch of easy rolling terrain. After a very tight u-turn, I was on the way back. The return route merged onto an excellent two-lane highway and it was time to get cranking. I snuck a peak at my average speed -- 19 mph. That was good. I'd hoped to do the ride in 1:20 or better, and 19 would get the job done. I dug in with extra deternimation -- all downhill from here!

Or so I thought. The longest climb on the course kicked in. Not too steep, but steep enough and long enough to cause a little apprehension. The good and bad news was that you could see the entire climb from the bottom. Well, at least there wouldn't be any surprises. Sit up, downshift, and spin once more. Once again it helped that I had other riders to track down. I only had to do the climb once, while the riders doing the Half-IM had to measure their effort more carefully.

Over the top and it's party time! Nothing ahead but a straight downhill and smooth pavement. I geared up, cranked hard and tucked in for the downhill ride, letting off a few whoops as I zoomed downhill. As I turned back onto the side roads leading to the finish, the smooth pavement disappeared, and I got a good shaking from some very rough pavement. But soon the bridge back across the river appeared and the end was in sight. Another wave for my wife and a smile for the camera and I ducked off to the side for the dismount. Into the garage, shoes on, and back out into the sunshine for the run.

Bike (24.85 miles) -- 1:16:03, 7/20 AG.
T2 -- 1:08, 3/20 AG

As I jogged out of T2 I started to catch a leg cramp. Not this again -- leg cramps had really slowed me down at Eagleman. I shortened my stride a bit and concentrated on a short, quick turnover. Flex my toes, shake out the arms and neck -- relax. As I started down the riverside bike path a woman age grouper and I started working together and soon I had a good rhythm going.

After two miles the course turned and returned back up the path, going past the finish and continuing down the riverside trail. I tracked down and passed a fellow age-grouper and left him behind, but for the most part I was running alone. Since the bike path had quarter mile markers, it was easy to check my pace -- right on 8 min/mile -- good.

Soon the male pros began to appear, running past me as they started their run legs. I saw Andrew Hodges and held up five fingers for him -- 5th place. He looked strong, though (which he was -- he finished 2nd.)

At mile 5 the course turned towards the hills overlooking the river. The steepest hill on the course loomed in front of me. How steep? Ridiculously steep. Stupid steep. To add to the atmosphere, a spectator dressed as the devil waved a pitch fork at the runners. Shades of the TDF. I high-fived him as I shuffled slowly up the hill. Fortunately the leg cramps held off, and I turned towards the university campus and downtown Morgantown.

Only about a mile to go now. Through the WVU downtown campus -- strangely quiet on a summer Sunday morning, then descended through Morgantown's downtown streets -- also quiet. I overtook a woman age-grouper, then a 28 year old male as we turned to make the final push to the finish. The guy wouldn't have a 48 year old pass him, and found an extra kick when he saw the finish line. I had to let him go, but I turned it up best I could and gave the obligatory fist pumps when they called my name.

Done!

Run (6.5 miles) -- 52:17, 5/20 AG

Overall: 2:42:00, 6/20 AG, 49/180 overall. Probably my best overall race I've done. I was hoping for 2:45, so I hit my goal with room to spare. As it turns out, the run was 6.5, rather than 6.2 miles, so I'm even more happy with the time. I was especially pleased that my placings for each of the disciplines were very consistent, and that I had some excellent transition times. This year's half-IM training really paid off at this shorter distance.

And it's done!

2007-06-14T11:39:00.000-04:00

Preface

A little over a year ago, when I was laying on my back watching my knee being operated on, I decided I needed a big goal to ensure I'd work hard coming back. A Half-IM sounded about right -- a big chunk to bite off, but hopefully not too much to choke on.

Though I'd run several marathons in the past, it'd been almost 10 years since I was within shouting distance of 4 hours. I'd started doing sprint-distance triathlons the year before, with a couple of solid BMOP finishes in my age group. If I wanted to do well at the 1/2 IM distance, I could see that I had a lot of work to do.

The Race

I chose to do the Eagleman Ironman 70.3 as my race. It has a stellar reputation as a well-run race with a big field. That appealed to me -- if I was going to train for it, why not make it a big event? Eagleman is also flat. Real flat. So flat that the only uphill (as the joke goes) is on the swim.

I came into the race feeling pretty confident for my first crack at the distance. I'd hired a coach, Debi Bernardes, who got me back on the road and whipped me into shape all through the winter. By April I'd seen a big step up in my performance at the Kinetic Sprint Tri and the Charlottesville 10-Miler. I was 20 pounds lighter than the year before, was cycling further and faster than I ever had, and overall was feeling pretty good for a 48-year old guy.

On race day the weather came through in grand fashion. A little bit of a breeze, but cool and overcast -- great race conditions.

Swim

I settled into the swim in great fashion. Felt smooth, keeping a good stroke, nice and relaxed.

Until I realized I was going way off course to the left. I corrected that and immediately went off to the right. Back and forth, all the way to the turn, getting a pretty good pummeling as I crossed traffic. Ended up swinging way wide on the turn, charting my own course towards the bridge.

Pretty frustrating -- I felt like I wasn't getting the best out of the swim leg. It's not that I'm a great swimmer, but I usually more than hold my own in the tris I've done so far. This swim was causing me more problems than I was used to. I tried to get the negative thoughts out of my head as quickly as I could. A minute or so here wasn't a big deal, just relax and get out of the water in good shape.

On the return leg I finally got into a good sighting rhythm -- head up every 8th stroke, sight the buoy, keep going. The current was with me on the return, and pretty quickly I was at the boat ramp. On my feet and up the ramp I went, getting a quick shower from the local fire department and making the long run to the transition area.

Time: 35:16, 82 out 157 in my AG.

Bike

After the long run to T1, I got out of my wetsuit in pretty good fashion and hit the road on the bike. My heart rate was way up, so I took the first few miles just settling down into a rhythm, holding back, and settling in. Plenty of miles to go.

Plenty of miles to watch people pass me. Pretty soon there was an endless parade of Cervelos, Felts, Kuotas, triple spokes HEDs, disk wheels, and Zipps zooming by me as we rolled out of Cambridge into the rural countryside and the quiet beauty of the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge (great scenery if you like marshes.) I'm not too much into the gear, but I have to admit I was starting to get a little envious of the fast-looking rides that were blowing by me. Oh well, race your own race. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and with some luck I'd see some of them later on the run.

The weather was cool, and I had a slight tailwind as I rolled south. I felt pretty good as my heart rate settled a bit, though I had an ever-so-slightly queasy feeling in my stomach that stopped me from drinking as much of my InfiniT as I should have. I'd pay for that nutritional mistake later.

Meanwhile I settled into the rhythms of a long bike ride, breaking up the distance with the routine of stretching, drinking, eating, counting down the miles. The parade of the speedsters had slowed and I began to pick off a few of the slower riders from my AG and other waves. As I turned back to the north and into a slight headwind, a red-jerseyed 47-year old Cervelo rider and I began playing tag, passing each other when the other lagged, until I finally let him go.

Finally back in town. Passing the runners already on the course, whipping through the city streets and rolling to a stop a the dismount. After three hours of gliding through marshland, it seemed incredibly busy and chaotic. Into T2, rack the bike, and pull on my shoes -- I'm ready to go.

Time: 2:57 -- 112 out of 157 in my AG

Run

Trouble right away. As I started jogging out of T2, my right quad muscle started to cramp up. I hold the world marathon record for bad leg cramps, so I knew this could turn into a very big problem if I let it. I thought back and realized then I'd only drank about 2/3 of the InfiniT I'd taken with me on the bike. I'd let the cool weather and my queasy stomach limit my intake. It was a mistake I'd never made on my long training rides, and I'd always avoided leg cramps. No such luck today.

Best to play it safe. If I pushed it here it could be a long, long run. As it was, I was on schedule with a little cushion. I backed off on my speed, taking frequent walking breaks and stay focused on going one mile at a time. It helped that, even at my reduced pace, I was reeling in runners from my AG every mile. Nothing like a little positive incentive.

So, one mile at a time I kept grinding it out. I felt great, but I knew I had to be conservative. Walk through the water stops, take 20 steps when the muscle twinges, take 30 seconds walking every 8 minutes. When you break it down like that, 13 miles doesn't seem so long. Surprisingly soon I was nearing the finish, passing the lovely bayside homes and turning for home. Into the chute I hear the announcer calling my name and give the obligatory fist pumps for crowd. One more smile for the camera and I'm done.

What a day.

Time: 2:02:18 -- 79/157 in my AG.

Overall -- 5:41:37 -- 82/157.

Epilogue : My goal for the race was MOP for my AG and 5:45, so I'm pretty pleased. Despite the leg cramps, I picked up 21 AG places in T2 and on the run.

Special thanks to Coach Debi for the great training plans, advice, and the post-race beer!

Ken

Complications and On My Own

2007-06-06T15:54:00.000-04:00

Well, life has a way of throwing some curves at us. Just got the news that my wife's father has to have surgery on Friday. A fairly serious procedure, though the prognosis is excellent. Still, when you're 81, any surgery is serious business.

Obviously this throws a crimp into this weekend. But I'll still soldier on. The whole family will drive up to West Virginia on Thursday night (about 5 hours), then I'll leave to come back on Friday afternoon, after the surgery (barring complications, of course!).

Then Saturday I'll leave Charlottesville for Cambridge (3-3-1/2 hours), get checked in and rest up for Eagleman. I'll come back to Charlottesville after the race on Sunday, then drive back to WV on Monday to pick up the family.

Kind of a bummer that I'll be on my own, though it's obvious that my wife should be with her mother for support during this. And I hope for the best for my father-in-law -- he's a good man. Just take it all in stride, I guess. I'll have other races in the future where the family can come cheer for me!

Crossing T's and dotting I's

2007-05-31T18:10:00.000-04:00

10 days to go. Hard to imagine this thing is finely upon me. I'm feeling pretty confident about the race -- I don't think there's really any doubt that I've prepared as effectively as possible. You always wonder if you should have done more, but I think Coach Debi hit it just right in what she has had me do, based on my fitness level at the start of the process.

And that's an important point. I know there are faster, stronger people out there who've done more preparation, but their bodies were already adapted to a high level of fitness. Mine wasn't. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. But I can say now, without a doubt, that I'm in very good shape.

At this point it's all about preparation and avoiding surprises on race day. So I'll be checking out equipment (like putting new pedals on my bike -- same brand and model, the old ones were just shot), making packing lists, printing up maps, etc. I'm a bit compulsive about this, but it's better to obsess a little now, so I don't have to panic later!

Ken

Training logs

Swim waves are up!

2007-05-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

In another sign that the race is hurtling down upon me, the swim waves for Eagleman are up!

The good news? I get to start fairly early (7:21 AM), so less time hanging around getting nervous. The bad news? Lots of younger people behind me, so I'll need to concentrate on my pace, and not worry about the young bucks blasting past me. Of course, I do have some older waves ahead of me, so I'll get to do my share of passing as well, I suppose.

In other news, my bike is tuned up, and a new chain installed -- thanks to CVille Bike and Tri. Rode an easy 30 minutes this morning and she was shifting like a dream -- good stuff!

Sticking with the training schedule pretty well, and making up a missed swim at lunch today. For the weekend I've got a 10 mile run and a 3-hour bike, with Memorial Day off. My knee's just a bit sore, so I think I'll shift the run to Monday and rest a bit on Saturday.

Ken

Training logs.

Gonna Fly Now

2007-05-21T11:45:00.000-04:00

I had a "Rocky" moment this weekend. Nothing as dramatic as running up a flight of steps, hands raised in triumph. Still, a dramatic, albeit quieter, training revelation.

Saturday was a "triple brick" workout, a peculiar form of torture that Coach Debi likes to inflict upon her minions. Rather than a single long ride with a run afterwards, she breaks the distance up into three seperate bricks, back to back. My Saturday workout ended up being:

27 mile bike
3 mile run
22 mile bike
3 mile run
16 mile bike
2 mile run

One of the aims of the workout is to aid mental preparation for a long day, without beating up the body too much. Since the workout took me over 5 hours, counting transitions, I'm sure it met it's objective.

But back to my "moment."

I'd done a triple brick before, with slightly shorter bike legs, and it was a long, hard haul. It was still a long, hard haul this time, but something was different this time. I felt something -- strength, confidence -- that I hadn't had before. With every mile on the bike and mile on the run, I felt that I wasn't just surviving, but was thriving -- I had the strength to turn it up a notch any time I wanted. My focus and concentration was excellent throughout and I never felt my mind wandering -- just focused on the task at hand, and feeling strong.

All in all a real confidence booster for Eagleman (only 20 days!).

Ken

Training Logs!

100 mile weekends

2007-05-18T13:09:00.001-04:00

This is the last really big weekend before Eagleman. Right at the heart of it is another one of Coach Debi's "triple brick" workouts -- her exercise in definitive physical and mental preparation. So, on Saturday morning I'll be on the road bright and early, doing a 25 mile bike, a 3 mile run, another 25 mile bike, then another 3 mile run, followed by a 15 mile bike and a 2 mile run.

This is my second "triple-brick" workout. The first was a 20/3/20/3/20/2, so the bike legs are a bit longer this time. The workout isn't about speed -- the whole point is to put yourself in a situation where you're working continually for 5 hours plus, so you're used to the duration and have an opportunity to practice nutrition.

I'll pack Infinit bottles for the bike, and my water belt so I can have a bit to drink on the run as well. Probably take along a couple of eCaps for the last leg and maybe something salty to eat as well. I may have one Gu when I'm on the bike, but the Infiniti seems to provide calories pretty well. At any rate, I'm not planning on riding Eagleman with a buffet taped to my handlebars.

Add the triple brick to my Friday and Sunday workouts and the numbers get pretty big -- I'll probably do about 115-120 miles on the bike this weekend, plus 8 running. A pretty good effort, at least in my book!

Ken

Training logs

Under 30 days!

2007-05-14T12:35:00.000-04:00

Time is moving quickly now, or it's standing still -- depends on my frame of mind.

There are less than 30 days left until Eagleman, and it's hard to believe time has gone so quickly. At the same time, each day left seems like an eternity. I've put in hours of pool time, ridden my bike more than ever before, and have run more consistently than I have in years. I want this race to start now!

Realistically, I'm not going to get a lot fitter. There's one more hard week of training, and then it's time to taper. The key at this point is to not do anything stupid (like getting injured), make my packing lists, and keep running the game plan through my head until it's all second nature.

Big Ride

2007-05-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

You've got to get the miles in if you're going to do endurance sports -- no way around it.

Sunday was my day to hit the road and go long -- a 4-hour ride with a short 20 minute brick run at the end. Early in the week the weather forecast looked superb -- temperatures in the 70s, sunny, but the reality when I woke up was a bit different. It was sunny, but in the upper 50s with winds in the 25-30 MPH range. But training called, and off I went.

My route was a simple out and back. I planned to go 2 hours out, then retrace my route. Unfortunately, my ride started into the teeth of the northwesterly wind. I knew that I'd be thankful it was at my back later on, but that was cold comfort as I struggled through the first 20 miles or so.

As the ride continued my direction shifted more easterly. The wind was still an issue, knocking me around a bit at times, but it wasn't as much as impediment as it had been. I kept grinding on through the Virginia countryside. The roads were smooth, little traveled, and passed through farm country and forest as I rolled along. Every 15 minutes my watch beeped to remind me to drink. The goal was one bottle of Infinit IM blend each hour, and I had plenty on me -- two bottles on the down tubes, and two stuffed into my jersey pockets.

As I reached the two hour mark, I was crossing Lake Anna, a large man-made reservoir. I rolled over long causeways, passing by fisherman bundled up against the unseasonably cool weather, casting away without a glance at me.

After 2:10 I stopped for a moment to have a chocolate GU and swap my empty bottles out. Just short of 35 miles, and time to head back. That's the beauty of an out-and-back ride -- no chance to bail out early -- once you've gone halfway you're committed.

I was able to catch a nice tailwind a few times on the return, and up my pace a bit coming back, counting the miles down with a sense of pride and not a little fatigue. Finally I rolled to a stop, 69 miles completed, the ride done. No rest for the weary (or the triathlete) however -- on go the running shoes and I'm off on a 20 minute run. Surprisingly, everything worked OK and I got into a nice rhythm almost immediately.

Finally it's done -- time to sit on the grass and collect myself. One 'o clock -- still time to get home and mow the grass.

Race Day Photos

2007-04-27T09:19:00.000-04:00

I've been a runner for many years, and a triathlete for three. One thing that has tied together all of those year of athletic endeavor has been lousy race pics.

Pics from on the course, or at the finish line -- didn't matter. I've either blown the shot (looking down at my watch is a common mistake), or I recoil when I see the pic (God, I look fat in that outfit!)

Finally, after many years of disappointment, I hit the jackpot. Not one, not two, but three great pics from my most recent race. A snappy looking action shot, running from the swim to T1; a nice side view on the bike; and a cheesy, but not over the top, finish line run pic.

And I look good in red and black, too (it matches my bike!)

Ken

A great weekend!

2007-04-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Did my first tri of the season this last weekend, at the Kinetic Sprint Tri. A 750M swim, 18 mile bike, and 5K run. You can read the race report here, but here are some more general observations.

My biking has improved a lot this year. Two years ago, when I did my first tri, I averaged a bit over 17 mph for a 17 mile course. On Sunday, I cruised strongly over 18 miles at better than 20 mph. There are still a lot of people out there who are better riders than me, but I moved up quite a bit. My cycling time almost put me in the top 1/3 of the entire male field. That's a nice confidence boost going into Eagleman -- I think I can put together a nice steady ride for the 56 miles with good pacing and nutrition.

Surprisingly, my run was the strongest split -- 11 out of 35 in my AG. I felt strong in the run, especially as I got along to the end, and was able to pass a lot of runners coming down the last mile or so. I'm pretty confident I can come off of the bike nice and strong.

My swim was a bit disappointing, at least in terms of comparison. It was my fastest to date at a tri, but didn't put me too far up my AG (15/35). Still, I was able to come out of the water strong, and get a quick T1 time. And a few seconds aren't really that much on the swim. The key for Eagleman will be to have a solid swim that doesn't wear me out.

And, I met my goal of being in the top half of my AG for the first time -- 13 out of 35 -- almost top 1/3!

Ken

My training log.

P.S. -- Shout out to Coach Debi for providing the beer after the race!

Easy week!

2007-04-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm on a mini-taper of sorts before my first tri of the year. I'll be racing on Sunday, April 22, at the Kinetic Sprint Tri on Lake Anna in Virginia. Pluses: I'm in good shape, and have had a lot of good training weeks leading up to this, plus the bike course should be pretty flat and fast. Minuses: the friggin' water will be freezing!

We've had a real cold snap the last few weeks, like much of the country, so I'm expecting water temperatures in the 50s. This may be a time when my relatively good swim times are a big help. I'll spend less time in the water before I've got to get on the bike!

At least the weather forecast is good. Highs in the low 70s and sunny. Positively balmy. And certainly better than the cold rainy weather we've had to endure. No more 3-hour trainer rides -- please!

Ken

My training logs.

Sticking to it

2007-04-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

Training the right way for a big event takes time and some dedication, and that requires a degree of "sticking to it" when the going gets tough. I've had a good plan to work with (obligatory shout out to Coach Debi), but I'm proud that I've stuck with it and kept up with the training.

Sunday was one of those days where it took a little bit extra, though.

On the schedule -- a 4 hour bike ride. Challenging enough for me, but throw in some nasty cold weather on Sunday morning (32 degrees with a 15-20 MPH west wind in the morning) and I was not looking at a fun day. Still, it was supposed to warm up to the high 40s, and the forecast was for sunny skies.

Despite layering as well as I could, I had some doubts right from the beginning of the ride. Almost immediately I had to head west, into the wind. I hunched down over the aerobars and did the best I could as I rode the country roads in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. The high hills and persistent clouds kept out what little sunshine did appear, and soon I was wishing for more climbs -- at least then I could generate a little heat.

Eventually I completed my first loop, 42 miles, and passed by my car. I almost stopped, since I had a thermos of coffee there, but I pressed on -- if I'd stopped I'm not sure I would have started again.

Another short loop of 18 miles and the ride was done. 60 miles, 4 hours. Not too bad, given the weather and the terrain (over 5000 feet of climbing total). I was stiff and cold, but I'd finished. My longest bike in over 5 years.

Home, shower, nap. Life is good.

Ken

See for yourself at my training lo g.

Tackling the climbs and more

2007-04-04T11:43:00.000-04:00

Here we are, into April, with Eagleman only about 2 months away. An amazing thought -- in about 60-odd days, I'll be setting out my gear, dealing with pre-race nerves, and focusing on the task at hand.

I'm proud to say that I'm way past any "I want to finish" thoughts. I'll finish -- no doubt about that. It's only a question of how well I'll race the event now. That feeling comes from the solid training I've gotten under my belt. Coach Debi's program has built me up so that I'm confident in my abilities, because I've done the work.

I've felt the training paying off over the last few weeks. I've done a lot of riding, much of it over familiar routes, and I can both feel and see my improvement on the bike. The climbs that used to wipe me out are now just steady efforts, and my average speeds have been increasing while requiring less effort.

My running has been very solid. I did the Charlottesville 10 Miler last weekend and came in at 1:16:48 -- 7:43 pace, good for 26 out 110 in my age group. I ran a good race, too -- an even effort throughout, with a negative split for the last 5 miles.

This month looks challenging, but doable. 12 miles running on Saturday, a 4 hour bike on Sunday, then another hard week before I get to taper a bit for my first tri of the season, the Kinetic Sprint. No predictions yet from me on that, but I'm optimistic that I'll have a good race.

The highlight of the month? Has to be on the last weekend, when I've got a triple brick day: 20 mile bike, 3 mile run, 20 mile bike, 3 mile run, 20 mile bike, 2 mile run. Should be loads of fun!

Ken

Keep up with my training log here!

Break on through

2007-03-26T11:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend I had one of those great moments when it all clicks. I'm a pretty average cyclist, considering my past race results, but I've put in a lot of consistent base this winter on the trainer. This weekend the weather and my training schedule gave me the opportunity to ride twice in fine weather, and all of a sudden I was faster. And not just faster, faster with less effort.

On my Saturday 90 minute ride I averaged 17 mph riding easy on a course that used to take an "all-out" effort to average 16 mph. Climbs that used to red-line my HR at 175 now only got me up to 160.

I followed up on Sunday with a 51 mile ride in 3:05, with plenty left in tank. As a matter of fact, my return time on the second half of the out-and-back course was significantly faster than the first half. And again, I was motoring along without pushing the limits. Average HR for the 51 miles was 120 -- much lower than what I usually register. By the way, not group rides either -- solo on Saturday and pulling a buddy along on Sunday.

48 years old and the best shape of my life -- pretty darn cool.

Ken

P.S. -- Read the exciting details in my training log.

Racing results

2007-03-14T16:33:00.000-04:00

Well, despite my cold I went ahead with the race I had scheduled for last Saturday -- the MJH 8K. I'd been feeling a bit better, and had done an easy spin and run on Friday as a test. I didn't feel too bad, so I went ahead with it.

The race was a blast, and I'm pretty jazzed with the results. A solid 36:20 for the 8K course (barely shy of 5 miles). The weather was a bit cool, but sunny, and it felt great for racing. I got a nice warmup in and took off bit too fast at 3:25 for the first 1/2 mile. I held it back a bit from there and turned in some nice consistent splits, all around 7:20-7:25, until the last 1/2 mile or so when I turned it up a bit. I got 6th out of 32 in my age group. Not bad.

The race was fun aside from the time. An interesting (but hilly) course in downtown Charlottesville, a nice-sized field and a good chance to kibbitz with some friends. The big road race for the season comes up soon -- the Charlottesville 10 Miler on March 31st. Who knows, maybe I can break 1:15?

Ken

P.S. -- Cold coming along OK -- just some coughing as my lungs clear the crap out.

P.P.S. -- Race results and training log

Cold -- and not the weather...

2007-03-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

Just as I started strong into March, I ran my head smack-dab into a cold. It came on quickly -- I had a good run on Wednesday morning, but felt a bit wiped out at the end. By mid-morning, my head was congested, I was achy, had a headache -- the usual drill. The only good news is that it's kept itself pretty much in my head and my chest is staying pretty clear.

I took off on Thursday, and cut my morning ride in half this morning. I'm starting to feel a bit more on the up and up today, so I'll just take it easy with my race tomorrow morning. Sunday is supposed to be a 3-hour ride, but that'll probably get cut down as well, while I get totally back. Better safe than sorry at this point.

Ken

My training log.

Taking the test

2007-03-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

March is here, and the hope of a quick spring and warmer temperatures. For me, it's going to be an interesting month. I've got two road races on the schedule: the MJH 8K on the 10th, and the Charlottesville 10-Miler on the 31st.

Coach Debi has filled the time in between with a couple of sturdy weeks, each with around 11+ hours of training. My favorite training day looks like Saturday, the 24th -- 2000 yards in the pool, a 3 hour bike and a 60 minute run. Fortunately I don't have to do them back to back.

The races should be an interesting test of my fitness. My training runs have been fairly low intensity, just increasing in distance as time has gone on. Realistically I hope to do the 8K in under 40 minutes, and the 10 miler in around 1:20.

Who knows, I may surprise myself. I haven't raced since December, and I ran 4 miles in 30 minutes then -- a total shock at the time, since I hadn't expected to go nearly so fast. Of course there's only one way to find out...

Sweet 16

2007-02-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that I just turned 48 -- not a terribly significant number, but picking up speed towards 50, for sure. In more relevant numbers, it's 16 weeks and counting to Eagleman. To celebrate the fact, I'm fighting a minor cold -- little dry in the nasal passages, slight cough -- just enough to remind you that you're mortal.

I ran with Coach Debi on Friday. A nice session -- she did a little bit of form coaching on the fly and we had a nice chance to talk about this and that (triathlon mainly, duh...). Turns out I need to lean forward a bit more, and keep my hands a bit higher. I've worked on it a bit and like the results -- not a radical change, but I feel I've got more forward momentum working for me.

The weather's finally warming somewhat here in VA, so the prospect of a 90 minute run in the morning doesn't seem too bad. That's a nice milestone as well -- it's my longest run of the training cycle so far, and my longest in several years. I'm on pace to rack up over 60 miles for the month as well. Not huge numbers, but pretty impressive considering I only did about 240 all of last year.

Of course the knee surgery had a lot to do with that!

Ken

Updated, and ready for your perusal -- my training log.

Domino Theory

2007-02-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

Training is going well as the dark cold of February grinds by. My training program is nicely balanced (thanks Coach Debi), and I've been keeping up with it very well.

"Keeping up" is the key, though, and I've had a good lesson in that this week. The schedule is pretty demanding this week -- 5+ hours of cycling, 2 hours in the pool, almost 3 hours running, plus a bit over an hour of strength training. Ensuring it all gets done requires good scheduling, commitment and dedication.

Did I mention weather as well? Sure enough, a snow and ice storm blew in on Tuesday, and the 80 minute long run for Wednesday morning was out. The change threw me for a loop, and I couldn't get motivated to get out of bed and substitute a 2 hour trainer ride in place of it.

Oh well, I'll do that on Wednesday night, and I can reschedule the run for Saturday. Sure enough, at 9 PM on Wednesday night I spun out two hours on the trainer and hit the sack. Now I was too tired to get up for my Thusday morning swim. And, to top it off, I had a sore throat and some head congestion. Now I'm really behind -- it's like a chain of dominoes -- miss one and everything starts falling.

It's time to step back and be realistic -- one missed swim and weight session isn't going to kill me, and I probably could do with some rest anyway. So, a big meal on Thursday night, and early to bed.

Today is another day, and I'll get it back on track. Coach Debi is in town, and she's running with me this afternoon. Should be fun!

Ken

I'm doing well (really!) -- check out my training log.

Why I (Usually) Train Alone

2007-02-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

I wrote a while back about Ginger, my 6-year old Labrador retriever and running buddy. But aside from my time on the road with Ginger, I usually find myself alone when training. Why is that?

It's not that I'm completely anti-social, nor do I have a problem with group training sessions -- I know they're a big motivator for many people. And on occasion I'll get together with a buddy or two for a bike ride, or do a group ride with some other triathletes -- and I swim with my Masters swim group once a week. But for the most part, it's just me, myself, and I.

There are several reasons why I usually train alone -- some practical, some philosophical. Let's look at the practical first:

1. Scheduling -- There's very little margin for error in scheduling. Working full-time, 13-year old son, wife, dog, social life, house upkeep -- they're all constraints on when and where I can train. My first priority in scheduling is to figure out when to do it without interfering with my obligations and commitment to the aforementioned.

2. Opportunity -- Charlottesville is a pretty active town, and there is a local tri club that schedules some group workouts at different times of the week. Try as I like though, it's a rare opportunity that I can fit in my training with them (see #1).

3. Appropriateness -- Since I'm working with a coach, my training is mapped out for me, and the group's workout often isn't a good match. And as an improving athlete, I find myself "stuck in the middle" very often. The easy Sunday 1-hour "beginner's ride" is too easy, while the "hammer down" Saturday 70 miler is too much. And for me, it's all too easy to let the competitive juices start flowing. Suddenly that easy run becomes a lung-busting anaerobic workout.

Now for the "philosophical:"

1. Mental Training -- When you're racing, you're alone. You won't have anybody else to rely on during the race -- might as well get used to it. And when you're racing well, you need to concentrate on many things: your effort level, your nutrition, etc. What better time to practice this than when you're training? I like to look at my training sessions as "dress rehearsals." Got a long bike ride? Practice how you're going to eat and drink, like it's the race you're training for. Concentrate on monitoring your effort, working through the bad patches, staying smooth -- all things you want to make second nature for the race. There's a reason it's called "training."

2. Solitude -- It's a busy, noisy world out there, and solitude is a good thing. How often do we get a chance to be by ourselves, alone with our thoughts and undisturbed. Despite what I said in #1, sometimes it's nice to let the mind drift and explore your environment and your inner self. No yoga mat or meditation class required, and I'll often find myself refreshed mentally at the end of a long solo training session.

I may change -- maybe in a few months I'll be writing about how much fun my weekly group run is. But for now I'm a happy camper when I'm on my own.

Ken

My training log.

19 weeks and counting...

2007-01-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Seems strange to think that Eagleman is only 19 weeks away. Plenty of time left, but something about getting inside that 20 week range seems to bring it closer to mind. So what's coming up for me?

In March, I plan to get a few road races in: the MJH 8K and the Charlottesville 10 Miler. I'l probably go pretty hard in the 8K, but at this point I'm looking at the 10 Miler as more of a chance to practice race strategy and control race-day nerves than to blast a fast time.

The Charlottesville 10 Miler was a fixture on my race calendar for many years. It's the biggest local race we have, with over 2000 competitors last year, but just haven't been able to get it together for some years now -- either out of shape, or hurt. No way I'm going to match my PR (1:13:01) -- that was about 10 years ago!

In April, I've got the Kinetic Sprint Triathlon. Haven't done this before, but based on the Giant Acorn Tri last October it should be fun. The roads in that part of Virginia are pretty flat, and it has a fairly long bike leg for a sprint -- 18 miles. With a 750 M swim, 18 mile bike, and a 5K run, it should be a good test for my fitness.

The Kinetic Sprint is 7 weeks out from Eagleman, and I don't have anything planned beyond that. I often read advice that you should do an Olympic distance tri before taking on the 1/2-IM, but I'm not too concerned about it. I've done 8 marathons, so the time factor isn't an issue -- I know what a long day on the road feels like.

At any rate, barring injury or fitness I'm totally confident that my preparation will be solid. Getting individual coaching has been a good choice for me -- I'm further along now than I ever imagined I would be.

Ken

You can see my training for yourself -- check out my log.

In praise of the cotton tee

2007-01-17T12:53:00.000-05:00

A hint of winter has finally rolled into the Mid-Atlantic, as the mercury dropped into the low 20s last night. Since I needed to hit the gym to catch up on my lifting, I decided to combine my morning's run and the lifting into one trip, and avoid running in the cold, dark morning -- hey, I'm only human!

Coach Debi has me in the middle of a tough week, so at 5:30 AM I toed the line at the indoor track at ACAC and started running laps. 12 laps equals a mile on the square, 2-lane track. Round and round, checking out the early morning pickup basketball game below me, the spin class above me, and the squadron of cardio machines to the side.

Most of my gym companions this morning were dressed in their nicest gym togs -- a variety of sporty outfits made from high-performance wicking fabrics that keep you dry, cool, and comfortable. I've got some nice gear like that -- and they really work -- but today I was old school all the way, with a pair of faded v-notch running shorts and a veteran cotton t-shirt from a local 5-K.

There's something about a cotton tee that endears itself to me. When you're running inside you don't have to worry about your sweat chilling you, so it's almost pleasant to feel the dampness of the shirt grow as you put in the miles. The shirt sticks to you, and the wind caused by your running evaporates the sweat and cools you.

Finally I'm done. 80 laps, about 6.7 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. And with my old t-shirt hanging damply from my shoulders and smelling faintly of ammonia, I look like I've run for an hour. It's my personal red badge of courage.

A good start to the day. Now on to the weights.

Ken

Keep track of my progress at my training lo g .

Reliable training partner

2007-01-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

I do most of my training alone. It suits me -- I can do my own pace, make my own decisions, choose my own routes and routines. But sometimes a little company is nice. Fortunately, I've always got a running buddy who's ready to hit the road with me.

The American Kennel Club description of the Labrador Retriever starts: " The Labrador Retriever is a strongly built, medium-sized, short-coupled, dog possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation that enables it to function as a retrieving gun dog; the substance and soundness to hunt waterfowl or upland game for long hours under difficult conditions; the character and quality to win in the show ring; and the temperament to be a family companion." They should have added "running buddy" to the list.

Our lab, Ginger, is 6 years old now, going on 7 in June. She's a perceptive and smart dog, who learned long ago that when I got the running shoes out of the closet it meant she might get to go for a run. Whatever her faults may be, she's an hardy and compliant runner. I clip her lead on, and she heels perfectly, matching my pace as she trots beside me.

Neither weather or time of day bothers her -- she's ready to go at the drop of a hat. She's durable as well, never had an injury or problems with heat. Of course I keep things reasonable. She doesn't usually get to go more than 3 miles, which seems to suit her just fine.

Ginger's like any athlete -- she can get out of training as well. When I couldn't run because of my knee surgery I often caught her casting a quizzical glance in my direction, wondering when she would get a chance to go running. And the time off got her a bit out of shape.

We're both coming back strong now.

Guilt-free indulgence

2007-01-08T11:54:00.000-05:00

The unseasonably warm winter we've had so far has kept me off the ski slopes (maybe a good thing for my knee), but has kept me on the roads. Coach Debi topped off my Biggest Week Ever (more on that in moment) with a 2-hour bike ride on Sunday. Staying true to my early morning preferences, I got out on the road at 8 AM, for two loops around a favorite 16.25-mile circuit.

It may seem a bit boring to ride the same loop twice, but I like to do it on occassion. It makes a good game -- ride steady and smooth the first time, then try to kick it up a notch on the second circuit. Well, I couldn't do it this time -- both circuits came in right at 59 minutes, a 16.5 avg. Pretty good speed in my book, since there are three serious climbs on each circuit that really drag the average speed down.

Chilled and tired, I met the family at The Tavern, a Charlottesville institution. It's the greasiest of greasy spoons, where hash-browns are as close as you can get to a vegetable. Giving in totally to temptation, I pigged out on 3 pecan pancakes, a side order of grits, one egg sunnyside up, a side of link sausage, and lots of coffee.

Nirvana...

As to the Biggest Week Ever, I ended up the week with over 10 hours of training: 12.15 miles of running, 75 miles biking, 6500 yards in the pool, and one hour of weight training. Best of all, I'm feeling good and having fun while I do it!

Ken

See for yourself, check out my training lo g.

What it takes

2007-01-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

Some days you have it, and some days you don't. But the days you don't are still worth it.

It was cold this morning. Just cold enough that I didn't make the right gear choices. In the dark pre-dawn, I slipped on my lycra tights, capilene top, windvest, polypro hat, gloves, and my headlamp for a one-hour run. I stepped outside.

Brrrr.

No worries, I'll warm up.

One hour later, I still hadn't. Probably one of the most uncomfortable runs I've had in quite a while. My loop course took me only a short job past my house three times, and every time was a temptation to pack it in and come back later. But I didn't, and I'm happy for it.

I know the times will come when I'm going to want to pack it in early. Stop. Quit. Be normal and sleep in later than 5:30 AM. But as they say, "Habit is the best of servants, and the worst of masters." Toughing it out on this cold morning might make it a little easier next time I need to dig down deep.

Ken

Check out my training lo g.

Goal acheived!

2006-12-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well, one goal, that is.

At the beginning of the month I decided to try to put in 25,000 yards in the pool. All while maintaining my two times a week swim schedule. I'm happy to report that, in the words of Sir Edmund Hillary, I "knocked the bastard off" this morning.

After a solid 3200 yard workout, I had chalked up 25,050 yards for the month. And what did I find out as a result of this?

Mainly, that I can swim more yards per workout than I previously had thought. Not rocket science, but important, nonetheless as I move forward in my training. Over the last few months I've increased my workout yardage from two workouts of about 2500 per session to two workouts, one of about 3500+ yards (solo workout) and another of about 2500 yards (Masters swim class) each week.

I've got a better feel for the water, and I'm getting faster too -- I'll take that!

As the mercury drops...

2006-12-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

Winter is settling in here in Virginia.

The colder temperatures really hit home on Wednesday. Coach Debi had me scheduled for a 45 minute run, so at 6 AM I was out the door and on the road.

The key to winter running is not to overdress. As the old rule of thumb has it: "If you're warm when you start running, you're overdressed." No problem with that this morning. It's dark and it's cold, and I'm cold -- really cold.

But the stars are shining with that peculiar intensity that the dry winter air gives them. You almost feel you can reach out and touch them, while the navigation lights of the passenger jets overhead shine brightly as they track across the sky, one after another.

I start slowly, almost shuffling, gradually warming up my body as the cobwebs of sleep fall away. Keep the breathing slow and regular -- cold air can agravate my asthma if I don't warm up slowly. Gradually I start warming up, leaving the bitter cold behind and reaching a relatively comfortable equilibrium underneath my lycra, capilene, and polypro.

There's little to disturb me as I move through the suburban subdivisions. The small circle of light from my headlamp illuminates the road in front of my feet and a dull red glow from my blinking LED light guards me from traffic. There's little traffic at this hour though. The occassional early commuter and the paper delivery car are all that I see as I reach my turn around point.

As I come back a dull glow starts to light the horizon. More lights have come on in the houses, and cars billowing clouds of vapor warm up in the driveways. As I hit the last stretch I'm moving easily, comfortable in my environment and ready to keep going.

It's a great way to start the day, but my 45 minutes are up, and there's a hot pot of coffee waiting -- thank goodness for automatic timers.

Ken

Check out my training lo g.

The Joy of Road Racing

2006-12-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

I decided to test my wheels out last weekend at the Charlottesville Men's 4-Miler road race. The Men's 4-Miler lives in the shadow of the popular Charlottesville Women's 4-Miler, both of which benefit cancer research (breast cancer for the women and prostate cancer for the men).

The Men's race is a pretty low-key affair -- a couple of hundred guys out on a quiet country road in December. No big deal, just come out and run.

It was a beautiful morning for December. About 40 degrees, no breeze, sunny. After I checked in I took a very slow jog for about 10 minutes, then stretched for 10 more. By then it was time to line up. I hadn't run a road race in almost two years but all the memories came flooding back. I sized up the competition, put myself about 10 yards behind the start line, and took off with the gun.

As we galloped down the road, the field began to stretch out and I found myself running in space. The pace felt good, so I didn't worry as the lead pack stretched away from me. The half-mile mark came up -- 3:43. Faster than I expected I'd run, but the pace felt good and my breathing relaxed.

Soon some more runners came up on my shoulder looking to make a pass. They seemed to be working too hard for so early in the race, so I let them go, but tucked in behind to catch a draft for a while. The first mile came up -- 7:28.

As my little group moved through the second mile I held back a bit -- no use going too hard too early. As we approached the turn around, the leaders started passing on the return leg. I started counting to get my position. Soon the turn appeared. I clicked my watch as I rounded it -- 7:40, and 64th place.

I had a good idea of the field now and knew there were a lot of guys I could pick off if I kept my pace going. I started to run down some of them: 63, 62, 61. Two young guys passed me, and I jumped on their heels, while a fellow in a red shirt joined my pack. We started knocking off more runners: 60, 59, 58, 57.

Here's the third mile: 7:31. Concentrate on form -- quick turnover, arms straight, track narrow. Breathe deep, suck in all that O2. My group started to splinter. The two young guys and red shirt are pulling away slowly, but I'm catching some others. A final turn and I can see the finish line clock: 29:45. Dig deep, pass those guys in front 56, 55, 54.

I'm across! Watch stopped: 7:28 for the mile, 30:01 for the race. Big breaths of air. God that felt great -- when can I do it again?

Taking stock

2006-11-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. A good chance to take a few days off and relax a little bit. A good opportunity to take stock and look at where I'm at (and where I've come from.) Let's break it down:

Overall health:

This is a big positive for me. Since the beginning of the year I've lost almost 20 pounds, from the mid 180s down to the mid 160s. I can attribute that to a big change in my diet and more consistent training. Because of that, my cholesterol levels have dropped from "dangerously high" to "acceptable-borderline."

Sport specific:

Run -- No doubt that the big story here is my knee. After an injury in March, I had microfracture repair surgery to the femural articular cartilage of my left knee. After six months, I'm back to running at nearly 100% function. Performance has suffered, but I've built back up to a one-hour run at a steady 10-11 minute/mile pace.

Biking -- Again, the knee surgery pretty much killed the summer riding season for me. Since surgery, I've had a long ride of 40 miles and I was right about the middle of my age group at the Giant Acorn Sprint Tri. I think this is going to have to be the point of emphasis if I want a good finish at Eagleman.

Swimming -- This is the brightest spot for me. I lost the least amount of time in training and have increased the yardage I've been doing from about 4000 yards/week to 6000+/week. Those aren't epic numbers, but enough for solid improvement. I'm holding ~1:45/100 yard pace for long swims (1750 yards +). I'm not going to rule out being able to get that down into the 1:30 range.

Mental health:

A lot of things need to go right if I want to suceed in the upcoming year. The key to making it happen is going to have to be good mental focus. I've got to train consistently, with the proper mental focus and determination. Most importantly, I've got to remember that all of my decisions will impact my performance. I've got to eat right, get enough sleep, and stick to my schedule even when I'm thinking about wimping out. Having a coach is a big help, since it takes the stress of coming up with the plan off of me. I just have to execute it!

Fortunately I've given myself plenty of time to put it all together. So I'll take a few days easy, then kick it back into gear for December.

Ken

Keep me honest -- check out my training lo g.

Time trial

2006-11-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting discussion once about the subject of LSD (Long Slow Distance) in swimming. Why, it was asked, don't we do that in swimming? It's part of our bike and run training, why not do it in the pool?

A good question that I'm not qualified to answer. But they had a point -- pool time is all about intervals and drills, very little about just swimming long distance -- at least in my experience.

Sometimes I like to break out of that and just do a long swim to check out how I'm doing. When I was preparing for my first sprint tri, I did several 800 yard swims to overcome the mental "How can I swim a half mile?" barrier. The mental barrier was there, even though at the time I was doing about 2000 yards in a workout -- I just wasn't doing it all at once.

The swim was a very positive experience. I didn't fear the distance anymore, and had a good feel for the pace I needed to go.

This summer I had a similiar experience when I did a mile swim. I found that I could hold a pretty good pace for a fairly long time with no problems -- better than I expected, actually. Since then, my swimming has been improving steadily.

To prepare for my 1/2 IM in June, I'm going to do one 2100 yard time trial each month as a check and confidence builder. The first one is done: 37:27 for 2100 yards. A respectable 1:47/100 pace. And the best part? I felt like I was getting off easy. Maybe next time I'll throw in a set of 10x100 when I'm done!

Ken

Check for yourself -- my training lo g.

7 months to go!

2006-11-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

Pretty close, at least. The Eagleman 70.3 Triathlon is on June 10, 2007, so you'll excuse me the one extra day.

I've surprised myself with what a long-term project I've made of this. Initially I figured I'd get my knee back up to speed, and then get some coaching about 4 months ahead of the event to get ready. Instead, I started working with Coach Debi back in August, letting her guide my return to competition, and I've been working consistently ever since, gradually increasing the amount and intensity of training.

November is dedicated to maintaining on my bike while increasing the run total weekly time and single run distance. The goal is to work up to 120 minutes of running per week, with a long run of 60 minutes by the end of the month. That'll put me right about where I was before the injury. I'm not increasing my swim time much, though I'm getting more distance in as I get speedier. This week's swim total was 6200 yards, a personal best for me.

But it's all about the base at this point. Back in August Debi had me doing 4-1/2 to 5 hours of training a week, working every day. It felt like a lot. Now I'm up to 6-1/2 to 7 hours per week, and my body doesn't feel like it's under any more stress than it was at the beginning -- if anything, less. Training is a well-integrated part of my daily routine, and I feel surprisingly fresh at the end of most workouts -- no doubt my fitness is improving.

Knock on wood -- if I can stay injury free and stick with the program, I think I'll be pleased with the results.

Ken

Check for yourself -- my training lo g.

Speedy swimming

2006-11-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

OK, "speedy" is a relative term, but my swimming progress has been very encouraging to me. Recently I've been able to increase my swim distance a bit by doing my Thursday morning session very early in the day. Yeah, it's not a lot of fun to get in the pool at 5:45 AM, but that gives me enough time to swim somewhere in the 3000-3500 yard range. Add that to the 2500 or so at Master's on Monday, and I'm getting in a solid 5500 to 6000 yards a week.

I had to miss my Master's class today because of a meeting, so I used one of my coach's plans and did 2500 yards at lunch. There was a 400 yard swim in the middle, so I did it for time, and slipped in under 7 minutes, at 6:55. That's a PR for me, and a good one, considering it was right after a set of 8 x 50.

Not blazing fast, by any means, but stronger and smoother all the time. 1:45/100 is no sweat any more, at least for this distance. Think I'll try to work in an 800 time trial some time soon and see how I'm doing -- bet I can get it done in under 14!

Ken

For full details, check the training log.

Slow and steady

2006-11-01T09:51:00.000-05:00

One of the unexpected benefits of my knee surgery has been that's taught me patience in my running. Before surgery, I tended to look at each run as a race against the clock for a new PR. I mean, if I ran that 3-mile loop in 26:22 last week, shouldn't I try to do it in 26:15 today?

Of course, training doesn't really work that way. The key is to build a strong base with a lot of aerobic running that doesn't beat up the body, then when the base is strong, add on tempo runs and speedwork. Easier said than done -- at least for me. Almost without fail I've beat myself up too much during my running, sacrificing the base by jumping right into tempo and speed work.

Recovering from my surgery meant a lot of short slow runs, done on flat surfaces, with ample walking breaks. But surprisingly, when I finally got back to racing, my 5K time in a sprint tri was faster than I'd done the year before, when I ran hard, but not consistently.

So bring on those slow and easy runs -- nothing like a cool fall morning, trotting along with the dog at a nice 10 min/mile pace. The speed can come later.

Ken

Check out my blinding run speed in the training log.

Conversations with the Coach

2006-10-31T16:06:00.000-05:00

A busy tri-type day yesterday (Monday).

Master's swim was a crowded affair, with a full slate of the usual pool rats. Andy and his wife Debbie, Jay, Kathy, and myself. Andy is a former competitive swimmer in college, and Jay is just wicked fast (and an age group competitor of mine, though I can't say I'm offering him too much competition at this point -- he's in the front of the pack). Debbie and Kathy are a different matter. When I began Master's they were clearly stronger than me. Now...not so much. We took turns leading off, and I can hang with them now. Nice that I can keep up with the fast girls now!

Took my bike into the shop, after an accident (no one hurt) ripped the rear deraullier off. $177, a new hanger and a spiffy Ultegra derailler later, I'm back on the road, courtesy of Blue Wheel Bicycles.

Highlight of the day was a phone conversation with Coach Debi. I'm not getting any formal coaching for November, but she suggested I call to touch base on what to do during the "off" time -- very nice of her. The conversation was cool -- she's just returned from Hawaii, so I reflected in her Ironman glory as she talked about riding "the Queen K."

Name-dropper. ;)

Not too much "off" in November however. The short version: keep swimming, keep riding, increase your long run and miles per week. A good conversation though -- I asked about setting time goals for Eagleman. She was cautious about that. The attitude was pretty much, "I'll get you ready, then you run a smart race and don't worry about the time." Can't argue with that, at least at this point. At any rate, a winter's worth of training, and then a couple of races in the spring and it may be a good idea to start thinking about my race time. Until then, stay patient and be faithful to my training.

Ken

Staying faithful to my training? You decide.

Daily double

2006-10-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

Friday (tomorrow) Coach Debi has two workouts scheduled for me. Nothing extreme, mind you, just a 30 minute easy spin and a 30 minute run. No brick -- two separate workouts. I'm sure it's a routine I'll get used to as I prep for Eagleman.

Even training once a day I've learned the value of planning and organization. For example, if I've got an early morning spin on the trainer the best way to make sure it happens is to make a list and get everything ready:

1. Set up bike on trainer, plug headphones into TV, and put cycling shoes, remote, and sports drink by bike.
2. Put cycling shorts on chair by bed.
3. Prep coffee maker and set timer (nothing like a hot cup of joe when I'm done).
4. Iron and put out clothes for work.
5. Pack lunch.
6. Set out breakfast food.

I learned early on that if I didn't do all of these things, the rest of the morning could easily turn into a total SNAFU. And when the alarm goes off it's easier to get up knowing everything's ready to go.

In short, I can live with a workout missed because I'm sick or injured, but I'm determined that I'm not going to miss any because I wasn't prepared.

Ken

P.S. -- Check my training log and see how I'm doing.

Winter training

2006-10-25T16:46:00.000-04:00

No doubt about it, I wimped out this morning. No, I still did my run, but I couldn't brave the cold, and drove five minutes to the gym, where I could trot in comfort on the indoor track. Of course, in a few months a calm, 35-degree morning will seem pretty balmy, but I'm just not ready for it yet.

Winter seems to be creeping in a bit early this autumn in central Virginia. There's been no snow yet, but the temperature has been below average the last few weeks, and the sky has already taken on the bright clarity of the winter season. Views of the Blue Ridge mountains that were obscured in haze a few months ago are now crystal clear -- so clear you swear you can count the trees on the distant peaks.

At any rate, it's time to take a trip to Performance Bike to pick up some gloves and warm socks so I can take advantage of the rare days that are suitable for cycling in December, January, and February, and check my Netflix queue so I'm ready for the trainer rides to come. And get ready to brave the cold air of those morning runs. At least the pool is indoors!

Keeping it real -- check out my training log.

When the extraordinary is ordinary

2006-10-20T18:25:00.000-04:00

I'll preface this by stating that I may never do an Ironman race. A lot of stars would have to align properly for that to happen -- I'll need the blessing and support of my family, I'll need the motivation for a long training cycle, and I'll need to stay healthy in mind and body. Right now, looking uphill at a 70.3 in June is a daunting enough challenge.

And that 70.3 is a challenge to me. Especially when the goal isn't to "finish." I've done enough endurance events in my time (8 marathons) to know that I could muddle through training, go slow, and I'd still make it to the end. But my goal is to finish with style -- "style" defined by me as being in the top half of my age group (45-49). Maybe a bit ambitious, since after three sprint tris I still haven't managed that feat. But I'm doing all the right things -- training consistently with a coach's guidance, giving myself plenty of time, and taking care of my body (down 15 pounds since a year ago!)

But if you hang around the internet too much, it's easy to feel inadequate. Message boards and web sites are crowded with dedicated endurance athletes discussing their latest IM, their podium places, and detailing their training plans and schemes. It's like a game of one-upsmanship -- you take some pride in your twice weekly 3000 yard swim workouts, only to be brought down by someone discussing their latest 6000 yard workout. You've just had a nice 30 mile bike? That's not as hot as the 60 mile super-fast workouts the other guy is talking about. And that 30 minute run doesn't compare to the brick workout the local Kona-bound athlete has just posted.

Oh, it's unintentional -- no one is trying to make anyone feel bad (mostly). But it's helpful to step back sometimes and remember that the internet isn't the whole world. Like an amplifier, it can take a small signal and make it very loud, so the voices of a few seem like the roar of a crowd. The extraordinary seems so ordinary that you lose perspective on what you're doing, and the personal challenge you've given yourself.

No, I'm not doing an Ironman -- and I may never do one. But a triathlete -- at any level -- is a pretty unusual speciman. And I'm happy that I'm doing the best I can.

Back!

2006-10-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

Not often you get to celebrate like I did on Sunday. After nearly one year without racing, and nearly 5 months after knee surgery, I finally got to race again.

The return was celebrated at the Giant Acorn Sprint Tri, with a totally MOP performance (14/27 in 45-49M; 110/226 overall male if you're keeping score) -- and I couldn't be happier. I'll write more about it later, but feel free to check out my race report at BeginnerTriathlete.com.

Only 8 months till Eagleman!

P.S. -- Feel free to check out my on-bike pic here (I'm asking for bike position criticism, I know...)

Counting down...

2006-10-02T16:34:00.000-04:00

It seems a little odd to be saying it at this date, but I'm getting pumped for my first race of the year.

In 2005 I took the plunge and started doing triathlons, competing in two sprint events. My performance was respectable: age group finishes of 14 out of 24, and 8 out of 13, and I was hooked. I worked hard through the fall and winter to improve for the 2006 season, but when I injured my knee in March, the season's plans were pretty much shot.

I'm almost 5 months out from my knee surgery now, with the Giant Acorn sprint tri on October 8th, and I honestly am not quite sure what to expect. If I compare myself to 2005, there's no doubt that I'm a much stronger swimmer than I was then. My cycling is coming back well, and I'm probably faster now than I was before (losing 10-15 pounds does seem to help when you're on the bike!)

Running, of course, is the wild card. All my running to this point has been run/walks, as I gradually build up the knee. Even running/walking, I'm able to do 10 minute miles when I'm on the track. I'll just try to run the distance with a steady pace and finish the run with some degree of grace.

In truth, it's probably best to go into the race with low expectations -- stay conservative and enjoy myself. Still. . . a good swim, solid bike, smooth transitions, and a decent run -- maybe I'll be able to crack the top 1/2 of my age group.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Ken

P.S. -- I've actually got a day off in my training schedule for the week! Thanks, Coach Debi!

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude

2006-09-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

Traveling can sometimes interupt training, and sometimes can add a little bit of spice. The sights, sounds, even smells of a different venue can put a spark into the "same old, same old."

Case in point:

The family drove to the Carolinas this last weekend, with a two-fold mission: see my alma mater (WVU) play a football game, and visit my wife's long-time friend and sorority sister in Durham. Since the football game was late Saturday afternoon, I had plenty of time in the morning to get up and get my run in.

Durham is home to a very nice rail-trail, the American Tobbaco Trail, that's only a few minutes walk from our friend's house. Screened from the highway and businesses by trees and earth banks, the trail is surprisingly quiet, and the flat, paved surface had a crushed gravel border that was ideal for running on. All in all a delightful place for a run, especially as I passed through areas of pine forest, where a bed of needles absorbed my footfalls. I passed families with strollers, recreational cyclists, walkers, runners, dog walkers; all in a good mood and enjoying the shared community of the trail.

And the run? Good!

Coach Debi had me scheduled to "run" for 30 minutes, split up between 2 minutes running and 1 minute walking. This was 10 minutes more than I've done before during my knee rehab. The running felt good -- no limp, good speed, and the knee felt very stable underneath me.

It's two weeks now until the Giant Acorn Tri, and I'm feeling confident. The run will be slow, but I'm sure I'll get through it OK. Anyway, it'll be nice to do a race after missing the entire season.

Ken

All hail granny!

2006-09-18T16:15:00.000-04:00

I love my granny gear. For you flatlanders, it's the third chain ring on the front, the really small one. Pop into your granny gear when you climb, and spin your way to the top.

I hear that some cyclists look down their noses at granny, preferring to display their machismo by grinding their way up the hill in bigger gears. Well, if I could, I guess I would to. But as a guy in his late 40s who's only started getting "serious" about cycling in the last few years, granny and I have a good relationship.

Around these parts, you 'll find many riders with the third ring. Charlottesville, Virginia isn't in the flat lands. Just to the west of town, the Blue Ridge mountains rise up from the piedmont. There are epic climbs there: Vesuvius, Reed's Gap, and more, featured in a tough local century ride, the Blue Ridge Extreme (I've got that on my "to-do" list for 2007). When you get to the top of the mountains, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway offer long, long climbs, albeit at gentler grades.

But before you get to the mountains there are miles of good roads for cycling in Albemarle County. And the foothills at the base of the Blue Ridge offer lots of nice riding, with plenty of elevation change (here's a pretty typical ride). I found out early on that it was a lot better to stay in the saddle and spin in the low gears rather than try to stand up and climb like you're conquering Mont Ventoux on OLN.

While I'm coming back from my knee surgery, my coach has forbidden me to go beyond the second chain ring. Instead, keep pressure off of the knees by keeping the rpms up. It's worked for me -- I'm increasing my mileage, getting faster, and still feeling pretty fresh when I get off of the bike. And I'm getting even better with that granny gear all of the time.

Ken

Make sure I'm staying busy -- check out my training log.

Liquid Zen

2006-09-14T10:57:00.000-04:00

I know from reading triathlete blogs that a lot of tri newcomers are pretty spooked by swimming. And even if they're not freaked out by the idea of swimming, it's not something they look forward to doing. Much better to get out the bike or lace up the running shoes.

I've got to admit I don't fit into that camp. Swimming's never been something I've worried about, and I've always loved getting into the water. Now, swim training -- that's a whole different animal.

At various times in my life I've swum laps for fitness. Once or twice a week I'd head to the pool in my baggy swim trunks and splash up and down the lane lines. 400 yards? A hell of a good workout!

It all changed when I took the plunge and started swimming with the Masters class at my gym. They were encouraging and patient as I brought up the rear of the circle swim, and didn't laugh when leg cramps made me thrash around like a shark had attacked me. To make it more interesting, I was the only guy in the class. Fortunately my ego didn't take too much of a bruising by being beaten like a drum by a bunch of fast women.

A year or so out, it's fun to look back at that. Somewhere along the way it all started to click. No one's ever going to mistake me for an elite swimmer (far from it!), but now a 2500 yard workout seems pretty reasonable, and my distance and speed are improving all the time. Experienced swimmers will tell you that technique and strength go hand in hand. And it's true -- the better your technique the more you can swim, and the more you swim, the stronger you get.

Sometimes the improvement is slow, and sometimes it comes quickly. Sooner or later though, you push off from the wall and everything just feels right. You glide, one stroke leading into another, like you belong in the water. Liquid Zen.

It's a great feeling.

----

As always, check out my training log if you're interested.

She's not a spiffy tri bike, but I love her anyway

2006-09-13T14:37:00.000-04:00

I got my Lemond Reno back in the summer of 2004, before I'd thought much about doing triathlons. It was an upgrade from my old Trek touring bike, which was a nice comfy, dependable ride (but a bit on the heavy side).

The Reno has been a good fit for me -- it wasn't too expensive (about $900), but it has an aluminum frame that rides very smoothly (the carbon front fork helps). As I've gotten into the sport, I've tricked it out a bit: clipless Shimano pedals (basic stuff from Performance Bike), clip-on aero bars, and my favorite addition -- a new wheelset.

I put a Rolf Prima Tempo wheelset on last week (picked up during a nice sale at C-ville Bike and Tri) with Michelin ProRace 2 tires -- wow, what a difference. There's a whole different feel to the bike: accelerations are easier, and I pick up speed downhill like a bat out of you-know-where. Not to mention that the new wheels with the red and black tires look like a million bucks. Money well spent!

Trainings been going well: a short run/walk this morning (all my coach allows right now), followed by weight training. Thursday morning it's into the pool for 3000 yards, running/weights on Friday and Saturday. Sunday I'm allowed to ride for two hours. It'll be the first time I've been out for more than 30 miles since last year.

As always, check out my training log at beginnertriathlete.com.

Registered!

2006-09-11T15:01:00.000-04:00

Alright, my tail's officially on the line now for the Eagleman 70.3, June 10, 2007.

No doubt I've got a long ways to go to get ready for this. Especially so, in that I'm not racing to "finish." Don't get me wrong -- you're not going to see my name at the top of my age group, but my sights are set relatively high -- top half of my age group is the goal.

To get to the top half of the 45-49 year old males, I'll need to complete the course in around 5:45 minutes. A respectable time, in my opinion. How do I rate myself on each of the disciplines right now?

Swim -- Good. Surprisingly, this is probably my best event right now. I'm getting in 5000+ yards a week, and my speed and endurance are steadily improving. I'm not going to underestimate the challenge of the swim, but I certainly don't fear it, either.

Bike -- Decent. While my knee surgery kept me off the bike most of the spring and summer, I'm slowly rounding into shape. Significantly, I'm now faster on my training rides than I was last summer. I attribute most of that to weight loss. I'm currently now at around 175, whereas I was 185-190 last year. Since I can't afford a carbon fiber or titanium bike, that's the only way I'll drop weight off of my bike. I've got a lot of riding yet to do, though.

Run -- Poor. The knee surgery has left me miles to go on this. It's going to be a long struggle to rebuild my running base and endurance. The good news is that I've run enough long races (8 marathons) that the half-marathon distance in and of itself doesn't intimidate me.

Mental -- Good. I've got a good background in endurance sports, and I've experienced the ups and downs that are inevitable any time you put yourself out on the line for a long time. No surprises there, I hope. I've also gotten smart enough to start working with an experienced tri coach, so I'm not beating myself up trying to construct and evaluate a training plan on my own. I just have to follow orders.

Ken

P.S. -- Stay tuned for the next post, when I talk about my new wheels -- with pics!

And suddenly...

2006-09-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

It's been over 17 weeks since my knee surgery (not that I've been counting). While it has continued to improve every week, running has been the slowest to recover. Even though I've been slowly increasing the amount I've been running, I've had a hard time shaking a queasy inner feeling -- "will it hold up?" As I run, I subconciously expect my left knee to explode in a shower of bone fragments and ripped cartilage, collapsing under me in a bloody froth, like a special effect out of a bad action movie

Until today.

Somehow, for some reason, the uneasy feeling was gone. I ran, and it felt -- well -- pretty normal. Not 100% yet, and I have to work to keep my gait smooth and consistent, but suddenly I wasn't in fear anymore. I can run -- still slow and still conservatively, but somehow it's become running again.

It's a nice feeling.

Working through the weekend

2006-09-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

No breaks for me this Labor Day weekend!

I kicked things off by volunteering at the Charlottesville Women's 4-Miler, a great local institution that supports breast cancer research. My wife's a cancer survivor (3 years now) and runs it each year. She did it in around 46 minutes this year, a good effort on her part.

I occupied the weekend with a Saturday run/walk at the Charlottesville HS track. It's got a great surface -- I need to run on it more often. The usual for me -- 2-1/4 miles in 27 minutes, including the walk. This upcoming week Coach Debi has me doing 60 steps run/30 steps walk for 25 minutes (with a 5 minute warmup walk), so I may start getting close to 3 miles per run. Hey, it's progress!

Sunday morning I got out for a ride with my friend Ken. A great 26.5 mile ride ride out in the Blue Ridge foothills (check out the route here). I was totally in a groove -- Ken's a bit slower than me, so I stayed very fresh throughout the ride, with plenty of energy on the climbs. The average was 15.5 MPH; about one MPH slower than I usally do. If you think it sounds slow, don't forget we have lots of hills around here!

Monday's swim rocked as well. I hooked up with two of my Master's class buddies, Andy and Debbie, and we put in a very solid 2500 yard workout. I stroked a 200 in 3:15, a very nice PR for me. The swimming is coming along very strong lately. I anticipate it will be the easiest part of my training when I kick into Eagleman mode later on.

Rounded off everything with a trainer ride and brick run this morning. 50 minutes on the bike, and 10 minutes run at the end. Legs felt pretty good right off the bike. There's more emphasis on this in this month's training plan -- I'm looking forward to seeing how they go.

A new month begins

2006-09-01T08:23:00.000-04:00

(OK, I lied in the previous post...)

The remains of TS Ernesto are blowing through Virginia as I write. Nonetheless I'm going to do my run outside this afternoon -- there's nothing like the smug feeling of satisfaction gained from doing something marginally stupid.

Well, it really shouldn't be that bad. Some gusty 20+ MPH winds and heavy rain, and I'm only going to be outside for about 30 minutes. Should be fun!

A blank month ahead of me on the calendar, but I can look back on August with real satisfaction. I nailed every day on my training plan, kept my diet and weight under control, and continued a regular program of strength training. In particular, my swimming has been a strong point -- I shook off the nagging shoulder pain and slowly worked back up to a couple of solid swims a week (around 2300 yards/session). In the process, it looks like I've gained some speed as well.

Losing the summer to knee surgery has been a bit of a downer, but I've come through it stronger, lighter, and just as fast in the swim and bike. I'm sure the run will come around, and I'm looking forward to competing in the Giant Acorn sprint on October 8.

On sabbatical

2006-08-30T09:17:00.000-04:00

Well, the knee is recovering well.

I'm staying off the blog until 2007, when I'll trace my training for the Eagleman 70.3.

Ciao!

MRI tomorrow

2006-04-19T10:45:00.000-04:00

The wheels continue to turn slowly. I get my MRI tomorrow night, then a consultation next Friday. Trying to keep active -- swim 3 times a week, upper body strength work, and starting to incorporate some ab work as well. Still, I'm getting more and more tired of waiting -- I want to be better, now!

I get my monthly massage today, so I can gripe to my massage therapist at least -- she has a willing ear (thanks Marci!). I'm also going out tonight to help a buddy pick out his first road bike. Nothing fancy for him, but a nice milestone.

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Evaluation

2006-04-17T15:06:00.000-04:00

Got to see the orthapedic doc on Friday. Diagnosis? Probably a torn menisucus, requiring arthroscopic surgery. An MRI is scheduled for this Thursday, consultation the week after, surgery (if required) -- ? Hopefully this can get resolved and I can be back biking and swimming by mid May.

I'd like to do some light cycling, but I'm afraid of aggravating whatever the issue is. Right now I getting around OK with a knee brace on, but I don't want to be hobbling in pain like I was a few days ago. Best to be patient -- sigh...

I can still swim, though -- had a couple of good workouts recently. Seems like I'm starting to strengthen greatly in the pool. That's a good thing -- the faster I swim, and the less tired I am, the easier the rest of the race.

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Disappointment

2006-04-12T16:34:00.000-04:00

After talking about how well my knee was doing, this setback has been quite disappointing. I vacationed in Colorado at the beginning of the month and got in three great days of skiing -- thanks Winter Park! Unfortunately, my knee went totally south on me at some point in the trip out.

Although skiing wasn't difficult, the level of pain in the knee increased greatly, and it began locking up on occasion, making popping sounds whenver I try to straighten it. Since then it's been up and down, but even the best days are worse than the original injury.

I'll be going to the McCue Center at UVA on Friday -- we'll see what they say (I'm expecting to be scoped for a meniscus tear).

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Daily double

2006-03-31T11:37:00.000-05:00

I'm really starting to see some improvement in the knee and leg. It feels stronger and more flexible each day.

Got a swim in yesterday -- 2100 yards total with a timed mile (1750 yards) in 34:31. It's the first time I've swum a mile non-stop, and a real confidence builder for the longer Olympic-distance events. Topped off the day with a 9.3 mile bike. I just got my bike out of the shop after a tuneup and it's running very well. Averaged 18+ mph for the ride -- faster than usual for me, but the course was relatively flat by local standards. Best of all, the knee held up well.

I'll just keep crossing my fingers and hope for continued improvement!

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Yoga and stretching

2006-03-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

Took a yoga class last night at ACAC downtown. Hopefully I can work this into a regular routine -- class level was fairly easy, but I got a good stretch and a nice relaxing hour. Ideally I can make the class day a "zero" or "easy" day in my schedule -- a good chance to let the body recuperate.

I've been keeping up on my stretching as well, though the 45 minutes twice a day is a very difficult commitment to keep up on. I did miss my morning session today, but I'll be sure to work a session in tonight. Gradually my leg/knee is getting stronger -- the only worrisome issue is continued inflammation -- it still looks puffy, though there's no pain to the touch, or signs of bruising. Sounds as though a stepped-up icing routine is in order!

By the way -- did an easy 15 minute spin on an exercise bike yesterday -- no problem. I'm going to work in a 20 minute session today at lunch.

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Swim, swim, swim...

2006-03-27T14:16:00.000-05:00

While my leg has kept me off the bike and run, I've started to pick up the swimming side of training. Counting today, I've done 4 swim workouts in the last 5 days: 2150 on Thursday, 1500 on Friday, 2300 on Sunday, and 2100 today.

It all started to catch up to me a bit in today's master's class. I had to cut my last few sessions out after my foot and toe started to cramp. Before that though, I did a 300 in 5:25, which is a PR for me.

My leg continues to improve, thanks to time, treatment and stretching. There's better mobility in the knee, and the quad muscle feels stronger. I did a brisk 30 minute walk with my dog this morning, and tossed a few jogs in for 50 yards or so. Everything held together OK. I may try a few very light cycling sessions this week. A new experience tomorrow -- yoga. Hope they don't laugh at an old non-flexible guy!

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com

Back in action!

2006-03-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

At least to a limited degree. Went to the pool last night and did a nice 2150 yard workout -- 700 warmup/drill, 7 x 100 on 2:15, and a well-controlled and steady 750 in 14:59. Not exactly blazing speed, but great to get back in action. My knee felt fine during the swim, but I could feel a soreness in my left leg ITB throughout. I'm going to try and work in a 1000 or so yards at lunch and do strength training after work.

In other news, I'm stretching like a madman. Jenny P has me on a serious stretching regime -- I'm putting in 40-45 minutes every morning and evening, and I still usually end up leaving something out because of time. It's given me an appreciation of just how inflexible and tight my leg muscles, in particular the hamstrings, are. I've adopted the attitude that the stretching right now is just as important a part of my training as swimming, running, or biking. If I don't get this turned around there's a good possibility I'll be limping from one injury to another all summer.

Best to invest the time and energy now!

My training log at beginnertriathlete.com