Today was the first of the winter series Shelbyville Triathlons. I went to have fun but also wanted to see how far along my running and swimming had come since my run speed has been excellent and I'd been through about 6 swim lessons.
Since it's still the dead of winter, today was a reverse tri where we swim last. So got into some very warm clothes and grouped up for the 3k (1.86) run. Took off probably a bit too fast because when my watch beeped for mile one, it read 7:18. Much too fast and not sustainable for me. But finished up in 13:22.8 or an average pace of 7:38. Quite pleased with that as I used to normally run about 10-11 per mile.
T1 was 1:35 then on to a very short, but cold, 6 mile bike. Felt ok but the middle has a long, not too steep climb that today was accompanied by some headwind. Finished that leg in 19:39 or 17.3 mph. Not quite as fast as I wanted to go but I'll take it for a cold, windy, January day.
T2 was 1:58.7 but that includes a decent run into the indoor pool area and stripping off all the warm clothes. The swim was 16 up and back laps in a 25 yard pool for a total of 400 yards. I knew from prior experience that this was going to be crowded but the sheer number of rude swimmers was insane. At about the 75 yard mark, a person tried to pass a swimmer coming the other way and ran into my head on. A full speed skull cracker. That sort of disoriented me so the rest was just a matter of wanting to be done. My total time was 8:20.7. I don't have all my 2012 results handy but for this race last year, my swim time was 9:17.7. I'll take that improvement, even with the head knock. Grand total: 44:59.8 for 7th in my age group out of 13 and 39th out of 115 total participants. I'd call that a good result. I don't have my transition times from last year but even without transitions, I had a total of 46:06 in 2012 so that's at least 3 minutes off last year's time. Happy as a clam!
Until next time...
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The 2013 Tri Season Is Here!
Been a while since I last posted but in all honesty, I find writing about the same old runs and rides about as boring as you probably find reading about it. But this week starts the 2013 triathlon season with the kickoff of the Shelbyville Sprint Tri Series. Before I talk about that, time for a little recap since the last time I posted.
I finished up P90X. I wasn't nearly as strict on the diet as the plan suggests but my goal was to keep the weight off over the off-season and perhaps build a little muscle in the process. I went back to last year at this time and from the time the season ended in October until the first of the year, I had put on about 10-12 pounds. I wanted to avoid that this year. P90 along with keeping up my run streak seems to have done the job. I don't weigh myself often, but instead judge my fitness on how my clothes fit and such and I'm still at the same hole in my belt, buying the same size shirts, etc. so I'd call it a success. I also have a lot more definition in my upper body so that's also a bonus.
I did a New Year's Day 10 mile "Hangover Classic" and finished in about 1:32. I was looking at some old blog posts and in 2011, I did the Papa John's 10 miler in a then PR of 1:49. I'm quite pleased at knocking off 17 minutes in just under 2 years and wonder if I might be able to break 90 minutes at this year's PJ's? You can see in the right margin the events I have coming up but the Shelbyville Sprint Series aren't currently listed on Daily Mile. If you add those four sprint tris, that makes for a pretty busy winter/spring.
The run streak continues with today being day 241 in a row of running at least 1 mile a day. I know some of my training buddies will yell at me over not taking a rest day but it has really helped my speed.
The tri this weekend is in reverse order as it's obviously too cold to be swimming then going out for a bike ride with wet hair and cycling clothes. The distances are a 3K run, 6 mile bike, and a 400 yard swim. Obviously very short but a good chance to get back into the swing of things. To prepare, my training buddy Ken and I went out on a short brick ride/run in some frigid temperatures. Good prep for Sunday but my hands were killing me. I will need to make sure to have proper gloves for Sunday.
Finally, some kudos for my wife, Jessica, who is still killing it with a massive weight loss since August 1st and who has signed up for both the Triple Crown of Running and the Derby Festival Half-Marathon. In fact, she ran outside yesterday evening in frigid temperatures for the first time in a very long time. Now that's dedication.
I'll be back Sunday with a short update on the first tri.
Until then....a quote from Steve Prefontaine.
"The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."
I finished up P90X. I wasn't nearly as strict on the diet as the plan suggests but my goal was to keep the weight off over the off-season and perhaps build a little muscle in the process. I went back to last year at this time and from the time the season ended in October until the first of the year, I had put on about 10-12 pounds. I wanted to avoid that this year. P90 along with keeping up my run streak seems to have done the job. I don't weigh myself often, but instead judge my fitness on how my clothes fit and such and I'm still at the same hole in my belt, buying the same size shirts, etc. so I'd call it a success. I also have a lot more definition in my upper body so that's also a bonus.
I did a New Year's Day 10 mile "Hangover Classic" and finished in about 1:32. I was looking at some old blog posts and in 2011, I did the Papa John's 10 miler in a then PR of 1:49. I'm quite pleased at knocking off 17 minutes in just under 2 years and wonder if I might be able to break 90 minutes at this year's PJ's? You can see in the right margin the events I have coming up but the Shelbyville Sprint Series aren't currently listed on Daily Mile. If you add those four sprint tris, that makes for a pretty busy winter/spring.
The run streak continues with today being day 241 in a row of running at least 1 mile a day. I know some of my training buddies will yell at me over not taking a rest day but it has really helped my speed.
The tri this weekend is in reverse order as it's obviously too cold to be swimming then going out for a bike ride with wet hair and cycling clothes. The distances are a 3K run, 6 mile bike, and a 400 yard swim. Obviously very short but a good chance to get back into the swing of things. To prepare, my training buddy Ken and I went out on a short brick ride/run in some frigid temperatures. Good prep for Sunday but my hands were killing me. I will need to make sure to have proper gloves for Sunday.
Finally, some kudos for my wife, Jessica, who is still killing it with a massive weight loss since August 1st and who has signed up for both the Triple Crown of Running and the Derby Festival Half-Marathon. In fact, she ran outside yesterday evening in frigid temperatures for the first time in a very long time. Now that's dedication.
I'll be back Sunday with a short update on the first tri.
Until then....a quote from Steve Prefontaine.
"The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."
Friday, December 14, 2012
Looking Back and Looking Forward
Before I begin, yesterday was a big day for my run streak. It was day 200 of running at least 1 mile a day or more. As I've stated before, it has really helped my speed. This peaked last Sunday with a 1 miler in 7:04. It was ultra fast for me but to put it into perspective, that translates (if I could even hope to keep that up for 26.2 miles) to a 3 hour marathon. How in the heck to the elites guys do it in a touch over 2 hours? Holy cow is all I have to say.
2012 was a nice year for me, running and triathlon wise. The year began with the Shelbyville Sprint Series of winter tris where I got better with each race. It continued with my first stand alone full marathon, which I'm still convinced is harder than doing a full Ironman.
Even though it was a personal best for me in the marathon, it was brutal. I felt quite ok after my 2011 Ironman but after the KDF marathon, it was out of commission for quite a while.
In May and June were 2 olympic distance events include a PR for me at the distance and first time going under hours at 2:52 in the Motor City Tri.
July was a scheduled half-Ironman, in preparation for my second full iron distance race in September. It was aborted however as a killer heat wave caused this to be just longer than Olympic distance. I can't say I'm too upset by the decision because it was such a hot day after all.
The big event for the year came on September 9th, my second full iron distance race at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Even with a couple hiccups, I beat my Ironman Louisville time by nearly 90 minutes, including slicing off about 45 minutes from the marathon time alone.
Next up was the Bourbon Chase, a 200 mile overnight relay event with 11 Louisville Landsharks. Had such a great time relative to 2011 and hope to do it again in 2013.
The event calendar ended with a couple half-marathons including my first ever sub-2 hour half. I'm sure I'm missing a couple smaller events such as the Thanksgiving Day turkey trot but those are the hightlights.
What does 2013 hold?
In no particular order:
2012 was a nice year for me, running and triathlon wise. The year began with the Shelbyville Sprint Series of winter tris where I got better with each race. It continued with my first stand alone full marathon, which I'm still convinced is harder than doing a full Ironman.
In May and June were 2 olympic distance events include a PR for me at the distance and first time going under hours at 2:52 in the Motor City Tri.
The big event for the year came on September 9th, my second full iron distance race at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Even with a couple hiccups, I beat my Ironman Louisville time by nearly 90 minutes, including slicing off about 45 minutes from the marathon time alone.
Next up was the Bourbon Chase, a 200 mile overnight relay event with 11 Louisville Landsharks. Had such a great time relative to 2011 and hope to do it again in 2013.
The event calendar ended with a couple half-marathons including my first ever sub-2 hour half. I'm sure I'm missing a couple smaller events such as the Thanksgiving Day turkey trot but those are the hightlights.
What does 2013 hold?
In no particular order:
- Ironman Louisville in 2013, which is #3
- The Shelbyville winter sprint series
- Motor City (Olympic) Tri
- Ironman Muncie 70.3
- The Hangover (January 1) Classic, a 10 miler
- Bourbon Chase
- The Louisville Triple Crown of Running (5K, 10K, 10 miler) and...
- wait for it....
- The Chicago Marathon with my crazy wife and friends
Thursday, October 25, 2012
150 Days and Counting
Back in late May, several of my training buddies and I decided to try the Runner's World Run Streak which was a commitment to run at least 1 mile a day from Memorial Day (May 28th for my international friends) to the 4th of July for a total of 38 days in a row. Several of us completed that task, including Carlos, Jessie, David and me. Once we all reached July 4th, we talked about taking it to Labor Day (September 3). Carlos stopped when he got close to Ironman Louisville in late August as he was fearful of injury so close to the race during his taper period but Jessie and I kept going.
Jessie and I sat together during the IMKY volunteer appreciation banquet and talked about taking it to the end of the year or farther. I knew the biggest hurdle for me was going to be September 10th, the day after Rev 3 (full iron) Cedar Point. But I struggled through and kept the streak alive.
Yesterday marked 150 days and I see no reason to stop the streak. I've read about people who are well beyond 10,000 days in a row so 150 isn't such a huge deal but I'm definitely seeing a benefit: speed. I've often tried to get the mile done as quickly as possible and it has manifested itself in a sub-2 hour half marathon, my fastest mile ever, my fastest 5K, etc. I've heard from people and read that the only way to run faster is to start running fast. I now wholeheartedly agree. Not that I'm going to be approaching world class speed but I'm astonished when I look back at old run data and see that on a longer run (say 8+ miles), I would average 11 minutes a mile and be pleased. Now I seem to run about 9/9:30 miles without even thinking about it and 10 feels slow. I'm sure my weight loss helps, but I know the 1 mile speed runs are helping as well.
I'll sign off on this post with some kudos for my wife Jessica, who since August 1 has lost more than 40 pounds. And no, she's not following some crazy diet, starving herself, etc. She's done it the right way: with a sensible diet and working out hard. Her progress has also caused her to look forward to another marathon, which several of us, including Jessie are going to tackle: Chicago 2013, in October.
Next event for me is a November 3rd half-marathon and still doing P90x.
Until the next time...
Jessie and I sat together during the IMKY volunteer appreciation banquet and talked about taking it to the end of the year or farther. I knew the biggest hurdle for me was going to be September 10th, the day after Rev 3 (full iron) Cedar Point. But I struggled through and kept the streak alive.
Yesterday marked 150 days and I see no reason to stop the streak. I've read about people who are well beyond 10,000 days in a row so 150 isn't such a huge deal but I'm definitely seeing a benefit: speed. I've often tried to get the mile done as quickly as possible and it has manifested itself in a sub-2 hour half marathon, my fastest mile ever, my fastest 5K, etc. I've heard from people and read that the only way to run faster is to start running fast. I now wholeheartedly agree. Not that I'm going to be approaching world class speed but I'm astonished when I look back at old run data and see that on a longer run (say 8+ miles), I would average 11 minutes a mile and be pleased. Now I seem to run about 9/9:30 miles without even thinking about it and 10 feels slow. I'm sure my weight loss helps, but I know the 1 mile speed runs are helping as well.
I'll sign off on this post with some kudos for my wife Jessica, who since August 1 has lost more than 40 pounds. And no, she's not following some crazy diet, starving herself, etc. She's done it the right way: with a sensible diet and working out hard. Her progress has also caused her to look forward to another marathon, which several of us, including Jessie are going to tackle: Chicago 2013, in October.
Next event for me is a November 3rd half-marathon and still doing P90x.
Until the next time...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Trying Something New
Over the past 3-4 years I've done two iron distance events, a stand alone marathon, several half marathons, loads of other triathlons and swam, run and ridden thousands of miles in training and with the Louisville Bicycle Club. So I understand why I've grown a little tired of it all. Not that I dislike the three disciplines but I was looking for something a little different as the weather turns cooler.
The answer for me was to try P90x. I'd seen the infomercials, talked to friends about it, etc. and it looked like it might meet several goals. One, it would give me something different to do. Second, since I've lost so much weight, I'd like to "tighten" everything up. Finally, I could do it at home without a bunch of expensive equipment or a membership at a gym.
I did need a little equipment, some of which I had, some I had to purchase. I ended up buying a door frame pull up bar, some push up handles and a couple dumb bells. The dumb bells were the hardest to figure out as I wasn't really sure how much weight to buy. I had a pair of 10 pound weights so bought a pair of 25s as I figured some of the exercises might allow me to use a lot more weight. My goal is not to get huge but to tone up so using a bit lighter weight should be ok. I can also pick up different dumb bells as necessary in the future.
Yesterday was day 1: chest and arms and some ab work. Since this workout has a lot of pull ups and push ups, I knew I was in for a test. Over the several pull up segments, I believe I averaged about 1/2 per 30 second or one minute segment. The only way is up after that! It must have been a good workout as today, I'm having difficulty lifting my arms very high.
Today was plyometrics, which was a lot less strenuous but certainly worked my tail off. I kept up with this workout a lot better. Tomorrow is shoulders and arms so should be more very hard work. I guess if it's hard and I'm sore, it's doing the job.
On the "normal" training side, I've kept my run streak alive at over 140 days and tuned up my mountain bike for a break from the norm. I have a half-marathon on November 3, which I'm doing mostly for the interesting participant medal so have no set expectations. I might even run it with no Garmin and just enjoy the day.
The answer for me was to try P90x. I'd seen the infomercials, talked to friends about it, etc. and it looked like it might meet several goals. One, it would give me something different to do. Second, since I've lost so much weight, I'd like to "tighten" everything up. Finally, I could do it at home without a bunch of expensive equipment or a membership at a gym.
I did need a little equipment, some of which I had, some I had to purchase. I ended up buying a door frame pull up bar, some push up handles and a couple dumb bells. The dumb bells were the hardest to figure out as I wasn't really sure how much weight to buy. I had a pair of 10 pound weights so bought a pair of 25s as I figured some of the exercises might allow me to use a lot more weight. My goal is not to get huge but to tone up so using a bit lighter weight should be ok. I can also pick up different dumb bells as necessary in the future.
Yesterday was day 1: chest and arms and some ab work. Since this workout has a lot of pull ups and push ups, I knew I was in for a test. Over the several pull up segments, I believe I averaged about 1/2 per 30 second or one minute segment. The only way is up after that! It must have been a good workout as today, I'm having difficulty lifting my arms very high.
Today was plyometrics, which was a lot less strenuous but certainly worked my tail off. I kept up with this workout a lot better. Tomorrow is shoulders and arms so should be more very hard work. I guess if it's hard and I'm sore, it's doing the job.
On the "normal" training side, I've kept my run streak alive at over 140 days and tuned up my mountain bike for a break from the norm. I have a half-marathon on November 3, which I'm doing mostly for the interesting participant medal so have no set expectations. I might even run it with no Garmin and just enjoy the day.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Bourbon Chase Wrap-Up
This past weekend was the Bourbon Chase, a 200 mile, 12 person running relay throughout bourbon country. It starts at the Jim Beam distillery and ends in Lexington, near Rupp Arena. Our team was scheduled to leave at 3:30 pm from Beam and finish in Lexington about 8 or 8:30 Saturday evening.
We were split into two vans; I was in van 2 and was runner 8. Therefore, I wouldn't be running for at least 5-6 hours after the start. We all met at Beam to see our team off, check-in, etc. While there, we ate some lunch, picked up a little Beam swag then made our way toward Maker's Mark after a dinner stop, where van 2 would be starting after the first 6 runners ran their legs. We picked up our t-shirts and began getting our night running gear together as we would be running our first legs after dark.
I was running 11.8 miles total over the 3 legs with the longest being just over 4 so I decided to keep working on my speed with a goal of staying at about 9 minutes a mile or better. I started my 4 mile run at 8:54 pm, in nice cool temps with a touch of mist. Almost perfect running weather. I ran the first mile in 7:22, my fastest mile ever. I guess the excitement and waiting for so long made me take off like a fool. I ended up averaging 8:03 for the leg. By far my fastest run ever.
After our last van runner finished, we headed to Danville, the next major exchange point and grabbed some grub at The Hub near Centre College (nothing like a big spicy omelette at 2 in the morning) and tried to get some sleep. That didn't work out so well and I think I slept for maybe 45 minutes at the most. Long story but no need to air dirty laundry here.
My next leg started at 6:54 am and totaled 3.5 miles. Again tried to be fast and was hoping to be running into the sunrise. But with the heavy cloud cover, the sun didn't quite appear as I was finishing up the run. On this one I averaged 8:42 a mile. Pleased again, and we were off to Four Roses Distillery for the next major exchange in a few hours. They were passing out bourbon balls made with their small batch bourbon which were out of this world. No doubt, the best thing I ate all weekend.
My last leg was a bit more difficult, being rated at moderate and a total of 4.3 miles. I knew being very fast with the climbs was going to be a bit harder and it was also much warmer than my first two legs. My leg started at 3:55 pm. I pushed it as best I could and averaged 8:51. So I met my goal of keeping it under 9/mile while having a great time with a great team. The last thing to do was head toward the finish, meet up with the other van and wait for our last runner. We all gathered and crossed the finish together. The total for the team was 28:48:34 or an 8:40 pace. So much faster than my team last year. We finished 53rd out of 179 male/female teams and 104th of 287 total teams. No complaints there!
Last but not least, another gorgeous medal to add to the rack:
The last event I have scheduled for this year is a half-marathon on November 3rd. Nothing else officially planned but I'm sure something else will catch my eye!
We were split into two vans; I was in van 2 and was runner 8. Therefore, I wouldn't be running for at least 5-6 hours after the start. We all met at Beam to see our team off, check-in, etc. While there, we ate some lunch, picked up a little Beam swag then made our way toward Maker's Mark after a dinner stop, where van 2 would be starting after the first 6 runners ran their legs. We picked up our t-shirts and began getting our night running gear together as we would be running our first legs after dark.
I was running 11.8 miles total over the 3 legs with the longest being just over 4 so I decided to keep working on my speed with a goal of staying at about 9 minutes a mile or better. I started my 4 mile run at 8:54 pm, in nice cool temps with a touch of mist. Almost perfect running weather. I ran the first mile in 7:22, my fastest mile ever. I guess the excitement and waiting for so long made me take off like a fool. I ended up averaging 8:03 for the leg. By far my fastest run ever.
After our last van runner finished, we headed to Danville, the next major exchange point and grabbed some grub at The Hub near Centre College (nothing like a big spicy omelette at 2 in the morning) and tried to get some sleep. That didn't work out so well and I think I slept for maybe 45 minutes at the most. Long story but no need to air dirty laundry here.
My next leg started at 6:54 am and totaled 3.5 miles. Again tried to be fast and was hoping to be running into the sunrise. But with the heavy cloud cover, the sun didn't quite appear as I was finishing up the run. On this one I averaged 8:42 a mile. Pleased again, and we were off to Four Roses Distillery for the next major exchange in a few hours. They were passing out bourbon balls made with their small batch bourbon which were out of this world. No doubt, the best thing I ate all weekend.
My last leg was a bit more difficult, being rated at moderate and a total of 4.3 miles. I knew being very fast with the climbs was going to be a bit harder and it was also much warmer than my first two legs. My leg started at 3:55 pm. I pushed it as best I could and averaged 8:51. So I met my goal of keeping it under 9/mile while having a great time with a great team. The last thing to do was head toward the finish, meet up with the other van and wait for our last runner. We all gathered and crossed the finish together. The total for the team was 28:48:34 or an 8:40 pace. So much faster than my team last year. We finished 53rd out of 179 male/female teams and 104th of 287 total teams. No complaints there!
Last but not least, another gorgeous medal to add to the rack:
The last event I have scheduled for this year is a half-marathon on November 3rd. Nothing else officially planned but I'm sure something else will catch my eye!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Big Hit Half Marathon Wrap Up and Bourbon Chase Preview
On Sunday, I ran a half-marathon. A late course change turned this into a very flat course where I thought it would be a great chance to complete my first sub-2 hour half-marathon. Initially, I was going to go out with the 1:50 group and leave myself a little wiggle room. However, I changed course on race morning and decided to stick with the 2 hour group and then leave them at the 10-11 mile mark if I was feeling good.
The pacer told us he would try his best to keep a 9:10 pace the whole time, necessary for a two hour finish. In the first couple miles of the race, we go under the expressway for a bit and that caused the pacer's (and mine) Garmin to lose signal so we weren't entirely certain on our pace. The best we could do was check each mile split. I walked through a couple aid stations but immediately hooked back up with the pacer to keep on target. Everything was going great until we hit the mile 10 marker. Both of us were confused as there was no way it was a full mile. That meant the course would be short (more on that later). We think that the late course change to eliminate a bridge and hence a hill, caused the problem. We kept to our pace or even a bit faster than required until we reached the baseball stadium, as the race finished at home plate of Louisville Slugger Field. There was really no point in leaving the pacer any point since we were just ahead of our pace. Once inside the stadium, I sprinted as best I could to the finish.
The course, by most estimates was about 12.9 miles, and my total time was 1:56:31 at a pace of 8:54. I was very happy about the result and even ran the second half slightly faster than the first. If I extrapolate to the 13.1 mile distance, I still get a time of 1:58:27, well below my previous PR of 2:05.
The next event for me is this weekend's Bourbon Chase. Long story but I'm no longer on my original team but now running with the Louisville Landsharks instead. I have a total of 11.8 miles over 3 legs. The running is really secondary as last year wasn't very fun so I just want to enjoy the event, have fun, be silly, etc.
If you'd like to track my team, you can do so here. My team number is 476. Beyond just having fun, I'd like to run 9 minute miles or better and continue to work on my speed. Update to follow on Sunday.
The pacer told us he would try his best to keep a 9:10 pace the whole time, necessary for a two hour finish. In the first couple miles of the race, we go under the expressway for a bit and that caused the pacer's (and mine) Garmin to lose signal so we weren't entirely certain on our pace. The best we could do was check each mile split. I walked through a couple aid stations but immediately hooked back up with the pacer to keep on target. Everything was going great until we hit the mile 10 marker. Both of us were confused as there was no way it was a full mile. That meant the course would be short (more on that later). We think that the late course change to eliminate a bridge and hence a hill, caused the problem. We kept to our pace or even a bit faster than required until we reached the baseball stadium, as the race finished at home plate of Louisville Slugger Field. There was really no point in leaving the pacer any point since we were just ahead of our pace. Once inside the stadium, I sprinted as best I could to the finish.
The course, by most estimates was about 12.9 miles, and my total time was 1:56:31 at a pace of 8:54. I was very happy about the result and even ran the second half slightly faster than the first. If I extrapolate to the 13.1 mile distance, I still get a time of 1:58:27, well below my previous PR of 2:05.
The next event for me is this weekend's Bourbon Chase. Long story but I'm no longer on my original team but now running with the Louisville Landsharks instead. I have a total of 11.8 miles over 3 legs. The running is really secondary as last year wasn't very fun so I just want to enjoy the event, have fun, be silly, etc.
If you'd like to track my team, you can do so here. My team number is 476. Beyond just having fun, I'd like to run 9 minute miles or better and continue to work on my speed. Update to follow on Sunday.
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