After last year's abbreviated Muncie 70.3 due to an extremely hot stretch, we were given a discount code to use for this year's race, so several of us decided to head back. This included a couple first timers. I think a total of 21 of my tri club members headed up for the event including Ken, Megan and Jessie (first timers at the 70.3 distance), Carlos, Bill, Scott, etc.
Since my first and only half Ironman went so horribly in 2011, I felt like I was almost guaranteed a PR. The weather appeared to also be cooperating including a likely wetsuit legal swim, something none of us expected. I really didn't have any set goals heading in as I was still pointing my season toward Ironman Louisville in late August. For reference, last year was a 1 mile swim, a 30 mile bike, and a 10K run. My splits were: 49:24, 20.33 mph, and 1:13:11. I figured the swim had to be better without the heat and a wetsuit, but I wasn't sure I could keep up the pace on the bike.
I decided to go in a sleeveless wetsuit in order to avoid any potential overheating but had to wait almost an hour after the first wave, as my age group was near the end. This did have one benefit, though. I was able to target some earlier wave folks to help motivate my swim. My swim time was 41:41, a huge improvement over a .2 mile longer distance. Super pleased with that. My T1 was 6:03, not great, but I did stop to pee and get slathered in sunscreen.
We knew from local reports that miles 20-35 on the bike were going to be very rough and we weren't disappointed. I've seen items thrown off bikes on rough roads but never full aero bottles, water bottles still in expensive carbon cages, etc. It was total carnage over that section and it really seemed to kill a lot of cycling speed. As I neared the two hour mark, I looked down at my Garmin and saw I was averaging 18.3 mph. After some quick math, I realized that 18.6 mph would put me at a sub-3 hour bike split. That's something I couldn't imagine pulling off. So as we got back on the smooth, slightly downhill part of the course, which also include a bit of a tailwind, I hit the gas to see if I could do it. Bike split was 2:59:03 meeting that sub-3 target. T2 was a bit better than T1 at 4:49. Also included more peeing and sun screen.
I was now on to the run and the temperature was starting to climb. I knew I was in for some rolling hills and with the heat, wasn't really sure what to expect. I also made a big mistake leaving T2 without electrolyte tabs and felt like that hurt me, especially after the run turnaround. I think the run splits show this. I did the first 6.6 miles in 1:09 but the second in 1:25, much slower. I also probably went out too fast and paid for that later in the run, which included a lot of walking toward the end. Total for the run: 2:35:14.
Grand total for the day: 6:26:50, a 2 hour PR! Obviously my other half-Ironman was total rubbish but I was certainly proud of myself and the improvements I've made.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
My First (and probably only) Podium Finish
Yes, it's been a long long time since I've posted. However, I find the same old training stuff boring so I'm sure reading about it would be even worse.
Before I get on with the podium story, I wanted to update everyone on a couple cool apps I've been using lately. The first is GymPact. You may have read about this app in the news media and I've been using it since mid-January. Essentially, you make a "pact" with yourself to work out a certain number of days per week. A workout could be using the GPS to check in at a gym or pool for at least 30 minutes, using something like RunKeeper to take a 30 minute walk, etc. If you miss a workout, you must pay a fee for each missed workout. I've set myself at five workouts per week with a stake of $5 per missed workout. If you complete your pact, you share in the spoils of all the charges for those who didn't complete their pacts. I think I'm nearing $50 earned. Not going to get rich but it helps pay for training supplies and such. It also integrates, with a little trickery, with my Garmin. If you'd like to give it a try, I can get you a referral code that will get you an extra $5 with your first completed pact.
The other app I've using since about mid-April is My Fitness Pal. I'm going to admit that I found myself, especially during heavy training, falling into a typical trap. Work out hard and you've earned the right to eat what you want. I'm not saying I would binge on fast food every day but I wouldn't really pay very close attention to my diet. Essentially, with MFP, you enter your starting weight, your goal weight and your desired loss per week. It then spits out a calorie guideline. I've set myself to a goal weight of 199, started at 217, and want to lose about 1 pound per week. I'm now down 12 pounds since I started using MFP and can almost taste being under 200 pounds for the first time I was probably 16 years old. My only fault with this app is that if you use the default exercise information, you will severely overestimate calories burned. I've been using the info generated from my Garmin for better estimates and obviously getting pretty good results.
To piggy back on that news, I've also seen amazing overall results over the 3-4 years I've gotten serious about fitness. I started in a XXL shirt, and recently bought medium. I used to wear size 40 pants, but recently purchased size 34. Finally, for suit jackets, I've gone from a 48 to a 42. Amazing!
Now to the real reason for this blog post. USA Triathlon (USAT) has a Clydesdale division for men and an Athena division for women. The men's standard is 200 pounds or more. At 204.5 pounds, when I signed up for the Motor City Olympic Tri in Detroit, I circled the Clydesdale category without really thinking about it.
Last year, I did this race in 2:52, a PR at the distance including a 31 minute swim, about a 1:12 bike, and a 1:07 run. I knew I wanted to beat that time so had set goals of about a 30 minute swim, a 1:10 bike, and a 1 hour run for a total of 2:45 with transitions included. I never even imagined I would compete in my division as I had finished 10th of 11 Clydesdales last year.
The night before, we were all watching the weather radar closely as there were 2 patches of severe storms headed our way and we were expecting lightning at race time and possibly even a delay or cancellation. When we woke up, the skies had cleared but it appeared to be quite windy and as we headed over the bridge one of my friends commented that the river looked quite rough. As we set up our transitions, we indeed noticed small white caps on the river, which turned out to be 1-2 foot waves. It was going to be my first rough-ish open water swim.
I had some trouble sighting the buoys and took on a few mouthfuls of water but otherwise had a great swim, ending with a 29 minute swim, by far a 1500 meter PR for me. I had a total crap T1, but then headed out for a VERY windy bike. Luckily, the headwind was only about 1/4th of a lap (total of 4 laps) so we got to ride with a tailwind a lot of the time. The headwind section did indeed stink but you at least knew you were heading for a nice tailwind in just a short time. I wanted to average 20 mph on the bike but ended at 19.8 or a time of about 1:08. Quite happy with that!
T2 was much better and then it was out for the run. The goal was sub-1 hour or about 9:40/mile. After getting settled on the run, I looked at my Garmin and noticed 8:30-8:35 pace, which was a little quick but I was feeling good. The last couple miles were slow as the fast pace finally caught up with me. The final average was 8:55 or a total of just over 54 minutes. This was also a 10K PR for me and a grand total of 2:37:23 or nearly a 15 minute PR. I couldn't believe how much I had improved, even in the less than optimal conditions!
As we were packing up, the race director was announcing the age group awards and such and then I heard my name. 2nd place in the Clydesdales! I couldn't believe it! I got a nice medal in addition to my finisher's medal and it really made my day. This race is my favorite already and this made it even more special!
Before I get on with the podium story, I wanted to update everyone on a couple cool apps I've been using lately. The first is GymPact. You may have read about this app in the news media and I've been using it since mid-January. Essentially, you make a "pact" with yourself to work out a certain number of days per week. A workout could be using the GPS to check in at a gym or pool for at least 30 minutes, using something like RunKeeper to take a 30 minute walk, etc. If you miss a workout, you must pay a fee for each missed workout. I've set myself at five workouts per week with a stake of $5 per missed workout. If you complete your pact, you share in the spoils of all the charges for those who didn't complete their pacts. I think I'm nearing $50 earned. Not going to get rich but it helps pay for training supplies and such. It also integrates, with a little trickery, with my Garmin. If you'd like to give it a try, I can get you a referral code that will get you an extra $5 with your first completed pact.
The other app I've using since about mid-April is My Fitness Pal. I'm going to admit that I found myself, especially during heavy training, falling into a typical trap. Work out hard and you've earned the right to eat what you want. I'm not saying I would binge on fast food every day but I wouldn't really pay very close attention to my diet. Essentially, with MFP, you enter your starting weight, your goal weight and your desired loss per week. It then spits out a calorie guideline. I've set myself to a goal weight of 199, started at 217, and want to lose about 1 pound per week. I'm now down 12 pounds since I started using MFP and can almost taste being under 200 pounds for the first time I was probably 16 years old. My only fault with this app is that if you use the default exercise information, you will severely overestimate calories burned. I've been using the info generated from my Garmin for better estimates and obviously getting pretty good results.
To piggy back on that news, I've also seen amazing overall results over the 3-4 years I've gotten serious about fitness. I started in a XXL shirt, and recently bought medium. I used to wear size 40 pants, but recently purchased size 34. Finally, for suit jackets, I've gone from a 48 to a 42. Amazing!
Now to the real reason for this blog post. USA Triathlon (USAT) has a Clydesdale division for men and an Athena division for women. The men's standard is 200 pounds or more. At 204.5 pounds, when I signed up for the Motor City Olympic Tri in Detroit, I circled the Clydesdale category without really thinking about it.
Last year, I did this race in 2:52, a PR at the distance including a 31 minute swim, about a 1:12 bike, and a 1:07 run. I knew I wanted to beat that time so had set goals of about a 30 minute swim, a 1:10 bike, and a 1 hour run for a total of 2:45 with transitions included. I never even imagined I would compete in my division as I had finished 10th of 11 Clydesdales last year.
The night before, we were all watching the weather radar closely as there were 2 patches of severe storms headed our way and we were expecting lightning at race time and possibly even a delay or cancellation. When we woke up, the skies had cleared but it appeared to be quite windy and as we headed over the bridge one of my friends commented that the river looked quite rough. As we set up our transitions, we indeed noticed small white caps on the river, which turned out to be 1-2 foot waves. It was going to be my first rough-ish open water swim.
I had some trouble sighting the buoys and took on a few mouthfuls of water but otherwise had a great swim, ending with a 29 minute swim, by far a 1500 meter PR for me. I had a total crap T1, but then headed out for a VERY windy bike. Luckily, the headwind was only about 1/4th of a lap (total of 4 laps) so we got to ride with a tailwind a lot of the time. The headwind section did indeed stink but you at least knew you were heading for a nice tailwind in just a short time. I wanted to average 20 mph on the bike but ended at 19.8 or a time of about 1:08. Quite happy with that!
T2 was much better and then it was out for the run. The goal was sub-1 hour or about 9:40/mile. After getting settled on the run, I looked at my Garmin and noticed 8:30-8:35 pace, which was a little quick but I was feeling good. The last couple miles were slow as the fast pace finally caught up with me. The final average was 8:55 or a total of just over 54 minutes. This was also a 10K PR for me and a grand total of 2:37:23 or nearly a 15 minute PR. I couldn't believe how much I had improved, even in the less than optimal conditions!
As we were packing up, the race director was announcing the age group awards and such and then I heard my name. 2nd place in the Clydesdales! I couldn't believe it! I got a nice medal in addition to my finisher's medal and it really made my day. This race is my favorite already and this made it even more special!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
March and April Update
In my last update, I detailed the second of the Shelbyville Winter Triathlon races. I was scheduled to do the third race on March 24th but came down with conjunctivitis (pink eye) a few days before the event. After being told not to swim for a week by the doctor, that put an end to doing that event. Can't say I was terribly disappointed as the weather was barely above freezing and raining.
The following weekend, I did an event called "One of America's Prettiest Half Marathons." I wouldn't disagree but I would prefer to call it "Beauty and the Beast." This half-marathon was held at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, KY and we were warned that it would be a very hilly course. I left bright and early from Louisville with 3 friends from the Louisville Landsharks in a very dense fog. We had all looked at the elevation profile but were completely unprepared for the amount of climbing even though the profile looked manageable. My friend Carlos and I went out with the two hour pace group but after a few miles, we knew the hills weren't going to be friendly to a sub-2 hour half. We did almost 1200 feet of climbing over the 13.1 miles and it felt like we climbed for 12 of the 13 miles. Nothing where walking was absolutely required but just constantly going up up up. Ended up with a 2:09:20, which I'll take, given the hills.
One of the nicest features of this race, beyond the very nice tech shirt, was the medal. This event designs its medals after famous race horses, perhaps not unexpected, given the location. This one is modeled after Genuine Risk.
The last of the Shelbyville Races was April 14th. I ended up beating last year's time by a bit over 3 minutes. The highlight was my fastest 400 yard swim ever, beating my prior 400 yard PR by about 20 seconds. I guess the swim work is paying off!
The big event of the last couple months was yesterday. A full marathon. Yes, you read that right, I did a full marathon, even though I hadn't planned on it. As you know, on April 15th, the running and sporting worlds were shocked by the Boston Marathon events. So as a tribute, a couple pals and I decided to upgrade from the Kentucky Derby Festival half-marathon to the full. Yes, the March 30th half was my longest training run. Yes, it was nearly a month ago. Yes, I was afraid. But my friend Carlos insisted that bike fitness is a good substitute for run fitness. He also promised to pace us to a sub-5 hour finish, which was my plan last year, but I suffered to a 5:17.
To add to the stress, I had been fighting with a blister issue, especially on my right foot. Ever since I had switched shoe sizes last fall, I had been dealing with hot spots and sometimes blisters on the balls of my feet. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 but I think part of the problem was switching brands. I had been in Asics shoes for years, but last fall, I felt great in Nikes so switched to them. Early last week, I picked up some new socks that are guaranteed to prevent blisters. But even with the socks, during a short run on Tuesday I could feel the hot spots so off to the running shop for some Asics in the smaller size.
The weather on race day was just about perfect. Mid-50s with the threat of a few sprinkles. It stayed cool and cloudy until after the event when the skies opened with some heavy rain. Carlos, me, and several other Landsharks got started and tried to keep at or just under 11 minute miles. After a few miles, it was just Carlos and me and we did a good job keeping each other in check, mostly telling each other to slow down. What a difference a year makes. Last year, I obviously went out much much too fast and paid for it over the last 8-10 miles. This year, with much less running leading up to the marathon but keeping a good pace, we met our goal. 4:47, which shaved 30 minutes off my marathon PR. I'm also in much better physical shape relative to last year where I was wrecked for a good week. Of course, this also came with another sweet medal.
The next couple of months look like this.
May 18th/19th, Tri-Fest. A sprint and olympic tri on Saturday, half-ironman on Sunday.
June 16th, Motor City Tri, olympic distance.
Until next time....
It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up--Vince Lombardi.
The following weekend, I did an event called "One of America's Prettiest Half Marathons." I wouldn't disagree but I would prefer to call it "Beauty and the Beast." This half-marathon was held at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, KY and we were warned that it would be a very hilly course. I left bright and early from Louisville with 3 friends from the Louisville Landsharks in a very dense fog. We had all looked at the elevation profile but were completely unprepared for the amount of climbing even though the profile looked manageable. My friend Carlos and I went out with the two hour pace group but after a few miles, we knew the hills weren't going to be friendly to a sub-2 hour half. We did almost 1200 feet of climbing over the 13.1 miles and it felt like we climbed for 12 of the 13 miles. Nothing where walking was absolutely required but just constantly going up up up. Ended up with a 2:09:20, which I'll take, given the hills.
One of the nicest features of this race, beyond the very nice tech shirt, was the medal. This event designs its medals after famous race horses, perhaps not unexpected, given the location. This one is modeled after Genuine Risk.
The last of the Shelbyville Races was April 14th. I ended up beating last year's time by a bit over 3 minutes. The highlight was my fastest 400 yard swim ever, beating my prior 400 yard PR by about 20 seconds. I guess the swim work is paying off!
The big event of the last couple months was yesterday. A full marathon. Yes, you read that right, I did a full marathon, even though I hadn't planned on it. As you know, on April 15th, the running and sporting worlds were shocked by the Boston Marathon events. So as a tribute, a couple pals and I decided to upgrade from the Kentucky Derby Festival half-marathon to the full. Yes, the March 30th half was my longest training run. Yes, it was nearly a month ago. Yes, I was afraid. But my friend Carlos insisted that bike fitness is a good substitute for run fitness. He also promised to pace us to a sub-5 hour finish, which was my plan last year, but I suffered to a 5:17.
To add to the stress, I had been fighting with a blister issue, especially on my right foot. Ever since I had switched shoe sizes last fall, I had been dealing with hot spots and sometimes blisters on the balls of my feet. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 but I think part of the problem was switching brands. I had been in Asics shoes for years, but last fall, I felt great in Nikes so switched to them. Early last week, I picked up some new socks that are guaranteed to prevent blisters. But even with the socks, during a short run on Tuesday I could feel the hot spots so off to the running shop for some Asics in the smaller size.
The weather on race day was just about perfect. Mid-50s with the threat of a few sprinkles. It stayed cool and cloudy until after the event when the skies opened with some heavy rain. Carlos, me, and several other Landsharks got started and tried to keep at or just under 11 minute miles. After a few miles, it was just Carlos and me and we did a good job keeping each other in check, mostly telling each other to slow down. What a difference a year makes. Last year, I obviously went out much much too fast and paid for it over the last 8-10 miles. This year, with much less running leading up to the marathon but keeping a good pace, we met our goal. 4:47, which shaved 30 minutes off my marathon PR. I'm also in much better physical shape relative to last year where I was wrecked for a good week. Of course, this also came with another sweet medal.
The next couple of months look like this.
May 18th/19th, Tri-Fest. A sprint and olympic tri on Saturday, half-ironman on Sunday.
June 16th, Motor City Tri, olympic distance.
Until next time....
It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up--Vince Lombardi.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Shelbyvill Tri Series #2 Recap
Yesterday marked the second of the winter tri series races in Shelbyville. It was a reverse order tri consisting of a 5K run, 12 mile bike, and a 400 yard swim. My prior PR for this specific distance was about 1:18 so I had designs on at least beating that but didn't really think about specific goals for each of the three legs.
The weather was originally forecast to be about 35-40 at race start but was actually a bit cooler, perhaps about 28-30 at the start. So I bundled up with tights, long sleeve under armor, running jacket, gloves, and a beanie. I was also wearing a balaclava around my neck that I planned to use on my head and face for the bike ride.
I knew my run speed had really come along so I decided to push it on the run. My 3 mile splits were 7:44, 8:23, and 8:57. Even though the run course in general goes downhill for the first half and then back up for the second, I need to work on my run pacing. I end up going out way too fast and then almost hanging out for dear life toward the end. I also noticed that with the sun out, the temperature was warming up pretty quickly so toward the end of the run, I peeled off my beanie and balaclava. Pleased with the overall run time of 25:36 which compared to 28:10 last year. Net gain of nearly 3 minutes.
T1 was a little faster than last year. 1:24 vs. 2:03. A net gain of about 40 seconds.
Bike was much more consistent than the run. Dumped the balaclava for fear of over heating and took off. The course has a couple slow grinding grades but then also a couple really nice fast sections. Total was 36:55 this year compared to 41:59 last year, a gain of over 5 minutes. Super pleased about that!
T2 was a little slower this year, losing about 30 seconds. 2:23 vs. 1:52. Not sure why exactly.
Swim was ok. Got caught behind a swim walker guy who in the deep end would doggie paddle then run in the shallow end so it took me a good 75 yards to finally get around him. Total this year was 8:39 compared to 9:06 last year. I know my swim is coming along and this just proves that the lessons are starting to pay off although I'm quite certain my kick was total crap yesterday.
Grand total: 1:15:00 this year compared to 1:23:11 last year.
So a year older and sliced 8 minutes off my time and PR'd by a bit over 3 minutes.
Until next time....
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.
The weather was originally forecast to be about 35-40 at race start but was actually a bit cooler, perhaps about 28-30 at the start. So I bundled up with tights, long sleeve under armor, running jacket, gloves, and a beanie. I was also wearing a balaclava around my neck that I planned to use on my head and face for the bike ride.
I knew my run speed had really come along so I decided to push it on the run. My 3 mile splits were 7:44, 8:23, and 8:57. Even though the run course in general goes downhill for the first half and then back up for the second, I need to work on my run pacing. I end up going out way too fast and then almost hanging out for dear life toward the end. I also noticed that with the sun out, the temperature was warming up pretty quickly so toward the end of the run, I peeled off my beanie and balaclava. Pleased with the overall run time of 25:36 which compared to 28:10 last year. Net gain of nearly 3 minutes.
T1 was a little faster than last year. 1:24 vs. 2:03. A net gain of about 40 seconds.
Bike was much more consistent than the run. Dumped the balaclava for fear of over heating and took off. The course has a couple slow grinding grades but then also a couple really nice fast sections. Total was 36:55 this year compared to 41:59 last year, a gain of over 5 minutes. Super pleased about that!
T2 was a little slower this year, losing about 30 seconds. 2:23 vs. 1:52. Not sure why exactly.
Swim was ok. Got caught behind a swim walker guy who in the deep end would doggie paddle then run in the shallow end so it took me a good 75 yards to finally get around him. Total this year was 8:39 compared to 9:06 last year. I know my swim is coming along and this just proves that the lessons are starting to pay off although I'm quite certain my kick was total crap yesterday.
Grand total: 1:15:00 this year compared to 1:23:11 last year.
So a year older and sliced 8 minutes off my time and PR'd by a bit over 3 minutes.
Until next time....
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Shelbyville Tri Series #1 Report
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...
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...
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
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