update for week seven results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
end of week 5 on 11/7 - 209.8 / 51 lb fat / 24.3 % body fat
end of week 6 on 11/14 - 207.2 / 47.9 lb fat / 23.1 % body fat
end of week 7 on 11/21 - 206.8 / 45.9 lb fat / 22.2 % body fat
This was an odd week. I decided to take a break this week and didn't do any of the core/resistance workouts and scaled back on my biking and running so was half expecting to gain some weight. Then on Friday morning the scaled said 212, that was a shock as I hadn't been over 210 in 4 weeks, but the body fat % was down in 21 so I chalked that up to my body being in recovery mode soaking up a bunch of water and stuff. This week it's back to the regular work outs, at least as many as thanksgiving will allow. Have company at the house so getting in those early morning workouts without waking everyone up will be difficult. Thinking about moving the bike trainer into the sunroom...
Monday, November 21, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
IFWL Experiment week 6
quick update for week six results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
end of week 5 on 11/7 - 209.8 / 51 lb fat / 24.3 % body fat
end of week 6 on 11/14 - 207.2 / 47.9 lb fat / 23.1 % body fat
at the half way point for this experiment and things seem to be right on track. I've lost 11.2 lbs or almost 2lbs a week and if the scale is to be believed almost 6lbs of body fat. Not sure how long the 2 lbs / week will keep up, but the incentive and reward are still there, so doing the exercise at aerobic pace while fasted is still something I can get myself to do without problems.
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
end of week 5 on 11/7 - 209.8 / 51 lb fat / 24.3 % body fat
end of week 6 on 11/14 - 207.2 / 47.9 lb fat / 23.1 % body fat
at the half way point for this experiment and things seem to be right on track. I've lost 11.2 lbs or almost 2lbs a week and if the scale is to be believed almost 6lbs of body fat. Not sure how long the 2 lbs / week will keep up, but the incentive and reward are still there, so doing the exercise at aerobic pace while fasted is still something I can get myself to do without problems.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
IFWL Experiment - Week 5
quick update for week five results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
end of week 5 on 11/7 - 209.8 / 51 lb fat / 24.3 % body fat
That was a hard week, coming down off the prednisone, wife has to have semi-emergency wisdom teeth removal, and daughter has rehearsal every night for her ballet on Saturday and Sunday. Finally feeling back to normal and the body fat % is coming down again. The drug should be totally out of my system this week so I'm hoping to get a more normal reading next monday, but it looks like the fat is still coming off. I'm still doing my weight routine and am getting stronger with those exercises.
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
end of week 5 on 11/7 - 209.8 / 51 lb fat / 24.3 % body fat
That was a hard week, coming down off the prednisone, wife has to have semi-emergency wisdom teeth removal, and daughter has rehearsal every night for her ballet on Saturday and Sunday. Finally feeling back to normal and the body fat % is coming down again. The drug should be totally out of my system this week so I'm hoping to get a more normal reading next monday, but it looks like the fat is still coming off. I'm still doing my weight routine and am getting stronger with those exercises.
Monday, October 31, 2011
IFWL Experiment - Week 4
quick update for week four results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
At first glance it looks great to lose 6 lbs in a week, but of course we know that's not real since the body fat went way up. I did some yard work the previous weekend and was bit by something and got poison ivy or something like that and had an allergic reaction. so I've been on some kind of drug, prednisol?, for the past week and last night my body decided to get start a faster filtering process so I was up every hour to go flush out the system. Anyway I was definitely dehydrated this morning. On the positive side if I look back to the end of week one when I was at the same body fat % I am 6 lbs under that. Saturday morning at was at 212 and I suspect that is about right, so I'm going to claim 2 more lbs this week and 6 for the month.
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54.8 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
end of week 4 on 10/31 - 208.6 / 53.4 lb fat / 25.6 % body fat
At first glance it looks great to lose 6 lbs in a week, but of course we know that's not real since the body fat went way up. I did some yard work the previous weekend and was bit by something and got poison ivy or something like that and had an allergic reaction. so I've been on some kind of drug, prednisol?, for the past week and last night my body decided to get start a faster filtering process so I was up every hour to go flush out the system. Anyway I was definitely dehydrated this morning. On the positive side if I look back to the end of week one when I was at the same body fat % I am 6 lbs under that. Saturday morning at was at 212 and I suspect that is about right, so I'm going to claim 2 more lbs this week and 6 for the month.
Monday, October 24, 2011
IFWL Experiment - Week 3
quick update for week three results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
I slacked off a bit last week and it shows, will attempt to get back on track this week. no cheating with the peanut M&M's and more focus on whole foods...
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
end of week 3 on 10/24 - 214.4 / 51.7 lb fat / 24.1% body fat
I slacked off a bit last week and it shows, will attempt to get back on track this week. no cheating with the peanut M&M's and more focus on whole foods...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Week two of the IFWL Experiment
quick update for week two results
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
looks like progress is being made, about 2 lbs a week is nice and where I'd like to be, so business as usually this week
weigh in on 10/3 - 218.4 / 53.3 lb fat / 24.4% body fat
end of week 1 on 10/10 - 214.2 / 54 lb fat / 25.6% body fat
end of week 2 on 10/17 - 214.4 / 51 lb fat / 23.8% body fat
looks like progress is being made, about 2 lbs a week is nice and where I'd like to be, so business as usually this week
Monday, October 10, 2011
Week one of the IFWL Experiment
So since I'm injured and don't expect to be doing any intensity any time soon I've decided to try out an experiment on myself. Intermittent fasting has been gaining some popularity on the fringes of the endurance community as a way to loose some of your fat reserves without having to starve yourself. So here is how it is supposed to work, as I understand it.
You eat dinner the night before as usual and then go to bed and sleep. Get up in the AM and before eating anything, do an aerobic workout in the fat burning zone for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Then attempt to make it until it has been 12 hours since you last ate before eating breakfast. Do this 3 or 4 times a week. The idea is to teach your body to rely on fat as fuel and to lessen it's need for quick carbs.
My starting weight was 218.6 - and body fat % at 24.4 - quick note here, I am using a scale to measure body fat and while it gets close, it is by no means accurate. it is very susceptible to hydration and humidity, but is generally within a 3% range.
After one week my weight is at 214.2 and body fat % at 25.6. I suspect that this mornings lowering of weight and upping of body fat is due to me being dehydrated after yesterday's 40 mile bike / 3 hours of yard work. But I do believe I have lost some of that as real weight loss. Next week should be a better indicator as I won't be doing all the yard work and should be in a better hydrated state.
I did 3 workouts fasted the first week.
Monday - 30 min spin on the bike + 30 minutes of core and resistance
Wednesday - 45 min spin on the bike + 30 minutes of core and resistance
Friday - 5 minute walk on Treadmill + 30 minutes of core and resistance
I also took a 90 minute spin class Thursday night ( which explains the no spinning of friday), and did the aforementioned 40 mile bike + yardwork on Sunday.
I have modified my diet slightly as I am trying to eat more vegetables throughout the day and eat less for dinner, but I am not going hungry. I usually start off the workout hungry, but after about 15 minutes that goes away, at least until I am done with the workout.
My goal is to lose about 15 lbs of fat before Christmas, get my injuries healed up and be ready for next year.
You eat dinner the night before as usual and then go to bed and sleep. Get up in the AM and before eating anything, do an aerobic workout in the fat burning zone for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Then attempt to make it until it has been 12 hours since you last ate before eating breakfast. Do this 3 or 4 times a week. The idea is to teach your body to rely on fat as fuel and to lessen it's need for quick carbs.
My starting weight was 218.6 - and body fat % at 24.4 - quick note here, I am using a scale to measure body fat and while it gets close, it is by no means accurate. it is very susceptible to hydration and humidity, but is generally within a 3% range.
After one week my weight is at 214.2 and body fat % at 25.6. I suspect that this mornings lowering of weight and upping of body fat is due to me being dehydrated after yesterday's 40 mile bike / 3 hours of yard work. But I do believe I have lost some of that as real weight loss. Next week should be a better indicator as I won't be doing all the yard work and should be in a better hydrated state.
I did 3 workouts fasted the first week.
Monday - 30 min spin on the bike + 30 minutes of core and resistance
Wednesday - 45 min spin on the bike + 30 minutes of core and resistance
Friday - 5 minute walk on Treadmill + 30 minutes of core and resistance
I also took a 90 minute spin class Thursday night ( which explains the no spinning of friday), and did the aforementioned 40 mile bike + yardwork on Sunday.
I have modified my diet slightly as I am trying to eat more vegetables throughout the day and eat less for dinner, but I am not going hungry. I usually start off the workout hungry, but after about 15 minutes that goes away, at least until I am done with the workout.
My goal is to lose about 15 lbs of fat before Christmas, get my injuries healed up and be ready for next year.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
White Lake Internation Tri Race Report
Was really looking forward to this race but unfortunately it didn't work out quite the way I wanted. Leading up to the race my shoulder that I injured at the beginning of the year started hurting again. I stopped swimming in hopes that it would recover enough for me to get at least a desent time in the swim portion, then I wanted to really hammer the bike and run just to see what I could do after a great spring/summer of training and racing.
The race ended up being wetsuit legal. boooooooo. but on the plus side I think the wetsuit helped my shoulder track better and I had no issues what so ever on the swim. tool off to the left of the pack, jumped on some feet until they veered of course, then went at it solo for the rest of the 1200 meters. After I made the first turn I finally noticed that the buoys had meter markers on them. The first one I saw was 700. This kept me facinated and keeping close enough to them so I could read them. I think this was the straightest I've ever swum and kept my pace conservative. It was a good thing I did that as about 1300 or so my swim unconditioning starting to show and I really had to work to keep the pace up for the last 200. Finished about 30 minutes for the 1500 swim and 4th in the MC division.
After a quick transition I headed out on the bike. In the first mile I was doing 21 and I saw an MC go flying by me. He was hauling ass and I knew better than to try to stay on him. I wanted to go fast, but not totally blow it out. I managed a 21.5 mph average for the 27+ miles and felt really strong. I had that I could have gone faster feeling and didn't think my legs were trashed at all. Finished in 1:17, 5th best in MC.
took a bit more time in T2 to make sure I had everything, then headed out on the run, just as I was leaving the rack I saw Collin, another MC heading out the other side of transition. he looked speedy, so there was now at least 2 in front of me. I did the first mile in 8:50 and felt good. legs were coming around, it wasn't too hot and I had consumed all 3 of my gels and drank about 40 oz of water. Ran mile 2 in 8:30 and wanted to do 2 more at that pace then see what I had left. Of course that's when it all fell apart. At about 2.5 my left hamstring cramped up so bad I couldn't walk. I don't want to get into all the gory details, but I cramped up at least 4 more times over the next 4 miles and lost 3rd place by 15 seconds. the 3rd MC passed me while cramping the last time at mile 5.5, I tried to catch, but he saw me and had more left than I at that point.
Totally frustrated with my cramping situation on the mid distance races. Sprints, no problems, ironman, no cramps, but international distance, cramps like crazy. Oh well, got plenty of time before the next one to work on it.
The race ended up being wetsuit legal. boooooooo. but on the plus side I think the wetsuit helped my shoulder track better and I had no issues what so ever on the swim. tool off to the left of the pack, jumped on some feet until they veered of course, then went at it solo for the rest of the 1200 meters. After I made the first turn I finally noticed that the buoys had meter markers on them. The first one I saw was 700. This kept me facinated and keeping close enough to them so I could read them. I think this was the straightest I've ever swum and kept my pace conservative. It was a good thing I did that as about 1300 or so my swim unconditioning starting to show and I really had to work to keep the pace up for the last 200. Finished about 30 minutes for the 1500 swim and 4th in the MC division.
After a quick transition I headed out on the bike. In the first mile I was doing 21 and I saw an MC go flying by me. He was hauling ass and I knew better than to try to stay on him. I wanted to go fast, but not totally blow it out. I managed a 21.5 mph average for the 27+ miles and felt really strong. I had that I could have gone faster feeling and didn't think my legs were trashed at all. Finished in 1:17, 5th best in MC.
took a bit more time in T2 to make sure I had everything, then headed out on the run, just as I was leaving the rack I saw Collin, another MC heading out the other side of transition. he looked speedy, so there was now at least 2 in front of me. I did the first mile in 8:50 and felt good. legs were coming around, it wasn't too hot and I had consumed all 3 of my gels and drank about 40 oz of water. Ran mile 2 in 8:30 and wanted to do 2 more at that pace then see what I had left. Of course that's when it all fell apart. At about 2.5 my left hamstring cramped up so bad I couldn't walk. I don't want to get into all the gory details, but I cramped up at least 4 more times over the next 4 miles and lost 3rd place by 15 seconds. the 3rd MC passed me while cramping the last time at mile 5.5, I tried to catch, but he saw me and had more left than I at that point.
Totally frustrated with my cramping situation on the mid distance races. Sprints, no problems, ironman, no cramps, but international distance, cramps like crazy. Oh well, got plenty of time before the next one to work on it.
Tri the Worx race report
This was my 3rd race in 4 weeks. I'm going to do a write up on the experiment I was doing this year on the multi week peak, but first I need to do this write up before I forget all that happened.
This was an awesome race, the race orgainizers have a great site and did a great job of setup and execution. I have no complaints about it at all and would definitely do this race again.
*********************
Yeah, so much for those two paragraphs above that I wrote 3 weeks ago, and now I've forgotten all the good stuff...
anyway I want to write some info here since I will probably do this one again next year and hopefully the wife and kid will actually watch me for part of it instead of playing on the play ground the whole time.
The Pool:
It was an outdoor pool and there was plenty of time for warmup. the thing here was you had to get out and run through the inside pool area to get out to the transition area, and I caught the lady in front of me who caught the lady in front of her. I think instead of 1:28, next year a 1:24 would be better.
T1: The bike start is out the back and up a hill. get to the top before trying to mount.
Bike: loved this bike course mostly a low hill rolling type. only got out of the saddle once. the last right turn was a bit dicey with a bunch of cars at the light, they should probably do something about that as I had to go into the left turn lane to get around the cars so I could make a right. I'm sure the jerk that moved way to the right so the bikes couldn't go around and make that right did it on purpose, but what can you do.
T2: the bike finish is at the top of the hill, be careful running down this hill. slippery when wet...
Run: the run was about .2 short, don't be afraid to go all out after the turn around, the way back is easier then the way out on this out and back course.
This was an awesome race, the race orgainizers have a great site and did a great job of setup and execution. I have no complaints about it at all and would definitely do this race again.
*********************
Yeah, so much for those two paragraphs above that I wrote 3 weeks ago, and now I've forgotten all the good stuff...
anyway I want to write some info here since I will probably do this one again next year and hopefully the wife and kid will actually watch me for part of it instead of playing on the play ground the whole time.
The Pool:
It was an outdoor pool and there was plenty of time for warmup. the thing here was you had to get out and run through the inside pool area to get out to the transition area, and I caught the lady in front of me who caught the lady in front of her. I think instead of 1:28, next year a 1:24 would be better.
T1: The bike start is out the back and up a hill. get to the top before trying to mount.
Bike: loved this bike course mostly a low hill rolling type. only got out of the saddle once. the last right turn was a bit dicey with a bunch of cars at the light, they should probably do something about that as I had to go into the left turn lane to get around the cars so I could make a right. I'm sure the jerk that moved way to the right so the bikes couldn't go around and make that right did it on purpose, but what can you do.
T2: the bike finish is at the top of the hill, be careful running down this hill. slippery when wet...
Run: the run was about .2 short, don't be afraid to go all out after the turn around, the way back is easier then the way out on this out and back course.
Monday, August 1, 2011
UNC Wellness sprint tri race report
I was a little confused pre-race as I thought the transition area closed at 6:30 and the pool warmup time ended at 6:45. Had them reversed. This was one of those races where they actually enforced the times. The day started out nice, it was overcast and cooler than it had been for a couple weeks and we had no difficulties getting to the race site. I picked Karyn up at 5:30 and she didn't have a flat tire. Got to the race site around 6, setup transition and did an easy warmup jog. Karyn pointed out the bike start where you had to go over a curb and some grass to get to the street before the start, very helpful. After the warmup jog it was close to 6:30 and I wanted to get my warmup swim in so I hit the pool and started. As I was swimming I noticed people kept getting out and no one new getting in. Then I was all alone. I got the end of one of my laps and the official looking guy says "Are you all warmed up?" I said just about, but I feel all alone. He says "That's because the pool is closed for warmup now". oops. He let me do one more lap then out I went. One more quick trip to the port o john and it was time to line up for the swim.
Swim: 250 yards 3:30 - 1:24 / 100 yards ( 1st in MC div )
Had just an awesome swim. No shoulder pain, gliding through the water felt effortless. The guy in front of me was a relay and fast, but the guy behind was a bit slow, so after lap 2 I had the lanes to myself. Wish all swims could feel that good.
T1: 1:40 ( 3rd in MC div )
there was a long jog from the pool to the transition area, and then a long jog with bike shoes on to the other end of transition before starting the bike. Actually not a bad time considering
Bike: 9.3 miles in 28:50 ( 3rd in MC div )
The bike was better than I expected. I thought it was going to be really hilly, but after about 3 miles of tough neighborhood hills and tight turns the last 6 were just rolling. At about mile 5-6 I shifted into the small ring and my chain came off. I had to stop and dismount to get it back on. I've done that often, so probably only cost me 30 seconds, 30 seconds I didn't have...
T2: 1:15 ( 3rd in MC div )
another long run in bike shoes, no socks this time but did get my hat out of the cooler and remembered my race number.
run: 5k in 24:31 ( 2nd in MC div by 2 seconds )
Great run for me, there were two really tough hills on this out and back, the first half mile was all up, and then mile 2 - 2.5 was all up before getting a nice finish downhill for a half mile. I only got passed by 3-4 people and was able to pass a few, not much walking seen on this one compared to Mission Man last week, but it was much better conditions without the sun and starting an hour earlier.
Total: 59:44 ( 2nd in MC div by :13 seconds )
obviously I feel that if my chain incident hadn't happened I would have had another win, but things happen and I didn't panic and still was in the running. Post race we walked over to a coffee shop and I got my iced mocha while waiting for the other competitors to finish up. This race, the prize was a folding chair, nice.
Swim: 250 yards 3:30 - 1:24 / 100 yards ( 1st in MC div )
Had just an awesome swim. No shoulder pain, gliding through the water felt effortless. The guy in front of me was a relay and fast, but the guy behind was a bit slow, so after lap 2 I had the lanes to myself. Wish all swims could feel that good.
T1: 1:40 ( 3rd in MC div )
there was a long jog from the pool to the transition area, and then a long jog with bike shoes on to the other end of transition before starting the bike. Actually not a bad time considering
Bike: 9.3 miles in 28:50 ( 3rd in MC div )
The bike was better than I expected. I thought it was going to be really hilly, but after about 3 miles of tough neighborhood hills and tight turns the last 6 were just rolling. At about mile 5-6 I shifted into the small ring and my chain came off. I had to stop and dismount to get it back on. I've done that often, so probably only cost me 30 seconds, 30 seconds I didn't have...
T2: 1:15 ( 3rd in MC div )
another long run in bike shoes, no socks this time but did get my hat out of the cooler and remembered my race number.
run: 5k in 24:31 ( 2nd in MC div by 2 seconds )
Great run for me, there were two really tough hills on this out and back, the first half mile was all up, and then mile 2 - 2.5 was all up before getting a nice finish downhill for a half mile. I only got passed by 3-4 people and was able to pass a few, not much walking seen on this one compared to Mission Man last week, but it was much better conditions without the sun and starting an hour earlier.
Total: 59:44 ( 2nd in MC div by :13 seconds )
obviously I feel that if my chain incident hadn't happened I would have had another win, but things happen and I didn't panic and still was in the running. Post race we walked over to a coffee shop and I got my iced mocha while waiting for the other competitors to finish up. This race, the prize was a folding chair, nice.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Mission Man tri race report
Since I have another tri tomorrow I better type this out before I forget or get the two confused. you know how us old people are...
This was a great race for me. I am definitely not a good warm weather athlete, so I was more than a little nervous about this one as the race start was at 8am and predicted to be in the upper 70's with upper 80's when I started the run. Picked up Karyn around 5:30, she had a flat and was attempting to change the tire. I put the new tube in and we tried to pump it up, but the new tube was also dead, so we loaded up the bike and drove to the race thinking they would have tubes there. she as 650's on her bike or I would have given her my spare. Made it to the race site to find out that tri-sports bike assistance wasn't set up yet. I got all my stuff setup, body marked and was about to go out for my warmup jog when I hear the announcer make a plea for anyone with a spare 650 tube, I look over and there is Karyn standing next to him. Luckily a kind sole had one for her, then it took the bike mech about 10 minutes to change put the new tube in. I had done it in 3 minutes in her garage so I was disappointed to say the least the bike assistance crew, first not having 650 tubes is nuts, then not being able to get the tire changed. but luckily she got it all straightened out and was ready for the start. My pre-race went much easier and I got my 2 trips to the port o john, warmup run, and warmup swim with no hassles. Just after the first wave went my stomach said, "ah maybe you should make another trip" I was in the third wave, so I jogged over to the now empty poj line and took care of business and was back at the start just in time to wish Mika and karyn luck and get into the water for my start.
Swim: 15:44 #2 in MC div ( :02 seconds away from #1 )
With my shoulder still on the mend I knew my success in the swim would hinge on swimming as straight as possible and maintaining the best form. so there was no sprint at the start, not jockey for position, just stroke and sight. Very happy to report I swam possible the straightest I have ever done in a race and aside from one dufus who kept cris crossing in front of me in the first 200 yards had an uneventful swim. the best kind...
T1: :55
no messing around in T1 - shoes, helmet, glasses on, head out
Bike: 43:46 #3 in MC div ( :23 seconds away from #1 )
the first 5 or so miles on the bike I was trying to maintain a fast pace and wait for my lungs to catch up, but that wasn't happening so I slowed down, drank some and took it easy for about a mile until my breathing returned to semi-normal, then began to pick up the speed until I got the breaking point, then backed off slightly and kept that pace. It was really hard as the air quality was not so great and the heat was on the rise. Only say a couple drafters today, and they were all relay teams, ( not to relay teams: you are not allowed to draft either ) so was happy about that, passed a bunch of people and got passed by only a few. when I pulled into the park I was over 20mph ave so very happy.
T2: 1:42
did some messing around in T2 but it ended up helping me. Needed to cool off before the run so took some extra time to dig ice out of my cooler and put a handful in my hat, and another handful down my tri-suit. yes it was cold, but felt really good.
Run: 26:40 #2 in MC div ( :01 second away from #1 )
Within the first 1/2 mile I knew the run was not going to be fast today. At the first water stop I asked for water, but the boy gave me Heed instead, I didn't notice till I dumped it on my head, so the run was literally hot and sticky. When we turned onto the trail, I cut back the speed and got to a maintainable pace, on the uphills I was passing walkers left and right, the carnage was already starting. Normally for a sprint I am for low 8's on the run, but today I wasn't even going to look. I just got in a rhythm and went. It was probably one of the harder runs I've ever done, but mentally I was ready for it and since it was a two loop course, I knew what to expect on the second loop so I was able to push up the hills knowing when they would end. There was only 1 hill I thought would be a maybe walk and when I got up that one I knew I was home free. The toughest part about this run course is there were no downhills that you could recover on. they were all short and steep. with about 1/2 mile to go finally someone passed me a speed I could hang on to and I rode his pace to the finish. I was right on the edge at the end and so I knew I had given it all I had. The best way to finish a race, at least that's how you feel about 30 minutes after you finish.
total time: 1:28:44 1st in MC division
Overall they put on a great race. plenty of water on the run, ice at the finish and a great spread of food at the end including watermelon, cantalope, oranges, cookies, chips, gatorade, sode, water and other stuff. and to top it off I got this reward
This was a great race for me. I am definitely not a good warm weather athlete, so I was more than a little nervous about this one as the race start was at 8am and predicted to be in the upper 70's with upper 80's when I started the run. Picked up Karyn around 5:30, she had a flat and was attempting to change the tire. I put the new tube in and we tried to pump it up, but the new tube was also dead, so we loaded up the bike and drove to the race thinking they would have tubes there. she as 650's on her bike or I would have given her my spare. Made it to the race site to find out that tri-sports bike assistance wasn't set up yet. I got all my stuff setup, body marked and was about to go out for my warmup jog when I hear the announcer make a plea for anyone with a spare 650 tube, I look over and there is Karyn standing next to him. Luckily a kind sole had one for her, then it took the bike mech about 10 minutes to change put the new tube in. I had done it in 3 minutes in her garage so I was disappointed to say the least the bike assistance crew, first not having 650 tubes is nuts, then not being able to get the tire changed. but luckily she got it all straightened out and was ready for the start. My pre-race went much easier and I got my 2 trips to the port o john, warmup run, and warmup swim with no hassles. Just after the first wave went my stomach said, "ah maybe you should make another trip" I was in the third wave, so I jogged over to the now empty poj line and took care of business and was back at the start just in time to wish Mika and karyn luck and get into the water for my start.
Swim: 15:44 #2 in MC div ( :02 seconds away from #1 )
With my shoulder still on the mend I knew my success in the swim would hinge on swimming as straight as possible and maintaining the best form. so there was no sprint at the start, not jockey for position, just stroke and sight. Very happy to report I swam possible the straightest I have ever done in a race and aside from one dufus who kept cris crossing in front of me in the first 200 yards had an uneventful swim. the best kind...
T1: :55
no messing around in T1 - shoes, helmet, glasses on, head out
Bike: 43:46 #3 in MC div ( :23 seconds away from #1 )
the first 5 or so miles on the bike I was trying to maintain a fast pace and wait for my lungs to catch up, but that wasn't happening so I slowed down, drank some and took it easy for about a mile until my breathing returned to semi-normal, then began to pick up the speed until I got the breaking point, then backed off slightly and kept that pace. It was really hard as the air quality was not so great and the heat was on the rise. Only say a couple drafters today, and they were all relay teams, ( not to relay teams: you are not allowed to draft either ) so was happy about that, passed a bunch of people and got passed by only a few. when I pulled into the park I was over 20mph ave so very happy.
T2: 1:42
did some messing around in T2 but it ended up helping me. Needed to cool off before the run so took some extra time to dig ice out of my cooler and put a handful in my hat, and another handful down my tri-suit. yes it was cold, but felt really good.
Run: 26:40 #2 in MC div ( :01 second away from #1 )
Within the first 1/2 mile I knew the run was not going to be fast today. At the first water stop I asked for water, but the boy gave me Heed instead, I didn't notice till I dumped it on my head, so the run was literally hot and sticky. When we turned onto the trail, I cut back the speed and got to a maintainable pace, on the uphills I was passing walkers left and right, the carnage was already starting. Normally for a sprint I am for low 8's on the run, but today I wasn't even going to look. I just got in a rhythm and went. It was probably one of the harder runs I've ever done, but mentally I was ready for it and since it was a two loop course, I knew what to expect on the second loop so I was able to push up the hills knowing when they would end. There was only 1 hill I thought would be a maybe walk and when I got up that one I knew I was home free. The toughest part about this run course is there were no downhills that you could recover on. they were all short and steep. with about 1/2 mile to go finally someone passed me a speed I could hang on to and I rode his pace to the finish. I was right on the edge at the end and so I knew I had given it all I had. The best way to finish a race, at least that's how you feel about 30 minutes after you finish.
total time: 1:28:44 1st in MC division
Overall they put on a great race. plenty of water on the run, ice at the finish and a great spread of food at the end including watermelon, cantalope, oranges, cookies, chips, gatorade, sode, water and other stuff. and to top it off I got this reward
Monday, June 6, 2011
kerr lake tri race report
It's been a while since I've done one of these, not sure why but the previous races I guess I just didn't suffer enough to put the effort into doing a write up. I keep thinking I'm going to go back and add them, but I'm not making any promises. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
I got to the race site early to pick up my packet and finish final preparations. It rained a bit on the way there so I was hopeful for a cooler than expected race. It wasn't too hot but the humidity was up there. Setup my transition area and talked to some friends then when walking back to transition I saw Mika holding her swim cap and remembered I left mine in the race packet back in my car. ok, one more trip to the car ain't going to kill me. Got the race cap, did a quick warmup run and swim and waited for my wave to start.
The Swim: 37:32 - ( 29:36 in 2007 )
the swim was long to start with but when you add in that the buoy came loose and drifted after the 2nd wave passed by it adds even more. when I got out of the water and say 36 something on my watch ( the timing mat was at the top of the hill ), I was a bit depressed since I was hoping to limit my loses due to my shoulder injury to 2 - 3 minutes, so 6 minutes ( I normally swim 29-30 for oly distance ) was not good. Hindsight being 20/20 in all I can see by the results from this year vs last that the top 15 swimmers, which didn't have the buoy drift, were still 2 - 4 minutes slower than last year, so now it makes more sense. Just another reason why time goals at triathlons are not such a good idea. Any way not much happened on the swim, I started back and left since I knew there was no sprint in me and I didn't want to get hammered. I had one mishap of swimming off course when I was spotting on something yellow ( looked like the turn buoy ) in somebody's yard, until I realized I was swimming all by myself and corrected it. It did start to rain on the final 200 yards which felt kinda odd, I busied my brain with stupid thoughts of I can't wait to finish this swim so I won't keep getting wet from the rain. when I got out of the water I heard a thunder clap and wondered if they would pull everyone else from the water. But it was the only thunder I heard and everyone else got to finish up their swim.
T1: 1:42 - ( 2:52 in 2007 )
last time we had wetsuits, so transition was faster, but I did take a bit longer to put my running shoes in a bag so they wouldn't be soaked from the rain when I started the run.
Bike: 1:09:44 - ( 1:13:58 in 2007)
When I got on the bike I was pissed about my swim time and since my legs felt awesome I just started to hammer. At mile 10 I was averaging 22 mph and reality set in that I still needed to do a 10k after this so I settled into my just below acid level for the rest of the bike. I love this bike course, it's rolling with no major climbs so perfect for me, I can maintain my speed up the hills, then spin to recover before going back into pace. the wind was at our back on the gradual uphill out, so coming back on the gradual downhill it would be in our faces. perfect for fast bike splits. 4 minutes faster than last time!
T2: 1:50 - ( 1:39 in 2007 )
took a little longer to make sure to not forget my race number, put on socks for the run and dig the dry shoes out of the bag.
Run: 54:55 - ( 58:20 in 2007 )
got off the bike with a bit of stomach issue going on so didn't take my last gel, but my legs felt great and I did my first two miles in 8:35 and 8:25, was taking in water and ice for the hat at each stop, mile 3 was downhill so picked it up and had and 8 minute mile, I was at 24:02 at three miles and on pace for a 10k pr (53:14), mile 4 is uphill and I slowed a bit for a 9 minute mile, but with only 2 miles togo I thought if I could do mile 5 at 9 minutes then mile 6 was downhill again and I could ride the adrenaline in. But that wasn't going to happen. my left hamstring cramped up bad just after mile 4. I had to stop and stretch it out for 2 full minutes before I could walk again and then slowly start running, mile 5 ended up a 10:41 so my dream of breaking my 10k pr was gone but 2:45 for the race was still out there if I could just hold on. mile 6 is downhill and my leg was feeling better and I did an 8:20, unfortunately just as I made the turn for the finish and the last .2 I could feel the pre cramp tinglings coming on, so no, there would be no sprint to the finish to break 2:45, at this point I just wanted to make it to the end with being bent over in pain.
total time 2:45:12 - ( 2:46:22 in 2007 )
Before the race I looked up last years results for the master clyde division and thought if I could break 2:40 I could get 2nd, the 1st place MC from last year signed up and he had a 2:27 so I didn't think first was possible. I was totally shocked when I saw I got 1st. The previous years winner didn't show up and it looks like one of the other guys who had finished low 2:40's last year had some bike issues. Just goes to show that you can't put so much faith in time goals for triathlons, they course and conditions dictate time and mother nature is very fickle.
I got to the race site early to pick up my packet and finish final preparations. It rained a bit on the way there so I was hopeful for a cooler than expected race. It wasn't too hot but the humidity was up there. Setup my transition area and talked to some friends then when walking back to transition I saw Mika holding her swim cap and remembered I left mine in the race packet back in my car. ok, one more trip to the car ain't going to kill me. Got the race cap, did a quick warmup run and swim and waited for my wave to start.
The Swim: 37:32 - ( 29:36 in 2007 )
the swim was long to start with but when you add in that the buoy came loose and drifted after the 2nd wave passed by it adds even more. when I got out of the water and say 36 something on my watch ( the timing mat was at the top of the hill ), I was a bit depressed since I was hoping to limit my loses due to my shoulder injury to 2 - 3 minutes, so 6 minutes ( I normally swim 29-30 for oly distance ) was not good. Hindsight being 20/20 in all I can see by the results from this year vs last that the top 15 swimmers, which didn't have the buoy drift, were still 2 - 4 minutes slower than last year, so now it makes more sense. Just another reason why time goals at triathlons are not such a good idea. Any way not much happened on the swim, I started back and left since I knew there was no sprint in me and I didn't want to get hammered. I had one mishap of swimming off course when I was spotting on something yellow ( looked like the turn buoy ) in somebody's yard, until I realized I was swimming all by myself and corrected it. It did start to rain on the final 200 yards which felt kinda odd, I busied my brain with stupid thoughts of I can't wait to finish this swim so I won't keep getting wet from the rain. when I got out of the water I heard a thunder clap and wondered if they would pull everyone else from the water. But it was the only thunder I heard and everyone else got to finish up their swim.
T1: 1:42 - ( 2:52 in 2007 )
last time we had wetsuits, so transition was faster, but I did take a bit longer to put my running shoes in a bag so they wouldn't be soaked from the rain when I started the run.
Bike: 1:09:44 - ( 1:13:58 in 2007)
When I got on the bike I was pissed about my swim time and since my legs felt awesome I just started to hammer. At mile 10 I was averaging 22 mph and reality set in that I still needed to do a 10k after this so I settled into my just below acid level for the rest of the bike. I love this bike course, it's rolling with no major climbs so perfect for me, I can maintain my speed up the hills, then spin to recover before going back into pace. the wind was at our back on the gradual uphill out, so coming back on the gradual downhill it would be in our faces. perfect for fast bike splits. 4 minutes faster than last time!
T2: 1:50 - ( 1:39 in 2007 )
took a little longer to make sure to not forget my race number, put on socks for the run and dig the dry shoes out of the bag.
Run: 54:55 - ( 58:20 in 2007 )
got off the bike with a bit of stomach issue going on so didn't take my last gel, but my legs felt great and I did my first two miles in 8:35 and 8:25, was taking in water and ice for the hat at each stop, mile 3 was downhill so picked it up and had and 8 minute mile, I was at 24:02 at three miles and on pace for a 10k pr (53:14), mile 4 is uphill and I slowed a bit for a 9 minute mile, but with only 2 miles togo I thought if I could do mile 5 at 9 minutes then mile 6 was downhill again and I could ride the adrenaline in. But that wasn't going to happen. my left hamstring cramped up bad just after mile 4. I had to stop and stretch it out for 2 full minutes before I could walk again and then slowly start running, mile 5 ended up a 10:41 so my dream of breaking my 10k pr was gone but 2:45 for the race was still out there if I could just hold on. mile 6 is downhill and my leg was feeling better and I did an 8:20, unfortunately just as I made the turn for the finish and the last .2 I could feel the pre cramp tinglings coming on, so no, there would be no sprint to the finish to break 2:45, at this point I just wanted to make it to the end with being bent over in pain.
total time 2:45:12 - ( 2:46:22 in 2007 )
Before the race I looked up last years results for the master clyde division and thought if I could break 2:40 I could get 2nd, the 1st place MC from last year signed up and he had a 2:27 so I didn't think first was possible. I was totally shocked when I saw I got 1st. The previous years winner didn't show up and it looks like one of the other guys who had finished low 2:40's last year had some bike issues. Just goes to show that you can't put so much faith in time goals for triathlons, they course and conditions dictate time and mother nature is very fickle.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Run for the Oaks 5K
It's been a while so this is going to be short.
My last 5k was in October of 09 so I wasn't quite sure if I knew how to do one of these. The morning was cold, but dry so I was quite happy for that. Drove down to the race site and picked up my chip. Said hi to new daily mile buddy Mika who was manning the registration table and met Chuck from the run for food international. The time was drawing near so I went out for my warmup run and then hit the port o let one last time and lined up. I guess I lined up too far back as when the race started it took me at least 1/2 mile of passing people and weaving in and out to get to clear road. I was coming up on the 1 mile mark and I thought I saw Audrey up in front of me. I thought, that can't be Audrey, she wouldn't be doing a sub 8 first mile. But then I saw her look at her watch, take a step, then look again, take another step and look again. So I ran by her and said, "Yes, you are running too fast". The first mile was right on pace at 7:44. I knew there was going to be a long climb starting at 1.5 so I tried to get ahead of my pace on the downhill and when the uphill started I was at 7:40 for the mile. The climb took more out of me than I expected but managed to hang on for a 7:49. I knew at this point I still had a half mile to climb so I did my best to hang on. when we finally started leveling off I was at an 8:20 for the mile and really had to work. Luckily a girl I had been playing leapfrog with went by me at this point and I hung on to her tail until the finally down hill section started. Mile 3 was 7:58 but I was running as fast as I could at this point, garmin says 6:30 and finished strong.
After it was all said and done I ran a 24:17 for 7:47 ave pace and a 26 second pr. A quick tidbit after the race I was doing my cooldown and was on my way back when I got lost in thought, went around a corner and tripped on a rock and face planted in a dirt parking lot.
My last 5k was in October of 09 so I wasn't quite sure if I knew how to do one of these. The morning was cold, but dry so I was quite happy for that. Drove down to the race site and picked up my chip. Said hi to new daily mile buddy Mika who was manning the registration table and met Chuck from the run for food international. The time was drawing near so I went out for my warmup run and then hit the port o let one last time and lined up. I guess I lined up too far back as when the race started it took me at least 1/2 mile of passing people and weaving in and out to get to clear road. I was coming up on the 1 mile mark and I thought I saw Audrey up in front of me. I thought, that can't be Audrey, she wouldn't be doing a sub 8 first mile. But then I saw her look at her watch, take a step, then look again, take another step and look again. So I ran by her and said, "Yes, you are running too fast". The first mile was right on pace at 7:44. I knew there was going to be a long climb starting at 1.5 so I tried to get ahead of my pace on the downhill and when the uphill started I was at 7:40 for the mile. The climb took more out of me than I expected but managed to hang on for a 7:49. I knew at this point I still had a half mile to climb so I did my best to hang on. when we finally started leveling off I was at an 8:20 for the mile and really had to work. Luckily a girl I had been playing leapfrog with went by me at this point and I hung on to her tail until the finally down hill section started. Mile 3 was 7:58 but I was running as fast as I could at this point, garmin says 6:30 and finished strong.
After it was all said and done I ran a 24:17 for 7:47 ave pace and a 26 second pr. A quick tidbit after the race I was doing my cooldown and was on my way back when I got lost in thought, went around a corner and tripped on a rock and face planted in a dirt parking lot.
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