ITU World Championship Series

I had an interesting weekend to say the least. Besides the normal studying and paper writing for my summer graduate class I managed to find time to ride with coworkers. The 6AM start time on a Saturday was not my choice. I'm told until I get married and have family obligations I won't be able to appreciate the early morning workout.

The ride was pleasant and along quiet roads filled with plenty of rolling hills. I left the group after 30 miles to do a few threshold repeats. Along the way it began to rain lightly. I prefer not to ride in the rain but I was determined to get in a much needed long ride in that day. I wanted to take Sunday off to watch the ITU World Championship Series race in Washington, DC. As I turned a sharp corner on freshly paved asphalt my front wheel lost its grip. Before I knew it, I was sliding down the bike trail on my side. The injuries consist of a bruised and swollen ankle, hip, shoulder, hand, elbow, and knee. I have a bit of road rash but not too bad. I think my bike took the worst hit because the handlebars are a little out of whack. I've been taking it easy this week, which has allowed me to concentrate on my final project for school. You got to find the positive, right?

On Sunday I rode my beach cruiser into DC to watch 4 of the 5 top triathlon finishers in Beijing compete for ITU points. All the big guns were in town: Javier Gomez, Simon Whitfield, Hunter Kemper, Jan Frodeno, Jarrod Shoemaker, and Andy Potts. I had a special interest in one athlete, Matt Chrabot, because he's a member of Coastal Racing from Virginia Beach.

My first impression of the Olympic triathletes was, "Damn they're skinny!" At 5'8" and 150lbs I look fat next to these guys. I guess the less weight you carry around the better when you're at that level.

The swim portion of the race was a two loop course through the nasty, brown, debris filled Potomac. I felt bad for the guys because they spent much of the time dodging logs and trash. Afterwards, I managed to watch most of the bike on the big screen they had at T2/Finish. It was pretty awesome.


The lead group of five turned a 10 second lead out of T1 into a 45 second lead on the chase pack of 15 or so guys. The chase pack never could put things together. Shortly after the run started it was clear it was going to be a two man race between Javier Gomez and 21-year old Alistair Brownlee. Seriously, this kid looked like he could have been 16. He dropped the hammer over the last 2km and won his second race of the year.

Bike MS 100 - Washington, DC

This past weekend I took part in the National Capitol Chapter MS Ride outside of Washington, DC. Coworkers, friends, and I donated $300 for my old roommate Ryan's Team OutSPOKEn. In return, I pledged to ride the century course. I had no idea what the profile looked like but I figured I could handle another 100 miler.

When the ride began I realized I was going to be doing most of this alone. There weren't any "competitive" cyclists around to ride with so Ryan and I headed out as usual. At Mile 36 we split ways since he only wanted 60 miles. Feeling pretty good I took off and attacked a surprisingly hilly course. Despite the grades I managed 19mph for the first 60 miles. It was at that point my left knee began to ache again (remnants from MoM). I backed off but finished strong over the last 15 miles.

So over the past three weeks I've completed my first two century rides. And I don't think I'll be doing any more in the near future. The good news is... 56 miles now seems like a short ride.

MoM RR

The misery is over.

My Memorial Day weekend was full of excitement in the mountains of Blacksburg, VA. Members and friends of Coastal Racing and I participated in the annual Cycling Doubleheader of the family oriented Wilderness Ride and the ominous Mountains of Misery. Both rides provide cyclists with challenging hills and, yes, mountain passes miles long with grades the organizers boast as reaching 12-15%.

The weekend started with a casual 38-mile Wilderness Ride that Ryan and I cruised through with relative ease in under two hours. Afterward we went back to the cabin to meet up with other members for an open water swim on Claytor Lake. Amazingly the mountain water was relatively warm for May but we still sported the wetsuits. I ended up swimming 20 minutes down the lake and another 21 back for a good solid workout. Afterward we ate like kings, had a few beers, and hit the sack for tomorrow's big ride.

The morning came way too early, partly because I didn't sleep well. I don't know if it was some pre-ride jitters about not getting enough training in or the fact I crashed last year and broke my thumb.

Only four of us were in for the long ride (Joel Bell being a stud and doing the double metric). We got there not long before the start and quickly got ready and lined up for the fourth wave. This time around the directors were limiting the size of the waves, which made the ride somewhat harder than last year because we were spaced out. Ryan and I spent the first 20 miles or so trying to find a suitable group of riders to roll with. Last year I had the privilege to ride wheels for most of the first half of the ride. When you're riding 103 miles in the mountains you take what you can, when you can.

Like before, the first serious challenge arrived around Mile 60 with the first mountain climb. This year I rocked a new Bontrager Race Lite GXP compact crank (50/34) and it made a world of difference. I still had to work like a mule to get the pedals around but I could get them around. By Mile 80 I was cursing the hills of a section with four or five continous steep rollers. My left knee had started to ache from all the climbing. And all I could think was that the person who designed the course was just being mean at this point. To say the least, I was happy when I reached the "five miles remaining" sign, but I knew it was literally an uphill battle from there.

After the ride we headed back to the cabin to eat and play flip cup till early morning, which is hindsight was a bad idea. The next day I felt a bit under the weather (partly hungover) and by the second day I had a full-blown head cold that sidelined me for a week.

White Lake Half II RR

Two years ago I completed the White Lake Half triathlon in 5:49:52. It was my first ever triathlon and most painful, that is until yesterday. Previously, the pain was largely in part to being unprepared for the half-iron distance. Since 2007 I've learned a great deal about training and racing but nothing that prepared me for the heat I experienced this time around.

1.2 Mile Swim - 34:45 (1:49/100m)
It was a beautiful morning on the lake. The water was flat and a degree under wetsuit legal so everything was set for a quick time. This time around my wave was much smaller than a few weekends ago at Rumpass In Bumpass. When the horn sounded I went hard and focused on stretching out. I had not swam in the past three weeks due to an ear infection so I wanted to take it easy and get into a comfortable groove.

T1 - 2:10
Nothing to mention here. I do however want to work on getting my shoes connected to my bike so I can shave some time.

56 Mile Bike - 2:45:44 (20.3mph)
I had some minor concerns about the bike leg because I didn't put in the long rides I had wanted prior to the race. Nevertheless I wanted to focus on a 22mph pace. By the twentieth mile I had 50-51 minutes on my watch and felt great. I started doing the math and figured out I was way out of my range and backed off. After slowing for the first water station I stood up to pedal back to speed and felt a slight pull in my hamstring. To make matters worse, the wind picked up thirty miles in and was relentless the second half of the race. I decided I'd be content with a 18-20mph and not disturbing the pulled muscle.

T2 - 2:24
Once off the bike I began to notice just how hot the day had become. The weather was in the low 90s but that must have only been in the shade. I spent extra time to apply sunscreen and drink electrolites.

13.1 Mile Run - 2:07:32 (9:45/mile)
I had battled back and forth with a few guys on the bike but saved it for the run. I figured this was going to be my ace in the hole. I have been running 7:20/mile with ease in training so I figured I could rock a 1:37:00 without a problem. What I didn't count on was the heat destroying me completely. My run splits tell the story: 7:16, 7:23, 8:35, 8:38, 11:11, 9:10, 12:17, 9:11, 12:00, 13:10, 9:03, 9:28, 9:05, 1:05. The race became a war of attrition as I ran/jogged/walked my way past other age groupers. The heat was probably pushing over 100 degrees in the sun and there was zero shade for the entire run. No matter how much ice water I poured over me I could not cool off. It was brutal. I felt blisters developing in my shoes and when I looked down at my feet I noticed blood seeping out.

Total Time - 5:32:34
Going into the race I thought I had a shot at breaking 5:00:00. Even after the bike leg I thought my goal was possible. Sadly it was not my day. If you look at the results you'll see 9.6% of the men DNF'd. It was tough mentally and physically. Finishing 14/42 in my age group and setting a new PR in a half isn't bad I guess with all things considered. Good news is, my muscles aren't too sore today, however my feet are another story. It will probably be a week before I lace up the running shoes again.

Muddy Buddy RR

Muddy Buddy! Last year I was a spectator with a broken thumb and no partner. But this year I conned Ryan to saddle up and get muddy. Thus Team Hammer was born. Most teams dress up so I made Hammer t-shirts for the race.

Some background info - Muddy Buddy Richmond is an eight-mile bike/run course through Pocahontas State Park. Team members share a mountain bike by leap-frogging each other along the way. Between each bike swap teammates complete obstacles like a balance beam, climbing wall, and cargo net. The grand finale is a low crawl through a mud pit.

The course was a little damp from all the rain we've been getting so you had to hold back on the bike a bit. However, we gave it hell through the woods, a river, and dodged a deer, to speed home for an age group win. And as you've seen above the race lived up to its name.

We had a mix-up when I stepped over the start line after the race. The computer system thought we started the race again and deleted our time from the results. After a few anxious minutes before the awards things got straighted out. I have to wait for the online results to see how we placed overall.

Rumpass In Bumpass Sprint RR

I opened my triathlon race season at the Rumpass in Bumpass Sprint yesterday. Since this was my first triathlon of the year I wasn't expecting anything amazing. In the back of my mind I hoped for a new PR on the course, even without a taper.

750 Meter Swim - 13:55 (1:51/100m)
Brrr... The water was 62 degrees when the horn sounded. I'm not sure how much this affected my performance but my breathing and my ability to reach/extend my body was limited. The mass in-water start was larger than usual because the director grouped the elites with men 34 and under. There was a real battle in the first 200 meters that never truly sorted itself out, at least not around me. A little over halfway I got punched in the face out of nowhere by someone possibly trying to swim back on course. I swallowed water and had to adjust my goggles. As I rounded the last buoy I got kicked in the face.

T1 - 1:48
I had some difficulty with my wetsuit and a long run to the bike mount line.

12 Mile Bike - 35:29 (20.3mph)
The bike course was reversed from last October's Giant Acorn (and I guess shortened?). I welcomed the change because I felt it was faster in the way you approach the hills. However, this wasn't reflected in my bike split.

T2 - 1:15
I finally remembered to put my race belt on while running from transition.

5K Run - 20:08 (6:30/mile)
If there was a real gripe to have about the race course it would have to be the changes done to the run. In an effort to keep the bikers away from the runners the new course was routed through 300 feet of wooded trail and then 200 feet of gravel before reaching the road. The trail was ridiculously littered with roots and potholes. There literally was not a flat spot to step on.

Total Time - 1:12:34
I was hoping to break 1:10:00 but I don't think I've put in enough training to do that yet. Between the subtle changes in the course and my fatigue from the week's workouts I think it is safe to say I haven't lost anything over the winter. Also, another bright spot was my swim, which was somewhat competitive (36th vs 68th OA).

No Motivation

It has been two weeks since the Shamrock Half Marathon and I'm sad to say my training has been less then spectacular. In all honesty it has been sporadic at best. I've tried to get a fair amount of cycling in to ensure I don't have the same hatred for the bike portion of White Lake Half as I did in 2007. I'm wondering if my lack of motivation is due to the cumulative effect of these factors:

Fatigue - The week following Shamrock you could not find a muscle in my legs that wasn't sore. Even as I write this I can still feel some residual tendonitis in my right knee. I've taken the time off to rest and stretch my hips in hopes to release the tension.

Allergies - When I began solid/lengthy triathlon training about two years ago I noticed long workouts would leave me short of breath in the evenings. It was as if I had irritated my lungs. I couldn't breathe deeply without triggering a cough. I did research last year and uncovered I might be suffering from exercise-induced asthma. This year I began suffering from the same symptoms without long training sessions or weeks. But the coughing coincided with the height of DC's much hyped Cherry Blossoms, which is a wonderful world of pollen. About two weeks ago I performed a 10-day trial of Claritin Allergy. I noticed my breathing was corrected, my itchy eyes were no more, and I did not randomly sneeze. However, I lacked serious motivation and spent most of the week resting on the couch after work.

Work - I've had a rough go the past few weeks dealing with residents, contractors, and projects. All of which is usually spread out over time but came together in a perfect storm that tested my mental toughness. This probably didn't help the whole allergy issue either. Each day was leaving me mentally drained by quitting time.

Life - March had some turmoil in terms of living arrangements. I moved again (but still in Arlington) and had to reinvent where I workout and when. I haven't figured it all out yet. There is still unfinished business concerning my past living arrangement that will probably require more of my free time.

With all these factors I'm concerned about my performance at Rumpass in Bumpass Sprint on Sunday. Top that with this being my first triathlon without a taper and you can't expect much as far as setting a new PR. I hope to benchmark myself given this is the same course as the Giant Acorn Sprint I raced last October. The major difference will be this race's water temperature is 60 vs the mid-70s of October.