Where To Go From Here

I planned to write a Timberman race report two weeks ago but I haven't gotten around to it. My lack of motivation to do so has a direct connection to how I'm feeling about the sport right now. I have no real desire to swim or bike and my motivation for running is only driven by a previous commitment to the DC Ragnar Relay next week. I've got three legs in two days for a total of 20 miles. And it will be a slow go since I still can't kick the tendonitis in my Achilles heels.

Perhaps there is such a thing as post-race depression. My disappointing showing at Timberman begged the question, why do I crumble at the half-Ironman distance? I figure I had unreasonable expectations to begin with. If I want to be a competitive age grouper maybe I need to do more training. But with my training volumes typically in the 8-10 hours range I don't see how I could fit more in.

Time is not the only issue right now. I have come to accept the life of a triathlete means I will ache from something; a knee, ankle, shoulder, back, groin, hip, calf, arch, or some combination of them. I can't remember the last time I wasn't in pain. My mind has finally caught up with my body and said, "Enough! Let's take a break."

I'm going to take a few months off to heal and rethink what I want from the sport and what I can actually achieve given my constraints. I may need the services of a coach to maximize my limited time. And then I may just keep to the shorter race distances for a while.

Taper Time

Timberman is now less than a week away! I can't believe I signed up almost a year in advance. It seems so long ago. I haven't been this excited and full of anticipation about a race since Vineman.

This week I'm taking it very easy in hopes that my lingering injuries finally heal up. All of you triathletes out there know about those pains that aren't bad enough to keep you from training but just enough to make you wonder if they will ever go away. It sure would be nice to finally kick the Achilles ankle and calf muscle soreness I've had for the past three months now. Or perhaps that groin pull that typically act up at mile 10 of my long run won't creep into the race. One can only hope the decrease in volume and increase in rest over the past two weeks has helped.

We shall see come Sunday!

Charlottesville International RR

In preparation for Timberman I returned to Charlottesville, VA to take a crack at what is known as a tough and hilly course. I rode the course last October and squeaked out an average of 18.8 mph, which didn't include the two stops I made for food and pictures. My goal for the race was to see where my fitness stood by testing out the race paces I intend to keep in New Hampshire, now only a month away. I had some concerns about how my recent hip injury would respond to the hill climbing but everything seemed to work out.

.9 Mile Swim - 21:42 (1:30/100m)
The water temperature was 80 degrees so it was time to test my open water abilities sans wetsuit. I was eager to see what I could do and had a pipe dream about posting a top ten time. Reality set in about 400 meters into the swim and I decided to hang back and follow some feet. When I popped out of the water my watch only said 21:00, which was much lower than I was figuring. Turns out everyone had that thought. I calculated the course was 300 meters short.

T1 - 1:09
Not having to fight with a wetsuit was nice. I was going to try to grab the bike with shoes already clipped on but the course jumped into a serious hill right away. I figured the situation was better suited for a traditional approach.

23.5 Mile Bike - 1:08:15 (20.7mph)
I perfectly hit my mark of 20.5 and did so being somewhat reserved. I attacked a few of the steeper climbs early and noticed lingering fatigue from Friday's 25-mile ride up the Custis Trail from Rosslyn (had to test the hip). I watched my average and kept the cadence high over the last ten miles. The 41mph decent to the race site certainly helped the average. As I approached the dismount line I began to slip out of my bike shoes. In the process I felt the right shoe come unclipped so I reached down and grabbed it. I set the shoe on my aerobars but that lasted all of two seconds before it flew off, ironically landing next to my car.

T2 - 0:47
I tried the stretch laces for the first time in a race and it wasn't too much easier. I think I need to loosen them a bit.

10K Run - 41:56 (6:52/mile)
The most exciting part of the race was the trail run. I had never competitively run through a wooded course before and could not wait. I quickly realized its dangerous to run full speed over roots, mud, rocks, hills, and streams, right after you biked. I almost ate a tree when I attempted to turn at the bottom of a hill. I decided to keep a pace that seemed safe until my legs rebounded from the bike. My splits were: 7:10, 7:08, 13:56 (two miles), 6:38, 6:26, 0:38.

Total Time - 2:13:47
I was pleased with the results, especially since I swiped my first AG win! It was a small race of 101 men so there is only so much cheering I can do. I placed 7th OA so that was nice too. But more importantly, I know where my fitness stands and I can now gameplan for Timberman.

Rest Sucks

The past month I've been able to log some good training. I've hit a few long rides, runs, and even an open water swim. Last week I had planned to go easy so I could start my hard speed work weeks before the big taper for Timberman. I felt great recovering with the slower paced days.

The Tuesday of the slow week I had an opportunity to play softball with a friend and I jumped on it. The next day my hip flexors were sore like I had lifted weights. When Sunday rolled around I rode one loop of the Kinetic Half course hard. During the ride I felt a slight pull in my hip but didn't think much of it. A few hours later I had a tough time walking. On Tuesday my hip felt 90% so I opted to play another doubleheader of softball instead of training, figuring it would be easier on the hip. Wow I was dead wrong. The muscle quickly knotted up and I limped through the games.

The injury forced me to chill on the couch and watch the Tour de France all week. I kept wishing I could be tap dancing my way up those mountains. After watching Contador take yellow this morning I felt well enough to try some easy riding. I managed a meager 27 miles at 15 mph before I called it a day. Don't think I'll take any stages with that kind of effort. I probably could have gone further but what's the point. It looks like I'll be taking a forced taper this week for Charlottesville International. Bummer since I had planned to train through. Oh well, I hope to be healed and able to race respectable by next Sunday. We'll see how the week goes.

UPDATE 7/23/09: Had a decent tempo run yesterday but still experienced tightness and pain. Probably brave some bike training tonight to see if its a go for Sunday's race.

Keeping Rubber on the Road

After my spill a few weekends ago I started to wonder why I had fallen so easily. Certainly the combination of rain, fresh asphalt, and right-angled corner were the major contributing factors. But I wondered, at 5 mph or so, could I have avoided the accident all together? An investigation of my Trek Equinox's tires uncovered I had zero tread left. I bought the bike used a year and a half ago and haven't paid much attention to the wearable items since.

This week I decided it was a wise investment to purchase a new set of tires instead of ending up with a broken wrist/arm/thumb somewhere along the way. After some online research I decided to roll with Vttoria's Diamante Pro Techs for roughly $55 a piece at the local bike shop. The manufacture boasts they're good in wet weather and puncture resistant. Works for me. I strapped them on, pumped them to 100 psi like normal, and rode to work the next day. What a completely different feeling from before.

The new tires seemed to zap power and felt squishy, like I had a flat. Now worried about dropping $110 on junk, I did further research about road tires, specifically about pressure, weight, tread, rolling resistance, and Threads Per Inch (TPI). Prior to the purchase I had read plenty of consumer reviews on tires, much geared towards the ability to resist flats and wear. A new search turned up studies on the rolling resistance of certain tires and the watts required to overcome them. In some cases, a pair of tires might require an extra 5 watts to move at the same speed as another. The resistance factor is largely based on the width, tread, material, weight, and inflation. I didn't see my Diamante Pro Techs on the list but I knew it was harder to hit 22 mph on the new tires then on the old and bald Rubino Slicks. I wasn't happy with my new purchase since I was trading speed (estimated 1.0 mph) for safety. I then noticed I purchased 220 TPI tires, which means higher internal pressures allowed, which means I can achieve less resistance with more pressure. I went back to my bike and pumped them up to the recommended minimum of 115 psi instead of the 100 psi I was using. The next test ride I felt strong and more in control with less squish, but still some of that flat tire feel remained. I'll have to keep playing with the pressure to see if it makes a difference.

If you want to learn more about tires I recommend checking out this guy's site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

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.

Shamrock Half Marathon RR

My 2009 race season started this past weekend at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA. In my last blog I was concerned about how I would perform on race day. And much like last year, my knee was tender leading up to the race. When I tried to push the pace over 7:00/mile in long training runs it would act up. The day before the race I was still debating what my target tempo should be.

Race morning I figured I would give it hell and try maintaining 6:30/mile for a few miles and see how I felt. If things were okay I would then try to negative split the race and finish under 1:25:00. This would be a nice PR from last year's 1:31:33.

Unlike last year the weather was decent with a light breeze and in the high 30s at the sound of the gun. I went with my warm gear, which has no pockets. For some reason I believed there was a power gel station at Mile 8 so I went without nutrition.

At the start line I saw Joel Bell from Coastal Racing. After discussing pacing I figured I would hang with him until the mid-point and then he would probably take off. For the first mile we ran with a few guys and came in at 6:07 with relative ease. I was a bit confused with my speed so I decided to play it safe and slow down. I took the next slightly uphill four miles at 6:18, 6:19, 6:24, 6:30. With five miles down I was feeling tired but with minimal knee pain. Since I was well above my pre-race pace I backed off again for fear of aggravating the knee. The next five miles were 6:40, 6:38, 6:45, 6:45, 6:45. When I passed the Mile 8 water station I searched for gel without success. I had been craving the extra energy the entire mile before only to be letdown. After Mile 11 I began to feel the effects of no nutrition. My pace for the remaining three and some miles slowed to 6:45, 7:00, 7:08, 0:50. This adds up to 1:26:54 (6:38 pace).

While I am happy to set a new PR I am disappointed I made such a stupid mistake with the gel. Apparently I missed the gel stop at Mile 10. That might have helped me cover the last few miles a bit faster. As far as pacing goes, I ran a really stupid race. I got excited with my first mile and changed my race plan on the fly. I should have stuck with the plan.

Running Less. Biking More.

The Shamrock Half Marathon is roughly three weeks away and I'm starting to worry about the training I've done this off-season. I've experienced knee tendinitis, a painful IT Band, and falling down a flight of stairs. But besides the lingering effects of the injuries I guess I'm more worried about not running enough to achieve my goal of breaking last year's time. If all goes well before the race I'll have ran approximately 290 miles from November to March. In comparison, this is only slightly less than 2008's log of 318 miles. The reduction in mileage is due to running three days a week verses five. But there is more to consider...

Biking has been my weakest discipline over the past two years so I decided to dedicate myself to spinning at least three times a week and reducing my running frequency. With my history of injuries due to cycling too much and maintaining an aggressive running schedule I decided to keep my off-season workouts mildly easy at best. I followed a strict rule of increasing volume by no more than 10% in all disciplines. I also moved to a two-week "growth", one-week "recovery" routine. With this I still experienced the VMO and hamstring pain of seasons past but it was manageable.

I've now hit the peak phase of my running plan for Shamrock and I'm disappointed with the intensity I've displayed doing Yasso 800s. This is likely due to my complete lack of tempo and hill work. Last year I put one or two of those workouts in each week. This year I substituted it with spinning.

Hopefully by the end of my taper my legs will rebound from all the abuse and I'll be pleasantly surprised with my race results. One could argue I sacrificed my running for cycling but I haven't seen appreciable results in either to say I've gained anything in my off-season training. I can say I haven't lost anything though.

Steep Stairs

Seven months ago I moved to Arlington, VA for a new job. I lucked out and found a three-story home. My first impression about the home was, "Damn that's tall!" And what else goes with a big home? Plenty of stairs. Somewhere around thirty of them. Last Saturday after a run I became intimate with eight or so of those stairs.

It had been a long day of training and I was exhausted, laying in bed, relaxing on the third flood. The doorbell rang so I gingerly got up (I was quite sore) and began my descension to the second floor. I carried with me in my left hand; a snack. In my right; a glass of water. A few steps into things I lost traction in my socks and fell backwards solely on my right butt cheek. I then slid down the stairs on my lower back, racking each vertebrae on eight or so stairs. Before I could figure out what was happening I was in a crumpled mess against the decorative railing at the landing. My water glass was still in hand but completely empty. My snack managed to make the turn in the stairs and land several feet away.

Needless to say I was and still am in pain. My lower back suffered a few scratches and deep bruising. It has recently turned a nice shade of green. My right heel is also bruised from where I can only guess I was trying to stop myself. And lastly, my butt is bruised to the bone on the right side. All of this makes sitting straight up and driving a painful task. And who could forget my triathlon training has been turned in with minimal effort. But I'm blaming that on the ice storm we had.

Vermont Vacation

There hasn't been much to report except I took some time off to hit the slopes of Vermont for New Years. I thought I might find a place to run but who cares... it was too cold.