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.

Winter Training

I've finally gotten back to a regular training schedule these past few weeks. I still have a persistent stuffy nose at night but who knows. I'm blaming it on the cold weather. Sure it could be related to the illness that destroyed the whole month of November but why stop? I'm seeing my times slowly come down to where I was in October. Good enough for me.

The holidays are almost here and I'm considering taking a two week hiatus from training because I'm annoyed with running in the dark, spinning on my trainer, and swimming endless laps in the pool. I've come to the conclusion that the off-season blows. I'm taking part of the NCC with my triathlon club and every time I login to update my mileage I cringe when I see the Triathlon Club of San Diego kicking our collective asses. Let's forget the fact they have 62 members to our 12. But they are in San Diego! I'm completely jealous. I ran four miles tonight in 23 degree weather with 9 mph winds while they're at a balmy 56 degrees. I need to move.

Sickness

I'm sick of being sick. For the past two weeks my training has been spotty at best.

It all began with a flu that started the day before Halloween. For the second time since becoming a triathlete I can remember the exact moment I knew something was wrong. And both times were immediately following a tough tempo run. What starts as body aches turns into severe fatigue and a continual search for warmth. I was wrapped in blankets for four days this go around. I also developed a touch of broncitus.

By the tenth day I was feeling up to an easy run. I set out for five miles on this new course I had developed, which incorperates a new lengthy hill I've eyed for some time. Halfway up the hill I thought I was going to cough up a lung. At the very least I figured this was a good way to get rid of the leftover phlem. When I got home I knew something was wrong, again.

The next morning I woke up with new symptoms... sinus headache, stuffy nose, sore throat. I had developed a cold overnight. It seems I've beaten my immune system pretty bad lately. I haven't fought off the broncitus yet and I can't shake this cold, now six days old.

I just want to train!

Charlottesville Course

My short race season is over and its time to think about the off-season. But before I commit to another training plan I'm going to take some time to relax and enjoy workouts at my own pace.

With the weather rapidly cooling down and the days getting shorter I was lucky to get a beautiful day of riding in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Charlottesville International course. I would have preferred to ride the Crabtree Falls route I frequent but my legs haven't been up to the task since the crash. I've realized showing restraint and moderation in my workouts is a good thing. So with that in mind I kept to the shorter 23.5 mile bike course I hope to ride next July.

The goal of the day was to push the pace and get a feel for the hills. I figured there would be a few steep sections and wasn't disappointed. I also wanted to get a good effort in the books to see where I stacked with this year's finishers.

23.5 Mile Bike - 1:14:38 (18.8mph)
This was a difficult course. The start of the ride is an eight-percent, half-mile climb just out of the parking lot. Once you get settled in you have two more decent climbs before you hit four miles. By the fourteenth mile I was kicked. Clearly I lacked the stamina I had built up back in May. I took it easy on the back stretch and powered home on the last climb. Here's how my Garmin recorded the ride:

I must confess I had to stop along the course twice to take photos to share with everyone. It was a picturesque ride on a warm October afternoon. I was also amazed with the clear, flat water of the lake. I regretted not packing my wetsuit.

Giant Acorn RR

Two weeks after Sandman it was time to attack my final triathlon of the season on Lake Anna at the Giant Acorn. Joining me for the race was my roomate Ryan. I had been looking forward to this race ever since last year's finish. My only goal this year, given the circumstances this past summer, was to beat last year's finishing time of 1:14:27. I figured the swim was a wash but my bike and run fitness was superior regardless of missing ten weeks of training.

750 Meter Swim - 14:32 (1:56/100m)
I've never enjoyed the swim portion of a triathlon before this race. I didn't have any expectations in terms of time so I relaxed and swam comfortably. And for the first time I believe I swam a straight line point to point. This is the only reason I can justify why I matched last year's swim of 14:34.

T1 - 1:39
Not bad for me.

12.5 Mile Bike - 33:55 (21.2mph)
As usual I had a difficult time settling into the bike. This time I decided not to force the issue and was content with relaxing and hovering in the 22mph range when I found long flats. Having beautiful weather in the 70s coupled with the moderate hills, turns, and scenery made the course enjoyable. And best of all I finished 1:34 faster then last year.

T2 - 1:38
Same old story... Eat a GU and hit the pavement.

5K Run - 18:51 (6:05/mile)
Since I had slacked off on the swim and bike I wanted to focus on the run to turn in a respectable time and maybe grab a spot in the AG. I missed my split at the first mile marker but felt confident as I passed the second in twelve and change. Fueled by finally seeing Ryan I dropped the hammer and rolled home 1:55 faster then 2007's run of 20:46.

Total Time - 1:10:34
I'm pleased with the result especially since I beat my previous effort by 3:53. An AG place would of been nice but 5th in my AG and 34th OA isn't bad. It was a good way to finish off the season.

Sandman RR

With four weeks of training in the books since my return I felt good enough to race the Sandman sprint triathlon in Virginia Beach, VA. Now when I say good enough I mean I had been running well and without pain. And I had been seeing some fast times on the bike but not much endurance. That's to be expected after a 10-week layoff. I can't forget to mention the fact with my wrist/shoulder still in pain I neglected to swim a single yard in preparation for the race. I figured it was only 1000 meters. Huh, what was I thinking...

The week before the race I tried to grab a short ride and flatted eight miles in, which was my second flat in two weeks. Luckily both times I had my roommate with me and he rode back to the car to pick me up. On the last occasion we put my tri bike on the roof rack for the ride home. When Tropical Storm Hanna begun to drop rain on us we became distracted and forgot my bike was on the top of his new Lexus. As we entered the garage I heard the crunch of my bike and the scratching of the rack digging into his car. Not pretty at all. The car had a few dents and my Adamo Saddle was toast. The aluminum bike frame appeared solid though. After some tense moments at the Contes in Arlington I was able to acquire a new seat the Thursday before Sandman. I fitted everything that night but didn't get a chance to ride the bike until early race morning. A few minor tweaks was all it needed I thought.

During the five mile ride to the race site I fiddled with my positioning a few times but couldn't get it right like I had been training on. I also noticed my cadence wasn't working anymore. I probably should have rode the bike after the garage crash.

1000 Meters Swim - 18:30 (1:51/100m)
This was my first time doing an ocean swim and it wasn't pretty. The swim consisted of going out 25m and passing three orange buoys by swimming parallel with the beach before returning back to the sand. My wave was full of red caps that looked much like bobbing orange buoys in the distance. My goggles didn't help much when they came off as I dove into a wave and then fogged up several times during the swim. Throw in the fact I was way out of shape for 1000m and you get a crappy time. No shocker there.

T1 - 2:02
Nothing to report other then having to pass too many women from the wave before me that walk their bikes in the transition zone.

14 Mile Bike - 39:28 (22.4mph)
I was excited to finally get a chance to bike on a flat course after all the training in the mountain I had done back in May. During the race I found out why my cadence wasn't working when the bike computer fell off a mile from T1. I stopped and wasted two minutes or so going back to get it and then waiting to merge into bike traffic. If you subtract the extra time from my bike split I was more in the neighborhood of a 23mph average. I was quite pleased with the time but felt I had more power in my legs. With the bike positioning I setup that morning I was unable to get comfortable, thus lacking the power I was used to.

T2 - 1:41
Uneventful here. Notwithstanding I need to work on it.

5K Run - 20:47 (6:42/mile)
By the time I hit the boardwalk along the oceanfront the sun had come out and started baking everyone. I stopped at every water station for a cold drink and a second glass for over my head. I'm proud to say I had a decent time posting the 3rd best run in my AG and 10th best OA.

Total Time - 1:22:29
I felt going into the race I had a chance to place in my AG but the swim was terrible and I lost too much time on the bike. Overall I was happy placing 7th in my AG and 42nd OA on only a few weeks of training. I look forward to getting in a few more weeks before closing out my short racing season at the Giant Acorn in October.