Racine 70.3 Race Report

First off, a little history (not because it's been so long since I've posted anything that I'm feeling extra verbose, but rather because it's actually relevant to the report) - having completed IM Wisconsin in September of last year, I had just mid-packed my way through my third Ironman distance triathlon in four years, to go along with four half-IMs and a handful of sprints and Oly-distance events during the same period. My buddy Drew had done all that, plus another Ironman event, and Cath now had two IM races under her belt, in addition to a couple of injury-aborted training cycles.

So, needless to say, we all came into the 2010 "season" a tad burnt out by the whole triathlon training process, and opted to take a more chill approach to things this time around. Most importantly we decided no IM races at all for this year, but we'd throw a half-IM on the schedule more-or-less just to have something to train for. We chose the Racine 70.3 race primarily because of the timing and close proximity to Chicago, and perhaps a bit because we did this same race in 2005 and it kicked the boys' asses - especially me, as the high temps and humidity forced me to walk almost the whole run leg, while the wife ran away to family victory. So, a little sweet, sweet revenge over the town of Racine, WI was also on the agenda.

Unfortunately, and perhaps not unexpectedly, training for the event never really got off the ground - I had been swimming and running pretty regularly, if once a week can be considered regular, but the biking thing was pretty much forgotten. I'm thinking I did - maybe - three rides of over thirty miles all year (and they were just a hair above 30 miles, as that), and most of my saddle time had taken place inside on the Keiser bike. And most of those indoor rides were about an hour long, and included some short intervals, but still weren't all that taxing. So, really the "training" was nothing more than some daily exercise, and I was worried that I hadn't give the distance the respect it was due.

Cath and Drew had also been a bit down on triathlon training, so we all went into this past weekend a bit apprehensive over what 70.3 miles of racing was going to feel like.

We hit hit the road on Saturday afternoon, and check-in was rather uneventful - the old Spirit of Racine Half Ironman was taken over by WTC this past year, and is now an IM branded affair, which (in my humble opinion) is typically a good thing - IM events are usually very well-organized and the routes very well-planned. More on this later, but I think they dropped the ball on this one.

Our friend Ross, who's in the midst of training for his first IM, joined us for the race, and is no doubt the most fit of us all right now. We had a pre-race dinner with some members of his training group, and then hit the Best Western for some zzz's. I didn't sleep very well, but woke up ready to roll - ate a couple slices of some cinnamon bread we picked up the night before, and headed down to transition to set up. The morning was slightly cool and bit cloudy, which was a great surprise since the forecast had called for sun and high humidities. I drank a Red Bull as I got set up, along with most of a Powerbar.

The swim in Racine is a point-to-point, and you have to walk the mile down the beach to the start line, but we got down there in plenty of time. Ross and I were in the second wave after the pros went off, about 7:15 a.m. What's nice about this swim is that you've got a nice, wide section of beach to start from, and the waves are four minutes apart, so there's very little contact between athletes. I think I brushed into someone maybe once or twice, and it wasn't anything violent. Just a bump, and then they were gone. Nothing like the chaos that is an Ironman start. The swim actually felt pretty good - water was pretty calm for Lake Michigan, and it ended just when I was getting tired of swimming. I didn't see the clock coming into T1, and I was racing without a watch, but I they say I did it in 42.09. Pretty good for me.

Hit the port-o-let, and got ready to ride. Given my limited training, I knew going in that the end of the bike was going to be hard, but I actually felt pretty good the whole way. The ride started well - the skies were still clouded over, and the temps were in the upper 70s, with little wind - but things changed about half-way through. I actually cursed when I first saw the sun's rays as they broke through the clouds, as I knew the day was about to get a lot hotter. But the air was still feeling pretty cool and the miles ticked slowly by. In fact, the only distress I had on the bike was hunger - I had about 575 calories during the ride, but my stomach started to rumble with about five miles to go - and the mental fatigue of being on a bike for so long.

Rolled into T2 most thankful to be off the bike, and scarfed down about half a Powerbar in the transition area. Jogged out toward the exit, and the heat really hit me for the first time. Yikes. Those first two miles were just brutal. Decided right then that I was just going to run aid station to aid station, stopping at each to drink and throw water over my head. That worked pretty well until about mile 8, when I had to stop between aid stations to let my heart rate settle back down. It seemed like my brain wanted to run a certain speed, but my body couldn't go that fast and my heartrate would spike. So I'd walk about 15 steps, and then force myself to jog again (to describe it as a 'run' would be an exaggeration). That happened two or three more times over the next couple of miles, but I got into a pretty good rhythm with about two miles to go, and even had enough left to sprint it to the finish.

In the end, I'm happy with my times - swim: 42.09; bike: 2:46.23; run: 1:59.54; overall: 5:36.16. Not the best I've ever done, but not the worst either. The weather and my conditioning were pretty second rate, but I was happy with the mental effort that kept me pushing on the run. And it's always fun to do a race with friends - grumbling about all the trial and tribulations we experienced out there is like the fourth leg of triathlon, and I was thankful to have Cath, Drew and Ross up there with me. Very good times.

I don't think I'd do this race again, though - the course really blows. The bike especially. The road quality is for crap - bad pavement, and the course spends way too much time on narrow portions of the highway. The website also boasts that you run through the Racine zoo, but that's a lie - you run *past* the zoo, or maybe it's more accurate to say next to the zoo, and the only animals I saw were the a couple of dogs watching from some spectator's front lawn. And, while I really can't blame the organizers for this, the weather was complete crap. Again. I don't even like to be outside in weather that's ninety degrees and humid, let alone race in it. So, I don't think the Racine 70.3 will be on the agenda again any time soon - there are too many other quality half-IMs in this area to do a dud like this one - but I was happy that we did it. Next time, we might even train a bit for it.

Cheers!

Tri-Shark Race Report

Hey, remember me? The Tales From the Mid-Pack guy? Yeah, I'm back with an exciting new update on my 2010 racing "season" (which, so far, amounts to two races). I actually participated - and completed! - a triathlon on June 5, which I believe allows me to continue to describe myself as an "athletic person." At least for another few months.

The event in question is a long-standing sprint-distance triathlon in scenic Normal, Illinois, which is about 130 miles south of Chicago. The participants included Cath, Drew, our resident Ironman-in-training Ross, and myself. We drove down to Normal on Friday and arrived with plenty of time to register at the lake start. "Register" might be a little strong of a word, considering the whole process amounted to basically crossing our names off a list and handing us our swim caps and numbers. A nice thing about Tri-Shark is that they allow you the option of forgoing a t-shirt in exchange for bumping a few bucks off the registration fee. Considering that about 10 percent of all race shirts ever get worn in our household, this was a nice option. We all took a moment to gander at the lake, which would be the site of our 600-yard swim, and then head back to the 'ol Hampton Inn.

Now, honestly, I wasn't completely sure that this race was going to even get off the ground - the forecast called for a series of major thunderstorms to come crashing through the area all evening and deep into the following (i.e., race day) afternoon, and I know that race directors are typically quick to abort a race - or at least scrub the swim portion - when the dark clouds roll in. My fears were only compounded when the first storms rolled through at 3:00 a.m., and it was still raining and very dark at 6:30 a.m. Hmmm, not looking good.

But a confidently-written mass email from the organizers bolstered our hopes that we'd be racing, so we soldiered on to the race site. We had all gotten settled in the transition area when they told us that the start would be delayed "until further notice" because of the surrounding storm activity. Crapo. Is this going to happen today? But then, all of a sudden, the director is again on her bullhorn telling everyone that we're back on schedule, and looking at an on-time departure! Boo ya!

Drew, Ross and I take off in the same wave - sporting the mighty powder blue swim caps! - and I quickly remember that: 1. I haven't swam in open water since last September, 2. swimming with a wetsuit feels totally different that swimming without a wetsuit, and 3. triathlon swim starts are very. physical. affairs. These people were in it to win it, and swimming like they were in a bar fight. Yikes. Gotta say that the starts are probably my least favorite part of triathlon - it can be just brutal out there.

Luckily, I managed to survive the first 500 yards before I literally had the watch knocked right off my wrist as I made my way to the swim exit. Luckily, it was just my old Nike and not something I'd be losing tears over, but it was still a surreal experience realizing that some catfish would likely be eating my watch for breakfast. Oh, well. Moving on...Swim - 12:19.

Transition was smooth and easy (1:55), grabbed the bike and headed out - legs didn't exactly feel great, but I hoped that they'd warm up as I moved along. The course was super-smooth (gotta love the rural roads), with just a few short hills, but it still felt like a lot longer than 13 miles. I obviously didn't have my watch anymore, and I don't ride with a bike computer, so I had no idea how fast I was going, but I tried to keep up a pace that felt somewhere between good and just a little bit hurty. My bike fitness is admittedly pretty poor right now - longest ride is right around 35 miles, and not exactly a hard 35, either - but I came into T2 feeling fine, and saw Cath just as she was entering the transition area. Bike - 36:30 (21.4 mph); T2 - 1:37.

We started to run out together, and I actually had a hard time keeping up with her - I hadn't taken in any liquids on the bike, and I was feeling a bit dry. Stopped to grab a cup of water, and started to feel a little more normal. I just wanted to hunker down into a steady groove and stick with it until the end. The first half of the run felt like it was all uphill, so I was thrilled to see the turn-around point, but - of course - the way back wasn't exactly an express elevator down to the finish. But you've gotta love a 5k run - it can only hurt for so long, and then it's over. I even had a little sprint left in me at the end! Run - 22:17 (7:11/mile); Total - 1:14.40.

All-in-all, this was a really fun race - really well organized, good size, nice distance. I've never done a legitimate sprint distance triathlon (I've done the Galena tri a couple of times, and also one in Terre Haute, IN, but the bike and run legs were slightly longer for each), and it was a nice change of pace. Not my favorite distance, but it sure was nice to finish the race in time to get back and shower at the hotel before check-out time! I've still got a long way to go, training-wise, to be ready for the Racine 70.3 next month, but this was a really nice practice run.

Now, if I could just get in some serious riding...

Cheers!

So much to say!

Okay, not really.

I just didn't want this blog to be repossessed or condemned or sold to some high school kid in Des Moines.

Training is still going, although I'm a bit irked because I had a rash of stomach issues a week or two ago that set me back some. At the risk of TMI, I tend to go through bouts of stomach upsets - bloating, gassy spells - that I think are somehow related to some sort of food sensitivity (dairy? gluten? soy?). Anywho, these spells usually last a week or so, and then tend to clear up, but I tend to eat less during these things, which makes me weaker, and the workouts aren't nearly as good. So, having just come off one of these periods, I feel like my fitness has taken a step back.

We did have a great trail run out in the suburbs two weeks ago a couple friends of ours, and it was amazing - almost a 10-mile loop on a rolling course almost entirely in the rain. It felt wonderful to just smell nature again. Our friends were a week out from a 50-mile trail race, so we did a 8-minute run and 2-minute walk pace with them, and it was fantastic. Apparently, the run/walk combo is is a very common practice for ultra-runners, and I can see why - those two minutes can do wonders for your legs, and it felt like we could do that pace all day. Cath and I are actually interested in giving it a go next year! Here's the link:

http://www.mcnaughtonparktrailruns.com/index2.htm

There's a 100-mile option, as well, but, um...no, thanks. Fifty would be plenty challenging. Could be "fun."

Anywho, not to much else going on here. Our first race this year is in just less than two months, although I have yet to take the bike out into the real world in 2010. Hoping to get her tuned up this weekend, and, weather-permitting, hit the lakefront to clear out the cobwebs. It's been a l-o-n-g winter.

Blogger freak out.

Apparently, Blogger thought I had died. Or was on vacation. Or just had nothing interesting/important to say. Because it hasn't been letting me log-on to post anything. But, thankfully, after much ado, I was able to bum-rush the show and hack into my own blog.

The crops are saved!

Anywho, maybe Blogger was right to keep me out, because life in these parts are pretty vanilla - I've been training, but nothing too crazy. I'm hitting the gym six days a week, but I don't think it's been with any great intensity. Or maybe it just feels that way because the sessions haven't been all that long in duration? Ironman does weird things to your exercise-based perspective. Now, if it doesn't last more than 90 minutes and/or isn't the second workout of the day, it doesn't seem like a "real" session. Oh, well.

Whatever, I've been working out. The running is probably going the best, which isn't much of surprise since running is probably my best discipline. I've been hitting the pool at least once a week for 2,000 yards, and I've been biking (on the trainer or the Keiser bike) for either 45 minutes or an hour once or twice/week. I cranked it up to an hour and 15 minutes on Saturday just to start building a little endurance in the legs. And I'm still doing at least one strength session each week, mostly core stuff like planks and dynamic movements with weights.

Not bad, I guess, considering we're still a ways out from the summer. I'm not really following any kind of training plan as yet, and I'm not sure that I'm going to - 70.3 really isn't that big of an investment, time-wise, and I think I can trust myself to get in adequate amounts of base, interval and endurance work on my own. But that might change if I feel like I'm sloughing off.

In other news, we sorta scrubbed plans for a Spring vacation - the taxman is taking us to the woodshed this year, so money is a bit tight. However, the wife might get sent to Vegas for a work conference around Memorial Day, so we might be able to turn that into a little getaway. We'll see. And we've made a tentative commitment to climb Colorado's Longs Peak in late summer/early Fall with the same crew that did the Grand Canyon last year. Fingers crossed that this comes together, because I think it would be an amazing adventure.

Other than that, nothing new to report. Hope y'all are making it through the final days of Winter with sanity intact. The sun is out today, so maybe that means that warmer temps are on the horizon.

Cheers!

Finally.

Well, it's three months into 2010, and this particular Ironman isn't looking (or feeling) all that tough anymore. Up to this point, I haven't really felt compelled to commit to a 'big' race, which would require a co-committment to an actual training schedule, so we've sort of tabled the issue for as long as possible.

But yesterday we threw down - Cath, Drew and I are registered for Racine IM 70.3, which will take place on July 18, 2010, or just under 20 weeks from now. As mentioned previously, I'm not a huge fan of repeating 'A' races, and we previously did Racine in 2006, but there were a few factors weighing in its favor:

- it's close;

- it's now a 70.3-sponsored event;

- the timing is good; and, perhaps most importantly,

- there's a revenge factor.

Yes, the 2006 version (then known as the 'Spirit of Racine' half-ironman) was a particularly horrible day to race - temps were deep into the 90s and it was very humid. No doubt the hottest race I've ever competed in, and it was miserable. I remember really wanting to be off the bike, and just struggling through those last few miles. I thought the run would be refreshing, but I jogged out of the transition area and just felt like absolute crap. I probably ran a half-mile before stopping to walk. Luckily, Drew and I met up, and he wasn't feeling much better than I did, so we suffered together - alternating long walk breaks with brief fits of running. There were people collapsed on the side of the road, all red-faced and spacey-looking. It was a pretty gruesome scene.

Of course, my amazing wife was having a great day - she passed both Drew and I relatively early in the run, looking fresh as a daisy, and went on to beat both of our asses (which she takes great pleasure in reminding us...). I think I finished in around 6 and 1/2 hours, which is a good hour longer than what I'm usually capable of. It was just brutal.

So, needless to say, Drew and I are looking for a little redemption in ol' Racine, Wisconsin this year. And I'm excited to have a goal race on the agenda. It sounds a little bratty, but I don't consider a 70.3 to be all that much of a challenge anymore, but it really is a great distance for a triathlon - long enough to be a challenge, but without the uber-long training sessions that a full IM require. I'm not sure I could mentally commit to that kind of intensity this year. So, this should be a good compromise.

I'm still not sure what we'll be doing with the rest of the year - I had thought about a possible marathon, with an eye toward qualifying for the Boston Marathon (which, for my old ass would be a 3:20.00 - I did a 3:26.00 at the Chicago marathon in 2005, so it's theoretically possible), but I'm not sure. A stand-alone marathon just seems really hard, even harder than a full IM (which, of course, makes little/no sense). I've had a few running-related injuries in the years since 2005, and I'm afraid that all that running would be an invitation to re-injury.

But, we'll see. We're taking 2010 in baby steps. At least we have our mid-year goal in place.

Dusty.

Man, this blog kinda faded into the sunset, didn't it? Sorry about that, but there just hasn't been much to report - my workouts are still pretty unorganized, but are slowly becoming swim-bike-run focused again. Not a ton of any one thing, but I've been consistent, so I figure that's a good place to start.

We're looking more and more at the 1/2 IM at Racine, which is now a 70.3-branded race (something I actually like, just because they seem to do a consistently good job of putting on a event - nothing like putting in all the effort, and having the course distances be incorrect or not having enough water on the course), but haven't yet pulled the trigger. Cathy is getting a little PT on some nagging aches and pains, nothing serious, but rather something she hopes will keep her training/racing throughout the summer months.

I'm also looking at a Spring vacation of some sort to help break up these never-ending Midwest winters. Not really anything training-based, but just a few days to soak in some sun and get away from the Big City. We're looking a bit at Palm Springs, which would allow some phsical activity ( ie., Mt. San Jacinto State Park) if we feel the need to stray from the pool. If anyone's been to PS, we'd appreciate any reccommendations you might have on where to stay, eat, etc.

Anywho, that's it for now - boring, I know, but that's the winter for you. We'll get thins blog crankin' come Spring. I promise.

Cheers!

So many choices, so little time

So, I had a bit of an epiphany at some point during my early to mid-thirties, when it occured to me that 1. Life is ridiculously short, and 2. There's a lot of stuff I'd still like to do while I'm physically capable.

Not necessarily a novel or profound epiphany, to be sure, but it led me to decide one thing - that I would commit to undertake at least one new and exciting endeavor every year, physically challenging, and something I'd remember for the rest of my days. It started in the early 00's with my two climbs up Mt. Rainier, and two cycling trips to France, and has continued along the triathlon path (from Olympic, to half-IM, to full-Im distances), as well as hiking the Grand Canyon, until you get to today. I've had many incredible adventures during this period, and have amassed a library of wonderful memories from these endeavors, and it has allowed me to really feel like I've accomplished some things in life (as opposed to just counting down the days until Friday).

Now I've become rather obsessed with how to sculpt out the rest of the year, triathlon-wise as well as any other adventure that we might be interested in tackling. I'm lucky enough to have a mate who is up for just about anything, and is phycially capable of backing it up. So, really the issue is strictly scheduling, finances, and priorities. Which is still pretty tough. And is where I'm at right now.

We're looking at one or two 1/2 IMs this year, in July and August, but I'd also like to do some other things - mostly camping and hiking-type things out West. Unfortunately, the timing is tricky - everything outdoorsy needs to be (generally) scheduled for the eight week period between July 1 and September 1 because of weather. Which is also peak triathlon season. So, there's the rub.

Hopefully, this dilemma will work itself out over the coming weeks and I'll have Grand Plans to share with y'uns real soon. Until then, cheers and happy training!