Sunday was the last tri of the 2013 season and it ended with a bang! I came through with back to back wins in the WI Tri series!
My plan going into this race was to lay it out on the bike. The more I race, one thing becomes very apparent...if you can't ride towards the front you'll most likely not be in the hunt for a podium, regardless of how small/big the field is. This is more or less true across all distances. So yeah, after talking with Will, the ride was going to be a calculated hammerfest.
Race morning we were greeted with miserable weather. I don't know what it is about this race, but every time I race Devil's Lake, it seems to be cold and rainy. My apologies go out to all racers, volunteers and spectators ; )
I made sure to get a solid warm up prior to race start, this was especially important with the cold conditions. Everything went off without a hitch and I headed to the beach. When the horn blew I dolphin dove as far out as I possibly could because of the shallow water. This is much faster than swimming (at least at my swimming level) but really tore my feet up. The rocky bottom combined with the run to T1 left the bottoms of my feet battered and bruised. But when the adrenaline is flowing, that doesn't matter! With one of the faster swim times and the fastest T1 I was out on the bike with the lead. As exciting as that was it was short lived. While trying to get my left shoe strapped, it came completely loose, so I had to spend some time going slow trying to fix that. However, once I was done with that dumb mistake it was game time. From that point on my head was down. I quickly took over the lead and didn't look back.
The bike course was slightly different this year due to construction, but it wasn't much easier. The last 3.5 miles before the turnaround involve a lot of climbing. When I hit the half way point I knew my best chance at making up time was on the descent. The roads were wet, but I'm fairly confident with my descending abilities in the rain. This was no time to let off the gas. I think I came into T2 with nearly 2 minutes on 2nd place!
Getting my legs loose was my biggest priority at this point, so when my calves were cramped up at the run start I was slightly worried. Luckily, I had an awesome cheering section at the end of the parking lot and my legs loosened shortly after. I was running solid until the turn around, at which point I was able to see how big of a lead I had. 2nd-4th place were a decent ways back so I was able to cruise it in the rest of the way. Rounding the final corner was a ton of fun! This was my 4th time racing Devil's Challenge, so to take the win was a really nice surprise. Its amazing how far consistency and dedication can take you. Big shout out to everyone who raced, the conditions were far from ideal. Also a big thanks to everyone who stuck it out and cheered. It was great seeing some close friends at the finish, and my girlfriend Ali! She made post race much more bearable, even though I was freezing and my clothes were completely soaked. A BIG thank you : ) It was also great to see Scott, Bobby, Jay and Jordan rock the relay teams division!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Lake Mills RR and Some Product Review
First tri of the season has FINALLY happened! It has been a long winter/spring and the itch to get out and race was greater than ever before. And it seems the crappy weather is not quite done with WI yet. Last Sunday morning we were met with strong sustained winds and cold temps. Race morning felt more appropriate for a St. Patty's day dash than the first summer sprint triathlon.
Race Morning
Early roll call...oof. As you know most of my weekends are spent helping time/do set up for the many local races Race Day Events is involved with. We had to be on site early to complete course set up so I was up at 3:15. Having had an early wake up the previous day for another race and not getting to bed until past 11, I was a bit concerned about not having rested enough. To preface that, Saturday night before the race I had a slight panic attack. My tri shorts were no where to be found! I knew I had packed them, I specifically remembered putting them right next to my Wattie tri top. After a frantic phone to my roommate Sean, he said he would drive another pair of shorts my way. Talk about a good friend...thankfully, I found the shorts and he didn't have to make the drive. They were stuck to a blanket I used to protect my bike for the drive to Lake Mills.
Once on site, I helped my coworker Sam set the run course. Not that I don't mind the work/race/work that goes along with working and racing the same event, but this was a learning experience for me. Very stressful to say the least. Even though I was the first bike racked, I was one of the last people out of transition. I need to be more effective with my time for future events I'm working/racing. I got to the swim start with barely enough time to get wet before the gun.
Swim & T1 (5:58 & 1:08)
This was a rough swim. I don't think it was so much the chop alone, it was the combination that goes along with the thrashing in the elite wave. Everyone was gunning for the front, which made for another moment of panic. I took a swift kick to the face which completely knocked my goggles off (a first for me). That combined with having to swim tarzan style into some really choppy waves made for an unpleasant experience. I had gulped probably close to a pint of nasty lake water at this point. Yuck. I have worked a lot on my swim and its coming along, but I felt like a novice all over again. Once I got past the first buoy I was able to get into a good rhythm and settle down. Although this felt like an eternity I managed to swim 12 seconds faster than last yr...an improvement. I'll take that. T1 went flawlessly. I sprinted past a few guys on the way to my bike and my Blueseventy Helix popped off with ease. I think I had the 3rd fastest T1! This wetsuit is incredibly comfy and super easy to remove. So glad they are supporting the W this year!
Bike & T2 (40:23 & 0:42)
Right off the bat I was feeling strong. I closed the gap to about 5 riders in front of me by mile 1. Normally, I would use my adrenaline to ride past them, which is a mistake. This always ends in me not being to sustain a strong effort throughout. Instead, I hung back once I caught the group and decided to make a move past the group after I was able to get warmed up. Once again, I got caught by Mike Wolfgram about half way through the ride. However, this time I told myself I was going to keep him in my sights. The wind was howling the entire ride and I started to really hurt after about 25 minutes, but I was able to keep him within eyesight. I ended up riding the same exact time as last year but in much harder conditions. Another improvement! I must say, the Adamo Racing II saddle has made for more comfortable training and racing. Definitely makes a noticeable difference. I clocked the 7th fastest ride of the day. I'm still training/racing without power but have decided I really need to start. If you or anyone you know is selling a used hub please let me know!
T2 was somewhat quick. My feet were so numb I had a hard time getting my Kswiss K-Ruuz on because I kept losing balance. Once I was able to focus, they slipped right on and I was off! Man these shoes are light, comfortable, and FAST! I really wanted a good run today, one I could be proud of...so I was bustin it.
Run (17:45)
Finally! I say that because I knew I had this in my legs. Last year I kept finding myself getting complacent with my run effort. I would end up having a decent run, but always ended feeling like I hadn't pushed enough. Today I completely surpassed the 18's and cracked it by 15 seconds (6th fastest run)! And the funny thing was I felt fairly comfortable doing it. My legs never really hurt and my breathing was controlled, so I know I can push more here. This might be a stretch but I'm publicly stating my goal is to break 17 min in a 5k by the end of the year, hopefully off the bike. Got to aim high...
Anyway, running up towards the front was a new experience for me and was really fun. Heading towards mile 1 I caught up with Mike W. and made a quick pass. I knew he was running strong as well because I could hear him for the rest of the run. Fellow Wattie Ink teammate Pat Brady caught me shortly after and eventually moved up to 2nd with a monster bike/run. Also, friend and winner Mark Hering came into view shortly after that. He had a crazy fast bike/run and also threw down a great swim. Look out for him! Unofficially, I ran my way into 4th but ended up 5th because the swim/T1 times were scrapped due to the swim conditions. After 4 waves everyone was sent out TT style onto the bike. A little unfair but what else were we to do? It is what it is. Fellow friend/athlete Bill Martin also had a great race but got even more screwed because he's a great swimmer. Still 3rd overall in my book. Congrats Bill and to everyone else who raced (too many to name). Many solid races on the day with lots of PR's.
UPDATE: bah! I always mean to include this at the end and then space. HUGE thanks to coach Will. Ever since I have started with him I have seen nothing but steady improvement. He seems to know just what I need to keep improving while keeping it fun. Thanks Will! Looking forward to what's still to come : )
Just a couple more shout outs to Wattie Ink Elite Team sponsors:
Powerbar - great training/racing nutrition products! Had a double caffeinated latte gel beforehand with one of the new energy blends. Never had a drop in energy from start/finish.
Speedfil A2 - have not raced with this yet but looking forward to it. Awesome product. I can rehydrate climbing, descending, whenever I'm on the aero bars.
Fuelbelt Revenge - love this for my long runs. Fits just enough water/fuel for 2+ hours of running. And I forget its there, which is the most important thing for me.
Check out the side of my blog for the other great team sponsors! Next up is Pleasant Prairie oly. Finally going to meet some other Wattie's!
Race Morning
Early roll call...oof. As you know most of my weekends are spent helping time/do set up for the many local races Race Day Events is involved with. We had to be on site early to complete course set up so I was up at 3:15. Having had an early wake up the previous day for another race and not getting to bed until past 11, I was a bit concerned about not having rested enough. To preface that, Saturday night before the race I had a slight panic attack. My tri shorts were no where to be found! I knew I had packed them, I specifically remembered putting them right next to my Wattie tri top. After a frantic phone to my roommate Sean, he said he would drive another pair of shorts my way. Talk about a good friend...thankfully, I found the shorts and he didn't have to make the drive. They were stuck to a blanket I used to protect my bike for the drive to Lake Mills.
Once on site, I helped my coworker Sam set the run course. Not that I don't mind the work/race/work that goes along with working and racing the same event, but this was a learning experience for me. Very stressful to say the least. Even though I was the first bike racked, I was one of the last people out of transition. I need to be more effective with my time for future events I'm working/racing. I got to the swim start with barely enough time to get wet before the gun.
Swim & T1 (5:58 & 1:08)
This was a rough swim. I don't think it was so much the chop alone, it was the combination that goes along with the thrashing in the elite wave. Everyone was gunning for the front, which made for another moment of panic. I took a swift kick to the face which completely knocked my goggles off (a first for me). That combined with having to swim tarzan style into some really choppy waves made for an unpleasant experience. I had gulped probably close to a pint of nasty lake water at this point. Yuck. I have worked a lot on my swim and its coming along, but I felt like a novice all over again. Once I got past the first buoy I was able to get into a good rhythm and settle down. Although this felt like an eternity I managed to swim 12 seconds faster than last yr...an improvement. I'll take that. T1 went flawlessly. I sprinted past a few guys on the way to my bike and my Blueseventy Helix popped off with ease. I think I had the 3rd fastest T1! This wetsuit is incredibly comfy and super easy to remove. So glad they are supporting the W this year!
 | ||
| Running to T1 |
Right off the bat I was feeling strong. I closed the gap to about 5 riders in front of me by mile 1. Normally, I would use my adrenaline to ride past them, which is a mistake. This always ends in me not being to sustain a strong effort throughout. Instead, I hung back once I caught the group and decided to make a move past the group after I was able to get warmed up. Once again, I got caught by Mike Wolfgram about half way through the ride. However, this time I told myself I was going to keep him in my sights. The wind was howling the entire ride and I started to really hurt after about 25 minutes, but I was able to keep him within eyesight. I ended up riding the same exact time as last year but in much harder conditions. Another improvement! I must say, the Adamo Racing II saddle has made for more comfortable training and racing. Definitely makes a noticeable difference. I clocked the 7th fastest ride of the day. I'm still training/racing without power but have decided I really need to start. If you or anyone you know is selling a used hub please let me know!
T2 was somewhat quick. My feet were so numb I had a hard time getting my Kswiss K-Ruuz on because I kept losing balance. Once I was able to focus, they slipped right on and I was off! Man these shoes are light, comfortable, and FAST! I really wanted a good run today, one I could be proud of...so I was bustin it.
Run (17:45)
Finally! I say that because I knew I had this in my legs. Last year I kept finding myself getting complacent with my run effort. I would end up having a decent run, but always ended feeling like I hadn't pushed enough. Today I completely surpassed the 18's and cracked it by 15 seconds (6th fastest run)! And the funny thing was I felt fairly comfortable doing it. My legs never really hurt and my breathing was controlled, so I know I can push more here. This might be a stretch but I'm publicly stating my goal is to break 17 min in a 5k by the end of the year, hopefully off the bike. Got to aim high...
Anyway, running up towards the front was a new experience for me and was really fun. Heading towards mile 1 I caught up with Mike W. and made a quick pass. I knew he was running strong as well because I could hear him for the rest of the run. Fellow Wattie Ink teammate Pat Brady caught me shortly after and eventually moved up to 2nd with a monster bike/run. Also, friend and winner Mark Hering came into view shortly after that. He had a crazy fast bike/run and also threw down a great swim. Look out for him! Unofficially, I ran my way into 4th but ended up 5th because the swim/T1 times were scrapped due to the swim conditions. After 4 waves everyone was sent out TT style onto the bike. A little unfair but what else were we to do? It is what it is. Fellow friend/athlete Bill Martin also had a great race but got even more screwed because he's a great swimmer. Still 3rd overall in my book. Congrats Bill and to everyone else who raced (too many to name). Many solid races on the day with lots of PR's.
.jpg) |
| Finish, feeling strong |
Just a couple more shout outs to Wattie Ink Elite Team sponsors:
Powerbar - great training/racing nutrition products! Had a double caffeinated latte gel beforehand with one of the new energy blends. Never had a drop in energy from start/finish.
Speedfil A2 - have not raced with this yet but looking forward to it. Awesome product. I can rehydrate climbing, descending, whenever I'm on the aero bars.
Fuelbelt Revenge - love this for my long runs. Fits just enough water/fuel for 2+ hours of running. And I forget its there, which is the most important thing for me.
Check out the side of my blog for the other great team sponsors! Next up is Pleasant Prairie oly. Finally going to meet some other Wattie's!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
South Shore Half Marathon RR
My first official race of the year! Here's the recap of the day:
Friend Scott M. and I headed to Milwaukee from the East side of town around 6:30. Race start wasn't until 9, so we had plenty of time to get there, check in, get warmed up...and take care of the usual business. I had my standard pre-race breakfast of an english muffin with PB and honey, some tea, and some sports drink. I later had a banana on the ride to the race site. Also tried something I recently read about, some chia seeds soaked overnight in water with some honey. This supposedly helps keep you hydrated. Didn't seem to hurt so I'll keep tinkering with it : )
Once there, we made sure all of our gear was ready to go. I also met up with my brother and his girlfriend. Both of them were running their first race. 13.1 is an aggressive start to running events, but they both finished! Apparently my brother Tony passed out briefly around mile 11...if you read this, eat something next time! Ha, but seriously, sounded like low blood sugar.
On to my plan for the race. My coach Will wanted me to go out conservative for the first 3 miles and build into a solid pace. Scott was planning to stick with me for as long as possible, so we agreed to start around 6:50-7:00 pace. The first 3 miles were pretty much right where I wanted to be: 6:55, 6:48; 6:40. I was feeling really good at this point so I started to build. My overall goal pace was about 6:30, so I knew I needed to start hitting 6:20 on a consistent basis. Working towards the turnaround, I was feeling really comfortable and hitting good splits, anywhere in the 6:30 to 6:00 range.
My favorite part of this race was it being the first time I was able to work with a group for an extended period of time. For the first 40 minutes or so I was slowly gaining on a group of about 7 guys, led by Justin D., the Midwest Newton rep. Around mile 7 I caught them and decided to stick with them for as long as possible. Coming back towards the finish was super windy, so this made the final miles a bit easier. After about 20 min with them I could feel the pace slowing so I decided to push. Working on my own at this point was tough. The wind was picking up and I was starting to feel tired. Luckily, I timed my gels perfectly (20 and 50 mins in) so I was still mentally energized. At mile 11, 2 guys caught me, so naturally I stuck with them. With a little more than a mile to go I picked up my pace even more and caught one other guy, who had me worried, because he briefly stuck with me. I did not want to sprint finish at this point but was prepared to. He must not have felt as good as I did because I put about 1 min on him during the last half mile.
This is probably the best I have ever felt finishing a running event, so my official time of 1:24:26 had me stoked! I know I can go faster at this distance with some more speed work. My watch read 1:24:13, so apparently they didn't do a chip start as stated. Oh well. It doesn't change the fact that I had a great race (for me). This was about a 10 min PR! WHAT?! It has been 2yrs since I've run an open 13.1, but I could not be happier with this result. It was good enough for 5th in my age and 14th OA. Scott also had a great time with a huge 4 min PR! Congrats to him!
Lastly, I was really hoping to be rocking some Wattie gear for this race, but it should be here for Crazy Legs. Still, I was able to rep some Powerbar and K-Swiss gear. Here's to the 2013 season!
Friend Scott M. and I headed to Milwaukee from the East side of town around 6:30. Race start wasn't until 9, so we had plenty of time to get there, check in, get warmed up...and take care of the usual business. I had my standard pre-race breakfast of an english muffin with PB and honey, some tea, and some sports drink. I later had a banana on the ride to the race site. Also tried something I recently read about, some chia seeds soaked overnight in water with some honey. This supposedly helps keep you hydrated. Didn't seem to hurt so I'll keep tinkering with it : )
Once there, we made sure all of our gear was ready to go. I also met up with my brother and his girlfriend. Both of them were running their first race. 13.1 is an aggressive start to running events, but they both finished! Apparently my brother Tony passed out briefly around mile 11...if you read this, eat something next time! Ha, but seriously, sounded like low blood sugar.
On to my plan for the race. My coach Will wanted me to go out conservative for the first 3 miles and build into a solid pace. Scott was planning to stick with me for as long as possible, so we agreed to start around 6:50-7:00 pace. The first 3 miles were pretty much right where I wanted to be: 6:55, 6:48; 6:40. I was feeling really good at this point so I started to build. My overall goal pace was about 6:30, so I knew I needed to start hitting 6:20 on a consistent basis. Working towards the turnaround, I was feeling really comfortable and hitting good splits, anywhere in the 6:30 to 6:00 range.
My favorite part of this race was it being the first time I was able to work with a group for an extended period of time. For the first 40 minutes or so I was slowly gaining on a group of about 7 guys, led by Justin D., the Midwest Newton rep. Around mile 7 I caught them and decided to stick with them for as long as possible. Coming back towards the finish was super windy, so this made the final miles a bit easier. After about 20 min with them I could feel the pace slowing so I decided to push. Working on my own at this point was tough. The wind was picking up and I was starting to feel tired. Luckily, I timed my gels perfectly (20 and 50 mins in) so I was still mentally energized. At mile 11, 2 guys caught me, so naturally I stuck with them. With a little more than a mile to go I picked up my pace even more and caught one other guy, who had me worried, because he briefly stuck with me. I did not want to sprint finish at this point but was prepared to. He must not have felt as good as I did because I put about 1 min on him during the last half mile.
This is probably the best I have ever felt finishing a running event, so my official time of 1:24:26 had me stoked! I know I can go faster at this distance with some more speed work. My watch read 1:24:13, so apparently they didn't do a chip start as stated. Oh well. It doesn't change the fact that I had a great race (for me). This was about a 10 min PR! WHAT?! It has been 2yrs since I've run an open 13.1, but I could not be happier with this result. It was good enough for 5th in my age and 14th OA. Scott also had a great time with a huge 4 min PR! Congrats to him!
Lastly, I was really hoping to be rocking some Wattie gear for this race, but it should be here for Crazy Legs. Still, I was able to rep some Powerbar and K-Swiss gear. Here's to the 2013 season!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Winter Training in the Midwest and Looking Ahead
Today marks the first day of Spring! ...at least on the calendar. Wisconsin, and much of the Midwest/Northeast is continuing to get mid-winter like conditions. Last year at this time, we were seeing temps in the 70's and even 80's, and are now well below normal temps. But if memory serves me correctly, April and May had some pretty awful weather. Maybe this year will be different?
Recently, I had gotten close to the point of a mental breakdown (not really). Extended periods of time spent running on treadmills and riding on trainers is not my cup of tea (I prefer green). However, this extended cold weather has allowed me to focus my energy on some positives:
My first "real" race of the season is coming up in about 2.5 weeks. Its a small 13.1 in Milwaukee called the South Shore half-marathon. I haven't been putting in a ton of mileage to really perform to my potential for this distance. My hope is that my overall fitness (and lots of hill running) will translate to some decent speed. I'm in my 3rd week of picking back up with my coach Will Smith. I have 100% percent faith that he will get me to the start in a good place physically and mentally. This will also (hopefully) be my first race rocking some awesome Wattie Ink Team Elite gear and K-Swiss kicks. Now I just need to pray to the weather Gods that I'm not running on ice!
Recently, I had gotten close to the point of a mental breakdown (not really). Extended periods of time spent running on treadmills and riding on trainers is not my cup of tea (I prefer green). However, this extended cold weather has allowed me to focus my energy on some positives:
- I'm really starting to nail harder efforts on the trainer. Really excited to see how this translates to my outdoor fitness.
- As much as I dislike running on treadmills, the controlled environment is making it much easier to focus on specific zone work prescribed by my coach.
- I love hot tubs even more now.
- Last year at this time I was dealing with some nagging foot/lower leg injuries. Since I'm forced inside because of the cold (mainly right after training sessions), I've been spending A LOT more time foam rolling and getting quality stretching in. This is key to remaining injury free.
My first "real" race of the season is coming up in about 2.5 weeks. Its a small 13.1 in Milwaukee called the South Shore half-marathon. I haven't been putting in a ton of mileage to really perform to my potential for this distance. My hope is that my overall fitness (and lots of hill running) will translate to some decent speed. I'm in my 3rd week of picking back up with my coach Will Smith. I have 100% percent faith that he will get me to the start in a good place physically and mentally. This will also (hopefully) be my first race rocking some awesome Wattie Ink Team Elite gear and K-Swiss kicks. Now I just need to pray to the weather Gods that I'm not running on ice!
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| Think warm thoughts : ) |
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