Swim 24,050 yards
Bike 17 hours
Run 52 miles
6/14 - 6/23/2013 Vineman 70.3 Training Camp
The past ten days were one of the few periods in the middle of this season when I will have freedom to train as much and as hard as I want. I have had this marked off on the calendar for a while and had planned a schedule of solid training out. I gathered all of my favorite rides, runs and workouts and planned them into this period in a way that I knew I could get the most out of this period of training. It was a really tough regimen and there were times where I was cracking multiple times in a day but I could feel my fitness really responding. Obviously it is hard to be objective but I feel fitter than I have ever been and I am excited to get some rest in and test the limits of my ability.
Swim 24,050 yards
Bike 17 hours
Run 52 miles
Swim 24,050 yards
Bike 17 hours
Run 52 miles
Folsom International Race Report
This was my first time racing Folsom International but I have raced many events with USA Productions and I went over all the info they provide on the event several times to be prepared. They put on great events and the courses are always marked and marshaled well. The one bummer about this race was that I had a lot of other stuff planed for the weekend and the amount of travel, with summer traffic, and other stuff I had to do it ended up being a really long and exhausting ordeal. I should have planned ahead to not have so many other things to do on a race weekend but there is much more to life than just triathlon.
Despite all of the stuff going on aside from the race I made it to the event with enough time to get in a jog and some easy swimming to warm up and recon the course. The park where the event is staged is a beautiful area just above a huge dam and along the american river...there are lots of trees and the water is cool and clean. We lucked out and the weather had cooled down as the day before it had been 107 degrees in Folsom. The sun was rising directly above the far end of the swim course which made seeing the far turn buoy a little tough so I floated around a bit and strategised some cues to get a good line. I had been talking with Joel Wilson, one of the foremost experts in the world on open water swimming, earlier in the week about moderating my effort in the swim portion as I have been feeling like my heart and lungs are always so strained after exiting the water and my plan was to set more of a controlled pace throughout the swim regardless of what everyone else was doing.
At the start everyone was spread really wide so I got to get up to speed in open water which was really nice and there were some underwater lines that ran paralel to the course so for a little while sighting wasn't really necessary. There was a group of people that were staying much closer to shore than I but I kept faith in my strategy and line, which ended up being a good plan because those people ended up swinging really wide to the first turn and lost a good amount of time in the extra distance. I spent the entire swim alone and out front which is always a good feeling and even though I was tired it is always a boost to be leading an event. The water was the perfect temperature and the swim was fairly long which made for a great test of my pacing and it was nice to be alone.
I exited the water and peeked back to see if anyone was right on my heals but it looked like I had a good gap. Through transition smoothly and with a bit of a lead I kept myself calm and allowed myself to build into a rhythm on the bike; I have a tendency to really hit the gas hard right away and since I was feeling tired I wanted to make sure I was keep my energy expenditure steady. The roads used for the course were in great condition and I set my mind to using the first few miles to build up to a strong but smooth pace. The first third of the bike course has a rolling uphill tendency so the speed was not all that high but I let things play out and got my effort up to what felt like a good solid pace. The wind was beginning to pick up and as we got out to the moe exposed and remote roads there was a steady head and cross wind for much of the middle section of the bike course. Around mile eight or so an unfamiliar figure passed me who I later found out was local athlete and coach Mike White of Folsom Lake Multisport. At the time I was blown away because I knew that he had already put at least a minute if not two into me and I thought I might not be riding all that well. It turns out Mike is a beast on the bike and crushed everyone.
Sometimes it is really nice to have someone ahead of you on the bike, especially if that person is faster than you are, because you can keep an eye on them and you know if you are holding pace with them then you are doing well. This was my strategy for the rest of the bike to just keep Mike from pulling away and it was a challenge to say the least...at times I was grinding my hardest gear and at others spinning it out just to keep pace with him. No one else caught us but on the out-and-back section of the course there were plenty of strong guys within a few minutes of us so there was no letting up. Mike kept the pace high all the way back to transition and we went through together...I told him that he had put in a great ride and he said something to the effect of not being able to hang for the run. This was a bit of a relief but you never really know what people are capable of and there were fast runners back in the field so I did not hesitate to punch it from the start.
I had a great run several weeks ago and I tried to channel the feeling I experienced that day as I accelerated up to pace. The American River Trail on which the run was held is beautiful and snakes along the shoreline through trees and bushes remaining well sheltered from the sun and the cool breeze of the day made for perfect running conditions.The course undulated more than I had expected with a few rises in the road along the way. I backed way off on the hills to ensure I did not pop myself and then let my legs accelerate down the other side. I felt like I was running well and after the turn around it was more than a minute to the first chaser. It is always a good feeling to have a cushion and for some reason it makes it easier for me to perform my best when there is less pressure.
I kept as hard and steady a pace as I possibly could going and just kept counting down distane and time as I went to keep myself motivated. I was really wrecked when I finished and thankfully there was a nice resting area just past the finish with cold towels and lounge-chairs to flop on. Many of my teammates finished in the top ten and came in not long after me. It was great to see them all performing so well, especially since I get so few opportunities to race or train with them.
Despite all of the stuff going on aside from the race I made it to the event with enough time to get in a jog and some easy swimming to warm up and recon the course. The park where the event is staged is a beautiful area just above a huge dam and along the american river...there are lots of trees and the water is cool and clean. We lucked out and the weather had cooled down as the day before it had been 107 degrees in Folsom. The sun was rising directly above the far end of the swim course which made seeing the far turn buoy a little tough so I floated around a bit and strategised some cues to get a good line. I had been talking with Joel Wilson, one of the foremost experts in the world on open water swimming, earlier in the week about moderating my effort in the swim portion as I have been feeling like my heart and lungs are always so strained after exiting the water and my plan was to set more of a controlled pace throughout the swim regardless of what everyone else was doing.
At the start everyone was spread really wide so I got to get up to speed in open water which was really nice and there were some underwater lines that ran paralel to the course so for a little while sighting wasn't really necessary. There was a group of people that were staying much closer to shore than I but I kept faith in my strategy and line, which ended up being a good plan because those people ended up swinging really wide to the first turn and lost a good amount of time in the extra distance. I spent the entire swim alone and out front which is always a good feeling and even though I was tired it is always a boost to be leading an event. The water was the perfect temperature and the swim was fairly long which made for a great test of my pacing and it was nice to be alone.
I exited the water and peeked back to see if anyone was right on my heals but it looked like I had a good gap. Through transition smoothly and with a bit of a lead I kept myself calm and allowed myself to build into a rhythm on the bike; I have a tendency to really hit the gas hard right away and since I was feeling tired I wanted to make sure I was keep my energy expenditure steady. The roads used for the course were in great condition and I set my mind to using the first few miles to build up to a strong but smooth pace. The first third of the bike course has a rolling uphill tendency so the speed was not all that high but I let things play out and got my effort up to what felt like a good solid pace. The wind was beginning to pick up and as we got out to the moe exposed and remote roads there was a steady head and cross wind for much of the middle section of the bike course. Around mile eight or so an unfamiliar figure passed me who I later found out was local athlete and coach Mike White of Folsom Lake Multisport. At the time I was blown away because I knew that he had already put at least a minute if not two into me and I thought I might not be riding all that well. It turns out Mike is a beast on the bike and crushed everyone.
Sometimes it is really nice to have someone ahead of you on the bike, especially if that person is faster than you are, because you can keep an eye on them and you know if you are holding pace with them then you are doing well. This was my strategy for the rest of the bike to just keep Mike from pulling away and it was a challenge to say the least...at times I was grinding my hardest gear and at others spinning it out just to keep pace with him. No one else caught us but on the out-and-back section of the course there were plenty of strong guys within a few minutes of us so there was no letting up. Mike kept the pace high all the way back to transition and we went through together...I told him that he had put in a great ride and he said something to the effect of not being able to hang for the run. This was a bit of a relief but you never really know what people are capable of and there were fast runners back in the field so I did not hesitate to punch it from the start.
I had a great run several weeks ago and I tried to channel the feeling I experienced that day as I accelerated up to pace. The American River Trail on which the run was held is beautiful and snakes along the shoreline through trees and bushes remaining well sheltered from the sun and the cool breeze of the day made for perfect running conditions.The course undulated more than I had expected with a few rises in the road along the way. I backed way off on the hills to ensure I did not pop myself and then let my legs accelerate down the other side. I felt like I was running well and after the turn around it was more than a minute to the first chaser. It is always a good feeling to have a cushion and for some reason it makes it easier for me to perform my best when there is less pressure.
I kept as hard and steady a pace as I possibly could going and just kept counting down distane and time as I went to keep myself motivated. I was really wrecked when I finished and thankfully there was a nice resting area just past the finish with cold towels and lounge-chairs to flop on. Many of my teammates finished in the top ten and came in not long after me. It was great to see them all performing so well, especially since I get so few opportunities to race or train with them.
It was a good, tough race and I was glad to do so well under less than optimal conditions. It was great to have all the super strong guys out there on course keeping me motivated. As always USA Productions put on a great event and even though the travel was such a nightmare I am glad I made the trip. I am pumped that the venue was so nice and I definitely plan on returning here for races in the future. Thanks to all the volunteers and other athletes for being a part of such a fun and inspiring community!
5/27 - 6/2/2013
This was one of the few weeks in the middle of the season that I had to train freely and as much as I wanted. I told myself that it was a 'no excuses' week and although I was not feeling all that well I pushed through it day after day and put in some great training. I will only get one more week like this before Vineman 70.3 and my training this week was a really good indication of fitness and progress. I got in some really had sessions and I am looking forward to racing again.
I also got in some relaxation with my girlfriend and family in the last week which was really nice and helped rejuvenate my energy and spirits.
Swim 17,500 yds
I also got in some relaxation with my girlfriend and family in the last week which was really nice and helped rejuvenate my energy and spirits.
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| Apéritif and Appetizer @ Claremont Resort and Spa |
Swim 17,500 yds
Bike 10.5 hrs
Run 40 mi
Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon 2013
This race is one of my favorites because the venu is so nice. The whole thing is centered around Uvas Reservoir in Morgan Hill, I get to race a couple of times a year and I love it. Not only is the water clean and warm, the roads are in great condition...but best of all is that it is close by so I get to sleep in my own bed the night before! I say sleep because that is what one should do the night before a race but I have not been sleeping all that well so I really didn't get much sleep at all. My body had been feeling good for a couple of days though so I just stuck to my routine and told myself I could catch up on sleep after.
All of the pre-race routine stuff went well and I started with warmup early knowing that, having worked hard this week and not gotten a lot of rest, my body would need a long time to get going. I jogged a few miles and did some drills/accelerations to make sure my legs were fully warm and loose. With twenty minutes to start I went down to the water and got in to swim out and recon the course and get my shoulders stretched out. I swam out to the far turn buoy and just checked out where the course was going to go and some sight lines and then swam back in to the start.
There were only two other elites racing, both about my speed and both very fit, Andrew Bauer and Brice Winkler. The three of us race together a bunch so we had a little chat before the start and caught up. With just three guys it was nice to get a clean start and I kicked hard from the start to make sure I got clean water to the first turn. I went around the far two turns alone and was swimming hard so I didn't check to see if I had a gap or anything but I knew I was at least in front which is always a mental boost. Something I struggle with is that I am always redlined in the swim and I can hold on to that effort but I really feel like my lungs get worked because of it and I always feel like I have an elephant standing on my back. I was glad to be leading out the swim though and it went by pretty quickly.
Out of the water I felt a little disoriented and I fumbled in transition trying to find my rack and getting my wetsuit off. Once I got situated though I realized I was leaving transition and neither Brice nor Andrew had entered yet. When racing, there is a big advantage to being out of sight; it is way easier to pull someone back if you can see them and work on the visual distance. With this in mind I pushed hard from the start. I should spend more time finding objective measures of my percentage of maximal effort because, as with the swim, I think that with my initial surge on the bike I put myself over the limit. The first 4 miles roll up some small hills and I definitely think I could have backed off a little and been faster and more consistent but there are some downhill sections that I knew I could catch my breath on. As planned, I pushed one gear harder than I usually would because I wanted to test some ratios I had been playing with this week. I stayed on top of a solid effort, pushing the flats and hills then recovering on the descents.
Coming into the second transition i definitely felt like I had given my body a good thrashing but my energy was still good and I had planned on just racing as hard as I could for as long as I could. Through the second transition smoothly I got up to speed as fast as I could and focused on keeping my tempo high and my foot-strikes short. I felt like I was running really well...it really hurt but I was able to keep my speed and turnover up which was great as I have not felt like that in a long time. I still had not been caught by the guys behind me but I was on the limit as it was so I didn't bother looking back...if they caught me at this point then they would just be outrunning me and there was nothing I could do about that. I checked in with the lead cyclist around mile two to see if there was any chance that I was on pace to try for the record and I was a couple of minutes off so I gust kept my head down and held on. After the turn-around I saw Andrew coming the other way but I was so deep in the pain cave that I had forgotten to check how far back he was. I guessed a minute or two but knowing how strong he is I just kept trying to keep my effort as high as possible and chew up the last of the real estate.
With a mile to go I looked back and no one was within sight which is always a relief and keeping yourself going becomes a lot easier. The last mile felt smooth and I came in feeling very pleased with the effort and the day. After the race the three of us went for a cool down jog. It is nice, because I train alone all the time, to be able to hang out with guys doing the same thing I am and commiserating about the odd life of the recreationally elite triathlete. As always, it was a great event and I am already looking forward to doing it again next year.
All of the pre-race routine stuff went well and I started with warmup early knowing that, having worked hard this week and not gotten a lot of rest, my body would need a long time to get going. I jogged a few miles and did some drills/accelerations to make sure my legs were fully warm and loose. With twenty minutes to start I went down to the water and got in to swim out and recon the course and get my shoulders stretched out. I swam out to the far turn buoy and just checked out where the course was going to go and some sight lines and then swam back in to the start.
There were only two other elites racing, both about my speed and both very fit, Andrew Bauer and Brice Winkler. The three of us race together a bunch so we had a little chat before the start and caught up. With just three guys it was nice to get a clean start and I kicked hard from the start to make sure I got clean water to the first turn. I went around the far two turns alone and was swimming hard so I didn't check to see if I had a gap or anything but I knew I was at least in front which is always a mental boost. Something I struggle with is that I am always redlined in the swim and I can hold on to that effort but I really feel like my lungs get worked because of it and I always feel like I have an elephant standing on my back. I was glad to be leading out the swim though and it went by pretty quickly.
Out of the water I felt a little disoriented and I fumbled in transition trying to find my rack and getting my wetsuit off. Once I got situated though I realized I was leaving transition and neither Brice nor Andrew had entered yet. When racing, there is a big advantage to being out of sight; it is way easier to pull someone back if you can see them and work on the visual distance. With this in mind I pushed hard from the start. I should spend more time finding objective measures of my percentage of maximal effort because, as with the swim, I think that with my initial surge on the bike I put myself over the limit. The first 4 miles roll up some small hills and I definitely think I could have backed off a little and been faster and more consistent but there are some downhill sections that I knew I could catch my breath on. As planned, I pushed one gear harder than I usually would because I wanted to test some ratios I had been playing with this week. I stayed on top of a solid effort, pushing the flats and hills then recovering on the descents.
Coming into the second transition i definitely felt like I had given my body a good thrashing but my energy was still good and I had planned on just racing as hard as I could for as long as I could. Through the second transition smoothly I got up to speed as fast as I could and focused on keeping my tempo high and my foot-strikes short. I felt like I was running really well...it really hurt but I was able to keep my speed and turnover up which was great as I have not felt like that in a long time. I still had not been caught by the guys behind me but I was on the limit as it was so I didn't bother looking back...if they caught me at this point then they would just be outrunning me and there was nothing I could do about that. I checked in with the lead cyclist around mile two to see if there was any chance that I was on pace to try for the record and I was a couple of minutes off so I gust kept my head down and held on. After the turn-around I saw Andrew coming the other way but I was so deep in the pain cave that I had forgotten to check how far back he was. I guessed a minute or two but knowing how strong he is I just kept trying to keep my effort as high as possible and chew up the last of the real estate.
With a mile to go I looked back and no one was within sight which is always a relief and keeping yourself going becomes a lot easier. The last mile felt smooth and I came in feeling very pleased with the effort and the day. After the race the three of us went for a cool down jog. It is nice, because I train alone all the time, to be able to hang out with guys doing the same thing I am and commiserating about the odd life of the recreationally elite triathlete. As always, it was a great event and I am already looking forward to doing it again next year.
200th POST! 5/13 - 5/19/2012
Early this week I finally felt like I had shaken the last of the wreckage from Wildflower out of my legs and lungs so I have been getting back to building some training up again. The next big event is Vineman 70.3 in July and I have several train-through and prep races between now and then. This weeks training was focused on incorporating race effort into the schedule. This Sunday I was back at Uvas Reservoir (:my favorite venue:) racing the USA Productions 'Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon.' I restructured much of the weeks training so that I could get in some solid work and race hard too, as I am planning on training through this particular race. It was a good week and I was glad to be doing some solid efforts again...my brain does not do well when I am resting too much.
Swim 18,750 yds
Bike 8 hrs
Run 35 mi
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