Well, That's It!

I had signed up for the Maple Grove Triathlon which takes place in late August, but I decided to defer my registration to next year ($35). After Toughman in July, I took a little time off from training. Mostly, I spent my time catching up on some much needed yard work and drinking (yes, I meant to imply that the drinking was much needed). Also, the family and I did a bit of traveling in August. I had neither the drive nor the time to put in the training that was needed for a good showing in another race (i.e. good for my standards). So, we are going to call it a season for triathlons.  One sprint, two 70.3 races and one Olympic relay. Four races kinda seems like too little for all the work I put in, but I suppose the hours and miles are a better indicator of season length.

Anyhoo, here are the comparison graphs.  I recently noticed that my number have three repeats in the Toughman race. I'll recalculate at some point, but three entries will not change the numbers very much at all.

Next up: another shot at a marathon.  I'm hoping I can make the Mankato Marathon in October.  An October marathon will keep me out of Surf the Murph this year, but that's probably for the best. I've came out of the Murph hobbled each of the last two years.  The sign-up for Ironman Wisconsin is in week,. If I can get registered, then staying healthy and logging miles will be priority one for the next year.

2016 Plans

We did the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics last weekend. Tradition dictates that it's now time to finalize the race plans for the summer. Incidentally, this year our team raised a total of $1900. A lot of that was due to my sister in law, Mindy.  Lots of dough, lots of fun.

My toe has healed, and my knees are finally getting back into the running.  I put on around 20 miles in January, and I think I'm over the hump.  I'll try to start ticking up the mileage again, and we'll see if the body can take it.  The six weeks off for my broken toe cost me about 10 lbs.  Some of that is the usual winter/off-season weight, and some is beer/chips weight.  Plenty of time to drop some bills, but I kinda feel like a tool for over doing the lazy.

Once again, I am signed up for the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon on Saturday, May 14 ($55).  I signed up in the fall before I broke my foot.  I had hoped it would be a long slow build to the race, but once again I am under a time crunch.  I'll give it a shot, but this isn't my top priority for the summer.

My sister and I have decided to tick up the triathlon length and try a 70.3 race.  We are signed up for the Liberty Triathlon at Lake Rebecca on Saturday, June 11 ($90+$12 usat, 1.2 mile/ 56 mile/ 13.1 mile).  I don' like the idea of putting all the training on one race, so I am also going to sign up for the Minnesota Toughman Triathlon in Chisago on Sunday, July 24 ($120+$12 usat, 1.2 mile/ 56 mile/ 13.1 mile).  This will put me in a marathon and two 70.3's in the span of ten weeks.  It's a bit ambitious, but it's what I want to do.  Might as well give it a shot.

I'm going to try to prep for the 70.3 race by doing the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride ($35, 60 mile bike ride).  I'm not really sure how they get away with calling it the Minnesota Ironman, I would guess that they may have had the name before Kona blew up.  It's the 50th year for the ride.  Anyhoo, it's an untimed, noncompetitive, organized ride. I figure its a good way to tick off some miles and feel a bit more safe on the road.

The week before the Liberty Triathlon in June, I'm going to do the New Bri Tri.  It's a sprint triathlon in New Brighton ($70, 0.5 mile/ 14 mile/ 3 mile).  I figure it will be a good way to get in the lake before the long swim.  Also, if I can't pull off a hour and a half workout by a week before the 70.3, then I'm in super trouble.

Two more are on the schedule.  The Granitman Clearwater Olympic relay on Sunday, July 10 ($55 each, 0.9 mile/ 28.66 mile /6.2 mile).  I'll be doing this with Bull again this year.  I'll take the swim/bike and he will take the run.  I'm pretty sure this will be his first 10k, hopefully he has some fun with it. Again, this will mostly just be a workout day.  It's not often that I get in a swim bike, so this will be  a nice workout before the July 70.3.

Last on the schedule is the Lifetime Fitness Maple Grove Olympic Triathlon on Saturday, July 27 ($115+$12 usat, 0.93 mile/ 23 mile/ 6.2 mile).  I really wanted to go back to the Lake Marion Triathlon, but it is on the same day as a family event that I have in Wisconsin; bummer.  Anyhoo, this will wrap up the season and see if the long course work helps tick down my Olympic time.  It's almost two miles short of the 40K on on the bike, so I'm thinking 3 hours will be my time to beat.  This will give me three races with the $12 usat one day membership.  A yearly membership is only $45, I may just kick in the extra few buck to be a member this year.

I'm probably going to stay away from Surf the Murph this year.  It seems like that race always ends up with my knees injured.  The big day this year will be Monday, September 12.  That is the day that registration opens up for Ironman Wisconsin 2017.  That's the plan.

Lake Marion Triathlon Recap

Lake Marion Triathlon

Antlers Park, Lakeville MN

Sunday, August 16, 2015

1.5k/ 40k (+1 mile)/ 10k

Well, ffffff.......

I took a lot of negative energy into this weekend. I don't know how much it hurt my race, but packing up the night before the race has never been so little fun.  From Saturday to Tuesday of race week, the family and I were at a family reunion of sorts.  It came packaged with beer, late nights, bad food, drama and hard feelings (on my side at least).  Up through packing up on Saturday night, I still was contemplating skipping this race. If I could have got a refund, I would have passed.  What a bummer, I could not have felt more ready for the race than I did the Friday nine days before.  On that Friday, I did an 18/6 brick and felt great.  It all went downhill from there.  It's a shame; I had been looking forward to this for months. It was my longest race of the year. 

Anyhoo, on race week I only made time for one short workout in each event. In total, I only got in about two hours of work.  It was the least amount of work I had put in since I broke my foot.  The week before race-week, I had gotten in just about six hours training.  I had been trying to get in some longer workouts, but with the boys it was hard to get away for two hours or more.  Maybe my workout schedule also hurt me on race day, who knows.

My goal for this race was to break three hours.  I had hoped for less, but heading into race day, I felt that the predicted wind was going to hold me back a bit.  Also, due to construction, the bike course added a mile and now included a 40 meter dismount and run over gravel.  If I broke three hours, I would sign up for the 2016 HITS Waconia 70.3 race.  The sale price was $100 for Sunday only.

Swim (1.5K)
Goal:     Under 30 minutes, hopefully around 1:40/100 yards
Actual:  Got it half right.
The race site (Antlers Park) is only about 20 minutes from my house.  So, I got to sleep a little later than some other race day,s and I made it to transition by about 6:30.  The water temp was pretty nice, mid to high seventies.  It was nice enough to drop the wetsuit, but I kept mine on in hopes of swimming a little faster.  The lake had some patches of weeds, but it wasn't too bad.  After the disgusting lake with green water at our family reunion, I was just happy to be in a lake that didn't look diseased.  The swim is a triangle, the first and last legs were a cross wind and the middle leg seemed to be square into a little chop.

At the go, I really didn't want to be there.  It took me about five strokes to resign myself to an over three hour total and an over 35 minute swim.  It was just a bad mental day for a race.  At the first turn buoy, I peeked behind me and saw nearly no splashing.  I figured I was near last place for my wave (elites and all males). 

However, as I neared the second buoy (swimming into the chop), I realized that I must not be doing that bad. I had set my watch for a notification at 20 minutes, and I was hoping to make it around the second turn before that time.  I have no perception of time in the water. Without my watch alarm, those first two legs could have taken an hour for all I knew.  But, as I approaching the second turn, I still hadn't felt my watch buzz.  Either I had lost my watch (which Mopey McSourpuss contemplated for a while), or I wasn't doing that bad.  I received the 20 minute buzz shortly after the second turn.  I figured I still had a shot so I tried to punch it, but I did not have another gear in the water that day.  A few strokes later I had convinced myself that the last leg was going to take me 20 more minutes.  My internal voice was a real bitch this day.  Finally I reached the shore and could check how I was doing. At the transition mat, I didn't see the exact split, but I did see it started with a two.  I had broke a half hour; hopefully that would shut-up that asshole talking in my head. 
Swim Time:     29:43 with a 1:49/100 yards pace
Swim Ranks:   18th out of 60 overall,
                          16th out of 47 males,
                          3rd out of 5 age groupers

Tall guy in back



T1
Goal:      Under 3:00
Actual:   Nope.
It's a longish run up to the bikes after crossing the T1 mat at this race.  I ran on the grass most of the way and then walked at the paved parking lot.  My new 910xt Garmin came with the triathlon quick change watchband and bike mount. I had put a sign in my bike helmet to remind me to switch my watch over to the bike mount. Without the sign, I definitely would have forgotten to make the switch. A handy trick to remember next time.  Anyhoo, I got out of there as fast as I could, an took off on the bike leg.  As it happens, my T1 time was exactly the same as the Lake Marion race last year.
T1 Time:  3:35
Position:  18th out of the water,
                 19th out of T1 (out of 60 finishers)

Bike (40K +1 mile = 25.8 miles)
Goal:  18mph average or better
Actual:  Never got close
Now I was having fun!  Now I wanted to race; now I wanted to have a great bike. I thought my watch said it took about 32:30 to get out of the water and out of T1.  That was right around my goal ( My reading was off by about a minute).  I needed an 18mph bike and a reasonable run and I was off to a 70.3 (in 2016). 

The first three miles were easy going.  I passed some sprinters and tried to tick it up before the head wind.  The turn to go south put us mostly against the wind for the next seven miles.  There was another right turn after that, and that felt like it put us into the teeth of the wind for another four miles.  At the halfway point my average was 16.5 mph.  The course is mostly flat for about the first seven miles, then you hit some rollers until the ten mile turn, and after the ten mile turn you have a few more hills with a couple substantial climbs. 

When I finally turned out of the headwind (around a 10mph wind give or take), I tried to kick it up and catch some time.  It was fast and fun with a couple rain drops.  The average mph ticked up, but then I hit the gravel corner.  You had to dismount and walk/run the gravel, and then it was back into the wind for a mile.  After that we were with the wind to the end with a couple rollers.  I couldn't make up the time though.  I did 16.5 mph on the first 13 miles and 18.6 mph on the last 12.8 miles.  Fun note, the race listed the bike at 25.8 miles which is the exact distance I hit on my watch.  However, the printed race stats had the race at 24.8 miles (40K), so all their speeds are off.
Bike Time:    1:28:43 with a 17.5 mph average
Bike Ranks:  31st out of 60 overall,
                       27th out of 47 males
                       4th out of 5 age groupers



The Bike starts off riding through downtown Lakeville.

T2
Goal:     About 45 seconds
Actual:  Almost exactly
I almost forgot my watch on my bike in T2, and I started to run away after racking my bike.  Again, I was lucky that I had put a sign in my run hat to remind me to put my watch back onto my wrist band.
T2 Time: 46 seconds 
Position:  31st off the bike,
                 26th out of T2 (out of 60 finishers)


Run (10K)
Goal:     Under 10:00 pace, Hopefully under 9:45
Actual:  Nope, not even close.
My wife, boys, mother-in-law and her sister were just outside of the transition area.  They saw me come in from the bike and start out on the run.  It was a nice pick-me-up to see'em out there and get a little bit of cheer to take on my way.  My watch said I had been on the course for about 2:02 and change.  Some quick estimating told me that I needed under a 9:30 min/mile average to break three hours.  I thought it unlikely, but I was going to give it a shot. 

The 10K course is two loops of the 5K course.  I ran the sprint last year, so I knew the course.  I figured 9:30 pace was possible with 9:00 on the first flat mile, 10:00 on the second mile with most of the uphill and 9:30 on the third mile (repeat for miles 4, 5 and 6).  And, that is almost what I did for the first 5K.  I ran 9:07, 9:53 and 9:41.  There is water on the turn around at about 1.5 miles. I tried to drink some water, but the magic of cup drinking while running still eludes me.  I ended up splashing most of it on my face and chest, which wasn't that bad a result. 

I saw the guy who writes the NowIAmDoingSomething blog coming up the hill on his second lap as I descended on my first.  I thought about saying something to him, but figured he didn't need the distraction.  He finished about a half hour ahead of me, 14th place, pretty cool. 
At about the 3 mile mark, there was some more water and what I presume was HEED.  I got the HEED (by mistake), and wore it all over me (sticky) the rest of the race, sigh... 

There was also a kid with a hose and spray gun nozzle standing there.  As I neared, his mom asked who he was spraying.  He said, "Whoever wants me to spray'em."  That sounded like a good idea, so I told him to give me a shot to the head.  It felt quite nice.

I'm told that my wife was at the half way point cheering me on again, but I did not notice her.  I was fading fast.  I had tried to keep up the pace for the first 5K, and my efforts had the wall coming on fast.  With a 9:30+ pace for the first three miles I knew breaking three hours was out the window.  I looked at my watch as I approached 3.5 miles and it said my pace was around 11:30 min/mile. Thinking back now, that probably was a mistake by my watch. The pace on the Garmin 910xt jumps around and gives erratic readings sometimes.  Anyhoo, the readings had me thinking that I was actually that slow, it made me mopey, and I used it as an easy out to start run/walking.  My run went to hell from there.  My last three miles clocked in at 11:51, 11:58 and 11:29.

shit

It would have been nice to cut about two minutes of each of those miles, but my legs just wouldn't fire up again after I gave them a break.  On the last bit of a mile to finish line, I came in at a 9:39 pace.  I like to pretend that there wasn't any give-up in those slow run/walk miles, but that's probably not totally true.  At the end of the race, it really didn't feel like I had anything left in the tank; maybe I'm too hard on myself. I guess I'm proud of the race as a first full Olympic effort, but the last few miles were a downer. 
Run Time:    1:06:11 with a 10:41 min/mile average
Run Ranks:  48th out of 60 overall,
                       40th out of 47 males,
                       4th out of 5 age groupers

Someone get me a beer!

Total Time:  3:08:55

Position:       36th out of 60 finishers

                      32nd out of 47 males

                      4th out of 5 age groupers

Time Comparison

Below is an accumulated time comparison graph.  Similar to Bemidji, my faster swim just about balanced out with my slower bike to make my time about average at the start of the run.  Coming out of  T2, I was 1:30 ahead of the field average and 58 seconds behind the male average.  The run blew up my time.  Also of note, it appears that my T1 time is usually slow and my T2 time is usually fast when compared to the average. Transition results in this race are similar to previous races.  Overall, my total transition time looks to be a bit faster than the average.  

Post-Race and Up Next

I have to stop hoping for a nice spread at the end of races.  Those few races that have had more than bananas and cookies (i.e. sandwiches, pizza, protein drink, etc.) are the exception and not the norm.  The funny thing at the end of this race was the finisher's medals.  After last year's race, the director emailed out that the price was going up a bit this year (only $5) to improve swag, finisher medals and give-aways.  I didn't stay for the give-aways (hungry and tired), but the finisher medals were exactly the same as last year.  Not a big deal, I don't care about the medals, but it's kinda funny. 

Up next is the Hopkins Royal Sprint Triathlon on September 5.  My wife is also doing the super sprint; hopefully she has a good time (maybe this leads to other races).  That will be the last triathlon of the season, and then it's probably just running and some sporadic cross training.  I signed up for the Surf the Murph race again this year (85$, Saturday, October 24).  I signed up for the 50 mile (idiot), but we'll see how things go.  I'll have to pack on some miles in the next couple months, but I'm certainly due.  I want to kick up my run training for next year (Lake Wobegon Marathon is only 38 weeks away).  I just didn't have it for the Bemidji and Marion runs.  If I can make it to, and through winter without injuries maybe I can get back to being a runner (at least as much as I was last fall).  Last year my knee cost me seven weeks over winter and then my broken foot cost me another 6 weeks in the spring.  Without an improvement in running, I'll probably put off the jump to a 70.3 until 2017.

Paul Bunyan Triathlon Recap

Paul Bunyan Triathlon

Bemidji, MN

1 mile/ 20 mile/ 5 mile

July 18, 2015

Pre-Race
It took a lot of effort to get to this race. Originally, I had registered (and paid) for the Annandale Heart of the Lakes triathlon but a family get-together and a Monday meeting up north made this race a better fit.  Also, I almost backed out in the last week. The weather looked like it was going to be stormy, and I had no interest in running another converted duathlon. But, the weather predictions cleared up, so the family and I piled in the car and made the trip up north. In order to make the trip, we also had a hitch installed on the car ($200) and purchased a bike rack ($60). We stayed with my folks, and my brother's family came up for the weekend as well.  Since the house was crowded, I stayed in a hotel the night before the race ($190).

Going into the race, I was hoping to break 2.5 hours and not finish dead last. Twenty nine people ran the long course; so dead last was a distinct possibility.  The times needed for a 2.5 hour race seemed possible based on my training times. However, this was going to be my first 2+ hour race, so I had no idea how my body would react to the time and length.

Pre-Race Pic

Swim (1 mile)
Goal:  Under 2:00 per 100 yards
Actual: Crazy fast; maybe too fast.
I wore my wet suit again, and my swim times in the suit are fast. All the long course racers went off in one wave. It was a little thick in the water at first, but it thinned out after a few hundred yards.  I sight terribly while breathing to the right, and I veer right due to the terrible sighting. All is well on the left side, but I have to switch sides once and a while due to shoulder fatigue. In the lap pool, I breath the same side for an entire lap, and then switch sides on consecutive laps. Works great in the pool, rubbish in the open water. Something to work on before Marion (4 weeks).  Anyhoo, it was two laps around the markers and I zipped around pretty good.  I saw some ass clown cut a corner on the first lap. That made me kinda mad, but it's not like I was going to be fighting for a podium spot.  My time was fast; it was probably too fast. Either I went out too strong and hurt myself for the rest of the race, or the distance markers were off.  I think the latter.
Swim Time:   25:48 with a 1:28 per 100 yards pace
Swim Ranks:  14th out of 28 overall
                          11th out of 24 males
                          4th out of 5 age groupers

Swim Course

T1
Goal: Under 3 minutes
Actual: Who knows?
The timing system for the "swim in" failed. So, there was no official T1 time.  That, by itself, is not a big problem. However, this race's organization left something to be desired. The T2 timing was also wrong, though the race claims it is accurate.  The sprint awards started before I finished (I get it, I'm slow). Also, when I did cross the line and finally found a volunteer, I was told the finisher medals were in a box by the bananas. Anyhoo, I think I timed out T1 pretty well with my Garmin.
T1:  2:04

Bike (20 miles)
Goal:     18.5 mph
Actual:  Slowy, slow, slow
Comming  out of T1, I knew that I was about 10 minutes ahead of a 2 min per 100 yards swim. Also, I knew I had won about a minute  in T1.  I had driven the bike course the night before, so I knew it was a relatively flat course with only a couple climbs around miles 6 and 14.  It was mostly an out and back course, and just like in Clearwater it was tail wind at the start and then head wind on the second half.  I thought if I held back a bit on the front 10, then I'd have something extra left for the back 10. Nope. When I made the turn, I had nothing in the tank.  It wasn't a strong wind, so maybe my training just sucks.  Either way, at the turn around I could see that I had about 20 minutes on last place, so that was one goal achieved.  I think there were 8 racers behind me.  So, I struggled into T2 with a 17.3 mph average on the back 10 miles (19.4 mph on the front 10).  I didn't hit the lap button on my watch when I hit the T2 mat, so I have to believe the official bike time. It sounds about right.
Bike Time: 1:07:22 with a 17.8 mph average
Bike Ranks: 21st out of 28 overall,
                      18th out of 24 males,
                       5th out of 5 age groupers

Elevation for the entire race; the last five peaks are the run.

T2
Goal:  Fast
Actual: Who knows?
My official T2 Time is posted as 1:24. What a pile. Even more silly, my time is listed as the fifth fastest in T2.  This transition area was tiny. There is no way it took me a minute and a half to rack my bike and run out.  No chance.  The T2 times are all wrong. By my watch, I think the run and bike times are correct, but both transitions are goofed up. I'm not sure how that happens.
T2 Guess:  30-45 seconds

Run (5 miles)
Goal: 9:18 min per mile average
Actual: Not even close.
Again, I had driven the run course the night before, so I knew there were a couple hills. I didn't have much in the tank for the run.  You start the run on a wooded hill climb, and then we did an out and back of 2.5 miles on the road. I fought a stomach cramp for the first couple miles, then decided to walk it off.  At that point, I was only at a 10 minute mile pace anyway, so a little walking wasn't killing a personal best.  At the turn around, there was a street cone and writing on the ground  in chalk that said "Turn Around".  Seems like that would have been a good place for a volunteer.  After I walked off my cramp, I ran a couple more miles then walked through the water stop and up a hill.  I ran the last mile and change.  A lady passed me with about half a mile to go. She had a great pace, no chance to catch her.  Driving back after the race, I saw her again running down the road for some extra miles; crazy. Anyhoo, the family was at the finish line and it felt good to get cheered to the line.
Run Time:   51:14 with a 10:15 pace
Run Ranks: 22nd out of 28 overall,
                      19th out of 24 males,
                      5th out of 5 age groupers

Total Time:  2:26:46

Position:       22th out of 28 finishers

                      19th out of 24 males

                      5th out of 5 age groupers

Time Comparison
Below is a comparison of accumulated times. This has to be taken with a grain of salt because the transition times are all screwed up.  It still gives a good idea of a comparison to the field and male averages.  In both cases, my faster swim almost evened out my slower bike to make my time about average going into the run. Leaving T2, I was 39 seconds behind the field average and 3:22 behind the male average.  After that, I blew up my time on the run.

Post-Race
My watch time and the official time were exactly the same. The transition times were messed up, but tech will fail once and a while. There were plenty of volunteers, and they did their assigned tasks very well.  However, the organization of this race left something to be desired.  I probably won't be back.
Lake Marion is 4 weeks out and I will be running the olympic course. I don't think there is any way the swim course at Bemidji was actually a mile, so I'll have to keep up some training to see if I can swim a good time at Marion. I got a new watch (an impulse buy from my wife, $300), the Garmin 910xt.  Lots of bells and whistles.  It can be set up specifically for a tri, with planned timing for transitions.  Sounds fun. We'll see if I can figure it out.

Lake Minnetonka Triathlon Recap

Lake Minnetonka Sprint Triathlon

Excelsior Commons June 20, 2015

0.5 mile/ 15 mile/ 3 mile

Well, this was my first race back from hurting my left knee in the fall and then breaking my left foot in the spring.  It would have been nice if everything had went to plan, but mother nature got in the way.

Leading up to the race, I was usually getting in 3 or 4 hours a week of training. My time breakdown and predicted reactions were as follows:
      Over  1:50       Failure
      1:45- 1:50        At least I did it.
      1:40- 1:45        Great Job
      1:35- 1:40        Above Expectations
      Under 1:35      Able to retire as champion of the world

Specifically, my top shelf goal was a 2 min/100yds swim, 18 mph bike, 9 mile/min run, and I wanted my total transition under 4 minutes.

Pre-Race
I did not have the time to drive the bike course or practice the run course.  My summer schedule is terrible throughout my first five week course.  I have class at 8:ooam and 6:oopm on MTH.  It makes for some long days.  Anyhoo, I had no idea what to expect as far as hills on the course were concerned. 

Race morning weather was rain and thunderstorms.  This was the first time I have seen the 10-forecast be exactly correct.  Everyday, the forecast said morning thunderstorms, and that's exactly want we got.  I was up around 4:50am and got to the race site (Excelsior Bay) at a little after 6:oo am.  Lots of rain, but the lightning had mostly stopped by that time.

When I got to the site, I didn't see any buoys in the water; I kinda figured I knew what was coming next.  I'd say it was around 6:30 when the announcement was made that the swim portion of the race was going to be canceled.  What a bummer.  I still haven't used my wetsuit.  It was probably a bad idea to try it out for the first time on a race day, but like I said, my schedule sucks right now. 

Anyhoo, the race was converted into a Run, Bike, Run (1 mile/ 15 mile/ 3 mile).  That meant all of my goal times were shot.  So, I decided to run as fast as I could on the mile.  When am I ever going to run just 1 mile again?  On the bike and the run I was going to stick with a 18mph / 9 min/mile goals.

The rain really started to come down in the few minutes before the race started, but once we got going I didn't really notice it.  By half way through the bike,  the rain had stopped.  By the time I got to the run, I had to take off my long sleeve shirt because it was getting hot.

Run 1: About 1 mile
Goal:       Fast
Actual:    Good Enough
We were sent off in the same waves that were planned for the swim.  We ran on a narrow sidewalk out of the park. You were kind stuck in order for a little bit, unless you wanted to try to use the soggy muddy grass for a pass.  Once we got to a road, I tried to increase my pace a bit.  It was a short run, and I was just going to try to go fast, so I didn't even look at Garmin for the pace until I heard the lap tone.  By my watch, I ran the first mile in 7:26 minutes.  Either I took a long route, or it was a bit more than a mile for the first run ( I had it at about 1.1 miles).  I'm guessing the latter, since the route  had to be worked up at the last minute. 
Run 1 Time:    8:15 minutes
Run 1 Ranks:  143rd our of 372 overall
                          116 out of 239 males
                          16 out of 36 age groupers

T1
Goal:     Absolutely None
Actual:  Not Interesting
T1 would have been interesting if I had to change out of my wet suit.  As it was, I just walked through transition and hopped on my bike.  The run did take a little out of me.
T1 Time:   1:52  minutes
Position:    143rd out of Run 1,
                   159th out of T1 (372 finishers)

Bike: 15 miles
Goal:     At least 17mph, Hopefully more than 18mph
Actual:  Over 18mph
On my training rides I had been averaging around 16.5mph, but I usually bike on a kind of hilly loop with a couple stop lights and a few stop signs.  I was hoping a little flatter route and not having to stop/slow so often would tick me up an mph or two.  Both of the runs were basically flat. The total elevation gain (equivalent to elevation lost) was about 430ft.



I'm just slow on the bike.  There were times when I was at my max cadence (couldn't even make the highest gear catch), and folks were passing me like I wasn't moving.  Maybe I'm too big and cause too much wind resistance, maybe my bike is crap or maybe I just don't practice enough.  In any event, my average was 18.3mph, and I guess I can't ask for much more.  That is the extent of my abilities.  The stats page says that 76 people passed me on the bike portion.  It felt like more.  I should be happy with a personal best for average speed, but it was a let down to see everyone speed past me.  On the bright side, I don't believe my tri-shorts are sheer.  A lot of folks should bend over and take a look in the mirror before they suit up for race day.  I saw the equivalent of bare ass far too many times on Saturday.

Bike Time:    49:17 minutes, 18.3 mph average

Bike Ranks:  200th out of 372 overall

                       164th out of 239 males

                       21st out of 36 age groupers

T2
Goal:     Absolutely None
Actual:  Not Interesting
In T2 I racked my bike and took off the long sleeve compression shirt that I had put on during the rain before the race started.  The clouds were breaking and I run hot.  Again I walked out of transition; a quick turnover just wasn't of interest to me this time around.
T2 Time:  0:58 minutes
Position:   189th of the bike
                  186th out of T2 (372 finishers)

Run: 3 miles
Goal:      9 min/mile average
Actual:   Killed it.
Again, the loops I run at home are on a bit of a hilly route.  The run for this race has basically no elevation change.  On training runs, I was averaging about a 8:50 mile.  On the race route, the official stats have me at an 8:30 per mile average.  I had the course running a little short on my Garmin, about 2.9 miles.  If that is the case, then I would have been at about an 8:40 per mile.  Either way, I was very happy with my time.  This was an out and back on the same trail.  There was a water station after about half a mile where I foolishly tried to drink from a cup on the run.  I think some water may have gotten in my mouth, but most of it was on my face and body.  Maybe I'll get a water belt for my longer races coming up.
Run Time:     25:29 minutes, 8:30 per mile
Run Ranks:   205th out of 372 overall
                       160th out of 239 males
                       27th out of 36 age groupers

Total Time:  1:25:49

Position:        194th out of 372 overall

                       162nd out of 239 males

                       25th out of 36 age groupers   

Time Comparisons
A graph of accumulated times are below.  I was just under the field average on everything except T2 (missed it by 2 seconds).  Compared to male finishers, I was right on average for run 1 but slower on the bike and run 2.

Post-Race & Up Next
The finisher medal for this race was quite nice; the same goes for the t-shirt.  The food at the end was plentiful.  Pizza, muffins and apples.  Although, I think the pizza or apples may have made me explode.  As it is, I had a big muffin and some water and felt fine after the race.  I had a banana and Gatorade in the car, and I felt well enough the rest of the day to go do some renovating on a rental property that I own.

Next up is a tri-relay with an old college buddy in a few weeks.  It's a shorty: .44 mile swim and a 14 mile bike.  He is going to do the run.  It will be a good work out, and (weather permitting) I'll get to have a swim with my wet suit before the long races on my calendar. 

After that, I'm going to skip the Annandale race on July 19.  It sucks because I already paid for the race. However, I have to be up north on July 20 and I just don't want to stack driving 3.5 hours and racing on the same day.  So, I'm going to pay through the nose and do the Paul Bunyan Triathlon
($95, 1 mile/20 mile/5 mile) in Bemidji on July 18.  It's going to be a hassle trying to get my bike up north with my family in the car, but we'll try to figure it out. 



Back At It

It's been six weeks since I broke my foot. It still kinda aches, but doesn't really hurt most days.  Six weeks was the time limit the doc gave me for a running embargo. So, I gave it a shot and ran a couple of miles on the treadmill last night. It didn't hurt while I was running; except for the fact that I'm out of shape.  It still doesn't hurt this morning; again, just kinda aches.

In my six weeks off of running I did some stationary biking, some hand weights and resistance bands in the basement and I finally got back in the pool.  I enjoy the swimming, but I hate how the pool dries out my skin.  In a few weeks, my big toes will bust open and they will stay like that for the rest of the summer.  After Lake Marion last August, I had gone almost eight months without a swim.  That probably wasn't my best idea ever.  But, I have two months until my first triathlon (1/2 mile swim), that should be long enough to get up to distance. 

I also finally signed up for the last triathlons on my schedule: Annandale in July and Marion in August.  Annandale is close to Olympic length ($80; 0.5mile/ 21mile /5.3mile) and I signed up for the Lake Marion Olympic ($75; 1.5k/ 40k/ 10k).  I also added a race to the schedule.  My wife and I are going to do the Hopkins Royal Triathlon on Saturday, September 5.  I'm going to do the sprint course ($60; 0.5mile/ 13mile/ 5k) and she is going to do the short course ($50; 100yard/ 4.5mile/ 1.5mile).  It will be fun to see Tina get into the mix.  Maybe she'll continue on and do another race next year.  There are a few beginners races out there; it would be nice to know someone at a race for once.  The schedule is set.  One race in each of June, July, August and September, and also a relay with my buy in July.  Can't wait!

With races in June and September, I decided to get a wet suit. I ended up with last year's model of the Synergy Endorphin full-sleeve wet suit ($184).  I went with the L1 size which is for men 5'9"-6'4" and 195lbs-220lb.  I don't quite fit those specs; I'm 6'5".  But, the larger sizes that accomidate my height also have a lower bound on weight starting with 220lbs. Right now, it looks like my race weight is about 195lbs (scrawny).  With six weeks off running I'm at about 200 lbs, but I suspect that will come off quickly when I start to hit it hard next month. Four weeks until school is out! 

Also, I bought a triathlon top that I can wear through the swim and not have to put on in T1 when I'm a wet mess.  The top is from 2XU ($60), and I had to order it from the Netherlands in order to get the green color that I wanted.  Seriously, why is there so little men's workout clothes in green?  There is a lot of black, blue, orange, red and neon yellow/green, but not much for a nice kelly or light green. The one I found is also from last year, so that added to the difficulty in finding the right color and size. Anyhoo, that's it.  It seems that I am spending quite a bit of money on this new hobby.

A new Plan

It's been two and a half weeks since I broke my foot.  I tried to go to work today without the boot, but it hurt so bad that my wife brought the boot to me before lunch.  So much for an abnormally quick recovery time; I guess I heal at the same rate as everyone else.

The snow was melting and the temps were going up the week that I broke my foot.  I got in a 7 mile treadmill run the day before I busted it, and I was hoping to move the runs outside that week.  At the time, it was a terrible disappointment to miss out on the outdoor running after putting in 50+ miles on the treadmill this year while bringing my knee back up to speed.  This weekend the snow came back.

At least I don't have to deal with the annoyance of starting the nice spring outside running and then going back to snow running or treadmill running.  Not exactly a silver lining, but it's the best I have to work with.

Anyhoo, the break scrapped most of my race plans so I had to come up with a new race plan for the summer.  I figure I will have to keep it a short run in June.  My six week running embargo ends on April 20.  The NewBriTri ($70; 0.5/14/3.1) on June 6 was a good option since it's close to my wife's family and she could get some help with the boys.  But, I opted for the couple extra weeks of recovery time and decided on the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon.  The race ($72; 0.5/15/3) is on Saturday, June 20.  I wanted a longer swim with a shorter bike and run; the distances for this race worked out well. 

In July, I'm going to do a couple races (kinda).  On Saturday, July 11 I'm going to do the Graniteman Clearwater Triathlon as a relay with an old college buddy.  I'm going to take the swim and bike and he is going to take the run.  He had thought he may want to do a sprint triathlon with me this year, but his second son is due in May and that's probably more important than training.  The relay cost seems a bit silly, but I like the idea of getting in another nearly a half mile open water swim ($125; 0.44/14.34/3.1).  We won't be competitive.  Looking at the relay times from last year, it seems like only fast groups were registered. I won't keep up with the swim or bike times, so it won't matter if my buddy puts up a slow run time.   It will be fun to be out with my buddy, and it'll be good practice for the swim and T1. 

Side note: I hate the bike.  I dislike training on the road; it never feels completely safe. Also, my bike is a brick, so it feels like I'm pulling a trailer around behind me.  Often, I ride inside on the trainer or at the gym on the stationary , but that gets as monotonous as the treadmill.  I enjoy the biking in the races because it usually feels safer.  But still, the bike is my least favorite part thus far.

On Sunday, July 19 I think I will do the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon in Annandale ($80; 0.5/21/5.3).  My goal is to hit the Olympic length by the end of the summer, and the lengths on the Annandale course will stretch me out a bit.  This race will take place about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house.  I might end up having to get a hotel room or staying with my brother who lives about twenty minutes from the race.  That means that Tina and the kids probably won't make it, which is kind of a bummer.

In August, I will probably head back to the Lake Marion triathlon and go for the Olympic course ($75; 1.5K/40K/10K).  This will be the long swim (0.93 miles) and bike (24.8 miles) of the year.  The race is about twenty minutes from my house, and I did the sprint course last year. 

It's not quite the goals I had before breaking my foot (marathon, 70.3), but that just leaves more for next year.