Sunday, June 15, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
First race of 2008
I decided to sign up for the duathlon in Rye. With Mooseman a week a way, probably not the best idea, but why not. The race was a 3.2 run, 17 mile bike and another 3.2
On Friday night, I had a beer and a glass of wine with my dinner. Not the best prerace meal. I started to watch the Celtics and ended up watching the whole game. Take a look at the clock, midnight. Perfect, race in 6 hours!
I woke up at 5am and took care of Wonder Dog. He was a good boy, so that made it easy.
I threw on the back pack and rode to the course. I grabbed a good spot in the transition area and then went for a run to wake up the legs. On the warm up, I was a little sluggish and my stomach was noisey.
Race start - I do not want to sound like a jerk, but people need to be more considerate to those who are faster then them. I am roughly 50 people from the front and there is no way some of these people should be even close to the front. It is a narrow start shoot, without a lot of room to go around people. The gun goes off and people who run 9 minute miles are saying to each other, this is way to fast of a start. My point exactly! Move back to where the people who run 9 minute miles are. I know this sounds cocky, but I would never go to the front of a open water swim race and slow others down.
So, I go way to the outside and pass around 30 people in the first minute. My heart is jacked and I am running hard. Five more people drop behind me and I am now in the lead pack. We quickly break a way from the herd and fly down the road. This is the first time I have ever taken off in the lead pack. I usually stay in the front of the large group, but this is an awsome experience! It was so cool to be running behind the lead police car. I couldn't help thinking one of these guys is going to win and I am running with him!
We rip through the first 3.2 and I have my sights on the 14 people in front of me. Of those 14, 4 people are only running the 5K road race. So I am actually in 11th.
I fly through the transition and do a quick head count. Damn it! No one is in before me and out after me. In the first mile of the bike I pass one. I start to flirt with the idea that I might have a chance for a top ten finish. Mile 5, just passed an Ironman racer. I immediatly start to think, am I going to hard? Either way, I am now in the 9th place!
Mile 6 - Hit route 1-a (coastal road) and a wall of a head wind. It felt like there was an elastic band tied to my bike. The harder I pushed the more I stretched. Same conditions for everyone, so gotta go hard. I know my strength right now is on the bike, so I have to pour it out. I clench my teeth and push harder.
At mile 13 I see two more riders, they continue to get closer and closer. My hamstrings are screaming. My left butt cheek feels like I have a knife in it. I pass the first guy and use the emotional boost to catch the other guy. I am now in the seventh place and I see another rider.
All of a sudden I get passed by two guys!! Where the hell did they come from?? A little fustrating, but I am now in 9th place. I take a quick look behind and I don't see anyone. The rider in front of me that I have been watching, also gets taken out. Only two miles left and I can't catch him.
I cruise into the transition area and I already have my feet out of the shoes. I fly in, drop the bike off and start running. My legs feel like concrete.
Out of now where I get passed by two more guys. My friggin hamstring is screaming and I am fustrated. So I push harder and end up catching one of the two guys who got me on the bike. In my head I think I am in 10th place, when in actuality I am in 9th.
I want to be in the top ten, not tenth so I push harder and start to close on another racer. It is the other guy who passed me on the bike!
I get about 10 feet from him and pace off him for a mile or so. I think I wore him down mentally. He looked backed several times, slowed slightly and then I knew I had him. I wasn't doing it completely on purpose, but I didn't want to push to hard and pass early, just to have him return the favor at the finish line. As I passed him, we had a friendly chat and we wished each other a good run. What an amazing sport!
The last mile was a steady pace in. I knew I couldn't catch the guy in front of me and I had built a cushion for myself from any attackers.
Kind of funny side story - There were some people heading in from the bike as I was finishing. I was asked by a gentleman with a look of astonishment, "are you actually finishing this thing?" I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He returned the smile and just shook his head.
I finished in 8th place and really proud. The training is definetly paying off.
On Friday night, I had a beer and a glass of wine with my dinner. Not the best prerace meal. I started to watch the Celtics and ended up watching the whole game. Take a look at the clock, midnight. Perfect, race in 6 hours!
I woke up at 5am and took care of Wonder Dog. He was a good boy, so that made it easy.
I threw on the back pack and rode to the course. I grabbed a good spot in the transition area and then went for a run to wake up the legs. On the warm up, I was a little sluggish and my stomach was noisey.
Race start - I do not want to sound like a jerk, but people need to be more considerate to those who are faster then them. I am roughly 50 people from the front and there is no way some of these people should be even close to the front. It is a narrow start shoot, without a lot of room to go around people. The gun goes off and people who run 9 minute miles are saying to each other, this is way to fast of a start. My point exactly! Move back to where the people who run 9 minute miles are. I know this sounds cocky, but I would never go to the front of a open water swim race and slow others down.
So, I go way to the outside and pass around 30 people in the first minute. My heart is jacked and I am running hard. Five more people drop behind me and I am now in the lead pack. We quickly break a way from the herd and fly down the road. This is the first time I have ever taken off in the lead pack. I usually stay in the front of the large group, but this is an awsome experience! It was so cool to be running behind the lead police car. I couldn't help thinking one of these guys is going to win and I am running with him!
We rip through the first 3.2 and I have my sights on the 14 people in front of me. Of those 14, 4 people are only running the 5K road race. So I am actually in 11th.
I fly through the transition and do a quick head count. Damn it! No one is in before me and out after me. In the first mile of the bike I pass one. I start to flirt with the idea that I might have a chance for a top ten finish. Mile 5, just passed an Ironman racer. I immediatly start to think, am I going to hard? Either way, I am now in the 9th place!
Mile 6 - Hit route 1-a (coastal road) and a wall of a head wind. It felt like there was an elastic band tied to my bike. The harder I pushed the more I stretched. Same conditions for everyone, so gotta go hard. I know my strength right now is on the bike, so I have to pour it out. I clench my teeth and push harder.
At mile 13 I see two more riders, they continue to get closer and closer. My hamstrings are screaming. My left butt cheek feels like I have a knife in it. I pass the first guy and use the emotional boost to catch the other guy. I am now in the seventh place and I see another rider.
All of a sudden I get passed by two guys!! Where the hell did they come from?? A little fustrating, but I am now in 9th place. I take a quick look behind and I don't see anyone. The rider in front of me that I have been watching, also gets taken out. Only two miles left and I can't catch him.
I cruise into the transition area and I already have my feet out of the shoes. I fly in, drop the bike off and start running. My legs feel like concrete.
Out of now where I get passed by two more guys. My friggin hamstring is screaming and I am fustrated. So I push harder and end up catching one of the two guys who got me on the bike. In my head I think I am in 10th place, when in actuality I am in 9th.
I want to be in the top ten, not tenth so I push harder and start to close on another racer. It is the other guy who passed me on the bike!
I get about 10 feet from him and pace off him for a mile or so. I think I wore him down mentally. He looked backed several times, slowed slightly and then I knew I had him. I wasn't doing it completely on purpose, but I didn't want to push to hard and pass early, just to have him return the favor at the finish line. As I passed him, we had a friendly chat and we wished each other a good run. What an amazing sport!
The last mile was a steady pace in. I knew I couldn't catch the guy in front of me and I had built a cushion for myself from any attackers.
Kind of funny side story - There were some people heading in from the bike as I was finishing. I was asked by a gentleman with a look of astonishment, "are you actually finishing this thing?" I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He returned the smile and just shook his head.
I finished in 8th place and really proud. The training is definetly paying off.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
An amazing experience
Tuesday PM - I had a technique ride today. I rode down the coast and did one leg drills for 32 minutes. This is to make sure both legs are equally strong.
With a 10 minute warm up I was now 13 miles from home and 45 minutes into the ride. With the drills and head wind it was a very slow steady ride south.
I turned around at the boardwalk in Hampton and decided I was going to ride hard back. That headwind has now turned into a tailwind and I felt strong. After 3 minutes of riding, I knew it was an opportunity for me to absolutely shred this ride. I had my cadence at 100 and I was moving at 25mph.
Something clicked in me and I felt like a machine. I have never felt this strong on the bike. I kept up the cadence, but shifted into a harder gear. Still spinning fast, but pounding out power as well.
I flew through the Hampton wall section and realized that this was going to be a breakout ride for me. My teeth were clenched together and my mouth was open. I had to of looked crazy.
5 miles into the ride back, a car pulled out in front of me and I would not let them pull a way. I kept up with them until I hit mile 10 and I was three miles from the house. I rode the 10 miles in 22 minutes. I averaged 27 mph! Granted there was a tail wind, but what an experience. For 22 minutes, I felt like a pro. Absolutely amazing.
With a 10 minute warm up I was now 13 miles from home and 45 minutes into the ride. With the drills and head wind it was a very slow steady ride south.
I turned around at the boardwalk in Hampton and decided I was going to ride hard back. That headwind has now turned into a tailwind and I felt strong. After 3 minutes of riding, I knew it was an opportunity for me to absolutely shred this ride. I had my cadence at 100 and I was moving at 25mph.
Something clicked in me and I felt like a machine. I have never felt this strong on the bike. I kept up the cadence, but shifted into a harder gear. Still spinning fast, but pounding out power as well.
I flew through the Hampton wall section and realized that this was going to be a breakout ride for me. My teeth were clenched together and my mouth was open. I had to of looked crazy.
5 miles into the ride back, a car pulled out in front of me and I would not let them pull a way. I kept up with them until I hit mile 10 and I was three miles from the house. I rode the 10 miles in 22 minutes. I averaged 27 mph! Granted there was a tail wind, but what an experience. For 22 minutes, I felt like a pro. Absolutely amazing.
Finally back on it
I swam 2000 yards and felt pretty good. The last couple of weeks I have been very consistant with swimming. That is the complete opposite from previous years.
Ran with Kate for 40 minutes. I just needed to make sure I still remembered how to run. We got caught in a pretty good down pour. Kind of fun.
Ran with Kate for 40 minutes. I just needed to make sure I still remembered how to run. We got caught in a pretty good down pour. Kind of fun.
A weeks worth of updates.
Not much to write. Awful week.
5-21 Wed.
Ran 30 minutes and weights for 45 minutes. Still tired from the half marathon
5-22 Thurs
Rode the trainer for 30 minutes... Still tired. This is so annoying, I can't build up the energy to train hard right now. In addition Kate is a way and I have two nights of work stuff to do.
5-23 Friday
Swam 1300. Strong workout for swimming. Not a lot of distance, but nice speed. I am supposed to run, but I dogged it. Common theme lately... Not good.
5-24 Sat.
3 hour bike. 51 miles with an average of 17mph. Kind of slow, but I did the Mooseman course. Man, that is such a tough course.
5-25
Swam 2500. Felt good in the pool.
Missed ANOTHER long run. I have to get my ass in gear for the long runs. I was supposed to do a 2 hour run. Moving forward, I am not going to miss any of the long workouts. If I have to miss one, it will be a speed workout.
5-21 Wed.
Ran 30 minutes and weights for 45 minutes. Still tired from the half marathon
5-22 Thurs
Rode the trainer for 30 minutes... Still tired. This is so annoying, I can't build up the energy to train hard right now. In addition Kate is a way and I have two nights of work stuff to do.
5-23 Friday
Swam 1300. Strong workout for swimming. Not a lot of distance, but nice speed. I am supposed to run, but I dogged it. Common theme lately... Not good.
5-24 Sat.
3 hour bike. 51 miles with an average of 17mph. Kind of slow, but I did the Mooseman course. Man, that is such a tough course.
5-25
Swam 2500. Felt good in the pool.
Missed ANOTHER long run. I have to get my ass in gear for the long runs. I was supposed to do a 2 hour run. Moving forward, I am not going to miss any of the long workouts. If I have to miss one, it will be a speed workout.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I swam, but obviously didn't want to bike
I had a nice swim workout this morning, but obviously didn't want to bike in the PM.
I got dressed and was ready to go and realized I didn't have an extra tube. I would have been screwed if I got a flat. So I decided to hook my bike up to the trainer. I went and got groceries for dinner and planned on riding it when I got home. By the time I got home, I was hungry and basically gave up on the idea.
DAMN IT! I now feel guilty about it. I had the time, I just didn't prepare properly. I am annoyed with myself now.
I got dressed and was ready to go and realized I didn't have an extra tube. I would have been screwed if I got a flat. So I decided to hook my bike up to the trainer. I went and got groceries for dinner and planned on riding it when I got home. By the time I got home, I was hungry and basically gave up on the idea.
DAMN IT! I now feel guilty about it. I had the time, I just didn't prepare properly. I am annoyed with myself now.
I think my coach is trying to kill me
We swam 2300 yards on Sunday. This was the first time I was able to complete a full swim workout in the hours time. I actually did a little more...
We then went out to the track. That is where she tried to kill me. She had me running a 1000 meters (damn Canadian) or .62 miles in 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Basically a six minute mile. Which I am fine with, but she said it should be a controled pace, yeah right! That is a six minute mile after biking 3 hours the day before and swimming a mile and a half. THe best part was I did five times!
I absolutely love it at the same time. Sometimes it is so hard to motivate myself, but it is all worth it.
We then went out to the track. That is where she tried to kill me. She had me running a 1000 meters (damn Canadian) or .62 miles in 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Basically a six minute mile. Which I am fine with, but she said it should be a controled pace, yeah right! That is a six minute mile after biking 3 hours the day before and swimming a mile and a half. THe best part was I did five times!
I absolutely love it at the same time. Sometimes it is so hard to motivate myself, but it is all worth it.
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