July 23 - July 29
S: 14,691 yds - 3hr 31min
B: 165.34 mi - 9hr 16min
R: 23.20 mi - 3hr
Total: 15hr 46min
Slightly lower run volume due to a day off on Monday coming off the Nashville race, but pretty standard stuff other than that: lots of hard biking during the week, a handful of swims, some running, and a brutal bike workout on Sunday. The season really is coming down to the end here with only 6 weeks to go, but there is still plenty of racing left to be done!
Aug 4 - USA Cycling Southeastern Time Trial Championships
Aug 11 - Mountain Lakes Triathlon
Aug 26 - Rocketman Triathlon
Sept 2 - Hy-Vee Triathlon 5150 US Championship
Sept 8 - Alabama Coastal Triathlon
7.29.2012
7.23.2012
Music City Triathlon Race Report
July 16 - July 22
S: 7,994 yds - 1hr 51min
B: 88.01 mi - 4hr 45min
R: 33.43 mi - 4hr 20min
Total: 10hr 56min
I last did this race 2 years ago, and after having a complete meltdown in 105 degree Tennessee heat I vowed never again to return. However, as this year rolled around I figured it was time to quit being a coward and man up. My brother and his wife live in Nashville, so it was a good opportunity to see them as well. The race was of the standard intermediate distance - 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run - here's how it unfolded:
Swim - 16:12
The swim was shortened to 1,000 meters due to a pretty strong current. The first leg of the swim was upstream against the current, with the latter half being downstream. As usual, it was pretty uneventful and I came out of the water ready to hop on the bike and reel some people in.
Bike - 1:03:59
This bike course didn't look too tough on paper, but the hardest part was that it was on a completely-wide-open-to-sunlight highway. If it's hot and sunny, you are going to cook; and it was, and I did. I passed a handful of people, but it was hard to figure out what position I was in because there was a sprint race going on at the same time so the course was littered with people. Coming into T2 I saw 4 or 5 bikes around mine so I figured I was in a decent spot.
Run - 43.55
This run was a brutal, hilly, and hot 2-loop-5k course. I felt alright coming off the bike, but I could tell that the heat was getting to me. At the end of the first lap I saw my brother and wife cheering for me so that helped a lot. During the 2nd lap I slowed down a little bit, constantly pouring water over my head to keep from overheating. In the end I crossed the line with a slower than expected run split, but given the heat and seeing as how only 4-5 people cracked the 40 minute barrier, I guess I can't be too disappointed.
Total - 2:07: 25
I ended up with an 8th place overall out of around 330 finishers, with a consolation of 1st in my age group by a couple of minutes. Local pro Craig Evans and Huntsville pro Andrew Hodges beat down the field, with the rest of the top 10 coming in 10-15 minutes later. In summary, I'll say that racing in the heat is tough and painful. It also seems that extremely hot and humid conditions really decreases your margin for error in pacing on the bike. Or maybe I just suck at racing in the heat, but that's what it feels like to me. All in all, I felt like I executed as well as I could, and at least I didn't blow up like 2 weeks ago!
S: 7,994 yds - 1hr 51min
B: 88.01 mi - 4hr 45min
R: 33.43 mi - 4hr 20min
Total: 10hr 56min
I last did this race 2 years ago, and after having a complete meltdown in 105 degree Tennessee heat I vowed never again to return. However, as this year rolled around I figured it was time to quit being a coward and man up. My brother and his wife live in Nashville, so it was a good opportunity to see them as well. The race was of the standard intermediate distance - 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run - here's how it unfolded:
Swim - 16:12
The swim was shortened to 1,000 meters due to a pretty strong current. The first leg of the swim was upstream against the current, with the latter half being downstream. As usual, it was pretty uneventful and I came out of the water ready to hop on the bike and reel some people in.
Bike - 1:03:59
This bike course didn't look too tough on paper, but the hardest part was that it was on a completely-wide-open-to-sunlight highway. If it's hot and sunny, you are going to cook; and it was, and I did. I passed a handful of people, but it was hard to figure out what position I was in because there was a sprint race going on at the same time so the course was littered with people. Coming into T2 I saw 4 or 5 bikes around mine so I figured I was in a decent spot.
Run - 43.55
This run was a brutal, hilly, and hot 2-loop-5k course. I felt alright coming off the bike, but I could tell that the heat was getting to me. At the end of the first lap I saw my brother and wife cheering for me so that helped a lot. During the 2nd lap I slowed down a little bit, constantly pouring water over my head to keep from overheating. In the end I crossed the line with a slower than expected run split, but given the heat and seeing as how only 4-5 people cracked the 40 minute barrier, I guess I can't be too disappointed.
Total - 2:07: 25
I ended up with an 8th place overall out of around 330 finishers, with a consolation of 1st in my age group by a couple of minutes. Local pro Craig Evans and Huntsville pro Andrew Hodges beat down the field, with the rest of the top 10 coming in 10-15 minutes later. In summary, I'll say that racing in the heat is tough and painful. It also seems that extremely hot and humid conditions really decreases your margin for error in pacing on the bike. Or maybe I just suck at racing in the heat, but that's what it feels like to me. All in all, I felt like I executed as well as I could, and at least I didn't blow up like 2 weeks ago!
7.16.2012
Humidity...
July 9 - July 15
S: 15,050 yds - 3hr32min
B: 127.40 mi - 6hr 52min
R: 22.33 mi - 2hr 50min
Total: 13hr 14min
Well, it seems that the 105 degree heat has cooled off a little bit, but the humidity is outrageous. If I had to guess, my weight probably fluctuates +/- 5 to 7 pounds a day, potentially multiple times per day. Crazy. Anyways, enough complaining...it was a pretty standard week except for lower than normal run volume. After a dismal performance at Chattanooga, a much needed rest day was in order on Monday which subsequently made most of this week's workouts pretty stellar. I probably felt the best that I think I've ever felt on the bike on Sunday's grueling threshold/tempo set, so that was pretty encouraging after getting my butt whooped last week in Chattanooga. Next up is the Music City Triathlon in Nashville this coming weekend. It has always proven to be pretty hot in this race (July in the southeast, duh). The bike is on a wide open highway (allowing you to get baked), and the run is super hilly with pretty much no shade (allowing you to get baked again). If history holds, it should be a fun day!
S: 15,050 yds - 3hr32min
B: 127.40 mi - 6hr 52min
R: 22.33 mi - 2hr 50min
Total: 13hr 14min
Well, it seems that the 105 degree heat has cooled off a little bit, but the humidity is outrageous. If I had to guess, my weight probably fluctuates +/- 5 to 7 pounds a day, potentially multiple times per day. Crazy. Anyways, enough complaining...it was a pretty standard week except for lower than normal run volume. After a dismal performance at Chattanooga, a much needed rest day was in order on Monday which subsequently made most of this week's workouts pretty stellar. I probably felt the best that I think I've ever felt on the bike on Sunday's grueling threshold/tempo set, so that was pretty encouraging after getting my butt whooped last week in Chattanooga. Next up is the Music City Triathlon in Nashville this coming weekend. It has always proven to be pretty hot in this race (July in the southeast, duh). The bike is on a wide open highway (allowing you to get baked), and the run is super hilly with pretty much no shade (allowing you to get baked again). If history holds, it should be a fun day!
7.09.2012
Chattanooga Tri - Anatomy of a Blow-up
July 2 - July 8
S: 8,741 yds - 2hr
B: 87.85 mi - 4hr 33min
R: 38.18 mi - 5hr 2min
Total: 11hr 34min
On Saturday, I headed up north to participate in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, which consisted of a 1500m swim, a 42k bike, and a 10k run. This would be my 5th year to race this race, and without a doubt it is always very hot and humid. This year was no different, and as the title states it was perfect for a blow-up.
Swim - 21:05
I was pretty pleased with the swim. About 1/4 of the way through I was able to find some feet of a guy slightly faster than me and draft off him for a good ways before he dropped me. Besides that, it was a pretty boring 21 minutes.
Bike - 1:06:29
About 5 minutes after starting the bike, I knew my legs weren't there. Wattage was way too low and HR was way too high. It was super windy out on the course, but that really wasn't a problem. One of the worst things was that we were riding on a highway in a lane completely closed to traffic...but cars were still going by in the lane next to us. There were a handful of times where I was passed by an 18-wheeler, and the gust would almost knock me over! Overall, my bike split was good and within the top 10 in the race, but it was nowhere near my potential. Even worse, my legs felt awful and I knew I wasn't starting the run in a good state.
Run - 49:55
Embarrassing, to say the least. A small consolation is that only 1 person out of 958 finishers went under 40 minutes for 10k, which is pretty astounding and speaks to the tough conditions. Immediately after starting the run, my ears felt like they were clogged and ringing, which usually indicates to me that I'm shutting down and that it's T minus 15-20 minutes until some sort of blow-up. Mile 1 was a 7:13 and mile 2 was a little slower at 7:23, but at that point things started to get bad and for the rest of the race all I cared about was crossing the line without passing out.
Total - 2:20:52
27th overall out of 958 finishers doesn't seem too terrible, but it doesn't meet my standards and I know I'm capable of much, much better. The swim was the only discipline where I think I reached my potential. I left at least 20 watts on the table on the bike and 5-10 minutes total on the run. The heat and humidity definitely had an impact, but some days you just don't have it, and this was one of them.
S: 8,741 yds - 2hr
B: 87.85 mi - 4hr 33min
R: 38.18 mi - 5hr 2min
Total: 11hr 34min
On Saturday, I headed up north to participate in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, which consisted of a 1500m swim, a 42k bike, and a 10k run. This would be my 5th year to race this race, and without a doubt it is always very hot and humid. This year was no different, and as the title states it was perfect for a blow-up.
Swim - 21:05
I was pretty pleased with the swim. About 1/4 of the way through I was able to find some feet of a guy slightly faster than me and draft off him for a good ways before he dropped me. Besides that, it was a pretty boring 21 minutes.
Bike - 1:06:29
About 5 minutes after starting the bike, I knew my legs weren't there. Wattage was way too low and HR was way too high. It was super windy out on the course, but that really wasn't a problem. One of the worst things was that we were riding on a highway in a lane completely closed to traffic...but cars were still going by in the lane next to us. There were a handful of times where I was passed by an 18-wheeler, and the gust would almost knock me over! Overall, my bike split was good and within the top 10 in the race, but it was nowhere near my potential. Even worse, my legs felt awful and I knew I wasn't starting the run in a good state.
Run - 49:55
Embarrassing, to say the least. A small consolation is that only 1 person out of 958 finishers went under 40 minutes for 10k, which is pretty astounding and speaks to the tough conditions. Immediately after starting the run, my ears felt like they were clogged and ringing, which usually indicates to me that I'm shutting down and that it's T minus 15-20 minutes until some sort of blow-up. Mile 1 was a 7:13 and mile 2 was a little slower at 7:23, but at that point things started to get bad and for the rest of the race all I cared about was crossing the line without passing out.
Total - 2:20:52
27th overall out of 958 finishers doesn't seem too terrible, but it doesn't meet my standards and I know I'm capable of much, much better. The swim was the only discipline where I think I reached my potential. I left at least 20 watts on the table on the bike and 5-10 minutes total on the run. The heat and humidity definitely had an impact, but some days you just don't have it, and this was one of them.
7.04.2012
Alabama State TT Championship
June 25 - July 1
S: 11,841 yds - 2hr 47min
B: 144.07 mi - 7hr 12min
R: 33.17 mi - 4hr 20min
Total: 14hr 19min
Last weekend was the Alabama State Time Trial Championship. The course was just short of 40k..about 23.5 miles total. It was a very hilly out-and-back route with about 1,600 feet of climbing, and temperatures at the 9am start time were close to 100 degrees with a heat index of closer to 105 degrees The short of it is that I won the Cat 5 race by 5min 30sec. Things started out well for the first half of the race; power was high and steady...but the weather really started heating up on the way back and it was pretty much survival mode for the last half of the race. Power didn't drop off too much but I felt like my head was about to explode in the heat, and on top of that I figured out how to drop my chain with around 3 miles to go, which cost me around 45-50 seconds. I figured I was handling the heat better than most though, which turned out to be true based on the carnage in the parking lot after the race. All in all, it was a good training day.
S: 11,841 yds - 2hr 47min
B: 144.07 mi - 7hr 12min
R: 33.17 mi - 4hr 20min
Total: 14hr 19min
Last weekend was the Alabama State Time Trial Championship. The course was just short of 40k..about 23.5 miles total. It was a very hilly out-and-back route with about 1,600 feet of climbing, and temperatures at the 9am start time were close to 100 degrees with a heat index of closer to 105 degrees The short of it is that I won the Cat 5 race by 5min 30sec. Things started out well for the first half of the race; power was high and steady...but the weather really started heating up on the way back and it was pretty much survival mode for the last half of the race. Power didn't drop off too much but I felt like my head was about to explode in the heat, and on top of that I figured out how to drop my chain with around 3 miles to go, which cost me around 45-50 seconds. I figured I was handling the heat better than most though, which turned out to be true based on the carnage in the parking lot after the race. All in all, it was a good training day.
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