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!
7.16.2012
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.
 |
| On top of the podium |
6.24.2012
2012 Part II
June 18 - June 24
S: 14,582 yds - 3hr 26min
B: 169.46 mi - 9hr 49min
R: 41.05 mi - 5hr 6min
Total: 18hr 21min
After a mid-season break of sorts last week, this week officially began Part II of the tri season. Things started off nicely with a solid week across the board, culminating with a pretty challenging Sunday ride in 90+ degree heat:
Next week is the Alabama State Time Trial Championship (40k). Biking has been going well lately, so hopefully I can show some good form. The week after that is the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, followed by a 4 day training camp in the mountains of Asheville, NC at the end of the next week. After camp is a trip to Nashville for the Music City Triathlon and a visit with my brother and his wife. July is shaping up to be a fun month!
S: 14,582 yds - 3hr 26min
B: 169.46 mi - 9hr 49min
R: 41.05 mi - 5hr 6min
Total: 18hr 21min
After a mid-season break of sorts last week, this week officially began Part II of the tri season. Things started off nicely with a solid week across the board, culminating with a pretty challenging Sunday ride in 90+ degree heat:
 |
| Getting in the "pain cave" |
Next week is the Alabama State Time Trial Championship (40k). Biking has been going well lately, so hopefully I can show some good form. The week after that is the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, followed by a 4 day training camp in the mountains of Asheville, NC at the end of the next week. After camp is a trip to Nashville for the Music City Triathlon and a visit with my brother and his wife. July is shaping up to be a fun month!
6.17.2012
Mid-Season Break
June 11 - June 17
S: 8,600 yds - 2hr 2min
B: 78.12 mi - 4hr 21min
R: 27.33 mi - 3hr 27min
Total: 9hr 50min
"Mid-season break" really just means 1 workout a day instead of 2 (for the most part). It was nice to have some extra free time this week to rest the legs, sleep in, and get some good hang out time. Good People Brewing Company, a pot luck dinner, and a visit or 3 to J. Clyde were in order. I also got a chance to visit Gaston in the hospital a couple times, after he got banged up pretty bad at the Buster Britton Tri last weekend in a bike/car incident. All in all, it was a good week.
S: 8,600 yds - 2hr 2min
B: 78.12 mi - 4hr 21min
R: 27.33 mi - 3hr 27min
Total: 9hr 50min
"Mid-season break" really just means 1 workout a day instead of 2 (for the most part). It was nice to have some extra free time this week to rest the legs, sleep in, and get some good hang out time. Good People Brewing Company, a pot luck dinner, and a visit or 3 to J. Clyde were in order. I also got a chance to visit Gaston in the hospital a couple times, after he got banged up pretty bad at the Buster Britton Tri last weekend in a bike/car incident. All in all, it was a good week.
6.10.2012
Buster Britton Triathlon Race Report
June 4 - June 10
S: 11,000 yds - 2hr 42min
B: 64.26 mi - 3hr 30min
R: 10.78 mi - 1hr 18min
Total: 7hr 30min
What a roller coaster of emotion. Leading up to the race, I was lacking all kind of confidence. I have not felt that great on the bike lately, and even though my running has been going good, it just seems like my training has been pretty spotty as of late due to traveling. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming into the Buster Britton Triathlon, but I eventually reasoned with myself that a good fitness base of 350 hours so far in 2012 does not just leave the body, so I should be able to be in the running for a win or at least a top 3 overall. Here's how it went down, unofficially:
Swim (400yd) - 6:16
The race was a TT start, and I was 3rd in the water. Most likely, the swim was a tad longer than 400 yards...but what triathlon swim is the "right distance" anyways? I felt pretty good about my effort, and it felt like I was moving fast. I was passed by a couple high school kids, but I knew I could track them down on the bike.
Bike (13mi) - 32:29
The bike went...well let's just say that it was crushed. Fastest on the day by a good 45 seconds. Starting the bike, I had 4 riders about a minute in front of me. By the halfway point, I had passed 2 of them and had a line of sight to pass the next 2 within two or three miles. I made sure to slam it for 10-15 seconds while passing the last 2 riders, just to get in there heads and make them think they were getting crushed. After passing that last rider, I was solo for the next 4 miles or so into T2, just trying to chase the lead motorcycle and build as much of a gap as I could.
Run (3mi) - 18:49
The next riders were just coming into T2 as I was heading out on the run. The first bit of the run was pretty rough. My calves were tight and I couldn't get anything going. To make things worse, the first 0.3 miles was pretty much uphill. After cresting the hill, my calves calmed down and I felt like I could finally push it some. Mile 1 was semi-slow in 6:40, but after that I started to pick up speed. Mile 2 was a 6:10 and I started seeing the gap I had on some of the athletes and knew I was going to beat them. This was very motivating, which created a 5:57 mile 3 into the finish line. I knew every second counted, as one of the race favorites Aaron Ainsworth started a bit behind me so I wasn't sure how much time he made up on the run.
Total - 59:29
It turned out that Aaron absolutely crushed the run and took the win, with my effort putting me in 2nd overall with a good 30 second margin over 3rd place. But like I said, this was unofficial. I later found out that I was slapped with a 2 minute "position foul" penalty on the bike. Apparently, I was riding in the center of the lane, which I tend to do when hitting high speeds of 40+ mph down curvy descents. Bad luck. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. This penalty put me back to a 1:01:29 and 9th place overall, which is pretty frustrating and unacceptable. Besides that, I know I executed the race well in terms of raw speed, so I'm pretty pumped for a couple more good races this summer.
S: 11,000 yds - 2hr 42min
B: 64.26 mi - 3hr 30min
R: 10.78 mi - 1hr 18min
Total: 7hr 30min
What a roller coaster of emotion. Leading up to the race, I was lacking all kind of confidence. I have not felt that great on the bike lately, and even though my running has been going good, it just seems like my training has been pretty spotty as of late due to traveling. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming into the Buster Britton Triathlon, but I eventually reasoned with myself that a good fitness base of 350 hours so far in 2012 does not just leave the body, so I should be able to be in the running for a win or at least a top 3 overall. Here's how it went down, unofficially:
Swim (400yd) - 6:16
The race was a TT start, and I was 3rd in the water. Most likely, the swim was a tad longer than 400 yards...but what triathlon swim is the "right distance" anyways? I felt pretty good about my effort, and it felt like I was moving fast. I was passed by a couple high school kids, but I knew I could track them down on the bike.
Bike (13mi) - 32:29
The bike went...well let's just say that it was crushed. Fastest on the day by a good 45 seconds. Starting the bike, I had 4 riders about a minute in front of me. By the halfway point, I had passed 2 of them and had a line of sight to pass the next 2 within two or three miles. I made sure to slam it for 10-15 seconds while passing the last 2 riders, just to get in there heads and make them think they were getting crushed. After passing that last rider, I was solo for the next 4 miles or so into T2, just trying to chase the lead motorcycle and build as much of a gap as I could.
Run (3mi) - 18:49
The next riders were just coming into T2 as I was heading out on the run. The first bit of the run was pretty rough. My calves were tight and I couldn't get anything going. To make things worse, the first 0.3 miles was pretty much uphill. After cresting the hill, my calves calmed down and I felt like I could finally push it some. Mile 1 was semi-slow in 6:40, but after that I started to pick up speed. Mile 2 was a 6:10 and I started seeing the gap I had on some of the athletes and knew I was going to beat them. This was very motivating, which created a 5:57 mile 3 into the finish line. I knew every second counted, as one of the race favorites Aaron Ainsworth started a bit behind me so I wasn't sure how much time he made up on the run.
Total - 59:29
It turned out that Aaron absolutely crushed the run and took the win, with my effort putting me in 2nd overall with a good 30 second margin over 3rd place. But like I said, this was unofficial. I later found out that I was slapped with a 2 minute "position foul" penalty on the bike. Apparently, I was riding in the center of the lane, which I tend to do when hitting high speeds of 40+ mph down curvy descents. Bad luck. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. This penalty put me back to a 1:01:29 and 9th place overall, which is pretty frustrating and unacceptable. Besides that, I know I executed the race well in terms of raw speed, so I'm pretty pumped for a couple more good races this summer.
6.03.2012
Traveling, 5k, and a Wedding
May 21 - May 27
S: 8,106 yds - 2hr 7min
B: 172.53 mi - 9hr 20min
R: 25.02 mi - 3hr 16min
Total: 14hr 44min
May 28 - June 3
S: 6,000 yds - 1hr 27min
B: 62.92 mi - 3hr 22min
R: 37.52 mi - 4hr 49min
Total: 9hr 38min
The last 2 weeks have been pretty busy with things other than triathlon, hence the lower than normal volume. Memorial Day weekend was spent on Lake Martin with Gaston and his wife and a couple of her friends. While the girls slept in and stuff, Gaston and I knocked out 60-65 miles on the bike on both days, followed by eating and floating around the lake all day before sneaking in an afternoon run. The plan was to get in some OW swimming as well, but that didn't happen because the lake was too choppy due to all of the boat traffic!
This past week was rather light on cycling and swimming due to a work trip to Houston and a trip to Kentucky for the Gibson/Phelps wedding, but I was able to finally get some decent run quality and mileage in. On Saturday, most of the wedding party raced a 5k in Clarksville, TN, so that was pretty cool. Like an idiot, I forgot my racing flats in Birmingham...that's good for like 5 seconds/mile right?? I probably went out too hard (mile 1 in 5:31), but there was a slight tailwind on the way out and headwind on the way back so the pacing wasn't as horrid as it may seem (although I still think I left some time on the table). I finished 3rd overall in 17:49 and manged to sneak out a new PR by 4 seconds, which is always a good consolation prize.
S: 8,106 yds - 2hr 7min
B: 172.53 mi - 9hr 20min
R: 25.02 mi - 3hr 16min
Total: 14hr 44min
May 28 - June 3
S: 6,000 yds - 1hr 27min
B: 62.92 mi - 3hr 22min
R: 37.52 mi - 4hr 49min
Total: 9hr 38min
The last 2 weeks have been pretty busy with things other than triathlon, hence the lower than normal volume. Memorial Day weekend was spent on Lake Martin with Gaston and his wife and a couple of her friends. While the girls slept in and stuff, Gaston and I knocked out 60-65 miles on the bike on both days, followed by eating and floating around the lake all day before sneaking in an afternoon run. The plan was to get in some OW swimming as well, but that didn't happen because the lake was too choppy due to all of the boat traffic!
This past week was rather light on cycling and swimming due to a work trip to Houston and a trip to Kentucky for the Gibson/Phelps wedding, but I was able to finally get some decent run quality and mileage in. On Saturday, most of the wedding party raced a 5k in Clarksville, TN, so that was pretty cool. Like an idiot, I forgot my racing flats in Birmingham...that's good for like 5 seconds/mile right?? I probably went out too hard (mile 1 in 5:31), but there was a slight tailwind on the way out and headwind on the way back so the pacing wasn't as horrid as it may seem (although I still think I left some time on the table). I finished 3rd overall in 17:49 and manged to sneak out a new PR by 4 seconds, which is always a good consolation prize.
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