No Ham, Just Fun

Once again, I welcome my guest blogger, Melissa. 

It's been three weeks since the Smithfield Sprint, and I've had some time to reflect on it. A sprint distance race, Smithfield was intended to be my season opener, a race that would get me back in the swing of things after a long break from racing. My last race was in June of last year, when I did the "I Love the Tavern" sprint tri in Richmond. That race had a 650 meter open water swim, downstream in the river, 18.6 mile bike leg, and a 5k run that I died on due to the heat. 


So, on April 6th, we traveled to the ham capital of Virginia. Yup, a place where the water tower says "Smithfield: Ham, History, and Hospitality". That's right. HAM was first on the list, not history or hospitality. Too, too funny. Too bad I don't like ham. Or bacon. Or pork chops...but I digress.

 

Fortunately, the weather for Smithfield cooperated nicely. The temperature was in the low 50's, which was perfect as far as I was concerned. We arrived early and had our transition area set up in plenty of time, so we proceeded to warm up in the pool. For a race like this, the warmup (for me) is really just about mental comfort. The race started at 10 am, but because racers are "dropped" into the pool about 10 seconds apart, my start time was actually 11:38 am. The pool closed for warm ups at around 9:30, so that gave me two hours to wait around for my start time. As you can imagine, all the benefits of warming up your muscles have worn off during that waiting time. So, for me, the warm up is just mental-- making sure I feel mentally prepared, plus it helps me relax too. AND, the pool was warm! Almost warm enough to be called a bath. Kind of nice, actually. Had the swim been longer than 300 meters, I would not have liked it that warm. But 300 meters is not long enough for my body to really get too heated up, so it worked out ok.

And this time around, I had something to keep me occupied during that wait: My Dad and brother had come to see us race! What a treat. It was really great to see them, and I enjoyed their company as we waited together. I was glad that I was able to share this event with them, and that they could get a better feel for how these races work.

My swim time ended up as a 6:33.  Not terrible, but not the best I can do either. In retrospect, I did not really dive under the lane lines on the turns, like I should have. This probably added to my  time quite a bit. So much for mental preparation! I am not sure how I missed that one, but I did.

As I exited the pool, there was my Dad and brother cheering for me. Awesome! It is always so nice to have someone cheering for you. I ran into transition #1 and did not dilly-dally. Even though I know I am not going to win (or place) in these races, I don't like to waste time in transition. I was able to keep my T1 time to a 1:37, so I felt good about that. The funny thing about transition, though, is that while it's happening, I always feel like I am moving in slow motion. I ranked 3rd in transition times (in my AG), so I guess I was going faster than most.

The bike course- FUN, FUN, FUN! I loved this bike course. As I headed out of T1, again, my family cheering for me. Awesome. What a boost that gave me. The course was mostly flat, with one steep but really short hill, so I powered through it and kept on going. I averaged 15.4 mph on my bike leg, which is really good for me (10 miles, total time 38:11). In my races last year, I only averaged between 13.9 - 14.5. So, I am improving, which is sort of a relief, because sometimes it's hard to tell!

My T2 time: 1:27. No time to powder my nose-- I had a 5k to run!

The run course was a fairly easy out and back. Even though the sun had come out, it was still cool enough out to have a good run. According to my Garmin data, it was 52 degrees at the time of my run. I had my best sprint tri-run to date at a 9:59 average pace. The course was a tad short at 2.96 miles, but I didn't care. At that point, shorter is better.

Overall, it was a great race experience, and I would highly recommend the Smithfield race to anyone who wanted to dip their feet into the tri-waters, so to speak. I realize this race report is a bit dry, and is a rather straightforward reporting of the event. I don't have a moving story of overcoming cancer and finishing my first tri, like this guy. But I do, at least once per race, reflect on how lucky I am to be out there, doing what I'm doing. I'm not the fastest, but I am happy with the incremental improvements I've made, and grateful that I have the ability to at least be in the race at all.


What's up next? The MonticelloMan Olympic distance triathlon on May 5th. This will be roughly double the distance of the sprint tri, and my FIRST olympic distance. This of course, will be a good warm up for my main race this year, Raleigh 70.3 (another first). I'll be back again as a guest blogger after the M-Man tri, but in the meantime, you can read about another first for me this year in a previous post, where I wrote a race report about my first half marathon. Cheers.

Smithfield Sprint Triathlon Race Report

There is something about a Sprint Triathlon that is extremely fun. To me anyway. The Smithfield Sprint was no exception. Going into the race, I knew that it would be short. And as Craig Dodson from RCC always says, “the shorter the interval, the higher the intensity.” With that in mind, I calculated I could finish the race is just over one hour if I kept the hammer down throughout the race.

While the race started at 10AM, since it was a pool swim where swimmers go off one at at time every 15 seconds, my start time was not until 11:32. Unfortunately this meant my swim warm-up ended at 9:30 or so and then I had to wait quite a while for my start time. Plus it was cold and breezy outside. Walking around in a wet tri suit was not actually that comfortable. Mostly we waited inside but I did have to go outside a few times.

Finally it was my time to line up. I lined up in the order of my race number which was based on my predicted time to finish the pool swim. While in line, I chatted with a few of the guys, watched some teammates swim who were in front of me in the line, and thought about the upcoming race. My goal for the swim was to push myself a little but not go all out.

When it was my turn to swim, I pushed off and started down the lane. I caught up to a few people in the first 100 yards. Everyone was nice and let me pass them. I noticed that I was gaining time on people at each wall. Some people were dunking under the lane line and then pushing off the wall. I simply pushed off and swam under the lane line which saved me a couple of seconds on each wall. In swimming, a couple of seconds adds up quickly.

I felt really good on the swim and exited the pool feeling pretty pumped. T1 was just outside the pool exit. I quickly made my way to my bike and geared up. Considering I had to put on my Garmin plus two knee braces in addition to the helmet, socks, and bike shoes, I think my T1 time was not bad: 1:54. I tried to make up for the extra time it took to put on my knee braces by running very fast with my bike through transition to the bike exit.

Once on the bike, I wasted no time ratcheting things up. I knew that I had to push it hard for the entire bike segment. The bike leg was only 10 miles and I wanted to try to get it done in 30 minutes which would mean I would have to average 20 miles an hour which is pretty fast for me.

The bike course was great. There was very little traffic, smooth roads and the turns were well marked. Also, it was mostly flat. Definitely conducive for hammering. Usually on the bike leg of a triathlon, I am passed by lots of men and women. They catch up to me and fly by as if I am out for a Sunday stroll. This time, however I was passed by 1 guy. I was passing people this time around. Let me tell, that felt good and served as fuel for my fire.

It turned out there was quite a bit of wind on the course which did end up slowing me down slightly. I was not able to manage 20 miles an hour so I missed my arbitrary 30 minute time goal for the bike. But I still felt great on the bike and was pleased with my time of 33:09.

In T2, I did have a little trouble with my shoes. I had pre-tied them and while I had practiced at home, putting them on in transition proved to be harder than when I had practiced in my bedroom. But I got them on and got moving. My total T2 time was 1:37.

Once out on the run course, I was in my element. Running off the bike is always fun for me. I see people in front of me and I am driven to catch them. So one by one, I pick them off. Little kids, men and women of all shapes and sizes. One by one, I push past them. In this particular race, I felt really good on the run. I have been doing lots of high intensity workouts in the month of March and I think it paid off during the race. Once I got to the turn around, I knew I would be able to keep up my pace and have a good finish. As I approached the finish line, I noticed a young woman in front of me moving pretty fast. She was my final extra motivation: one more person to pass. So I kicked hard and booked it through the finishing chute for a run time of 21:23. My Garmin said the course was slightly short at 2.96 miles but I was still very pleased with that time.

My total time for this race was 1:03:59 and I ended up with 5^th place in my age group. There were 27 total in my age group: M 45-49. I was quite pleased and had a really great time racing. Now it time to focus on the next thing. Thanks for reading. Comments appreciated.

Jim

First Race Report of the Season

Is it Spring yet? It sure does not seem like it in Richmond. We have had cold, snowy, rainy weather for some time now. It seems like Spring will never come. Despite the bad weather, I have been able to get some quality training in this month.  In March I started a new schedule:

Monday - AM Swim, PM Cycling Class
Tuesday -PM Pro K track workout
Wednesday - AM Swim, PM Cycling class
Thursday - PM Cycle at home on trainer with Melissa/Sometimes run instead
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Long Bike
Sunday - Long Run and Long Swim

Needless to say, with all the training and my job, I have not had much time to sit and write. I spend all day in front of computers and sometimes the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a screen when I get home.

Last week, Melissa and I participated in a small 5K at a local elementary school. Our teammate was the race director and the race was a fund raiser for the PTA at the school. There were about 50 people at the race. When the gun went off, I took off at a reasonable pace. Right from the start, I found myself up front with 3 other runners. We ran the first mile in tight formation before one young kid and myself started to put distance on the other two runners.

After a little while, it was just the two of us running side by side around the turns. While I was pushing it a little, the young high school aged boy seemed to be out for a morning jog. His running seemed effortless. At one point, I said "Are you just toying with me?" He admitted that he was which I thought was pretty honest and sort of funny. It really seemed like he was running my pace. I decided to back off ever so slightly to save myself for a possible kick at the end. He slowed with me which verified what I thought. I told him that I did not have a kick. It was a lie. I had a decent kick for someone my age. I thought perhaps when we saw the finish line, I could surprise him. Actually I knew this was not likely but it was worth a try if the opportunity arose.

With about a quarter of a mile left, he said, "not much further now" and proceeded to speed up and pull away from me. I countered but I could not match his speed. As the school came into sight, I knew I would never catch him. I pushed it a little but did not wipe myself out. I had second place sewn up which was just fine with me. 

After crossing the finish line in second place, I congratulated the winner and asked him if he ran track. He confirmed my suspicion. When I asked him what distance he ran, he told me he ran the 400 and 800. So even if I did have a good kick, I never would have beat him. I can't complain though. At 44 years old, second place to a 17 year old high school track athlete is not too shabby in my book.

Plus the 5K was really just a warm up. After the race, we did a 38 mile team bike ride followed by a 13 minute T-Run. It was a fine day in Richmond, despite the cold.

Next week is my first Triathlon of the year. Melissa and I will be doing the Smithfield Sprint Triathlon. It is a very short race: 300 Meter Pool Swim, 10 Mile Bike, 5K. There are some other folks from Richmond racing as well. It will be a nice little jump start to the season.

Thanks for reading.

Half Finished, Two Thirds to Go

Today I welcome back my favorite guest blogger, my better half, my partner in crime, my lovely wife Melissa. Without further adieu, here is her latest triumph.

It started last summer, while I was sitting at my desk at work, thinking I had missed the boat. Jim had signed up for a 70.3 race, along with some training friends, and he emailed me one last time. “Do you want me to sign you up too?”

And I thought, “Hell, no. Is he crazy?”

But as the days passed I got to thinking about what races I was going to do in 2013, and what my next goal should be. I had done 3 more sprint triathlons in 2012, along with a few other planned running races, but I hadn't given much thought to 2013. Ironman races sell out quickly, in a matter of hours. And Raleigh 70.3, an inaugural event, was no different. So, I sat at my desk and thought it over. And over. And I thought, what a shame that I didn't sign up for that race. Lots of people we know are doing it, and I'll be there anyway to support Jim. What a bummer. For some reason I just wasn't in the right mind set when he asked me.

So, in November, when the Ironman Foundation opened up some charity slots, I jumped on the chance and registered! On November 2, I became an official registrant of Ironman Raleigh 70.3, to be held June 2, 2013-- 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. And exactly 7 months to prepare.

Thus Is Born The Half Marathon Entry

So, HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THIS THING? The immediate concern was my run training. I have biked more than 56 miles on a few occasions, and swum around (or more) than 1.2 during workouts. But, considering I had never run more than 7(ish) miles, I figured I'd better start working on my run. I discovered a February half marathon race in town that really turned out to be great timing-- the LOVE ROX Half Marathon. November through February(ish) is considered "off season" around here for triathlons, so it was a great time to build my running mileage base and train my body to carry me for all those miles. Then, when triathlon training started in earnest, I would already have a nice base to work from. Perfect. So, on November 6, I put on my best running gear and headed out in the mildly cold weather for a nice, short run.

LOVE ROX Half Marathon

I had 15 weeks to train for this half marathon, which seemed like plenty according to all my sources. Even though I'd trained for triathlons during 2012 and done a few road races, I had actually slacked off on my running August through October.

Over the course of 15 weeks, my weekly mileage grew from 8 miles to about 25. My long runs were on Saturdays. As I increased my mileage each week, I celebrated each time I hit a new milestone. First it was 8 miles. Then 9.5, then 10.5, then 12. I tracked my runs with my new Garmin 610, and looked over my mile split times each week. While my splits were uneven, they did coincide with the terrain (hills=slower pace), so that was as expected.

The coldest weather I ran in was 27 degrees, with a slight wind. I've discovered that I heat up rather quickly, though, so I wear layers in the cold and peel them off as I go. I recorded my clothing choices and the weather in my Garmin Connect log, so that I can refer back to it in the future-- I take note of what I wore, and what I peeled off during the run (usually the gloves, arm warmers, hat and extra shirt come off at some point.) I used my long runs as practice for nutrition, and experimented with using Carbo Pro in my water bottles and using Honey Stinger gels during the run as well. The nutrition plan will be even more important at Raleigh, but I figured there's no reason I can't start experimenting now.

On my long runs, I also experimented with turning off my iPod for at least some of the run. First, I would turn it off for only a few miles, usually at the beginning. Then, I left my iPod off for at least half the run, only turning it on during the second half to give me a boost. On my last long run, 12 miles, I did not turn it on at all. I ran the whole 12 miles without listening to my iPod! Why did I do this? Well, at Ironman races, using iPods or other devices is absolutely not permitted, so, I figure, I'd better start getting used to it now!

And lastly, who can forget the mantra? I have an assortment of mantras that I use. My favorite, based on a poem I wrote, is "Today is the day". But during this training for a half marathon, due to my increased mileage, I had additional time to reflect and come up with some others: "Worth it in June" is one of them, as is "It's gonna be hot in June". You see, while I was lucky enough to train in cold weather for the LOVE ROX half marathon, it will only get warmer from here on out. And, in June it is likely to be quite warm. This will change things quite a bit for me, as I have noticed that my run pace gets slower the hotter it gets outside.

So How Did the Race Go? 

Splendidly.

Two-loops to complete (potential mental obstacle for me)? No problem!

Thirty-seven degree weather? No problem!

Wet, rainy snow coming down on us? No problem!

Hill on the back side of the course (miles 4-5 and 10-11)? No problem!

I would say it went as smoothly as I could have hoped. There were so many Pro K Racing teammates (the triathlon team I train with) volunteering on the course & there were other Pro Kers running the course, so it was awesome to see everyone and cheer others on. It meant a lot to me to have that encouragement. There were also some friends who I was not expecting, who were waiting near the war memorial to cheer me on! It was so awesome to see them there too. And of course, Jim was there too, cheering for me at different spots on the course, and there to grab the gloves and shirt I had peeled off. And after the race, what a nice surprise-- Jim had bought me some flowers to congratulate me. Awesome! My first half marathon is in the books. Now what?

Oh yeah, there's that Raleigh thing. I've got two other disciplines to ramp up. I'd better get cracking.

Getting Back into the Swing of Things: Early in the Morning

What time does your alarm go off in the morning? I bet no matter the time, it always seems too early. Starting in January, I have been setting my alarm for 4:45AM twice a week and 5AM twice a week. Sometimes when my alarm goes off, I am so startled, I am not sure what is going on. But it does not take long for me to remember what day it is and why I am getting up. I just remind myself that I am training for Ironman and that getting up at 4:45 is somewhat mandatory. With a full time job and 14 hours a week of working out, one is forced to become a morning person which is something I never was until relatively recently. I blame this transformation from night owl to early morning exerciser on Mark England. He is the one who got me into my first road race back in 2006 which eventually grew from 10Ks to Ironman.

On Mondays and Wednesday, I get up super early to swim. I am in the pool by 5:30. On Mondays I do a coached swim that lasts 1 hour and is always a good, fun workout with teammates. Our coach is extremely knowledgeable about all things swimming as well as enthusiastic, funny, and creative. We do all kinds of drills to improve our swim stroke and swim fitness. People groan when she says "100 breathe away" or "50 nubby arm kicking" or the dreaded "breath away (dramatic pause) with fists." But although people grown, I am pretty sure they secretly really like these difficult drills. Why would they keep coming back if they did not like it? After all, it is hardly free. I think most of the "guppies" as we are called enjoy being challenged and know that the drills will make us all stronger swimmers. We put in the work because we know it will make us stronger. And many of my teammates are hardly guppies by the way.

My Wednesday swim is a very regimented workout that my coach gives to me. I print out my marching orders and bring it with me to the pool so I can keep on track. These workouts are usually longer than the Monday workouts and I have to stay on task in order to get the entire workout in before work. After swimming 1.5 miles or more in the pool, I always feel fantastic albeit starving. By the time I get to work, I am calm and ready to face the challenges of the day.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am doing Craig's cycling class at Richmond Cycling Corporation's Richmond Bicycle Studio. I really love the class. It is quite challenging although anyone can to it because it is up to the individual to gauge one's perceived exertion.  You get out of it what you put into it. I feel like this class catapults my bike fitness skyward like a rocket ship. There is no way I could do these workouts on my own. I have tried to duplicate the workouts at home on my own and even though I am trying to go hard, it just seems that doing this workout in a group setting under the watchful eyes of Craig gives me the best possible workout. Plus the whole time I know I am also supporting RCC and the outreach they do. It is a win win situation. I feel good about the workout and I feel good about helping out the non-profit with my enrollment fee.

In addition to my early morning workouts detailed above, I have also been doing Physical Therapy every day. I do about 1 hour or more a day at home plus once or twice a week I go into the Physical Therapy office and do 2 hours which includes more exercises as well as ultrasound, body work by the PT, and I get to run on the Alter G treadmill treadmill. The Alter-G allows me to run at a certain percentage of my body weight. I started out at 75 percent and have worked my way up to 90 percent of my body weight. This gradual return to running helps ease my body back into it. So far, I have been very pleased with my PT at Advanced Orthopedics in the West End. I have been coming along nicely and today my PT said she wanted me to start running outside again under full body weight. I can't wait to get started although I will have to start out slow.

On the weekends, I have been doing PT, a third swim, and another bike ride. Sometimes I ride the trainer, sometimes I ride outside depending on the weather. Unfortunately, this weekend I will not be riding as I broke the shifter off my bike and it is in the shop getting repaired. In addition to all of the PT, swimming, biking, and running, I have also started back on my core work. Melissa has motivated me to do the P90X Ab Ripper with her. It is a killer workout and I expect to see results if I keep it up.

So is that enough? Not quite. I plan to add in a yoga class once a week to help me stay limber and to help strengthen my hips, glutes, thighs, etc. I seem to stay healthier when I follow a weekly yoga regimen and I just don't seem to be able to work it into the schedule without attending a structured class.

Finally, I wanted to mention that I have added two more races onto my calendar. I have decided to race the Monument Ave 10K, mostly because my work picked up the tab. Also I wanted to race again on my birthday so this year I will be doing the Kinetic Sprint Triathlon on May 12th at Lake Anna. This year my birthday falls on Mothers day (I was born on Mothers Day) so I thought it would be fun to have the whole family down to watch the race and then go out for a celebratory lunch. If there are any other triathletes out there who want to race with me, I would enjoy the company.

So that about wraps it up for now. January has been busy and February will likely fly by. Then there will just be one more month before race season starts for me. Comments welcomed and appreciated.

Race Season Planning

It's that time of year again. At the end of the year, Melissa and I sit down to plan our race schedule for the upcoming race season. Most of the races have price bumps at the end of the year and we like to take advantage of the lower prices. This year, by registering before the January 1 price increases, we saved a total of $70.

And now we are committed. Our calendars for 2013 have started to fill up. It is nice to be organized so that when other events come up, we know if we are free or not. To stay on top of things, we have a white board for general notes and for a workspace for planning. Then we have 3 months displayed with all of our events listed as well as any other significant things that might pop up. Finally, we have the whole year's calendar printed up that also includes holidays. This is what it all looks like although the middle set of calendars has not been filled in yet. However, the yearly calendar has all our events listed. I must give credit to Melissa for her excellent organizational skills.

 

And now (drum roll). Here is my race schedule so far for the 2013 race season.

Smithfield Sprint 2013 *Melissa also doing this race

TIME: 10:00 AM
DATE: Saturday, April 06, 2013
PLACE: Smithfield, VA
DISTANCE:
300 Meter Swim
10 Mile Bike
5K Run

Richmond Tri Club Sprint Presented by 3Sports 2013

TIME: 8:00 AM
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 2013
PLACE: Greater Richmond Aquatic Partnership - Chesterfield, VA
DISTANCE:
400 Meter Swim
20K Bike
5K Run  

Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon *Melissa also doing this race-her first Olympic
Sunday, May 5, 2013

9:10am - Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon - .9mi Swim, 24mi Bike, 6.2mi Run

PLACE: Lake Monticello, VA 22963

Cap to Cap- SyCom Century (100 Mile Ride-not a race) *Melissa doing the 50 mile option

Saturday, May 11, 2013

IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh *Melissa also doing this race-her first 70.3

June 2nd 2013 --Raleigh, North Carolina




Half Ironman - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run


IRONMAN Lake Placid

July 28th 2013 -- Lake Placid, NY




Ironman - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run.

Self Inflicted Injury

It has been roughly two months since I completed the Beach to Battleship full iron distance triathlon. As you may recall, I struggled through the run with some pretty intense knee pain. Since the race I have been dealing with the repercussions of my knee issue.

A week after the race, I went on an easy bike ride with Melissa. We did about 30 miles. I was fine up until about mile 20 when my knee started bothering me again. I had to take it real easy for the rest of the ride and I did my best to draft off Melissa. I did too much too soon after the race. I spent the next several days icing and taking it easy.

After a few days of healing, I started doing some physical therapy (PT) exercises that I had learned from past injuries. Unfortunately, I was not seeing much progress. I ended up getting an evaluation from a PT friend who pretty much agreed with my diagnosis of IT Band syndrome and told me some good exercises to do.

I continued to do those exercises and started seeing mild improvement. Heading into Thanksgiving, I decided I would see how it felt on Thanksgiving day. For Thanksgiving, we have some traditions that include running a hilly 5K up in the Philadelphia area. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I suited up for the race and did some warmup laps on the track to see how the knee would behave. It was not great but it was not too bad either. I decided I would start the race and if my knee started to become a problem, I would bail out.

Of course, once the race gun went off, I took off with the rest of the pack and never looked back. I ended up running a 21:15 which was not too shabby for me on this course. I did pay the price later though. Not only did I have to ice my knees for the rest of the day but since I ran in my minimalist shoes that I don't usually run in, I put the hurtin on my calves. In fact the next day, I was hobbling around like an old man. I had pretty much wrecked my calves. The knee felt better after a day of icing but my calf pain remained for an entire week.

I probably should not have run the 5K. When I got back home, I decided I better take it easy and really focus on my PT exercises. I also went to see Sara at Hands-On Wellness MT.  I decided I should go to my doctor to get an examination and perhaps a prescription for PT. I was able to get an appointment right away and, as usual, when I got to my appointment I was seen right away and did not have to wait long at all. The doctor examined my knee thoroughly and agreed that I was most likely suffering from typical IT Band Syndrome. He said there could be some meniscus damage but wanted me to do PT for three weeks and see how things went.

When I went to my first PT appointment, the therapist became the third PT to tell me that my IT Band was the worst they have ever seen. I could play "Ballad of Jed Clampett" on that thing.  Ellen got me going with some heat and then an ultrasound. Then I did some stretches that they prescribed followed by some strength exercises. I am highly motivated once I have some direction and a concrete plan and was glad to have some structure.

I have done one full week of structured PT  and I am seeing big improvements. My IT band is not as tight and does not hurt constantly. Not only did I have knee pain associated with the rubbing of the IT band, but my IT band itself ached all the time, especially when sitting. That pain has dissipated. I still have some issues below my knee cap that may or may not respond to the PT. I will continue to do my exercises as religiously as possible. I have continued to swim but I am not running or biking. I figure that I have to be ready to start training again by the end of January at the latest. I would rather get started sooner than that but I will have to see how things go. Wish me luck.