Been pretty busy the last few weeks. Plenty of good news. I accepted an offer for a new job located in Benton Harbor, MI. No, not Whirlpool (local joke). I'm moving to St. Joseph this week to start work next week ahead of my family. We have our house sold and found a new house we like. I'm really excepted about how this can improve my training. There's a new YMCA with a 25 meter pool, several high school pool and of course Lake Michigan. Yes, open water swim training in a "real" lake. Michigan is a big time swimming state. Aquatic clubs, masters swimming, etc even in a small town/community. Roads for riding look pretty good. The road parallel to the lake has wide shoulders and is excellent pavement, or at least the segment on the Steelhead 70.3 course was. No river bugs!!!! I get to live in a town with a local 70.3 event, pretty cool. Lots of scenic running, sidewalks, etc. Did I mention no river bugs? I'm looking forward to maybe turning my swim training around. Right now, I'm procrastinating going to the YMCA. Plus in winter I could maybe get into cross country skiing possible, snow shoeing and in the late fall, drag out the MTB with some great trails not too far away I think. Maybe a cheap fat tire bike for some winter riding on snow packed roads too.
For the family, there's awesome schools, some of the best in the state. The beach, ice skating, skiing, sledding, lots of youth swim programs and other youth sports, great dance studios and so on. Chicago is 90-120 minutes away, Kalamazoo 45 minutes, Grand Rapids <90 minutes, and my parents are about 2-1/2 hours away. Summer weather is more mild, less humid and less extreme. Winter is longer, but slightly less extreme, but with more snow. I think overall there's less variability, but also more cloudy/rainy days.
Training...
After Trizou I had a unstructured Transition Week. I won't bother listing total other than it was 11 hours and 640TSS. SO that was a off week. This week I'm back to trying to build my base, but house hunting, packing, moving, etc are making that hard and the weather isn't as cooperative with thunderstorms. I'm doing the best I can. Weight management is still dismal too. Not much motivation to swim either. But swimming comes back fast, so I'll just keep focusing on bike and run mileage. Memorial Day weekend is the TBC Madison Mini-Camp. I'm excited about that. Lots of riding, running and a little OWS... in freezing Lake Monona. Rumor is it's just to 60F. Might try double swim caps for that.
Overall this last week was close to to target hours, a little short on TSS, but solid run mileage and good swim frequency.
As a fun side note, I received my Red Cross life-guarding certification this week. I only needed the CPR training, but figure WTH, why not.
By the numbers:
Swim: 7000y, 1h36m
Bike: 154, 7h49m
Run: 44.9, 5h39m
TOTAL: 15h05m
TSS: 957
Next 2 weeks will be a solid jump. One of my goals since I'm be living "single" is to pack in as much extra Zone 1 riding as I can to build a larger aerobic base I feel like I'm missing and ramp up the run mileage.... oh and drop some weight. My running is really suffering from that.
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Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
2015 Trizou Sprint Race Report
Taper:
First I'll summarize my final taper week leading to the race. It's pretty simple, workouts get shorter but intensity on intervals remain the same. So I'll have some hard efforts and hard rides, but nothing really long that I can't easily recover from. Some key workouts were a few rides with race wheels and the last in full kit to see how my speed:watts ratio looked compared to similar rides last year after some changes to my bike position this winter and early spring. Running felt good. the extra few lbs is showing, but mechanics seem comfortable and relaxed, not ITB or Achilles issues. So I'll take it. My swimming has felt good, but still not where I think it could be. What worked well was ramping up yardage the last couple weeks then dropping off again. Swimming seems to respond well to this. Cycling also responds well this was too. Running, it will just get you injured.
Race:
Trizou is a short sprint distance race located on the Missouri University campus in Columbia, MO. The race has an Open Elite wave, meaning it's open non professionals and professionals following USAT rules with a prize purse under $5000. Over $5000, only those with an Elite race license could participate in that wave. This wave however cannot be given age group awards. They are included in regular USAT scoring/ranking. The fun part is you get to race head to head in a single wave rather than racing in a time trial format.
The Course:
The swim is 400M (8 lengths) in the University 50M long course pool. Lots of room for spectators, which is rare for the swim. Ironically, the rest of the course is poor for spectators as the run and bike take you away from the transition and finish area. It's overall a pretty lonely race outside of transition. That's not exactly unique. But not too many other options at that venue. The only challenge to the swim is 1) pacing...it's easy to go out fast since some former collegiate swimmers always show up 2) getting used to bulkheads and the depth and location of the pool markings.
The "14mi" bike is 2 laps on a very hilly course. I had 13.2 miles total, with 450ft of climbing on each lap. Each lap was around 6.4 miles I estimate. That's a LOT of climbing. Overall a full IM, it would be around 7900ft of elevation. That's what I had for IMWI. The course features 2 long primary climbs and descents and a couple smaller ones and plenty of turns. it really presents a challenge to put down power and at the same time ride close to threshold and stay out of anaerobic territory. You're rarely on flat ground for more that maybe 1 minute. It's possible to take all the turns without braking depending on how hard you ride entering the corner and how skilled you are at cornering. I coasted a little entering the turns and tapped my brakes a bit. Even I have my limits. The most heroic is a sweeping turn at the bottom of a long straight descent. I recorded 39mph on both laps. The momentum from that turn drives you up the longest climb on the course. I consider that turn critical to a fast lap.
THE RACE!
I was more relaxed than usual. But the discovery that my rival the last 3 years, was not doing the race this year, added some pressure. I've been runner up 3 years in a row and now I had a clear shot at the win. But you still never know who all will show up. I can always expect some fast "fish" off the front. The concern is that my running isn't where it was last year. That made my strategy simple... swim strong, but controlled, then set the bike course on fire, catch the fast swimmers, get a gap and lay down the best run I could hoping none are also elite runners too.
I swam pretty relaxed. Focused on good mechanics and trying to be efficient but with a strong, long pull and steady kick, good clean turns with tight streamline. I maybe went a little easy, but I also know that going 10" faster could cost me 20-40" on the bike. Staying right around T-pace was overall a smart move I think. I also never hit that sweet spot in my stroke mechanics. I still swam a PR around 6:05, but i had hoped to be under 1:30/100M I've swam a 1000TT @ 1:17 pace, so it was a little disappointing. My swim has been hit & miss all winter. What I didn't do is ruin my race by burning a match.
I came out around 4th or 5th place. I fought getting my sleeved trisuit on while running in transition. I eventually got it, but it cost me maybe 5s or so and 1 person passed me. I fumbled a little getting my feet in my shoes. It's my first race with these new Bontragers. It's made harder as you go uphill right out of transition. I could use some practice. I'll have to start saving rubber bands from the newspaper. I got down to work. I picked off the 4th place rider about 1 mile in before the long descent then another mid turn on the fast sweeper and shot up the hill. I held my power within zone 5 and just tried to relax and keep it steady. My friend suggested I just ride by feel alone, but I think I would have gone out too hard...maybe. I chose to remain a slave to my PM for better or worse. I think it kept me honest a few times. Overall I kept cadence pretty high around 100-110, lower climbing around 85-95.
I picked off the next rider on a slight rise on the only longer straight on the course. I put in a solid effort to stay legal in terms of the 20s rule and pass him with a good head of steam so he can't latch on and to maybe deflate his confidence a little. I was now in 2nd but couldn't see the lead rider yet. I kept a strong effort and focused hard on my head position, shrugging my shoulders a little to get more narrow and setting up clean lines in the turns. I stayed right around 95-100% most of the time and tried not to drop under 80% on downhills. Up the 2nd climb on the 1st lap I could see the lead rider and vehicle. I wasn't gaining much ground on the climbs, but was taking in big chunks on the flats and turns. Mid turn on the fast descent on lap 2 I made the pass. It was my race to lose now.
Being in the lead gives you wings, and also affords you the opportunity to get a little draft off the lead vehicle. It helps when it's a Jeep Wrangler. I think the only vehicle that corners slower might be a fully loaded semi, snow plow or school bus. We're not talking right on the bumper, but on most turns I was 50 yards back and you could feel the change in the wind. Every race where I've lead, it's an opportunity if you can corner and descend well.
I focused on putting some time gap on the 2nd place rider knowing he's not a confident bike handler and a little less aero. I pushed strong and hit T2 with I suspect a 1+ minute lead. I set a fast but comfortable pace on the run. Just faster than my current threshold pace I estimated around 5:40-5:50. I was breathing strong but not real hard. Focused on good turnover, head up, good arm drive and staying relaxed. I'm a strong runner and it's my race to lose. Run fast enough that they'll have to really work for it, but keep a little in reserve to surge late if they are coming. Set myself up for a fast split. Great thing about a long taper is that legs aren't fatigued, energy levels are high. I felt like I easily could have sustained that pace I was on for a Olympic distance. Maybe that's the reality of training more for long course. Short sprint are hard because you mentally have to completely change your intensity.
I'll cut to the chase. According to splits, the 2nd and 3rd place runners were reeling me in, but it was too big of a gap. Last mile I cruised on to the finish. I was already just above threshold, so hard to find that extra gear 40 minute into a race when the win is secured. My final time was about the same. I ran a slower, slower T1, faster swim, lower T2, but much, much faster bike.
Looking ahead to Kona, this is exactly where i want to be. Strong bike legs, just need more mileage. Run form is good, I'm healthy, just need more mileage and to drop 4-5lbs. Swim...meh, whatever, I 'll get in some yardage and hopefully find a masters swim class.
Great race, nice $250 pay day. That bike effort, I'm really proud of as some greats like Ben Kanute, Starky, Daniel Bretscher, and other have done that race. The pace I set was up there with those great. Of course they would kill me on the swim and run...and the level of cycling and equipment has improved the last decade, but hey, not so bad to be nearly world class at just one thing.
I'm looking forward now to Racine and see what I can do on that course. Maybe break my bike PR form Steelhead last year and overall 70.3 PR from Kansas if the conditions are good.
By the numbers (Including the race):
Swim: 8137y, 1h50m
Bike: 85.3mi, 4h09m
Run: 20.1mi, 2h19m
TOTAL: 8h17m
TSS: 590
First I'll summarize my final taper week leading to the race. It's pretty simple, workouts get shorter but intensity on intervals remain the same. So I'll have some hard efforts and hard rides, but nothing really long that I can't easily recover from. Some key workouts were a few rides with race wheels and the last in full kit to see how my speed:watts ratio looked compared to similar rides last year after some changes to my bike position this winter and early spring. Running felt good. the extra few lbs is showing, but mechanics seem comfortable and relaxed, not ITB or Achilles issues. So I'll take it. My swimming has felt good, but still not where I think it could be. What worked well was ramping up yardage the last couple weeks then dropping off again. Swimming seems to respond well to this. Cycling also responds well this was too. Running, it will just get you injured.
Race:
Trizou is a short sprint distance race located on the Missouri University campus in Columbia, MO. The race has an Open Elite wave, meaning it's open non professionals and professionals following USAT rules with a prize purse under $5000. Over $5000, only those with an Elite race license could participate in that wave. This wave however cannot be given age group awards. They are included in regular USAT scoring/ranking. The fun part is you get to race head to head in a single wave rather than racing in a time trial format.
The Course:
The swim is 400M (8 lengths) in the University 50M long course pool. Lots of room for spectators, which is rare for the swim. Ironically, the rest of the course is poor for spectators as the run and bike take you away from the transition and finish area. It's overall a pretty lonely race outside of transition. That's not exactly unique. But not too many other options at that venue. The only challenge to the swim is 1) pacing...it's easy to go out fast since some former collegiate swimmers always show up 2) getting used to bulkheads and the depth and location of the pool markings.
The "14mi" bike is 2 laps on a very hilly course. I had 13.2 miles total, with 450ft of climbing on each lap. Each lap was around 6.4 miles I estimate. That's a LOT of climbing. Overall a full IM, it would be around 7900ft of elevation. That's what I had for IMWI. The course features 2 long primary climbs and descents and a couple smaller ones and plenty of turns. it really presents a challenge to put down power and at the same time ride close to threshold and stay out of anaerobic territory. You're rarely on flat ground for more that maybe 1 minute. It's possible to take all the turns without braking depending on how hard you ride entering the corner and how skilled you are at cornering. I coasted a little entering the turns and tapped my brakes a bit. Even I have my limits. The most heroic is a sweeping turn at the bottom of a long straight descent. I recorded 39mph on both laps. The momentum from that turn drives you up the longest climb on the course. I consider that turn critical to a fast lap.
THE RACE!
I was more relaxed than usual. But the discovery that my rival the last 3 years, was not doing the race this year, added some pressure. I've been runner up 3 years in a row and now I had a clear shot at the win. But you still never know who all will show up. I can always expect some fast "fish" off the front. The concern is that my running isn't where it was last year. That made my strategy simple... swim strong, but controlled, then set the bike course on fire, catch the fast swimmers, get a gap and lay down the best run I could hoping none are also elite runners too.
I swam pretty relaxed. Focused on good mechanics and trying to be efficient but with a strong, long pull and steady kick, good clean turns with tight streamline. I maybe went a little easy, but I also know that going 10" faster could cost me 20-40" on the bike. Staying right around T-pace was overall a smart move I think. I also never hit that sweet spot in my stroke mechanics. I still swam a PR around 6:05, but i had hoped to be under 1:30/100M I've swam a 1000TT @ 1:17 pace, so it was a little disappointing. My swim has been hit & miss all winter. What I didn't do is ruin my race by burning a match.
I came out around 4th or 5th place. I fought getting my sleeved trisuit on while running in transition. I eventually got it, but it cost me maybe 5s or so and 1 person passed me. I fumbled a little getting my feet in my shoes. It's my first race with these new Bontragers. It's made harder as you go uphill right out of transition. I could use some practice. I'll have to start saving rubber bands from the newspaper. I got down to work. I picked off the 4th place rider about 1 mile in before the long descent then another mid turn on the fast sweeper and shot up the hill. I held my power within zone 5 and just tried to relax and keep it steady. My friend suggested I just ride by feel alone, but I think I would have gone out too hard...maybe. I chose to remain a slave to my PM for better or worse. I think it kept me honest a few times. Overall I kept cadence pretty high around 100-110, lower climbing around 85-95.
I picked off the next rider on a slight rise on the only longer straight on the course. I put in a solid effort to stay legal in terms of the 20s rule and pass him with a good head of steam so he can't latch on and to maybe deflate his confidence a little. I was now in 2nd but couldn't see the lead rider yet. I kept a strong effort and focused hard on my head position, shrugging my shoulders a little to get more narrow and setting up clean lines in the turns. I stayed right around 95-100% most of the time and tried not to drop under 80% on downhills. Up the 2nd climb on the 1st lap I could see the lead rider and vehicle. I wasn't gaining much ground on the climbs, but was taking in big chunks on the flats and turns. Mid turn on the fast descent on lap 2 I made the pass. It was my race to lose now.
Being in the lead gives you wings, and also affords you the opportunity to get a little draft off the lead vehicle. It helps when it's a Jeep Wrangler. I think the only vehicle that corners slower might be a fully loaded semi, snow plow or school bus. We're not talking right on the bumper, but on most turns I was 50 yards back and you could feel the change in the wind. Every race where I've lead, it's an opportunity if you can corner and descend well.
I focused on putting some time gap on the 2nd place rider knowing he's not a confident bike handler and a little less aero. I pushed strong and hit T2 with I suspect a 1+ minute lead. I set a fast but comfortable pace on the run. Just faster than my current threshold pace I estimated around 5:40-5:50. I was breathing strong but not real hard. Focused on good turnover, head up, good arm drive and staying relaxed. I'm a strong runner and it's my race to lose. Run fast enough that they'll have to really work for it, but keep a little in reserve to surge late if they are coming. Set myself up for a fast split. Great thing about a long taper is that legs aren't fatigued, energy levels are high. I felt like I easily could have sustained that pace I was on for a Olympic distance. Maybe that's the reality of training more for long course. Short sprint are hard because you mentally have to completely change your intensity.
I'll cut to the chase. According to splits, the 2nd and 3rd place runners were reeling me in, but it was too big of a gap. Last mile I cruised on to the finish. I was already just above threshold, so hard to find that extra gear 40 minute into a race when the win is secured. My final time was about the same. I ran a slower, slower T1, faster swim, lower T2, but much, much faster bike.
Looking ahead to Kona, this is exactly where i want to be. Strong bike legs, just need more mileage. Run form is good, I'm healthy, just need more mileage and to drop 4-5lbs. Swim...meh, whatever, I 'll get in some yardage and hopefully find a masters swim class.
Great race, nice $250 pay day. That bike effort, I'm really proud of as some greats like Ben Kanute, Starky, Daniel Bretscher, and other have done that race. The pace I set was up there with those great. Of course they would kill me on the swim and run...and the level of cycling and equipment has improved the last decade, but hey, not so bad to be nearly world class at just one thing.
I'm looking forward now to Racine and see what I can do on that course. Maybe break my bike PR form Steelhead last year and overall 70.3 PR from Kansas if the conditions are good.
By the numbers (Including the race):
Swim: 8137y, 1h50m
Bike: 85.3mi, 4h09m
Run: 20.1mi, 2h19m
TOTAL: 8h17m
TSS: 590
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