I'm pretty behind right now, I guess that's how it goes in the summer. One minute you're not doing anything, the next, you've raced three times in one week!
I ended June on a pretty positive upswing. In years past, I've done very little in the weeks following Eagleman. Often, I would stay out of the pool and stay off the bike for the better part of two weeks, although for whatever reason my run mileage would be pretty high. This time last year, of course, I was just beginning to contemplate starting to run and ride again after a few months off.
Swimming - A. I finally feel good about the work I've done in the pool. Following Eagleman I decided to return to the style of swimming that brought me (moderate and relative) success last year, which is, to say, more volume. I had a few good workouts, and a couple really great ones. I still struggled a bit with consistency, for instance, when I go away for the weekend I will typically be out of the pool Saturday/Sunday, which is normal, but when I come back I'm often too tired to get in on Monday, and then 3 or 4 days has gone by out of the pool. However, for the month I got in 58000m, which is 19k more than I've done any other month of this calendar year.
Cycling - B+. I rode more than I typically have in June, at 543 miles, but it was 75 miles fewer than I rode in May. I was pleased with my split at Eagleman (2:16:44 - 32nd best of the day) but I wasn't that pleased. I did get in one longer ride of about 4.5 hours, and made it to Weds Night Ride once after Eagleman and twice I made it to Thurs Night Ride. Those were good efforts.
Running - B+. My foot is still giving me trouble, but I'm able to run. I don't think I did a single track workout this month, although I do remember doing a little something the week of Eagleman. I haven't done many harder runs, but I did re-introduce longer runs. It's tough to do the long run on a Monday night, especially after what can be longer weekends, but bodies don't care what day of the week it is. Mostly it's out of laziness, because I don't want to drive 3 and change miles to Fed Hill to run 7 miles. So for the last couple of weeks, the Snake Hill Gang has run down and back to FHR (in the realm of 14 miles). While not a true long run, it's long enough for now, and it's been quite hot in that part of the day. 145 miles for the month of June, more than May, less than most other months.
It was in June that I also took my first day off in 143 days. Weds, June 29, my body finally gave up. I put in a good effort on the 30th, and then on Friday, July 1, a group of 6 of us departed Baltimore, destination: Atlanta. The Peachtree 10k is the largest 10k in the US, at 60,000 entrants, and one of (if not) the largest road races in the world. It's been on my mind for years to do this race, and this year, a perfect storm of awesomeness illuminated itself. The Baltimore Orioles would be playing the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field the first weekend of July, and the race, always held on the 4th, was on Monday. It was ideal. Friends + road trip + Independence + running = classic weekend.
After picking up the Smurf Mobile (actually it was a much darker blue) - a Dodge Minivan - we packed it up and rolled out. Friday. Of July 4th weekend. At 3:45pm. It was doomed from the start, but after a slow first few hours we were able to move a little better. Unfortunately, we only made it to Blacksburg VA, home of Virginia Tech, by about 11:30. We got a hotel and crashed, with 5 of us waking up for a 7am run the next morning. We explored the campus, which was quiet and scenic, and very undulating. We got back and hit the road, stopping at Panera for breakfast and meeting an Orioles fan originally from Baltimore. This helped both Arjun and myself in our game of Road Trip Bingo, which was cleverly crafted by Alyssa and Brennan, and kept us more than entertained the entire weekend.
Stopped in NC for a great bbq lunch, and rolled into a very hot Atlanta around 4:30pm. We took the MARTA to the Braves stadium, where Brennan had gotten us hooked up with great seats, and watched as our Orioles lost another game. But, we did get to see some Home Runs, a grand slam (albeit by a Brave) and eat some good stadium food. Following the game we made our way out in Buckhead (where we were also staying). A lot of dive-ish bars. I was confused, because all I wanted to do was what Luda and JD would have done, which would have been "Saturday, it's off the heezy fo sheezy, you can find me up in one-tweezy". Of course, the club to which they're referring is Club 112. I thought it was in Buckhead. We just...couldn't...find it.
I was pretty tired from the long two days of driving and the heat, so I had no shot of making it out very late. Plus, Alyssa needed to swim on Sunday and I said I would join. So Sunday morning we get up and make our way into the presumably 20yd pool. Pretty short, but nothing like what my friend Chicken Tender had to put up with in Prague. The pool was hot, but the inside air was hotter. They had two lane lines, indicating that this was in fact a pool to "swim" in, so we hopped in and got going. I was gassed after 4 minutes. It was so uncomfortable, I thought I was going to die. The few people in the pool had to endure tsunami-like conditions as we swam and flipped every couple of strokes. Alyssa's workout was 3x1000, so I guessed it was probably about 30 laps. I lost count on the first one and just swam for time. I was becoming more and more lightheaded, so much that by the end I thought I was going to pass out. No cooldown for me. Just sat there in the hot water.
By now it was 10:45, the workout taking a little longer than anticipated, so I had to run by myself. I went down and back on Peachtree Rd, following the course. It was already really hot. Then it was time for breakfast/lunch, and Brennan/Ed/Alyssa/myself found this place that was definitely not ready for us. I haven't uploaded my pictures yet so I'll do that soon and show the picture of the french toast we ate. The waitress could not believe we were able to finish the food, so we had to inform her who we were. From there we headed to the expo, picked up our stuff, and then made it to the weekend's main attraction: the Coca-Cola Museum! I'd been looking forward to this for months. By the time we left there it was time to get back, eat dinner and head to bed.
Monday morning we awoke to what seemed like reasonably cool temps, but the humidity was through the roof. We did a little group warmup down Peachtree, before we go stuck on the wrong side of the road. We had to sweet talk our way back to the hotel (I think they thought we were elites) and we got to the start line with some time to spare. One of our Road Trip Bingo boxes was "talk to Ryan Hall about God or the Bible" so we all looked at each other when Hall went by us doing a stride, but we opted to let him do his thing.
55,090 lined up and following the National Anthem and a FLYOVER, the race started. I've never been in a race that had a flyover and it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I don't know what it is about really loud jets flying over that is so much cooler than seeing commercial airliners, but it is awesome. The top three corrals (top seed, sub seed, A) all started at 7:30am, with the other corrals starting at a few minute increments all the way back to 9am. I don't know how those people did it, starting at 9am to run 2 hours for 10k. There was no gun, just a dude telling us to go, and away we went. It took just 7 seconds to cross the start line, and my plan was to go out relaxed. I was apparently so relaxed, and time went by so quickly, that I missed the 1 mile mark. I was expecting a big sign and a clock, but when we got to 2, it was pretty small signs on the side of the road, no clocks. I think I came through in 5:50-5:45 though, as I could see Brennan ahead and Jeff Rumbaugh was in between us. It was just before mile 2 that Arjun came zooming by, he had gone out in 6:10! I clicked 2 at 11:32.
Unfortunately I already realized that this was not going to be my day. This was the easy part of the course, and thanks to some heads up from my Atlantan/Terp friend, Patrick Reaves, I knew not to go out too hard. But hard would have been more like 5:20, not 5:45 pace through 2. There was a sharper downhill just before 3, and then the road tilted up - for basically the next mile. I hit 3 in 5:55 and then 4 in 6:15. I was actually surprised 4 wasn't slower. I seriously have never seen as cruel of a mile thrown into the middle of a race. I almost bridged back up to Arjun by the top of the climb, but as soon as it leveled out, he was gone again. And apparently so was I, except off the back, as I hit mile 5 in 6:29. Oooof. I clipped 5 miles in 30:11, a scant 7 seconds faster than I ran the Sheehan 5 miler just a few weeks ago. Well over a minute slower than where I thought I would be.
The humidity was brutalizing. My singlet was sticking to my chest and breathing was tough. The water stops were really just tables of water with nobody handing them out, we reckoned that they figure rather not put any additional people on road. Peachtree is a wide, wide road, but 55,000 people spread across just 6 point-to-point miles takes up most of that. One thing we found interesting was the lack of smart running by just about everyone. If you've ever watched Brennan and Arjun run, they are ALWAYS looking for the shortest line. Here is a nickel's worth of free advice: you are running longer than the race distance if you are not running the tangents. That's how the course is measured, and that's how you should be running it. The three of us took very good lines (since I could see them for at least a little while) and saved ourselves a little bit of extra energy.
I was taking water but mostly throwing it on my head and drinking the remnants, which were mixed with salty sweat. The water was never refreshing. At mile 5, I found some legs again. And by that, I mean I was able to pick it back up to the pace I was running towards the beginning - 5:56 for the last mile. I was pleased with that, but also realized I was not going to be under 37, so I did not have the impetus to run faster than that pace for the last 2/10th of a mile. I finished up at 37:27 (6:03/mi, same pace as at Sheehan). Not my fastest 10k, by far, but also not my slowest. Amazingly, despite there being 55,000 people, this was good enough for 235th place overall.
Following the race, I needed sustenance fast. You finish in Piedmont Park, which is enormous, and everything was really spread out. I picked up a peach. Then a popsicle. Then I found the motherload - ice cold Coke and some Powerade. Walked back to meet everyone, and Brennan and I took the opportunity to pose for some amazing photos (to come). You see, for most, their day was done. They would hop on the MARTA and go home. For us, our day was really just starting. We had to make the long trek back to the hotel, which, of course, was right at the start line. Not knowing the area, other than the road we had just run down, we asked what route we should take. Piedmont Avenue was the resounding answer, and we made our way up the rolling hills of this road, that looked for a while like it was taking us the wrong way.
The 6 of us obviously all run different paces, so it was tough keeping the group together, but we did a solid job. After a few miles we saw Paces Ferry Rd. From my smarts, I remembered this road should allegedly bring us to the Lenox Mall (where our hotel was). We turned down it and boom - there we were. The way home was definitely less than 5 miles, so cut off a little bit. It was still a tough run. Very hot, very exposed. We got back, cleaned up and made our way to THE Atlanta insitution - The Varsity. I think we can all agree this food was pretty gross, and not really worth ever going back. But we did it. And at noon thirty, we got on the road north, destination now unknown.
Since we had stopped at VTech, and seen Georgia Tech, when we got to South Carolina I really wanted to check out Clemson. I had never been there, and despite it being a little out of the way I made them all do it, and we stopped at their beautiful track to run a lap. It was...the hottest track I've ever been on. The heat emanating off of this thing had to have been close to that of the sun. We got back into the car, sweating, and hit up Chick Fil A before making our way back to the highway. Later in the day we drove through some really bad storms, and as it was nearing 7pm, we decided somewhere in the Triangle would be our stop for the night. Raleigh seemed like the best choice, as we figured, being a capital city, would have something going on. We could not have been more wrong.
Our trip had been highlighted by some really funny things, but one of the funniest happened at dinner at The Big Easy, in Raleigh, a cajun-themed bar/restaurant downtown. The place was empty, as was the entire city (seriously, it was a ghost town, like when it would get dark in Castlevania: Simon's Quest), and our waitress was a low talker. Without breaking stride, Ed orders his food and then goes "also, I don't know if you heard, but we got 'em." This has been a source of humor since May 1st, as we like to remind ourselves and others that we got OBL. The waitress was more than puzzled. "Excuse me, I'm sorry - what?" Ed then goes: "we...got...him." I was dying. And we don't know if they even happened because of the weather, but we missed the fireworks. I've never seen a place more dead, except in zombie movies or tv shows.
After a night's rest, we made our way north for our final leg of the trip. In order to save the best for last, we went to the Waffle House for breakfast. We consumed quite a lot and the bill was...$34. For all 6 of us. Gotta love it. With about 5.5 hours of driving, it was a pretty mundane day, and I didn't get tired until Richmond. From Richmond home it was a lot tougher. We got back around 2, and I dropped off the minivan. We had told them we weren't driving out of state, thank goodness they didn't question why there were 1500 new miles on this whip! Being now seriously tired, and because my knee could barely move after the long days of driving, I took Tuesday off. I felt bad for a second, but then stopped feeling bad.
It was a really cool experience, but not one that I necessarily feel I need to do again soon. The race is a big deal for Atlantans/Georgians, but other than being a big race, doesn't hold much significance to us. People couldn't believe we came all the way down for it, nor could they believe we drove. The first question you're asked is "what number Peachtree is this for you?" to which we all responded "our first." Most people were telling us it was their 14th, 24th, whatever. It's similar to the Broad Street 10 Miler in Philly - big deal for Philadelphians to come out and DO the race (to the tune of 30,000 people now on a point-to-point 10 miler). The other weird thing was people were congratulating us on our finish, like it was some real achievement. We accepted their congratulations graciously, but it was still odd to us.
There are a few other big races I'd like to do, and maybe each summer I will make that my goal. Some include the Utica Boilermaker 15k (this past weekend in NY), Falmouth (August, MA), Bolder Boulder 10k, Carlsbad 5000m (Cali, April though and a really short race), Bay to Breakers, Bix 7 (Iowa) - so I need to start making some plans. Hopefully the Orioles can find games in those places on those dates to make more of a reason to go!
Next post up will come pretty quick as I need to recap this past weekend before I forget!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hot and Dangerous
Following the Sheehan race, I did take it pretty easy. I felt like getting in a longer run on Monday, so I ran down and back to our Monday Fed Hill Runners group, making it a 14 mile day. After that I proceeded not to run again until Friday, when I met Brennan in the morning for a 12 mile run, during which I lost about 10 pounds. I weighed in at 158 post-run, which is really, really light. It hasn't even been that hot this past week, mostly just humid, which is really disconcerting.
Swimming went fairly well, with Tuesday doing 30x100 and going straight into 400-300-200-100. Knocking out 4000m in 1:04 is always a good sign, and on Wednesday I did another 4x800 workout. Thursday got into the pool with Alyssa and we did her workout of 10x200, which was tough, and by Friday I was pretty cooked. Got in for a 75 minutes and kept it all pretty easy. For the week, that made 17,5000m. Following the previous week's 16k, I was pretty pleased to get the swim volume back up.
The bike last week was tough. I made it up to Wednesday Night Ride, and again found myself riding on or very close to the front for a good portion of the first half. Fortunately, the pace was kept pretty chill on Stringtown, so I got to the front and began to pick it up on Yeoho. There were just too many people left at this point and I was tired of the free ride service they were getting. Seriously, it's like they're afraid to ride on the front. For instance: there were two dudes wearing the same team jersey and we'll say Rider A is on the front with Rider B in 2nd, me in third. A pulls off and B, instead of sitting on the front for even ten seconds, immediately pulls off. I move to the front. When I feel like being done, I pull off to the left, but instead of pulling through, the rider behind me just finds my wheel again. A couple of times, the person in front of me would allow a gap to form, and then I would have to leapfrog them to close the gap, so instead of getting a little break, would find myself on the front again pretty quickly. Needless to say, when we were about 4 miles out from the end, I had had enough. I sat up, and rolled into the finish.
Thursday came and I hadn't been to the Thursday Night Ride in a while, but this meant two things: I would potentially have to ride harder than I really felt like riding, and I had to drive again to get to the ride. I drove up to the running store and left from there, riding the 25 minutes to the bike shop. The group was small, and the power hitters weren't there. I was glad to see that; although it meant I would spend a lot more time on the front, it also meant I'd have a little more control of the effort. Sure enough, I was able to keep things comfortably hard, putting in a few hard sections. The ride wound up being just over 50 miles so I was psyched to knock out the back to back days like that.
Saturday, following the timing of Dreaded Druid Hills 10k, Pat, Alyssa and I rolled out around 11:15 for a 4.5 hour ride. The air temp was allegedly 87, but it felt much cooler. It was mostly overcast, and threatened rain for a large part of the day. We made good time to Rocks, putting in a monster effort for about 5 miles through the park and up to the gas station. Stopped there briefly to refuel, and then got on our way. A few miles later, after riding on a particularly shitty section of the road, I looked down and noticed my rear tire looked a little soft. Got off and it was going flat. I can't remember the last time I got a flat on a ride, it may be over 2 years ago. Anyway, fix that in a few minutes, but the CO2 didn't really catch well and my tire felt just as flat as it was before. Well, no bother, I'll just keep going. We continue to roll and put in another few good sections, and finally make it home a little after 4, good for nearly 80 miles. I go to put air in my tire and it was at 20psi. Haha. Nice.
Off the bike I went for a 5 mile run, which felt awesome. After how much Friday's run leveled me, I was glad to see I had come back alright for Saturday. Went out Saturday night for the first time in a real long time, making it out until about 1am. This meant Sunday was going to be rough. 4:45am wakeup, Pat swings by at 5, me/Pat/Alyssa head up to Philly to spectate the Philly Tri. We get up there, find a place to park (that seems nowhere near the finish/transition) and start hoofing it. We find ourselves atop Lemon Hill, which is where the course went, and not a minute later I hear the distinctive horn of a little motorbike, and what would you know - up the hill come the two leaders, Cam Dye and Andy Potts. It was perfect timing, and a perfect spot to watch as it was a really tough climb. We watched the pros come through, and then our friends, including Zero and Tommy, in the elite wave. After their second loop, we walked toward the Art Museum along the water, and then down the other side, to catch the end of their run. We walked all the way to the finish. My dogs were killing me, and my knee was super tight. I hate walking, and we had to have walked at least 6 miles by the end of the day because from the finish line we still had to walk back to the car, which was on the other side of the river.
We drove home, all exhausted, and stopped in Newark DE for breakfast/lunch. Got back to the homestead around 1:30 I guess, and was wiped. After gorging at a bbq on Sunday evening, I finally went for a 4 mile run. It was one of the slowest runs I've ever done, I just needed to get out and shake out.
For the week, that made it 17.5k swimming, 171 miles on the bike and 35 miles of running - a pretty balanced week, and 19 hours. I have to be a little careful though, because I've been having some left hamstring issues since Eagleman. I started feeling it on the bike, and I figured it was due to the fact I didn't really put in any similar efforts on the TT bike for that length of time. It hasn't hampered me during workouts, but has really become a problem when I'm sitting for a while or sleeping. When I got back from my run last night (another down and back to FHR, so another 14 miles), it was not feeling great. Today it feels a little worse.
So no track workout for me tonight, instead I'm going to attempt the first of the BRRC Summer Track Series tomorrow evening at Goucher. Scheduled events include the 1500m, 800m and 2 mile, so my plan is to race the 1500, run the 8 hard, and then do more of a tempo effort in the 2 mile. Good effort ahead of this weekend's Peachtree 10k in Atlanta. Things I have to keep on top of now are, as usual, hydration and sodium intake. I can see it in my face after these longer efforts, the dark, sunken eyes are a trademark characterisitc of depletion. The temperatures honestly haven't been that bad lately, but the humidity has been quite high.
This past weekend was one of the few "off" weekends I was going to have this summer, and it wound up being super busy. Now, I've got races each of the next 4 weekends, and traveling for 3 of them (ATL, 2 in NJ). It will be a balancing act to ensure I can keep the volume up and still maintain the race efforts.
Swimming went fairly well, with Tuesday doing 30x100 and going straight into 400-300-200-100. Knocking out 4000m in 1:04 is always a good sign, and on Wednesday I did another 4x800 workout. Thursday got into the pool with Alyssa and we did her workout of 10x200, which was tough, and by Friday I was pretty cooked. Got in for a 75 minutes and kept it all pretty easy. For the week, that made 17,5000m. Following the previous week's 16k, I was pretty pleased to get the swim volume back up.
The bike last week was tough. I made it up to Wednesday Night Ride, and again found myself riding on or very close to the front for a good portion of the first half. Fortunately, the pace was kept pretty chill on Stringtown, so I got to the front and began to pick it up on Yeoho. There were just too many people left at this point and I was tired of the free ride service they were getting. Seriously, it's like they're afraid to ride on the front. For instance: there were two dudes wearing the same team jersey and we'll say Rider A is on the front with Rider B in 2nd, me in third. A pulls off and B, instead of sitting on the front for even ten seconds, immediately pulls off. I move to the front. When I feel like being done, I pull off to the left, but instead of pulling through, the rider behind me just finds my wheel again. A couple of times, the person in front of me would allow a gap to form, and then I would have to leapfrog them to close the gap, so instead of getting a little break, would find myself on the front again pretty quickly. Needless to say, when we were about 4 miles out from the end, I had had enough. I sat up, and rolled into the finish.
Thursday came and I hadn't been to the Thursday Night Ride in a while, but this meant two things: I would potentially have to ride harder than I really felt like riding, and I had to drive again to get to the ride. I drove up to the running store and left from there, riding the 25 minutes to the bike shop. The group was small, and the power hitters weren't there. I was glad to see that; although it meant I would spend a lot more time on the front, it also meant I'd have a little more control of the effort. Sure enough, I was able to keep things comfortably hard, putting in a few hard sections. The ride wound up being just over 50 miles so I was psyched to knock out the back to back days like that.
Saturday, following the timing of Dreaded Druid Hills 10k, Pat, Alyssa and I rolled out around 11:15 for a 4.5 hour ride. The air temp was allegedly 87, but it felt much cooler. It was mostly overcast, and threatened rain for a large part of the day. We made good time to Rocks, putting in a monster effort for about 5 miles through the park and up to the gas station. Stopped there briefly to refuel, and then got on our way. A few miles later, after riding on a particularly shitty section of the road, I looked down and noticed my rear tire looked a little soft. Got off and it was going flat. I can't remember the last time I got a flat on a ride, it may be over 2 years ago. Anyway, fix that in a few minutes, but the CO2 didn't really catch well and my tire felt just as flat as it was before. Well, no bother, I'll just keep going. We continue to roll and put in another few good sections, and finally make it home a little after 4, good for nearly 80 miles. I go to put air in my tire and it was at 20psi. Haha. Nice.
Off the bike I went for a 5 mile run, which felt awesome. After how much Friday's run leveled me, I was glad to see I had come back alright for Saturday. Went out Saturday night for the first time in a real long time, making it out until about 1am. This meant Sunday was going to be rough. 4:45am wakeup, Pat swings by at 5, me/Pat/Alyssa head up to Philly to spectate the Philly Tri. We get up there, find a place to park (that seems nowhere near the finish/transition) and start hoofing it. We find ourselves atop Lemon Hill, which is where the course went, and not a minute later I hear the distinctive horn of a little motorbike, and what would you know - up the hill come the two leaders, Cam Dye and Andy Potts. It was perfect timing, and a perfect spot to watch as it was a really tough climb. We watched the pros come through, and then our friends, including Zero and Tommy, in the elite wave. After their second loop, we walked toward the Art Museum along the water, and then down the other side, to catch the end of their run. We walked all the way to the finish. My dogs were killing me, and my knee was super tight. I hate walking, and we had to have walked at least 6 miles by the end of the day because from the finish line we still had to walk back to the car, which was on the other side of the river.
We drove home, all exhausted, and stopped in Newark DE for breakfast/lunch. Got back to the homestead around 1:30 I guess, and was wiped. After gorging at a bbq on Sunday evening, I finally went for a 4 mile run. It was one of the slowest runs I've ever done, I just needed to get out and shake out.
For the week, that made it 17.5k swimming, 171 miles on the bike and 35 miles of running - a pretty balanced week, and 19 hours. I have to be a little careful though, because I've been having some left hamstring issues since Eagleman. I started feeling it on the bike, and I figured it was due to the fact I didn't really put in any similar efforts on the TT bike for that length of time. It hasn't hampered me during workouts, but has really become a problem when I'm sitting for a while or sleeping. When I got back from my run last night (another down and back to FHR, so another 14 miles), it was not feeling great. Today it feels a little worse.
So no track workout for me tonight, instead I'm going to attempt the first of the BRRC Summer Track Series tomorrow evening at Goucher. Scheduled events include the 1500m, 800m and 2 mile, so my plan is to race the 1500, run the 8 hard, and then do more of a tempo effort in the 2 mile. Good effort ahead of this weekend's Peachtree 10k in Atlanta. Things I have to keep on top of now are, as usual, hydration and sodium intake. I can see it in my face after these longer efforts, the dark, sunken eyes are a trademark characterisitc of depletion. The temperatures honestly haven't been that bad lately, but the humidity has been quite high.
This past weekend was one of the few "off" weekends I was going to have this summer, and it wound up being super busy. Now, I've got races each of the next 4 weekends, and traveling for 3 of them (ATL, 2 in NJ). It will be a balancing act to ensure I can keep the volume up and still maintain the race efforts.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
George Sheehan Classic
Following the continued failure of my 2011 triathlon season, I was glad to take it fairly easy last week. Correction - mostly easy. I somehow managed 16k in the pool, which took place in just the first four days of the week, and that's the most I've swam in any "week" this year. I headed back home to NJ on Thursday night for Father's Day and one of my favorite races, the George Sheehan Classic 5 Miler.
Friday's weather was threatening, with off and on rain showers, so in my effort to not tempt fate, I opted to not ride. I headed into Red Bank to the packet pickup with my brother when it opened, and then we went up to Tatum Park to run. Tatum is a park that's about 5 miles from my parents' house and for some reason I didn't really start running there until college. It's a small park, good for 5-7 mile runs without repeating any trails, but the terrain varies from single track trails to large meadows, and it's not a very hard place to run. Ran my 7 mile loop and felt alright heading into Saturday.
Get to the race on Saturday morning and am immediately saddened by the field. This used to be a race won in 23 minutes. There would be 3 to 4 thousand people in the race. And that's when it was in August - inevitably worse conditions. Now the whole race just seems budget, like they're hanging on to this ghost of a race to try to keep the memory of Dr. George Sheehan alive (If you aren't familiar with the good doctor, check him or some of his books out - he was my mom's doctor when she was growing up). After warming up with the siblings, I came back to the car to discover that I had not brought my flats. Bummer. I even took out the stupid elastic laces (from last week) and put back in my regular laces the night before, and now I had to run in my trainers.
On the line and it was like a high school reunion of sorts. There's Rathbone, who was maybe two years younger than me in high school, and has been running super strong as of late. Falvey, who ran for CBA and lives with Pat's brother Tommy. Petey Fo, who went to school with my sister and who is quite speedy. The four of us started on the line together, and after saying I was looking to run about 5:40 for the first mile, they agreed that sounded good. After a lengthy speech from Dr. Sheehan's son Michael, and then not having someone to sing the National Anthem so we just sang it ourselves, the gun went off and away we went. There's a slight incline for a quarter mile before making a left and the race had already separated.
The four of us were a few steps behind Noel, who has won this race at least the last two years and generally wins all the races in the area. I knew two years ago she ran 27:3x, and last year she was around 28:30, so it would be a good bet to follow her if that's what I was looking to run. My legs felt okay, but I just felt tired. We split mile 1 in 5:39 - right on - but I just didn't feel like I had it in me on this day. Meanwhile, Eric is riding his bike alongside Falvey, and then drops back when I got dropped. It looked like he was trying to "pace" me, to which I wanted to shoo him away. My 2nd mile was 5:54 and I felt depleted. Looked like I just wasn't quite ready for the effort!
Faced with the decision of a) running the same effort, but still slowing down or b) consciously slowing down and saving it for another day, I chose B. And once on Ridge Rd, that's where I felt the tiny force that is...E Lun. Erin ran with my sister in high school and just graduated from Richmond, having run I think in the 17:30 range for 5000m. She was flying, and of course I was now legitimately running like a zombie. I uttered some encouragement, as did she, and she flew up the road. Despite this relaxing of effort, I was surprised to see a 6:12 mile 3. That wasn't as bad as I expected, but I was raining sweat and was sloshing in my shoes. And that's when my least favorite part of the race hits: the Neighborhood.
It features many, many turns and I've never run well in there. Fortunately, despite running 6:28 for the mile in there, only one or two people passed me. This was a surprise, I guess most other people were struggling too. It was when we popped back out onto Ridge that I began to run out of fear. I heard that the 3rd place girl was behind me, and that 4, 5 and 6 were close behind. Awesome, let's get beat by 6 chicks. Tower Hill was upon us, and I ran well up that, nearly bridging to Falvey. Unfortunately, as we all know I can't run downhills, and he opened back up. Simultaneously, the third place girl went by me. I was fine with sitting behind for a brief second, due to the view, but then I had to run a little faster. I turned onto Broad Street, saw my parents and Vic on the side, realized I couldn't catch Falvey and just strided in. 30:18. Ouch. This is literally the 2nd slowest time I've ever run here. Even after Eagleman 2008 I ran a 29:44. I just did not have it today.
Yet somehow, when results were posted, this abysmal time was good enough for 20th place, out of just 1443 runners. Every year I get slower but my place stays about the same. I wish this race could return to its former glory! Noel did wind up winning, in 28:39 I think, and Erin was 2nd in 29:34. Falvey finished just 6 seconds up on me, but Rath went 28 low for 6th or 7th place I believe. So he actually got faster than our first mile.
The good news of the day was that my brother and I won the sibling-sibling title, as he ran a course best 35:02. Just depends on who shows up any given year, and more importantly, who fills out the team paperwork. At least we won something.
Later in the day I met Tommy to go ride. We left at 3pm and I was looking for 2-2.5 hours. We rode around the various townships and finally got out to the beach and saw that we were going to pick up the north-blowing tailwind on Ocean Ave. Blazed it. I looked back at one point and Tommy was nowhere to be seen. Once we hit the beach clubs, where the cars have a tendency to NOT look as they pull into or out of the parking lots, I slowed down and Tommy caught back on. Kept it chill on the freshly paved 2 mile stretch from Rumson bridge to Sandy Hook, and once on the Hook, I wanted to put in a fair effort to the end of the island. It's somewhere between 5.5 and 6 miles, and armed with a tailwind, it meant going pretty quick. Tommy stayed on my wheel for 4 miles of it before slipping back a little, and it felt super easy to push 30mph (tailwind obviously helps). I split 12:02 for the lenght of the island, and then we had to come back into the wind. Bleh.
Tommy again stuck to my wheel as I was getting tossed around, and we made it back in just under 17 minutes. Once we hit the uphill of the mammoth bridge into Highlands, he was gone. Ha. I chilled and waited, and then we rode down Scenic Blvd into Leonardo. He went home from there, and I turned around and went back up the 2 mile climb. I tried to stay in the aerobars and was successful, riding it in 7:08 (not a bad split up). I came home via Locust and Rumson, along River Rd and through Red Bank. A solid 2:25 on the bike for the day and then headed over to the NJ International Track Meet. Saw a few solid performances, including Canadian Olympic Carmen Douma-Hassar in the 1500m, and rolled out.
The next day was some family time, so the crew rolled to Allaire State Park for a 2 hour "hike" - really a walk, but that's a long time to be on your feet! I hadn't been to the park in years, and it was awesome. Lots of good trails, but nothing too challenging. Some sandy stretches, some pine needles, real cool. The roads outside the park are great for the TT bike, so next time I'm home I'll head down there. After helping dad move some real heavy stuff, we went to eat at this new place in Marine Park, The Boondocks. Great weather, awesome view. Didn't want to eat too much as I still needed to run, so following dinner, my bro came with me to Hartshorne. We didn't start running until 7:30. He ran real well, keeping up with me for the whole 7 miles, and then I added on 2. That was dicey, as it was now pretty dark in the trails, and the trail I was on was pretty shitty. Got back, satisfied with the run. When I lived there, one of my favorite things to do on the longest day of the year was to run there with waning daylight up to the bunkers, and run back in the dark. June 19 was close enough this year!
Going home is mostly always enjoyable. I definitely miss the beach lifestyle, and the plethora of parks is a great resource. Discounting my run-in 2 years ago on the bike, in general the roads are good to ride on. Not a lot of debris, no highway riding, and above all, flat. I obviously wouldn't trade my training here, but every so often it's nice to know you can just leave your house and immediately be rolling on the bike. I like catching up with my friends, and this weekend a few extra were home because of the weekend. Got to see Koot, Lauren, P, Vic, Bobber and LByrne, so that's a major success. Considering I have to go home twice in July, likely twice in September and once in October for races, I'll get to see enough of it this year.
Following the race I feel pretty decent, realizing I just wasn't ready to race I suppose, and I think I'll take it pretty easy again this week.
Friday's weather was threatening, with off and on rain showers, so in my effort to not tempt fate, I opted to not ride. I headed into Red Bank to the packet pickup with my brother when it opened, and then we went up to Tatum Park to run. Tatum is a park that's about 5 miles from my parents' house and for some reason I didn't really start running there until college. It's a small park, good for 5-7 mile runs without repeating any trails, but the terrain varies from single track trails to large meadows, and it's not a very hard place to run. Ran my 7 mile loop and felt alright heading into Saturday.
Get to the race on Saturday morning and am immediately saddened by the field. This used to be a race won in 23 minutes. There would be 3 to 4 thousand people in the race. And that's when it was in August - inevitably worse conditions. Now the whole race just seems budget, like they're hanging on to this ghost of a race to try to keep the memory of Dr. George Sheehan alive (If you aren't familiar with the good doctor, check him or some of his books out - he was my mom's doctor when she was growing up). After warming up with the siblings, I came back to the car to discover that I had not brought my flats. Bummer. I even took out the stupid elastic laces (from last week) and put back in my regular laces the night before, and now I had to run in my trainers.
On the line and it was like a high school reunion of sorts. There's Rathbone, who was maybe two years younger than me in high school, and has been running super strong as of late. Falvey, who ran for CBA and lives with Pat's brother Tommy. Petey Fo, who went to school with my sister and who is quite speedy. The four of us started on the line together, and after saying I was looking to run about 5:40 for the first mile, they agreed that sounded good. After a lengthy speech from Dr. Sheehan's son Michael, and then not having someone to sing the National Anthem so we just sang it ourselves, the gun went off and away we went. There's a slight incline for a quarter mile before making a left and the race had already separated.
The four of us were a few steps behind Noel, who has won this race at least the last two years and generally wins all the races in the area. I knew two years ago she ran 27:3x, and last year she was around 28:30, so it would be a good bet to follow her if that's what I was looking to run. My legs felt okay, but I just felt tired. We split mile 1 in 5:39 - right on - but I just didn't feel like I had it in me on this day. Meanwhile, Eric is riding his bike alongside Falvey, and then drops back when I got dropped. It looked like he was trying to "pace" me, to which I wanted to shoo him away. My 2nd mile was 5:54 and I felt depleted. Looked like I just wasn't quite ready for the effort!
Faced with the decision of a) running the same effort, but still slowing down or b) consciously slowing down and saving it for another day, I chose B. And once on Ridge Rd, that's where I felt the tiny force that is...E Lun. Erin ran with my sister in high school and just graduated from Richmond, having run I think in the 17:30 range for 5000m. She was flying, and of course I was now legitimately running like a zombie. I uttered some encouragement, as did she, and she flew up the road. Despite this relaxing of effort, I was surprised to see a 6:12 mile 3. That wasn't as bad as I expected, but I was raining sweat and was sloshing in my shoes. And that's when my least favorite part of the race hits: the Neighborhood.
It features many, many turns and I've never run well in there. Fortunately, despite running 6:28 for the mile in there, only one or two people passed me. This was a surprise, I guess most other people were struggling too. It was when we popped back out onto Ridge that I began to run out of fear. I heard that the 3rd place girl was behind me, and that 4, 5 and 6 were close behind. Awesome, let's get beat by 6 chicks. Tower Hill was upon us, and I ran well up that, nearly bridging to Falvey. Unfortunately, as we all know I can't run downhills, and he opened back up. Simultaneously, the third place girl went by me. I was fine with sitting behind for a brief second, due to the view, but then I had to run a little faster. I turned onto Broad Street, saw my parents and Vic on the side, realized I couldn't catch Falvey and just strided in. 30:18. Ouch. This is literally the 2nd slowest time I've ever run here. Even after Eagleman 2008 I ran a 29:44. I just did not have it today.
Yet somehow, when results were posted, this abysmal time was good enough for 20th place, out of just 1443 runners. Every year I get slower but my place stays about the same. I wish this race could return to its former glory! Noel did wind up winning, in 28:39 I think, and Erin was 2nd in 29:34. Falvey finished just 6 seconds up on me, but Rath went 28 low for 6th or 7th place I believe. So he actually got faster than our first mile.
The good news of the day was that my brother and I won the sibling-sibling title, as he ran a course best 35:02. Just depends on who shows up any given year, and more importantly, who fills out the team paperwork. At least we won something.
Later in the day I met Tommy to go ride. We left at 3pm and I was looking for 2-2.5 hours. We rode around the various townships and finally got out to the beach and saw that we were going to pick up the north-blowing tailwind on Ocean Ave. Blazed it. I looked back at one point and Tommy was nowhere to be seen. Once we hit the beach clubs, where the cars have a tendency to NOT look as they pull into or out of the parking lots, I slowed down and Tommy caught back on. Kept it chill on the freshly paved 2 mile stretch from Rumson bridge to Sandy Hook, and once on the Hook, I wanted to put in a fair effort to the end of the island. It's somewhere between 5.5 and 6 miles, and armed with a tailwind, it meant going pretty quick. Tommy stayed on my wheel for 4 miles of it before slipping back a little, and it felt super easy to push 30mph (tailwind obviously helps). I split 12:02 for the lenght of the island, and then we had to come back into the wind. Bleh.
Tommy again stuck to my wheel as I was getting tossed around, and we made it back in just under 17 minutes. Once we hit the uphill of the mammoth bridge into Highlands, he was gone. Ha. I chilled and waited, and then we rode down Scenic Blvd into Leonardo. He went home from there, and I turned around and went back up the 2 mile climb. I tried to stay in the aerobars and was successful, riding it in 7:08 (not a bad split up). I came home via Locust and Rumson, along River Rd and through Red Bank. A solid 2:25 on the bike for the day and then headed over to the NJ International Track Meet. Saw a few solid performances, including Canadian Olympic Carmen Douma-Hassar in the 1500m, and rolled out.
The next day was some family time, so the crew rolled to Allaire State Park for a 2 hour "hike" - really a walk, but that's a long time to be on your feet! I hadn't been to the park in years, and it was awesome. Lots of good trails, but nothing too challenging. Some sandy stretches, some pine needles, real cool. The roads outside the park are great for the TT bike, so next time I'm home I'll head down there. After helping dad move some real heavy stuff, we went to eat at this new place in Marine Park, The Boondocks. Great weather, awesome view. Didn't want to eat too much as I still needed to run, so following dinner, my bro came with me to Hartshorne. We didn't start running until 7:30. He ran real well, keeping up with me for the whole 7 miles, and then I added on 2. That was dicey, as it was now pretty dark in the trails, and the trail I was on was pretty shitty. Got back, satisfied with the run. When I lived there, one of my favorite things to do on the longest day of the year was to run there with waning daylight up to the bunkers, and run back in the dark. June 19 was close enough this year!
Going home is mostly always enjoyable. I definitely miss the beach lifestyle, and the plethora of parks is a great resource. Discounting my run-in 2 years ago on the bike, in general the roads are good to ride on. Not a lot of debris, no highway riding, and above all, flat. I obviously wouldn't trade my training here, but every so often it's nice to know you can just leave your house and immediately be rolling on the bike. I like catching up with my friends, and this weekend a few extra were home because of the weekend. Got to see Koot, Lauren, P, Vic, Bobber and LByrne, so that's a major success. Considering I have to go home twice in July, likely twice in September and once in October for races, I'll get to see enough of it this year.
Following the race I feel pretty decent, realizing I just wasn't ready to race I suppose, and I think I'll take it pretty easy again this week.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Every Day I'm Shufflin'
Well, that sucked.
Seriously. Not good.
The score is now Eagleman 2.5, Ryan 0.5. I'll say I earned a half point in 2009 because I didn't have an epic failure, unlike 2008 and now 2011. The trip to Cambridge began on Saturday with the diva-worthy temper tantrum I threw when my bike was not cooperating. My fault for not having it ready to go before Saturday, but when I went to swap the brake pads (putting in the cork ones for the carbon rims), the front right would not go all the way in (twss) and, somewhere in the process, I f'd up the whole front brake. Now it was late in the morning, and I was already sweating. Alyssa and I met Pat's brother Tommy in Cambridge and by the time we were ready to ride, it was already 1pm. On the way out for my 45 minute ride, I could tell something was wrong because it felt like I was pedaling through fudge. When we were halfway out, I stopped and looked at the brake - and sho nuff it was completely up against the rim, impeding the smooth rotation of the wheel. I was really frustrated now, and wanted to smash that piece of shit on the ground. We arrived back at the cars, now almost 2pm, and went for a 20 minute run. I felt pretty terrible, and the pace of 7:50ish reflected that.
On our way to the transition area, we spotted Benda and Bob V, and fortunately Bob had both his entire toolset and the skills necessary to quickly adjust my brake. Satisfied with the outcome, I threw the bike in transition, where I knew it was going to take a bath later that day. Then we hopped in the water. It was warm (they claimed 82, but I don't know if it was that warm) and real shallow. The buoys looked close, but generally I think they're supposed to be about 200 meters or so apart. If that's the case, you could stand well beyond the first buoy, and even at the second buoy it was only about 7 feet deep. I swam to the second one and then came back. We met up with Pat and Jackie and the five of us found our hotel. Then it was time for dinner - but where to go? I hate the Eastern Shore, at least that part of it, because it's filled with fast food and awful chains. We opted to keep my terrible tradition of eating at Greene Turtle in Salisbury (25min away) where it was a) freezing cold inside and b) slow and not very delicious. We scooped up some DQ on the way home and then kicked it in the room, getting ready for the next morning while watching I Love You, Man.
We heard our neighbor's alarm go off at 4:15, so I didn't sleep very well after that, but I didn't "get up" until 5am. Out the door just around 5:30 and off to park, we had to walk a little bit to get to transition so that served as my warmup. This is the first time I think in the history of racing that I did not run a STEP before the race. We watched the pros come out of the water and then I just didn't feel like running, and with my foot hurting, I figured I may as well not give it an opportunity to hurt. The air temp was still somewhat cool, but the humidity was high. And here's where the race report begins:
Swim
First pro out of the water was a little under 25 minutes. Some were closer to 30, some were over. It seemed that my pre-race (non-wetsuit) goal of 32:xx was not likely. I've done this race three times now, and the start has moved...three times. This time we entered via the boat ramp, and I guess one hour and five minutes after the pros went off, off we went. I felt like I had a decent start, and the conditions were pretty good - good water temp and not too choppy. By the first turn (a long way out), there were noticeably fewer orange caps around. I was picking up a lot of the slow swimmers from earlier waves, and nobody from my wave had passed me since the first 200m. I was pleased with my lines, and since I touched three buoys, I felt like I was swimming as straight as I could have. By the time I turned in towards shore, I didn't see any orange - I was really just by myself. When it became shallow, the race got weird. I figured swimming is still faster, and more efficient, than trying to walk or dolphin dive for an extended period, but there were a number of people walking in seemingly as fast as I was swimming. With maybe 75m to go, I started mixing in some dolphin diving before finally just giving up and wading in. Out of the water in 34:45 (192 overall/33rd 30-34).
Bike
With no wetsuit to pull off, I figured I could have a speedy T1. Nope. I found my bike and just was not moving with any oomph. I put on my glasses, then helmet, then number, and since I don't have a computer on my bike, I wanted to ride with my watch so I could keep track of when I should be doing various activities. I ran out of transition and was surprised to see them allowing people to mount their bikes RIGHT THERE. That seemed precarious, as that road is pretty narrow to start. I hopped on the bike and started pedaling. After the initial uphill, I had built enough momentum to get my feet in the shoes, and then as we turned onto the next road, I tightened them up. I quickly found my groove and was easily moving past people.
I settled into the aerobars and the first 8 miles went pretty quick. I passed 10 miles in what looked to be about 24:30, and looked to have about 8 minutes in my pocket from when I went out a few weeks ago. It then seemed like there was a little bit of a headwind on the way out to the refuge, which I expected, and I rolled through 20 miles in 48:45 I think. My goal was to ride 2:15, which for some reason I thought was 25mph, because apparently I can't do math. I used the calculation of 20mph = 3min/mi and 30mph = 2min/mi, so 25mph must be 2:30/mi. I figured out during the ride that it was not correct, and in fact it was 2:24/mi. So at 20 miles, I was about 45 seconds slower than 25mph pace. Shoot.
I had made the decision to only have my downtube water bottle cage, nothing else. I figured I would just take something from every station and would be good. Well, I didn't need anything at the first one, so I took a water bottle at the 2nd aid station (around an hour). As we made the left in the refuge, it felt like we picked up a bit of a tailwind so I used it to my advantage. I passed 30 miles in 1:12:30 I think, so I should have been on pace at this point. I had a little Bento box with 4 Gu packets, and threw in some Gu Chomps, and originally had 6 S! Caps. Well, the humidity had me feeling a little queasy, so I only ate the Chomps (I think there were 6 or 7 of them) and I had somehow lost 3 of the S! Caps so I could only take three.
Shortly after 30 miles is where I came up on Pat, who must have swam well and was riding great. I then passed OJ, who was of course just out for a swim and ride. I hadn't seen many 30-34 people in a while, so it was good to see some people I knew. I passed 40 at 1:35 and felt okay, but was becoming a little less comfortable in the aero position. Note: as OJ and I discussed today, we definitely do not ride our TT bikes enough. This is only the 6th time I've ridden it this year, which really means since July of 2009. 56 super flat miles take it out of you when all you do is pedal and crouch.
I passed Dorchester HS and made the left turn at 1:53, which was still about the same amount of time I was up on our ride from a few weeks ago, and that's when I started noticing the wind again. Passing 50 in just a few seconds over 2 hours, I thought I could still get in inside of 2:15, but must have slowed down in the last few miles because I finished at 2:16:44 (24.57mph). A 2 minute improvement from 2009, and what appeared to be 8th fastest ride in 30-34 (moved me into 11th off the bike). Cool, but obviously the people that had ridden faster had also swam faster! So now I have to run really fast, ha.
Run
T2 was also not particularly quick. I had worn my one piece for the swim and bike, but I have trouble running in it for longer distances, so I unzipped the thing, pulled the top down and put on my old white tri top. Much more comfortable. I also put on socks and a hat. The first couple of steps told me I was in for a long day. Even in 2008 I at least ran the first quarter mile faster. I figured I would run something in the 6:15-6:20 range for the first mile, and that the slowest I would run would be 6:30. Imagine my surprise when I came through in 6:46. Well, there goes that. For a little while I held hopes that I just needed to control my faculties, but my left quad was seizing up. Bad news. I immediately slipped to nearly 7:30 miles, and then it only got worse. When some of the girls I know started passing me (they had started 8min earlier, and I had passed them on the bike), I threw in the towel. Out on the eternally long stretch of shittiness, I saw Matias out there killing it. Adam Webber was having a great day (Matias had only passed him near the turnaround). Chad was running well. Jeremy Cornman, who, much like Columbia, had left T2 with me, was blazing. It took everything I had to stay upright. My fingers were tingling and I could feel that all-too-familiar feeling of electrolyte depletion.
I was now walking...a lot, and stopping for no reason at all. I hit the turnaround and shortly after, Pat passed me. In that stupid little taint of a road around mile 10, OJ was riding next to me for a minute on his bike. Two guys pass me and say "you know you'll get disqualified for that" - to which my snotty remark was "yeah his pacing my 10:30 miles is really an advantage." F you. So he took off and I went back to suffering. A really old man cruised past me. Then with 2.5 to go, you come up on this little neighborhood that always has a party. Sometimes they have a slip-n-side, and I had always wanted to do it. Well, no slip-n-slide this year, but they had Cornhole. So I took one of the beanbags and on my first throw, tossed it right through the hole. AWESOME. They gave me high fives. Then I got yelled at by a race official on a motorbike because I was on the wrong side of the road. Again, F you.
I saw OJ again sitting with pre-race fave, Chris Legh, on a lawn in the shade, with a mile to go. I stopped and talked to them for a bit. Then finished up. My run was 1:58:54, one of the worst of the day, and all but 2 of the people I passed in my age group on the bike reclaimed their positions on me, and I finished at 31st in 30-34 and I guess 166th overall. My final time was 4:54:04. This was somehow slower than what I did at Hunterdon last September, with just three months of running and biking in my legs, on my road bike, on a really hard course. Man, I suck.
Upon crossing the finish line, I was greeted by Cheese, Jen and Carly, who had made the long drive out to watch us. Really nice of them. Particularly since Cheese had raced that morning in Baltimore, and drove out immediately after. I felt pretty terrible, and although I've never thrown up after a race, I thought I was going to. I dry heaved a few times and then finally cooled down to the point where I was a little more normal. Watched Alyssa come through (new PR - 5:05, previous EM best was 5:19) and then I went in the water for a few minutes with the brothers McLoughlin and OJ. It was not cooling me off much. I didn't care much for sticking around for awards, but good thing we did as Alyssa had earned a slot again for Clearwater (note: when I say Clearwater, I mean Las Vegas, but I am continuing to call it Clearwater because I like the sound of it better).
A storm was about to roll through, so we packed up, including the belongings of Alyssa's friend, Andrew Hodges, who had finished well in the pro division. We hit Wendy's in Easton on our way out, then got stuck in bridge traffic for a while as the storm of the century hit hard. That night I had a fairly typical hiccup fit, and then Monday came. No rest for the weary, this was Alyssa's birthday and coach Hillary had given her a tough swim workout. Apparently on her athletes' birthdays she likes to give them 10k sets, but being the day after the race she had a kind heart and gave her 26x200 instead (for 26 years old). I actually felt pretty awesome doing this swim, much better than I expected to feel. My left quad was really tight from cramping the day before, so I didn't run. Tuesday I got in the pool for a short set, Wednesday I swam a little longer again and then ran at night. I felt surprisingly decent. This morning I got in the pool again for another workout with Alyssa. I love how the past four days have been incredibly nice, with low humidity and low mornings temps. It couldn't have just arrived one day earlier?
So now it's time for some analysis:
1) Speedsuits work. Looking at the swims of those I know who wore speedsuits, and those I know who didn't, I can unequivocally say that they work! It should be pretty obvious, but I really didn't think the advantage would be that great. But here's what I know: Benda swam about 25:45, wearing a Blue Seventy suit. OJ admitted after the race that he wasn't really swimming that hard, finishing in 28:55, but even swimming very easy wouldn't come in 3 minutes behind Benda. Meanwhile, Matias - who had an all-around great race - swam just one second behind OJ using an XTerra speedsuit. Then I put it into context of Columbia. Matias swam 19:13 there, while Pat swam 19:31. I would have expected maybe 30 seconds or so between the two at EM. Instead, Pat swam 31:20 with his tri top and shorts. That's a pretty big gap, and at this level you wouldn't see an improvement like that (discounting bad days). Pat lost time to others who he may normally outswim, but then my gap to Pat was about what I expected at 3:25. Benda is a great swimmer, and I am clearly not, but I also shouldn't lose 9 minutes over 1.2 miles. Maybe 7. I am now going to have to get one of these things as Louisville is obviously non-wetsuit.
2) I need to spend more time on my TT bike. Obviously after being hit by a car while on my previous TT bike, one can understand my apprehension and aversion to riding it on a regular basis. I do not feel comfortable riding out of the city on it (at least not riding on the bars), and most of Baltimore County is simply just too hilly. Most of our rides feature quite a bit of climbing, so I need to figure out a decent place to ride it. But I noticed that I became less comfortable by the minute after about 90 minutes on it, and my neck and arms were quite sore after the ride. A course like EM does not suit my fancy, as I hate pedaling (seriously, it sounds dumb but I hate pedaling). Based on how some of the other guys rode, I wouldn't have expected to be as far back as I was. I use them mostly as barometers as they are quite speedy on the bike. Adam rode 2:12. Matias was just under 2:15. Chad rode 2:13. Lucas didn't race this year but has gone 2:13. These guys are among the strongest riders in the entire race, so at least I held my own, but when I'm already giving up minutes in the water, it doesn't leave me in a good position.
3) Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. My buddy Matias, amateur winner and 8th place overall, had a great race, going 4:05. That's ridiculous. He was kind enough to share his race report, including his nutritional intake. He used smart, even splits to get the win, and clocked I think the third fastest run of the day behind Richie Cunningham and one other pro. He consumed an ideal amount of calories throughout the bike, and was able to run fine off the bike. Meanwhile, I consumed probably 300 calories total throughout the day, and paid for it dearly. This is the same thing that happened in 2008. In 2009, interestingly, I ate a little more and ran "okay" (1:31). I don't know why I keep thinking that my body can go without food or water in these long races, but I keep doing it and keep paying for it. If I'm going to make it through Louisville and have any kind of a good day, I need to really make this a focus.
Believe it or not, despite my horrendous runs at these longer races, I actually race pretty smart. I swim and ride aerobically, and try to leave legs for the run. I just don't do anything else smart, like drink water or consume calories or take in enough salt. It's getting old, but I have no one to blame but myself. It's clearly frustrating when you have a race like EM on the calendar for a year, and spend the better part of 6 months training for it, only to have it be a real shitty day. You spent money on the race, hotel, all your gear, etc, and spend time (which is really more valuable), so it makes it look like a real bad investment after the fact. And as we approach the halfway mark for the year, I realize my year has barely started. I have 3 more tri's before Louisville, and then at least another two in between Louisville and Arizona. Those, plus two 5 milers, an 8k, a 10k, another road mile and probably two track meets, then maybe a half marathon in September.
I'm heading up to NJ tonight for Father's Day and to race one of my favorite races, the George Sheehan Classic 5 Miler. Once upon a time this race attracted foreign talent to the tune of a 23:05 winning time. If you placed in the top 100 it was a big deal. Unfortunately, the race moved from August to June, they took away the money and thus the talent, and now if you break 30 minutes you'll probably finish in the top 30. It's kind of sad. But I love this race and I get to run with my brother and sister, and see a bunch of friends from the old days. My best time here is a pedestrian 28:49, so if I get my legs under me by Saturday, I'd like to give it a go and see if I can go under that. Considering Peachtree is just 2.5 weeks away, it will be a good test of my running legs.
A final note about Eagleman, and then I'll stop (for real) is that I'm still impressed with my bike split, considering how hard I've had to work over the past two years to get back there. EM was the last race I did before getting hurt and I'm glad to see that despite a knee that has severely restricted range of motion and a tremendous imbalance in power in my legs, I can still ride with some gusto. And as I was waiting around while they were announcing Clearwater spots, I noticed one Brian Boyle being called up. You may remember him from Kona coverage a few years ago, a young guy who was nearly killed in a car accident, and decided that in his second chance he wanted to do the Ironman. His first ever tri was Annapolis (2007) and then a month later he went to Hawaii. He made it, but it hurt. He caught the bug, though, and started doing Eagleman. He has a swimming background, and really got his bike going (fyi, his bike split was a full minute faster than mine at 2:15:40, that's nuts). This year he finished well enough in his 25-29 age group to earn a rolldown slot, and he was super psyched, celebrating with his family after they announced his name. It was a great sight to see someone so excited to just be alive, to earn the chance to compete against the world's best. As I was packing my things in transition, I ran into him so we chatted for a minute. He really does remind us what it's all about.
Oh, and as a postcript, at least I didn't get SUNBURNED. I put on sunscreen prior to the swim start, and only my shoulders took in a little sun. I feel great about this one minor area of improvement.
Seriously. Not good.
The score is now Eagleman 2.5, Ryan 0.5. I'll say I earned a half point in 2009 because I didn't have an epic failure, unlike 2008 and now 2011. The trip to Cambridge began on Saturday with the diva-worthy temper tantrum I threw when my bike was not cooperating. My fault for not having it ready to go before Saturday, but when I went to swap the brake pads (putting in the cork ones for the carbon rims), the front right would not go all the way in (twss) and, somewhere in the process, I f'd up the whole front brake. Now it was late in the morning, and I was already sweating. Alyssa and I met Pat's brother Tommy in Cambridge and by the time we were ready to ride, it was already 1pm. On the way out for my 45 minute ride, I could tell something was wrong because it felt like I was pedaling through fudge. When we were halfway out, I stopped and looked at the brake - and sho nuff it was completely up against the rim, impeding the smooth rotation of the wheel. I was really frustrated now, and wanted to smash that piece of shit on the ground. We arrived back at the cars, now almost 2pm, and went for a 20 minute run. I felt pretty terrible, and the pace of 7:50ish reflected that.
On our way to the transition area, we spotted Benda and Bob V, and fortunately Bob had both his entire toolset and the skills necessary to quickly adjust my brake. Satisfied with the outcome, I threw the bike in transition, where I knew it was going to take a bath later that day. Then we hopped in the water. It was warm (they claimed 82, but I don't know if it was that warm) and real shallow. The buoys looked close, but generally I think they're supposed to be about 200 meters or so apart. If that's the case, you could stand well beyond the first buoy, and even at the second buoy it was only about 7 feet deep. I swam to the second one and then came back. We met up with Pat and Jackie and the five of us found our hotel. Then it was time for dinner - but where to go? I hate the Eastern Shore, at least that part of it, because it's filled with fast food and awful chains. We opted to keep my terrible tradition of eating at Greene Turtle in Salisbury (25min away) where it was a) freezing cold inside and b) slow and not very delicious. We scooped up some DQ on the way home and then kicked it in the room, getting ready for the next morning while watching I Love You, Man.
We heard our neighbor's alarm go off at 4:15, so I didn't sleep very well after that, but I didn't "get up" until 5am. Out the door just around 5:30 and off to park, we had to walk a little bit to get to transition so that served as my warmup. This is the first time I think in the history of racing that I did not run a STEP before the race. We watched the pros come out of the water and then I just didn't feel like running, and with my foot hurting, I figured I may as well not give it an opportunity to hurt. The air temp was still somewhat cool, but the humidity was high. And here's where the race report begins:
Swim
First pro out of the water was a little under 25 minutes. Some were closer to 30, some were over. It seemed that my pre-race (non-wetsuit) goal of 32:xx was not likely. I've done this race three times now, and the start has moved...three times. This time we entered via the boat ramp, and I guess one hour and five minutes after the pros went off, off we went. I felt like I had a decent start, and the conditions were pretty good - good water temp and not too choppy. By the first turn (a long way out), there were noticeably fewer orange caps around. I was picking up a lot of the slow swimmers from earlier waves, and nobody from my wave had passed me since the first 200m. I was pleased with my lines, and since I touched three buoys, I felt like I was swimming as straight as I could have. By the time I turned in towards shore, I didn't see any orange - I was really just by myself. When it became shallow, the race got weird. I figured swimming is still faster, and more efficient, than trying to walk or dolphin dive for an extended period, but there were a number of people walking in seemingly as fast as I was swimming. With maybe 75m to go, I started mixing in some dolphin diving before finally just giving up and wading in. Out of the water in 34:45 (192 overall/33rd 30-34).
Bike
With no wetsuit to pull off, I figured I could have a speedy T1. Nope. I found my bike and just was not moving with any oomph. I put on my glasses, then helmet, then number, and since I don't have a computer on my bike, I wanted to ride with my watch so I could keep track of when I should be doing various activities. I ran out of transition and was surprised to see them allowing people to mount their bikes RIGHT THERE. That seemed precarious, as that road is pretty narrow to start. I hopped on the bike and started pedaling. After the initial uphill, I had built enough momentum to get my feet in the shoes, and then as we turned onto the next road, I tightened them up. I quickly found my groove and was easily moving past people.
I settled into the aerobars and the first 8 miles went pretty quick. I passed 10 miles in what looked to be about 24:30, and looked to have about 8 minutes in my pocket from when I went out a few weeks ago. It then seemed like there was a little bit of a headwind on the way out to the refuge, which I expected, and I rolled through 20 miles in 48:45 I think. My goal was to ride 2:15, which for some reason I thought was 25mph, because apparently I can't do math. I used the calculation of 20mph = 3min/mi and 30mph = 2min/mi, so 25mph must be 2:30/mi. I figured out during the ride that it was not correct, and in fact it was 2:24/mi. So at 20 miles, I was about 45 seconds slower than 25mph pace. Shoot.
I had made the decision to only have my downtube water bottle cage, nothing else. I figured I would just take something from every station and would be good. Well, I didn't need anything at the first one, so I took a water bottle at the 2nd aid station (around an hour). As we made the left in the refuge, it felt like we picked up a bit of a tailwind so I used it to my advantage. I passed 30 miles in 1:12:30 I think, so I should have been on pace at this point. I had a little Bento box with 4 Gu packets, and threw in some Gu Chomps, and originally had 6 S! Caps. Well, the humidity had me feeling a little queasy, so I only ate the Chomps (I think there were 6 or 7 of them) and I had somehow lost 3 of the S! Caps so I could only take three.
Shortly after 30 miles is where I came up on Pat, who must have swam well and was riding great. I then passed OJ, who was of course just out for a swim and ride. I hadn't seen many 30-34 people in a while, so it was good to see some people I knew. I passed 40 at 1:35 and felt okay, but was becoming a little less comfortable in the aero position. Note: as OJ and I discussed today, we definitely do not ride our TT bikes enough. This is only the 6th time I've ridden it this year, which really means since July of 2009. 56 super flat miles take it out of you when all you do is pedal and crouch.
I passed Dorchester HS and made the left turn at 1:53, which was still about the same amount of time I was up on our ride from a few weeks ago, and that's when I started noticing the wind again. Passing 50 in just a few seconds over 2 hours, I thought I could still get in inside of 2:15, but must have slowed down in the last few miles because I finished at 2:16:44 (24.57mph). A 2 minute improvement from 2009, and what appeared to be 8th fastest ride in 30-34 (moved me into 11th off the bike). Cool, but obviously the people that had ridden faster had also swam faster! So now I have to run really fast, ha.
Run
T2 was also not particularly quick. I had worn my one piece for the swim and bike, but I have trouble running in it for longer distances, so I unzipped the thing, pulled the top down and put on my old white tri top. Much more comfortable. I also put on socks and a hat. The first couple of steps told me I was in for a long day. Even in 2008 I at least ran the first quarter mile faster. I figured I would run something in the 6:15-6:20 range for the first mile, and that the slowest I would run would be 6:30. Imagine my surprise when I came through in 6:46. Well, there goes that. For a little while I held hopes that I just needed to control my faculties, but my left quad was seizing up. Bad news. I immediately slipped to nearly 7:30 miles, and then it only got worse. When some of the girls I know started passing me (they had started 8min earlier, and I had passed them on the bike), I threw in the towel. Out on the eternally long stretch of shittiness, I saw Matias out there killing it. Adam Webber was having a great day (Matias had only passed him near the turnaround). Chad was running well. Jeremy Cornman, who, much like Columbia, had left T2 with me, was blazing. It took everything I had to stay upright. My fingers were tingling and I could feel that all-too-familiar feeling of electrolyte depletion.
I was now walking...a lot, and stopping for no reason at all. I hit the turnaround and shortly after, Pat passed me. In that stupid little taint of a road around mile 10, OJ was riding next to me for a minute on his bike. Two guys pass me and say "you know you'll get disqualified for that" - to which my snotty remark was "yeah his pacing my 10:30 miles is really an advantage." F you. So he took off and I went back to suffering. A really old man cruised past me. Then with 2.5 to go, you come up on this little neighborhood that always has a party. Sometimes they have a slip-n-side, and I had always wanted to do it. Well, no slip-n-slide this year, but they had Cornhole. So I took one of the beanbags and on my first throw, tossed it right through the hole. AWESOME. They gave me high fives. Then I got yelled at by a race official on a motorbike because I was on the wrong side of the road. Again, F you.
I saw OJ again sitting with pre-race fave, Chris Legh, on a lawn in the shade, with a mile to go. I stopped and talked to them for a bit. Then finished up. My run was 1:58:54, one of the worst of the day, and all but 2 of the people I passed in my age group on the bike reclaimed their positions on me, and I finished at 31st in 30-34 and I guess 166th overall. My final time was 4:54:04. This was somehow slower than what I did at Hunterdon last September, with just three months of running and biking in my legs, on my road bike, on a really hard course. Man, I suck.
Upon crossing the finish line, I was greeted by Cheese, Jen and Carly, who had made the long drive out to watch us. Really nice of them. Particularly since Cheese had raced that morning in Baltimore, and drove out immediately after. I felt pretty terrible, and although I've never thrown up after a race, I thought I was going to. I dry heaved a few times and then finally cooled down to the point where I was a little more normal. Watched Alyssa come through (new PR - 5:05, previous EM best was 5:19) and then I went in the water for a few minutes with the brothers McLoughlin and OJ. It was not cooling me off much. I didn't care much for sticking around for awards, but good thing we did as Alyssa had earned a slot again for Clearwater (note: when I say Clearwater, I mean Las Vegas, but I am continuing to call it Clearwater because I like the sound of it better).
A storm was about to roll through, so we packed up, including the belongings of Alyssa's friend, Andrew Hodges, who had finished well in the pro division. We hit Wendy's in Easton on our way out, then got stuck in bridge traffic for a while as the storm of the century hit hard. That night I had a fairly typical hiccup fit, and then Monday came. No rest for the weary, this was Alyssa's birthday and coach Hillary had given her a tough swim workout. Apparently on her athletes' birthdays she likes to give them 10k sets, but being the day after the race she had a kind heart and gave her 26x200 instead (for 26 years old). I actually felt pretty awesome doing this swim, much better than I expected to feel. My left quad was really tight from cramping the day before, so I didn't run. Tuesday I got in the pool for a short set, Wednesday I swam a little longer again and then ran at night. I felt surprisingly decent. This morning I got in the pool again for another workout with Alyssa. I love how the past four days have been incredibly nice, with low humidity and low mornings temps. It couldn't have just arrived one day earlier?
So now it's time for some analysis:
1) Speedsuits work. Looking at the swims of those I know who wore speedsuits, and those I know who didn't, I can unequivocally say that they work! It should be pretty obvious, but I really didn't think the advantage would be that great. But here's what I know: Benda swam about 25:45, wearing a Blue Seventy suit. OJ admitted after the race that he wasn't really swimming that hard, finishing in 28:55, but even swimming very easy wouldn't come in 3 minutes behind Benda. Meanwhile, Matias - who had an all-around great race - swam just one second behind OJ using an XTerra speedsuit. Then I put it into context of Columbia. Matias swam 19:13 there, while Pat swam 19:31. I would have expected maybe 30 seconds or so between the two at EM. Instead, Pat swam 31:20 with his tri top and shorts. That's a pretty big gap, and at this level you wouldn't see an improvement like that (discounting bad days). Pat lost time to others who he may normally outswim, but then my gap to Pat was about what I expected at 3:25. Benda is a great swimmer, and I am clearly not, but I also shouldn't lose 9 minutes over 1.2 miles. Maybe 7. I am now going to have to get one of these things as Louisville is obviously non-wetsuit.
2) I need to spend more time on my TT bike. Obviously after being hit by a car while on my previous TT bike, one can understand my apprehension and aversion to riding it on a regular basis. I do not feel comfortable riding out of the city on it (at least not riding on the bars), and most of Baltimore County is simply just too hilly. Most of our rides feature quite a bit of climbing, so I need to figure out a decent place to ride it. But I noticed that I became less comfortable by the minute after about 90 minutes on it, and my neck and arms were quite sore after the ride. A course like EM does not suit my fancy, as I hate pedaling (seriously, it sounds dumb but I hate pedaling). Based on how some of the other guys rode, I wouldn't have expected to be as far back as I was. I use them mostly as barometers as they are quite speedy on the bike. Adam rode 2:12. Matias was just under 2:15. Chad rode 2:13. Lucas didn't race this year but has gone 2:13. These guys are among the strongest riders in the entire race, so at least I held my own, but when I'm already giving up minutes in the water, it doesn't leave me in a good position.
3) Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. My buddy Matias, amateur winner and 8th place overall, had a great race, going 4:05. That's ridiculous. He was kind enough to share his race report, including his nutritional intake. He used smart, even splits to get the win, and clocked I think the third fastest run of the day behind Richie Cunningham and one other pro. He consumed an ideal amount of calories throughout the bike, and was able to run fine off the bike. Meanwhile, I consumed probably 300 calories total throughout the day, and paid for it dearly. This is the same thing that happened in 2008. In 2009, interestingly, I ate a little more and ran "okay" (1:31). I don't know why I keep thinking that my body can go without food or water in these long races, but I keep doing it and keep paying for it. If I'm going to make it through Louisville and have any kind of a good day, I need to really make this a focus.
Believe it or not, despite my horrendous runs at these longer races, I actually race pretty smart. I swim and ride aerobically, and try to leave legs for the run. I just don't do anything else smart, like drink water or consume calories or take in enough salt. It's getting old, but I have no one to blame but myself. It's clearly frustrating when you have a race like EM on the calendar for a year, and spend the better part of 6 months training for it, only to have it be a real shitty day. You spent money on the race, hotel, all your gear, etc, and spend time (which is really more valuable), so it makes it look like a real bad investment after the fact. And as we approach the halfway mark for the year, I realize my year has barely started. I have 3 more tri's before Louisville, and then at least another two in between Louisville and Arizona. Those, plus two 5 milers, an 8k, a 10k, another road mile and probably two track meets, then maybe a half marathon in September.
I'm heading up to NJ tonight for Father's Day and to race one of my favorite races, the George Sheehan Classic 5 Miler. Once upon a time this race attracted foreign talent to the tune of a 23:05 winning time. If you placed in the top 100 it was a big deal. Unfortunately, the race moved from August to June, they took away the money and thus the talent, and now if you break 30 minutes you'll probably finish in the top 30. It's kind of sad. But I love this race and I get to run with my brother and sister, and see a bunch of friends from the old days. My best time here is a pedestrian 28:49, so if I get my legs under me by Saturday, I'd like to give it a go and see if I can go under that. Considering Peachtree is just 2.5 weeks away, it will be a good test of my running legs.
A final note about Eagleman, and then I'll stop (for real) is that I'm still impressed with my bike split, considering how hard I've had to work over the past two years to get back there. EM was the last race I did before getting hurt and I'm glad to see that despite a knee that has severely restricted range of motion and a tremendous imbalance in power in my legs, I can still ride with some gusto. And as I was waiting around while they were announcing Clearwater spots, I noticed one Brian Boyle being called up. You may remember him from Kona coverage a few years ago, a young guy who was nearly killed in a car accident, and decided that in his second chance he wanted to do the Ironman. His first ever tri was Annapolis (2007) and then a month later he went to Hawaii. He made it, but it hurt. He caught the bug, though, and started doing Eagleman. He has a swimming background, and really got his bike going (fyi, his bike split was a full minute faster than mine at 2:15:40, that's nuts). This year he finished well enough in his 25-29 age group to earn a rolldown slot, and he was super psyched, celebrating with his family after they announced his name. It was a great sight to see someone so excited to just be alive, to earn the chance to compete against the world's best. As I was packing my things in transition, I ran into him so we chatted for a minute. He really does remind us what it's all about.
Oh, and as a postcript, at least I didn't get SUNBURNED. I put on sunscreen prior to the swim start, and only my shoulders took in a little sun. I feel great about this one minor area of improvement.
Friday, June 10, 2011
End This War
Despite my attempt at defeating this battle with my sinus infection, it appears as if I have lost. 5 days on antibiotics and now a full 12 days of sickness and my conditions have not improved a whole lot. Generally I don't feel terrible, as in I am able to do things without falling over, but I am really struggling breathing. Yesterday in the pool was miserable. Not helping was the fact the pool was kicking at around 86 degrees, and the air temp was 99 when I swam. I have developed a phlegmy cough over the last few days, which is not always present, but when it hits, it's hitting hard.
I'll get through Sunday, but I think it's going to be a tough day. But, it's Eagleman, it's supposed to be a tough day. When I did this race for the first time in 2008, I never imagine how bad things could go. After all, I stuck to the relatively safe Olympic distance events for the first 7 years of my triathloning, so the worst that happened was you had a bad run and ran like 40 minutes. It was around this time in 2008 that I ramped up this blog, writing daily updates before the race. It was a big deal for me. When the mercury started rising a few days out from the race, I didn't immediately get worried, because I honestly didn't realize how hard it would make it. The result was bad.
I swam slow, in what I don't think was a particularly slow year. I overheated in my wetsuit and got into T1 hot and flustered. I spent an exorbitant amount of time in transition, making a ton of rookie mistakes. Ultimately, I went onto the bike with no salt, I think maybe one or two Gu's, that was it. On the bike, I didn't drink enough, not taking water at the stations, and paying a painful price. At mile 47 I stood out of the saddle for just a second and crack - there went my legs. Both quads cramped up so hard I had to get off my bike. I tried to let them relax for a couple of minutes before soft pedaling in. I had been in good shape (had ridden 1:04:40 at Columbia earlier in the season) so when I finished at 2:28, I was disappointed. I thought I could turn it around for the run, but a half mile in, I was reduced to walk/jogging. And then just walking. For thir...teen...miles. 3 hours and 39 minutes later, I crossed the line, sunburned and delirious. When we got to the Wendy's in Easton, I nearly threw up when the smell hit my nose. I couldn't eat anything. When we got back to Baltimore, it was time for the Bay Cafe celebration party. Tried to eat some of the shrimp salad sandwich I love so much and nope, couldn't do it. Time to go to the emergency medical center.
Following that race I couldn't do anything for three days, I was so badly sunburned. By mid week I started peeling, nay - sloughing skin off. It did this again over the weekend. It was gross and that one day probably ensured that I will develop skin cancer. I was able to race a 5 miler at home the following Saturday, and didn't run too poorly, so I knew my failure had been a matter of poor race day execution. My legs were alright. So I decided to do the inaugural Providence half ironman just a few weeks later. The swim went much better, the bike went much better, and then run...well it went slightly better. Still was by no means good.
I was convinced that I was meant to do longer races, but apparently I was not cut out for it. I suffered again that year at my first marathon, and then again in the spring of 2009 at Boston. Another couple of days like that and I was ready to quit.
So Eagleman 2009 was again a pivotal day in my "endurance" race career. I went in with far fewer miles on the bike in my legs, and much less swimming, as a result of my focus on Boston that spring. At Columbia that year, I had gone about 90 seconds slower on the bike, but I found my form in the short time between the two races. I had a good swim (for me) and got onto the bike and rolled. 2:18:44 I think was the time, which was in line with what I thought I could do. I don't ride with a watch or a computer, so I never have any idea of how fast or slow I'm going. Coming off the bike I thought I could just tear off, and clipped the first mile in 6:03. From there it was mostly downhill, keeping the miles under 6:30 until mile 5, when everything was over 7. I finished with a 1:31:52, and was not thrilled. My overall time was 4:24 - slightly better than 2008's 6:47.
I felt like I was learning from each time I was out there, and that by November I would be in tip-top shape for Arizona. Of course, Alfred Terry had to interfere with those plans, and back to the ground floor I went.
After the full year off, I started up last year with simpler intentions. Do a race. Be able to run the whole thing. Do the Ironman. My own expectations were low, I was just happy to be out there again. 2010 was a complete mulligan year. But, once again, I find myself at a critical juncture with Eagleman. My day at Columbia didn't go great, but I rode decently quick - enough to give me the confidence that I can at least ride what I did there in 2009. The swim for me will probably be tough. I don't even care about the non-wetsuits, I actually prefer it because I would seriously overheat and probably die (the water is real warm). I'm concerned about my inability to breathe right now, and hope its effect isn't too considerable. The run, well, I know best that anything can happen. I do know that I plan on starting out MUCH slower/easier than years past. I had a pretty decent run at Hunterdon in October when I went out easy. At that time, I struggled with the distance, since I hadn't run that long in something like 15 months, so when I got to mile 8, I was out of legs.
This time around, I have at least been able to do runs of that length, and as long as I can get through the foot discomfort, I'll be alright.
It would be really great to be able to go faster than 2009, but the swim is such a question mark for accuracy, etc, that I won't worry too much about it. I'd be really happy if I could have a good run - something more in line with what I should be able to run. If I took my splits from 2009 and just went 5 minutes faster (1:27ish run), that would put me under 4:20 and I'd be happy with that. A few years ago the focus was on earning a spot for one of the two World Championships that you can qualify for via Eagleman, but a quick scan through the 30-34 age group shows that it's statistically unlikely. Just too many fast guys in this wave. It's seriously insane. Plus, in 2009 I was 4th and was therefore first loser, so I don't expect my luck to change. If there are say 8 spots to the two races, I would expect to finish 9th.
Mostly I just need to have a day I can feel good about, as that's been lacking from this year. Pat and I have both said it, the thing we look forward to most is going in the water after the race is over and just cooling off. And then, for me, hitting up Wendy's, and probably Sonic, in Easton on the way home. Since the Bay Bridge toll is going to go up from $2.50 to $8 by 2013, this may be one of the last times I race EM! (just kidding, of course, although that still makes me irritated).
Eagleman is far from my favorite race, but it's one I won't stop doing until I'm satisfied with a result there. And, since for the next 20 years I'll be in ridiculously competitive age groups, I'll probably never be satisfied, so expect to see me there. Plus it's close, and relatively less expensive than traveling to somewhere else that sucks to do a race there. I think that's one change I'll have for next year - race less. These entry fees are killing me. Much like the $3200 oil change I got yesterday. Yep, brought the car in for a 60k service, and left with a $3200 bill because my shit was all messed up apparently. Awesome. Should have sold it for $3200 less than I bought it, and then bought a new car. Or a new bike.
I'll get through Sunday, but I think it's going to be a tough day. But, it's Eagleman, it's supposed to be a tough day. When I did this race for the first time in 2008, I never imagine how bad things could go. After all, I stuck to the relatively safe Olympic distance events for the first 7 years of my triathloning, so the worst that happened was you had a bad run and ran like 40 minutes. It was around this time in 2008 that I ramped up this blog, writing daily updates before the race. It was a big deal for me. When the mercury started rising a few days out from the race, I didn't immediately get worried, because I honestly didn't realize how hard it would make it. The result was bad.
I swam slow, in what I don't think was a particularly slow year. I overheated in my wetsuit and got into T1 hot and flustered. I spent an exorbitant amount of time in transition, making a ton of rookie mistakes. Ultimately, I went onto the bike with no salt, I think maybe one or two Gu's, that was it. On the bike, I didn't drink enough, not taking water at the stations, and paying a painful price. At mile 47 I stood out of the saddle for just a second and crack - there went my legs. Both quads cramped up so hard I had to get off my bike. I tried to let them relax for a couple of minutes before soft pedaling in. I had been in good shape (had ridden 1:04:40 at Columbia earlier in the season) so when I finished at 2:28, I was disappointed. I thought I could turn it around for the run, but a half mile in, I was reduced to walk/jogging. And then just walking. For thir...teen...miles. 3 hours and 39 minutes later, I crossed the line, sunburned and delirious. When we got to the Wendy's in Easton, I nearly threw up when the smell hit my nose. I couldn't eat anything. When we got back to Baltimore, it was time for the Bay Cafe celebration party. Tried to eat some of the shrimp salad sandwich I love so much and nope, couldn't do it. Time to go to the emergency medical center.
Following that race I couldn't do anything for three days, I was so badly sunburned. By mid week I started peeling, nay - sloughing skin off. It did this again over the weekend. It was gross and that one day probably ensured that I will develop skin cancer. I was able to race a 5 miler at home the following Saturday, and didn't run too poorly, so I knew my failure had been a matter of poor race day execution. My legs were alright. So I decided to do the inaugural Providence half ironman just a few weeks later. The swim went much better, the bike went much better, and then run...well it went slightly better. Still was by no means good.
I was convinced that I was meant to do longer races, but apparently I was not cut out for it. I suffered again that year at my first marathon, and then again in the spring of 2009 at Boston. Another couple of days like that and I was ready to quit.
So Eagleman 2009 was again a pivotal day in my "endurance" race career. I went in with far fewer miles on the bike in my legs, and much less swimming, as a result of my focus on Boston that spring. At Columbia that year, I had gone about 90 seconds slower on the bike, but I found my form in the short time between the two races. I had a good swim (for me) and got onto the bike and rolled. 2:18:44 I think was the time, which was in line with what I thought I could do. I don't ride with a watch or a computer, so I never have any idea of how fast or slow I'm going. Coming off the bike I thought I could just tear off, and clipped the first mile in 6:03. From there it was mostly downhill, keeping the miles under 6:30 until mile 5, when everything was over 7. I finished with a 1:31:52, and was not thrilled. My overall time was 4:24 - slightly better than 2008's 6:47.
I felt like I was learning from each time I was out there, and that by November I would be in tip-top shape for Arizona. Of course, Alfred Terry had to interfere with those plans, and back to the ground floor I went.
After the full year off, I started up last year with simpler intentions. Do a race. Be able to run the whole thing. Do the Ironman. My own expectations were low, I was just happy to be out there again. 2010 was a complete mulligan year. But, once again, I find myself at a critical juncture with Eagleman. My day at Columbia didn't go great, but I rode decently quick - enough to give me the confidence that I can at least ride what I did there in 2009. The swim for me will probably be tough. I don't even care about the non-wetsuits, I actually prefer it because I would seriously overheat and probably die (the water is real warm). I'm concerned about my inability to breathe right now, and hope its effect isn't too considerable. The run, well, I know best that anything can happen. I do know that I plan on starting out MUCH slower/easier than years past. I had a pretty decent run at Hunterdon in October when I went out easy. At that time, I struggled with the distance, since I hadn't run that long in something like 15 months, so when I got to mile 8, I was out of legs.
This time around, I have at least been able to do runs of that length, and as long as I can get through the foot discomfort, I'll be alright.
It would be really great to be able to go faster than 2009, but the swim is such a question mark for accuracy, etc, that I won't worry too much about it. I'd be really happy if I could have a good run - something more in line with what I should be able to run. If I took my splits from 2009 and just went 5 minutes faster (1:27ish run), that would put me under 4:20 and I'd be happy with that. A few years ago the focus was on earning a spot for one of the two World Championships that you can qualify for via Eagleman, but a quick scan through the 30-34 age group shows that it's statistically unlikely. Just too many fast guys in this wave. It's seriously insane. Plus, in 2009 I was 4th and was therefore first loser, so I don't expect my luck to change. If there are say 8 spots to the two races, I would expect to finish 9th.
Mostly I just need to have a day I can feel good about, as that's been lacking from this year. Pat and I have both said it, the thing we look forward to most is going in the water after the race is over and just cooling off. And then, for me, hitting up Wendy's, and probably Sonic, in Easton on the way home. Since the Bay Bridge toll is going to go up from $2.50 to $8 by 2013, this may be one of the last times I race EM! (just kidding, of course, although that still makes me irritated).
Eagleman is far from my favorite race, but it's one I won't stop doing until I'm satisfied with a result there. And, since for the next 20 years I'll be in ridiculously competitive age groups, I'll probably never be satisfied, so expect to see me there. Plus it's close, and relatively less expensive than traveling to somewhere else that sucks to do a race there. I think that's one change I'll have for next year - race less. These entry fees are killing me. Much like the $3200 oil change I got yesterday. Yep, brought the car in for a 60k service, and left with a $3200 bill because my shit was all messed up apparently. Awesome. Should have sold it for $3200 less than I bought it, and then bought a new car. Or a new bike.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
What Cures Taste Loss?
Antibiotics?
That's from one of my favorite commercials, I believe it's a Miller Lite commercial but could be Bud Light because generally (sorry Bren) ML commercials are rarely as funny as BL ones.
So my sickness did not improve over the weekend. In fact, it became worse. By Monday, I couldn't stand it anymore. I went down to the CVS Minute Clinic, was seen by a Russian quasi-doctor/nurse type person, and finally got a prescription for some antibiotics. My sinus was really, really infected and swollen. The good news is I don't feel too sick, but I certainly don't feel good or comfortable doing anything. Swimming has been particularly tough. I had an okay swim on Friday, but my swim on Saturday was the worst I've ever had. Green, thick mucous (mucus?) invaded my nasal passage and had me feeling terrible.
Fortunately, the antibiotic has helped a little, but even a full day on them hasn't seen the condition improve to where I'd like it. My throat hurts a little, and my sinus is still hurting. The green color has disappeared, which I suppose is good.
That puts you in a weird position, particularly in race week. I know that pretty much nothing I do can help for Sunday, but anything I do can have a negative effect. I have to be real careful with my energy expenditure. For instance, right now it's almost midnight, and I'm simply not tired since we eat dinner real late on Tuesdays, and then I am wired.
Friday night I managed to get in a real, legitimate long run - the first over 14 since the first weekend in April, and the first over 12.5 in maybe 5 weeks. The weather was good, and I enjoy running on Friday evenings. The pace was more than honest, and with 3 miles to go, I picked it up. My foot was not pleased the next morning, which pestered me on my 3 hour ride, but I got through it. Sunday I had planned on riding, but just wasn't feeling it, so I ran instead. Pat and I didn't roll out until 2pm - and if you've ever been to Baltimore, you can imagine the cast of characters that would be sitting outside on stoops on a warm Sunday afternoon. Also, we made the mistake of going on some of the more hood roads in town. We made it through nearly 90 minutes without incident, and I called it a day.
Woke up on Monday feeling terrible, which is what prompted me to go to the quasi doc. I did manage to run Monday evening, and felt okay. Today my swim wasn't terrible, and my track workout was pretty decent. My plan was to run 2-3x1600 with a minute rest at something comfortable, in the realm of my open half marathon pace. I felt like I would run 5:50ish on the first one, and work down to 5:40 (at the fastest). The idea was not to be cooked after the workout, just to get the legs turning over a little. Obviously there is no point of the race on Sunday that I run anything close to that pace, so it doesn't make sense to run any faster than that.
First one was 5:43, and I felt okay sitting at the back of the group. Second was 5:40, and again, at the back of the group I was fine. On the third one, my left quad started up with the same pain I felt during both my Columbia workout a few weeks back, and during Columbia, so I pulled up at 800 (2:47) and called it a day. The work is done, no need to set myself back.
From here, it's time to seriously chill. No Weds Night Ride for me tomorrow; instead I'll do a 2 hour easy Gunpowder Loop. Possibly the same on Thursday. Swim one of the two days, swim short on Friday, run a few miles Friday, and get ready for Sunday. At this point we're anticipating a no-wetsuit swim, so I'd like to have some arms and legs to be able to swim okay. The rest of the forecast doesn't even matter. It's Eagleman. You have to plan for the worst. If it's NOT hot and humid, you count your blessings.
Thinking ahead past Sunday, I am trying to mentally prepare for possibly some time off from running. It would kill me, because I've really been going strong since I started running again last year, but my foot has just gotten to a point that has me worried. It hurts...all...the...time. I honestly don't believe I could run a marathon right now, and it certainly won't get any better if I just hammer through to Louisville. I really have no need to go run/walk 26 miles off the bike in August, and then do it again in November. At least this year I do have a solid base of fitness, and could endure some time off without too much repercussion.
That's from one of my favorite commercials, I believe it's a Miller Lite commercial but could be Bud Light because generally (sorry Bren) ML commercials are rarely as funny as BL ones.
So my sickness did not improve over the weekend. In fact, it became worse. By Monday, I couldn't stand it anymore. I went down to the CVS Minute Clinic, was seen by a Russian quasi-doctor/nurse type person, and finally got a prescription for some antibiotics. My sinus was really, really infected and swollen. The good news is I don't feel too sick, but I certainly don't feel good or comfortable doing anything. Swimming has been particularly tough. I had an okay swim on Friday, but my swim on Saturday was the worst I've ever had. Green, thick mucous (mucus?) invaded my nasal passage and had me feeling terrible.
Fortunately, the antibiotic has helped a little, but even a full day on them hasn't seen the condition improve to where I'd like it. My throat hurts a little, and my sinus is still hurting. The green color has disappeared, which I suppose is good.
That puts you in a weird position, particularly in race week. I know that pretty much nothing I do can help for Sunday, but anything I do can have a negative effect. I have to be real careful with my energy expenditure. For instance, right now it's almost midnight, and I'm simply not tired since we eat dinner real late on Tuesdays, and then I am wired.
Friday night I managed to get in a real, legitimate long run - the first over 14 since the first weekend in April, and the first over 12.5 in maybe 5 weeks. The weather was good, and I enjoy running on Friday evenings. The pace was more than honest, and with 3 miles to go, I picked it up. My foot was not pleased the next morning, which pestered me on my 3 hour ride, but I got through it. Sunday I had planned on riding, but just wasn't feeling it, so I ran instead. Pat and I didn't roll out until 2pm - and if you've ever been to Baltimore, you can imagine the cast of characters that would be sitting outside on stoops on a warm Sunday afternoon. Also, we made the mistake of going on some of the more hood roads in town. We made it through nearly 90 minutes without incident, and I called it a day.
Woke up on Monday feeling terrible, which is what prompted me to go to the quasi doc. I did manage to run Monday evening, and felt okay. Today my swim wasn't terrible, and my track workout was pretty decent. My plan was to run 2-3x1600 with a minute rest at something comfortable, in the realm of my open half marathon pace. I felt like I would run 5:50ish on the first one, and work down to 5:40 (at the fastest). The idea was not to be cooked after the workout, just to get the legs turning over a little. Obviously there is no point of the race on Sunday that I run anything close to that pace, so it doesn't make sense to run any faster than that.
First one was 5:43, and I felt okay sitting at the back of the group. Second was 5:40, and again, at the back of the group I was fine. On the third one, my left quad started up with the same pain I felt during both my Columbia workout a few weeks back, and during Columbia, so I pulled up at 800 (2:47) and called it a day. The work is done, no need to set myself back.
From here, it's time to seriously chill. No Weds Night Ride for me tomorrow; instead I'll do a 2 hour easy Gunpowder Loop. Possibly the same on Thursday. Swim one of the two days, swim short on Friday, run a few miles Friday, and get ready for Sunday. At this point we're anticipating a no-wetsuit swim, so I'd like to have some arms and legs to be able to swim okay. The rest of the forecast doesn't even matter. It's Eagleman. You have to plan for the worst. If it's NOT hot and humid, you count your blessings.
Thinking ahead past Sunday, I am trying to mentally prepare for possibly some time off from running. It would kill me, because I've really been going strong since I started running again last year, but my foot has just gotten to a point that has me worried. It hurts...all...the...time. I honestly don't believe I could run a marathon right now, and it certainly won't get any better if I just hammer through to Louisville. I really have no need to go run/walk 26 miles off the bike in August, and then do it again in November. At least this year I do have a solid base of fitness, and could endure some time off without too much repercussion.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Sniff Sniff Cries
On Sunday I began to feel sick. I attributed it to the cats at Ben and Kendra's house, and I'm still at least somewhat sure they acted as some kind of trigger, but I do also realize that back-to-back days of hard (long) workouts and sunburn definitely did not help. On Monday, I felt pretty beat up, ran that little mile race, and drove back to Baltimore, feeling worse along the way. We still did not have air conditioning at my house, which made sleeping on Monday night particularly difficult. I woke up on Tuesday feeling maybe slightly better, but not great. I made it into the pool, and felt alright, but had a little trouble breathing through my completely blocked nose. I didn't do the track workout that night, instead opting to sit on the track in 95 degree heat and watch everyone else run.
By Wednesday I was not any better. I had neither the legs nor the desire to go up to Wednesday Night Run to get punished, so I rode with Pat on our little Gunpowder loop. Again, the temperature came in around 95 when we went out to ride, and it was just those Triple H conditions that are so familiar to the Baltimore summer. Also not in our favor was the wind, which aided us on our way out, but bent us over on our way back. It was seriously one of the worst winds I've experienced coming back in on Eastern. We struggled. I had a splitting headache and it's based in my sinus area.
I figured at this point, I'd HAVE to be better by today. No way I wouldn't. Wrong. I felt even worse today, and I think it's coursing it's way south as I've developed a little cough. My brain hurts so bad my eyes won't focus - it's like that thing that gets implanted into people's brains in Mission: Impossible 3 and fries their brains and kills them. Nevertheless, I decided I should at least try to do something today. I drove up to Mt. Washington and rode the 9ish miles over to Owings Mills for the Thursday Night Ride. It's one of my favorite things to do and this is only the second time this year I've made it out. I had left with enough time to make it there, but didn't count on a road being closed due to a fallen tree. I had to go pretty far out of my way, and as a result had to haul ass and got there just in time to catch them. It was a small group tonight, and again we were treated to a super wind on our way up and out. My legs felt okay, and I was riding well on the climbs, but my headache was killing me.
I worked when I felt like working, and would drift off the back when I felt like it. I then started to get really achy, and just wanted to be done. Finally after 3 hours, somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 miles, I made it back to my car and headed home.
Now I'm pretty concerned. It's been 4 full days of sickness, and that seems excessive. It's not often I get sick - I believe this is the first time this year - but when I do it does tend to knock me out for a few days. Still, I don't feel like anything is getting better. The good news is that I'm close enough to race day that I could take a few days easy to recover (although I have done that already the past four days, but I guess I could chill out this weekend). The bad news is that I'm going to start freaking out if I don't feel better by tomorrow. Real annoying.
Anyway, with the passing of another month, I'll give myself a report card for May.
Swimming - B+. Some progress. I swam 39,000m this month, which is in line with what I did the previous two months. I had a few good workouts and really thought I was making some gains, but I was disappointed with my swim at Columbia. I think it's time to go back to what worked for me last year, which is more volume. Especially as I start working towards Ironman at the end of the summer, I need to get off these 10k weeks and move up to 15-20k weeks again, on 4-5 swims of 4-5k.
Cycling - A. I had a really good month of riding. 619 miles, which again is the most I've crammed into a month of May. My consistency has been great, I've had some really good Wednesday rides, and obviously "cultimated" with Friday/Saturday of this past weekend where we really got after it. I didn't do my more typical Memorial Day, where I would then go out and crush again on Sunday, but I think this will work better for me. I had a good split at Columbia, and am starting to feel a bit more comfortable on the TT bike again. After two years of not riding one, due both to a) not having one and b) truly being uncomfortable with the idea of getting wrecked again, it's nice to be out there again. My one complaint is that it does seem to work my knee pretty good, and I find that it's a lot stiffer following hard rides than if I were on my road bike.
Running - B+. A little off last month, and volume was quite low at just 125 miles. My previous May months have been more in the 150 range, which is a little lower due to bringing it down the week before and generally week after Columbia. This year I ran 20 of the 31 days, but had a bunch of shorter runs in there. Since May 14, when I ran 90 minutes, the most I've run has been 8 miles, which was the 10k race and a 2 mile warmup at Columbia. All other runs have been in the 6 or under range. I'm not real psyched about that, because I can't forget that I do have a long race next weekend. Of course, it's too late to do anything about it now, and realistically at Eagleman, whether I've run twenty long runs or none, it's just a brutal day. I'm planning on doing a longer run tomorrow and then will probably be back on track this month. My foot is still giving me trouble, but I had a couple of decent workouts and two decent mile races this month.
All in all, I feel as good as I can heading into next weekend's race. Of course, I'll feel much better when I...well, feel better. But as far as the training has gone this year, I've been really consistent, and think that, assuming conditions are more like 2009 than 2008 or 2010, a course best is within reason next Sunday. At this point we figure the water will be too warm for wetsuits, which will slow the swim down, so anything could happen there I guess.
By Wednesday I was not any better. I had neither the legs nor the desire to go up to Wednesday Night Run to get punished, so I rode with Pat on our little Gunpowder loop. Again, the temperature came in around 95 when we went out to ride, and it was just those Triple H conditions that are so familiar to the Baltimore summer. Also not in our favor was the wind, which aided us on our way out, but bent us over on our way back. It was seriously one of the worst winds I've experienced coming back in on Eastern. We struggled. I had a splitting headache and it's based in my sinus area.
I figured at this point, I'd HAVE to be better by today. No way I wouldn't. Wrong. I felt even worse today, and I think it's coursing it's way south as I've developed a little cough. My brain hurts so bad my eyes won't focus - it's like that thing that gets implanted into people's brains in Mission: Impossible 3 and fries their brains and kills them. Nevertheless, I decided I should at least try to do something today. I drove up to Mt. Washington and rode the 9ish miles over to Owings Mills for the Thursday Night Ride. It's one of my favorite things to do and this is only the second time this year I've made it out. I had left with enough time to make it there, but didn't count on a road being closed due to a fallen tree. I had to go pretty far out of my way, and as a result had to haul ass and got there just in time to catch them. It was a small group tonight, and again we were treated to a super wind on our way up and out. My legs felt okay, and I was riding well on the climbs, but my headache was killing me.
I worked when I felt like working, and would drift off the back when I felt like it. I then started to get really achy, and just wanted to be done. Finally after 3 hours, somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 miles, I made it back to my car and headed home.
Now I'm pretty concerned. It's been 4 full days of sickness, and that seems excessive. It's not often I get sick - I believe this is the first time this year - but when I do it does tend to knock me out for a few days. Still, I don't feel like anything is getting better. The good news is that I'm close enough to race day that I could take a few days easy to recover (although I have done that already the past four days, but I guess I could chill out this weekend). The bad news is that I'm going to start freaking out if I don't feel better by tomorrow. Real annoying.
Anyway, with the passing of another month, I'll give myself a report card for May.
Swimming - B+. Some progress. I swam 39,000m this month, which is in line with what I did the previous two months. I had a few good workouts and really thought I was making some gains, but I was disappointed with my swim at Columbia. I think it's time to go back to what worked for me last year, which is more volume. Especially as I start working towards Ironman at the end of the summer, I need to get off these 10k weeks and move up to 15-20k weeks again, on 4-5 swims of 4-5k.
Cycling - A. I had a really good month of riding. 619 miles, which again is the most I've crammed into a month of May. My consistency has been great, I've had some really good Wednesday rides, and obviously "cultimated" with Friday/Saturday of this past weekend where we really got after it. I didn't do my more typical Memorial Day, where I would then go out and crush again on Sunday, but I think this will work better for me. I had a good split at Columbia, and am starting to feel a bit more comfortable on the TT bike again. After two years of not riding one, due both to a) not having one and b) truly being uncomfortable with the idea of getting wrecked again, it's nice to be out there again. My one complaint is that it does seem to work my knee pretty good, and I find that it's a lot stiffer following hard rides than if I were on my road bike.
Running - B+. A little off last month, and volume was quite low at just 125 miles. My previous May months have been more in the 150 range, which is a little lower due to bringing it down the week before and generally week after Columbia. This year I ran 20 of the 31 days, but had a bunch of shorter runs in there. Since May 14, when I ran 90 minutes, the most I've run has been 8 miles, which was the 10k race and a 2 mile warmup at Columbia. All other runs have been in the 6 or under range. I'm not real psyched about that, because I can't forget that I do have a long race next weekend. Of course, it's too late to do anything about it now, and realistically at Eagleman, whether I've run twenty long runs or none, it's just a brutal day. I'm planning on doing a longer run tomorrow and then will probably be back on track this month. My foot is still giving me trouble, but I had a couple of decent workouts and two decent mile races this month.
All in all, I feel as good as I can heading into next weekend's race. Of course, I'll feel much better when I...well, feel better. But as far as the training has gone this year, I've been really consistent, and think that, assuming conditions are more like 2009 than 2008 or 2010, a course best is within reason next Sunday. At this point we figure the water will be too warm for wetsuits, which will slow the swim down, so anything could happen there I guess.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Whisper of Love, A Whisper of Hate
I have put it off for way too long, so this will be my race report for Columbia, as well as the week since the race.
Columbia
In the 10 years I've been around for this race, I can only remember two times it being even remotely nice. 2001 wasn't bad, and 2008 was nice. Every other year has been cold, rainy, or cold and rainy. When the weather prognosticators indicated that this year the conditions were going to be better than perfect, I couldn't even believe it. I didn't want to say anything that would jinx it, because I've seen it be nice the day before the race, only to dilapidate on Sunday morning. Saturday I headed down to Columbia and did all the pre-race mumbo jumbo that has become second nature for the event, and ran a quick lake loop with Ben and Prada. Our first mile was just under 8 minutes and I thought man, I better run faster than that tomorrow. While most of Baltimore partied for Preakness, I settled into bed just before 11pm, with a 4am wakeup call for Sunday morning.
I awoke to the most ideal conditions of all time. The air was warm, comfortable enough to go to the race in just a t-shirt and shorts, and there was no wind. I mean none. While waiting in the line to get into the park, all the trees and bushes were still. It was almost too perfect. I got my stuff settled and it's always a fun morning in the Open Wave because it's all the dudes I train with and see on a pretty regular basis, mixed in with some guys I only see at races. Like a May reunion of pretty great athletes.
I went for my warmup and was thoroughly warmed up within seconds, as I came back dripping. I got into my wetsuit, opting for the Orca 3.8 that I had just picked up the week prior. I was hesitant at first, because I didn't like the way it felt, but it didn't seem to be a problem for me on Sunday. Just my swimming was. The water was warm, and particularly warm within the confines of the suit. The gun sounded and off in a flash went all the sharks. I may have been one of the last off the line. My goggles were allowing in a little too much water and I started freaking out about getting pink eye, so I stopped briefly on two occasions to adjust them. I thought I was swimming good lines, but I knew I was way in the back. I was really disappointed to see 22:57 on the clock when I got out of the water. This was at least a minute slower than I was really looking to swim, and put me in a severe disadvantage heading onto the bike.
I got on the bike and immediately started picking up a bunch of chicks who outswam me. I then passed a few guys, and time was going by pretty quickly. I didn't feel great climbing, but I didn't feel tired. I picked up Pat as we made our way back home from the big traffic circle and then it was a few miles of just myself before I saw another athlete up ahead. I caught up to him on 108, and passed him briefly before sitting up to stretch out my back before heading onto the run. My bike split was 1:04:40, which is just 4 seconds faster than I went in 2008. At first I was pleased when I realized it, but I'll elaborate on why I'm not as psyched about it now.
Heading onto the run with the other athlete, he completely took off and my legs refused to match the pace. I hit the first mile in 6:23 - maybe my slowest first mile there ever - and knew I was in for a rough day. I hit the same split for mile 2, which is about where Pat re-passed me. Climbing up and out of the park and into the neighborhood was just not pretty, and my splits were getting slower. I was dejected, but my body simply wasn't going to respond to anything. CTR passed me around mile 4 and looked like he was cooking. I came back up the wall and down onto the lake, which at least allowed me to get excited about finishing. I saw a bunch of my friends who had made the early trip out to Columbia to watch and was pumped as I crossed the line, but sad when I saw the 2:11:38 on the clock.
Not my worst, but far from my best.
In 2008 I went 2:08:40. 2009 was 2:11:00. I legitimately thought I could swim around 22, ride under 1:03 and run under 38, which would have been a 2:05 and change day. I guess I just didn't have it. And I was excited about my ride until I saw the splits and saw just how fast everyone else had gone - it seems as if most people have stepped up their cycling skills because 3 years ago that was the 13th best split of the day and this year it was around the 30th. Andrew Yoder took 2 minutes out of Chris Lieto's 56:30 course record en route to a bike course and overall course record. My 2:11:38 was only good enough for 42nd on the day. Occasional training partner Ben W. had what I think was the fastest amateur bike split of the day at 1:02:30, and went just under 2:06. Pretty insane considering he just recorded a 9:55 IM St. George two weeks ago. Pat PR'd, CTR PR'd, just about everyone I know had really, really good days. That's what made the race tough for me to swallow, because I appear to be the only one that's on the opposite end of improvement. My run split (40:58) was 3 minutes slower than I thought I could go (and the slowest I've run there), but even if I had done that, I would have only gone 2:08:40.
Sometimes it's just not your day, and it seemed like I blew a perfect opportunity because the conditions were truly spectacular. Maybe I've conditioned myself to expect shitty weather and I would have performed better in it. Maybe because I can actually somewhat ride my bike again (unlike last year when my bike splits were slow in the few races I did) it's taking something out of my run.
I was of course excited to see such a competitive race, and great days for my friends, but I won't lie and say I wasn't bummed about my day. The important thing for me was to not focus on the bad day, instead put it behind and try to look forward to Eagleman and the rest of the summer.
Post Race
I took it appropriately easy on Monday and Tuesday, and attempted to go out to Wednesday Night Ride. Somehow I wound up on the front for almost the first 15 minutes of the ride, and when a few of the Kelly pros decided to heat it up, I got shot out the back. Again, not pretty, and it was no fun riding for 75 minutes then by myself. But, at least I was able to just ride my pace, because my legs were still clearly not recovered. I took it easy Thursday in advance of my favorite weekend of the year:
Memorial Day
This weekend is the focal point of my spring. In 2008 I met Joe Liberto and Nick Zohdi out in Cambridge to ride the Eagleman course. It was my first time out there, and while I am a strong cyclist, I am not a power cyclist, so the relentlessly flat roads of Cambridge threw me off. You just have to pedal...so...much. You can never stop pedaling out there. We reprised the ride in 2009, this time adding OJ and Double K (Nick wasn't there). We had a good workout and I went out to modest success two weeks later at EM (2:18 bike split).
This year was primed for an insane day. Benda was in, David Lee was in, OJ, Pat, Zero - all in. Double K was coming out and then brought 3 dudes with him. All told there were 10 of us, all reasonably quick dudes riding time trial bikes. It was seriously like the Postal train of the old Tour days. It was an Eagleman kind of day out there, hot and sunny. There is no shade on the EM course. After 33 minutes of warming up we hit an hour of hard riding. I figured we could have everyone ride a minute on the front and that way each person would get about 6 pulls in the hour, and we would be able to keep the pace high. Mission Accomplished, we took a few minute break before doing another 20 hard minutes to Dorchester HS. Aided by a tailwind, we averaged 30mph for this section (the headwind on the way out was very, very unfriendly) and all told had 80 minutes of really solid work. We cooled down back to the transition area and got ready for a run.
The goal of this run was to do 2 miles at race pace, then a mile easy, another mile hard and a mile easy cooldown. I was hoping that I could run 6:10 pace, but wasn't sure if I could or not. We start out and it feels hard - really hard. It's now 12:30 and the temp is near 90. The sun is unforgiving. Pat is out front, and as we get closer to the mile I realize we are running pretty fast. Pat hits 5:30 and I come through at 5:38. Uh-oh. I obviously have no business running that fast, as I won't touch a mile under 6 in this race, but at this point I'm committed, so I slow only to a 5:48 second mile (11:26). We jog easy for a couple of minutes before running hard from mile 2 back down to mile 1. I kept this effort more in check and was surprised it was a 5:43. An easy mile around 7:20 back to the car and my 5 mile brick was done in 32 minutes. We all slipped into the Choptank to cool off, and it felt good to be done. For the ride we were under 2:28 (22.5mph or something in that range I think) and 5 miles under 6:30 pace meant that a hard effort had been done.
It was time to drive back home now and rest up for Saturday.
"Fucking May 28th" - OJ Keller
Saturday morning was significantly cooler, which was nice to start our ride. The larger group we thought we might have had dwindled to just be me, OJ and Benda, with Alyssa joining us for a little over an hour. We headed out from Meadowbrook just after 8am and rode north, uphill, to do the Lineboro ride. I was looking to ride as easy as possible until we made it to at least Lineboro, but we pretty quickly assumed a little paceline and the effort was not tremendously easy. We covered 18.5 miles in our first hour, and then after Alyssa left us, we brought our average up to 19.1, then in just a 4 mile stretch of Lineboro Rd were at 19.6. We kept the intensity and I didn't know how long I would last. Through 3.5 hours we were at 20.5mph.
The temperature had risen a little, and unfortunately back on York Rd, where we would have around 30 miles back to MB, we faced one of the stiffest headwinds I've ever seen. It had picked up significantly from the morning wind. OJ's favorite new phrase is "every man for himself", which seems to be a feature of every ride now. His plan was to go as hard as his body would allow for the 12ish miles to Hereford. This would be no easy task into the wind, especially with now 120 hard miles in the last 24 hours already in the legs.
OJ and Benda took off, leaving me in their dust. I was pissed, mostly because there was nothing I could do about it. But as I kept them in sight I noticed a few things. One, when Benda was in front, the pace slowed a little. Two, when they were out of the saddle to climb, I was gaining ground. So I used my smarts and made big efforts to catch them, finally reeling them back in. It was no small feat. But, upon catching them, I was promptly dispatched again. This time, I knew I would be okay, though, because I was riding the hills well. And soon enough, we had made it through Hereford.
It gets no easier from there, however, and when we finally got back to Timonium, it started raining randomly. Really annoying. We made it back to the pool in just under 5 hours, which for 96ish miles is quite fast, meaning our average had only slipped a mile per hour over the last two hours into the wind and hills. I was shocked. Unfortunately for me I still had to ride home 8 or 9 miles. Bleh. I got into the pool in the afternoon but could only muster 2000 very slow meters.
Went to see Hangover 2 on Saturday night (disappointing) and then Sunday woke up to spectate the McVETs 5k/10k. I felt like garbage so I opted to not ride that morning, and instead I swam about 2400m. It was all I could do. I picked up Alyssa and Brennan and we made our way two hours to Winchester VA to visit Ben and Kendra and do the Loudoun Street Mile on Monday. When we got to Winchester, I ran 6 miles with Ben. It was 5pm and 95 degrees, and I thought I was going to die. It was the worst I've felt in a long time.
Then I started to feel worse. I am really allergic to cats and dogs, and particularly when a house is carpeted, I seem to really struggle. Both of this factors were leading me to feel awful at Ben's. I tossed and turned at night after taking some Claritin (thanks Kendra) but woke up and didn't feel much better. My legs were cooked and the sunburn I endured Friday and then again Saturday was not feeling good. Unfortunately for me, it was race time.
"Cultimation" - OJ Keller
On Friday, OJ uttered these words, which I believe were intended to mean "culmination". Still, this is our new word for the week. Monday was the cultimation of a long weekend. I don't know how I used to do so much more on Memorial Day Weekend, I guess I just don't have what I used to pre-injury! After warming up, I felt no better, and knew it was going to be a rough day. The nice thing about a mile race is it's only a mile, the worst I would do would maybe be 6 minutes of running. The mean thing about a mile is how often you want to drop out, and then you think it's only a mile, how is it possible that I feel so bad?
The first 350m was downhill, and then there was a short uphill to the quarter mile followed by about 500m of steady incline, then dropped down to the 3/4 mile and it was flat for the last quarter. I got out in 73 which was already slow and hard, and then ran a 79 uphill quarter. While it was slow, I passed at least 15 people in this time. The downhill mile was placed so that it didn't really help me run any faster, but it was helping me not run any slower. 77.3 for that quarter and then I just gritted it and tried to hold on for one more quarter (77.1) and finished in 5:07. The amazing thing was how stacked this race was. Ben was 16th with a 4:42, Brennan 25th with a 4:53 and I was 36th. Moise Joseph won in 4:06, negative splitting the race like it should be done. On our cooldown I realized I had met him at Alan and Julia Webb's wedding, which was pretty funny.
I now felt like complete death and we had to drive home 2 hours. Alyssa and I were going to go to the Terps vs UVA Lacrosse National Championship game, but as we got back to Baltimore and it was 100 degrees and I thought I was going to die, we opted to watch inside. My health has deteriorated ever since, and last night was particularly rough as our house is a piece of shit and the air conditioning doesn't work. We told our landlord about this last Tuesday and it is scheduled to be fixed finally today. I realized there are plenty of people in this world without A/C, but 95 degrees in the house is just too much. I sweated all night as I again tossed and turned in my bed. The fever I was running did not appreciate the temperature.
I can't remember being sick yet this year, and this one has hit me hard. The good thing is that it's this week, not next week, and that I'm within two weeks of EM so I don't have any workout objectives. I need to focus on feeling better and allowing my body to absorb the good work from this weekend.
Columbia
In the 10 years I've been around for this race, I can only remember two times it being even remotely nice. 2001 wasn't bad, and 2008 was nice. Every other year has been cold, rainy, or cold and rainy. When the weather prognosticators indicated that this year the conditions were going to be better than perfect, I couldn't even believe it. I didn't want to say anything that would jinx it, because I've seen it be nice the day before the race, only to dilapidate on Sunday morning. Saturday I headed down to Columbia and did all the pre-race mumbo jumbo that has become second nature for the event, and ran a quick lake loop with Ben and Prada. Our first mile was just under 8 minutes and I thought man, I better run faster than that tomorrow. While most of Baltimore partied for Preakness, I settled into bed just before 11pm, with a 4am wakeup call for Sunday morning.
I awoke to the most ideal conditions of all time. The air was warm, comfortable enough to go to the race in just a t-shirt and shorts, and there was no wind. I mean none. While waiting in the line to get into the park, all the trees and bushes were still. It was almost too perfect. I got my stuff settled and it's always a fun morning in the Open Wave because it's all the dudes I train with and see on a pretty regular basis, mixed in with some guys I only see at races. Like a May reunion of pretty great athletes.
I went for my warmup and was thoroughly warmed up within seconds, as I came back dripping. I got into my wetsuit, opting for the Orca 3.8 that I had just picked up the week prior. I was hesitant at first, because I didn't like the way it felt, but it didn't seem to be a problem for me on Sunday. Just my swimming was. The water was warm, and particularly warm within the confines of the suit. The gun sounded and off in a flash went all the sharks. I may have been one of the last off the line. My goggles were allowing in a little too much water and I started freaking out about getting pink eye, so I stopped briefly on two occasions to adjust them. I thought I was swimming good lines, but I knew I was way in the back. I was really disappointed to see 22:57 on the clock when I got out of the water. This was at least a minute slower than I was really looking to swim, and put me in a severe disadvantage heading onto the bike.
I got on the bike and immediately started picking up a bunch of chicks who outswam me. I then passed a few guys, and time was going by pretty quickly. I didn't feel great climbing, but I didn't feel tired. I picked up Pat as we made our way back home from the big traffic circle and then it was a few miles of just myself before I saw another athlete up ahead. I caught up to him on 108, and passed him briefly before sitting up to stretch out my back before heading onto the run. My bike split was 1:04:40, which is just 4 seconds faster than I went in 2008. At first I was pleased when I realized it, but I'll elaborate on why I'm not as psyched about it now.
Heading onto the run with the other athlete, he completely took off and my legs refused to match the pace. I hit the first mile in 6:23 - maybe my slowest first mile there ever - and knew I was in for a rough day. I hit the same split for mile 2, which is about where Pat re-passed me. Climbing up and out of the park and into the neighborhood was just not pretty, and my splits were getting slower. I was dejected, but my body simply wasn't going to respond to anything. CTR passed me around mile 4 and looked like he was cooking. I came back up the wall and down onto the lake, which at least allowed me to get excited about finishing. I saw a bunch of my friends who had made the early trip out to Columbia to watch and was pumped as I crossed the line, but sad when I saw the 2:11:38 on the clock.
Not my worst, but far from my best.
In 2008 I went 2:08:40. 2009 was 2:11:00. I legitimately thought I could swim around 22, ride under 1:03 and run under 38, which would have been a 2:05 and change day. I guess I just didn't have it. And I was excited about my ride until I saw the splits and saw just how fast everyone else had gone - it seems as if most people have stepped up their cycling skills because 3 years ago that was the 13th best split of the day and this year it was around the 30th. Andrew Yoder took 2 minutes out of Chris Lieto's 56:30 course record en route to a bike course and overall course record. My 2:11:38 was only good enough for 42nd on the day. Occasional training partner Ben W. had what I think was the fastest amateur bike split of the day at 1:02:30, and went just under 2:06. Pretty insane considering he just recorded a 9:55 IM St. George two weeks ago. Pat PR'd, CTR PR'd, just about everyone I know had really, really good days. That's what made the race tough for me to swallow, because I appear to be the only one that's on the opposite end of improvement. My run split (40:58) was 3 minutes slower than I thought I could go (and the slowest I've run there), but even if I had done that, I would have only gone 2:08:40.
Sometimes it's just not your day, and it seemed like I blew a perfect opportunity because the conditions were truly spectacular. Maybe I've conditioned myself to expect shitty weather and I would have performed better in it. Maybe because I can actually somewhat ride my bike again (unlike last year when my bike splits were slow in the few races I did) it's taking something out of my run.
I was of course excited to see such a competitive race, and great days for my friends, but I won't lie and say I wasn't bummed about my day. The important thing for me was to not focus on the bad day, instead put it behind and try to look forward to Eagleman and the rest of the summer.
Post Race
I took it appropriately easy on Monday and Tuesday, and attempted to go out to Wednesday Night Ride. Somehow I wound up on the front for almost the first 15 minutes of the ride, and when a few of the Kelly pros decided to heat it up, I got shot out the back. Again, not pretty, and it was no fun riding for 75 minutes then by myself. But, at least I was able to just ride my pace, because my legs were still clearly not recovered. I took it easy Thursday in advance of my favorite weekend of the year:
Memorial Day
This weekend is the focal point of my spring. In 2008 I met Joe Liberto and Nick Zohdi out in Cambridge to ride the Eagleman course. It was my first time out there, and while I am a strong cyclist, I am not a power cyclist, so the relentlessly flat roads of Cambridge threw me off. You just have to pedal...so...much. You can never stop pedaling out there. We reprised the ride in 2009, this time adding OJ and Double K (Nick wasn't there). We had a good workout and I went out to modest success two weeks later at EM (2:18 bike split).
This year was primed for an insane day. Benda was in, David Lee was in, OJ, Pat, Zero - all in. Double K was coming out and then brought 3 dudes with him. All told there were 10 of us, all reasonably quick dudes riding time trial bikes. It was seriously like the Postal train of the old Tour days. It was an Eagleman kind of day out there, hot and sunny. There is no shade on the EM course. After 33 minutes of warming up we hit an hour of hard riding. I figured we could have everyone ride a minute on the front and that way each person would get about 6 pulls in the hour, and we would be able to keep the pace high. Mission Accomplished, we took a few minute break before doing another 20 hard minutes to Dorchester HS. Aided by a tailwind, we averaged 30mph for this section (the headwind on the way out was very, very unfriendly) and all told had 80 minutes of really solid work. We cooled down back to the transition area and got ready for a run.
The goal of this run was to do 2 miles at race pace, then a mile easy, another mile hard and a mile easy cooldown. I was hoping that I could run 6:10 pace, but wasn't sure if I could or not. We start out and it feels hard - really hard. It's now 12:30 and the temp is near 90. The sun is unforgiving. Pat is out front, and as we get closer to the mile I realize we are running pretty fast. Pat hits 5:30 and I come through at 5:38. Uh-oh. I obviously have no business running that fast, as I won't touch a mile under 6 in this race, but at this point I'm committed, so I slow only to a 5:48 second mile (11:26). We jog easy for a couple of minutes before running hard from mile 2 back down to mile 1. I kept this effort more in check and was surprised it was a 5:43. An easy mile around 7:20 back to the car and my 5 mile brick was done in 32 minutes. We all slipped into the Choptank to cool off, and it felt good to be done. For the ride we were under 2:28 (22.5mph or something in that range I think) and 5 miles under 6:30 pace meant that a hard effort had been done.
It was time to drive back home now and rest up for Saturday.
"Fucking May 28th" - OJ Keller
Saturday morning was significantly cooler, which was nice to start our ride. The larger group we thought we might have had dwindled to just be me, OJ and Benda, with Alyssa joining us for a little over an hour. We headed out from Meadowbrook just after 8am and rode north, uphill, to do the Lineboro ride. I was looking to ride as easy as possible until we made it to at least Lineboro, but we pretty quickly assumed a little paceline and the effort was not tremendously easy. We covered 18.5 miles in our first hour, and then after Alyssa left us, we brought our average up to 19.1, then in just a 4 mile stretch of Lineboro Rd were at 19.6. We kept the intensity and I didn't know how long I would last. Through 3.5 hours we were at 20.5mph.
The temperature had risen a little, and unfortunately back on York Rd, where we would have around 30 miles back to MB, we faced one of the stiffest headwinds I've ever seen. It had picked up significantly from the morning wind. OJ's favorite new phrase is "every man for himself", which seems to be a feature of every ride now. His plan was to go as hard as his body would allow for the 12ish miles to Hereford. This would be no easy task into the wind, especially with now 120 hard miles in the last 24 hours already in the legs.
OJ and Benda took off, leaving me in their dust. I was pissed, mostly because there was nothing I could do about it. But as I kept them in sight I noticed a few things. One, when Benda was in front, the pace slowed a little. Two, when they were out of the saddle to climb, I was gaining ground. So I used my smarts and made big efforts to catch them, finally reeling them back in. It was no small feat. But, upon catching them, I was promptly dispatched again. This time, I knew I would be okay, though, because I was riding the hills well. And soon enough, we had made it through Hereford.
It gets no easier from there, however, and when we finally got back to Timonium, it started raining randomly. Really annoying. We made it back to the pool in just under 5 hours, which for 96ish miles is quite fast, meaning our average had only slipped a mile per hour over the last two hours into the wind and hills. I was shocked. Unfortunately for me I still had to ride home 8 or 9 miles. Bleh. I got into the pool in the afternoon but could only muster 2000 very slow meters.
Went to see Hangover 2 on Saturday night (disappointing) and then Sunday woke up to spectate the McVETs 5k/10k. I felt like garbage so I opted to not ride that morning, and instead I swam about 2400m. It was all I could do. I picked up Alyssa and Brennan and we made our way two hours to Winchester VA to visit Ben and Kendra and do the Loudoun Street Mile on Monday. When we got to Winchester, I ran 6 miles with Ben. It was 5pm and 95 degrees, and I thought I was going to die. It was the worst I've felt in a long time.
Then I started to feel worse. I am really allergic to cats and dogs, and particularly when a house is carpeted, I seem to really struggle. Both of this factors were leading me to feel awful at Ben's. I tossed and turned at night after taking some Claritin (thanks Kendra) but woke up and didn't feel much better. My legs were cooked and the sunburn I endured Friday and then again Saturday was not feeling good. Unfortunately for me, it was race time.
"Cultimation" - OJ Keller
On Friday, OJ uttered these words, which I believe were intended to mean "culmination". Still, this is our new word for the week. Monday was the cultimation of a long weekend. I don't know how I used to do so much more on Memorial Day Weekend, I guess I just don't have what I used to pre-injury! After warming up, I felt no better, and knew it was going to be a rough day. The nice thing about a mile race is it's only a mile, the worst I would do would maybe be 6 minutes of running. The mean thing about a mile is how often you want to drop out, and then you think it's only a mile, how is it possible that I feel so bad?
The first 350m was downhill, and then there was a short uphill to the quarter mile followed by about 500m of steady incline, then dropped down to the 3/4 mile and it was flat for the last quarter. I got out in 73 which was already slow and hard, and then ran a 79 uphill quarter. While it was slow, I passed at least 15 people in this time. The downhill mile was placed so that it didn't really help me run any faster, but it was helping me not run any slower. 77.3 for that quarter and then I just gritted it and tried to hold on for one more quarter (77.1) and finished in 5:07. The amazing thing was how stacked this race was. Ben was 16th with a 4:42, Brennan 25th with a 4:53 and I was 36th. Moise Joseph won in 4:06, negative splitting the race like it should be done. On our cooldown I realized I had met him at Alan and Julia Webb's wedding, which was pretty funny.
I now felt like complete death and we had to drive home 2 hours. Alyssa and I were going to go to the Terps vs UVA Lacrosse National Championship game, but as we got back to Baltimore and it was 100 degrees and I thought I was going to die, we opted to watch inside. My health has deteriorated ever since, and last night was particularly rough as our house is a piece of shit and the air conditioning doesn't work. We told our landlord about this last Tuesday and it is scheduled to be fixed finally today. I realized there are plenty of people in this world without A/C, but 95 degrees in the house is just too much. I sweated all night as I again tossed and turned in my bed. The fever I was running did not appreciate the temperature.
I can't remember being sick yet this year, and this one has hit me hard. The good thing is that it's this week, not next week, and that I'm within two weeks of EM so I don't have any workout objectives. I need to focus on feeling better and allowing my body to absorb the good work from this weekend.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
If You Want to View Paradise
I had intended on updating this sooner, but just didn't really feel like it. The nerves have been building for this weekend for quite some time. It's not that Columbia is a big race for me, it is THE race - the one I tend to judge my entire year on. This year's edition will be the 8th time competing in this race for me, dating back to 2001. I missed 2004 due to injury, 2005 due to still not being in shape/not having done a triathlon for two years, and last year due to injury again. It's the race I've done the most times in my life, it was my first triathlon and while it used to give me ogeda just thinking about it, I've become a little more mellow about racing. Because, after all, it's just that - a race. Nobody is paying me or counting on me to perform a certain way, if I don't do well everyone will still say good job, even if they're lying through their teeth. Even the phrase "did well" is relative. Still dealing with my messed up body every day has forced me to re-evaluate my goals. When I raced in 2001, I went 2:23:40, at age 19, for my first tri ever. I got down to 2:16 but wasn't able to get over that hump until 2008 when I hit 2:08:40. Even in 2009, coming off of a Boston Marathon spring that limited my riding/swimming, I still managed a 2:11:00. So I know that, come Sunday, the worst I could swim is maybe a 24, I could literally soft pedal a 1:10 (particularly on the new bike) and as I generally don't run worse than 40, just do that for a 2:16.
But obviously that's not the goal, nor do I entertain thoughts of it. If I tried to pull that shit in this year's open wave, I'd be banned from Columbia for life. In talking with my friend, Brian Shea, over the weekend, he and I remarked and agreed that this year's open wave is like a semi-pro field. There are something like 25+ dudes all capable of sub 2:10 performances. Some monster swimmers, as always, and some terrific runners/new triathletes. And I don't anticipate anybody riding all that slow, either. Whoever manages to win this wave will certainly have had to work for it.
That's what makes this race so exciting: a top notch field on an honest course. With my ride there on Tuesday, I've now ridden the course four times this year. Normally I like to do the run course at least once to refamiliarize myself, but I just didn't feel like it anytime I went down there. I put my hand in the water and it feels pretty decent, not that I would expect it to be all that cold, but with the buckets of rain lately, you never know. Having ridden the course I'd say now probably 100 times, I have a good sense of gearing, wind, even where the cracks in the road are. Anticipation is key to a good ride there.
After last weekend's ride/run, I was somewhat unreasonably sore for a few days. We had a fun track workout planned for Tuesday, and the conditions were pretty nice (actually, it was nice all week). We did 3 sets of 400-800-400, with the first 400 just under 5k pace, the 800 about the same and then a 400 at mile pace, with 60sec, 90sec and then 400m jog recovery. Coming off the Alumni Mile, I was feeling pretty quick I guess, and ran my first set in 77/2:36/69.5. This is probably the fastest I've run for a 400 since I got hurt, so I was pleased. It did, however, take a little bit out of me. I controlled the 2nd set, running 78/2:36/74 I think, and then headed into the third. I remember it being 76 or 77 again on the first 400, and then after the first lap of the 800 I pulled off to the side - the point was to be comfortable for the 400/800, and I was working a little too hard to run what would likely have been a fast 800. I ran a 72 for the last 400 and called it a day.
Wednesday I headed up to Weds Night Ride with OJ again, and my legs felt like garbage. I told him I would try to hang as long as I could, but didn't expect great things. The previous week, with shitty weather, there were 8 of us. Funny how when the weather is nice, 45 people show up. With a group that size, particularly with people I don't know or trust, it made the first few miles a little tense. The sun was peeking through the trees real awkwardly, too, so my eyes were getting screwy. The pace was set pretty high once we turned onto Falls Rd, no doubt in an effort to shake some of this large crew. I was riding mid-pack on Stringtown, keeping an eye on those in front of me to make sure they weren't losing wheels. When I sensed someone was, I just moved up. I felt really comfortable, and as we made the left on Yeoho, half the group was jettisoned. I was riding by my standards pretty amazingly, and as we approached the sprint point, I found myself in a position where a dude went, another dude got on his wheel, and I figured what the heck, may as well mix it up, so I got on his wheel. They both looked around and when each decided to give it up, I went off the front on my own. Unfortunately that got pinned back, prior to the sprint, and I was swallowed up, but I felt good about giving it a go.
From there the pace seemed almost to relax, but just past halfway in, a group of 4 or 5 took off. OJ had been on the front, and when they went he tried to go, but too much work on the front leaves the legs zapped when it's time to go. My group of my 7 or 8 now picked OJ back up, and as we ascended Glencoe Rd, OJ found himself on the front again. Just as it looked like he was going to turn off the gas, I came up, flicked my elbow to suggest he get on my wheel, and we took off (side note: for being roadies, these guys ride uphill like they're on tricycles. We live in a super hilly area, friends, learn how to ride them better). We created a huge gap, and were off on our own. The effort was quite hard, and as we came up Belfast, I was having trouble keeping it. I told him to go if he felt good, but ultimately two were still probably better than one, and then just as we got to Cuba, we got scooped up.
With no impetus to ride hard, I sat on the front the whole way up Cuba and set a tempo that no one was going to mess with. I figured, may as well set Juice up for the sprint. Note: these "sprints" are all uphill finishes, so they're extremely difficult, and often result in a lot of failures. Shortly before the top, OJ did indeed go, and Benda came around me (squeezed through on my right even though I was all the way to the right, it was dicey!) and finished just behind. When we got back to the park, it was 1:23:30 ride time for what I think is either 30 or 31 miles, either way it was 5 minutes faster than I've ridden before, and I was really pleased with the effort.
Tired on Thursday, I rode with Alyssa on our Gunpowder loop (35 miles) and then Saturday, following a great 90 minute run with a good group, including Terp and GRCer living and studying (unfortunately) at Duke, Patrick Reaves, I again saddled up with Alyssa for a longer ride. It was raining when we started, and I was not at all psyched about it. The planned ride of 3.5 hours I had mentally shortened to 2, tops. But once we got out there I felt better and figured what the heck, may as well get it done. Of course I hadn't brought any source of food or water, not thinking we'd be out that long.
Sunday came and following another race timing, I zoned out for a while. I finally slinked into the pool in the late afternoon, and then actually got out to run in the evening and I felt better than I've felt all year. 35 minutes around the stadiums, Inner Harbor and Fed Hill, with the pace quick the whole time. My foot didn't feel great, but I managed. Monday I felt it, and last night on the track I felt it for sure. Our workout last night was 3200m "tempo" followed by 4x400. Normally before Columbia I don't like to do much on the track. Most years I just do a couple 400s, maybe some 200s. With less confidence in my running than in years past, I felt like doing something closer to projected race pace, which, off the bike, is slower than real race pace for 10k. It was a blustery night out on the Hopkins track, and since it was only really me, Pat and Ed doing that workout, we were spread out. But, my splits were pretty awesome, and by awesome I mean totally calculated and radical. 88.3, 88.2, 86.7, 86.5, 84.8, 84.8, 83.7, 82.9 for an 11:25. First 1600 was 5:50, came back in 5:35. I'd say only the last 2 laps was I working for it, but I also don't anticipate running 5:35 on race day. My 400s weren't great, for some reason I didn't feel as comfortable going fast last night, but still averaged 75 for 4 of them so I took that.
I then kept things in perspective and realized that halfway through this month of May I have run 81 miles. That is 81 times the number of miles I ran last May (1.00), although Ed is quick to point out that my average speed (somewhere over 7min, obviously) for these 81 miles is slower than last May (6:15). But I also remember starting to run again last summer and having a hard time running under 6 minutes, so that's cool.
Something just seems up, I can't quite put my finger on it. Talking with Brennan about it, he felt the same way - we're just amazed at how much a body can handle, and then curious why doing so much less feels just as hard, if not harder, than the higher volume. Last fall I didn't have any weeks really under 20 hours. My weekly miles on the bike were always over 200 (now in the 120-140 range, albeit much faster). My meters per week were in the 17-25k range (now 9-10k). Running isn't too much different, and I'm running my workouts faster, but I just feel more tired. It's weird. I don't quite understand it.
But, Columbia is only a few days away now and there's no more that you can do other than rest. To quote all the euphemisms, the hay is in the barn, the money is in the bank, yada yada. I think part of the reason I lived in fear of Columbia was that I didn't have experience with anything longer, and also that it came at the end of the school semester. In 2003, my senior year, I was ready to go fast. Then school decided that, even though we don't have Saturday classes, we'll give finals on Saturdays. And even though I only had 4 classes to begin with, 3 of them had Saturday finals. So that year I had to take an 8am final, then a 10am, then haul over to Columbia, drop of my bike and stuff, then come back for a 6pm final. On a Saturday night. I went to bed tired, woke up at 4am to 40 degree rain, went and suffered for a few hours, came back, and had an 8am final on Monday. It was a confluence of terribleness.
I'm excited to go head to head with these guys this year. It really is a choice field, and I could honestly see a huge PR and still finish dead last in the wave. I think the swim will be close to what I always swim, and my run will probably not be far from what I always run. If I have a good day, maybe I'll be able to finally crack that 38min barrier that has eluded me for years. What I'm counting on is a strong bike. That is the key to the race this year for me. I'd like to get into the 2:06:xx range and believe it's possible, but I've got to ride super duper fast to accomplish that. It will be fun, we'll see what happens on Sunday!
But obviously that's not the goal, nor do I entertain thoughts of it. If I tried to pull that shit in this year's open wave, I'd be banned from Columbia for life. In talking with my friend, Brian Shea, over the weekend, he and I remarked and agreed that this year's open wave is like a semi-pro field. There are something like 25+ dudes all capable of sub 2:10 performances. Some monster swimmers, as always, and some terrific runners/new triathletes. And I don't anticipate anybody riding all that slow, either. Whoever manages to win this wave will certainly have had to work for it.
That's what makes this race so exciting: a top notch field on an honest course. With my ride there on Tuesday, I've now ridden the course four times this year. Normally I like to do the run course at least once to refamiliarize myself, but I just didn't feel like it anytime I went down there. I put my hand in the water and it feels pretty decent, not that I would expect it to be all that cold, but with the buckets of rain lately, you never know. Having ridden the course I'd say now probably 100 times, I have a good sense of gearing, wind, even where the cracks in the road are. Anticipation is key to a good ride there.
After last weekend's ride/run, I was somewhat unreasonably sore for a few days. We had a fun track workout planned for Tuesday, and the conditions were pretty nice (actually, it was nice all week). We did 3 sets of 400-800-400, with the first 400 just under 5k pace, the 800 about the same and then a 400 at mile pace, with 60sec, 90sec and then 400m jog recovery. Coming off the Alumni Mile, I was feeling pretty quick I guess, and ran my first set in 77/2:36/69.5. This is probably the fastest I've run for a 400 since I got hurt, so I was pleased. It did, however, take a little bit out of me. I controlled the 2nd set, running 78/2:36/74 I think, and then headed into the third. I remember it being 76 or 77 again on the first 400, and then after the first lap of the 800 I pulled off to the side - the point was to be comfortable for the 400/800, and I was working a little too hard to run what would likely have been a fast 800. I ran a 72 for the last 400 and called it a day.
Wednesday I headed up to Weds Night Ride with OJ again, and my legs felt like garbage. I told him I would try to hang as long as I could, but didn't expect great things. The previous week, with shitty weather, there were 8 of us. Funny how when the weather is nice, 45 people show up. With a group that size, particularly with people I don't know or trust, it made the first few miles a little tense. The sun was peeking through the trees real awkwardly, too, so my eyes were getting screwy. The pace was set pretty high once we turned onto Falls Rd, no doubt in an effort to shake some of this large crew. I was riding mid-pack on Stringtown, keeping an eye on those in front of me to make sure they weren't losing wheels. When I sensed someone was, I just moved up. I felt really comfortable, and as we made the left on Yeoho, half the group was jettisoned. I was riding by my standards pretty amazingly, and as we approached the sprint point, I found myself in a position where a dude went, another dude got on his wheel, and I figured what the heck, may as well mix it up, so I got on his wheel. They both looked around and when each decided to give it up, I went off the front on my own. Unfortunately that got pinned back, prior to the sprint, and I was swallowed up, but I felt good about giving it a go.
From there the pace seemed almost to relax, but just past halfway in, a group of 4 or 5 took off. OJ had been on the front, and when they went he tried to go, but too much work on the front leaves the legs zapped when it's time to go. My group of my 7 or 8 now picked OJ back up, and as we ascended Glencoe Rd, OJ found himself on the front again. Just as it looked like he was going to turn off the gas, I came up, flicked my elbow to suggest he get on my wheel, and we took off (side note: for being roadies, these guys ride uphill like they're on tricycles. We live in a super hilly area, friends, learn how to ride them better). We created a huge gap, and were off on our own. The effort was quite hard, and as we came up Belfast, I was having trouble keeping it. I told him to go if he felt good, but ultimately two were still probably better than one, and then just as we got to Cuba, we got scooped up.
With no impetus to ride hard, I sat on the front the whole way up Cuba and set a tempo that no one was going to mess with. I figured, may as well set Juice up for the sprint. Note: these "sprints" are all uphill finishes, so they're extremely difficult, and often result in a lot of failures. Shortly before the top, OJ did indeed go, and Benda came around me (squeezed through on my right even though I was all the way to the right, it was dicey!) and finished just behind. When we got back to the park, it was 1:23:30 ride time for what I think is either 30 or 31 miles, either way it was 5 minutes faster than I've ridden before, and I was really pleased with the effort.
Tired on Thursday, I rode with Alyssa on our Gunpowder loop (35 miles) and then Saturday, following a great 90 minute run with a good group, including Terp and GRCer living and studying (unfortunately) at Duke, Patrick Reaves, I again saddled up with Alyssa for a longer ride. It was raining when we started, and I was not at all psyched about it. The planned ride of 3.5 hours I had mentally shortened to 2, tops. But once we got out there I felt better and figured what the heck, may as well get it done. Of course I hadn't brought any source of food or water, not thinking we'd be out that long.
Sunday came and following another race timing, I zoned out for a while. I finally slinked into the pool in the late afternoon, and then actually got out to run in the evening and I felt better than I've felt all year. 35 minutes around the stadiums, Inner Harbor and Fed Hill, with the pace quick the whole time. My foot didn't feel great, but I managed. Monday I felt it, and last night on the track I felt it for sure. Our workout last night was 3200m "tempo" followed by 4x400. Normally before Columbia I don't like to do much on the track. Most years I just do a couple 400s, maybe some 200s. With less confidence in my running than in years past, I felt like doing something closer to projected race pace, which, off the bike, is slower than real race pace for 10k. It was a blustery night out on the Hopkins track, and since it was only really me, Pat and Ed doing that workout, we were spread out. But, my splits were pretty awesome, and by awesome I mean totally calculated and radical. 88.3, 88.2, 86.7, 86.5, 84.8, 84.8, 83.7, 82.9 for an 11:25. First 1600 was 5:50, came back in 5:35. I'd say only the last 2 laps was I working for it, but I also don't anticipate running 5:35 on race day. My 400s weren't great, for some reason I didn't feel as comfortable going fast last night, but still averaged 75 for 4 of them so I took that.
I then kept things in perspective and realized that halfway through this month of May I have run 81 miles. That is 81 times the number of miles I ran last May (1.00), although Ed is quick to point out that my average speed (somewhere over 7min, obviously) for these 81 miles is slower than last May (6:15). But I also remember starting to run again last summer and having a hard time running under 6 minutes, so that's cool.
Something just seems up, I can't quite put my finger on it. Talking with Brennan about it, he felt the same way - we're just amazed at how much a body can handle, and then curious why doing so much less feels just as hard, if not harder, than the higher volume. Last fall I didn't have any weeks really under 20 hours. My weekly miles on the bike were always over 200 (now in the 120-140 range, albeit much faster). My meters per week were in the 17-25k range (now 9-10k). Running isn't too much different, and I'm running my workouts faster, but I just feel more tired. It's weird. I don't quite understand it.
But, Columbia is only a few days away now and there's no more that you can do other than rest. To quote all the euphemisms, the hay is in the barn, the money is in the bank, yada yada. I think part of the reason I lived in fear of Columbia was that I didn't have experience with anything longer, and also that it came at the end of the school semester. In 2003, my senior year, I was ready to go fast. Then school decided that, even though we don't have Saturday classes, we'll give finals on Saturdays. And even though I only had 4 classes to begin with, 3 of them had Saturday finals. So that year I had to take an 8am final, then a 10am, then haul over to Columbia, drop of my bike and stuff, then come back for a 6pm final. On a Saturday night. I went to bed tired, woke up at 4am to 40 degree rain, went and suffered for a few hours, came back, and had an 8am final on Monday. It was a confluence of terribleness.
I'm excited to go head to head with these guys this year. It really is a choice field, and I could honestly see a huge PR and still finish dead last in the wave. I think the swim will be close to what I always swim, and my run will probably not be far from what I always run. If I have a good day, maybe I'll be able to finally crack that 38min barrier that has eluded me for years. What I'm counting on is a strong bike. That is the key to the race this year for me. I'd like to get into the 2:06:xx range and believe it's possible, but I've got to ride super duper fast to accomplish that. It will be fun, we'll see what happens on Sunday!
Monday, May 09, 2011
Fluff
Following my Thursday night Alumni Mile, I braced for another long weekend. Friday's swim was a straight 2200m as the main set, and since I was pretty tired, I started out a little slower and worked to negative split. I was pleased with the effort. Later in the day, Hollywood came by and ran with me before we went to DC for the bachelor party of Jack Manner. Outside of the handful of TNTs that Hollywood makes each year, this was probably the first normal run I've gone on with him in a few years. We did the 7 mile Wednesday Night Loop and, despite some foot pain from last night's race, I felt pretty good. Hamstrings were sore from the track.
We then departed to make it to NE DC and celebrate our friend's last weeks of bachelordom. We met a crew of GRCers, including the Red Fox himself, Jarrin, PMurph, Wiggy, Snizzow, KDuse, Dickson - the list goes on. After eating, we made our way to another local H Street establishment, where I made it until about 10pm before feeling wiped. It wouldn't have been so bad, but with an hour's drive home, not to mention a 6am wake up on Saturday, I just couldn't hold on much longer.
Saturday's timing of the MAC Half Marathon was...interesting. I anticipated being out there for a little over 3 hours. 3:05 was the last finisher last year, and I just didn't think one could go much slower than that for a half. It was a beautiful morning that far up on the NCR Trail (almost at the PA line) and the crowd of about 160 runners took off just after 8am down the trail. Around 2:40, the runners were trickling in much slower, but we were hearing reports of two walkers that were on allegedly a 4 hour pace. No way on earth, it's not possible.
Sure enough, at just after noon, the last finishers came strolling across the line, in 3:58. The last finisher before that was 50 minutes earlier. Now I was hungry, tired from standing most of the morning and still had to ride home. Because I knew I wouldn't ride if I drove back to Baltimore first, Alyssa had driven me up, with my bike, and all I had to do was ride home. I figured it would be a good ride, because you're almost 20 miles away from Hunt Valley (straight down York Rd) and then another 20 to get home from there. I of course made it a little longer. The sun was shining and the temperature was good, so it was a nice day to be out for a chill ride by myself. It was also nice to hit the Hereford Hills fresh, as opposed to 80 miles into a 115 mile day. I felt pretty awesome riding and got home after 2h45m and didn't feel like I had done anything.
I had just about 90 minutes before I needed to get down to FH for the 3rd Annual Beer Mile (timing/coordinating, not participating). The event has grown year after year, and it was another good time had by all. Following the race, most went out for a while. I made it until about midnight before crashing. With a hard effort planned for Sunday, I didn't need to exhaust any additional energy.
Sunday was amazing - one of the nicest days of the year. I met a great crew down at Centennial Park just before 10, and we headed out for our ride. The Chickenest of Tender Runners and Michelle had driven up to meet myself, Pat and Alyssa. The plan was about 40 miles, so we were going to do the course plus an additional lollipop section, and then add on from there. Within the ride we were going to do a few 10 minute efforts. These went incredibly well, and I felt really good about how Frankenstein handled the day. It was undoubtedly the best I've ever ridden out there outside of the race, and actually, if you took our time from the ride (subtracting one of the lollipop loops) it was faster than the first time I did the race in 2001. Side note: hard to believe it's been 10 years since my first race, at Columbia!
Following the run, CTR and Michelle had runs of 20 minutes scheduled. Unless I cut off one of his legs, there was no way I was keeping up with CTR, and even running with Michelle isn't a given. We did 10 minutes at race effort and then 10 easy, and man, the first 10 minutes felt hard. Hopefully it's not that hard on May 22nd. We finished up and like some kind of magic, a Shaved Ice truck came rolling through. One of the flavors was Tiger's Blood - no joke - and he said he had it way before Charlie Sheen ever used the term. It was Strawberry and Coconut, so I got that and Watermelon and had a tasty, super frozen treat before heading back to Bmore to swim. That did not go so well, but I guess I shouldn't have expected it to, as my shoulders were fried from riding the TT bike (which was weird because honestly I didn't even ride that long in the aero position). I guess I just don't ride that way very often so it took its toll.
All told last week was a pretty short week by volume, at just 9000m in the pool, 125 or so miles on the bike and just 28 miles of running, but it was full of some good efforts. With just two weeks now until Columbia, I'm going to try and rest a little more, taking easy days super easy (as if I haven't been already) and make my efforts focused, but likely a little shorter. Track tomorrow, Wednesday Night Ride, probably do a workout on Saturday and all the rest is just fluff.
We then departed to make it to NE DC and celebrate our friend's last weeks of bachelordom. We met a crew of GRCers, including the Red Fox himself, Jarrin, PMurph, Wiggy, Snizzow, KDuse, Dickson - the list goes on. After eating, we made our way to another local H Street establishment, where I made it until about 10pm before feeling wiped. It wouldn't have been so bad, but with an hour's drive home, not to mention a 6am wake up on Saturday, I just couldn't hold on much longer.
Saturday's timing of the MAC Half Marathon was...interesting. I anticipated being out there for a little over 3 hours. 3:05 was the last finisher last year, and I just didn't think one could go much slower than that for a half. It was a beautiful morning that far up on the NCR Trail (almost at the PA line) and the crowd of about 160 runners took off just after 8am down the trail. Around 2:40, the runners were trickling in much slower, but we were hearing reports of two walkers that were on allegedly a 4 hour pace. No way on earth, it's not possible.
Sure enough, at just after noon, the last finishers came strolling across the line, in 3:58. The last finisher before that was 50 minutes earlier. Now I was hungry, tired from standing most of the morning and still had to ride home. Because I knew I wouldn't ride if I drove back to Baltimore first, Alyssa had driven me up, with my bike, and all I had to do was ride home. I figured it would be a good ride, because you're almost 20 miles away from Hunt Valley (straight down York Rd) and then another 20 to get home from there. I of course made it a little longer. The sun was shining and the temperature was good, so it was a nice day to be out for a chill ride by myself. It was also nice to hit the Hereford Hills fresh, as opposed to 80 miles into a 115 mile day. I felt pretty awesome riding and got home after 2h45m and didn't feel like I had done anything.
I had just about 90 minutes before I needed to get down to FH for the 3rd Annual Beer Mile (timing/coordinating, not participating). The event has grown year after year, and it was another good time had by all. Following the race, most went out for a while. I made it until about midnight before crashing. With a hard effort planned for Sunday, I didn't need to exhaust any additional energy.
Sunday was amazing - one of the nicest days of the year. I met a great crew down at Centennial Park just before 10, and we headed out for our ride. The Chickenest of Tender Runners and Michelle had driven up to meet myself, Pat and Alyssa. The plan was about 40 miles, so we were going to do the course plus an additional lollipop section, and then add on from there. Within the ride we were going to do a few 10 minute efforts. These went incredibly well, and I felt really good about how Frankenstein handled the day. It was undoubtedly the best I've ever ridden out there outside of the race, and actually, if you took our time from the ride (subtracting one of the lollipop loops) it was faster than the first time I did the race in 2001. Side note: hard to believe it's been 10 years since my first race, at Columbia!
Following the run, CTR and Michelle had runs of 20 minutes scheduled. Unless I cut off one of his legs, there was no way I was keeping up with CTR, and even running with Michelle isn't a given. We did 10 minutes at race effort and then 10 easy, and man, the first 10 minutes felt hard. Hopefully it's not that hard on May 22nd. We finished up and like some kind of magic, a Shaved Ice truck came rolling through. One of the flavors was Tiger's Blood - no joke - and he said he had it way before Charlie Sheen ever used the term. It was Strawberry and Coconut, so I got that and Watermelon and had a tasty, super frozen treat before heading back to Bmore to swim. That did not go so well, but I guess I shouldn't have expected it to, as my shoulders were fried from riding the TT bike (which was weird because honestly I didn't even ride that long in the aero position). I guess I just don't ride that way very often so it took its toll.
All told last week was a pretty short week by volume, at just 9000m in the pool, 125 or so miles on the bike and just 28 miles of running, but it was full of some good efforts. With just two weeks now until Columbia, I'm going to try and rest a little more, taking easy days super easy (as if I haven't been already) and make my efforts focused, but likely a little shorter. Track tomorrow, Wednesday Night Ride, probably do a workout on Saturday and all the rest is just fluff.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Missed it by *That* Much
Last night was one of the most important events on my calendar - the Maryland Twilight Meet, featuring the Alumni Mile. Now in its 3rd year, the event began in 2009 as a last opportunity for the team to race, and as a way to reconnect the alumni to the program. That first year I was super pumped to get out there and race a mile. There was a good field and I was looking to run fast. Well, that failed. I ended up running a disappointing 5:13, getting beat by Laurel in the process. At least they had Chick-Fil-A sandwiches for us, and got t-shirts and hats.
Year 2, last year, was a different story. Just 6 weeks off my second knee surgery and I hadn't run at all, but there were only 3 starters on the line and they weren't going to hold the event with just 3. So I sucked it up. I finished in 4th, in 6:15, behind Denise this time. Still, for not having run in a long time, I was psyched I could run that fast.
This year I tried to rally support for the event. The trouble is, anyone who was a sprinter on the team didn't want to run a mile, and it's as if people just don't run anymore. Everyone whines about how they're not in shape. This is the worst excuse in the world. If you ran for a Division 1 school, I'm pretty sure that, unless your legs have been amputated, you can make it through a mile. As an aside, even if my legs were amputated, I would still do it. Not being in shape is never an excuse. It's not like you register for this event, pay for it, nor is it truly serious.
In the end, there were a dozen of us on the line. And, everyone was interested in running as fast as they could. Conrad was the designated pacesetter, and took us through the first 409 meters in 75.6. We had a pack of Conrad, Doug, Prada and Tom Stott. The pace was comfortably hard, but I was disappointed to see a split over 75. Not going to help me run under 5, that's for sure. The 2nd lap was picked up, and we came through in 73.3 (2:28.9 at the half). I was holding on, but it was getting difficult. I was tightening up, and just trying to tick my legs over.
The third quarter was key, and I split 75.5. If I was going to get under 5, it was going to be by the closest of margins.
I was fortunate to have an unreal support crew out there. Alyssa, Brennan, Melissa, Pat, Pete and Alex B had come down to spectate. Cheese, Arjun, Tristram, Diane and Meg D were all finished with their race(s) so they were all over the track, and Wiggy was out there giving some encouragement at the 200 mark as well.
No matter what I did on that last lap, it was going to be better than 2009, but I really had to get under 5. Coming up the final straight, I could see the clock, and was charging as hard as I could. As I crossed the line, I thought I had it. I was spent. My watch read 4:59.6. Pat had .66. Alyssa had .7. Brad Jaeger had .9. I felt as if I had certainly gotten under 5. My last lap was 75.2.
Then the official results were posted and it was revealed that I ran a 5:00.11. Bullshit! No way on earth. I was disappointed, because coming THAT close and missing by such a marginal amount is obviously frustrating, but I was really excited with the race. It's the fastest mile (other than the downhill road mile) I've run since 2002 probably. It was an even race, and it was a competitive race. I felt good after the warmup, like I was actually ready to race. I didn't give up during the race when it got hard. Of course now I feel like a herb because two of the mile races I've run in the last 3 years have results in 5:00.99 (indoors) and 5:00.11 (outdoors).
The good news is that I was in pretty good shape in 2008 when I ran that indoor race, so I feel like I can still run pretty quick. My foot was killing me after the race, unfortunately. But we did go on a sweet cooldown through North Campus, ran through a rave by North Woods (in the courtyard) and then saw the new Oakland Hall. On the warmup, got to run down College Ave, up past the sororities and frats and Knox Rd. I always love going back to CP. And it was an especially surreal day to head down there as men's basketball coach Gary Williams had just announced his retirement after 22 years.
The conditions had evolved into perfection by race time, too. It had been windy all day, but the wind died and the temp was perfect at around 60. You don't get many days like that to race a mile! Also, Laurel didn't show up, so I didn't have to worry about getting beat by her. I'll have some chances to run another mile this summer, probably at a BRRC meet, but I need to get under 5 again.
This was a really good race for me with a great result. My 4:50 at the Westminster Mile I figured would put me at 5:03 on the track, but I also didn't have any faith in running that quick as I felt like I've not done the work to warrant running that fast. I realistically thought I would run a 5:08 or 5:09, so this was good.
Year 2, last year, was a different story. Just 6 weeks off my second knee surgery and I hadn't run at all, but there were only 3 starters on the line and they weren't going to hold the event with just 3. So I sucked it up. I finished in 4th, in 6:15, behind Denise this time. Still, for not having run in a long time, I was psyched I could run that fast.
This year I tried to rally support for the event. The trouble is, anyone who was a sprinter on the team didn't want to run a mile, and it's as if people just don't run anymore. Everyone whines about how they're not in shape. This is the worst excuse in the world. If you ran for a Division 1 school, I'm pretty sure that, unless your legs have been amputated, you can make it through a mile. As an aside, even if my legs were amputated, I would still do it. Not being in shape is never an excuse. It's not like you register for this event, pay for it, nor is it truly serious.
In the end, there were a dozen of us on the line. And, everyone was interested in running as fast as they could. Conrad was the designated pacesetter, and took us through the first 409 meters in 75.6. We had a pack of Conrad, Doug, Prada and Tom Stott. The pace was comfortably hard, but I was disappointed to see a split over 75. Not going to help me run under 5, that's for sure. The 2nd lap was picked up, and we came through in 73.3 (2:28.9 at the half). I was holding on, but it was getting difficult. I was tightening up, and just trying to tick my legs over.
The third quarter was key, and I split 75.5. If I was going to get under 5, it was going to be by the closest of margins.
I was fortunate to have an unreal support crew out there. Alyssa, Brennan, Melissa, Pat, Pete and Alex B had come down to spectate. Cheese, Arjun, Tristram, Diane and Meg D were all finished with their race(s) so they were all over the track, and Wiggy was out there giving some encouragement at the 200 mark as well.
No matter what I did on that last lap, it was going to be better than 2009, but I really had to get under 5. Coming up the final straight, I could see the clock, and was charging as hard as I could. As I crossed the line, I thought I had it. I was spent. My watch read 4:59.6. Pat had .66. Alyssa had .7. Brad Jaeger had .9. I felt as if I had certainly gotten under 5. My last lap was 75.2.
Then the official results were posted and it was revealed that I ran a 5:00.11. Bullshit! No way on earth. I was disappointed, because coming THAT close and missing by such a marginal amount is obviously frustrating, but I was really excited with the race. It's the fastest mile (other than the downhill road mile) I've run since 2002 probably. It was an even race, and it was a competitive race. I felt good after the warmup, like I was actually ready to race. I didn't give up during the race when it got hard. Of course now I feel like a herb because two of the mile races I've run in the last 3 years have results in 5:00.99 (indoors) and 5:00.11 (outdoors).
The good news is that I was in pretty good shape in 2008 when I ran that indoor race, so I feel like I can still run pretty quick. My foot was killing me after the race, unfortunately. But we did go on a sweet cooldown through North Campus, ran through a rave by North Woods (in the courtyard) and then saw the new Oakland Hall. On the warmup, got to run down College Ave, up past the sororities and frats and Knox Rd. I always love going back to CP. And it was an especially surreal day to head down there as men's basketball coach Gary Williams had just announced his retirement after 22 years.
The conditions had evolved into perfection by race time, too. It had been windy all day, but the wind died and the temp was perfect at around 60. You don't get many days like that to race a mile! Also, Laurel didn't show up, so I didn't have to worry about getting beat by her. I'll have some chances to run another mile this summer, probably at a BRRC meet, but I need to get under 5 again.
This was a really good race for me with a great result. My 4:50 at the Westminster Mile I figured would put me at 5:03 on the track, but I also didn't have any faith in running that quick as I felt like I've not done the work to warrant running that fast. I realistically thought I would run a 5:08 or 5:09, so this was good.
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