Hale Reservation Triathlon

I did my second triathlon yesterday, Sunday 13 September, 2009. It was a blast. The swim felt longer, my run was significantly slower than last year (something in the neighborhood of 42 seconds/mile!) but I still managed to finish in the top third, even if I did drop off of the first page of results -- though this year I am tops on the second page of results at 51 out of 157. Here's the breakdown of the race.

SWIM
I got stuck behind a couple of wide-body clydesdales right off the start. I couldn't go around them because there were a couple of other dudes to my left and right. I ended up stopping an treading every few strokes just looking for space. I eventually did get around them but the damage was done. The adrenaline was my enemy, I got mildly nervous and panicky and ended up breast stroking pretty much the whole thing. thought I did pass guys even swimming breast stroke I lost at least a minute or more in the opening 150 yards trying to get around those guys (9:59 -- ugh! yet everyone felt like it was longer this year). I did OK on the transitions, sub-2 minutes, but need to work on those (1:54)

BIKE
Bike is what I think is my weakest -- especially mountain biking with clip-in pedals. When I was younger I used to just go out and ride and didn't worry too much about anything. Now I'm a bit more cautious though adrenaline on my bike was my friend. The ride was fairly punishing, and fairly tricky but very fun. There was a monster climb in the first mile or so that I rode the first time I rode it, but walked it during the training and the race. People were dropping off left and right and it made it hard to navigate (those clip-in pedals make me uncomfortable at low speeds). So I hopped off half way up and ran it up the hill hopped back on, rode one more crest then hammered it down the backside back into the woods (it was asphalt actually in this part). The eventual women's winner powered by -- 50, fit, and driven -- up the steep. I was jealous. The rest of the ride was largely uneventful -- I got stuck in a line of guys, one in particular and along the single track portions I just followed. I rode things yesterday that I'd walked or fallen off in training and stayed on the bike generally better. There were other climbs where guys were coming off the bike so I came off the bike too -- it's a chain reaction on rocky treacherous pieces. I ran the bike up each of those sections though and got back on as quick as I could. There was one sick rock garden that I had walked both training runs, but sort of half rode half walked yesterday -- I made up some time there. Generally I attacked and had fun and see the bike as a place where I can get significantly better. Running CV totally helps biking and I find it easier to recover on the bike. I ride a 20 year old hard tail, hard fork Trek and I did OK: 5.3 miles 34:50, 9.5 MPH. I did a 1:24 transition out of bike shoes into running shoes. Actually moderately happy with that. Oh, and it was muddy and mucky in many parts of the track and that made it super fun.

RUN
The run was solid for me. I pushed it hard on the bike and took a bit longer to come back on the run. The eventually second lace woman passed me in the transition. I stuck with her for the first little bit,up a nasty climb and then she started to pull away. I kept in her sight the entire run but could not catch her. I walked one little stretch, about 5 paces to collect myself, then started to reel back her in, though I never lost sight of her. I started sort of slow and that transition, from bike to run, not just the legs, but the breathing even is very tricky. I think though that I was negative splitting, because I was reeling her in and closing the gap over the last half of the course. I was also passing some other guys as well so that was good. About 150 yards from the finish, on basically one of the smoothest, easiest stretches of the run I stepped on something, I don't even know what, and tweaked my left ankle. It hurt but I powered on, and finished with a nice kick. It was ironic because I was running over rocks and rots and up and down rock and rot strewn climbs and hopping off of some rocks and I tweak myself on the most mellow part of the course. the ankle is a bit tender today, but nothing catastrophic. So, the race details said 2.3 for the run but people in the field said that it was 2.5, I don't know who to believe on this but if it was 2.3 then the race clocking at 20:39 and 8:59/mile is my time. If it was 2.5 then I ran a bit better than that at about 8:15-16/mile. Not sure which, I have no real way to judge it. Eight fifteens though are better than 8:59s.... I don't totally remember last year's course but there was a section I walked briefly last year that we didn't run this year, and in that section it cut a chunk of the race off that we had to cover this year (with one more nasty climb), so I do actually think that we ran further which would make sense to me.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm not as fit this year as last but I got better on the bike and about the same on the run if it indeed was 2.5 miles. I was happy with the negative splits on the run though (or what seemed like negative splits). Swim was tricky. I didn't freestlye-swim as much this year, and I'm not sure why. I need to work more on my swim (though I feel like I did this year and it didn't help me). Anyway, it was a blast, and totally amped me up for the whole day. Fun, fun, fun!

Tri, Trails & Steak

Last weekend we were at a family wedding outside of Portsmouth, NH. My brother and his family were in town. The day after the wedding he and I went for a brief -- 25 minutes, I think -- trot through Newcastle, NH. It was lovely, rolling and scenic. Frequent ocean views to our right on the way out and a nice little turn around down by Portsmouth harbor with a view of an old fort. The weather was beautiful and it was great to run with my brother. We also saw a couple of deer in somebody's yard (I saw one on last week's trail run, at the edge of an orchard and the woods).

Sunday I didn't do much except eat a massive meal at Capital Grill. My brother and I headed out Labor Day afternoon and took a rocking trail run through the Fells Reservation in Winchester/Medford. It ended up being more than I'd bargained for (see massive meal, Capital Grill, Sunday night) at about an hour of up and down, side stepping and root hopping. The air though was gorgeous piney and clean. We ran around the Winchester water supply and the presence of basically a mountain lake was really amazing. It was a butt kicker of a run, but I'm better for it. Again, it was awesome to run with my brother who is really a gazelle.

Wednesday night I did a full run through of the tri that I'm doing this weekend. It was fun even though I had a splitting migraine during the day and I sort of felt like I was in slow-mo all along the course. The swim went pretty well, but it felt longer and I felt slower than the advertised 400 yards. I was more comfortable on the mountain bike last night and found some lines that I'd not see the first ride last week that I hope will help Sunday. It's a fairly punishing ride at 5.3 miles with some big climbs and some tricky descents. The run went well once the leg wobble stopped. I just shifted into an easy lope through the woods and felt good throughout. I'm looking forward to Sunday, and am going to have the family come out and watch. It should be around an hour, perhaps more -- the swim is longer, I think... -- and it's supposed to be a beauty of a day.

Coupla Weeks

Well, I've been quietly sort of running over the past couple of weeks. The week after Falmouth was a bust despite my motivation -- lots of work to do from the cape and not much rhythm. I got in one swim but it wasn't much to write home about. I may have done a short run, but I honestly don't remember. I returned from the Cape and went to tri training session the following week. I mis-read the schedule and brought my sneakers when I should have brought my bike... I swam and went for a short run, somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 minutes. It was super humid and the black flies were assaulting my head.

I got in one more run that week but don't remember which route I did, it may have been a shorty. Can you see that I'm really into it right now?

Last week I did the tri training, swim/run and one more run, a short one. I just got back from tri training and did a swim and bike ride. I'm awful on the mountain bike when I ride it like 4 times each year. I need to get in another ride or so to get comfortable on the clipless pedals. The swim was fine, i wasn't super motivated, but did it. The ride was fun despite not being 100% comfortable. I went slow and gabbed with a fire fighter from Cambridge. There is a full run through a week from Wednesday.

I'm rediscovering that I really love the running etc., more than drinking and that it makes me feel better than drinking... right now I'm a drinker with a running problem more than a runner with a drinking problem. I think I'm going tomorrow for a run. I like how it makes me feel, and though one wouldn't think so, I need to keep reminding myself about how much I like the exertion.

One bit of business that's going undone: I have an entry form for the CCM Relay. Who's in? I want to fill it out tomorrow even though it's going to cost more because it will be in after 9/1. Also, psyched to hear VTR is considering VCM '10. I've been thinking about it and I'm in. I need to run it.

Off-Road Triathlon Report

WAVE 1 BIB 71 

WAVE TIME 1:03:56 

OVERALL PLC 49 

DIVISION PLC/TOT   6/17   

SWIM 

 RANK SPLIT

 55   8:19   

T1

RANK SPLIT

65   1:40 

BIKE 

RANK SPLIT   

59   35:28 

T2

RANK SPLIT 

123  1:11

RUN  

RANK SPLIT

31   17:18
 

The above is the tale of the tape from my first-ever triathlon. It was super fun and I had a blast. I'm sort of bummed that the tri season is winding down but training for this completely energized my training. Here's my breakdown.

Swim -- 400 yards
My split time above was pretty close to what I did Tuesday night thought it was not at all as smooth as my first go-round with group, open-water swimming. My flight was Men 44 and under -- it was a big group, much bigger than Tuesday night and much more hectic. A bunch of us hit the water and started trashing. People were bumping me and swimming over me. The water was murky as I mentioned, I was swimming with my head out of the water a bit (a la water polo) to see in front of me and there was a bit of chop on the pond and I drank more than a little water . . . I ended up breast stroking my way around and never got a good freestyle rhythm going. The crowd got my adrenaline up and while adrenaline can be your friend on dry land it made me feel a bit panicky and thrash-y in the water. All in all though I was happy with my time.

Bike -- 5.5 miles
This was the part where I figured I'd get most smoked but I think that I held my own on the course which got sort of crowded as I headed into the second phase of the ride (two concentric circles). I felt much more comfortable on the bike again and made up a bunch of time in the last third -- a good climb and descent on paved/semi paved road. I dumped twice within about 25 seconds of each other. I came around a corner into a hill and got going too slow because of traffic. I went over pretty easily to my right into some mossy ground. I picked myself up got one my bike missed my pedal and went over to my left, bounced off a guy who was struggling by and scuffed my back on his bike. No biggie, just what happens in a race. A little girl caused a big tie up in another part and she was really cute and flustered and apologetic. Again, it's what happens. There were lots of flats and dropped chains and some snapped chains and some dudes with serious road rash from some dumps. It was fun and I think my time was respectable.

Run -- 2.3 miles
Overall I'm happiest with my run though there was one section where I walked for about 60 seconds and I wish I hadn't. I reeled in like 5 guys who were ahead of me -- all but one my age or younger. I reeled in another 37 year old guy in the final 200 yards whom I'd been tracking for a while. I think I was a bit gassed after my bike ride and I caught all of the guys I caught heading uphills or just over the tops of hills. The section I walked was two steep little ups on wood chips and they happened just after I passed a couple who was walking along the trail we were running on. For some reason their idyllic stroll broke my concentration . . . I'm annoyed about the walk part but I still caught the guy I'd targeted even with it. I saved some energy (I rationalize) and made it happen. I didn't feel like the flailing geek kid for long on this run though the uphills were painful. Speaking of painful,I tweaked my ankle just after passing a Clydesdale but kept going. It's all fine now and it seems as if rubber ankle will be with me for years to come.

Overall
I really enjoyed this experience, I'm psyched that I did it and I want to do it again. I'm really into the idea of more off-road tris and want to find some more to do. I met two goals (do a tri, do some trail running), added some other workouts into my regimen (I'm considering joining the Y to keep swimming and looking forward to getting in a trail ride this weekend just because -- I hope I have the time). I made it onto the first page of results of a race for the first time, finished in the top third, or so of the entire field, the top half of my gender/age-group and was really only 4 minutes out of placing. I see some potential with more practice but also don't want to get hung up on numbers and stats because it was just super-fun to compete in the three disciplines, get dirty and spend some time in the woods. It rocked.

Finally, I also felt good enough that I went out and took both kids on a 34 minute run Monday morning. I rested today but am psyched to get back to it tomorrow.

Dress Rehearsal

I did the dress rehearsal for my tri last night.  It was a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed it -- I was totally amped when it was over.


Swim -- 400 yards
I'm not sure if the swim was really 400 yards or not because my workout swims were tougher.  There about 35 people in all and I came out of the water in the top 10.  I covered the distance in 8:17.00.  I had one small moment of panic when I thought "I'm swimming into the middle of a pond . . . "  I quickly put those thoughts aside and kept on going.  The pond water is a bit murky and it was hard to see people around me.  I knew I was gaining on someone because I could feel the turbulence of their wake as I approached from behind.  I was really happy with the swim, and more than a little surprised.

Transition 1
I learned a lot on this transition.  First, have your socks & shirt right side out.  Second, have Gatorade or whatever in a squirt bottle.  Third, use the box that I bought (and that I saw more experienced triathloners using) to keep my stuff in to actually hold water to facilitate de-sanding my feet.  Fourth, definitely bring the old floor-mat that I'd considered bringing to sit on to put on socks and shoes.  My time was an unimpressive  3:19.70.

Ride -- 5.3 miles
I came into the ride with little confidence, to be honest and figured that I'd get smoked.  I headed out with about 5 other folks and two blew away from us and another guy dropped off.  I then proceeded to follow a woman in the group for the majority of the loop.  She offered to let me pass and I said no worries, this is only my fifth time on a bike in 10 years and my third with toe clips . . . She and I caught some guy on a nice bike who was struggling and we eventually picked up another guy with a nasty pedal gash puncture wound on his calf.  I had trouble through one section -- a really rocky old road -- and I hit a rock head-on that shot me over my handle bars that I somehow managed to clear and land basically unscathed.  I caught back up to my partners and proceeded on.  I dumped one other time when I got stuck in a sand pit near a beach but that fall was pretty minor and on sand -- better than landing on a boulder . . . The woman in the group was riding a hybrid with narrow tires, running shoes and no clips baskets or anything.  She was very quiet and still on the bike and I told that I was trying to absorb her Zen style.  She laughed.  It was funny, the three guys in the group, including me, were sort of all over the place and grinding gears etc.  She just trundled along.  It was a good lesson and my confidence and comfort grew and grew.  I eventually passed her and dropped my group on a paved road section of the course about a mile out. The guy on the nice bike was saying to me "there's a reason this bike is 12 years old, and my road bike is a year old . . . "  He was not comfortable on the bike last night.  I covered the distance in 37:49.4 -- this includes transition to the run as well.

Run -- 2.3 miles
The run was fun and fairly uneventful.  I entered the trail alone and saw nobody until the second half.  No one caught me either.  This was my first ever bike-run brick and it took nearly the first mile to feel like I knew how to run.  I felt as if I were that kid on the grammar school playground (there was one in each school) who ran all knock-kneed with his elbows locked at the waist and his forearms and wrists flapping at his sides . . . anyway, I just kept focusing on my stride and let myself breathe hard -- my HR went up very quickly and I was winded pretty quickly which I think is related to the transition from one discipline to the next and using new muscles.  I got myself together, saw a guy a few hundred yards ahead and then reeled him in.  I tweaked my ankle a bit but kept going.  I passed him in the final 200 yards, and asked him how he was doing as I passed.  I covered the distance in 17:15.9.

Total Time: 1:06:42

I had a great time in all three phases and am looking forward to Sunday!  I'll probably just take some light runs the rest of this week and maybe a light bike ride as well just to keep in form.

Board Shorts

I got out to the pond for an end of summer swim and did my customary 450 yards.  It had been about a week since I last swam so I don't know whether or not to attribute the labor involved in this 15 minute swim to that or to the fact that I was wearing board shorts.  I'm going to go with the latter and make a note to myself no to wear board shorts this coming Sunday.

I'm going to a workout this evening in which we string all three disciplines together . . . wish I'd done that bike- run brick this weekend so I know what to expect . . . oh well, let it fly!

Evening Session

SO, I went out and did my evening session.  I feel pretty good from a workout perspective but got pretty banged up on the ride . . .

I swam 450 yards -- over-distancing again -- and then got on my bike.  I went with a group that was going quicker because they were covering more of the race course.  I was not terribly comfortable on the bike and should have gone with the slow-pokes.  The leader of my group circled back and was giving me some advice, some of which was to bail on the last mile or so of the ride (chagrin, kind of).  I went down hard in one spot, landed square on a boulder got a beautiful abrasion and charlie horse on my left upper thigh, tweaked my ankle and because of the wierd wrenching motion of the fall got a horrible cramp in my calf.

The ankle is sort of swollen -- an hour of icing between 3 AM and 4 AM helped -- in an area near the where the leg joins the ankle, so it's just on one connector, but it doesn't really hurt, just sort of feels aggravated; the thigh and calf are sore.  I'm not terribly hobbled, though a bit humbled, however I must say that I did OK for not having ridden off-road for nearly a decade.  Mrs. Agricola and I are both wondering about the wisdom of adopting toe clips at this time and I'm wondering if maybe I should I have started my tri-life with a road-tri rather than an off-road-tri.  A bit of practice this weekend should help me get more comfortable on the bike though I predict getting smoked on the bike, and none of my bumps and bruises are so bad as to keep me off the road tomorrow, I don't think, though I'll play it be ear.

Final Weekend of July

Friday I worked from home which meant that I moved from wi-fi spot to wi-fi spot on Cape Cod and worked for nearly 10 hours.  Good times.  On a day that had started with doing schedules and estimates at 7:30 AM and ended in a flurry of calls over the realization that a designer in the employ of my client, who was supposed to help me, had messed up much of his work, I wasn't really in the mood to go out running.

I was dehydrated and over-caffeinated but I went anyway.  The caffeine and work-day adrenaline caused me to go out hard -- too hard.  I couldn't keep up with myself.  The only thing that kept me going was that at about mile 3.5 of my planned 4 mile route I was going to veer to the beach and jump in the water which I did.  I stripped off my shirt shoes and socks and jumped in and swam for about 10 minutes.  Then I got re-dressed, stepped in the water in my shoe, and finished the run.  It was sort of fun and sort of relaxing and a good and different workout.  Open water swimming without goggles (even with) is hard.

Saturday I went out for a quick 5K.  It was super humid and tough to breathe.  Nothing major to report except that the light was beautiful and that the Bass River was gorgeous.

Running with FA

I had a good run on Saturday AM with FA -- his post is already up.  It was a hot and sticky day and we ran at a comfortable and sane pace.  I know that you're saying that your HR monitor seemed a bit out of whack, but it could be that your HR really is down 10 BPM, or it could be connected to the fact that we did converse and that regulated your HR.  Keep running, you're doing great!

In the afternoon we went for a swim at a Pond we joined and that was fun.  I swam a couple hundred yards, maybe, and that was much different from running.  I've got some work to do if I want to do a Tri.  FA and I also paddled a canoe around the pond and that was cool.