Cape Henlopen Duathlon

Michelle and I bombed laterally to Lewes, DE to compete in both of our last multisport race of the year, the Cape Henlopen Duathlon. I did the triathlon last year with typical 2009 results... mediocre swim, mediocre bike, satisfactory run. What would a 2010 foray at Cape Henlopen bring?!?! Well, I hope better results!

Note, night before Michelle and I stayed at the house of one of the most powerful cyclists I know, Paul, and we had quite possibly the best pre-race meal ever: A huge steaming pot of slop. It had brown rice, potatoes, chicken, different kinds of beans, spinach and mushrooms, and probably more stuff that I don't remember. It was an awesome meal.

Race morning, good weather, a little chilly, which is good for a duathlon. Don't want to get too hot, right? Right. Porta-potty evacuation went well, except for the one potty that everyone avoided because someone went all over the seat. Come on, people. I lined up with Michelle and Erik Reitinger, who finished a spot in front of me at that weird Doylestown Duathlon. Pleasantries exchanged and memories conjured, it was time to race!

Run 1 had me out in front, running 5:15 average for 1.5 miles, and it felt comfortable. Had Erik and James Braconnier right behind me, but I took an extra step to get into T1 first and have the fastest Run 1 on the day.

I also had the fastest T1, so I was out on the bike first. That didn't last. Erik, a far superior biker, charged ahead and I fumbled with my shoes on the bike. I let him get about 50 metersahead and that was a mistake. I ended up getting further and further behind as the ride went on. However, I was getting further and further AHEAD of everyone else. From 2 miles in, I never saw anyone behind me. I did see Erik in front of me until the last 3 miles, when he built up his 2 minute lead into T2. I averaged 23.5 mph and 4th fastest split, decent pace considering I was alone and there was a noticeable headwind. Racked 002 and started the run.

However, it was a weird run. Erik was 2 minutes ahead of me, and I knew he wasn't much slower than me... at the same time I was at least 90 seconds ahead of the guy behind me. I decided to put in a hard run but not kill myself and risk injury... I'd have to kill myself to catch Erik, so I put in 5:45 pace for 5k and finished 2nd overall (fastest 5k run time also)! In the money too, $100, my first multisport cash prize. Cool!

Michelle flatted out of T1 and took way too long to change her tire, but she put in a mighty 22 mph (effortless, she says) and passed Leslie Randall, who was leading thanks to Michelle's bike mishap, at mile 1 of the run... and CRUSHED her, along with many male souls as she cruised past them on the run to put in the 4th best run split in the race, coming in at an (inaccurate) 18th overall... if she had those 5-7 minutes back she'd be top 6. Scary. 1st female and $150 to the lady with the pigtails.

I think that was a great way to end the season for both of us. For me, I am incredibly anxious to pound away on the bike this winter and not get bashed on the bike anymore as I was by Erik at this race. I'm looking to make 24.5-25 mph a reality during this offseason.

FURIOUS FIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more race

This weekend is my last multisport race of the year and a venue I raced at last year, at Cape Henlopen in Delaware. I did the triathlon last year but I'm doing the duathlon this year, as I didn't really like the way the tri is set up and I just want to get in one last duathlon before the year is over.

So Saturday, Michelle and I will BOMB down to Lewes and attempt to go for the double win. I'll have stiff competition in Erik Reitinger, who beat me at Doylestown. This time though I'll make it a closer race by NOT falling off my bike (yeah... that wasn't pretty). It'll be a fun and quick race, and hopefully I'll come out with a win or podium! We accept the challenge!!!!!!!

Good luck to my teammates at Chicago. They've been working really hard for this and I'm sure they'll all be able to really show the fruits of their training.

It'll be a weekend of storming the roads of Lewes and Chicago. Sort of like this:

Time to run!

I made a return to the track for my first hard running workout since a week out from Nation's in early September. For those who've had to hear my complaining, my running has NOT been in form for a little while now. On all my easy runs I've felt stiff and overall not relaxed. I've been running like Godzilla:

I do fine after tapering, but unlike my biking and swimming, my running just hasn't been great. I want to consistently feel happy with my running. However, last night on a run with THA BOYZ, I felt amazingly loose and limber... I haven't felt that good in a while. I hoped it would continue into the workout tonight, 4x1600 at MCRRC's practice.

My goal was cutting down, 5:20, 5:17, 5:14, 5:10 -- my first step toward my goal of 32:45 at Veteran's Day 10k in November. Jordan and the rest were doing 10x400, so I was pretty much alone, save for one lap with them each rep.

I ended up having one of my best mile repeat workouts ever!! I didn't quite follow the cutdown plan as I ran 5:10, 5:15, 5:07, 5:05! I wish I had been a little more consistent and didn't drop to 5:15 on the second, but I had no one in front of me for any of that one. Still, finishing sub-5:10 on the last two and still feeling VERY strong, definitely made me feel pretty good. I don't think I've run that well, being in that much control, in a good while.

I felt neither stiff nor tired. Just the opposite. I'm feeling in surprisingly great running shape, and the confidence in my running has returned. I'm ready to push my limits again in my quest for 32:45.

Myrtle Beach race report

My 2nd racing season of 2010 is coming to a close... a strong success at Nation's, a more-or-less fail at Philly (which reminds me, I'm way overdue with a race report), what would Myrtle Beach bring?

Not much, actually. Turned out to be a really weird race. The water was FULL of E. Coli so the race director cancelled the swim on race morning, replacing it with a 100m dash from the swim exit to transition, with racers starting randomly in line 5 seconds apart. I was really mad about the swim being cancelled. I've gotten faster and really wanted to show it.

So it became... hmm... not a duathlon... er.... uh, I don't know what to call it. It was a bike and run in time trial style. For now, until USAT decides on a name for this kind of race, we'll just call it a TTathlon.

Uh oh, time trial. My last time trial at Church Creek was a disaster. Hopefully I can produce something better on the bike this time around. Myself, Dirk, Andy Blatecky and Patrick Serfass started together near the back of the line so that we could try to stick together on the bike. I got out there with Blatecky and Serfass caught up soon after and they started riding away from

me. Where's Dirk? Turns out he had a minor problem and had to delay his bike leg for 15 seconds to repair the headset on his bike. I only saw him at turn-arounds, meaning that I was pretty much alone for the duration of the bike. Too bad, I bet both Dirk and I could have gone faster if we were riding side by side.

It was a tough ride. 12-15 mph headwind with gusts, along highway with very few hills, but a ton of false flats. Not ideal for a non-power cyclist like myself. The tailwinds were on the slight downhills and the headwinds were on the slight ups, which isn't ideal either. Still, I sallied forth, passing a ton of people who started in front of me, and didn't get passed, save by Blatecky and Serfass at the beginning. I decided early on I needed to really pedal hard to keep up and at the same time I wanted to see what kind of speed I could produce on a difficult course like that, so I went for it. Averaged 24.2 mph, 8th overall bike, only 3 seconds slower than Dirk, which is a benchmark for me.

I hopped off the bike in transition and CRAP, my legs were tired. Too much exerted on the bike. I struggled through the first 2 miles and wasn't able to take down water... I could have if I aimed the cups toward my mouth. Oops. Dehydration set in... and my pace slowed. 4 miles in I was suffering. I managed to pick up the pace for the last mile, but too little, too slow, too late. I put forth a MISERABLE time averaging over 6:30/mile, and the 5th overall run split. Ugh. How shameful!

I came in 5th overall, 4th male. Cool thing is that Dirk won and DC Tri swept the podium... Dirk 1st, Serfass 2nd, Blatecky 3rd, myself 4th! Great day for the club. Not sure who that girl is who beat me, but she was a force on the bike. I'm still shocked about that. I've never seen a female be that powerful in those conditions. It was something else.

What do I take from this race? Well I'm REALLY happy with my bike. I felt pretty good and my speed was great in the conditions... being on the same level as Dirk has been a goal of mine. I just need to work on my muscular endurance this winter and make that speed feel easier for the run. My run was awful, but I can fix that with more bricks and biking. This wasn't my peak race, but I expect better of myself on the run. A lot better.

But I'm done with TTathlons. No more, please.

This weekend is Cape Henlopen duathlon. A good fun race to end the season. Then it's back to training for Columbia.

Nation's Race Report

The day had finally arrived! Nations Triathlon. It was a rainy and cool Sunday morning... early, too. My father kindly drove Dirk and myself to transition around 5:30. My day got off to an auspicious start as upon leaving the car I realized I forgot my aero drink bottle at home. Crap. Now I have no means of hydrating as I took the frame cage off the day before. Luckily Robbie had an extra cage for me... I had a bottle with me that I was using to transfer HEED to the aero bottle. So I dodged a bullet there. Besides, it probably helped Robbie to shave 20 ounces off his bike... as you'll find out later!

After soaking in the rain and evacuating at the porta-potty, it was race time! I met up with Derek Stone, the guy who beat me at the Washington, DC sprint triathlon in June. It was good to see him again. I could try to get a little revenge because he CRUSHED me at the June race. Ihad some extra incentive now.

The swim was ROUGH. I got right into a crowd by mistake and was kicked in the face and pulled under several times. It made it hard to keep momentum or a good consistent stroke. I eventually found a straightaway for about 400 yards when I went untouched... came in at 23:12,

a 44-second PR and 122nd best swim, but not as fast as I hoped.

A long run through transition and I grabbed 002 and headed out. Hopped

onto my pre-clipped in shoes and had a startling revelation... my shoes were on the wrong pedals!! OH NO! I carelessly put my right shoe into the left pedal and left shoe into the right pedal! DANG! But nothing I could do. I had to keep going. I strapped my feet in and though it felt awkward, I started pedaling and began to get used to it. I rode with a good group of 3-4 and picked up some cyclists along the way. It was a lot of fun! It was wet but FAST. Ended up putting in the best bike split of my life... 62 minute 40k, right about 24 mph, 72nd overall bike, exceeding my goal of 63-64 minutes. A huge confidence boost mid-race. Hopped off 002 and it was time to RUN!

I got out of transition brimming with confidence. It was time to catch my rivals. I hadn't seen the DC Tri racers all race because of my slower swim... but around mile 1 I saw Blatecky, Serfass and Schmidt. I gave some words of support but deep down I told them I was going to try to catch them. Around mile 2 however, after putting in a couple 5:40s, I tired a bit. I was alone for a stretch and started to get hot. I pulled down my tri top and felt a little better. Around the turn at Hain's Point I caught sight of Blatecky... it was time to catch him. I pulled within 10 meters and did something stupid. I told myself to be patient... I was going to catch him. I wasn't thinking ahead. I was only thinking of Blatecky. When I finally moved past him, I noticed Serfass and Schmidt were further ahead than I anticipated. I felt I could catch them still, but I needed more speed now... I felt invigorated and picked my pace up to 5:35s. I drew closer and closer, crossing the bridge out of Hains Point. But I was running out of road. The finish line was much closer than I thought it would be. Serfass glanced back at me and gave it what he had left... and I couldn't finish the job, finishing 6 seconds off of him. Still, an excellent run for me, an in-triathlon PR of 35:22 and the 12th best run on the day!

Final time: 2:05:04!! A 10 minute PR! And 12th elite.... until I found I was docked for a 2:00 penalty for "blocking". Apparently I stuck to the left side of the road for a little too long. Stupid penalty. So I got reduced to a 2:07:04, 26th overall. Still, that was my goal for the day and my placement goal was exceeded (I wanted top 40, got top 30!). I ended up beating some of my targeted competition (including Derek, who admittedly though wasn't in the best shape for biking or swimming... dude is a sub 4:10 miler!).

I am very happy about this race. Everything went right except for the shoes and penalty. The training paid off big time... special thanks to Michelle and Dirk for being awesome training partners through it all! Huge motivation boost going into the offseason. And I'm very grateful to Dean Pierson, who lent me his rear Zipp 404... that's a fast wheel and I bet it helped on those flat roads (he did well for himself, 2nd in his age group and under 2:15:00!) Shout out to Robbie, who WON the race and Dirk, who placed 7th overall and swam very very well. Well done guys!

Up next, Philly Distance Run!

Sunday approaches

As my hairless legs cut through the days of the current week, I have found myself thinking of the past and future, to remove myself from the present. I'm waiting for Nation's Triathlon, this Sunday. But the days leading up to a key race are often dull and full of anxiety. Am I ready? Have I trained enough and to the proper capacity? Taper week isn't easy. I can barely train as any training I do will have no real positive impact on race day.

So I find myself thinking about every workout since Columbia. I remember the successes... the bricks where I biked at least 24 mph and ran 17-minute 5ks (on 10k pace). The intervals and time trials where I pushed new speed records. The track workouts where I consistently ran faster than I ever have before. The swims where I improved by a second or two over 100 yards. Those encourage me. There are the failures too. Last Tuesday's brick, where I couldn't find the energy to run. The Church Creek TT, where I suffered badly. The Midsummer's Mile. Worst part about those were they were races. It troubles me... what if I just can't perform under pressure on race day?

I did well at Columbia though... and I had similar feelings going into it... and despite factors I couldn't help (rain, flat tire), I had a breakthrough race. I've improved significantly in all three sports since then. I should be confident, right? I am... but I am pretty nervous too. Church Creek still weighs heavily on me even though Michelle and Dirk will point out that I was hurt, dehydrated, etc. I'm just worried I'll feel the same pain I felt at Church Creek and collapse. I can't have that happen!

Anyway, my week has been going according to plan despite my uneasiness. I rode and swam yesterday. Biked 4x90 seconds @ race pace, and put in some fast 26+ mph speeds with a strong headwind. Good... I'm resting up! The swim was hard right after the bike, but I still put in 16x50 at 40 seconds with a 400 warmup. Tomorrow I sharpen my run and guide Michelle through a progression run on my bike.

The base goal: Sub 2:08 (23:00 1.5k swim, 1:03:30 40k bike, 36:00 10k run) More to come as race day approaches. Nations, you are next!

Leg shave

UPDATED:

Right leg has been shaven.

Left leg has been shaven.