I will begin by clarifying that I am no professional bike rider; however, I do know a thing or two about riding a bike. I'm not sure if the race this weekend had more novice's in it because it used to be a 2-day event with a specific novice day on Sunday or if I'm just not paying as close attention as I was paying this weekend at the race, but I saw lots of interesting stuff out there on the bike course. Some I had to chuckle, others my heart just went out to because these people simply didn't know better. We've ALL been novice's one day or another so I get it. Trust me. I put my wetsuit on backwards at my first triathlon and got called out by the race announcer! I get it.
So here are some general biking tips that I think can help just about any rider in their next race:
1. First and foremost...use your small chain ring people!! I think I passed no less than 40 men on the bike course absolutely grinding up hills, into the headwind, in their big ring. Suffering to death. I passed them like they were stopped...in my small chain ring spinning away. If your cadence is less than 60 rpms, chances are you're not in the right gear. Actually, if your cadence is less than 85-95 (depending on how you ride), then you're probably not in the right gear. I don't know why, but I see this with men in particular...like they think it's "weak" go to into their small ring. If you're a super strong rider, and can power the hills in your big ring, have at it. But I'm talking the gear grinders who are hardly moving and refuse to lighten the load. You have two rings on your bike, use 'em!
2. Aero bars...this is a good one. What's even better, coming up on a gear grinder, pushing 55-65 rpms up a monster hills, going no more than 9 mph...in their aero bars. Aero position loses its effect below about 15-16 mph (I'm sure there's a very scientific mph to which aero position becomes ineffective, but that's just my estimate). So crawling up a hill in your aero position is actually very ineffective. Sit up, take some gear off your bike, and spin your legs. Alternatively, get in your aerobars on the flats and downhills. I saw no less than 10 people on Saturday cruising along on a flat road, on a TT bike, in the upright position! Why have a fancy TT bike if you're gonna ride upright?! Get comfy in those bars and stay! Practice drinking water, wiping your nose, taking each hand off, and being at ease. You will see minutes drop from your bike splits, guaranteed.
3. Drops....for those that don't have aero bars on their road bike or a fancy TT bike, use your drops! Same rules apply as aero bars above. Get comfy in those bad boys! Using them will take minutes off your bike splits, promise!
4. Clothing...ok, I understand if it's one of your first triathlons, you're probably not going to spend ridiculous amounts of money on new, designer triathlon gear. However, something more snug than board shorts and a XXL t-shirt is likely your best bet. Borrower something from a friend, wear something even slightly more fitted....something. I passed a guy whose shirt kept flailing up into his face because we were riding into the wind. Poor guy, but come on!
5. Fuel...this is a good one. An apple? Really? Who eats an apple on their bike? I don't even know if this elicits any more discussion. Advice, anything but an apple.
6. Lastly...running with your bike holding the seat. Practice this skill! Practice with your bike when walking to the race, when leaving the race, anytime when you're walking with your bike. I got behind a gentleman running into T2 running with his bike holding his handlebars. He was weaving all over the place, tripping over his pedals, getting hit in the shin by his pedals....and most importantly, slowing me down :-) It's an easy skill that can take 10-20-even 30 seconds maybe off your transition times in bigger races!
I think that's all I can come up with. All of my "mocking" is with ALL my due respect. Trust me, I get that some people just don't know....I was a beginner with my wetsuit on backwards at one time too!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
LKN Sprint
So yesterday was the LKN Sprint which is a fun race to me. I spent quit a bit of time riding the roads of the bike course training for IM Arizona and when I was a nanny in Cornelius, I worked out at the Lake Norman Y every morning and ran the roads of the run course quite often. It's kind of feels like my old "home" up there.
So I was very calm before this race. No real race day jitters which I couldn't help but wonder if it was because I wasn't "exicted" to race or because it's a sprint and the distance doesn't get to me anymore. Nonetheless, I got up at the ass crack of dawn and headed up there.
The first 400 meters of the swim were awesome! I was in the lead pack, feeling very strong for once. I felt very smooth in the water and refused to let the bumping, shoving, waves in the face get to me today. I knew we only had 750 meters to swim so I was going to try to enjoy it. We turned the first buoy, all good. We got to the 2nd turn buoy, and all was not that good. For some reason, I thought this turn was a hard right, not a very gradual right/straight. I was getting completely beat up at the turn and I was so confused why at the time. I continued on for a few seconds, look up to sight and was blinded by the sun. Kept swimming a few more strokes, blinded when sighting. After about 45 or so seconds, I just stopped in my tracks, looked around, only to find out I was no where near the swim course! JEEEZZZUUUSS, what the hell is wrong with me and the open water!? At that point, I was thinking to myself, "well, there goes this race". By the time I'd swam myself back on course, I'd added no less than 2 minutes to my time. Wonderful....as if my regular "on course" swim times aren't slow enough! Nonetheless, 16 min 45 sec later (71st, hahah), I was running to transition feeling like a ding dong. Another "failed" swim.
All good through transition, and onto the bike. Normally I'm thinking "ok, the race starts now" when I exit the water but I honestly didn't think that today because I assumed a 16+ minute swim would completely take me out of contention for even an AG position. So I plodded along on my steed...the first 5 or so miles are on a great road in Davidson that was recently paved and Irene's winds were at our backs. I averaged 26.4mph for that stretch....it was fun!! We took a right and not only did the hills kick in, we also turned into a nice headwind provided by Ms. Irene. That was interesting. I passed so many people who were really suffering - SO many of them I wanted to give suggestions on how they could easily reduce their suffering. That's the next blog topic. So, 17 miles goes by pretty quick. 47:53 later (21.3mph / 3rd) I was back in transition. Stephanie Hucko, you are one strong little rider!
I got behind a knucklehead who didn't know how to run with his bike headed in so after getting frustrated with him and doing my best to get around him, all else in transition went ok. Struggled a bit with one of my racing flats but nothing too detrimental. 10-15 seconds lost.
The run went great! I made my way up the hill from transition and knowing this course, planned to hit my threshold heart rate (around 185) and hold it. My threshold heart rate equates to a 6:45/mile pace as determined by my blood lactate testing, so that was the goal. I passed about 50 men on this run but never saw any girls. I assumed the fast ones in my AG were probably a few minutes ahead of me at this point after my lousy swim. I just kept plodding along but I will say it's tough to be out there racing the men. I think that's how I know I need to step into Open next year - cause even though I'm gonna get pummeled in the water for a while, I'm hoping it'll make me faster and I'll actually be "racing" those that I'm truly competing against. Nonetheless, I continued to run...there are a few rollers that made me definitely want to slow down but all miles kept ticking off at 6:40, 6:38 and 6:34...woooo hooooo!! I ran a 20:39 (6:38/mile pace), a 5k PR and I'm excited. I was the 3rd run split of the day which is slowly improving for me. I've always been 7-10th, usually. It feels good to be getting faster.
So I ended up coming across the line as the announcer said "and we have our 4th female finisher of the day and the 30-34 1st place female" so I was somewhat shocked. I figured my swim would completely destroy me of any chance of a good finish. Sweet!
Lesson learned...know the swim course. Funny thing is, of all the swim courses in the series, I should know this one the best since they do the practice swims there every other week and I used to do those pretty often. I haven't been in Charlotte without a race for one of them this year and now I'm wishing I had. Only 40 seconds behind the 3rd female which coulda been my mishap in the water. Oh well, that's racing!
So I was very calm before this race. No real race day jitters which I couldn't help but wonder if it was because I wasn't "exicted" to race or because it's a sprint and the distance doesn't get to me anymore. Nonetheless, I got up at the ass crack of dawn and headed up there.
The first 400 meters of the swim were awesome! I was in the lead pack, feeling very strong for once. I felt very smooth in the water and refused to let the bumping, shoving, waves in the face get to me today. I knew we only had 750 meters to swim so I was going to try to enjoy it. We turned the first buoy, all good. We got to the 2nd turn buoy, and all was not that good. For some reason, I thought this turn was a hard right, not a very gradual right/straight. I was getting completely beat up at the turn and I was so confused why at the time. I continued on for a few seconds, look up to sight and was blinded by the sun. Kept swimming a few more strokes, blinded when sighting. After about 45 or so seconds, I just stopped in my tracks, looked around, only to find out I was no where near the swim course! JEEEZZZUUUSS, what the hell is wrong with me and the open water!? At that point, I was thinking to myself, "well, there goes this race". By the time I'd swam myself back on course, I'd added no less than 2 minutes to my time. Wonderful....as if my regular "on course" swim times aren't slow enough! Nonetheless, 16 min 45 sec later (71st, hahah), I was running to transition feeling like a ding dong. Another "failed" swim.
All good through transition, and onto the bike. Normally I'm thinking "ok, the race starts now" when I exit the water but I honestly didn't think that today because I assumed a 16+ minute swim would completely take me out of contention for even an AG position. So I plodded along on my steed...the first 5 or so miles are on a great road in Davidson that was recently paved and Irene's winds were at our backs. I averaged 26.4mph for that stretch....it was fun!! We took a right and not only did the hills kick in, we also turned into a nice headwind provided by Ms. Irene. That was interesting. I passed so many people who were really suffering - SO many of them I wanted to give suggestions on how they could easily reduce their suffering. That's the next blog topic. So, 17 miles goes by pretty quick. 47:53 later (21.3mph / 3rd) I was back in transition. Stephanie Hucko, you are one strong little rider!
I got behind a knucklehead who didn't know how to run with his bike headed in so after getting frustrated with him and doing my best to get around him, all else in transition went ok. Struggled a bit with one of my racing flats but nothing too detrimental. 10-15 seconds lost.
The run went great! I made my way up the hill from transition and knowing this course, planned to hit my threshold heart rate (around 185) and hold it. My threshold heart rate equates to a 6:45/mile pace as determined by my blood lactate testing, so that was the goal. I passed about 50 men on this run but never saw any girls. I assumed the fast ones in my AG were probably a few minutes ahead of me at this point after my lousy swim. I just kept plodding along but I will say it's tough to be out there racing the men. I think that's how I know I need to step into Open next year - cause even though I'm gonna get pummeled in the water for a while, I'm hoping it'll make me faster and I'll actually be "racing" those that I'm truly competing against. Nonetheless, I continued to run...there are a few rollers that made me definitely want to slow down but all miles kept ticking off at 6:40, 6:38 and 6:34...woooo hooooo!! I ran a 20:39 (6:38/mile pace), a 5k PR and I'm excited. I was the 3rd run split of the day which is slowly improving for me. I've always been 7-10th, usually. It feels good to be getting faster.
So I ended up coming across the line as the announcer said "and we have our 4th female finisher of the day and the 30-34 1st place female" so I was somewhat shocked. I figured my swim would completely destroy me of any chance of a good finish. Sweet!
Lesson learned...know the swim course. Funny thing is, of all the swim courses in the series, I should know this one the best since they do the practice swims there every other week and I used to do those pretty often. I haven't been in Charlotte without a race for one of them this year and now I'm wishing I had. Only 40 seconds behind the 3rd female which coulda been my mishap in the water. Oh well, that's racing!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Stop the Music....
My volume has been pretty light this week recovering from Nationals and was pretty light last week tapering, so needless to say, I feel....like a whale. :-) I feel rested too but I am definitely looking forward a normal, intense week of training next week. Right Stacey? ;-)
Speaking of Stacey, I have thought of her an awful lot for the last 10 days or so. After dealing with injury on and off for many years, Stacey raced her last triathlon as a professional at Steelehead 70.3 in Michigan two weeks ago. Post race (and a lot of pain later) her MRI results showed that she has ruptured her posterial tibial tendon, her plantar fascia is compromised, and that her Achilles is full of scar tissue. My amazing coach, and pretty much the best triathlete in North and South Carolina, will undergo reconstructive foot surgery tomorrow in Chapel Hill tomorrow...and it has struck a cord deep inside me.
Not only have I spent hours thinking about what she's going through physically, I have spent more time putting myself in her shoes. Several times during Nationals, I thought about her telling me "fast leg turn over" while running and "you are a good swimmer" in the water, but I have also spent a lot of time thinking "what if I was forced to stop?" At this point, I truly cannot fathom. My heart hurts for what she is going through.
In the matter of about 3 years, triathlon has taken my life by storm...and I wouldn't have it any other way! Between my own training, coaching, teaching spin class, and bike racing, pretty much all my free time is consumed with this sport, in one way or another. My love for coaching is a very close 2nd to my love for my training. At this point in my racing career though, if push came to shove, I would have to give up my coaching first. I love to race too much and I love to train just as much! I look forward to probably 9.9 workouts out of 10 - and that is not an exaggeration. Yes, they are hard... but they are also fun. I realize it's a different kind of fun that not everyone understands, but it's fun for me and that's what counts.
But what if that got swept out from under me??
Throughout this week, I have concluded that it will almost definitely take something similar to Stacey's injury to make me quit. Perhaps one day I will have children and I will be ready or "forced" to slow down a little and I'm prepared for that, but at this point, I don't think I'll ever stop completely...unless I was forced. One of the coolest things about Stacey is that she is a mom of two and has been kicking ass in the triathlon circuit - both as a local athlete and a professional - for a long time. Lots of women race post children, but not all bounce back to get their pro card post children. How cool is that?!
So as Stacey prepares for not only a painful surgery tomorrow morning and a long recovery ahead, I can't help but feel so very sad for her, but also thankful for being healthy and injury free myself. Nationals kicked off my 8-week long race schedule and I am beyond grateful to be in a place in my life that I am able to do what I love as often as I chose. I am hopeful one day my life will be much different and I'm prepared to shift my my priorities accordingly, but for now, I am going to enjoy every single minute of what I am capable of. Seeing someone stripped of something they love (that you also share a love for) has opened my eyes immensely. I will bask just a little more in my "successes" knowing that they could be taken away from me as quickly as they came into my life. I will be more thankful for my health and appreciative of recovery and rest. Most of all, I will continue to have fun....because you never know when the music might stop.
I am thinking about you Stacey and wish you an uneventful surgery and a super speedy recovery small fry! XO
Speaking of Stacey, I have thought of her an awful lot for the last 10 days or so. After dealing with injury on and off for many years, Stacey raced her last triathlon as a professional at Steelehead 70.3 in Michigan two weeks ago. Post race (and a lot of pain later) her MRI results showed that she has ruptured her posterial tibial tendon, her plantar fascia is compromised, and that her Achilles is full of scar tissue. My amazing coach, and pretty much the best triathlete in North and South Carolina, will undergo reconstructive foot surgery tomorrow in Chapel Hill tomorrow...and it has struck a cord deep inside me.
Not only have I spent hours thinking about what she's going through physically, I have spent more time putting myself in her shoes. Several times during Nationals, I thought about her telling me "fast leg turn over" while running and "you are a good swimmer" in the water, but I have also spent a lot of time thinking "what if I was forced to stop?" At this point, I truly cannot fathom. My heart hurts for what she is going through.
In the matter of about 3 years, triathlon has taken my life by storm...and I wouldn't have it any other way! Between my own training, coaching, teaching spin class, and bike racing, pretty much all my free time is consumed with this sport, in one way or another. My love for coaching is a very close 2nd to my love for my training. At this point in my racing career though, if push came to shove, I would have to give up my coaching first. I love to race too much and I love to train just as much! I look forward to probably 9.9 workouts out of 10 - and that is not an exaggeration. Yes, they are hard... but they are also fun. I realize it's a different kind of fun that not everyone understands, but it's fun for me and that's what counts.
But what if that got swept out from under me??
Throughout this week, I have concluded that it will almost definitely take something similar to Stacey's injury to make me quit. Perhaps one day I will have children and I will be ready or "forced" to slow down a little and I'm prepared for that, but at this point, I don't think I'll ever stop completely...unless I was forced. One of the coolest things about Stacey is that she is a mom of two and has been kicking ass in the triathlon circuit - both as a local athlete and a professional - for a long time. Lots of women race post children, but not all bounce back to get their pro card post children. How cool is that?!
So as Stacey prepares for not only a painful surgery tomorrow morning and a long recovery ahead, I can't help but feel so very sad for her, but also thankful for being healthy and injury free myself. Nationals kicked off my 8-week long race schedule and I am beyond grateful to be in a place in my life that I am able to do what I love as often as I chose. I am hopeful one day my life will be much different and I'm prepared to shift my my priorities accordingly, but for now, I am going to enjoy every single minute of what I am capable of. Seeing someone stripped of something they love (that you also share a love for) has opened my eyes immensely. I will bask just a little more in my "successes" knowing that they could be taken away from me as quickly as they came into my life. I will be more thankful for my health and appreciative of recovery and rest. Most of all, I will continue to have fun....because you never know when the music might stop.
I am thinking about you Stacey and wish you an uneventful surgery and a super speedy recovery small fry! XO
Sunday, August 21, 2011
AG Nationals - Burlington, VT
Alright, here it is. The skinny on my race.
Day before, disaster as you know. But I made it and I got my packet and I was able to race!!
Given I had to be out of transition at 7:30, but still had to actually locate the race site, find the information tent (not an easy feat!), get my packet, set up transition, and get to the swim start - the morning was a bit hectic. I got up at 5:20, took my shower as usual, had my breakfast and we were on the road. I felt ready to race, albeit "behind" and unfamiliar with the race site, and honestly, a little stiff.
The actual "closest call" of the weekend ended up being as I picked up my bag to leave transition and head to the swim start. All my gear was laid out meticulously, set up and I was ready to go. There was a plastic bag sticking out of the pocket on my bag and as I went to stuff it back in my pocket, I felt my PEDALS for my bike that had been removed for bike transport!!! Can. You. Imagine....if I ran into transition and went to hop on to my bike to find no pedals to clip in to?! Holy crap. Bike support put those puppies on for me and I was officially ready to race.
My swim start was a 8:15am, the 14th swim wave. We swam in beautiful Lake Champlain. It was a great 72/73 degrees and very clean! I lined up in the center of the pack, front line, and was ready to swim MY race for once and try to find some fast feet to hang on to. The swim course had us swim about 150 meters straight out to the first turn buoy then hooked a hard right. The "funnel" effect where everyone merges to the center to round the buoy made my line up in the center a big mistake. It got ROUGH at the buoy, had my head dunked, all that good stuff that happens during open water swimming. Nonetheless, we made the turn, all was good and straight for a while. I was breathing solely to right which was ok given the direction the water was hitting us at this point. The next 500 meters or so were fairly uneventful but the fast girls were definitely pulling away by this point. The second turn was another hard right which turned us directly into the sun. Breathing on the right, the waves were hitting me right in the face. I took in no less than 10 enormous gulps of water during the next 400 or so meters. A boat flew by right around this point so we got to taste its gasoline and feel its waves moments later. I actually felt sea sick for a few seconds. After that 2nd hard right, it was ROUGH, there's not better way to put it. I kept finding myself to the left of the pack. I'd swim a few strokes aiming to get back in the slipstream but never seemed to be able to get there. The 25-29 year old men who started 4 minutes behind us were catching us by now and we had caught some of the wave in front of us so the water was just choppy. I desperately needed to be in the slipstream, but seriously couldn't get in there. We proceeded forward, a hard left turn, uneventful, proceeded through the "rock barrier" and to the finish....all uneventful. Saw 28.55 when I stood up and though than still does suck, I had to be pleased. I didn't swim a good line, certianly added 75-100 meters on by my HUGE sweeping left turn but my goal was to at least swim sub 30 and I did. I know I have SO much improvement to do swimming before Worlds, but I have to start somewhere.
 |
| Exiting the water |
Dawn was instructed to notify me of "less than 20" or "more than 30 / 40 girls" with blue caps that had exited the water in front of me. I heard her usual awesome loud cheering and "more than 40" as I exited the water. Despite being pleased with my (still-not-fast) sub 30 min swim, per usual, I had some ground to make up. I knew it wouldn't be easy given this was a National competition. We're not in Charlotte anymore Todo, I literally thought to myself!
I did my best to not let my lackluster swim get to me, as it usually does. I have faith in my riding legs, if nothing at all and I literally pep-talked myself out of transition that all my riding would pay off today. Transition went perfect, nothing to report here and I was out in just over 1 min. On the road!
T2 also went off without much hitch, other than blazing past my little "area" by 5-10 feet but nothing to detrimental. I took a one second glance to assess the amount of bikes in the 1400 #'s area...25-30 was my quick glance assessment. I still had some ground to make up.
I headed out to run which actually felt good! My legs just felt like they wanted to stretch the whole time I rode. Immediately out of transition was a HUGE, I mean .40 mile, 15-20% grade climb. It sucked so bad. The hill was absolute carnage. I was please for my first mile to be 7:55 given this hill. I was 1 of 2 people around me, of about 30 or so in the vicinity to be actually "jogging" by the time we reached the top. The course was then flat for a while....loooong flats, where you can see forever and it seems like there's never a turn. I felt just "ok". A 31 year old girl that ran out of transition in front of me, took off a little during mile 2 but I refused to let that bother me. I planned to just run my pace and, for some reason, knew she would fade. By mile 2, I started to get the "oh wow, I have 4+ more miles at this pace, I don't know if I can do it". My energy was low. I took in my "emergency gel" praying that it would give me the boost I needed to get through the rest of the 6.2 mile run.
The worst part of my run was the man who ran on my heals for 5 miles (the way that the pros do it). It is so mentally challenging to hear someones foot steps so close, breathing in your ear, feeling them behind you. I felt so confused at to why this man wanted to "get in the head" of someone he wasn't even competing against and it was so very hard to not let it get to me. The run took some turns and we headed back on a gorgeous shaded path. I kept a nice pace, picked off 2 girls in my AG at some points during that time. I was truly exhausted though. I had zero energy, zero pep in my step but I kept plugging along thinking of my coach, my sister at the finish line and my athletes. I would not let another race defeat me.
 |
| Getting an idea of the hill - pix don't do it justice |
I am making huge strides on the mental side of this sport and this race proved to be probably my biggest stride. I wanted to walk SO SO SO SO SO SO SO bad. I was totally out of gas after mile 5 but I dug harder than I've ever dug before. I had passed the girl who took off early on and I was reeling in another girl in my age group. The guy on my heals continued to annoy the crap out of me, but honestly kept me going in a way. I hated him, but thank him now. :-) The finishing shoot was long and I felt like I gave it the biggest kick I could....then I saw the video my sister took of me and it looks like I'm crawling! I knew I had recently passed two girls in my age group ans I refused to let them out-kick me at the finish. I thought of the final sprint in bike racing and decided to make this equal to that pain. It was. I nearly collapsed as I crossed the finish line, made my way to the grass, and laid down.
So, general thoughts are, I bonked, hard. Or did the day prior really take a toll on my performance? I guess I'll never know! What I do know is I was mentally strong enough to keep it together. I am proud of that. I also ran my 10k PR by 15 seconds (43:53) - stand alone and triathlon included. I swam sub 30 which was my goal. I crushed the bike course (22mph average) but did not crush my legs, they were never really "there" to crush. Though not comparable on courses, I PR'd this distance by over 2 minutes. I have to be pleased.
 |
| Registering for WORLDS!!!! |
Check back for some race photos this week! I hope everyone had a great weekend of training or racing! Now I sit again, with another delayed flight, another missed connection, likely a night in DC, a flight to Cincinnati and then to Charlotte...by tomorrow evening. Clearly I used every bit of potential luck I might have to grab a Worlds spot this weekend. Traveling has not been in my corner.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Perfect Race? No such luck!
One of the missing elements of the perfect race that went without mention yesterday was travel hiccups!
Well, for those that know me, know I don't always have the best of luck... particularly with traveling. If a flight is delayed, it's usually mine. If a flight is cancelled, it's probably mine.
Well today proved no different and I've already learned a huge lesson for future races. My wonderful mother was amazing enough to book my and Dawn's flights for us. Unable to see our itinerary online without a confirmation number and mom unable to locate the confirmation, we were unable to see even what airline we were booked on. As a result, I was a little stressed this morning wanting to get to the airport in time. We knew we were on a 10:15 flight, just weren't exactly sure what airline. Ooops.
So, we arrived at the airport in plenty of time, quickly got to the United desk and found our flight with ease. Phfew. As we continued at the kiosk printing our passes, we were notified that "your departing flight to DC is delayed and you will in turn miss your connection." After waiting 15 minutes while the putz behind the United desk punched away on his keyboard (think Meet the Fockers) giving no head nods, smiles, nothing, we were notified that the next available flight gets in to Burlington at 10:30pm!!?
Given that packet pickup ends at 6pm and USAT is typically extremely strict on their times, policies and rules, 10:30pm obviously didn't work. So as the putz behind the desk just stands there staring at Dawn and I, we immediately start asking for surrounding airports and such that might get us in earlier. Said putz behind the desk truly earns his name when he just blankly stares at us with no suggestions of potential alternative options. So, luckily for Blackberry's and Iphones, we frantically google and discover Boston is only 4 hours from our destination.
The Boston flight is due to leave at 11:30 with an arrival at 1:45pm giving us exactly 4:15 to de-board the plane, pick up our car, and drive the 4 hours to Burlington. Pretty tight, but feasible.
At this point, our Boston flight is delayed till noon, not getting in till 2:15, thus nearly eliminating any chances to make it to packet pickup by 6pm.
My amazing sister tracked down 4 different people with USAT until she tracked down someone who told me if I can get to the Information tent by 5:30 am tomorrow morning, I should be allowed to get my packet then. It will make for an extremely stressful pre-race morning, but at this point, I will be happy if I am able to race at all!
Lesson learned: Don't fly in the day before a big race. Plain and simple. Going forward, I will be sure to leave myself a cushion when traveling to these A races. The airlines are just too unpredictable and the additional stress of such situations are not conducive to pre-race relaxation and recovery.
I will keep my followers posted on if / when we make it to Burlington and at this point, given the stress of today, I'm hoping to fair ok tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Well, for those that know me, know I don't always have the best of luck... particularly with traveling. If a flight is delayed, it's usually mine. If a flight is cancelled, it's probably mine.
Well today proved no different and I've already learned a huge lesson for future races. My wonderful mother was amazing enough to book my and Dawn's flights for us. Unable to see our itinerary online without a confirmation number and mom unable to locate the confirmation, we were unable to see even what airline we were booked on. As a result, I was a little stressed this morning wanting to get to the airport in time. We knew we were on a 10:15 flight, just weren't exactly sure what airline. Ooops.
So, we arrived at the airport in plenty of time, quickly got to the United desk and found our flight with ease. Phfew. As we continued at the kiosk printing our passes, we were notified that "your departing flight to DC is delayed and you will in turn miss your connection." After waiting 15 minutes while the putz behind the United desk punched away on his keyboard (think Meet the Fockers) giving no head nods, smiles, nothing, we were notified that the next available flight gets in to Burlington at 10:30pm!!?
Given that packet pickup ends at 6pm and USAT is typically extremely strict on their times, policies and rules, 10:30pm obviously didn't work. So as the putz behind the desk just stands there staring at Dawn and I, we immediately start asking for surrounding airports and such that might get us in earlier. Said putz behind the desk truly earns his name when he just blankly stares at us with no suggestions of potential alternative options. So, luckily for Blackberry's and Iphones, we frantically google and discover Boston is only 4 hours from our destination.
The Boston flight is due to leave at 11:30 with an arrival at 1:45pm giving us exactly 4:15 to de-board the plane, pick up our car, and drive the 4 hours to Burlington. Pretty tight, but feasible.
At this point, our Boston flight is delayed till noon, not getting in till 2:15, thus nearly eliminating any chances to make it to packet pickup by 6pm.
My amazing sister tracked down 4 different people with USAT until she tracked down someone who told me if I can get to the Information tent by 5:30 am tomorrow morning, I should be allowed to get my packet then. It will make for an extremely stressful pre-race morning, but at this point, I will be happy if I am able to race at all!
Lesson learned: Don't fly in the day before a big race. Plain and simple. Going forward, I will be sure to leave myself a cushion when traveling to these A races. The airlines are just too unpredictable and the additional stress of such situations are not conducive to pre-race relaxation and recovery.
I will keep my followers posted on if / when we make it to Burlington and at this point, given the stress of today, I'm hoping to fair ok tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The "Perfectly" Executed Race?
I would like to know if anyone that reads this blog believes in the perfectly executed race? A race where every discipline and transition goes exactly as planned? I guess that would require people to actually reads this blog too. :-)
Take for instance, your best race (time wise) from this season. Maybe you walked away with a PR and some hardware, maybe you felt the strongest you've ever felt running off your bike, maybe you had the fastest bike split of the day! Don't get me wrong, that's awesome! However, in hindsight, did everything really go as planned? Did you drop your gel coming out of T2 and have to pick it up? Did you run into the wrong row in T1 or fumble around with your bike trying to get it off the rack? Did you run out of T1 while steering your bike with both hands on your handlebars cause you "don't know how" to steer your bike with only one hand on the seat? All of these, and many many more, should be considered in your response to the perfect race. Chances are, the answer is no! Join the club. :-)
Perfect and racing, in my opinion, don't typically go together. Let's be honest, perfect and LIFE don't all too often go together - there's always hiccups. I'd venture to say that even most seasoned racers, and probably the pros, would completely agree. That's how triathlon gets people hooked!
The sport is a constant challenge which drives us type A athletes to improve! We train hard day in and day out for the physical aspect of triathlon - we swim meters upon meters, run endless miles and ride our bikes till our butt's hurt - but what we all so often forget is the 4th discipline of triathlon...transition! I'm guilty of it myself. Who wants to spend 30 minutes of their precious time looking like a total geek with a mock transition area set up running in and out taking on and off your shoes??
Truth is, spending just 30 minutes practicing your transitions can make a huge impact on your race. I have hosted a few transition clinics and they have always gotten very receptive feedback. Taking the time to teach someone how to transition, seems silly. Run out of the water, put your crap on, and go. Hang up your bike, change your shoes, and go. But when you start talking with less experienced triathletes, transition is typically the one of the most stressful concerns, second to the swim. 30 minutes of practice can make a world of difference, as I have seen with my very own eyes!
Transition aside, I still think it's pretty tough to say a race was 100% perfectly executed, unless you're like Chrissie Wellington or the likes. However, I think we all owe it to ourselves to spend 30 minutes to potentially eliminate some of the most petty reasons that races don't go 100% according to plan. Let's be honest, we've ALL had the man-if-only-I-went-30-sec-faster-in-T1-I-coulda-placed-4-places-better moments.
Here's to more perfect races in your future!
T-1 day till Nationals!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Schedule of Events
I have a lot on my plate coming up and its no wonder I'm starting to feel a little stressed. I'm not exactly sure how my race schedule ended up getting quite so packed this late in the season but at this point, I'm in head first and I plan to take it one day, one week and one race at a time!
This is what my next two months will look like:
August 20 - AG Nationals - Burlington, VA - Olympic distance triathlon
August 28 - LKN Sprint - Cornelius, NV - Sprint distance triathlon
September 10 - Brenner Pro Am - Winston Salem, NC - Crit race
September 11 - Carolina Cup - Greensboro, NC - Crit race
September 24 & 25 - MS 150 - Century Ride and 50-100 (TBD) mile ride
October 1&2 - Pinehurst Olympic & Sprint (TBD) - Pinehurst, NC - Olympic & Sprint distance traithlons
October 8 - Half Max Nationals - Myrtle Beach, NC - Half Iron distance triathlon
No, all of these are not "races" and not all of these are "A" races per say, which is how I'm gearing up to handle this schedule. I plan to race hard when necessary, and enjoy the other events and my weekends home resting. No doubt there is a looming pressure to perform, which primarily comes from pressure I put on myself. Several races on my schedule take priority for various reasons.
AG Nat's - important for obvious reasons. This is a big national race and there are women coming from all over the country who are very very talented. There is also the opportunity to qualify for Team USA!! I want to perform well, and given how my training has been going, I feel that that is possible. I have no real expectations because I don't know any of the competition, nor the course, so I plan to race hard and see how I fair. I plan to try to focus on my own race. If I have a "perfectly" executed race (is there really such a thing as a perfectly executed race?) and feel strong all day, and come home with a 50th place in my AG, I am going to try my best to feel good regardless. I will admit though, that'd be a tough pill to swallow!
LKN Sprint - I typically would never consider a sprint race an "A" race but the circumstances around this are unique. Right now, I am 2nd in the NC triathlon series (click) and the 3rd place girl is right on my tail! The series keeps your 5 best races and Cool Breeze and White Lake Sprint (*) are bringing me down right now. At this point, there's no way I can beat Tanya so it's truly a race for 2nd!
* Notes: The entire Navy Triathlon team showed up at Cool Breeze (a.k.a COLD Breeze) and my "easy points race" turned into a 9th place overall finish. Given there was only one girl from Charlotte in the rankings ahead of me, so had the Navy team stayed parked in Annapolis, a solid 2nd place finish would have been great for my points. Grrrr. Despite having a good race at White Lake, the bike course is too flat for me to gain any of my usual lost time out of the water, so my 11th overall finish was also sub-par and weighing me down.
Nonetheless, I'll be gunning for a good, solid race at LKN in order to hopefully hold my position in the series, thus making it a more important race than it normally would be. The LKN race on Sunday in 2009 was also my first triathlon victory ever!!
Pinehurst Olympic - This race is also important, particularly once the results of LKN are determined. Pinehurst is a good course for me bike-wise so hopefully I will feel strong and have fast legs that day for a strong run. I'm still deciding if I'll double up and do the sprint on Sunday since I'll already be down there.
Half Max Nationals - It goes without saying, anything with "nationals" in its name is likely an important and competitive race. This will be my first half of the season and my first race of any length since Augusta in September 2010. I'm excited to see how my running has progressed in the past year. The year long break from long-course training has been a huge breath of fresh air for me and (exactly as I hoped / knew would happen) I'm itching for some distance in my life! It's so hard to force yourself to step back from time to time, but in the long run (no pun intended), it's the best thing you can do!!
So, wish me luck as I embark on a crazy few weeks of racing. It will be Thanksgiving before we know it and this crazy season will have come to an end. In the meantime, I set out to post some solid results, create awesome memories of racing and traveling with family and friends, and continue to learn about my strengths and limits!
First up, Age Group Nationals! T-2 days.
This is what my next two months will look like:
August 20 - AG Nationals - Burlington, VA - Olympic distance triathlon
August 28 - LKN Sprint - Cornelius, NV - Sprint distance triathlon
September 10 - Brenner Pro Am - Winston Salem, NC - Crit race
September 11 - Carolina Cup - Greensboro, NC - Crit race
September 24 & 25 - MS 150 - Century Ride and 50-100 (TBD) mile ride
October 1&2 - Pinehurst Olympic & Sprint (TBD) - Pinehurst, NC - Olympic & Sprint distance traithlons
October 8 - Half Max Nationals - Myrtle Beach, NC - Half Iron distance triathlon
No, all of these are not "races" and not all of these are "A" races per say, which is how I'm gearing up to handle this schedule. I plan to race hard when necessary, and enjoy the other events and my weekends home resting. No doubt there is a looming pressure to perform, which primarily comes from pressure I put on myself. Several races on my schedule take priority for various reasons.
AG Nat's - important for obvious reasons. This is a big national race and there are women coming from all over the country who are very very talented. There is also the opportunity to qualify for Team USA!! I want to perform well, and given how my training has been going, I feel that that is possible. I have no real expectations because I don't know any of the competition, nor the course, so I plan to race hard and see how I fair. I plan to try to focus on my own race. If I have a "perfectly" executed race (is there really such a thing as a perfectly executed race?) and feel strong all day, and come home with a 50th place in my AG, I am going to try my best to feel good regardless. I will admit though, that'd be a tough pill to swallow!
LKN Sprint - I typically would never consider a sprint race an "A" race but the circumstances around this are unique. Right now, I am 2nd in the NC triathlon series (click) and the 3rd place girl is right on my tail! The series keeps your 5 best races and Cool Breeze and White Lake Sprint (*) are bringing me down right now. At this point, there's no way I can beat Tanya so it's truly a race for 2nd!
* Notes: The entire Navy Triathlon team showed up at Cool Breeze (a.k.a COLD Breeze) and my "easy points race" turned into a 9th place overall finish. Given there was only one girl from Charlotte in the rankings ahead of me, so had the Navy team stayed parked in Annapolis, a solid 2nd place finish would have been great for my points. Grrrr. Despite having a good race at White Lake, the bike course is too flat for me to gain any of my usual lost time out of the water, so my 11th overall finish was also sub-par and weighing me down.
Nonetheless, I'll be gunning for a good, solid race at LKN in order to hopefully hold my position in the series, thus making it a more important race than it normally would be. The LKN race on Sunday in 2009 was also my first triathlon victory ever!!
Pinehurst Olympic - This race is also important, particularly once the results of LKN are determined. Pinehurst is a good course for me bike-wise so hopefully I will feel strong and have fast legs that day for a strong run. I'm still deciding if I'll double up and do the sprint on Sunday since I'll already be down there.
Half Max Nationals - It goes without saying, anything with "nationals" in its name is likely an important and competitive race. This will be my first half of the season and my first race of any length since Augusta in September 2010. I'm excited to see how my running has progressed in the past year. The year long break from long-course training has been a huge breath of fresh air for me and (exactly as I hoped / knew would happen) I'm itching for some distance in my life! It's so hard to force yourself to step back from time to time, but in the long run (no pun intended), it's the best thing you can do!!
So, wish me luck as I embark on a crazy few weeks of racing. It will be Thanksgiving before we know it and this crazy season will have come to an end. In the meantime, I set out to post some solid results, create awesome memories of racing and traveling with family and friends, and continue to learn about my strengths and limits!
First up, Age Group Nationals! T-2 days.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The countdown is on!
Tonight is Sunday night and the countdown until AG Nationals next Saturday has begun! I'm super excited for this race!! It's the shortest race I've ever traveled any distance for. The combination of being in the cooler weather in Vermont and the reduced stress because the race is shorter, has me all sorts of jazzed up! Of course I want to do well at the race, so there's the "stress" of that, but I'm pretty certain I can complete the distance so now its time to let the legs recover and get the mind right ;-)
This past few days has pulled me straight out of my comfort zone, yet again! Stacey seems to have a great way of doing that, in a good way. Friday evening was my second track session, as I discussed, and I'll admit, I was pretty pooped Saturday morning. I rode easy with a client (good work Nicole) on Saturday, but not until 10am. My usual Saturday's, for oh, the past 3, 4, 5 years, have pretty much always included getting up and doing some sort of hard, long run, ride, workout, yoga, etc. To not set an alarm and have no real workouts planned for the first time in a long time....was actually kind of nice, but certainly out of my norm! Later in the day I hit the gym for a while to do my movement prep and core stability routine, which I love. It's nice to go to the gym every now and again, vs being out on the roads running alone or riding in groups. I used to be a bit of a "gym rat" as where I did most of my working out on the treadmills and doing weights and such, before I started this triathlon gig. It was nice to do something that I once loved...and still do every now and again!
By Sunday, I was ready to be back in the saddle or running or something sweaty and hard :-) I'm sore from my Core Performance workouts (great book, BTW if you haven't seen) but in a good way. Because of my soreness, I was a little worried about how'd I'd feel on my ride today. I met a few friends today for a true "tribie" ride vs. my normal road rides that I've gotten accustomed to doing on the weekends. It was nice to arrive at a ride on a TT bike and not get dirty looks. That's a whole separate blog topic of its own though! I digress. We rode hard today and I'm happy that my legs showed up, for the most part. It's good to know that even on tired legs I can still hang with and even drag the boys around ;-) After a nice 2500 swim tonight in place of the OWS I was supposed to do this morning, that wrapped up my weekend of training.
I'm looking forward to the day off completely tomorrow, letting my soreness dissipate and continuing to build excitement to race this weekend. My swimming has made a little progress since my last race given I've spent quite a bit of time in the water and I'm hoping to at least give up the entire race in the water, as I have in my past few. I'm also really looking forward to a weekend with my bestest friend in the whole world and the most amazing sister ever! We've been so crazy busy lately and on different schedules a lot, so it'll be so nice to spend 3 whole days with her. She will surely show all of the other spectators how a real triathlon spectating should be done. I'm also really looking forward to seeing and racing with one of my cilents, Lauren who I was so lucky to have met at USAT clinic in San Antonio. We landed right on the treadmill next to each other at our hotel on the night before the clinic started, and spent the rest of the week getting to know each other, learning a ton and having fun! We've kept in great touch since and she's become a big part of my life in a short amount of time! I haven't seen her since USAT clinic and I can't wait.
Off to sleep. I'm a huge advocate of lots of it, as demonstrated by the 19 hours of it and the 5 hours worth of napping I performed this weekend. With a big race on the horizon, there is nothing more important. I'm very thankful sleep comes easy to me and when I have the time, I try to do it as often as I can.
Sweet dreams blog-readers.
This past few days has pulled me straight out of my comfort zone, yet again! Stacey seems to have a great way of doing that, in a good way. Friday evening was my second track session, as I discussed, and I'll admit, I was pretty pooped Saturday morning. I rode easy with a client (good work Nicole) on Saturday, but not until 10am. My usual Saturday's, for oh, the past 3, 4, 5 years, have pretty much always included getting up and doing some sort of hard, long run, ride, workout, yoga, etc. To not set an alarm and have no real workouts planned for the first time in a long time....was actually kind of nice, but certainly out of my norm! Later in the day I hit the gym for a while to do my movement prep and core stability routine, which I love. It's nice to go to the gym every now and again, vs being out on the roads running alone or riding in groups. I used to be a bit of a "gym rat" as where I did most of my working out on the treadmills and doing weights and such, before I started this triathlon gig. It was nice to do something that I once loved...and still do every now and again!
By Sunday, I was ready to be back in the saddle or running or something sweaty and hard :-) I'm sore from my Core Performance workouts (great book, BTW if you haven't seen) but in a good way. Because of my soreness, I was a little worried about how'd I'd feel on my ride today. I met a few friends today for a true "tribie" ride vs. my normal road rides that I've gotten accustomed to doing on the weekends. It was nice to arrive at a ride on a TT bike and not get dirty looks. That's a whole separate blog topic of its own though! I digress. We rode hard today and I'm happy that my legs showed up, for the most part. It's good to know that even on tired legs I can still hang with and even drag the boys around ;-) After a nice 2500 swim tonight in place of the OWS I was supposed to do this morning, that wrapped up my weekend of training.
I'm looking forward to the day off completely tomorrow, letting my soreness dissipate and continuing to build excitement to race this weekend. My swimming has made a little progress since my last race given I've spent quite a bit of time in the water and I'm hoping to at least give up the entire race in the water, as I have in my past few. I'm also really looking forward to a weekend with my bestest friend in the whole world and the most amazing sister ever! We've been so crazy busy lately and on different schedules a lot, so it'll be so nice to spend 3 whole days with her. She will surely show all of the other spectators how a real triathlon spectating should be done. I'm also really looking forward to seeing and racing with one of my cilents, Lauren who I was so lucky to have met at USAT clinic in San Antonio. We landed right on the treadmill next to each other at our hotel on the night before the clinic started, and spent the rest of the week getting to know each other, learning a ton and having fun! We've kept in great touch since and she's become a big part of my life in a short amount of time! I haven't seen her since USAT clinic and I can't wait.
Off to sleep. I'm a huge advocate of lots of it, as demonstrated by the 19 hours of it and the 5 hours worth of napping I performed this weekend. With a big race on the horizon, there is nothing more important. I'm very thankful sleep comes easy to me and when I have the time, I try to do it as often as I can.
Sweet dreams blog-readers.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Morning workouts....
So tonight was my 2nd track session of "Chapter 2". My goal when planning my days is to get my "tougher" or more quality workout done in the morning if their are two longer workouts on my schedule. Today I had a track set and some functional strength/core work to do. 9 1/2 times out of 10, I would do the track session in the morning and save my strength to do at lunch or after work, if I didn't get to do it after the track workout. This way, if something happens to come up, the more quality of the workouts is done.
That said, I had a hard time getting out of the house this morning. I was up in plenty of time, but had some catching up to do on emails and coaching stuff this morning, so it was pushing 7:30 by the time I was ready to roll. So, I opted to do my core session this morning at the gym and save the track session for tonight. Like expected, my track workout "hung" over my head all day long, knowing I still had a big effort on the docket. Not ideal!
I'm not sure if I'm more stiff/sore from my A.R.T with my favorite Dr. Greenapple yesterday, or the core/strength work I did this morning, but I felt so awful during my 2-mile warm up. I'm not used to the heat of the evening either, and though it was only 86 degrees with probably 75% humidity as compared to our standard 100/100%, it was still an adjustment.
Post warm up, I was feeling a little better. My track set included 8x400's with strides on the sprints and easy easy jog on the corners. I then did 8x200's with walk backs. A first time for those and I gotta say I liked them! Usain Bolt's long lost brother was at the track also doing 200's with walk backs which was awesome for my ego (insert sarcasm).
Based on my Mcmillan Run Calculator my 200 meter pace should be 38.5 - 42 seconds. I didn't check this prior to the set simply so I could see what I could do with no "expectations" and then compare to what I "should" be doing. Turns out, all of my 200's fell right in my pace zone, and actually the last 2 were just slightly below my expected pace at 38 seconds! Maybe having Usain Bolt running 21-22 seconds did help me after all!
My workout turned out to be pretty good after all, but I'm curious to try this set at 6am, and not 6pm, to see how my performance varies at all. I beat a serious dead horse with my athletes about getting workouts done in the morning and I know they get tired of hearing it. Tonight is a prime example of why!
Here are a few reasons why I swear by morning workouts:
1. The weight of the big workout hangs over your head all day
2. The heat sucks at night, though I did get lucky tonight and it was tolerable.
3. The wear and tear on your legs all day certainly must have an effect on how fresh your legs are 10 hours later.
4. Races are in the morning, so why not get that body prepped for that 4:00am alarm at 6:30am gun time?
5. Working out in the morning also prepares your tummy to operate on one simple meal. By night time, most people have had breakfast, coffee, snacks, lunch, etc etc. The chance of something upsetting your stomach by 6pm is much greater than after your simple old breakfast.
6. Very few things can "pop up" in your day at 5:30/6am. Most bosses aren't scheduling 5:30am meetings, no friends are begging you to come out for a drink at 5:30am, and that migraine typically hasn't set in just yet.
7. You can wind down better at night. You can spend QT with your significant other (NAP for me about now- hahaha), hang out with your pets and just chill out!
8. The endorphins really do stay with you all day!
9. If you wake up and aren't feeling "into" your workout, at least you have the option to go later in the day. If you aren't feeling "into"your workout at 6pm, you're pretty much out of options. Looks like a miss on that schedule. OoooOoOoo....baaad student! ;-)
10. It gets your metabolism going and rocking all day long! Calories be burning!
So in a nutshell, like computrainers, I swear by morning workouts. For you non-morning worker-outers, consider setting that alarm for 60-90 minutes earlier tomorrow and see how you do! You might actually end up liking it, even if this is you for the first week or two.
Happy weekend everyone! Good luck to everyone racing the Double Down this weekend. I'm insanely jealous but being a good student and abiding by my coach with strict orders to NOT race.
1 week from today I'll be climbing in to bed in anticipation of my alarm for Age Group Nationals in Burlington, Vermont!
That said, I had a hard time getting out of the house this morning. I was up in plenty of time, but had some catching up to do on emails and coaching stuff this morning, so it was pushing 7:30 by the time I was ready to roll. So, I opted to do my core session this morning at the gym and save the track session for tonight. Like expected, my track workout "hung" over my head all day long, knowing I still had a big effort on the docket. Not ideal!
I'm not sure if I'm more stiff/sore from my A.R.T with my favorite Dr. Greenapple yesterday, or the core/strength work I did this morning, but I felt so awful during my 2-mile warm up. I'm not used to the heat of the evening either, and though it was only 86 degrees with probably 75% humidity as compared to our standard 100/100%, it was still an adjustment.
Post warm up, I was feeling a little better. My track set included 8x400's with strides on the sprints and easy easy jog on the corners. I then did 8x200's with walk backs. A first time for those and I gotta say I liked them! Usain Bolt's long lost brother was at the track also doing 200's with walk backs which was awesome for my ego (insert sarcasm).
Based on my Mcmillan Run Calculator my 200 meter pace should be 38.5 - 42 seconds. I didn't check this prior to the set simply so I could see what I could do with no "expectations" and then compare to what I "should" be doing. Turns out, all of my 200's fell right in my pace zone, and actually the last 2 were just slightly below my expected pace at 38 seconds! Maybe having Usain Bolt running 21-22 seconds did help me after all!
My workout turned out to be pretty good after all, but I'm curious to try this set at 6am, and not 6pm, to see how my performance varies at all. I beat a serious dead horse with my athletes about getting workouts done in the morning and I know they get tired of hearing it. Tonight is a prime example of why!
Here are a few reasons why I swear by morning workouts:
1. The weight of the big workout hangs over your head all day
2. The heat sucks at night, though I did get lucky tonight and it was tolerable.
3. The wear and tear on your legs all day certainly must have an effect on how fresh your legs are 10 hours later.
4. Races are in the morning, so why not get that body prepped for that 4:00am alarm at 6:30am gun time?
5. Working out in the morning also prepares your tummy to operate on one simple meal. By night time, most people have had breakfast, coffee, snacks, lunch, etc etc. The chance of something upsetting your stomach by 6pm is much greater than after your simple old breakfast.
6. Very few things can "pop up" in your day at 5:30/6am. Most bosses aren't scheduling 5:30am meetings, no friends are begging you to come out for a drink at 5:30am, and that migraine typically hasn't set in just yet.
7. You can wind down better at night. You can spend QT with your significant other (NAP for me about now- hahaha), hang out with your pets and just chill out!
8. The endorphins really do stay with you all day!
9. If you wake up and aren't feeling "into" your workout, at least you have the option to go later in the day. If you aren't feeling "into"your workout at 6pm, you're pretty much out of options. Looks like a miss on that schedule. OoooOoOoo....baaad student! ;-)
10. It gets your metabolism going and rocking all day long! Calories be burning!
So in a nutshell, like computrainers, I swear by morning workouts. For you non-morning worker-outers, consider setting that alarm for 60-90 minutes earlier tomorrow and see how you do! You might actually end up liking it, even if this is you for the first week or two.
1 week from today I'll be climbing in to bed in anticipation of my alarm for Age Group Nationals in Burlington, Vermont!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"Watts" going on...
So thankfully, I'm alive and well after my recovery day. A full recovery day. This is big.
I'm also thankful that I had a recovery day when I did! I had totally forgotten that we decided last Wednesday at our weekly computrainer session at Uptown Cycles that we were going to be doing a 20 minute threshold power test this week! Whoops. For best results, athletes should rest at least one day prior to such tests, so the timing of yesterday's day off was great!
We warmed up with a 25 minute stair step starting at about 20% of FTP (functional threshold power) and increasing to about 60% of FTE, which for me was previously 210 watts. I did a power test at the studio back in February or March and tested at average watts of about 220ish, which was ok for having just come off the winter season.
I was excited for this test once I was reminded we were doing it! The warm up went great and given my generally lower volume this past few days, I was fresh and ready to roll. My goal was to average 230 watts, for a 10 watt increase over my previous test. About 3 minutes in to the 20 min test, I probably speak for everyone who has ever taken one of these, you're thinking "holy crap, 17 more minutes?!" For me, the hardest part of the test is from about 7-12 minutes. You're not almost done, but the fatigue is beginning to set in. I took this time in 30 second intervals adjusting my gearing higher for 30 seconds, and then taking a gear off for 30 second "recovery". This helped me get through the mental challenge.
When it was all said and done, I was pleased to have averaged 259 watts or 39 watts higher than my previous test about 6 months ago! Yay! Based on my weight, my average WPKG (watts per kilogram) were 4.1 which was 0.6 higher than my previous test!! Double yay! I think it goes without saying I'm getting stronger on my bike which feels good to have hard work paying off.
I have been asked a few times in the past few months "what's your secret?" or "how do you train for riding?" which is...neat! My answer to anyone and everyone asking this question is "riding a trainer!"
Throughout my training for three separate Ironmen races, I would estimate I did 50% of my riding indoors on my trainer - and no I don't mean a spin bike, which is not NEARLY the same (IMHO). The wheel on a spin bike is weighted, thus you'll notice if you stop pedaling, the pedals keeps going. Not so much with an indoor trainer. People who think they are "good" at spin class, rarely jump on a bike outdoors and put out any amount of power in my experience.
So, I thought I'd put together the top 10 reasons why I "love," (well, swear by, is more appropriate) indoor bike trainers (computrainers, even better!):
1. Like the treadmill, the trainer allows you to hit specific intervals, dead on - no excuses ("I was on a huge hill when it told me to use my big gear")
2. There are no traffic lights or wind in your face
3. Your kit doesn't have to coordinate
4. You chose the course and the terrain - it doesn't chose you!
5. There are no cars to run you off the road, honk loudly which in turn scares you to death, or people walking on the street asking you at every traffic light "daaaamnn yo, how much 'dat bike cost?"
6. It builds serious leg strength
7. You can get off and pee in the comfort of your own home and not at a nasty gas station, or in a bush, if you're like me. Or on yourself. Gross.
8. Water/food/gels are easily accessible
9. You can watch/catch up on TV shows, or, in my case, force yourself to turn your TV on for the first time in 28 days
10. There is no coasting on the bike trainer...and there is no coasting in triathlon cycling (or shouldn't be much). Odd how those are interlinked. :-)
The long and the short of it is, despite how much people may hate their trainers, I swear by them. It's nice sometimes to throw on a completely hideous pair of cycling shorts and a dingy sports bra with holes in all the wrong places, post your trainer up in front of the TV and spin away! Consider it next time you have an hour or 1:30 ride to do, or even consider it once a week!
I'll end on this: my Wednesday morning 1-hour computrainer class at Uptown Cycles has been the most consistent workout in my schedule for the past 30 weeks, and I increased my average watts almost 40 over the course of that time... coincidence, I think not!
** This was actually not intended to be an advertisement for Uptown Cycles, but turns out I gave them a pretty darn good plug! If anyone is interested in computrainer classes at the studio, email me at kimeagens@gmail.com and we can get you set up!
I'm also thankful that I had a recovery day when I did! I had totally forgotten that we decided last Wednesday at our weekly computrainer session at Uptown Cycles that we were going to be doing a 20 minute threshold power test this week! Whoops. For best results, athletes should rest at least one day prior to such tests, so the timing of yesterday's day off was great!
We warmed up with a 25 minute stair step starting at about 20% of FTP (functional threshold power) and increasing to about 60% of FTE, which for me was previously 210 watts. I did a power test at the studio back in February or March and tested at average watts of about 220ish, which was ok for having just come off the winter season.
I was excited for this test once I was reminded we were doing it! The warm up went great and given my generally lower volume this past few days, I was fresh and ready to roll. My goal was to average 230 watts, for a 10 watt increase over my previous test. About 3 minutes in to the 20 min test, I probably speak for everyone who has ever taken one of these, you're thinking "holy crap, 17 more minutes?!" For me, the hardest part of the test is from about 7-12 minutes. You're not almost done, but the fatigue is beginning to set in. I took this time in 30 second intervals adjusting my gearing higher for 30 seconds, and then taking a gear off for 30 second "recovery". This helped me get through the mental challenge.
 |
| Greg Shore, Tom Patch, Moi, Jim Kunevicous, Tom O'Donnell and Michael Starkey Putting out some watts at 6:45am!! |
I have been asked a few times in the past few months "what's your secret?" or "how do you train for riding?" which is...neat! My answer to anyone and everyone asking this question is "riding a trainer!"
Throughout my training for three separate Ironmen races, I would estimate I did 50% of my riding indoors on my trainer - and no I don't mean a spin bike, which is not NEARLY the same (IMHO). The wheel on a spin bike is weighted, thus you'll notice if you stop pedaling, the pedals keeps going. Not so much with an indoor trainer. People who think they are "good" at spin class, rarely jump on a bike outdoors and put out any amount of power in my experience.
So, I thought I'd put together the top 10 reasons why I "love," (well, swear by, is more appropriate) indoor bike trainers (computrainers, even better!):
1. Like the treadmill, the trainer allows you to hit specific intervals, dead on - no excuses ("I was on a huge hill when it told me to use my big gear")
2. There are no traffic lights or wind in your face
3. Your kit doesn't have to coordinate
4. You chose the course and the terrain - it doesn't chose you!
5. There are no cars to run you off the road, honk loudly which in turn scares you to death, or people walking on the street asking you at every traffic light "daaaamnn yo, how much 'dat bike cost?"
6. It builds serious leg strength
7. You can get off and pee in the comfort of your own home and not at a nasty gas station, or in a bush, if you're like me. Or on yourself. Gross.
8. Water/food/gels are easily accessible
9. You can watch/catch up on TV shows, or, in my case, force yourself to turn your TV on for the first time in 28 days
10. There is no coasting on the bike trainer...and there is no coasting in triathlon cycling (or shouldn't be much). Odd how those are interlinked. :-)
The long and the short of it is, despite how much people may hate their trainers, I swear by them. It's nice sometimes to throw on a completely hideous pair of cycling shorts and a dingy sports bra with holes in all the wrong places, post your trainer up in front of the TV and spin away! Consider it next time you have an hour or 1:30 ride to do, or even consider it once a week!
I'll end on this: my Wednesday morning 1-hour computrainer class at Uptown Cycles has been the most consistent workout in my schedule for the past 30 weeks, and I increased my average watts almost 40 over the course of that time... coincidence, I think not!
** This was actually not intended to be an advertisement for Uptown Cycles, but turns out I gave them a pretty darn good plug! If anyone is interested in computrainer classes at the studio, email me at kimeagens@gmail.com and we can get you set up!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Recovery is my friend...and my enemy!
I know for a fact I'm not the only one who feels that days of recovery (days "off") suck! Most people reading this know me, and probably know me pretty well!
I go 100mph at all times.
To some degree, I can't help it! It's part of who I am. I take after my father in this regard and it's one of his qualities I admire the most. My dad is 65 years old, still works full time, travels every week, on weekends he's home he's doing yard work for 8 hours a day - just the same as he did when he was 45 years old! If he's not working, he's sleeping. Just like me! Also contributing to my 100mph speeds is my insanely busy life that I have developed practically overnight. With coaching 13 athletes, working full time, 10-17 hours a week of my own training, having dogs, etc etc etc, most of the time, I don't have a choice but to go 100mph at all times or a lot of stuff wouldn't get done!
I have no doubts that Stacey would tell you I am a tough person to coach. Not from a "not do my workouts" perspective, but because of this all-over-the-place lifestyle I have. One day I'm teaching spin class, the next day I have to ride with a client, I'm running a marathon the next week, another day I have a bike crit, the following weekend I have 10k, and the next I have a 1/2 Ironman. I think Stacey is experienced enough and in tune with her athletes enough to "manage" me in that department and be sure I'm physically prepared for all of my events.
What she is fighting me on is this whole concept of recovery. I am fortunate enough to be an athlete who is not injury-prone and can handle pretty massive amounts of volume before I "crack." It takes a lot for me to raise my hand and say I'm tired. As triathletes, we get in the routine of going hard...all the time. Stacey's biggest challenge, even more so than my all-over-the-place race schedule, is to make me slow down.
As a coach though, I get it. I 100% force my athletes to take rest, do easy recovery workouts, take days off. Then why is it so hard for me? It's hard first and foremost, because I LOVE to workout. I would say I truly enjoy 95% of my workouts. Yes, they hurt, but I do all of this nonsense because I love it! It's also hard because it becomes a habit. It's very very rare I don't wake up and workout first thing in the morning. The days I don't (which are sometimes intentional), are "different". The endorphins and feeling that stays with you all day after a good hard training session can't be replaced with chai tea lattes or a Bojangles biscuit...though all delicious!!
Stacey has taken to planning "homework" for me on my days off. And I will abide 100%. I will take today off, even though my body isn't screaming at me to rest. This morning, my alarm wasn't set until 7:45 am. I woke up at 7:15 on my own and rather than get up, sweep the floor, do 6 loads of laundry, clean out my closet, re-arrange my pantry and take my dogs to play - I opted to lay in bed till my alarm went off! Tonight, I am instructed to read in silence for 30 minutes, something non-triathlon related, with my dogs. It's a pretty typical night for me actually (I read a ton before bed), but tonight I will take it to heart as true recovery for my hard-working body.
I pay a coach for a lot of reasons, but most importantly for me, much of the reason is for my coach to tie me down and tell me to CHILL OUT! And thank you Stacey for not killing me, yet!
I go 100mph at all times. To some degree, I can't help it! It's part of who I am. I take after my father in this regard and it's one of his qualities I admire the most. My dad is 65 years old, still works full time, travels every week, on weekends he's home he's doing yard work for 8 hours a day - just the same as he did when he was 45 years old! If he's not working, he's sleeping. Just like me! Also contributing to my 100mph speeds is my insanely busy life that I have developed practically overnight. With coaching 13 athletes, working full time, 10-17 hours a week of my own training, having dogs, etc etc etc, most of the time, I don't have a choice but to go 100mph at all times or a lot of stuff wouldn't get done!
I have no doubts that Stacey would tell you I am a tough person to coach. Not from a "not do my workouts" perspective, but because of this all-over-the-place lifestyle I have. One day I'm teaching spin class, the next day I have to ride with a client, I'm running a marathon the next week, another day I have a bike crit, the following weekend I have 10k, and the next I have a 1/2 Ironman. I think Stacey is experienced enough and in tune with her athletes enough to "manage" me in that department and be sure I'm physically prepared for all of my events.
What she is fighting me on is this whole concept of recovery. I am fortunate enough to be an athlete who is not injury-prone and can handle pretty massive amounts of volume before I "crack." It takes a lot for me to raise my hand and say I'm tired. As triathletes, we get in the routine of going hard...all the time. Stacey's biggest challenge, even more so than my all-over-the-place race schedule, is to make me slow down.
As a coach though, I get it. I 100% force my athletes to take rest, do easy recovery workouts, take days off. Then why is it so hard for me? It's hard first and foremost, because I LOVE to workout. I would say I truly enjoy 95% of my workouts. Yes, they hurt, but I do all of this nonsense because I love it! It's also hard because it becomes a habit. It's very very rare I don't wake up and workout first thing in the morning. The days I don't (which are sometimes intentional), are "different". The endorphins and feeling that stays with you all day after a good hard training session can't be replaced with chai tea lattes or a Bojangles biscuit...though all delicious!!
Stacey has taken to planning "homework" for me on my days off. And I will abide 100%. I will take today off, even though my body isn't screaming at me to rest. This morning, my alarm wasn't set until 7:45 am. I woke up at 7:15 on my own and rather than get up, sweep the floor, do 6 loads of laundry, clean out my closet, re-arrange my pantry and take my dogs to play - I opted to lay in bed till my alarm went off! Tonight, I am instructed to read in silence for 30 minutes, something non-triathlon related, with my dogs. It's a pretty typical night for me actually (I read a ton before bed), but tonight I will take it to heart as true recovery for my hard-working body.
I pay a coach for a lot of reasons, but most importantly for me, much of the reason is for my coach to tie me down and tell me to CHILL OUT! And thank you Stacey for not killing me, yet!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Salisbury Criterium
We were able to sleep in a bit on Sunday as my cat 4 race didn't get underway till 9:45! Pfhew. Per my usual race proceedings, I ventured up with Marianne so we could discuss race strategy, tactics, the course, and who to watch out for. My sister was in tow today for support (as always) and Dawn also began the art of perfecting her crit-spectating abilities as she has done so well at for triathlon. My mom also came down to see me race which made me even more excited!
The course today was a 1-mile loop with just 4 manageable corners. The start finish line was atop a nice stair-step hill which was about 1/4 mile long. The rest of the course was flat with the backside involving a bit of headwind. In general, this was a pretty well suited course for me with a climb as well as some good long flats.
I rode the course with Marianne a few times and got my bearings. Sufficiently warmed up, I made my way to the start line. The whistle blew (unexpectedly) and we were off. The announcer had announced a "preme" on the first lap, which meant people would be gunning from the get go. Not prepared for the whistle, I was hardly clipped in by the time the girls were off and running down the hill. I spent the first 30-45 seconds of the race trying to reel back in the group of girls who had sprung off the start line. I bridged the gap and sat in for a few seconds. The pace was good. I planned to sit on the back wheel for a lap or two, get my head right, and then "make my move" as Marianne and I had discussed. Plan went great for the first 3/4's of the lap.
We hit the hill and it appeared the girls had quit racing. I am not diminishing anyone's riding ability but the climbing effort was weak. As a result, I opted to go around the group, climb past the 6 girls ahead of me on the hill, cross the line first for the preme, work hard for about 2-3 minutes to bridge a gap between me and the group, and hold my pace from there. It worked! I was able to stay away on my break for the whole race. It made the race more of a time trial vs a crit race as I was just out in front alone, working and fighting the wind by myself. I didn't know what the gap was really at any point so I just kept working hard. Last thing I wanted was to work my tail off for 27 minutes of a 30 minute race to lose it on the last hill as the group caught me. So I just kept motoring - partially out of fear, partially out of adrenaline. When the announcer called 5 to go, I won't lie, that felt like an eternity. "I have to climb that hill 5 more times?!" was all I could think. But I just took it one lap at a time, one corner at a time, and tried to stay in my zone.
It was pretty cool to win my first bike race, I must say. However, it was also very anticlimactic and, like I said, more of a time trial. Marianne and I had said that if the cat 4 race went well, I should consider entering the open race (cat's 1/2/3) which rolled at 11:30 (40 minutes after my first race finished). I drank some fluids and a recovery drink, chilled out a bit, and then decided I should do the 2nd race. I had nothing to lose! I have nothing to prove in the sport of bike racing (or triathlon really for that matter). I set my goals for the open race and got my mind around what exactly I was about to do. My goals: hang on and finish with the front group.
The open race was much different. Much. The first lap or two I thought to myself "ok, I can manage this...seems if I sit in this won't be too bad". That thought lasted for about the next 30 seconds until some attacked on the hill that time around. It was game on from there. Attack after attack, I did my best to hang on. Find a wheel, lose a wheel, crush myself to get back on a wheel, over and over. But I was doing it. I was starting to feel a bit dehydrated about 15 minutes in to the race, despite having drank nearly 1/2 my bottle already (of an electrolyte/sports drink) and some of my water. I decided to not think about it and keep strong. I pulled up front a bit, bridged some attacks, worked with Marianne on an attack or two, but mainly tried to sit in knowing the final sprint would be brutal.
A girl racing for the US Military bridged a nice gap from the field pretty early on, no one chased her. Little did we know, she'd stay away the whole race! Strong girl - awesome for her! The 5, 4, 3, 2 laps to go came and went. This race seemed to go much faster than my previous cat 4 race as you have to be so much more focused to ride at such high speeds around tight corners in a pack. The final hill approached and I knew it'd be a brutal fight to the finish with about 11 strong riders (all cat 1 and 2) still in tact. My goal was to just be in the mix. I was able to hang strong on the finish for a 6th place sprint - and a 7th overall on the day (including the girl on the solo breakaway). I laid everything I had on the line - I think. After the finish, it's standard that everyone takes a lap around the course to cool down and catch their breath. All I wanted to do was get off my bike!
I was pleased with today's performance also. I am pleased to have won the cat 4 race, yes. Winning is nice. But that is also certainly not the icing on the cake. I am more pleased to have hung with the girls on the open race after having essentially time-trialed for 30-minutes prior. I am pleased to have worked with the girls to bridge the gap on the 3 girls that got away until the last lap. I'm pleased to have stayed mentally strong for two back to back races. I am pleased to have not given in when leg craps started to rear their ugly head. Most importantly, I'm pleased to have had a ton of fun and had a great workout while I was at it!
My final thoughts are on how bike racing and triathlon riding compare. I can honestly say, almost not at all! They are practically two different sports - kind of like pool swimming and open water swimming to me. Even within bike racing, there are very different types of racing. I will say they are all tough, but competitive crit racing gets a "very tough" from me. I have never been a "surge of speed" kind of girl, but that's what crit racing is about...and road racing to an extent. Endurance is required in both events, which I will say is my saving grace, but these girls got fast-twitch if I've ever seen it! Something I'm working on and will continue to do so. These races, which go in the books for me more as "workouts" for my triathlon racing, will certainly help to make my fast-twitch a bit stronger, which I think will in turn, really help my running!
So for now, as I continue to get the "do you want to be a bike racer" question...I'm going to continue to answer "yes!". Sometimes it is nice, as a triathlete, to be able to completely bury myself on a bike and not have to worry about the all-important run thereafter. Until a triathlon team or a cycling team wants to start paying me a decent amount of money to do one or the other sport...then a bike racing triathlete I will be! And that makes me HAPPY!!
The course today was a 1-mile loop with just 4 manageable corners. The start finish line was atop a nice stair-step hill which was about 1/4 mile long. The rest of the course was flat with the backside involving a bit of headwind. In general, this was a pretty well suited course for me with a climb as well as some good long flats.
 |
| Marianne and I before the Cat 4 race |
 |
| Lap 1 on the hill, where I opted to break |
 |
| Hanging on to the lead- they let Dawn ride in the pace car to take pictures out the sunroof which was cool! |
 |
| Start line for the women's Open race |
A girl racing for the US Military bridged a nice gap from the field pretty early on, no one chased her. Little did we know, she'd stay away the whole race! Strong girl - awesome for her! The 5, 4, 3, 2 laps to go came and went. This race seemed to go much faster than my previous cat 4 race as you have to be so much more focused to ride at such high speeds around tight corners in a pack. The final hill approached and I knew it'd be a brutal fight to the finish with about 11 strong riders (all cat 1 and 2) still in tact. My goal was to just be in the mix. I was able to hang strong on the finish for a 6th place sprint - and a 7th overall on the day (including the girl on the solo breakaway). I laid everything I had on the line - I think. After the finish, it's standard that everyone takes a lap around the course to cool down and catch their breath. All I wanted to do was get off my bike!
 |
| Turn 1 on the course |
I was pleased with today's performance also. I am pleased to have won the cat 4 race, yes. Winning is nice. But that is also certainly not the icing on the cake. I am more pleased to have hung with the girls on the open race after having essentially time-trialed for 30-minutes prior. I am pleased to have worked with the girls to bridge the gap on the 3 girls that got away until the last lap. I'm pleased to have stayed mentally strong for two back to back races. I am pleased to have not given in when leg craps started to rear their ugly head. Most importantly, I'm pleased to have had a ton of fun and had a great workout while I was at it!
My final thoughts are on how bike racing and triathlon riding compare. I can honestly say, almost not at all! They are practically two different sports - kind of like pool swimming and open water swimming to me. Even within bike racing, there are very different types of racing. I will say they are all tough, but competitive crit racing gets a "very tough" from me. I have never been a "surge of speed" kind of girl, but that's what crit racing is about...and road racing to an extent. Endurance is required in both events, which I will say is my saving grace, but these girls got fast-twitch if I've ever seen it! Something I'm working on and will continue to do so. These races, which go in the books for me more as "workouts" for my triathlon racing, will certainly help to make my fast-twitch a bit stronger, which I think will in turn, really help my running!
So for now, as I continue to get the "do you want to be a bike racer" question...I'm going to continue to answer "yes!". Sometimes it is nice, as a triathlete, to be able to completely bury myself on a bike and not have to worry about the all-important run thereafter. Until a triathlon team or a cycling team wants to start paying me a decent amount of money to do one or the other sport...then a bike racing triathlete I will be! And that makes me HAPPY!!
 |
| Focused and ready for racing! |
Sunday, August 7, 2011
High Rock Road Race!
"Don't you want to be a bike racer?"
If I had $1 for every time I heard that this weekend I could retire from my day job. The answer is YES, I do want to be a bike racer. But I also want to be a triathlete. I want to crush myself in a 40+ mile road race...and run for a few miles after. I want to do two back to back crits in the morning and go to the pool for a recovery swim.
Yep, I want to do both...and I'm gonna!
This weekend was an absolute blast. There was a 5-day omnium series called the Crossroads Classic. I opted to just partake in two of the 5 events. Saturday was the High Rock 41 mile road race to which I opted to do the women's "open" race vs. the separate cat 4 race later in the day. I've ridden with most of the girls that would be doing the open race before and decided it would be a good challenge but a feasible day for me.
The race course was generally flat, and pretty boring, with a few minor rollers towards the end and we did 3 loops. Our first loop was not "pretty" boring, it was very boring. There were minimal attacks and it kinda felt like we were all out on a women's group ride. The second lap got a bit more interesting with some attacks, one particularly strong attack that stuck for quite a while by Marianne! When we finally reeled Marianne in, another Clif racer attacked, which also stuck for 15 or so minutes. But, by the time the final sprint rolled around, we were all one big happy family again.
When we took the left turn to head down the final mile of the race, I was in great position and feeling super strong. My first road race I didn't really know exactly what to expect on the final sprint and I was cramping from the heat, but I was more than prepared this time. I had fueled and hydrated exactly as planned and was ready to give it my all the last 500 meters. About 3/4 a mile from the finish, us women hear a lot of yelling, "move over", "ya'll should be neutral", etc from the men's Cat 3 race who had just caught us. Typically, in a road race, the officials will require one of the groups to "go neutral" for 1 minute or so if a group behind them catches them to let the faster group go by (typically the men). I don't think the officials anticipated the ladies 3rd lap to be quite as tame as it was, given the speed of the 2nd lap and as a result, they thought we'd finish prior to the men catching us. This did not happen and an enormous cluster was created.
Regardless, I was in a good position, about 5th back in the women's line. As the men clustered around us, it became an all out fight to just hold your line and try to out-sprint anyone who was around you - man or woman. I had a good sprint going till about the last 100 meters when there was no where to move. I was right behind the overall Omnium leader and one of the strongest racers out there, Sara Tussey, and took a 4th overall! It was a bitter sweet finish because we didn't get to actually have an all out, fair women's sprint...but that's bike racing for you!
Nonetheless, I am pleased with many things about my performance at the road race. Finishing strong is definitely one of them, but certainly not the "icing on the cake". I'm pleased my fueling went exactly as planned and I felt strong through the whole ride. I'm pleased to be able to not train specifically for bike racing, but to be able to go out and contend with strong riders like Marianne and Sara. I'm pleased I held my lines and didn't work too hard up front like I did at Piedmont. I'm pleased to have had a total blast the whole day! And I'm pleased that I am beginning to show road racers, that triathletes can ride bikes too. I'm so tired of the stereotypes that triathletes don't make good road riders. It's time to put an end to that!
I spent the night with my wonderful sister having dinner and getting some delicious ice cream. To bed early and back to Salisbury tomorrow for one, potentially two, crits on Sunday!
If I had $1 for every time I heard that this weekend I could retire from my day job. The answer is YES, I do want to be a bike racer. But I also want to be a triathlete. I want to crush myself in a 40+ mile road race...and run for a few miles after. I want to do two back to back crits in the morning and go to the pool for a recovery swim.
Yep, I want to do both...and I'm gonna!
This weekend was an absolute blast. There was a 5-day omnium series called the Crossroads Classic. I opted to just partake in two of the 5 events. Saturday was the High Rock 41 mile road race to which I opted to do the women's "open" race vs. the separate cat 4 race later in the day. I've ridden with most of the girls that would be doing the open race before and decided it would be a good challenge but a feasible day for me.
The race course was generally flat, and pretty boring, with a few minor rollers towards the end and we did 3 loops. Our first loop was not "pretty" boring, it was very boring. There were minimal attacks and it kinda felt like we were all out on a women's group ride. The second lap got a bit more interesting with some attacks, one particularly strong attack that stuck for quite a while by Marianne! When we finally reeled Marianne in, another Clif racer attacked, which also stuck for 15 or so minutes. But, by the time the final sprint rolled around, we were all one big happy family again.
When we took the left turn to head down the final mile of the race, I was in great position and feeling super strong. My first road race I didn't really know exactly what to expect on the final sprint and I was cramping from the heat, but I was more than prepared this time. I had fueled and hydrated exactly as planned and was ready to give it my all the last 500 meters. About 3/4 a mile from the finish, us women hear a lot of yelling, "move over", "ya'll should be neutral", etc from the men's Cat 3 race who had just caught us. Typically, in a road race, the officials will require one of the groups to "go neutral" for 1 minute or so if a group behind them catches them to let the faster group go by (typically the men). I don't think the officials anticipated the ladies 3rd lap to be quite as tame as it was, given the speed of the 2nd lap and as a result, they thought we'd finish prior to the men catching us. This did not happen and an enormous cluster was created.
Regardless, I was in a good position, about 5th back in the women's line. As the men clustered around us, it became an all out fight to just hold your line and try to out-sprint anyone who was around you - man or woman. I had a good sprint going till about the last 100 meters when there was no where to move. I was right behind the overall Omnium leader and one of the strongest racers out there, Sara Tussey, and took a 4th overall! It was a bitter sweet finish because we didn't get to actually have an all out, fair women's sprint...but that's bike racing for you!
Nonetheless, I am pleased with many things about my performance at the road race. Finishing strong is definitely one of them, but certainly not the "icing on the cake". I'm pleased my fueling went exactly as planned and I felt strong through the whole ride. I'm pleased to be able to not train specifically for bike racing, but to be able to go out and contend with strong riders like Marianne and Sara. I'm pleased I held my lines and didn't work too hard up front like I did at Piedmont. I'm pleased to have had a total blast the whole day! And I'm pleased that I am beginning to show road racers, that triathletes can ride bikes too. I'm so tired of the stereotypes that triathletes don't make good road riders. It's time to put an end to that!
I spent the night with my wonderful sister having dinner and getting some delicious ice cream. To bed early and back to Salisbury tomorrow for one, potentially two, crits on Sunday!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Bike Race #2 Approaching Fast
This weekend marks a big day for me...my second road race but more importantly, my first crit race! I'm cautiously excited. :-)
I chose Crossroads Crit on Sunday for several reasons, but primarily because they have an individual cat 4 women's race separate from the cat 1, 2 and 3's. This makes both me, and the cat 1, 2 and 3 racers very happy. I'm gathering that the general thoughts on cat 4 races by races of the better categories, is that the cat 4's are more "dangerous" to ride around. Though I truly don't feel that I fall into this generalization and that I am a pretty safe, heads-up rider, I don't want to make anyone racing around me feel uncomfortable either. In addition to feeling somewhat relieved to not be racing the stronger women, I'm also relived that the pace of the cat 4 individual crit vs. an all cat race will be just a tad slower.
I've done a lot of work in the last couple weeks with my amazing mentor Marianne Holt, and we spent one whole night riding and working on cornering. It was exactly what I needed. My first practice crit was at Orr Road 2 weeks ago and I found myself in my drops for the whole ride, only breaking when I absolutely had to in order to avoid hitting someone's wheel in front of me (to which, of course, I got called out by some jerk - "no breaking"! I won't comment.) However, I felt completely comfortable around all the fast corners, particularly the longer the race went on. Marianne will be there racing strong with me Saturday and I'm sure there spectating after or before her race on Sunday, which is very comforting. She's like my bike racing mommy.
Given the pace will be a bit slower (or so everyone says) than Orr Road, I'm hoping I will be okay out there on the course for my first ever crit experience! I'm also really looking forward to the road ride and using what I have learned from my first race, and what Marianne and I have discussed, to finish better in the final sprint. The strongest rider doesn't always win these races so no showing your cards and leaving some in the tank for that final sprint is critical- all the while, not missing the wheel of a break that may happen during the ride. Very tactical, which is why I loved it!
I have no expectations for any sort of results this weekend. I plan to ride my hardest and make the other girls work but also do a fair amount of sitting in and "observing". Of course my sister will be there Sunday at the crit cheering me on, upholding her title once again of "most supportive sister ever". I'm sure I will hear her claps and cheers over my labored breathing.
I will update with results after the race. After three workouts, yes, three workouts today, I'm spent! Time for some good R&R! The website for this weekends events is: http://www.crossroadscyclingclassic.com/
I chose Crossroads Crit on Sunday for several reasons, but primarily because they have an individual cat 4 women's race separate from the cat 1, 2 and 3's. This makes both me, and the cat 1, 2 and 3 racers very happy. I'm gathering that the general thoughts on cat 4 races by races of the better categories, is that the cat 4's are more "dangerous" to ride around. Though I truly don't feel that I fall into this generalization and that I am a pretty safe, heads-up rider, I don't want to make anyone racing around me feel uncomfortable either. In addition to feeling somewhat relieved to not be racing the stronger women, I'm also relived that the pace of the cat 4 individual crit vs. an all cat race will be just a tad slower.
I've done a lot of work in the last couple weeks with my amazing mentor Marianne Holt, and we spent one whole night riding and working on cornering. It was exactly what I needed. My first practice crit was at Orr Road 2 weeks ago and I found myself in my drops for the whole ride, only breaking when I absolutely had to in order to avoid hitting someone's wheel in front of me (to which, of course, I got called out by some jerk - "no breaking"! I won't comment.) However, I felt completely comfortable around all the fast corners, particularly the longer the race went on. Marianne will be there racing strong with me Saturday and I'm sure there spectating after or before her race on Sunday, which is very comforting. She's like my bike racing mommy.
Given the pace will be a bit slower (or so everyone says) than Orr Road, I'm hoping I will be okay out there on the course for my first ever crit experience! I'm also really looking forward to the road ride and using what I have learned from my first race, and what Marianne and I have discussed, to finish better in the final sprint. The strongest rider doesn't always win these races so no showing your cards and leaving some in the tank for that final sprint is critical- all the while, not missing the wheel of a break that may happen during the ride. Very tactical, which is why I loved it!
I have no expectations for any sort of results this weekend. I plan to ride my hardest and make the other girls work but also do a fair amount of sitting in and "observing". Of course my sister will be there Sunday at the crit cheering me on, upholding her title once again of "most supportive sister ever". I'm sure I will hear her claps and cheers over my labored breathing.
I will update with results after the race. After three workouts, yes, three workouts today, I'm spent! Time for some good R&R! The website for this weekends events is: http://www.crossroadscyclingclassic.com/
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
2 mile test set, in the books....
So since last week when my schedule was posted, I've had in the back of my mind today's 2-mile test set at the track. I solicited the two best runners I know, Danielle and Chad Crockford, to pace me through this tough test. Given I haven't done much speed training, I'm slow! But I'm getting faster, and it feels good. Each run I've done this year has been a PR and I'm hoping the rest of the season holds the same, particularly over the longer distances I have coming up!
Today I was instructed to do a 2 mile easy warm up with some movement prep, drills and stretch. I did one mile around the neighborhoods and one mile around the track doing some strides and walking as recovery. It was then time for the "dreaded" test!
We lined up and Chad and Danielle were awesome from the get go. Danielle ran behind me and Chad right next to me which was exactly what I needed. Having Chad right next to me setting the pace and knowing I couldn't slow down with Danielle behind me was amazing! I am so thankful for them.
We headed out at between a 6:15-6:30/mile pace as I told Chad I'd like to be just slightly below 6:30 on the first mile and then give whatever I have left for the 2nd. Per my Garmin, we ran 2.03 miles with mile one at 6:19 and mile two at 6:14, but I've learned that the Garmin and the track don't speak all that nicely with each other. So, I estimate on "track terms," we turned in a 6:25 and a 6:22 for a total of 12:47! My average heart rate for the set was 175 (166 for first mile and 184 for second) and a max of 190! I've only seen 190 a handful of times so I know I was pushing myself as hard as I could! And Chad and Danielle were just cruising. :-)
My goal was sub 13 minutes so it felt good to "shatter" (as Chad put it) my goal...but clearly I still have lots of room for improvement. I hope to do some good track/speed work in the next couple weeks leading up to Age Group Nationals and hopefully re-test sometime thereafter. Looks like I'll be joining Danielle and Chad more regularly on their Tuesday morning track sessions! I hope they don't mind the girl sucking wind behind them trying to hang on. Thanks again guys - must say, glad this one is over!
Today I was instructed to do a 2 mile easy warm up with some movement prep, drills and stretch. I did one mile around the neighborhoods and one mile around the track doing some strides and walking as recovery. It was then time for the "dreaded" test!
We lined up and Chad and Danielle were awesome from the get go. Danielle ran behind me and Chad right next to me which was exactly what I needed. Having Chad right next to me setting the pace and knowing I couldn't slow down with Danielle behind me was amazing! I am so thankful for them.
We headed out at between a 6:15-6:30/mile pace as I told Chad I'd like to be just slightly below 6:30 on the first mile and then give whatever I have left for the 2nd. Per my Garmin, we ran 2.03 miles with mile one at 6:19 and mile two at 6:14, but I've learned that the Garmin and the track don't speak all that nicely with each other. So, I estimate on "track terms," we turned in a 6:25 and a 6:22 for a total of 12:47! My average heart rate for the set was 175 (166 for first mile and 184 for second) and a max of 190! I've only seen 190 a handful of times so I know I was pushing myself as hard as I could! And Chad and Danielle were just cruising. :-)
My goal was sub 13 minutes so it felt good to "shatter" (as Chad put it) my goal...but clearly I still have lots of room for improvement. I hope to do some good track/speed work in the next couple weeks leading up to Age Group Nationals and hopefully re-test sometime thereafter. Looks like I'll be joining Danielle and Chad more regularly on their Tuesday morning track sessions! I hope they don't mind the girl sucking wind behind them trying to hang on. Thanks again guys - must say, glad this one is over!
Monday, August 1, 2011
It's time...
 |
| After a "good" race (results-wise) in Knoxville. One of the hardest runs ever! Suffer-fest |
I think my urge is partially due to an extremely disappointing DNF (at mile 137.5) at Louisville in August after 7-8 months of intense, serious training. Post Louisville, I felt deflated and like I failed....but I was also determined to prove to myself I was able to complete a second Ironman. I spent September and October doing "normal" training volume - one 2-hour run and two long rides included - but for the most part, shorter distance workouts. I signed up for B2B to simply complete the race. I had worked so hard to build my fitness pre-Lousivlle and I thought I could still have a decent race despite the lower training volume..and I did!
I'm still left feeling unsatisfied. Given I hardly trained for B2B, I still feel like I have some "unfinished" Ironman business. I think I have a sub 11-hour Ironman in me. I had a great race at Arizona in 2009 (11:08), but it was also my first Ironman (and not to mention my 5th triathlon) and I trained un-coached. I was off my bike in 7:18 in Louisville despite puking for over 5 hours and think I could have turned in a 3:40 marathon, maybe. That part I'll never know, which has kept me up at night more times than I care to admit since that race. Then I thought for sure B2B would be my sub 11-hour race given the "blazing fast current" in the water and "80+ mile tailwind" on the bike course. However, said "screaming fast" course ended up being the most head-windy, against-the-current, absolutely most freezing race of my life and I turned in a 11:14.
Herein lies dilemma #1.
Ironman events fill up, for the most part, 364 days in advance (the day after the previous years race). This means time is running out to decide and sign up for a race in 2012 if that's what I am going to do. There are a select few races after August so I'll need to decide soon! I think a later season race is what I'd be leaning towards anyway so the bulk of my training is in the end of summer/early fall, but which race!?!
Herein lies dilemma #2.
The races I know I should to do in order to compete well in my age group are the ones with the uber hard bike courses (St. George, Placid, Wisconsin, Quebec to name a few). These don't coincide with the races I'd need to do in order to go for my coveted sub-11 hour race (Cozumel, Arizona, Florida, to name a few). Though I'm a strong cyclist and can climb hills well, I actually enjoy the screaming fast, flat, in-your-aero-bars kind of courses. I enjoy a stand alone, bury yourself ride in the mountains, but let's be honest, they hurt! The thought of running a marathon thereafter is, well, somewhat nauseating.
To date, as soon as the thought process has gotten this far, I've pushed it to the back of my mind and focused on something else...until now. It's time to decide. It's time to have a long, detailed discussion with Stacey and set my race goals for next year and thereafter. It's time to have a serious conversation with Marianne and Robin and see where I can take my bike racing, if anywhere. It's time to talk it over again with my sister cause she always gives such solid, honest advice. It's just time!
I mostly know it's time because the thought of hitting that "register" button on the Ironman website excites me again...it doesn't make me want to cry!
Stayed tuned!! Off to get some rest for my
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)