Like a Phoenix rising from the fiery ashes I have conquered this heat and a couple of hills as well. Not conquered exactly but me and the heat are finally on even terms. It's taken all summer to get here and now that I have arrived I think the temperatures are going to be slowly retreating for the next few weeks.
Monday morning was a long ride out Parmer Lane again. I ended up getting in another 50 miles on the bicycle. It was hot and I went through bottles and bottles of water and Gatorade. I averaged about .7 mph slower than when I did the same ride a week before with Craig but I finished it feeling a whole lot better. It is such a nice and scenic ride out there I can't wait to do it again. I am starting to feel more confident about the Half Ironman distance the closer and closer I get to it.
The next day I didn't get to the trail until the afternoon. I heard the temperatures peaked in Austin at about 107 degrees. I ran a 4 mile recovery run in that heat and although I could definitely feel it, it didn't feel like the heat got the better of me. I felt that I could have done more or gone faster if I was so inclined. Oh summer heat, just as I was finally getting used to your punishments you decide to back off. Not that I am complaining that we might have seen the end of 100+ degree days until next summer, I just am commenting on the fact that it has literally taken me all summer to get acclimated to the heat.
I woke up Wednesday morning and was out the door and on my bike by 10:30. I did an inner city loop that totaled about 28 miles and went up and over Mt. Bonnell and up Mesa before returning home. The drop in temperature definitely helped. The climb going up the south side of Mt. Bonnell can be broken down into two parts. The first section is very steep but short. It has to be ridden standing up. The second half is longer and is still pretty steep but not as much so as the first part. I can finally ride that part in the saddle, which is a good sign that I am getting to be a stronger cyclist than the first few times I went up that dang hill. By the time I crested the top my legs were shot. The descent down was great because the first drop is so steep that if you lay off the brakes you can get up to 40 miles per hour. I can't help but yell out a booming, "WooHoo!!" when I reach those kind of speeds. The adrenaline pumping through the veins at that point helps to clear out all the lactic acid buildup in the quads, which is great because I still had to climb up Mesa after that. This time up Mesa I was able to stay in the saddle about 2/3 of the way up. The last 1/3 is just too steep. The descent down Far West is worth the climb if you can catch all of the green lights.
I made it home, jumped off the bike, threw on the Nike's for an immediate 4 mile run. The first mile was tough but I found my breath and hit my stride on miles 2-4. I had the ipod going for a little extra help. I learned a trick from friend and coach, Amy, concerning music. When she hears Stairway to Heaven she does a speed workout right then and there no matter what based on the 4 sections of the song. I took her idea and combined it with a drinking game I learned from my friend Melissa out in California. Whenever the song Black Betty by Ram Jam comes on my run goes into to overdrive. While the vocals are going I have to sprint. The song is basically instrumental with three sections of him singing, "Whoa! Back Betty, Bam-A-Lam!" over and over. It's great because the vocals are short enough to hold a full sprint the whole time but the instrumental section is long enough to recover. I love it. The drinking version is much more sadistic. I finished the brick feeling better than I have in a long time.
Thursday's 4 mile recovery run was nice and easy with Tony and little Oskar. The little puppy, and Tony and I for that matter, were thankful for the cooler temperatures. I ended up seeing a lot of friendly faces out there. Craig was flying by on his run as was the amazing Amy. Joe and Heidi were chatting it up at the water coolers. I always see Senator Kirk Watson on the trail every Thursday morning as well. So if you live in the 14th district and want to holler at your State Senator he is on Town Lake running like the rest of us.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Runner Within
I woke up late on Saturday morning and missed my long run with Rogue. I figured I would go down to Town Lake and knock out a 10 miler on my own and be back in bed by noon for a quick post run nap. It was all supposed to be easy. I am now about to give a full account of that run from start to finish.
The weather was a cool 92 degrees when I parked at Barton Springs. I planned to run 10 miles and then a quick dip in the springs to cool off. I got out of the car, climbed down to the trail, started my watch and ipod and was off. Town Lake Trail is a 10 mile loop that goes around, oddly enough, Town Lake. There are 6 bridges that cross the trail and you can vary the distance of your run by choosing which bridge to cross. Mopac bridge to the Longhorn Dam is the full 10 miles. Mopac to IH35 is 7 miles. Mopac to Congress is about 5 miles. Mopac to First Street is about 4 miles and Mopac to Lamar is about 3 miles. I wanted 10 miles but decided to not do the big loop. Actually for some reason I decided to do the 7 mile loop twice. I realize that it was actually 14 miles but I thought it was time to start pushing my range past the 10-12 mile long run distance. It was about 10 am when I started and I did not bring any water or gels or gu to get through those extra miles, but I felt confident it would work out all right.
I hit the trail and and went left for a clockwise direction. The first mile was tough to get going as I was warming up my muscles and getting my heart rate up. Sometimes this can be a miserable time during a run so I picked a nice relaxing cello song on the ipod to get through the first bit. I noticed my mind kept focusing on how crappy I felt. I was already too hot and I hadn't even finished the first mile of a 14 mile run. Some runners I know like to check out at this point with music or daydreams or whatever. Other runners like to maintain a constant vigilance on their breathing and how everything feels. I usually like to mix it up. This time I was going to retreat to the dark land of my own thoughts for the majority of the run and come out of my reverie every few miles to assess how I was coming along.
After the first mile I was gone. No longer was I Colin, running on the trail in the miserable heat. I had become the philosophical zen master that went looking for answers to my life's questions. I wanted to know how I got here, why I do some of the things I do and why I can't do more. Basically I was beginning a journey of self discovery right then and there on the trail and I wasn't going to stop for the next couple of hours. When I run I sometimes visualize the ideas in my head. If I am tired I try to see myself effortlessly running with packs of hyperventilating runners struggling to keep up. It is all about the power of positive thinking. This time though it felt different. I wasn't just imagining myself beating other runners or winning a race. My imagination was turning into more of a narrative that I had to follow. I opened my minds eye and saw myself in the distance.
Now there were two of me. One was running a 14 miler in the heat of summer while in a semi meditative state. The other was on a little green hilltop leaning against a tree with a nice cool breeze blowing. It was quiet where this version of me was. I was slowly running up to him and all the while he was just leaning and smiling at me. In the real world I was now about 4 miles into my run and had already stopped for more water at the water coolers and hit the bathroom near the tennis courts. On my inward journey I was coming face to face with the runner inside me. He looked like me, but was younger. His hair hadn't started to gray and there weren't the same number of wrinkles that I had. He had a calm but gently smiling expression. I wanted to say something to him but when I got to him he turned to start his run, nodded for me to follow and we were off.
Real world Colin was getting hotter and hotter. I was nearing IH35 and was glad that Rogue had setup some water coolers. The Colin inside was running along at a pretty good clip without even breathing hard. I couldn't talk to him so I just ran alongside him. This was the Colin I wanted to be. He was the one that didn't miss a workout, he didn't oversleep or have one too many beers the night before anything. He had never smoked for 10 years. He never hurt the ones he loved. He was calm and cool and nothing could rattle his cage. He was the fearless one who could look before he leaped. This was the Colin that I had always been chasing.
I had made it to the next set of water coolers. It was getting on in the late morning so the crowds of runners had thinned out a little more than when I first started. I ran past Auditorium Shores where I take Oskar to swim sometimes and I wished he could be there with me. I ran on in my mind and on the trail and finished the first loop. I got to the water coolers back at Mopac and decided to take my shirt off for the second loop. I was immediately glad I did. I felt instantly cooler. I am usually not one of those guys that runs shirtless. I have done so before ifI start to overheat but for some reason I feel self-conscious about it, so I normally stay fully clothed. The Colin that I was running with however doesn't care. He doesn't worry about things like that. In fact he doesn't worry about much. The Colin I am chasing lives in the moment and the doubt and fear never creep up into his mind. Real world Colin is getting very tired now. I am now on mile 10 back at the Rogue water coolers at IH35. There is a guy at the water coolers and he keeps staring at me. Now that I think about it I have noticed a few more people staring at me since I took off my shirt. My worst self-conscious fears are starting to materialize but I push them back down as the Colin inside would do. I keep running.
I am tired. The temperature is creeping up to 100 degrees now and I have about 3 1/2 miles left on my run. I start to make deals with myself, like just make it this corner up ahead and we will discuss what to do next. Why is this girl staring at me as she is running past? Is she checking me out or do I look like I am about to pass out from exertion and she is just debating calling 911 for me. I hope she brought her cell phone. The Colin within is still running ahead leaping over fallen logs in the road while I trip over a real world stick and cramp up my hamstring in the process. He turns and smiles and just keeps on running. I smile to myself and catch up to him. It is at this point that I feel that I am about to reach some sort of decision, realization or epiphany about my life that I finally take a real good look at myself at assess my situation.
I look down at my feet as I am running and that is when I notice them: Two circular band-aids Yep. I have left my pasties on for the second half of my 14 miler. I have ignored the wisdom of my friend Mark and have brought shame and humiliation upon my family's good name. Father I am truly sorry. That is what all the stares have been about. The Colin within has stopped running, turned towards me and is laughing. I have to laugh too. Luckily my body lacks the effort to pump the blood to my face or I would have been beet red. As it is all I could do was laugh hysterically at myself for the next mile. Wow. My inward journey was now over and it didn't end with a bang or a whimper. It was more like the sound of a gong going off and audience laughter followed.
The last few miles were hell and I ran/walked the last mile back to the springs for my cold dip in the water. I was happy that I finally pushed past my latest barricade, happy I learned a little more about myself, and happy I could entertain the other runners on the trail that morning.
The weather was a cool 92 degrees when I parked at Barton Springs. I planned to run 10 miles and then a quick dip in the springs to cool off. I got out of the car, climbed down to the trail, started my watch and ipod and was off. Town Lake Trail is a 10 mile loop that goes around, oddly enough, Town Lake. There are 6 bridges that cross the trail and you can vary the distance of your run by choosing which bridge to cross. Mopac bridge to the Longhorn Dam is the full 10 miles. Mopac to IH35 is 7 miles. Mopac to Congress is about 5 miles. Mopac to First Street is about 4 miles and Mopac to Lamar is about 3 miles. I wanted 10 miles but decided to not do the big loop. Actually for some reason I decided to do the 7 mile loop twice. I realize that it was actually 14 miles but I thought it was time to start pushing my range past the 10-12 mile long run distance. It was about 10 am when I started and I did not bring any water or gels or gu to get through those extra miles, but I felt confident it would work out all right.
I hit the trail and and went left for a clockwise direction. The first mile was tough to get going as I was warming up my muscles and getting my heart rate up. Sometimes this can be a miserable time during a run so I picked a nice relaxing cello song on the ipod to get through the first bit. I noticed my mind kept focusing on how crappy I felt. I was already too hot and I hadn't even finished the first mile of a 14 mile run. Some runners I know like to check out at this point with music or daydreams or whatever. Other runners like to maintain a constant vigilance on their breathing and how everything feels. I usually like to mix it up. This time I was going to retreat to the dark land of my own thoughts for the majority of the run and come out of my reverie every few miles to assess how I was coming along.
After the first mile I was gone. No longer was I Colin, running on the trail in the miserable heat. I had become the philosophical zen master that went looking for answers to my life's questions. I wanted to know how I got here, why I do some of the things I do and why I can't do more. Basically I was beginning a journey of self discovery right then and there on the trail and I wasn't going to stop for the next couple of hours. When I run I sometimes visualize the ideas in my head. If I am tired I try to see myself effortlessly running with packs of hyperventilating runners struggling to keep up. It is all about the power of positive thinking. This time though it felt different. I wasn't just imagining myself beating other runners or winning a race. My imagination was turning into more of a narrative that I had to follow. I opened my minds eye and saw myself in the distance.
Now there were two of me. One was running a 14 miler in the heat of summer while in a semi meditative state. The other was on a little green hilltop leaning against a tree with a nice cool breeze blowing. It was quiet where this version of me was. I was slowly running up to him and all the while he was just leaning and smiling at me. In the real world I was now about 4 miles into my run and had already stopped for more water at the water coolers and hit the bathroom near the tennis courts. On my inward journey I was coming face to face with the runner inside me. He looked like me, but was younger. His hair hadn't started to gray and there weren't the same number of wrinkles that I had. He had a calm but gently smiling expression. I wanted to say something to him but when I got to him he turned to start his run, nodded for me to follow and we were off.
Real world Colin was getting hotter and hotter. I was nearing IH35 and was glad that Rogue had setup some water coolers. The Colin inside was running along at a pretty good clip without even breathing hard. I couldn't talk to him so I just ran alongside him. This was the Colin I wanted to be. He was the one that didn't miss a workout, he didn't oversleep or have one too many beers the night before anything. He had never smoked for 10 years. He never hurt the ones he loved. He was calm and cool and nothing could rattle his cage. He was the fearless one who could look before he leaped. This was the Colin that I had always been chasing.
I had made it to the next set of water coolers. It was getting on in the late morning so the crowds of runners had thinned out a little more than when I first started. I ran past Auditorium Shores where I take Oskar to swim sometimes and I wished he could be there with me. I ran on in my mind and on the trail and finished the first loop. I got to the water coolers back at Mopac and decided to take my shirt off for the second loop. I was immediately glad I did. I felt instantly cooler. I am usually not one of those guys that runs shirtless. I have done so before ifI start to overheat but for some reason I feel self-conscious about it, so I normally stay fully clothed. The Colin that I was running with however doesn't care. He doesn't worry about things like that. In fact he doesn't worry about much. The Colin I am chasing lives in the moment and the doubt and fear never creep up into his mind. Real world Colin is getting very tired now. I am now on mile 10 back at the Rogue water coolers at IH35. There is a guy at the water coolers and he keeps staring at me. Now that I think about it I have noticed a few more people staring at me since I took off my shirt. My worst self-conscious fears are starting to materialize but I push them back down as the Colin inside would do. I keep running.
I am tired. The temperature is creeping up to 100 degrees now and I have about 3 1/2 miles left on my run. I start to make deals with myself, like just make it this corner up ahead and we will discuss what to do next. Why is this girl staring at me as she is running past? Is she checking me out or do I look like I am about to pass out from exertion and she is just debating calling 911 for me. I hope she brought her cell phone. The Colin within is still running ahead leaping over fallen logs in the road while I trip over a real world stick and cramp up my hamstring in the process. He turns and smiles and just keeps on running. I smile to myself and catch up to him. It is at this point that I feel that I am about to reach some sort of decision, realization or epiphany about my life that I finally take a real good look at myself at assess my situation.
I look down at my feet as I am running and that is when I notice them: Two circular band-aids Yep. I have left my pasties on for the second half of my 14 miler. I have ignored the wisdom of my friend Mark and have brought shame and humiliation upon my family's good name. Father I am truly sorry. That is what all the stares have been about. The Colin within has stopped running, turned towards me and is laughing. I have to laugh too. Luckily my body lacks the effort to pump the blood to my face or I would have been beet red. As it is all I could do was laugh hysterically at myself for the next mile. Wow. My inward journey was now over and it didn't end with a bang or a whimper. It was more like the sound of a gong going off and audience laughter followed.
The last few miles were hell and I ran/walked the last mile back to the springs for my cold dip in the water. I was happy that I finally pushed past my latest barricade, happy I learned a little more about myself, and happy I could entertain the other runners on the trail that morning.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tired of the heat
I am ready for fall. I cannot wait to wake up early one morning to go on a run and it be a little bit chilly. I long for a time when I need to swim in a heated pool again. Too long it has been that I did not have to ride the bike on the trainer, and I say to you that there will be a time when I can workout outside and not feel like crawling in a deep dark hole and pray for the quick release of death to avoid the pain of sunburn, dehydration and overall extreme discomfort from the heat index.
Tuesday morning I drove down to the Veloway for a nice 20 mile ride. A few laps around the track, a loop on South Mopac and a couple more loops around the Veloway. Mark is letting me borrow his pointy time trial helmet. It is supposed to cut down on wind resistance and improve your time by 1 minute for every 10K you ride. I can definitely use some time shaved off especially as the races get longer. I liked the helmet. It fit comfortably and I didn't really notice any adverse affects like I thought I might. The only downside is that it is not as ventilated as more other helmet so on really hot days it won't be very pleasant.
After my ride I went home for lunch and headed out to Mabel Davis for some swim work. I did about a 1000M total. Mostly I worked on pulling and kicking drills to help with my stroke. I remember as a kid on swim team 1000M used to be just the warm up, now it's the whole workout. Yikes. I was pretty drained by the end of the day and I took Wednesday completely off.
Thursday I got up and since my normal Thursday meet up was canceled I took Oskar for a nice run around Town Lake for some fartleks. I did about a mile easy run follwed by about 21/2 miles of 30 seconds fast followed by 1 minute recovery. I was feeling it and so was Oskar but it felt great as well. We finished at Barkin' Springs for a nice cool down. I got to soak the legs in the cold water for about 15 minutes while I threw rocks at my dog. Well not at my dog, more like near my dog. He likes to chase them and dive under water to look for them. On our way home I realized that it has been several weeks since I had felt that good after a workout. Usually the heat creeps in or I went to hard and all I want to do is usually go home an take a nap.This time that speed workout felt like it energized me. Mentally I was stoked to keep on training all the way through till the end. I felt like I rounded some corner and just felt good again.
Today I woke up and was at Barton Springs by 7 am for a 1 mile swim with my friend Craig. It has been a couple of months since we swam together and all of his swim practice has paid off because he looked a lot more relaxed and comfortable in the water. We swam 4 laps at a 1/4 mile a lap for a total of 1 mile. Actually he started a lap ahead of me so when I still had one more lap to go he was technically finished but I casually asked him to do one more lap. He immediately acquiesced and turned around for an extra lap. I was quite impressed with his enthusiasm and I hope some of that spills over this way.
That's it for now. I still have a 10 mile run on Saturday with Rogue and a 60-70 mile ride on Sunday. Any takers for Sunday?
Tuesday morning I drove down to the Veloway for a nice 20 mile ride. A few laps around the track, a loop on South Mopac and a couple more loops around the Veloway. Mark is letting me borrow his pointy time trial helmet. It is supposed to cut down on wind resistance and improve your time by 1 minute for every 10K you ride. I can definitely use some time shaved off especially as the races get longer. I liked the helmet. It fit comfortably and I didn't really notice any adverse affects like I thought I might. The only downside is that it is not as ventilated as more other helmet so on really hot days it won't be very pleasant.
After my ride I went home for lunch and headed out to Mabel Davis for some swim work. I did about a 1000M total. Mostly I worked on pulling and kicking drills to help with my stroke. I remember as a kid on swim team 1000M used to be just the warm up, now it's the whole workout. Yikes. I was pretty drained by the end of the day and I took Wednesday completely off.
Thursday I got up and since my normal Thursday meet up was canceled I took Oskar for a nice run around Town Lake for some fartleks. I did about a mile easy run follwed by about 21/2 miles of 30 seconds fast followed by 1 minute recovery. I was feeling it and so was Oskar but it felt great as well. We finished at Barkin' Springs for a nice cool down. I got to soak the legs in the cold water for about 15 minutes while I threw rocks at my dog. Well not at my dog, more like near my dog. He likes to chase them and dive under water to look for them. On our way home I realized that it has been several weeks since I had felt that good after a workout. Usually the heat creeps in or I went to hard and all I want to do is usually go home an take a nap.This time that speed workout felt like it energized me. Mentally I was stoked to keep on training all the way through till the end. I felt like I rounded some corner and just felt good again.
Today I woke up and was at Barton Springs by 7 am for a 1 mile swim with my friend Craig. It has been a couple of months since we swam together and all of his swim practice has paid off because he looked a lot more relaxed and comfortable in the water. We swam 4 laps at a 1/4 mile a lap for a total of 1 mile. Actually he started a lap ahead of me so when I still had one more lap to go he was technically finished but I casually asked him to do one more lap. He immediately acquiesced and turned around for an extra lap. I was quite impressed with his enthusiasm and I hope some of that spills over this way.
That's it for now. I still have a 10 mile run on Saturday with Rogue and a 60-70 mile ride on Sunday. Any takers for Sunday?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Last week I was hit with some sort of stomach bug, food poisoning or heat exhaustion and was completely out of commission for about 3 days. If you add that with missing a couple of other days last week due to a quick vacation, then last weeks workouts were pretty non-existent. Illness can provide an inescapable reason for a recovery week. I did get to finish out the weekend with my long workouts.
Sunday was a 50 mile ride with my friend Craig out on the rural side of Parmer Lane, and it was awesome. There were a few rolling hills, which was good but no big climbs like there are out on the Dam Loop. We were able to keep a pretty constant pace going the whole time. It was nice because there was hardly any traffic and the scenery was very country. But a 50 mile ride is still a 50 mile ride so I was pretty spent by the time we stopped. About halfway through the ride I asked Craig if he had brought his running shoes since I wanted to try and get a quick 10 minute run in after we finished. He had, so the plan was ride, pack up bikes, run 5 minutes out, run 5 minutes back, go home and pass out. An hour and a half after we made this plan I locked my bicycle in the car and slipped on my running shoes and prayed to the gods that Craig had forgotten all about our little plan of a 10 minute run. He hadn't. Dangit. That is the power of having a workout partner. They don't let you slide at all. We ran out of the parking lot down Great Hills Trail. I guess the name of the street should have been our clue but for some reason when we hit the 5 minute turnaround we were at the bottom of a pretty steep hill. 5 and a half mintes later we were done. Whew!
Monday was another big day. I usually end my workout weeks with my longer workouts. Since last week got away from me I decided to cram a long run and a long swim into Monday. I met my friend Barton at the Springs for a mile swim. I finished right at 39 minutes so I was pretty happy with that. He taped my lower back again and a new spot on my upper back (more on that on my next post). We chit chatted and then I was off for a 10 mile run around Town Lake. I started too late, I wore a black shirt, I was tired from my swim and my bike ride the day before and I might have woken up a little hung over from the night before. All of these factors added up to me only running 9 of the 10 miles. I was overheated and had to stop. I wasn't a very happy camper after that. Lesson learned I hope. I got home, ate a few meals and took Oskar to Barking Springs for a little R and R.
During my long run I was trying to figure out if Mondays workouts would be considered the late ending to a crappy week. Or, would those 2 big workouts be considered a great way to start the new week. I haven't quite decided how I would look at it yet. The third option --and for some reason I hear the voice of my friend Amy saying this, "Beginning or End it doesn't matter. They are 2 workouts in the middle of a long workout calendar." That is some very smart "imaginary" advice from a very seasoned coach who hasn't actually said it yet. Two more months of this journey are all that are left.
Sunday was a 50 mile ride with my friend Craig out on the rural side of Parmer Lane, and it was awesome. There were a few rolling hills, which was good but no big climbs like there are out on the Dam Loop. We were able to keep a pretty constant pace going the whole time. It was nice because there was hardly any traffic and the scenery was very country. But a 50 mile ride is still a 50 mile ride so I was pretty spent by the time we stopped. About halfway through the ride I asked Craig if he had brought his running shoes since I wanted to try and get a quick 10 minute run in after we finished. He had, so the plan was ride, pack up bikes, run 5 minutes out, run 5 minutes back, go home and pass out. An hour and a half after we made this plan I locked my bicycle in the car and slipped on my running shoes and prayed to the gods that Craig had forgotten all about our little plan of a 10 minute run. He hadn't. Dangit. That is the power of having a workout partner. They don't let you slide at all. We ran out of the parking lot down Great Hills Trail. I guess the name of the street should have been our clue but for some reason when we hit the 5 minute turnaround we were at the bottom of a pretty steep hill. 5 and a half mintes later we were done. Whew!
Monday was another big day. I usually end my workout weeks with my longer workouts. Since last week got away from me I decided to cram a long run and a long swim into Monday. I met my friend Barton at the Springs for a mile swim. I finished right at 39 minutes so I was pretty happy with that. He taped my lower back again and a new spot on my upper back (more on that on my next post). We chit chatted and then I was off for a 10 mile run around Town Lake. I started too late, I wore a black shirt, I was tired from my swim and my bike ride the day before and I might have woken up a little hung over from the night before. All of these factors added up to me only running 9 of the 10 miles. I was overheated and had to stop. I wasn't a very happy camper after that. Lesson learned I hope. I got home, ate a few meals and took Oskar to Barking Springs for a little R and R.
During my long run I was trying to figure out if Mondays workouts would be considered the late ending to a crappy week. Or, would those 2 big workouts be considered a great way to start the new week. I haven't quite decided how I would look at it yet. The third option --and for some reason I hear the voice of my friend Amy saying this, "Beginning or End it doesn't matter. They are 2 workouts in the middle of a long workout calendar." That is some very smart "imaginary" advice from a very seasoned coach who hasn't actually said it yet. Two more months of this journey are all that are left.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Jack's Generic Tri Race Report
The day started out simple enough, alarm clock was blaring, Oskar was staring, and my third triathlon of the Texas Tri Series was starting in a few hours. I got out of bed, drank a half cup of coffee, showered, loaded the car with all of my gear and drove down to the Texas Ski Ranch for Jack's Generic Triathlon. This time I remembered my water bottle. A really bad wreck on the highway diverted traffic off the interstate and added some stressful minutes to the trip. We had to park a ways away from the entrance to the event but by the time I got into transition I was good to go.
I ran into Dale, my roommates father, and he seemed pretty excited for his first triathlon. He had a great story about buying a pair of backup goggles the day before the race and then stepping on one of his pair of goggles the morning of his race. Lucky for him except I think he would have preferred to break the other pair. He would later tell me the goggles he did wear were the ones that leaked real bad. I also found my friend Tanner in transition. Tanner is a super fast triathlete who is scorching up these race courses. He is ranked 5th overall in his age group which seems to be the most competitive age group for each race and the whole series.
After talking with those two guys I finished setting up my transition mat, bike, shoes, put on sunscreen, grabbed my goggles and swim cap and headed out to do a little warm up swim. The water felt great and it helped to settle the nerves. About 30 minutes later we we lining up for the start of the race. My group was the third to go so I didn't have to wait too long. Right before they let us in the water a guy in the group ahead of us had some difficulties early in the swim (at the very start) and had to exit the race. He got out of the water and they cut his timing chip off his leg right then and there. It was weird to witness especially right before our group started.
We got into the water and headed for the front of the pack. My theory was to sprint out the first 50 or 100 meters and then get into a comfortable pace. That way I wouldn't have to pass anyone and the faster guys would have to pass me. I ended up being at the very front which was a little nerve racking. For some reason everybody was looking at me like I was the go to guy for the swim. To break the ice I looked around confusedly and asked the guys next to me which way we were going. A couple of them laughed but a couple of them either didn't get that I was joking or didn't think it was funny. One stretched out his arm and pointed his finger in the direction of the buoys and said, "Umm that way."
The starting horn sounded and we were off. I stuck to my plan and sprinted the first 100 meters. So did all of the other guys around me. Actually about 25 of the guys finished ahead of me in the swim. I swam the 500 meters in 10 minutes flat, but by the time I got out of the water I had some catching up to do. My friend Chris was a volunteer at the race. His job was to help the swimmers out of the water. He was on the left hand side of the swim exit so I headed for him. He grabbed my arm and yelled great job to me and then I was off.
I got through transition in 2:03 which is about a minute slower than the fastest transition time for my group. I need to improve a little on that. I clipped into the bike and headed out. Immediately I noticed there was something very wrong with my new water bottle. The Velcro strap holding the bottle in place had failed and I was stuck holding my water bottle with my left hand for the whole 13.8 miles. I couldn't stand up for any of the climbs and I couldn't shift out of my big chainring. Oh well. I still did the ride in 41:06 averaging just over 20 mph giving me 9th overall in my age group for the bike section.
I ran into Dale, my roommates father, and he seemed pretty excited for his first triathlon. He had a great story about buying a pair of backup goggles the day before the race and then stepping on one of his pair of goggles the morning of his race. Lucky for him except I think he would have preferred to break the other pair. He would later tell me the goggles he did wear were the ones that leaked real bad. I also found my friend Tanner in transition. Tanner is a super fast triathlete who is scorching up these race courses. He is ranked 5th overall in his age group which seems to be the most competitive age group for each race and the whole series.
After talking with those two guys I finished setting up my transition mat, bike, shoes, put on sunscreen, grabbed my goggles and swim cap and headed out to do a little warm up swim. The water felt great and it helped to settle the nerves. About 30 minutes later we we lining up for the start of the race. My group was the third to go so I didn't have to wait too long. Right before they let us in the water a guy in the group ahead of us had some difficulties early in the swim (at the very start) and had to exit the race. He got out of the water and they cut his timing chip off his leg right then and there. It was weird to witness especially right before our group started.
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| Setting my watch and asking directions |
The starting horn sounded and we were off. I stuck to my plan and sprinted the first 100 meters. So did all of the other guys around me. Actually about 25 of the guys finished ahead of me in the swim. I swam the 500 meters in 10 minutes flat, but by the time I got out of the water I had some catching up to do. My friend Chris was a volunteer at the race. His job was to help the swimmers out of the water. He was on the left hand side of the swim exit so I headed for him. He grabbed my arm and yelled great job to me and then I was off.
I got through transition in 2:03 which is about a minute slower than the fastest transition time for my group. I need to improve a little on that. I clipped into the bike and headed out. Immediately I noticed there was something very wrong with my new water bottle. The Velcro strap holding the bottle in place had failed and I was stuck holding my water bottle with my left hand for the whole 13.8 miles. I couldn't stand up for any of the climbs and I couldn't shift out of my big chainring. Oh well. I still did the ride in 41:06 averaging just over 20 mph giving me 9th overall in my age group for the bike section.
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| Actor Reenactment |
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| Empty Bike Racks |
I got off the bike and entered transition cutting the number of guys ahead of me in half. I like getting off the bike and not seeing too many bikes on the racks. I had an average second transition time and then it was time for the run. Once again I tanked on the run. I had strength left in my legs but it was my cardio that cut out on me. I couldn't breathe very well and my heart rate was through the roof. I need to figure something out to help me run faster and for a longer period of time. I ended up with a pace of about 8:41 minute miles which is about a minute and a half slower per mile than what I want and have been training at. It is very frustrating. My total time was 1:20:26 which was good enough for 12th place in my group. I did move up from 6th to 5th overall in the whole Tri Series for my age group which is very good news.
All in all I am happy with the race and I am learning a lot about triathlons and myself in this whole 10 month journey of training and racing. Some things I need to learn better. I need to learn to not start off the bike portion of the race in my largest gear possible. It makes it very difficult to get going. I am learning though. Two more races to go. Congratulations to everybody who competed at the race and thank you to everyone who came out to cheer us on.
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| Dale and I at the Finish |
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
11 weeks to go and a miracle fix
Race Report from Jack's Generic is coming soon. For now here are the last three days of workouts and news.
I have 11 weeks to go until my 1/2 Ironman race. October 17th is the target date. All of the hard work leading up till now for the last 7 months was just preparation for the final 11 weeks. Everything is going to get harder and workouts are going to go longer and longer. But don't worry, I can do this and I have help.
Monday was a 5 mile run with Oskar around Town Lake. I am going to start to ramp up all of my workouts especially the runs. I don't necessarily have a weak sport in the triathlon. I am pretty good at all three. My running is just not where I want it to be. I came into this with a pretty solid running background and have been resting on my laurels as far as the run is concerned. So more and more difficult is going to be the key.
After the run I met my friend/swim coach/body fixer at Mabel Davis for some swimming. Before we got into the pool however he had a fix for me. Let me now give you a little background on my friend Barton. He is a licensed massage therapist who specializes in working on athletes. I believe he is en route to becoming a full fledged physical therapist as well. He grew up a swimmer and he also coached a swim team for a while. Swimming is 90 percent technique and you have to have somebody evaluate your stroke who can help you make adjustments. I believe Bartons professional training mixed with his swimming background gives him a very unique perspective in analyzing and critiquing my swim stroke. He knows of specific muscles and what they do and how they relate to why I swim a particular way. Some of it can be corrected through sheer will and repitition on my part but sometimes I need a little extra help. Enter Kinesiotaping:
To fix a reoccurring problem I have had with my stroke he put this hot pink tape on my back. I have seen athletes on TV wearing it and didn't know what it was. Now I know and I know that it works. It works really really well in fact. Basically, these two strips of tape inhibit the muscles from firing. This in turn allows my hips to relax and for my swimming it allows them to float to the surface and not drag the lower half of my body underwater. The effect of the tape is almost instantaneous. I was a little skeptical at first but when I got into the pool I could feel the difference immediately. My stroke was so much more effortless. I didn't half to drag my legs through the water. I got the kickboard out and my kick alone felt 200 percent better. The tape lasts for 3-5 days and I think once it comes off the effect will last. I am teaching my muscles to fire and act in a way. I am correcting 34 years of bad posture and muscle over and under development. The tape can be used for a variety of fixes for athletes and non athletes alike. If you are interested and live in the austin area go to Barton's facebook page and get in touch with him. For now there doesn't seem to be any Kinesio taping cure for Oskar and his antics but I am hoping.
Tuesday I met Mark at his house out near Bee Cave's road and 360 for some hill repeats. We biked on 360 down to the bridge over Lake Austin and turned around to climb back uphill at the boat docks. These were repeats so we went uphill and back down for a total of 4 repeats. These were good quality climbs that I could stay in the saddle and I felt in control. After the repeats we rode back to his house and this included 2 more massive hills bigger and meaner than the ones we did the repeats on. I could feel it in my legs for sure. I went home, cleaned up took a nap and the headed out for a swim at Barton Springs. I jumped in and swam a mile without any breaks. I felt like I could go double the distance. I did it in 38 minutes which is a good 4 or 5 minutes faster than I have ever done it before. It also felt effortless. I wasn't tired or out of breath when I finished. Score a few more points in the Kinesio Tape column.
Today I got up, loaded the bike in the blazer and headed out to Zilker for a brick workout. I parked at Barton Springs and rode a hard 12 mile loop out Lake Austin Blvd., up and around Scenic and Pecos, up Mt Bonnell, down Balcones, and back over Exposition to Lake Austin Blvd. and then to my car. I locked my bike down quickly and headed out for a fast hot 4 miles around Town Lake. My run pace for the 4 miles was about 8 minute miles. If I can hold that pace for my next race then I will be really stoked. I finished my run with a cold water dip into Barking Springs sans Oskar. I got home and showered as fast as I could so he couldn't smell all the fun I just had.
Go check out Barton on facebook and see if Kinesio Taping might help you out. Trust me. Race report coming tomorrow. For now read my friend Tanner's race report. He is kicking ass in his races. I am glad I am not in his age group.
I have 11 weeks to go until my 1/2 Ironman race. October 17th is the target date. All of the hard work leading up till now for the last 7 months was just preparation for the final 11 weeks. Everything is going to get harder and workouts are going to go longer and longer. But don't worry, I can do this and I have help.
Monday was a 5 mile run with Oskar around Town Lake. I am going to start to ramp up all of my workouts especially the runs. I don't necessarily have a weak sport in the triathlon. I am pretty good at all three. My running is just not where I want it to be. I came into this with a pretty solid running background and have been resting on my laurels as far as the run is concerned. So more and more difficult is going to be the key.
After the run I met my friend/swim coach/body fixer at Mabel Davis for some swimming. Before we got into the pool however he had a fix for me. Let me now give you a little background on my friend Barton. He is a licensed massage therapist who specializes in working on athletes. I believe he is en route to becoming a full fledged physical therapist as well. He grew up a swimmer and he also coached a swim team for a while. Swimming is 90 percent technique and you have to have somebody evaluate your stroke who can help you make adjustments. I believe Bartons professional training mixed with his swimming background gives him a very unique perspective in analyzing and critiquing my swim stroke. He knows of specific muscles and what they do and how they relate to why I swim a particular way. Some of it can be corrected through sheer will and repitition on my part but sometimes I need a little extra help. Enter Kinesiotaping:
Tuesday I met Mark at his house out near Bee Cave's road and 360 for some hill repeats. We biked on 360 down to the bridge over Lake Austin and turned around to climb back uphill at the boat docks. These were repeats so we went uphill and back down for a total of 4 repeats. These were good quality climbs that I could stay in the saddle and I felt in control. After the repeats we rode back to his house and this included 2 more massive hills bigger and meaner than the ones we did the repeats on. I could feel it in my legs for sure. I went home, cleaned up took a nap and the headed out for a swim at Barton Springs. I jumped in and swam a mile without any breaks. I felt like I could go double the distance. I did it in 38 minutes which is a good 4 or 5 minutes faster than I have ever done it before. It also felt effortless. I wasn't tired or out of breath when I finished. Score a few more points in the Kinesio Tape column.
Today I got up, loaded the bike in the blazer and headed out to Zilker for a brick workout. I parked at Barton Springs and rode a hard 12 mile loop out Lake Austin Blvd., up and around Scenic and Pecos, up Mt Bonnell, down Balcones, and back over Exposition to Lake Austin Blvd. and then to my car. I locked my bike down quickly and headed out for a fast hot 4 miles around Town Lake. My run pace for the 4 miles was about 8 minute miles. If I can hold that pace for my next race then I will be really stoked. I finished my run with a cold water dip into Barking Springs sans Oskar. I got home and showered as fast as I could so he couldn't smell all the fun I just had.
Go check out Barton on facebook and see if Kinesio Taping might help you out. Trust me. Race report coming tomorrow. For now read my friend Tanner's race report. He is kicking ass in his races. I am glad I am not in his age group.
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