Columbia Triathlon May 18, 2008

Things have been a little hectic lately so I have some catching up to do. I wanted to start by sharing my report from the Columbia Triathlon on May 18. A long story short, I had an unbelievable day. The rain held off and we had perfect conditions to race in. Columbia is probably the most difficult Olympic distance course around and also has one of the deepest and most talented athletes in the mid-atlantic region competing in it. It's a great gauge to see how you stack up against some strong triathletes.

Since Columbia Maryland is only about a 50 minute drive from home, I headed out shortly after 4:30 a.m. Igda decided to pass on going. Zack wasn't able to make it either since he was able to hook up with one of his college friend's for a night on the town in DC on Saturday. And honestly, Igda knows by now that I'm not that much fun to be around for the big races anyhow. I tend to get a little edgy and cranky.

I went through my usual pre-race routine and before you know it we were ready to start the race at 7:15 a.m. The swim was fairly ordinary. I got out unscathed and in average time. I hustled out of transition with my bike and proceeded to go just about as hard as I could go. My coach advised me on some power #'s to target in order to help me pace my effort and they were spot on. I had the ride of my life finishing with the 16th fastest bike split of the out of 1,120 males and the 2nd fastest in my Age Group. It's so exciting to see the huge improvement I've made this year on the bike.

After starting the bike leg in 32nd, I moved into 5th position by the start of the run. Now this is where the fun ends and the pain begins. The 6.2 mile run course is really challenging with some pretty good climbs in the first mile and between miles 3 and 5. In my previous 2 attempts at this race, I completely blew up and had to walk portions. Not this time though. I've been putting in some serious weekly run volume (30+ mile weeks for about 3 months) and it's totally paid off. I ran hard and steady for the duration and was only passed by one guy who eventually finished 2nd.

I kept thinking that my good friend's, Sean or Kyle, were going to catch me on the run since they are strong runners, so I was running scared the whole time. To my surprise they never caught me. I was able to finish strong and finished 6th in my Age Group out of 216 men and 52nd overall male out of 1,120. I missed getting an award by 1 place, but I was totally stoked about my race.

All in all, things are looking right on track for a great year of racing.

I don't have any photos but here's a link to race photos (just click on PHOTOS):
PHOTOS

Kinetic Sprint Triathlon

Well, my 2008 tri season is officially under way. I participated in a "Sprint" (750m swim which turned out to be more like 900m followed by an 18 mile bike leg and then a 5k run). This is the shortest version of a triathlon you can do and it pretty much boils down to a high octane speed fest since it is so short. Sure, it's shorter than other tri's, but you have to really race it full throttle for the duration, so it's a good way to get in a great workout without suffering too long.

We had a beautiful day on Saturday only to be followed by torrential rain from Saturday evening through Sunday. I woke up only to peak outside and see the dreaded rain coming down. Igda had been planning on going to spectate, but with the rain, she quickly rolled back under the blanket and wished me luck. I don't really blame her.

I wasn't too concerned about the rain since the temps were in the low 60's. I hate racing in the cold and knew I could manage the rain.

I arrived at the race site about 8:30 a.m. (race start at 10 a.m.) and proceeded to get my race packet, hit the potty, go for a 15 minute run and then onto to transition to get my bike setup.

Did I say it was REALLY WET and the rain was unending. I was already dreading having to go home and clean up after this mess. It takes a good 2 hours to really clean the bike after riding in the rain.

Onto to the race. Long story short: A had a great race. The swim wasn't too bad and I was able to get out of the starting madness unscathed. I was in the 5th wave, so I had to swim through a lot of bodies in the water since I caught up to the waves that went off before me. I exited the water and headed to transition quickly. I whipped off the wetsuit, put on my helmet, grabbed my bike and sprinted to the exit.

This year I invested in a powermeter which displays the watts (power) you are generating while you ride. It's proven to be a godsend and has taken my cycling to another level, as well as my investment in getting a buddy of mine to help prescribe some killer workouts with it. So, needless to say, I was very much looking forward to crushing this course. And I did. I had the 6th fastest bike split overall and the fastest split in my AG. I managed to catch the second place guy in my AG at about mile 14 who swum about 3 minutes faster than me. He said there was one other guy in our age group in front of us, but didn't know how far up he was.

I cruised into transition in second with the now 3rd place guy right on my heels. I told myself on the run, just don't look back. There's a nice short hill as you exit transition and I knew it would be a good gauge of how well my legs would feel. Not a problem. Good sign. I had the best 5k run ever, but got caught at mile 2 by the 3rd place guy. He just had an extra gear I didn't and ended up beating me by about 35 seconds.

I finished 3rd (out of 63) in my AG and 16th overall (out of 364). Yep, I was a happy camper and still am. Crappy weather, but great race for me. The season is starting out well and I hope this is a sign of good things to come.

Official results (you can copy & paste in browser, Linking not working):
Overall: http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_results&id=892
Age Group: http://www.setupevents.com/files/KS_AGMen.html

Here's a link to my photos (they charge way too much to buy):
Birds Eye View Inc : Search Results Display : KSP_R3026

BYB Wakefield 10 mile Trail run

A fun run for sure. This one was close to home since Wakefield park is only about 10 minutes away from the homestead. I had a huge bike ride the day before with the fellas where we tried to rip each others legs off on the bike, so I wasn't sure what kind of shape I would be in to run this race. It took me awhile to get going and get the legs remotely normal, but it all worked out and I had a good time and got some good training in doing it. I finished 12th overall and 7th in my Age Group. I really think these races will pay big dividends as my tri season gets underway soon.
Here I am on the homestretch:

Lake Placid Countdown

Just a hair under 4 months to go before D-Day! Training is going well. I've got some great guys to train with and we are really pushing ourselves. I'm seeing improvement in all 3 sports, so I'm looking forward to the racing season.

March 30 BYB 5 mile trail race at Fountainhead

Race #2 is now in the books. I opted for the 5 mile course this go around and I'm glad I did. This course was really challenging. Along with all the ups and downs, the trails are very rocky with lots of roots exposed. Needless to say, I slightly sprained my ankle, but was able to soldier on. I don't know what's up with the weather, but it was fairly chilly. Fortunately, no rain this time.

I ended up 5th in the 30-39 Age Group and 11th overall for the 5 mile course. I cycled a Time Trial on Saturday, so my legs were already pretty tired, but I was pleased with the result. I even won a mug for 5th place. Not sure what I was thinking, but you may be able to pick me out in the starting herd. I think I went out a little too fast this time!

Next Trail race is April 13, so I'm looking forward to it. These are a lot of fun!

March 16 10.5 Mile Trail Run race at Hemlock

Greetings. Well, it's time to get back to updating my blog. On Sunday, I ran my first ever trail running race. It was a total blast. Although I'd ridden a hard 80 miles the day before, I thought this would be a good test for me to see how my training is coming along. I'll be doing a total of 3 trail running races this spring which will hopefully increase my running economy and speed for later in the year. Running long distances at a sustained pace has been my weak spot the last few years, so I'm looking forward to pushing myself to another level. I've been getting in about 30-35 miles a week along with my swimming and cycling which is far more mileage than I've put up in the past.

As for the race, it was made all the more interesting by the overnight and early morning rain showers which led to some really muddy situations. I felt like a kid again running through the woods. I must say, the time went by very fast unlike a road race where it seems never ending.

I managed to get through it safely without turning an ankle or getting injured. The course was pretty brutal with 3 pretty substantial climbs where I was red lining it. I ended up finishing 11th overall, so I was very pleased with the effort. More importantly, I was mentally able to push through a few rough spots without stopping to walk.

Here's a few pics of the day:

Leo arrived!!!

I finally caved in and granted Igda her wish to get a puppy. She scouted out a bunch of kennels and breeders before finding the perfect little baby Yorkie. The timing was perfect as we were able to pick him up on Igda's birthday weekend in February. We had a difficult beginning but Leo has forever found his way to our hearts. He brings lots of joy and happiness into our home. We're still working on the potty training, but we're making progress. Here are some pics: