Weekend of Great Training

I don't know if I have every had a more successful weekend of training. I have had good weekends. I have even had great weekends of training, but rarely are they fun. Triathlon, with all its rewards, is often a lonely pursuit. We train hard, spending long hours on hot blacktop, usually by ourselves. Sure there are group rides and group runs, but I have never been inclined to participate in that kind of activity. Usually there are too many variables.

This weekend, however, things changed. Myself and two other guys put ourselves to the test this weekend. It was a great weekend...90 mile bike w/ 5000 feet of climbing and 30 minute transition run after on Saturday. One hour open water swim and 2 hour 20 minute run on Sunday. On top of everything it was fun. My spirits are high, my legs tired but strong...let the build toward IM Canada continue.

Ironman Coeur d' Alene Registration Weekend

I spent this last weekend in beautiful Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. It had been a very long time since I had been to North Idaho, but I had remembered it as being a wonderful place, and it did not disappoint. We arrived late on Friday evening and spent the night in the public parking lot, in a camper, next to the deluxe Coeur d' Alene hotel. Our plan was to get up early to ride the course. I don't normally ride at 630a, but at that hour it was somewhat peaceful. I couldn't help but think about the contrast between the quietness of that morning and the excitement of the next. There is nothing like an Ironman morning. The tension is palpable. Nervous competitors, nervous family, the eschaton of race morning.

I went with a couple friends to register for next year, neither of which had seen an Ironman live. The day was perfect the weather couldn't have been better. We ran from our campground to the race start, watched the swimmers start their day, and then got in a 17 mile run while they went out on the bike. It was one of the most fun runs I have had in a long time we ran the Run course out past the turnaround. This train parallels the Bike course so we were able to see the everyone at the beginning of their ride. It was a lot of fun. The day went about like they all do. There is the excitement of the pro finish, family and friends waiting in nervous anticipation for their loved ones to return from a loop, then the long wait until midnight as racers stream across the finish line. It is a day that never fails to inspire.

This day, at this point, two months from Ironman Canada, was exactly what I needed. When you have to register for a race one year in advance you can loose perspective, maybe motivation. Although I wasn't in depths of misunderstanding, I can say this weekend reminded me what these races are all about. The next two months are going to be hard, but the second I cross that finish line it will all be worth it.

We got up on Monday, got a cup of coffee and went down to the finish line area to stand in line to register for next year's race. This is the second time I have done this, the last being in Penticton last year. It is a wonderful mix of racers from the day before carrying their finishers swag, workers breaking down the Ironman production and eager future competitors. I can't wait until next year.

Congrats to all the Ironheads who competed. It was great day for all.

2009 Scott Plasma

Nice bike. Interview by Jay Prasuhn.

Race Report: Blue Lake Olympic

Blue Lake Olympic Triathlon

Date: 6/16/2008
Swim distance: 1.5k
Bike distance: 40k
Run distance: 10k

So, I don't want to start out this report with excuses for my relative performance. I will say, now at the outset, I am please with my performance. I felt a little nervous at the beginning. I knew I was not going to have the legs for a great day, nonetheless it was a good day.

I started the swim right in the middle. This was probably my first mistake of the day. I should have started a lot closer to the front. I know I am not the fastest swimmer, but I am not the slowest either. I should have started closer to the front. I had to climb over several people to get into some open water. Pacing throughout was good, but possibly a little slow. I was able to get a good draft along the back stretch and after the second turn I pushed it around the guy I was drafting. Sighting wasn’t great, the turn buoys were the same color as all the others. This makes for some confusion. One guy, at the second to last buoy made the turn to home. I felt a little bad for him. Also, I have gotten a lot better at swimming straight. I know this sounds maybe insignificant, but swimming straight really helps. The quickest route between two points is that straight line.

Transition 1 was a little shaky. This was the first time I’ve had to take my own wetsuit off in a very long time. At Boise they had strippers (no, not those kind). So, I was a little nervous and it slowed me down. I didn’t have enough lube on ankles and the suit had a hard time coming off. I didn’t panic, but was slow.

I started off on the bike a little quick. I should have controlled myself a little better at the beginning. I did settle into a good pace, but my legs did not feel great. I pushed through it, but there was pain. The kind of pain were you know you are sacrificing some time on the run, but can’t help it. You still push through it. At the end, I pushed ahead of a couple people I was behind the whole time. I knew I wouldn’t see them on the run, but I didn’t know how many people I was going to be able to catch off the bike.

Transition 2 was not better than T1. I couldn’t get my shoes on. It slowed me down considerably. The preset laces were too tight, my feet were a little numb, the combination was problematic.

I really controlled my pace at the beginning of the run. I wanted to run fast, but I knew my legs were not going to be able to kick the whole time. I wanted to save what I had in the tank for the final miles. As bad as my legs hurt I did negative split the final 3 miles. Final mile was 5:45, best mile of the day. However, that was not good enough. I didn’t however, get passed once. For me this is a good measure of my run strength.

As I mentioned this was not the best day I have ever had. My bike was not the best. I just didn’t feel like I had the power I needed or can have on a good day. Because my bike was such a struggle mentally and physically, my run suffered. This is usually my greatest strength, but not today. However, I did learn some things in this race. I need to practice taking my wetsuit off. I need some new laces for my shoes to make the transitions better. I also learned that some days you just aren’t going to have it. The day was good, I don’t have a lot of complaints about my performance, but not great.

Time: 2:09:10
Overall: 21st
Age Group: 4th

Boise 70.3 Swim Start

Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Boise

Ironman 70.3 Boise

June 1, 2008
Swim distance: 1.2 Miles
Bike distance: 56 Miles
Run distance: 13.1 miles.

Dacia and I drove to Boise early the Thursday before the race. I went on a short run after settling into The Modern Hotel, and found my heart rate about 6-8 beats higher than it should have been. This was my first experience racing at an altitude totally dissimilar to the one I train in. I was kind of concerned I would not acclimate well enough. By race day however, I felt better about things, and during the race heart rate numbers read pretty similar to what I had expected.

I had a good sleep the night before. The last time I saw the clock it was 10pm-ish, maybe earlier. Not bad for a pre-race sleep and its accompanying nerves. I was not overly nervous race morning. I knew the water was going to be cold, but I was prepared. I swam the two previous days and it helped knowing what to expect when that water started to seep in though the wet suit zipper. It was windy, but couldn’t control it. Everyone had to deal with the wind and its offspring -- Choppy Lake Waves. We were in this together, all 1000 of us. I could tell most everyone was nervous about the swim and I knew I felt better than most. I had two goals going into this race:

1. Race under 4:45.
2. Get a slot to Clearwater.

Scott, my coach, wrote a very deliberate race plan. This gave me a lot of confidence through race weekend. Every night before bed I read it over. I didn't want to have to guess about things on race day. I needed the information at hand.

In the swim I started in the middle towards the front. Pacing went well. I felt pretty consistent through the entire swim. I knew everyone was going to struggle based on the conditions. I have had experience with bad swim conditions in the past. Timberman 70.3 two years ago was not as cold, but certainly bigger waves. Rain pouring down. Generally miserable. There is nothing like looking up at 2.5 foot swells on a lake. That was not the case at beautiful Lucky Peak Reservoir. (No joke, it was beautiful. I will post some good race morning pictures Dacia took.)

Based on swims I did the previous two days I was able to sight based on hill landmarks and trees, not the ever invisible buoys. It was cold. That slowed everyone I am sure. We didn’t really get a chance to warm up, so I started pretty slow and didn't really warm up until the first turn. I came out of the water in 35:32, which was slower than I had anticipated, but based on the other times it seemed the cold slowed everyone.

Per the plan I went out slow and controlled I knew I had a long race ahead of me and didn’t want to burn things up. Christian, a fellow Ironhead, flew past me at about 100 mph, and I resisted the chance to chase. I hoped to see him later on the run. I tried to keep pretty constant the whole race. I wanted to make sure I had enough for the run. That was key. There was a period between mile 35 and 45 where there were a lot of false flats with head winds. Aleck, another Ironhead blew by me, and said how hard I was to catch. I was thinking that if I was so hard to catch we wouldn't have made up the 10 minute difference in our start times! (Aleck had a great race. Congrats!) I started to feel my legs weaken from the headwinds, not Aleck's sass, but didn’t let up. After mile 45 conditions became more favorable, Aleck was no longer in sight, and knew I wasn’t going to catch him. It was downhill from mile 50 all the way in to T2. I ended the bike 2:34:23. This is massive improvement for me, but I know I have more to give.

On the run I tried to keep things above 7 minute miles for the first two like my plan suggested, but they ended up being 6:34, 6:38. I felt like I would be able to hold his pace throughout, but slowed down to 7:00 for the next 3 miles. I wanted to be able to kick at the end. Pacing for rest of run? Mile 5 I started to pick things up and at the turn around starting the second lap I dusted the guy I had been pacing. I wanted to hold this pace until mile 8, but at mile 7 something said go and I went. I finally caught Christian around mile 9, I think. Mile markers were inconsistent at best so it was pretty hard to get actual pace times. I got back to running around 6:35. Then things went kind of bust. It wasn’t a full on bonk, most everything felt good, but I wasn’t able to give that kick I had expected. I finally settled in at a comfortable 7 minute pace. I wanted to go under 1:30, probably would have if it weren’t for the last tenth of a mile! In retrospect, I should have waited until mile 8 to push it. That would have been better. I would have had the power to give it a better go at the end. However, 1:30:20, is a good day.

I felt positive the whole day. Much of it had to do with my plan going in. Even before the swim, during that nervous time before the gun, I felt good. Only once did, “Why in the hell do I do this?”, cross my mind and it was fleeting. I was pretty happy with the whole day, but I can’t say I am satisfied. That kind of improvement is something to be proud of, but I know I have more speed in my legs, both on the bike and in the run. I would have liked to get that automatic qualifying spot to Clearwater, but sub 4:31 was not in the cards on this day. At least I got it in the roll down. I am glad to be going. I ended the day 4:44:30, 8th in my age group, 33rd amateur.

Boise was a great host and the race, for being in its first year, was very well organized. The only major complaint was the parking situation at the swim. It was pretty hard for spectators to make it up there. Dacia had to wait in a parking lot for 1.5 hours before they would let her drive back to T2 in downtown Boise. The finish line was great and thanks to all the Ironheads both racing and not for the support. Most importantly, thanks to Dacia, I couldn't do this without her.