Rahr 5k 2014

9.27.14

in 2012, my 1st 5k post knee surgeries was the Rahr 5k.  I had to walk a bit, and finished in a slow 32:51.   In 2013, I improved to 27:50.

Lindsi and I quickly realized that this event would be an annual event for us, as it was our 1st 5k together, its a great atmosphere and party, etc.

Although I had not been running a lot as of late (certainly not for speed), my times in races had been improving.  I set my mind to PR this one, with hopes of finishing in under 25 minutes.

I'd struggled with insomnia all week, including the night before the race, but, still intended to push hard for my PR.

My plan was to get out at a mild pace (8:30), and increase my speed in miles 2 and 3.  Well, as you might expect, that plan dissolved as soon as the horn sounded.  I got out to a 7:35 pace (my fastest mile to date), and slowed a little as the race progressed.  This course is a bit hilly, so, not necessarily the easiest course for a PR, but, I felt good.

I slowed to an 8:12 mile for mile 2,  and 8:22 for mile 3.  I picked it up as I turned the corner towards the finish, and clocked a 25:02.  While I just missed my 25 minute target, I know that I can do it on the next 5k.

lots of PRs on this one: http://www.strava.com/activities/200158436

3.13 in 25:02.  26th of 96 in my AG.

And, as always, good fun and beer at the end.

Trifecta Triathlon 2014

9.14.14

Today marked and new day as I participated in my 1st open water event.  I'd planned on participating in this event for some time, as it was held at Camp Grady Spruce, which would allow for lodging options, a quick family getaway, and a familiar venue.

There were 2 distance options:  Olympic (1500m, 40k, 10k), or Sprint (500m, 17, 4.5).  Being new to open water and still lacking confidence in my swimming, I opted for the shorter route.  Leading up to the event, I thought that I might be frustrated by the shorter bike and run distances.  However, the distances were not all that much shorter for the sprint, so, I took some comfort in that.

Griffin and I headed up Saturday afternoon, with Gage and Lindsi following later in the day.  The CGS staff took good care of us, by supplying us a clinic for lodging at no cost.

I knew a handful of folks participating in this event, and saw several more while there.

A few new experiences for me on this one:

1. open water swim
2. floating open water start
3. long distance to transition from swim to bike 
4. rough terrain during transitions
5. different areas for T1 and T2 
6. "clean" transition areas with bags

Chris and I headed out for a swim on saturday night to allow me to get a feel for the open water.  It sucked.  However, I'm glad we did it, as I suspect it lessened my anxiety this morning.  

The pros and olympic distance racers headed out in waves starting at 7:30, with the sprint distance racers beginning about 8:20.

I received a little counsel from a few folks on how to best position myself in the swim to avoid traffic.

When it was our turn, I headed out.  I swam freestyle briefly, but, quickly found myself alternating strokes to breaststroke, sidestroke, and even a little backstroke.  I got left behind by most other swimmers, so had plenty of room to myself.  Other than having to adjust my goggles to release some water, the swim was fairly uneventful.  But, it sucked.  It was quite the wakeup call for me on my inability to swim.  However, I finished...in a pitiful 15:48...my worst swim splits ever.

I made the long jog to transition and suited up for the bike.  The rough terrain made it necessary to carry the bike much of the way to the mounting line.  I mounted and took off.  It took some time to get my breath back after the swim etc, and we started the bike route on a steady climb.  Once I got out of camp and found some rhythm, I felt pretty good.  I passed several cyclists.  However, just like every race, my pace will keep me from being terribly competitive.  17.5mph over the 17 miles.  I really need to get that north of 19mph.  

I racked the bike in T2 and headed out for a slow, steady run.  I was hoping for something a little better than 10 minute miles, and, was aiming for 2 hours overall.  I realized during the run that 2hrs was out of reach (some due to long transitions), but, I knew I could beat 2:10.  I picked it up down the  stretch and finished strong.  2:07:43.  8th of 9 in my AG and 66th out of 128.  

I will have to rethink my upcoming 70.3.  Im nowhere close to being ready.  I may consider a relay for that and some more sprints this season.  The good news is that, although ugly, I know I can finish 500m in open water.  That will open up some options next season.  Lots of work to do in the water...

Trifecta was a great event.  I suspect it will be an annual event.  

Old College Tri 2014

9.7.14

yet another Dallas Athletes Racing event this weekend. this one in Denton at the Denton Natatorium.

I arrived to a cool morning, with temps in the mid-70's.  the format on this one:  250m pool swim, 12(ish) on the bike, and 3.1 on foot.

Lindsi and I had just come back from a mini vacay with the Butler's.  I was hopeful that my diet and beer intake over the past few days would not prove to be problematic.

I entered the swim and realized quickly that it would be crowded.  I passed a few people, but, also found myself stuck behind swimmers swimming 2 wide.  As a result, the swim felt a little slow and frustrating.

Off to the bike.  I felt pretty good on the way out and passed several cyclists.  I turned around and headed back, and found a few hills on the way back in.  About 75% of the way through the ride, I heard the official blow his horn near me.  I had no idea what had occurred.  I began to "do the math" on my target finish time, and, realized that I need to be running by the 50' mark to make my 1:20 target.

I made it back in time and headed out on the run.  The transition was a little slow, as I was a bit stiff getting off the bike, so got off to a slow start.  Additionally, I had a little toe and heel soreness, as I was in new shoes.  I was pacing pretty slowly, and realized, as I got closer, that I would just miss my target.  Despite that, I picked it up a bit down the stretch.  Per by Garmin, I clocked a 1:21 and change, but, sure enough, was given a 2 minute penalty for "unfair advantage".  I have an email into the race director asking for some clarification on the infraction.

All in all, just an "ok" day.  But, I'm feeling good about Trifecta next weekend.

FWRC Labor Day 15k 2014

9.1.14

As mentioned before, I have found myself participating in many of the FWRC events lately.  As a result, I receive all of their promotional email about upcoming events.

It just so happened that I had two opportunities for a 15k this weekend.  Cox running was hosting a 15k challenge at Martin House on Saturday, and, FWRC was hosting this event on Monday.

I contemplated both events, as there were pros and cons to both.  The Cox event was Saturday, and was at Martin House, both appealing factors.  However, they were not offering finisher medals, and, it was truly 2 separate races, a 5k and 10k, with the challenge being to do both.  The FWRC event was Monday, which presented a challenge, as my fantasy football draft was on Sunday night in Dallas.  typically, the FF draft leads to beer drinking.  Ultimately, I chose the FWRC event due to format, location (Lukes), tech shirt, medal, etc.

I'd been dealing with significant back pain since Thursday, so, was a bit anxious about the run.

It had been quite some time since I had completed this distance.  although my training had been calling for longer runs, the heat and my schedule had prevented me from completing anything longer than 6 miles.  I was curious to see how I would hold up.

This is clearly FWRC's signature event, as it is priced a bit higher, packet pick up was a Lukes, it offered tech shirts, 15k finisher medals, and hosted about 900 runners between the 5k and 15k.

I arrived to a warm, but not overwhelmingly hot morning.  However, it was quite humid.  I got out to about a 9:30 pace, and, after about a mile or 2 of warm up, felt pretty good.  I was hoping for a sub 1:30 finish time.

I realized a few miles in that today might not be the day.  The humidity was causing many runners to sweat through their shirts early on.  I could tell that it had been quite some time since I'd run this far.  I held a decent pace through about 6 miles, and hoped to speed up a bit for the last 5k.  However, it wasn't going to happen.  Miles 7-9 for me were painfully slow.  The sun, humidity and increasing heat were taking a toll.

This course fed us from Lukes to the Duck Pond, onto the trail, with a turnaround near 30 / University, down the trail to Panther Island, out towards White Settlement, with a turnaround at about 6 miles, then back down the trail to 7th and back to Lukes.  This course was mostly flat until we headed out towards White Settlement Rd., where we had 5 hills to deal with.

While I missed my target time of 1:30, I was pleased to finish the distance.  I have some work to do as I get closer to the 70.3 and half marathons coming up.  I may target the Tour des Fleurs 20k in a few weeks as a test.

The final stats:  9.3 in 1:37:57.  Slow, but, done.