Monster Tri Denton 2014

10.26.14

Back to back weekends, back to back Monster Tri's.  This one in Denton.  For the 3rd year in a row, I would compete on my birthday (or birthday weekend).

This would be a familiar course, as it was basically the same course as The Old College Tri, but, with a slightly longer bike route.

One of my old buddies, Chris Rapp, was participating in his 1st Tri.  It was fun to give him some encouragement along the way.

The pool looked "small" compared to last week's 50m pool.  I got in, got off to a good start, but, got hemmed in behind a slow swimmer.  Even with the slow swim, I bested my last swim in that pool by 11 seconds.

Off to the bike...like last time, I was fast on the way out, with my splits north of 20 mph.  And again, like last time, I was slower on the way back.  Strava showed 17.8mph for the ride, but the chip time showed 17.3mph.

The run was slow and steady at about 10 minutes per mile.

All in all, a 1:36:13.  28th of 35.  frustrating.

However, I completed my 8th tri of the year.  I may hit "best of the best" in two weeks, and then focus on running season.

Friends of the River 6k 2014

10.23.14

This event was brought to my attention by Brian Smith during my recent eye exam.  Apparently, this event has taken place for several years, but, until Brian mentioned it, I was not familiar with it.

The race benefits "Streams and Valleys", a local non profit that supports recreation enhancements and beautification effort for the Trinity River.

The run is followed by a huge party with lots of GREAT food vendors, craft beer, a band, etc.

The route was a 6k (3k option was also available).  It began in Montgomery Plaza, between Boomer Jacks and Gloria's, crossed 7th, and headed south on the roads through Trinity Park before turning back north, crossing the pedestrian bridge, going under 7th, up the big hill on 5th, and, ultimately, turning back onto 7th for a finish just shy of Montgomery Plaza.

I had some difficulty setting a target time for this one, as I had not completed a 6k before, but, set my sights on 8:30 / mile, which would bring me in at about 31 minutes.

I had not had a good day of nutrition, as I skipped lunch.  I had a gel about an hour before the race, but, felt pretty hungry before we started.  

When the horn sounded, I got off to a fast start. I was pacing at just over 7 minutes a mile.  I passed Sheri and knew I was moving too fast. I held about a 7:40 pace for the 1st mile, and then ran out of gas.  My lack of fuel was showing.  I slowed drastically for mile 2, and watched Sheri slowly increase the distance between us.  By mile 2, I was wiped.  Several times I actually considered walking.  

Once we crossed over the river in the pedestrian bridge, I felt like I could finish, but, it sucked.  As we headed up the 5th street hill, again, I considered walking, but, pushed through. 

I finished in 33:59 (per Strava).  A little over 9 minutes a mile based on a 6k distance, but, I booked 3.82 miles, which changed my pace to under 9 minute miles.  

The after party was great.  Good food and beer.  This one will be a staple on the calendar.

Monster Tri Keller 2014

10.19.14

For the 2nd year in a row, I participated in this event.  Much like last year, my training had slowed prior to this event, but, this would be my 7th Tri of the year, and, while still a painfully slow swimmer, I have improved a bit over the past 12 months.

This event is huge (for a local sprint), as almost 700 athletes attend.

I had a few issues going into this one:

• I was somewhat ambitious on my swim time.  I registered at 6:45, when I was over 9 minutes a year ago.
• My back bike tire was not holding air for long.  I aired it up (from flat) last night, to find it soft again this morning.  I changed the tube, only to have the new tube explode while I was inflating  it.  Back to the old tube.  I was concerned that the tire may go soft prior to the bike leg.
• lack of training.  I had not been in the water in a month, and on the bike in 18 days.  

when my time came, I hit the water.  I quickly found traffic, so found myself breast stroking much of the time.  frustrating.

Off to the bike.  not much to report here, but, I certainly felt my lack of saddle time.  This course has a few hills, so can be somewhat fatiguing.

The run was about the same as a year ago.  I did get to visit with someone that had a few mutual friends, and saw several familiar faces and "tri friends".  

When it was all said and done, I improved by 5 minutes over last year, and, was faster in every leg.  not too shabby.

I will need to replace tires and tubes this week, and, I'm kinda glad that Tri season is coming to a close.  I'll hit another Tri or 2 in the next few weeks, plus Bronda's Du.  After that, it's all running for a bit.  

Next up, Monster Tri Denton.  

Texas 10 Series Ft. Worth 2014

10.12.14

The Texas 10 series is a series of 10 mile races across the state.  Apparently, points can be earned for those that participate in multiple events.  In addition to the 10 mile distance, a 5 mile and kids' 1 mile distances are also offered.  I stumbled upon this event on a running website, and, decide to give this one a go.

While I'd invited a few friends to participate, only Melody opted in, and chose the 5 mile route.

The race started and ended at Farrington Field, with most of the course taking place on the Trinity Trails.  A simple 5 mile loop for the 5 mile race, and, 2 loops for the 10 milers.

I'd been fighting a terrible back pain for several days leading up to this one, but, knew I wouldn't miss.  Additionally, it had been an incredibly lazy week workout-wise.

I arrived to a very small crowd.  A shame, as this was a well coordinated event.  The results showed only 99 total for the 10 miler, and 18 total for the 5 miler.

I got off to a painful start.  each step sent shockwaves up my back and hurt like hell.  I wondered if I'd made a mistake in showing up.  by mile 2 - 3, I'd loosened up a bit, and found a slow, steady pace.  The route itself was familiar and easy.  I stripped my long sleeved running shirt by mile 3, and carried it until the end of the 1st loop, where I tossed it aside.  I also experienced some foot numbness through the 1st lap, which caused me to stop just shy of the 1st lap to re-tie my shoe.

The second lap, like the 1st was slow and steady. One of the challenges with a small event is that there are times that it feels like you are running alone.  That can make one feel really slow!   While I'd hoped for a sub 1:40 time (10 minute miles), my slow pace took me just over.

The results, 10.1 miles in 1:44:30.  Slow, but, done.

A few cool things about this one:  they had good options for post race food, they have random drawings for cash ($50 for 5 milers and $100 for 10 milers), they offer pint glasses for those that place.  All in all, a good event.  I suspect I'll be back.

Clark Gardens Half Marathon 2014

10.4.14

This weekend was a light weekend for racing options.  There was the Paluxy Pedal in Glen Rose, the DRC 15k in Dallas, the CALF 5k in FW, and the Clark Gardens Half and 5k in Weatherford.

While I'd considered passing on this weekend, I had a good week of workouts, and wanted to finish the week strong.  I finally made the decision to register on Thursday, but, alas, the online registration had ended.  After a quick call to the venue, I felt fairly confident that I would go and register on race day.

I went into this one a little concerned, as I had not competed this distance since early April, and, my recent 15k had been ugly.  But, the alarm went off this morning and off I went.

This event caps at 200 runners, so, not quite the congestion of the other half marathons I'd run.  I arrived to temps in the high 40's...a little cold, but, I knew it would warm up quickly.

My plan was to go out easy, and try to maintain 10:15 - 10:30  mile, with hopes of speeding up during the last 5k.

This run was different in that much of the run was on trails.  Not a bad thing,  just different.


A few complaints on this one:

• after seeing a water stop at 1.5 miles with a portalet, there was not another water stop until 5.5 miles, and, no portalet.  I didn't find a portalet until about mile 7.  That sucked, as I needed to pee.
• Loose dogs.  On a few occasions, dogs came out and harassed runners, nipping at heels, etc.  I was one of the runners that had to deal with it.  I guess that will happen when you run out in the middle of nowhere. 

Other than that, not a bad event.  I fought through a heel blister for the last 5 miles or so, but, ran the whole way.

I was actually somewhat pleased, as my time was about the same as my 13.1 times in the spring, and I had not trained at all for this distance this fall.  

Per Strava (garmin) 13.2 in 2:18:52.  10:26 per mile.

At this distance, I'll never be competitive, but I'm always pleased to complete the longer races.