Tour d'Italia 2015

6.20.15

After last weekend, I wanted can to get back out on the bike for a long ride.  While I was aware of Tour d'Italia from previous years, I'd never participated before.  However, it was fairly close, I'd heard some good things about it, and, I need to increase my saddle time this year.  

This ride, in its 30th year, has distances of 12, 29, 41, 50 and 63 miles. 

With the starting line about an hour away, I got an early start this morning.  I arrived at Italy HS a little after 7, so had plenty of time before the 8 am start. 

The street where the start takes place was a little narrow, so I found a spot towards middle to allow for a little space.  I got off to a good start, and felt good about my speed the tough the first 10 miles.  I skipped the first rest stop and continued on.  While the temperature was mild today, the air was humid, and we rode into a strong headwind for the next 30 miles.  To compound the issue, we had some rolling hills.  At about the 30 mile mark, I was contemplating turning off and finishing the 50 miler, as I was not enjoying the ride.  The traffic control at intersections was poor, the chip seal sucked, and, on several occasions, we were routed onto highway shoulders for extended periods of time, with cars and trucks passing at 70 mph.  

When the 50 mile turn off appeared, my stubbornness kicked in.  I headed towards the 63 mile route.  Fortunately, the wind died down quite a bit, and the last 20 miles were fast.  

I'd taken advantage of most of the rest stops, as my neck and back have not yet adjusted to the increased saddle time. Slow day, but, done.  

Not sure I'll do this one again.  It was "ok" at best.  

2015 Trinity 5000 Summer Series Week 3

6.18.15

I'm back! 

For the 2nd week in a row, I showed up to race.  As mentioned last week, I'll likely race in several of these this summer, as they are cheap, convenient, and they will force me to do some speed work. 

Chris and Miriam joined for this one. Between the 3 of us and Samantha, the Y was well represented. 

We had a Y event tonight from 5:30 - 7.  I was felling a little stress about making the short drive to the race site, changing clothes (in the jeep), and getting the starting line on time.  I made it with time to spare and had a little time to stretch prior to the race.   

I have a few goals for these. 1) commit to the speed work. 2). Try to improve my times.  It would be nice to beat my 5k PR this summer. 

I got off to a good start, and, once I found some room to run, cranked out a 8:10 1st mile.  I found a couple of people to pace with, and felt comfortable with my speed.  I stuck with the two people I was pacing with, which may have been a mistake. My 2nd mile was 8:42. I finally broke away from them and ran mile 3 in 8:31. Final time: 26:28. A minute and 2 seconds faster than last week.   

I'm still far from competive, as I finished 7th of 8th in my AG, but, it felt good to shave some time off of last week. I'll race again next week, and then take 2 weeks off due to travel.  

Wounded Warrior 13.1 2015

6.14.15

the streak continues...

as explained in yesterday's post, my plan for my June 13.1 shifted last week due to a scheduling conflict for next weekend.

This event was coordinated by Dallas Athlete's Racing.  I've raced with them several times over the past few years...mostly triathlons, but also a bike rally and a 5 mile run in 2012 and 2013.  They do a really nice job with their events.  Today was no exception.  This event had the feel of a "big" half marathon.  The results show 1300 for the half and another 1300 for the 10k.  The 5k was held yesterday.

The event was held near the Marriott Las Colinas and the Irving Convention Center.  Apparently, the course typically utilizes the Irving "Campion" Trail System.  This was the same trail that was used for the Texas Half earlier in the year.  That race sucked.  Due to the recent rain and flooding, the course was changed to a 2 loop course, and I was glad.

I was unsure how I would feel today after my 62 mile bike ride yesterday.  Surprisingly, I felt really good when I awoke this morning.  I really felt no issues due to yesterday's ride, and I was eager to go for my run.

The race start time was 6:45...smart.  I arrived about 6:15 and had no issues parking.  the race site was well organized, parking was plentiful, etc.

I got off to a very comfortable pace and felt good.  While we had some mild temps and cloud cover, it was incredibly humid.  We started with a long gradual hill, but, nothing too bad.  we turned around at about the 3 mile mark and headed back towards the start line where we took a quick out and back on a side street before heading out on the 2nd loop.  I felt really good for the 1st 10k.  No issues with fatigue, nutrition, cramping, etc.

I slowed a bit for miles 7 and 8, and paced just over 11 minutes a mile.  About that time, I found myself along side a guy I recognized from a few FW races.  We ran together and talked for the next 2+ miles.  The timing was good, as my pace increased as we ran together.  We made the turn again at mile 10, and I slowed to walk up a hill.  I finished mile 10 strong, but then ran out of gas.  As a result, I walked mile 11.  I was hoping to keep my time in the 2:23 range, keeping me under 11 minute miles on the day.  I picked it up again for miles 12 and 13, and finished strong as I entered the finishing chute.

2:24:05 for 13.16 miles.  While my official time will show me just over 11 minutes a mile, due to the additional .06 miles, my actual time was just under 11 min a mile.

This was a great event.  DJ's and water stations every few miles.  Because of the looped course, music was heard often and aid stations were plentiful.

I skipped the post race festivities and headed home.

As always, DAR did a great job.  I'll do this one again.

Collin Classic 2015

6.13.15

take 3.

This ride, in its 24th year, is held in Mckinney.  Hider encouraged me to participate in this event 3 years ago, and, I've been there each year since.  This is a big event, with 3000 cyclists participating this year.

I had bit of a challenge in figuring out my racing schedule for the next two weeks.  I'd signed up for the Collin Classic awhile ago, and, planned on running the Jalapeño Half next weekend to keep my monthly 13.1 streak alive.  However, Lindsi scheduled Griffin's b-day party for next Sunday, so, I found myself scrambling to find a half for this weekend.  Initially, I thought I would opt for the Moonlight Madness Half tonight, but, luckily, I found another half for tomorrow.  I mention all of this because I was afraid that I would be forced to scale back my distance at the Collin Classic today, as I would be running tonight.

I was unsure what to expect out of this one, as I'd not spent much time in the saddle lately, and, I'd not completed a distance over 30 miles since last August.

I arrived to an unseasonably cool day with cloud cover and occasional light showers.  That led to a comfortable start to the ride.

Hider and I connected prior to today's start, and visited for a bit.  Then, much like last year, we didn't see each other again until the finish line.

This ride draws about 3000 riders, so, the first several miles are a little congested.  Things thin out nicely after about 10 - 15 miles.

At the 18 mile mark, I had a weird thing happen...A large dog darted out into the road right in from of me.  I locked up my tires and avoided hitting him...heart rate elevation...check.

I felt really good through the 1st 30 miles.  I was pacing fairly well, had no cramping or fatigue, and the bike was rolling great.   As the sun came out, the air became quite humid, but, the temps remained reasonable for June in TX.

I hit each rest stop on this ride, as I'm still cleansing, so, wanted to make sure I had plenty of fuel to keep me going.  Lots of oranges, bananas, and gatorade today.  I did take my endorolytes each hour and also had 1 Gu along the way.

I began to feel a little cramping at the 50 mile mark, but, was able to push through.  The only other issue of note was my sore back and neck.  Clearly, I need more time in the saddle to get used to the cycling posture again.

All in all, a fairly uneventful day...

I was 1 mph faster than the same ride a year ago, but, still fairly slow at 16 mph for 62.3 miles.

now...time for some rest before tomorrow's half!

2015 Trinity 5000 Summer Series Week 2

6.11.15

Cox Racing Services offers this 5k series each Thursday during the summer.  This year, the races will take place over 12 consecutive weeks.

I was aware of this series last year, but, never participated.  This year, it fits well with my Chicago Marathon training plan, so, I figured I'd check it out.

The cost of each race is reasonable ($13 for each race or $25 with tech shirt).  They even offer a discounted price or those wanting to race the entire series.

I have not raced at the 5k distance this year.  I planned on avoiding the distance, other than Rahr and Jingle Bell, but, I really need to do some speed work over the racing season.  During my training runs, I typically run at a slow pace, and, in the hot weather, have found myself walking a bit.  I knew the race setting would be the motivation I needed to push the pace.

I set a 5k PR last year at Rahr of 25:02 on a tough course.  While I knew I was not in condition to challenge that time, I wanted to keep tonight's run under 9 minute miles, and hoped to bring it in in the 26:30 range.  However, I really had no clue how I would respond to a quicker pace and shorter distance.

I arrived to the race site which was near Haws Recreation Center on the trail.  The course was to be a flat out and back.

The start was not at a timing mat, so everyone got the same start time.  As a result, those of us further back in the pack would travel a slightly longer distance.  Due to the narrow trail and almost 180 runners, the start was a little cramped and the field didn't thin out until about 1/2 mile.

I planned to start at an 8:30ish pace with hopes of speeding up a bit in miles 2 and 3.  Mile 1 was in 8:40.  I felt like I was on a good pace and running my planned race.  I kept a consistent pace for miles 2 and 3, but, due to the newness of the distance for 2015 and running a slightly longer route than 3.1, I finished in 27:30.  8:45 per mile per Strava (due to longer distance), and 8:52 per mile per the results.  50 seconds slower per mile than my PR average pace, but, it felt good to push for 3 miles.

I'll continue with the series for the next two weeks, and then take a 2 week break due to travel.

2 weeks into cleanse

6.8.15

14 days in...

• down 9 pounds - I'm finally back under 200 lbs. 
• sleeping better
• workouts feel great

16 days to go...

and, I've worked out 11 of those 14 days, including brick workouts several days.

working my way back into shape.  

Joe's Run 10k 2015

6.6.15

take 2.

Last year, several of us "Y folk" participated in this one, including: Lisa, Melody, Sheri and myself.  This event is fun, as there is free Rahr beer at the end, and, it is Jimmy Buffett themed.  This is a race that will likely stay on my calendar as long as I'm in FW.

Last year's route was a little tough, as it took us northeast on the trail from Panther Island Pavilion, down a ramp and across a low water crossing, back up a ramp and further out on the trail to a turnaround point just past the half way mark.  The finish line was near the paddle boarding area at Panther Island.  Due to the heavy rainfall over the past several weeks,  much of the "normal" course was underwater, leading to a reroute of the course.  More on that in a minute...

My 30 day cleanse continues...I'm now 12 days in and feeling good.  I'm down roughly 6 pounds, my workouts have felt good, i'm sleeping better, etc.  Today would be interesting, as I have not run for speed in awhile, and this would only be my 3rd 10k of the year.

I rode the hybrid to and from this one, so as to get a little extra workout today.  I really should do that more often for races taking place on the trails.

The new course started us south on the trail from Panther Island Pavilion, to a turnaround point at about the .7 mile mark.  Because it was a hairpin turnaround, it led to 2 way traffic for a bit early on, which led to a cramped trail for the 1st 10 minutes or so.  We crossed back over the start line at abut 1.2 miles, then proceeded northeast on the trail.  We passed the ballpark and headed towards the stock yards, with a turnaround at about 4.5 miles.  Then back to the beach area (although, much higher on the shore due to water level), for the finish.  The tough hills from last year had been removed due to water levels.

I felt really good at the start of this one.  I suspect that the cleanse, better sleep, and the bike warmup pre-race were all factors.   I ran my first mile in sub 9 minutes, and felt good.  I slowed a little for mile 2, but, was still just under 9 minutes.  I began to have thoughts of a PR day.  Miles 3 and 4 were solid, and I felt pretty good as I made the turn at about 4.5.  I passed the 5 mile mark and began to feel winded.  The heat and humidity were taking their toll.  At about 5.5,  I'd had enough.  While I should have pushed through, I began to walk a bit.  As a result, I had an 11 minute mile late in the race.  I pushed hard for the last .2, and came in at 58:28.  Not terrible, but, about 2 minutes slower than I'd hoped.  I was 10th of 25 in my AG at the point I left.

At the end, the Rahr was flowing and the party was beginning.  Clearly, I skipped the Rahr and opted for a bottle of water and a banana.  I headed out soon thereafter and biked back home.  I did catch a bit of a calf cramp biking back.  I need to pay attention to my electrolytes and potassium intake before races during this cleanse.

Not a bad day, but, could have been better.