The Mayor's Tri 2015

7.12.15

Take 3. 

For the 3rd year in a row, we hosted the Mayor's Tri. This is a popular event for many triathletes in the area and also is a good event for many 1st timers.  In 2013, this event was my 1st Tri ever. 

The event continues to grow and we continue to refine our processes to improve the event.  

As mentioned in recent posts, my diet and training has been much better of late. As a result, I was eager to race today, as I wanted to see how I would respond to the healthier behaviors. 

My training had been slightly derailed over the past 2 weeks due to travel.  While my running remained consistent, my swimming had decreased drastically, and, I had not been on the bike in 2 weeks. 

We returned from vacation yesterday evening, and I prepped  my gear for the race.  I fought insomnia again last night (likely due to diet late in the vacation). I woke up at 1, 1:40, and 3.  At 3, I was up for good.  

I arrived to the race site a little after 5 and connected with several people I knew. JT and Urqhuart came down from OKC for this one.  It would be Paul's 1st Tri.   DTY was well represented, as Miraim, Chris and I all raced.  Additionally, Jacqueline and Melody raced.  

I learned from my last tri and changed my swim time to move me up in line.  I hit the water and took off.  This was my best pool Tri swim yet, as I encountered no traffic.  7:09. Slower than I hoped, but, steady.  And, 30 seconds faster than last year.  

Uneventful transition, then onto the bike. I wanted to really crank hard on the bike.  As I watched my Garmin, I noticed that many of my bike splits were north of 20 mph.  The only tough spot was the slow steady rise on Forest Park.  Other than that, fast.  43:22 on the bike.  A little north of 18 mph.  And, almost 4 minutes faster than last year.  

Another uneventful transition, and off to the run.  I felt good as I headed out, and my 1st mile was under 9 minutes.  I continued to pace fairly well through the turnaround, and to the bottom of jailhouse hill.  I ran half way up the hill and walked the rest.  At the top of the hill, I committed to running hard the rest of the way.  I ran hard to Burnett Street, and, picked it up again to finish strong.  27:57, or, 9:16 per mile.  Almost 2 minutes faster than last year.  

Over all, 1:23:05. Almost 6 minutes faster than last year, and, improved in all areas.  

2013: 1:31:26

2014: 1:28:50

2015: 1:23:05

It felt great to race today.  I'm looking forward to keeping up the training and racing again soon. I'll run a half next weekend, and, likely, do my next Tri in 2 weeks.  

Race Weight

7.12.15

This is a subject I've discussed on this blog before.  After 12 - 18 months of griping about my diet, alcohol consumption and weight, I finally did something about it.  

Since my cleanse, I've spent two weeks in environments that could have very well reversed my efforts: a week in DC at an AYP Conference with my Y buddies, and a week on the beach with family.  

Admittedly, I was I bit nervous to hop on a scale today (I had not weighed in a week). 

So, on this day (or about), for the past 4 years:  

July 13, 2012:  192.5

July  9, 2013:  192

July 11, 2014:  203

July 12, 2015:  193.6

I'll take it.  Now...time to go kick ass at the Mayor's Tri.  

Firecracker 5000 2015

7.4.15

Last year, in this event, I set a (then) PR of 25:44. I went on to run 2 more 5k's in the 25's last year, including my PR at the Rahr Oktoberfest 5k of 25:02. I had yet to get in the 25's this year. It has been my goal to break the 25' mark for a year.  

With my recent speed work and weight loss, my pace has been improving. 

I ran on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday this week.  On Tuesday, between walking and running, I booked 18.5 miles on the day.  I have been feeling a little soreness since. 

While I'd planned to run today, before we leave for vacation, it was in doubt, as Lindsi wanted to go to 8 am yoga.  She was kind enough to let me run and attend a later class.  

For the 1st time in several weeks, I battled some insomnia last night.  I'm hoping to isolate the issue soon.  

I was up early, ate a banana, and was out the door by 6:45 for a 7:30 start time.  I planned to ride the hybrid bike to the site, and, had not picked up my packet in advance.  I headed out on the bike, only to circle back twice due to forgetting a couple of items. I got to the race site in plenty of time to pick up my packet, change shoes and stretch my calves and Achilles before the race.  

I chose the music option today, for the 1st time in several events, as I had new headphones I wanted to try out (jaybird bluebuds X). 

When the horn sounded, I got off to a fast start...I was in the mid/upper 7's. I felt good. I was lengthening my stride and felt comfortable.  I passed the 1 mile marker and continued my pace. I found a couple of folks to pace with along the way.  At the end of mile 2, I knew my PR was in sight. If I ran the last mile at a decent pace, I'd break through the elusive 25' mark.  Mile 3 was 8:12. I kicked down the stretch to the finish, and...boom...24:28.  I'd done it.  A new PR by 34 seconds. 

Even with my new PR, when I left, I was still 6/9 in my AG.  I'll never be one of the fast guys, but, it felt good to break the 25' mark. I cooled down briefly, and jumped back on the bike for the ride home.  I do believe that the bike commute to and from the race site helps with warmup. 

This was a good box to check prior to our week on the beach. I'll keep my workouts up this week in preparation for the Mayors Tri next weekend.  

FWRC Three Amigos 4 Miler 2015

6.28.15

Take 2.  

Last year, I was out of shape for this race.  As a result, I clocked 9:20 a mile and, took 6th of 8 in my AG.  I was determined to redeem myself today.  

I arrived early and stretched for a bit.  My goal for the day was to come in under 36:00, or 9 minutes a mile.  I planned to run the 1st mile at 9:00, and speed up along the way, hoping for negative splits. 

As we lined up, it seemed to be a smallish field. Not atypical for a FWRC event.  

I got off to a fast start and realized quickly that I need to dial it back.  I settled into a nice pace and booked a 8:20 1st mile.  I paced with a guy for much of mile 2, but, finally passed him.  I found another guy to pace with and we ran most of the last mile side by side. He out kicked me at the end, but, his pace led me to a good day.  34:32...a minute and a half faster than my target time...and, 3rd in my AG.  

good day.  

Cow Creek Country Classic 2015

6.27.15

In an effort to keep my saddle time up, I looked on http://www.wheelbrothers.com for another bike rally this weekend. I found the Cow Creek Country Classic.

This ride, in its 29th year, is held in Waxahachie.  It has distance options of 10, 17, 36, 52, 75, and 98 miles.  While 75 and 98 would have certainly be doable, I opted for the 52 miler, as I didn't want to be gone all day, as I'm traveling starting tomorrow.  

Last night the thought crept into my mind...I should "no-stop" this ride.  If I'm going to race a 70.3 soon, I need to make sure that I can ride 56 miles non-stop.  Over the past few rides,  due to the need for nutrition and sore neck and back, I've utilized rest stops.  I planned to go without today.  

I arrived with plenty of time to spare, and popped a couple of Endurolytes.  I filled my bottles with Gatorade and was ready to go.  The weather was awesome. Cool and cloudy with no big wind to speak of.  

The riders were released in stages, based on planned distance.  So, about 10 minutes after the 75 and 98 milers left, we were off.  The 1st several miles of this ride were goofy, as there were several turns, and we wound through several neighborhoods.  As  result, it was congested and difficult to build up any speed.  Things finally thinned out a bit and I was off.  As planned, I blew past the 1st rest stop. I was making decent time, although, I was only pacing at about 15.5 mph through the 1st 20 miles.   I continued to ride past aid stations, and I was diligent about taking 2 Endurolytes and a Gu each hour.  

I visited with a couple of other cyclists on this one, including a woman connected to Trident.  We talked Tri's for a bit...mental note:  research 70.3 in Sonoma (Vineman 70.3).  She said it is awesome.

I continued to push hard and skip rest stops. I made the decision early to attempt to stay in the big chainring all day.   I caught up to a woman at one point that was wearing a Waxahachie Cycling Club Jersey.  I made some crack about "home course advantage" that led to us visiting for awhile.  Little did I know that she and I would see a lot of each other over the last 25 miles or so.  

My 2nd 20 miles was much faster, as I averaged a little over 16.8 mph.  At one point, my new friend from Waxahachie caught up to me and made a crack that it had been fun chasing me for the past several miles.  That was all I needed to push hard for the next few miles...well north of 20 mph.  As a matter of fact, mile 44 was my 2nd fastest of the day, at 23.9 mph.  

She and I rode together to the end, and visited a bit.  The end of the ride was through downtown Waxahachie, which was cool, but, it led to some vehicle congestion, stop signs, and, right before the end we got stopped by a train.  As we rolled through downtown, about a dozen assholes that were a little too excited about a t-shirt ride sped and weaved through traffic at about 30 without announcing their positions...idiots.  

I finished strong...mission accomplished.  No stopping, all big chainring.  I got back to the Jeep and was disappointed I didn't bring my running shoes (planned to, but, forgot).  I really wanted to crank out a 3 - 5 mile transition run.  

So...

The goods:

• fairly flat, fast course (1545 feet of climbing, per Strava)
• hard, fast surfaces (surprisingly, not much chip seal)  
• good start and finish location, with lots of parking
• not too congested of a ride 
• good volunteers 
• tech shirt

The bads:

• lots of unattended intersections 
• several stop signs that were unattended (I got fortunate and was able to roll through all of them)
• The congested nature of the downtown area

I'll be back for this one next year.  

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/1047783581

https://www.strava.com/activities/334148381/overview

 

2015 Trinity 5000 Summer Series Week 4

6.25.15

take 3...

My goals for this race series are:

1. commit to speed work during the summer
2. get faster each week
3. challenge my 5k PR (25:02)

I ran an almost identical race tonight to last week.  1st mile in the low 8's, 2nd mile in the mid 8's. 3rd mile a little faster than 2nd, and kicked down the stretch.  

I did find a guy to pace with, and we ran together almost the entire way.  

In the end, 12 seconds faster than last week, with a 26:17.  Not bad, but, I'm ready to be in the 25's.  I'll take 2 weeks off from this series due to travel, and pick it back up in mid July.

The Cleanse

6.25.15

For more than a year, I've been commenting on this blog about my 2014 weight, my struggle to train consistently, etc.

You see, 2014 was the year of craft beer for me.  That, coupled with my poor diet (really, since I started work in FW), led me to feeling heavy, lethargic, etc.  I arrived in FW in early 2013 at about 195 lbs.  I worked hard that spring and summer, training for the Mayor's Tri (my 1st ever), and raced that day at 193.

During 2014, I carried 203 - 205 lbs. all year.

Having had enough, I committed to a 30 day cleanse on Memorial Day 2015.

The cleanse would be a combination of these herbal supplements:
http://www.renewlife.com/general-total-body-cleanses/cleansesmart.html

and, a 30 day diet adopted from the 21 day beach body cleanse.

On May 26, the first day of the cleanse, I weighed in at 206.2.

I began the supplements and diet on a Tuesday.  The diet called for no alcohol, and a diet that would shift slightly each week.  Week 1 allowed for eggs, greek yogurt and some chicken, but, midway through week 2,  it was pretty much vegan, including no bread.  For the past 30 days, I've consumed mostly fruit and vegetables for lunch and dinner.  Oatmeal has been the go-to for breakfast.  I've loaded up on legumes for my protein source, and have mixed in some rice and couscous as well.

 I went into this cleanse concerned about my fuel, as I am still training and racing regularly.  I found that I have felt really good during training and races, and, have used gatorade and gu's when necessary to keep my energy levels up.  Other than the gatorade during races, it has been only water and black coffee for 30 days.

The supplements began to work quickly, and, for the 1st few days, I found my body processing waste quickly and often.  The weight loss began as well.  However, the weight loss did plateau for a few days early on, leading me to some frustration.  Not to worry, though, as it picked back up quickly, and, remained steady until the end.

My training felt good.  I trained or raced 24 of the 30 days, including:  10 brick workouts, 2 metric century bike rallies, 1 triathlon, 1 half marathon, 1 10k and 2 5k's.  Additionally, my swimming workouts increased drastically.  This was much needed.

I dropped significant weight, and feel great.  Starting weight:  206.2.  Today's weight:  191.

While the cleanse has ended, I'm contemplating keeping the diet going.  Perhaps vegan during the week, with some cheat days on the weekend...or perhaps I'll mix in some chicken and fish during the week.

With a conference coming up next week and vacation the following week, my body will be reintroduced to alcohol and other foods.  It will be interesting to see how it responds.

Moral of the story:  diet matters.  No matter how much training and racing one is doing, if you're putting shit inside your body, your results will suffer.

I'm glad to be down to a comfortable racing weight just in time for tri season.