Collin Classic 2016

6.11.16

year #4 from me for this one.  Previous ride reports here:

2013: http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2013/06/collin-classic.html
2014: http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2014/06/collin-classic-2014.html
2015: http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2015/06/collin-classic-2015.html

Hider introduced me to this event in 2013, and, every year, we return.  This ride, in its 25th year, draws almost 3000 riders each year.

While the ride had been staged in Mckinney the last few years, it was moved to Plano this year, and would start and end at Oak Point Park.  I was curious to see how the new venue and route would work out.

After all of the repairs and upgrades to my new bike, I was eager to see how it would do on a long ride.

I struggled with insomnia let night, and was awake a 3.  I hung around the house until about 6 and headed to Plano to prep and make the 8 a.m. start time.  I hd no trouble connecting with Hider, picking up my packet, and prepping the bike before start time.  We headed to the 62 mile start and waited.  The 1st wave of riders were sent.  The police stopped us just before the start line in order to let the cars go through the intersection.  Hider and I would be at the front of the 2nd wave.    We took off and immediately I lost a water bottle.  I stopped and went back for it, putting me way behind the pack.  I wouldn't see Hider again until the end.

The 1st 10 miles were dicey.  There were several vertical seams in the roads and lots of potholes.  I saw 2 significant crashes early on.  While bad roads are difficult to avoid, there were no markings to identify trouble spots.  Shame on you, ride organizers.

Things improved after 10 miles or so, the pack thinned out and the roads seemed to be a little better.  I was able to build up some speed miles 10-25.  The route took us east for about 22 miles and then began a big 18 mile loop, putting us back on the original roads to head back to the start line.

The portion over Lake Levon dam was fast and long.  I made a stop at the 15.5 mile rest stop for some nutrition and headed back out.  Just after leaving, I went over a lip on a bridge and launched both of my rear water bottles.  Another stop was needed to retrieve them.

The bike was rolling great, and I found myself getting aero far more than in previous rides.

As we began the loop, It seemed that around each corner there was another hill to climb.  The loop was challenging.  I stopped at the 32.5 rest stop, fueled up, and headed back out.

The temps were heating up, and it was incredibly humid.  The last half of the ride would be hot.  As I was headed up a couple of hills at around mile 43,  my bike was clicking and squeaking a bit.  I hit the rest stop at 45.5 and had the mechanic take a quick look.  It seems that he chain is rubbing the front derailleur.  I'll have Brandon at Bicycles Inc take a look this week.  

I pushed the pace over the dam again, and finished up about 45 minutes later.  

While my pace was about the same as it was in Burleson a few weeks ago, I felt much better today.  I spent more time in the aero position, pushed the pace several times, and, left knowing I will get stronger over the summer.

Hider and I connected for burgers, beers, and a Journey cover band at the finish line.  Good day!  

2016 Trinity 5000 Summer Series Week 2

6.9.16

week 2.  Griffin is hooked.

temps were warmer tonight, but, humidity was low and the mud and puddles had dried up nicely since last week's run.

I learned last week that the threshold for the Clydesdale category is 200 lbs.  As long as I'm carrying too much weight, I might as well race against other big guys...so...tonight, I raced Clydesdale.  I'll continue to do do until my weight drops.

I got off to a good start and felt much better about my mile 1 pace, booking a 8:47.  I began to pass some running buddies, including Duane and Leon as I approached the turnaround.  I was hoping to see Griffin soon after the turnaround, but, he was still way back on the route.  The little guy was having a tough night.  I sped to a 8:40 mile 2 and a 8:35 mile 3.  Strava had me at 26:56, but the results show me at 27:24.  I'm sure they are incorrect.  I felt much better about my pacing and endurance this week.

After finishing, I walked back about 3/4 mile and found Griffin.  He and I walked and ran to the end.  He had a slower night than last week, posting a 47:16.  Last week he posted a 37:31.

Even with my 27:24, I improved over last week, and, was good enough to take 1st in Clydesdale.

Still lots of work to do...

week 1:  27:40
week 2:  27:24

from Griffin:  "It was fun and it took a REALLY long time.  It took me like 47 minutes.  I felt pretty good.  At least I finished.  I was 6th in my age group.  and, I got a yellow jacket sting."

Joe's Run 2016

6.4.16

3rd time for this event.

New course - starting at pavilion #1, heading south on the trail past trinity park, the food truck park, woodshed, with a turn around at about 3.6 miles.  back on the trail and, finally, back to the pavilion.  While a flatter course, there were some issues...more on that later.

I ran a 58:21 at the buffalo boogie about a month ago, and didn't feel good about it.  I hoped that I would manage my race better today.

That being said, I haven't been running constantly, and, as evidenced by my 5k performance on Thursday, I have some work to do to get back in shape.

I had a little trouble sleeping last night, and, was fighting a bit of a sour stomach this morning.  I awoke at 5 and had a couple of cups of coffee before leaving about 6:30.  The race began at 7:30.  I had no trouble finding parking and getting settled prior to race time.

I ran into several folks that I knew prior to the start, and visited for a bit before the race began.

I wanted to start slow and steady, with hopes of increasing my pace later in the race.  I ran mile 1 in 9:38.  perfect.  I realized quickly that the humidity level was high.  In checking the weather stats post race, the humidity was over 90% at race time.  yuck.

I remained relatively steady through miles 2 and 3, booking 9:55 and 9:46, respectively.  Mile 4 was a bit slower as I walked up an incline, and I ran my only 10 min mile of the day at 10:04.  We merged with the 5k "runners" at about 4.5 miles, and, that was a trainwreck.  lots of casual walkers strolling 4 and 5 wide on the trail.  Poor route planning...

I sped up slightly for miles 5 and 6, booking 9:55 and 9:48.  I was beginning to realize that I would be north of 1 hour  for the 1st time in years in a 10k.  While the race was managed fairly well, my pace was too slow throughout.  I pushed a little for the .2, but, it was too late to save the race.

Final time:  1:01:21.  yuck.

The afterparty was lame, which is a shame, as, historically, it has been good.  The decision to move the location and reroute the course was a poor one, in my opinion.  I'll have to think about whether or not I do this one again.

7 of 10 in my AG, 56 of 84 for males, and, 95 of 194 overall.  MEH.

2016 Trinity 5000 Summer Series Week 1

6.2.16

I'm back. 

This race series was important for my training last year, and led to a series of PR's at various distances, as it forced me into some speed work each week. 

I met several new racing fiends last year, and, overall, really enjoyed the Thursday night outings.  

I've been running far less over the past few months, but, had a decent 5k a few weeks ago.  

We have experienced significant rainfall over the past several days, and today was no different. 

I've had a decent week of training, with a long bike rally on Saturday, swims on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and, a run on Wednesday.   My legs are not yet used to the increased training, thus, I felt a little heavy legged this afternoon.  

Griffin was adamant about running the 5k, and, after some convincing, I allowed it.  

We arrived to the race site at about 6:50 and got griffin registered.  He and I talked about safety and course etiquette.  He seemed ready to go.  I saw some of the "usuals" before the race, and visited briefly.   

I hoped to run in the low to mid 8's.  I knew that. The lack of running and sloppy conditions could lead to a slower time.  

I got out to a decent start, and, even though I was dodging puddles and people, ran a 8:12 mile one. I was not sure I could maintain the pace, and, sure enough, slowed to a 8:41 for mile 2.  I saw Griffin shortly after the turnaround and gave him a high five. He was doing great.  I slowed again slightly for mile 3 and booked a 8:52. My stamina is simply not there yet.  That will improve as the series progresses.  Final time: 27:45. Pretty slow, and, 15 seconds slower than my 1st Trinity 5000 last year. Per Strava, I ran an additional .1 miles.  5 of 6 in my AG.  Lots of work to do to get back to my 2015 form.

Griffin finished in 37:31. I'm proud of the little guy!

per Griffin:

"I started off running...jogging a little.  And then I had a few walk breaks.  And then I saw my friend about to be around the cone, and then he started beating me.  I had a few more walk breaks.  And then my friend was running by the finish line.  And then I finished strong and got to the finish line."

We will be back next week with hopes of improving. 

Burleson Honey Tour Bike Rally

5.28.16

1st time for this one.

This ride is its 18th year, has route options of 7, 22, 30, 46 and 67 miles.  I was registered for 67.

Lots of factors leading up to this rally that could make it a mess:

• I had not had a long ride since HHH in August of 15.
• My ongoing bike challenges.  My Tri bike, that I purchased in February, was returned on April 21 to Bicycles Inc due to a crack in the top tube.  After 5 weeks, I finally got it back Friday night at 6.  Needless to say I'd had not time on it.  But, I felt as if it needed to be the bike for the rally.
• Between the road and tri bikes, I'd only ridden twice in May, and 14 times in 2016, with the longest ride being 37 miles in April.  Most of my rides had been between 10 and 22 miles.  Saddle time has been lacking.  
• Overall, my training has been inconsistent.  

All that said, I was hopeful that today would jumpstart my training for the year.  

As mentioned above, I picked up my bike last night at 6.  Specialized replaced the frame, but, the bike needed to be rebuilt.  Brandon at Bicycles Inc was kind enough to build my bike back to the original measurements that Tarp had worked on with me back in March.  Additionally, he gave me some demo wheels to try out (https://www.specialized.com/us/en/components/roval-clx-40-rear/106084).  He is willing to cut me a sweet deal on the 60mm version of these if I want them.  So, the bike was built to be fast and looked great.  The question would be with the motor.  

I knew several people that were participating in this ride, including several from Trident, FWTri Club, and Hider.  

I was out the door by 6:30 for an 8 am start.  I arrived at the site by a little after 7, prepped the bike, saw several friends, and, was ready to go. 

I got out to a comfortable start, but, was passed early by several of my FWTri Club buddies.  Hider and I departed by mile 2.  

The bike was rolling great, and I felt good in the saddle.  I took advantage of the 1st rest stop, skipped the 2nd one. Having not been on the bike in awhile, I wanted to have a comfortable ride, and, wanted to manage it appropriately with nutrition, etc.  

I felt good for the 1st 30 miles.  I was using the aerobars on long flat stretches, and was finding some speed in doing so.  

By mile 40 my lack of training was showing.  My legs were tired, and my pace was slowing.  I continued to utilize rest stops, and started the psychological game of checking off 5 mile increments.

At mile 55.5, when I was about to head up a hill over a bridge, I threw my chain.  I had trouble getting it back on, and, honestly, had SAG come by at that point, I likely would have sagged back.  I finally got it back on and continued.  I stopped at the next rest stop and cleaned up my hands and bike.  I saw couple of my Trident friends at about mile 60, and talked to them briefly.  Soon after, on a rough patch of road, I lost a water bottle.  I stopped and picked it up, but, soon thereafter, lost the other one.  I didn't bother to go back for it.  I was ready to be done.  

Finally, I finished. Rough day...good bike, weak motor.  67.29 miles in 4:12:58 (5:11:40 with stops)  16 mph moving time.  slow.  

I look forward to getting back in the saddle.  I have the following bike rallies on my radar over the next few months:

6.11     Collin Classic

6.18     Tour d' Italia

6.25     Cow Creek Classic

7.9       Peach Pedal

7.30     Goatneck

8.6       Blazin' Saddle
8.13     Hot Rocks

8.27     HHH

I won't be able to hit all of these, but, hope to hit most.  I had a good season of cycling last summer, and hope to do the same this year as I prep for Austin 70.3.  

TexasMan Sprint 2016

5.22.16

3 weeks ago, after finishing the PlayTri Festival Sprint, and, more specifically, my 2nd OWS ever, I signed up for this race.  I'm hoping to force myself to become more comfortable with OWS.

I opted for the sprint distance, as I plan to increase OWS distances late in the summer as I prep for Auston 70.3.  Turns out the sprint distance would be a good thing.  More on that in a minute.

My training over the past 3 weeks has sucked.  I had a week of sickness, a week where Lindsi was out of town, and a busy week at work.  Additionally, my diet has continued to be poor.  I did ramp up my swimming last week, swimming 3 days.  Outside of that, only a 5k last Sunday and a slow 4 miler on Thursday.  No bike time since PlayTri, 3 weeks ago.  My weight is averaging 202 - 205.  about 10 lbs. over my comfortable racing weight.  I'm in much the same position that  I was this time last year. Last year, the cleanse and increased racing schedule really helped.

My Tri Bike issue, while close to being resolved, it appears, is still not done, so, I would be on the road bike again today.

This event, in its 15th year, is coordinate by Dallas Athletes Racing.  It takes place at Lake Ray Roberts, about an hour and 10 minute drive from home.  It hosts about 700 athletes and has the following distances:  Sprint (500Y OWS, 16.1 mile bike, 5k run), Olympic (1 mile OWS,  24.1 mile bike, 10k run), and, X50 (1 mile OWS, 40 mile bike, 9 mile run).  They also added  a X50 aquabike option this year.

I woke up at 4 this morning, ate some oatmeal, showered, loaded up gear, and left by 5.  Transition was to be open 5:45 - 6:45, with the race starting at 7.  Packet pick up was allowed on race day for FW residents, so, I needed to get that done as well.

I made it to the race site by 6, and waited in a LONG line of cars to get parked.  I picked up my packet and got my gear together to get transition set up.  The clock was, and I was feeling anxious, as I was running out of time to get everything done by the 6:45 cutoff. I noticed that the parking lot that housed transition was made of SHARP gravel.  It would be an uncomfortable surface heading into T1.  By the time I finished setting up, It was 6:40, I had my wetsuit on, etc, and was unable to stop for a bathroom break pre-race.  This would lead to an uncomfortable day.

I headed down to the beach to check out the swim start.  While the sprint distance looked short enough to be comfortable, the water was incredibly choppy.  Nothing like the clam water at PlayTri.  I heard some people commenting on it before the race, but, I didn't have much of a frame of reference, as this was only my 3rd OWS to date.

The sprint distance men were the 1st waves, with 39 and under going 1st, and 40 and up going 2nd.  Each wave would have a beach mass start.  My 1st time for that.  When the horn sounded for our wave, I headed into the water, walked as long as I could, and finally started swimming.  The waves sucked.  each breath would lead to a face full of lake water.  I was drinking lake water most breaths.  That, coupled with the bumping, kicking, etc, would lead to tough swim.  I made it to the 1st buoy, finally, and made the turn.  the crowd thinned a little at that point, and I continued the combination of freestyle, breaststroke, and sidestroke.  I finally made the 2nd turn and headed back towards the shore.  the waves continued to be a challenge, but, finally, I reached a point where I could stand.  I unzipped my wetsuit, and, pulled it down to my waist.  The wetsuit strippers did the rest.  Even with the tough conditions, I wasn't terrible in the water.  Official results show me at 11:37, or, 2:19 HM.

Off to T1.  I walked much of the path to catch my breath and to take it easy on the sharp gravel.  I got my cycling shoes, helmet, and sunglasses on and headed out on the bike.  I felt ok on the bike, but, it was clear that I had not been riding enough lately.  I passed several cyclists, but, also got passed by several of the fast girls, whose wave started just after ours.  This course had a few tough hills. I pushed to the end.  I certainly wasn't fast, but, I was 1 mph faster tan at PlayTri.  Getting the Tri Bike back, getting it dialed in, and increasing my saddle time should help.

Off to T2.  A quick change of shoes and hat, and off for the run.  My legs felt dead as I headed out.  I was hoping for a good run pace, but, I was tired.  I walked a few water stops, and tried to push at the end.  But, still slow.  9:54 a mile per Strava due to 2.9 miles booked, but 9:35 in official results.  I need to be in the mid to upper 8's as the season progresses.

I finished up and finally got to have a restroom break.

Glad to have this one done.  As expected, I'm still one of the slower guys in my AG.  I ended 14 of 18 in the AG and, 82 of 131 for all Male Sprint Athletes.

I stayed for a few hours after my race to visit with some FWTri club buddies and cheer for those completing longer distances.

A good event.  I'll definitely be back.

FWRC Michelob Ultra 5k 2016

5.15.16

1st 5k of the year...

no training in 2 weeks...

no idea what to expect...

I registered for this even last year, but, when, due to weather,  the cox 13.1 was postponed a week, I skipped the 5k for the longer run.

I arrived this morning to 60 degree temps.  Unseasonably cool, but, perfect for a run,  The course was familiar, a fast, flat, out and back on the streets through trinity park.  We actually never ran on the trail itself.

I got there early to stretch and run a .5 mile warm up.  I saw several friends at the starting line, including a couple that are in my AG.

My plan was to run mile 1 in the mid 8's, with hopes of speeding up for miles 2 and 3.  I would be happy with anything in the low 26's, but, hoped to do better.  With my lack of training, current diet and weight, etc., I wanted to keep my expectations in check.

When the horn sounded, I got out to a good start.  I found good rhythm, and booked a 8:03 first mile. A little quicker than I planned, but, I felt pretty good.  I slowed a little going into mile 2, but, continued to push.  A little before the 2 mile mark, Andy, one of my running buddies (and, in my AG), caught up to me.  It was just the nudge I needed to push.  I paced with him for a while, until he pulled slightly ahead.  We reached a small hill at about 2.25, and he walked a short distance.  I passed him and continued to push until he caught me.  We ran side by side for the last .75 or so, with me out kicking him down the stretch to edge him by less that 1 second.  Miles 2 and 3, while slower, were 8:22 and 8:25.  Still not too bad.  The .1 at the end was at a 6:59 pace.

Total time 25:45.  a 8:17 pace for the 5k.  Considering the lack of training of late, I'll take it.  I am heading into the summer faster than a year ago.  With a little speed and hill work, a new PR is in sight this year.  The Trinity 5000 series starts in a few weeks.  That should help.

The initial results showed me 2nd in AG, but, alas, they didn't stick.