It was difficult to work out Friday... so I didn't. I was supposed to swim on Friday, run on Saturday and then bike on Sunday. Since my foot is still in pain, I'm going to skip the run. I swam Saturday and I'll do a double bike work out tomorrow.
Training Week 10, Day 5
Today was swim. The work out called for:
300 warm up as 100 free, 100 kick, 100 choice
4 x 50 (Distance per Stroke)(20 seconds between reps)
4 x 100 as 50 easy, 50 medium (25 seconds between reps)
100 warm down
Once again, I thought back to my triathlon experience and modified my workout accordingly. During the swim, I felt strong in my swim for the first 200 meters or so. From that point on, it was about 50% breastroke and 50% free because my shoulders couldn't maintain freestyle.
I decided that from here on out, I'll be swimming exclusively freestyle.
During the 300 warm up, I timed each 100. The first was completed in 1:35, the second in 1:45, and the final in 1:53.
The DPS was easy. No worries there. The next set was a beast for me. It's hard to go easy, then medium. I settled for breathing every 3 strokes during the first 50 and then every 5 strokes on the last 50.
After the first 100, my arms were on fire. Specifically, my shoulders were shot. After the second 100, I was having a tough time catching my breath. The last two 100s were a gut check. I got through it though, and I feel stronger because of it. Overall, a good workout.
More exciting, I think I found my next "carrot". There is a sprint triathlon in Valparaiso, IN on July 11. It's exactly the same distance as the Rockman Tri, so I'll get a good idea of my progress.
Also exciting: I ordered a Navaro brand camelbak from REI outlet. 70 oz. capacity, graphite/blue color for $19.93 plus tax. It should come into the Schaumburg store in about a week. I think this will help a lot, especially if there's only one water stop on the course like the Rockman Tri.
Well, that's all for now. I'll post again tomorrow after a Father's Day lunch at PF Changs and a double bike work out.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Training Week 10, Day 3
Woke up at 5:00am
Left the house at 5:45
Arrived at work 7:00
Breakfast: Egg, bacon and cheese panini with hash browns (800 calories)
Lunch: Grilled Turkey and Cheese (about 250 calories)
Left work at 4:10
Arrived Home at 5:25
Snack: Cereal bar (90 calories)
Workout 5:45 - 6:45
Dinner: Cheeseburger with tator tots (800 calories)
Total Calories- about 2000
Training Week 10, Day 3
Moment of Truth today. I'm back on the bike after my miserable performance in the Rockman Triathlon. The workout calls for:
10 minutes warm up spin
3 x (30 seconds right leg, 15 seconds both, 30 seconds left leg, 45 seconds both)
2 minutes recovery
3 x (30 seconds at 90 rpm, 30 at 100 rpm, 30 at 110 rpm, 30 at 120 rpm, 2 minutes recovery)
10 minutes cool down
I spent a good 20 minutes prepping the bike. I found that my PSI had drifted down to about 40. That's right, 40! My tires are supposed to be pumped up to 115 PSI. I pumped them up and then used my new tire pressure gauge to make sure everything was kosher.
I started riding and noticed the same squeeling noise I heard during the triathlon. I got off the bike and turned it over. Spinning the wheel, I saw that my brake was rubbing my front tire. Some minor adjustments and my wheel was spinning without impediment once again.
The tires being pumped up made a HUGE difference. I was pedaling at the same cadence and going half again as fast as in the triathlon.
There was a NASTY wind today, so half my workout was a breeze (pun intended), while the other half was brutal. I really concentrated on getting skinny while in my aerobars.
Not too much traffic today, which was nice. above
I started feeling fatigued during my increased RPM set. I was able to get through the first two, but on the final set, my legs went dead and I couldn't get my cadence above 70 for the rest of the ride.
Despite that, the workout felt great and was really encouraging. I think I actually went close to 11 miles in 45 minutes. I can't be sure because I can't get my Cateye Astrale computer to work properly- the issue must be Operator Error). By pumping up my tires and doing a minor adjustment to the brake, I knocked about 15 minutes off my 12 mile time at the triathlon at workout intensity.
Quick update on my plantar pain: It still hurts. This morning I put an over the counter arch support orthotic in my right shoe. Towards the end of the day, it hurt less than it did at the beginning of the day. I'm hoping it was just a strain that will work itself out.
Well, that's all for now. Time to crash. Swim tomorrow, followed by softball. It's possible the next blog entry won't be until Saturday.
Left the house at 5:45
Arrived at work 7:00
Breakfast: Egg, bacon and cheese panini with hash browns (800 calories)
Lunch: Grilled Turkey and Cheese (about 250 calories)
Left work at 4:10
Arrived Home at 5:25
Snack: Cereal bar (90 calories)
Workout 5:45 - 6:45
Dinner: Cheeseburger with tator tots (800 calories)
Total Calories- about 2000
Training Week 10, Day 3
Moment of Truth today. I'm back on the bike after my miserable performance in the Rockman Triathlon. The workout calls for:
10 minutes warm up spin
3 x (30 seconds right leg, 15 seconds both, 30 seconds left leg, 45 seconds both)
2 minutes recovery
3 x (30 seconds at 90 rpm, 30 at 100 rpm, 30 at 110 rpm, 30 at 120 rpm, 2 minutes recovery)
10 minutes cool down
I spent a good 20 minutes prepping the bike. I found that my PSI had drifted down to about 40. That's right, 40! My tires are supposed to be pumped up to 115 PSI. I pumped them up and then used my new tire pressure gauge to make sure everything was kosher.
I started riding and noticed the same squeeling noise I heard during the triathlon. I got off the bike and turned it over. Spinning the wheel, I saw that my brake was rubbing my front tire. Some minor adjustments and my wheel was spinning without impediment once again.
The tires being pumped up made a HUGE difference. I was pedaling at the same cadence and going half again as fast as in the triathlon.
There was a NASTY wind today, so half my workout was a breeze (pun intended), while the other half was brutal. I really concentrated on getting skinny while in my aerobars.
Not too much traffic today, which was nice. above
I started feeling fatigued during my increased RPM set. I was able to get through the first two, but on the final set, my legs went dead and I couldn't get my cadence above 70 for the rest of the ride.
Despite that, the workout felt great and was really encouraging. I think I actually went close to 11 miles in 45 minutes. I can't be sure because I can't get my Cateye Astrale computer to work properly- the issue must be Operator Error). By pumping up my tires and doing a minor adjustment to the brake, I knocked about 15 minutes off my 12 mile time at the triathlon at workout intensity.
Quick update on my plantar pain: It still hurts. This morning I put an over the counter arch support orthotic in my right shoe. Towards the end of the day, it hurt less than it did at the beginning of the day. I'm hoping it was just a strain that will work itself out.
Well, that's all for now. Time to crash. Swim tomorrow, followed by softball. It's possible the next blog entry won't be until Saturday.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Training Week 10, Day 2
Woke up at 5:00 am- weight 183.8 lbs
Shower and left house by 5:45
Arrive at work at 7:00 am
Breakfast: 1 low-fat blueberry/peach muffin (approx. 200 calories)
Lunch: 2 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers. That's right, Wendy's. You'll see a lot of this. I used to work at Wendy's. Most folks who worked there got sick of the food. Not me. I'm a square burger junkie. No tomato for two reasons: I can't eat tomatoes due to my acid reflux and... I'm avoiding that salmonella that's going around. (about 600 calories)
Finish Work at 4:00pm
Arrive home at 5:00pm - Our sweet little doggie got into the trash, so I had to clean that up- BAD DOGGIE!!!
Snack: 1 cereal bar (90 calories)
Chiropractor/Physical therapy- 6:15pm - 7:00 pm- Lower back pain being treated with the back crack and mad ab workouts to strengthen my core. If I lose ten more lbs, I'll be JACKED. The back crack isn't as bad as I thought it would be. They do it with a machine, so there's no worrying that the chiropractor will pull a Steven Segal and try to twist my head off my neck.
Workout 7:15 pm to 7:45 pm
Dinner: Pizza- 3 slices (about 600 calories)
Total Calories - about 1500
Training Week 10, Day 2
Running today. The workout plan calls for:
5 minutes walking
10 minutes as (45 seconds jog, 15 seconds faster than jog, 30 seconds jog, 1 minute walk)
4 x (20 seconds stride, 1 minute walk)
5 minutes warm down
My sprinting is fine. I'm still playing football and softball (a total of 2-4 games a week), so I'm getting plenty of speed work in. I adjusted the workout by running for 8 minutes, then doing the 10 minute set as called for, then jogging for 5 minutes and walking for 5.
The workout felt good. My main focus for this workout was shortening my stride length, as I tend to overstride. Too many years of sprint training. I did this by counting my stride cadence while jogging. I tried to keep it between 80 and 90 cycles (count of right foot hitting the ground) each minute.
I felt kind of like the roadrunner spinning his wheels right before he takes off. Despite that, I kept the pace the entire run. Weather-wise, it was warm, but not HOT, which helped.
The only drawback was the amount of foot traffic in my suburban "'hood". I was dodging ankle-biting dogs and Escalade-sized strollers about every half block.
Towards the end of the run, I experienced foot arch pain for the first time. Because I was concentrating on that cadence, I think I was snapping my right foot down akwardly. If the pain springs up again, I'll throw a Dr. Scholl's arch support in my New Balance tennies.
That's all for tonight!
Shower and left house by 5:45
Arrive at work at 7:00 am
Breakfast: 1 low-fat blueberry/peach muffin (approx. 200 calories)
Lunch: 2 Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers. That's right, Wendy's. You'll see a lot of this. I used to work at Wendy's. Most folks who worked there got sick of the food. Not me. I'm a square burger junkie. No tomato for two reasons: I can't eat tomatoes due to my acid reflux and... I'm avoiding that salmonella that's going around. (about 600 calories)
Finish Work at 4:00pm
Arrive home at 5:00pm - Our sweet little doggie got into the trash, so I had to clean that up- BAD DOGGIE!!!
Snack: 1 cereal bar (90 calories)
Chiropractor/Physical therapy- 6:15pm - 7:00 pm- Lower back pain being treated with the back crack and mad ab workouts to strengthen my core. If I lose ten more lbs, I'll be JACKED. The back crack isn't as bad as I thought it would be. They do it with a machine, so there's no worrying that the chiropractor will pull a Steven Segal and try to twist my head off my neck.
Workout 7:15 pm to 7:45 pm
Dinner: Pizza- 3 slices (about 600 calories)
Total Calories - about 1500
Training Week 10, Day 2
Running today. The workout plan calls for:
5 minutes walking
10 minutes as (45 seconds jog, 15 seconds faster than jog, 30 seconds jog, 1 minute walk)
4 x (20 seconds stride, 1 minute walk)
5 minutes warm down
My sprinting is fine. I'm still playing football and softball (a total of 2-4 games a week), so I'm getting plenty of speed work in. I adjusted the workout by running for 8 minutes, then doing the 10 minute set as called for, then jogging for 5 minutes and walking for 5.
The workout felt good. My main focus for this workout was shortening my stride length, as I tend to overstride. Too many years of sprint training. I did this by counting my stride cadence while jogging. I tried to keep it between 80 and 90 cycles (count of right foot hitting the ground) each minute.
I felt kind of like the roadrunner spinning his wheels right before he takes off. Despite that, I kept the pace the entire run. Weather-wise, it was warm, but not HOT, which helped.
The only drawback was the amount of foot traffic in my suburban "'hood". I was dodging ankle-biting dogs and Escalade-sized strollers about every half block.
Towards the end of the run, I experienced foot arch pain for the first time. Because I was concentrating on that cadence, I think I was snapping my right foot down akwardly. If the pain springs up again, I'll throw a Dr. Scholl's arch support in my New Balance tennies.
That's all for tonight!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Training Week 10, Day 1
Woke up at 5:00 am - weight 184.8 lbs.
Shower and leave the house by 5:45 am
Arrive at Work at 7:15 am
Breakfast: 2 eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pieces of dry white toast (approx 500 calories)
Lunch: Ham sandwich with 1 slice American cheese, 1 60 calorie yogurt, 1 orange, 1 bag 100 calorie chips (approx 550 calories)
Finish Work at 4:15 am
Arrive Home at 5:30
Play with Dog and relax until 6:30
Workout 6:45 to 7:20
Dinner: Smart Ones fettuccine alfredo and broccolli (260 calories) and one piece of 70 calorie bread
Snacks: 1 Nestle Crunch bar (220 calories- oops!), 1 Special K cereal bar (90 calories)
Total calories- about 1700
Training Week 10, Day 1
Today is a Swim. The workout plan I've been following calls for:
200 M warmup (as 50 free, 50 back, 50 kick, 50 free)
6 x 50 kick with flippers (25 easy, 25 hard) ( 15 seconds rest)
4 x 25 free (breathe every 5 strokes) (10 seconds rest)
6 x 25 free with flippers (2 at medium effort, 1 hard) (15 seconds rest)
200 M cool down
As I don't have any flippers and I've read that kicking only accounts for about 15% of your speed in the water, I replaced the second set with 6 x 50 (as 25 Distance Per Stroke, 25 Fingertip Drag) drills. And obviously, I didn't wear flippers on the fourth set.
The workout felt pretty good. The intensity was high. I kept flashing back to that murky lake and how I didn't keep a good rhythm. I concentrated on keeping a strong cadence with my arms. Judging by my times (on the 200s, I averaged about 25 seconds per 25 M), my intensity was at a good level.
Other things of note:
While I was at the pool, there was a water yoga class going on. This consisted of about 25 blue hairs shaking around in the pool. Good for them for getting some exercise! But... I wish they would wear swim caps. I always see clumps of hair floating on the bottom of the pool when they're working out. Ewww! At least in that lake I couldn't see the nastiness floating below.
Well it's 9:15pm, and it's time to hit the hay. Goodnight!
Shower and leave the house by 5:45 am
Arrive at Work at 7:15 am
Breakfast: 2 eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pieces of dry white toast (approx 500 calories)
Lunch: Ham sandwich with 1 slice American cheese, 1 60 calorie yogurt, 1 orange, 1 bag 100 calorie chips (approx 550 calories)
Finish Work at 4:15 am
Arrive Home at 5:30
Play with Dog and relax until 6:30
Workout 6:45 to 7:20
Dinner: Smart Ones fettuccine alfredo and broccolli (260 calories) and one piece of 70 calorie bread
Snacks: 1 Nestle Crunch bar (220 calories- oops!), 1 Special K cereal bar (90 calories)
Total calories- about 1700
Training Week 10, Day 1
Today is a Swim. The workout plan I've been following calls for:
200 M warmup (as 50 free, 50 back, 50 kick, 50 free)
6 x 50 kick with flippers (25 easy, 25 hard) ( 15 seconds rest)
4 x 25 free (breathe every 5 strokes) (10 seconds rest)
6 x 25 free with flippers (2 at medium effort, 1 hard) (15 seconds rest)
200 M cool down
As I don't have any flippers and I've read that kicking only accounts for about 15% of your speed in the water, I replaced the second set with 6 x 50 (as 25 Distance Per Stroke, 25 Fingertip Drag) drills. And obviously, I didn't wear flippers on the fourth set.
The workout felt pretty good. The intensity was high. I kept flashing back to that murky lake and how I didn't keep a good rhythm. I concentrated on keeping a strong cadence with my arms. Judging by my times (on the 200s, I averaged about 25 seconds per 25 M), my intensity was at a good level.
Other things of note:
While I was at the pool, there was a water yoga class going on. This consisted of about 25 blue hairs shaking around in the pool. Good for them for getting some exercise! But... I wish they would wear swim caps. I always see clumps of hair floating on the bottom of the pool when they're working out. Ewww! At least in that lake I couldn't see the nastiness floating below.
Well it's 9:15pm, and it's time to hit the hay. Goodnight!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Rockman Sprint Triathlon 6-7-09 (Loves Park, IL)
Distances:
Swim 400 yards
Bike 20K (about 12.5 miles)
Run 5K (about 3.1 miles)
Location:
Rock Cut State Park
Loves Park, IL (just north of Rockford, IL)
Conditions:
Temps in the upper 80's
Water temps in the low 60's
My gear:
Swim: Sugoi tri-suit, Speedo goggles
Bike: 1984 Centurion Turbo with Profile Airstryke Aerobar, Armadillo anti-puncture tires, Look clipless pedals, Specialized shoes
Run: New Balance shoes
The night before the race:
The night before the race, I had a softball game. I considered it a good omen that we won 23-0. Coming home, I found the wife finishing up her packing. I had packed the night before using a checklist I created thanks to numerous posts on the web.
We packed up the wife's 2004 Toyota Corolla Sport with the bike and our bags in the trunk and our 2 year old black lab, Payton in the back seat.
The drive out to Rockford was a straight shot- about an hour in the car. We pulled into our pet-friendly hotel around 8:30.
The desk clerk was ancient, as was the equipment she was provided. The green-screen computer took up nearly half the desk, and an ashtray sitting precariously on the corner of the desk was packed with Virginia Slim butts. She ended up not charging us the additional $25 pet fee. Must have been my charm.
After seeing the front desk, I was a little apprehensive about the state of our room. My fears turned out to be unfounded, as our room was clean and outfitted with a fridge, stove, microwave, and dishwasher.
The doggie was so excited, he spent the first ten minutes doing laps at full speed around our room. We call this "going Devil Dog".
Finally, he calmed down. We ordered a pizza and settled in. I was so jazzed that I didn't fall asleep until after 11 pm.
Race Day:
My eyes snapped open up about 10 minutes before the alarm, which was set at 3:45. I took a quick shower and then donned my trisuit.
I took care to gently wake my wife. Much as I love her, she's not a morning person. I shook her gently, then stepped back to avoid her right hook.
"Time to go, honey!" I said brightly. It was just after 4:15.
We were on the road by 4:30 and at the park by 4:45. I thought this would be perfect for a 5 am check-in. However, I was unaware that the start time had moved from 7 am to 8 am.
This gave us plenty of time to take a look around the park with the dog.
Finally, the registration line opened up. I was marked on both arms and one leg with my race number. The volunteers gave me stickers with that number for my bike and my helmet. They also gave me a bib with a number on it. Here's where I hit my first snag of the day.
"How am I suposed to put this on?" I asked. "Do you have any safety pins?"
"We dont' have any safety pins. They're a safety risk. You'll need to buy a belt."
"Safety pins are a safety risk?" Interesting. Hadn't heard that one before.
"Yep. You can get a belt at that booth over there." She pointed to one of about 3 booths set up near the finish line.
Ten bucks later, I had a belt and was headed down to the transition area.
I solicited some help from a kindly gentleman. He was soft-spoken, with a tinge of a foreign accent. It sounded South African, though I couldn't be sure.
He showed me how to hang my bike from the seat, and where to put my shoes and other items for a quick change.
Once set up, I started to look around at the other triathletes. There were myriad body types, from near anorexic to near-obese. There were also a wide variety of bicycles, from top of the line $10,000 tri-bikes to cruisers that came off the line a decade before my own road bike.
A couple loudspeakers were set up near the transition area, music blaring. They were playing everything from Enya to Snoop Dogg.
I was just getting into ACDC's Back in Black when the music cut out for the first of many announcements.
"Hi Folks! Welcome to the Rockman Sprint Triathlon. Please note that the transition area will flow East to West. That means you'll enter by the porta-potties and exit by the hill. Competitors will not be allowed to leave their shoes in their bike clips, as this caused several accidents last year. Also please note, there are safety pins available at the registration desk if you need to pin your number to your shirt."
I wondered briefly if I could get a refund.
"For those watching the race, there is Starbuck's coffee over by the Pepsi truck." My wife perked up and made a beeline for the coffee. I think she might have knocked over a couple people on the way, but I couldn't be sure.
Over the next half hour, I warmed up as best I could.
Finally, it was time to get in the water.
The Swim
There were only about 60 people in the triathlon, which meant two waves of about 30 people. I was in the second wave, which started three minutes after the first.
Walking up to the water, my nerves began to take hold. I couldn't help but take notice that I was one of about 10 people NOT wearing a wetsuit. Submerging in the murky lake water, I understood why. My breath caught in my chest. The water was cold. Colder than anything I'd ever swam in.
I stayed neck-deep, trying to acclimate. The first wave was off and swimming. Looking out, I saw a number of people doing sidestrokes, backstrokes, and even doggy paddling. That boosted my condidence. I positioned myself in the back, toward the "outside" portion of the group. I didn't want to get in the rough stuff in my first ever open water swim.
When the siren went off, I hesitated a moment to let everyone else establish their lane. Then I put my face in the water and was off.
The water was murky. I couldn't see anything at all. Several times, I ran into the person in front of me. I would pop up every fifteen strokes or so to get my bearings. This slowed me down significantly, but given the situation I didn't feel I had much choice.
I was most worried about being swum over. Although I got bumped several times, I was never in much trouble. The swim seemed to pass relatively quickly. Looking up, I saw that I was in the top third of my wave, and that I had finished in front of about 10 people from the first wave. Not bad.
Running up the beach, I started preparing myself mentally for...
The Bike:
The wife told me afterward that my first transition seemed to take a long time. I didn't think so, but I wasn't exactly an objective observer.
Once I got on the bike, I ran into my first serious issue. I couldn't get up the hill. I had left my bike in too tough a gear. I had to run my bike up the hill before I could mount it and take off.
I followed the group out of the Park and onto the local roadways, which were being blocked by local police. I soon noticed that despite my cadence of 80 and that I was in my second to toughest gear in back and the big ring in front, I was being passed by a lot of people. And not just those crazy bikers.
I realized something was really wrong at about mile 6, when I got passed by a man in his late 60s. He was riding a cruiser with flat pedals. I checked my cadence against his. I was pedaling faster, and in a tough gear. There was no reason this person should be passing me. I was working hard physically. Initially, I thought I had not trained hard enough on the bike.
Later on, with about a mile to go, I realized that it may be an equipment issue. The whole ride, my front tire would squeek every time I stood up. I thought it was because I was putting too much weight on my wheel. However, coming down the last hill, after everybody but one person had passed me, I saw that something else was causing me to tank on the bike portion.
Looking down over my front tire, I saw that I was low on air. Really low. You can actually see how low if you look at the picture of me on the bike towards the top of the blog home page. My own fault for not knowing how to take care of my equipment.
When I was re-entering the park for the last quarter mile on the bike, I saw one of the elites. He was dressed and walking back to his car. He gave me a wave and a smile. Nice fella. I wanted to throw a water bottle at him. I was miserable, and knowing that someone had beaten me that bad was embarrassing.
Upon entering the park, a bunch of people started clapping. Now don't get me wrong: I love that people are trying to be supportive. But this felt more like pity clapping and cheering. I'd rather someone yell at me to get my butt in gear.
What made matters worse was knowing that I'd have to hear this all over again after the run portion. I almost quit at this point, but I figured I was about 2/3 done, so I may as well finish.
The Run:
The run was awful. I was sweating. I was dehydrated. I was in second-to-last place. I just wanted to finish. At one point, I heard an ATV. It was one of the race officials. He drove by me long enough to see my number, then he turned around and took off again.
I wonder if someone thought I might have died on the course. Why else would they send someone out to look for me? Regardless, I managed to finish up the run without TOO much walking. I was cramping after the bike ride, so I felt compelled to walk and stretch to alleviate the cramp.
Coming back into the park, I once again was greeted to the pity clapping. I acknowledged with a small wave, then put my head down and tromped on towards the finish line.
I don't know what I expected to feel when I crossed the line. A sense of accomplishment perhaps, or maybe exhileration at finishing, or exhaustion from working so hard. I didn't feel any of those things.
I was actually hacked off. It was great to finish and all, but I was boiling inside. I didn't perform even close to my expectations.
After a banana and some gatorade, I felt better. I was able to put some perspective on the event. I finished. I had an equipment problem. I have two more months before my next event. It left me feeling not satisfied, but hungry. I feel like I better get my tail back out on the road and in the pool...
Which is why I've started this blog. Every day, I'm going to update what I've done for the day, what the plans were for the day, and any notes on how I feel physically, emotionally, etc.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Actually, any comments would be much appreciated. I'll let you know how I'm doing, and please, feel free to let me know how you are doing as well.
Swim 400 yards
Bike 20K (about 12.5 miles)
Run 5K (about 3.1 miles)
Location:
Rock Cut State Park
Loves Park, IL (just north of Rockford, IL)
Conditions:
Temps in the upper 80's
Water temps in the low 60's
My gear:
Swim: Sugoi tri-suit, Speedo goggles
Bike: 1984 Centurion Turbo with Profile Airstryke Aerobar, Armadillo anti-puncture tires, Look clipless pedals, Specialized shoes
Run: New Balance shoes
The night before the race:
The night before the race, I had a softball game. I considered it a good omen that we won 23-0. Coming home, I found the wife finishing up her packing. I had packed the night before using a checklist I created thanks to numerous posts on the web.
We packed up the wife's 2004 Toyota Corolla Sport with the bike and our bags in the trunk and our 2 year old black lab, Payton in the back seat.
The drive out to Rockford was a straight shot- about an hour in the car. We pulled into our pet-friendly hotel around 8:30.
The desk clerk was ancient, as was the equipment she was provided. The green-screen computer took up nearly half the desk, and an ashtray sitting precariously on the corner of the desk was packed with Virginia Slim butts. She ended up not charging us the additional $25 pet fee. Must have been my charm.
After seeing the front desk, I was a little apprehensive about the state of our room. My fears turned out to be unfounded, as our room was clean and outfitted with a fridge, stove, microwave, and dishwasher.
The doggie was so excited, he spent the first ten minutes doing laps at full speed around our room. We call this "going Devil Dog".
Finally, he calmed down. We ordered a pizza and settled in. I was so jazzed that I didn't fall asleep until after 11 pm.
Race Day:
My eyes snapped open up about 10 minutes before the alarm, which was set at 3:45. I took a quick shower and then donned my trisuit.
I took care to gently wake my wife. Much as I love her, she's not a morning person. I shook her gently, then stepped back to avoid her right hook.
"Time to go, honey!" I said brightly. It was just after 4:15.
We were on the road by 4:30 and at the park by 4:45. I thought this would be perfect for a 5 am check-in. However, I was unaware that the start time had moved from 7 am to 8 am.
This gave us plenty of time to take a look around the park with the dog.
Finally, the registration line opened up. I was marked on both arms and one leg with my race number. The volunteers gave me stickers with that number for my bike and my helmet. They also gave me a bib with a number on it. Here's where I hit my first snag of the day.
"How am I suposed to put this on?" I asked. "Do you have any safety pins?"
"We dont' have any safety pins. They're a safety risk. You'll need to buy a belt."
"Safety pins are a safety risk?" Interesting. Hadn't heard that one before.
"Yep. You can get a belt at that booth over there." She pointed to one of about 3 booths set up near the finish line.
Ten bucks later, I had a belt and was headed down to the transition area.
I solicited some help from a kindly gentleman. He was soft-spoken, with a tinge of a foreign accent. It sounded South African, though I couldn't be sure.
He showed me how to hang my bike from the seat, and where to put my shoes and other items for a quick change.
Once set up, I started to look around at the other triathletes. There were myriad body types, from near anorexic to near-obese. There were also a wide variety of bicycles, from top of the line $10,000 tri-bikes to cruisers that came off the line a decade before my own road bike.
A couple loudspeakers were set up near the transition area, music blaring. They were playing everything from Enya to Snoop Dogg.
I was just getting into ACDC's Back in Black when the music cut out for the first of many announcements.
"Hi Folks! Welcome to the Rockman Sprint Triathlon. Please note that the transition area will flow East to West. That means you'll enter by the porta-potties and exit by the hill. Competitors will not be allowed to leave their shoes in their bike clips, as this caused several accidents last year. Also please note, there are safety pins available at the registration desk if you need to pin your number to your shirt."
I wondered briefly if I could get a refund.
"For those watching the race, there is Starbuck's coffee over by the Pepsi truck." My wife perked up and made a beeline for the coffee. I think she might have knocked over a couple people on the way, but I couldn't be sure.
Over the next half hour, I warmed up as best I could.
Finally, it was time to get in the water.
The Swim
There were only about 60 people in the triathlon, which meant two waves of about 30 people. I was in the second wave, which started three minutes after the first.
Walking up to the water, my nerves began to take hold. I couldn't help but take notice that I was one of about 10 people NOT wearing a wetsuit. Submerging in the murky lake water, I understood why. My breath caught in my chest. The water was cold. Colder than anything I'd ever swam in.
I stayed neck-deep, trying to acclimate. The first wave was off and swimming. Looking out, I saw a number of people doing sidestrokes, backstrokes, and even doggy paddling. That boosted my condidence. I positioned myself in the back, toward the "outside" portion of the group. I didn't want to get in the rough stuff in my first ever open water swim.
When the siren went off, I hesitated a moment to let everyone else establish their lane. Then I put my face in the water and was off.
The water was murky. I couldn't see anything at all. Several times, I ran into the person in front of me. I would pop up every fifteen strokes or so to get my bearings. This slowed me down significantly, but given the situation I didn't feel I had much choice.
I was most worried about being swum over. Although I got bumped several times, I was never in much trouble. The swim seemed to pass relatively quickly. Looking up, I saw that I was in the top third of my wave, and that I had finished in front of about 10 people from the first wave. Not bad.
Running up the beach, I started preparing myself mentally for...
The Bike:
The wife told me afterward that my first transition seemed to take a long time. I didn't think so, but I wasn't exactly an objective observer.
Once I got on the bike, I ran into my first serious issue. I couldn't get up the hill. I had left my bike in too tough a gear. I had to run my bike up the hill before I could mount it and take off.
I followed the group out of the Park and onto the local roadways, which were being blocked by local police. I soon noticed that despite my cadence of 80 and that I was in my second to toughest gear in back and the big ring in front, I was being passed by a lot of people. And not just those crazy bikers.
I realized something was really wrong at about mile 6, when I got passed by a man in his late 60s. He was riding a cruiser with flat pedals. I checked my cadence against his. I was pedaling faster, and in a tough gear. There was no reason this person should be passing me. I was working hard physically. Initially, I thought I had not trained hard enough on the bike.
Later on, with about a mile to go, I realized that it may be an equipment issue. The whole ride, my front tire would squeek every time I stood up. I thought it was because I was putting too much weight on my wheel. However, coming down the last hill, after everybody but one person had passed me, I saw that something else was causing me to tank on the bike portion.
Looking down over my front tire, I saw that I was low on air. Really low. You can actually see how low if you look at the picture of me on the bike towards the top of the blog home page. My own fault for not knowing how to take care of my equipment.
When I was re-entering the park for the last quarter mile on the bike, I saw one of the elites. He was dressed and walking back to his car. He gave me a wave and a smile. Nice fella. I wanted to throw a water bottle at him. I was miserable, and knowing that someone had beaten me that bad was embarrassing.
Upon entering the park, a bunch of people started clapping. Now don't get me wrong: I love that people are trying to be supportive. But this felt more like pity clapping and cheering. I'd rather someone yell at me to get my butt in gear.
What made matters worse was knowing that I'd have to hear this all over again after the run portion. I almost quit at this point, but I figured I was about 2/3 done, so I may as well finish.
The Run:
The run was awful. I was sweating. I was dehydrated. I was in second-to-last place. I just wanted to finish. At one point, I heard an ATV. It was one of the race officials. He drove by me long enough to see my number, then he turned around and took off again.
I wonder if someone thought I might have died on the course. Why else would they send someone out to look for me? Regardless, I managed to finish up the run without TOO much walking. I was cramping after the bike ride, so I felt compelled to walk and stretch to alleviate the cramp.
Coming back into the park, I once again was greeted to the pity clapping. I acknowledged with a small wave, then put my head down and tromped on towards the finish line.
I don't know what I expected to feel when I crossed the line. A sense of accomplishment perhaps, or maybe exhileration at finishing, or exhaustion from working so hard. I didn't feel any of those things.
I was actually hacked off. It was great to finish and all, but I was boiling inside. I didn't perform even close to my expectations.
After a banana and some gatorade, I felt better. I was able to put some perspective on the event. I finished. I had an equipment problem. I have two more months before my next event. It left me feeling not satisfied, but hungry. I feel like I better get my tail back out on the road and in the pool...
Which is why I've started this blog. Every day, I'm going to update what I've done for the day, what the plans were for the day, and any notes on how I feel physically, emotionally, etc.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Actually, any comments would be much appreciated. I'll let you know how I'm doing, and please, feel free to let me know how you are doing as well.
My Background
At 18, I was an all-area and all-conference defensive back in the northwest suburbs of IL. I was on my way to play football at an Ivy league school.
Physically, I weighed about 175 lbs with about 5-7% body fat.
In college, I lost interest in sports. Football became a business instead of a game. Disenchanted, I turned to other interests. Partying, socializing, working (probably in that order).
I ballooned up to 210 lbs.
Once out of school, I worked a couple dead-end jobs for about 4 years before I settled into my career at a large international corporation.
In the summer of 2007, I got married. Settling into my new lifestyle was easy. In fact, it was too easy. I became sedentary, aside from the occasional softball or flag football game.
My weight hovered around 205 lbs.
Right after I got married, my boss mentioned that she had just finished her first triathlon. This intrigued me for several reasons.
First, I was a fairly good swimmer up until I was about 14. I lived in Texas, and I did fairly well in the 50 free, 100 IM, and 50 breast stroke.
Secondly, one of my favorite movies as a kid was American Flyers. While most kids were jumping ramps on BMX bikes, I had a Schwinn Caliente road bike that I road daily.
Finally, I was a fast sprinter. I ran the 100 meters in 10.8 and the 40 in 4.4 seconds.
It was several months before I finally decided to do something to break the cycle of becoming a fat lazy cubicle jockey.
In March of this year, I started training. I used Lance Watkins Beginner's Luck articles for my training program.
About 10 weeks later, I had lost 20 lbs and I entered my first Sprint Triathlon in Loves Park, IL.
It has been two days since I finished the triathlon, and I've decided to blog my experiences. If anyone ever reads this, feel free to chime in with any tips, criticism, or thoughts in general.
Physically, I weighed about 175 lbs with about 5-7% body fat.
In college, I lost interest in sports. Football became a business instead of a game. Disenchanted, I turned to other interests. Partying, socializing, working (probably in that order).
I ballooned up to 210 lbs.
Once out of school, I worked a couple dead-end jobs for about 4 years before I settled into my career at a large international corporation.
In the summer of 2007, I got married. Settling into my new lifestyle was easy. In fact, it was too easy. I became sedentary, aside from the occasional softball or flag football game.
My weight hovered around 205 lbs.
Right after I got married, my boss mentioned that she had just finished her first triathlon. This intrigued me for several reasons.
First, I was a fairly good swimmer up until I was about 14. I lived in Texas, and I did fairly well in the 50 free, 100 IM, and 50 breast stroke.
Secondly, one of my favorite movies as a kid was American Flyers. While most kids were jumping ramps on BMX bikes, I had a Schwinn Caliente road bike that I road daily.
Finally, I was a fast sprinter. I ran the 100 meters in 10.8 and the 40 in 4.4 seconds.
It was several months before I finally decided to do something to break the cycle of becoming a fat lazy cubicle jockey.
In March of this year, I started training. I used Lance Watkins Beginner's Luck articles for my training program.
About 10 weeks later, I had lost 20 lbs and I entered my first Sprint Triathlon in Loves Park, IL.
It has been two days since I finished the triathlon, and I've decided to blog my experiences. If anyone ever reads this, feel free to chime in with any tips, criticism, or thoughts in general.
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