Just a quick note to self: Chinese food the night before your longest training run of the year, was probably not the best idea. - Seriously, I thought the rice (high in carbs) and broccoli were a good choice, but who can have Chinese without the General Tsos chicken?! I was tired of the same old pasta, so I wanted to try something different. We tried Mexican two weeks ago before the 20, and it played out well, but Chinese, not so much.
Run started off like any other long run, just settling into a good even groove. Pacing out mile after mile around Pete's neighborhood, then up through Cammack and down to the Y, swing through the neighborhood for water, and back to Pete's for the first 11. 10:35 pace. No problem!
Ran the route the opposite direction for the back half, and somewhere during mile 15 I started having some pretty good stomach cramps. The gastric pain was relieved only by farting and belching, which I couldn't do as often as I would like. It felt like air in the stomach and I'm convinced (now) that it was the wrong fuel from the night before.
Pete hung with me and we ran/walked a couple more miles, but as we finished 17, he said he was feeling good, so I encouraged him to go on so he could finish strong enough to have the confidence he needed going into race day. As he left me I walk/jogged my slowest two miles at 13:11 and 13:25.
Couldn't have that, so I got into a better pattern of walk/jog for the last 3 miles, and though I had some leg/calf/hamstring muscle cramps/pain/tightening going on, I was still able to maintain a 50/50 mix of run/walk. Jogged the 22nd mile in to save the overall pace at 11:17. 11:20 is 5 hour pace, so if I can hold that pace on a tough day like this, than I have hope that I can still meet the goal.
Pete, on the other hand, finished strong, running his fastest miles of the day once he was done carrying me around town all morning. He was able to run a sub 10 pace home and save a 10:56 overall pace.
Comparing the 20 to the 22 is a little scary. We ran 3:26 on the 20, and today I was about 3:46 at the 20. That's a minute per mile different. So now the question is, which Chris will show up on race day?
P.S. I let Molly eat the leftover Chinese for lunch today!
September 17, 2011
September 3, 2011
Still Tri ing
Today was the 1 year anniversary of the infoamous quadathlon. (Swim, Bike, Run, Ambulance Ride) - You can read about it here...
I have done 2 other races this year in June and July, and was really not planning to do another one this year, but after nursing a ligament strain the last two weeks, and doing additional cross training with less running, I decided I could give it a go.
Signed up yesterday morning under the recent news of a nearly full field. This race was the MidEast Region Collegiate Championships, so there were college kids from 22 different schools racing today. Made for a full course, but was also motivating to share the course with such talent.
Stomach was a little upset this morning, and I race morning nerves weren't helping, but my morning routine went as planned. Molly and the kids came out to watch, and as always, many of my tri friends were racing today too.
Swim start was solid, but it was crowded as the college females were on their 2nd lap as I entered the water, and I had to fight across them to the first inside buoy for the sprint turn. Somewhere around 300 yards, I was REALLY glad that I was doing the Sprint and not the Olympic distance. I had to sneak in a few breast strokes, but otherwise was very happy with my swim split of 8:27 (41 out of 95)
Ran up the hill to the cheers of my family, and made my first transition boo boo - Turns out, if you put your helmet on first, you can't get your shirt on over it!!! Lesson learned! Helmet off, shirt on, helmet back on and I was still out of T1 faster than ever before in 2:35
Mounted the bike and clipped in quick. Passed 3 people immediately who were struggling to clip, and found a good rhythm. I was only a couple miles into the bike when the college male leader passed me. If not for the university logo on his back, I wouldn't have been able to identify the blur. These boys were fast! The bike course was crowded at times, 3 wide passing and lots of communication going on. Spotted a familiar face in the last couple of miles and had fun jockeying back and forth with him which helped pull me to my fastest bike split ever - 39:04 - 19.1 mph - (48 out of 95)
I came out of my shoes at the end of the bike (first time trying this) and dismounted in my socks to run to my rack. Helmet off, running shoes on and double tied, and I was out of T2 quicker than ever before in 1:28. (how do some do it in under a minute!?)
I charged out of transition (nearly tripping on the timing mat), took water and high kneed it out of there to try to gain circulation back into my hamstrings! Quads were tight, but knee felt good. I was solid for the first mile (Garmin showed 9:56), but quick math told me I was going to have to 9:10s in for a PR, and by this time it was mid 80s, and I was baked!! A few walking steps each mile, and double fisted the water/gatorade at the turnaround. I was able to run it in from the half mile mark, but it all paced out to 10:27 (70 out of 95) ugh.
Total time was 1:23:55 which is 21 seconds faster than the June race. The July race was a different setup (Ironman), so it's not really apples to apples to compare. I will take this race as another experience and good cross training. Time to put the bike away and refocus on Chicago!!
August 28, 2011
Kneeding to rest!
I can't run today, so I might as well blog!
For the first time in my running "career", I have an injury. It was probably only a matter of time, but this is not a good time for this to happen. With 7 weeks until Chicago, I was out on an 18 miler when I felt some discomfort behind my left knee around mile 7. I opted to run through it, but it got gradually worse, and by mile 10, I had to walk. I used a run/walk combo for the next few miles, and ultimately had to finish the distance walking.
This morning I finally got to talk to Dr. Williams, who diagnoses it as a ligament strain in the lowest part of my hamstring behind the knee, but it's really not the knee at all.
Prior to the diagnosis, and immediately after last weekend's run, I was concerned for the timing of it all, and decided I needed to get something figured out quick. No, I didn't call 911, I took a facebook poll of course! Most of my trusted runner friends told me to stay off it, while many suggested pulling the miles back. I had every recommendation from amputation to voodoo dolls.
At the end of the day, I agreed on a regular regimen of ice 3 times daily with ibuprofen, and greatly reduced miles.
Monday was a rest day, and I skipped Tuesday's run and Wednesday's. Decided to test it on Thursday and only got 3 miles in, of which only 1.5 were pain free. On Friday I took a very casual 3 mile walk, and again rested on Saturday.
Feeling like the pain was mostly subsided, I decided to test it again today. Today was scheduled to be a 13 miler, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I thought I might go 3 to 5. The first 2 were pain free, but some tightening crept in, so I walked a little, then ran a race pace for 1.5 miles, and ultimately walk/jogged my way home for a total of 6.5. I would rate it at 80% today, but realize I need to continue resting and ice.
The pain of not running the way I want, or worse yet, not running at all, is actually more painful than the injury. Skipping Chicago is not an option. I will walk the marathon before I drop out.
Other factors with this injury include shoes and terrain. I recently got a new pair of shoes, but they didn't have the exact pair that I had been using so I changed them up a little bit....DUMB! They even told me it was suggested, but I didn't want to wait or have to come back, so I settled for the closest thing they had. Thanks to a generous return policy though, I was able to exchange them this past Friday and broke them in this morning. They felt great!
As for the terrain, I am a safe runner who always runs against traffic, but when I'm running in the country where the road has more of a crown to it, the road is falling off to my left which means I'm reaching more with my left (injured) leg. It is safe to assume this has contributed to the cause.
Chicago is 6 weeks from today. I think so long as I can get one more good long run in within the next 3 weeks and have a solid taper I will be okay, the struggle now is finding the balance between rest and staying fresh. That will be painful!
For the first time in my running "career", I have an injury. It was probably only a matter of time, but this is not a good time for this to happen. With 7 weeks until Chicago, I was out on an 18 miler when I felt some discomfort behind my left knee around mile 7. I opted to run through it, but it got gradually worse, and by mile 10, I had to walk. I used a run/walk combo for the next few miles, and ultimately had to finish the distance walking.
This morning I finally got to talk to Dr. Williams, who diagnoses it as a ligament strain in the lowest part of my hamstring behind the knee, but it's really not the knee at all.
Prior to the diagnosis, and immediately after last weekend's run, I was concerned for the timing of it all, and decided I needed to get something figured out quick. No, I didn't call 911, I took a facebook poll of course! Most of my trusted runner friends told me to stay off it, while many suggested pulling the miles back. I had every recommendation from amputation to voodoo dolls.
At the end of the day, I agreed on a regular regimen of ice 3 times daily with ibuprofen, and greatly reduced miles.
Monday was a rest day, and I skipped Tuesday's run and Wednesday's. Decided to test it on Thursday and only got 3 miles in, of which only 1.5 were pain free. On Friday I took a very casual 3 mile walk, and again rested on Saturday.
Feeling like the pain was mostly subsided, I decided to test it again today. Today was scheduled to be a 13 miler, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I thought I might go 3 to 5. The first 2 were pain free, but some tightening crept in, so I walked a little, then ran a race pace for 1.5 miles, and ultimately walk/jogged my way home for a total of 6.5. I would rate it at 80% today, but realize I need to continue resting and ice.
The pain of not running the way I want, or worse yet, not running at all, is actually more painful than the injury. Skipping Chicago is not an option. I will walk the marathon before I drop out.
Other factors with this injury include shoes and terrain. I recently got a new pair of shoes, but they didn't have the exact pair that I had been using so I changed them up a little bit....DUMB! They even told me it was suggested, but I didn't want to wait or have to come back, so I settled for the closest thing they had. Thanks to a generous return policy though, I was able to exchange them this past Friday and broke them in this morning. They felt great!
As for the terrain, I am a safe runner who always runs against traffic, but when I'm running in the country where the road has more of a crown to it, the road is falling off to my left which means I'm reaching more with my left (injured) leg. It is safe to assume this has contributed to the cause.
Chicago is 6 weeks from today. I think so long as I can get one more good long run in within the next 3 weeks and have a solid taper I will be okay, the struggle now is finding the balance between rest and staying fresh. That will be painful!
July 10, 2011
I just keep Tri ing
Third time is a charm...and boy was it!
Today was the Muncie Ironman Sprint race at PCR. I picked up a bib late in the week and decided to go for it. The excitement of having Ironman in town, combined with Molly being on the Ironman staff now really sucked me in!
Picked up my packet and got body marked on Friday. Attended the athlete briefing, and went out to the race site to check my bike in. Nearly 2000 athletes created a transition area much larger than anything I ever imagined. Friday night we hosted my friend Matt who was doing the 70.3, and Molly's friend Tracey who was helping volunteer. We all tried to go to bed by 10, but with Molly up and gone at 2:30 a.m., I didn't sleep much before my alarm at 4:30!
Arrived at the race site at 5:30 and got set up in transition. Found several acquaintances there to help calm the nerves, and with a quick dip in the water (81 degrees), it was Go time! I was in the first wave of the first race. 6:30 airhorn to a growing crowd and I'm off!
Felt great during the swim, stroked every stroke freestyle, no breast this time, and only got kicked twice. Fought through several drifting bodies to maintain position, and focused on my breathing. When I came out of the water, I looked at my watch....4:59!!!!! but wait....it's not moving....it's stopped! When? For how long? Where was I? No clue! I ran up the hill to T1 and sat down to put socks and my bike shoes on. Lots of bikes still on the rack, so I must be okay..
Once on the bike, I restarted the watch so I could get my bike splits. I went for a drink of my gatorade, only to realize it was still mostly frozen from being in the freezer all night. I do this on purpose so it's ice cold, but apparently it doesn't thaw fast enough at 6:30! I passed two competitors quickly on the bike, and found a good rhythm of around 20 mph. Though I've done this course many times, this was the first time I had rode the bike clockwise around PCR. We usually go the other way, and I suspected this may help me. Only 2 people passed me through mile 6, and I passed 2 others myself. Wasn't sure why a motorcycle was creeping next to me around mile 7, until I realized it was the lead female escort! Yep, there she was, started the swim 5 minutes after me, and caught me roughly 30 minutes into the race...RESPECT! My initial fear when I heard the motorcycle was that it was an official coming to penalize me. I raced hard to pass 2 more on the back half of the course, and no one else passed me prior to the dismount. I had to guess, but I assumed I'd been on the bike around 40 minutes.
Very quick T2, and I was out fast on the run. I knew my friends from the YRC were working the run aid station at mile 1 and 2.2, so I couldn't wait to see them. Ran hard and was not disappointed. They were as loud and excited for me as any pro on the course. I can't explain how much it helped my confidence. I stayed focused on my pace, and couldn't wait to get to the turn around and head back. Once again, they went crazy for me! Because the run is an out and back, I was able to size up where I was, and was impressed by the number of people I was ahead of. Once I got up the dreaded last hill, I could see the crowd which was quite large now as the pros were on the beach ready to start their race for the long course. A nice downhill finish toward the beach area through a 0.2 mile finish chute with people on both sides made me feel like a world champion. Sadly, the finish clock was not on (they were saving it for the long course), and so I still had no idea what my time was...was that a good thing...I think so...
ANOTHER PERSONAL RECORD!! -- 1:20:32
39th out of 123
Swim - 10:04
T1 - 2:37
Bike - 39:09 (18.9 mph)
T2 - 1:40
Run - 27:04 (8:44 pace)
Didn't place in my age group, but very rewarding!
Once I recovered, and changed my clothes it was on to part 2 of my Ironman experience.
Volunteering!
Because Molly was the Director of all Volunteers, and she let me race this morning, I wanted to be sure to give back all I could. Besides that, I'm so inspired by the 70.3 athletes, that I wanted to be a part of the event.
My original assignment was run SAG, which includes driving around in a Gator or pickup truck and picking up athletes who quit on the run course. This may sound crazy, but after 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles on the bike, under the near 90 degree sun, many runners are overwhelmed for the half marathon run. Some runners start the first mile and know they can't do it. Others get to the turn around, and are smart enough to listen to their body telling them it is at its limit. Sadly, there were not enough vehicles available for me to help with this because they were needed to transport more ice and supplies to the aid stations and medical.
While taking my bike back to the car, I found myself near the bike in with the pros coming in. I could tell the pedestrian traffic was a problem, so I stationed myself 300 yards off the dismount line, and instructed pedestrians to clear the road as cyclists approached, then as the athlete got to me, I would yell "300 yard", this helps athletes gauge when to come out of their shoes. Most pros, go barefoot all day, and keep their shoes clipped to the bike to save time in transition. I did this for almost an hour until the flow of athletes was steady enough to scare the spectators from attempting to get on the road.
I returned to the athlete food tent to grab some lunch, and got to watch the overall winner finish. Then I was assigned to the crosswalk at the finisher chute. This job was supposed to be to control pedestrian traffic coming and going where it crosses the finisher chute. As it turned out, many of the athletes found their way to me to turn in their chip when they gave up early on the run. Crowd control didn't sound very glamorous to me as I stood there in the hot sun, and faced depressed athletes and angry spectators; but I quickly realized that the real opportunity was that of a cheerleader. I was the LAST volunteer that athletes saw before they finished. My attitude quickly changed to that of a STRONG voice that yelled "Great job, You're here, You made it, Bottom of the Hill, Congratulations!" I repeated these phrases countless times for over 3 hours, and loved every minute of it. Many of the athletes gave me high fives, thumbs up, fist pumps, and of course thank yous! It was also a great point to provide information to uninformed spectators, and to congratulate finishers that after exiting the recovery area, had to come right back by me to get their things out of transition!
The only scare I had was an athlete who got so excited, that as he jumped for joy, he literally cramped right in front of me. The guy was 0.1 miles from the finish, and couldn't walk! The spectators gathered along the chute and offered words of encouragement. I didn't know what to do. I offered my hand and he grabbed it. He leveraged himself off of me and we did a partner calf stretch together while he grabbed his hamstring. When he finally took his first step, the crowd went nuts and he hobbled down the hill to the finish. Several others found incredible strength to sprint the last leg, while others could barely walk to the point they were almost scared to descend down the hill to the finish line.
It was hot, I got a good sunburn, and lost my voice...and it was worth every second!
Great day. Great athletes. Great volunteers. Great event. I am so blessed to have been a part of it, and inspired to consider the 70.3 next year!
Today was the Muncie Ironman Sprint race at PCR. I picked up a bib late in the week and decided to go for it. The excitement of having Ironman in town, combined with Molly being on the Ironman staff now really sucked me in!
Picked up my packet and got body marked on Friday. Attended the athlete briefing, and went out to the race site to check my bike in. Nearly 2000 athletes created a transition area much larger than anything I ever imagined. Friday night we hosted my friend Matt who was doing the 70.3, and Molly's friend Tracey who was helping volunteer. We all tried to go to bed by 10, but with Molly up and gone at 2:30 a.m., I didn't sleep much before my alarm at 4:30!
Arrived at the race site at 5:30 and got set up in transition. Found several acquaintances there to help calm the nerves, and with a quick dip in the water (81 degrees), it was Go time! I was in the first wave of the first race. 6:30 airhorn to a growing crowd and I'm off!
Felt great during the swim, stroked every stroke freestyle, no breast this time, and only got kicked twice. Fought through several drifting bodies to maintain position, and focused on my breathing. When I came out of the water, I looked at my watch....4:59!!!!! but wait....it's not moving....it's stopped! When? For how long? Where was I? No clue! I ran up the hill to T1 and sat down to put socks and my bike shoes on. Lots of bikes still on the rack, so I must be okay..
Once on the bike, I restarted the watch so I could get my bike splits. I went for a drink of my gatorade, only to realize it was still mostly frozen from being in the freezer all night. I do this on purpose so it's ice cold, but apparently it doesn't thaw fast enough at 6:30! I passed two competitors quickly on the bike, and found a good rhythm of around 20 mph. Though I've done this course many times, this was the first time I had rode the bike clockwise around PCR. We usually go the other way, and I suspected this may help me. Only 2 people passed me through mile 6, and I passed 2 others myself. Wasn't sure why a motorcycle was creeping next to me around mile 7, until I realized it was the lead female escort! Yep, there she was, started the swim 5 minutes after me, and caught me roughly 30 minutes into the race...RESPECT! My initial fear when I heard the motorcycle was that it was an official coming to penalize me. I raced hard to pass 2 more on the back half of the course, and no one else passed me prior to the dismount. I had to guess, but I assumed I'd been on the bike around 40 minutes.
Very quick T2, and I was out fast on the run. I knew my friends from the YRC were working the run aid station at mile 1 and 2.2, so I couldn't wait to see them. Ran hard and was not disappointed. They were as loud and excited for me as any pro on the course. I can't explain how much it helped my confidence. I stayed focused on my pace, and couldn't wait to get to the turn around and head back. Once again, they went crazy for me! Because the run is an out and back, I was able to size up where I was, and was impressed by the number of people I was ahead of. Once I got up the dreaded last hill, I could see the crowd which was quite large now as the pros were on the beach ready to start their race for the long course. A nice downhill finish toward the beach area through a 0.2 mile finish chute with people on both sides made me feel like a world champion. Sadly, the finish clock was not on (they were saving it for the long course), and so I still had no idea what my time was...was that a good thing...I think so...
ANOTHER PERSONAL RECORD!! -- 1:20:32
39th out of 123
Swim - 10:04
T1 - 2:37
Bike - 39:09 (18.9 mph)
T2 - 1:40
Run - 27:04 (8:44 pace)
Didn't place in my age group, but very rewarding!
Once I recovered, and changed my clothes it was on to part 2 of my Ironman experience.
Volunteering!
Because Molly was the Director of all Volunteers, and she let me race this morning, I wanted to be sure to give back all I could. Besides that, I'm so inspired by the 70.3 athletes, that I wanted to be a part of the event.
My original assignment was run SAG, which includes driving around in a Gator or pickup truck and picking up athletes who quit on the run course. This may sound crazy, but after 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles on the bike, under the near 90 degree sun, many runners are overwhelmed for the half marathon run. Some runners start the first mile and know they can't do it. Others get to the turn around, and are smart enough to listen to their body telling them it is at its limit. Sadly, there were not enough vehicles available for me to help with this because they were needed to transport more ice and supplies to the aid stations and medical.
While taking my bike back to the car, I found myself near the bike in with the pros coming in. I could tell the pedestrian traffic was a problem, so I stationed myself 300 yards off the dismount line, and instructed pedestrians to clear the road as cyclists approached, then as the athlete got to me, I would yell "300 yard", this helps athletes gauge when to come out of their shoes. Most pros, go barefoot all day, and keep their shoes clipped to the bike to save time in transition. I did this for almost an hour until the flow of athletes was steady enough to scare the spectators from attempting to get on the road.
I returned to the athlete food tent to grab some lunch, and got to watch the overall winner finish. Then I was assigned to the crosswalk at the finisher chute. This job was supposed to be to control pedestrian traffic coming and going where it crosses the finisher chute. As it turned out, many of the athletes found their way to me to turn in their chip when they gave up early on the run. Crowd control didn't sound very glamorous to me as I stood there in the hot sun, and faced depressed athletes and angry spectators; but I quickly realized that the real opportunity was that of a cheerleader. I was the LAST volunteer that athletes saw before they finished. My attitude quickly changed to that of a STRONG voice that yelled "Great job, You're here, You made it, Bottom of the Hill, Congratulations!" I repeated these phrases countless times for over 3 hours, and loved every minute of it. Many of the athletes gave me high fives, thumbs up, fist pumps, and of course thank yous! It was also a great point to provide information to uninformed spectators, and to congratulate finishers that after exiting the recovery area, had to come right back by me to get their things out of transition!
The only scare I had was an athlete who got so excited, that as he jumped for joy, he literally cramped right in front of me. The guy was 0.1 miles from the finish, and couldn't walk! The spectators gathered along the chute and offered words of encouragement. I didn't know what to do. I offered my hand and he grabbed it. He leveraged himself off of me and we did a partner calf stretch together while he grabbed his hamstring. When he finally took his first step, the crowd went nuts and he hobbled down the hill to the finish. Several others found incredible strength to sprint the last leg, while others could barely walk to the point they were almost scared to descend down the hill to the finish line.
It was hot, I got a good sunburn, and lost my voice...and it was worth every second!
Great day. Great athletes. Great volunteers. Great event. I am so blessed to have been a part of it, and inspired to consider the 70.3 next year!
July 5, 2011
10k under 9?
Happy Independence Day!
Today, I independently unleashed my freedom to run FAST!
Chesterfield Optimist 10k - entered under the excuse of wanting to compare this race to the one I just organized 2 days earlier (which by the way, ours is better); yet motivated by the performance of many of my friends on the 4 mile course on Saturday. The plan was to go out fast, and just try to hold on. Mile 1 - 8:40, somewhere around 1.5, Pete said, "it's all you" and I pulled away; Mile 2 - 8:40. Mile 3 - 8:58. Mile 4 - 9:11, Mile 5 - 9:03, and Mile 6 - 9:06, and that's when Amy Fletcher caught me. I'd never beaten her, and today was my chance. She pushed me the last 0.2 where I sprinted ahead to finish in 55:32, an 8:53 pace!
Age group award winner!
Proving once again...anything is possible!
Today, I independently unleashed my freedom to run FAST!
Chesterfield Optimist 10k - entered under the excuse of wanting to compare this race to the one I just organized 2 days earlier (which by the way, ours is better); yet motivated by the performance of many of my friends on the 4 mile course on Saturday. The plan was to go out fast, and just try to hold on. Mile 1 - 8:40, somewhere around 1.5, Pete said, "it's all you" and I pulled away; Mile 2 - 8:40. Mile 3 - 8:58. Mile 4 - 9:11, Mile 5 - 9:03, and Mile 6 - 9:06, and that's when Amy Fletcher caught me. I'd never beaten her, and today was my chance. She pushed me the last 0.2 where I sprinted ahead to finish in 55:32, an 8:53 pace!
Age group award winner!
Proving once again...anything is possible!
June 25, 2011
I never knew I could TRI like this!
Sorry for the late blog post, but life has been a little busy.
June 11 marked the date of my redemption triathlon at Prairie Creek Reservoir with Muncie Multisport. For those of you that are new to my blog, Check out the post from last September that ends with me in the hospital....NOT THIS TIME!
Molly was out of town working Ironman Kansas 70.3 so the sitter was here at 6:15, and I was well on my way with no fear. No problems getting setup and settled in. Maybe just a little nervous as I realized the air temperature was cooler than the water temp, but blocked it out easily. Good crowd and lots of people I knew!
The swim was redirected to swim left to right with the wind/current, and once in the water I appreciated it. The swim felt so easy and I was able to get a rhythm without stopping to change strokes and without kicking or getting kicked by others. I was out of the water and running to T1 in 7:18. Couple minutes in transition and I was on the bike.
I again got into a very good rhythm, and felt so strong, I got into a couple unnecessary sprint duals on Inlow Springs, but once I got to the hills reality set in. I was very cautious with my gear selections as I had lost a chain in this part of the course last year. No problems this year, once I was on the last straight I gave all I had and had my best bike split ever at 40:52.
T2 was not bad either and once out on the run I found a very steady pace with only one hill that brought me to a brief walk. But I pushed through it all and finished the 5k run in 31:22 for a total finish time of 1:24:16. This is over 21 minutes faster than my last attempt 9 months ago. Truly remarkable for me.
No placings or awards, but for me this was as good as it gets! Only thing better would have been for Molly and the kids to have been there with me!
June 11 marked the date of my redemption triathlon at Prairie Creek Reservoir with Muncie Multisport. For those of you that are new to my blog, Check out the post from last September that ends with me in the hospital....NOT THIS TIME!
Molly was out of town working Ironman Kansas 70.3 so the sitter was here at 6:15, and I was well on my way with no fear. No problems getting setup and settled in. Maybe just a little nervous as I realized the air temperature was cooler than the water temp, but blocked it out easily. Good crowd and lots of people I knew!
The swim was redirected to swim left to right with the wind/current, and once in the water I appreciated it. The swim felt so easy and I was able to get a rhythm without stopping to change strokes and without kicking or getting kicked by others. I was out of the water and running to T1 in 7:18. Couple minutes in transition and I was on the bike.
I again got into a very good rhythm, and felt so strong, I got into a couple unnecessary sprint duals on Inlow Springs, but once I got to the hills reality set in. I was very cautious with my gear selections as I had lost a chain in this part of the course last year. No problems this year, once I was on the last straight I gave all I had and had my best bike split ever at 40:52.
T2 was not bad either and once out on the run I found a very steady pace with only one hill that brought me to a brief walk. But I pushed through it all and finished the 5k run in 31:22 for a total finish time of 1:24:16. This is over 21 minutes faster than my last attempt 9 months ago. Truly remarkable for me.
No placings or awards, but for me this was as good as it gets! Only thing better would have been for Molly and the kids to have been there with me!
May 22, 2011
Geist Half Marathon race recap
How did I get here. Well Pete drove me, but that's not the point!
Just to recap, Molly could not compete in the Indy Mini because she had a wedding to attend in Arizona. Instead, she chose to compete with her friend Tracey in the Geist Half Marathon. 4 weeks ago, Molly asks me if I will race with her so that I can keep her motivated during the race, and help pace her to complete her first half marathon. How can I say no to that? So, I sign up.
With about 10 days to go before race day, and after fighting a lingering case of plantar fasciitis, her doctor tells her...no race for you! WHAT? So now the decision is do I want to pace Tracey? Do I want to run with Pete and Amy? Or do I want to race it for myself and try to improve my time from the Indy Mini...Wasn't much to think about - I'm racing!
Race prep went well. Race morning was comfortable. Pete and Amy picked me up, and we took Tracey also. Once at the nearby school, we met up with my college roommate, Scott, who had bought Molly's entry. A short walk to the start line, and it's go time!
Star Spangled Banner featured a flyover, and a pumped up crowd had me juiced up and ready show this course what I'm made of! The starting corrals are set up on a downhill near a bridge. This should have been a clear sign of things to come. HILLS!
The first 7 miles seemed effortless to me. The hills were very manageable and the scenery of the reservoir was incredible. Beautiful homes. Great landscaping. Supportive families. An overall great experience. My plan was to lay back on an easy pace of 10:20-10:30, and see if I could run deeper into the miles to finish at better than a 10:45 pace and get in under 2:20.
First 7 miles clocked on the Garmin at 10:09, 10:08, 9:58, 10:18, 10:28, 10:13, 10:09. I felt so good at this point. I thought I was in control of this race! But then...HILLS!
I had reviewed the elevation chart prior to the race, and knew of the severe hill around mile 7.5, but I had no idea how big it may have been until I saw it with my own eyes. As you round the corner off of Fall Creek Rd, and onto 79th Street, there it is. Standing larger than life. I think I heard it laughing at me. Mocking me even. Daring me to try to keep that pace. I wasn't going to back down. I ran into and up this hill with everything I had. I'm guessing I made it more than 3/4 of the way up the hill before my legs gave in to the incline. I finally took my first walking steps.
As I got to the top of Geist mountain, I started jogging again, and managed to keep mile 8 at a respectable 10:43.
Many more rolling hills were to follow, and I quickly realized the toll that this hill had taken on my body. My plan became to run all the downhills, and the flat bottoms to a point where the next uphill seemed to begin, then I would walk the uphills. This obviously damages the average and mile 9 ended at 11:10
For miles 10 and 11 I found a good rhythm of running and walking. When I could run, I found myself on pace between 10:30 and 10:40, but walking the uphills were often as slow as 14:00. These two miles were nearly identical at 12:08 and 12:06
So here I am with 2.1 miles remaining. My Garmin was measuring the course long, and so it was actually about 2.2 miles. Even if I could run a 10 minute pace all the way in, that would take 22 minutes. I had only 24 minutes left to play with in order to beat my mini time. Quick math, I've got to do roughly an 11 minute pace. I've been doing 12s, so I've got to run more and walk less now. This psychology almost worked against me as every time I tried to run, I began to cramp more. I wasn't necessarily dehydrated, but everything hurt. The hills had broken my body down much more than my training had ever prepared me for. Mile 12 ended up being my worst mile of the race. I could not find a rhythm and fell to a 13:05 mile.
Embarrassed by the split that just flashed on my watch, and accepting of the fact that I could not run the last 1.2 at a 10 minute pace to beat my mini time, I pushed through the 13th mile. I got myself back to my mile 10 pace of 12:08, and as predicted had 0.2 miles remaining.
I refused to stop at this point. A nice downhill finish bring a repeated section of the course into view over a lengthy bridge into a well populated finish area. I ran the last 0.2 with everything I had left which was a 10 minute pace, taking 2 minutes, and giving me a finish time of 2:24:51.
The time is EXACTLY 3 minutes slower than the mini, but factoring in the heat (over 70 at the finish), and of course THE HILLS, I am not disappointed.
I enjoyed trying a new course. It was challenging and kept my interest, but this course was much more difficult than I ever imagined. It was great to share the experience with friends. Pete helped Amy to her best finish of 2:31, and Tracey completed her first half in 2:56. Scott ran a great 2:07 and 3,000 others are writing their blogs today as well.
Next up is a Sprint Triathlon on June 11. That race is for redemption on my first Tri experience last September. Beating my previous time will be the first reward. But not going to the ER will be the real victory!
Just to recap, Molly could not compete in the Indy Mini because she had a wedding to attend in Arizona. Instead, she chose to compete with her friend Tracey in the Geist Half Marathon. 4 weeks ago, Molly asks me if I will race with her so that I can keep her motivated during the race, and help pace her to complete her first half marathon. How can I say no to that? So, I sign up.
With about 10 days to go before race day, and after fighting a lingering case of plantar fasciitis, her doctor tells her...no race for you! WHAT? So now the decision is do I want to pace Tracey? Do I want to run with Pete and Amy? Or do I want to race it for myself and try to improve my time from the Indy Mini...Wasn't much to think about - I'm racing!
Race prep went well. Race morning was comfortable. Pete and Amy picked me up, and we took Tracey also. Once at the nearby school, we met up with my college roommate, Scott, who had bought Molly's entry. A short walk to the start line, and it's go time!
Star Spangled Banner featured a flyover, and a pumped up crowd had me juiced up and ready show this course what I'm made of! The starting corrals are set up on a downhill near a bridge. This should have been a clear sign of things to come. HILLS!
The first 7 miles seemed effortless to me. The hills were very manageable and the scenery of the reservoir was incredible. Beautiful homes. Great landscaping. Supportive families. An overall great experience. My plan was to lay back on an easy pace of 10:20-10:30, and see if I could run deeper into the miles to finish at better than a 10:45 pace and get in under 2:20.
First 7 miles clocked on the Garmin at 10:09, 10:08, 9:58, 10:18, 10:28, 10:13, 10:09. I felt so good at this point. I thought I was in control of this race! But then...HILLS!
I had reviewed the elevation chart prior to the race, and knew of the severe hill around mile 7.5, but I had no idea how big it may have been until I saw it with my own eyes. As you round the corner off of Fall Creek Rd, and onto 79th Street, there it is. Standing larger than life. I think I heard it laughing at me. Mocking me even. Daring me to try to keep that pace. I wasn't going to back down. I ran into and up this hill with everything I had. I'm guessing I made it more than 3/4 of the way up the hill before my legs gave in to the incline. I finally took my first walking steps.
As I got to the top of Geist mountain, I started jogging again, and managed to keep mile 8 at a respectable 10:43.
Many more rolling hills were to follow, and I quickly realized the toll that this hill had taken on my body. My plan became to run all the downhills, and the flat bottoms to a point where the next uphill seemed to begin, then I would walk the uphills. This obviously damages the average and mile 9 ended at 11:10
For miles 10 and 11 I found a good rhythm of running and walking. When I could run, I found myself on pace between 10:30 and 10:40, but walking the uphills were often as slow as 14:00. These two miles were nearly identical at 12:08 and 12:06
So here I am with 2.1 miles remaining. My Garmin was measuring the course long, and so it was actually about 2.2 miles. Even if I could run a 10 minute pace all the way in, that would take 22 minutes. I had only 24 minutes left to play with in order to beat my mini time. Quick math, I've got to do roughly an 11 minute pace. I've been doing 12s, so I've got to run more and walk less now. This psychology almost worked against me as every time I tried to run, I began to cramp more. I wasn't necessarily dehydrated, but everything hurt. The hills had broken my body down much more than my training had ever prepared me for. Mile 12 ended up being my worst mile of the race. I could not find a rhythm and fell to a 13:05 mile.
Embarrassed by the split that just flashed on my watch, and accepting of the fact that I could not run the last 1.2 at a 10 minute pace to beat my mini time, I pushed through the 13th mile. I got myself back to my mile 10 pace of 12:08, and as predicted had 0.2 miles remaining.
I refused to stop at this point. A nice downhill finish bring a repeated section of the course into view over a lengthy bridge into a well populated finish area. I ran the last 0.2 with everything I had left which was a 10 minute pace, taking 2 minutes, and giving me a finish time of 2:24:51.
The time is EXACTLY 3 minutes slower than the mini, but factoring in the heat (over 70 at the finish), and of course THE HILLS, I am not disappointed.
I enjoyed trying a new course. It was challenging and kept my interest, but this course was much more difficult than I ever imagined. It was great to share the experience with friends. Pete helped Amy to her best finish of 2:31, and Tracey completed her first half in 2:56. Scott ran a great 2:07 and 3,000 others are writing their blogs today as well.
Next up is a Sprint Triathlon on June 11. That race is for redemption on my first Tri experience last September. Beating my previous time will be the first reward. But not going to the ER will be the real victory!
May 15, 2011
10k Champion! That's me!
Muncie MultiSport hosted the first tri/du race of the season this weekend, and I wasn't quite ready for a tri this year yet, so I thought I'd stick with what was working. 5k didn't seem long enough, so I opted for the 10k. Apparently, there were very few thinking along the same lines, because
I WAS THE OVERALL WINNER OF THE 10K!
Don't get me wrong, I ran my ass off for this! Another PR at 58:40, had me a full minute ahead of the closest competitor! But truth be told, there were only 7 of us competing in this event! Hey, a win is a win, and that's 2 wins in 2 weeks for those of you that are counting!
I WAS THE OVERALL WINNER OF THE 10K!
Don't get me wrong, I ran my ass off for this! Another PR at 58:40, had me a full minute ahead of the closest competitor! But truth be told, there were only 7 of us competing in this event! Hey, a win is a win, and that's 2 wins in 2 weeks for those of you that are counting!
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