Saturday, April 30, 2011

Gulf Coast Blues -- Sprained Ankle

Well, one week from today, I was planning on competing in Gulf Coast 70.3 triathlon in Panama City Beach, Florida.  Just starting my taper.  Today, I was going to race in a 10k trail run, tomorrow do a 55 mile bike ride to the beach, maybe swim in the water some.  Well, 10 minutes into my race this morning....


I had was running with a couple of girls, and had just passed a guy.  Glanced back to see if the two girls were still with me and...Boohyah!!!!   Rolled my left ankle and heard pop, pop, pop, pop, etc.  Brought my right foot around asap and recovered so I didn't fall.  The girl closest to me said "Nice recovery," and I wished it had been that simple, but I knew the damage had already been done.

Immediately stopped running. Oh wow, that smarts...  ok, that hurts... really hurts.  No use in finishing this race, call it quits and limp back and work on rehab.

Wait a minute, that means I can't do Gulf Coast 70.3 next weekend.  Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit....  To be honest, in between the pain of spraining my ankle and pain of knowing I just scratched myself from Gulf Coast, I seriously had to fight back tears a couple of times.  Wish I could say it was pain from the ankle, but I know it for missing Gulf Coast more than anything else

I have sprained both ankles pretty badly before, and know excatly what I have in store.  As soon as I can stablilize the initial swelling (RICE), I can start working on rehab.  That will really be the painful part.  Breaking up all that scar tissue is really gonna suck.  Time for a little S&M.

I had to to limp over a mile back to the truck.  Lots of people asked if I was ok, and I appreciate their concern.  By the time I got to the truck, my ankle was swole up something fierce.  So I hobbled back home and have been laying on the couch the rest of the day.  So I have cancelled my hotel and e-mailed the race director to see if I can get a refund or deferral.

The rest of the day sucked donkey balls.  I ate comfort food.  Ice cream.  More ice cream, chocolates, chips.  Yum.  Clydesdale division, here I come.  Damn.

I could barely even wiggle my toes Sat, but started working on moving them as much as I could.  Finally by Sat night I could move my foot up and down a fraction.  Sunday am was much better.  I have continuously been working on moving my foot around.  Put on a compression sock and walked around some and ran errands with the sizzler.  Lying here on the couch now watching tv, working on moving the foot arounds.  Rest, ice, elevate, compression.  take a break from ice and compression, then repeat..  Eating more food.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Week 17 -- Last week before taper for Gulf Cost 70.3

It is 7:16 Monday morning, and I'm off to a rough start.  I did set my alarm clock for 5:00 to swim, but somehow the volume was too low so I didn't hear it to wake up.  Slacker!  I really was looking forward to swimming this am, it would have been a great recovery workout.  Weighed myself on the scale -- 197.0.  Damn you, easter dinner!  I knew that was going to happen.

So it is Monday afternoon, and I just signed up for Gulf Coast.  Can't back out now.  I also made hotel reservations for Ironman Florida.  So I have now registered and made hotel reservations for Gulf Cost 70.3, Ironman Augusta 70.3, and Ironman Florida.  The only pending races left are that I signed up for a Jax sprint series and need to get hotel reservations for that as well.  Will play that by ear though, b/c IMFL training comes first.  Oh yeah, I did an easy 45 min on the trainer/tri bike.

Tue am -- 45 min easy on the trainer.  PM  5 mile easy trail run -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81827307.

Wed -- went to bed late last night (again).  slept poorly.  woke up this am wondering why sissy set the alarm clock so early.  I turned it off for her, then realized I set the alarm clock so I could swim.  damn....  Good news is that I am down to 195.0.  Man, it's been a while. 

Didn't even set the coffee timer last night.  brew coffee.  can't even measure a tablespoon of coffee grounds.  can't wake up...  shot of gatoraid to get me going, then off to Trousdale.  Double-damn, FWC trainees are in the pool taking up at least 4 of the "public" lanes.  Fuck this.  Off to Myers park.  It doesn't open till 6, but I will wait a few minutes in the parking lot.  Get to Myers park, nobody but me there.... no staff.  Wait till 6, still no staff... Double-fuck this.  I'm going home and back to bed. 

On the way home, I decide to swing by Trousdale and see if FWC trainess are done.  Yes!  Ok, hit the pool.  Find an empty lane, and "Thumper" tries to get out of his "crowded" lane and share this one with me.  I don't even look at him.  Luckily he goes to another lane.  Guy drives me crazy with his atomic bomb splash-kicks.  So my swim -- sucked.  Don't know what it is, but I am literally depleted.  Way beyond simply being tired (and grinding out a set), but my body is saying stop this now.  So after my warm-up and a few laps of my first set, I call it a day at 20 minutes.  Trying to learn to listen to my body -- to distinguish between "tired" and "stop."

So I am supposed to ride my bike this pm, and will probably pack it in the truck -- but I seriously question whether I will do so.  If I feel like this, I am just going to rest and go to bed early tonight.  Update -- rode the trainer for an hour Wed night, then went to bed at 9PM.  Man, I really needed that.

Thurs -- Alarm clock went off at 5, and I reset it for 6.  Good call.  Woke up and weighed myself -- 194.0!  Insanity AM, bear as usual.  For some reason I was whipped today -- my body and brain were exhauseted.  I was sucking ass before lunch, made myself go to Siam Sushi for some chicken pad thai for lunch (and a small bag of cherry nibblets twizzlers).  stuffed most of the pm, but finally came around and started feeling better around 4 or 4:30.  So I decided to try an easy 4miles at Tom Brown after work.  Turned out ok, but my legs started cramping a bit at the end. Also -- kinda neat, there was about a 6 foot gator sunning himself right when you leave cadillac trail and hit the lake.  He was literally just off the shore on a small exposed sandbar.  Would have taken pix if I had brought my phone.   http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82204892 I don't think it was loss of electrolytes as much as it was sore tendons and sore bone/joint in my right food.  I need to take it easy if I want to do Gulf Coast 70.3 next weekend. 

So afterward I had my gatoraid recovery drink, then came home and had a bowl of campbell's chicken noodle soup.  That is becoming my go to dinner if I eat a bigger lunch during the day.  I think I mentioned this previously, but I am trying to eat about 200 calories every couple of hours throughout the entire day.  Probably a little on the low side, but giving it a shot. 

Oh yeah, powerbar perform drink is half off at trisports.com, and I think gnc.  I am going to check gnc tomorrow at lunch and if so get some.  If not order a bunch from trisports.  I actually like that stuff.

This weekend, I think I am going to go to Blountstown Sunday morning and hook up with a buddy and ride bikes down to Mexico Beach.  It is about 55 miles.  Hitch a ride with him and his wife on the way back.  Should be one good last training ride before Gulf Coast.  Maybe I will send my running shoes down with his wife and run a few miles once I get there.

Friday -- so I woke up on time -- 5AM, and went to Trousdale.  No FWC, no crowds.  Did my "Workouts in a Binder, Swim Workouts For Triathletes" Endurance 10 Set A workout -- 3k meters in 1:02, pretty much still on target.  First long swim since last wed. 

Since about the week before Red Hills I have not had many weeks where I had multiple long swims, and this week is no different.  I am kind of glad Gulf Coast is right around the corner, because I will use that to hit the "reset" button, if you will.  Take it easy and maybe cross train for a few weeks, then jump into training for IMFL.

Re training for IMFL, I really want to get a coach, but want to make sure I can afford it before I commit.  I am still waiting to see how much damage the Florida Legislature and Governor do to state employees this session.  There are talks of a three pronged attack -- 5-10% pay cut, pay into retirement accounts 5-10%, and pay more for health insurance and state caps insureance coverage at 5k.  I could live with any one of these, but all three -- hell no.  I would have to leave state employment.  The one that freaks me out the most is insurance.  I have a nasty little history with malignant melanoma, and I have no doubt this history will repeat itself... probably numerous times. 

Hell, state health insurance pretty much singularly saved my life.  If I did not have it, I would not have scheduled a yearly routine checkup with my doc (I know this b/c when in private practice I didn't see my doc one time), and he would not have caught the melanoma in time before it hit my lymph nodes, and I would not have been immediately put in to see Dr. Cognetta and had immediate surgery with Dr. Rosenberg.  I am alive today because of the excellent health coverage provided to state employees.  And the Florida Legislatuer and Governor want to take that away.  Hell, that is one of the reasons people work for the state -- low pay in exchange for good insurance, retirement, and annual/sick leave.  It is called a trade-off.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Beach Blast I Olympic Race Report -- Updated w/Pics

For those of you who just want to know how I did -- here goes:

19/82 Overall
3/6 Age Group
Swim -- 13 OA, 2 AG 19:55  Avg 1:19 100/m, 1:12 100/y
T1 -- 1:15   (25 seconds faster than last year)
Bike -- 13 OA, 1 AG 1:07:17  Avg speed 22.3, hr 165, cadence 91 (1:54 faster than last year)
T2 -- 0:51   (20 seconds faster than last year)
Run -- 40 OA, 6AG   53:02 174 Average hr. (2:02 faster than last year)
Total -- 2:22:18

If you want the full details, keep on reading....

Left work at 3:30 Friday (running 30 minutes behind schedule), and made my way to Mexico Beach.  Sissy didn't want to come -- she was worried about leaving the dogs overnight and about the "unknown explosion" in El Governor earlier in the week.  So I was riding solo.  Drove directly to the race site for packet pick up and found out it didn't open for another 30 minutes.  Note to self -- next time I don't have to leave work until 4PM.  So I went to El Gov and checked into the hotel.

Went back to the race site, waited a minute or so to get my packet.  Two guys in front of me, the guy wanted to pick up the packet for his girlfriend.  No soup for you.  Then the guy in front of me -- they don't have him listed.  He swears signing up.  Race director is called over, she checks another chart and... wait for it... he did in fact sign up... for Beach Blast II in September.  Then he asks how he did that?  The race director just looked at him, then said... well, you clicked the wrong link when you signed up.  Dumbass.

So I get my packet, figure I will be missing something, but nope -- have everything.  Head over to Mango Marley's for dinner.  Figure I will skip the Florabama chicken this year and go with a club, sweet potato fries, with a side of 5 honey bbq buffalo wings.  Probably a little too unhealthy, but damn, it tasted good.  Get back to the hotel, watch the sunset, walk on the beach, get back and shave for the race, etc....

Wake up at 4:30.  Damn, I forgot to bring my Gatoraid Pro 1 bar.  Vanilla crisp Powerbar and a Gatoraid drink will have to do.  Arrive at race site, body marking, and grab my gear and head to transition.

One thing you gotta know about Beach Blast is that transition is in a softball field... at the beach (read -- sand spurs).  One of the many challenges is figuring out whether to leave flip flops between the beach and field, or find a route through the field that does not have sand spurs.  Likewise, you have to figure out if you want your bike racked near the entrance or exit to transition.  I chose the far exit (right by where bikes go out).  I also passed on flip flops and decided to go barefoot from the beach to the bike.  This increases the risk of sand spurs, so I had to walk my intended path a few times to looks for sand spur patches.  Good to go.

In the meantime, I had racked my bike in the first row, far rack, bike facing left (the other bikes around me were facing right).  There was one bike between mine and the end (it was facing the other way).  I had placed my backpack along one leg on the end of the bike rack, when the guy who owns the bike walks up and says "Hey there are six bikes on this rack, we need to space out some."  I looked at him, and said "go ahead."  And he is in my age-group.  So he spends the rest of his warm-up spreading out a beach towel on at the end of the bike rack and placing all his stuff out on the towel.  So much shit he looked like a total noob.  He even put his bike pump right up against my backpack.  What a douche-bag.

Saw a bunch of people with Gulf Winds gear on, so that was nice.  10 minute warm-up jog, then time to put on the wetsuit.  I remembered to bring some public grocery bags and decided to try a trick I learned at Red Hills first-timers camp.  Put the bags on over your hands and feet, and they slide right into the wetsuit.  Holy cow -- that works really, really well.

Water felt great at warm-up.  Water was pretty flat, with some slight swells.  Buoys were not too far out -- had the nagging suspicion it wouldn't be quite 1500, but not gonna complain.  As usual for Beach Blast, before the race starts, all the swimmers start drifting along the beach to the left (i.e,. upcurrent).  This year, the race director called us out and made us come back.  I was looking around and realized there was not many people on the far right.  Also realized there was not much of a left/right current.  So I made a game-time decision to park myself to the far right.  I have heard that this can work pretty well so I decided to find out.

Well, it worked out just fine.  I didn't have any company until I hit the first buoy.  I could see a big crowd to the left, but just swam right by everybody.  The swells were a little strange on the first leg, but manageable.  As with Red Hills, I pretty much used my old stroke for awhile until I started gasping for beath, realized my mistake, and then transitioned into my new stroke.  It felt slower, but did  agood job of lowering my heart rate.

First loop, something new -- we had to swim through two buoys at the turn.  I think they did this to get people off the beach.  Well, fine with me.  Do second leg, no problem.  As you can see, my swim time was good and I came out 2nd in my age group.  I swam at a good clip, so was happy. 


Transition -- no sand spurs.

Bike -- this was the interesting part.  My plan was to just hammer the whole time -- really put myself outside of my comfort zone and see what I could do.  And see how it affected my run.  I kinda did that, but not as much as expected.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81035465  Here is how it went down.  I was alone coming out of T1, crusing down 98 along the beach before turning on overstreet.  I didn't put my garmin on during transition, so it was slung around one of my aero bars, so I couldn't really see my hr or cadence. 

Once I turned on Overstreet, I was chicked twice.  Damnit.  Oh well, I let them go.  Then a funny thing happened... I caught them.  They were constantly passing each other and I wound up in the mix.  Turns out none of us could drop the others.  When we were pacelining (i.e., following each other at a legal distance), we were able to recover our hr and then felt like we were going too slow, so kept passing the leader.  After awhile, we came up on a guy, I was at the back and the two girls were up front.  The guy jumped on behind the girls and started drafting.  Literally drafting.  So the girls started drafting each other as well.  I just followed at the back of the bus -- and kept it legal distance.  Kicker is the group in front of me were so big that I was at a legal distance yet getting a huge aero benefit.  My hr dropped 8-10 beats and we even got faster.  The group caught up with 3 other guys, and they jumped in, so we had a pack of 6 people, with me trailing along behind at a legal distance.  We were making good time.  The turnaround was at 12.5 miles, and we didn't see the leader until mile 10.  Didn't see the next rider for a loong time. Then, there were three guys in close company, but not drafting.  So the group I was trainling was tied for 4th, and I was in say, 10th place. 

It was fun watching the group try to manage the turnaround.  I was hoping they would fall over, but they didn't.  On the way back, we saw riders coming the other way (still heading to the turnaround).  They were glaring at the pack.  I could literally see their heads/helmets turn and glare at the group.  I just looked at them and shrugged.  I was legal, couldn't help the group. 

Anyway, as the ride progressed I came to the conclusion that I needed to bust this pack up.  I mean, I am not a strong runner and didn't trust my ability to hang with the group on the run.  So with about 10 miles left in the ride, I dropped the hammer and blew by the peleton like they were sitting still.  Hoped that they would break up chasing after me.  I think it worked some, but I never looked back, just hammered away.  On the bridge going over one of the girls, "gator-girl" I called her, passed me climbing the bridge.  On the downhill, I passed her and didn't see her for the rest of the bike.  I think maybe she was drafting behind me.  One of the fun things about Beach Blast is that it is 4 races in one, sprint/oly tri, and sprint/oly du.  The sprint and oly bike course is mostly the same (sprint turns around sooner).  So on the way back, the oly riders join up with the sprint riders.  So you have a little motivation to keep speed up to the very end.  I enjoy seeing the sprint riders up ahead of me and chasing after them.  I like to call out words of encouragement as I pass them.  And I like to blow by them.


I wish I knew the identity of the riders, b/c it would be neat to see if I put any time on them in the ride.  One good thing about the ride... my ride was 1st in my age group.  So i was 2nd in the swim, and 1st in the bike...  well, the run was a different story (as expected). 

T2 went by quickly as ususal.  Got out on the run and I could tell it was going to be a long day.  I think I went out a little hard, so I tried to do the same as red hills - -just relax and let the run come to me.  However, that is kind of hard to do because... as I mentioned earlier... it is 4 races in one.  So all the sprint racers who only have to run a 5k, rather than 10k, haul ass past me.  It sucks to watch them blow by me.  Anyway, my run went as follows:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81035452  I didn't have the juice to push so I just focused on keeping moving.  And unlike Red Hills, I stopped and walked ever water station.  Sip or two of heed, hammer gel, and 2 cups of water over my head and shoulders.  The race goes through a neighborhood, then back to 98, then jumps off and parallels a side-road to 98 for a long time.  Good news is plenty of water.  Bad news is no shade and no breeze.  Just you and the pavement.

As is common with my runs, I did not pass any olympic runners.  But all the oly racers I passed or where ahead of on the bike, passed me on the run.  Maybe 15 or so people passed me -- the group I was riding behind, and some others.  Matt Scaringe, another GWTC member in my age group, passed me on the way out.  The other guy in my age group -- turns out to be said douche-bag, passed me with about 1.5 miles to the finish.  It sucked that he passed me, but we shared a mutual acknowledgement of respect, and all hard-feelings were laid to rest.

The last water stop was the turn-around for the sprint racers, so I was finally able to pass some runners for a change.  It felt great.  My spirits and momentum really pick up.  I call out words of encouragement to the other runners, and feel an obligation to run strong... sortof to show them that they too can pick it up.  Toward the finish, a guy and girl were wondering how much farther, I told them 1/2 mile, and pointed out that they turn at the white sign and have about 200 m to go.  And speaking of that, we were close so it was time to lay it all out and go.  Picked it up the last half-mile or so to the finish.  Nobody was around me at the finish, so i was happy about that b/c I don't think I could have sprinted (but was running strong).


All in all I was happy with my race.  I went into it with no tapering at all, and deliberately wanted to push hard on the swim and bike to make my run a stress test of sorts.  Mission accompished in that regard.  I knew I was not really ready to race a 10k, and would suck anyway, so I wanted to see how I would respond to the run going into it spent.  Looking at my splits and hr was interesting, times got slower and hr went higher.  If I am going to do long distance racing, I am going to have to get my hr to stay lower -- that means  more running and lose more weight.  (In that regard, I have been at 195.6 for several days now -- a victory of sorts -- and this Sun am after the race -- 195.6!)  After Red Hills, I gained 3 lbs. so I am happy.

Looking back at it:

Swim -- I need to stay focused on my technique.  Probably 1/2 the race was with my old stroke -- using arms to pull too much rather than use hips as leverage -- and the remainder with my newer stroke.  It was a stroke of genius to stay to the far inside off the start.  That probably shaved minutes off my time.

Bike -- I suprised myself with being able to push at 168-170 hr, 90 cadence and hold that pace.  Gives me a huge boost of confidence.  While I enjoyed following the peleton, and it did keep my hr lower, I need to forget about that kind of stuff for these shorter races.  I have the ability to hammer, and need to do so.  I hate to say it, but right now my strengths are the swim and bike, and I need to take full advantage of that.

Run -- I need to lose weight and run more.  Simple enough.  Focus on running with glutes/hammies.  The race did give me some confidence about grinding out miles in the sun, which I desperately need to have.  I wilt in the sun, but I think that goes back to the first sentence in this paragraph.

Today -- Sunday -- I am a touch sore (more than Red Hills), but not bad at all.  Feels like I had a good workout yesterday.  So I know my body is getting stronger.  I am so much stronger -- physically and mentally -- than last year.  I know I can push my body, and my body will respond.  Love that feeling, and what a boost of confidence.  I can't wait until I get to where I want to be, 175-180, and see how I do then.

Next up -- either Gulf Coast 70.3 or North Florirda Olympic Triathlon.  As of right now, I plan on doing Gulf Coast.  I know my run will suck and that I am not ready for a 1/2 marathon, especially in the sun/heat of Panama City Beach.  I risk injury, and that concerns me.  But more importantly, I feel like I passed my litmus test for Beach Blast Olympic and need to do Gulf Coast as a measuring stick for Ironman Augusta 70.3 in September and Ironman Florida in November.  My plan is to do the swim and bike within race parameters for a 70.3, and then feel the run out.  I am not going to push the run; rather, just want to finish the run.  Hell I will walk the run if need to.  If I start feeling an injury coming on -- I will just DNF myself. 

So there you go.  Another race report in the books.  Like I said - if I find pix of myself for BB, I will edit this and include them.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Week 16 -- almost there!

Should be a good week -- Beach Blast is this coming Saturday.
Monday -- Slept in, tired from the 85 mile ride yesterday, but I actually feel better today than I did after the Tri-State century the other week.  Rode the cx to work and back, then went to the Gulf Winds Triathletes meeting.  Reserved a hotel at El Govenor today, then subsequently learned that there was an explosion in on of the rooms Sunday night and a guy died.  I hate to say this, but hope he was doing something wrong, as opposed to the room just randomly exploding.  If the latter is the case, I am cancelling my reservation.  See if El Gov can file a reimbursement claim with BP and blame it on the oil spill.

Tuesday -- Woke up and did Insanity in the am.  Man, for a 40 minute workout, it really kicks my ass.  Sweat factory.  Did the foam roller afterward, need to do that more.  Planning on running intervals tonight, my right foot is a touch sore on the outside (feels like a bruise). -- Edit -- skipped intervals to rest my foot.

Tue night I checked with one of my partners for the Gulf Coast relay and found out she couldn't make it.  I could tell she felt bad, and I hated to hear it -- she would have enjoyed it.  However, it gave me grounds to think that maybe I should just nut up and do the whole race myself.  But for running being behind schedule, I have been swimming and biking on schedule.  I'd say that I am in at least as good if not better shape than I was in for Augusta.  So... why not?  I have decided to give Beach Blast Olympic a shot this weekend and if I hold up with the run -- a 10k -- then I will sign up for Gulf Coast next week.  Went ahead and made a hotel reservation for Gulf Coast just in case -- can always cancel.  Just the thought of busting out on a 70.3 in three weekends has me all kinds of giddy. 
Wed -- hit the pool, did 3100.  Felt great.  Wed pm, stationary cycle for 100 min.  Nice easy spin, low hr but good fat burning exercise.

Thurs -- Great day!  I woke up, well, slept in till 5:30, then work up, weighed myself (195.6 -- woohoo) and rode the stationary bike for 20 min to warm up, then did Insanity.  Man that really kicks my ass.  Went to work early to get my stuff for mediation.  Walked across downtown Tally to mediation -- wound up overheated and soaking wet from the heat and humidity.  First day like that this year.  Mediation went pretty good, but took all day.  After work I went to Tom Brown and ran the trails nice and easy to test out the legs one last time before beach blast.  It was a nice pleasant run.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/80664435  So as of today I am feeling pretty good.  If this holds up I should have fun Sat.  I am thinking about just going out there and busting my butt -- leave it all out there on the course.  Go all out on the swim and bike and then just suck it up on the run.  Will be a race day decision, but I get the feeling that I want to experiment and see how I do under duress.

Fri -- Hit the pool this am, did a force workout (paddles/pull).  Was suposed to do 2700, but decided to cut it a little short since I am doing BB tomorrow -- so 2200 it was.  All I could think about during the swim was the race tomorrow -- getting myself mentally prepared to be in the pain cave for two and half hours.  As soon as I can get out of work after lunch, I am gonna hit the road.  Feeling good so far.

Sat -- Beach Blast I Olympic -- see separate page for the race report.

Sunday -- Easter.  Spin 30 min easy on stationary cycle in am.  Go to Blountstown in pm for early dinner (i.e., 3:30).  So, half a dozen hush puppies, couple of fistfulls of animal crackers, and 2 fried fish later (I managed to dodge the cheesecake), we head back to Tally.  I spin easy on the stationary bike for another hour, but know that my weight tomorrow am will suffer for this.  I seriously cannot fuck around with bullshit food any more.  If I have to be an asshole from now on, well then so be it.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Week 15 -- a/k/a ain't no swimming this week

Week 15 starts in the morning.  Today (Sunday), I took the day off to recover from the Red Hills Triathlon yesterday.  Probably should have done a recovery workout, or gone on that long ride with Sandy & Charlie, but took it easy.  Plus Eric and Christie had their baby Friday night and were released from the hospital this afternoon -- so we headed over to their house to visit them and the baby.  Cool little sucker.

Will update as I can this week.  My plan is to do more speedwork, more high intensity training, pick up some corework again.  ...  Well it is Wednesday morning, and if I am typing during the morning, it means something went wrong.  Well, I am tying this so something did go wrong.  Let me back up to Monday.

Woke up on time, 5AM, weighed myself (199.4 -- ouch, a jump from the 196.0 I was sat am.  I usually gain weight after a race, but woah!) coffee, and while waiting to leave for the pool I turned on the TV.  Something in my gut was yelling "NOOOOOO, don't do it!" I should have listened.  Next thing I knew, it was 5:25 and I should have been at the pool.  Jump in the truck, and haul ass to the pool hoping that the staff were opening late.  Nope.  Got there and everybody was swimming.  If a lane had been open (or only had one person), I would have gotten in, but I hate jumping in right after everybody gets started.  Just how I am.  So as punishment for being late, I went home and rode the stationary bike for an hour.  Monday night, I rode the bike some more.  Oh yeah, my calves were soooore Monday.  I have heard the sorest the body after a race is 2 days after, and that held true for me.

Tuesday.  Woke up at 5, (weighed 198.6, ok getting better) did Insanity.  Then feeling good, and full well knowing intervals are tue pm, I decided to run to/from work.  So I ran 4 miles to work.  Actually enjoyed it.  Went to Fat Sandwich for lunch.  I have noticed that there is a direct correlation between my stress/dissatisfaction with the legislative session, etc., and my desire to not be in the building during my lunch hour.  I have a fridge in my office and usually eat at my desk while I work through lunch.   Nowdays -- I can't wait to get the heck out of the building -- I don't care if I don't eat healthy.  Getting back on track, Tue pm, I jogged home.  I was going to jog to intervals, run intervals, and then jog home.  I got to intervals on time, but my legs felt tired, so since I am trying to listen to my body more, I just kept on jogging to the house.  So I ran 8 miles Tue instead of 11.  Not a bad idea b/c I need to slowly ramp up my mileage.

So Wed -- woke up at 5AM, (down to 197.2) got to Trousdale on time... and lo and behold -- FWC had their trainees there swimming in two of the "public" lanes.  Actually there were at the deep end of two lanes, so  80% of those two lanes were not even being used.  And they were gonna be there for at least an hour.  So instead of 6 public lanes, there were 4.  I didn't even bother -- just turned around and got in the truck.  Pulled out my droid and checked the times for Morcom.  Hmmm, they open M-F at 6AM.  Well, Morcom is cheaper than the the City of Tallahassee pools, so I'll give them a shot.  Plus, Morcom is much nicer than all the city pools combined anyway.

Roll up, pay my $3, get ready.  Was originally told I could swim in the competition (i.e., long course) pool until the swim team arrived in about an hour.  Then when I am getting ready to swim, was told that I could not swim in the competition pool, but could swim in the dive pool (i.e., short-bus pool).  Well, ok, disappointing but I can live with that.  So I get set up in a lane, and am told that all of the lanes are reserved for a swim club, but I can swim in the open dive area.  Well, ok lanes are not important to a triathlete.  So I jump in... ahhh... the water feels soooooo warm..... really warm.....  bathtub warm....  Start my warmup 12x75, and by #10 I am so overheated it feels like my skin is on fire.  So exactly 6 minutes and 45 seconds into my warm-up, I get out of the pool and go home.  6 minutes and 45 seconds.  So, in sum I call BS on Morcom.  Morcom might as well not even say they are open.  End up spinning 30 min on the stationary cycle while watching Morning Joe.  Yes I am bitching and whining.

Well, time to go get ready for my dentist appointment (fill 2 cavities), and then go to work.  So I am gonna go ahead an predict that I will not make the Chaires ride today.  Call it a hunch.  I should have stayed in bed this week.  Update -- didn't make Chaires.  Not sure what I did.  Dentist appointment went fine.

Thurs -- Rode cx to work -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79234070  then had a lot of fun when I rode home -- http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79234065  love munson hills.  Only had water with me, so the latter half of the ride I was depleted (and hungry b/c I was running late for dinner).

Fri -- Swam 2800 at Trousdale.  Good swim. Friday night took it easy.  The Sizzler and I went to the downtown getdown.  Went to Harry's (as usual) to eat, found out there was a 30 minute wait (as usual), said screw this (as usual), and went to 101 and got right in (as usual).  Food much better than harry's (as usual).  Don't even know why I even go to Harry's.  I mean, fine dining and cajun doesn't exactly go hand-in-hand.  Exactly what I told another guy in line at Harry's, and 10 minutes later I saw him enter 101.  Smart guy.

Sat -- Swam at Trousdale, Endruance 3, 2800.  Fun swim.  I hit it hard b/c Sissy was with me and I didn't want to keep her waiting too long.  Stroke is slowly being modified, trying to focus propulson from latter part of stroke as opposed to front quad (will blame slowtwitch if it messes me up), but seems to be coming along.  Went to Filling Station for dinner, it was good b/c not too crowded (everybody was at the Garnet and Gold game).  I really enjoy that place, and love mid-town.  If Sissy and I move and don't move to Southwood (or out-of-state -- hello, DC, got an eye on you!), I want to seriously look at mid-town area.

Sunday -- 85 miles with Sandy and Jamie.  Tough. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79832833 20 miles warmup, 20 miles 150 hr, 20 miles 155 hr, 5 miles all out, 20 miles 155 hr.  Hills.  Windy.  Tough.  Wheels came off about the time I was supposed to go 5 miles all out (the previous 5-10 miles had been around 165 hr, so I was sucking ass).  Just struggled to finish.  Afterward, I did a short brick... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79832459  short, but I did something.  Dogs got out 2x sun, so I had to figure out how they were getting out and fix the fence.  Time to just nut up and call Lowe's and sub out a new fence and fence in the whole back yard.  Our house is on 1.8 acres, but a lot of it is not utilized and behind the current fence in the back yard.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Red Hills Triathlon 2011 Race Report

As noted in my blog for week 14, it was a strange week.  I haven't tapered in a while (since Augusta), work was hectic, and I am now an uncle (officially around 9:40 pm Friday night).  I was feeling pretty good though, thinking I am peaking just in time for Red Hills, but then I have never really put it together where I have peaked for a race before....

So I was confident, yet nervous for my first race of the season -- Red Hills Triathlon.  I was late getting back from the hospital Friday night, and slept pretty poorly.  But, good news is that I woke up on my own accord at 4:25 Sat am.  I always function better when I wake up on my own as opposed to waking up to an alarm clark.

Got up, showered, dressed, cofee, Gatoraid Pro series 1 (prime) bar and drink, and an bananna.  Woke up the Sizzler, packed the truck and off we went.  Arrived at the park about 5:20, and we had to hoof-it about half a mile or so from the parking lot to Transition.


I always love the Red Hills walk from the parking lot to transition.  The anticipation of getting to transition, knowing the next time you are on this path it will be during the run.  It 90% pitch dark, so you better bring a flashlight or something.  Finally get to the transition area, but before I can drop my bike off, I gotta get a little temporary body tat.


  Number 263.  Write that down.  The transition area is the parking lot right by the lake.  No real light to speak of, so you have to keep using your flashlight to set up your transition area. 


It is too dark to see the lake at first, but the kayaks are plenty visible.


As the sun starts to rise,  you see a magnificent view of the lake.  On the left is the swim entrance, and the right (the boat ramp) is the swim exit.


One of the great things about Red Hills is that it is in Tallahassee and you can catch up with a lot of friends.



Of course, then you have your game face on and get ready for bid-ness.  But first... getting the wetsuit.  Oh yeah, that Cat 5 is tight (as in physically tight and cool) - -and no, that is not my game face.


Then it is time to warm up and get ready for the gun.  The swim started off very good.  I didn't hang in the back of the pack like I traditionally do.  I tried to swim strong from the get-go and focus on my technique.  This year, I have been swimming longer distance workouts than before (1500 m compared to 3k m), and I could really tell the difference.  I hit the first turn when the horn sounded for the wave behind me.  Congested at the turn, almost kicked a guy who was riding my ass.  Backstretch went pretty quickly, hit the turn and then started the long leg home.  The last 200 or so yards sucked (form went out the window), I was getting petty overheated and breathing hard.  But I swam 2:30 faster than last year, so I was very happy with my swim.





Transition was transition.  Try to be quick, don't give away any free time.   Take off the wetsuit quickly and aggressively, fast helment, shades, and go!




I was happy with my bike leg.  There were a couple of times my legs felt dead (could tell I was still not 100% from last weekend), but I spun up the hills and hammered on the flats and down hill.  My goal was to keep my hr between 170 and 175, and... mission accomplished. I also cut 3 or so minutes off the bike.  One thing I was happy about, was that this was the first year at Red Hills that I didn't get chicked on the bike.  In all honesty only 5-6 guys passed me.  So that made me happy.


Coming back into T2, I tried to get my HR a touch low so I wouldn't pop right out of the gate on the run.  However, the entry to T2 is downhill, so I was hauling ass when I did my flying dismount.  I was 50/50 on landing it, and pulled it off spectacularly.  Even Roger with Higher Ground pointed out that I did a great job (and he didn't know how I didn't bust my ass at that speed).  Quick feet. 

And the run?  Well, I was absolutely thrilled.  I started out with a my hr at 177, so I knew I didn't have much room (I go anerobic at 185).  So when I left T2 and started up the hill I just hauled ass down... both of my calves started cramping.  That was when I realized it was warm, humid, and I had forgotten to take my Salt Stick pills before the race.  I was getting a little worried, so I decided to pace myself the first mile and let the run come to me.  Smart move.  The first mile clicked in, and I ended up clocking it at 8:00 flat.  Didn't even get passed by Tony, Sean and Jeff until right before the 1st mile marker (yes they started in later waives, but traditionally pass me sooner).  Re hitting the first mile in 8 flat, I was suprised, happy, and a little worried that I went out too hard.  However, my hr was still 177, so I was below my threshold and knew that I could run at this hr for more than a 5k.  I am finally learning to trust my heart rate and have faith that I can run in certain zones for a certain length of time (with fluids and nutrition if necessary)  -- man that is a good feeling and a great confidence booster.

So I kept at it.  During the run I started getting passed by 8 or so guys -- a couple in my age group -- but I held off chasing after them to avoid blowing up.  They were just in better shape than me, and I needed to run my race -- not theirs..  The second mile was on a trail, which I expected to be slower, but I clocked it at 7:58.  Holy shit!  I negative split the second mile, and my hr was still at 177. 

The start of the third mile was still a trail and a little uphill, so I honestly struggled and laid-off the pace a bit.  Got some gatoraid and water and picked the pace back up.  I focused on my improved (well, improving) running pace, quick steps and run using my glutes/hammies.  The third mile just melted away, and the next thing I knew I was on the last short hill before the turn back down to the transition/finish area.  I pushed it up the hill some, hit the mile three marker, and bam -- 7:53!  So I negative split all three miles.  I have never done that in a triathlon before.  I was so jacked up that I hammered down the last .1, sprinting to the finish line.  Good thing I did b/c otherwise the guy behind me may have caught me (and for the record, take three minutes off that time b/c I was in the second wave).  And... I still didn't get chicked.


Give me my medal!


So I checked the leaderboard, and came in 6th in my age group, 44th overall.  As happy as I am with my race, I know I have a long way to go.  Two things to focus on -- cut sweets, and portion control.  And high intensity bike training.  And start running more.  And swim harder in practice. 

This is my third triathlon season, and Red Hills kicks off each season.  .33 mile swim, 16 miles of biking hills, and 5k run.  My times the past three years are:

09    Swim 11:26, T1 1:46, Bike 52:34, T2 1:17, Run 30:07, Total 1:37:04, 202 lbs, 112 out of 286 overall, 4th out of 10 in my cyldesdale division.
10    Swim 11:30, T1, 1:36, Bike 48:11, T2 :51, Run 25:42, Total 1:27:47 193 lbs. 72 out of 276 overall, 6 out of 21 in my age group (35-39).
11    Swim 9:00, T1 1:02, Bike 45:33, T2 :39, Run 24:21, Total 1:20:33 196 lbs.  44 out of 267 overall, 6 out of 20 in my age group (35-39).

Getting better.  Next up, Beach Blast (maybe), and Gulf Coast 70.3 relay (bike).  Then take it easy for a little while and start training for Augustat 70.3 and Ironman Florida.  Will mix in some sprints and olys during the summer though. 

In sum, I am thrilled today.  This is the first race where I felt that I put all three legs together, had good transition times, and raced hard at a consistent heart rate.  Know and trust thyself.  Today it worked.  Good start of the year, and motivation to keep training for the rest of the season.

Week 14 -- taper for Red Hills Triathlon

This was a strange week.  Work has been incredibly busy lately.  Session is in full swing, and things are hectic -- and not just in my agency.  I've never seen it like this and this is my third administration change.  I've gotta say that this is the most uncertain I have ever been as a state employee and stress levels are pretty freaking high right now.  I really enjoy my fellow co-workers in legal, and like working for my agency and the state.  I really enjoy working in government -- for the people.  Not chasing some ambulance or being an asshole b/c your client is paying you a buttload of money to be that way -- but being honorable, being faithful to our constitution and laws, and trying to make my fellow citizens trusting and proud of their government.  But, if things I anticipate happening to state employees come to pass... I will seriously have to re-consider remaining a state employee.  Sissy has always wanted to move to Colorado, Boston, DC or the like and that just may give me the push out the door that I need.  Like Melvin Udall said, "Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."

Anyway, enough whining, and onto.... training.  First of all, it was a sort of mini-taper leading into Red Hills Triahtlon.  I have not tapered since IM August 70.3 back in September.  Pretty much forgotten what it was like.  Looking back on the past two weeks, I think I was starting to get a little over trained.  Getting grumpy, irritable, etc.  I am still 4 weeks out of my springtime "A" event (Gulf Coast 70.3), and have just transitioned from the building to the speedwork portion of my training.  Hopefully that shift in workouts will help ease my overtraining. 

As previously referenced in my last blog, I did the tri-state century ride on Sunday.  I was planning on swimming as usual Monday morning, and hear that swimming is a great recovery workout.  So, the alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am usual, and I promptely re-set it for 7:30.  I was still exhausted.  Finally woke up at 7:30, dragged ass out of bed to main-line some coffee, and off to work.  I did manage to get in a 20 minute recovery swim at lunch, so that was good.  Did about 60 minutes on the stationary cycle monday night.  I tell you though, I was dragging ass monday.

Tuesday came, and I was still dragging ass.  Did 15 minutes on the stationary cycle in the am, just nothing in the tank.  No exercise tue pm.

Wed I went to intervals.  They were held wed b/c of some track and field bs at the track on tue.  We did 4 x 1200.  In all honesty, I was happy with my intervals.  Felt a little spring in my step.  Didn't push it, but ran solid.  I am still a little rusty from not running intervals in a long time, but I started to think that I was getting a nice bounce for Red Hills.

Thursday I swam , Endurance Speed workout number 1.  I didn't do the full workout, cut it short at 1700.  Again, just trying to keep the body moving and not burn up precious energy for Red Hills.

Friday I did a 30 minute run.  I probably ran harder than I needed to, but tried to take it easy and focus on technique.  I felt really good during and after the run.  Another big confidence booster for Red Hills.  So what happened at red hills?  You gotta read the next blog to find out.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Dothan Crit & Tri-State Century

Ladies and Gen-teel-men, what we have here is a special edition of my blog.  I was invited by that good old buddy of mine -- Plum -- to Dothan this weekend to race a crit on saturday and then ride the century the next day.  Well, I did some research and found out that the crit was http://dothancityfest.com/ 
and the ride was  http://www.tristates100.com/   Jon did a crit last year in pensacola (actually did a road race, crit, and tt), and really enjoyed the crit. 

I wanted to participate, but was a little worried about crashing, since my sprintime A triathlon race -- Red Hills -- http://www.redhillstriathlon.org/ was the next weekend.  Last think I wanted to do was DNF that baby.  So I reluctantly told Jon I couldn't make the crit, but would be happy to do the century ride the next day -- so long as it was the full century, not the metric.  I had learned that 2 pro teams were going to do the full century (Aerocat Cycling Team and Global Bike) and I really wanted to see what it was like to ride with them. 

The Crit:

Well I showed up in Dothan to witness the start of the Men's Masters crit.  Man, that was really exciting.  The guys were hauling ass.  I took some pictures and video.  Pictures are below.  Video is at http://www.youtube.com/user/jasonmha  I still have more videos to upload, but there are some decent ones there.



The pic above is the men coming slightly downhill before a curve to their right.  You could feel the air as they whooshed by.  The pix below is a solitary rider.



Here is another rider taking the corner.  After the corner the next 2 blocks are slightly uphill.  Gotta say that I was right to be worried.  There were crashes in the first three races I saw.  Two involved a solo rider (still trying to figure out how those happened), one involved multiple riders.  All crashes were just after the corner below.  I got one on video and will try to upload it.


The next race was the Cat 5 race.  Plum didn't get clipped in quick enough, and the pack took off.  He probably spent too much energy working to catch up with the pack and had a bad day.  But, with a short race like that if you aren't in the pack you aren't catching the pack (unless you are that one pro woman who lapped the pack).  Look over there... is it a bird?  a plane?  Nope, it is Plum in the black/white.


Let's blow that picture up some (thanks to the droid being 8megapixels).  Go Jon Go!


I hate to tell Jon, but I make his sunglasses look goooood!


Afterwards we took a stroll through Dothan.  Jovan and Baby Gus (Plum's not mine, I swear) kept us company.  While looking for a spot to eat, I couldn't help but take this pix.  A sign of things to come???


Ok, this is a funny story.  Pro women go at it for 1 hour.  Right from the start one pro just leaves the pack.  Lead keeps getting bigger, bigger, bigger, till when the pack comes around one corner, the leader is already around the next corner.  Bigger, bigger, bigger, then BAM -- she lapped the entire field halfway through the race!  Then kept going. 

One ride managed to hang on.  Pictured below is the leader with the second place girl.. who is one lap down.  Following up to that, when I was in the SAG wagon on the century (see below), and was telling the story to another rider (a teammate of the girl who finished second), the driver looked back and said, "She must have taken it easy, because she lapped the field three times last year."  Holy shit.  Then on the century ride the next day, one of the pro girls told my buddy Jon (I had been dropped by this time) "Yeah, we were really hoping that she would be a bitch so we could hate her, but she is the nicest girl and even baked us cookies."  See more to the story below.  How you like them apples?


Let's take a closer look of that pro woman who won.  Amazing!


The men's pro race was simply incredible.  50 laps, maybe 2 riders got dropped.  They were hauling ass. 


They must have come through the finish at 35+.  Simply amazing.  The finish is on my youtube page.
Oh yeah, did I mention Dothan has strip clubs?

The Century:

So I was dragging a bit of ass the next morning.  Got to the civic center, took our time getting ready, putting on sunscreen, see Two-bikes Boll rolling by, bust out my Gulf Winds Triathletes cycling kit (pimpin), shooting the breeze, when we looked over and the ride was about to start.  Hurry over, and we just make it.  Like I said, two pro teams were leading the way.  Well make that one pro team.  Looked like the other pro team found the strip club too.

The ride was a blast.  From the start we went decently fast, and I was hanging in.  At some point, I thought Jon got dropped.  The lead back was booking, kept picking up the pace.  A few minutes in the ride the other pro team whizzes up to the front of the pack like we were goin 15 mph.  We weren't.  So we passed the 20 mile water stop in 44 minutes.  I looked down and my hr was 174, and I knew I was in trouble.  I managed to hang on a little while longer, but by mile 24 my goose was cooked.  About the time I started dropping back from the pack, Jon blew by me trying to catch the pack.  I just let him go.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/77054853

I knew it was a long way to go, so I just focused on hydration, nutrition, and saltsticks to recover so I could grind out the miles.  Once the pack left, there was nobody.  Just.  Me.  Grinding out the miles.  Finally came across a pro with a flat and a sag wagon was with him.  I cruised on past him, to see him blow by me, drafting off the wagon at 35+ a few minutes later.  Damn!  He could have let me jump on... or at least offered while he cruised by. 

Finally another cyclist came up on me and I jumped on his wheel.  We had actually gotten close to the pack b/c somebody in the lead group turned off on the metric route to the pack had to stop and turnaround.  Well, we got close, and the the cyclists noticed me and wanted us to take turns pulling.  After a few pulls, I was toast and he was on his way.  Never got closer than 50 yards from the pack.  Ten or so minutes later, a tri bike and cyclist came up on me and I jumped on their wheel.  Hung with them for a few miles and it was soooo good to recover.  As we were riding we came upon another pro cyclist with a flat at mile 32. 

He yelled something at us, and I decided it was time for me to play the good samaritan (I had just last week seen the clip of Chrissie Wellington flatted at Kona).  So I pull over, and at that time a pack of 10 or so cyclists come whizzing by.  I didn't know until later that the pack started 14 minutes late, but had the pro woman who won the race the day before.  They caught the pack at mile 60.  Damn, that is impressive.

So anyway, I make my way across the street to the pro, and he is having trouble getting his tire back on (conti gp 4000 by the look of it, I know b/c I suck at getting those tires on my road bike wheels).  He has no map, no gps, no cell phone (and I am about to learn... no co2 or pump).  I helped him out and he couldn't get his co2 to work -- empty canister.  He is starting to freak out now. 

So I bust out one of my canisters and fill his tire up... right when a sag wagon stops and offers use of their pump.  Right at the time another pack with Shannon Coates wheels by.  I say hi to Shannon, the pro and I empty out my co2 and refill his tire with air.  The pro is complaining about his team being in the front back and neither the team nor the pro van stopping for him.  So the SAG wagon driver says, "If you wanna throw you bikes in back, I'll give you a lift to the front of the pack."  We looked at each other and couldn't get out bikes in the truck fast enough.  The pro is saying that the lead group is only a couple of miles up the road.  I am thinking 10.  While shooting the breeze, we pass Shannon before I can roll down the window and let her know I hitched a ride.  I fogot the pros name (Mike?  Mitch?), but he was on the green/black team from Albany.  Eight miles later, we pass the pro group, jump out of the truck and get back on our bikes and rejoin the lead group.  How do I know it was 8 miles?  Because I forgot to turn off my Garmin.  No wonder my average was over 20.

So we rejoin the group, and I decided -- once again -- to see how long I could hang with the pack.  7.3 miles to be exact before they drop me on a loooong hill. My belly and hills do not mix well. And we were averaging over 25 mph at the time.

So I solo, and actually did pretty well -- slight wind at my back -- knowing that Shannon is behind me and I can jump in their paceline if need be.  Made it to the next rest stop (don't know where the second stop was) at mile 60+-.  It was a beautiful sight.  I am hammering down the road and see a blob waaay down there.  As I get closer, I realize it is the lead group and they are stopped.  They are all in the road so I initially think there was a crash.  Nope, rest stop.  I cruise up, casually sitting up to look cool... right when I go over rumble strips.  Damnit.  At least I didn't fall.  Refill water bottles, talk shit with Plum, cram a bananna in my mouth and the group is leaving.  Screw that, I am not waiting and take off after them.  Chase after them for 1/2 a mile, then... wait for it... hill.  Damn.  Plum passes me and I just put it on cruise control.  Riding solo once again.

At some point I notice a guy on my back wheel, then he passes me on the next hill.  Riding solo... enjoying the beautiful country.  It really was scenic, nice weather to boot.  At some point I can see waaaay down the road what looks to be two riders.  Ah-ha.  Someone else finally got dropped.  So I keep the effort up.  A few minutes later -- only one rider is visible.  A few mintes later, I think I recognize that black/white pattern.  a few (ok, well not a few but at the 82 mile rest stop -- after two big-ass hills) I catch up with Plum at the rest stop.  We are both beat but having fun.  Jon got dropped around mile 70.  I give him props.  He had a bad day the day before and really stepped up during the century ride.  Even when you average the last 20 miles we rode together, his average for the century was over 25.  So I know the pros were moving. 

Let me tell you, the 82 mile stop was wonderful.  Ice, water, icewater, towels, icetowels.  It was where the metric and century rides merged.  Oh yeah, food and gatoraid.  I was wearing my DeSoto Skincoolers (arms), and drenched them in ice water.  Man that felt so good for the next 20 minutes.  They told us that the next stop was in 14 miles, and from there it was 8 (eight) miles to the finish.  When I mentioned dreading the last 20 miles (just b/c they were the last 20 miles), the lady at the rest stop looked at me and said "So you rode this last year?"  I looked at her and said "no."  She just said, "oh, ok."  I knew than that the last 20 were going to suck.

The last 20 miles sucked.  Hills, with more hills.  Not up and downhills, but up and up and a little down and more up and uphill.  Plum ate the hills up, and as I knew, he hated seeing people in front of him.  So ever single freaking metric rider in front of us that he saw... he took off and hawked them down.  Funny story -- he passed two girls going uphill and commented to one girl.. she looked at him, her front tire hit the back tire of the girl in front of her... you do the math.  Nobody was hurt but she jumped off that bike pretty dang quickly.  I pointed out to Plum that she had speedplay pedals, and that if he had such he would have done better in the crit the day before.  $20 says Plum has speed play pedals by next weekend.

So Plum and I make it to the next stop.  Bunch of high schoolers cheering us on.  They ask my number and I turn around and show it to them.  They ask the same of Plum and bust out in cheers.  One of the girls had picked his number and won some kind of prize.  That or they were just really happy to see Plum.  I was so tired it could have been either/or.  So they tell us 9.3 miles to the finish.  I recall the previous stop saying it would be 8 and pointed that out.  Turns out the previous stop was wrong.  I was just hoping to get to the finish and not have them tell me I had to go three more blocks.

Last 8 mi.. I mean 9.3 miles were tough b/c everything is hurting and you know you are almost there.  But we made it.  My Garmin said 102.84, so subtracting the 8 I hitched a ride on, I came out at 94 miles.  Longest ride to day by about a mile.  I'll take it.

Moes at the finish line.  Shade.  Shannon rolls in.  Boll rolls in.  Glad they made it.  Turns out, I think Shannon said she was checking to see if I made it to a rest stop, so I hated not being able to yell out as I was passing by the SAG wagon.  Hope I didn't cause her to wait any.  One really cool thing about the ride -- the civic center was opened up and we were allowed to use the dressing rooms.  So we had private suites that actors use when putting on plays -- couches, private bathrooms and private showers, etc. Man, that really was a nice touch.

So next year I plan on doing the ride again.  Maybe this time I will do the crit the day before.  Plum is already talking about me doing a two-day bike race in Ocala on June 11-12.  http://www.floridacycling.com/flyers/ocalaSR11.pdf  I'm gonna have to think about that.

All in all, I was very happy with the ride.  As much as I sucked compared to real cyclists, I am so much stronger on the bike than this time last year.  I haven't ridden my road bike in months and I was able to hammer out some good speed on it.  Ignore the background kinds -- guns and alcohol do not mix.  Neither does golf and alcohol, if you want to break 100.



Since I am posting a pix of my road bike I feel somewhat obligated to post a pix of my tri bike.
I don't have a current pix of the my actual bike.  Well, I do, but the background is messy so I am not posting it.  I will say that last month the seatpost collar cracked and when I mentioned it to Roger at Higher Ground (the Felt dealer van just happened to be there), the Felt guy pointed out that since Felt had glued the collar into the frame, I was going to have to get a new frame.  Well Roger and Felt hooked me up.  In a couple of weeks, I will be riding a 2011 B2 Pro.  Will look like this, except the seat will be cobb (not adamo) and not the zipps.  So I am being comped a upgrade from a 2009 B12 (very nice bike) to a 2011 B2 (super nice bike).  Thanks again to Higher Ground and Felt!  Should be here just in time for Gulf Coast.  Perfect excuse to get rid of my blue/white helmet and replace it with a red/black/white helmet.



It is Monday night as I am typing this.  I was so exhausted yesterday that I didn't have it in me.  So hopefully tomorrow I will be recharged slightly b/c today it was about all I could do to just sit around my desk and peck away at some things.  Think I am a little overtrained and need to switch from base to speedwork for a few weeks.  See if I can peak my bike at Gulf Coast, recover for a few weeks and then start it up for real for IM Augusta and IMFL.  Next post will be back to my regular training schedule.  Sat -- Red Hills Sprint Triathlon -- the toughest sprint in Florida.