RACE REPORT: 2017 HMF Litchfield Hills Olympic Tri

Hartford Marathon Foundation

Litchfield Hills Olympic Triathlon

July 16th, 2017

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This was my 7th running of this race in 8 years.  Sorry 2011, I was busy.

My first was in 2010, seven days after my very first Olympic triathlon; apparently I was hooked.  I can't tell you that it was a wonderful experience (I've performed much better since then!), but I love the challenge, camaraderie, and community.  For many reasons, this race always feels like a trip back home.

Ok - An insight.  I consumed 90 mg of caffeine during the race (Aside from race day, I have not consumed caffeine in my normal diet since 2003), so while I would normally be sleeping right now, I decided to expel the energy with words instead.  You're welcome!

Honestly, I don't know how anyone lives on caffeine.  I would never get any sleep. 


Onto the race!

PRE-RACE

I was up at 3:45am.  (*cue non-morning people shock*)  That's still early for me, but it's race day - it's part of the package.  I put on my breathe right & tatoos, had breakfast (3 eggs, 2 toast, 2 bananas, and water), put on sun tan lotion, packed up the car and headed out.

FUN EVENT #1

Headlights

I got into my car, punched in the address on my GPS, and away I go.  I stopped the car 5 seconds later.  Why are my headlights not on?  Are they dimmed?  I know they're not the brightest things in the world.  (*Turns high beams on*)  Okay, those work.  (*Turns high beams off*)  Where are my headlights??  (*Gets out of the car to make sure he's not crazy*)  Yup, both of my headlights decided to sleep in today.  I drove the whole way to the race (40 min) saying "sorry" to the 10 people I passed on the road for blinding them.  Gotta' get that fixed this week! 

I got to the race without driving someone off the road or getting pulled over and set up my triathlon team's tent (HEAT).  The race staff were busy getting everything set up and some friends were already on site for volunteering.  One is very much NOT a morning person.  Kudos Dennis!

Tent was up!  I grabbed my gear from the car, picked up the packet, got into transition, set my stuff up, and was ready to go!

USAT TIP

You are no longer allowed to set your transition up outside of the bike racks.  I arrive early to this race because you get to set your bike up anywhere you'd like on the rack that lists your race number.  I choose the end, so that I can set my gear up on the end.  Nope!  USAT is not having it.  This year, USAT edited that wording to state that all transitions must be within the bike rack.  Good to know!

I headed down to the swim start (0.25 mile away from transition) with 20 minutes until race start.  I never manage to get down there by the time I plan to.  At least I'm consistent!  I downed a GU with caffeine, wipe the goggles with a Foggies, and into the water I go.

SWIM

We stood in the water for 4 minutes while Wave #1 headed off.  I swam a few strokes out to the side and back.  I stopped just short of the group, go to stand, and subsequently sink right under the water.  I realized the bottom of the lake drops off rather suddenly right there.  That made a couple people laugh.  Great way to start race day!

You can't take life too seriously!
No, seriously... You can't.

It will spit that $^#* right back at you.

Swimmers take your mark - GO!  We were off.  As always, my swimmer ego takes over a bit and I head out hard to get away from the fray.  A few guys to my left (I started right - a tactic I'm employing to keep myself from veering left off course), take off with me.  They start to pull ahead, so I make my way over slowly like the socially awkward kid looking to blend into the "cool" crowd and wouldn't you know, two of the three guys fall off.  What is something I said??

I stuck with the lead swimmer for another 100 yards or so.  We were wide left of the buoys, but it was a draft, so I was fine taking a longer route.  Then I noticed that we were drifting FURTHER away from the buoys.  Nope!  I won't let he blind lead the blind.  I pulled back right and swam on my own the rest of the swim.  Loner!!

After the first buoy, I pulled back out of the anaerobic push and found a rhythm that did quite well for the rest of the swim.  As I made my way through Wave #1, it was surprisingly helpful for me mentally to do so.  All I did was focus on making it to the left or right of the next person so I didn't swim over them or scare them and it made the buoys go by quicker (in my head). 

The end of the swim was a little flat for me.  I tried to push, but my body ramped up the effort with little perceived speed gain, so I stuck to it and finished strong.  I grabbed an Olympic swim PR, so I can't complain.  Of course, I didn't know that until I saw the results afterwards (no watch on the swim), but it still felt good. 


TRANSITION #1

Litchfield Hills has a notoriously nasty swim-to-bike transition.  The distance from the swim start to transition is roughly 0.3 miles.  Yes, it's a hike.  On top of that, it's mostly uphill.  Oh, and it's packed gravel.  What FUN!!!  Therefore, most athletes bring an extra pair of shoes to leave at the swim exit.  

I popped up out of the water, put the goggles on my forehead, unhooked the wetsuit, and ripped off the top all while finding my shoes.  I leave them towards the end; get me out of the fray.

I got the wetsuit off, put on my shoes, and ran up the hill.  A video of said "run" may have looked more like a hobbling penguin, but to my knowledge no such video exists so I will continue with my fantasy. 

Once in transition (a beautiful grassy area to make up for the packed gravel run), I swapped the shoes, suit, and goggles for a helmet, sunglasses, and bike.  And off onto the bike I went. 


BIKE

The goal for today was to make the run fall apart.  Not in the way a delicious apple pie crumbles when correctly put together, but like when a bridge begins to collapse while you're stuck in rush hour traffic. 

The plan was to push the swim and the bike so that by the time I got to the run, my body would be like your old dog Fluffy who would just sit down when he decided today's walk was over.  The swim was done, so it was time to crank it on the bike.  Once I was strapped in, I found a comfortable rhythm in the 80-85 rpm range and went to work.

The above is a 100% legal way to make your way through the bike course.  It might not lead to a PR or even a finish, but feel free to give it a try.  40k "Run with Bike."

FUN EVENT #2

Bee Attack!!

Not even 1 mile into the ride, I get pelted by two small items.  It's happened before; usually bugs of some sort Jay-flying across the street directly into oncoming traffic.  They were solid enough that they gave me a momentary sting and then I was good.  ...until I wasn't.

I kept pedaling and the spot I got hit on my left quad kept stinging.  Once I was over some rough pavement, I looked down.  Maybe it was a thorn or just my imagination.  Unless my imagination comes in black and yellow stripes, I was sure this feeling had more substance to it.  In that moment, years of being afraid of bees flashed before my eyes as I swatted the bee off of my leg, who was likely having just as much of a fearful experience as I was.  I had mild reactions as a kid (nothing life threatening but I swelled a good amount), but I list bee stings as an allergy for that reason. 

I continued on thinking "Well, we're going to find out one way or another if I still have a reaction to bees."  Luckily, it didn't go past an unpleasant sting.  Phew!!  On the side of the road struggling to breathe and covered in hives was not how I planned to spend my Sunday!

Onward I rode!  The first 14 miles of the course are net downhill.  There are some rollers, but for the majority of the ride, I cranked out the big gears on flats and downhills attempting to keep the effort level up as I kept riding down. 

More caffeine into the system - 2 gels; one at mile 5 and the second at mile 15.  Still riding the high 12 hours later.  

Then I turned onto 202 and the uphills began.  Again, I stuck to the 80-85 rpm range and cranked it out as best I could keeping the effort up.  Remember, I wanted my run to blow up and I can't do that as easily if I take it easy on the bike. 

One gentleman did pass me around mile 16.  I worked to keep him in sight up until the final 5 miles and he was gone.  I told myself I would catch him on the run.  I did! 

There is one part of the Litchfield Hills Olympic bike course you will hear about; Bruning Road.  This is the 2nd to last road of the day with several climbs/inclines including the final


And then 0.25 mile from the bike finish...

FUN EVENT #3

Dropped Chain (Ugh!!)

After the killer finish to Bruning Rd, we ride down a quick descent with a subsequent ascent before the dismount area.  As I approached the incline, I shifted both the front and back derailers and OFF goes the chain.  For a brief second, I think 'Maybe I can coast in or get it back on without stopping.'  Short lived.  The incline brings me to a stop. 

Quickly off, man-handle the chain, reset it, back on, and GO!  Maybe 20 seconds lost at most.  And a laugh.  I told the spectators standing there watching me "This is an omen for sure!"

Finished up the bike without any further issues (the final 0.25 mile), dismounted, and off to see if I was going to blow up. 

This is my trademark Uber Aero bike dismount.  Or maybe I'm just riding a really awkward version of side saddle.  The jury is out!



TRANSITION #2

Straight forward as always.  Bike racked, helmet/glasses off, socks/shoes on, grab everything else, and run.

As I entered transition, a friend yelled out "Only a relay and duathlete ahead of you."   Even the announcer said "And here is our first triathlete into transition."  I did my best to push that out of my head and keep pushing.  Placement wasn't going to do me any good.  ...but who's gong to complain about being in first??

I actually have before.  My dad has video proof.

RUN

This is it!  Show time. 

Mile #1 goes "okay."  I stopped to pee quickly (10s) and I had the same gravel road from the swim-to-T1 run to deal with.  Throw that one out!

Mile #2 clicked off much faster than I expected (albeit downhill), so I let my body do its thing.  It did not continue to impress me. 

Mile #3 was on par with my perceived effort.  The heat along with the swim/bike push started to take a toll.  But I managed to push on for another 3.2 miles. 

I reeled in one athlete at 1.5 miles.  I reeled in a second athlete (relay) at mile 2.  But then there's another up ahead.  'Did my friend back in transition count them wrong?'  'Who else could be out here?'  I catch up to the taller gentlemen - the only person to pass me on the bike today - and we exchange "Nice job"s.  He also has a bike escort. 

Sweet!!

I've now commandeered my very own bike escort.

Or at least I will once he catches back up

I just passed him.

Despite my run falling apart (aka. running much slower than I would expect and pushing harder spikes the effort level WAY high), I am still able to pull close to the bike as we hit an incline.  This becomes a little mental game for me as I tick off the last 2 miles.  I will take anything to distract me!

As I pass mile 4, I try to push harder (make it HURT!) and I do speed up (though my data doesn't show it - lying data! #alternativedata).  Again at mile 5, I dig in and push harder.  The HR went up 1 bpm; more likely cardiac drift given my oncoming headache and the rising heat.

As I come up to the finish, I kick it in for the final 0.2 miles and I get to break the tape for the first time ever.  Then Bill, who started in Wave #3 four minutes behind me, comes up 3:14 later and beats me by 46 seconds. 

No complaints here!

We both had good days.  I hit all of my process and target goals.  I took home a pie (which is delicious!!).  I had fun racing and hanging out with friends.  It was  darn good day all around. 

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Onto Rev3 Poconos Olympic on August 13th!

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QUESTIONS
1.  What is the best race award you've seen or heard about?
I've seen Thule racks, free race entries, very crafty homemade medals (always cool!), but I personally love the pies that you get at Litchfield Hills Olympic.  Now that's a prize I can put to good use!

2.  What non-day ending "fun events" have happened to you on race day? 
Flat tires, going off course, dropped chains, throwing up for 16 miles, bee stings, falling off my bike trying to unclip... That's all that I can recall. 

3.  Does anyone use caffeine only on race day and have the side effect of being wide awake 12 hours later?
Please tell me I'm not the only one!


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE. 

RACE REPORT: 2017 Rev3 Quassy Olympic

Rev3 Quassy Olympic

June 3rd, 2017

I have raced the Rev3 Quassy 4 times (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015).  Last year, I opted to race IM 70.3 Eagleman instead and to be honest, it felt WEIRD!  It was a good change, but man did it feel odd to be on course the weekend of the race and not be checking my tire pressure, setting up transition, thinking about the water temperature, and such.  This year, I was back!!  And I branched out to try the Olympic this time.  

Funny thing...

We Rev3 Quassy is called the Beast of the Northeast and most consider that the doing of the Half race on Sunday.  It has 3800 ft of elevation change on the bike and 850 ft on the run.  Having raced it four times and trained on it more times than I can recall, it truly is a beast any way you cut it.  

However, the Olympic is just as formidable!  Just look at the elevation change per mile comparison.

Rev3 Quassy Half Bike = 68 ft 

Rev3 Quassy Oly Bike = 68 ft

Rev3 Quassy Half Run = 65 ft

Rev3 Quassy Oly Run = 59 ft

Sure, you can argue that you don't have the same total elevation by the end of the day, but the pain is of the same caliber all day long!

But enough of that.  Let's get to racing!

PRE-RACE

As you might tell from my previous reports, I am 70.3-focused.  However, I am focusing this year on some more intensity with three Olympics before heading back to the 70.3 in September.  So I approached this with as much focus as I would an A-race. I shaved the legs on Wednesday, got a new haircut on Thursday, had my typical carbo-load breakfast on Friday, and tapered much like I would normally.  Everything in place!

The only addition to this was a Thursday night sprint tri.  I would have raced the previous week, but that race was cancelled.  In order to get the cobwebs shaken out, Lake T it was!  

RACE MORNING

Air Temp = 50-60F/10-15.6C (7-9:30a)

Water Temp = 64F/17.8C 

Mostly Cloudy

I live approximately 40 minutes from the race site.  Transition opened at 5:15a and based on previous experience, the front row parking is full about 20-30 minutes before that time.  Therefore, I was up at 3:20am and parked at the race by 4:40a.  Am I type A?, yes!

My morning breakfast was the usual; 3 over easy eggs, 2 pieces of toast, a banana, and a full jar of applesauce.  I would swap my typical 1 hour pre-race Powerbar for a double scoop of UCan protein (chocolate) with half the water, and had a caffeinated GU gel 20 minutes before the swim start.  For an Olympic, I start caffeine right away while at 70.3, I wait until mile 35 on the bike.

Mistakes are getting easier to overlook.

As I began setting up transition, I pulled out my bottles, shoes, kit, socks, gear, etc.  I started to pull out my race nutrition when I realized that I had the UCan hydrate which goes into my aero bottle, but I had left the aero bottle on my desk at home.  Uh-oh!!  At a longer race, yes, that would have bothered me as I know I am not the best at maintaining my hydration throughout a race.  However, given the air temps and shorter format of the race, I let it slide.  That's one thing I'll never forget again!  haha

SWIM

GPS

None.  I don't wear it.

The swim is a clockwise triangle format.  It was angled differently this year to avoid the glare of the sun on the second slide of the triangle.  Whether good or bad, the sun spent most of the race hiding, so there was no chance of being blinded.

I lined up in the front line of roughly 15-20 men for the first wave of the day.  This meant the swim would be smooth, but the rest of the race would likely be quiet.  As the air horn went off, I ran out into the water until I could no longer lift my legs above water.  I dove in and began swimming.  I noticed multiple people to my left and right doing dolphin dives.  For a split second, I thought "Should I do that too?  I don't want to lose ground."  That was quickly answered by the observation that those dolphin diving were not gaining in placement.  I kept swimming. 

The pack quickly divided.  There were a group that broke away early on.  I believe post-race that it was 3-4 swimmers.  As they separated from the main group, I noticed that no one was left on either side.  As is my norm, I found myself in calm, open water.  As much as I would prefer to have a draft and do better with one, I am quite used to swimming alone.

Holy Veering!!

I know I veer left as I swim.  I do my best to compensate for that by shooting right of my target.  But on that morning, my body was determined to head off into the open lake!  I can't even blame other swimmers!!  These are times that I wish I wore my GPS in the swim - so that I could see how far off course I swam.  I did begin to dig into me mentally, but I decided to ask myself as a coach what to do.  I just kept correcting and realized it was something I would have to work on.  I couldn't completely fix the issue right then, so why worry?

I've been working lately on productive mental talk
and today that helped!

As I came to the end of the swim, of course my body had one last laugh at me by mixing up the arrangement of the final two buoys and swinging extra wide.  But I made it to the swim exit, popped up, and continued on all the same.

SWIM = 21:58

Not bad for veering wide for most of the course.

My dad informed me afterwards that this is one way he can always pick me out of a swimming crowd.  I have a specific rhythm in my stroke and I always veer left.  Thanks Dad!! 

TRANSITION 1

If there is one thing to note about the elevation change in the Quassy course, it is that it's spread out quite evenly.  Unlike some courses that have sections of all the elevation gain and others that are quite flat, Quassy has hills all day long; even coming out of the swim!

Out of the water, you head uphill to the parking lot where transition is set up.  They do offer an aid station just before the transition entrance which is nice.

I found my bike, got out of the wetsuit, put on my bike shoes, a pair of light winter gloves, sunglasses, helmet, and was off!!

BIKE

GPS

Screen 1 = Cadence, Mileage, & HR

Screen 2 = Average Lap HR (never looked at it)

Normally, I never put my shoes on in transition, but the bike course begins with... Wait for it... an uphill!  I made the decision to not attempt getting into my shoes while on a hill.  In hind sight, I think I'd go back to leaving the shoes on the bike.

Live and learn!!

However, I did make another first time change that worked out well.  I have raced Quassy Half before with 50 degree air temps at the start.  In my recollection, it was FREEZING for the first 10 miles or so.  I survived and did fine, but it wasn't a pleasant start to the day.  Being that today was even shorter, I knew I wouldn't have as much time to warm up.  Therefore, I opted for the light winter gloves (they cover the full fingers).  It took me extra time in transition, but the bike was much more comfortable.

Ok... Now the course!

The bike course is a single-loop, lollipop format with the first and last roughly 5-6 miles being the same.  As mentioned, the elevation gain is comparable to the Half race based on per mile.  Much of the course is even the same as the Half.  We simply use a different initial/final 4 miles of road and cut out one large chunk of the Half.  Altogether, the elevation is quite spread out.  A forewarning is that it can be tough to find a time/place to take in nutrition as you are busy going up hill, tucking in to fly down hill, or making a turn.  I fell into that pit 3 of the 4 previous times I raced here.

As I predicted at the start line, the bike course was really quiet.  I saw roughly four other riders the entire 24.8 miles.  This makes the race a much bigger mental struggle than being in a pack.  While I don't do my best in these conditions, I believe I've learned to cope adequately.

My silent goal was to hold the HR somewhere between my sprint and 70.3 race ranges.  In a sprint, I am up at 170+ bpm.  In a 70.3, I am around 158-162 bpm.  I held a fairly constant 160-165 bpm for the majority of the race and felt strong about that.  I never felt my body begin to fatigue and was able to put out surges when I needed to.  I do think I could hold the HR higher, but I was happy with the outcome as is.

Nutrition was different today!  As I mentioned earlier, I did not have my front hydration, so I had to remind myself to reach down and grab a frame bottle.  I had guessed that over 5-6 drinks, I took in 10-12 ounces while in reality, it was more like 4 ounces.  I did get in one caffeinated gel around mile 15 and it went in much faster than I expected.  I was happy with that - no GI push backs!

As I came up to the final 6 miles, I began to push.  I wanted the last quarter of the bike to be pushed harder than the previous three-quarters.  It was made a bit easier by the fact that it's net uphill in those final miles.  Mission accomplished.

BIKE = 1:12:48

TRANSITION 2

I spent half of the bike debating what to do in transition.  Normally, I go without a shirt if I'm allowed to - which I am at Rev3.  But it was colder than the typical race, so maybe I would stay in my sleeved jersey.  I raced in it on Thursday as a test and it's not bad.  It isn't as cool as a bare chest, but it is workable.  I did leave the bra in transition as well.  That could be a happy medium.  In the end, it was above my typical 50-degree cut off, so I went without the shirt.

I rolled into transition, racked the bike, took off the helmet and glasses, sat down, put on my shoes, grabbed my gear and ran.  While moving, I put on my hat and race belt and switched the watch to run mode.

RUN

GPS

Screen 1 = Heart Rate

Screen 2 = Pace (I forgot I had put this on there)

What's that in my shoe??

I'm used to feeling like there's something in my shoe.  Just a crease in the sock or rock in the bottom of the shoe.  I kept running a quarter mile until I realized what it was.  On Thursday, the clip to my Lock Laces fell off.  I couldn't put it back on at the race, so I left it in the shoe figuring I'd remember to put it back on the laces Saturday morning.  Nope!  I had even forgotten where I put it until just then.

Funny thing...

I stopped, took off my shoe, got the clip out, put my shoe back on, and continued to run the entire race with that clip in my left hand.  I'd just put it back on when I got home.  But somewhere between the finish line and chatting with friends just outside the finisher's chute, I lost it.  Haha!! 

My goal was to stay comfortable for 2 miles, survive the nasty hill at mile 3, then push mile 5 and 6 hard.  The pace does not reveal this, but my HR does.  I was steady (actually slowly increasing) from the start through mile 4.  Then I spiked up a bit and held it up through the finish.  Again, a process goal complete!!

As I left Quassy, I was about 0.05 miles from "Mais," the athlete in front of me.  He held his distance all the way through mile 3.

As we ran down covered roads, I debated on whether to stop and pee.  I had been wanting to pee since the swim.  I opted not to only because I knew that there were porta johns easily accessible at each aid station.  I'd stick to my rabbit until I absolutely had to leave him.

At mile 3, there was a quick downhill before the nasty hill.  Apparently Mais is not a downhill runner and I quickly passed him.  As we came to the hill, I put my head down and repeated "Just survive" to myself.  No need to overcook the legs here.  I wanted to do that in mile 5 and 6.  Plus, the last time I was on this hill was 2015 and I had to walk it - I was toast then.  I wasn't going to be now.

Another athlete passed me towards the top.  I held with him through 3.5 miles and then he drifted away a bit.  As we hit mile 4, the road begins to decline and I began to push.  With that, I held onto this new athlete (he was in a red, white, and blue kit and in my age group!).  I held onto him through the end but was never able to close.  We both did however, close in on two other athletes in the final mile.  The final 1.5 miles is uphill; the same hill we ran down to start the run.  It's a tough section only because it's the very end and if you've paced it well, you're already pushing hard at that point.  I came within 25 yards of one athlete, but as he told me post-race, he could hear my feet and that was motivation enough to put in an extra push.  We were 4 seconds apart.  I was not unhappy with that finish though.  It was a solid process run!!

RUN = 39:58

FINISH = 2:17:37

POST-RACE

The afternoon of hot flashes.

After I finished, I talked with a few friends and then went to put clothes on as I began to cool off.  About 30 minutes later, I was warm and began shedding layers.  I spent about 1.5 hours spectating and then got cold again - back on with the clothes and jacket.  A little later, off they come.  I would realize the next morning that I likely had a cold, but wow was that a weird afternoon!!

I spent most of the afternoon under the bridge at mile 5.6 of the run taunting people as they came up the final hill.  Then I packed my transition gear, got some food, and volunteered at packet pick up.

All around, it was a GREAT day!!

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QUESTIONS
1.  Have you raced a Rev3 event before?  
Yes, Quassy and Cedar Point.  I'll race Poconos and IM 70.3 Maine (still a Rev3 Race) this year.

2.  Do you race with process goals, metric goals, or both?
I much prefer process goals, but supplement with metric goals at times as long as my perception is matching them.


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE. 

RACE REPORT: Lake T Sprint Tri #4 [2015]

Lake Terramuggus Sprint Triathlon

July 17th, 2015

This race series has always been one of my favorites.  You always remember your first (way back in 2010)!  And how can you turn down the home field?  This race never let's you down for a great Thursday night entertainment.  ...that is unless you dislike triathlons, athletics, or athletes in general.  If so, stay home.  Everyone else, come out and enjoy!!

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I showed up my usual just after 4pm (race start is at 6pm), talked to Dennis, a fellow Ironman, who was the cameraman for Spielberg (Incredible!!) among countless other big names, set up my gear, got a couple loops of the bike course in to warm up, chatted with friends (of which there are too many to name at this race), and was ready to see what I had in me.  

It's been almost a year since I raced a sprint.  After coming off of a great race at Musselman the Sunday prior, I had planned on bailing on this race until the morning of.  For whatever reason, after three days of fatigue and soreness, I woke up feeling great Thursday.  It was on!!  Even if I ended up pulling back part way through, it was worth the fun evening.

It was on!!

As we were prepping to race, the race director - Good ol' Billy! - came on and made an announcement that after running this race for 12 years that he will be leaving the state and handing the race off after this season.  While he has left the race in good hands, MAN will he be missed!  

Photo thanks to JS Photography

You will be missed Billy!!  Little did I know that this was the start of what was going to feel like a FULL CIRCLE evening for me.  Grab those tissues!  

SWIM
Before the start, I walked into the water and instantly regretted the wetsuit.  Yes, I'd be faster, but it was warm!  Turns out it wasn't as warm as I thought, but it was still warm.  Why can't we change the wetsuit illegal temp to something like 73?!  #SwimmerProblems

The women were off first   About 3-4 minutes later, the men were off.  I had lined myself up behind Matt, the guy who ALWAYS comes out of the water first.  My goal here was to attempt to draft him for as long as I could.  It gave me something to focus on and a hope that the focus would pull me out of my fatigue.  A sprint is just that, a SPRINT!!  There's no time to slow down!

Well, Matt took off and I couldn't hold him for long, but I did manage to slide in behind #2.  We kept a pretty solid pace past the first directional buoy and to the turn.  Then we hit the ladies and things slowed down a bit.  Once we hit the last buoy though, he kicked it up and I did the same.  All around, the swim was great and I came into transition in third.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Matt, taking the swim with ease!

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Chris, today's "nemesis," coming up behind me.  

And Pete behind him simply bidding his years before he crushes us all!

TRANSITION
I'm loving having the wetsuit cut up shorter.  It comes off very quickly!  I struggled a bit with the clasp on my helmet, but headed out onto the bike in 2nd.

BIKE
The name of the game here is PUSH!  There are two loops and I rarely catch my breath before I finish the first loop.  This was no different.  It took me longer than normal to get my shoes on, but once they were, I cranked it!!  Unfortunately, I realized that Auto Multisport on the Garmin watch links to the setup from Bike 1 and I was riding "bike 2," so I didn't have my cadence data that I like, but oh-well.  It's a sprint.  Just GO!

About 1.5-2 miles in, I passed Matt and he confirmed that I was taking the lead.  That was earlier than normal.  Sometimes it takes me a full loop before I catch him.  That was my first clue that something was different today.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Finishing Loop #1

I kept pushing the bike with one thought in my head... "Chris is coming up behind you!"  I stole a couple looks back at the corners, but didn't see anything.  I kept pushing on knowing it was only an inevitability.  

I had put Infinit in my aero bottle where I normally just leave water for sprints.  Turns out that was a bad choice.  My stomach wasn't too happy.  It didn't affect me on the bike, but it would come the run.

I came into the bike finish all alone.  This was a new scenario to wrap my head around.  I've always had to run someone down and I feel more confident in that position (at least depending on who it is).  I had no idea how far back Chris was, but with every shout behind me, I kept thinking "There he is!"

Photo thanks to JS Photography

 Off the bike in first.  That's a first.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Chris coming in hot behind me!

TRANSITION
As I roll into transition, Henry from the timing company tells me there's only one person from a relay out ahead of me, so I don't need to worry.  I shout back, "It's whose behind me I'm worried about."  CHRIS!

I grab my gear and book it.  Every second counts right now.

RUN
Thanks to the T2 legs, I feel like I'm running at my normal long run pace.  I know I'm going faster, but MAN did it feel slow knowing that I'm getting chased.

I passed the relay in the first half mile and was all alone.  Then my stomach reared it's ugly head.  I don't know if it was the choice to have Infinit on the bike, my nutrition during the day, or gas, but MAN was my stomach unhappy, especially on the downhill.  I will admit that due to that pain, I slowed on the downhills.  Flats and ups were fine.

I stole a couple peaks at the corner.  I kept listening for cheers behind me.  Nothing!  I started wondering if Chris was too far back to catch me.  I couldn't let that thought sink in or he would for sure, so I pushed on.

At the 2nd to last turn, there is one mile left.  I started doing mental math as I had to slow for a downhill.  I've got at least a quarter mile on 2nd place.  If I'm running where I think I am (based on history, not current feel), then he'd have to run something like 4:30/mile to catch me.  Since I was convinced of that quick logic, I stuck to the pace I was at and didn't risk the stomach issue for pushing harder.

As is usually the case, my logic was flawed.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

There's me in the pink.  There's Chris running me down.  I've raced him at road races too and he has no trouble beating me.  Just before that hill, I heard a cheer and "He's catching up!"  I turned enough to see the green speedo, turned back, and BOOKED IT!  All my previous logic went out the window and I simply hoped I had enough in me to hold him off for another quarter mile.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

That look of pain!

Thanks to that mental push from Chris, the last quarter mile was under 5 min/mile.  Speed Work!!  But it worked.  After 5 years of racing, I finally won a Lake T Sprint.  Sure, plenty of other people could have shown up, but it made the night feel like a check mark on the To Do list.  Ultimately, I took away a great experience of staying ahead of someone chasing me down and will likely get to do that many times to come.

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Truce!

I have looked up to Chris for a long time as an athlete I could only imagine beating.  It is a very surreal feeling knowing that I've done it.  Mentally, that opens another door of possibility!  But I sure hope to have plenty of great races ahead with him!  I might have to get a speedo next time!

Photo thanks to JS Photography

Photobomb!  I can't help it.  I will always be a kid at heart!  =P  Nice job JD, Chris, and Pete!

FOR BILLY...

The Lake Terramuggus Triathlon Series was my first triathlon back in 2010.  It all kicked off when I crossed that first finish line and thought "Woah!  Wait a second!  I just ran a 5k.  I didn't think I could run, let alone that far...  I wonder how much more I can do."  The endurance athlete in me was born that day.  Billy had very little direct affect on that moment, but nonetheless without him it would not have happened.  I've done three Ironmans, a 50 mile ultramarathon, changed careers, and my entire lifestyle because of this sport and it all started at Lake T.  This is my 6th year racing at Lake T and on the day that Billy announces he is leaving, I finally win.  I've chased that small dream for awhile.  Somehow, it felt fitting; a sort of personal send off saying "Thank you Billy.  I got it from here."  As I look forward to plenty more in my own athletic career, I get to watch Billy head out on his own adventure. 

So thank you Billy and I wish you the best of luck with the next chapter.  And if you ever start another race series, let me know when I should show up to help set up the racks!

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To leave on a funny note, here's my favorite picture of the night!

Photo thanks to JS Photography

If you're in CT on a Thursday night,
I dare you to come out and have as much fun as Kai at Lake T!!

...or Cedar Lake!

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Questions
1.  Do you have a favorite race or series? 
Lake T was my first and the one I've done the most often.  I sharpened my skills there, made friends there, and had lots of great (and some bad) memories there.  As far as Triathlon goes, the Lake Terramuggus race series will always feel like home.

2.  Do you have an athlete or person in your life that you look up to?
There are a number of local athletes and people that I look up to both for their athletic abilities and their personalities.  I LOVE local races because you get so much more of a feel for local camaraderie and support.  I hope I secretly help pull someone else up to an athletic ability they dream of having.


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE. 

RACE REPORT: Lake T Sprint Tri #5

Lake Terramuggus Sprint Tri #5

July 31, 2014

The greatest parts about the every other Thursday night races are as follows...

1. It's cheap
2. All your friends are there to cheer you on (or run you down)
3. You can test anything new that you'd like
4. If things go wrong, it's the best time for it to happen
5. Go!, Go!, GO!!!  ...'cause even if your race sucks, it's over quickly.

This past week was no different!  I tried something new, I got cheered on, things went wrong, but I pushed on and still had a rather good day.  Here is the story!

PRE-RACE

Out of work at 2pm, I got home, packed, did what I needed to, and was out the door by 4pm.  The race starts at 6:20pm, but if I leave any later than 4pm, it can take 30-60 minutes longer to make the same trip.  Ugh!  Traffic!!

I got to the race site, quickly set myself up, and headed out on my bike because I wanted to try something new...

Trying something NEW

Racing with my trainer wheel

I bought this wheel (a Bontrager Race X Lite) from a friend.  I had a couple dings in it, but would function well for a quick switch on and off of the trainer.  But in the end, I decided that if it would work on the road, it is a better wheel than my normal rear wheel.  So...  Let's test it.  But I opted to test it before the race just in case it was going to pop or break off once on the road.

I headed out and did a couple laps of the bike route.  Just after starting this ride which kept me below Zone 1, the day/race started going downhill.

Things can go WRONG

PUKE!!  Puke again!!  ...a dozen times?

Afternoon races are tough to get your nutrition right for.  Two weeks ago, I nailed it!  This week I tried to imitate it and it blew up...  all over the road.  Hahaha.  I wasn't sick, but there was simply too much in my stomach for my body to handle, so it got rid of some. 

When I got back, I opted to rest as much as I could and just see what happened in the race.  I won't let puking stop me.  The race is only an hour!!  So I signed up, got my chip, got dressed, laid down for a bit, and then toed the line!

RACE

I was talking to my coach today and I mentioned that I've gotten to a point where races don't make me that nervous anymore; I've done enough or tested it enough to take away the nerves of "I hope this works out" and replaced it with much stronger habits of what to do if X, Y, or Z happen. 

So as I toed the line, I had a swim plan of pushing myself as normal to the turn around buoy and then kick it up to the 3/4 buoy and try to maintain it to the finish.  It just about worked out!!

As we started, I was just to the right of the fastest swimmer, Matt.  I did my best to hold onto the feet of the person who was immediately drafting him.  I held those feet to the first buoy.  Then the swimmers from my right merged in and I stuck around in that mass.  For whatever reason, breathing was tough this week.  I breathed right, breathed left, and both sides were being tough.  I had to resort to turning my head much higher than I like to.  As a competitive pool swimmer, I'm used to very easy breathing.  Open water swimming and especially triathlon race swimming is all about adapting.

We made it to the orange turn buoy and while I had already counted out the idea of kicking it up, the two swimmers I was drafting pulled ahead.  For a second, I opted to let them go and take the open water.  Almost immediately I yelled at myself and thought...

"You wanted to do this, here is your opportunity!!  GO!"

So I went.  I didn't catch those feet, but they didn't pull any further ahead.  They stayed right where they were all the way to the 3rd buoy and then somehow disappeared.  They may have swung right or pulled away; who knows.  At that point, I started realizing how drained my arms felt.  I had had Monday through Wednesday as rest, so I had hoped to feel race ready today, but as I swum from the last buoy to the swim exit, I started wondering where my swim fitness had gone.  Haha.  

I dug in as deep as I could to maintain my rhythm to the finish.  Thankfully, those ladies in front who decided to stop waste deep in water were off to the side.  Haha  Pet Peeve!!  I swam until I couldn't swim anymore, popped up and headed in!

SWIM

(** Always an approx. distance **)

0:07:12 

5th (I think) of 155

Transition went smooth.  The ROKA Viper Swimskin comes off like a dream!  Popped on the Rudy Wingspan helmet with the front vent completely open (also something new I tried) and headed out. 

One thing I love about this race is that they've decided on sticking with the Men's wave going 2nd.  This does mean that we swim through a number of the women in the water, but I also get lots of rabbits to chase out on the course.  Yay!!

As per usual, my goal was to not be able to catch my breath until at least the 2nd loop of the bike if not until I get to T2.  I maintained my rapid breathing all the way around the 1st loop.  While hammering it out, I also puked a couple more times (much smaller now 'cause there's not much left to get rid of), so I started taking a Clif Shot Razz gel and some water.  It didn't settle that well, but it also didn't come back up.  I'll take it.

About half way through the first lap, I passed Matt, the speedy swimmer.  I asked if there was anyone up ahead.  I thought at first he said "Red just ahead.  And you."  I assumed that was Chris Schultenn, the eventual winner and the guy who I had no chance of catching.  About half a mile later, after not seeing anyone in red, I started debating if Matt had instead said "No one ahead.  Just you."  Was I in first or second?  Either way, I was stoked to be up that far so early in the race.  (Turns out there WAS a speedy swimmer/biker ahead of me that I wouldn't meet until the run)

Hahahahaha!! 

I can't help but laugh at the term "early" for a sprint. 

Either way, I hammered on, taking bits of my gel, passing people.  The second loop had just as many people to pass which is odd.  I started wondering if they started the 2nd wave later than usual.  Later on, most of us had the same thought.

About a quarter the way through the 2nd lap, I got passed rather quickly by a guy in a black Pearl Izumi kit.  He was bookin!!  I figured at the time he was a slow swimmer.  Shortly after, Chris Schultenn pulled up and convincingly passed me.  I know Chris is a slower swimmer.  I yelled "Alright!!" 'cause what was I going to do?, chase him down?  I don't think so!

I figured I was in 4th at this point.  Last year, that would normally get under my skin and I'd start giving in.  This year, I've learned that I have an ace still in my back pocket with the run.  It may hurt.  Heck, it may hurt like HELL, but I can run people down!  So with that in my head, I tried to keep the bike speed up all the way to T2.  "I can run 'em down!  I WILL run them down!"

I was also pretty sure I was going to puke the moment I started to run.  "It's only a 5k."

BIKE

0:31:05

I'm not even going to count where I was on the bike.  I'm not the fastest biker for sure!  And this wasn't my fastest split ever.  But given the previous (and current) puking, I felt I did well. 

Down the last hill, slipped off my shoes, quick dismount straight into a run, racked my bike, immediately sat down, slipped on my Pearl Izumi ISO Transitions, traded the helmet for my Valor Triathlon Project visor, and was off.  Third fastest T2 of the day.

i passed the speedy biker in the black Pearl Izumi kit in T2.  I felt great at that point.  I had just slipped into 2nd or 3rd.  I still wasn't sure what Matt had told me back there on the first loop.  With the black PI on my heels, I kicked it up a bit higher than I had wanted.  I dislike ongoing battles.  I have always had it in my head that I am not a sprinter.  If I'm going to beat you, I need to get that in your head early on or I could be in trouble later on.  Off I went!

I took out the first quarter mile HARD.  My Garmin data says I ran around 6:00/mile pace up to the first hill, peaking at 5:20 for 0.05 miles (HR had already given out during the bike).  I REALLY wanted this guy gone! 

Another fun part about this course is the steep, but thankfully short hill at the 0.25 mile mark.  That hill can make or break you!  I kept my intensity on the way up hoping that black PI wasn't going to charge up to me.  I didn't look back at all, but I couldn't hear anything either.  He couldn't be too close.  Another 0.1 mile later, we made a 90-degree turn and I did look back.  He was 0.1 mile back.  I was putting distance between us, but still needed to push!

I passed a couple women along with Ken, a friend who was doing a relay.  Ken told me that I was in 3rd, that 2nd was just ahead in green, and that I was running him down.  I set my sights and stuck to my pace.  I really wanted to put this guy away on the false flat we were on; I love that section!!  It didn't happen though and over the next few rollers, he didn't seem to be slowing.  A big part of me wanted to just take it easy and accept 3rd.  But again, I found myself saying...

"You wanted to do this, here is your opportunity!!  GO!"

It took three more turns over the next mile to catch this guy.  Until I did catch him, I had no idea what kind of battle I would have.  He turned to me and said "You're in 2nd.  Don't let me catch you at the finish!"  Haha  Yup, this was going to be an easy pass.  He won't be sprinting after me.

With about 1.5 miles to go, I started slowly putting distance between us.  I turned back a few times to see if anyone was coming.  I had the mile 2 beep come up on my watch - 5:59.  I was doing well, but my stomach was not happy.  The single person I knew was ahead was out of reach (he would beat me by 1:30) and no one was coming up on me.  At that point, I gave in.  I let myself slow down a bit to a more comfortable pace and saved the rest of my energy for another fight on another day.

Rockin' the Moxie Multisport kit version 2.0!

 

RUN

0:18:48

4th of 155

Also, not my best, but I was happy with my battle to get into 2nd and that I stayed mentally in it despite feeling sick until I had gotten there. 

FINISH

0:58:03

2nd of 155

Not my best, but on a day when I tried something new (my trainer wheel worked well!) and my GI system decided to wreck havoc on me, I was happy with the outcome.  If anything, I got another gift card to my bike shop and another bottle of wine to add to the collection. 

I love this series.  It is so well run.  The athletes, volunteers, crew, and police are great.  The age group medals are awesome (below).  I get to race with some tactics instead of racing within myself (it's a nice change sometimes).  And I really believe everyone needs some races throughout their season that are just fun, a change up, or at least a throw away in case they don't go well.  Sure, I had to still ride 6 hours that coming weekend, but I got a break from the Zone 1 / Zone 2 and just went out and pushed the limit! 

Oh, and post-race, my stomach ached almost immediately; right back to the pains I used to have post-race.  So I downed my pbj in the car, chugged some water, and stopped to get ice cream on the way home.  It did the trick.  The next day, my energy was still a little low, but the pains were gone. 

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Questions:
1.  Do you have races that you use for tests?
The Lake T series is my triathlon testing site.  It works great.  New tri suit?  New bike wheel?  New helmet?  New transition setup idea?  New race tactics?  Bring 'em along.  We'll see how they work!

2.  What's the worst pre-race event that either made you pull out of a race or you ignored and raced anyways?
I had a cold going into my first iron-distance event.  This event I was puking just before.  The only raced I've ever pulled out of was the Litchfield Olympic this year and I re-registered for it the day of the race.

3.  What's your next race??
I have the olympic distance triathlon at this same race site.  Then just one more sprint before Rev3 Cedar Point full.  


DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE. 

IMLP Training Camp in Pictures

So far this year, I've made two trips to Lake Placid.  I went up in mid June for a training camp with my coach's triathlon team/group, Valor Triathlon Project.  Two weeks later, I went back up with my local triathlon club (Hartford Extended Area Triathletes, or HEAT) for another training weekend.

While I had hoped to write beautiful reports on how the weekend went, how much I love the scenery, my now not-so-secret thoughts of racing Placid again, and so on, it simply has not yet happened.  I like to think that I have more free time than I actually do.  Therefore, when I went up for the HEAT training weekend, I decided to attempt documenting it in pictorial form as a back up plan.  So here it is...

The back up plan blog!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then here is...  Um...  45 times a thousand....  plus 150...  carry the one....  Oh hell!  Here's the report!

Driving up 87N starting to see the beautiful hills!

LOVE those hills!

Seriously!  I want this view out my front door.

The magic exit off of 87N

IMLP Ski Jumps!

Hang out at Delta Blue with live music

Fueling up!

Ready to start 56-112 miles in the saddle!

Yes, I was there too!!

Look at this course!!

Scruffy's tactic was to draft me.

Here begins the descent!

I LOVE this section where the scenery opens up!

We all try to speed here.  Don't lie!

Coming into Keene for the LEFT.

ADK Cafe in Keene

Beautiful river views!

Ex-bridge

"Just around the river bend"

Steve and Scruff stopping at the Mossman Aid Station

Under 1 mile from the Au Sable Forks turnaround

Welcome to Au Sable Forks!

Ok...  Now go back the way you came!!

Coming up on the turn onto 86.

You pass this rock wall...

...and then turn RIGHT!

And here starts the CLIMBING!!

It wouldn't read me.  Darn you!

Athletes hanging out at the Haselton Rd. out and back.

Oops!

The amazing ladies of the Mossman Aid Station!!

River views in the final 11 miles.

Lovely!!

Back out for loop #2!  Ski Jumps.

Share the road with us and we'll share it with you!

After the turn in Keene.

Lots of "Fallen Rocks" signs!

6.5 hours of looking at this!  *yawn*

#SELFIE

Definitely one of the better town signs.

Upper Jay bakery.

Coming up to the right bend and Whiteface.

Over the bridge before the turn.

RIGHT onto course.  LEFT up to Whiteface.

Continue on to follow the river.

Phone booth?!?

BEAUTIFUL!

GOD I love the views here!

Coming up on the Haselton Rd. turn around.

Coming up on the Haselton Rd. turn around.

Coming up on the Haselton Rd. turn around.

Only one flat on the day!  Successfully changed!

Totally missed Mama Bear

Oops!

Olympic Byway

Grrrrrrr!!!!

Post-training fueling at The Dancing Bear

Emma's milkshakes too!!

Off to swim!

The much required Ironman Lake Placid photo!

Mirror Lake Panoramic #1

Mirror Lake Panoramic #2

My hips/knees were tight.  Yes, this is quite comfortable.

Raspberry Pistachio Cake

The Good Bite - AMAZING vegetarian food

RUN - heading out Main St.

A nice start going downhill.

Major downhill!

Bend left!!

Past the Horse Show grounds!

Big horse show going on this weekend!

Another great downhill before River Rd.

Thank you Placid for the safety!

Turn back OFF of River Rd.

Turn right back to town!

So there it is.  Lake Placid training in pictures!  Well.... at least some of it. 

This week I'm home in CT.  Next week I'm in Geneva, NY for Musselman.  The weekend after I'm home.  Then I'm back to Placid for volunteering at the race.  Then finally I'll be home for awhile.  PHEW!!

Hope all of your training is going well!

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Questions

1.  Do you go to training camps?  Where at?

2.  Have you ever sworn you would never do a certain race again and then found yourself slowly deciding that it could be fun to do again?

My interpretation now is that my performance did not go well at Placid and that was because I didn't attack it well and stick to my plan.  That left a scar on the memory and I've looked to other races to find one that I connect with.  However, after two more training camps on the Placid course, I'm starting to get the hang of it more.  2015 is out, but 2016 or later might be a possibility.

3.  What do you have coming up for races?

I'm doing a 70.3 called Musselman on the 13th.  Then it's Rev3 Cedar Point full in Sept.

DREAM.  BELIEVE.  ACHIEVE.