On Thanksgiving day, the Richmond Road Runners Club held their annual Turkey Trot 10k at the University of Richmond. I have never ran the race but heard that it's "technical", which means there are hills on that thar course. And boy were they! Going in, I knew it was going to be a hard course since I grew up near there and I know the area. But knowing the area and running it are two different things. Being an over-fifty Clydesdale makes it even harder. The morning was cold with a temperature around 27F. I arrived about thirty minutes before the race and milled around and talked to some friends I saw there. I seeded myself about midway in the pack of 1000.
Then the race started and it took about twenty seconds or so before I even cross the start line. Unfortunately, many folks up front didn't seed themselves and it was real slow going for the first mile, which was mostly uphill. That hill wasn't that bad and the crowd was thinner when it went back down the hill. The course was rolling with several stretches of up and downs. Then the course went on a wooded trail and up a very steep hill with tiers made of railroad ties. This is were I almost got sick! Then it went to a steep downhill on the trail with an uneven surface and roots just waiting for me to sprain my ankle! (and I have weak ankles!). However, I think the last uphill was the worse. It wasn't the steepest but it was long, you knew you were near the finish and you're tired! I saw a neighbor nearly get sick! The final leg was downhill and you kept up some speed for the finish line to make sure you look good finishing.
I had a goal of 56:00 for the race and my official time was around 55:56 and my unofficial time was around 55:38, so goal met! But I was really drained after this race but at least I was able to enjoy the big meal!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Ntelos 8k Report
As mentioned on my last post, I am concentrating on the run this off-season. One of the ways I'm doing this is by entering local races. Last weekend, I entered the 8k portion of the Richmond Marathon. I had set an aggressive goal, at least for me, of 42:30, which is a close to an 8:30/mile pace. The race started early in the morning at 0700, the sun was barely up, it was drizzling, and the temp was a warm 63F. I started off a little fast and finished the first mile right around 8 minutes. I knew I couldn't keep that pace and slowed a little bit. The humidity was getting to me but I stayed with it. I ended up running a 42:29 and beat my goal by one second! Overall, I'm pleased.
My next run is the turkey trot 10k on Thanksgiving day. I'll let you know how it goes.
My next run is the turkey trot 10k on Thanksgiving day. I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Working on my Run
Since running is my weakest event, more of my training has focused on the run. Usually Saturdays are long bike days but this past Saturday and also two weeks ago, I did Long, Slow, Distance runs, also known as LSD runs. During these runs, I have a chance to ponder my goals for 2009. So my question is: What would be reasonable goals for 2009? Get my run time below an 8:30 or even an 8:00 mile pace in a sprint tri? Maintain a 20mph or better average on the bike? Compete in two or more international tri? Try the Aqua-bike portion of a half-ironman? I will ponder these over the next few weeks and will set them at the end of the year and would welcome any comments you may have.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Richmond Sprint Results
The results were posted today and I couldn't be more pleased. My swim time was 6:31. I was 2nd in my age group and about 23 overall, out of over 500! I just wonder what it could have been if I wasn't slowed by the swimmer in front of me. T1 was a somewhat slow 3:27. My bike was 37:49 with an average speed of right around 20mph. T2 was an okay 1:36. However, I am really pleased with my run time of just under 28 minutes, an average pace of about 9 min/mile! I know this is slow for some but for this over-the-hill Clydesdale, I'm thrilled! My goal was to finish in the top half of my age group and I ended up finishing 8th out of 23. Goal met!! I can't wait for next year!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Richmond Sprint Triathlon Report - A good ending to the Season!
Even though I set the alarm for 5:15am, I didn't need it. I was pretty excited. I had gotten to bed about 10:00pm the night before so I had a good seven hours sleep when I awoke at 5:00am. I know to many this seems quite early but since I get up at 4:50am most weekday mornings, this is like sleeping in! I had packed most of my stuff the night before so I was able to calmly get everything together without waking up anyone else in my family.
I arrived at ACAC around 6:50 so I had plenty of time to get a good spot in transition, lay out my stuff and do the last minute checks. There was a lot of excitement in the air since nearly a third of the participants were doing a triathlon for the first time. The air was chilly, about 50F, but it looked clear and should warm up quickly, but probably not quickly enough! I knew the bike was going to be cold, especially since I was going to be in a wet tri-suit.
Next, I went to the pool to get a warm-up lap or two. I started to put my goggles on and then the strap broke! Just what I didn't need. Luckily, I had another pair in my bag, which was next to the bike, out in the cold and warm-ups were ending in five minutes. I grabbed my spare pair of goggles and returned just in time to hear the start of the race. Since this was a pool swim with individual staggered start with a swimmer leaving every fifteen seconds, I still had a little over ten minutes before my start. Finally it was my turn. For all the previous swimmers before me, the starter counted down "3-2-1 GO!", however, for my turn she just said "Go!" I didn't hear her clearly and asked, "Do I go now!" and she said "Yes!". Not a way to start the race.
I started out relatively fast but then got into a good groove and by the second lap, I had caught the person in front of me. I touched their feet, the signal to move over at the end of the lane, but he didn't! By the end of the third lap, the person behind me had caught up with me, and here I was stuck behind this guy. Note to self: Put in a faster swim seed time! Finally I got around him on the last length and let the person behind me go in front and stayed right behind her. I think my swim time was around 6:30, but I don't know for sure. I will need to check the results. Overall, I thought I had a pretty good swim.
I ran to the transition, which was a loooong way! and it was cold! I got to my bike and started to put my sunglasses on only to find that they had fogged up! Just what I needed, something else to slow me down! I wiped them off, put my helmet and cycling shoes on and then debated on whether or not to put on my cycling jacket. It was still cold (about 54F now) and I was wet but I decided not to. I ran the bike to the mount area got on and yes it was cold but not too bad. I got into a good rhythm since the first part of the course is relatively flat and then hit the downhill on Rt 711. Once I hit the small turnaround at Robius landing park and started to go uphill, I slowed much more than I expected. And this was only a small prelude of what was to come later! Finally, I took the left turn onto Winterfield Rd and the real hill hit. Unfortunately, my power to weight ratio is not that good. I'm pretty good on flats and can keep up with most but hills are hard on someone who weighs over 215lbs! However, I was able to keep spinning and even pass a few folks on the hill (and to be passed by those slim guys and gals who make it all look easy!) Also, I was no longer cold! I crested the hill, turned onto Salisbury and was able to maintain a pretty good tuck and average speed the rest of the way. I don't know what my time was but I think my average was just under 20mph.
T2 was somewhat quick. I was able to changed into my running gear with no major delays. As always, the start of the run is the hardest, both physically and mentally! To me it's more mental. On the bike you are going pretty fast, say around 18-24 mph and then you get to the run, where, if you are good, you are going 10mph! For me, it's closer to 6.5mph. I was really dreading the run, especially after what happened at the Sandman Tri. However, after about a half-mile, I was feeling pretty good. I even started to push it some. Yes, I had a lot of people pass me but these folks were often much younger and thinner. I did have someone in my age bracket pass me around the one-mile marker. I met him at the Tavern tri where I passed him on the bike only to be passed by him on the run. Here, he started the race about 1:30 before me so I knew if I could keep him in sight, I would still be ahead. This was my motivation! Also, I was feeling pretty strong. So I let him get about fifteen seconds ahead of me and then I just tried to stay at his paced for as long as I could. I knew he was generally a faster runner then me but I figured it was worth the effort. After about another half-mile, he hadn't pulled away that much. At the two-mile mark, he was maybe twenty to twenty-five seconds ahead. I finally turned into the finished line and was able to finish strong, about thirty seconds behind the other guy, which meant my time was about a minute faster. I finished in just under 1hr16min!
This was, by far, my best triathlon this year and a fitting end to the start of my return to triathlons. I'm excited about next year with the hope of competing in more international (Olympic) distance triathlons. Eventually, I would like to compete in a half-ironman in 2010 or 2011.
I arrived at ACAC around 6:50 so I had plenty of time to get a good spot in transition, lay out my stuff and do the last minute checks. There was a lot of excitement in the air since nearly a third of the participants were doing a triathlon for the first time. The air was chilly, about 50F, but it looked clear and should warm up quickly, but probably not quickly enough! I knew the bike was going to be cold, especially since I was going to be in a wet tri-suit.
Next, I went to the pool to get a warm-up lap or two. I started to put my goggles on and then the strap broke! Just what I didn't need. Luckily, I had another pair in my bag, which was next to the bike, out in the cold and warm-ups were ending in five minutes. I grabbed my spare pair of goggles and returned just in time to hear the start of the race. Since this was a pool swim with individual staggered start with a swimmer leaving every fifteen seconds, I still had a little over ten minutes before my start. Finally it was my turn. For all the previous swimmers before me, the starter counted down "3-2-1 GO!", however, for my turn she just said "Go!" I didn't hear her clearly and asked, "Do I go now!" and she said "Yes!". Not a way to start the race.
I started out relatively fast but then got into a good groove and by the second lap, I had caught the person in front of me. I touched their feet, the signal to move over at the end of the lane, but he didn't! By the end of the third lap, the person behind me had caught up with me, and here I was stuck behind this guy. Note to self: Put in a faster swim seed time! Finally I got around him on the last length and let the person behind me go in front and stayed right behind her. I think my swim time was around 6:30, but I don't know for sure. I will need to check the results. Overall, I thought I had a pretty good swim.
I ran to the transition, which was a loooong way! and it was cold! I got to my bike and started to put my sunglasses on only to find that they had fogged up! Just what I needed, something else to slow me down! I wiped them off, put my helmet and cycling shoes on and then debated on whether or not to put on my cycling jacket. It was still cold (about 54F now) and I was wet but I decided not to. I ran the bike to the mount area got on and yes it was cold but not too bad. I got into a good rhythm since the first part of the course is relatively flat and then hit the downhill on Rt 711. Once I hit the small turnaround at Robius landing park and started to go uphill, I slowed much more than I expected. And this was only a small prelude of what was to come later! Finally, I took the left turn onto Winterfield Rd and the real hill hit. Unfortunately, my power to weight ratio is not that good. I'm pretty good on flats and can keep up with most but hills are hard on someone who weighs over 215lbs! However, I was able to keep spinning and even pass a few folks on the hill (and to be passed by those slim guys and gals who make it all look easy!) Also, I was no longer cold! I crested the hill, turned onto Salisbury and was able to maintain a pretty good tuck and average speed the rest of the way. I don't know what my time was but I think my average was just under 20mph.
T2 was somewhat quick. I was able to changed into my running gear with no major delays. As always, the start of the run is the hardest, both physically and mentally! To me it's more mental. On the bike you are going pretty fast, say around 18-24 mph and then you get to the run, where, if you are good, you are going 10mph! For me, it's closer to 6.5mph. I was really dreading the run, especially after what happened at the Sandman Tri. However, after about a half-mile, I was feeling pretty good. I even started to push it some. Yes, I had a lot of people pass me but these folks were often much younger and thinner. I did have someone in my age bracket pass me around the one-mile marker. I met him at the Tavern tri where I passed him on the bike only to be passed by him on the run. Here, he started the race about 1:30 before me so I knew if I could keep him in sight, I would still be ahead. This was my motivation! Also, I was feeling pretty strong. So I let him get about fifteen seconds ahead of me and then I just tried to stay at his paced for as long as I could. I knew he was generally a faster runner then me but I figured it was worth the effort. After about another half-mile, he hadn't pulled away that much. At the two-mile mark, he was maybe twenty to twenty-five seconds ahead. I finally turned into the finished line and was able to finish strong, about thirty seconds behind the other guy, which meant my time was about a minute faster. I finished in just under 1hr16min!
This was, by far, my best triathlon this year and a fitting end to the start of my return to triathlons. I'm excited about next year with the hope of competing in more international (Olympic) distance triathlons. Eventually, I would like to compete in a half-ironman in 2010 or 2011.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Introduction
Since I started training again for triathlons earlier this year, I have been wanting to start a blog to share my progress and struggles. Since then, I have completed two triathlons and one aquabike and will be doing my third and last triathlon of the season on Sunday. My return began with the "I Love the Tavern" Tri late July. The past four weeks have been busy, having completed the Sandman Tri on September 14, participated in the aquabike at Naylor's Beach, and planning on participating in the Richmond Sprint Tri on October 12.
The I love the Tavern Tri was my first triathlon in over fifteen years. I had signed up for the PowerSprint Tri earlier that month but the night before, I ran a fever of over 102F and bailed on the tri. I started the Tavern tri well completing the swim in just under 14 minutes. T1 was somewhat long with a time of 2.5 minutes. I had a decent bike with a time of just under 58 minutes with a good 1 minute T2. The run, which is my weakest leg, was slow, with a time of just over 30 minutes. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance with a total time of just over 1Hr 45min. This was just above the mid point in my age group, which I though wasn't half-bad considering I haven't competed in a tri in such a long time.
The Sandman Tri was on my 52 birthday! I had a pretty good swim (less then 18min), a fair bike (a little over 42 mi.) and an awful run (33.5min!). Also, it was hot! I had to walk alot during the run. I finished 20th out of 35 in my age group so it wasn't that bad. Based on my poor run and the fact that my swim and bike times weren't bad, I decided to change my entry in Naylor's beach to the aquabike since this was an international distance tri and the 10k run would likely be painful!
At Naylor's beach, I had a great swim (under 26 minutes) and a decent bike (1:18) and actually placed in the aquabike! Not bad for a 52 year-old clydesdale! Hopefully I will no longer be a clydesdale in 2009 but I still have about 20lbs to go.
Wish me luck at the Richmond Sprint Tri on Sunday. I will let you know how it goes!
The I love the Tavern Tri was my first triathlon in over fifteen years. I had signed up for the PowerSprint Tri earlier that month but the night before, I ran a fever of over 102F and bailed on the tri. I started the Tavern tri well completing the swim in just under 14 minutes. T1 was somewhat long with a time of 2.5 minutes. I had a decent bike with a time of just under 58 minutes with a good 1 minute T2. The run, which is my weakest leg, was slow, with a time of just over 30 minutes. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance with a total time of just over 1Hr 45min. This was just above the mid point in my age group, which I though wasn't half-bad considering I haven't competed in a tri in such a long time.
The Sandman Tri was on my 52 birthday! I had a pretty good swim (less then 18min), a fair bike (a little over 42 mi.) and an awful run (33.5min!). Also, it was hot! I had to walk alot during the run. I finished 20th out of 35 in my age group so it wasn't that bad. Based on my poor run and the fact that my swim and bike times weren't bad, I decided to change my entry in Naylor's beach to the aquabike since this was an international distance tri and the 10k run would likely be painful!
At Naylor's beach, I had a great swim (under 26 minutes) and a decent bike (1:18) and actually placed in the aquabike! Not bad for a 52 year-old clydesdale! Hopefully I will no longer be a clydesdale in 2009 but I still have about 20lbs to go.
Wish me luck at the Richmond Sprint Tri on Sunday. I will let you know how it goes!
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