Providence 70.3 The Bloody, Gory, TMI edition

Ok most peope have read the last post and for the record I'm not too disappointed with my results from Providence but there are a few things I know I could have done better this time around... nutrition, line on the bike course, transition, not deciding to visit the "reading room" at mile 9 of the run. Also there are other things that are totally out of control...such hot fire superstuds showing up from the left coast and down yonder. But instead of focusing on what went wrong I'll probably focus on what went right. First off the bat Three Blazeman warriors came accross the line within in 5 minutes. Also on that note at there were at least 5 of us including the second place woman who did the log roll. Second except for a rather inopportune call of nature I was running on pace to set a PR in the Half Marathon...that is incuding the infamous College hill Climb and descent....if only I had eatten more solid food on the bike. Third accept for the Big Hill at about mile 45 I did all of the climbs in the big ring cranking out massive watts of Beefy New England power....now if I can just get this to translate into speed. Also I'm sort of sorting out the optimal way to fuel for 70.3 a man cannot compete on Gu alone..as it travels through you well like crap through a goose causing you to...well you get the picture...next year there will be some Gu chomps in the Bento Box as well. Without any further Ado the Race Report.





The Swim: Killer Waves Dude!


This could have dual meaning for this race. On the one hand it was a pretty chilly gray morning in Narragansett. The Ocean was frothy as a result of an over night storm system. At one point race control was offering a dualthlon as an option to the weaker swimmers. The other meaning for the killer waves is there were 15 swim waves. Us young guns under 25 went in the 15th wave about an hour behind the pros. We were lucky that the ocean had calmed down a little but it was still choppy. When the cannon went off I had chosen the inside line and watched as the faster pack of about 5 guys went by. By the 3rd Buoy I was in traffic from previous waves. The chop made it hard to sight as I had to stop twice to catch my bearings and also I ended up losing my swim cap about 25 meters from the end. All in all not a bad swim I did it in 27:04 maybe about 40 seconds slower than last year.





The Bike: What do I have to do to break 21 mph.


I hit transition a got my wetsuit stripped off back my swim gear bag and took off on the stomper. I ended up coming out neck and neck with friend Tony from HEAT. I decided my game plan was to keep him in sight for as long as possible. Sadly that lasted all of 5 miles. The ride was pretty uneventful. No one crashed infront of me this year...although I heard a couple of guys had gone down when I was in medical post race. I lost ground on the fast kids from my age group starting at about mile 15. 2 or three guys would get around I'd try to keep them insight or re pass for about a mile or two and then would get dropped like a bad habit. There were a few sections where the road was coned off really narrowly and I couldn't get around some slower cyclists, and found myself risking a drafting penalty, luckily these narrow section didn't last too long...but for some reason I just couldn't get my average speed over 20mph. The entrance into Providence was a little hairy with some tricky turns, rough pavement and railroad tracks...giving a new meaning to Rails to Trails. Sadly this also included another fairly long climb from the mall to the state capital which really hurt the average speed. I hit T-2 in 2:49:24 averaging 19.8mph nearly 5 minutes and 1 mph slower than last year.



The Run: Bust a Gut time.

I got out of T-2 in about 1:02. This year Transition was organized much better. I took off on the Run and Caught up to Gabe from HEAT we paced off one another until College Hill, a 7% grade Vertical wall, Gabe got around me and I managed to catch and re pass him on the plateau. Granted this means nothing as Gabe was on his second lap. I continued along at an insane pace trying to catch as many people with 20-24 on their calves. I managed to pick off about 10 of them and was making excellent progress until mile 8. About that time all the Gu and Fluids in my stomach started to make their presence known. I was left with a dilemma...sacrifice 5 minutes to use the bathroom at mile 9 or sacrifice 5 minutes fighting my body functions. I decided that The first option would lead to a more pleasant 4 miles and post race experience..and hence that was the one I chose. Granted it hurt when I entered the silver box knowing that about 10 of the people I had just passed were going to get back in front of me. After releasing some excess weight I took off like a bat out of Hell ,Hoping that I could eek out a sub 1:40 run split. I managed to pass a re pass some more runners as I tore down College hill for the second time. As I entered the finishing Chute one of the guys ahead of me dropped to do a Blazeman roll...I pushed a little harder to get sufficient distance on the guys behind me and then dropped to do mine. After I crossed and got my medal I met up with Bob and Mary Ann as yet another Blazeman warrior rolled across. 3 in a 5 minute interval...not a bad way to raise awareness.

My run split was a 1:43:06 nearly 5 minutes faster than last year. If I hadn't stopped to use the bathroom I'm pretty sure I would have matched my 1:37 from the Nutmeg State Half Marathon.
All in all it wasn't a bad day, 5:03:08 is respectable but there are still somethings I need to work on and iron out if I want to be a contender.

R.D.

Providence 70.3 The quick and painless.

Well guys I finished in 5:03:08 good enough for 21st in my age group out of about 100 competitiors. I'll give all the details in a later post. Also to answer the burning question I'm not going to Kona in 2009. My heart sank at roll down when 3rd place turned down Clearwater and eagerly stood up to claim the last remaining Kona slot. Part of me is thinking this is a dream I'm going to put in moth balls for 2010. Focus more on my running and try to achieve the goal most New England sports nuts focus on : The BAA Boston Marathon. Granted part of that to me seems like a hollow challenge but it seems more straight forward put down a 3:10 marathon go to Boston. It's put up or shut up and all on the athlete's shoulders instead of on who shows up, who declines this that and the other thing, in essence it's less drama. Also it's less of a burden on the check book...early bird registration to a marathon is only $60 compared to $245 for a 70.3 or a $500 tab for an M-dot. Don't get me wrong I'm still going to do a few tris next season, but maybe a back to the minors approach is in order. Do a couple of independent halves ( Patriot, Nutmegman?, Firman?) A few sprints and a Oly...granted I tend to like the long haul better....essentially I don't know what 2010 holds and I still have a couple of races I need to take care of in 2009.

In essence I have no clue where to go from here...but I have 2 races and a couple of months to figure it out.

Alright that's it from me I've got to go stretch my aching quads.
R.D.

23rd Annual Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Well I raced yesterday. When I got up a 7am to pack all the stuff in my car ( because I'd be going straight from work to the race.) I was seriously considering not racing. I spent the morning as I packed and got ready for work thinking of excuses..."my dog ate my running flats." No too overused..."I'm tapering for a marathon session at work..." no...too lame, after finding no real excuses to get out of it I decided I'd better go...otherwise there'd be one really pissed off guy on Shelter Island threatening to kick my ass with his crutches....afterall he would kill to do any race right now...granted when he makes his comeback tour next summer things are going to be very interesting in the 25-29 age group.



So I slumped through my 7 hours at work and pulled an Indiana Jones style arrival at Quassy getting all my stuff ready just in time to be at the water's edge @ 5:45PM..thank you to the volunteer who sturggled with my wetsuit zipper for five minutes to help me get the damn thing on.



The Boxing Match ...er I mean swim.

At 6PM the first wave went off. We were a "elite" swim wave...ie the guys who finished in the top 50 last year or the race director just happens to know, or happen to be in the paper all the time for winning their events in the high school swim season. When the gun went off I tried to stay with the lead pack of swimmers and instead found my self in a boxing match with the guy on my left. Every 4 strokes one of us was hitting the other in the head. I would try to aim right going as far over as I could without hitting the buoys and it was like he was powerless against my wake and would continue to come far right with me. I finally lost him at the turn around and had clear water all the way back to the beach, and began to strip off the wetsuit. They shouted my Split as 11:15 and after the run up to the beach it was recorded as 12:03 not too shabby but almost 2 minutes slower than the leaders.

The bike: Red line it.
After a somewhat slow transition...seriously for a Half IM 1:27 would be blazing. I hammered out of T-1 and tried to make up as much ground as possible on some of the spots I had lost granted I started getting passed like it was my job at about the 5 mile mark. I managed to keep on group of riders in sight and made them my goal group to keep contact with as I took all the climbs after mile 5 in the big ring...including the "Smiling Death Last Hill". It showed as I dropped nearly a 30 seconds off of last year's split a 31:58.

The Run: Just don't puke.
I got off the bike and after another somewhat slow transition ( I almost ran out the bike in.) It was onto the run. I spotted Tony, my running partner ( who would also win the 25-29 men's group.), just about 100 meters in front so I pushed to catch up with him. All the liquid I had taken in on the bike was rearing it's ugly head and thought I was going to be pulling a Linda Blair and puking Green Gatorade, but somehow it stood down. I caught Tony by the first Aid station and we paced together trying to reel in some of the faster cyclists. By the last hill my legs had had it and I watched helplessly as Tony motored away. I still motored along trying to see if I could break the 20 min. barrier for a 5k I came up 14 seconds short, as I ran a 20:13. I broke the tape in 1:06:41 about a minute and change faster than last year. Good enough for 36th overall ( if you count the three relays that beat me.) and 3rd in my age group for the second year in a row. Next year I enter Tony's domian in the 25-29 bracket. Be afraid guys be very afraid.
Josie also managed to medal in her age group as one of the 25-29 women won the overall...her feat was quite impressive since her pre race nutrition consisted of Indian food. Amazing feat for the Iron stomach.

On the age group thing here's the kicker the two guys that beat me both beat me in the swim. The guy who won my AG was the first overall out of the water and managed to back up his aqua skills with the fastest run split in my AG. I tied for the second fastest run split in my AG nearly 3 minutes slower...yeah homeboy was fast.

Also this week's sign of the Apocalypse: I threw down the fastest bike split in my age group...I know I'm sacred too....I think I was possessed by the Spirit of Bjoern.

Well all that said and done time to knuckle down for Providence...

R.D.

Race week

Well it's here, race week. I have a sprint on Wednesday, then two days of light training and then the race Sunday...and the big question? Is a crazy dream worth economic suicide. Part of me feels that if I get that Kona slot I should just turn it down...save my money after all Kona isn't going anywhere and when I'm 30+ I'd be better prepared for it, I might enjoy it more. But the other part of me is this could be a one time shot...one of those deals that you get only once, and either you take it or you don't. Either you suck it up and go after you dream or you kill it. You end up Moonlight Graham, that 70 year old doctor still wondering what it would have been like to get that one major leauge at bat as a 20 year old kid. If I get that slot there is going to be a lot of soul searching and cost benefit analysis going on in those 10-20 minutes from result posting to roll down.
My training this weekend went well. Lots of miles in the saddle and an open water swim. I needed to fix the front deraileur but luckily I had the issue on a training ride not a race. My new HEAT gear in today. The jersey is a little snug but it'll stretch with a few races. When I throw on my race gear nothing else matters...it's just go like Hell and hang on for dear life. Sure there's a stack of bills on the table worries on if I'll get my degree over the summer or if I'll have to suck it up until December, the real world questions of what to do with my life. But those are for pre-race and post race in the race there is nothing else that matters but the finish line.
Part of me wonders if racing is worth all that I put into it. Sure it makes me happy but is it worth the time I could devote to a second job. Is it worth the money I put into it...after all my stack of bills isn't getting any smaller. Is it make me focus more on the short term and not enough on the long term? I really don't know if it's hindering or improving my life but I do know I'd be partially empty without it.

One step closer to a crazy dream.

I just read through the athlete's packet for The K-Swiss/ Amica Ironman Providence 70.3. There are 3 Clearwater and 2 Kona slots up for grabs in my Age group. So my margin for error has gone from having to podium to having to top 5 to be assured something and top 10 to have a chance. I just hope the bank has enough to cover this. I guess I have to look at it this way if Kona is meant to be then it will happen by some means. The best I can do is race my ass off and worry about getting there after I get there. I still have a 1.2 mile swim 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run to get through with New England's best young guns. Guys that in the past have been able to tear my race to pieces with blazing cycle legs and runs splits that make me look like a tortoise. Because of this there is still a shot I'd finish where I did last year and not even be in the neighborhood of qualifying. Hence it is a bridge I will cross if/when I get there.

Until then I've got to go like hell there are some things I can control and other things I can't. On July 12 the only thing I can do is move forward at a hopefully swift rate of speed, and maybe when the chips are down and the dust has settled I will have my Kona Slot and then I can work on the implications of that. But until then I've got to keep training,I've got to keep working, I've got to keep moving forward....

R.D.

Heart Issues Claim another one...

Everyone already knows about the tragic death of Steve Larsen from Cardiac issues. Unfortunately today I found out yet another uber biker had his career tragically cut short. Torbjorn Sindballe, retired (Click here for the story ) due to a malformed valve in his heart. Luckily he was able to catch it before it cost him his life, but still it sucks to see such a great athlete's career cut short but a genetic defect.

This leads me to think about my own athletic career. Heart Conditions run in my family. Part genetics, part high stress, part really shitty eating habits. I have a feeling that as I get into my40's and 50's residue of McDonald's burgers past will rear their ugly head, so I should probably start worrying about that now along with my bills, degree, trying to make something of myself, my job...essentially I should probably start eating better so I'm not forking over $75 a month for my Grandfather's Blood thinner cocktail...or worse...keel over on my 10 miler.

R.D.

Busy Weekend: Or did Bobby get his Groove back?

The short version:

I donated Money to the Indians.

I rode my bike pretty quick on Saturday.

I rode my bike somewhat long and felt like my old self again on Sunday.



Friday: Casino Night

Well in our quest for Wampum we got wamped by the Mohegans.



Saturday: I went out to Lake Waramaug and did a nice "on the rivet" Time trial. I did one loop of the Lake in the small ring to warm up. Then 3 loops in the big ring riding "on the rivet" or right on the front of the saddle for optimum power. Let me tell you this is not the most comfortable postion on a bike but it is powerful. I was back up to my old speeds on the front half of the lake as I was hammering the whole 23+ miles (roughly 40k). I managed to average 21.5mph. Not as fast as the "good cyclist." But getting back in the right direction. I cooled down with a 2-3 mile spin in the easy gears for a total of about 33 miles.



Sunday: I met up with Josie at about 1:30 to get our long ride in. In her words either I was riding well or she was riding lousy ( recovering from a migraine) because I led most of the ride. Including the hills. Now this is shocking for three reasons.

1) Josie is built like a climber. She's small and she's light. She has about a 50-60 lbs. weight advantage over me when it comes to going up steep inclines.
2) She rides a compact crank...which means while I'm cranking out massive watts in my "Manly Climbing Gear" (The standard 39 tooth small ring on 52 X39 Crank set. Compacts usually have a 50 tooth Big ring and a 30-34 tooth small ring.) trying to get up hill, she can spin by merrily and more efficiently.
3) She rides a full carbon Spawn of Satan...I mean Cervelo. Regardless Carbon Fiber is lighter than Aluminum and definitely hurts less when you go over roads that haven't been paved since Jimmy Carter was in the White House.

Anyhoo the ride was pretty uneventful. I met up with Dave a fellow Tri geek as we did our loops of the lake and then on our second loop we hunted down an older Gentleman on a White Giant.
He Proceeded to charge in front of us on a quick up hill. I proceeded to chase him down and drop him like a bad habit on the flat. ( OOORAH Man Gear!) The rest of the ride was Bobby vs. the Climbing efficiency of the Compact as I tried to put out as many watts as my legs could muster. decided to borrow a tip from Normann Stadler in which he said " I like to suffer on the bike...I need pain I just love it." So on Route 109 I went out with full intensions to make myself suffer. In Bethlehem this worked well as I usually had a nice decent to help give me momentum up the climbs but as we hit Woodbury Josie climbing advantage won out yet again. I managed to get around her on the flat and hold her off back to the car. The ride went pretty well we averaged just over 17 mph including the "rest loop" around the lake.
While I'll probably not be up to Speedy Claire's Blazing Bike splits anytime soon...and Josie will probably be back to her Lance Armstrong style climbing skills that kills, it was a good day in the saddle. Hopefully I can at least match my bike split from Providence Last year and maybe...dare I say it. Get that slot I've been coveting for the last 3 years.
Today not much on tap an 8-9 mile run and 3500 yard pool workout. Just enough to keep in shape.

R.D.