Tri Indy

I signed up for the duathlon (2 mi/20k/5k), and arrived a bit unprepared, as I had not picked up my race packet in advance, and left little time for prep. I was starting a bit fatigued, having been in the Cicero triathlon the day before, but primarily due to the CASA relay ride not much more than twelve hours prior. I rode about 38 miles in high heat and wind, didn't get much sleep, and was a bit fatigued.


Run #1 (2 mi) 14:47 31st
My legs weren't there, and I felt tired. I should have cut 45sec-1min off this. It was really humid, and I was already hot and soaked at mile 1. I just kept going as I thought about the course.


T1 1:14 41st

Practice...


The Bike (20k) 34:54 19th 21.4mph avg

I just hammered the best I could. There were times I slowed down, but after being passed by people whom I had already passed sparked me back into the race. My legs were tired. The course was smooth most of the way.


T2 1:23 36th


Run #2 (5k) 24:40 20th 7:57 pace
I ran alone most of the way, though some people I passed were about a minute behind and appeared to be closing the gap. My goal was to avoid getting "chicked." The odd thing about this whole race was my inability to push my pace. My effort seemed high, but I could not get my heart rate beyond the bottom range of zone 4. My pain cave is in zone 5, and I can get mid-170s, just not today. Must have been the fatigue.


Result 1:16:58 1st in age group (m45-49)

I won my age group, and was 14th overall (131 total field). It worked out okay, though I should have been faster. Still, it's nearly six minutes faster than the last time I raced here.

Monumental Marathon Race Report 3:30:23

I went into this race with low expectations. I didn't do any structured training, core training, speedwork, or long runs. Worse, I had 3-5 day breaks between runs most of October. So, I just wanted to have a decent race, and would have been happy with a 3:45. Really, my goal was to not have to walk, and to just be under 4 hours. I simply hadn't trained for it. Not that I wasn't in shape for a long run; my endurance is decent, but a marathon is a long race.

The latter part of the week I tried to eat well, and hydrate a little more than my usual 1.5 gallons of water per day. I had a hamburger and potatoes for dinner Wednesday, 1/2 lb of pasta on Thursday, and 1/2 lb pasta Friday. I got to bed around 9pm Friday, planning on getting up around 4:30 Saturday. I ended up waking up at 3:45, and couldn't sleep any longer. I went downstairs, made some coffee, and oatmeal, and though it was earlier than I wanted to eat (I wanted to have a meal two hours before the start), I wanted to ensure I got things "moving" before I left the house. I watched something stupid on TV (I think it was part of "The Crazies"), had a bagel, some peanut butter, and yogurt, and rechecked the stuff I was planning on bringing to the race. My race belt was ready, and was loaded with twelve Clif Shot Blocks and four Gu Roctane. It was going to be cold, but I didn't want to overdress. It was about 30 degrees, with highs expected to be 40. I was planning on shorts and a tank top, with my Pearl Izumi arm sleeves I used in Powerman Muncie. I also brought my Mizuno gloves, figuring I'd need them the whole time. It would be too cold to just have just this at the start, so I went to goodwill and picked up a fleece top and hat for $5. I'd shed these once I was warm enough. In my truck I had packed tights and a compression top, just in case it was too cold for my planned attire. One thing I did this race was to make a cross to put on my back. While in dark periods during my previous races I was passed by people who either had crosses or religious messages, and they helped. I thought I'd try it for myself; maybe it could help someone I pass.

I picked up a Starbucks coffee on the way downtown, in part for the caffeine, and also to try to influence my system to finishing what I didn't finish at home as planned. I parked on Senate Avenue, which is about four blocks north of the start/finish area, and headed to the Marriot to link up with some friends. Getting to Washington Street, I stopped in the Westin, which had plenty of room to stay warm and wait to get closer to the start time. And the bathroom line wasn't bad. I went back out to the gear check to drop a backpack that had a sweatshirt, my phone and truck key, and Gatorade G3 recovery drink. I then went back to the Westin to use the bathroom, which I found had no line. The coffee worked. I then headed to the Marriot to link up with my buddies. The Marriot was a little different than the past two years, as they closed off most of the lobby to runners, which made it a little easier to find people. Note to self: The Westin is better place to hang out before the start. I did link up with my buddy Dave, and we hung out for about ten minutes before heading to the start. I had a Gu Roctane, and though I couldn't find any water, figured I'd get some at the first water point. Much of this race report is for my benefit, as I will read this before my next marathon, since I won't remember some of the detail. Like the water I drank at nearly every point was just 1/2 cup, and it was enough, in cold temperatures. I walked as I gulped it, as I have choked too many times trying to pinch the cup and gulp while running.

The starting area was packed, and I couldn't get any closer to the front than the 9:15 pace area. It becomes clear that people don't follow the guidelines, since I was passing people for many miles. I hit the first water point as planned, and decided I would hit almost every water point during the race. My nutrition plan was to alternate between Gu and Clif blocks every 30-40 minutes. As I passed mile 1, I figured it would be getting close to time to ditch the fleece. I figured I'd wait until I was headed northbound, since I'd be going into the wind for a little while. I pulled off the fleece at 1.5 miles, and ran with it for about 100 meters before I reluctantly let it go. I say reluctantly because I just bought it, and it was a decent fleece. Okay, it was $3.98, but it was comfortable. Well, I wasn't going to carry it for the whole race. My main concern was that I'd drop it and get cold.

I hit the water point after mile 2 and continued to pass people. My pace was steady and I felt good. My heart rate monitor went kaput, and though it had new batteries, I am convinced it was the cold that kept it from working. I tried cycling the watch to find it a few times, but it didn't work. I figured it would come back if things warmed up. I skipped the water at mile 3, and had Gatorade at mile 4. I also had 3 Clif Blocks. My pace was still steady, and though I thought I might be going a little too fast, I didn't have heart rate information to sabotage what I was feeling. I felt good and was just talking it a mile at a time. At mile 9 I settled into a steady 8 minute pace, which continued until mile 22. I had water and Gatorade at miles 5 and 7, and water and Gu Roctane at mile 9. I grabbed a Clif gel at mile 10, as I usually take them for future use. I skipped taking any more at the next two fuel points, as I didn't want to carry them, and was simply focused on the race. I had more water at miles 11 and 12, and I hit the 1/2 marathon mark at 1:43:46. I still felt good, and was wondering how the 2nd half would be. At this point I was occasionally passing and being passed by three of the same people, and we'd continue to do so for a little while. I got water again at miles 15, 16, 17, and 20. At mile 16 I had three Clif Blocks. Funny thing is, as I turned south on College, I blew my nose, and out came part of a Clif Block. What the?? I guess I had it hang in my throat and it just came out… As I passed through the Butler University campus, it was warm enough to take off the hat, and to pull down the arm sleeves. I was going to throw the hat away, but this was a brand new hat, and though it was only $1.49, why can’t I keep it? I stuffed it in the back of my shirt. I took off my gloves and stuffed them into my pocket as well.

During this time I prayed, thanked God for giving me my health and the ability to do this, and for the strength to continue, and began giving serious consideration to qualifying for Boston. This was my 5th marathon, and given my first two were good, and the second two not so good, I had concerns with falling apart after mile 18. This time I felt good, and did the math, figuring I could make it as long as I don't slow down. I'd make a commitment at mile 20 for the final push. After exiting the Indianapolis Museum of Art, there is a long descent (1/2 mi), and I stepped it up to make up a little time. I was still feeling good, and shortly after getting water at the Naval Armory, came to mile 20. It was time to commit. My time so far was 2:38:23, leaving me 52:36 to finish and qualify for Boston. I can do this. I was talking to myself. "Dig deep!" "BQ baby!" "Don't Bonk!" Though my pace was still steady, I had to push the effort higher, to the point approaching having to breathe on a 1/4 steps, verses the 1/6 I had been running. After mile 21 I had more water, and around mile 22 mile I started to feel tired. My calves were beginning to revolt, but I just pushed through it. I had the last of my Clif Blocks and knew the pain that was to come would be over soon. My pace dipped sharply for two miles, and looking at the time, knew I had to dig deep to make it. I started to notice people around me who I would never expect to be up here (like, people who looked out of shape). As I headed down Meridian I upped the effort, trying to decide when to make a final push. I was running an 8 minute pace at a 7 minute effort. Passing through Monument Circle, I was keeping on the heels of a couple of guys who had sped up as well, but were clearly not in distress. I knew exactly where I was, and where the finish line was. Turning north on Capitol, I kept the pace, knowing there were just three more turns. I increased my effort as I turned on New York, and as I turned again on Martin Luther King Drive, closed my eyes and gave what I had left. I made the final turn and glanced at my watch, I'd make the cutoff. "Try not to look stupid crossing the line" was what ran through my head.

Crossing the finish line and looking at my watch, I saw 3:30:27; I made it. I grabbed a bagel, a banana, chocolate milk, peanut butter, and water. I went to the results tent and got my results slip. Strangely, my finish time was recorded as 3:29:24. I’m not sure how or why, but this was in the preliminary results. Later, that was adjusted to 3:30:23, more in line with my watch. Which means I made the cutoff by 36 seconds.

There were plenty of volunteers at every water point. I never had to wait or skip a stop due to not having enough people with cups. The volunteers were great, and plentiful. The race medal is cool, the shirt nice, and I like the addition of a hat. I’m disappointed with the failure of my Suunto heart rate monitor, as the data could be useful. At the same time, it might have made me slow down. Or speed up. But hey, BQ BABY!

Splits

Mile time
1 7:56
2 7:42
3 7:53
4 7:53
5 7:44
6 7:43
7 7:52
8 7:54
9 8:01
10 8:05
11 8:09
12 7:59
13 8:02
14 8:06
15 7:46
16 8:05
17 7:59
18 8:00
19 7:33
20 8:02
21 8:00
22 8:13
23 8:39
24 8:38
25 8:13
26 7:59
.2 2.22

Eagle Creek Triathlon

This was my first time at Eagle Creek. It's a popular three-race series every summer, and I found my first race there to be a good experience. The race was sold out, and as is the case with many sprint races, was filled with a broad spectrum of athletes. From serious triathletes with expensive gear and podium goals, to recreational athletes on mountain bikes, this race has something to offer for everyone.

I arrived at the park later than I had planned, but still had just over thirty minutes before the race was to begin. Once I had my stuff set up in transition, I took a look at the lake. The water was warm, and I kept hearing a nagging voice telling me to switch to the duathlon. Wait, the voice was Don Carr (the race director) reminding everyone of the black algae warning. We had to sign waivers due to the state telling people to stay out of the water due to black algae. Included with the waiver was a list of warnings and symptoms that can occur after exposure. Don also reminded everyone that they have this warning every year, and it has never been an issue… He also reminded people that for the folks who didn't want to swim, there would be a duathlon instead. I was there for the tri, so I chose the black algae.

The Swim 12:52.6

The start was in waves, and I was near the back. When it came time to start, I hit the water and tried to settle in for a steady swim. Since I am not a fast swimmer (most adolescents can beat me in speed, though I can go for a long time), I don't swim hard, because because if I do, I shave almost no time, but expend exponentially more energy. Someday I'll work on technique… During the first 100m, I was focusing not on the race, but on the black algae. I was getting more and more lake water in my mouth every stroke. What did the warning say? Do not drink…cramps…diarrhea… What the hell was I thinking? Crap! Get your head in this race! The people around me were slower than me (wow), and I kept running into people's feet. This was my first open water swim, which I had always heard was radically different than the pool. So, I expected radical difference. I had not considered what to expect. Or I did, but it was not realistic. What I discovered was I did not have a good sighting technique, though I do swim straight. I was struggling to get around/through people, and getting hit by people doing the backstroke as I passed them. I even had to stop once, so I could see a way to get through a large cluster of people that seem to be stopped. The swim was 500m, and it took me 12 minutes, during which I never got settled in; it felt like high effort the whole time. Had I been in a pool, at this effort, I would have finished in about 10 minutes. Okay, maybe a little longer, considering I had been swimming just once during the past month.

T1 2:49

Exiting the water, I was glad to be finished. My bike was near the transition area exit, so I had to hustle. I didn't think I was going slow, but I had bits of gravel stuck to my feet and had to wipe them off. I got my helmet and shoes on, grabbed my bike a ran to the exit. I really have to practice transitions, because this was one of the slowest. Sheesh, I was already dressed and merely had to get a helmet, bike shoes, and bike (plus the time to run from the water and to the exit). But I was in the 20th percentile on transition speed. With practice, I should be able to cut a minute off of that.

The Bike 29:11.6

I hit the road with a simple plan: Go Fast. I'm not very fast, but for someone who doesn’t ride much, can do pretty well (I did recently average 22mph on a 20mi time trial). If I just put time into riding, I could be so much faster… Anyway, the first half mile was a bit clogged with people, making passing difficult. For most of the race, I was blowing by people (especially the mountain bikers). The ground was slick from rain, and though there were numerous warnings about a sharp turn at the bottom of a steep hill, there was a crash being attended to when I went through. I hit the turnaround and rode a steady but solid pace going back. As I approached the hill where I saw the crash, there was traffic control slowing people down to walking speed to make the turn. This was due in part to the meatwagon that was there just getting ready to take someone away, and probably to prevent another crash. As I rode the last half-mile, I had to slow down due to traffic, and a narrow chute to reach T2.

T2 1:46.2

Entering T2, I had a longer way to go due to being positioned near the exit, and running in bike shoes is a bit awkward. Well, the folks parked up front had the same issue before their ride, so I guess it's a wash. This transition also took longer than it should, but still a bit better.

The Run 22:48.4

The run starts at the base of a hill, and is just a simple out and back course. I was passing people the whole time, and was not passed by anyone (same as the ride). I felt decent, but my head was not in the game. I found myself on numerous occasions going too slow. I wasn't paying attention, and would slow down. I'd look at my heart rate and find I was barely in zone 4, when I should have been pushing much harder. I'd speed up, my mind would wander, and I'd slow down again. This is where having fast people in front of you, or behind and pushing would help.

Had I done the duathlon, I would have won overall, as it was small, and the field not very deep. Still, I didn't do too bad.

Next events:
9/19 Fishers Triathlon (sprint)
9/25 Cancer Free Lungs 5k
10/2 Powerman Muncie Duathlon 10k/60k/10k
10/16 Indianapolis Marathon and Mini (13.1mi)
11/6 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon 26.2mi

AND, I have already signed up for the inaugural 2011 Carmel Marathon.

Season Opener

I was in the Carmel Triathlon yesterday. It was a sprint, with a 400m swim, 10 mile ride, and a 5k run. I had fun, and as usual TuxBro put on a good race. I was concerned with the temperature, as I think Saturday night was the coldest it had been in weeks. Looking at the hourly forecast, it showed 29 degrees at 8am. With the race starting at 9, I was sure I was going to freeze. The thought of running to my bike, wet, and having to ride was not appealing. Fortunately, the forecast was not correct, and it was mid-40s in the morning. It was still going to be a chilly ride, but the sun was out, and that might help.


The Swim (8:41)

The swim was in the pool, and starts were in waves, based on self-reported 100yd swim times. I know I am slow, and I was assigned #578 (of 900), which should theoretically put me in an area with people about the same speed. Looking at people with 100s or 200s, I couldn't help but make judgments on how I thought there was no way the Biggest Loser contestants had to have underestimated their swim times. Can my swimming speed suck this bad? This helped, as it gave the sun another hour to warm things outside. The wave start flowed by bringing about 150 or so people from the gym to the pool at a time.

With a wave start, I didn't actually get to the pool until 10am. Looking at the people in the pool, it was clear there were real issues with the self-reported times. There were clogged lanes in places, and people who clearly could not swim. I saw someone dog paddling at the 25m point, and was hoping he would be out before I caught him. When it came time, I jumped in and swam comfortably, passing two or three people every 50m. I felt good, and didn't swim any harder than I do normally, as my technique is not efficient, and would burn exponentially more energy for minimal gain. Getting to the end, it took me a few seconds to figure out how to get out of the pool. The edge of the pool was a bulkhead, and I felt like a seal sliding on the pool deck.


T1-(3:24)

I jogged to my bike, and noticed gravel on the sweatshirt I had set next to my bike. Someone had wiped their feet on my sweatshirt/mat! All I had to do was get my socks and bike shoes on, put on my helmet, glasses and jacket, grab my bike and run to the transition exit. I already had my top and HRM on in the pool. And it still took forever. I could improve my time quite a bit if I actually practiced transitions…


The Bike (30:29 – 19.7 mph avg)

Coming out of T1, I was putting my gloves on as I approached a large speed bump. I was sure to have both hands on the bars as I hit it, because it was a big one. The group behind me didn't heed my caution, as I heard someone go down, and looking back I saw at least three riders laying in a pile on the pavement. Whew, I am glad I avoided that! The first couple of miles were chilly, and as I settled in I was glad to be wearing a jacket, and especially the full-finger cycling gloves. I was blowing by people the whole time, with at least 1/3 of them on mountain bikes. Many of these people were sized in a way that made me think of the self-seeding swim time issue I mentioned above. There were areas on the course where I was riding about 25mph, while other places just 15mph. In the end, the ride was uneventful, and I averaged 19.7mph.


T2 (2:21)

Nothing special here. I hung the bike, changed shoes, ditched the helmet, jacket, and gloves, and ran to the exit. I cycled my watch to recognize my shoe POD and focused on getting my legs.


The Run (21:05 - 6:47 avg)

I hit the split on my watch as I started the run and thought about how I shod add more bricks to my training… My legs didn't feel too bad, but I knew I need to work on it. Checking my watch, I noticed that a decision I made while having a bowl of oatmeal in the morning had come back to haunt me. I had consider changing batteries in my heart rate monitor and shoe POD, and decided against it, because I usually get some indication they need to be replaced. Not this time. Looking at the watch, I saw that both the HRM and shoe POD batteries were kaput. Oh well, I would have liked to seen the data, as it can be useful. I used the course markers for my time splits. My first mile was 7:20. Not bad for me. I felt slower, but had my legs and was passing people. Mile two passed at 6:50, which was surprising, as the perceived effort was not that fast. Mile three was about 6:06, which I have not seen in two decades. And I hadn't crossed into a pain threshold. I think I could have gone faster.

When I ran the Cancer Free Lungs 5k last September, I was well into the pain threshold during the last mile, and Mike had to slow down to drag me along. I was at my derived max heart rate then, and had not been there before. We finished that 5k at 21:44, and the course may have been short. This race was USAT sanctioned, and run by TuxBro, so the distance should be accurate. Given my effort was not as high as the previous 5k, and I was faster, even after a swim and ride, I am sure a major contributor to the added speed was the lighter shoes. I stopped using my orthotics, which made my shoes much lighter. I think it cut my pace by 20 seconds.

My final time was 1:05:52. I finished 14th in my age group, and 96th overall.

Suunto T3

I haven't reviewed products before, but I have been using a Suunto heart rate monitor for a little over two years, and thought I'd give a report on it. I have a Suunto T3, which I got in October 2007. With it, I have a heart rate sensor, a foot POD for running, a bike POD for the bike, and a PC POD for downloading the data to my computer. Suunto has now upgraded to a -c version, which has added benefits I'll cover below. But I think my experience will apply to the T3c as well.

With the T3 I have heart rate zones established, which I use and track in Training Manager Lite (Suunto), and also in Training Peaks. I generally use the autolap feature, set at one-mile intervals, which I use to benchmark and compare performance over time. There is an interval feature in the T3 which can be used to warm up, then train at set intervals, with an alarm tone sounding for each transition. For me though, the alarm is too quiet, and at a tone too high for me to hear well at all, unless I'm in a quiet room and it is near my head. I think the issue is my hearing, and not the watch.

The recent logs (fifteen most recent) are easy to call up, and I like the built-in summaries (this week, last week, and monthly going back six months). You can quickly see summaries for distances (running POD, bike POD, GPS POD) and calories. If you want more specific summaries or data, you can simply look in Training Manager Lite.

The T3 tracks calories burned, which helps assuage the guilt for eating certain things. I can't evaluate the accuracy, but I have read it may be underestimating by 10-20% (cool!).
Triathlon transition - easy to use, just quickly cycle the watch (press a button three times) and the watch picks up the foot pod and says you are running. Once the foot POD is on, it overrides the bike POD.

The training effect feature allows you to use the watch to set an intensity level target, but I tend to use it as and after workout evaluation of what I did.

Someone who works for me was shopping for a heart rate monitor, and asked me about Garmin. I told him about my experience with Suunto, after which he purchased a Suunto T3c, which has some added features, including bicycle cadence, pace data, and a button lock. I found much of this while I was helping him set up heart rate zones.

I really like this watch, and it just fuels my desire to upgrade to a newer model, either a T3c, or maybe even a T6c, which I can use to easily upload data to Training Peaks. I have been considering it for some time, but cannot justify the expense, given my T3 is working just fine. With the addition of the above features (especially the cadence and pace features), I am really tempted to upgrade. Now if I can just get the Mrs. to understand that I need this... And some Zipp race wheels... And more destination events…

Battery life - I usually don't wait for things to stop working, though I have found the shoe POD battery (AAA) gives me little warning before the battery is too weak (the light blinks quickly meaning change battery NOW). The HRM and watch use a CR2032 (conveniently available in two-packs at Wal-Mart). For me, I change the watch battery after every other HRM battery change. It may be premature, but I do this a couple of weeks before my spring and fall marathons, as I don't want to find out about battery life at that time.

HRM - The strap is comfortable, and clean-up is simple (I rinse the unit and strap in the shower, and wash the strap in the machine with my workout gear when I do laundry). As for accuracy, my great uncle was looking for a HRM that he could use in addition to a tabletop unit he has been using for many years (he has had heart surgery). We compared the results and they were the same, giving some validation to the accuracy. I have used this indoor at a gym, and at every race, including some very large races (Big Sur marathon), and with the many other HRMs around, never had an issue with interference.

Foot pod - over 2000 miles accurate (compared to G-Map), recalibrate with new shoes, maybe once halfway through shoe life (200 miles), marathon showed 26.5 miles, accuracy issues when running strides, or other intervals with unusual strides.

Bike pod - accurate, compared to G-map. Turns on automatically. Really nothing to say, other than it works, and is nearly transparent.

GPS POD - I do not have this item, as I have both shoe and bike PODs. I considered it, but it seemed redundant. Additionally, I don't think these types of GPS units are as accurate or responsive for this purpose (I base this on performance of friend's Garmin GPS).

Training Manager Lite - Very easy to use. Simply plug in the PC POD (USB) and press a button on the watch. It will download in less than a minute, after which you can name the workouts, make notes, and analyze the data. The detailed graphs are good visual representations of the workouts, but it's important that you either have the Autolap feature on, or you manually hit the lap button.

Warranty - My heart rate sensor started acting strange (giving strange readings, then jumping to normal). I sent it in for repair, and it was replaced under warranty. It took a few weeks to get the replacement, but I was very happy to have a replacement and pleased with the process with Suunto.