Great Eastern Trail Run Series Race Report

Yesterday i rolled out with a few of my fellow Tri Club teammates to Walnut Creek Park to participate in the Great Eastern Trail Run Half Marathon. Since my last race of the triathlon season (Naylors) i have not done much structured training, or any training for that matter so i felt this was going to be a tough day. My friends and I decided to do this race simply because it was all on trails and it was going to be MUDDY because it rained non-stop for 4 days leading up to the race, however, we couldn't have asked for better running weather. The race only had about 40 people running and was a relaxed atmosphere.

From the gun we followed the pace car up to the top of the part and the beginning of the trail head. The distance was just over a mile to the beginning of the trails and i was in the lead group until the faster guys took off at the entrance of the trail. I had decided before the race that i was going to push it the whole time and just see how long i could keep pace. Things were going well and i managed to stay on my feet although there were people falling and slipping on roots and rocks. Once thing i found frustrating was that the terrain seemed to dictate my pace and i couldn't always run as fast as i wanted. The trail was a lot of up and downs until about mile 4 when we reached the top of a plateau and had to climb over some fallen trees. From there we came back down towards the start/finish but headed left back to the hills. Just before we started, what seemed like, a 2 mile climb we had to cross a stream that was knee deep. Lots of people were slowing down and walking across but i thought it would be fun to fly though it as fast as i could go. My shoes go pretty soaked but dried off just in time for me to cross another stream a few miles later.

I have to say that this was the hardest 1/2 marathon i have ever competed in, the constant changes in elevation, obstacles, and not knowing how far along i was made it difficult. Although I left it all out on the trail my endurance was feeling great at the finish, if i had nutrition to take with me I could have run the course again. I am really glad i came out and participated because i am starting to get motivated to really start ramping up my training for next season and although i have done something everyday, i want to start setting some fitness goals and going after them.

I also want to give a shout-out to my friends who kicked some as5 with me at the race and big props to Chris Berg, Rudy, and Andrew for some blazing fast times at 70.3 Worlds!

Naylor's Beach (Oly.) Race Report

Naylors was truly a unique race experience. It was the first time I had a chance to race with the whole team, i think 14 of us all rolled out together. Coming into this race we all knew that the field was going to be tough because this was the USAT Collegiate Regional Champs and everyone was going to be bringing their A game.

I came into this race knowing that my fitness is starting to fall and i am ready for the off season. I just haven't had the time to log the hours that I wanted to be competitive. So I had decided that because i have mostly been running lately that i would be looking for a new run PR and try and come in under 2:30.

The race started at 9am and it had been raining heavily for 2 days straight so we were expecting a wet and wild event. When we got to transition for check in on Sunday morning it was raining like crazy and we were quickly soaked. I went through the usual pre-race warm-ups and headed to the water for the swim start. It seemed that the weather knew we had a race and the rain stopped right as we all hit the water for wave 1. The swim went as planned i found a group that was going at a pace i could hold and we stuck together without many issues for the whole swim.

The run back to the bike was pretty short and i was quickly on my way out on to the bike course. The bike course was mostly rolling hills with 2 serious climbs at miles 10 and 18. With in the first 4 miles i must have seen 6 or 7 people sitting on the side of the road because of flats or from wiping out on a turn. Luckly i was able to stay out of trouble and averaged just over 20mph on the day. With 5 miles to go I passed one of my fellow teammates who is a FAST runner and i knew that i wanted to gain a little ground on him before we hit the run.

Into T2 all of my stuff was totally soaked at this point so i opted to put on socks for the run so i wouldn't be slipping inside of my shoes. Scott left transition only a few steps behind me and we ran well together for the first mile and a half at a 6:30 pace. At the 1.5 mile mark i fell off Scotts pace and ran solo for much of the rest of the run. With the last 1.5 miles left i again linked up with one of my fellow team-mates: Diana (who recently parted ways with UVA Cross Country and Track Teams) so I really wanted to test my legs and try and hang with her. Let me tell you it hurt, we kept pushing each other and found more and more speed. Diana went one last time just before the line but i couldn't keep pace. We both came in at the 2:30 mark, so i was glad that I made it in under my goal time.

At the end of the day i was pleased with my race because i felt i left it all out on the road and had one of my fastest run times ever. Although this race was about 10 min slower than my previous Oly. races I can still count it as a success. The triathlon season is quickly coming to a close as i have my last race this coming Saturday. The plan will be much of the same as it was for Naylor's i just want to make sure i leave it all out on the road. After next weekend I will probably stick to running for a while and do some 10K trail races. Then, depending on how the fitness is going i might take on a marathon in November.

Thats all for now, just want to give a shout out to all my fellow teammates for a great weekend and big ups for Rudy who won the race over all! Look for a race report next weekend.

Happy Training/Racing!

Patriots Half (70.3) Race Report

The patriots half was a great race. Being the first Half "Ironman" that i have done that was not run by Ironman it was quite different. There were only something like 600 people racing that day and everything seemed much more laid back. The bay was about an 8th of a mile from transition so it was a bit of a run back to the bike. I was in wave 1 which was men 39 and under. We started in about waist deep water that had little to no visibility. The course had 2 left turns but the second turn was hard to find. When we reached the second turn bouyee the sun was directly in our faces so it was very difficult to sight the final run into the shore. After swimming in a zig zag for a bit i was able to see the finishing arch for the swim. The swim to the finish took longer than expected because we were fighting the tide as it headed out to sea. I had one of my slowest swims ever for a 1.2 mile race (a time of 37:58) and i was very frustrated running back to transition. But as it turns out i had the second fastest swim for my age group, so it looks like everyone had a terrible swim.

Coming out of the water I was excited to try out the new aero position at the Half distance. I jumped on my bike and was off. The course was great, mostly flat with a few rollers and a couple long false flats. We rode through the Virginia countryside and through some tobacco and cotton plantations which was pretty cool. I was able to stay hunkered down in my aero position for a majority of the ride, however my forearms did get a little sore and i would have to come up and stretch periodically. I am pretty pleased with my bike effort on Saturday, i managed to average over 20mph and my nutrition went off with out a hitch. But once again much like the swim the course was long...2 miles too long i think. So my hopes of coming in under 5 hours were quickly squashed.

Onto the run. I knew at this point that i couldn't go sub 5 so i just wanted to have a great run and enjoy the rest of my day. As i left transition a guy told me i was top 30 which was pretty encouraging. The course great we ran out along a corn field and then did two loops through a forrest with gravel trails. My feet and legs were hurting pretty badly on the first 3 miles and i thought i was in for a lot of pain but i was able to link up with Sarah (fellow UVA teammate who got 3rd overall for women) and we jammed from about mile 8 to the finish. Although it wasn't that fast 1:44 was my fastest 13.1 time yet.

At the end of the day i was very pleased with my result because i came into this race under trained. So i am stoked with the 4th place finish and a new run PR. Up next is the Naylor's Beach Olympic triathlon which is in two weeks and its the regional conference champs so there will be a bunch of fast guys there. My goal is to try and break top 10 and get a new Olympic PR.

Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend!

Happy Training/Racing!

I'll try and post some race pics later this week..........

Back To School/Taper Time

Well I'm back in good old Virginia for the next few months. Classes have been going well and i have settled into a moderate training program. I have been doing more speed work and less distance because for the rest of the season i will be doing shorter races. Although i might throw in a marathon at the end of November :-).

I signed up for a "class" that is focused on swim mechanics, something i could really benefit from. It has been fun but i feel a bit out of place because most of the people in my class are not swimmers and have never done any kind of structured swimming before. But i am hoping this will yield faster more efficient swim times.

My final block of Triathlons starts this weekend with the Patriots Half (70.3 distance). I am really looking forward to this race because its pancake flat (just like Florida 70.3) but it looks like it wont be as hot as Florida. So i am hoping to yield a PR although my training has been anything but rigorous post Ironman Coeur D Alene. This race will serve as a bit of an experiment as i have my new more aggressive aero position, and i am going probably try some new nutrition plans.

Well thats all for now. I'll post a race report sometime this weekend.

Happy Training/Racing!

Wind Tunnel

Race Report

There have been some big things going on: the wind tunnel and the Coeur D Alene Olympic Triathlon.

Race day started off with out any major complications. The weather was in the high 50's and the lake was in the 70's. There were 2 waves for the swim start and i was in wave 1. I positioned my self near the front of the group before the gun went off. Once all the bumping for position ended i got into a groove and tried to find some feet. I felt like crap on the swim and was expecting a pretty slow time seeing how i have not been doing much training post Ironman and i was in a car crash. But i came out of the water in 22:10 which is a new PR for me so I was in high spirits heading onto the bike.

I dont think i had ever been more excited for the bike segment of a triathlon as i was on Saturday, because i had just spend the day in the wind tunnel and i decided to try out my new position. I hit the road and started picking off people up the road. I hunkered down into my aero position and clicked away. I was able to average 20mph over the very hilly course and was not passed by any other rider. I finished the bike in 1:09:59.

Heading out onto the run i was feeling good and ready to jam because this was the only race that i had to DNF from because of an injury last year. I was able to link up with the 4th place OA woman and we tried to chase down the other women up the road. By mile 2.5 i was falling off her pace and had to set out on my own. The rest of the race was just trying to stick to my pace and not get passed by to many people. I finished the run in 48:57.

The total time for the day was 2:24:03 which was good enough for 10th in my age group of 30 and 80th overall out of 606 competitors. All in all this was a great race because i had not been training since Ironman and the car crash put a hold on things. Now is time for a little down time at the lake before i go back to school and officially start up my training program. Next race is in Sepember. I will post something about the wind tunnel next week. Thats all for now.


Happy Training/Racing!

August Update

Lots happening this week:

-My friends over at TT FLY wheels hooked me up with a disc!

-I finish working full time at Competitor Group as i get ready to head back to school. But plan on still helping out the editors with some side projects back in Virginia.

-I just signed up to race Ironman 70.3 Florida next May. Should be a blast again!

-Got a new pair of K-Swiss running shoes that i will be breaking in this week.

-WIND TUNNEL!!!! I am so stoked to get a chance to go down to the wind tunnel its going to be amazing. I will be sure to post plenty of photos and videos of the experience.

-My first race since CDA is this weekend the Coeur D Alene olympic triathlon.

Thats all for now look for a few updates in the middle of next week.

Huge Congrats to SONJA for kicking ass at Ironman LP!