Friday, May 15, 2015
The Dutch do it on bikes
I thought this might become a travel log for a bit, but maybe I can keep it triathlon themed. Anyways. The Dutch are huge fans of bicycles. There seem to be more bikes here than cars. In fact, the bike lanes are wider than the streets in most places. And it seems even courtship occurs on bicycles
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
New Kicks
Pretty pumped for these. 6.3 oz with some stability, perfect for me. Closest thing to a racing flat I've ever had. No excuses for slow turnover now!
Friday, May 1, 2015
Race Report Omission - Nutrition
Left something important out of my race report - nutrition! This was my first olympic distance race, so it was actually a bit of a question mark going in.
Pre-race breakfast was pretty typical: bagel with peanut butter and a banana, 2.5 hours before the race. Had just a tiny bit of coffee before leaving the hotel. Very careful with this as it sometimes upsets my stomach.
On the bike I had one bottle with 60:40 gatorade:water, with a saltstick tablet dissolved inside, and two Gu's, both with extra sodium and 50 mg caffeine. I had the gu's at the start of the first and second loops on the bike. Drank about 60% of the bottle (would have need all of it and maybe a little more if it had been sunny and hot). Took nothing on the run.
This worked out great. No stomach issues at all, felt energized the entire time. Only thing to change is maybe take another Gu within the first two miles of the run. Mostly a mental thing, might be a good pick me up.
Pre-race breakfast was pretty typical: bagel with peanut butter and a banana, 2.5 hours before the race. Had just a tiny bit of coffee before leaving the hotel. Very careful with this as it sometimes upsets my stomach.
On the bike I had one bottle with 60:40 gatorade:water, with a saltstick tablet dissolved inside, and two Gu's, both with extra sodium and 50 mg caffeine. I had the gu's at the start of the first and second loops on the bike. Drank about 60% of the bottle (would have need all of it and maybe a little more if it had been sunny and hot). Took nothing on the run.
This worked out great. No stomach issues at all, felt energized the entire time. Only thing to change is maybe take another Gu within the first two miles of the run. Mostly a mental thing, might be a good pick me up.
2015 USAT Collegiate Nationals - Race Recap
Intro
A couple weeks ago I was reading the blog of pro triathlete Matt Lieto*, and he wrote something that resonated with me a little bit. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something like, "I don't like writing race reports because often it reads like a list of excuses, woulda, coulda, shouldas. I believe that what you do on race day speaks for itself, and you have to stand by that." That said, Matt still writes race reports. And I'm going to as well. But for the purpose of keeping track of what I felt during the race in order to prepare for the next one, not to talk about what might have happened but didn't.
*Matt is an all around awesome guy. He came to Oceanside during our winter tri camp to speak to us and train with us for a few days. Super friendly, super funny, and very talented. If you ever see him out on the IM circuit, cheer him on!
Pre-Race Positives
Everything felt great leading up to race day. Lots of rest, good taper (check out what you did for next year and repeat!!), smooth legs. I was ready. I think the warm up I did on Friday was great too, except for the bike. Between riding back from bike pick up and doing another 20 minutes later, it was too much.
Splits
Overall - 2:26:57
Swim - 30:46
T1 - 2:00
Bike - 1:09:56
T2 - 1:38
Run - 42:39
Walk Through
The swim was pretty standard for me. I found my own space, swam solo, felt like I sighted pretty well but took conservative lines, and kept myself working hard but never red-lining. Still haven't figured out how to find a good group and swim on feet in open water. Something I'd like to work on next year.
T1 was great. Got out of the water, up the hill, and got the wetsuit off about as quickly as possible. Did my flying mount and was off on the bike.
It was really raining when I started the bike. Hard to tell whether this had a subconscious effect on me, but I felt like I stayed focused, aggressive, and kept the pace I would have in any weather. The course was as expected - rollers. No real climbs, but rolling hills that kept things interesting. Didn't play to my strengths on the bike. I like to get my speed up, find my threshold, and cruise there all day. With rollers, you've gotta be able to put in those 2-4 minute hard efforts and get back to cruising. Something to train and be prepared for next year. Like the swim, I was happy with the bike, but not thrilled.
T2 was typical. Cramped hard in the right calf trying to get my shoe on. Stood there for five seconds waiting for it to release. Everything else was great. Things to do differently: somehow loosen up as you run into T2 with your bike, put your left shoe on first (could it be that simple?), sit down to put your shoes on.
Got off into the run and felt pretty good initially. Was expecting something pretty flat, and in reality, the elevation gain over 10k was not bad, but it was always steady up or down. No flat stretches to really settle in. On the way back in (first of four times) I realized the hill in that direction was gonna be killer every time. The mindset became: push it on the downhills, hang on for dear life as you go back up. About halfway through, my legs really were not doing well. The pounding on the downhill was taking a toll and I was running out of gas. But this is when I got focused and latched onto a runner who seemed to be just a little stronger. Coincidentally, he was a Spartan. I stayed on his hip for the last 2k as we dropped the pace. Came up towards the finish and he seemed to ease off a little bit. I hesitated - should I try to put some space between us here and hold or stay right behind him and out sprint him to the line? I went with the latter, but it turned out to be a mistake. He had about 3 inches of height on me, and when he turned the corner and kicked with that stride, I didn't have much of a chance. I was disappointed with the numbers on the run - I wanted to go sub-40 and I really thought I was fit to do that. But I know I gave it all I had on that day, and it just wasn't there.
Final Thoughts
What an amazing event!! The atmosphere is really something special. I hope to race here as many years as possible. And the draft legal and mixed team relays were a blast to watch. Those formats really feel like racing. If I ever have the chance (if I ever get fast enough), I'd love to compete in those races.
Already thinking about next year! Had a great meeting with Coach Seth and have some initial plans in mind. That's for a later post.
Can't end this without a huge shoutout to Ryan Karr. It was a blast to see him in Clemson. And he had an awesome race. I really really really wanted to be neck and neck with him, but he got the minutes on me I figured he would on the swim and then just absolutely smashed the run. Gotta work hard to keep up with Ry - anytime we show up at a start line together, I want us to both be thinking, "I'm gonna have to throw down to stay ahead of this guy."
A couple weeks ago I was reading the blog of pro triathlete Matt Lieto*, and he wrote something that resonated with me a little bit. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something like, "I don't like writing race reports because often it reads like a list of excuses, woulda, coulda, shouldas. I believe that what you do on race day speaks for itself, and you have to stand by that." That said, Matt still writes race reports. And I'm going to as well. But for the purpose of keeping track of what I felt during the race in order to prepare for the next one, not to talk about what might have happened but didn't.
*Matt is an all around awesome guy. He came to Oceanside during our winter tri camp to speak to us and train with us for a few days. Super friendly, super funny, and very talented. If you ever see him out on the IM circuit, cheer him on!
Pre-Race Positives
Everything felt great leading up to race day. Lots of rest, good taper (check out what you did for next year and repeat!!), smooth legs. I was ready. I think the warm up I did on Friday was great too, except for the bike. Between riding back from bike pick up and doing another 20 minutes later, it was too much.
SplitsOverall - 2:26:57
Swim - 30:46
T1 - 2:00
Bike - 1:09:56
T2 - 1:38
Run - 42:39
Walk Through
The swim was pretty standard for me. I found my own space, swam solo, felt like I sighted pretty well but took conservative lines, and kept myself working hard but never red-lining. Still haven't figured out how to find a good group and swim on feet in open water. Something I'd like to work on next year.
T1 was great. Got out of the water, up the hill, and got the wetsuit off about as quickly as possible. Did my flying mount and was off on the bike.
It was really raining when I started the bike. Hard to tell whether this had a subconscious effect on me, but I felt like I stayed focused, aggressive, and kept the pace I would have in any weather. The course was as expected - rollers. No real climbs, but rolling hills that kept things interesting. Didn't play to my strengths on the bike. I like to get my speed up, find my threshold, and cruise there all day. With rollers, you've gotta be able to put in those 2-4 minute hard efforts and get back to cruising. Something to train and be prepared for next year. Like the swim, I was happy with the bike, but not thrilled.
T2 was typical. Cramped hard in the right calf trying to get my shoe on. Stood there for five seconds waiting for it to release. Everything else was great. Things to do differently: somehow loosen up as you run into T2 with your bike, put your left shoe on first (could it be that simple?), sit down to put your shoes on.
Got off into the run and felt pretty good initially. Was expecting something pretty flat, and in reality, the elevation gain over 10k was not bad, but it was always steady up or down. No flat stretches to really settle in. On the way back in (first of four times) I realized the hill in that direction was gonna be killer every time. The mindset became: push it on the downhills, hang on for dear life as you go back up. About halfway through, my legs really were not doing well. The pounding on the downhill was taking a toll and I was running out of gas. But this is when I got focused and latched onto a runner who seemed to be just a little stronger. Coincidentally, he was a Spartan. I stayed on his hip for the last 2k as we dropped the pace. Came up towards the finish and he seemed to ease off a little bit. I hesitated - should I try to put some space between us here and hold or stay right behind him and out sprint him to the line? I went with the latter, but it turned out to be a mistake. He had about 3 inches of height on me, and when he turned the corner and kicked with that stride, I didn't have much of a chance. I was disappointed with the numbers on the run - I wanted to go sub-40 and I really thought I was fit to do that. But I know I gave it all I had on that day, and it just wasn't there.
Final Thoughts
What an amazing event!! The atmosphere is really something special. I hope to race here as many years as possible. And the draft legal and mixed team relays were a blast to watch. Those formats really feel like racing. If I ever have the chance (if I ever get fast enough), I'd love to compete in those races.
Already thinking about next year! Had a great meeting with Coach Seth and have some initial plans in mind. That's for a later post.
Can't end this without a huge shoutout to Ryan Karr. It was a blast to see him in Clemson. And he had an awesome race. I really really really wanted to be neck and neck with him, but he got the minutes on me I figured he would on the swim and then just absolutely smashed the run. Gotta work hard to keep up with Ry - anytime we show up at a start line together, I want us to both be thinking, "I'm gonna have to throw down to stay ahead of this guy."
Thursday, April 23, 2015
The scene at the airport
Cal Tri about to go wheels up SFO -> ATL. Super pumped!! Nationals here we come! 
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Shiny legs
Tonight I made maybe the biggest commitment to the sport since buying a carbon bike - I shaved my legs. Immediate thoughts: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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