Looking Towards Timberman

Timberman 70.3, my A race of the season, is now just over four weeks away. I've remained injury free (knocking on wood), and training has gone well. I visited my folks on Nantucket last weekend and did the Nantucket Triathlon. This used to be a two-day affair with a sprint on Saturday and an Olympic on Sunday, but they did away with the Sunday race due to dwindling participation. I didn't taper much going into the race, only taking it easy on the Thursday and Friday.

Looking at who was racing, I felt I had a decent chance of winning. However, Beau Garufi was a last minute registrant, and he kicked my butt. I crossed the line in 2nd place, but was in no-mans land for the run. I came off the bike three minutes behind Beau, and about two minutes in front of the guy behind me. However, some younger guy had a smoking fast run from a later wave and beat me for 2nd OA by 5 seconds. It's hard to run fast when there's nobody around, and the lesson was learned (again) that you need to push hard. I easily could have run a bit faster and should have taken 2nd OA, but I finished in 3rd. Either way, it was a fun race. I managed to take the bike course KOM by 2 seconds from Lucas Pozzetta, who set it last year. Here are a few free photos from the race (only bike photo has me in the background coming into T2!).

                       

Training has been going well, and one thing I've been doing the last few weeks is a back-to-back hard workout on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday has been a track day and Thursday has been intervals on the bike. Yesterday was 3x20' @ 95% on the bike, and I was at 324-327 watts on each one. My HR stayed under 160, which was a good sign. With my power goal at Timberman being around 280, I'm hoping the HR will stay nice and low so I can have a solid run. The Wednesday track workout this week was 3x2 miles a bit quicker than open half pace. The miles all ended up averaging around 5:55 pace.

I have two more bigger weekends, and plan on getting in 3:00 - 3:15 rides w/5 off the bike on Saturdays and runs of 16 and 17 mile runs on the two Sundays. I really feel that I'm capable of being right around 4:20 at Timberman, and maybe sneaking under that time if things go real well. I know there is at least one stud, Matt Migonis (who beat me by 10 minutes at Patriot), who should beat me soundly. The real goal is a 2017 70.3 WC slot, and I feel I'm in that neighborhood.

Patriot Half Recap

It's been four days since I competed in the Patriot Half in East Freetown, MA. This race and location is a little sentimental because it was the location of my first tri back in 2011. At that time, the race also included a sprint. I remember finishing up the sprint race and watching some of the lead bikers in the half fly by and trying to imagine what it would take to get there. Fast forward six years, and I was one of those faster bikers, hopefully inspiring some folks just starting out in the sport.

By the numbers, I bettered my time at FL 70.3 by 4 1/2 minutes, setting an 8 minute course PR.

I was definitely hoping for a faster swim and run, but I'll take the PR and move forward. I made the choice to start in the elite wave, secretly hoping to crack the top two, which had prize money ($300 and $200). Being six minutes down out of the water didn't help. I felt like I swam decently in terms of pacing, but my sighting wasn't great, and I kept drifting left a bit. Coming out of the water, I knew I had some work to do.

I tried to make T1 pretty fast, but the wetsuit took a bit longer than I would have liked, getting hung up on an ankle. Out onto the bike, I put my head down and targeted wattage around 275-285. My HR remained high for the first 20 or so minutes, then began to settle. I had half a Powerbar stuck on my aero bars, but after taking one bight the rest fell out of my hand on a bump - 100 calories down. I had an 800 calorie bottle of Infinit, so I knew I needed to take it all in, which I was able to do during the bike leg.

The bike leg at Patriot is two loops, and I went past transition right at 1:06 on my bike computer. At that point I was averaging 282 watts. My HR was back in check, but my legs didn't seem so happy, so I made the decision to back off a bit on lap #2. As a result, my second loop was around 90 seconds slower, and average power came in at 272 watts. However, my legs felt great coming off the bike, and I think backing the power off a bit was the right call. As you can see from the screen shot below, the power dropped a bit around the midway point (Garmin was set to lap every four miles).

Heading out on the run, I knew I was in third place. I also knew there were some real good runners behind me. These included my Team Zoot teammate Colin Cook and Craig Mitchell from Tri Tech Elite. Within the first mile of the run I began to have a side-stitch on my left side. During the bike I had simply forgotten to take in my SaltStick caps except on one occasion, and I also forgot to grab them coming off the bike - not a good start to the run! Several years ago I had issues with side-stitches and upping the sodium had helped. I remembered that breathing in and out on when the left foot hit the ground was a technique that helped alleviate side-stitches. I began doing this - the side-stitch didn't go away, but the pain lessened a bit. However, my pace wasn't what I wanted - I was hovering around 7:00 pace, far from my goal pace of 6:3x pace. 

For several miles I had a battle with my side-stitch. Whenever I forgot to breathe both in and out on my left foot fall the side-stitch would begin to come back. Somewhere around mile 6-7 it seemed to go away for good. It was also around this time that Craig Mitchell caught me. I gave him kudos on the run and he returned the favor on my bike. He slowly pulled away till he had a 100 yard lead, but then I was able to hold that distance. As the miles went by this distance maintained, and I tried pushing a bit more at the end. At the finish, he beat me by 20 seconds. I was definitely happy to have negative split the run and finished feeling strong. I'll definitely make a point of focusing on the sodium intake on both the bike and run at Timberman where the competition will be fighting for those 70.3 slots. Below you can see around the midway point where I began feeling better - pace got a bit quicker and the HR went up as I got the upper hand on the side-stitch.

Crossing the finish line, I was excited to have set another PR, but also a bit frustrated with the cramping and self-inflicted damage because of forgetting the SaltSticks. 

I now have eight weeks until the A race of my season, Timberman 70.3. With the progress I've made this season, I feel that going sub 4:20 is realistic there. I'll need to have a better swim - low 30's, a bike time of 2:15-2:17, and a run in the mid 1:2x range to get it done. The school year is also complete, so I'll have more time to spend both with my family and to get in some solid training. I'm thinking of doing the Nantucket Sprint Tri, which is in mid July, and visit the folks for a few days. There won't be any taper for that race other than a few easier days leading in if I decide to do it. The body is feeling good and recovering well after Patriot - it's time to get back at it and enjoy the summer!

Training Update

It's hard to believe that it has already been over seven weeks since our trip to Florida, but the time has gone by rapidly. Katie is doing better with her pregnancy (nearly 24 weeks), and the end of the school year is now within sight (15 days to go!!!). Training has been going quite well, and I have expectations for a fast time at the Patriot Half on June 18th.

I've honestly never felt stronger on the bike, and this was evidenced by a local time trial that I did earlier in the week. The Charlie Baker Time Trial is a weekly TT that is staged in Concord, MA. It's a 9.75 mile loop that I train on virtually every week, but haven't done the actual TT in five years. I decided to give it a go this past Wednesday and ended up averaging 365 watts over 20:36. I was pretty psyched with the power output, as it was around 80 degrees at the time I went off. I initially thought I'd gone out a bit too hard, but held on pretty well to finish strong. I was hoping to get under 20 minutes, and will maybe give it another go in the fall, but for now it's a good test of my fitness heading into the remainder of the tri season.

I've been up nice and early to get in the workouts and be home as soon as possible. This has meant seeing lots of cool critters before the sun is up as well as lots of beautiful sunrises. I've seen lots of deer, foxes, a snapping turtle, a coyote, and lots of turkeys. Here's a shot of the sun about to come up over the Concord River around 5 am.

And 30 minutes into a bike ride, with the sun just rising:

Below is the bike file from the ride this photo was taken at the start of. I've been aiming to average around HIM power for my longer rides, and this has seemed easier and easier as the season has progressed.

Overall training has gone well since the trip to Florida. May was a solid month of training. My run is feeling pretty good, and I've been getting in a weekly long run of 14-17 miles. Wednesday has been my track day, and I've done repeats ranging from 10k pace to HIM pace. Two weeks ago I did a session of 3x 1.5 miles around 5:45 pace. This morning was 3x2 miles around goal HIM effort. My HR is staying pretty low for the efforts, so I'm hoping this can translate into a HIM run PR at Patriot in a little over two weeks. With a open half PR of just over 1:20, I feel that I should be able to run around 1:25 if I pace the bike well. Here are the training numbers from May:

Swimming has also been pretty decent, but it's been hard finding time to get to the pool. This will definitely be easier when the school year ends in a few weeks, and I'll also be able to get to Walden Pond to get in open water swimming - hopefully once a week or so. Lately, I've been doing lots of 100's on a 1:40 send off and hitting the wall around 1:22 or so. Once a week I've been doing some longer sets of 200's, 300's, or 400's to work a bit on endurance. I'm hoping this can translate into a swim in the low 30's at Patriot. 

In terms of goals for Patriot, I'd love to set another HIM PR, which would mean under 4:26. However, I feel that if things go real well I could go under 4:20. I need to execute a solid swim, bike within my abilities, then have a well-paced run. Quick transitions will also help. 

I'll close out with a photo of one of our new neighbors. A fox family decided to take up residence in our neighborhood, and I've been seeing the pups on a regular basis heading out on my morning rides and runs. The two pups like to hang out in this culvert and don't seem to skittish of people. 

Florida 70.3 Report

It's now been a little over a week since I raced in Florida, and my body seems to be recovering pretty well. Overall, the race went reasonably ok, but I had been hoping for a time a few minutes quicker. For the first race of the year, and my first race this early in the season I can't really complain, especially since I set a 3 minute PR.

Here are the basics if you don't want to read any further:

Our trip south began on a Friday when we woke up around 2:30 am in order to get a 6 am flight out of Providence, RI. The drive down was smooth, and we had plenty of time. We arrived in Orlando around 11:00 after a brief stop over in the state that has a grudge against the LGBT crowd - WTF North Carolina?? My mom had flown down the previous night and met us in the Orlando airport. We grabbed some lunch, then headed to our condo. We were staying in a time share called The Villas at Regal Palms, about 25 minutes north of the race venue in Haines City. I was able to get a 3 BR condo with two sleeper sofas for around $60 a night - the place was huge and we had tons of room to spread out and try to loose Jackson's toys!

On Friday the plan was to take it real easy, but life happens, and soon we ended up in an ER around 20 minutes away. Katie is 17 weeks pregnant, and began bleeding quite heavily. Thankfully, things turned out to be somewhat OK - Katie got an ultrasound at the hospital and heard the baby's HR. It turns out she has placenta previa, meaning the placenta is covering the cervix and there could (and probably will) be future complications. It also means any further travel is a no-no and that there could be future bleeding. Katie ended up spending around 4 hours in the ER as they did lots of tests, and after going back to shop for groceries, I returned to be with her for a little over two hours.

The plans for Saturday were to visit Lego Land, but Katie needed to stay at the condo to rest. She was still bleeding, which was not all that reassuring, especially since we had a miscarriage back in August. Jackson, Grandma, and I headed off to Lego Land on Saturday morning, leaving Katie to rest. We ended up spending around 3 1/2 hours at Lego Land. We had visited back in February, so I had an idea of what rides Jackson liked, so we pretty much did a repeat of our previous visit. He had an absolute blast, as did my Mom and I. We had to tear him away to get to packet pickup and get my bike from TriBikeTransport before they closed at 3:00 pm. Here's a shot from the morning and early afternoon at Lego Land.

Jackson fell asleep on the way to Haines City, so my Mom stayed in the car with him while I went to collect my bike, go on a short ride, then do packet pick up. It took a little over an hour to do everything, and I also saw a few teammates. Everything seemed ok with the bike, but I did get lost on a short 15 min ride and needed to use my phone to get back to the race site. I got the bike all set up and left it at transition, then we headed back to our condo to see Katie.

Bike ready for blast off - first race for the new ride:

Katie had a restful day and was doing a bit better. We were still a little unsure about how Sunday would unfold, as my Mom wasn't a 'legal' driver for the rental car. Eventually, we decided that Katie would drop me off on race morning with hopes that they could make it back by the end of my race.

Sunday morning dawned, and I was up around 3:30 am. I had a breakfast of 2 1/2 cups of applesauce, a bagel, a Powerbar, and a Gatorade. We left around 4:30 and I was dropped off just before 5 am. It took a little while to set up transition, and I chatted with a few folks racked around me. Doing a little research before the race, it looked like there were two folks in my AG who had gone sub 9 in an IM, along with lots of others who were in the sub 4:20 range. My goal was finishing near the top of my AG, but I was a bit unsure of how things would go on virtually all indoor biking and running.

With a 7:45 start in something like the 12th wave, I had quite a lot of time to wait after leaving transition. I had a bit more Gatorade, water, and took a Powerbar around 6:45. I also got in 500 yards of swimming in the outdoor pool for a warmup. It was my first swim in my new Roka Maverick Elite wetsuit, and I felt good. I had a Powerbar gel 20 minutes prior to the swim and had some more water to wash it down. With the swim being an odd 'M' shape due to the size of the lake, I was a little unsure of how things would go. At one point the swim was changed to a 2-loop swim, but it was changed back to the 'M' shape about 10 days prior to the race. 

My swim time was definitely slower than what I was hoping for. It always seems that I swim slower in races to start the season, then the speed comes as the months progress. Swimming a 35 was not the plan, but it looks like the swim was slower overall. I'm definitely hoping I'll be down closer to 30 minutes for my next race near the end of June. My swim was good for 32nd in my AG out of around 180. I thought I'd be closer to 32-33 with the wetsuit, but I didn't let it bother me and got on to the bike. Considering the slow swim, I was surprised afterwards to see it was 32nd in the AG - just a slow course in general with all those turns. Regarding the sign below, the only time I thought of the large reptiles that live in the lake was at the swim start when we were treading water and kicking reeds, but once swimming I was focused on the race. 

The plan for the bike had been to target a bit lower watts than normal because of the weather conditions. However, race day was cooler than in previous years (nearly 90 last year), so I decided to target the mid 270's for watts, about ten watts higher than I would have targeted in warmer weather. Unfortunately I had to stop twice in the first half hour to bend the cable back for my rear brake, as it was rubbing my chainring. I think that the shop I dropped my bike off at for TriBikeTransport adjusted the brakes - they were definitely wider - and as a result, the cable was rubbing. These two stops probably took 45-60 seconds off my bike split. 

The bike course is generally flat with a few rolling hills in the second half of the ride. The wind also seemed to pick up on the second half and I tried really hard to stay as aero as possible to cut through the wind. BBS had predicted a time of 2:13 around 265 watts, but I finished right at 2:16 on 272 watts. I think that the wind definitely led to the slower time (along with the two quick stops). I rolled into transition feeling good, and it was a good sign to see the racks pretty much empty around me. I was 5th in my AG coming off the bike. Ignore the IF - my FTP isn't set correctly on Garmin Connect. 

Getting out on to the run I was feeling quite good. I knew the 3-loop course was hilly on the first half of each loop, and the plan was to push hard on the uphills and try to recover a little on the downhills while keeping up a quick cadence and maintaining pace. Based on training, I felt a pace in the 6:30-6:40 range was a realistic goal. However, I think the hills and heat (upper 70's, but much hotter than at home) slowly got to me. I definitely slowed down a little bit on each lap, but I still picked up one spot in my AG, finishing in 4th. On the last lap I made a point of going a little slower through the aid stations to get in the fluids and keep myself cool. Maybe I could have been a bit quicker there, but I didn't want to take any chances on slowing down dramatically near the end. 

Katie, Jackson & my Mom managed to make it to the end of the race, and got the photo below of me near the finish. Katie pointed out that it looks like the person on the right side looks about ready to blind side me - not sure what's going on there! It was great to have them join me at the race, and it was the first time my Mom has ever seen me do a triathlon. Katie was also feeling a little better and the bleeding and pretty much subsided - making us feel better. I was so happy that she was 'ok' and that we weren't going to be heading home with heavy hearts!

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how the race played out. Yes, my swim was slower than I would have liked, but it looks like swims were generally slower on this course. The bike time was also a bit slower than I was hoping for, but sometimes that happens. The wind did seem to pick up a bit and having to stop twice to fix the rubbing on the chainring didn't help. The run is where I'm the most disappointed. Based on my run focus, I was really hoping to see a time a good two or three minutes quicker. I feel confident that as the weather warms and I can get in some runs in the 'relative heat' of New England I can bring my run split down into the mid 1:20's for my next three planned HIM's this season. 

One thing that I guess I need to work on is my sunscreen application. I'll be wearing a sleeved ZOOT trisuit this season - the Team Zoot suit is supposed to arrive by the end of April, but the neck area is the spot I seemed to miss. The photo below is after the race - I needed to put aloe on the neck area for a few days to mitigate peeling. 

After the race I decided not to make the family stay around for hours for the awards ceremony. I wasn't aiming for a WC slot (that's the focus at Timberman in August to get one for 2017) and didn't really care that much for a 4th place award. We headed back to our condo and packed up a bit. We then went out to Sweet Tomatoes, a salad bar restaurant, for dinner. The food was great, and it was nice to hang out with the family. Here we are after dinner before heading back to the condo. 

On Monday morning we were up early to catch a 7:25 am flight back home. Months ago Katie had bought tickets to Red Sox opening day for the two of us and her dad (Papa for Jackson), who is a huge 'Sox fan. Unfortunately, Katie wasn't able to go to the game - rest was the best option for her and the baby when we got home. We decided that it would be fun for Jackson to go to the game with Papa and I. The game, which began at 2 pm, worked out perfectly. Our flight got into Providence around 10:30 am, and we were at Katie's parents house a little after noon time. Even though the 'Sox ended up loosing (we left after five innings), it was great fun. I had to spend the first two innings trying to explain to Jackson why the Green Monster doesn't have teeth and why it's still called a monster. It's hard to put that into a coherent idea that a 3-year old understands!

The next race is the Patriot Half, a local HIM, that usually has around 600 participants. I've done the race several times in the past, and feel that barring any injuries I should be able be pretty quick there. I really hope I can consistently get in at least three swims a week, as that should help me get out of the water in a good spot in eight weeks time. 

I need to keep triathlon in perspective - I definitely love the training and racing, but the focus is on our family and making sure that Katie and our future baby are in the best possible situation to make us a family of four later this year. 

3 Weeks Till Go Time - Florida 70.3!

I'm sitting at home on a Monday morning, the 2nd day of spring, and school is closed today due to snow. In less than three weeks we'll be heading south to Florida for my first race of the season, Florida 70.3 in Haines City. I've never done a race this early in the season, and I've logged more trainer time over the winter compared to any other winter as a result. It'll definitely be interesting going from the relative chill of a New England spring to 75-85 degrees on race day. This is a destination race for Northeast Multisport , and there are about 15 of us heading down to race. Most are staying in a house together, but the family will be staying in a condo about 25 minutes from Haines City.

The plan over the next two weeks is getting in around four total rides in the bathroom to simulate humid conditions in hopes of getting in a little acclimation prior to race day. I'll also get in a little steam room time after each swim. My goal wattage during the race will be around 78%, which is around 5% lower than what I'd normally target in a HIM. This means I'll be looking to average around 265 watts rather than 280 on race day. The hope is that by dialing things down a bit in the heat and humidity I'll be able to have a solid run. Best Bike Split has me around 2:13 on 264 watts, which sounds good to me. That's right around the top times that were put down last year, the 1st year it was a non-pro race. I only have a few more days with my tri bike, as it'll be getting to the race with TriBike Transport. That will mean I'll be riding the CAAD10 for the last two weeks leading up to the race.

Looking at the run, I feel that my fitness has never been better. I've put in a solid amount of running over the past five months, and I'm seeing faster runs with a lower HR as a direct result. My 'easy' pace seems to be right around 7:20-7:30, and this will hopefully translate into a HIM run in the mid to upper 1:20's in Florida. One thinks of Florida without hills, but the run at Florida 70.3 has three punchy hills on each of the three loops. The goal is to target something in the 6:30-6:40 pace range, but to watch my HR closely. If the heat & humidity lead to a slower pace, so be it, but I need to be smart. It makes much more sense to be conservative to start and finish strong.

Swimming has been progressing well, and I feel that I'm right back to where I was in terms of pool times last season. I've been trying to get in three swims a week, and I did some 100's yesterday after a morning bike and run, and they were coming in around 1:22-1:23 on a 1:40 send off. The swim at Florida 70.3 could be a total disaster, though. The swim course was changed from a 'M' shape with a whole bunch of turns to a two loop course where you don't come back to shore. This means that swimmers could simply take it super easy and opt not to do the 2nd loop. It also means that when you start the 2nd loop you'll be jumping into another wave and the turns could me quite chaotic. Any way that you look at it, the swim doesn't seem very pretty. I'd honestly be happy with any time under 35', as it is going to be a non-wetsuit swim.

In terms of race-day goals, I'd love to win my AG. Taking a bit of time to look at who I'm racing against, it appears there are two guys in my AG who have gone sub 9 at the IM distance (Barcelona and Brazil, which are fast courses), so I definitely will have some work to do. I'd love to go sub 4:20. Putting together something like 34-35, 2:13-2:14, 1:26-1:27 should have me under my goal and in a pretty good spot.

Training has been pretty solid since January, when I began increasing my biking and swimming. I've been right around 5-6 hours of biking a week on 3-4 rides, with a long ride of 2:20-2:45 on Saturday mornings. Wattage for the longer rides has averaged 270+ to try simulating race day. Running has been around 5-6 hours a week, down a bit from 7-8 hours during my run focus. I've been incorporating some race-pace efforts in my longer Sunday runs, which have been consistently 14-17 miles. I recently did a 16.5 mile run with 2x 5 miles around 6:20 pace, which was comfortably hard.

Over the past weekend I competed in two team events at the Tri-Mania Summit & Expo, which was held at Boston University this year (MIT was the venue for the past several years). The first event on Saturday morning was a 4x1 mile relay, and I led off for our team. My goal was around a 5:00 mile, but I went out too fast, hitting the 1/4 mile in 68 seconds. I finished in 5:10 (12th OA), but with better pacing would have been closer to my goal. Our team finished with a total 4 mile time of 20:02, thanks in large part to a 4:49 by Coach Colin Cook and a 4:23 by first-year pro Lucas Pozzetta. Next up, about two hours later, was the 10k TT on Computrainers. I got in a good 45' warmup, then managed 351 watts for the race, good for 3rd OA. I added a 30' cool down to try getting in a decent ride on the day. Here I am leading off in the 4x1 mile relay (#25).

Northeast Multisport had two teams competing, plus PeakMultisport (my team), which is mostly comprised of Northeast Multisport members (I'm not that tall - just standing on the banked portion of the track).

I'm really psyched that my Mom will be joining us on our 4-day trip to Florida. My Dad isn't able to get around or travel anymore, but my Mom has a service that comes in 3-4x a day to help move my Dad, bathe him, and help him get dressed. The service will be providing folks during the time my Mom is away. She deserves a break, and is really looking forward to our trip. We plan on visiting Lego Land on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning. We were there in February and Jackson loved it. He is turning three about a week before the race, and it will be awesome to have the family out there on race day cheering me on. I'm sure these next two weeks will fly by, and it will soon be time time to pack the bags for Florida. 

2016 Season Outlook

February is here, and that means that my first tri of 2016 is exactly nine weeks away. I committed to an early-season race for the first time this year, and I'm really looking forward to it. Here is my rough schedule of races in 2016 - ones with a * I've registered for:

April - Florida 70.3*
June - Patriot Half* (fun local race that's pretty fast)
July - Mass State Olympic and/or Nantucket Sprint
August - Timberman 70.3*
September - Pumpkinman Half
November - NYC Marathon (qualified, and registration is still pending)

After a big run focus to close out 2015, I've begun upping my bike mileage, as well as trying to get in at least two swims each week. From September through January I ran a total of 1112 miles (222 avg. per month). I was quite surprised how my increased run fitness carried over to the bike. I biked on average once a week from the end of October to December, and only after a few harder sessions was able to put out 355 watts at an indoor TT in January.

My goal in terms of biking is getting in around 5 hours a week between 3-4 rides. Yesterday morning I got in a 2:15 ride and averaged 271 watts, a bit under what my likely power goal in Florida will be. Since I'm not going to be getting in a ton of biking, I've decided that virtually all rides will be at or above HIM goal power. This has been doable so far, and I'm confident that it will result in a good bike time in two months time.

The translation of fitness to swimming has not been as dramatic! I've been getting to the pool around twice a week over the past few weeks, and will need to get that up to around three times a week for the the foreseeable future. I've lost around 3-4 seconds per 100 from the summer, but I'm confident that swim fitness will come back with a solid eight weeks or so of swimming prior to our trip to Florida in mid April.

I have three main goals for this season related to triathlon. The first is to go under 4:20 in a HIM, which I feel I'm capable of if I execute a solid race. The second goal is qualifying for 2017 70.3 worlds with a good race at Timberman. Since the 2017 race will be in the US, I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one shooting for a slot, so I'll need to execute a solid race in August. I finished in 4:35 two years ago at Timberman on very limited training due to an injury, so I'm confident that if healthy, and with some solid training, a great result and a qualifying spot is within my reach. My third goal for this year is maintaining my health. I've had both ITB and Achillies injuries in the recent past, so I need to listen carefully to my body and be wise in my training.

The next test of my fitness will be an early March half marathon. My goal in that race is to go under 1:20. If I am able to have a fast half, I'll feel confident about my run heading into Florida 70.3.

Finally, I'm pleased to say that I'll be a party of Team Zoot in 2016. I've always been a big fan of Zoot gear and shoes, and I'm psyched to be able to be a part of their team and represent them this season. Here's to a great 2016 season!

Run Focus Paying Off

As the tri season came to a close this year I felt that my run had become my biggest limiter. The swim is actually my weakest area, but I feel I'd have to put in a ton of pool time to see some small gains. I decided to attack my run and focus for five or so months on becoming a better runner, and so far, it seems to be working.

In September I began to slowly increase my run volume, going from around 35 mpw up to 47 by the end of the month. I was looking towards a November half marathon and a December 5k, so I needed to balance both speed and distance work. October was a pretty solid month of running, and I wound up with a total of 222 miles.

In mid-October I visited my folks on Nantucket and ran in a half marathon there. We had actually planned on visiting them on the previous weekend, but wind prevented the boats from running. When I realized we'd be there on the week of a half marathon, I quickly signed up. I ended up winning the race in 1:24 and took home $100. About 5.5 miles of the race was on dirt roads, definitely slowing things down a bit.

October was also a month of lots of leaves, and I also ended up spending some time working on Jackson's Halloween costume. He loves Thomas the Train, and I decided to make his costume. Initially, the plan was to spend 3-4 hours. By the time I was done, I'd probably put in the same time on his costume as I did running in October, over 20 hours! Jackson loved helping clean up the leaves as well!
   

After the race on Nantucket, my focus shifted to another half marathon six weeks later. I ramped up my volume and got in a few weeks right around 60 miles, before a relatively easy week heading into the race. I was hoping to use this race as a qualifying race for the NYC Marathon, as they allow half marathon qualifying times. In the race, I think I went out a little bit too fast, and went through the first 6 miles in around 36:30. The race, which was around 50% on hard packed dirt trails, had two loops, and I began to fade a little on the 2nd loop. My finishing time ended up being a little over 1:21 (off a PR by about a minute), which should be good enough to get into NYC next fall - at least that's the hope - and I can try for that sub 3:00 marathon that's eluded me thus far.

Following the November race, I pushed the volume a tiny bid higher, finishing November with a total of 245 miles, and getting back up to 60+ mile weeks. Training this fall had been a bit of a balance for half marathons, but I had also signed up for a 5k in December, so I needed to be doing some speed-work. Each Wednesday was intervals on the treadmill, and by mid December I was feeling pretty confident that a PR was in sight! Based on training, I thought that a time in the 17:20's was a feasible, which would be a solid improvement on a 17:45 PR from three years ago.

Race morning for the 5k wasn't ideal in terms of weather. The temperature was great - low 40's - but it was very windy - 20+ mph, with higher gusts. My first mile was 5:33, and I felt pretty good. Mile 2 had a few rolling hills, and was quite open and windy. I also lost some focus a bit, and I hit 5:48. I was upset and raced the last mile angry, hitting 5:36. The final sprint finished in 5:16 pace, and I crossed the line in 17:33, a 12 sec PR. I was a bit upset that I didn't get into the 17:20's, but can't be too down. My run focus has definitely translated into some solid run gains.

The next goal is a sub 1:19 half marathon in March. I feel this is attainable with a bit more run fitness gains, as well as a bit better diet and resulting weight loss. With the increased run volume, I'm hoping to be running mid 1:2x off the bike in three planned HIM's in 2016. The plan is to continue with a emphasis on running through January, and begin incorporating more biking and swimming after the new year. The first race on my 2016 schedule will be 70.3 Florida in April. This will be a fun get-away race, and lots of other NEMS team members will be racing as well!

Pitch Pine Olympic Report

While I had hoped to close out the season with a race in Hawaii, a small race in New Hampshire had to suffice. Three years ago I won the sprint at the Pitch Pine Challenge, and based on results from the past few years, I felt I should be able to win the Olympic distance race.

It's been a month since Tremblant, and I biked a total of five times and swam a total of four times in that month. I'd been running around 5x a week, so I felt that my run fitness was still decent. I'd also gained around five pounds, which certainly wouldn't help on the run.

The Olympic race only had around 50 folks racing, and the race had to be delayed close to an hour due to thick fog on the lake. Once the swim started, I felt ok, but my pace was a bit slower than what I swam at IMMT. I came out of the water in about 25 min - not swimming much is certainly detrimental!

After T1 it was on to the bike. The bike was two loops, as opposed to the sprint distance, which was one loop. For the most part the bike course was flat to rolling with a 250 ft hill thrown in the middle. I figured that I should aim for around 10% less power than usual for an Olympic, and ended up with 283 AP and 295 NP. My bike time was right at 1:02 for the 26.3 mile course.

As there were no out and backs, I wasn't sure if I was in first place or if there was anyone ahead of me. As it turned out, there were two people ahead of me. Some young 22 yr old from Montreal laid down a 17:25 swim and backed it up with a decent 1:06 bike split. Why drive all the way from Montreal for a small Olympic???

On the run I felt pretty flat and only ran a 6:55 first mile. After that the legs came around and I was right around 6:20's for the rest of the run. I passed one person but wasn't able to close the gap to 1st. I squeaked in under 39 minutes at 38:59 on the slightly short 10k course.

Overall time was 2:09:53 - I was a little over two minutes back from the Quebecer who won. Having not done much since IMMT I wasn't all that down. The only thing that I was a little disappointed with were the prizes, or lack thereof. OA winners got new Sketchers shoes and I got a sweet glass mug for 2nd!

Katie did the sprint duathlon, and she was real excited to finish. After having a miscarriage a week before IMMT, this race was a good thing for her and I to focus on over the past five weeks. I helped out a bit with her training over the past month, and we saw each other in the transition area after the bike, which was fun!

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With the tri season officially over, it's time to begin planning for next year. My real goal over the next several months is to put in a big run block. My run has really stagnated, and I think that with a 4-5 month focus I can make some solid gains. I feel that I can maintain swim and bike fitness with around 1-2 sessions per week - probably alternating weeks (2 bikes & 1 swim one week, then switch the next). I'll be looking to run 6-7 days a week from now until the end of January, hoping to be at 200+ miles each of those months.

Northeast Multisport is going to be having Ironman Florida 70.3 in April as a destination race, and I'm trying to convince Katie that it would be fun to go. If I end up racing there, it would mean switching over to more of a bike and swim focus in February and March, while probably running 5 days a week.

Mont Tremblant Race Report - How To Blow a KQ

Step 1: Spend close to three hours trying to figure out why your darn power meter won't calibrate hours before bike check in. Never got power meter calibrated prior to race.

Step 2: Forget HR monitor at condo on a hot and humid day, when having HR as a 2nd metric would have probably been very helpful. Katie got the HR monitor for me out on the run course, but it was probably too late at that point.

Step 3: Wear a sleeved black suit on a hot and humid day, when there should have been a 'Plan B' if the weather was not ideal. Not change into running gear at T2.

Step 4: Get injured during training and miss three weeks of running. Pool running and the elliptical machine simply don't replace real running.

These are things that I'm thinking in hindsight that led to my second failure to KQ. In 2013 I was oh so close to qualifying, and I felt that this time I would be better off, knowing the course, and having learned from the past. However, it was not to be.

IMMT 2015 was my fourth time racing at Tremblant, and I felt this was a big advantage. I knew the course, the transition zone, the area, and felt it would play in my favor. I was feeling as good in the water as I did a few years ago, and my bike felt even stronger than in the past. I had a bit of a running setback in early June with an Achilles injury that forced me to take off three weeks of running, but after that I had eight solid weeks with good running. I also made the point of nailing down a specific nutrition plan and felt like it was my time and my race.

The day began with the a unappetizing breakfast of 3.5 cups of unsweetened applesauce, a scoop of whey protein and 1/4 cup of raisins all mixed together. This was my second time with this breakfast, and by the 5th or 6th spoonful it's fighting a gag reflex to down it all. By the time I was done I was hoping finishing the breakfast was the hardest thing I'd do that day.

In my three previous Tremblant races we've stayed in the village, and had a very short walk to the transition area. This year Katie's folks were coming and they got us a timeshare condo just out past where the run course heads onto the bike path. We saved a good chunk of money, but looking back, I think this was detrimental to my race. Each time we went into the village (packet pickup, bike drop off, day of race drop off) I had to walk a good deal farther than was ideal. All of this extra walking in the hot conditions probably wasn't helpful. If I race IMMT again I'll definitely stay in the village.

Katie and I left the condo at 4:50 and she dropped me off right around 5:00. I got into transition, dropped off my special needs bags (wouldn't end up using either one), then loaded the bike with nutrition and my bike computer. The Powertap still wasn't calibrating, but it was giving me power numbers. I was a little concerned, but couldn't do anything about it.

The walk to the swim is quite long - around 1/2 a mile, and I chatted with a teammate on the way over. The porta-pottie line was very long, and I only had around 15 minutes after getting out to pull the wetsuit up, toss my morning clothes bag into the back of a dump truck, and get down to the start. I had a few minutes in the water to take a few strokes, then headed to the start.

Other than a few points of contact, the swim was pretty uneventful. I found a few folks who were swimming at a similar pace to draft off at points. My open water swims had been going pretty good of late - 1:22-1:25 avg pace, so I was hoping to be in the 1:03-1:04 range, but I only came out of the water a few seconds quicker than two years ago in 1:06:28. I know it wasn't a big deal and quickly had the wetsuit off curtesy of the strippers, then headed to T1.

I tried to be a little quicker than two years ago, and was able to be out on the bike in a shade under 5 minutes. I settled in and let just about everyone fly on by, keeping power under 240-250, even on the first few hills. I was using Best Bike Split to guide me, but as the time went on, the intervals seemed way off. For those who are not familiar with BBS, it's a website that factors in weather, course, bike, rider, etc to predict a time. You can also download the ride and it tells you what power to target for each segment. In my case, the entire ride was broken into 161 segments, but they were off and the ride 'ended' at mile 103 with some beeping and a congratulatory message. Not quite! I hit 'start' and rode out the remainder of the course.

Anyway, back to the first portion of the course. IMMT is a pretty hilly course, but there are only a few real steep sections. Nearly all of the course can be ridden in the aero bars, and I tried to stay as aero as possible throughout the day. BBS had predicted a time of 4:53 on 244 watts. As I didn't have my HR monitor, I decided to be a bit more conservative, and targeted around 10 watts lower for the first loop. Once I got out to route 117 there was a steady climb for a few miles before a steep descent. After the descent it was essentially a pretty flat out and back to the base of the hill that we just went down. Again, I let folks go on the hill, knowing they'd come back to me.

Eventually, I made my way back past the transition zone and realized that I was going to have a pretty fast first loop. Going up the steeper stuff I was glad I'd opted for the 11-28 cassette and was able to keep power at or just above FTP on even the steepest grades. After the turn around I ended up finishing the first loop right around 2:24. I was pretty shocked with the time as my average power at that point was around 232 watts. I was feeling pretty good and taking in hydration and nutrition. I realized that a bike time of around 4:50 wasn't out of the question.

The second loop got quite a bit warmer, and I made a point of taking a bottle of water at each aid station, spraying most over my body, then taking a few squirts before tossing it. My power was slightly lower on loop two, but I knew it was getting hotter, I didn't have my HR monitor, and I didn't want to overcook things. I still felt like I was being smart and riding well within my means. As I neared the end of the second loop I was still feeling good and knew I was near the front of the AG. My A goal had been coming off the bike right around six hours, and it turned out to be 6:02 when I entered T2, riding a 4:51:01 bike split on 228 AP, 235 NP. I was 3rd in my AG.

 

My legs felt just ok as I ran to the transition tent. There was only one other person in the tent with me, and I was out and on my way in just under two minutes. Immediately, I knew that my run legs weren't happy. In my race two years ago I felt great off the bike and averaged around a 7:35 pace for the first six miles, but made the mistake of taking in no nutrition. This time I was targeting a 8:00 - 8:10 pace for the first six miles and taking in nutrition. I wasn't feeling great, and had to stop to massage my left hamstring right after the first mile. My pace for the first five to six miles was where I wanted, but it didn't feel like a jog. I knew I was still in a good position relative to the AG and began to think that if I could average 8:00-8:10 I may be ok. However, having this mindset so early on in the race and 'hoping' to simply maintain what should feel like a real easy pace was not a good thing.

I began thinking about my uncalibrated power meter and wondered if I had actually put out a higher wattage. I was making a real point of staying on top of nutrition and hydration, but it didn't seem to make me feel any better. The run plan was to have a Cliff Block every two miles and a gel every 45-50 minutes with a Saltstick, as well as 4-5 oz of Gatorade at each aid station. It was around mile seven to eight that I began being passed by folks in my AG. It was demoralizing to see them running off at a pace that should have been easy for me to hold. Maybe it was the heat getting to me, simply not having the running miles that I needed due to my injury in June, over biking, but I was feeling like complete garbage and just not mentally there. I made it back to the village for the end of the first loop in 1:48. Again, I told myself that if I doubled that I'd run around what I ran two years ago, which was still a crappy run time of 3:35.

However, things continued to go downhill and my pace crept up towards 9:00 miles. I tried to think of all my long runs, where I felt great and where 7:30 pace felt like a walk in the park, but it did no good. The second loop was the typical death march where I simply went from aid station to aid station, walking the aid stations. The one positive thing out on the run course was my family. On the second loop I saw Jackson and he had a huge grin and was waving at me - it picked me up for a bit and Katie said I ran off much faster than on my approach. Moments later I simply wanted the race to be over and get back to the finish area.

The last 4-5 miles were run around a 9:30 pace. I crossed the finish line dejected, but glad to be done, finishing with a run spilt of 3:50. My total time was 9:54, good for 13th in the AG, 69th OA, and actually a two minute improvement on two years ago, but still not remotely close to what I expected. Had I been able to hold an 8:00 pace I would have finished 2nd in the AG. In the finish area I sat down and tried to have some chocolate milk. This was not the best idea, as soon I was feeling nauseous, and soon had medical staff around me. I ended up throwing up, and was taken into the medical area. I was weighed and blood was taken to check sodium levels, but everything was fine. I was worried that Katie wouldn't know where I was, and had one of the medical staff text her. Eventually, Katie figured out where I was, but couldn't come in. After around 1 1/2 hrs I was released and hobbled out to see her. We gathered my stuff, got my bike, then walked out to a location where I could wait. She rode her bike back to the condo, and around 45 minutes later was back with the car to get me and my gear.

 

                      Trying to look good for the camera around mile 23, but felt horrible.

As I mentioned at the start, there are many things that I did that contributed to my failure to attain my goal of a KQ. The power meter will be a question in my mind. All of my long rides, and I did six rides of 100+ miles, were done at 235-245 watts AP. 228 watts should have been an easy ride, and my only thought is that by being unable to calibrate the power meter I was actually putting out more watts than was displayed. Combined with the heat and humidity, wearing a black suit, and not knowing my HR, I could have been over doing things, and didn't really feel it.

Two years ago I had a 5:06 bike split on 232 AP. I'm just wondering how I was able to go 15 minutes faster on lower watts. Yes, I made a few changes to my bike and wore an aero suit, but to go that much faster I'd think I'd have to have a higher wattage. In 2013 I had no injuries and was more consistent in my running. However, I don't think this would have led to such a drastic slow-down on the run. I averaged 30-35 miles per week of running for a good chunk of time. However, maybe I need to increase this a bit in the future to have a better run split.

My thoughts going forward, are to tackle shorter distances for the next few years, maybe taking on another IM when I age up into the 40-44 in three years and am the young guy there. I need to become a better runner and am thinking I'll target PR's in the 5k, 10k and half marathon over the next year or two. Next year I'm thinking I'll race two HIM's, possibly Patriot and Timberman, as well as a few Olympics and sprints to work on my overall speed.

Lastly, I'd like to say a huge thanks to my family for their support. Katie has been very supportive of my racing and training. The long Saturday rides are very hard, being away for so long, and I'm now looking forward to having lots more time to spend with Katie and Jackson. We are actually headed off today to Europe for a week, visiting Ireland, Spain and France, and staying with Katie's brother in France for four nights. It should be a fun end to the summer before the school year starts up again.

I'd also like to thank Colin Cook at Peak Tri Coaching, who believed in me and crafted a training plan that put me in a good position to get to Kona. I simply didn't execute on race day. Leslie Why was also very helpful in creating a nutrition plan and race plan for me to follow.

It's now time to rest for a bit and rise another day. I still feel like I have a KQ in me, it'll just have to wait a few years.

Seconds Count!

In my last crack at qualifying for Kona I came to realize that seconds matter no matter the race distance. I won a sprint tri a few years ago by three seconds and I missed a KQ by seven seconds two years ago at IMMT. This time around I'm going into the race with the mindset that every second matters. This means everything from setting up a clean, aero bike to dialing in how and when to take in nutrition.

I've grown in the past two seasons since what I deemed a failure in 2013 at IMMT. My goal for that race was very simple - qualify for Kona, and I felt that based on training it was a forgone conclusion. However, Ironman is a very long day, and little mistakes can have big consequences. I came off the bike in 2013 feeling great, so great that I neglected to take in any nutrition for the first six miles. I was running my goal pace and feeling awesome. However, between mile six and eight I quickly realized that not taking in calories was not a wise decision. I ended up with a run that was 15-20 minutes slower than what I was capable of. That will not happen this year.

I'm working with Leslie Why, a nutritionist who is a coach with PeakTri Coaching. I've altered my diet over the past several months and have a nutrition plan laid out, starting with race week nutrition and correct carbo loading. Race day breakfast and a clear hydration and nutrition plan for the race are mapped out. I really feel that this is my missing link that I lacked two years ago.

I spent a lot of time after IMMT two years ago thinking about those seven seconds. There are so many ways to save time over the course of an Ironman, and it took me quite some time to get over my 'near miss.' I feel that I have planned for this race much better than in the past. I plan to be at least one minute quicker in overall transition time. I won't rush, but will be deliberate and have absolutely no down time. I took a little over seven minutes in transition two years ago, while the top AGers were around 60-90 seconds quicker.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I've made several changes to the bike, which should result in big time savings. These include: lowering my front end about an inch, adding a TriRig front brake, getting a new saddle, changing out my aero helmet, getting a sleeved race suit, removing my cadence sensor, and changing my BTA bottle and Garmin mount. Of course, the engine has to do most of the work, and I've been feeling very good on the bike. The goal is somewhere in the 240-250 watt range on race day. All of this should result in a faster bike split than in 2013 (dependent on race day conditions, of course).

As coach Colin frequently says, "Swim and bike for show, run for dough." He has done a fantastic job of embodying this saying, and I aim to join him. I plan to be smart on race day, and know that based on previous results that a time around 9:30 has been 2nd in my AG the last three years. I plan to be conservative on the run, and will target a pace in the 7:40-7:45 range for the first half of the race. This should put me in a good position to finish the race strong and be near the top of my AG. I also hope there will be no need to make a porta-pottie stop late in the race (90 seconds there at mile 19 two years ago!).

An Ironman is a long day for everyone, be it near 8 hours for the top pros to 17 for the midnight finishers. Regardless of time, seconds do matter. I aim to save as much time as possible on race day be being smart (not rushing) so that I can look back at my race and be pleased with how I executed my plan.