Chisago Kids and Sprint Tri

I know both of you have been anxiously awaiting a race report for the Chisago Lakes Kids and Sprint Triathlon. Well here it is. Saturday was an early morning as I had to get everything loaded up (including the dog) for both the tri and the weekend at the cabin. Then I had to run it all up to the lake, drop off the dog and the non-tri stuff, load the fridge and drive to Forest Lake to meet Doc and the kids. Anyhow, we got to the transition area with plenty of time for the kids to mug for the camera: Zach finished in the top three the first year he did the race (this is his third). The event wasn't nearly as big, but it's set the bar pretty high. At first they put him in with the 10 year olds because of his size. At the last minute he told them he was 9 and moved up to that wave. Unfortunately it was too late for him to get to the front of the wave. He's a good swimmer and would have rocked it. He came out of the water way behind the leaders and had no chance to podium. Fortunately he has a good time whether he places or not. (A lot like his dad that way!)
Jenna wants to win a trophy like Zach's and was pretty disappointed when she didn't.


I recognize this look. The pain at the finish. Plus, they're too young to have a Leinie's Summer Shandy - the unkindest cut. Zach crashed TWICE on the bike. The first time he clipped some one's rear wheel and the second time he got squeezed into the curb. Knowing how crazy it can get in the adult race, I can only imagine what it was like with kids flitting around.

Here's a short video of Jenna coming off the beach, washing off her feet and heading into T1. She needs to work on her turnover!

And one of Zach dismounting the bike. The doc says he'd been practicing. I wish I could get down that technique.

Sorry about the size. I know Youtube embedded videos are bigger, but I wasn't able to get the full code blah blah blah.

We went to the Swedish Inn in Lindstrom after the race to kill time before I could get my packet for Sunday's sprint. Sorry no pictures. If you want to see pictures of postrace food check out http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/ for Steve in a Speedo's race report.

Chisago Sprint Report

The Chisago Sprint - also known as the Golden Globes of the Ex-Neighbor Tri Battle
(it's nice to win it, but everyone only remembers the Oscar (Turtleman) winner. New bike course this year - shorter and less hilly. In previous years, the longer bike course has helped me. Jim and I are in the same wave - which is nice. Stomper Rob signed up the day before the race so he's a ways back.

We're the ninth sprint wave to go. Standing waist deep in the water looking out at the swim course it looks like there was a shipwreck. I've never seen so many heads just bobbing in the water. What the heck people, it's 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile - keep it moving out there. The tattooed guy next to Jim starts talking about needing his space. We joke with him a bit, but I'm not sure he's kidding.

The gun goes off and I take off fast, not wanting to get caught up with the space needing tatman. I feel somebody hit my right side a couple of times. I figure it's Jim - sorry - turns out it was probably tatman. Almost immediately I'm dodging to bobbers, sidestrokers and backstrokers from the earlier waves. I stayed waaaaaay to the outside and it wasn't too bad. It took me a while to recover from the fast start. My watch said just over 7 minutes when I hit the beach. It took a bit to get up the hill to transition.

The Bike

I feel bad about the bike. I think I may have ruined some one's day. There were 4 of us riding at about the same speed. One guy was doing the half and had the full aero kit. He was faster on the downhills but in trying to keep his watts down was slower on the uphill. He had a guy on a roadbike drafting off him in the most blatant fashion I'd ever seen. We hit a flat stretch so the aero guy started pulling away from me slowly. I watched the other guy sit 6 inches off his wheel for at least 2 miles. We got to some hills again and I started to pass them. I commented to another guy that we were all passing that it was the shortest 3 bike lengths I'd ever seen. As I passed the aero guy I told him "he had an achor" - what I meant was a remora sucking on his tail. I think he thought I was pissed that he was going slow on the hill or something. Right before the sprint turnoff he passed me and said something I didn't catch. I hope he didn't fry himself passing me. I had two other courses of action - both of which would have been better than my passive aggressive actions. 1. Shrug it off. If some guy wants to suck wheel in a race that's his deal. 2. Take it up with the drafter, not those around the drafter. Hopefully aero guy had a great race and doesn't even remember me.

Running Scared

Spent most of the run doing math in my head. As I was coming out of the park I saw Jim riding on Stinson heading towards the park. Looking at my watch it read 2:24 into the run. I figure I have about 3 minutes on him. Can I hold him off for 3.1 miles? At the turn I check my time, and then when I see Jim again I do some quick calculations. He's gained a little. I pick up the pace knowing he's going to haul trying to catch me. Not today!

The numbers:

Me Swim 8:29.9 T1 1:39.6 Bike 47:06.3 T2 40.7 Run 27:13.8 Total 01:25:10.5

Jim 9:45.7 1:20.2 49:33.9 1:23.7 25:00.4 01:27:04.2

Stomper 10:13.9 2:28.8 50:33.8 01:28.3 25:51.5 01:30:36.5

It looks like Stomper Rob may have a tough time defending the Turtle. We'll know in two weeks.

If you've made it this far in the post - wow do you have a lot of spare time!

You can now post comments without registering. Feel free.

Rolling Alone No More

It's been a different week for me. Last Thursday I rode with Jim and Stomper Rob, did the group ride on Saturday in Rockford, on Tuesday I did an open water swim followed by a ride with NS Rob (not Stomper Rob). Hit a spin class with Neighbor Brian Wednesday, and Thursday I ran 6 miles with Cpt. Brian (freshly back from Iraq).

That's more group workouts than I've had in the last 3 months and it was refreshing. I'm not sure how great it was for my training since on the group rides you often find yourself sitting up chatting. That's the point of a group ride though - otherwise it would just be a couple (or more) guys who happen to be riding in the vicinity of one another.

Cpt. Brian is training for the Twin Cities Marathon, lost 30 pounds in Iraq (I should consider moving my kitchen 1/2 mile down the road) and pretty much could have dusted me at any point. After 2 miles I was struggling, but after another mile or so at a slower pace I came back and started to feel good.

Not to worry all of you who know me as the somewhat antisocial curmudgeon - I'm sure I'll be swimming, rolling, and running on my own next week.

My next post should contain some wildly different triathlon pictures - the triathletes will be much shorter! Zman and JRose will be doing the Chisago Kids Tri tomorrow a.m. Well Zman will be, I can't promise that JRose will toe the line. How did I end up with such a non-gung-ho daughter; I'll never know.

One of the Many Benefits of the Trilife

Returned to Rockford for our 21 year (yeah well, it took an extra year to organize) high school reunion. We had a great time. Drank a great many beers. I recognized most of the guys. I generally had no clue who the women were. You know it's not the easiest thing to discreetly check out some women's name tag when she's wearing a low cut cocktail dress. Then to make it harder, they throw on their current name so you've got to sort that out from the maiden name and the next thing you know they're slapping you for staring at their cleavage. But anyhow, I digress.

The benefit of the tri-life. I must have heard at least 100 times that I looked exactly the same as I did the day we graduated, "except for a few lines around the eyes."

I realize how lucky I am in a lot of respects - still have my hair, my schedule allows me to undertake significant training schedules without sacrificing family or sleep (much). I have a supportive spouse (the Doc).

It's triathlons and the lifestyle that goes along with it that has me within 10 pounds of my playing weight senior year. It's what had me going down quiet country roads on the Lemond (I'll have to introduce you to the Lemond some day - I was a freshman in high school when it was born) with MJ, his dad, the Doc and a small group from the Blackhawk Cycling Club Saturday morning. It's why we could have dropped MJ if the other Mike had taken a pull at the front after we broke from the pack. It's why I'm down 45 pounds from my zenith.

I can only wonder what they'll think 9 years from now after I have 5 or 6 Ironmans (Ironmen?) under my belt. (Don't tell the Doc that or she'll freak!)

This coming weekend the kids are in the Chisago Kids Tri. Zman got a brick workout in last night. He finished 2nd a couple years ago. The race has grown by leaps and bounds. JRose is just hoping her chain doesn't fall off again this year. She walked her bike the entire course last year, but finished. She's got a new ride so it shouldn't be a problem. Apparently the Disney Princess bike from Walmart isn't the most durable - and don't even get me started on the aerodynamics.

Lifetime Fitness Pics

These pictures are WAAAAY different than the Minneman pictures. See, there was no balloon arch at Minneman; I'm actually TURNING in one of the bike pictures and I have a WHITE hat on the run (not orange). WAAAAAAAY different.

A Short Breather

Hey All,

Took a short break after Lifetime. I was pretty sore until Tuesday. I did try and get a swim in Monday night - had goggles, swimcap, shower shoes, towel, watch . . . no suit. They're pretty flexible at LA Fitness, but not that flexible. It was already pretty late when I headed over there so I decided to bag it.

Got a quick ski set in yesterday - thanks Wendy! It was a great day at the lake with the kids. J-Rose got up on two without the skis being tied together (not for long). Zman continues to ratchet up his slalom. I'm resisting the temptation to start talking to him about technique, just letting him get more aggressive. The day will come when we can talk about head position, one armed turns, hip position etc.

Hit up a spin class this morning. It's a nice break from riding the roads, usually alone. Tomorrow I've got a training ride with my rivals for the Turtle - Jim and Stomper Rob. They both did the full marathon at Grandma's so they haven't spent as much time on the bike as they'd like. That suits me fine as they're both faster runners than me. The Turtleman organizers did me a favor by dropping from the 10k back to 5 miles on the run. I think I'll need about 7 1/2 minutes going into the run. May be time to pick up that aero bike helmet (ok, ok I don't want the Turtle that bad).

This weekend the family is headed down to Rockford for our high school reunion. Training will continue to take a bit of a backseat for now. Next week the kids have day camp and I'm planning on getting in a great week of training - assuming I don't spend the whole time painting window trim at the lake.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It looks like we've got the lodging issue resolved for Coeur D'alene. I wasn't getting much response from the homeowners (I think they've been overwhelmed) but I did find something very close to the start. It should work out great for race day. Mom and the kids can see some of the race and then go back and hang out at the house. The Doc and OB will have their bikes and be spread out on the course. Now I need to come up with a catchy theme for their matching shirts. Suggestions?

Lifetime Fitness Report

As promised, here are some pics of the pros from Lifetime Fitness. Sorry about the quality. We weren't racked right around the pros so it was tough to get close. To the left, Greg Bennett is walking. Below, Kevin from GearWest is helping Craig Alexander inflate his rear tire.

To the left, TJ Tollackson (in red) and a couple other guys discuss either where the run exit is or where to find a Biffy. I think that's Matt Reed drinking the Red Bull on the far right.

My race report:

I know I said I wouldn't make a long post like I did for Minneman. And I won't. My bike computer died so I couldn't give you too much information even if I wanted to (see earlier post about equipment issues - HEED plus cracked face = dead computer). I did have the 2nd fastest swim in Clydes 30-39. The bike went well (the pace in the results is wrong - for some reason they figured the pace based upon a 22.3 mile ride rather than a 24.8 mile ride). I wanted to run the 10k in under an hour and I did. I took almost 14 1/2 minutes off my time from last year!

Year Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Total

2008 26:01 3:03 1:15:57 1:46 58:51 2:45:40

2007 28:20 3:48 1:16:45 2:13 1:09:07 3:00:15

Got faster in every phase - how can you not be happy with that?

Pacing information for OB

1:44/100, 20.1 mph (per revised official distance), 9:30/mi

Olympian Sighting

So I'm pedaling the Lemond down to the Convention Center to pick up my packet for Lifetime tomorrow. After crossing the Stone Arch bridge, I see this guy coming towards me on a tribike. Solid disc rear wheel, aero helmet, USA bodysuit. Clearly one of the elites who flew into town and is making sure the bike travelled ok. Did I think to pull out my phone and snap a picture? Noooo. For purposes of this story I will swear it was Andy Potts (or maybe Hunter Kemper or Matt Reed). I should be racked right by the elites tomorrow. I'm going to take my camera. So instead of a boring race report with my heart rate, cadence, splits, blah blah blah; I hope to share some pics of sweet rides and real athletes!

More Pics

I know, I know. These triathlon pics all start to look the same. Oh, well. And in case you haven't seen the Guru before - yes those are flames. It was a great deal what can I say. I really should try to relax my shoulders on the run.

Bling for the Big Man!

I was right - as long as I avoided too much fruit pizza on Friday, I was going to have a good day Saturday. Placed 2nd in the Clydesdale division. Won a pint glass for my efforts. Here are a couple pics of me receiving my bounty:









































Race Report:





Swim


1/3 of a mile swim counterclockwise triangle. I placed myself on the right (outside) in the front row. It's a very shallow start so there is a lot of dolphining. My goggles slid down my face on the first dolphin (or is it porpoising?). Can't stop now, I'll fix them when it's deep enough to start swimming. Finally get them adjusted and try to get in a groove. I'm breathing to the right so I don't know what's going on on my left. After a hundred yards or so I realize no one is swimming over me or anything (and I'm still on the course) - wow, this is going well. On my next head up sighting to make sure I'm heading in the right direction, I sneak a peek to my left and it doesn't seem like anyone is there. What the heck! I'm leading my wave. By the turn there are a couple of white swimcaps in front of me. All of the sudden I'm having trouble going straight. Apparently I'm not the only one as this dude in a white cap crosses directly in front of me at a 45 degree angle heading straight off the course. As I get close I remind myself to resist the urge to stand too early. Two years ago I did too much walking/running in the water and cooked my legs. Split time 9:03 for a 1:43/100 pace. 33/350 overall and 2/18 in Clydesdale.

T1


There are 3 clydes in the transition area. The first guy took off just as I got there (never saw him again either). The other guy and I head out at about the same time but I think I was just in front of him and he had a slow bike split. The Doc was volunteering at the bike/run exit so she was able to snap a pic or two. She also commented on how efficient some of the running bike starts were (compared to my standing there and getting on). Something to work on as I'm sure you lose some of the efficiency if you miss the pedal, slam on the seat and spend a moment or two on the side of the mount line writhing in pain. T1 - 2:35 (a little slow, but it was a fair distance to run - top time 1:10)

The Bike





It's only a 13 mile ride. I've decided (with no real evidence) that I can ride with a heart rate of around 150 and still have a decent run. Coming out of T1 my heart rate is over 160. It's a little windy but not nearly as bad as some of my rides/races this year. I'm moving pretty good, a little conservative to try and get my heart rate down. I'm not feeling the burn in my legs so this all seems good. The first part is into the wind and I'm averaging over 20.





The waves behind the Clydes/Athenas were all novices, and the waves in front of us were older. I must have passed 100 people and didn't get passed once. Man, that was fun. A lot of the guys looked like they could be Clydes, but none of them had a C on their calf. I did see a big guy with a bright yellow shirt but I couldn't catch him.

Final stats - 36:54, 21.1 mph, 3rd in Clydesdale, 55th overall, HR 150 bpm, Cadence 93 rpm.





T2


As I approach the dismount line I unclip from my right pedal, swing the leg over and coast in standing on my left foot. As I approach the line I realize, I've never done it this way before. I sure hope I can unclip my left foot when I stop; otherwise I'm going to end up on my ass. I have to brake hard and my rear wheel comes off the ground at the same time my left foot comes out. I'm still standing - not pretty but effective.





I check the Clydes racks - 1 bike (nice disc rear wheel - no wonder I couldn't find him). Ok, as long as I have a good run, I should finish on the podium.
T1 Time 1:17

The Run

The first time I look at my watch, I'm clocking 8:15/mi and the legs feel good. Knowing that's too fast I slow it down a touch. Long story short (well, I guess it's too late for that now), I run 3 miles at around 8:30s. Missed seeing the Clyde in front of me (waaaaay in front of me). Only got passed by a few skinny folk. The run went so much better than what I remember from 2 years ago (when I ran 9:27s). Time 25:36, 8:32/mi, 11th Clyde, 151 overall (hey that's still in the top 1/2).

Total Time:

1:15:24

Comparison to 2006


Year Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Total
2006 9:08 2:59 38:11 1:21 28:21 1:19:57
2008 9:03 2:35 36:54 1:17 25:36 1:15:24

Difference 4:33
Improvement 5.69%

At that rate, I'll be ready to go pro in 10 or 15 years!

Had a fun day. A big shout out (isn't that what the kids say on their blogs?) to Jim, Cory, Amanda and Cooper. Hope your 10 mile training goes well. Jim fill me in on Steelhead. Doc says that after "my" ironman - singular, I'm to return to 70.3 so that one might be on my calendar in 2010.

Lifetime Oly on Saturday. No podium hopes, I just want to do better than the 1:09 10k I trudged last year. Did 6 miles on the treadmill today - man I forgot how long an hour lasts on those things.

By the way - there were 2 pregnant women competing at Minneman. One was 7 months along and had a shirt that said "I'm 7 months pregnant . . . what's your excuse?" If you're not training for something what is your excuse?

Equipment Issues

In addition to worrying about time, we triathletes spend countless hours fretting over equipment. We're suckers for anything that promises to make us faster. If we're not studying the latest issue of Triathlete for the latest and greatest we're online at http://www.trigearreview.com/. I guess when I say "we" I mean me. Not all trigeeks are that focused on gear, but they do have that reputation.

Sometimes our gear let's us down (or more often we let it down). I don't mean, the gear doesn't deliver on the promises of Faris Al Sultan bike splits, although that happens often enough, I mean it breaks.

This weekend was marked by broken or misbehaving gear. The first casualty was my Garmin 305. In getting ready to head up to the cabin, I threw it and the rest of my bike gear (and the Doctor's as well) into my gym bag.

When I got it out on Saturday it looked like somebody had put one of those cracked windshield stickers on it. Only it wouldn't peel off. The plastic had been pushed all the way down and impacted the lcd screen. Great - this will last exactly one wet ride. Fortunately Garmin has a $99 repair program. Beats $250 for a whole new shebang.

The only thing hard enough to break it was the Doc's spd cleats. The only way they could generate enough force would be if some kid was jumping on the thing. I know a couple of suspects. I've sent some fiber samples retrieved off the bag to the lab, but I doubt they'll be definitive.

The week before Grandma's I took the Guru in to get it tuned up (mostly just to keep me off the thing leading up to the 1/2 marathon). It was not shifting as smoothly as it could. Turns out it also needed a new chain. These 10 speed chains just don't last. Anyhow, they had adjusted my front brake so tightly that I had virtually zero clearance on both sides. After changing my front tire, the brake pad was rubbing. I thought I had fixed it when I headed out on my ride. Wrong.

I was pushing hard and barely making 16 mph. I reached down and opened it up a bit and thought that's a little better. Finally, 3/4s of the way into my ride I realize it's still rubbing. I open it up all the way and now can finish my ride at a better pace. I was really worried that I'd lost all my cycling form in the nearly 2 weeks since I last rode.

In that instance, I really let the equipment down. I should have made sure I had the problem fixed before heading out. I think I just moved the rubbing from one side of the wheel to the other.

Sunday I was able to ride from the cabin over to the Minneman course and preview it. I hadn't ridden it in a couple years. I'm hoping to have a good race Saturday. I think as long as I don't eat too much fruit pizza and brownies on Friday at the lake I should be good to go.

I talked the Doc into volunteering as medical support for the race Saturday. It'll be fun having her there.

I probably won't post again until after the race - unless something truly heinous occurs. Now to get back to some obsessing about race wheels and aero helmets.