Race Report : 2013 Summer Open Sprint Triathlon...uh...Aquathlon

It is at times like this when one asks "Why does God hate the Summer Open  Sprint so much?" Well, that's a bit over the top, but understandable all the same.

Last night I took a look at my e-mail and saw right away an "emergency" notification from the race organizers. I expected to see swim cancel along the lines of the e coli event from two years ago. In fact, it was the bike that was canceled. The bike? That's weird. I read on.

" At 10:00am this morning Highway Technologies closed all their national operations, with no fore notice to their regional offices.  Highway Technologies is responsible for all the road closures, traffic barricades, cones, etc. "

I honestly had no idea that event planners were so reliant on companies like this one. However, it does make sense. There are several sections that have to be closed off from each other, particularly on this course where riders actually go right by each other in opposite directions.

You can read more details including how it nearly caused serious problems for the Colfax Marathon in this Denver Post article.

I was a little bummed. I just had my bike in the shop last weekend for a pre-race tune up. Alas, it stayed home this morning. Not everyone did that, but more on that later.

But bike or no, there was still a race and I was going to kick-off my season one way or another.

Like every other race morning, this one started early and I was on my way to Longmont. Unlike last year, I had good weather going for me. I made good time and was actually able to park in the lot next to transition. This would result in having to wait a little longer to leave, but it was nice to be near the car for purposes of dropping of my swag, etc.

Placid, clear and warm water awaited.

Pre-race announcements said it was 70*. That's pretty amazing considering it snowed in Colorado just a couple of weeks ago. However, I was not complaining. Even 70* feels pretty cold when you're used to warmer pool water.

Transition was wide open. Bikes aren't big, but bikes and racks to together take up a lot of space and you don't appreciate that until you've seen a TA without them:

If you take a look the left center of the picture above, you'll see a bike. Yep. It was not the only one on site though it appeared to be the only one in transition. I suppose some folks completely missed the cancellation story (though you kind of had to try to do that) but even if it did end up on the back of your car, why bring it into transition.

I've seen this phenomenon at other Aquathlon events. Someone brings their $4000+ TT bike to the event and locks it up to a railing. That's right, they risk theft or damage so that a bunch of strangers can admire their wheels. Much as I wish it weren't true, this sport has an inordinate number of douche bags.

Prior to the start, I managed to get a short warm-up swim. Nothing to fantastic, just a chance to see what 70* felt like. Know what, it's colder than you might think. It's not bad, but I did huff and puff just a little bit as it flowed down the back of my suit. Fortunately, I was warm and then I got to experience the fast feeling of swimming in a wetsuit. As I swam away from shore, I noticed how clear the water was. Like Aurora reservoir clear. No doubt that will change over the course of the summer, but it is kind of nice.The start was late but not excessively so.

Due to the bike cancellation of the bike, the organizers at Without Limits added a long-course option that would consist of a 1 mile swim and a 10K. I was not interested. For starters, the second lap involved a long run along the beach ala Stroke and Stride or Aquaman style. Additionally, I did not feel up to a 10K today. I don't have my first Oly for over a month. One thing at a time, I say!

At most races, I have to wait to start. Not today. Short course men were all going out at the same time. There were a lot of us. I mean an awful lot. Taking a page from my brother's strategy book I sought to stay to the outside and angle toward the far buoy rather than swim right along the line. A little experimenting with Google Sketch-Up confirms that even if you move 25 feet to the outside the total distance you swim is still less than foot. Unfortunately, a lot of other folks had the same idea and I ended up in the usual washing machine-group grope that is an open water swim start.

It was okay, though. I managed to clear through the worst of it fairly soon and then only found a little bunching around the buoys. Despite having not done anything in open water in something over eight months, I was sighting fairly well. A little hypoxia hit me at about 125 meters but I just focused on my rhythm and my breathing and soon it passed. Overall, the swim went pretty well.


I hit the carpeted exit and was soon jogging out back to transition. The run to my spot ended up being around 0.10 mile and in bare feet I felt okay about doing it at just over 10:00 pace. I struggle a little getting out of the suit, but not very much. T1 ended up being 2:39 which was faster than a year ago.

The run was underway and there is no question that I'm slower than I was a year ago. But I was moving at a decent sub 9:00 pace and feeling okay. Around 0.6 mile my right leg (the hurt one) started giving me a lot of trouble. I was proceeding with a fairly pronounced limp. I shortened my stride and slowed up for a beat. That worked because the pain faded and soon I was moving again at my normal pace.

As expected, I slowed some on the big hill that takes you to the first mile. Even so, the first mile was 8:47. Now I got to enjoy a downhill to the turn around. That helped because my second mile was 8:26. The pain returned again at the bottom of the big hill but, again, my technique of shortening and slowing helped. I'm pretty sure this is IT Band syndrome. The sharpness of the pain and the fact that it passes so quickly are pretty consistent with past bouts. It means I'll have to do some exercises over the next few weeks to strengthen my glutes and ease the strain on the band.

From a cardio stand point, I felt pretty good for the whole race. My biggest concern was I hit the last stretch  was that I'd feel that same pain and have an ugly finish. But I didn't. I had a nice sprint into the end. There were a couple of people ahead of me that I probably could have caught and passed. But that's kind of douchey. Apparently the woman who went past me in the final 15 yards didn't think so. Did I mention that tis sport has an inordinate number of douche bags?

In any case, here's the run:


I felt fine as I completed the race. Actually, I felt too good. I don't really think I left anything on the course (and my aching IT Band made sure that I took it easy on that front), but I really missed something not getting to ride.  It's not the fault of anyone at the race but it still sucks.

The Review

Next Time:

It seems like a race that can make it to it's sixth year has some competent people behind it. That's certainly the case with the Without Limits crew. There's no significant criticism I can offer. They've just about perfectly dialed this one in. From a purely nit-picky stand point, I would suggest that anything that can be done to reduce the amount of beach running on a two lap-swim is a good idea, but I didn't do the two lap, so that criticism has to be taken with a pretty big grain of salt.

The Colorado Marathon did a really cool thing this year in hiring a photography company that was selling electronic copies of pictures for $0.99 each. At a smaller event like this one, I can see how that cost might go up, but I'd probably pay up to $5 for a decent picture. As for the $15 or so most companies charge, no thanks. The race organizers might want to consider a new company for that or seeking a crowd sourcing option like the one DC Rainmaker notes here. At the end of the day, however, the photography company is a non-factor in whether or not to run a race.

The Good:

Cost: I registered a little later this year, but an early registrant can do this thing for something like $80 including the $4 charge to do race-day pick-up. The big boys (WTC, et al) are charging some pretty serious scratch just for their shorter races. I'm encouraged to see a scrappy company like Without Limits being so competitive.

Venue: I called this out in my report last year as well, but this is a really good spot for a race. That's true for racers and spectators who can watch the swim from the berm above the beach and see runners at multiple locations. The bike course is away from the main staging and transition areas, but that's true of most races.

Logistics: These were really good. Facebook, Twitter and of course, their own website, had full details about the unfortunate bike situation. That was in addition to the e-mail. When I arrived, they had figured out their route for the long course and proceeded without missing a beat. My packet was ready to go, my timing chip was waiting for me and indicating my course preference was as easy as me telling a volunteer and him making a note of it. The official results were accurate for me.

I don't have a long laundry list of all that is right with this race, but it just is. The title is Summer Open and I can't think of a better way to kick off the tri-season other than going out of state. One of these years, though, I'm going to swim, bike and run at this event and do it all under warm sunny skies!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Race Report: 2013 Colorado Marathon

Setting low expectations is, in general, not a particularly good idea. I’m a firm believer that stretch goals push one to closer to reaching their full potential and that as much as possible, a goal should be near the edge of what one thinks one can accomplish.

My plans for this year’s Colorado Marathon, however, were a notable exception to this philosophy. Had I not injured myself back in January, and had that injury not lingered for several weeks to follow, I might be writing a much different report today.

But those things did happen and I had to adjust my expectations accordingly. In 2006 as I prepared for the Rock-N-Roll San Diego Marathon, I had racked up about 430 running miles of training. This year, going back to October, I had only hit 297 miles and there was a large gap the covered around four and half weeks with absolutely no running at all.

With that as my backdrop, I was actually considering dropping out of the race or perhaps changing my distance to the half marathon. This somewhat pessimistic post more or less conceded that I would not be doing 26.2. But, as I have documented extensively since, I had an epiphany of sorts when I determined that I could still walk a great deal of the race and finish with a reasonable time.

All of this lead me to hope for a time of around 5:03 which would be only a tad slower than my 2006 time.

The rest of this story begins at 3:00 am on Sunday morning. Yes, you did read that correctly: I said 3:00 am. I had to be up that early because busses taking racers from downtown Fort Collins to the starting line in the Poudre Canyon started leaving at 4:00. Given the time I needed to dress, eat something and then drive from my parents’ home in Greeley, 3:00 was about the latest I could get up. Ending the day with a DNF because I could not finish the race is one thing; having a DNS because I MISSED THE BUS was completely unacceptable.

Despite the early hour, I felt reasonably well-rested. I had forced myself out of bed at 6:00am on Saturday just to make sure that getting to sleep that evening would be easier and it worked. I was asleep by 9:00 that night. Six hours is not a lot, but it was enough.

Upon arriving at the downtown city parking garage, I encountered more charter busses than I’ve ever seen in one spot. They were scattered about all over, on adjacent blocks, in front the main municipal building, you name the spot, and there was a bus. When I say charter, I do mean charter, not a fleet of school busses. These were the real deal, luxury coaches with soft seats and plenty of leg room. I ended up riding with a guy named Brian who was clearly in class well above mine. He discussed ambitions to Boston-Qualify and was planning to use this race as a recon in case he decides to commit to that goal. That makes sense because according to their own website, the Colorado Marathon has about 20% of its finishers reach the BQ standard.

Of course, I had no such ambitions, but I enjoyed our ride up the canyon and we had a good chat trading marathon war stories. Runners, I find, are generally a congenial group of people. If this had been cyclists…weeellll….

Getting to the bus departure early gave me peace of mind. But it also meant that I was dropped off at the Stevens Gulch picnic area at 5:00, a full ninety minutes before the start. And it was dark and cold. This shot is shortly after I arrived. That’s a crescent moon near the center. It was really that dark up there.

Another benefit of arriving early (I was on the third bus to arrive) was no line for the porta-potties. That turned out to be a huge benefit because as more and more busses arrived, the line got longer and longer. Typical of any race, there were people still there when the gun went off.

Of course, the sun did rise and with about 20 minutes to go until the start, I handed in my gear bag with the clothing and other items I did not plan to have with me on the run.

Given how cold it was and my desire to have a handy place for my phone and nutrition, I opted to keep my running jacket on. Besides, it was still cold (low 40* range I would guess) and I wanted to keep my upper body warm. A single UPS truck was assigned to the task. I would not have thought that would be enough (there were 1700 people registered for the full) but it was. A gear check is really essential in any long race, especially when the temperatures are low and you need to keep warm clothing with you as long as possible. Tasking a shipping company like UPS or FedEx with this task just makes sense.

I hate waiting around before a race as much as anyone, but even in the chilly air, this hour and a half seemed to go by fairly quickly. There was minimal fanfare at the start and before long, we were underway. This is what it looks like when 1700 people start a race in the Poudre Canyon:

I positioned myself between the 5:00 and 5:15 pace groups. I figured that was about where I belonged.

There was the usual slow moving pack as people got up to the line before they began running, but I did not mind. There were 26.2 miles ahead of me and a few seconds really were not going to matter.

This race used bib-based timing tags and I have to say it was a nice change from having to attach a chip to my shoe and worry about it falling off. I predict that more and more running races will continue to adopt this technology. Tri’s are another story. You really can’t swim with a bib on!

I was a little slower than I planned during my first couple of miles, but I attributed that mostly to being a in a pack. As it thinned out, I started running a little under 10:00 pace. The first aid station is at this iconic tunnel. We were about 2.5 miles in now:

These shots are a bit on the blurry side, but I was not yet at a walk break and I wanted to stay as true to my race plan as possible.

I grabbed a cup and kept on moving en route to my first walking stop after four miles. When I reached it, I thought about going on to five, but I decided I needed to stick with my plan. There were over 22 miles to go and my long runs from training informed me that I was going to be very sore and tired before this was all over.

So walk I did and I seemed to be about the only one. People passed me frequently but I gave it no thought. I was still moving.

When I reached the five mile mark, I was moving again and the next four miles were much like the first four. I felt a bit tired at this point, but basically pretty good. Going down hill but on a gentle grade is really nice. Your legs feel better and the cardio never really spikes. I stayed in my Z2 range during this entire time and even recovered into Z1 on the walk breaks.

Upon reaching the 10 mile mark it was time to run again and this was going to be my first real test. I had done a long run a couple of weeks earlier and struggled from the 10 mile mark onward. This was, in large part, due to the fact that I was running up hill. My home in Parker sits at over 6000 feet, higher than most of the town so I almost always end up running up hill to go home. Now I was going down and it was actually going well. While my plan called for a pace of about 10:30 through these miles, I ran under 10 on each of them.

The scenery, as it always is in the Poudre, was great. No industrial parks, Section 8 housing projects or blighted land on this course. Nope. Most of it looked like this:

Peaceful and serene. There were a few cars going up and down the canyon and a few cases where one lane of traffic had to yield to the other, but it actually was going smoothly and no one honked in anger, made obscene gestures or otherwise behaved like a jackass. The State Patrol was also running a couple of motorcycles up and down the highway and signaling runners to stay to the left of the cones that were placed at about halfway through the uphill lane.

The biggest problem I had through this stretch was the banked curvature. For any readers not familiar with canyon roads, they are built with a bank on steep curves. It’s not as dramatic as what you might find on a NASCAR track, but the same principal applies. It’s not the kind of thing you notice when driving, but you definitely feel yourself running at weird angles. Fortunately, as the curve begins to straighten out, the bank eases back to flat as well.

Shortly after the picture above, I reached the mouth of the canyon. It was now a couple of miles beyond the half way point. The final stages of the race were in sight and I was happy about this:

As you can see, I’m still wearing my jacket. It was still cool and now a breeze was blowing. Given that I was also walking some, it made sense to keep it on and stay warm.

The last section of the course that follows Colorado Highway 14 is a straight and mostly flat section that eventually intersects with US 287. I say mostly because there is a gradual hill on the last mile or so of 14. Along here, I did manage to see my dad who was volunteering for the race as one of the communication coordinators (he’s a Ham Radio operator). That was necessary because most of the canyon does not have cell phone service.

The climb out of Highway 14 continued as I headed south on 287 before finally flattening out. It had been 3 miles since my last walk break, but I decided to take one here. The climbs as well as the overall distance were taking their toll. What’s more, the next 1.2 miles or saw would see the biggest hill on the course. Known as Bagel hill for a guy who used to hand them out to runner, this one is about a 2.5% grade for half a mile. It’s also at mile 19 near the traditional “wall” for marathoners. I saw no need to burn myself out running up this one so I walked it until I had clearly reached the crest and then enjoyed an easy run down the back side, headed toward the town of Laporte.

Now I did two more miles before the next walk break. Running was getting harder and harder. I tried not to look at the distance on my Garmin, but it sure did seem to take a long time to reach the mile markers. Right around the start of mile 22, you are off the road for the duration of the race and on the Poudre River Trail which is an extensive bike path.

A short while after joining the path, you are on the same stretch of path used by the Horsetooth Half Marathon. The last time I was on this stretch, I was suffering the results of the first 9 miles of that race. While I was certainly in even more pain now, my outlook was better. It was clear that I was within striking distance of my PR. The faster than expected times in the early miles plus my first two walk breaks being about 90 seconds ahead on each, put me in far better shape than I expected.

This bridge (the picture is only part of it) is another scenic icon of the race. However, it bounces so if your rhythm is not in sink with the bounce, you could end up coming down kind of hard. I walked it and was happier for it.

I ran mile 23 but that would be my last full mile of running. I reached mile 24 and walked for a half, then ran the second half. Then I ran from 25 to 25.5. Now I was within striking distance and I liked the time I was seeing on my watch. I knew I would hit the sub 5:00 mark and I didn’t much care how far below that I went. I also had about 0.35 miles of drift between my watch and the course markers. Around 25.8, I started running again. The path runs directly to Linden Street. Make a left and you end up at the New Belgium Brewery, makers of Fat Tire along with several other fine beers. Turn right and you’re headed toward Old Town Fort Collins which is their downtown, pedestrian mall area.

This last stretch was further than I thought it was going to be but off in the distance I could see the blue finish arch. This is the point in the race where the sore muscles and exhausted cardio-vascular system are overwhelmed by the momentum and the desire to finish. Along orange crowd-control fences were throngs of spectators (even at this late stage of the race) all cheering. I stepped over a timing sensor and moments later the MC was announcing my name and home town and encouraging everyone to cheer me on—which they did enthusiastically. Everyone deserves such an ovation after completing such a task. My time across the line was 4:55:48. That was a PR by more than 5 minutes!

My Highlights and Low Lights

With a finishing time that was a PR, I was delighted. Scarcely more than a month earlier, I had resigned myself to not doing this one, only to not only finish, but beat the time I ran seven years earlier. I also stayed true to my plan except when exceeding it. Better still, the injury that prohibited so much of my training was hardly noticed. I felt a little pain early on but most of what I feel today is the normal sore muscles and ligaments that follow running so far for so long. The only low light was the fact that had I been able to train the way I intended, I think I could have cracked 4:30. I’m not dwelling on that, however.

The Race Review:

Next Time

Start Area Wait. I hate to offer a criticism when I don’t have a clear solution, but the start is a little problematic. I love that you get to run down the Poudre and the Stevens Gulch area is more than able to accommodate everyone. However, it if had been wet or windy, a mere annoyance could have resulted in people suffering hypothermia before the race even started. Perhaps the organizers already have a contingency for this. Perhaps not. Either way, they should.

Porta-Potties. You really can never have enough. Though the start area had something on the order of 25-30 units, that number probably should be increased by 10 or so. Making people wait in the line for 30 minutes or more is never a good experience. I was spared, but only because I arrived so early.

Course Maps. Like other events, the organizers should make use of one of the various online mapping tools out there. The fairly crude and basic map that is on the website gets the general idea across, but there are so many other, more detailed options available.

The Good.

There’s a lot more right with this race than wrong. Like other events that have been going on for several years, the collective knowledge that follows makes the experience good for everyone.

Course. Fantastic. Beautiful scenery from start to finish. Every mile was marked with a big banner and there were no confusing turns or twists. Anyone who is doing their first marathon should think about this one because the course is so forgiving.

Support. This was really well done. Porting bags from the start to the finish was easily accomplished with a bib tear-tag and a zip tie. UPS knows how to move things from one place to another and I had no problem getting my bag after the finish. Aid stations were adequately stocked with water and Gu Brew (as well as Gu gel at a few) and volunteers were standing with multiple cups to hand off. I ran through all of the stations with no problem.

Volunteers. They are the backbone of any event and these were world-class. My dad (a multi-year volunteer himself) noted that the people who do this event are always excited to come back. Whenever you run a race, thank a volunteer. They’re awesome and we’d all be resigned to training runs without races were it not for them.

Results.  Timberline Timing handles this race and they just seem to keep getting better. The decision to use bib-based timing is a good one. In addition, the finish area had a tent with laptops available for folks to look up their times. They even put visors over the screens since some of them were facing the sun. A couple hours after finishing, I got an e-mail with my complete results. This is all really fantastic. Why more races can’t execute on this critical function is a mystery to me.

Finishers Medal. Since this is the Colorado marathon, it seems only fitting that the strap is a series of state flags. The medal itself is a big sucker, far more than some of tiny little spoon-sized hardware I’ve seen from other races.

Post Race. The Old Town area is a really good place for all of this. Soon after leaving the immediate finish line area, I arrived at a tent set up by Whole Foods where volunteers were serving steel-cut oatmeal garnished with almond milk, brown sugar and berries. It really hit the spot and was far more palatable than some post-race fare like burritos which are probably too much for a sensitive stomach. After enjoying my oatmeal, I headed into a beer garden area for another reward:

Back at my parents’ house, my dad asked if I would do this one again. At the time, moving much of any direction was causing me a lot of pain. It’s hard to think about next year when this year was so hard. However, if I can train without hurting myself, I’d like to go back and get that 4:30 time. To be sure, that is a stretch goal as well. In time, I’ll know if this is something I’m going to do again.

For now, the focus goes entirely back to triathlons. In less than two weeks, I kick off that season with the Summer Open Sprint. I've been neglecting the bike and the swim a little more than I would have preferred but hopefully they’ll come back in good form.

Three weeks from today is the BolderBoulder which ought to feel like a casual stroll with my dog after yesterday’s events. That said, I’ll be running harder and there will be no walk break after four miles. I doubt I’ll beat last year’s time, but then again, I didn't even think I would start the marathon.

Thanks for reading such a long report (hey it was a marathon after all) and have a great week ahead! 

A (Heavily) Modified Approach to 26.2

My last taper run is complete. I've got nothing but rest and sleep on the schedule for the next six days. I’m as prepared as I can be. The waiting…the long, agonizing, frustrating waiting is almost over.

This is a journey that started out with the best of intentions. In late December and early January I had begun ramping up my total mileage even hitting a high of 17 one very cold day in early January. While not where I wanted to be yet, I felt like I was on the right track.

Then, one of the worst injuries I’ve encountered hit me. This was unlike any nagging, chronic pain I’ve experienced in the past. Even the foot problems that required me to have surgery three years ago were not so pronounced.

Reading various online sources I tried to determine if I had a really bad case of IT Band Syndrome, ligament damage or tear to one of my calf muscles. Lacking an MRI, I guess no one can say for sure, but I think my doctor got it right when he said it was probably and injury to my soleus muscle. He noted this one is slow to heal.

So since early March, on his advice, I’ve been seeking treatment at the Lone Tree office of Cherry Creek Wellness Centers. Nick, my therapist, has done various things to help me heal more quickly than I might have on my own. Most if involves dry needling which is uncomfortable at best and very painful at worst. He also has been working me through various stretches, balance exercises and a taping regimen.

While this has helped, it was no magic bullet either. As March wore on, I became increasingly pessimistic about doing this race. Maybe I could switch to the half or perhaps just eat my entry fee and drop out.

I managed to start running again with less pain, but it was still there and it was clear that recovery from this injury would (and will) be measured in months rather than weeks. As I finished a short run one afternoon, I noticed that my walking pace was under 15:00 per mile. That’s not blistering, but that combined with some running would actually allow me to finish the race while there were still people at the finish line.

Hence, my decision back in early April to try a long run/walk with a big emphasis on the walk part. Figuring it made the most sense to mimic the actual Colorado Marathon course as much as possible, I set out on a point-to-point from home to the far side of the Cherry Creek Reservoir Dam:

It was not easy and a few hills near the end had me walking far more than I had planned to. But I did it. At the end of that run, I had covered 20.75 miles in about 4:06. Not exactly a blistering pace. In fact, slower than my pace from 7 years ago in the Rock-N-Roll San Diego, but not a DNF either.

A week later I fell a little short but still managed to run 17.25 and then a week later, I did 13.1 including a 300 foot climb in the second half.

All of this hurt quite a bit, but it has restored my confidence. So now I have an idea of what I’d like to try and accomplish this Sunday. This is an ideal, not necessarily what I think will happen, but it’s good to set a stretch goal so that even when falling short, you’ve still accomplished a lot.

Miles 1 - 5: Run four at 10:00 pace, walk 1 at 15:00 pace for a total time of 0:55:00

Miles 6 - 10: Run four at 10:00 pace, walk 1 at 15:00 pace for a total time of 1:50:00

I actually more or less did this on my 13.1 mile run a week ago.

Miles 11 – 15: Run four at 10:30 pace, walk 1 at 15:00 pace. Total time elapsed: 2:47:00

Miles 16 – 19: Run three at 10:30 pace, walk 1 at 15:00 pace. Time: 3:38:00

Miles 20 – 22: Run two at 10:45 pace, walk 1 at 15:00 pace. Time 4:14:30

Miles 23 – 24: Run 1 at 10:45 pace, walk the other at 15:00 pace. Elapsed: 4:40:15

Miles 26 – 26.2: If at all possible, run at 10:45 pace. Final time: 5:03:54.

I’m likely to be very tired and sore starting around 16 to 17 miles in. What’s more the steepest hill on the course is at about mile 19.

Yet there is also reason for optimism. Heat, as it has always been, is my enemy. It did me in at HITS last year and has made havoc of multiple training runs. Fortunately, the current forecast is a high of only 62 and that is likely to be later on in the afternoon, long after the race is over. Gravity is also an enemy. I know there are people out there who actually like running up hills, but I don’t understand them. Granted, I don’t like steep descents such as those found in the early part of the Horsetooth Half Marathon but this race averages an easy 0.8%. Indeed, the steepest hill I found on the course profile is 2.2% which is on the down side of the big hill at mile 19.  Finally, I’m resting all week. My sore legs will be given a break this week with nothing more than walking a few blocks in San Francisco when I’m out there for work for couple of days.

This will be a challenge. Next week at this time, I’ll be incredibly sore and tired. But in the end, I’d rather go out and do a full 26.2 at a slower-than-hoped-for pace than have an even more disappointing 13.1 or a downright demoralizing DNS.

Regardless of the outcome, look for a complete race report here next week.

Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead!

Running for Boston, Too.

Normally around this time of year I would be posting about my registration for the BolderBoulder.  I would express my excitement about being back in the race for another year like this one I did just over a year ago.

But given Monday’s events in Boston, this year’s registration felt particularly poignant to me. This year, sure, I’ll still be out there for my own selfish reasons. But I’ll also be out there, as will many others, in a show of support for everyone who was affected by the bombings.

While one is a full 26.2 mile marathon and the other just a 6.2 mile 10K, they share a lot in common:

• Both races draw thousands of participants from all over the world.
• Spectators line the length of each course.
• Boston and Boulder are as much an event for the local communities as they are for the participants.
• Both draw large participant fields: 25,000 + in Boston, over 50,000 in Boulder.
• Each race is steeped in tradition (granted Boston’s is about 85 year older than Boulder’s).
• Sadly, both make good targets for would-be terrorists.

I don’t especially appreciate false bravado so I won’t talk about how I’m going to muster my courage and face down those who would seek to intimidate me and my fellow citizens into altering our lifestyles out of fear. No doubt, the threat will be reduced by the efforts organizers of this and several other large races. No doubt, I would not willingly put myself in the way of obvious and imminent harm. But no doubt, not much else would keep me from doing what I love on Memorial Day morning: running this race. Is this one for me? Yeah, it always is. But this year it’s also for my fellow runners in Boston, their friends and family and most especially for the victims.

Twenty

Last I posted, completing the Colorado Marathon was all but a distant hope. I figured I’d be contacting them this week to change my distance down the half and then just hope I could complete it.

But a funny thing happened after my short run on Thursday.

I started that run the way I've been starting all of them lately—with a walk. Given my injured leg, walking for the first quarter mile or so gives me a chance to further loosen up the muscles. I definitely stretch before hand, but this is just a little more time to get ready for the run.

As I moved along, I noticed that my walking pace was in the low 13 minute range. It even dipped into the high 12 minute range a few times. As I ran, I started doing the math. Me doing math in my head is a dubious proposition at best, all the more so when running. However, I estimated about out about how long it would take to do a full 26.2 at an average pace of 13:00 per mile: 5:40. That’s pretty slow but still within the six hours permitted for the race. However, who said I would walk the whole thing.

I continued to crunch the numbers (this time on a spreadsheet instead of in my head) and determined I could reduce the time to under 5:15 if I could reduce the average pace to 12:00. So I could mostly walk, do some running, and still finish not much slower than my only other full Mary, the 2006 Rock-n-Roll San Diego. The time there was 5:01.

But figuring this out in my head and actually doing it are two different things. It had to be put to the test and with the race four weeks away, I decided to do just that on Sunday.

It was a pretty good day for a run. Low 60* range with a breeze to make it feel just a little cooler. I donned my triathlon shorts (they seem to be the best for longer distances) along with a long sleeve technical fleece which might have been a bit warm, but weather in Colorado changes rapidly. It would turn out to be a pretty good choice.

Since my home sits at over 6000 feet, nearly any out and back run involves climbing on the return. The longer the run, the more the climb. If I had been healthy, I would have done just that. However, my soleus muscle complains mostly when I’m going up hill. What’s more the Colorado Marathon is a mostly downhill affair since it starts in the mountains of the Poudre Canyon and finishes on the plains of Fort Collins. Being the supportive person she is, my wife gladly agreed to pick me up just outside of Cherry Creek State Park which would be the finish of my point-to-point trek.

From the mid-point of my drive way, I headed out, at a walk until reaching the Sulfur Gulch trail which is the main bike path through my neighborhood. It’s a slow descent from east to west until it intersects with the Cherry Creek Trail which would take me north toward the park.

The first four miles (save for that opening walk) were done at a moderate pace of a little over 9:30. My leg was complaining a fair amount as I reached mile four even though I felt okay from a cardio standpoint. I decided I would walk for the next two miles. However, I felt better as I reached the 6 mile mark so I decided I would run some more. Things were actually feeling okay until I hit something of a steep decline around 6.5 miles. It’s usually the uphill portion that hurt but this time, my leg felt really sore. I went a little further then stopped to stretch a little at 6.5. I started walking again and felt good enough to run until a little past 7 miles.

As I walked, I focused on trying to stay under a 13:00 pace. It’s not as easy as it sounds. You really do still but a lot of effort into it. In fact, I noticed my glutes becoming sore as I proceeded, but I still felt okay and kept going. At the nine mile mark I started up again for two miles of running. Things hurt but soon the pain became duller and I was aided by a mostly flat course. By now, I had crossed into Arapahoe County and was approaching the point where I would no longer be on the bike path. This was where the run became more exploratory.

I was pleased to still feel like I had plenty left as I reached mile 11. I walked off the path and across Arapahoe road and then on the unpaved side. It was a planned walk, but if it had been a run, I would have stopped and walked this section. The area was uneven and I even stumbled once. Fortunately, the whole rough section was only about a half mile long or so and then I was back on the sidewalk.

With a right turn on to Jordan road, I was on my way to the park. Several times I’ve ridden my bike out to Cherry Creek State Park and back. With a loop around the park, it’s a good way to get a forty miler in, even though the road in the park is particularly rough. Today, it was the same scenery, only slower. My next running section began at 13 miles and I went through the next two at a sub ten pace. My leg was not bothering me so much, but I started to feel winded. Somewhere around 14 and change, the rain started. It was really just a shower, but I knew it was also enough to get me pretty wet. Had it continued, I could see it sapping my energy and threatening my ability to finish. I put the thought out of my head. Shortly after starting my next walk break at 15 miles, the rain stopped and the sun started to come out again--typical Colorado weather.

By now, I was well into the park and was actually on the run section of the Creek Streak triathlon. I had, in fact, stopped to walk this very section during that hot run. Today was much cooler and I was walking through miles 16 and 17 rather than mile 5. I knew I was doing better!

Mile 17 was where I started running again and it started on a fairly flat stretch. However, it’s also here that the path starts a climb on the lake side of the dam that forms Cherry Creek reservoir. I’ve experienced all of this before because it is the outbound portion of the run for the Aqauman event. Coming back, you get to enjoy a nice downhill, but not today. I slowed back to a walk as I hit 17.5. There’s no question I was tired. But I was also concerned about pushing to hard and injuring something else. I continued until 18 when I was past the dam and looking at steady flat to down section that runs on the north (outside) face. I was only planning on going to 18.5, but I felt good enough to keep going to 18.75. It was there that I stopped running. The last section was back up hill again. It was not as steep as I expected, but at this point, even walking it was becoming a chore.

From then on, it was just a question of getting to the 20 mile mark before four hours had passed. I did that with time to spare. Ultimately, I hit about 20.35 before four hours. Again, I did the math in my head. Even if I could not run any more, but managed to walk at a 15:00 pace, that would mean in another hour, I would have covered 24.35 leaving 1.85 left. Doing so would result in an overall time of 5:27:45 which is not bad considering I’ve been running almost not at all.

There was a little more walking to get to the parking lot where my wife was meeting me. When I was done, the total distance covered was 20.75 with a total time of 4:05:56.

Today, I am sore as hell. My legs are aching and I’m moving slowly. But I also think I’ll be feeling better by the end of the week. I have no runs planned for the rest of the week, just riding and swimming.

I think I may just be able to shave a little more time of the run by the time May 5 rolls around. For starters, here’s the elevation profile for my race and below, the profile for the marathon:

No, those are not drawings from the same source, but you will notice the lack of steep hills at the end of the lower drawing. I know this is an accurate rendering because those last four miles are the same course as the Horsetooth Half Marathon which I ran almost a year ago. On that day, my biggest enemies were a steady breeze in my face and legs that were especially sore from climbing huge hills around Horsetooth Reservoir.  I may not be feeling any fresher, but I think I can walk at 15:00 and possible faster.

A stretch goal would be to average 11:27 which would bring me in right at the 5 hour mark. That would be great, but considering that a week ago I was thinking about pulling out altogether. So if that’s the stretch, the more likely would be around 12:00 which would result in a finish time of 5:14:24. And if I can’t pull that off and slow to a slow walk for the last four, I could still finish in under 5:30. Not what I hoped for when I started out, but better than not running at all or cutting the distance down to a mere 13.1

We’re forecast for some fairly severe weather in the next day or two, but by the weekend, spring is supposed to return. That means that this Sunday, I’m going to try and do this all over again. I’m also going to try and increase the distance to 23.

Beyond that, I still think a taper is in order so while I may do some run/walking at longer distances; they’ll be much shorter than this. Most of this will also depend on how quickly my body recovers during the week ahead.

More to come.

Thanks for reading!

Catching Up

So it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted. There are a few things to catch up on and no clear place to start. I’ll just dive in:

I've been running.

I've managed to do all of two runs totaling about 7 miles. The injury is not as bas as it was, but it is probably also less than 50% healed. I’m signed up for physical therapy sessions for the entire month of April and I think I’m going to need all of them.

The Colorado Marathon will probably become a half.

That sucks, but short of me being miraculously better, I don’t see how I can do 26.2. I might be able to pull it off from a cardio stand point, but the pain in my leg would just about guarantee a DNF. I’m going to wait about one more week and then officially notify the race organizers of my desire to change.

I am indeed running the SOST

Though I only registered late last week, I am pleased to say that I will be among the field at this year’s Summer Open Sprint Triathlon. I thought about skipping it, but that would mean no race until the 5430 Sprint in June. I may be taking some chances with the weather, but I’m really hoping for another nice day like they had two years ago:

More Outdoor Rides

I was up in Northern Colorado for Easter weekend and managed to get a ride on the Poudre River Trail heading west. I must admit to being fairly impressed. Though I normally don’t like bike trails, this one was free of the normal obstacles and I got a good 30 mile ride in. Riding along, I noticed the landscape seemed kind of desolate. It looked a little bit like the pictures coming back from the Curiosity Rover:

West of Windsor                                  Mars

Really, just take away the grass and the clouds and I think it could work.

Physical Therapy Continues. As I mentioned before, I am continuing physical therapy. That mostly consists of having small needles poked into my muscles while I try not to cry like a little girl. I’m so anxious to have my leg healed that I’d be willing to try just about anything. Not getting to run very much really sucks. Never thought I’d say that, but it’s true.

I am going back to TriRock

I have registered for the TriRock Oly distance in San Diego. That will be on September 22. Their updated run and ride courses look good and the swim is still in San Diego Bay. This will be a good bridge between the Rattle Snake Tri and IM Austin 70.3.

I’m renting a bike in Ibiza

I found a rental shop on the Spanish island of Ibiza that is going to deliver a bike to the place I am staying for a two-day rental. My research on Garmin Connect shows that there are others who have done rides around the island. I am really looking forward to it. The GoPro will be with me so I can capture all of the fun.

Okay. All caught up.

For now it’s just focus on getting over this injury in as little time as possible. Right now, my worst case is completely withdrawing from the Colorado Marathon but I’m hoping the next month will give me a chance to get better and at least crank out the half. We’ll see.

Thanks for reading!

Travel Fail!

I'm not a road warrior. While I used to travel for work maybe three or four times a year, in recent year that has dwindled to really just annually. Not that I'm complaining, but it's clear that I don't have a good plan for training, eating right and otherwise being prepared when on the road.

I arrived here in Phoenix early on Wednesday morning and despite a little sleep and a 4:00 am wake time, I finished my work day, checked into my hotel and was ready to do an easy run.

I put on my shirt, shorts and socks only to discover that I forgot to pack my running shoes. Even if I were not recovering from an injury, there is just no way I'd run bare foot.

This afternoon, I thought about taking a swim, but the pool here at the Biltmore is more suited for play than exercise. I probably could have treated it like an open water swim, but with kids splashing around it just seemed like it would be more trouble than it's worth.

To top it off, I've enjoyed dinners from the California Pizza Kitchen and the Cheesecake Factory which are convenient but not especially healthy.

There's a pretty good chance I'll be back down here in May. If so, I'll be more careful about my packing. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the rest and nice weather before heading back to the cold tomorrow.

Have a great upcoming weekend and thanks for reading!

Holy &@#! That Hurts

I've always thought of myself as someone with an above average pain threshold.  In my 43 years I've endured having my sun burned belly dragged across the coral in Barbados and was still swimming around afterward. I accepted a cortisone shot into the arch of my foot with hardly a complaint. Root canal? No problem.

That was until Thursday when I went to my second physical therapy appointment. No dry needling this time.  If only it was something as pleasant as having a needle stuck into one of my muscles. Instead, my therapist Nick used a plastic edge thing to run down the instances of fibrosis. There's a dearth of good information on the web about my specific condition so unfortunately, I don't have a link. Suffice it to say that fibroids in this instance are small pockets of inflexible muscle that cause more stress on the healthier surrounding tissue.

What to do about such a problem? Apparent,y run this edge (a bit like the back of a comb) over the affected area with a lot and I do mean a lot of pressure! I could feel the small little lumps breaking down as he worked on them. I was told that another factor of the condition is a lack of vascularization in the area which, of course, means less blood flow.

Once he had finished there were several red streaks in the treated area and two days later, I am still sore.

Torture  Raking was not the only treatment we had. There were also some balance exercises at which I was uniformly terrible. The first involved standing, knees slightly bent on an inverted BOSU ball while Nick bounce passed a basketball to me. Not directly to me. No, to the side down low anywhere that involved my losing my balance.

I also did a few minutes on a balance board and then some more on a balance disk which basically allowed me to lose my balance in multiple directions.

I go back on Monday and I'll be asking about running. It's been almost a month since I've been and I'm anxious to get started again. 

Early Wednesday morning I'm off to Phoenix for my annual work visit and it would be great to be able to do even a short run while there.

More to come on my next treatment and that trip.

Thanks for reading

Dry Needling, Balance Exercises and Other Fun

This afternoon I had my first physical therapy session. And by first I mean very first. Ever.

After some basic questions about my injury and its history, Nick, my therapist, began by having me walk down a hall and then up some stairs a couple of times. He just watched.

Then we moved to a massage table out in the main therapy room. Unlike your typical doctor's office, this room, in addition to a couple of tables, had exercise balls, BOSU balls, some machines and of all things a Wii Fit!

Alas, I did not get to play any games. Instead, Nick had me perform some tasks such as lifting my weight up on my toes, one leg at a time. This left me feeling a little sore, but not in pain.

Then he had me do some tests where I would resist his efforts to pull my legs and feet in different directions. As near as I could tell, this was all diagnostic.

The diagnostics became more focused on my specific injury. Various poking and prodding seemed to tell him that the soleus muscle in both legs was very tight. Once he had this determined, he was ready to proceed with actual treatment.

The process is called dry needling. The procedure is similar to acupuncture but the focus of the therapy and the way each works is different. Essentially the area of attention is treated by creating tiny hemorrhages which then induce collagen and protein formation. That's not to say that I was stuck with needles until I bled. Externally, there was no blood at all. In fact, hours after the treatment, I don't even show bruises on my leg.

What did happen is that each time, the affected area twitched and I could feel a slight twinge, but not what I would call actual pain. It was weird and a little uncomfortable, but not painful. Once a handful of applications were complete, Nick applied heat to my calves for probably about 15 minutes.

Then I was done. Well, done for today. I'll be back next week for my treatment like this. He thinks I might be able to start running again in another week or two which makes me happy. Even if I can't be ready for the marathon, it will feel good just to be out there.

Between now and next week, I've been given a series of exercises and stretches. As part of the assessment, he noted that my balance is not particularly good and these will help with that as well as loosening the soleus muscle. I only need to do them a couple of times over the next week.

At the moment, my right calf feels sore, like maybe I had been running up steep hills earlier. That should go away in a day or two and then it will be back to my routine as long as everything feels okay.

I'll continue to post here on any updates.

Thanks for reading!

PT

It does pay to get some professional medical advice.

As part of my routine physical, I asked my doctor about the pain in my right calf. Although I though it was an issue with my gastrocnemius, the injured muscle may actually be the soleus:

He said it is more prone to injury and also takes longer to heal. Sounds about right.

While there is no guarantee of any result, at his advice I'm going to start physical therapy next week at a place called Cherry Creek Wellness Center. While they have clinics all over the Front Range, they also have one in Lone Tree just a short drive from work.

I've been treated for all kinds of ailments. Nuclear medicine diagnosis: yep. Steroid shots in my foot: check. MRI: had one of those. Physical therapy: Never.

It will be interesting to see what results but hopefully after four weeks I'll be on my way to healing up. Perhaps, if I am very lucky, I'll even have a shot at still running the marathon. Maybe.

Thanks for reading!

...More Serious Than I Thought

After more than two weeks away from running, I decided to head out last evening and see how everything felt. I had a plan: wear my new IT Band strap, walk for a few minutes before I started running and keep it short.

By the time I was done walking, the wind had chilled me pretty good so I was glad to get moving. At first, everything felt okay, but not great. From a cardio standpoint, I felt really good. No racing heart, no burning lungs. It was nice to see that my time riding on the trainer for hours and hours had paid off.

After about a mile, the bike path that is usually part of nearly any run I do has an uphill and that was the first time I felt the distinct pain in my right calf. Well, not the very first time, but the first in a while. As I encountered inclines from that point, the pain became more and more pronounced.

The last mile had to be run-walked out of fear that I might actually hurt myself so bad that it would require a trip to the ER.

Oddly, the pain went away within seconds of walking. I think I have it figured out why. Running is different from walking in that for short periods of time, both feet are off the ground. You are effectively launching yourself off your back foot before the front strikes. Essential in completing this motion is the recruitment of calf muscles. When at least one foot is always in contact with the ground, this recruitment is lessened.

Whatever has happened back there, it's clearly going to take some time to heal. So what does that mean? The following:

• The Horsetooth Half Marathon is officially off the race schedule. That sucks, but I don't want to pay an entry fee for a race I'm not 100% confident I can even start, let alone finish.
• Running is suspended through, at least, the end of March.
• As a result, my ability to run the Colorado Marathon on May 5 is very much in question. There is always the possibility that I'll heal up sooner than expected and even some experts who claim long runs of under 20 miles prior to a full marathon are possible. If it gets to that---a big IF I might add--I;ll re-asses. Perhaps I'll be able to pull it off. But I'd say the odds are less than 50/50.
• I have my annual physical next week so I'll check in with my doctor to see if he has any other solutions and confirm that I can still ride the bike. Doing that has not caused me any new pain--not during nor after workouts. 
• Missing the race and eating the entry fee both suck. But then again, the purpose of this is to be ready for triathlon season. So far, the earliest race for which I am registered is not until mid-June. I'm guessing I can be ready by then.

In the ultimate irony, my brother has more or less the same injury which you can read about here. No we're not twins and when he stubs his toe, I don't feel it. But clearly we both ran into similar problems as we attempted to train for longer distances.

There's more to come. I'll follow up soon.

Thanks for reading.

Does This Thing Work??

My IT band problem seems to come and go depending on the day. Most days I wake up with it's a little stiff and sore but as I move around it loosens up and I'm fine. That said, there are other times when it really hurts and I went around.

Running has been suspended for over a week now and I'd like to think I'm making progress toward healing, but I really can't say for sure. With that in mind,I wondered about some kind of implement to hold my knee steady.

A perusal of the reviews on Amazon seem to indicate that folks using a strap support their IT band were seeing a lot of success. One person noted that it looked about as useful as a magnetic bracelet but in fact made a difference. Indeed,they were many stories similar to my own.

I decided it was worth an investment of $15.95 to see if I don't get some benefit when I resume running in another week or two.

In the meantime I continue to spend a lot of time on the bike--nearly 70 miles over 4 hours last week--and will spend even more this week. Hopefully it's keeping my cardiovascular conditioning stable. I guess the real test of that will be when I start doing long runs again!

Thanks for reading!

This Injury…Is Gonna Need A Little More Time

Saturday was a beautiful day on the Front Range. Temps were in the high 50’s with breezes present, but nothing too cold or too strong.

I had a leisurely morning and a little after 11:30, I headed out on my 19 mile long run.

Not long after starting, really within the first mile, the pain on the side of my right knee began to make itself known. I initially figured this was just the result of a couple of steep hills on the early part of the course. It ought to abate after I got to flatter terrain.

For a while, on the flats, it did. The pain was there, but not all that noticeable. Then it came up again, but this time as I ran down the hill. Not good. Just in front of four miles, I began to feel sore in my right groin muscle. Clearly that was from compensating for the pain in my knee.

I turned around and began a run/walk home finally calling it quits at five miles. Despite a new pair of motion control shoes, I’m clearly not over what has become both a strained lateral gastroc muscle and a pretty bad case of IT Band Syndrome. This is particularly frustrating because from a cardio stand-point, I feel pretty good. Who knows how exhausted I would have been after the full 19 miles, but I hardly felt spent after five.

Nevertheless, the smart thing to do is to stop running. That’s not easy with a 26.2 mile race looming. However, the prospect of a DNF and having to get a ride to the finish in the SAG wagon is even less appealing.

The plan for now will be to replace my runs with cycling workouts in the hopes of just maintaining my cardio. I have no illusions that I’ll make any gains, but if I can pick up where I left off in two or three weeks, I think I can still be ready by May 5. Additionally, past IT Band injuries are usually the result of weaker glute and hip muscles. I would not have thought that would be a problem for me given that I ride so much, but there it is. On a daily basis, I’ll be doing a series of exercises to strengthen these muscles. Specifically, I’m going to lie on my side with legs straight, and lift the upper leg up past 45*. Three sets of ten per side ought to do wonders for me.

That’s about all I can do now. I have my annual physical in about three weeks so if this is still a problem at that time, I’ll ask my physician about it. Hopefully, this will be a problem that is receding into the past.

Thanks for reading and, of course, I’ll continue to update.

Race Schedule Revisions

There have been a few date changes and a race that I have decided to drop. Here’s where things stand now:

This one is still on. It’s been an open question coming so close to my full marathon, but I’ll just use it as a taper event with no concerns about time. Given the steep hills, taking it slow ought not to be a problem.

Definitely still on. No way have I been doing all these long runs not to test my mettle in a full race. I am hoping for decent weather!

I’m dropping the Ordinary Mortals race off the list. Part of the appeal was doing the first possible race of the season. I guess it might still be, but a week after the marathon is just a little too soon to be racing again. I understand why the organizers moved to May. It still ought to be a great race for folks in Southern Colorado.

No changes here. This is my season opener again. I like the organization and execution Without Limits brings to their events. I might get tired of it, but I’m not there yet!

Well…yeah! I put this date in ink on my calendar every year. 

Yep. I’m registered for the entire series so there’s no question that I’ll be doing all three. The 5430 Sprint is only three days after I get back from a vacation to Europe. That could prove challenging, but I’m up for it.

Another one for which I have registered and am therefore committed. It’s less than a week after my previous race, but I really do want to race more this year. Plus, a small part of the bike course covers where last year’s HITS 70.3 was supposed to go so that’s a plus. 

This was one of my favorites from last year. Great organization, fantastic venue and lots of food and one of three Saturday races on the docket. It’s also the closest to home. I completed my early registration and saved a few bucks.

Its place in the order has not changed, but the date is now September 22 which is two weeks later than past years. I don’t think that should have much of a weather impact. Even if the bay gets a little cooler, in a wetsuit, it ought to even out. 

Another one for which I registered very early to ensure a spot and save some cash. This will be interesting, to put it mildly. Later in the season by several weeks, site unseen, and multiple transition areas all factor into making this perhaps the most mysterious of my races. I do hear a lot of good things about it, however, and I've been to Austin before and think it’s a great town.

Dropping one race really makes the schedule no less ambitious. What’s more, I think I’ll benefit from a short time span between TriRock and IM Austin.

As the season draws nearer, the schedule is gelling more and (short of any major event) I’m not anticipating any more changes.

Whatever your schedule is, good luck and thanks for reading!