Two Years In: What I've Learned

A little less than a year ago, I posted what I took away from my first year as a triathlete. There's no question that there were a host of things I leaned in the first year. Nevertheless, while there are fewer, there are still some nuggets of wisdom I think I managed to glean from my first non-rookie year. So here goes:

1.  You cannot prepare enough! I didn't do a bad job of getting ready for my first 70.3 event. After all, I did finish it and actually was only 20 minutes behind my goal time. However, now that I know what the experience is like, I'll be more ready next year with more running, more biking and bricks. Yep, even though I sore them off earlier this season I think the shorter variety makes some sense. 
2. Putting down a big base paid off. I spent a lot of my off season working out in Zone 1 which is 60% to 75% of my max heart rate. That base gave me a solid platform of endurance upon which I was able to build better stamina. I swam faster and ran faster during the season. I plan on putting down an even larger base this off-season
3. I'm not good in the heat. Period. On the run portion of HITS I had the benefit of putting ice under my hat, being drenched with cold sponges and drinking plenty of water and energy drink. It helped. Indeed, it probably made the difference between finishing and a DNF, but it did not make me any faster. I may not be able to completely avoid hot courses (this is a summer event in Colorado after all) but avoiding temps in the mid to upper nineties is going to factor in to my 2013 schedule.
4. Sleep may be the ultimate "X Factor." I'm not a terrible sleeper, but I could be a lot better. I read about Tour de France athletes getting something like 9 hours a night and it makes the 7 or so I usually get seem kind of paltry. I managed to train myself to fall asleep earlier on the night before races but I need to extend that to every day. I plan on talking more about that this off-season.
5. I can't rule out a 140.6. That is not to say that I've convinced myself to train for the ultimate triathlon distance. Far from it. The time, energy, physical and mental toll that such an effort would require are sill very daunting. They're just not daunting enough to convince me that I don't want to join that elite club. It definitely won't be happening next year. But I may (will probably) put a full marathon on the schedule at the end of the off-season and see how that goes. I raced for close to seven hours at HITS. I ought to be able to run for five or so.

It's amazing how fast a season goes. Even with five races and months and months or training, it's still flown by faster than Alistair Brownlee in the Olympics! While part of me is sad the season and the summer have ended, another part is anxious to hit the reset button and focus on the good work that can be done in the off season. I've already got the beginnings of a training plan written and as soon as tomorrow I'll be back at the local rec center pool swimming laps. 

Additionally, I'm still training hard for the upcoming Rock & Roll Denver half marathon in just under three weeks. I've got a sub two hour goal in mind for that one. 

There's so much more I could say, but short and to the point always makes for a better post.

Happy Labor Day, thanks for reading and have a great week ahead!

Beating the Heat

Friday afternoon was perhaps the warmest day we’ve seen this year. Without question, it was certainly the warmest weather for which I had planned to run. I think the thermometer in my car was running a little warm, but let’s just call it about 85* when I left for my 8 mile run. Running in warmer weather is going to be important. HITS is scheduled to start at 7:00. I figure something around just under four hours for the swim, T1, Bike and T2. Even that may be optimistic—I’m keeping my expectations for speed low for my first half-iron distance. However, assuming as much, the means it will be 11:00 or so when I start out on the run.

Having recently completed a race along the course and being generally familiar with the area, I can tell you that there is no shade at all. Period. No groves of trees, no cliffs casting shadows in the right direction. In late July, the entire race will be in full sun. A review of the historical temperatures for greater Fort Collins for the date says the average high is 84* but I found that over the last 10 years it’s been closer to 87*. What’s more, this has been an unusually warm year. The highest temp I found during the period was 96* in 2005. In other words, I’m expecting it to be well over 85*. If we get an unexpected cool spell, great, but I’m not counting on it. Hence, my need to acclimate.

I learned last year what a killer heat can be during the run when I did the Creek Streak. Though there were plenty of water stations and I actually took in enough fluid on the bike to the point of having to pee a little bit, I still found myself overwhelmed by heat. In fact, I ended up running about three minutes slower in the race than I did on a brick that was on the exact same course two weeks earlier in similar conditions.

The question is: what was the difference. I did not do a swim on the morning I did the brick, but I don’t think swimming in 60 some degree water and then getting the bike wet warmed me up. If anything, it kept me cooler longer. I’ve been pondering this for months since the race and I think I know the answer. The frequency and temperature of the water I had available.

Obviously, no one comes out to support your brick work-outs with water stations along the way. You’re on your own. So that day I filled my CamelBak up with mostly ice and let it sit in the car/transition area while I did the 22+ mile bike ride. It’s not as though I didn’t feel the heat during that workout, but whenever I needed it, ice cold water was at the ready. In the race, I took water at intervals that were a little under a mile each.

Now let’s jump forward to last Friday afternoon. It’s 85*, there’s a dry breeze blowing and while the course I took offered some shade, it was more sun than not. Again, I took along my CamelBak which was filled with icy cold water. In anticipation of a warm run, I also had been taking water all day long.

The end result was completion of the course at a pace of 9:50. Compare that to the brick last July of 9:39 and keep in mind the brick was only 6 miles and I did after months of preparation. Compare it again to the race two weeks later where the pace was 10:03 and you get the idea. The difference was the availability of cool water when I needed/wanted it.

Purists will argue that it’s not worth the extra weight since it will slow you down. I would counter that I’ll slow down even more from overheating. When you consider that it’s 13.1 miles, I think the speed difference for a MOP(er) like me is negligible. Bottom line, unless there is freakishly cool weather, the CamelBak is coming along on the run portion! Plus, as you can see below, HITS is offering a pretty luxurious and spacious transition area:

As for other races, it probably won’t. SOST is in the middle of May and the run is only 3.1 miles. I’ll get all the hydration on the bike. Greeley was pretty warm last year, but again, it’s a sprint. I’ll be fine.

Boulder Peak is an Oly with a standard 10K for the run portion. It’s on July 8 when it can be even warmer than late July. However, the race starts at 6:00 and even if I end up in a later wave, I think I can be done with the swim, bike, and transition within two hours. That would probably mean I’m ready to start the run by 8:30 at the latest. Not saying it won’t be warm, but I think I can handle that with the on-course support. If we’re suffering through triple-digit heat, then I may change my mind.

Of course, even if a tanker truck filled with ice water were pacing me, I’d still have preparation to do. I’m planning on doing a lot of my long-run training at roughly the same time I plan to be doing the run portion of the  race. While my body is the type that just usually runs hot, I think I can do some work to adapt enough to be ready.

After Friday afternoon’s run, I had a good 1800 yard swim Saturday at the Rec Center and then headed out from there on a 45 mile bike ride. Sunday was a day off, but I didn’t feel as depleted as I have on other workouts. Maybe this training thing is actually starting to pay off!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Brick# 8

Considering the heat I encountered during last week's brick, I decided I needed to get an early start on Saturday morning. That was before I didn't fall asleep until after midnight. I had to decide between being tired and hot and I chose to be hot. As a result, I was not on my way until about 8:30.

In preparation for the Creek Streak, I did this brick out at Cherry Creek State Park along the same course that the tri will use. I was very pleased to find that while not hill-free, the climbs are significantly easier than what I have been working on near home. There were also a couple of nice flat stretches where I could spin away making good time, but not spiking the HR. I came back into the transition area feeling much fresher than I did a week ago.



Transition went a little slower, but that had more to do with logistics. Specifically, I had to load the bike back into my car before proceeding. I probably could have gone a little faster, but I'll just worry about that on race day. In truth, my delay may make more sense because it's a longer run from the water to the transition area. I think it may take at least a minute from the time I exit the water until I get to the bike.

As I mentioned last week, I started strong, but heat killed me in the end and I ended up running 4.5 of the 5 miles I intended. This time I decided to fight back against the heat by bringing water with me. Same as my long run on Wednesday, the CamelBak came along on this one. It made a difference. Although I was not super thirsty to start out, I started taking water after about 3/4 of a mile and then took it at roughly that interval going forward.

By mile 3.5 or so, I was feeling the same fatigue from a week ago. My pace slowed, my heart rate increased and I began to flirt with the idea of walking (though I knew I had to finish the full distance). While I think my pace got so slow as to be not much better than a walk, I kept going and got back to the six mile point. I was pretty fried by this point (and it was about 85 degrees so no surprise) but I did manage to run the whole thing.



I'm planning on the Aquaman actually happening this Tuesday and on Friday, I have a six mile run in the mountains planned (if I don't pass out from the lack of oxygen). More on that later....

Brick 8 Results:

1) Bike : 22.27 miles, 1:14:27, 17.9 mph average
2) Transition: 3:29
3) Run: 6 miles, 57:55, 9:39 ppm average