Monster Tri "One"

This morning, I participated in my second Monster Sprint Triathlon of 2009. Monster Tri "One" (in Keller) was actually the weekend following Monster Tri "Two" (in Denton). I had a pretty good race today though not quite a PR - more on that later. I completed the 300 meter pool swim at the Keller ISD Natatorium's 50-meter lanes, "12 mile" bike (12.5 miles per GPS), and 5K run in 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 43 seconds for 11th out of 42 in the men's 35-39 age group ... and 42nd out of 541 total finishers overall. With over 600 participants, turnout for this race continues to grow (last year, there were just over 500 entrants) even with the addition of the Denton event. Apparently, the recession has not damped triathlon event interest in the DFW metroplex.

Jack was 5th in our age group with a 1:06:25, and Lee captured 15th place with a time of 1:05 flat and grabbed 2nd place in his age group. My friend Eddie from spin class finished 4th in his age group as well. My splits:

• Swim: 5:46 (1:47/100yd pace)
• T1: 1:30
• Bike: 35:22 (20.4 mph average, 21.2 mph per GPS)
• T2: 1:11
• Run: 24:56 (8:03/mi pace)
• TOTAL: 1:08:43

Full results at http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1805631&pubID=3

As I alluded to earlier, this is actually 27 seconds slower than last year. I would have guessed that my run would have been my weakness, but it was actually my bike time that was slower - by over a minute! My T2 was also a little slower - I think the reason for that was because my costume today (a "Hugh Heffner" robe) took a little longer to put on than last year's caveman outfit. Oh, well - the sacrifices one must make for art :-).

Last year's splits for comparison:

• Swim: 5:51 (1:47/100yd pace)
• T1: 1:34
• Bike: 34:12 (21.1 mph average)
• T2: 1:00
• Run: 25:40 (8:17/mi pace)
• TOTAL: 1:08:16

The weather seemed to be about par for this race. Cool - a little chilly at the start of the bike when wet from the swim, but perfect for the run.

Lee actually beat me into transition - surprising since I live so close to the venue - and greeted me as I entered the bike racks. After we set up our bike & gear and grabbed out timing chips, we headed out for a short warm-up run.

Back inside the Keller Nat ... and more waiting. We watched the LONG line for chip-pickup. So glad we got there early. By some miracle, the race didn't start TOO late - only 10-15 minutes after the scheduled 7:30 AM.

My bib number was "454", but since the first swimmer into the water was actually "325", I only had about 100 people in front of me for the pool. The swim was uneventful and my time was decent - I probably could have shaved a few seconds off of the 5:46, but I hit some traffic about two-thirds of the way through as well as at the ladder for the pool exit.

T1 was pretty smooth. I was slower than everyone else on my rack, taking in an AccelGel and putting on socks, but that's just how I roll. Mounted my bike fairly smoothly upon exiting the transition area and headed down Bear Creek Parkway to start the bike leg.

I felt a little tired on the hills, though my (GPS) speed was still about the same as last weekend. There was a little bit more discourteousness/cluelessness from fellow racers today with regards to blocking ("On Your Left, guys!") but that honestly didn't mess me up. I did do a spin class yesterday and ran 3 miles yesterday, but I can't really use that as an excuse when comparing with last year because a year ago I did 15K worth of running at the Four Seasons Cool Run event the day before Monster Tri 2008!

As I finished the bike leg, I got a cheer from my friend and fellow Keller Running Club member, Melissa. I had a small mishap at bike dismount - couldn't unclip my left shoe out of the pedal (I really need to take a look at that pedal/cleat) - so in the end I had to just pop my foot out of my bike shoe, dismount, and run through the transition area with one bike-shoe and one sock-foot. Fun stuff. :-P

Aside from being "left-shoeless", I had a fairly smooth T2. As mentioned earlier, the robe costume is a little more involved than the caveman outfit. It was hard to get my arms into the sleeves and tying up the "belt" took a few extra seconds, too. I grabbed a gel and snapped on my race belt and headed out on the run course.

I had neglected to take a SaltStick before the bike and about a 1/8 mile into the run, I started to get some small cramps in my calves. Uh-oh ... Luckily, they disappeared after another 1/8 of a mile and I turned onto the Keller running trails. Since the course is part of the normal Keller Running Club route, I can pretty much run these trails in my sleep. The run went fairly smoothly. I didn't think I was having a very good run - every time I looked at my Garmin, my pace was listed at 8:10/mi or so - but it wasn't terrible either.

My costume wasn't too unwieldy, but it kept slipping off my shoulders. It was also a little warm - I wasn't wearing any top at all during the bike and its 21+ MPH speed - and now I had on an extra layer while going slower and at a higher heart rate! Hmm, something to think about for next year ...

Speaking of costumes, my "side goal" for the last few Monster Triathlons has been to be the first person to cross the finish line in a costume. There was a "referee" who had a 1/8 mile lead on me at the start of the run. We were pretty evenly matched; we were nearly to the turn-around until I finally passed her. After making the U-turn, I saw an "Elvis" and a "Wonder Woman" but they were 1/8 and 1/4 mile behind me, respectively, so I thought I was okay as long as I could keep a steady pace. However, as I neared the Mile 3 marker, I heard a volunteer/fan shout out "Way to go, Wonder Woman". Uh-oh, I guess my cushion is gone. I kicked it up a notch for the final sprint through the grass, around the corner and to the finish line - finishing only a few seconds ahead of her. Actually, Kristina (Wonder Woman's alter-ego) started the swim & race about 45-50 seconds after me and bested my chip time by 52 seconds (and took third place overall female)! Oh well, I guess I was still the first costumed finisher by clock time. :-P

All-in-all, a great race and a nice end to the 2009 triathlon season. Okay, now it's time to get serious about White Rock!

Monster Tri "Two"

My legs were definitely a little tired from yesterday's century ride, but I still finished strongly in the inaugural Dallas Athlete's Monster Tri "Two" at the Denton Natatorium this morning. I still find it weird that Monster Tri "Two" is a week before Monster Tri "One" (this coming Sunday in Keller), but I suppose the latter is the original race.

I can't believe that it's been six months since I last did a sprint-distance triathlon. Between doing the Olympic distance for Texas Man, PlayTri, and Disco (and of course the PrairieMan 70.3) - and skipping the TWU Power Sprint (I never liked that pool swim and Dallas Athlete's charged $20 more than Ironhead did!), Old College Tri (also too expensive) and Take On The Heat (Las Vegas vacation) - I missed out on doing the shorter events. Anyway, maybe the time away was a good thing, because I had a blast at this race and a great performance to boot!

I completed the 250 yd swim, 16 mile bike, and 3 mile run course in 1:19:52, which netted me 6th place out of 25 in my age group and 24th out of 289 overall. This is one of my best performances ever - top 10% - and to think I did it only 24 hours after a hard 100-mile bike ride - needless to say, I am ecstatic! Here are my splits:

• Swim: 4:52
• T1: 1:26
• Bike: 46:51 (20.5 MPH, 12th fastest bike split!) - 21.1 MPH for 16.5 miles per GPS
• T2: 1:15
• Run: 25:30 (8:14/mi pace) - 8:13/mi for 3.1 miles per GPS
• TOTAL: 1:19:52

Full results: http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1804210&pubID=3

Garmin Connect map & data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16600918 (bike) & http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16600936 (run)

The swim went relatively smoothly, though the 10 x 25-yds set-up made passing difficult. I did pass three people (and got passed by two as well) in the swim including the young woman who went immediately before me; however, she must not have appreciated that because on the final lap she swam up beside me and basically crowded me against the pool wall. Not cool! (I see from the results that she got first place in her age group so maybe there is a competitive streak trumping sportsmanship ... ). Anyway, I finished the final lap and hopped out of the pool a lot more gracefully that I would have expected and sprinted out the open doorway to the transition area.

T1 was okay. I got to the race site relatively late so I had a bad rack position and had to run in my bike shoes the maximum distance to Bike Out. However, despite the cool morning weather I opted not to put on a tri-top so my swim-to-bike transition was pretty fast except for my normal AccelGel & water break.

The bike leg was great. The course was an out-and-back from the Denton Nat with a turn-around at the Aubrey Middle School. There were definitely some hills along the way (~400 ft of elevation change over 16.5 miles) and my still-tired legs were complaining during the climbs. Here is the elevation profile:

However, FM-428 (Sherman Rd) had a very nice road surface - a huge contrast from 70+ miles of chip-seal the day before - and that got me motivated to get some speed. In fact, between getting warmed-up on the bike and the fact that the climbs were more gradual on the return leg, I was actually faster during the second half of the bike (21.5 vs. 20.8 MPH). Speed and other stats below (I ended "Lap 1" as I entered the Aubrey Middle School parking lot for the turn-around):

T2 was very smooth. I had no problems putting on my caveman/Tarzan costume and made it out of there quickly.

My run was not my best, but still pretty good. We had nearly perfect running weather. I'm sure that if I hadn't done such a long bike ride the day before that I could have gotten closer (or perhaps beaten - one can dream :-) my tri-5K goal pace of 8:00/mi. Here is my run speed (blue) and heart rate (red) charts:

The heart rate looks a little funky. I'm thinking those spikes are in accurate. Probably a bad connection between the strap and my chest during the run.

The drop in speed at Mile 0.4 is because I had to stop to redo my timing chip strap which was falling off (bad initial Velcro job on my part, I suppose). The slowdown at Mile 3.0 was a near-collision with the runner in front of me - he was circling around the cone (and me) for his second lap of the run course, while I was making a "hard right" to head to the finish line. Luckily, no serious incident occurred.

Following that I sped up again for the final push (though the hill up to the parking lot did slow me down a little) and crossed the finish line. My streak (2 for 2) of being the first finisher of those wearing costumes is intact! (though a girl in a Twister outfit was probably only a few minutes behind me :-)

With the standard disclaimers ("Hindsight is 20-20"; "If 'if's and 'but's were beer and nuts, oh what a party we'd have!"), I think that if I hadn't ridden yesterday, I probably could have shaved 90 seconds off my time (say a minute on the bike and 30 seconds on the run) which would have gotten me 4th place in my age group and 17th overall. Oh well, no biggie, though - 4th is still not award-worthy, and since this is my first time (okay, everyone's first time) doing this race/course, it is automatically a PR. Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to a repeat/better performance at "Monster Tri One" this coming Sunday - a familiar course (will be my fifth time doing it) right in my backyard in Keller.

Race Review: The bike and run courses (the small mishap with the "second loop turn-around" notwithstanding) were great. The pool swim was a little annoying with the 25yd "short lanes", but manageable and over before you knew it. Overall, I definitely would do this race again.

Kiwanis Crazy Kicker 2009

Woo-hoo, another century-ride under my belt. My last organized bike tour of 2009 was also my longest. I finished the 100-mile route at the 6th Annual Kiwanis Crazy Kicker this morning in Mineral Wells, TX. It was a tough ride with lots of hills (3,245 ft of elevation change) and not-the-best road conditions. I was fortunate to be able to ride with Angela and her friend Phillip for most of the ride - it would have been pretty lonely without the company.

The ride started off okay - though the cannon blast from two years ago was absent. The road on Rt 180 was very smooth - as was Rt 337 and its Three Amigos - so the first 14 miles of the ride went by pretty quickly despite the hills. However, upon turning onto Rt 254, the chip-seal started. I hoped it wouldn't last, but alas pretty much the entire middle of the route (nearly 70 miles) was chip-seal and about half of it was VERY rough. So it made for a long (jarring, vibrating, tiring) ride - in addition to the overall distance.

However, even with the chip-seal, Angela, Phillip and I kept a pretty fast 18.5 MPH average speed through the first 60 miles. In fact, coming down one of the hills, I hit a new max speed - 39.7 MPH!

We stopped at the Mile 65 rest stop for cookies & pickles (and the porta-potty) before heading for Cherry Pie Hill. I'm definitely in better biking shape than when I tackled Cherry Pie in 2007. While it was still tough (nearly 400 ft of climbing) in about 1.25 miles, I was able to do it seated this year. (In fact, I think I did just about the entire ride without needing to get out of the saddle.) And while my speed did drop to 6 MPH at it's slowest, I averaged around 8-10 MPH for the bulk of the climb.

Unfortunately, I got a flat tire at Mile 75 and it took about 20 minutes to fix (and check the tire for embedded nail/glass - there was none to be found, so it either fell out, or the chip-seal just took its toll on my tire). This was my first flat during a race/tour this year - oops, I just jinxed it - so it may be time to put on the new Vredestein Fortezza TriComp tires that I have sitting in my pile of "backup gear."

After the flat "adventure", we rode another 10 miles to the final rest stop to collect our breath and legs before the final 14 miles and hitting the Three Amigos in reverse - although only the final two Amigos are steep climbs when approaching from the north. In fact, in some ways, the "Reverse Second Amigo" is tougher than Cherry Pie Hill in that it lasts for 1.5 miles and starts at Mile 91. On the other hand, at least it was not on chip-seal (just before the turn onto Rt 337 after the last rest stop, there is a sign that reads "Smooth Road Ahead ... Ahh!" - truer words have not been written) so that made it a little easier.

After those hills, there was just a few more miles on Hwy 180 before the return to West City Park. It was a little tricky crossing the traffic with Jello-wy legs, but I made it. Upon turning into the park I noticed that my GPS read 99.5 miles so I made an extra-wide loop around the park to make it an even 100.

Garmin Connect map & info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16491257

Ride Review:

• Course: 3/5 - fast blacktop on Highways 180 and 337; other roads had chip-seal galore - much of it "fresh"; course was fairly well-marked and there weren't too many turns (and none on small/non-obvious roads); roads were fairly straight; minimal traffic control but traffic was not too bad; great routes if you like/want hill challenges
• Rest Stops: 3/5 - very limited selection - some fruit, homemade cookies, and water/Gatorade - nothing to write home about. Stops were well-marked with signs alerting that they were "1/2 or 1 mile ahead"
• Logistics: 3/5 - no issues with race day packet pick-up - packet was pretty weak but the long-sleeve T-shirt was nice; only $20 for pre-registration; minimal porta-potties at the start/finish, but lines weren't too long; adequate parking at West City Park for the number of participants (approx 300 this year)
• Overall: 3/5 - a pretty bare-bones ride, but I will definitely do it again for the challenging course to make for a good "end of season" ride; hopefully, by next year some of that chip-seal will have worn-down a bit and this grade will improve!