Rained Out

Honey Tour bike race rained out. Don and I are bummed. Sad thing is that it is barely raining here at my house, but 35 miles south in Burleson was a different story - i.e., it was POURING with possible flash-flooding.

Considered going to the gym, but was too bitter. Will just try to do the elliptical trainer in our spare bedroom after some lunch.

[UPDATE: Race has been rescheduled for September 1]

Speed Swimming

I probably should have taken off today since I plan to do a 62-mile bike tomorrow, but I figured swimming should be okay since it is mostly upper body and with the lousy weather (the skies over Dallas-Fort Worth have been grey/raining for 90% of the past month) it is getting sketchy on whether the ride will actually happen.

Anyway, I really thought swimming would be slow and difficult today after working out almost every day this week and also doing upper body weight work yesterday after the Stairmaster, but I actually ended up having my fastest times yet for the swim.

The first 500 meters was completed in 13:12 - almost 40 seconds faster than what I did on Tuesday. I thought "nah, I must have miscounted the laps." So after a 48-second break - I wanted the watch to get back to ":00" - I did another 500 meters and completed them in 13:28. Wow, I really hope those times are correct. I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular pool at North Lake College next week to see if they hold.

In other news, Jarrod and I are officially registered for the 12th Annual Metroplex Sprint Tri on June 10. So nervous, yet so excited ...

Slave to the Stairmaster

Continuing the theme of "gotta build up my legs, pronto," I did the Stairmaster today at the gym. I was able to do a full 30 minutes for 120 "floors" (if the machine is to be believed) but it definitely was not easy. Jarrod says that he hates this machine - I don't blame him.

The model I used is the really good one where the stairs look like real stairs (see picture). You really can't cheat ... unless you hang on the rails - which I did not!

No more legs this week. Resting them up for the Honey Tour bike ride on Saturday.

Serious Swimming

Since I've all but signed up for the Metroplex Sprint Triathlon to be held June 10, I really gotta kick the training into high gear. My biking will be helped along since Don and I are going to ride the 62-mile Honey Tour in Burleson this Saturday (weather permitting). And I can (at least I tell myself this) always squeeze in a run here or there. So today I focused on my swimming.

Noting that the upcoming Metroplex Sprint has an 800m lake swim, I wanted to see how quickly I could do a "pool" distance that is even greater than that. So I did 44 laps of 25 yards (stupid non-metric pool at the gym), which is 1,100 yards or 1,000 meters (I think that math is correct), in 28 minutes, 20 seconds. The first 500m was in 13:50, which is the first time I've cracked under 14 minutes for that distance; the second half was in 14:30 - which included a 10 second break/delay due to a goggle malfunction. :-P

Cross Timbers Classic

I finished my first bike race today. Technically I guess the Cross Timbers Classic is a "tour", not a "race", but it still doesn't change the fact that I finished a 50+ mile bike ride!

The first 1.5-miles of the tour was a lap around Texas Motor Speedway. Even though I am not a NASCAR fan by any stretch of the imagination, it was still a really cool experience (and wow, are some of those turns really steeply banked - I guess they have to be when cars are circling them at 150+ mph!)

It took me about 4 hours and 20 minutes (including two rest stops) to complete approximately 50 miles (52.5 according to my bike computer). That works out to 5.2 minutes per mile or just over 11.5 miles per hour. Not counting the stops, I was at about 12.5 mph - which jives with what my bike computer often displayed as my current speed. I'm definitely not (and perhaps will never be) a speedster, but for a first time ride of that distance, I am very happy with my performance.

Actually, I did the first 24 miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes (or 13.7 mph) and then hit the (second) rest stop (skipped the first one). The pace definitely slowed after that. At that rest stop, I (thought I) was glad I had chosen to persevere with the 50-mile route. (At the 14.5-mile mark, I could have made a left turn and cut it down to a 30-mile ride). However, at the 32-mile mark, I started hitting some nasty hills and definitely had second thoughts about whether I had made a wise decision. Good thing there were no other opportunities to cut the route short - I might have taken them!

Again, I noticed that, overall, my cardio fitness was not the limiting factor for my biking performance. Except for some of the hills, I can honestly say that I barely breathed hard at all during the entire ride. But I still need to strengthen my legs BIG TIME. And the really funny thing is that after the bike ride, any soreness that might have lingered from Wednesday's run was gone!

Ride Highs:

1. The opening lap around TMS
2. Finishing all 50 miles!
3. Racing by myself (solitude - just me and my thoughts)

Ride Lows:

1. Scraping my arm against a farmer barbed wire fence while turning into a rest stop - stings more than it hurt or bled
2. Going 6 mph (or slower) up steep hills
3. Hitting a really nasty hill at 38 miles and having to stop ... and then having to resume from a standing start
4. Falling over at 43 miles (couldn't unclip at a stop sign) - luckily, the only thing hurt was my pride
5. Leg cramps in my right quad at 47 miles - the last 5.5 miles were slow and painful
6. Racing by myself (when with other riders, they pushed me to go faster)

Now that I've experienced a 50-mile ride, I am very confident that I can do the 12.4 - 25 miles that are needed for a Sprint or Olympic tri. I am also fairly certain that I am NOT interested in doing rides/races that are much longer than 50 miles (at least in the immediate future).

Don and Jarrod are seriously considering doing the Hotter'N Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls this summer, but if I go with them, I will be doing the "Hotter'N Hell Fifty" (or possibly the 100K - 62 miles). If it takes me 4+ hours to do 50 miles, there is no way I want to be riding for 9 hours to do 100 - and thus spending 4-5 hours in the August afternoon Texas sun!

Ride Review:

• Course: 2/5 - this course is unsafe! terrible traffic (18-wheelers!) on Hwy 156; non-existent traffic control in the afternoon (have to make a unpatrolled left-turn onto a busy highway); several sections of two lane roads with no shoulder; the only reason this is not a 1/5 is because of the opening lap at TMS
• Rest Stops: 2/5 - the stops didn't offer anything great - just some fruit, water, and Gatorade; they were also too far apart (only 3 stops for a 50+ mile ride!) and placed in terrible spots (just barely off the road so bikers were congregating right on the course)
• Logistics: 3/5 - early online registration didn't allow discounted fee via credit card; decent parking; easy same-day registration; lots of cold bottled water, soda and energy drinks at registration site; not much going on at the finish line :-(
• Overall: 2/5 - I may do it again because it is close to my house; then again, I may just do the 10 mile fun-ride with my family - get the goodies without the danger!

Swimming in the Sun

My buddy Jonathan is getting married this weekend (so Jarrod and Mike are in San Fran with him). I couldn't go - it's tough to travel with our new baby. And Derek is off at a conference in DC.

So it was just me and Matt at the (newly "uncovered") pool today. Wow, is the pool bright when the top is off?!?

Started off with 500 meters in 14:03 ... then did another 500 meters right before leaving in about 15:30. Probably did about 1,200 to 1,300 total. For reference, I did 500 meters in 14:50 or so two weeks ago - so while still not a speedster, I am definitely improving! :-)

Surprisingly, right after the swim my legs felt a lot better. They still felt tired, but walking and stairs was much more comfortable. However, now, after dinner, they are stiffening up again. Trying to massage them while watching TiVoed CNBC "Closing Bell".

About 36 hours until bike race. Will be taking tomorrow off to rest up.

Legs = REALLY Sore

Wow, tough to (physically) get out of bed. Stairs are painful. Running six miles for first run was definitely a mistake.

Compounding the problem is that I signed up my first bike race, the Cross Timbers Classic (I registered for the 50-mile route), earlier this week. The race is Saturday morning so I have about 48 hours for my legs to recover - or it's gonna be a "long day" during the race.

One good/bad thing about the Cross Timbers Classic 50-mile race route is that there is a "fork" point about 15-miles into it which lets the tired rider "turn left" and cut the route down to 30 miles. Good for my legs if they cramp up during the ride. But bad for my willpower ...