2008 USAT Ranking

By way of some semi-random web surfing last week, I came upon the USA Triathlon Rankings web site.  After playing fairly close attention to the rankings in 2007, I had all but forgotten about/given up on them last year because USAT had (and acknowledged) some ("technical") problems getting the rankings published in a timely manner.

Anyway, here are my tri results from 2008:

Not bad at all.  My overall score of 71.78625 gave me 4,674th place out of 11,382 in the men 35-39 age group (41st percentile).  And much improved from 2007's score of 65.30078 (5,125th out of 8,150 = 63rd percentile). 

Let's see if I can keep it up in 2009!

SEAL Swimming (x 2)

Some swimming to get ready for the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge - one session planned, the other unplanned -but both were good.

Monday: My first long swim since mid-February. 2,000 yards. Yay!

• First 500 yds - breaststroke - 10:05 (a bit slower than last Tuesday, but not too bad considering that I raced yesterday)
  
• Second 500 yds - freestyle - 10:51 (slow ... ouch!)
  
• 1 1/2 minute water break.
  
• Third 500 yds - alternating between 50 yds of freestyle and 50 yds of breaststroke - 10:37 (better)
  
• 1 minute water break
  
• Final 500 yds - same thing, alternating freestyle/breaststroke - 10:20 (good)
  

A lot of work to do, but a good start.

Tuesday: Normally, a spin-class day but ... I FORGOT MY SHOES. Oops! So had to settle for the only gym workout possible with no footwear: more swimming. Kicked it up a notch with a total of 2,500 yards today. Similar format to yesterday's session:

• First 500 yds - breaststroke only - 9:44 (fastest time yet)
  
• 1 minute water break
• Second 500 yds - freestyle only - 10:08 (not bad!)
  
• 1 minute water break.
  
• Third 500 yds - alternating between 50 yds of freestyle and 50 yds of breaststroke - 9:59
  
• 1 minute water break
  
• Fourth 500 yds - more freestyle/breaststroke - 9:55
• 1 minute water break
• Final 500 yds - another breaststroke set - 9:47.5

The pool is my friend.

After the swim, I rested for about 5 minutes and then tried some push-ups. Big mistake. I could only do ten in 29 seconds (you get 2 minutes in the SEAL Challenge) before complete muscle failure. A short rest and then another attempt - only six more. Sigh ... oh well - lots of room for improvement. Next up: sit-ups ... a little better - 37 completed in the 2-minute time limit.
I guess I just have to work harder and get better. A little over a month to go ...

2009 Fast & Furious F1 Duathlon

I participated in the 8th Annual Fast & Furious F1 Windfest ... er, Duathlon this morning at Lynn Creek Park on the shores of Joe Pool Lake in Grand Prairie, TX.  I believe the "F1" refers to the race format of 2 mile run, 11 mile bike, another 2 mile run, another 11 mile and then a sprint to the finish line (with your bike helmet and cleats)!  With a 24+ MPH average windspeed this morning, biking across the dam (especially on the return trips) was challenging at best and a little unnerving at worst.

Here are the stats from my Garmin Forerunner 305 (click to expand):

and these were very close to my official splits:

• Run 1: 16:11.9 (a solid 7:52/mi pace to start off; Roberto, along with the other speedier runners, passed me early on, but that was expected so I didn't try to go too fast and blow up)
  
• T1:  1:20.8 (a little slow; decided to shed my gloves and then had a little trouble getting on my bike shoes and my helmet and sunglasses had blown over; also took my normal extra time to down a SaltStick and AccelGel)
  
• Bike 1: 30:46.8 (20.2 MPH is more than 1 MPH slower than my time for the Texas Motor Speedway Du, but not too bad considering the stiff wind during nearly of the ride).
  
• T2: 0:53.6 (missed my bike rack - but just by a few rows - so overall a passable bike-to-run transition)
  
• Run 2: 16:43.7 (still an 8:05/mi pace - not much a drop from Run 1; I'm very happy about that!; Lee passed me just before entering transition - darn, I'm now officially 4 minutes behind him)
  
• T3: 0:59.0 (much faster than T1 even though I again took a salt pill and gel)
  
• Bike 2: 31:41.8 (30 seconds slower than bike 1 - getting tired, wind picked up, or both!  Passed Lee about 1/4 mile into the bike - gotta try to get some of that time back ...)
  
• T4/Finish: 0:19.6 (rack bike and then sprint to the finish line - just outside the transition area -- while still donning helmet and bike shoes!  I finished just behind the 1.4 seconds behind the guy in front of me - who placed second in the Clydesdale [men over 200 pounds] division - no wonder he was pushing so hard at the end. :-P)
  
• Total Time: 1:38:57.4

I placed 42nd out of 150 finishers and 7th out of 18 in my age group.  Lee took 28th place overall (about 2 1/2 minutes faster than me) and got an award for 3rd place in his age group.  I believe this is his first multi-sport award.  Way to go! Roberto was there with his friend Nick(?) and ran a solid race (top third) as well.

After the finish, we grabbed a (rather Spartan) post-race breakfast of Gatorade, bagels and bananas (Ironhead Jack said that the caterer didn't show up - not sure if that was a joke :-P) and waited near the beach at Lynn Creek Park for the awards ceremony.  Overall, it was a good event and a great course.  And the F1 format is interesting (and I heard that it used to include a third 2-mile run leg at the end).  I look forward to doing this race again in the future (especially if it is without the wind).

Full results at http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1725091

SEAL-Worthy?

In other news, last Friday, Lee and I signed up for the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge. The event is on May 9th at the Keller ISD Natatorium (same venue as the St. Patty's/Monster Tri) and consists of:

• 500 yd swim – Sidestroke or breaststroke only
  
• [10 minute rest]
  
• Push-ups – Max you can do in 2 minutes
  
• Sit-ups – Max you can do in 2 minutes
  
• Pull-ups – As many as you can do (not timed)
  
• [4 minute rest]
  
• 1.5 mile run
  

I've been doing so much (too much?) "swim, bike, run" so this looked like a good goal to work towards for increasing my pathetic upper-body strength. The web site notes that the standards that must be achieved to enter the SEAL training program (BUD/S) include the following:

• 500-yard swim (using sidestroke or breaststroke) under 12 ½ minutes
  
• 42 Push-Ups (in 2 minutes)
  
• 50 Sit-Ups (in 2 minutes)
  
• 6 Pull-Ups (no time limit)
  
• 1.5 Mile Run under 11 minutes
  

Furthermore, the elevated SEAL standards for the PST, which statistically gives the candidate a much greater chance of completing BUD/S, include the following:

• 500-yard swim (using sidestroke or breaststroke) under 10 minutes
  
• 80 Push-Ups (in 2 minutes)
  
• 80 Sit-Ups (in 2 minutes)
  
• 11 Pull-Ups (no time limit)
  
• 1.5 Mile Run under 10 minutes
  

I think I can handle the swim and run segments (though the necessary sub-6:40/mi run pace for the elevated SEAL standards will be a stretch), but my weakness will be in the push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.  So, I'm going to start focusing on these areas (and practice my breaststroke) during my workouts in the weeks ahead.

Tuesday:  I got to LA Fitness before spin class and started with 20 push-ups.  That was about all I could do (maybe 5 more may have been eeked out, but whatever).  Next up: the pull-up station - which is not a true pull-up bar (has a "gap" between where you hang on).  I did 5 pull-ups, but I'm not sure if there were actually full/legal ones - I need to find a real pull-up bar.  Then, 17 more push-ups and about 40 sit-ups (I lost count :-P) and then 2 pull-ups before running to spin class.  After that, a solid 50 minute spin class (average heart rate of 156 bpm).  I finish the workout with a 500 yard swim (breakstroke only) in 9:57.  Pretty good (and probably would be even faster if I wasn't wearing baggy swim trunks).  After exiting the pool, some push-ups.  Not a very good performance - the session went something like: 3 push-ups, break, 2 push-ups, break, 2 push-ups, longer break, 5 push-ups .... probably 16-20 total.

Wednesday: Baseline run: 1.5 miles on the treadmill (no incline)  in 10:34 (7:03/mi pace). Not bad, but it will be tough to shave another 34 seconds off the time. After the run, I alternated between push-ups and sit-ups: 3-5 push-ups and then 10 sit-ups. Approximate totals: 15 push-ups and 30 sit-ups.  Finally, a 60-minute spin class (avg hr of 152 bpm) for some more cardio work (gotta prepare for this weekend's Fast & Furious Duathlon)

Thursday/Today: A little more cycling in the form of a 45-minute spin class (avg hr of 152 bpm).  Afterwards, about 500 yds of swimming - mix of freestyle and breaststroke and little sidestroke (which seems slow and inefficient compared to breaststroke). My watch died on me so no splits - time for a new battery! A set of push-ups after getting out of the pool ... 9 total. Uggh, I'm going backwards!  My arms still sore from Tuesday & Wednesday.  I think I'll take a break from the arm/chest work for a few days and try it again next week.

Overall, I still have a long ways to go with my push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups ... but at least it's a start and I have a baseline from which to work.  Hopefully, I'll make a lot of progress in the next five weeks.

2009 Ride For Heroes

I completed - scratch that, SURVIVED - the 66-mile route at the 2009 Ride For Heroes bike rally today in Aledo, TX.  This caps off a week of (indoor) cycling: 60-minutes of spin on Tuesday (155 bpm avg hr), 75-minute spin class on Wednesday (155 bpm avg hr), and a 45-minute spin class on Thursday followed by a 2-mile treadmill brick run in 16:04 (8:02/mi pace).

Walking up to packet pickup to get my T-shirt and feeling the wind and cold, I didn't think I was even going to do even the 8-miler, but ended up doing (a very windy and hilly) 66.7 miles in 4:31. Very slow between miles 30 and 50 - only 13 MPH average speed. I'm glad I did it, though - the hill/wind work now will pay off in the future.

Even though the turnout for the ride was low (probably only 200-300 people total), there were great volunteers at Aledo High's Bearcat Stadium - handing out complementary gloves at the start (which I wore on top of my running gloves!) and cookies at the finish.  I could see this ride having several thousand riders on a good day.

The hills were tough (especially combined with headwinds) and lactic acid was building up in my quads.  Had to take them slowly to work through the onset of leg cramps.  The ride through the neighborhoods of Aledo and Annetta was relaxing with lots of nice homes to look at. The route finished with a scenic ride around Lake Weatherford. I would have stopped to take pictures, but didn't want to stop for fear of not wanting to start again.

After finishing the ride, I met up with Don and Wilhe in the cafeteria for the post-ride lunch.  Derek had done the 40-mile route but I missed him at the start and he had left long before I finished, so I never got a chance to see him.  I actually didn't think my friends would still be there either - having done a shorter route and finished about 2 hours earlier.  However, they had stuck around for the raffle (new Trek bike) so I lucked out and had some company while I enjoyed a couple delicious burgers, chips, hot cider, and other snacks.  

MotionBased info and route map: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7887588

(Check out the elevation: 4,265 feet of climb/descent and weather: 21.9 MPH average wind speed)

Ride Review:

• Course: 4/5 - Overall, a pretty good course.  Roads were in good condition with little chip seal.  Had decide between 20/40 miles vs. 66 miles routes at the 5-mile mark!  Lots of hills, but that is a good thing if you are looking for that kind of workout. lightly traveled roads. Turns were generally well-marked and/or well-staffed with police pointing the way, but there were a few places where the signs were not prominent enough. It's tough to cover them all because the route had A LOT of turns, but regardless it's something that must be paramount to make sure riders don't get lost.
• Rest Stops: 3.5/5 - I only stopped at the 30 and 50 mile stops.  Limited selection - fruit, cookies, and water/Gatorade.  Some miscellaneous breakfast bars at Mile 50.  Competent, but average.  Volunteers to hold bikes was nice to have.  I also saw a fair number of SAG vehicles along the way so thumbs-up for those.
  
• Logistics: 4/5 - online registration available; no issues with race day packet pick-up; lots of bathrooms at the stadium and in the high school; T-shirt was a crazy fluorescent yellow color - I guess it's something "unique"; limited parking at Aledo High School due to construction - but not an issue with the low turnout; Good burgers, cider, other refreshments in the cafeteria.
• Overall: 4/5 - Very good ride despite today's poor weather.  Looking forward to next year - maybe I'll do the 100-miler!  :-)

Sunday Reverse Brick

I was amused to discover that I finished last in my age group (4th out of 4) in this morning's Fort Worth Runner's "Club Lucky 7" race despite running a respectable (for me, anyway) 57:34 (8:12/mi).  That's what I get for racing with these speedsters. :-)

I ran this seven mile race last year, and although the starting line was moved from the River Plaza to Trinity Park, five of the seven miles were still on the Trinity Trails - so the 2009 course was "5/7-identical" to 2008.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able set a new PR today - my time was almost 2 minutes slower than last year.  Still, it was a pretty good performance considering that I did the sprint tri yesterday.

My splits and my speed & heart rate charts:

As you can see, I kept a fairly consistent pace for the entire distance.  I took short walk breaks at Miles 1.9,3,4, and 5.1 (which are included in splits for Miles 2, 4, 5, and 6.  Even with those walk breaks, I stayed below an 8:30/mi for those splits - NOT BAD!  I may have gone out a little (too?) fast in the first half mile before settling down.  However, I'm very happy with my strong finish - my last mile was the fastest of all of them.  I think I need to really consider doing walk-run for all of my longer runs - and longer may be defined as anything longer than 10K.

MotionBased route and data: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7802407

Full results: http://www.fwrunners.org/Results/2009/Mar_09_Results_All.pdf

After the race, I met up with some friends and did a 42 mile bike ride on the Trinity Trails.  The ride was at a relaxing pace although I did do "Nice Hill" in Lake Benbrook Park a couple of extra times.  Overall, a solid weekend of races and training.  Looking forward to a light week coming up - Spring Break!

2009 St. Patrick's Day Triathlon

A solid performance at this morning's St. Patrick's Day Triathlon.  This is the fourth time I've completed this 300m swim-12mi bike-5K run course (prior efforts: Monster Tri 2007, St. Patty's Tri 2008, Monster Tri 2008), which is right down the road from me in Keller.

I completed the now very familiar course in 1:10:48.5 which placed me 14th out of 42 in my age group and 82nd out of 477 finishers.  (The cold/wet weather kept a lot of people away - there were around 610 total registrants - but even with the more than 100 no-shows, the attendance was still greater than the original 450 field cap).  This time is 2 minutes and 32 seconds slower than last year's Monster Tri finish (1:08:16, which is my PR for the course) but as I'll explain below is still quite good considering the external factors which slowed the bike and T1.

Results for fellow triathletes: Lee captured 89th place with a 1:11:26, slowed somewhat by a calf cramp during the bike (having gotten two of those during the TMS Du, I knew exactly what he was feeling). Sarah, a fellow VOWS resident, took second place in her age group with a 1:13.49.6.  Jeff (from Irving LA Fitness spin - reunited before the race), Derek (recovering from a cold this past week), and Jenn also turned out solid performances with times of 1:16:45.9, 1:19:32.7 & 1:24:27.3 for 164th, 207th & 276th place, respectively.

My splits tell my story for the day:

• Swim: 5:33.3
• T1: 2:17.2
• Bike: 37:03.6 (19.4 mph average)
• T2: 0:56.9
• Run: 24:57.5 (8:03/mi pace)
• TOTAL: 1:10:48.5

I had a pretty good swim - a 300 meter PR, in fact - the short distance masking my recent lack of training in this area.

My T1 time was a lot longer than it should have been.  It was already going to be slow because I took my normal pre-bike AccelGel and had decided to take some time and towel off from the swim and put on a shirt, but the real mistakes were: (1) my long sleeve shirts for the bike were turned inside out so it took me extra time to get dressed (that'll teach me to be lazy when setting up my transition area), and (2) my timing chip strap was way too long and as I was exiting the transition area with my bike it nearly came off - I had to set my bike down and reattach the Velcro.  So all-in-all, I probably lost nearly 30 seconds in T1.  (For reference, my T1 time was 38 seconds slower than Monster 2007 when I also toweled off and put on a shirt for the bike).

As mentioned, the weather was cold, but not the temperature itself was not too painful.  However, heavy rains for the last several days left the roadways quiet wet.  And so with the wet roads, the cycling was on the slower side.  The two-loop bike course had 11 turns of 90 degrees or more and everyone had to slow down for them for safety's sake.  Thankfully, I believe the race finished without any wrecks.

Actually, when I first jumped on my bike past the Mount Line of the transition area, I had a lot of trouble clipping in and almost ran front wheel into a curb.  Luckily, I was able to regain my balance and avoid a (time-consuming and embarrasing) crash.  After that episode, I was on my way.

Compared with last year's Monster Tri (my PR for this course) bike time of 34:12, I spent nearly three more minutes out on the bike course.  Obviously, slowing down for the turns really added to a loss of momentum and speed. However, this is something everyone had to contend with, and my bike time was about 40th ... in the top 10% of the field - so no complaints!

After the bike, things were pretty smoothly.  My 0:56.9 T2 is a PR for this course even if just by a few seconds and my 5K run was just a few seconds shy of the PR I set in my first race on this course (Monster 2007 - 24:54).  I still haven't been able to break the 8:00/mi tri-5K barrier (darn!).

Took SaltSticks before the event, at T1, and at T2.  Despite this I felt a cramp in my calf coming on at the start of my run.  So I don't know if the SaltSticks didn't make a difference in this area ... or perhaps prevented a full-blown (disasterous) Charlie Horse.

After the race, I caught up with fellow racemates, took some photos, and had some pancakes with Lee and Jenn.  (Wisely, back inside the Natatorium to warm up.)  After learning that Sarah had taken 2nd in her age group, I decided to stick around the awards ceremony and was rewarded for it ... My bib number was picked during the door prize drawings and I went home with a new Rudy Project Kontact+ helmet!

So even though it wasn't the best weather, it was still a good fun race and a nice surprise at the end.

Full results at: http://www.racechiptiming.com/files/ST.PADDY'STRIRESULTS.HTM