Except for the rookies who are all sick or have other excuses, the UW ski team made the hour long pilgrimage to Orangeville to run around like pigs in the mud today. Here is a short play by play:
Arrival: Found a different parking lot than everyone else... are we the first ones here? The morning cold is still in the air, so we head indoors to meet up with the team. Friends from Guelph and Toronto teams are there already and the competition looks pretty fun.
40 minutes to race start: Start warm up. The trails are covered with wood chips in most areas. Its soft and my feet are happier than kittens in a blanket. 20 minutes later we return to find out that the race starts 20 minutes after we thought it did.
40 minutes to race start: Start warm up again.
15 minutes to race start: Everyone is standing around, getting their zone H* in. I like this kind of race.
5k and 10k race start. There is a lot of confusion and the half of the field doing the shorter race clearly wants to be in front whether or not they really should be. I let them go, knowing that I have 10k left to pass anybody who lets me.
Colin takes off with the leaders. He is sick, so I am surprised at his eternal optimism.
The first flat section of the course. Its clear that my lack of running interval training has effected my leg speed. Another leg speed limiter at this point is probably the desire to finish :)
I let Nolan and Ryan go up the trail. Its too early to tell if I will see them again, but I have no desire to burn to much fuel this early on. I instead choose panting girl and lumbering giant as my running partners. They are loud and their running stride hurts my soul, so I decide to dance quickly up the first hills. They sit on my shoulders, sucking air.
The first few downhills are very steep. I let my gravity take over and pray that my legs can keep up. My strides are over 2 m in places. The field hasn't adopted my strategy, so I must yell "LEFT!!!" and "RIGHT!!!" as start my descents. Nobody around me can match my descending aggression.
My organs bounce around inside me and I question whether or not I'm pushing too hard. I tell myself that I probably feel bad at the start of every race. I buck up.
The gap to Ryan and Nolan closes on the ups and downs, but lengthens on the flats. We yo-yo for a few kilometers and drop Ryan and Colin. Nolan and I trade leading our pack for most of the rest of the first lap.
It becomes clear that the only damage I do today will be on the ups, downs and the transitions between the two. I decide that's just fine and start putting all of my eggs in those baskets. The lap ends with a series of 4 or 5 climbs and descents followed by a very long but more gradual descent to the bottom of the stadium where there is one final climb to the lap lane/finish line. I break off the front of the pack I'd been running with in this section and pass some kids doing the 5k just before the stadium.
Running through the stadium is slow, but I catch my breath and am feeling strong. Once I start the new lap, there are no climbs for a while, so I have nowhere to burn too much energy. I cruise and prepare myself for lap 2.
The flattest section of the course is at the start of the lap, so the pack starts bridging back up to me. On flats, it is much quicker to run in a pack, so combined with my distaste for flats on this day, I decide to let them close the gap. I look back and see a white jersey and assume it is Nolan. His voice rings through my head from the previous morning... something along the lines of "when somebody is closing a gap to catch you, rest until they're just out of reach of you, then take off and they'll be too tired from closing the gap to keep up".
There is some kind sick sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing how much pain people are going through to try to catch you. I take his advice and drop my chasers on the first steep climb. My quads are now jelly, so the downs start to feel reckless, but at top speed, there is nothing to be done but continue. I tighten my core as hard as I can to keep the contents of my stomach where they should be, grit my teeth and push onward.
I find a rhythm quickly in the second lap and in my solitude I eventually forget about the pain. UP lean forward, quick, short strides. FLAT stand tall, lengthen strides, push over the top. DOWN, tense core, breathe, long strides. FLAT stand tall, take in air, there's somebody behind me, don't let up.
Finally the finish and I am smiling, pushing through the line, then doubled over. I have to get a recap of who finished behind me because I am too tired to notice. Kids are serving gatorade in jello shot cups. They challenge me to drink 7. I clear the table.
I finished in 48 minutes and change for 8th place overall.
*Zone H is the hormone zone, where you just talk to women. It is key for boosting testosterone levels?
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
I'M BACK!
Hello Internet! I have returned to the world of blogging... specifically about the ways that I'm staying active, healthy and loving it the whole time. That last one is the most important by the way.
Over the last year, I've worked at the Charcoal Steakhouse, a four star restaurant in Kitchener. I had the opportunity to work with some amazing cooks and chefs, and while I wasn't always doing the most challenging things there, I picked up volumes of knowledge through osmosis.
While I was working (my ass off) I wasn't doing much exercise, so I'll document my return to training at a competitive level.
I return as Tim 2.0... or actually more like 22.75...
Peace and Love to you and your grandmothers
T
Here's a picture of my first day of training (by Dave Rhodes)
Over the last year, I've worked at the Charcoal Steakhouse, a four star restaurant in Kitchener. I had the opportunity to work with some amazing cooks and chefs, and while I wasn't always doing the most challenging things there, I picked up volumes of knowledge through osmosis.
While I was working (my ass off) I wasn't doing much exercise, so I'll document my return to training at a competitive level.
I return as Tim 2.0... or actually more like 22.75...
Peace and Love to you and your grandmothers
T
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
The Power of Information
Everybody feels like shit every now and again. Recently, I've been feeling that way more frequently than usual.
That sounds pretty bad right? Right.
More specifically, I've been feeling stressed and tired.
That sounds a little bit more manageable than feeling like "shit".
See what I did there? I gave you information and it changed your perception a bit. First you might've thought "aww thats shitty Tim", but after that, you maybe thought "well you better sleep more and take some time to relax". This is the power of information.
So when I'm not feeling so hot, I try to figure out why. I read stuff like this article and it puts things into perspective for me. Number three on the list is the one that I'm confident I've been suffering from.
Around the time I raced Welland, I realized that my body felt bouncy and healthy, but my head just wasn't in it. I blamed things like the stress of school and a long distance relationship. I also blamed the pressure I put on myself to train hard and perform perfectly.
These things almost certainly were playing major factors, so since I didn't feel like training anyways, I took some time away from sport to recover.
So now that I'm starting to feel better, I'm starting to make sense of this whole mess. Burnt out adrenal glands (and quite possibly other hormone secreting glands as well) make perfect sense. Hormones are imperative to arousal which is what allows you to perform. Without arousal, you end up tired all the time, stressed and in absolutely no condition to train or race.
I'm fairly confident that if you looked at my training (including nutrition and other recovery activities) as a separate entity from the rest of my life, it would be fairly manageable. The problem is that sport is only a part of my life and I don't care who you are, you can't just leave everything behind to go train or race. It doesn't work like that.
If you're stressed at school or work, your body is full of stress hormones** and you they don't go away once you hop onto your bike. Stress is physical as well as psychological.
**cortisol is usually one of the main offenders here. It is also produced during exercise because its job is to free up energy through the breakdown of stored fats, glycogen and muscle tissue. When it is produced at rest (work, school, etc), it slowly eats away at your body. This is why stress is so bad for you.
So back to the original idea. Information is powerful. You can't fix anything without knowing what it is you're fixing first. Find out what the exact problem is and then do what it takes to feel better.
Whats my fix? My goal is to become a master of moderation and efficiency.
I'm starting to get back into training and I'm going to simplify my training as follows:
-Lifting weights: 3x/week boost muscular and joint strength, avoid injuries, reduce recovery times
-Endurance workouts: work up to one of each a swim bike and run per week
-Speed work: 2-3x/wk boost economy, very little recovery required, can be added to an endurance workout and break up the monotony
Thats it. Easy peasy.
Also, some stuff to do with studying, but nobody is interested in that...
So whats in the future? Deep River Tri is a maybe right now. I was initially going to skip it, but I'm so very tempted to race it now that I'm starting to feel strong again. Then on September 11, Muskoka 70.3 and October 1, the Toad, a 25km trail run with my bro. Following that, XC ski season all winter with probably some swimming and the occasional indoor bike and some type of running.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
That sounds pretty bad right? Right.
More specifically, I've been feeling stressed and tired.
That sounds a little bit more manageable than feeling like "shit".
See what I did there? I gave you information and it changed your perception a bit. First you might've thought "aww thats shitty Tim", but after that, you maybe thought "well you better sleep more and take some time to relax". This is the power of information.
So when I'm not feeling so hot, I try to figure out why. I read stuff like this article and it puts things into perspective for me. Number three on the list is the one that I'm confident I've been suffering from.
Around the time I raced Welland, I realized that my body felt bouncy and healthy, but my head just wasn't in it. I blamed things like the stress of school and a long distance relationship. I also blamed the pressure I put on myself to train hard and perform perfectly.
These things almost certainly were playing major factors, so since I didn't feel like training anyways, I took some time away from sport to recover.
So now that I'm starting to feel better, I'm starting to make sense of this whole mess. Burnt out adrenal glands (and quite possibly other hormone secreting glands as well) make perfect sense. Hormones are imperative to arousal which is what allows you to perform. Without arousal, you end up tired all the time, stressed and in absolutely no condition to train or race.
I'm fairly confident that if you looked at my training (including nutrition and other recovery activities) as a separate entity from the rest of my life, it would be fairly manageable. The problem is that sport is only a part of my life and I don't care who you are, you can't just leave everything behind to go train or race. It doesn't work like that.
If you're stressed at school or work, your body is full of stress hormones** and you they don't go away once you hop onto your bike. Stress is physical as well as psychological.
**cortisol is usually one of the main offenders here. It is also produced during exercise because its job is to free up energy through the breakdown of stored fats, glycogen and muscle tissue. When it is produced at rest (work, school, etc), it slowly eats away at your body. This is why stress is so bad for you.
So back to the original idea. Information is powerful. You can't fix anything without knowing what it is you're fixing first. Find out what the exact problem is and then do what it takes to feel better.
Whats my fix? My goal is to become a master of moderation and efficiency.
I'm starting to get back into training and I'm going to simplify my training as follows:
-Lifting weights: 3x/week boost muscular and joint strength, avoid injuries, reduce recovery times
-Endurance workouts: work up to one of each a swim bike and run per week
-Speed work: 2-3x/wk boost economy, very little recovery required, can be added to an endurance workout and break up the monotony
Thats it. Easy peasy.
Also, some stuff to do with studying, but nobody is interested in that...
So whats in the future? Deep River Tri is a maybe right now. I was initially going to skip it, but I'm so very tempted to race it now that I'm starting to feel strong again. Then on September 11, Muskoka 70.3 and October 1, the Toad, a 25km trail run with my bro. Following that, XC ski season all winter with probably some swimming and the occasional indoor bike and some type of running.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Riding In Traffic
One issue I deal with on a daily basis is navigating our road system on a bicycle. As anybody who does this on a regular basis knows, it can get pretty dangerous. In my opinion, its one of the most dangerous things I do, more dangerous than driving on high speed highways in my opinion.
The real problem with biking around cars is that neither cyclists, nor motorists know what is expected of each other. Usually there are two extremes: too passive or too aggressive, but to be in the safe, you need to know when to be passive and when to be aggressive.
Cyclists
Cyclists that are being too passive on the roads are the ones that don't stick up for themselves. They'll be found riding along the very edge of the road to get as far away from traffic as possible. This is an issue for two reasons. First of all, this allows cars to pass them without exiting the lane which means that if the road is around the same width as the car, there is a temptation for the driver to risk hitting the cyclist. Now say there is a hazard on the road and the cyclist is forces to swerve while a car is going past the cyclist. There will be no room to move, so the cyclist will either be hit by a car or crash into the hazard.
On the flip side, aggressive cyclists get fed up with this and decide to ride right down the middle of the lane, or even closer to the centre. There IS a time and place for this, but it's a small percentage of the time. Taking the entire lane is generally only a good idea when changing lanes, turning, or the road is thinning ahead (a bridge, ramp, etc.). Taking too much of the lane causes traffic to slow down so much behind you that drivers get too impatient and again, will be liable to pass too closely to you or run you off the road to avoid oncoming traffic.
One extremely effective way of controlling the traffic around you, other than by choosing the right place in the lane is to always look behind you in heavy traffic. This accomplishes two things: (1) it lets drivers know that you see them coming and (2) it makes them pass you at a "greater" (read: acceptable) distance. I'm not sure what the reasoning is for the latter, but it could be that they think you might take a left turn or maybe I just have an intimidating face. Either way, it works, so I won't complain.
Cars
Just like bikers, cars can be too passive. This is generally better than being too aggressive, but it at times it can be just as dangerous. A couple examples:
A car slows down behind you, waiting for an extra perfect special time to pass (or maybe looking at your bum). This confuses other traffic, which may result in an aggressive move from another driver, or just hold you up in your workout because you want them to pass you. This could be particularly dangerous if the cyclist is also being passive on the right hand side of a lane, but is waiting to take a left hand turn.
A car on a two lane street stops so that you can take a left turn. All the cars behind it, move into the other lane making it unsafe to cross anyways.
Drivers are usually too aggressive though. Passing cyclists too closely is probably the single most dangerous move a car can make. Another one would be passing a cyclist and immediately stopping to turn.
Transport truck drivers are usually the worst for this, because if they pull back into the lane too soon, they can easily run your off the road. I've been in more close calls of this nature than I can count.
One that happened to me just the other day was when I was travelling up a two lane street, trying to move from the right lane to the left in order to make a turn. The problem was that once I moved to the left hand side of my lane, waiting for a chance to make a lane change, all of the cars behind me changed lanes to pass me. This left me sitting between lanes, going slower and slower and cars passing me faster and faster. In the end I gave up and took the next turn.
The problem with drivers is that most of them don't know what it's like to ride on city streets, so they don't know how to treat cyclists. My solution: everybody needs to ride a bike more often.
One final piece of advice: cyclists need to communicate clearly with body language. For example, when you are turning, you use signals, when you come to stop signs, do a track stand and look straight at the other car, letting them know that they can take their right of way without hitting you and when you are passing a side street, you stair the driver waiting to turn into your lane down, making sure they see you so you don't get side swiped.
For more info, Road ID does a great series on how to ride in traffic.
The real problem with biking around cars is that neither cyclists, nor motorists know what is expected of each other. Usually there are two extremes: too passive or too aggressive, but to be in the safe, you need to know when to be passive and when to be aggressive.
Cyclists
Cyclists that are being too passive on the roads are the ones that don't stick up for themselves. They'll be found riding along the very edge of the road to get as far away from traffic as possible. This is an issue for two reasons. First of all, this allows cars to pass them without exiting the lane which means that if the road is around the same width as the car, there is a temptation for the driver to risk hitting the cyclist. Now say there is a hazard on the road and the cyclist is forces to swerve while a car is going past the cyclist. There will be no room to move, so the cyclist will either be hit by a car or crash into the hazard.
On the flip side, aggressive cyclists get fed up with this and decide to ride right down the middle of the lane, or even closer to the centre. There IS a time and place for this, but it's a small percentage of the time. Taking the entire lane is generally only a good idea when changing lanes, turning, or the road is thinning ahead (a bridge, ramp, etc.). Taking too much of the lane causes traffic to slow down so much behind you that drivers get too impatient and again, will be liable to pass too closely to you or run you off the road to avoid oncoming traffic.
One extremely effective way of controlling the traffic around you, other than by choosing the right place in the lane is to always look behind you in heavy traffic. This accomplishes two things: (1) it lets drivers know that you see them coming and (2) it makes them pass you at a "greater" (read: acceptable) distance. I'm not sure what the reasoning is for the latter, but it could be that they think you might take a left turn or maybe I just have an intimidating face. Either way, it works, so I won't complain.
Cars
Just like bikers, cars can be too passive. This is generally better than being too aggressive, but it at times it can be just as dangerous. A couple examples:
A car slows down behind you, waiting for an extra perfect special time to pass (or maybe looking at your bum). This confuses other traffic, which may result in an aggressive move from another driver, or just hold you up in your workout because you want them to pass you. This could be particularly dangerous if the cyclist is also being passive on the right hand side of a lane, but is waiting to take a left hand turn.
A car on a two lane street stops so that you can take a left turn. All the cars behind it, move into the other lane making it unsafe to cross anyways.
Drivers are usually too aggressive though. Passing cyclists too closely is probably the single most dangerous move a car can make. Another one would be passing a cyclist and immediately stopping to turn.
Transport truck drivers are usually the worst for this, because if they pull back into the lane too soon, they can easily run your off the road. I've been in more close calls of this nature than I can count.
One that happened to me just the other day was when I was travelling up a two lane street, trying to move from the right lane to the left in order to make a turn. The problem was that once I moved to the left hand side of my lane, waiting for a chance to make a lane change, all of the cars behind me changed lanes to pass me. This left me sitting between lanes, going slower and slower and cars passing me faster and faster. In the end I gave up and took the next turn.
The problem with drivers is that most of them don't know what it's like to ride on city streets, so they don't know how to treat cyclists. My solution: everybody needs to ride a bike more often.
One final piece of advice: cyclists need to communicate clearly with body language. For example, when you are turning, you use signals, when you come to stop signs, do a track stand and look straight at the other car, letting them know that they can take their right of way without hitting you and when you are passing a side street, you stair the driver waiting to turn into your lane down, making sure they see you so you don't get side swiped.
For more info, Road ID does a great series on how to ride in traffic.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Nothing like a good ol beat down - Welland Half Race Report
So I'm exhausted az. Poor grammar and a nonsense ensues:
5:20 AM Wake up, eat, drive
7:00 AM Arrive in Welland, ask random people with tri bikes if I can follow them to race site. They were pulled over at McD's. What triathlete stops there before a race. Maybe for coffee, but still... have a conscience.
7:20 Transition is all set up. I'm number 25, so I get to rack with the pros.
7:30 At least I thought I was number 25... Apparently my bib got jacked.
7:50 Tim: "Hey is my bib in that pile over there that you guys haven't looked in?"
7:51 Got my bib, head to pre race meeting. So much for warming up.
8:10 Wetsuit on, head to water. Swim a bit.
8:30 Gun goes off.
Race Time:
0:01 People get sassy in the Recharge With Milk Series. Two can play at that game. Or I guess in this case, several hundred.
0:10 Arms starting to hurt. Wishing I'd done more long sets in the pool and stuff...
0: 20 Getting a second wind now that the bulk of the swim is done. Girl beside me has good technique. Inspires my own technique to fall together
0:30 Approaching the swim finish. Wish I had've payed more attention in the pre-race meeting. Not too sure where the exit is.
0:31 Found some good feet. Hopefully they know where they're going.
0:32 Dry land at last. Now for the run to the timing mat, then T1
0:33:13 Official swim time. In hindsight, I'm a bit surprised. Thought it was going to be like 35 minutes.
0:34:27 Fast transition, even with putting bike shoes on before mounting. Feet hurt from gravel path coming out of the water. Hopefully thats gone in 2 1/2 hours...
...Foreshadowing: I wish that was the only hurt I got on the run...
0:40 Its a long bike ride. Trying not to blow up early.
1:00 Been riding into the wind for quite some time now. Averaging around 36km/h so far. Feels comfortable.
1:30 Theres a little over 30 people up the road. Not yet time to put the hammer down though. Still trying to conserve.
1:45 Dropped the ball in the bottle exchange by dropping a bottle. Its gona be a dry final kilometers.
1:50 5km out and back section. Getting a good view of the field. Nigel and Wolfgang way off the front having their own race. Stomachs starting to want variety. Too many gels, too much water. Gona hold off on feeding for 5k or so.
1:55 View of the field behind me: fucking cheaters, every single one of them. The 20 or 25 people behind me have formed two packs. If you're not strong enough to ride 90km on your own, stay home. I hate you. You are all bad people.
2:00 Time to move up in the world. Dropped the hammer and moved up to around 17th position.
2:10 Apparently other people also dropped the hammer. The pace quickens, holding on, but unsure if its a good idea.
2:25 Getting passed by drafters is really frustrating. Talking trash.
3:00:57 Feet on the ground. Decided on socks in T2.
3:02:00 Exit T2. Trying to put on hat, and put gels into a pocket already filled with sticky gel wrappers from the bike
3:25 First 5k right on goal pace, trying to reel in Scott Dickie. Feeling good, but its still way too early to make a move.
3:26 Apparently I'm not feeling good. Quads are cramping. Dropping way off pace.
3:35 Walk-running. Stomach is finally ready for nutrition. Taking everything at aid stations.
3:50 Yo-yoing past runners now. Its just as comfortable to run just under 5 min/km as it is to go slower.
4:10 Kid gives me a bunch of sponges. Tell him he's the man and he's pumped. Decide to see if the the legs will be able to tick over until for the next 5km
4:20 Nope. That was a lofty goal. Still walk-running, hitting 5 or 6 cups per aid station.
4:30 Home stretch. Running. Not sure how much is left, how long I've been running for or how fast I'm going. Eyes barely open. Almost running into people. Put on sunglasses so that people don't stare.
4:40 2k to go, but the quads are so still. I think I'm going to fall over. Gona have to take a break on the side of the path. Nobody's around me anyways.
4:45 I look like Terry Fox. My quads are so stiff that I can barely bend my legs.
4:50:42.6 Finish. Crowd is loud and happy. I am beat down and humbled. Standing is not an option. The volunteers don't seem to think this is out of the ordinary.
4:52 Where is my chocolate milk and hamburger? I was promised these things, but they are nowhere to be seen.
So yea. That was the day. Pretty rough race, not what I was hoping for. As far as I can figure out here is why:
Stuff that went well:
The bike: the training was there and it was too early in the race for nutrition to screw it up
Transition: didn't mess around, so my times were pretty close to the winners
Run Technique: even when I was deep in the hurt box, I'm confident I looked pretty decent.
Stuff that didn't:
The swim: need more consistency in the pool and longer sets/strength sets. Lost a lot of strength over the winter due to illness and haven't been able to get back into regular gym sessions.
Open water skills were 7/10 which probably wasn't a major factor.
Nutrition: bottle exchange skills need work. Should've slowed down for the 2nd bottle exchange. Took in a little under 2L on the bike, would've liked 2 1/2 or more.
Need a stronger stomach to take in more gels. I was hoping for 8 or 9 on the bike and took in 6. On the run I got 1 in, was hoping for 2 and had a 3rd just in case. Probably would've gona better had I taken all 3.
Salt??? Might've played a roll in cramping.
Run: The speed is there. 1:26 in the Waterloo Half. The strength is missing. Gotta run hills, do squats and get the bulk back in my quads.
So what am I going to change:
More volume. Long bricks especially. Not enough fatty acids are being oxidized.
More strength. It'll help the bike split and hopefully solve the bike-run problem.
Stop doing most of the other crap and do mostly sprints as my intensity. Easier to recover from than longer intensity work. Not going to do too much threshold work either. Thats what races are for.
5:20 AM Wake up, eat, drive
7:00 AM Arrive in Welland, ask random people with tri bikes if I can follow them to race site. They were pulled over at McD's. What triathlete stops there before a race. Maybe for coffee, but still... have a conscience.
7:20 Transition is all set up. I'm number 25, so I get to rack with the pros.
7:30 At least I thought I was number 25... Apparently my bib got jacked.
7:50 Tim: "Hey is my bib in that pile over there that you guys haven't looked in?"
7:51 Got my bib, head to pre race meeting. So much for warming up.
8:10 Wetsuit on, head to water. Swim a bit.
8:30 Gun goes off.
Race Time:
0:01 People get sassy in the Recharge With Milk Series. Two can play at that game. Or I guess in this case, several hundred.
0:10 Arms starting to hurt. Wishing I'd done more long sets in the pool and stuff...
0: 20 Getting a second wind now that the bulk of the swim is done. Girl beside me has good technique. Inspires my own technique to fall together
0:30 Approaching the swim finish. Wish I had've payed more attention in the pre-race meeting. Not too sure where the exit is.
0:31 Found some good feet. Hopefully they know where they're going.
0:32 Dry land at last. Now for the run to the timing mat, then T1
0:33:13 Official swim time. In hindsight, I'm a bit surprised. Thought it was going to be like 35 minutes.
0:34:27 Fast transition, even with putting bike shoes on before mounting. Feet hurt from gravel path coming out of the water. Hopefully thats gone in 2 1/2 hours...
...Foreshadowing: I wish that was the only hurt I got on the run...
0:40 Its a long bike ride. Trying not to blow up early.
1:00 Been riding into the wind for quite some time now. Averaging around 36km/h so far. Feels comfortable.
1:30 Theres a little over 30 people up the road. Not yet time to put the hammer down though. Still trying to conserve.
1:45 Dropped the ball in the bottle exchange by dropping a bottle. Its gona be a dry final kilometers.
1:50 5km out and back section. Getting a good view of the field. Nigel and Wolfgang way off the front having their own race. Stomachs starting to want variety. Too many gels, too much water. Gona hold off on feeding for 5k or so.
1:55 View of the field behind me: fucking cheaters, every single one of them. The 20 or 25 people behind me have formed two packs. If you're not strong enough to ride 90km on your own, stay home. I hate you. You are all bad people.
2:00 Time to move up in the world. Dropped the hammer and moved up to around 17th position.
2:10 Apparently other people also dropped the hammer. The pace quickens, holding on, but unsure if its a good idea.
2:25 Getting passed by drafters is really frustrating. Talking trash.
3:00:57 Feet on the ground. Decided on socks in T2.
3:02:00 Exit T2. Trying to put on hat, and put gels into a pocket already filled with sticky gel wrappers from the bike
3:25 First 5k right on goal pace, trying to reel in Scott Dickie. Feeling good, but its still way too early to make a move.
3:26 Apparently I'm not feeling good. Quads are cramping. Dropping way off pace.
3:35 Walk-running. Stomach is finally ready for nutrition. Taking everything at aid stations.
3:50 Yo-yoing past runners now. Its just as comfortable to run just under 5 min/km as it is to go slower.
4:10 Kid gives me a bunch of sponges. Tell him he's the man and he's pumped. Decide to see if the the legs will be able to tick over until for the next 5km
4:20 Nope. That was a lofty goal. Still walk-running, hitting 5 or 6 cups per aid station.
4:30 Home stretch. Running. Not sure how much is left, how long I've been running for or how fast I'm going. Eyes barely open. Almost running into people. Put on sunglasses so that people don't stare.
4:40 2k to go, but the quads are so still. I think I'm going to fall over. Gona have to take a break on the side of the path. Nobody's around me anyways.
4:45 I look like Terry Fox. My quads are so stiff that I can barely bend my legs.
4:50:42.6 Finish. Crowd is loud and happy. I am beat down and humbled. Standing is not an option. The volunteers don't seem to think this is out of the ordinary.
4:52 Where is my chocolate milk and hamburger? I was promised these things, but they are nowhere to be seen.
So yea. That was the day. Pretty rough race, not what I was hoping for. As far as I can figure out here is why:
Stuff that went well:
The bike: the training was there and it was too early in the race for nutrition to screw it up
Transition: didn't mess around, so my times were pretty close to the winners
Run Technique: even when I was deep in the hurt box, I'm confident I looked pretty decent.
Stuff that didn't:
The swim: need more consistency in the pool and longer sets/strength sets. Lost a lot of strength over the winter due to illness and haven't been able to get back into regular gym sessions.
Open water skills were 7/10 which probably wasn't a major factor.
Nutrition: bottle exchange skills need work. Should've slowed down for the 2nd bottle exchange. Took in a little under 2L on the bike, would've liked 2 1/2 or more.
Need a stronger stomach to take in more gels. I was hoping for 8 or 9 on the bike and took in 6. On the run I got 1 in, was hoping for 2 and had a 3rd just in case. Probably would've gona better had I taken all 3.
Salt??? Might've played a roll in cramping.
Run: The speed is there. 1:26 in the Waterloo Half. The strength is missing. Gotta run hills, do squats and get the bulk back in my quads.
So what am I going to change:
More volume. Long bricks especially. Not enough fatty acids are being oxidized.
More strength. It'll help the bike split and hopefully solve the bike-run problem.
Stop doing most of the other crap and do mostly sprints as my intensity. Easier to recover from than longer intensity work. Not going to do too much threshold work either. Thats what races are for.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Race Report - KW Classic
Well it has been over two weeks since my last post and almost a week since my last race, so I think it's about time to write a post.
Last Thursday, I was coaxed into riding the local O-cup bike race. 9 laps of 6.5 km with a bunch of tight corners and a pretty steep climb. I thought "hey I own a bike, maybe I should do that!"
As is the tradition with O-cups, I registered about an hour before the registration closed and the next day my preparation began. The Friday before the race was the culmination of the last 6 weeks of training in the form of a 3 hour ride that included 4x30min just below LT with a hard run off the bike. That went well, but I would've preferred to have a bit more time to recover from it.
Anyways, Sunday came and I jumped out of bed at the crack of 6:15, demolished some power-cheerios and exploded out the front door to meet a couple of guys who were also racing. We rode south to he race and made it to the check in before it closed. Once we figured out how to mount our numbers on our jerseys, there was no turning back.
The warm ups came off with 10 minutes to go and with 9 minutes to go I was shivering almost as violently as the cycling that was about to be dealt out by the likes of Tim Rhodes.
The start was really anticlimactic. Just as soon as the pack got moving, there was a 180 degree turn around that we would have to take on at the start of every lap. Everybody was really jittery, especially a couple of equally inexperienced triathletes who obviously didn't realize bike races are about looking cool because they were wearing compression socks. I immediately saw that I was far superior, at least in fashion sense...
Once we got up to speed, the real fun began. Corners in a pack are pretty exciting, especially at 60km/h with people on either side of you. So yea, that happened. Then came the hill. I didn't get a good look at it the first time because some clown fell off his pedals and was subsequently ripped on by the entire field. Poor kid.
The next lap was about making my way to the front, because the pace felt so pedestrian that I was sure the people I was riding with would be dropped. The hill still felt pretty manageable at this point. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry, so I hopped out of the saddle and everything was gravy.
Lap three came and with it, a couple of accelerations that made the pack really jittery. People seemed to be slacking off half the time and sprinting the rest of the time. I was starting to get confused.
I can't quite remember if it was lap 4 or 5, but at some point I missed the memo that one of these accelerations would be the real deal. It was a downhill where people were just grinding the biggest gears. I wasn't feeling that kind of power in my legs, so I had no response. The field slipped by and as soon as I realized this, I set about the impossible task of bridging back to the pack.
It didn't take long for my entire body to be bathed in lactate. I put my head down and pedaled. And pedaled. I got to about 100m of the pack. A lap later, still 100m. One more lap. Still 100m. Then they started to slip away.
At this point I realized I wasn't going to be catching them, so I decided to wait for somebody to ride with. It had been about three laps since I'd seen a rear wheel up close, so I was pretty tired. The only problem was, nobody was in sight behind me.
The rest of the race wasn't that exciting. I was more worried about recovery at that point, with Welland half iron coming up on the 26th. I found a couple of guys to ride with and on the final lap, showed them how to ride up a hill and finished with a bit of dignity.
All said, I had a good time and learned a lot. I would definitely race more bike races, but I'd prefer to have some more specific training first.
Another thing I learned is how to clean water bottles that have been left with a bit of gatorade in them over the weekend. Rice, baking soda, dish soap, shake.
Results
Last Thursday, I was coaxed into riding the local O-cup bike race. 9 laps of 6.5 km with a bunch of tight corners and a pretty steep climb. I thought "hey I own a bike, maybe I should do that!"
As is the tradition with O-cups, I registered about an hour before the registration closed and the next day my preparation began. The Friday before the race was the culmination of the last 6 weeks of training in the form of a 3 hour ride that included 4x30min just below LT with a hard run off the bike. That went well, but I would've preferred to have a bit more time to recover from it.
Anyways, Sunday came and I jumped out of bed at the crack of 6:15, demolished some power-cheerios and exploded out the front door to meet a couple of guys who were also racing. We rode south to he race and made it to the check in before it closed. Once we figured out how to mount our numbers on our jerseys, there was no turning back.
The warm ups came off with 10 minutes to go and with 9 minutes to go I was shivering almost as violently as the cycling that was about to be dealt out by the likes of Tim Rhodes.
The start was really anticlimactic. Just as soon as the pack got moving, there was a 180 degree turn around that we would have to take on at the start of every lap. Everybody was really jittery, especially a couple of equally inexperienced triathletes who obviously didn't realize bike races are about looking cool because they were wearing compression socks. I immediately saw that I was far superior, at least in fashion sense...
Once we got up to speed, the real fun began. Corners in a pack are pretty exciting, especially at 60km/h with people on either side of you. So yea, that happened. Then came the hill. I didn't get a good look at it the first time because some clown fell off his pedals and was subsequently ripped on by the entire field. Poor kid.
The next lap was about making my way to the front, because the pace felt so pedestrian that I was sure the people I was riding with would be dropped. The hill still felt pretty manageable at this point. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry, so I hopped out of the saddle and everything was gravy.
Lap three came and with it, a couple of accelerations that made the pack really jittery. People seemed to be slacking off half the time and sprinting the rest of the time. I was starting to get confused.
I can't quite remember if it was lap 4 or 5, but at some point I missed the memo that one of these accelerations would be the real deal. It was a downhill where people were just grinding the biggest gears. I wasn't feeling that kind of power in my legs, so I had no response. The field slipped by and as soon as I realized this, I set about the impossible task of bridging back to the pack.
It didn't take long for my entire body to be bathed in lactate. I put my head down and pedaled. And pedaled. I got to about 100m of the pack. A lap later, still 100m. One more lap. Still 100m. Then they started to slip away.
At this point I realized I wasn't going to be catching them, so I decided to wait for somebody to ride with. It had been about three laps since I'd seen a rear wheel up close, so I was pretty tired. The only problem was, nobody was in sight behind me.
The rest of the race wasn't that exciting. I was more worried about recovery at that point, with Welland half iron coming up on the 26th. I found a couple of guys to ride with and on the final lap, showed them how to ride up a hill and finished with a bit of dignity.
All said, I had a good time and learned a lot. I would definitely race more bike races, but I'd prefer to have some more specific training first.
Another thing I learned is how to clean water bottles that have been left with a bit of gatorade in them over the weekend. Rice, baking soda, dish soap, shake.
Results
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Loving the new bike
Thanks Christmas, Bank of M&D and Gearheads for the fancy pants transition pro that I'm riding this season. Its a very welcome change from the soft ride. Stiffer, more aero, more comfortable and all that good stuff.
I also have an adamo road saddle on it which took a while to get used to, but now that its on there, I really love it. The idea is that it allows better blood flow and keeps you on your sit bones, rather than your perineum (gooch). It took three of four rides to get used to and I think that its just as much a mental switch as anything else. You have to sit on it as thought its a skinny saddle (for some reason this concept reminds me of Homer Simpson absorbing speedos between his buttocks like at 0:32), even though its like 4 times as wide as most road saddles. At first there was some pressure from its girth, but that just kind of went away. Once I got used to it, I found the saddle could take a lot more of my weight that I was used to. I'm pretty sure I'm putting out more watts than before because of how it takes my weight. So thats working out really well.
I also got a new fit with the new saddle from Damien at Gearheads and thats been working out really well. I'm a little more aggressive on the bike than before, so I ended up moving my aerobars forward a little to take a bit of stress off my shoulders. I was able to get a change to ride into head winds today too which felt a lot easier than a few weeks ago, probably due to training, better aerodynamics and the new saddle. I also have a spacer under my left foot because my left tibia is shorter than its counterpart and thats helped me to generate power across the bottom of pedal stroke on that side.
All in all, I'm pumped about my bike and fit. No pain anywhere today (4x30min tempo intervals) and with some excellent post workout nutrition, hopefully no pain tomorrow either!
Welland half iron is now on the visible horizon (June 26th) and I'm really excited about that. If all goes well, it'll go something like this: :29+:01+2:24+:01+1:30=4:30. That would put me in the top 10 from last year and be a substantial personal best.
I also have an adamo road saddle on it which took a while to get used to, but now that its on there, I really love it. The idea is that it allows better blood flow and keeps you on your sit bones, rather than your perineum (gooch). It took three of four rides to get used to and I think that its just as much a mental switch as anything else. You have to sit on it as thought its a skinny saddle (for some reason this concept reminds me of Homer Simpson absorbing speedos between his buttocks like at 0:32), even though its like 4 times as wide as most road saddles. At first there was some pressure from its girth, but that just kind of went away. Once I got used to it, I found the saddle could take a lot more of my weight that I was used to. I'm pretty sure I'm putting out more watts than before because of how it takes my weight. So thats working out really well.
I also got a new fit with the new saddle from Damien at Gearheads and thats been working out really well. I'm a little more aggressive on the bike than before, so I ended up moving my aerobars forward a little to take a bit of stress off my shoulders. I was able to get a change to ride into head winds today too which felt a lot easier than a few weeks ago, probably due to training, better aerodynamics and the new saddle. I also have a spacer under my left foot because my left tibia is shorter than its counterpart and thats helped me to generate power across the bottom of pedal stroke on that side.
All in all, I'm pumped about my bike and fit. No pain anywhere today (4x30min tempo intervals) and with some excellent post workout nutrition, hopefully no pain tomorrow either!
Welland half iron is now on the visible horizon (June 26th) and I'm really excited about that. If all goes well, it'll go something like this: :29+:01+2:24+:01+1:30=4:30. That would put me in the top 10 from last year and be a substantial personal best.
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