Recovery Week

I had a good week of training.  I hope I haven't done too much this week.

Monday: The day after the race I spent 30 minutes spinning on the bike, nothing hard just an easy spin.

Tuesday: 2 mile easy run.

Wednesday: 5 mile easy run.

Thursday: 20 mile easy bike ride on rollers with no resistance.

Friday:  This may be where I over done it.  7 mile run, felt fine and ran much faster than I should have.

Saturday:  Was suppose to be 85 minutes on the trainer.  I was doing the Sufferfest video "Hell Hath No Fury".  When I hit the first attack my legs just didn't have any pop.  I ended up dropping to the small chainring and slowed it down trying to keep it easy.  Legs just weren't going to have any of it so I decided to call it quits after the first 20 minute interval.  I figured better to play it smart.  I have a race in 3 more weeks.

Sunday is a scheduled rest day.

Happy Training everyone.

Ironman Augusta 70.3

2012 Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Recap

1.2 Mile Swim / 56 Mile Bike / 13.1 Mile Run

September 30, 2012

Overall Time: 4:50:35

AGE Group Rank: 51 of 507
Overall Rank: 254 of 3335

Swim: 25:28 (1:19 / 100meters)
T1: 4:08
Bike: 2:30:24 (22.34 mph)

T2: 2:34
Run: 1:48:01 (8:14 / mile)

Race Morning

I had my alarm set for 4:15 a.m. with the plan on leaving the hotel by 5 a.m.  I had a marathon bar for breakfast and a bottle of gatorade, base performance salt with base performance amino. We checked out of the hotel and headed to swim start for parking. Once I parked the truck I started my mile+ walk to the transition area to set up my bike.  Once I arrived I started prepping my area and discovered I had a flat tire.  My first adversity of the day.  I am glad I had a spare tube in my transition bag in addition to the one on my bike.  A quick change of tube and I was set to go.  One final check of everything and then I headed back to the truck.  Once I got back to the truck I still had an hour before the official start of the race.  I ate a Luna Bar and washed it down with a bottle of water which I continue to sip on until we left the truck for the start.

Swim

There were 25 waves with Pros starting at 7:30.  I was fortunately enough to start early in Wave 7, starting at 7:56.  Once I made my way out the pier I dove in the water to acclimatize to the water temperature of 76.0 F, making the swim wetsuit legal.  At 7:56 we were off and I started near the front of the pack and in the middle of it all.  I was kick, hit, grabbed and punched in the face.  It was a brutal start.  Once I was through the first 300 meters or so it thinned out and then my biggest battle were the weeds in the water.  At one point I hit a clump of weeds that engulfed me.  I had to flip over on my back to get untangled so I could continue swimming.  All in all the swim was great.  It is nice swimming down stream.  I was reported that there was a 1 knot current assisting the swimmers.  About a mile into the swim I was ready for it to be over, I knew I was getting close.  I just kept looking for the trees along the river to disappear. Finally the trees were gone and I knew I didn't have far to go.  I swam into the boat ramp and up the ramp I ran.  I had a goal time of 25 minutes and I finished the swim in 25:28.  Goal #1 met.

T1

There was about a 1/4 mile run up to transition.  I pulled my wetsuit off my shoulders and down over my hips as I entered transition.  Over to the wetsuit strippers, down on the ground and off came the wetsuit.  Ran to my bike, dried my feet, socks and shoes on, helmet on, number belt on, grabbed my bike and off I went to transition exit.  4:08 total time, a little slower than I would have liked but I ran a little slow coming up the boat ramp.

Bike

I mounted the bike and off I went.  I had multiple goals for this course.  Primary goal, 22 mph average and secondary goal of 21 mph average if I wasn't feeling "it".  Both goals were faster than any previous race.  My nutrition plan was 200 calories an hour along with electrolyte mix of gatorade and base performance salt.  I felt great through out the bike and I kept trying to hold back as I seen my bike computer during the first 5 miles hitting speeds of 25 mph or more.  I took in my first gel 15 minutes into the ride and every 30 minutes thereafter and drank as required taking on a water bottle at every aid station.  The course was awesome and I was able to keep the hammer down.  I set my computer to give my splits every 8 miles.  There were some awesome downhills and a few climbs that weren't all that bad.  The worst climb was around mile 37. Not that it was steep or long, it was right after a sharp right trurn and you had no momentum to get up the hill.  My splits were 21:29 (22.3 mph), 20:53 (23.0 mph), 23:22 (20.5 mph), 20:40 (23.2 mph), 23:41 (20.3), 21:14 (22.6 mph) and 18:43 (24.2 mph).  Computer measured the last split at 7.6 miles.  Total time: 2:30:24 (22.34 mph).  Primary goal met and then some.

T2

Off the bike and ran into transition racked my bike, helmet off, shoes off, running shoes on, and hat on and off I went to the port-a-potty for a quick stop.  Total time in transition: 2:34, way too long in transition.  Must have been the pit stop.

Run
My legs were on fire from the bike and I immediately set my goal pace of 8 min mile and then would see how I feel for the second loop.  A mile into the run the lead female came flying by me on her second lap.  Yep, I know I can't match her pace and she was on her second lap.  I just kept focusing on my pace.  My first mile was a little fast at 7:46 and then I tried to settle down. I was feeling pretty good through the first two miles.  Mile 2, 7:59 right on target.  During mile 3 things started to fall apart. My peripheral vision started to go, my first sign of getting a migraine, and then it was nothing but white spots in front of me.  It was tough to focus on my run, but I kept moving forward.  I told Melissa I was getting a migraine and bless her heart she ran to get me medicine.  I took my first gel somewhere around mile 3, fortunately for me it was caffienated which helped with my eyes and my migraine.  When I passed Melissa and she offered me medicine I turned it down as I didn't know how it would affect me.  I just kept moving forward, mile 3, 8:04 and mile 4, 8:18.  I was off my pace now but just wanted to keep it going.  My legs were on fire and couldn't see well, my head was pound.  My stride started to go, I started to focus on my stride at this point which helped.  Mile 5, 6, & 7 splits were 8:12, 7:48, & 8:09.  Mile 8 starts the second lap and I was feeling a little better, but man were the legs on fire.  I knew Mile 9 was coming.  I have always fell apart at mile 9 and 10 and then come around for the final miles.  Not this time I kept telling myself.  I having a great race. I can do this without walking.  Push through the pain.  "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you".  Run faster, you can do this.  Mile 8, 9 & 10 splits were 8:14, 8:12, 8:18.  Ok, not what I wanted but at least I am not walking.  Run Dave Run.  Legs are burning, just walk for a few seconds, legs are burning.  At mile 10.6 I gave in and walked.  OUCH! the cramps hit me. I think I took like 5 or 6 steps and regretted every step of it and started running again.  I walked the next aid station to get in another gel and as much water as I could and back on the course.  A little over two miles to go.  You can run hard the for 2 miles.  Mile 11, 9:51.  Run harder I felt like I was flying a lot of effort but I was going anywhere mile 12 in 8:42.  What!?  RUN only a mile to go! I pushed as hard as I could the remainder of the way grabbing water at the aid station and dumping it on my head.  The final push back to the finish brought me in at a 7:40 pace.  I finished the run in 1:48:01 (8:14 pace).  Although it wasn't the 8 min mile I wanted I was excited that I ran that fast off the bike.  Especially since I pushed as hard as I did on the bike.

Two days later I am feeling great.

2.5 Hour Bike/Run brick workout!

My goal this morning was to have a nice comfortable paced 30 mile bike ride followed by a one hour tempo run.

I felt great on the bike trying not to push too hard.  I wanted to keep the speed under 19 for an average and of course I pushed the limit average 18.9 through 30.87 miles.  Go figure!

My initial goal was to run a 7:30 pace off the bike for an hour.  Once I got off the bike and started running I decided I would try and run whatever was comfortable and then try and maintain that through the 8 mile run.  I felt great through the first 3 miles holding a 7:05 average pace.  About half way through mile 4 mile heart rate began to rise a little higher than I would have like so I was forced to slow the pace, 7:14 mile. It just kept getting slower from there through mile 6.  By the end of mile 6 I had to stop to refill the water bottle.  A perfect excuse to stand around much longer than I should have.  I finished the final 2 mile at a 7:55 mile pace.  By this time my heart rate was way to high for comfort to push any harder.  Good thing, I still kept the pace under an 8 minute mile.

I have my HR split up into 10 zones.  Here is the breakdown of how long I was in each zone.  The percentages are broken down based on my Heart Rate Reserve.  I would have preferred the my HR would have stayed in Zone 6 and 7.

Recovery Run - Yeah right!

Today was suppose to be a recovery run.  Two days after my Olympic Distance Triathlon and my legs are feeling every bit of the work I put in on Saturday.

The training plan called for an easy 6 mile run.  I managed to do the easy part, just not the 6 mile part.  I ended up running 7.8 miles.  I felt fine heading out, just heavy legs and they were feeling better as I was running.  Before I knew it I was almost 4 miles into the run.  I still had to turn around and run back.  Oops!  Pay attention to what you are doing.  Follow the plan, not the people you are running with.

Silly boy, nobody to blame but yourself.  Now for an "EASY" ride tomorrow.

Embrace the Pain

48 days until Ironman Augusta 70.3.

It is not a whole lot of time to get prepared to race strong.  I am ready for the swim and the bike, but I have a lot of work to do to be able to run strong for this race.  I just don't want to come to a walk like have done for every 70.3 that I have raced.  Physically I am ready.  It is all a mental game for me.

I did learn a lot on Saturday on what I do or where my mind goes when I begin to feel the pain.  I thought back to Macca's article in this month Triathlete Magazine. Embrace the Suck, because during a race of this distance you will have pain and it will begin to suck, but it will only last for a little while.  Saturday with nobody around to talk to on the run, I focused on my running form and the next small goal;  the next turn, mile marker or the turn-around.  It kept me moving forward, but when my mind would focus on the pain I would begin to slow and suffer in my pain.

I also try to focus on my surrounding, God's creation.  It helps me keep a smile on my face and in return helps me keep moving forward and forget about the pain.  God's word is great to recite or even singing hymms, not out loud, helps me stay focused.

What do you do to embrace the pain?

Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Race Report

The stats:

Official times and distances
Finish Time: 2:13:14
Swim (1500 meters): 21:30, includes run to transition.
T1: 30 seconds
Bike (22.4 miles): 1:01:11, 21.9 mph
T2: 35 seconds
Run (6.80 miles): 49:31, 7:17 pace

4 a.m. I awake to thunder.  I get up and start to get ready for the race.  It wasn’t raining at the time, just some thunder and lightning.  By 4:30 it was a downpour and God was showing an awesome light show all around.  So I decided to video it.

5:15 a.m. I get to the race site and it is just pouring and by 6 a.m. it had stopped raining for the most part with some sporadic showers.  Due the thunderstorms the race was delayed 30 minutes.

7:30 a.m., Scott Rigsby (double amputee) lead off the race.

Scott Rigsby Waiting to Start Race

Scott Rigsby Swimming

Swim: The race was a time trial start. I didn’t get in the water until 8:07 a.m.  I felt great in the water.  I felt as though I was spotting well and I knew I was passing people in the water.  The first 1000 meters was with the current and I could see the river bed just flying by and then I finally hit the last buoy to make the turn for the final 1500 meters against the current.  I had to work a whole lot harder going against the current.  I felt good, as I continued passing people.  Finally the exit of the water at approximately 20 minutes and then I had a nice little jog to the transition area crossing the timing mat in 21:30.  

Me Entering Water

Me Swimming (on Right)

T1: I ran to my bike, helmet on, number belt on, grabbed the bike and out of transition I went in 30 seconds.

Bike: I mounted the bike, slid my feet into my shoes and off I went.  The first 1/4 mile went down a hill and around a brick sidewalk that was wet, so I kept it slow to stay on the safe side.  Once I cleared the turn it was on.  My goal was 22 mph.  A few minutes into the ride I notice I wasn’t getting any speed on my Garmin. Oops! I had the GPS turned off.  Quickly I scrolled through the settings to turn it on so I missed the first two miles or so of data on the bike.  I tried my hardest to keep the speed above 22 mph on the flats and down hills.  When I came to the beginning of the second loop I was right at 22 mph and feeling great.  I picked the second loop up and passing lots of people just beginning their first loop.  I was hitting speeds in the mid to upper 20s.  About 5 miles out it started to rain again and the course narrowed on the riverwalk and it was much more difficult navigating through slower traffic.  The rain only last for 5 minutes or so. As I was nearing the end of the bike leg my Garmin was showing 22.4, but my average speed didn’t include the first 2 miles or so which I knew was much slower than 22.  I rolled into transition at 1:01:11, 21.9 mph, close enough to my goal.

Bike Out

Bike In

T2: Slid my feet out of my shoes and dismounted the bike. Ran into transition, racked my bike, helmet off, running shoes on, running hat on and off I went in 35 seconds.

Run: My goal was to run the course in under 45 minutes which equates a 7:15 pace for a 10k.  However, the course ended up being quite long.  I headed out on the run feeling pretty good and ran the first three miles with a 6:53, 6:55, and a 7:18.  Mile 3 had a nasty little hill in it which I felt like a came to a crawl getting up, but I was still under a 7:15 pace and feeling ok.  Mile 4, 5, and 6 the legs started getting heavier and it was getting much harder to maintain my speed running a 7:17, 7:30, and a 7:29.  By this time I realized the course was going to be way long as the finish line was a good way off.  I managed to pick-up the pace and push to the finish with the last .83 miles at a 7:18 pace.  I finished the run in 49:31 giving me an average pace of 7:15 based on my Garmin, right on target! 

Starting Run

Three Miles Complete

Almost Done

Finished!

I placed 10th overall with a time of 2:13:14 and 2nd in Age Group.

Happy to be Complete

Long Time Since Last Post

Wow!  I can't believe it has been a month since my last post.  Time gets away from you really quick.  Life is good!  Two more races since my last post.  A reverse sprint tri where I took 2nd in AG and a sprint tri placing 9th in AG.  My same time would have won the AG last year, just tells you how things can change.  You can't control who shows up to race, you can only control yourself.  Both of these races all went well.  My speed has increased on the bike and I am quite please.

After my vacation ending after the 4th of July weekend, my training will begin for my "A" race for the year.  My goal is to have another sub-5 half-iron distance race.  This time I want to be able to have a solid run without breaking down at some point throughout the day.

Training Week Ending April 28, 2012

A much needed recovery week after my 70.3 last weekend.  I was also traveling so it forced me to take it easy as well.  No bike and no pool to swim.  I ran 3 days this week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Today I went for an easy bike ride of 19 miles.  Back to my normal schedule next week and will get some good speed work in on the bike.  I will probably even ride indoors on Thursday to get great controlled workout.

Chattahoochee Challenge Half Race Report

Race day turned out to be a beautiful day.  Everyone was concerned is was going to be raining with a chance of thunderstorms as was predicted all the way up until Friday.

The stats:

Finish Time: 4:58:42
Swim (1.2 miles): 29:36
T1: 2:11
Bike (56 miles): 2:42:31
T2: 0:35
Run (13.1 miles): 1:43:51



Swim:  The swim was in the Chattahoochee river with the first 3/4 of a mile downstream and the final leg swimming into the current.  Although the current wasn't very strong, it was enough to let you know it was there.  One of the anchors on the dock we were starting on broke free and the dock would shift whenever someone would dive or push off the dock into the water.  When we were told to go, I almost fell off into the water.  The swim downstream went fairly well, although I could feel I wasn't completely ready for this distance swim.  Once I made it to the bouy and made the turn back, I was struggling to keep moving forward.  I was really beginning to hurt in my chest and side.  I was passed by a few people here.  Come to find out later, I had a great swim and only a handful of people were out of the water before me.  I haven't been swimming the way I should have over the past few month.  In fact for the month of April leading up to this race I had only swam 3000 meters and didn't swim but 2000 for the month of February.

Swim Start

T1: I ran up the boat ramp removing my wetsuit down to my hips as I finished the run to the bike.  Once I got to the bike, I pulled the wetsuit down stepped on it to get it off my feet and that is when my calf seized up with a nasty little cramp.  I quickly stretched it pulled the wetsuit off the rest of the way.  I put on my number belt, helmet, socks and grabbed my bike and started running for the mount line.  I didn't do such a great job getting on the bike. A bit wobbly at first, but I got it done.  Should I say I need to practice my mount with my water bottle on the back.



Bike: I knew the bike course fairly well since I ride portions of it almost everytime I ride so it was an advantage for me.  My goal on the bike was to ride at about 20.5 mph through the first 20 miles before we hit the hilly portion of the course and then let it play out from there.  I knew the return trip was fast and I didn't want to burn the legs out before I made the turnaround.  I was holding steady to my plan until a little after mile 10 I heard a click, click, click, click and I couldn't figure out what was going on at first.  I thought maybe somehow my computer sensor was hitting the magnet on the wheel.  So I stopped to investigate, sure enough the magnet came loose.  I slide it down and off I went and as I shifted gears my chain came off, which has never happened to me on my tri bike.  I fixed it without getting off the bike.  I was riding with my Garmin 310, GPS for speed and distance so I didn't need the computer sensor on the wheel, but low and behold it wasn't picking up my speed or distance now. I was fiddling with it for the next 1/2 mile or so when I finally gave up on it.  Roughly 12 miles into it my Garmin still registered 10.6 miles and my speed was steady dropping since the time was still running but it wasn't registering as though I was moving.  At this point my plan went out the window and now I was just riding by feel.  Sometime before mile 13 the Garmin started working again, but I was already thrown off my game and had no idea how fast I was really averaging.  At approximately mile 22 I was passed for the first time on the bike and it was fellow Unthinkable teammate Edward Wallace.  Go Edward!  He was flying (taking 3rd overall).  Since this was an out and back course I had no idea where I was compared to the rest of the competitors.  As I was nearing the turnaround I started counting competitors as they were coming back up the hill.  I  counted 5, but with a wave start it really didn't mean anything other than I had a much better swim than I thought.  Once I mad the turn and made it up that hill, it was fast course the remainder of the trip back to transition.  I averaged 20.7 mph for the 56 mile course. Never in my life would I have thought I would have rode that fast for 56 miles. A 5 minute personel record on the bike leg.

Getting Ready to Dismount Bike

T2: Off the bike at the mount line, bike racked helmet off, visor on, shoes on and water bottle in hand and off I went in 35 seconds through the transition.

Run: I felt good coming off the bike although I knew I pushed pretty hard on the bike. My plan was to run a 7:45 mile.  I started off a little fast with a 7:33 mile, but then I settled into my pace for mile 2, 3, 4 and 5.  I was feeling great not pushing too hard. Through mile 6 I thought this was going to be my race and finish strong. Both 1/2 Iron distance races I done before I fell apart on the run, but not this time I felt great.  Mile 7 and 8 went well and then it happened. Out of nowhere the body said no more. The legs felt fine but I was beginning to get side cramps and then the legs said no more. When I made it to the next aid station I grabbed some pretzels and downed the last of my drink mix. I would run for as long as I could and then walk for 10 to 20 seconds and run again.  Sometime shortly after mile 11 I felt better and began to run the rest of the way.  I started doing the math in my head, could I break the 5 hour mark.  This thought got my mind off the legs and I began to run and run as hard as my body would let me at this point.  My legs and body were hurting from the cramping I had through miles 9, 10 and 11, but I knew it would be close to a 5 hour half-iron distance race.  As I made the last turn and could see the finish line I was running with everything I had left. I made the finish in just under 5 hours. A goal I had set for this year, but not for this race.

Final Push to Finish

Nutrition plan:  My nutrition plan was simple. Hydrate early before the race with sports drink and water. On the bike, I had my watch set for every 20 minutes to remind me to eat taking in roughly 240 calories an hour, plus I had a drink mix of gatorade and Base Amino which would round me up over 300 calories an hour.  On the run I carried a bottle mixed with gatorade and Base Amino and 3 gels.  This is where I failed to calculate properly or execute my plan. I didn't drink enough on the run nor did the gatorade provide enough electrolytes to sustain me and I didn't take my gels as planned.  I was feeling good on the run remember, I didn't need it. It caught up to me. I think if I would have taken the gels and grabbed some drinks on the course early on I would have been fine throughout the entire run.

My new goal for the year is to improve my run after coming off the bike. I can run, I am not fast, but I should be able to sustain a 7:45 pace.  The run is where I lost ground compared to my competitors.

Training Week Ending 14 April 2012

What an exciting week in the Lord!  God is so great and I am thankful that He has given me grace and salvation.

"He will order his angels to protect you wherever you go." - Psalm 91:11
"Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of age." - Matthew 28:20
"The Lord will work out his plans for my life." - Psalm 138:8

Although I didn't get to work out the way I would have liked this week, it was a great week of training.  Since I had a 24 hour duty and didn't train at all on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Friday I picked up my "new" used wheels and was able to ride them on Saturday. They felt fast, but not sure if that was because I took two days off or not.  I am excited for the Chattahochee Challenge Half Iron distance race on Saturday (April 21).

This weeks totals:

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 14 Mile Run - I felt awesome throughout the run
Tuesday: 2000 meter swim / 15 Mile Bike - 5 x 3 min sprints with 3 min recovery
Wednesday/Thursday: 24 hour duty - no workouts
Friday: 6 Mile Run - 6 x 100 meter striders
Saturday: 28.5 Mile Bike / 2.66 Mile Run Brick Workout

Swim: 2000 Meters
Bike: 44.82 Miles
Run: 22.66 Miles

May God provide me protection and rest throughout the next training week.

Happy Training Everyone.