Saturday - Race Day

I woke up feeling good physically. Slept well.

Ate breakfast and took off for the transition area about 5:45.

The temperature was 72 at 6am when I arrived. The transition area

was surprisingly well laid out and I felt there was plenty of room

for everyone. Everyone from USAT and the event was extremely pleasant

and helpful, save a couple of girls working the main entrance at the

transition. They were just downright pissy to people and seems a little

power drunk. I had no issues but it seemed every time I walked by them

they were giving some nervous unsuspecting athlete the business.

I counted 5 officials in the area when I arrived. A guy down the row

didn't have stickers inside his helmet so he was told him to get

another or not race. If it were a local race I would have had one in my car

for him for sure. I always have an extra.

I also saw a girl get a thrashing for sliding someone else's bike

down the rack. The official said that touching someone else's equipment

without that persons permission or an official granting permission first,

usually results in a DQ and that she (the official) was being nice. I had no idea.....

The first wave went off at 7am sharp and it seemed that the swim was

taking forever. About half way through that wave was when I noticed that the lead

swimmer was all the way against the opposite bank of the river, and the few following

him had dropped off maybe 15 yards and looked like they were standing still.

I was told that a dam opened upriver that caused a heavy current.

I guess the lead swimmer must have realized or felt this.

My start came at 8:09. I lined up out towards the center of the river, as we

started out with the flow going downriver, made a right turn at about 20 yrds,

crossed the river and went upstream the rest of the way against the current.

I thought I'd use the current to my advantage and then avoid it as much as

possible when heading upriver.

Good plan- poor execution.

I was outclassed in the water and quickly ended up in the fray.

There were 86 guys in my wave and everyone had the same idea.

I didn't want to blow myself up so I went out steady and ended up deep in the pack

with no way of feeling the current or being able to choose a direction, and getting

kicked around pretty bad. My right ear is still sore from being hit pretty hard.

As we rounded the 2nd turn and headed upriver, it just seemed like the whole crowd

came to a stand still. Longest mile I've ever swam!

I ended up getting out of the water in some 38 minutes.

A below average time for my group. But respectable for the day as some

people ended up over an hour and many more were in the 40's and 50's.

My first transition was flawless and I caught a number of people there. I'm guessing

I got through in just over a minute.

The bike started well, I was gaining places and feeling pretty good even though the

swim was so difficult. I'm guessing in T1 and on the bike I easily passed at least a dozen guys.

I powered through the first part of the course exactly as I

wanted to and for a few miles I had a motorcycle with a camera guy pacing me as I passed

bike after bike. It really was cool. I'm hoping the video makes it on the website.

At about 9 miles in, I went to shift and the shifter just broke loose. I couldn't

figure out what was happening at first and I kept pedaling but I lost momentum as I

monkeyed with the shifter and I realized I'd snapped a cable.

Shock and heartbroken I pulled off to the side. The rear derailleur was all the way out.

I thought about riding with two gears and finishing but, the way I'd set up the derailleur,

it moved out enough that the chain was coming off the smallest cog to the outside and

grabbing the frame.

I rolled back into the transition area and called it a day.

If there's any positive here, I'd managed just over 25mph on the toughest part of the course

and was feeling like I could have maintained that for the remaining 20 or so miles but then

I'll never know.

In the end with my swim, it's doubtful I would have been top 25 or even top 30.

We'll see how next year goes and maybe I'll be back. If it's in Tuscaloosa again

I'll have to think it over long and hard. It's a long way to travel and I don't

know how much more "bama" I can endure in my lifetime.

Hey USAT, why not Chicago next year?

Friday - Night before the race....

Oh man the river water is so dirty from all the rain and runoff. It looks like Chocalate milk. They weren't letting anyone swim today and frankly, I wasn't interested. There was all kinds of scum, trash, and sticks standing on the surface in the starting area. The swim is straight and the water warm. No wetsuits. Pretty straight forward.

I did run part of the course today and looked at the hills. I will need to revise my goal time a bit. This course is every bit as tough as Wildflower if not more and it's supposed to be sunny and in the mid 80's. I also have the worst transition spot possible. If I come it under 2:20, I'll be happy.

I truly believe this race will be won or lost on the run and this is a runners race. The swim and bike are fairly standard. The run will be brutal in the heat and it will take a super human effort on part to pull a 44:00!

The heat is cruel here. Every time the sun poked through today it was stifling.

Tired and not in an emotional state to post much more. Wish I was.

Good luck to everyone else tomorrow.

Thursday - 2 Days Out - Bike Course Analysis

The bike unpacked well and I managed to get 7.5 hrs sleep which is good for me.

Covered 1 lap plus of the bike course today. I went out at about 8:30am. Close to the time I'll be riding.

It was a bit cloudy so it was only 84. Still muggy though. And lots of bugs. Started raining this afternoon... monsoon like, with thunder and lightning.

I "think" this is a 24mph course for me so I hope to pull 60-62 minutes. I use a Polar 725x on the bike and just pop it on sometime after transition when it's convenient. I don't look at overall time or actual speed. It displays average speed which although not accurate in real time over the entire course, helps me gauge where I am and gives me a point of focus if things start to hurt.

There's a lot of hits on the blog today according to the stats. I am assuming USAT linked to it after I submitted it, but it may be someone else. Regardless, for anyone reading this that can't ride the bike course before the event here's what I'll be doing. (Keep in mind I'm not a coach and not terribly experienced, and this is just how I'll approach it.)

Most of Jack Warner Parkway is gradual incline or decline depending on your direction. There are three descent hills when heading East and approaching 297 and the 41st St turn around. All three are relatively short, the bulk of each less than a mile. I plan on working these pretty hard on both laps as there's some downhill after each. Nothing unusual.

The 41st St turn around is interesting because it's at the top of the hill and although there's a slight 150yr downward slope approaching the turnaround cone, you head back uphill for that 150 yards with no momentum. I plan on going easy off of the turn on the first lap as this could suck up some fuel and the downhill just after is very fast.

The uphill on 297 was a little more challenging. Lot's of wind as a good majority of it is coming across the river. I rode on Hed3's today and they were catching quite a bit. The bridge is tilted and the East side it slightly higher that the West. I plan on staying closer to center if possible in hopes of using the bridge to block some crosswind.

The West end of JW Parkway is fairly flat and I did a practice run today at 26-28mph with little effort heading West and 23-25 heading back. (I actually did 1 and 1/2 laps today.)

As usual I'll start out somewhat fast but smooth enough to recover from the swim and fall into my rythm and try to get faster through the ride.

I put in a 30 min run today but from the hotel in the rain. I'll look at the run course tomorrow.

Wednesday, 3Days out - Travel Day

Travel has been uneventful today other than some turbulence,

and as good as can be expected. Bike made it on the flight.

Nashville then to Birmingham and then an hour drive

to Tuscaloosa…..

Yesterday was a decent swim workout on about 2400m with

some drills and fast 50m segments. I took the day off today

and am planning on riding tomorrow. I’ll do one loop on the

course to check the road surface, pick lines, and develop a

strategy for dealing with hills. I’ll do some short bursts at

race pace, and call it a day. It looks like a hilly course and

I’m not a good climber. I can climb well when hammering

on a road bike, however a steady higher cadence climb in

the aero position is much different and I just don’t have it

down yet. Another off-season point of focus. Combine that

with getting a feel for the heat tomorrow and I should be

able to put together a good bike strategy.

The swim strategy is to go hard and even, hold back on the

start, and try not to get kicked in the face. I don’t need to

get out of the water first. I need to not go anaerobic and

remain calm and in contention. I usually make up 2 to 3

minutes on the good swimmers through T1 and the bike

anyways. It will be an interesting swim without a wetsuit.

I may need to hold back on the bike as part of the run strategy.

It will be hot and hilly so I may need something extra. I bought

a small hand held bottle for electrolytes but I’m not sure I’ll

use it. I ran with it a couple of times and it straps on to my hand

fast and well but there should be plenty of water on the course.

My climbing sucks on the run also, however I can open up on the

down hills and usually kick like nobodies business. I usually still

get caught on the run by someone though. I’ve had 4 2nd places

this year and on every one the winner caught me on the run. Jim

Lindholm has done it twice, once by a minute and once by around

30seconds. I believe I will see him Saturday. Hopefully not until

after the finish. Not that either of us are in contention for top spots

but something like that is often times the difference between 18th

and 19th and a qualification. So weather or not you think you’re in

1st or 30th you fight for that place like it’s 1st. If you give it your all

and get beat, so be it. It you don’t and miss the podium or a qualifier

by a second or two, well, that hurts.

This week is probably more taper than I like, especially on the swim

but it will be hot and a longer race than I’ve been doing so as usual

I’m trusting coach Marty on this one. He hasn’t failed me yet. Ok off

to bed early and up early. 2 hours ahead of California here so I need to

adjust a bit. I’m usually up at 5:00- 5:30 at home but that will translate

to 3am on Saturday morning. I’m sure a few of you may just be heading

to bed around that time.

Here are the two course videos that for some reason USAT has not

linked to their site.

Bike Course

Run Course

Writing on the plane.....

I have to say that Barb Lindquist freaks me out a bit. Not her

actually, but her advice if taken close to race day. Her advice

is great stuff, I read it when I come across it, and I have seen

her speak a couple of times. It just seems that every time I read

an article or watch a video, I find something I’m doing wrong or

should be doing differently.

This matters because.....

I have two types of routine, the methodical “don’t forget anything”

routine and the superstitious “do it differently this time and you

may not succeed” routine. The latter I try to use to my advantage

by realizing what state of mind this routine puts me in. Am I really

going to fail if I don’t wear my bright orange 2008 Malibu Triathlon

cap in the transition area while setting up? There honestly was a time

when I thought I might. But no, in reality it reminds me of a race that

was casual for me, and a great deal of fun. It was an all around great

experience, which is what I want to have every time I race. It’s a little

piece of home when I travel.

MY superstitious, good luck routine, really does work! Not by some

unseen black magic, but by putting me in a comfortable and sane state

of mind pre race. After so many races, I no longer have to do these things

I want to do them and they are becoming automatic. And that’s because

they feel familiar and like home. And that’s where the magic comes from.

If I forget to do something or can’t do it, it’s still ok.

That being said, my “don’t forget anything” routine is critical. I check the

bike twice, a few days before, just in case I need to replace anything, and

then the night before a local race or as I pack it in the travel case.

I lay out everything else for the upcoming race on the dining room table

at least two days before, and I look at it a few times prior to packing it,

which I usually do the night before. I go through the list one last time

before packing and make sure I have everything such as back up clothing

and extra shoes. (I’ve “lost” a pair of shoes in the transition area pre-race,

and had clothing rip on race morning while putting it on.)

Now back to Barb and her prerace advice. I would advise not reading her

or anyone else the week before a race. Read this stuff and work it into

your training weeks before. Do NOT as I have done in the past, change

things up just prior to race day. Example: I always travel with my Zipp

transition bag as my carry on. Barb says use a roller bag and not a

backpack to save your shoulders. I read this and without really thinking,

I said to myself, good idea! I’ll do that. Mid way through the pack I was

feeling stressed. Then I realized something. My shoulders never hurt after

carrying that bag! Why change? I’m now on the plane with my trusty Zipp

bag in hand, lightly and purposefully packed, sure that I have everything,

and feeling good. Again nothing against Barb, she’s a top notch coach,

fantastic speaker, and I have learned more than a few things from her.

My point is the “nothing new on race day” mantra needs to carry over

to your routine to some extent and I see a lot of writers post to blogs

and articles with advice that contradicts that. Take that advice with a

grain of salt, and don’t rush to do something new if what you’re doing

is working. Yes something new may work better but why risk it, or

additional stress just prior to race day. It surprises me that most

coaches don’t emphasize this.

Enough preaching!

Tuesday and it's 4 days out!

4 Days to go! I'm set with hotel, car, and checked in for my flight.

I always try to predict my finish time and look at the competition and where I think I might finish. This clarifies my goals, gives me something to visualize during the race, and keeps my mind focused on mechanics and technical aspects instead of emotions and fear.

I looked at the participant list and compared it to Athlinks profiles, and last years results. I stuck to the M40-44 AG though. After looking at the course videos and elevation maps, I think on my best day right now on this course I'm looking at:

Swim: 23:00

T1: 1:40

Bike: 61:00

T2: 1:00

Run: 44:30

Total: 2:11:10

I was hoping to be in the 2:00-2:04 range by now but my swim technique and running are just not there yet. Lots to work on in the off season. Cardio-wise I have a 20 min swim in me so it's now down to technique. Run-wise I definitely have a sub 40 in me but not right off the bike quite yet. I'm happy with the bike and 61 on this course should leave me with a good bit of stuff for the run however:

My BIG worry is the heat. I'm not expecting to hit 2:11:00, but rather hoping to. No wetsuits which might slow my swim time a bit. I'm not a great climber on the bike or run, and have no experience in the heat so thsi time will be a tremendous challenge. Any finish is a good one for me in this race and I'd be very very happy with anything approaching 2:15. By last years standards, neither time would qualify me for Team USA but then next year I'll be that much faster and more experienced. So Chris Liou, Thom Emmerick, Kurt Fouts, and all you other Bay Area old guys are my inspiration.

Anyway, yesterday was an off day and I needed it. A solid week of tough workouts. Saturday I rode 50mi with a good chunk of climbing, maybe 15 miles or so. Sunday I ran the "Race Thru the Redwoods" 10k. I was planning on pacing myself at around 7:00/mile plus some time for the nasty uphill section of the course. That would have put my somewhere around 44-45 minutes. A good workout for me but not killing myself before next week. I came in 45:03 and was still 3rd in my age group.

I actually held back on the uphill but the problem was that I really opened it up on the downhill, which was paved road. I'm still a little sore in the calves, ankles, and feet from the pounding they took. So 4 more days to recover!

Feeling tired today, probably will from tapering this week, but I have an hour swim session later today which should help with that. Drills and some short wind up to feel race pace.

Final pack up tonight and I leave tomorrow early morning.

Packed the Bike

Started packing last night. I tore down the bike and packed it in the travel case. I haven't shipped this particular bike before so fingers crossed. I think I got it in there pretty good. Some things I've learned over the year:

1. Don't skimp on the case. I paid $3oo for my Serfas and it was well worth it.
2. Wrap everything in rags or bubblewrap. It's amazing how things move and scratch.
3. I throw in a light set of tie downs and a couple of bunjie cords. I've been stuck before with the last rental car available which was very small.
4. Put your helmet, shoes, and pedals in your carry-on bag. Everything else can be rented.
5. Don't forget tools and pump. I bought a cheap Topeak Road Morph pump that has a pressure gauge on it and the head fits inside the socket of the Hed wheels.

I'm flying Southwest which I recommend if you can use them. $50 each way for the bike isn't bad.

Here's the before during and after shots:

Last week before Nats

1 week to the USAT National Championship. I started training 9 months ago with the goal of just qualifying. I'd done two tri's in 2008 just to get my feet wet but this year I decided I was going to be competitive. I'm on a 2-3 year plan and year one has been fantastic. I've trained 6-7 days a week, many times twice a day. I've completed 8 triathlons, two 5k's, and 10k in 2009. It's been a great learning experience and I've managed to not only podium 8 times out of this years 11 races, but win my age group a few times and take a 2nd over all. Not bragging just surprised.

So it's been a great rookie year but Alabama will be on a whole different level. Looks like some x-elites and long time participants. I've looked a lot of the competition up on athlinks to see who's who but more on that in a later post.

I really need to thank my wife Jen for her unlimited support! Coach Marty tricoachmartin.com, Jim Booth(swim), Rod Haskett and Dave Placebly(run), and Steve Cooper for the bike addiction. My first year in Tri so any finish is a good one. Leaving Wed so time to start packing!