Sunday, July 31, 2011
Central Park Sprint Triathlon 2011
Very proud of myself.
Here's the breakdown:
Race morning- slept poorly, kept waking up and was unable to get back to sleep. Finally dozed off at 5am and my alarm (set for 5:35am) didn't go off because it is an iPhone alarm and I had it set for every day EXCEPT Sunday. Thank god my friend was staying over and woke up at 6. Packed up and rode my bike up to the park. Race prep went well, I set my things out and bought a race belt, everything felt good to go.
Swim- I was in the first heat, which means I was with the fast people. Heat 1 consists of numbers 1-75. I was bib 70. My lane figured out who was "fastest" before we started and then we were off. The pool was 75 yards across with a wall on only one side, so it mimicked the conditions of an open water swim better than a 25/50y pool would have. I felt laggy and slow and couldn't figure out why. The girl that was swimming behind me kept touching my feet. I realized (after the race was over) that she drafted off of me for 5 out of 6 lengths and that was why I felt so slow, regardless of the effort. That last length, once I broke away from her, was nice and smooth. Swim finished sub 8:30, I believe. Not too bad.
T1- slow. First, a woman hopped out of the pool right in front me and took her sweet time getting out of the way. Second, I decided to wear socks, which stuck to my feet. Third, my bike was close to the wall, but that didn't really get in my way too much, since I didn't have many people around to grapple with.
Bike- I feel like I rocked the bike. My average pace for two laps was 19.5mph and I seemed to achieve 30+ miles per hour several times throughout. I stayed down in the drops for most of the ride and really felt sharp on the course. I suppose I had better, I was riding in my own back yard! The last time up the hill by the Boat House left a little to be desired, but I was starting to feel tired at that moment. It felt really great to zoom past people in my heat, and was really cool to start passing people fresh out of the swim in the second loop.
T2- I feel like this transition was good. I might have been a smidge faster if I hadn't paused to reconsider whether I had everything. Compared to the effort required to transition swim to bike, the transition bike to run felt too easy and I didn't want to forget something.
Run- Wow. Thank goodness for all of the brick training. I got off of the bike and began my haul up hill to the tune of around 9 minutes/mile feeling like lead and considering whether or not to feed myself the GU that I had neglected on the second loop of the bike. I decided "now or never" and ate it. The first long descent was actually the more painful of the beginning run experiences. Increasing my cadence was really difficult because my legs didn't want to move and I was making them use the hill to get the extra time. Ouch. As I ran the first half of the 5K all I wanted was water. My mouth felt sticky and thirsty and my body was begging me.
Turnaround- I went ahead and grabbed two cups of water, one I "drank" immediately, pouring much of it down my front as I ran. I trashed that cup and started to sip into the second cup, getting more liquid out of that one. I carried the cup with me back to the top of the Great Hill because I didn't want to litter in the park. As soon as I hydrated, my legs woke up. I turned on the engine and gave the last mile and a half everything I had. I really felt great when the runners (racers and otherwise) that were coming at me began cheering me on. "Great job, 70!" I zoomed down the Great Hill. Glancing briefly at my watch revealed sub-7 minute pacing. Faster! Faster! The finish felt great. I saw my coach ready to cheer me through the gate and it made me pick up the pace for the last teeny leg, I wanted to finish strong, finish pretty and show him how much the work we have done has paid off. I wanted him to be proud, though I knew he already was. I heard him yelling my name every step of the way. It was a tremendous boost.
Arms high, head up! Great photo finish, somewhere around 1hr 15mins.
What could possibly make such a great race day better? I finished second in my age group. That's what. BAM!
The only issue I had with the race was that the run start was poorly marshalled. I had to call out to get information about where I needed to be going, no one seemed to be paying attention to the runners. At least not in the first heat. When I came back down the hill, I had to call out again for guidance and the marshall (who was on his telephone, wtf?) didn't offer help, but the photog did. Other than that, a good race. I will do it again next year.
Here's the breakdown:
Race morning- slept poorly, kept waking up and was unable to get back to sleep. Finally dozed off at 5am and my alarm (set for 5:35am) didn't go off because it is an iPhone alarm and I had it set for every day EXCEPT Sunday. Thank god my friend was staying over and woke up at 6. Packed up and rode my bike up to the park. Race prep went well, I set my things out and bought a race belt, everything felt good to go.
Swim- I was in the first heat, which means I was with the fast people. Heat 1 consists of numbers 1-75. I was bib 70. My lane figured out who was "fastest" before we started and then we were off. The pool was 75 yards across with a wall on only one side, so it mimicked the conditions of an open water swim better than a 25/50y pool would have. I felt laggy and slow and couldn't figure out why. The girl that was swimming behind me kept touching my feet. I realized (after the race was over) that she drafted off of me for 5 out of 6 lengths and that was why I felt so slow, regardless of the effort. That last length, once I broke away from her, was nice and smooth. Swim finished sub 8:30, I believe. Not too bad.
T1- slow. First, a woman hopped out of the pool right in front me and took her sweet time getting out of the way. Second, I decided to wear socks, which stuck to my feet. Third, my bike was close to the wall, but that didn't really get in my way too much, since I didn't have many people around to grapple with.
Bike- I feel like I rocked the bike. My average pace for two laps was 19.5mph and I seemed to achieve 30+ miles per hour several times throughout. I stayed down in the drops for most of the ride and really felt sharp on the course. I suppose I had better, I was riding in my own back yard! The last time up the hill by the Boat House left a little to be desired, but I was starting to feel tired at that moment. It felt really great to zoom past people in my heat, and was really cool to start passing people fresh out of the swim in the second loop.
T2- I feel like this transition was good. I might have been a smidge faster if I hadn't paused to reconsider whether I had everything. Compared to the effort required to transition swim to bike, the transition bike to run felt too easy and I didn't want to forget something.
Run- Wow. Thank goodness for all of the brick training. I got off of the bike and began my haul up hill to the tune of around 9 minutes/mile feeling like lead and considering whether or not to feed myself the GU that I had neglected on the second loop of the bike. I decided "now or never" and ate it. The first long descent was actually the more painful of the beginning run experiences. Increasing my cadence was really difficult because my legs didn't want to move and I was making them use the hill to get the extra time. Ouch. As I ran the first half of the 5K all I wanted was water. My mouth felt sticky and thirsty and my body was begging me.
Turnaround- I went ahead and grabbed two cups of water, one I "drank" immediately, pouring much of it down my front as I ran. I trashed that cup and started to sip into the second cup, getting more liquid out of that one. I carried the cup with me back to the top of the Great Hill because I didn't want to litter in the park. As soon as I hydrated, my legs woke up. I turned on the engine and gave the last mile and a half everything I had. I really felt great when the runners (racers and otherwise) that were coming at me began cheering me on. "Great job, 70!" I zoomed down the Great Hill. Glancing briefly at my watch revealed sub-7 minute pacing. Faster! Faster! The finish felt great. I saw my coach ready to cheer me through the gate and it made me pick up the pace for the last teeny leg, I wanted to finish strong, finish pretty and show him how much the work we have done has paid off. I wanted him to be proud, though I knew he already was. I heard him yelling my name every step of the way. It was a tremendous boost.
Arms high, head up! Great photo finish, somewhere around 1hr 15mins.
What could possibly make such a great race day better? I finished second in my age group. That's what. BAM!
The only issue I had with the race was that the run start was poorly marshalled. I had to call out to get information about where I needed to be going, no one seemed to be paying attention to the runners. At least not in the first heat. When I came back down the hill, I had to call out again for guidance and the marshall (who was on his telephone, wtf?) didn't offer help, but the photog did. Other than that, a good race. I will do it again next year.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Race Prep
Tomorrow is the big day. I have two mini workouts today, a 20 minute bike and a 15 minute run.
Ride: 5mins easy, 10mins at race pace, 5mins easy
Run: 5mins easy, 5mins race pace, 5mins easy
I decided that, since I live up a five-story walk-up, I should just pop the bike on the trainer for the ride... which turned out to be harder than expected, since there is not respite on the trainer. You ride. Keeping my heart rate up wasn't hard, it was keeping my effort up that I found difficult.
I set up all of my gear so that I could do a relatively quick transition into the run and head right out the door once I finished my ride. I would have begun right away, but Garmin's satellites are never quite sure where I am. I ran up the equestrian trail to warm up and back down the road on the flat for the race pace section, then cooled down around my favorite park area, the Sheep Meadow. Decent data. I'm ready for tomorrow!
Ride: 5mins easy, 10mins at race pace, 5mins easy
Run: 5mins easy, 5mins race pace, 5mins easy
I decided that, since I live up a five-story walk-up, I should just pop the bike on the trainer for the ride... which turned out to be harder than expected, since there is not respite on the trainer. You ride. Keeping my heart rate up wasn't hard, it was keeping my effort up that I found difficult.
I set up all of my gear so that I could do a relatively quick transition into the run and head right out the door once I finished my ride. I would have begun right away, but Garmin's satellites are never quite sure where I am. I ran up the equestrian trail to warm up and back down the road on the flat for the race pace section, then cooled down around my favorite park area, the Sheep Meadow. Decent data. I'm ready for tomorrow!
Race Plan : Central Park Sprint Triathlon 2011
Night before:
In bed by 10:30pm, all of my race equipment packed and ready to go, fluids and nutrition packed.
Sunday morning:
Awake at 5:30am
Shower/dress - remember HR monitor
Eat pb&j and coffee with skim
Leave the house by 6:15
Ride bike to transition area, check in, pick up race packet
Prep transition area
Prep watch
15 mins before start - eat a gel
Stretch/warm up
Swim:
Glide! Focus on smooth, easy stroke. Go fast, but don't windmill
One minute or better per lap
Smooth transition
Bike:
Helmet, glasses, shoes, watch (gloves? socks?)
Good form, attack the hills, keep your cadence up, ride well - you know this course. It's home.
2nd loop - eat a gel if you need, hydrate
20 minutes or less per lap.
Run:
Shoes, hat
Start easy, feel your legs before going harder. It's three miles, try for negative splits: 9:15, 9:00, 8:45. Run pretty, breathe steadily, finish strong. Don't leave anything in the tank.
Post race:
Yay! You did it! Pat on the back and enjoy the feeling of finishing a triathlon. This is a preview of what will come in September. You did it. You can do it.
Pack up, meet friends, have brunch. Celebrate a job well done.
Race evening: recovery run
Goals: sub 1hr 30m race. Fast, smooth transitions. Good form throughout. Strong finish.
In bed by 10:30pm, all of my race equipment packed and ready to go, fluids and nutrition packed.
Sunday morning:
Awake at 5:30am
Shower/dress - remember HR monitor
Eat pb&j and coffee with skim
Leave the house by 6:15
Ride bike to transition area, check in, pick up race packet
Prep transition area
Prep watch
15 mins before start - eat a gel
Stretch/warm up
Swim:
Glide! Focus on smooth, easy stroke. Go fast, but don't windmill
One minute or better per lap
Smooth transition
Bike:
Helmet, glasses, shoes, watch (gloves? socks?)
Good form, attack the hills, keep your cadence up, ride well - you know this course. It's home.
2nd loop - eat a gel if you need, hydrate
20 minutes or less per lap.
Run:
Shoes, hat
Start easy, feel your legs before going harder. It's three miles, try for negative splits: 9:15, 9:00, 8:45. Run pretty, breathe steadily, finish strong. Don't leave anything in the tank.
Post race:
Yay! You did it! Pat on the back and enjoy the feeling of finishing a triathlon. This is a preview of what will come in September. You did it. You can do it.
Pack up, meet friends, have brunch. Celebrate a job well done.
Race evening: recovery run
Goals: sub 1hr 30m race. Fast, smooth transitions. Good form throughout. Strong finish.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Friday Time in the Saddle
Today's ride was all about going easy. I rode for about 15 minutes in Z2 and then did a 7 minute set at race pace (basically the entire west side of the park), then about 10 minutes off followed by another 7 minutes at race pace. One thing I really focused on for this ride, though it was generally easy, was the topography of the park's road so that I was consciously aware of the way I need to ride on Sunday to be the most efficient (and fast!) I can be.
One major note: the hill coming up from the flat stretch near the lake on the west side is longer and steeper than it appears - stand up!
One major note: the hill coming up from the flat stretch near the lake on the west side is longer and steeper than it appears - stand up!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Switcheroo
Long day. I started the morning at 6:30 at the office today and did a lot of running around throughout the day. This evening I still needed to do a bike ride, but I have been a little skittish about biking/running too late sometimes. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but I still don't like thumbing my nose at the possibility. Better safe than sorry?
Swam instead. Did 20 minutes of drills followed by 400y at race pace. The drills seemed to take a lot out of me and though I was swimming one length of drills followed by one length of freestyle, I still managed to get pretty tired.
Drills tonight: catch up (lots), 3T (lots), finger drag, one arm freestyle, one arm freestyle with arm at side, kick drill, underwater switch.
Race pace set: 400y
L1: 56.18
L2: 1'00.38
L3: 1'01.62
L4: 1'02.34 (swim clip slip)
L5: 1'01.54
L6: 1'00.58
L7: 59.68
L8: 56.95
Total: 7'59.27
Avg: 59.91
Swam instead. Did 20 minutes of drills followed by 400y at race pace. The drills seemed to take a lot out of me and though I was swimming one length of drills followed by one length of freestyle, I still managed to get pretty tired.
Drills tonight: catch up (lots), 3T (lots), finger drag, one arm freestyle, one arm freestyle with arm at side, kick drill, underwater switch.
Race pace set: 400y
L1: 56.18
L2: 1'00.38
L3: 1'01.62
L4: 1'02.34 (swim clip slip)
L5: 1'01.54
L6: 1'00.58
L7: 59.68
L8: 56.95
Total: 7'59.27
Avg: 59.91
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Keep it low
Today's run was a solid Z2 run. Actually, I suspect that it was a Z1 3/4, but that's better than Z3+ for a day like today.
I warmed up gradually and then kept my HR between 148 and 156 throughout the 25min main set. Strides every 5 minutes livened up the effort and put me up to 165bpm, but at least I was doing them correctly. Right before the first set of strides I had to stop at a traffic light, lest I become road pizza beneath the buses at the Waterway Pier. Hence, the odd drop in HR before a spike.
Cool down was also good, I actually "cooled". Afterward I walked to the Houston St subway station and went to the office to take care of some more work stuff. I have been working a lot these days. It reminds me of the person I was before all of the muck in my life. I like it.
Tonight is going to be a late one. I have a couple of proposals and estimates to get out for new work. Also, I have a screen test tomorrow and have to prepare a video demo for that tonight as well. I'm almost done, so it shouldn't be more than another hour or so.
I warmed up gradually and then kept my HR between 148 and 156 throughout the 25min main set. Strides every 5 minutes livened up the effort and put me up to 165bpm, but at least I was doing them correctly. Right before the first set of strides I had to stop at a traffic light, lest I become road pizza beneath the buses at the Waterway Pier. Hence, the odd drop in HR before a spike.
Cool down was also good, I actually "cooled". Afterward I walked to the Houston St subway station and went to the office to take care of some more work stuff. I have been working a lot these days. It reminds me of the person I was before all of the muck in my life. I like it.
Tonight is going to be a late one. I have a couple of proposals and estimates to get out for new work. Also, I have a screen test tomorrow and have to prepare a video demo for that tonight as well. I'm almost done, so it shouldn't be more than another hour or so.
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