Knoxville Recap

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting my Rev3 Knoxville recap. I went into the race with the idea of taking it easy and seeing where I am in regards to training. If I honestly look at it, I was under trained for the event, but with the ultimate goal of getting to Louisville healthy and ready, I feel like I am on track. Here is the short version of the race.

Swim

The swim was slower than I wanted, but considering I ran head on to someone in the wave behind me after the turn-around, it was ok. She was swimming outside the buoys heading towards the turn-around, and I was heading towards the finish. It appeared there were several in her group that were doing the same thing, so I wonder if there were others that ran into someone else going the opposite directions? The collision knocked my goggles off and stunned me a bit, but I regrouped. Finished in 30:19, but felt like it took me a couple of minutes to re-goggle and get back into the groove after the collision.

T1

5:38....seems like a long transition time, but considering there was about a 300-500 yard jog from the swim exit to the bike and then another 100 yards to the bike mount line, this isn't as bad as it appears. Probably a little slow, but not as egregious as it appears at first glance.

Bike

Was very conservative here. Finished in 1:18:03 (18.6mph). There were some tough hills and considering, we have zero here to train on., I was happy with the results. Legs were not tired at all, and probably, could have pushed a bit more.

T2

2:01...in-and out. Nothing here to see.

Run. The run started off great. For the first 3 miles, I was trucking along at an 8:30 pace, which is good for me. Then the heat started to get to me and my run pace took a nose dive to over 10:00 pace...and that was with zero walking:) I melted like a popsicle in Nairobi. Finished the run in 58:37 for a total time of 2:54:38. I was hoping to get under 2:50, but I know where I dropped time. Overall, I am ok with the results. By the way, my time at this same race last year....2:54:43....so at least I am consistent:)

I have another Olympic this weekend. Memphis in May is here and it couldn't be any different than Knoxville. It is flat and fast. Last year after doing Knoxville, I recorded my fastest bike time in a race at 21mph...and that was in a torrential downpour, so I am hoping for similar results this year.


A quick update on some of the sponsor used items during Knoxville.

Swiftwick Socks

I went with the Aspire zero's and I can honestly say that I have never worn a more comfortable sock. I like them so much, that I have already purchased an additional 4 pairs. They are thin and airy, but not so thin that you feel uncomfortable in them. They have no seams in the toe that could provide a blister point. The best thing that I can say about them, is that I never noticed them once during the race, and I even spent most of the run dumping water on myself in an attempt to cool off. Even with all the sloshing around in my shoes, I never felt any issues with my feet/socks.

PowerBar

I went with one bottle of PowerBar Perform Lemon-lime drink. 2 scoops of powder. The taste was good from the beginning until the end of the ride. I felt adequately hydrated and ready for the start of the run. I also had some Strawberry Banana Energy Blasts. I feel like in training these give me a little bit of boost when I start to fatigue, and can report that this carried over to the race as well. I will add though, that these things a like crack cocaine. SOOOO GOOD! you think you are eating candy. The taste is amazing. I just ordered another box of these things to last me through the summer.

Pearl Izumi

We received our kits the day before the race. At first, I wasn't sure about racing in something that I had yet to wear, but considering that this was not an A or B race for me, I went with it. The shorts were comfortable as was the top. I did not notice any issues with the kit at any point of the race. The top was long enough in the torso and the pad in the shorts added enough comfort without being noticeable during the run. I look forward to wearing a couple of the bike jerseys that I have ordered during the summer training.

Can't wait to try some of the other offerings from these guys as well as our other great sponsors!


Looking forward to seeing some of you guys at the races this summer!

Racing, studying and hurting.....

First things first. Training is going pretty well so far. I am swimming faster. I have lowered my fastest 100's by over 10 seconds from last year and am hitting 1:35 pretty regularly. Not bad for a self taught swimmer. I also have PR'ed both a Half-marathon and my 5k times. I finally broke 2 hours in the Germantown half-marathon which was an improvement of over 8 minutes. I also PR'ed a recent 5k by over 1 minute and 20's with a time of 23'10. So training and racing in the early season is going pretty well. Rev3 Knoxville is this weekend, so let's hope that the early season success continues.

Studying for the CPA exam is going. I took the first part today and hope to hear back regarding my score in about 2 weeks. I take another part at the end of May and then will schedule the remaining 2 parts later in the year. I am already counting down the days until this is over:)

Lastly, the hurting part. I am having some issues with my left leg. PR's and speed improvements aside, the leg is giving me some problems. It hurts quite regularly from my butt down to the outside of my knee. In addition to this pain, my left calf is quite frequently tight. I am not sure if this is related to the other pain or if it is a result of over compensating to relieve some of the pain. I haven't been properly diagnosed and have never had IT band issues. So for those that have had this issue before, does this sound like IT band issues? If so, what do you do about it?

Thanks for reading...hope to see you at the races:)

More sponsors and race news....

I want to start this blog off welcoming Pearl Izumi and PowerBar as new sponsors to the Rev3 Triathlon team. I can't wait to start using their products. Whether it be the Power Bar Nut Natural Energy Bars or the Power Bar Perform sports drinks, I will be depending on them to get me through my races this year. I am also looking forward to using the Pearl Izumi line on the bike and on the run. Welcome to the team!

In race news, I just completed my first race of the season this past weekend. I am happy to report that I also have my first PR of the season. I finished the Germantown half marathon in 1:57:30. While it is not a blazing speed to some, it is a personal best for me. This is a race that I usually use to kick off my season and to get motivated for the years coming races. Considering the limited training I put into this race, I am extremely happy with the results and hope this continues into the triathlon season. I have 2 Olympic distance races in May. Rev3 Knoxville and Memphis in May triathlon. Before those arrive though, I need to decide if I am going to add in another local half marathon. I am torn on whether or not to enter. On one hand, it is additional run training, of which I need. On the other hand, it is the week before Rev3 Knoxville and I am not sure I want to take the chance in it limiting my potential in that race. What do you guys think? Enter the half marathon or concentrate on Rev3 Knoxville?

New sponsors...

Wanted to add a quick update to give a shoutout to 2 new sponsors. Swiftwick socks (www.swiftwick.com) and Blueseventy  (www.blueseventy.com). I can't wait to give these products a whirl!

In other news, training is starting to kick into gear. I have been focusing on weight training through bootcamp classes and actual weight lifting and am noticing a difference in my running. I am heavier than I was during race season, but feel stronger during my long runs so far. All those lunges and squats must be paying off! I am curious to see how the biking goes once the weather allows me to get outside on the road (for those that don't know, I am a fair weather biker).

I have 2 half marathons coming up in March and April and then kick off my triathlon season at Rev3 Knoxville (http://www.rev3tri.com/). If you have never done a Rev3 race, you should definitely look into it. While I am sponsored by them, I would be doing their races regardless. They put on a great race!

See you at the races!

Beast of burden...

...pack mule, sherpa. All things things are another name for a person that is carrying a large amount of physical burden. Carrying all the families luggage through the airport...you're a sherpa. Bringing in the 200 bags of Target items...you're a pack mule. You get the picture. Well, I have apparently decided to make see how much I can deal with this year. 2012 will be the year of the pack mule for myself. I am not sure if that is an official sign of the Chinese calendar, but it is in my world.

2012 is going to be busy. It will consist/has consisted of:

• Started a new job as the controller of a local bank
• Signed up for Louisville 140.6 (along with about 8 other races)
• Will be studying for/taking the CPA exam

I am not usually a morning workout person, but in order for me to get the studying and training in as well as keep as much of a normal family life together as possible, those am workouts will become a necessity.  I figure I will need to carve out enough time each week to have about 10 hours of study and 10-15 hours of training in addition to work and family time. For those that have kids and both train for 140.6 and are in school or studying for some sort of accreditation, how do you do it? Any tips or tricks will be much appreciated.

On a separate note, I can't wait for Spring to arrive.  Really miss riding outdoors.  See you at the races!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes....

...turn and face the strain!  You know the David Bowie song. Well, that song is the theme of my 2012 season. I have always, in the past, completed my last race of the year in September or October and then proceeded to take off the next 3 months, doing only some light running, some lifting and a few other things to generally keep my body and muscles from atrophying. I then decide in January what races to do for the year and then slowly ease into a training regime that peaks with my year ending race in the September/October time frame. Wash/rinse/repeat. Seems to get me by in the shorter races, but I have struggles in the longer ones.

Last year, I had my first DNF in a race at Louisville. Started vomiting on the bike and then muscles just quit working. I ended up in the med tent with some IV action going on. It sucked, but I am over that. In looking back, I have had issues in all my long races. In 2009 in Louisville, I had similar issues but finished, albeit, walking about 20 of the 26 miles of the run. I decided to analyze my overall training regime. Mind you, I don't train in hopes of winning or placing in any race, I train to challenge myself while still having a good time. I realized in my analysis, that I was taking it easy for the majority of the year and then kicking it in to overdrive around mid-July. Usually about that time, I started dropping a lot of weight in conjunction with the long rides and runs. While this may seem logical and normal to most, I have started wondering if my body never really gets acclimated to race correctly. In the offseason, I usually weigh in around 180lbs. The 140.6 races I have entered, I race at 160-165 lbs. But up until the end of July, I usually tip the scales around 170-175 lbs. Does the 10-15 pound weight loss in the final month seem right? Is that too much in the lead up to my A race and could that be a reason why my results have suffered? I hardly ever have issues during training.

This year I am going to try and change the way I go about training. I am going to up my run mileage over the next couple of months and go ahead and start my healthier (notice I said healthier and not all-inclusive healthy). I am going to get in some longer bike rides earlier in the season and will get into my normal swim routine earlier in the year than I normally would. I also , plan on using more data in training. i want to set some training benchmarks for use in races. While a ton of you guys already do this, this will be a big change to me. All in all, a lot of new and exciting things on tap for 2012.

I have my sights set on revenge in Louisville. Other that that, I am looking to do Rev3 Knoxville (awesome course), Memphis in May, a few local sprints, Germantown Half Marathon and Rev3 SC. If you haven't checked out any of the Rev3 events, do so. Great group that puts on a great race.

Lastly, please go to http://www.rev3tri.com/ and check out the link on their page for charities. They are doing a Run Across America to help raise money for the Ulman Cancer Fund.  If you normally give money to charities during the year, please consider adding them to your donation list this year. If you can't give this year, see if they are running through or near your home city and consider donating your time to run some of the mileage.

Thanks and see you guys at the races!