Wait! We're at altitude?!

David and I competed at the YFC Seeley Lake Triathlon a couple of weeks ago.  Last year, Trayc and I made plans to go to Yellowstone this August.  When Tracy found out that one of our friends, Bryan Brosious, had done the Seeley Lake Triathlon last year on the same weekend we planned to go to Yellowstone this year, she "suggested" that we reciprocate and race at Bryan's local race on the way.  So, there we were, headed to Yellowstone with a couple of tri-bikes on the roof of the van.
 Unfortunately, we found out that Bryan had decided to call it a year and wouldn't be at the race.  David's comment was, "That's too bad.  But now, I have a chance to win!"  Those words would be somewhat prophetic. 

Just as at Moses Lake, David's Hammer kit was black and mine was lime green, so he asked if I wanted to switch helmets so that we had matching helmet and kit.  Of course I agreed.

We rolled into the Riverpoint Campground at Seeley Lake on race morning.  After picking up our packets and getting everything ready, David and I looked around.  The transition area was pretty empty (and would remain that way.  We found out later that the publicity for the race didn't happen, so the turnout was very low).  We got our instructions and headed to the water's edge. 

The gun went off and I started swimming straight into the sun towards the first buoy.  As I made the first turn, all of a sudden, I felt like I was swimming backwards and was short of breath.  I switched from my usual bilateral breathing to breathing one side, alternating sides.  Apparently, David flew through the swim, and exited the water in 1st place by over a minute.  In fact, he was so fast that he beat everyone out of transition... including the volunteer who was in charge of manning the first turn on the bike.  So... while the course was supposed to be a right turn out of the campground, David went left (I nearly made the same mistake, even though the volunteer was there and yelling at me by the time I got there). 

I got out of the water in 7th and quickly moved up into 3rd place.  I trailed eventual winner Micah Hill to the bike turnaround and then went past him and the first place rider, so I was leading the race.  Since I did not see David, I had the sinking feeling that he had made a wrong turn on the bike.  I led Micah until the turn into the campground, and then he turned inside of me and took the lead.  We exited transition within 50 yards of each other, but I knew that I was in deep trouble, as my legs felt dead. 

As I headed out on the run, Tracy yelled at me: "David took a wrong turn."  I filed that in my brain as I tried to make up ground on first place, but to no avail.  Micah put two minutes on me in 3.3 miles.  Finishing second was somewhat bittersweet; I was happy with how I had done, although a win would have been better, but it was tempered by David's disappointment.  He had pushed so hard during the first few miles of the bike that he lost all of his focus when he realized that he had made a wrong turn.  And seeing Tracy on the run basically sunk it for him.

Struggling to keep it together until the end:

Thanks to Ryan who took over cameraman duties and got these great photos of David and me.  After the race, I thought about it and wondered if Seeley Lake was at altitude.  I looked it up and, yes, indeed, it is over 4,000 feet in elevation.  Needless to say, that helped to explain the fact that I thought I was going backwards on the swim, and had dead legs on the run.

 

 

Oh, to be young again

Last Friday was the 4th of July.  Since I have lived in Steilacoom, I have tried to run in the "4 on the 4th" whenever I can. It is hard to NOT run this race, because I can almost roll down the hill from my house to get to the start.  It is a little race with a very honest (read: somewhat hilly) course.  There are  only two hills, and the 1st uphill is small, so of little consequence.  The second hill, though, gets your attention.  The course is an out-and-back, so you start off flying down the hill for the first 1/2 mile.  Of course, what goes down must come back up in an out-and-back, so the last 1/2 mile of the race is a good attention-getter.  I first ran this race back in, I think, around 2000 or 2001 (when I was much younger, fitter and faster).  My time was somewhere in the 22 minute range and I was in the top 10.  And every time I have run this race, I have gotten slower (and, naturally, older).

This year, I was not expecting to run very fast.  I'm not very fit and I have not done any speedwork.  So, I was wearing a T-shirt rather than a singlet and not my lightest flats.  As I jogged down to the start, I thought, "Well, at least my legs weren't feeling dead."  I paid my entry fee and waited for the start.  In keeping with the feeling that I wasn't going to be running very fast, I only did a single stride-out (and even that wasn't very fast).  We lined up and I made sure not to be up front.  The starter (I think it was Pat Kenworthy) yelled, "Go!" and off we went.  I held back going down the hill and cruised through the first mile in 6:23.  The first mile marker was pretty accurate to my GPS.  As we wended our way along Chambers Creek Road, and crossed the bridge, my GPS hit 2 miles.  We headed up the first hill and turned around, and I thought, "We're way over 2 miles.  How hard is it to get an accurate course on an out-and-back?"

I got chicked by Jenny Stevick shortly after the 3rd mile.  We ran together for a bit, and chatted about how the last hill was a pretty miserable hill.  And then she dropped me.  I gathered myself for the last hill and as I started ascending, my GPS hit 4 miles.  I thought about stopping for just an instant since it was 4 miles, but decided that I really should finish.  As I went by one of the last bushes, somebody came out of it and started running towards the finish just in front of me.  That seemed a bit strange to me, and as I passed him just before the finish, I wondered, "Would someone actually cheat in a little race like this?"  Seemed strange that he would pop out just before the finish: if he was in front of me, why was he running slower at the finish than I was?  Oh well, to each his own.

I finished in 27:19, which, according to my GPS was 6:33/mile, nearly 1 minute/mile slower than 2000.  Funny thing is that my overall place is the same as last year, but I actually podiumed for my age group.  The course was definitely longer than it has ever been, so my overall time looks worse than it should, but getting older clearly has its disadvantages.  I guess it's time to get serious, so that I can try to recover lost youth!

Start of the season

A day (or 30) late but I raced last month at Moses Lake.  It was hot on the other side of the mountains, and, given that my fitness was not great, I didn't figure that I would be having a great race... and I was right.  It was a struggle for the entire day.  But we'll get to that.

David and I made the trip over to Moses Lake on Friday night for the 3rd time.  As opposed to last year, it was a very easy drive and we rolled into Moses Lake about 9:30 PM.  It was nice to get a lot of sleep, since we went to bed shortly after arriving, knowing that the race started at 10:00 AM. I love this race, because of the late start.  It gives me a chance to ease my way into racing season, since I can wake up without an alarm. 

After a leisurely breakfast staring out at the race site, David and I went back to the room to get ready.

 As we changed and loaded up our gear, David looked at me and asked, "Do you want to trade helmets for the race?"  You see, our new Hammer kit was all black for him and lime green for me.  And our race helmets are fluorescent yellow for him and black for me Rudy Project Wingspans.  I thought that it would be fun to swap and have matching kit from head to toe, so I said yes.

We headed to the race site and got our stuff out of the van.  Bryan Brosious rolled up to us and we chatted briefly, picking up where we left off last summer.  We had ample time to warm up, and as I took a long jog, I was already warm.  I figured it was going to be a hot run.  Finishing by the water's edge, I tested the water, and it seemed reasonably warm.  It was definitely not going to be the bone chilling swim of 2 years ago.

Too quickly, it was race time.  I did a short warm up (since I have not been swimming much, I figured that I needed to save up as much as I could).  I wished David and Bryan good luck and took my place near the dock near the front.  The gun went off and I got stuck behind a guy swimming Army style:  left-right-left-right.  I finally had enough of him and got around him, where I had open water for the entire race.  I exited the water somewhere around 10th place, feeling more tired than I've felt swimming in a long time (And why is it that there seem to be so many people in front and on top of me at the start of the swim, but, by the time we're done, they're nowhere to be seen?  I just have to learn to sprint).  I jumped on my bike and set off in pursuit.  Looking down, my heart race was at 156, where it stayed for the majority of the ride.  I felt out of breath, and didn't seem like I could catch my breath.  I could feel the headwind all the way out.  As I headed to the turnaround, I saw Bryan heading back in 1st.  I yelled some encouragement as he passed by; David followed Bryan soon afterward in 4th place.  I yelled some encouragement to him as well.  At the turnaround, I felt the tailwind, and sailed back, riding the wind.  It was windy enough that I was pushed around a little on my bike, feeling some sidewind gusts.

By the time I made it back to the transition area, I was in 6th place.  I saw David heading out of transition as I was entering.  He yelled, "I beat you!" I could tell that he was proud of his swim-bike split.  I later found out that he was 2nd out of the water, just trailing another 15 year old, as they traded off the lead.  I caught David about 1/2 mile into the run, and set my sights on the 4th place.  Unfortunately, he was pulling away from me.  And it was hot!  I was already suffering and my legs felt dead.  Close to the turnaround, the eventual race winner, Bryan Lindsay, came at me from the other direction.  He was flying!  I later found out that he was running at 5:25 pace.  Soon afterward came Bryan Brosious.  I yelled some encouragement and we exchanged high-fives.  Joshua Fitchett was next in 3rd and then Ethan Carlson was 4th.  And there was no way I was going to catch anybody on that day.  As I made the turnaround and headed for home, I saw David approaching and yelled some encouragement to him, also exchanging high-fives. 

I finished the race in 5th place, totally spent, and then jogged back to cheer David on.  That's what I love about sprint races:  you can go from total exhaustion to recovery in minutes.  David was desperately hanging on to 13th place, 2nd AG, and was less than 1/4 mile from the finish.  Unfortunately, his swim buddy, Matthew Creagan was moving faster than him, and passed him for second place.

Overall, we had a successful Team Hammer day:  Bryan was 2nd OA, 1st AG; David was 14th OA, 3rd AG; and I was 5th OA, 1st AG.  (Thanks to Ayla Wyman for the picture)

 

 

And now I have to try to get into shape! 



Why run?

After having spent a week in the warm sunshine of Arizona, I'm back to the reality that is the Pacific Northwest.  While the days in Arizona warmed up to 70 degrees, the mornings were chilly, usually in the low 40's.  When the sun came up, though, it would warm up quickly.  So, 43 degrees in Scottsdale felt a lot different than 43 degrees in Tacoma.  Still, when we returned to the Northwest, it was cool but clear (not rainy).  Last Friday, after a busy morning and just before a busy afternoon, I escaped at Noon for a quick run.  I contemplated even skipping the run, because I was so time-crunched, but then figured a short run was better than no run at all, so off I went.  As I was starting out, I heard a loud noise overhead, and looked up to see two F-18's taking off from McChord.  And then while I was still looking up, I spotted two bald eagles soaring high above.  Those two images, as well as the sun shining above, definitely made my run, though short, worthwhile.

On Sunday, it was another cold, sunny day.  I decided to go for a run on the trails.  Ryan's first question, upon hearing that I was going for a run, was, "Are you bringing the puppy (Sancho)?"  I had originally planned on running by myself, but Sancho looked expectant, so I said yes.  I asked Sancho, "Are you ready to go?  Did you stretch?"  Almost on cue, Sancho did a downward facing dog, followed by an upward dog.  I guess that meant yes.  He kept me company, pretty much running by my side during the entire run, dropping me on every hill, and then looking back as if to say, "Are you coming?"  While it was not a fast run, it was great, as I enjoyed the sunshine, the freedom of the trail, and the company of one of my puppies.

What was I thinking?!

During a recent Northwestern football game viewing, my best friend, Richard (no, it is not myself speaking in third person... it really is someone else), commented on how difficult it is to get back into shape.  He's been struggling to regain his previous running form (no, seriously, this is not about me) since an injury and surgery a few years ago (really, it's not me).  While he is able to run pain-free since his Achilles surgery (see, I told you!), he has lost speed and is unhappy about this.  I mentioned that the way to get back into shape would be to pick a race, probably a marathon.  Of course, I said this jokingly.  Well, Richard thought about this, and chose the Surf City Marathon as a good target, since it was 18 weeks away, plenty of time to go through a training plan, ramping up gradually.  And of course, he figured that I'd do it with him, since I was the one that suggested it. 

It usually takes me a year or two to forget how painful a marathon is.  The training is actually not the hard part.  When you contrast marathon training with triathlon training, it's relatively easy.  You run.  That's it.  And since your body can only take so much pounding, the running is usually only about an hour for every day but the long run day.  Of course, the long run day can be a challenge.  At its peak, the long run can take up to 3 hours.  Contrast that, though, to a long bike when training for 1/2 IM or IM, and 3 hours is a breeze.  The day after a long run is usually interesting, when you can't get enough food or drink in you, and your legs are pretty trashed. 

Anyway, Richard and I decided that we would put in a month of training and see where that got us.  I gave November 4th as the day of reckoning, when we would either bail or sign up.  As for my training plan, I've used the Hal Higdon plan in the past, as well as the Pete Pfitzinger plan.  For this month, I'm kind of combining the Pete Pfitzinger plan with the Run Less, Run Faster plan with my own variation.  I figured that if I run a marathon, my goal should be to go to Boston.  To qualify as a 50 year old, I need to run 3:30.  Since Boston now uses a rolling registration (faster qualifiers relative to qualifying time register first), and the first registration cut-off is 20 minutes faster than qualifying time, that means I should aim for a 3:10.  It seems doable, since that is 7:15 minute/mile pace.  So, what I've decided is to make sure that I'm running 7:30 or better for all of my runs.  If I can do this, getting down to 7:15 should be relatively easy. 

So far, I'm doing okay.  My runs have been 7:30 pace.  I have not done anything fast yet, and my long run was 8 miles 10 days ago.  I was supposed to increase my long run by 2 miles each week with a fall-back run at week 4, but I got a bad case of vertigo this past weekend, and did nothing but lie on the couch.  So far, the weather has cooperated.  While my favorite weather is warm and sunny, I think my next favorite, especially to run and ride in, is foggy weather.  There's a bit of surrealism to running and riding when it's foggy.  I think the dampness contributes to dampening sound, so it's quieter, maybe even a bit eerie.  When I mentioned this to the boys, David even mentioned that it reminded him of "Pre" (the movie).  Of course, I don't run anything like Pre, but I could picture what he was talking about. 

Today, as I ran out in the Log Center trail in the cool fog, I was a bit uneasy, since I don't think the bears are hibernating yet.  I ran a bit quicker through the trees at that thought, and didn't really relax until I had gotten back onto the pavement.  But even as I ran uneasily through the trees, I did take the time to enjoy the way the trees looked in the fog/mist.  And I can say that the Pacific Northwest is definitely THE place to be for running right now.    

Italian may mean high maintenance... but oh, when it's working!

When I decided to update my road bike components several years ago, I decided to change from Shimano 8-speed Dura-Ace to Campagnolo 10-speed Record.  Why?  Well, it wasn't exactly that well thought-out, since my tri-bike has Shimano components, so I can't swap between them.  My cyclocross bike, though, has Campagnolo 10-speed, so it's not completely crazy.  Anyway, I put a new chain on my road bike, and cleaned the cassette, derailleurs and crankset prior to putting them on.  I took apart the cassette to clean it, remembering that the spacers were not uniform.  For some reason, Campagnolo makes spacers that are differentiated.  I suppose it makes the shifting better, but I couldn't figure out why.  After all, Shimano's cassettes have uniform spacers and their shifting seems to work pretty well.  I even pulled out the technical manual that came with the cassette (yes, I keep those things) and looked at it. 

So, after cleaning and then reassembling the cassette last night, I ran through the gears to make sure it was shifting cleanly.  Every cog shifted smoothly except for the 17.  It kept getting hung up and I could not get it to work.  I went to bed, figuring that I would work on it in the morning.  As I was getting ready to fall asleep, the idea that I had assembled the spacers incorrectly went through my mind.  When I woke up this AM, I looked at the schematics of the technical manual, and then took off the cassette.  Yup, I had reversed the spacer between the 23-25 and the 19-21.  When I switched them, reassembled the cassette, and ran through the cogs, it shifted smoothly, even the 17.  Ah-ha!  Taking my bike out for a ride today, after having put on a new chain, and cleaned the drivetrain, everything worked smoothly.  The shifting in a Campagnolo drivetrain is just more solid than I've found in a Shimano drivetrain, at least between road bikes.  The brifters don't rattle, and each shift is a solid "thunk" rather than a "snick" that I've experienced with Shimano. 

And maybe that's why there are three different types of spacers in a Campagnolo cassette.  But, it just reminds me that it requires just a bit more attention than Shimano.  And it reminds me of the reputation of Italian sports cars:  they are fantastic to drive, but are much more finicky.  But, as I rode my bike today and felt the satisfaction of each positive shift and how the drivetrain hummed along, I understood why people still buy Italian sports cars.

I'm not like the princess and the pea... really!

Today's entry is actually an update of an entry from May 2012... and that is a column that I originally wrote several years ago. As you can see, I have continued to update it.  The entire piece is long, but somewhat amusing, and I'm sure many others have been through the same thing I've been going through.  So, without further ado, here's the continuation of my May 2012 entry, "Riding shouldn't be a pain in the butt":

Update December 2012:  After playing around with where to sit on the V-Flow Plus, I did find the sweet spot.  It is actually nearly at the tip, but I found that I can sit there for an extended period of time without difficulty.  When I realized where the sweet spot was for me, I ended up moving the saddle back about ¾ cm.  That helped to keep me from banging my knees on my elbows.  I think the quest is finally over.

Update May 2013:  And nope.  The sweet spot for the V-Flow Plus was further back from the nose.  And being a career nose rider, it just feels strange to me.  So, I went back and tried the Adamo again, buying a used Time Trial on Slowtwitch.  It is shoved back, but I’ve found that it puts me in a better position from a feel standpoint.  I end up near the front, but don’t feel like I’m falling off.  Of course, where I sit on the prongs will take some getting used to, as has been suggested.  But while the Time Trial is a “firm” saddle, I don’t mind it, and even found a comfortable spot on it this AM while riding.  Again, I may need a bit more playing around to try and find the optimum spot.  In looking at my comments on the Breakaway, it was comfortable, but felt too wide.  I think by moving the Time Trial further back, the wideness issue has been alleviated.  And the idea that you are sitting on an Adamo in much the same way you perch on the edge of a bench or ledge is a good visual.

So, I think the Adamo is a “go.”  After a few trainer rides, it seems to work pretty well.  I haven’t been uncomfortable at all, and, in fact, feel pretty good on the trainer.  I guess I’ll need to road-test it to make sure it works, but I like the fact that I feel like I’m sitting “on the rivet,” which is how I’ve ridden for years on a tri-bike.  However, there isn’t any pressure and no numbness.  I’ll have to get a look at my position in a photo.

Update September 2013:  I think I’ve found it… finally.  After spending the season on the Adamo Time Trial, I didn’t think it was the answer.  I decided to try the Specialized Sitero, a new time trial/triathlon-specific saddle.  After every ride on the Time Trial, I felt like there were sore areas that shouldn’t have been there, still feeling that it was too wide.  After a couple of short rides on the Sitero, I definitely don’t have the same soreness, and it certainly feels the best of any saddle that I’ve tried to date.  More time will be spent this winter to see if it’s the right one for me.  And reportedly, the studies done by Specialized showed that blood flow to the perineal area was better with this saddle than another other saddle, including the Adamos.   Interestingly, since I first wrote this, Adamo increased the number of their saddles, mostly to include time trial/triathlon-specific saddles, Cobb came out with their Gen2, Specialized came out with their Sitero, Bontrager came out with their adjustable Hilo, and Fi`zi:k and Shimano have released pictures of their new time trial/triathlon saddles, which will be available in the winter.  It’s funny how there has been an explosion of saddles for triathletes, who are all trying to find the saddle that will allow them to ride in an aggressive position without being punished for it.