Half Ironman on top of Half Ironman Part 2: Ironman 70.3 Austin Redemption

Iris wasn’t able to make it out to Tyler, and I think that having her there would have been huge in me keeping focused and finishing the race strong, rather than giving into the pain.  Knowing that she was going to be able to make it to Austin was a huge positive for me.  Everything seemed to be going right heading into this race, and to add to those positives, the forecast was a high of 67, my kind of race weather!

As I was leaving my apartment to hit the road for Austin, I took a look at my trophy case, picturing all the races I had trophies for, and trying to take something positive from each.  I noticed when doing that, that I had never placed 1^st in my age group in an ironman sanctioned event.  I had placed 2^nd in Ironman Florida, and 3^rd in Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens, but never the illustrious first place.  That was my goal leaving the house, bring home the gold!

Going to the expo Saturday before the race, seeing the finish line, and picking up my packet really filled me with the motivation and the positive energy I needed to eliminate that slop race from the previous weekend completely from my memory.  Not that I needed anything extra from what I already had to make this weekend and race go any better, but after walking out of the chute finishing up getting my packet, I run into iris, and she has a bag from the ironman store.  I asked her what she got, and she got a big smile on her face, and pulled out a bunch of goodies she got me!!  I love that girl so much, she is unbelievable!  This race was going to go flawless!

Race morning came early, and it was very very chilly.  I was cold going through my pre-race setups, but knew that I would have a leg up on most of the other athletes because I LOVE the cold.  After pumping up my tires and getting transition laid out, I ran into former Michigan State Spartan Teammates Bill Vann and Ryan Bosma.  We wished each other good luck, but were more focused on the race and we kept it short.  

After running into those guys I went over and found iris and we headed down to the swim.  This race was filled with a stacked field on the men’s side.  Chris McCormack, Jeff Symonds, Andy Potts, TJ Tollakson, Bryan Rhodes just to name a few.  The men’s pro field was set to go off at 7:30, pro women at 7:32, and then my wave @ 7:35.  My wave was full of the collegiate division (where Bill and Ryan were a part of) as well as the rest of the 18-24 age group (my age group and trophy to win). 

Getting in the water felt great to get out of the sub 40 degree air temp.  But just as we were ushered into the water the cannon was off, and the race was under way.  I took it out pretty strong and tried to maintain that pace throughout.  I latched onto the back of a long string of racers, and had good position throughout the race.  Again similar to last week I exited the water and heard someone yell 26:30.  NO WAY!  This time I knew the swim was legit because ironman events usually are spot on their distances.  I was ecstatic with this swim, I didn’t take it too deep, and felt great!  I shot up the hill out of the water and into transition.  As I ran down my row where my bike was, I ran past Bill & gave him props on his great swim as I ran by (he had swam a 25 and change).  I took my time putting on socks and arm warmers because I wanted to be comfortable on the bike and not have to waste unnecessary energy trying to keep warm, then I was onto the bike course (2^nd place in my age group). 

I felt great!  I was so happy to be in the cold, fresh legs, head finally on my shoulders straight again…I felt like a new man.  My goal for the bike was to ride a consistent power ~250 watts, not to blow up like I did last week because I got caught up in the moment.  And stick to that plan I did, I was riding strong, comfortable, and felt good.  At about mile 15 Yvonne van Vlerken passed me (she is a very accomplished pro woman, who placed 2^nd overall in Kona a few years back) and when I realized that I told myself, if I can ride with her, I am setting myself up for a great race.  She went around me and I stayed with her for the next 20-25 miles, within my power zone, reeling in the other female pros who outswam her. 

At this point in the race I started to get the urge that I needed to pee…BAD.  Peeing on the bike is quite difficult, after sitting on a saddle for x miles settling into a pace and trying to just focus on race strategy…it’s amazing how hard it is to force out a pee!  I finally got the fluid rollin and felt soooo much better.  I had lost ~30 seconds to van Vlerken because of my lack of ability to pedal during this time, so I told myself I only have 20 miles left, I’m feeling great, let’s try to reel her back in.  So I deviated from the race plan and held 260-270 watts for the next stretch and before I knew It I had reeled her back in.  I was so pumped & it didn’t feel too hard either.  I was right back where I wanted to be. 

Sure enough shortly after I had to pee again!  So I followed the same steps leaned to the side of my bike, and let the fluid flow.  This time I had lost slightly less time than I had last time to Yvonne, and again I told myself lets up the ante, dial back into 260-270 and reel her in.  I was unaware that the final 15-20 miles of the bike was all into the wind, with some tough rollers.  I kept putting in a strong effort on the pedals and was not making up any ground on her…in fact I was losing time!  This was a mental blow, and sapped my legs a little bit knowing that I couldn’t reel her in, but I decided to stick back to the plan and dial it back to 250.  This whole time we were still eating up the pro women field on the bike, probably had passed 6 women the past 10 miles.   With 5 miles to go I was really starting to fade, and just wanted off the bike bad.  I again had what felt like a full bladder and there was no sense in holding it, so I let it out again, only this time I was going through an intersection where the police were blocking traffic…this was what turned my mentality around.  I was in the dumps because I was losing ground to Van Vlerken, and really starting to feel like crap.  As I was rolling through the intersection with the officers, I was going very slow and not pedaling, rather posing to the side of my bike leaning awkwardly with a nice trail of liquid following behind me.  The officers stared as I inched by them wondering what the heck I was doing and just as I had passed them they realized it and started cracking up.  This definitely put a smile on my face that I desperately needed.  My head was cleared of the negative thoughts and I was riding smooth again, the legs were still gassed but I was making it through.  A couple of the women I had passed a few miles back had rode through my pee trail and closed the gap I had opened, and we rode together the rest of the way in.  

Half Ironman on top of Half Ironman Part 1: Just Tri to break 5 hrs please

The off-season is here and man do I need it!  The past 3 months have been filled with more than my fair share of ups and downs to say the least.  Work really likes to get in the way of the things you love, especially when you are traveling ¾ of the month since July, which as you can imagine really got in the way of training!  Aside from work stuff I was also trying to balance a few personal things on my plate that became very difficult.  Not to mention I was asked to move from Seattle to Dallas for my job.  Things got dark for a stretch there, but thanks to some seriously good friends I came out, and am a better man today because of them.

This isn’t a recap intended to bring a sad tear to your eye, but rather a tear of joy.  Through all the rough things that people go through in life, the world usually balances its gifts and sorrows pretty well in the long run.  

Ok, back to the story…my coach Andy Sweet and I had been really firing on all cylinders all summer.  We started working together in late June, and since then I had seen some serious progression in my bike.  I was starting to learn about riding with power (thanks to team evotri and Cyclops for the once in a lifetime opportunity) and was really connecting the dots between training smart and training dumb.  I really felt like I was starting to get it!  I had some good results on the bike in races throughout the summer, and was uber optimistic about the 2 half ironman’s I had coming up in late October.   My running was stronger than it has ever been, and my swim…well I seem to always find a way to pull it together in the water regardless of if I’m training for it or not.  

So Andy and I had talked about finishing my season with Ironman 70.3 Austin and we both agreed that would be an excellent idea.  As the summer progressed we both were becoming more and more excited for that day to come and to see how well I would race.  I started to get overly confident, and one day I found a race in Tyler, TX that was about 3 hours away, also a half ironman, and it had some serious prize money to it.  $1500 to first, $700 to second, $300 to third.  The race was a first year race and didn’t seem to getting its name out  too well, so I thought hey, this could be my chance to snatch my first prize money in a race!  I talked it over with Andy, and we decided that it wasn’t the most ideal because it was the week before Austin, but we thought it could be done no question, so I signed up.  

As August turned to September, things were going really well.  My biking and running were hitting an all-time high and I was through the roof excited for the Tyler half ironman.   I thought there was no way I wasn’t going to get $$ for sure.  

Just about that time was when the Grims dark cloud started to take hold of me.  My personal issues I mentioned above started to really affect everything I did.  I had no desire to train, so I stopped, and just moped around feeling sorry for myself hoping that at some point I would snap out of it and come around…well as the time went by suddenly I had lost 4 weeks, and next thing I knew the Tyler half ironman was the following Sunday.  WOW I was in trouble.  My excitement a month ago had turned to fear and I was not ready physically or mentally for what I was about to endure.  

Race morning I set up my transition area and it started to feel like a race again.  I was getting excited because there were less than 100 people at the race, and for a race with big $$ on the line I figured there would be 500-1000 people at least!  I started to think that the $ was as good as mine again.

As they shot the gun for the start, I took off.  The pro wave started 5 mins ahead of the rest of the amateur field, and my plan was to power through the swim and get on the bike, trying to work my way up through the pro field…keeping myself in striking distance for the run, which I had planned to use as my weapon.  I thought I had it all planned out!

Exiting the swim I looked at the clock and saw 25:40!  I couldn’t believe it…I was pretty stoked to see that fast of a swim.  I also had passed about half of the pro field, which I felt put me in great position for the overall $$.  My new plan was to group up with these guys on the bike and try to ride and run with em, hoping that the 5 min advantage I had would provide me with a nice pay day!

After a quick transition I was out on the bike by myself.  About 10 miles into the ride I hit an intersection (still riding alone) and a guy was there yelling “4^th Place, 4^th Place!”  When I heard that I was over the moon.  I couldn’t believe that I was in 4^th place overall, and still had a 5 min advantage because of the swim.  I had this in the bag…easiest money I ever made!  At this point I figured I would try to push the bike a little bit more so that I wasn’t riding alone. 

Going through mile 30 I was still riding solo.  I was starting to get a little irritated that I couldn’t see anyone ahead of me, but I did notice that I had a few riders inching their way up to me.  One guy finally caught me and we rode together for another 10-15 miles, trading turns at the front trying to keep an honest pace and reel in the leaders.  Hitting mile 45 I started to realize that I was biking too hard and was paying the price.  It was becoming more and more difficult to hold the pace we had been setting the whole time and I started to lose ground.  By mile 50 I was all alone again…and this time not feeling too well! 

I finished the bike leg up and had ridden an average 2:32 and change, losing  lot of time over the last 10-15 miles.  At this point I still figured I had a shot at the money, thinking that I was somewhere around 6^th overall, I just had to find my run legs and reel back the time I had lost the final part of the bike and I would be fine. 

After a pretty decent transition I was out on the run and feeling good.  I wore my gps watch and after about 4 mins I looked down and saw I was clicking off 6:35s.  I felt great and knew that if I held this pace I was going to work myself right back into this!  Well unfortunately that’s where things went south quickly.  By mile 2 I was walking, starting to overheat & cramp.  Not only did all hopes of winning money get flushed from my mind, but even worse, they were replaced with similar thoughts that were going through my head the past 4 weeks.  I was weak mentally, and things only got worse. 

I managed to muster a sub 2hr half marathon and just squeak under 5 hrs overall coming in at 4:54 and change.  I was glad to be done, but not too glad about having another half the following weekend.  Even though I raced very poorly I ended up first overall amateur, and won a pretty sweet trophy.  Lucky for me, I had a nice 3 hour drive by myself to reflect back on the race and analyze what I could have done differently.

The days following the race started to brighten up.  My gray clouds that were hovering over me seemed to disperse rather quickly and I started to see straight again and feel like myself.  That was the worst part about everything was I was not feeling like myself one bit, and feeling like there was nothing I could do to change that.  It felt great to feel like myself again.  I recovered from the Tyler half pretty quickly and was starting to really look forward to Austin, as crazy as it sounds.  Things were starting to look up!

The Labor of Love (10k)

Iris found this race late last week, and asked if i wanted to do it...well its hard for me to turn down the opportunity for competition, and on the event website the winners won huge trophies last year, so I figured I would give it my best shot.  I had done some smashing workouts Andy gave me on Friday and Sunday, so I wasn't going in looking for a PR...in fact the opposite was the case I had some dead Legs!

Back to the race, so i warmed up 1.5 miles, stretched, did some strides, and then the race was on.  My plan was to go by feel of who was in the lead, and pull away in the back half of the race if possible.  After the first mile I had about a 10-15 second lead and i went through in 6:03! I was feeling good and controlled...although the legs were still heavy and not warmed up.  I thought i had it in the bag no effort for sure though from that point.  Shortly after the mile it just started to hurt more and more.  By mile 2 the guys were still the same distance behind me, but i was hurting bad, and really wished i had done the 5k!  The heat and humidity were really clamping down on me and every stride hurt more and more.  Mile 3 felt like they were really making some ground on me, a pack of 3 guys, but i kept pressing on and said between mile 4 and 5 i was going to give that stretch nearly everything i had to try to keep the separation because i knew if i had 20 seconds in the last mile i had it locked up.  Hit mile 4, and there was a guy well inside 10 seconds of me, and that didn't ease up the pain i was feeling at all!  I went through the aid station got water, and poured some on myself and set my eyes on the road ahead of me.  Trying to keep a good turnover and the form together.  Trying to keep all my momentum rolling forward.  Hit mile 5 and was absolutely blown to shreds, i didn't know if i was going to make it to the finish line.  I could still hear the footsteps behind me but man o man was I in the hurtbox!  It was miserable! 

I looked down at my Garmin and saw all i had was a half mile left.  I knew that i didn't have the fastest kick in the field, so i pseudo kicked at that point trying to break the spirits of the now single guy behind me.  It had felt like i was "kicking" the last 2 miles, but come on!!  I couldn't get rid of this guy.  At mile 6 you run through an underground tunnel for 50 yards then climb a short steep hill, and from the top of that hill you have just under .2 miles left all downhill.  I hit that point still in the lead and could no longer hear the footsteps of the guy behind me.  I finally cracked him and I knew i had it won, but i kept pressing all the way to the line for good measure.  Finished in 39:33, good for an 8 second margin of victory...the effort that i dug deep for in that race surely didn't feel like a 39:33.  Thats 2 weeks in a row now where I have just gutted myself for a sub par time in the heat and humidity...I cant seem to crack the code!  I need a miracle if im going to survive racing down here in Texas

HotterN' Hell 100: Summoning your inner Bradley Wiggins (Part 2)

Surprisingly our monster tailwind lasted for a good 10 miles and we were very excited to be well over half way done with the race.  At this point we had seriously put a gap between us and the big "peloton"  we broke away from nearly 30 miles back now. 

After turning off the massive tailwind road, we hit that same windspeed, just as a crosswind.  I was expecting to have to heavily lean into it, much like a motorcycle racer who leans 60 degs and touches his knee to the ground on sharp turns.  Much to my chagrin I didnt have to!  That QR CD.01 cuts through the wind like a knife through butter.  It was unbelievable!  Not only did I not have to majorly overcompensate my lean to stay upright, but I was also still putting out consistent power at the same speed!  This bike is the bomb, I LOVE IT!

So within 5 miles of rotating in and out with the p5 man on the crosswind section, i go by him to take my turn at the front (all while the leach is still latched on to the back of us) and he tells me he isnt feeling too good...the cross winds were taking it out of his legs, and his stomach was not treating him well.  Shortly after i took the reins, I looked up and slightly in the distance was the USA cycling cat 5 race that started 8 mins ahead of our race.  I couldnt believe this, the true peloton was sitting right in front of me and we had put some serious time into them through 70 miles of this ride.  I was really hoping to plow through the peloton and break off the front without effort, but unfortunately we turned and started to head straight back into the head wind, and they had a different route...UGH!  This was not what I needed with the p5 hurting at the back of the group, and the leach just lassoing a rope to my seat and watching me do all the work, I was going to have to do this all by myself.  The p5 still tried his best to give me some time at the front, but within 5 minutes on the headwind road i look back and I had put a decent gap between me (the leach was still right on my wheel) and the him.  I felt bad for him, but knew that I couldn't sit around and wait for him all day, so i pressed on. 

We finally got off the major head wind, and back onto a crosswind which was much appreciated, and i was able to get back to a respectable pace.  Right at that point, we started to meet back up with the riders who were doing the 50 miler and 100k ride, and we were flying by them all like they were standing still.  It was nice to finally get back together with the other riders and not be riding solo.  It really helped the morale.  The temps were starting to rise and the last thing i needed was low morale.  At this point we were 75 miles into the ride, 25 to go!

We continued to fly through the field who was riding the shorter distance, and I was feeling great.  I wasnt fresh by any means, but felt like 25 miles was absolutely reasonable and I couldnt wait to get to that finish line to see how well I was doing overall.

The race was set up very well and there were tons of aid stations which was greatly appreciated, and at mile 80 the leach and i decided to stop at an aid station and fill up one last time in prep for the last 20 miles.  Again we were in and out very quickly and back on the bikes.  We were still riding with the crosswind making great time but we knew we still had some serious headwinds to battle if we were going to make it home.

Mile 83 was the turning point from feeling great to death.  At that point was where we turned onto a road that runs parallel to the highway straight into the wind.  The winds had picked up since we had the tail wind back at mile 50 and my oh my could we feel the difference!  The leach was still on my wheel, and at this point now we were 87 miles into the race, just crawling along at 12 mph.  I was as aero as i could be, trying every tactic for free speed, free power, anything to get me through this rough stretch.  Finally I yelled at the leach, and said "you know what dude i am absolutely gutted up here, i dont care how slow you are going, just give me a minute or two so i can recover!"  I could tell he was deep in the red zone as well, but i didnt care...the p5 and i pulled him for 30 miles before he fell off, then i pulled him another near 20...and i think with the tone of voice i had given him, he got the message quick and pulled me shortly.  The pace dropped below 10 mph, but i didnt care, it was the best feeling to get in his slipstream and just relax momentarily.

Within a minute i was back on the front and pulling again, and I realized that I was starting to gap him!  I was stoked, finally he had what was coming to him!  But this was short lived...not sure if he was eating a gel, or what, but he was back on my wheel.  I asked him for another short break one more time at about mile 92, and again he conceded and came to the front.  Shortly after that we were off that highway access road and back onto farm lands that (thankfully) were not into a head wind.  There were 6 miles to go and I needed to find a way to get rid of this guy!

At mile 95 we passed an aid station and I was out of liquids...amazing how putting in a massive effort for 12 miles depletes your nutrition resources.  I asked the leach for a bottle because he had 4 and he said they were all basically empty...right, like i believe that!  The aid station, however, was way out of the way, and i didnt feel like burning the time with 5 miles to go was the right idea, so i pressed on and tried to finish the race on E, like a nascar avoiding a pit stop with 10 laps to go, hoping the fumes will carry it to victory lane!

at mile 97 we made a sharp right turn and my hammy locked up momentarily...$hit!  This is exactly what i was fearing when i passed that aid station.  Hang on!  and i did, that was a short little scare but was over before I knew it thankfully. 

But it was a precursor...I was in for a real painful treat.  mile 98.5 it hit me!  my other hamstring locked up and i couldnt even turn the pedals.  I was screaming in pain it hurt so bad!  I was asking the leach for water because i knew he had some left in there and he said he was empty...meanwhile this cramp was still flexing its muscles and i had to get off my bike to stretch it out...coasting wasnt the cure.  The leach, however, pressed on and right then and there I knew i had lost the race :(

I found a guard rail on the side of the road and stretched my leg out, still screaming in pain.  This nice little lady on a hybrid road/mtn bike rolled up, stopped and asked if everything was ok, naturally it wasnt.  but she was so nice, she gave me a full bottle of gatorade and said its yours, you need it more than i do!  and so after a quick stretch of the hammy, and nearly chugging 2/3 of the bottle i felt able to get back on the bike and finish the ride out. 

I didnt have any issues the rest of the ride, luckily, but i didnt know how many more people in the 100 mile ride went by me when i was sidelined.  I was only off my bike for about 45 - 60 seconds, but it felt like an eternity.  I finished the race and threw myself in the shade, looking for any and all cold beverages i could guzzle down.

After i felt like i could stand up and walk again, i went back over to the finish line and found the lady who gave me her water bottle finishing.  I thanked her so much, gave her watter bottle back and gave her a huge hug, telling her she was the reason i was able to finish the race!  She was happy she could help.

I never did see the leach when i finished, and he couldnt have been that far ahead of me because of how short i was stopped for, but oh well...some people just dont get it!  I looked and asked around for the results and nothing was posted or nobody knew anything.  with so many people at the race it was a circus, and super hectic.  So I went home and showered, figuring i couldnt have won the race because i didnt beat the leach man!

Well i was wrong!!  Monday morning i checked the results and sure enough, the first name atop the leaderboard:
1) Matt Inch,         24,      4:23:16
2) Leach Man        39,      4:23:24

I had won!!!  I was so pumped, and that folks is karma right there.  The race played out as it should and I feel I absolutely deserved this result!  I worked my A$$ off out there all day.  The results have since been updated and there is another rider who they put ahead of me who they say went 3:49:00, but after some "athlinks" research, it was a 36 year old lady who averaged 16.6 mph in a 40 mile ride.  So i think its still safe to say that I can claim the top spot as mine :)

Overall a huge race for me, the bike legs are really taking a turn for the better and I am very excited about these half IM's at the end of the season :)

HotterN' Hell 100: Summoning your inner Bradley Wiggins (Part 1)

So one of my co-workers told me about this 100 mile bike race in the middle of summer here in Texas called the HotterN' Hell 100.  She said it was a pretty famous ride that attracts riders from all over the nation, and that usually 10,000+ riders come out and participate.  I figured what the heck, I am going to be training for IM and half IMs this summer and fall, why not try it out!  I needed to get some good practice riding in the heat because at Kona I paid the price for that lack of experience.

As race day approached i was worried because of the lack of long rides that I had hit.  I did a 75, and even a 90 miler, but those had been awhile back now, and idk, when you get into those big volume events you worry about your preparation a lot.

When I got to the packet pickup the night before I asked how many people there were racing this year, and I found out that there were 14,000 people riding across all the different distances they offered (25M, 50M, 100K, 100M).  14,000 people, wow im in over my head!

Race morning was a nightmare.  It was like a freakshow cycling circus!  All these teams from all around texas packing up together in the starting chute with their matching kits, bikes, and whatever other paraphernalia they had with them...And then there was me, a solo, lonely rider by himself out of 14k, with his tribike and non matching kit.  I felt out of place, but that didn't stop me from forcing my way in between these cliques, squeezing as close to the front as i could.  I was still behind well over 1000 people, which made me uneasy.  I am a triathlete, i dont like to ride in super compact packs constantly rotating in at the front.  I like to get over the pedals and grind it out, stroke for stroke.

Very unexpectedly they had a fly-over during the national anthem, and right at the end to start the race off they shot a 4000 year old cannon that made everyones ears bleed, but i guess if thats how they want people to know the race has begun, so be it!

The first 30 miles were uneventful, I tried to latch onto small groups of guys who looked like they knew what they were doing, but each time we got stuck behind slow sunday strollers who camped the night before the race on the start line so they could be first!  Come on...really!  Use some common sense here people.

Finally at mile 30 i saw an opening and went.  I got down in aero, and just started to tempo off the front of the 75 man pack of avid cyclists that had formed.  Surprisingly to me, only 2 guys came with...one had a p5 and the other was a scraggly looking cyclist holding on for dear life.  I pulled for the next 10-15 minutes comfortably, and still both of the guys were with me.  I gestured for one to take the lead, and the p5, without hesitation helped me out.  He and I traded off for the next 10-15 miles, with the leach cyclist gripping tightly to our back wheels.  We were not too thrilled with this!

At an aid station close to 50 miles in we quickly hopped off our bikes, and filled up our bottles, within 1 minute we were back on the road.  The lame thing about this bike race was that there was no bottle exchange, it was a get off and fill up your bottles yourself.  So that threw another piece into the puzzle.

We all were very quick, neither guy holding the others up, and like i said within a minute we were back on our bikes.  We hit a very friendly stretch with major tail winds and we were flying 40+ mph on the flats because of this 20+mph perfect tail winds.  We were very excited to be ticking the miles off so quickly but knew that with this great fortune currently comes much misfortune later on in the race!  And that absolutely held true!

"Journey From Zero to Hero!" Part 1: Learning & Understanding the metrics of riding with power

So after a very extended break away from biking and swimming, I have finally cured the itch for running and want to become a triathlete again.  Getting back on the bike for the first time definitely felt a little weird, but surprisingly good.  I am going to have to re-tame my "gooch," because after a short 45 mins, it was not too happy. It will just take some time, nothing I don't have on my side :)

Over the past month Andy and I have discussed a lot regarding training, and bike power in general.  He told me that the first and most important thing we can do right now is increase the bike volume and just gather a bunch of raw data.  The only way that we can build a true plan that fits my needs is to throw in some interval work, some easy stuff, and even some all out race simulation efforts to see how my body responds to these challenges.  We will be able to look at the numbers, and build workouts and race strategies around what I have previously been able to do in training.

The numbers I am referring to when I talk about power are Watts.  Watts are a measurement of the energy you transfer from your legs with each pedal stroke, into the bike which propels you forward.  The more energy you put into the pedals, the faster you you go.  A common misconception I quickly learned when talking with friends who were already using power was to compare my numbers to theirs...it doesnt work that way!  If you are going to compare one riders Power numbers (watts) to anothers you would need to break it down into a per mass basis.  So say my buddy is 6'3 and weighs 180 lbs, and I am 6' 165 lbs.  If he told me he rode 300 watts for an hour and i could only put out 280, the common misconception would be that he rode faster than me.  But that is not the case.  You have to take into account the ratio of their watts/weight.  And the common number cyclists and triathletes talk about is watts/kg.  So in this case even though I put out 20 watts less than him, I would be putting out 3.74 watts/kg to his 3.67 watts/kg.  So ignoring all other factors, I would have ridden slightly faster than him.  Even this mindset is flawed because you have to take into account bike position, aerodynamics, etc.  If i put out that power, but sat up the whole time, i would be far less aerodynamic than if he were to be in aero position and putting out the numbers he was.  You get the point, but that is my quick lesson on the numerics of power and how to compare to other cyclists of similar build as well as completely different body types.

Leading up to the Disco Tri I didnt really have any expectations.  I hadnt done a triathlon since Kona last year, and really hadnt done any focused training outside of running for the half marathon.  This was actually the first time that I really just said "hey lets go out and have fun, race hard but still have fun."  Quite honestly, at the level i am at in triathlons, thats all you can really do.  If you are not having fun, then why are you still sticking around doing them? You are here for the love of the sport.

As i mentioned, I wasn't peaked for that race, in fact i had only had about 2 weeks of serious riding workouts from Andy, so there was no way I was going to go out there and blow the field away.  Just not realistic.  I had a chat with Andy leading up to the race, and we agreed, based on the power numbers I had been putting out over the previous 15 or so days, on a target power range to maintain for the race.  Power is just another form of pacing during a workout or a race. The benefit of power is knowing that you are riding steady for the entire ride.  If your performance measure is speed, you have to majorly accelerate if you want to keep that pace going uphill, which usually tends to tax the legs a lot more than riding at a constant effort.  With power, on the other hand, you can keep up the same effort, and know that you are not "burning your matches" too early. 

Getting out on the bike in the race, i settled right into  a comfortable pace and rode.  After 10 miles i looked down at the power numbers and saw that i was putting out 10-15 watts higher than what we had determined was a "solid race pace"  so this made me a little nervous.  I didnt want to blow up, but I also still felt amazing.  I continued to press on with my effort continuing to hold above the agreed upon range and i rode a great race.  I got off the bike feeling good and ran a very strong run split as well.  I can honestly say that I think power really played a key role in my race success today.  I was able to keep steady on the bike, which i had trouble with in the past, and ride a strong bike leg, but have the energy left to back it up with a run i was capable of. 

As the season progresses, and Andy and I get more data to analyze, I have no doubt that we will be able to dial in "race paces" to within 1% of what I should be riding.  As for now I know that everything we have is still a work in progress and I will continue to learn and see the progress I am making as time goes by.  Ultimately having these power numbers on my side is going to allow me to reach my fastest bike splits ever in races, all while backing them up with all time best run splits as well because of the smart steady pacing strategy power allows you to follow.

Inch

Disco Fever! First Tri of the Year

A race at 6:30am in Dallas in early July is very much welcomed with arms wide open because it is so damn hot.  But when you realize that it is an hr and a half away, and you have to get up at 3...you don't really welcome the idea of a race that early and that far away!  Thats how i felt when i woke up Sunday morning at 3.  It was rough.

I googled a bunch of local races throughout the dallas area to see what i had available for me, and found a cool unique race i hadnt seen in michigan or seattle before.  Its called an X-50 (1 mile swim, 40 mile bike, 9 mile run) and seemed like a perfect season opening race.

Training had been going very solidly leading up to the race, no injuries, solid volume.  Overall i was highly optimistic about the race. When i got to the park, and parked in my spot I started to get in the zone and excited to race again.  A triathlon "in the zone" feeling is way different than just a swim meet or a 5k feeling.  It really amps you up!

After dropping my bike off in transition and getting everything laid out, i headed down to the water to warm up.  The lake was incredibly warm, something absurd like 86 degrees.   Last time i swam in something so piss warm was age group nationals in Tuscaloosa one year in August.  It is far from ideal for any swimmer, let alone a floater.

For the first time in my triathlon career I was nervous for the swim.  I had not swam more than 3 times in 6 months.  I figured since i had always been a strong swimmer that would stay with me...i would never lose it right?  WRONG!  I couldnt swim straight, my stroke was so weak i couldnt keep my head above water and I drank multiple gallons, i ended up in a seaweed field off course, I had never made any mistakes in the history of all the swims i had done in a triathlon, and here i am giving up 3 minutes to the lead pack.  UHO

I got out of the water and usain bolted to transition, and had the fastest T1 in the race.  I got on my bike and the goal was to settle into a solid pace, focusing on riding steady and holding a power range suggested by Andy.  After about 15 miles (just before the turn around for the 2nd lap) i realized that i hadnt made up any ground on the leaders, and in fact i had lost about 30 seconds, but i was riding a higher power than andy suggested.  I kept to my game plan and said 'if these guys are riding like this, they have to give some back to me in the run.'

I got off the bike down 3 and a half minutes and was in 3rd overall.  I had calculated that if i run about 20 seconds per mile into these guys i would be right back in it.  The first time i saw them and got a time check i found out i had cut in 30 seconds into their lead, but it took 2.5 miles, so i was behind pace.  I maintained my effort, and stuck to the game plan.  After exiting the woods a half mile later i had missed a turn that i needed to make and lucky for me i had a random spectator tell me that this wasn't part of the course, so i had to turn around and right the ship.  At this point i was irate.  I was making ground on the leaders but missed my turn due to poor marking and gave up the time i had made...probably lost :30 seconds at this miscue.

I got back on the right track and was really pressing the pace to make up for lost time. Made it out to mile 4 and it was an out and back point where i would be able to see the leaders again for another time check.  I ran past an aid station, and they yelled at me turn around!!  Perfect another poorly marked and managed part on the course.  The problem with this race was that they tried to run 3 different distances and it really threw a kink in their marking systems.

Lucky for me I had only gone 20 yards out of my way before i was corrected.  10 yards in front of me i saw a couple racers coming back from the long road, and it hit me...the leaders had gone way out of their way and I was back in the race!  We all turned around together and were back on course in a lead pack of 3.  Now my 30 seconds i had given up by going the wrong was was minimal to the 2-3 mins they tacked on.  Within a short distance our pack shrank to 2.  Me and another local young phenom, who had tons of support out on the course.  He had tons of friends, family, and even coaches i presume, and here i was a new import from out of state, all i had was my lonely self to cheer me on.  We ran together for awhile, probably 2 miles before he made a push and i fell back a little bit.  We still had plenty of race to go and I wasnt trying to get caught up in a pissing match at this point.  I never let him get more than 10 seconds ahead of me and that margin held for another mile or so before i realized i was starting to gain on him again.

We hit mile 7 and the gap had been closed, we were shoulder to shoulder again.  Unfortunately I had started to hit a wall, as my nutrition wasnt as spot on as it could have been, and he started to gap me again, and before i knew it he was out of sight.  This really hurt me.  The windy roads through the woods allowed him to get away.  At the final turn around with a mile and a quarter to go i was on E.  I heard they had coke at this aid station when i went trhough the first time and i was all over it the second lap through.  I took 2 cups and downed them asap, and within 1 minute i was back and ticking again.  I began to run upright again, and the turnover came back to me.  I was opening it up putting everything i had into it, but it was too little too late, he had done the necessary damage when he neeeded to, and when i was at my lowest, and it was the right move.  I ended up losing by 1 minute, probably giving all that time in that lowly mile stretch.  Great race and a great competitor to race alongside during the crucial points in the race.

Bigfoot Ballin'

I ended up getting 2nd overall, with a much faster time than expected.  I had biked about 5 minutes faster than I predicted going in, and ran a few minutes faster as well.  The swim, well that was another story and will come back when i get my A$$ back in the water consistently.  My splits were 22:15 in the swim (def wasn't a mile!) 1:41:33 for 40 mile bike (23.6 mph) and 1:00:30 for the 9 mile run with the miscue, good for 2nd fastest run of the day, probably looking at 6:30s per mile pace.

With the swim aside i was very pleased with the result.  Had a very solid bike, for what little bike work i have put in so far this season, and to hold it together on the run, and finally post a good feeling run without cramping or having major race blowing nutrition issues was a huge plus!