Race day game plan coming together

I am shooting for beating my previous time in this distance by 30 min, yes a half hour. I am looking for the bike and run portions at keeping my heart rate in Zone 3 (64-76%) of my MHR, of course wearing my Mio Watch Quest to help me monitor this.  I have set the alarm on the watch to alert me if I go under or over my target heart rate of 137-152 bpm.

My swim should be stronger and a little faster and the weather I am expecting to be a little cooler. The bike I plan on being very relaxed and not pushing too hard knowing I want to keep my legs as possible fresh for the run.

My son with a PowerBar smile after paddling along side me in a kayak with my brother, while I did an open water training swim of just over 1.5 miles.


Of course what I have been using for fuel in training is exactly what I will use on course, PowerBar gels, Gel Blasts and PowerBar Restore(a carb/protein blend) drink.
Over the past 4 months I have been taking as directed, a PowerBar supplement Beta Alanine to increase muscle carnosine which buffers muscle acids and reduces muscle burn and fatigue.
Over the next two weeks I know nerves will set in and sleepless nights will occur as I finish my training program and prepare for race day.

 I am excited to get out on the course and rip it up.

Training from last weekend

This past weekend I was able to get my longest ride in this year at 51 miles. On Saturday, I rode the first 20 miles with a local tri group.  The last 30 was done with a friend after I had a flat and he stopped and waited while I changed the tube.  I am once again working on getting more comfortable in the aero position with some adjustments I have made.   
I felt very strong through out, with an average heart rate of 142 for the just under 3 hour ride.  A little cloud cover helped hold off the heat so my workout was done before 8am. 
On Monday, I took in a 20 mile recovery ride, which was very humid.  I stayed away from the hills and just concentrated on a spinning and keeping my heart rate up.  The just over an hour ride had my heart rate averaging 136. 
My nutrition for both rides this weekend was perfect, with recovery time better than I expected.  Using a PowerBar gel still every half hour needed or not, and consuming 40 ounces of water an hour.  

Waiting for what?

I am in training for a half-ironman distance race in late October here in Arizona.  I have started the training before even signing up.  I know a lot of age-groupers don't normally start training for a race until they have dropped money on the entry fee.  I don't expect the race registration to close with its limit of athletes.  I still feel the pressure in training without registering just yet.  Late October will be here before I know it, and with the 113 degree days we have been having here I wish it would come sooner.  For the race, I am looking to improve my time from 2008. 
Training over the weekend was good. I took a different bike course on Saturday morning.  I felt like the hills I normally ride were getting old.  I have started more of an intense core workout, letting the light weight workouts slip.  I really need to start those back up again. 

Seville Sports Club Sprint Tri

Swim 300 YARDS in time of 6:41

Suit: two piece tri suit
Course: pool swim, serpentine
Start type: in water, holding the edge with swimmers being started every 15 seconds
Water temp: heated pool
Breathing: very comfortable Drafting: none, but found myself hugging the lane line pretty close

T1
Performance: Kept calm and executed clipping on my number belt and putting my helmet on, then out on the bike course.

Jump on bike: Right at the mount line, shoes already on bike


Bike 15.4 MILE in time of 43:54

Just getting up to speed to slow down for the right hand turns out on the course.
Race pace: Very Comfortable Drinks: used exactly what I put in my aerobottle with nothing left.
Course: 3 laps around sub-division

T2
Pulled the shoes on, no socks and out on the run course

Run 2 MILE in time of 18:39

Performance: good pace
Course: out one mile and back one mile to the finish
Drinking used water along the course to sip very little and dump over my head and back to keep cool

Total time 1:09:12 taking 3rd in the the Clydesdale Division

Post race

What limited your ability to perform faster: Still need to work on my run. The bike to run felt better than ever, no problem getting my legs moving.

End of the month, excitement builds

Dang, the month of April has flown by. My training is almost at it's peak. Another strong two weeks and then the short taper. My morning running has been enjoyable with the cooler weather. The motivation to get up in the morning and get my first workout, normally my run, is getting easier. This weekend I hope to meet up with a new group of riders and do a group ride. My riding in the past three months has been normally done alone. I feel I should be able to keep up with the group, we will she how it goes. I am almost to my ideal racing weight, which is.....(?) now, now, I won't go telling what I weigh. I am looking forward to race day about two weeks from now. I end this blog post with a good saying I found a while back online and have been living by it.

You heard about the butterfly that struggled out of the cocoon right? A man saw the butterflies struggle and helped clear away the cocoon. Because the butterfly wasn't able to develop his wings through the struggle, it was never able to fly. Struggle is always part of the journey.

JCC Maxi-Sprint race report

I got to the location in plenty of time to set up my transition area. With the kids race taking place first, they need to clear the course before the adults start. The mini-sprint race started maybe 30 minutes before I went off.
I was the first one off in the maxi-distance race, with swimmers starting every 20 seconds. With the pool only 250 yards we then had to jump out and run back to the start and do the same swim again. I was very happy after getting out of the pool and seeing my stopwatch time on my run to my bike.
Just before the race started I went to my bike transition area one last time and found a bunch of fire-ants all over my shoes, socks and hat. I took all the sweet sugary things I had in my bag and threw them all away, hoping they would be gone by the time I needed to put my shoes on. Talk about running with fire under your feet.
The ants were all gone when my swim was finished. Strapped on the helmet and race number belt and got out on the bike course. The course was 4 laps of a 3 mile loop. Its seemed the first part of the loop was a little bit of an incline and headwind, so I took it a little easier on this section as I went around. I was happy to keep an average pace of 20.5 for the total distance.
The transition from bike to run could have gone a little faster but was still pleased. Then out to the out-and-back run course. The first mile was looking directly into the sun so I was glad I wore the hat. Kept my pace at around 9 min miles. I need to learn I can start my kick or start running faster the last half mile.
This week in training on the treadmill I have focused on my speed work the last half mile to help with this.
I was very pleased with the 3rd place in the Clydesdale division I took home, but would love to crack the top two spots. Next up, Flagstaff's Mountain Man Sprint.
For my nutrition I have been using PowerBar^® Gel Blasts™ energy chews Strawberry Banana flavored. Using these before the race and using the gels while on the bike.

3 seconds

One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand. It took you three seconds just to read that. Wow, 3 seconds. I had some time today to look over the official results that came out. It is what separated me 3rd place and 4th place Sunday. That is close. In thinking about it that is not just time anywhere on the course but time possibly made or lost in the transition.
With the race starting at different times for everyone, its hard to judge where on the course your competitors are.

Bike is set

My bike is tuned and cleaned for Sunday's race. Tomorrow I pick up my race packet and will then put together a small transition bag. Last week after a bike workout I noticed my helmet straps where pretty stiff and dirty, from all the sweat and salt in them. I took some time to rinse them out so they are not to sick looking. I am hoping for a great race and have some personal goals I look to achieve. Thank you to Power Bar for helping me stay energized on the inside and give me the power to push to the finish line.

Taper for Sunday

My 2 mile taper run last night was one of my last before Sunday's race. It was a little slower than I hoped for but will take it. The nerves are starting to set in for the race. Going over the course in my head. I know you are not suppose to do anything "new" on race day, but I am. It will be my first race representing PowerBar Team Elite.

Wednesday 4/28/2010

I became a part of PowerBar Team Elite over the past week. I am very excited to be part of the team.
Training is moving forward. Getting stronger and the workouts are paying off. Made some adjustments to my bike this weekend along with replacing the brake pads for the first time in three years.
Headed to the gym to get some pool time in.