For some, the season has already started with cold swims and chilly runs, but this is the first weekend of the year where it's really going down. Summer is just around the corner, the water is getting warmer, it's sure humid enough outside, and those brick workouts are getting better and better.
This post is going to cover a few things: 1.) Cicero preview 2.) Park2Park relay race recap (surprise!) 3.) Training update
Cicero Preview:
FINALLY the new swim map has been released. I have been waiting and looking for it for several weeks, and it was finally updated a couple of weeks ago. In years past, this was a swim across the lake, starting at the boat docks on one side and swimming to the ramp on the other. Now, it appears we are starting at a beach/ramp and swimming an out-and-around pattern to transition. Only slightly longer than years past, it comes in at 500 meters.
The bike leg is pretty flat, with one short climb around a blind corner in the country. I fell off pace at that corner last year, I'm mentally preparing to handle it better this year. I'm also (after some discussions with my coach) planning on taking the bike a touch slower this year in an effort to not blow up on the run. A relatively short and very flat 10 miles should be easy enough.The run is pretty interesting on this course. You wind through a neighborhood right out of transition, and if there's any humidity in the air, you'll feel it. There's not much room for a breeze through here, so the first mile and last mile are pretty isolated. The middle section is down a large hill and around a corner, looping on a cul-de-sac and back up the large hill. Run past Santa Claus and back toward transition for a downhill finish.
The goal: 1 hour or less. I was really close last year, but had an awful T1 and blew up on the run, averaging 7:25/mile thanks to some effort in the last mile and a half. Going for glory this year, I feel good already.
Park2Park Recap:
Surprise! I raced on Saturday morning! A few guys in the group had been talking about putting together a team for a few weeks, though we didn't really set any firm plans until a couple days before the race. The event was a relay, with each runner completing 5.4 miles total. Each runner would start by running one mile, then a leg of 3.4, then a final mile into the finish.
First mile went by pretty well, I was aiming to keep it low but reasonable. I came across the line right around 6 minutes, pretty good for the heat and humidity we were already experiencing at 7:30 AM. By the time 8:00 rolled around, we were already well over the 80 degree mark, and the humidity was on the rise. There was no cloud cover in sight, and the breeze was leaving us hanging. All this to say, it was HOT.The second leg was the killer. I was our 2nd runner, and when I left from the timing chip handoff, we were behind a group of high school runners by about 25 seconds. I wanted to let the kid in front of me run his jitters off a little bit before making too big a push to try to catch him, so I let him lead out at that distance for about a mile. Once we got into the woods where there was no one around, he started fading a bit and I pounced. I caught him just before the turn around, and proceeded to extend the lead over him to about seconds, making up 50 on them over the course of the 3.4 mile leg.
The team ran really well, and coming into our last miles we had a pretty good lead. Their lead runner really hammered the first mile, and brought the gap down to where she and our runner came across to hand off the chip almost simultaneously. With experience comes advantages, and we had a better chip handoff, allowing me to get out ahead a bit from the transition. I knew the kid had legs, so it was important for me to keep my turnover high and focus on breathing and form. By the time I had a half mile done, I had put a bit of distance on him but could still see him around corners and over my shoulder. I put my head down and powered through the last half mile, and was able to earn quite a bit of space between he and I.
Our next runner ran strong, while theirs seemed to lose some steam and the gap widened to about 1:40 between us. Our final runner paced himself on the first half mile, making sure to leave some in the tank for the finish. Their final runner came out like a shot, picking up lost time the whole way. As our final runner came down the chute, there was only about a :05 gap between us, but we held on for the win. A pretty fun day, but definitely a lot more difficult than it sounds. Running a quick mile, then waiting for 35-40 minutes and running 3.4, then waiting for another 50+ minutes to run another mile is a taxing task, and made for a unique challenge.
On the day, my average was 6:34/mile, which I'm extremely pleased with considering the heat and humidity. I was able to try some Clif shots again, and confirmed that they just don't work very well for my stomach. They taste good, the consistency is nice, but they're just a little too heavy and I start to slosh.
Training Update:
Training is, well, training. I've been working hard at getting my cleats in my pedals and my tush on the saddle, and I've been doing much better. My speed work is coming along nicely, and I'm starting to feel confident about my ability to complete Muncie with some strength this year. I'm not going to kill myself for these two races before Muncie, but I want to do well at them too. They're good opportunities to practice my nutrition, feel out transitions and to get comfortable with the nerves that I'll have on race day.
Yesterday I completed my longest ride of the season at 3-1/2 hours. I was scheduled for 4, but with the clock reading 11 PM, it was time to get off and go to bed. That alarm clock seems to buzz earlier and earlier anymore... I was able to ride on the road for a good portion of that, but had to complete the rest of it on the trainer in the garage due to weather and darkness. It was humid and gross in the garage, and I'm convinced that the trainer sucks power. I went from averaging over 16 MPH on the road to under 14 MPH on the trainer. I did get 52 miles in though, and it was a fantastic opportunity to test my nutrition plan.
About 25-30 minutes into the ride, I encountered a pretty gnarly rainstorm. Heavy rain, which I thought had turned to hail at one point, and heavy headwinds made the going pretty tough, especially uphill. Once the rain cleared it got easier, and I started to dry out as I pedaled on. I stopped at a Dollar General in a small town to the west (Stilesville) and picked up some sandwich bags to keep my phone protected in case I encountered more rain on the way home. Heading back east I was riding with the wind, and managed to keep a nice high average pace without exerting myself more than I was before. I rode pretty much right up until it was too dark to ride, at which point I retired to the garage.
I consumed mostly gels on the ride, although I did eat some Honey Stinger gummies to break up the monotony. I think if I'm going to do that again though, I need to have a bento box. Trying to eat the gummies with one hand and ride with the other lead to slowing down and some near crashes. The gels were no problem, rip, spit and eat. I definitely figured out which ones I don't want to get anymore (Powerbar Kona Punch... blech!) and which ones I do (Clif Razz & Lemon Lime), as well as some good back up options. I've got to dig through my garbage today and figure out exactly which ones before I go back for more though, I went through quite a few.
In order to get my 300-350 calories per hour in, I made sure to eat 3 gels per hour, or 2 gels and one packet of gummies. The gels I had ranged between 100-115 calories each, and the gummies were 110 per packet. In addition to this, I took two 24 oz. water bottles, which each equal about 1-1/2 "regular" bottles, and I was trying to get through one of those per hour. In addition, I took my BASE Performance Electrolyte Salt with me, and I took two dips of that every half hour.
The short story on this: It worked like a dream.
Every time I felt like I needed a boost of energy, it was time for another gel or a lick of salt. I kept hydrated drinking every five minutes or so, and was able to keep a nice high cadence the whole time. By the end of hour number 2, I was still ready to go harder. Once I got into the garage and on the trainer it got considerably more difficult, but even then I stuck to the plan and was able to push through.
Earlier this last week I was able to get my first open water swim of the season. I was invited to swim at a local private lake, and was happy to get 1.1 miles of swimming in just under 40 minutes. We did some confidence training, sighting practice, and general training around the perimeter of the lake. I was even able to practice wearing a cap... I hate those stupid things.
All told, training is going well. I'm feeling more and more confident as time goes by, and I'm extremely happy with the quality of the miles I'm putting in. Time will tell if I'm as fit as I think, and the first test is right around the corner.
I'm really excited to see how the season shapes up, starting with this Saturday at Cicero. I probably won't post until next week, as I really hone in and get my mind right for Saturday and as training continues to ramp up. Later on...
No comments:
Post a Comment