Escape to Miami

This summer has been one full of changes as I've relocated to Florida from the Empire State, so that's also meant some changes to my training plan. By and large I've been taking it a lot easier than last year's Ironman training, and I've just been trying to have fun and train when I want to. What this has taught me is that I want, need and like a little structure and I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove in early 2012!!! 

To stay motivated, I signed up for the Escape to Miami Triathlon because I heard it was a race that is fun and organized well! My training kind of fell apart when I took a few weeks off to travel and then got sick, but I knew I could get through the Olympic distance, even though it may not be my best performance.

I lucked out and booked a hotel that was literally right on top of the race site. I could see it from my bedroom window which was awesome. This makes life so much easier when you don't have to commute to the race! On race morning we had to board a ferry to sail over to "Escape Island" and then we had to jump off the ferry and swim over to the island where we would start the race. From there we swam .9 miles to shore as the sun came up. It was pretty cool to aim towards the Miami high-rises - but what wasn't cool was swimming into the current! About two-thirds into the swim I started to get really HOT. I could tell that my face was on fire and probably bright red. The water was 85 degrees and it's definitely easy to overheat in water that warm. It was clear water and no jellies or other critters though - so I was happy! 

Swim: 37:50 (pretty terrible!!! I'll blame it on the current!)

T1: 2:20 (not sure what happened here!)

Screaming by on the Julia Tuttle. I remember going about 24mph here.The bike was a two loop course that went over the Julia Tuttle bridge (I think) to the beach and back. It was pretty flat except for climbing those 8 bridges. Given that I haven't really been biking that much at all, I averaged about 19mph which was decent. If I would have been practicing more it would have easily been 21. It felt like I was passing a bunch of people, except for the fast guys passing me that were on their second loop. There were definitely some aggressive a-holes out there passing on the right and whatnot, when there was PLENTY of room for them to pass on the left. It was overcast the whole time which was awesome, and a slight headwind going in a few directions. Overall, the bike went pretty smooth but I was trying hard not to ruin my legs for the run.

Bike: 1:20:58 (I measured the course long...not sure if it was though)

T2: 1:47

Let's just say the run was the part I was most worried about. I've found that running in Florida is pretty brutal. It is sooooo hot. So I've been running less this fall than I have in the past three years, which kind of sucks. I need to break through the slump because I'm about 1:30 off my pace-per-mile and it's brutal. Maybe part of it is that Central Park is no longer my back yard??? Needless to say, my #1 priority right now is to run and get my speed back because running slow is downright torture and embarrassing.

Run: 1:02:05 (holy hell this is BAD!!!!!! I can easily shave 10 minutes off this)

Overall: 3:04:58, 11th/28 (okay, so not my worst, but 20 minutes off my best, over 3 hours is NOT impressive)

Here are some pictures that the Miami Herald took.

Overally I really liked the race and will definitely sign up again. Next time I'll be more prepared to kick some ass and maybe run at a decent pace! Viva Miami!!! 

St. Anthony's Race Report

Going into this race I really had no idea what to expect. I did know that my training since last season has been very lackluster and sparse. My new job has really cut into the time I can work out and makes it nearly impossible to squeeze in anything during the week, so I've banked mostly on Saturday & Sunday long workouts when I'm available to do them. I signed up for St. A's so I could race with a friend who lived in St. Petersburg, FL and I also heard it was a really fun race, and one of the big Olympic races to do in the US. Not to mention, it's in my home state :)

I can't tell you how many stressful dreams I had about this event, mostly relating to the swim. This is likely because (and I counted) I was only in the pool 5 times between October 2010 and the morning of the race. Yikes! I was pretty confident the bike would be fine since I'm regularly riding 50 milers now, but I knew my run mileage hasn't been that great, nor is my ability to run fast after a hard bike ride.

In any case, I kept telling myself that this race would be for FUN, for TRAINING and it didn't matter how well I'd do! Also that I'm an Ironman and an Olympic shouldn't freak me out. LOL! So on race morning I tried to stay calm and have a good, relaxed attitude.

The swim: 20:48 (2:05 pace)

The swim was actually shortened to 1,000 meters the morning of the race due to weather, and they also changed the route. Lucky for me, since I did practically zero swim training and hadn't even looked at the swim course the day before (oops). It was a non-wetsuit swim and my speed suit is also illegal so I took the plunge in my tri-top and shorts. I liked swimming parallel to shore rather than a half mile out to sea. It was relatively crowded the whole way though. I could NOT shake this one girl next to me doing the breast stroke which was utterly depressing. Was she a competitive breast stroker or was I just that darn slow?? Other than feeling like I was swimming really really slow everything went well. Then we had to run about 1/4 mile to transition on the pavement sidewalk. I didn't run very fast though since I never seem to be in a rush during transition. I should work on that. Overall my swim pace of 2:05 is my third-fastest in a triathlon so far. And this, after only doing 5 practice swims for this race. What's up with that? Maybe I should work a little harder on the swim and actually become faster!

T1: 6:07

Don't judge me on this, it was a really long run and my transition was in dirt so I had to wash my feet off with a bottle of water! LOL! I think most people were around 5 minutes!

Bike: 1:17:50 (19.2mph)

Where I lacked in firepower in the swim I tried to make up in the bike, my favorite part :) I passed a good deal of girls but also got passed a few times too. I enjoyed the course over the smooth, flat streets and the only challenge was dealing with the wind and turns. With some more riding time under my belt for the season I know I could have done even better. I could feel my weak hips for sure so I need to strengthen those. Really tried to keep my cadence up and was clocking about 21 mph at 90rpms following some 39 year old chick in navy going the same speed with about a 65rpm which was driving me insane! I played frogger with her slow as molasses pedal stroke practically the whole time. Not surprisingly, I ran right past her in the first mile of the run, probably because her legs were crushed! Wish I would have broken the 20mph mark, but maybe later this year...

T2: 2:22 

Not too bad for me. I think the only thing I could have improved on is running faster from the bike dismount to my spot.

Run: 54:17 (8:45 pace)

I was actually quite concerned with this run considering the heat, my lack of brick training, and my lack of run training overall. My only hope was that the adrenaline of a race could carry me through, and I think it did. I run so much faster with people around me it's not even funny! I maintained a steady pace throughout the run without falling off which was great. I really enjoyed the run with a bit of shade through some neighborhoods and along the water. There was a breeze and the sun was blazing, but it was not terribly oppressive heat thank goodness. And starting the run at 9:45 in the morning is a lot better than these half-Ironman races where you are starting at practically noon and roasting. 

For the run, if I had energy and things were going well, my goal was to take it easy the first two miles and find my legs then speed it up for miles 3-4 and then drop the hammer and keep speeding up for the past two. Unfortunately I never pushed myself and instead I stayed in my comfort zone for all six miles. I really REALLY need to learn how to fight more on these runs. I just get so lazy and don't want to push myself into the hurt box. I really need to do it!!!

Thank goodness for ample cold water, ice and hoses at each mile. I definitely needed the cooling down. Overall I did good on the nutrition throughout the day too. 1 gel before swimming, 2 on the bike and 1 on the run. 

Overall: 2:41:24 (30th/117)

Despite what is really a mediocre performance for me I came away with an okay result and...drumroll...actually accomplished my goal of qualifying for the USAT Age Group Nationals. (Top 33% in each age group qualifies so I guess I can choose to go to that race if I'd like to.) This is a nice option for a MOP like me (MOP = Middle Of the Pack). I really enjoyed the race and the finisher's area was great - tons of good food, they printed out results right away on receipts, free beer! What more could a triathlete want! Think I just may be back next year, this time as a FL resident!

I'm a TriLifer!

2011 got off to a slow start for me. With a brutal New York City winter, a new job requiring late nights at the office and lingering burnout from the 2010 season I was a bit lost on my training plans. After attempting to cobble together my own regimen, I succumbed to the fact that I need some training partners and structure to keep me motivated, and some kick-ass coaches to keep me doing what's right. So I took the plunge and joined the TriLife team in NYC.

I joined about 11 weeks into their half-Ironman team training plan, so this means I have been playing catch up ever since. Those first few workouts were a doozie as I felt really unfit and out of shape. I could tell from my skyrocketing heart rate that it wouldn't be easy getting ramping up again.

We train together as a group 3 days a week and there are so many coaches I can barely keep track - which is great! There's always someone there giving me tips on my form, efficiency, strategy, etc. In the first week alone, just riding around Central Park on my bike in the sub-freezing temperatures I learned a ton. 

The team is training for a few key races - Rev3 Quassy in June and IM Providence 70.3 in July - and my goal event of IM Racine 70.3 fits neatly in that plan (not doing the other two this year but have done them both before). The first camp I went to with the team up in New Paltz, NY was great. Tons of climbing on the bike up a mountain in the cold, windy weather. Definitely a great learning experience and training weekend. Then a nice hilly trail run the next day through the snow paths of the Catskills. 

So far it's been a huge struggle to fit in my workouts and follow the plan but I'm doing my best! Work really gets in the way, and so does this NYC weather!

CHEERS to an EPIC Year!

CHEERS from Cannes France! Celebrating my IM finish in July!I will never forget 2010 because it will always be remembered as the year I became an Ironman. I will also never forget it for many other reasons....like gallavanting through the French Riviera, closing the doors at the company I ran with my brother for the past 5 years, or losing one of the coolest people I know to cancer....but it will always be punctuated by the long journey to reach that Ironman finish line. As I look back at it now, and it's all a blur, the hardest and most stressful part was not the race. I was eerily calm and never nervous. But it was the difficulty of training such an immense amount during the months leading up to it and dealing with the physiological and psychological effects of it.

Like I said, it was an epic year, and with my goal race smack dab in the middle of it (June 27 to be exact) the first six months were arduous. The last six months were characterized by what I called "slacking" but what my friends still considered insane amounts of training. I miraculously skidded by in two triathlons (including the now notorious inaugural Ironman Miami 70.3) and a marathon with a questionable amount of preparation. 

 Here is a glimpse on my swimming, biking and running totals for 2010. All 3,892 miles of it!

2010 Totals

I effectively swam, biked and ran further than it is from NYC to LA. And note the number of pounds burned. 71?? Um, maybe this was all replaced with solid muscle? These charts all represent bar graphs for miles per month.

Running

Upon studying my run volume, I decided that it's actually shockingly low. Somehow I managed to train for the Philly Marathon (August - November) by running roughly 300 miles. That is not impressive. I could have tried much harder. But with that said, I was also training for a triathlon at the same time so I had to replace run workouts with cycling and a few swims. And by a few, I mean a few.

It looks like I really started to take things seriously in May, the month before the big race. This is probably when panic set in, and was also when I was doing some of the big training blocks. Half of July was spent in France drinking wine and eating cheese and partying on yachts so that doesn't really count (except one hot run along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice). And December was just complete backlash against exercise altogether. It should also be noted that my longest training run for the IM was only 18 miles and I can probably count on one hand the speed workouts I did this year. Leaves ample room for improvement!

Cycling

Everything makes sense here, except maybe February. I'm not quite sure what's up with the dip in mileage there. That's almost certainly a month spent on the trainer and in spin class. I do remember having some mental issues then and doubting my ability to train for an Ironman all indoors, but luckily I came out of that. The rest shows me building to my first peak in June for the Ironman, and then again in October for the half-Ironman I did for shits & giggles. May was pretty epic with a lot of long rides, but I only rode two centuries leading up to the IM, one in Vermont (May) and one up to Bear Mountain (April). Later in the year, as you can see, I didn't even touch anything with two wheels and December was spent in spin class trying to get my legs back in gear. Looking at this now, November and December make me sad, especially considering that cycling is my favorite discipline.

Swimming

Hmmm...the pattern this swimming chart creates is not very exemplary of a dedicated swimmer. My average swim times actually went DOWN this year, but I think that is more due to technique and lack of instruction. (No one was watching me swim!). This mostly average out to a little over 4,000 meters a week. That sounds pretty darn low. With a meager July (one of those swims was in the Mediterranean) and a nonexistent August I started to realize that I had another half-Ironman on the horizon at the end of October! YIKES! That explains the sudden October surge! Yeahh!! But what you start to see on this chart which is even more upsetting is my 3-month break that is currently underway. I will get back into the pool this weekend for sure!!!

Conclusion 

Why not sum up 2010 with some of the real highlights. Here are some of my standout memories!

• Finished 14 races including 5 triathlons
• Finished my first Ironman
• Finished my fourth standalone Marathon
• Half-Ironman PR
• Half-Marathon PR
• 1 Mile PR
• 4 Mile PR
• Olympic Tri PR
• Longest bike ride ever
  
• Longest swim ever
• Ate countless jars of peanut butter
• Changed only 1 flat tire
• Lowered body fat by 3% (at least for the first half of the year!)
• Survived water temperatures under 60 degrees
• Ran and biked in sub-freezing temperatures
• Visited a new state and accomplished something monumental there - yeah Idaho!
• Became buddies with Michael Lovato - LOL!
• Met two Ironman world champions

Onwards and upwards! Let's see what's in store for 2011. Already got some things on the calendar and it will all be nailed down very soon. Let's just say, it may involve a few palm trees :) After a nice little break, I'm starting to get excited again!

Philadelphia Marathon Race Report

Would this be my lucky number?This is a verrrry belated post about my fall marathon in 2010. Overall the race went well and I was pleased with my time, considering my "training." I can't say I wasn't pretty peeved about being so close to a sub-4 time though. However, looking back at my preparation for the race, I really can't be mad. My final time was 4:01:12. My Garmin read 26.36 and here were my splits:

Mile 1: 8:56 Goal PaceMile 2: 8:58
Mile 3: 8:56
Mile 4: 9:09 Slightly hilly/crowded
Mile 5: 9:15 
Mile 6: 9:59 Porta potty break! Damnit!!!!
Mile 7: 8:42 Trying to make up time
Mile 8: 9:00
Mile 9: 8:36 Downhill
Mile 10: 9:12
Mile 11: 8:53
Mile 12: 9:12 Comfort zone
Mile 13: 9:12
Mile 14: 9:14
Mile 15: 9:32 I remember this wall feeling like it was miles 15-18
Mile 16: 9:14
Mile 17: 9:24
Mile 18: 9:32
Mile 19: 9:15
Mile 20: 9:25 Hill
Mile 21: 9:05
Mile 22: 9:29 Hill again?
Mile 23: 9:15
Mile 24: 8:59
Mile 25: 9:22 ???
Mile 26: 8:38 Realizing I'm so close to 3:59!!!!
Mile 26.2: 7:59 SPRINTING!!!

As you can see, there were some hiccups along the way. Most notably, I finished the race pissed that I took a bathroom break and wasted time in line. UGH!!! Out of curiosity I looked back at my training and there were a few factors that led to my lackluster performance. First, I would say that my heart was only about 80% into training. It had been a long year of training and a late November race made it seem even longer. I got in all the necessary long runs, but my volume was REALLY low. In fact, in the five months leading up to the race (July-Nov) my total mileage was only 361! This is NOT good. Not only that, but I did ZERO speed workouts. I just didn't want to. I knew this meant sacrificing a big PR in the race but I didn't want to dedicate myself to it this time around. With that said, squeaking by with a 4:01 was remarkable! 

Me and the Miami speed demons. I think just about everyone in this picture is Boston Qualifier!Overall I really enjoyed the Philly Marathon and would definitely do it again! I drove there from NYC which was so easy, and my friend Amber from Miami flew up with her speedy running crew. I liked the course...mostly flat, a few rolling hills, quiet second half of the race...and the size of the field was ideal. About 8,900 people did the marathon which was just enough for it to feel like a race with a good size crowd, but not the crowded and paralyzing size of NYC (40,000+!). The temperature was ideal...in the 30s at the start and then maybe it hit low 40s by the finish. Chilly and perfect running weather.

Marathon medal #4 is mine!I walked to the start with my teammate Kelly (how easy is that!?!! soooo much better than the subway/ferry/bus combo for NYC!) and we milled around for a while before lining up in our corral. She is super-speedy and i had somehow gotten in the same corral as her (3:30 pace) which was a bit of a joke, but I took it! This meant I'd be getting passed a lot in the first few miles but oh well. I chose to leave my iPod at home so I was just enjoying the run and the crowds that did make it out to cheer. Things went reasonably well until I had to make a pit-stop which cost me some valuable time. I never really felt like I hit the "wall" at mile 20, the usual wall zone, instead I felt like it hit me a bit earlier...likes miles 15-18. I didn't enjoy those middle miles so much. And I kept looking for the turnaround which I thought was at mile 18 but was actually another 3 miles ahead. I should have studied the map closer! I came out of it though but still couldn't make up enough time to break 4. (My PR Is 3:59:49 from Chicago last year.)

I pretty much sprinted the last mile of the race at break-neck speed for my slow legs in a last-ditch effort to save a 3:59 but no luck. Immediately after the finish my calves majorly cramped and I had to sit down for about 15 minutes sipping hot chicken broth for salt and warmth. The guy sitting next to me commented that he'd never seen someone as salty as I was. My face was TOTALLY COVERED in salt. I just don't get why this happens!!! Is it too much salt? Not enough? I was taking salt-tabs every hour to prevent cramps and it worked during the run, but then I looked like a giant salt crystal at the end. 

My first cheesesteak!Before heading back to the city I had a traditional Philly cheesesteak to replenish the 3,000 calories I'd burned, and I was pretty sure that was a success!