How about coming up to race a half-marathon in the big town of Medford? Flat, old railroad bed, fast course. No bling, few spectators, but you'd get to see me and Stu!My initial reaction was to say no. It's the same day as Crazylegs, and I haven't missed that since 2004. And I'm wickedly behind on my base development and 13.1 in April would hurt. But, it would be a really great motivator to get myself back into shape. And to hang out in the bubbling metropolis that is Medford is serious hard to pass up. Plus, there were only 50 people total in the half last year. I have a serious shot at hardware in a running race. Unheard of!
So, what should I do? Stay home, run 5 miles and be comfortable? Or, challenge myself and push to get ready to run 13.1 miles in 50 days? Let me know!
BTW, this is what Michelle responded with when I expressed my hesitation:
Crazy Legs?!!! Pfft!!! The racing experience in Medford would far surpass that! Who cares about wickedly overweight and out of shape but you? Not I.]]>
In other news, Team Evotri should have some big announcements in the near future. JP is interviewing some awesome pros for the website and Stu has been doing the same on the Simply Stu podcast. We've been planning for our team race at the Rev3 Cedar Point races along with WIBA 2010. Note the new weekend of July 9-11, 2010 and watch for all the news in April.
]]>Now that Elsa's eight(!) weeks old. we're getting closer to a normal schedule, and since a year (Okay, 11 months) is too long to commit to, I decided to use month-long chunks. It's also handy that February is the shortest month -- not that I'm afraid of commitment or anything. So for February, since I need to get back to active movements, I've committed to doing something active2 every day.
Thus far, I'm two for two. Woot! I got a short bike ride in Monday and a nice run in the snow Tuesday morning. (And yes, I ran because it was snowing, not in spite of it.) With any luck, I hope to make it 28 for 28. I'll try to keep some updates logged here, but you can always follow me on Twitter, too.
1 What's normal anyways?
2 Active can be any swim, bike, or run. It can also be breaking out the Wii Fit Plus, or basketball, or walks with my family.
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Straight away, the start was up Langdon. A hill the entire way to the Capitol, it was a good thing I warmed up by running to the start line. It worried me when I glanced at the first mile, a 7:09, so I backed off a bit and settled into a groove of a sub 7:40/mile pace. The miles ticked off relatively fast, and before I new it, mile 5 flew by. By now, I noticed two others at my pace. We constantly traded places, right until the 7th mile. By now the urge to pee that haunted me since the beginning of the race was too unbearable, so I took the break, feeling more relaxed and ready to continue. Out of the bin, I noticed my running mates were only 30 seconds ahead, something I could make up.
I knew that if I made to the lakeshore path and the final two miles in any kind of shape, I could make a decent effort for a decent finish. One last gel, and I was ready for the finish. Around a few bends and the turnaround, I was cruising right along. At mile 12, I saw 1:31 and change on the clock. A sub-1:40 -- an extreme goal at the start of the race -- was within reach.
I made the path a "no comfort zone" to make sure I wouldn't relax and fall into an easy pace. It also helped to pass folks that had passed me much earlier. The final few turns and downhill to the finish, a big high five to Stu, and a fine finish.
Overall, a PR of 1:39:18, with relatively even splits (except for the bathroom break in the middle). I was surprised at how comfortable, but at the same time uncomfortable, the race was. A great course, showing the best parts of running in Madison. Giving the location and timings, it's likely on the list of races to do again.
The morning dawned mostly cloudy, with a slight chill. The water temperature was announced to be at 64 degrees. No rain in the forecast, and it looked liked the clouds were going to hang around. Perfect.
SWIM
Walking the beach to the swim start, I noticed that the swim buoys were set close to the shore. So close that you could walk the entire course without even taking a stroke. Rather than a rectangular course of years past, the new course followed the curve of the shoreline. We were told to stay within 20m of the buoys or incur a penalty.
My wave took off third, and without even trying, I was out in front, even before I took a stroke. By the time I started actually swimming, I took two strokes and made the first turn to move parallel with the shore. I had clear water the entire way, just a few walkers and swimmers from the previous wave. Made the last turn and made the long haul up the beach to transition. I knew I had a fast time, but it wasn't until I checked afterward that my 21:56 would end up being the 10th fastest of the day.
T1
After a long haul up the beach, my transition took a little extra time to get the CamelBak on, but it would end up being worth it.
BIKE
The course changed since I was last there, but the feeling of having a target on my back hasn't. It stings a little bit after a great swim, seeing all the bikes pass you. But then you see the packs of drafters, bending the rules as they get to feed from each others draft and you know you're doing it the right way. Then you see a race official on a motorcycle slow at the group and dish out some justice.
I kept to my own pace, occasionally glancing down to make sure I was between 200 & 220 watts. I averaged 194 at New Orleans, so on the flatter, less windy course, I figured I could push it but still have something for the run. That kept me above 20mph, which would keep me below the 2:45 goal. Every minute under the goal meant one more minute that I could add to my run split in case I needed it.
I concentrated on pulling in enough fluid from the CamelBak and taking sips from my water bottle. On a whim, I threw in some gels and a pack of Clif Bloks in the pocket of the CamelBak. It was a good thing, too, because around mile 20, I got really bored. Bored of biking and bored of my liquid only diet. That's when I remembered the Bloks and challenged myself to open them while maintaining a solid pace. (I should really write a note to Clif and ask them to design an easy-open package.) After four tries, I got the pack open and took in three blocks. They tasted really good. About an hour later, I took the last three and probably could have used more.
Apart from one section of really poor roads that nearly sucked my soul out of my sit bones, the course was fast. There were many locals sitting at the end of their driveways, just clapping and smiling for everyone. I waved and gave a thumbs up as often as I could. Coming home, maintaining my pace meant a little extra effort on the second half. It paid off as I started pulling back some folks that passed me earlier. I rolled into town with a smile on my face. So far it was a great day.
T2
Right at the dismount line, it was so quiet, and even though it was crowded with people, you could hear a pin drop. I egged the crowd for something and got a great response. Dropped the bike off, changed shoes, grabbed the gels, and something still didn't feel quite right. Ah, yes, take the helmet off and put the hat on. The best part about this transition was the overwhelming urgent need to pee. For the first time in any race like this, I had to pee off the bike. The CamelBak did me good.
RUN
I didn't bother tying my shoes since, for the first time ever, I had to stop at the porta-potty. Just as I got there another guy jumped in. So I tied my shoes while I waited and upon finishing, he jumped out. After brushing off some heckling from (not my) Coach Mike, I peed one of the most glorious pees. After a nice minute and half break before my run, I was off. Immediately, there's a long gradual climb out of the park. It sucks, but now that they finished the shoreline rehabilitation, they extended the path back down to the beach and back up. The only two hills on the entire course are in the first mile. Ouch. I was able to catch a 17:00 split at the second mile, meaning that I'd split an average of 7:45 for the first two miles after you take off my 1:30 shoe tying/peeing break. Fast! But was it too fast? I didn't think so and set out to average 7:50s or better the entire run.
At one of the first houses past the beach, the family was enjoying the suffering and eating breakfast at the same time. On my way out, I asked how breakfast was and we all agreed that bacon is a good thing. I said I'd be back to grab some.
And right about then I met Mr. Endure It. Representing his triathlon team in Illinois, we ran stride for stride for the first few miles. We even worked out the aid stations together. He'd grab an early drink and walk, and I'd run by to grab a later drink and then walk. He'd start running, and I would meet up as he came by. It was really slick and I was psyched to have this guy push me. I even dreamed that we could cross the line with our arms held high! But, we didn't say a thing to each other. (Men!) He called out to each of his teammates, "Go Endure It!" as they passed by. I only yelled out "Go" to the pros I recognized (winners Blake Becker and Lauren Jensen.) I did test the communication waters just once at the far turnaround point when we turned to go with the the wind and lost the cooling affects, but only got a grunt in reply. So that ended that. Our walk breaks got longer and I noticed our pace slowing. I was getting worried that our relationship was fading fast. (It's just so hard to communicate sometimes.) Just then, we got passed (Mr. Endure It did grunt "good work" to everyone that passed us, too.) and I took the opportunity to start a new relationship. Unfortunately, we didn't handle the aide stations as well, and were soon split. So I soldiered on by myself. But just then, I saw my teammate, Michelle, who yelled, most excitedly, "I got a flat!" I told here to not worry about it and keep running. I made the turn for the second half and hit the two hills again. (Later, I learned that although, she flatted, she changed it herself for the first time in a race.)
The walking at the aide stations on the second loop grew longer and longer, but I didn't mind. I was still having a great day. At the bacon house, I was this close to running up and stealing a piece for nutrition's sake. I was walking every aide station, slurping down two gulps of water at each one. I had three gels as I went. My legs were getting tired, but I relied on the strength I've built up at my weekly speed sessions on the track. My 7:50 miles grew to 8:00 and then 8:00+. At this point, even without knowing my swim split, I knew I had a sub-5 in the bag. The only thing now was to see by how much.
The nice part about the hill going up out of transition is that you get to go down it to the finish line. It didn't quite hit me that I was finishing, so I started my kick a little late, and got passed in the chute. That's when I hear (not my) Coach Mike yell out, "Aw Robby, don't let him do that to you!" And I turned on the jets to just nip him at the line. I staggered a bit, and then stopped my watch to see my run split.
POST RACE
My watch read out 1:44:53 for the run - don't forget that includes 1:30 for the shoe tying & peeing. If you take off the 1:30, the resulting split was my fastest 13.1 miles ever. That, and I remember my bike saying a 2:3x for a bike split. At worst, I could have split a 30 minute swim and my five minutes of transition and still be sub-5. I don't think I stopped smiling as I staggered around behind the finish to get some food and check the results. That's when I saw a 4:41:01. I was on cloud nine thousand. That held for the next day until I double checked the the official results. My time ended up being (But that was the guy that finished just in front of me. My actual time was 4:42:14, which I'll take, too.
Official Splits:
SWIM: 21:53 1st/10th AG/OA
BIKE: 2:31:58 38th/278th
RUN: 1:44:54 45th/292nd
TOTAL: 4:42:14 26th of 100/178th of 1181
Bike power data:
Run splits:
SWIM
Lots of young'ns from the UW were there racing as a team, so there were plenty of us by the first buoy. Also, I need to figure out how to get a black line on the bottom of the lake because I couldn't swim in a straight line at all. The cold water forced me to breath every stroke, and with it, I kept veering right. WAY right. By the second and last turn, there were only three of us. And on the way in, only two. I never felt warm on the swim and my muscle tightness reflected it. I missed the $50 gift card by a few seconds, but was happy just getting out of the water second overall.
T1
I nearly toppled over in transition from dizziness. It was extra difficult putting socks and shoes on really cold feet.
RUN
Out on the run, there must have been a nicely sized group behind me, because I was passed relatively quickly by about five people. But, they weren't pulling away as fast as they have in the past -- a good sign. I held my pace, keeping it as steady as possible, as I tend to let the mind wander and my pace slows. It was hard to do with numb legs for the first mile or so. Up and over the final hill, I gunned it for the finish, keeping my promise to myself to not let anyone pass me on the finishing straight.
Final numbers:
1K Swim: 11:47 - 2nd Overall
5K Run: 22:48 - Aquathon split PR!
Total: 35:23 - 11th Overall (2nd in AG)
Have you signed up for The Wisconsin Brick Adventure (WIBA) yet? The laid-back, self-supported training weekend on the Ironman Wisconsin course is coming up really soon. Swim, bike and ride with Evotri team members and others that have experience in the race. Check the site out for more information and registration. Hurry! Registration closes soon!]]>
Rob
(1) Rob is, at least at NOLA, faster than Stu!
(2) Stu was slower than Rob at NOLA!
(3) In general, Rob is better than (at least at NOLA) Stu :)
Oh...how this hurts. Time for me to sign up with Coach Hillary Biscay. Only 5 more to go!
[Signed] Stu
[On Envelope flap] This Hurts. I want a rematch
Unlike my pal Michelle (who also beat Stu), I'm going to post every single one of the six I'm owed. But, we're working to see if we can't meet up for another race sometime this year. I'll gladly have the rematch and even up the stakes, if necessary. Bring it.
]]>When I woke up it was 58°. By the time I finished breakfast, it was 53°, and by the time I left two hours later, it was 51°. It was pouring rain as well so we drove, skipping the walk & warm-up. Once at the race start, I realized three things: 1) I forgot to wear my watch, 2) I didn't bring a Gu, and 3) I didn't wear gloves. The only thing I could fix was number 3, jumping into the Walgreens on the corner and finding a nice set of white gloves. It was difficult to choose amongst the awesome ones with basketballs and baseballs and soccer balls, but the white seemed to suit me best. Mona at the counter even cut them open without any prompting from me. Thanks Mona!
In the mean time, the rain stopped and I got in a few laps around the square that served as my warm-up. I got with my Wave D mates, and we were off in a flash. With no watch, I was running completely by feel. Just two days previous, I ran 3 miles right after a bike ride at an approximately 7 minute-mile pace. I was hoping to hold exactly that pace for the entire 8K, so I tried to repeat that feeling for the race.
At the first mile, someone announced we were at 6:45. And it started to rain. Up Observatory Hill steady and smooth and down again. Mile two and it's raining harder now. All along, I get the feeling that I've been in these conditions before. Rain was washing out of the adjacent parking lot in rivers. There was no escaping it. We were getting just as wet from below as above. Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning brought some fireworks and hoots from the crowd.
By the third mile, I feel sluggish. My head hung low with the rain still pelting down. I try to keep with the folks passing me, hanging on for as long as I can before they pull away. By now, each one of my shoes has untied itself, and I stopped each time to retie my laces, losing about 10 seconds each time. When my left shoe untied again, I left it alone.
By mile 4, I was feeling some pain, but I knew that I had less than 7 minutes left. I focused on keeping my head up, and using my arms. Up the last hill and push to the 50-yard line. The clock read 36:42 as I crossed, which was the run time from the first wave. I didn't take note of what my time differential at the beginning, so I didn't know how I did.
Apparently, we left 1:30 after the beginning, as I finished in a personal best 35:12, well within the goal of sub-36, but tantalizingly close to an unexpected sub-35. If it doesn't rain, or I don't stop to tie my shoes, and I'm there. So the weekly speed work is really helping. Sweet. Given the conditions, I'm quite pleased with the results, and I plan on continuing the weekly speed workouts.
]]>Transition was a buzz from the get go. I set up my stuff, found Chris and we set off to the shuttle bus. Ah, make that we set off for the swim start on foot, mine bare, as the shuttle lines were a bit crowded and likely not going to get us there before our wave started. My over anxious self was ready to go with the PROs, but I settled in to wait for my wave. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long. My age group was the first to go, and I was in the second of two, fourth on the day. As usual, I found a spot near the front, and settled in. The water was calm and I breathed deep. The ten second warning was announced and then I was off.
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SWIMT1
In transition, I made a volunteer find me a band-aid and used the towel from the goody bag to dry it off and clean up the blood. I applied the bandage, got the bike gear on and I was off. Running across a huge parking lot made up a lot of the 3 minutes spent there. But luckily, my rack was near the exit and I didn't have to spend much of it running in my bike shoes. Time: 0:03:25
BIKE
I hopped on the bike and the first thing that I noticed was that everything was moving! Gone was my basement and TV, replaced by fresh air, trees, grass and people. It was great! The new BMC Time Machine TT03 was handling just fine, and I felt very comfortable on it, even though this was my first ride outdoors and only the fifth or sixth time actually on the bike.
The course was relatively simple; an out-and-back course in the basic shape of a Y. Nearly, every turn was a hair-pin, with long straight sections in between. Hills were few and man-made from bridge crossings. The entire course was closed to traffic, and every intersection manned by local police, parish sheriff's deputies, or state patrol officers. Like the rest of New Orleans, the pavement wasn't in the best of shape, with several locations launching rear-mounted bottles out of their cages. I hadn't yet mounted a set of cages on the back, so I didn't have to worry about that, which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I didn't have to worry about launching bottles, but a curse because I had only the one bottle cage on the down tube. I planned on using the pockets in the back of my jersey to hold a bottle, but I failed to realize that I was racing in my Evotri jersey, which doesn't have rear pockets. Doh! So I was stuck with having only one bottle available.
On I pedaled, keeping things in the comfort zone. Comfortable that is, until we turned into the wind. Not fun. Once I turned to the east again, the wind was mostly behind us so everything was real fun. The sun was rising higher and with it so was the temperature. I tried to drink as much as possible. And, with only one cage for a bottle, I tried to switch between Gatorade and water per stop, but somehow ended with mostly Gatorade. After a while, my stomach started to grumble over the sugar levels, which would come back to haunt me. Since I came out of the water a touch ahead of teammate Sweet, I took pleasure noting that I wasn't dropping too much time to him. I was able to keep him and the professional females within a reasonable distance of each turn around. The last of which turned us back into the wind. This time for good.
The wind was relentless, speedy bikers that passed me suddenly slowed and stayed within reach. At the last aid station, I needed a Gatorade to finish out the ride with something in my stomach. Unfortunately, the volunteers were yooung & new and as I got to end, shouting "Gatorade!" the kids only held up water. They ran back to the table, but returned with only more water. Guh. No Gatorade for me.
As the sun rose, the wind shifted from the south to the west, meaning that the section where the wind was in our face on the way out still was into the wind, a true test of the psyche. And the gentleman in front of me failed that test. All of a sudden, he stands up on his bike, lets out a primal scream, and starts dropping f-bombs and curses the wind. His trantrum slows him down and he drops back as I offer encouraging words, but those are greeted with more f-bombs. Not a happy camper.
I rolled into transition thankful to be off the bike and to be out of the wind. It required so much focus, I kind of forgot about the 13.1 mile run. Time: 2:40:52 (20.83 mph, 194 ave watts)
T2
I took my time and walked through transition, thinking about what type of effort to put into the run. Based on my swim and bike splits, I could've run hard, pushed my limits and tried to go after a sub five-hour finish. However, the early race, combined with the heat and wind, I probably would've blown up in epic proportions.
RUN
So I started out at what I thought was an easy pace. My watch showed a sub 8-minute miles, which I immediatelt thought was wrong. But, with every glance, it held firm, so I went with it. I saw Sweet early on, and he motioned to me to keep things in reserve. "How could he know I was going out too fast? Damn, he is good." is what I thought to myself. But I kept plucking along, thinking I'm going easy right until that point when you know the rest of the race it is going to be a struggle.
For me, there's always a point when I have to fight through the pain and mentally will myself not to stop and walk. It happened just about 3 miles into the run. With one hairpin turn, the wind stopped and the sun baked down onto black asphalt. It was then I knew (and everyone around me felt it, too) that it was going to be extra hard to get to the finish.
Each mile went by and my pace was slipping. My stomach ached with gas that I couldn't pass. Taking Gatorade or Gu made it worse, and water didn't help either. I suffered with it for a while until I was able to work it through. I then got some water in me, filled my hat up with ice, and pressed on.
Fans were few and far between, and there was no one really around me except for the occasional passing athlete once in a while. Everyone was suffering, no doubt about it. When a physically challenged athlete passed me, I recalled seeing him at the start of the bike course, fixing his flat. Now well into the run, he and his guide passed me back, moving along really well. I congratulated him on his effort and wished him well. And as I'm saying this, he reaches back with his hand, held out over his shoulder for me to slap it. I do, and he wishes me well, reminding me to smile through the pain. "Just smile and it all goes away." I held that quote with me the rest of the way. Every once in a while, I forced a smile, and the pain lifted for a little. But just like holding a smile for a picture, it gets stale and old and you let it go and the pain would return.
As I start to recognize streets of the French Quarter, I can feel my pace quickening. One final turn down Decatur St and suddenly there's thousands of people lining the street. This is what I'm talking about! Energized by the crowd, and pumping them for just a bit more, I get to the finish line and stop. Finally. Time: 1:58:16 (9:01 min/mile)
Overall: 5:13:51 - 54th in age group (M 30-34), 238th male, and 285th overall
POST RACE
Team Evotri rocks. I had so much fun the entire weekend. I enjoyed the trash talk, the potty-mouth talk from surprising sources, and the comeraderie of really great people. The trip and race meant so much more sharing it with everyone. I can't wait for WIBA to do it all over again.
Most of all, a very special thanks to Charlie (Tri-Cajun) and his wife Lisa for the overwhelming welcoming and hosting. From dinner Thursday, to the Interviews and Bourbon St, y'all really made all of us feel like we were at home.
I doubt I'll do another early season race of that length ever again. But, I did sign up for another half later this summer, where I hope to fix two major issues. The first is fluid intake. The lack of bottle cages on the bike really, really hurt me. I'm thinking I need about three times the fluids that I normally take. I do it in training, but rely too much on the aid stations in a race and my performance suffers as a result. The second is long runs off the bike. I need to keep my fitness and get a few bricks in this summer with 40+ mile rides followed directly by 10-mile runs.
]]>We finally arrived at the house in New Orleans at 3 AM. The house was simply awesome. Right in the heart of New Orleans, just minutes from the French Quarter and downtown, it was the perfect spot for nine triathletes to hang out under one roof bonding, talking about tri, and just being foolish.
After trying to sleep in Thursday, we got up to check out the transition. From there, we got in a quick run to the swim start. It wasn't even that hot, but we were definitely feeling it. Later that afternoon, we made our way to the French Quarter and Bourbon St. It seemed they were still cleaning from Mardi Gras, as workers were pulling beads from all kinds of places. That evening Charlie and Lisa picked us up for dinner at a local spot and a quick tour of the City. It was crazy to see brand new homes reconstructed right next to homes that still had FEMA trailers out front. Abandoned homes still had the rescue/search codes in faded spray paint adorning the exterior. Lisa talked about one wide median where all the rubble was piled on to. It was three stories high and prevented anybody from recognizing their home street. As far as New Orleans has come since the hurricane, there seemed to be the need to do a lot more.
From dinner we hit Bourbon St. at night, which was a much more enjoyable experience than in the day. Although we were there early, signs of people partying were starting to sneak up on us.
On Friday we set out to Lake Pontchartrain and test out the waters. The wind was out of the north, giving it plenty of time to rile up the waves in the lake. At the shore where we climbed in, there were 2-3 foot waves which threw us around. It felt a bit like swimming in a roller coaster. However, Charlie promised that come Sunday, the wind would be out of the south and the lake would be calm.
After the swim, we met up with more teammates, and had a chance to sit down with PROs Chris McDonald, Heather Gollnick, Linsey Corbin, and Desiree Ficker. I had the honorable duty to pick up Chris from his hotel and even got to videotape the interviews, which will be released as a ZippCast in the near future. Chris and Linsey stayed around for more questions for a CycleOps podcast. All were incredibly nice and totally cool. Friday finished with waiting in tons of lines to register with another dinner at a local spot right by the convention center.
As Charlie promised, the winds changed directions Saturday, and we tried swimming again, this time in much calmer waters. Then, back to the house and one final check of the bikes before dropping them off in transition. Having all the bikes and everyone together allowed us to take some team shots. The night capped off with final packing and nervous energy preparing for the next day's race. Everyone was too busy thinking about their day and the last minute bottle and nutrition checks to even think about looking at the weather forecasts. Or, if they did, they neglected to tell me about it.
And then it was Race Day. A quick check of the weather and revealed a small 72 in the lower right corner. Could that be right? 72 degrees at 5 AM? Ouch. Stepping outside to load up the van, the humidity slapped me in the face. I had instant flashbacks to my 2005 Ironman in Wisconsin. Only I didn't have a full summer of heat acclimation on which to rely. I had a full winter of riding in my 45-degree basement with only a fan to provide a light breeze and all runs completed in sub-freezing temps and windchills.
Transition was a buzz from the get go. I set up my stuff, found Chris and we set off to the shuttle bus. Ah, make that we set off for the swim start on foot, mine bare, as the shuttle lines were a bit crowded and likely not going to get us there before our wave started. My over anxious self was ready to go with the PROs, but I settled in to wait for my wave. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long. My age group was the first to go, and I was in the second of two, fourth on the day. As usual, I found a spot near the front, and settled in. The water was calm and I breathed deep. The ten second warning was announced and then I was off.
]]>In the interim, Will's workouts helped build my base. I was recovering from a disastrous finish at the Twin Cities Marathon, so running was slow and easy. Since the days were getting shorter and colder, I resigned myself to rides in the basement. To pass the time and monotony, I expanded my Netflix subscription and caught all the episodes of The Wire. As the winter drew on, I worked my way through Baltimore, from the streets, to the docks, to Hamsterdam, through the schools and finally the media; all five seasons of some of the best television ever. Sprinkled in were trips New York to see what was happening at 30 Rock, and Madison Avenue in the late 1950s via Mad Men. Throw in a bunch of other movies and you have one heavily used Netflix account. All told, I spent over 92 hours on my bike in the basement in front of the television between November and March.
As part of the Evotri sponsorship, my BMC bike was supposed to arrive in January, but BMC decided to go in a different direction and we had to scramble a bit to get me a matching frame. One finally came my way, and then so did all the other goodies. It took a bit, but I finally got all the parts and the bike fully assembled and ready for a bike fitting one week before we left for New Orleans.
While I was busy watching TV on my bike, my run bounced back earlier than expected. That allowed me to participate in weekly speed sessions with some of Madison's elite runners and triathletes. All of whom where much faster than me, but were also supportive and happy to have me. I also regularly met a few of them on Sunday mornings for runs around the Arboretum. Again, most were faster, but it was good to get pushed and keep my training moving forward. All in all I ran for more than 40 hours, covering 286 miles.
My time in the pool varied from week to week, mostly depending on my work schedule. As swimming is my strength, that's usually the first to go if things get hectic. I missed the annual high school alumni meet due to a cold, so I no real way to gauge my swim fitness. There was one swim, a continuous 2000 yard swim that I finished in twenty-five and a half minutes and that was all. That was a good sign, but without anything else to back it up, I didn't know how I would react to open water, especially one with lots of waves. However, I did get some distance in; since November, I swam over 111,000 yards, or more than 63 miles in the pool.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, it was late March. The "spring" date of April 5th didn't seem so late any more. There was still snow on the ground, and even more in the forecast. There would be no rides outside, let alone rides on the new BMC. I would have to rely on the precise bike fit and the flat terrain of New Orleans to mimic my indoor rides. And what about the heat? Without a sauna, there would be no way to train in similar conditions. We would just have to go there and find out.
]]>I'm working on a complete race report, but the good news is that I won the bet between Stu and myself. I expect my mailbox to be filling nicely.
Name (S/B/R/Tot.)
RobbyB (28:13 / 2:40:52 / 1:58:17 / 5:13:51)
Simply Stu (34:13 / 2:51:41 / 2:24:29 / 5:56:21)
And you can check out the plethora of pics of me on the race course. See if you can see my bloody finger coming out of the swim.
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