Just An Age Grouper

70.3 Here I Come

2012-01-19T16:18:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post here. Signed up for my first 1/2 Ironman about a week ago. For some time I've been debating on when to take the plunge into the distance. I've always known that in order to get a full IM under my belt before 40 I'll need to at least complete a 1/2. Sooo, this is the year.

Myself along with a training buddy have signed up for Racine 70.3. We opted for a WTC 70.3 event so we can get the full experience out of the thing. The race is July 15th, right in the middle of the summer. Plenty of time to prepare and plenty of time to get some good road miles in on my bike. I'm truly looking forward to this race along with the Hy-Vee Triathlon for the 2012 year.

2011 Des Moines Half Marathon Race Report

2011-10-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

Here I am almost 2-weeks from running the Des Moines Half and I’m finally getting to my race report. This is the second time I’ve ran this race and the second time I’ve ran 13.1 miles, ever. Weather turned out great (again) and I finished with a much better than expected time. Leading up to the race I had gotten some kind of bacterial infection so I wasn’t able to run much for two weeks and did not get any long runs in. Due to this I knew I wasn’t going to PR but was looking to enjoy the race and attempt at going sub 1:40. To my surprise I ended up with a 1:37:52 which averages to 7:29/mile, compare that to last year of 1:36:58. Less than a minute off my PR, I couldn’t believe it.

It started off at a very brisk 48°F outside that morning. I rode down with my brother and brother-in-law. Both of them were doing the marathon relay as they always do. I lined up between the 1:30 & 1:40 Pacers knowing that I would probably see a couple guys I usually run with over lunch. Sure enough they were all there. John was the only one of the group running the full marathon and he ended up running it in 3:09! I ended up racing with my TRI triathlon jersey which is a tank top. I wasn’t sure if it would be weather appropriate due to highs in the 50s, but I’m glad I did. I stayed cool the entire race which really helps keep my heart rate down.

Started off at a faster than normal pace (normal) and ran with John (super marathoner) for the first 3 miles. My legs felt very fresh, as they should due to a two week rest. I was just a little nervous about how my strength would hold up for the entire distance. Up to this point, the longest I have ran (since last year’s half marathon) was 10 miles, and that was only twice. I kept glancing down at my Garmin and I was consistently around the same pace as last year (7:20ish). So I started to think I would get close to a PR, but my mind always told me that I’m not strong enough for that. I also decided to wear my HR monitor (first time since Spring). I wanted to compare this year from last as I wore the monitor last year and the temperatures were almost exactly the same from a year ago. This makes for a perfect arrangement to compare year over year (almost all variables are constant)

It was right around the half way mark that my legs started to show me signs of weakness. I could tell that I wouldn’t be able to keep the 7:20 pace up for the entire race. The course is extremely flat, probably the best half marathon course out there for PRs. The flat course helps so much with pacing, it makes for a race plan that can easily be predicted and executed. I took a Gu at mile marker 8 and only a few sips of water the entire race. I can do this because the weather was cool and it’s only about 90-100 minutes of exercise. This minimalist nutrition plan of mine has worked now for every race this year. Granted my races only last between 70-150min, but I feel I have this dialed in pretty good. I’m going to have to change this nutrition plan as I start looking at longer distances over the next few years.

Coming down the last mile I didn’t fall apart like last year (or at least I didn’t feel it). There is a lot of spectators on the course, especially the last couple miles. It makes for a lot of encouragement that is needed those last couple miles. The last 1/4mile is the best, we come downtown through the Court Avenue area, the streets are just lined with people cheering. I turned up the speed as much as possible and finished with a big smile knowing that I out preformed my expectations. I finished 23^rd /199 in my AG and 237 OA. Carrie brought the two girls down so I got a chance to hang out with the family as we watched the marathon runners coming across the finish. The Marathon record was broke with a time of 2:12:54!!! That’s a pace of 5:05/mile.

Here is my Garmin data from this year:

And here is the data from last year.

And here is my HR overlay of both races (RED - 2011; BLUE - 2010)

My engineering background forces me to OVER ANALYZE this data, but I would like some more input from any of you that also love to analyze data. The weather was maybe a little cooler this year compared to last and I was about 3lbs lighter this year. I'm interested to know why my HR was 5bpm faster this year compared to last year. I'm obviously running right around my threshold HR in both years, but why is it higher this year, but the pace was slower? So again, anyone out there that self coaches or likes to look over data and analyze or is a HR expert I'd love to hear from you.

Sick Before Race

2011-10-12T15:11:00.002-05:00

Coming up this weekend is my last race of the year. It’s the Des Moines Half Marathon. I signed up for this race a few months backknowing that it would be pretty hard to ramp up my volume after the Hy-VeeTriathlon in an attempt to beat last year’stime. So the real purpose or goal ofthis race was to force myself to continue running after my last triathlon andto hope for the same or slightly slower time of last year. You see, last year my last triathlon was in August,so that gave me over two months to train for my first half marathon. I blew my expectations away with a 1:36:55 atthe race, but I was running 25-30 miles per week consistently (much morerunning than what I’ve been doing this year).

Fast forward to this year and Hy-Vee was rescheduled for September4^th which only gives me about 4 weeks to train for a halfmarathon. I know my base was there, but inorder to get my speed to hold for an hourand a half I really needed to do a lot of longer threshold & tempo runs. Training was going good up until two weeksago. I went for a 8 mile hilly run andjust fell apart after 2 miles. I haveran those hills in the past with no problems so I knew something was up with mybody. At first I thought it was my bodytelling me that I ramped up my mileage too fast. I was waking up in the mornings achy andtired. By 4 in the afternoon I justwanted to go to bed. I pushed on andattempted to continue to train with all runs being completely miserable. I finally went into the doctor last week andcame out with no solutions except a prescription for Z-Pak. A day later and I could feel that my bodyfinally made a turn for the better.

So for two of the four weeks available for me to train I hadsome kind of bacterial infection. I alsoended up taking a full week off to make sure my body got fully better. Tomorrow will be my first run in over aweek. To make a long story short, I havereevaluated my race goal after this past week. I’m now looking at anything better than a 8min/mile average. A big difference compared to last year’s7:20min/mile, but what more can I do when my longest run to date is 10 miles, whichwas over two months ago.

The second thing of note is a change to myblogger template. I decided to go withBlogger’s new Dynamic Template. Ithought I needed another fresh look especially for my 3^rd year ofblogging (Oct 14^th 2009 was my first post) A big thanks to anyone who has kept up with me from the start. I know there are only a few of you, but thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

2011 Hy-Vee Triathlon Race Report

2011-09-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

First thing that comes to my mind is, "What A Day!" This year the Hy-Vee Triathlon was held on my Birthday (the big 35), so who can argue with the fact that I was going to have a great day no matter what. The short of it: Terrific weather, terrific race, new PR for me by 5 min, and a refreshed passion for triathlons. Yes, because of such a busy summer for me and the overall little time spent training for races, I was beginning to loose interest. I am just too competitive to not put everything I can into my races.

RACE MORNING:
Woke up around 4am to a very cold morning. Water temps were 83F two days earlier so I still didn't think it would be wetsuit legal but took my Sleeveless Xterra along anyways. Ate a banana, wheat beagle w/peanut butter, yogert, and coffee. I also want to add that the previous two days' diet consisted of about 80-90% carbs; I felt that played some part into my overall race day nutrition. Got down to Grey's Lake around 4:45 to hear the race director announce that the race would be wetsuit legal. Yes the water temp dropped almost 10F in two days! Setup my transition area as normal except for the fact that my wife gave me a Happy Birthday Balloon (big) to tie next to my bike. I thought it was kind of corny, but WOW did it make a difference. This transition area was HUGE. At least 100yards long.

SWIM:
After the 5150 Champions started their race, us "Age Groupers" started. My wave was about an hour after the Championship started and we started in a time trial fashion with 6 racers starting every 10secs. This actually did a good job of breaking up the waves and allowed for a more "pure" swim race vs. the "fighting" race that usually happens in a mass start. I was surprised by how little contact I received throughout the entire race. I felt great the entire way and noticed I wasn't getting passed as I normally do. My sighting was dead on, looking up about every 2-3 stroke cycles. Only issue was with the sun getting in the way of sighting on the back stretch. My solution was sighting off the pontoon boat next to the turn buoy. I got out of the water and looked down at my watch; 25:27. Official swim and new PR: 25:34.

T1:
I want to emphasize how large of a transition this was. Once I crossed the timing mat out of the water I had to run at least 100yards to the swim in, then back the other direction to the bike out. My bike was about 3/4 of the way down. I was so happy I tied the balloon to the rack, it lead me directly there. Stripped my wet suit off, went into my bike shoes (sock-less of course) peeled my swim cap off, glasses on, helmet clicked and I was off. T1 3:10

BIKE:
I thought this bike course was great. It had the perfect mixture of bike conditions, fast turns, hills (rollers and grinders), flats, & at most points nice views of Des Moines and surrounding area. I made the decision to hold back on the bike. I knew there were some decent hills all the way up to mile 20 so I really didn't know how my legs would do. I didn't get in a lot of saddle time this summer (avg of about 35mile/wk) so I knew I needed to take it easy if I wanted to PR my run. Most passing was by others, although I did some. I always enjoy passing those $4K-$6K TT bikes with my entry level Trek (deep down I'm just jealous of them). I ended up going through two GUs and two 20oz bottles of Gatorade during the bike, this is exactly what I was planning on doing. Turning back into the Grey's Lake Park I slipped my feet out of my shoes and peddled for some time with my feet on the outside. This makes for a much cleaner dismount from my bike. I looked down at my Garmin and was a little disappointed, but not surprised. Bike: 1:13:26.

T2:
Balloon again helped to located spot right away. Ran barefoot in the mud, threw my bike onto the rack, threw my helmet and glasses off, slipped on my Zoots, and grabbed my hat & belt. Couldn't have gone any better. T2 1:29.

Run:
As soon as I got out of transition, I knew I had my PR for the distance. My swim went great, bike was only 3min off my best, and my legs were feeling 100%. I just had to slow down and remind myself to run my race. Don't push too hard until the very end (knowing there was a monster hill 200 yards from finish line). I did not have my Garmin with me to keep pace, I was going purely off how I was feeling. I was feeling great until mile 2 when one of my running partners passed me. I attempted to stay with him, but started to feel some cramping in my quads. I backed it off and again reminded myself to run my own race. The rest of the race I was riding right on the line between cramped legs and just cruising along. At the half way point I checked my watch and saw I was maintaining about a 7:30pace. At this point I was almost all smiles. I was enjoying the run soo much. Then I started to think about my two girls waiting for me at the finish line. This made any and all pain just go away. The rest of the run I stayed my course and ground out the miles with a big smile on my face. The last hill was a bit tough, I passed three guys going up it then poured on my speed to finish on the beautiful blue carpet finish line (just like the Pros). Run 46:17.

FINISH LINE:
My parents were at the finish line waiting for me along with my two girls. One of my brothers made it down for the race also. This just put the cherry on top of a perfect birthday. My girls ran up to me and told me great job. They even asked if I won (so sweet). My parents (who came to every one of my football games) were there to support me just like they have my whole life. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Sure enough this was a PR at this distance for me. Two years ago at the Big Creek Tri (flat course) I got 2:34:00; so I beat it by a huge 5mins. Considering the limited time I spend training I feel terrific with my finish time of 1:29:55. If I had the time I'd love to try and qualify for the 5150 championship, but I'm guessing I would need to workout more than 6 hours/wk for that. The numbers are as follows:
1:29:55 final time
20/100 AG
97/663 Male
109/997 OA
9th fastest swim in AG

Pictures

2011 Hy-Vee Triathlon

2011-08-30T07:25:00.000-05:00

Less than a week until the Hy-Vee Triathlon. This will be my second & last triathlon of the season. It has been an odd racing year for me: only two triathlons and one road race. It's been a very busy summer for us with the move at the beginning of the summer, a guys weekend trip in July, a bike ride across Iowa, and a toddler who has learned to walk EVERYWHERE. With William being our third (and last) you would think I'd remember how hard a toddler (who just learned to walk) is to watch and take care of. Either way, I'm really looking forward to the Hy-Vee Race.

A little history on the Hy-Vee Triathlon: Started in '07 with a swim start at Grey's Lake, bike/run course downtown, and a finish in front of the State Capital. In '08 (my first triathlon) Grey's Lake was flooded out and at the last minute they pulled together the race and moved it to West Des Moines. The following two years they left the race in West Des Moines (less chance of flooding) for '09 & '10. This year WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) took over the race and it is now the 2011 5150 US Championship. There is actually three races going on (if I understand everything correctly): The 5150 U.S. Championship (must have placed in top 10 in a previous 5150 race to qualify); the Hy-Vee Triathlon (those of us normal mortals or AGE GROUPERS); and the 5150 U.S. Championship Elite Cup (Pros qualify by a points system or invitation only).

The really cool thing is that the Pros will be swimming in the Des Moins River, right in front of the Capital. I'm really looking forward to watching this race with the back drop they have setup, not to mention that Hy-Vee has always done a super job of spectator "neatness." I'm also really excited to watch the current Ironman World Champion, Chris McCormack, race in this Olympic distance race. There is going to be a lot of top notch pros going for the first place prize of $151,500. Something else that will motivate the racers: each lap leader (two laps on swim, 4 laps on bike & run) will receive $5,150!

Myself, I’m ready to race. It’s been three months since my last triathlon and over a year since the last time I competed in an Olympic distance race. As far as tapering goes, I’ve just reduced my intensity levels. I’m only working out about 6 hours/week to begin with, so there’s not much “volume” for me to reduce. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a lot of anxiety for this race. I’ve set a big goal for a PR at this distance (2:34:00). What makes it tough is a new course that I’ve never raced on. The bike and hills are really going to determine if I PR or not. Two years ago (Big Creek Triathlon) is my fastest at this distance and that was a pretty flat course. Still, if I compare my workout times with race expectations I should be close. I've always believed that success starts with writing goals down, so here it is: Swim 27:30; T1 2:00, Bike 1:12:00, T2 1:00, Run 47:00. Just under 2:30:00, that’s the goal for Sunday!

Swim the Bridge - Race Report

2011-08-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

As you have noticed, just like a true age grouper I don’t have much time to train let alone post anything to this blog. I did however have time to race this past weekend. It was the inaugural Swim the Bridge in Saylorville Lake. This was a swim only race and is literally only 15 miles from my front door. They had a 500m, 1.2mile, & 2.4mile race. As busy of a summer that my family life has had, I was very lucky to get some time to participate in the 1.2mile race (it also helps when the race is so close).

This was a US Masters sanctioned event, so wetsuit rules were slightly different. 78°F is the cutoff for wetsuits and a wetsuit swimmer is also placed into a different category. I was hoping the water temps would be low enough to use my wetsuit. My body tends to “plow” through the water, especially as I get tired. There was also a little bit of me wanting a safety net swimming out in the middle of a large lake. We have had an extremely hot summer here in Iowa. The race directors pointed out that the water temps were bouncing around 78°F the week prior. The days leading up to the race were in the 80s and evening in the high 60s; so I was feeling confident about wetsuits driving to the race. Wouldn’t you know it, I go to check in and 83°F is the posted temp, $hit! I just started to swim four years ago and swimming 1.2miles in a lake still builds a little anxiety, but what am I going to do. I did a mental adjustment and brushed it off my shoulders. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches.

Most of the participants were racing the 1.2 or the 2.4. There were only a handful that raced the 500meter. They started the 1.2 & 2.4 together in the water, about 130 total. The first 200m there was a little contact but not much. I drafted behind a guy for about another 250m before I just couldn’t keep up anymore. I thought my sighting was dead on. I’m feeling more and more confident with my line in the water. My problem is my endurance. My arms/shoulders get so cramped up that I really slow down. This is one reason why my workouts will consist of longer (500s & 750s) sets from now until my next triathlon (September 4^th). I feel I’m pretty quick when it comes to sprinting but I lack the endurance.

After the first 350meters I didn’t have another competitor around me for pretty much the rest of the swim. I took the first turn to go under the bridge. That was kind of neat, looking up at this bridge while taking my breaths (the bridge was probably 5-6 stories up). I then made the next right turn to head back to the dock and the finish. The return route didn’t seem to have as many buoys as the swim out. I believe I went out to the left a little too far as I noticed more competitors bunched up to my right. To this point sighting buoys were round and turn buoys were triangular. I spotted a triangular one and gave it a little more effort thinking I had spotted the last turn buoy. To my “exhausted” disappointment I later spotted a second triangular buoy another 300meters straight ahead. That took a little wind out of me.

I finally reached the last turn and poured it on (about 200meters). I almost caught the two guys in front of me and at least got into their wake. Walked up the dock and crossed the timing mat. A little strange to not run into transition and get on a bike. It was odd to be done after the swim and just walk around. I couldn’t tell how I finished because the 2.4 swimmers were swimming with us, plus I didn’t have any age numbers on calves that I could seeJ. I finished in 39:52, I was a little disappointed with that thinking I could possibly swim a 35min 1.2. I went up to the TV displays to see finish times and was surprised to see I got 1^st in my age group and 7^th overall (1^st guy actually got 3^rd OA so that bumped me up). After talking to a few guys around the TV display they all agreed that the distance was probably longer than 1.2miles when they compare their times to other races. That made me feel a little better about my overall finish time.

The best thing about this race is what a big confidence booster knowing that I can swim 1.2 without a wetsuit. This aligns so well with my Ironman visions and goals. Ironman by 40 years old which means I need to complete a half IM in the next couple years. I now have a great baseline to start from for my first step in that direction.

Running Out Of Time

2011-07-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

Man do I hate the fact that I've been so lazy with my blog. Since the move to the new house things have been CRAZY with a capital C.

A few updates:
Move went very well. We absolutely love our house and neighborhood. We have already had 5 times the number of families come up to our door and introduce themselves compared to our last neighborhood.

My guys trip to the Ozarks was a lot of fun, but not really healthy for the body (if you know what I mean). Almost like spring break in college but a bunch of 34 year old guys aren't suppose to hit it that hard anymore. I think I'm finally recovered from the trip.

William is getting big and is now a walking terror. He is so much fun right now and a very good baby.

I was already signed up for Big Creek Triathlon in August but realized that my buddies wedding is the same weekend. I have already contacted the race director and will be getting a rain check for next year's race. Still disappointed I won't be competing at Big Creek this year.

Signed up for an open water race. Loop The Lake is a new race this year and I'm looking forward to the 1.2mile race. It will be a good indicator of where my swim is at even though I'm only putting in about 2 hours a week in the pool.

That means Hy-Vee Triathlon is the only other Triathlon I will be doing this year. That date is September 4th (my birthday) and will be held in downtown Des Moines this year.

OBiTalk Product Review (Geek Alert!)

2011-06-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

!Warning! This post will not contain anything regarding training, triathlons, or races. I'm just so excited I found a "geeky gadget" that is actually practical and useful to use. I'm talking about my new Obi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter.

If you have been keeping up with me, you know that we are moving about 5 blocks north of our current address. Since we were blessed with William a year ago, we have been busting at the seams in this house and we needed another bedroom. We love the area and the school so we got very lucky and found the perfect house for us just up the street.

I have always hated paying my monthly landline. We almost never used it, long distance was turned off on it, and the fees & taxes they charged on to the bill was really starting to piss me off. With our move I wanted to find a way to drop our landline service. There are plenty of ways to do this, it's not a new idea and I know others have done it. A couple examples would be: Magic Jack or Vontage. Basically it's using your internet to place phone calls. I had Vontage at one time (Home Office); however the monthly fees are almost as much as my current phone bill. A couple of my buddies had purchased the Magic Jack and they rave about it. So I ordered one of their 30-day trial units.

Magic Jack was easy to set up and I was able to make/receive phone calls right away. It would cost me about $30/year for that service (cheap). However there were a few things I didn't like about it. First, my computer had to be on ALL THE TIME. This really bothered me, I hate using up the power and I hate the fans in the computer pulling in all that dust ALL THE TIME. Once I installed Magic Jack, it disabled any hibernation mode or sleep mode (which is what I use instead of turning the computer on/off all the time). But what really turned me off to Magic Jack was when I tried calling my parents (who live in a small town in Eastern Iowa). Come to find out that Magic Jack does not connect calls to everywhere: "Some restrictions in cost prohibitive areas may apply." Directly from their F.A.Q. page. I had to find a new solution. Enter the OBiTalk.

I practically stumbled upon this on the web. I read some reviews and dug a little deeper. The selling point for me was when I read that the OBiTalk was built for integrating with your Google Voice account. If you don't know what that is, Google it and get it! I've had a Google Voice account since inception, but never really had a use for it except as a contact number for my Craigslist account.

So I ordered the OBi100 from Amazon for $43. Setup an account on OBiTalk and waited for the device to get here. A week later and I was opening up the package, plugging in the device to my router, plugging in my home phone to the device, and powered it up. It took about 10 more minutes of setup through their OBiTalk Web interface and I was making test calls to my home number, cell number, and wife's cell. And the fact that it is using my Google Voice number to call any number in the US for free is even better (except for the $43 hardware). Plus, because it plugs directly into my router, there is no need to keep the computer on all the time. Actually, a person wouldn’t even need a computer to have an OBi.

Here is a list of some of the features of my new home phone system:

Free calls – everywhere U.S.

Call Waiting

Caller ID

Call Screening

Digital Voice Mail

Voice mail is transcribed and emailed or texted to me

Missed calls are emailed to me

Do Not Disturb Option

Call Forwarding (through the Google Voice Interface)

Call Bridging (using the OBi App I can place a call on my smart phone to my OBi and not use up any minutes on my cell phone)

Access my phone system anywhere with internet access

Dam to Dam 5K - Race Report

2011-06-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

I have a little history with this race. In 2007 it was the first road race I competed in, additionally the beginning of a healthier lifestyle for me. I have competed in the race every year and have improved year over year, but the goal has always been to run a sub 20min. This year was close, but not quite. My pace history has been: 7:37, 7:04, 7:03, 6:47, & this year was 6:34. Big year next year as it’s time to just kick this race in the a$$. Once I do break the 20min mark, the plan is to start running the real Dam to Dam race; which is the 20K that starts at Saylorville Lake Dam.

Started off just like any other Saturday morning (due to race start of 9:45). Got up, fed the three kids while I let my wife sleep in, and fixed myself a cup of coffee. I headed down to the race start alone, I didn’t expect Carrie to watch three young kids in downtown Des Moines with 15,000 other people. The environment in downtown Des Moines during this race is always a lot of fun. The 20K runners are arriving and coming through the finish. Vendors & Race support are set up everywhere. Most of the streets in the area are closed off, and it’s pretty cool to walk around and see so many runners in one place and not feel crowded.

The weather was warm and humid (75°F) but the sun was behind the clouds which kept things from getting too hot. I did wear my Garmin to keep track of my pace. I knew that I needed about a 6:25 avg to get my sub 20. I also knew that this year was not my year so I was really aiming for a 6:30avg. I started up close to the start line about 3-4 people back. Nice flat course with only a couple moderate inclines. The first mile pace beeped in at 6:20. That’s when I confirmed I would not reach my main goal, but I still wanted to get the 6:30avg. I was feeling ok, but could tell I was right on the threshold line. Mile two I could feel myself forcing a small slow down. My body was telling me that I would not be able to hold that pace to the finish.

During mile three and I was passed by a couple guys. They were just in front of me so I held them in my sights until the last turn with 400m to go. I poured it all on and passed both guys before coming across the finish line. I wasn’t sure how I did at that time, I knew there were 20 or so that finished ahead of me, but I didn’t know how many were in my AG. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the posted results. 2^nd in my AG out of 124 and 26^th out of 2550 overall. First place overall happened to be in my AG so I didn’t have a chance at that, his time was 15:45. That’s a 5:04 pace, crazy!

Now I have a break from racing but not a break on things to do. Next race is Big Creek Olympic Distance Triathlon, August 14^th. I have over two month to prepare for this race and I’m going hard for a PR (2:34:00) and possibly sub 2:30:00. A lot of other thing are going on in between now and then and that’s why my next race is so far away. My family is moving on the 24^th of June, first weekend in July is a big family reunion in Kansas City, 2^nd weekend in July is a bachelor party for my college roommate down in Lake of the Ozarks, and the last week in July is Ragbrai (which will be a great bike training ride).

First Podium Finish!

2011-06-05T11:03:00.001-05:00

Quick post regarding my 5K road race yesterday. I did not get the sub 20min time that I have been shooting for, but I did finish 2nd in the 30-34 age group.

My final time was 20:25, which is just over a 30sec improvement from last year. It looks like next year is the year to break the 20min mark. That has been a goal of mine for several years now.

Race report to come later this week.

Bluff Creek Triathlon - Race Report

2011-05-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

First race of the year, and a better performance than a year ago. Bluff Creek Triathlon is a well organized race with a great course around Don Williams State Park. Good support, good food, and good people; everything you look for in a triathlon. The sprint would be perfect for a first timer if the water temps weren’t so cold. This year I opted in to doing the sprint distance vs. the olympic due to the limited training I was doing. Weather was a slight factor (wind @ 20mph) but the clouds kept the sun from heating things up. In the end I did accomplish one goal of 5^th in AG, but didn’t quite make the sub 1:20:00 I was aiming for.

Prior to Sunday I had taken Friday & Saturday completely off from any workouts. Sunday morning I woke up and ate my typical oatmeal w/ fruit, made my coffee and Gatorade that I drank on the way up to the race. I wasn’t too concerned with fueling for this Sprint race as discussed here. The race was a 50min drive from home and race check-in opened at 6am. The race website had posted the water temps at 54°f and wet suits were mandatory. When we did reach check-in the director announced that the water temp was up to a whopping 56°f and wet suits were not mandatory anymore (crazy!). I had my Xterra sleeveless and was still a little nervous about the water temps. As normal I set up my transition area and stood there visualizing my transitions for a bit. I do this for a couple reasons: A) a fast transition needs to be an instinct just like tying your shoes. In the heat of the race (and especially after the swim), you will be slightly disoriented. You have to rely on your instincts in getting everything off, on, and out the chute without forgetting something. B) It helps me relax (yes, I get nervous) and confirms I haven’t forgotten anything.

Everyone takes a bus to the race start (other side of lake). The swim is pretty much a straight path across the lake with one 90° turn toward the boat ramp. Water was COLD! I walked out into the lake prior to race start to acclimate my body to the water. It’s funny how the wet suit works – I didn’t feel any cold temps until the water reached my chest (water found its way into my suit through my arms). Immediately my breathing goes into this gasping for air mode. It literally takes your breath away. Even though just a day ago it was wet suit mandatory, I still saw some crazies w/o a wet suit.

I was in the first wave (Male Sprint) which began at 8am. I started to the right of the group and walked out as far as I could. I don’t know why more people don’t do that, I ended up passing three guys around me just because I was walking/running in the water and they were already swimming. That put me in a great position with me out in front and no one around me. The super fast swimmers started off on the left and they grouped up and were out in front of me. The great thing about this swim is I didn’t get touched once. There were about 120 athletes in our wave, I got out of the water with about 20 or so in front of me. My arms started to cramp up due to the cold temps at the ½ way point, so I know I could have gone a little faster, but the arms just didn’t want to move. Once I got to the boat ramp there was an uphill run of about 200m until the timing mat and T1. I clocked in at 11:02.

As I discussed earlier, T1 can be a little disorienting. Cold water in ears, rotational movement, & exhausted from swimming combines to “Brain not working as normal.” I strip my wet suit off (still need to work on this) and attempt to “pull” my swim cap off. Now I should know better by now, a swim cap does not come off by pulling at the top (try it some day after a swim). It needs to be peeled off from one side. I fought that for a while until I realized what I was doing and peeled it off the proper way. I do not own Tri bike shoes so I have always put my shoes on in T1. No more socks for me anymore. After trying that last year, I’m hooked and save about 50secs. That’s equivalent to a 16sec faster pace for the 5K. I grab my glasses, helmet, bike, and head toward the exit. T1 time of 1:05.

Bike route was a straight North/South out and back. Wind at our backs on the way out. I haven’t downloaded my Garmin data yet, but I was probably averaging 30mph on the way out. I was passed a few times by those uber cyclists, but I had a few guys in my sights. I knew the wind was at my back and knew that it would be a battle getting back to the park. Coming up to the turn around, I had a chance to see the faces on the lead guys, and that said it all (HEAD WIND). Once I made the turn, the wind almost knocked me over. Downshift, downshift, downshift, sh$t no more gears! It was a battle for the next 25mins. I stayed in my aero position the entire time and even tried to get even lower to cut down on the wind resistance I was getting. About half way back I noticed I was mixed up in a small peloton. One of the guys even mentioned this fact as he was passing me for the 5^th time. I don’t think it was on purpose, it was just the wind that beat up on the lead bike until he couldn’t take it anymore and had to drop back. The same thing would happen to me, I could only keep at the front for a short time before dropping back because the wind was brutal. There was so much passing/getting passed and it would happen so frequently that we basically grouped up. Taking the turn into the park there were about 10 of us. Final bike time of 44:53 for the 15miles.

Coming into T2 I had my feet already out of my shoes. This time I did not worry about grabbing my Garmin off the bike. I racked the bike threw my helmet down and slipped on my Zoot shoes. Grabbed by hat and race belt and went for the exit. There was about 5-6 of those 10 that left T2 the same time I did. T2 time of :51.

I started the 5K slow and slowed it down even more as I could tell I was right on the edge of anaerobic. I’ve noticed in my brick workouts that it’s better for me to slow way down at the beginning of the run until I find my grove, rather than push it hard and end up in the anaerobic zone for too long. I even stopped about 100 yards out to tighten my shoe laces and got passed by a few guys. I reminded myself to run my race and not worry about those guys right away. I’ll never forget the bright neon shoes that one of the racers was wearing as he passed me (same AG too!). They were so bright I joked to him about turning them off. About 1K into the run I finally felt a little more comfortable and increased my pace. So did everyone else, because I wasn’t passing anyone. It wasn’t until the turn around that I started to pass a few guys. The neon shoes were about 50 meters ahead of me for most of the run. I had him in my sights but my pace was not enough to catch him. It wasn’t until we hit the 3 mile mark that I decided to give it everything I had to try and pass him. I remember thinking “what if he is the fifth place person?” About 100 yards left and I passed him. Eye sight was going grey, lungs were burning, and I had the “going to throw up at the finish line” feeling. Luckily for the volunteers taking the race chips off I did not throw up! Final run time of 22:52, with a final race time of 1:20:43.

After crossing the finish I wasn’t sure how I placed, but I did know that I didn’t make my sub 1:20:00 goal. I went and got some great post race food and went back to the finish line to watch. The race directors put up a big screen LCD TV that scrolled the different divisions’ top 5 places (this was very cool). I was surprised to see that I had placed 5^th in the 35-39AG. Passing the neon shoes at the end was the difference.

Next race is the Dam to Dam 5K. It’s the first race I ever ran in (’07) and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’m attempting to go sub 20min this year. I feel I’m almost there, but not quite. It’s only 2 weeks away so not much more training I can do for it. After that race it will be time to start packing up our house and move on June 24^th! The whole family is very excited about the move, the girls are especially excited to finally get their own rooms. The next triathlon I have planned (and already signed up for) is Big Creek Tri (Olympic) which is August 14^th.

Sold!

2011-05-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

Great news, we have sold our house! At least the sale is pending. Soo happy to get this monkey off my back, and even better to get it done before the summer. Selling a house can be so stressful, I trust this is the last time that we will have to do this (only our 4th move in 11 years).

We have already purchased a house and are planning on moving June 24th. We'll be moving only 5 blocks north, so a pretty easy move. Only thing is it still takes just as much time to pack/unpack vs us moving across the state. We love this area of town and love the elementary school (also happens to be the school that Carrie works at).

Bluff Creek Sprint Triathlon tomorrow morning, but I'm still beside myself in the fact that we finally have this house sold. It was only on the market 2 months, but with three kids under 7 years of age, every day was a battle to keep the house clean.

Next post will be my Bluff Creek Race Report!

Preparing for Bluff Creek Triathlon

2011-05-16T16:50:00.001-05:00

Less then a week away till my first tri of the year. I'm scheduled for the Bluff Creek Tri (sprint) this weekend. Currently the water temps up there are recorded at 56°F!!!! That's f-ing cold. I'm kind of kicking myself for going cheap and getting the sleeveless wetsuit last year. My guess is the temps will probably be just above 60°F by the time the gun goes off. This week's weather is another week of sub normal temps.

I'm still really happy with my decision to go with the sprint distance vs. the olympic distance this year. Last year was a little brutal for me, and it wouldn't have helped things this year with the fact that I've only been outside on my bike twice. 95% of my miles have been logged on a trainer and watching Lost/Chuck/or The Event. The BIG HILL of Bluff Creek (Des Moines River Valley) is only on the olympic distance bike course. The sprint is an "Iowa" rolling hills out and back.

This year I'll be in the 35-39 AG for the first time. Currently there are 20 males signed up in this age group. I'm not sure where I'm going to land at the finish line. I'd like to try for top 5 but it's really hard to gauge my fitness compared to last year. I've trained about half the amount of time, with almost no cycling on the roads. My swim and run are faster in my workouts, but not sure if that will translate into a race. Goal is sub 1:20:00. Weather (just like last year) will play a big role in me meeting my goal.

High Trestle Bridge - Grand Opening

2011-05-03T20:45:00.000-05:00

The weather finally cooperated for us this past weekend! A little windy, but a lot of fun. We took a ride along the High Trestle Bridge for the Grand Opening. This bridge is about 25miles from my front door and is also one of the largest pedestrian bridges in the world!

The views from the bridge were amazing. It's over 13 stories over the Des Moines River.

Along the way we stopped at a local watering hole:

A BIG thank you to the owners of this bar. They weren't open yet (read signs) however they still opened up their deck and a couple coolers for the local bike crowd that needed to stop by. Perfect location for a stop (notice I was standing on the bike trail when I took this shot).

Sprint Distance Fueling

2011-04-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

My first race of the season is only 30 days away. I’m starting to get a little more excited for the race. Not the same enthusiasm I had a year ago, but still looking forward to the race. I’m not putting the same effort into training this year. Much more relaxed and flexible. I haven’t done a Saturday workout in months. Compared to a year ago, I’m not doing a lot of intervals, a lot of long runs, and not the focused attention to the race. This year I’m really just looking forward to see how this “relaxed” training schedule effects my race times. Looking at my training log and times, I can’t help but be a little optimistic.

I did come across a great article on Active.com. The title was, “Race Day Nutrition for Sprint & Olympic Distance Triathlons.” The bottom line is that most people have about 2 hours worth of “fuel” to burn. So with Sprint/Olympic distance triathlons “Less is More.”

Your body burns fat for fuel, however to burn that fat we need carbohydrates. This is where the statement “carb loading” comes from. Carbs come from two places: Glycogen stored in the muscles and liver along with food/sugars eaten during exercise. As I stated before, we have about 2 hours worth of glycogen stored in our body for the race. A sprint distance typically takes anywhere from 1-1.5 hours to complete. So really we do not need additional food/sugars (carbohydrates) in our stomachs during the short race. Our body will have enough stored glycogen to use during the entire race. Any food/sugars that do enter our body divert some resources (blood, oxygen, energy) to assist in processing that food.

The article then goes into a great nutrition plan for pre-race and during the race. If you want to read the entire article, it’s HERE.

How does this change my nutrition plan:
1) Usually I ate a decent breakfast a few hours before the race, this year I’m going to wake up a couple hours earlier to eat that breakfast (600-800 calories) and then go back to sleep. This is to assure that my stomach will be practically empty pre-race.

2) I typically take one gel at the start of the bike (sprint distance), this year I’m not going to use a gel. Only water (Gatorade if it’s hot) in my aero bottle during the bike.

3) The run I typically just drink half a cup of water or so at each station (this has always been dictated by weather). If it’s really hot/humid like last year, I’ll be taking in more fluids, but if it’s cool and shady, I’ll probably not need the water for the run.

Just talking about this race is now building up a little more excitement. I wish I has the time to train for the Olympic distance this year, but I’m happy I don’t have the stress to get the volume in. This whole “house on the market” thing is enough stress for me. One reason why this race season is going to be a short one.

Current Workout Schedule

2011-04-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before, this is the first year I am not following a workout plan from Matt Fitzgerald’s Week-to-Week book. I have nothing but great reviews for his book, especially for someone who is just getting started in this sport. However, with this being my fourth year, I feel pretty comfortable setting up my own workouts, especially with my first race being a sprint. Currently I’m 7 weeks out from the Bluff Creek Triathlon. My weeks are going to look something like this:

Mon Swim – Intervals (10x100 or 5x200)
Tues Spin Class followed by 1-2 mile transition run
Wed Swim – Long Sets (2 or 3 x500)
Thurs At home trainer, Z3 for 1-1.5 hours
Friday 6-7 mile run Z3

Saturday mornings are reserved for a possible bike/run brick once the weather warms up outside. I would also like to get downtown over lunch on Wednesdays to run with the “Noon Krusers” run group that I met this past fall.

Looking at my schedule for the summer, I realized that I’m only planning on three triathlons total (1-spint, 2-oly). This is also the year that I want to break the 20min 5K barrier. I hope to break that PR at the Dam to Dam road race on June 4th. Last year was a 21min, so I need to knock off 1 min or about 26secs/mile. This just means a lot of hills, and a lot of ear bleeding intervals… sounds like fun.

I feel great about my race weight already. A year ago I was about 168-170lbs and got down to about 163lbs for the first race. Currently I’m at 162lbs and I’m not really doing anything to limit calorie intake. Once I make that conscience decision I’m sure I can lose another 2-3lbs. But that’s the hardest part – deciding to give up those Friday morning donuts, or the DQ blizzards, or the chocolate molten brownie from Chili’s! The general rule of thumb for weight & pace is 2secs per mile per pound.

A Clean & Growing Boy

2011-04-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

As you can see we have a growing boy in this family (also clean now that I’ve ran him through the washer). The end of this month (27th) William will be turning 1. It’s hard to believe it has been a year already. I can still remember last year this time; wondering how I’m going to balance a third child in my life with the rest of the family, work, and training for triathlons. Well it worked out just fine. Some small adjustments & some skipped workouts, but overall it didn’t change much.

I credit two things: my forgiving wife and early morning workouts. I’m not like some out there who can put in 10-20 hours a week to train. I’m lucky if I get 6-7hours. I wish I could figure out a way to get more hours in, but right now bed times around 10pm to wake up at 4:45 is just right for me. I could run more over lunch (which I will do when it warms up outside), however I find myself not as motivated this year.

I can’t figure it out. I’m going into my fourth year of swim/bike/run and I just don’t have the passion I did the prior three years. The daily workouts are still there. Pushing through hard interval sets or grinding out longer sets still isn’t a problem for me. It’s just the obsession with tracking every min and every workout is gone. Along with the obsession of strictly following a training plan (Matt Fitzgerald’s Week-to-Week Book). The excitement of looking forward at my next race (currently Bluff Creek Triathlon) is not where it used to be either.

I don’t want to come across negative, I still love the sport and the enjoyment it brings to me. I just feel like I’m kind of just going through the motions. Currently I only have four races planned out for this year, two sprints & two olympics and I don’t plan on adding anymore at this time. There are several other things that will be taking up some time this summer: Family Reunion in Kansas City, Bachelor Party for my college roommate down in Lake of the Ozarks (yes, that’s the boat we rented), Ragbrai, and if we don’t sell our house before the summer that’s when we’ll be moving.

Yes, our house is currently on the market. And let me tell you, there is no market, at least in this part of the country. We’ll be lucky if we sell the house for the same price we bought it for. Getting our house market ready has consumed my life for the past two months, that’s really why I’ve been MIA for so long. This is kind of how my life works… I find an obsession that pretty much consumes my life and thoughts until I find something else to obsess over. Before the house, it was triathlons and training. Just ask my bride, there is no one better who can attest to this terrible vice of mine.

So if you or someone you know would like to move to Ankeny, Iowa, please send them my way.

Why So Lazy?

2011-02-19T15:54:00.000-06:00

I have been asking myself that for the last two months. This has nothing to do with family or training or work and has everything to do with this blog I started a little more then a year ago. I started it with the intention of keeping a good record of my training experiences as a full time dad who caught the triathlon bug. Here I am with my second post since Thanksgiving!

Lazy with the family: not at all. This year with the girls at 7 & 5 we have them signed up for too much after school things. Religious eduction, Dance, Gymnastics, Soccer, & Swim Lessons. This town I live in puts a lot of pressure on parents to get their kids involved early (I know I'm at fault for accepting that pressure). That's why we do this to ourselves. I know we don't have to, but don't we all want the best for our kids? We don't put any pressure on them, the pressure really comes with the parents trying to juggle logistics and family time. William (the big little man) is still not crawling with his knees, just army crawling. He keeps this family young and has been a true blessing in this household.

Lazy with training: not at all. I signed up for the Triathlon Training Class at the local Y. It started in Jan. and will be ending in mid March. I haven't seen any improvement except for my social life. That's not the fault of the instructors (who are terrific). I believe going into this class I was getting to a point in my swimming that really couldn't be be improved upon unless I increased my volume from the tiny 120min of swimming I do a week. My speed (sprint) is definitely there and have no issues smacking down a 1:10 100. But going above and beyond that really hurts (sounds really familiar to my track & field days). I do have one bad habit in my pull that I need to work on (elbows need to be higher). The plan is to get a lot of volume in after this class is over. With this class & the additional running over lunch I'm averaging about 6-8 hours per week of training. This is similar to my normal race training schedule.

I also had the chance to hook my bike up to a Computrainer this past month. Wow, that is so cool (especially for a numbers geek like me). Keeps track of HR, Speed, POWER. Power is what I'm always trying to improve on my bike. It was so cool to ride the Coeur D'Alene course (only 26 miles of it) and watch my wattage output in real-time, plus get an average at the end. I hit it pretty hard on that 26miles and considered it a TT. I averaged 216watts, but can't remember avg speed (somewhere just north of 20). It was a terrific experience and a great way to look at where I stand with my current bike condition (second time on my bike since Sept.). This is all thanks to the great Triathlon club I'm in, TRI of Iowa.

Lazy with work: I think definitely not. Just finished one project and had to get all documentation, drawings, and specifications cleaned up and out the door. Then I get another big project that has taken many late nights to finish up, and I'm still not completely done. And after this I roll right into closing up another project that's been outstanding since Dec. Don't get me wrong, I love being busy at work (especially in the construction industry), but when it starts to take away from my family time that's when it bugs me. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel and think normal hours will soon be coming.

So there you have it, all my lazy work that I've been putting in. Everything except for this blog, which I need to make a conscious decision to keep up more, especially with my training schedule about to begin in March. I'm sooo excited to see and feel some warmer weather.

Back At It

2011-01-22T11:14:00.000-06:00

It's been a long time since my last post... 3 months to be exact. I could give the normal excuses that life throws at you, but that's too easy of an excuse. To be perfectly honest, it's been laziness. Have I been busy with three kids, a demanding job, a wife I adore, and working out? YES! But really, how much time does it take to update my blog and catch up with some of you out there?

Some quick posts regarding the past three months:

-Still swimming & running with a little bike (get to that later).
- Got three of my wisdom teeth pulled in Dec. with a nasty post-recovery that included dry socket.
-Christmas with the family was wonderful. Every year I feel the kids get way to much, but it's hard not to spoil them.
-William (now 9mths old) is army crawling everywhere. I think he is too big yet (95 percentile) to be strong enough to crawl using his knees. I'm fine with this because I secretly think it's helping him build some great lats for swimming!
-I have been running outside more this winter (compared to prior years). Only running about 7-10 miles/wk but my pace is definitely faster than a year ago. I really feel that the training I did for the DSM 1/2 marathon really helped my run.
-I joined a triathlon class at the local YMCA. It's a 10wk program with coached swimming, spin class (that's where my biking has come from), and a group run. Although not much of a group shows up to run at 5:30am... in the winter... in Iowa.
-Frustration with swimming - the class has been doing some time trials to record improvements. I started the class with a 1:10 100yd, and last week it was down to 1:12. My 500 TT has slowed down too. Not sure if it's because of a small shoulder injury I can't get rid of, or because I've reduced my swim volume a lot.
-Frustration with swimming (again) - the coached swimming is great, but they've pointed out a bad habit that will be really hard for me to get rid of. During my catch phase my shoulder rotates slightly and is pulling me above the water just a bit (not doing a great job of "reaching around the barrel"). This is a small issue, but hard habit to break.
-Usually I have my race year planned out by now, but this year I haven't really thought about it. If I think about it right now - Bluff Creek Oly, Dam to Dam 5K, Iowa Games Sprint, Big Creek Oly, Hy-Vee Oly, Des Moines Marathon.
-This year I'm going to concentrate more on volume. This will be hard as in the past I normally have only 6-7 hours in a week to workout. It's going to require a little more balance in my daily routine and more running over my lunch time.

I'd like to say that I'm going to get back on the wagon and post once/wk, but I just don't think that's going to happen. I'd be more realistic in saying 1-2 times/mth, so that's my goal.

Thankful For...

2010-11-24T08:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to eveyone, I don't think people say that enough so be sure to tell the next person you see. I also don't think people step back enough to thing about what they are thankful for (me included). So here is my attempt:

Thankful for...
- My wonderful family
- The joy my kids bring be every day
- My parents (who taught me soo much)
- A great job
- The good health of everyone close to me
- Finding this wonderful sport of Triathlon
- The new friends I now have through this blog (but have never met)

My 4x9 - Not To Be Mistaken For Intervals

2010-11-16T15:37:00.000-06:00

I recently began to follow a fellow blogger/triathlete at Life Of An Aspiring Triathlete. Jason has a great story and a great attitude on life; check out his blog if you get a chance. He recently did a 4x9 which I thought was a great and informational post to find out more about him. So I'd like to do the same.

He also had the great idea of having everyone post a link to their own 4x9 under his comments. Same rules apply here: if you post a comment under mine, include a link to your 4x9. I always enjoy reading more info on everyone out there that stumbles on this little blog of mine.

Four Jobs I've Had In My Life:
- Lifeguard
- City Pool Manager
- Sales Engineer for Industrial Air Compressors
- Building Controls Project Engineer

Four Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
- The Dark Knight
- The Goonies
- Dazed and Confused
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Four Places I Have Lived
- Belle Plaine, IA
- Atlanta, GA
- Stockbridge, GA
- Ankeny, IA

Four TV Programs I Love To Watch
- The Office
- The Biggest Loser
- So You Think You Can Dance (I know, pathetic)
- The Amazing Race

Four Places I've Been On Holiday
- Family
- Family
- Family
- Family (we have never been away from family on any Holiday)

Four Websites I Visit Daily
- Blogger
- Woot
- Cyclone Football
- The Weather Channel

Four Of My Favorite Foods
- Pizza
- Banana Cream Pie
- Donut
- Clif Bar

Four Things On My Bucket List
- Finish An Ironman
- Jump Out Of A Plane
- Take My Wife to NYC
- Vacation in Rome

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
- Somewhere warmer like AZ
- Disney World w/the kids
- At The Movies w/wife
- Riding a bike somewhere warmer like AZ

Under The Weather

2010-11-11T08:20:00.000-06:00

We just had some kind of bug go through our house. It started Saturday with Olivia getting sick to the stomach. It was about 8:00 and the girls had just laid down for bed. I had just gotten home from the ISU vs Nebraska game and went up stairs to tell the girls good night. About 10 secs after I left their room Olivia was running out towards the bathroom toilet. The unfortunate thing is she didn't make it in time. Actually, she didn't even make it out of her bed and of course she left a trail all the way from her bed to the bathroom (not my most favorite thing to clean up).

Then on Sunday, our 6mth old got sick in his crib. Luckily that was it for him, plus he didn't have a fever. Fevers in little kids have always worried me, especially if they are too young to tell you what actually hurts them. The whole family just took it easy all day knowing the the rest of us would be getting it also.

Monday night into Tuesday my wife got REALLY sick. She ended up taking the day off on Tuesday. I woke up Tuesday morning for my swim workout not feeling the best. I could tell the bug was in me just waiting to take control of my body. I did get a good swim in and will start swimming with the Triathlon training class on Tuesday mornings. We did a 100yard time trail to see where our speed was at. I posted my best 100 to date with a 1:11. Prior to that it was 1:16, but I think it helped with the fact that it was a race against others vs. just me timing myself.

Anyway, sure enough by the end of the work day my temp was up to 102.5F and I was up in bed at 6pm trying to rest with a cold sweat. Boy, what a nights rest can do to a body. I woke up on Wednesday feeling 100% better. I was happy I didn't eat anything all day on Tuesday, because I probably would have gotten sick to the stomach later that night also.

So the family is all back to normal except for William our youngest. He's having problems laying down contently and has a pretty good cough. It may be his first ear infection. Not sure, but that's why I'm about to take him to the doctor this morning. Aaugh, the life of a family man.

2010 Year In Review

2010-11-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

With my 2010 Race Year behind me, I thought a good post would be a nice round-up of this past year. Besides, I enjoyed reading Kevin's year in review and that's where I got the idea. 2010 was a year full of weather related race changes, very low bike volume, a new baby boy in the family, and my first ½ marathon with a finish time that even surprised me.

November 2009 – November 2010

First the Raw Data:

Ran	700 miles
Biked	1049 miles
Swam	241,120 yards = 4,822 laps
Time	260 hours or about 5 hours/week

Races:

Race	AG Place	Time	Notes
Dam to Dam 5K	5th / 122	21:05	5K PR
DSM ½ Marathon	31^st / 221	1:36:58	First ½ Mary
Hy-Vee Tri (Sprint)	45^th / 136	1:11:33	Shortened to sprint distance due to weather
Iowa Games Tri (Sprint)	3^rd / 28	1:07:15	Sprint PR
Bluff Creek Tri (Oly)	6^th / 14	2:50:29	Bike course hills & wind was brutal
Big Creek Tri (Oly)	9^th / 28	1:55:08	Shortened swim & run due to weather

Goals Reached for the Year:

· Sub 21min 5K

· First ½ Marathon

· Improved on my running off the bike

· Did a better job of balancing my workouts & family

· Purchased a wetsuit

· Compete in three olympic distance races (2 out of 3 busted by weather)

· Ran off the bike once/week

· Posted to my blog once/week

· Joined Triathlon Racers of Iowa

Disappointments:
By far the biggest disappointment of the year is my result from the Bluff Creek Triathlon. This was my first race of the year and I really felt prepared going into it. The heat, wind, and massive hills took everything out of me. I had nothing left for the run and ended up with a time very close to my first attempt at a triathlon a couple years ago.

I have a small regret of not traveling to a non-local triathlon. I really wanted to make an effort to get outside of Iowa and travel to do a race. The Chicago Triathlon was what my mind was set on. However, with family, work, and the new baby it just wasn’t a possibility.

Random Thoughts To End The Year With:
·The weather was crazy. I don’t remember a lot of “good” weather to get on my bike. Not to mention the fact that the weather messed with two of the three olympic distance races I signed up for.
· Learned a lot about HR & HR training. Not sure if I follow it to the T, but it does help to gauge how hard I’ve been on my body, and how long I should expect to recover from workouts.
·4:30am workouts are the best!
·I really want a TT Bike and I’m not sure how I can convince my wife that spending the money on it is so much more important than putting that money toward the kids’ college fund.
·SportTracks is the best tool an endurance athlete can use to track everything. It also helps if you’re a geek like me and enjoy graphs and charts of all the data that has been collected from my workouts.
·Matt Fitzgerald’s book “Week-by-Week Training Guide” is still the best tool out there for newbie triathletes or self-coached like me.
·The birth of my son William did not cut into my training as much as I thought it would, and gave me more motivation/inspiration than I ever thought I would get from one of my kids.

Forced Week Off

2010-10-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. Actually thinking back, I can't remember the last time I have not done absolutely nothing for a full week. That means no swimming, biking, running, or weight training. If I thought hard enough, it's got to be the weeks leading up to this whole triathlon thing of mine that kind of took over my life. That would be March of '08, back when I was about 25lbs heavier and couldn't even swim a lap without stopping to rest.

I don't want to get too personal here, but I thought I should share this with anyone who has been keeping up with me over the past year. I'm going in for an outpatient surgery tomorrow. I'll give a little hint, it's the kind of surgery that men get after they've had three kids??? Yep, Carrie and I are throwing in the towel, no more kids for us. We debated this after our first two, but we were both still wanting a boy. Luckily for us, last time's a charm.

So the week off is really a forced week off from doing anything strenuous. I've had a few friends warn me, "even if you feel good, don't chance it by going out and running later in the week." I'm fine with this, I think my body needs a little rest anyway. The timing is perfect for this procedure, just a few days after my last race of the season. Now I can start next season with a fresh set of legs.

It's this kind of stuff that makes me get a little worried:

Des Moines 1/2 Marathon Race Report

2010-10-19T21:49:00.001-05:00

What a race!

The only other running races I did before Sunday were 5K, so this 1/2 was a major step up for me. Going into Sunday's race I felt confident I could get close to beating my 1:40 goal, but a little unsure how my little chicken legs would hold up for 13.1 miles.

Race Morning:
Gave myself an hour to get ready before heading down to Des Moines (about a 20min drive). Normal race morning routine; alarm-oatmeal-bannana-shower-dressed-coffee- and out the door. Drove down with my brother & brother-in-law. They were running in the marathon relay with a couple other friends. I was the Lone Wolf running the half (my race bib even said "Wolf Pack" on it; bonus points for anyone who knows what movie that's from).

Temps were around 48F @ 7:30am when I was lining up with the other 7,000 racers. I positioned myself between the 1:30 pacer & 1:40 pacer. I even told the 1:40 pacer to slow down if he starts to catch me, but he informed me that race times don't work like that:) I was looking around and taking in the sights when I noticed several guys in my noon running group right in front of me. It was just the thing I needed to put my race at a perfect beginning. Since moving downtown and running over lunch with them, I've really enjoyed my running soo much more and have really gotten to know the guys pretty well. I was happy to be able to run with them the first few miles. Just like a lunch time run.

The Race:
At the sound of the horn we took off (of course), and to my surprise I didn't have any issues with crowds or narrow streets. It probably helped that I was starting around most of the 7min milers. I was wearing gloves & long sleeve T over my race jersey & shorts. Around mile 2 I stripped them off and threw them off to the sides (DSM Marathon washes and donates these clothes to a homeless shelter). I was tracking my pace with my garmin the whole time and was a little worried I started off too fast (around 7:12). I slowed it down a little on mile two but then kicked it into what felt like my cruise speed and planned on keeping it there as long as I could (between 7:15 & 7:25).

The race support was great. So many people turned out to cheer everyone on (not me, remember I was a "wolf pack of one"). However, I did see a lot of support from my local tri club, TRI. They were out in full force cheering me & several others on. They even brought the tent out and set up around mile 7 dressed in full costume (this was them last year).

The weather was cool enough (48F at start, 55 at finish) that I didn't feel I needed much water. I had hydrated myself enough when I first woke up, so the plan was a little water at the half way point with my GU, another at 10 with another GU. This nutrition plan worked out perfectly. I feel I was lucky to work out the formula on my first try.

Around mile 9 I noticed a new sensation that I have never felt before (or at least noticed this much). It is hard to explain but I'm sure it's due to more blood diverted to the legs rather than the head. It wasn't really a dizzy feeling just a feeling of numbness in the brain. It was almost like it took a lot of energy just to concentrate on what I was actually doing. The cold weather probably helped out with that numb feeling also. I slowed it down a bit to see if I could shake this funk away. This helped along with my last gel and a little water at mile 10 (still feeling strong though).

At this point I knew I had my goal beat if I could just hold on for 3 more miles. The great thing was I really knew my body and could tell that I was pushing myself almost perfectly. If I went a little faster, I knew my legs would start to cramp, a little slower and I know I would leave something out on the race. I felt it was almost a perfect race for me. It wasn't until mile 12 that I started to doubt my race plan. Did I push too hard? My legs started to get that crampy, tight feeling. It just felt like I had no more strength in my legs. My breathing was fine, it was just my damn chicken legs!

I kept telling myself, "strong legs, only 7 more minutes, strong legs, only 7..." The last 1/2 was hard & I had no idea how far below 1:40 I was. It wasn't until I was 100 feet away when I noticed the official clock reading 1:36:45. Could I get under 1:37? I gave it all I had left and crossed at 1:36:58.

Mile Splits w/HR

HR with pace

Post Race:
The rest of the morning I spent walking around, stretching, eating pizza, and drinking beer. I waited around for my brother's relay team to make it through the finish line. They ended up getting DNF due to my brother accidentally missing the marathon route markers and taking the 1/2 marathon route. They still all ran, and had a lot of fun. They're talking about doing it again next year. Me on the other hand, I had a blast with this distance and now want to put a marathon under my belt. So next year I believe I'll be going the full distance.

Two days later and my legs are still sore. It feels like I went skiing for the first time, or like I did straight bar squats at the gym. I mean my quads HURT! I can hardly walk up/down the stairs here at home. However, I just smile; I know this soreness is because I pushed myself exactly how I should have, right to the line. It was almost a perfect race for me.

1st Half Marathon: Check

2010-10-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post on my 1st half marathon:

Very happy with my results on my first attempt at a half. Already talking marathon for next year. Great time, great weather, great race! Thanks to my local triathlon club TRI, a lot of them out there cheering and supporting everyone on. I think I had someone yelling "go TRI racer" about every mile or so. I'll post a race report soon.

overall place:	199 out of 3912
division place:	31 out of 221
gender place:	170 out of 1395
time:	1:36:58
pace:	7:25
10k:	45:30

Me, my brother-in-law, & my brother.

5 More Days!

2010-10-12T16:50:00.000-05:00

Yep, only five more days till the Des Moines ½ Marathon. Current statistics on number of runners who are registered for the race this weekend: 1,700-Full Marathon, 3,900-Half Marathon. That means there are going to be close to 5,600 people at the start line.

They are doing chip timing; however there will not be a starting mat. Therefore, my starting position is going to affect my final time. The plan is to get there early enough to get a good starting position (but not up by all the 6min milers). Another fun thing about this race is that I’ll be racing the first couple miles with my brother. He is running in the marathon with a relay team. This was the same relay team I was on a couple years ago, we had a blast. I’m looking forward to starting the race with him, and hopefully I can make it down to their final exchange and run the last mile with them also.

Currently the weather is looking very good: 50-55F and sunny by race time. Goals for this weekend: sub 1:40:00 – translating to a 7:40/mile pace, have fun, and enjoy my first ½ marathon. The last two weekends I’ve completed an 8 mile tempo run trying to figure out what my race pace should be this weekend. The first weekend I averaged 7:40/mile, the second weekend I averaged 7:27/mile. That’s only 8 miles and I don’t think I can maintain that an additional 5 miles but I’m hoping the “race environment” can carry me strong to the end. I guess I’ll find out in five more days.

September Totals

2010-10-05T21:14:00.001-05:00

Thanks everyone for your input from my last post regarding my first 1/2 marathon coming up. A lot of what you were all saying makes sense and is in line with what I was thinking. I believe I just needed a sounding board for my thoughts. Thanks again!

September is over so it's time to post my totals for the month. Of course, running has taken up 80% of my training. I'm still getting two swim days in per week and hardly any biking. Weather hasn't been the best around here, plus what limited time I have to train I feel should go to running.

I completed 40 more miles over my August running total. This is also the first month of breaking 100 miles.

September Totals

Distance (mi)	135.890
Time (hh:mm:ss)	23:18:32

I'm sure everyone knows Kona is this weekend. I'll be tracking some athletes on IronmanLive and I'm looking forward to a great race (along with a few college football games). Since taking on this sport I have become so interested in every aspect. To me it seems like such a long time ago when I got involved. That was the year Craig Alexander came in 2nd place in his first attempt in Kona. My respect of this race, and the people who race in them has only grown year over year. And from following blogs like THIS, I know the respect does not go to only the elites, but also the everyday age grouper who train everyday to follow their dream of being an Ironman.

I've stated before that the first step to following through with a goal is writing that goal down. Well, here's me writing down a big goal that has been sitting in the back of my head since I started this crazy triathlon thing: I will complete an Ironman before my 40th.

Calling All Distance Runners

2010-10-04T07:40:00.000-05:00

Not really a post here, more like a questionnaire. I'm calling on all those who have raced a 1/2 or full marathon. Actually, you don't even need that on your resume; I just need some pointers. With the Des Moines Marathon only 2 weeks away I have a few questions regarding my first long distance race (1/2 marathon):

1. Need some recommendations on tapering. I just completed 23miles this week and think I'm aiming for around 20 this next week. Three runs (about 4-5 miles each) during the week and another 8miles on Saturday??? Then, what do I do the week leading up to race weekend?

2. How do I run the race? A 5K is easy, just run at a pace that you think you can hold for 20mins. This race is a bit different, I do need to pay attention to pacing the entire race. Should I worry about nutrition on a 1/2 marathon??? My goal is 1:40:00, that's about 7:40/mile. The course is as flat as a pancake. Do I try and negative split throughout the race, or do I try and hold that 7:40 throughout???

15 Miles! & Petersen Photo Studio

2010-09-25T15:48:00.000-05:00

Short post, but wanted to talk about two things... actually three.

1. Ran my longest run to date: 15miles, actually 14.93. Didn't look down at my total distance until I was complete, I should have just continued on to make it an official 15miles. Averaged just under 9min/miles, and a HR of around 153. The run felt great and is my last long run before the 1/2 marathon in Oct.

2. Got the camera and studio light out again for some more family pictures. William is getting so big and is changing every month.

3. No tailgating today. Home game up in Ames against University of Northern Iowa. Weather is cold, rainy, & crappy along with the fact that other family members can't make it for various reasons. Think I'm just going to meet my youngest brother at the local Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the game over there.

Old Football Injury!

2010-09-19T20:41:00.001-05:00

Just came back from a weekend trip in Kansas City, MO. Iowa State played Kansas State in Arrowhead Stadium (same stadium that the KC Chiefs play in). This is the second year in a row that the whole family traveled down to Kansas City and set up our usual tailgating party. Weather was great, party was great, and saw a lot of friends & family (bad news was ISU ended up losing the game).

Arrowhead Stadium

My Two Brothers & Sister

An old football injury showed up on my long run Saturday morning before the festivities started. In my football years I had a very bad sprained left ankle injury. Since then I've rolled that ankle two additional times and I know my running form has suffered. Bottom line, it's been a very weak ankle since the first sprain some 15 years ago. Due to Saturday's football game starting at 11, we wanted to get to the parking lots around 7:30. This forced me to start running around 5am in down town Kansas City. I was a little leery about running around there when it's completely dark, but the Westin Hotel had a running route posted on their website that was sponsored by "Runner's World" OK, does that make it safe? Wasn't sure, but I really didn't have any other choice, running on a dreadmill for 8 miles sounded like a trip to the dentist to me.

Anyways, not even a mile into the run and I rolled my left ankle on some uneven sidewalk (remember, still dark out). I started to swear and cuss at myself (luckily there was no one around). Visions of dropping the 1/2 marathon race and not following through with my goals started flashing in my head. I started to walk and after about 30 seconds realized it wasn't feeling like the previous injuries. That swelling sensation of your ankle getting fat and over sized never started. I continued to walk it off until I felt comfortable enough to start jogging again. I continued to run and didn't stop until I finished the 8 miles I told myself I would complete.

Post-Run my ankle was tender, and I had to be careful not to place any lateral force to the outside on it. No swelling, at least not enough to be concerned over. I was happy it didn't turn out worst than it could have been and the rest of the day was spent consuming adult beverages and watching college football.

Swimming & Running

2010-09-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

Yep, swimming and running is all I have been doing for the past month (along with a little eating & drinking that I probably shouldn't be doing).

Tailgating Again

(here is where the eating and drinking is coming in)

I'm getting just over 6000yds/wk with my swimming. Really concentrating on longer sets of 3x500 with very small rest intervals. I've really noticed a difference in my swim endurance these past couple weeks. I just wish this peak would have happened several months ago.

The running has been slow. About 9-10min mile pace, but my HR has been very low also (around 145). I'm still on the fence on whether this type of workouts are going to help me in my first 1/2 marathon attempt. I can't help but feel like I've lost some speed. Today was really the first time I tested my threshold running when I did a group run over lunch. We averaged 7:38pace for the 4.7 miles. My HR averaged 173 (90%), which is high, but I felt great during the whole run. Not sure if I could have gone faster, but I know I could have gone longer. I had a great time on this group run, and I think I'll be joining them more often now that I know what time they meet.

August Totals

2010-09-06T00:19:00.000-05:00

Big month of running for me. August started out with my final triathlon of the season, and has ended with the beginning of my 1/2 marathon training. I'm not really following any formal training plan. Just a typical 3runs/wk with one of those being a long run on the weekend. I'm building up to 15 miles (which will be my longest distance to date).

I have also slowed waaay down on my training pace compared to what I was training at when working on my triathlons. I'm talking about 2-3mins/mile slower. The greatest result from this is absolutely no aches/pains from the increase in milage.

August is my largest "running" month to date. I was only 10 miles short of running more miles than biking. That's a little sad! About 22 hours of training put in for the month which is down from last month, but with the added running volume, I'm giving myself more time for recovery (and I haven't been as hard on myself for consistent training). And for some reason I put in a huge swim number; 14 miles total for the month.

Here is my August Distance/Time Totals:

Click the table to view the monthly details.

Distance (mi)	146.3
Time (hh:mm:ss)	21:55:24

College Football Is Here

2010-09-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

If you have followed me any, you would know that College Football ranks up there with my family and triathlons. Last night was our (Iowa State) game opener against Northern Illinois. It was also the start to our annual family tailgating parties. We have a blast and do get the best of nutrition for the parties (as you can see with the dogs and burgers).

Running is still going slow for me. Twice a week at 60mins and 150bpm average, still slower pace than what I would like to see. The good news is I'm already seeing an improvement on my pace while holding these lower heart rates. I did start my Virtual Man Triathlon with a 3000yard Time Trial swim. Actually I only recorded my 1500meter time for the race and I'm happy to say that it's my fastest 1500 to date. Tomorrow I'm planning on doing the bike and run segments back-to-back.

I still have to post my August totals, and I'm hoping to do that sometime this weekend. It's also my birthday weekend, so I'll be celebrating my 34th with family and friends on Saturday. Everyone have a happy Labor Day and get outside to enjoy the weather!

Biggest Miles Ever & Downtown

2010-08-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

If you didn't read, I've been displaced to our job-site in downtown Des Moines due to flooding of our office. I started on this project in the design phase back in '07 and here we are in '10 and almost complete. The picture is from the inside of a "horseshoe" shaped building, with the inner bowl area all lined with glass (the design intent was to have most of the 4000 employees an outside view at all times).

(sorry about the quality, it's my attempt at merging two photos from my blackberry)

Anyway, I'm loving this new location, Especially for my lunch hour runs. Running downtown and around the city & parks have really refreshed my love for running. I have slowed my pace way down in an attempt to increase my aerobic endurance. After reading several articles on HR base training, I concluded that my triathlon training this past year has been at too fast of a pace. Looking back, I've trained in the Zone 4 area 80% of the time. This type of training adapts my body to burning carbs/glycogen (fast burn) for fuel versus fat (slower burn). I thought I would test this theory in training for the 1/2 marathon. This is much harder said then done. It is so hard for me to "check my ego" before starting my runs. Very frustrating to slow my pace by 3min/mile just to get my HR down to 140.

This past week I've put in two 6.5 mile days and this weekend I'm planning a 10 mile run. At the end of this week I will have finished the highest weekly running mileage to date. I know that's peanuts to you guys that train for HIMs and IMs, but maybe someday I'll be there. The increased running has introduced a new soreness in my body. The arch of my foot tends to be a little tender throughout the days after my running. It does not hurt while running but is enough for me to be more careful. One more reason why the slow down on pace is probably what is needed.

One more thing - I've signed up to do one more olympic distance triathlon before '10 is over. It's the Virtualman Olympic Triathlon Challenge. Patrick over at "The Road" has a fun idea with this race, and it's just what I need to cap off my season that was suppose to have 3 olympic distance races but ended up with only 1 (WEATHER)!

Des Moines Marathon

2010-08-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

I have officially started training for the Des Moines 1/2 marathon. I signed up about a month ago, but didn't mention anything until now because I was still doing a lot of swim/bike/run. Now it's going to be more like run/run/run. Actually, I really can't get the other two completely out of my system, so I'm still planning on swimming and biking throughout the week, but won't really plan my weeks around them like I will with my running.

Why only the 1/2 marathon - Baby Steps! I just started running distances greater than 1 mile back in '07, plus I believe it's a great distance to build on my existing endurance from. In addition, my next evolution into the triathlon world will be an attempt at a HIM. Not sure when and where that's going to be but I think it would be a good idea to race a half marathon before I go about training for a HIM.

I still haven't hammered out the details on how my weekly training will be laid out, but I think it's going to look something like this:

Monday - morning swim, afternoon 5-7 miles
Tuesday - morning spin class
Wednesday - 5-7 miles
Thursday - morning swim or spin class
Friday - long run or rest day
Saturday - Bike/Run brick or long run or Tailgating

I threw the Tailgating in there because I know there are going to be a few Saturdays this Fall that will be set aside for my Cyclones. Always a great time with the family!

The other news I wanted to mention was a Blog Group I joined called Distance Dreamers. Abbi started the group for people that are running their first half/full marathon this year. I stumbled across the group when reading Erika's blog. When going through the list of people in the group I saw Jon on there (way-to-go Jon for killing the Timberman HIM). Anyway, this 1/2 marathon is just what I'm looking for right now, and it's a great change of pace from the normal swim/bike/run.

Big Creek Triathlon Race Report

2010-08-16T11:25:00.001-05:00

Ok, Ok, Ok, a week late and a flood later I'm finally getting to my race report (sorry this is long). Big Creek Triathlon is Iowa's oldest triathlon. This year was the 30th year of the olympic distance event and also hosted the USAT Midwest Region AG Championships, so let’s just say the field was stacked. A big bonus for me is the fact that this race is practically out my front door. This is also the race of my olympic distance PR, which was a year ago, so I had high expectations for myself. I wanted to prove to myself that all the hard work and early morning workouts paid off.

The week prior to the race had been in the 80s, so it was still up in the air on whether it would be wet suit legal. Three days before the race and the weather turned into the typical Iowa August (90s with high humidity) making for heat indexes of over 100deg. Due to the race forecast of above 100 heat index I made sure to keep myself plenty hydrated on Saturday by carrying a bottle of water everywhere I went. Sunday morning started at 5am with my normal pre-race: oatmeal, Gatorade, banana, clif bar, water, & coffee. I got to the race around 6am, just in time to snatch up a great transition spot. It was already getting a little hot, but isn't that part of the challenge with these races? Anyways, in an all-too-familiar tone the race director got onto the PA system and announced that the race would be shortened to a 1000m swim, 40k bike, & 5K run. This was due to safety concerns for athletes and volunteers with the expected 100deg heat index. When they shortened the Hy-Vee Triathlon due to weather/safety I understood and was ok with it. However, shortening due to heat, come-on isn't that part of endurance racing in the summer? Needless to say, there were a lot of disappointed athletes in the transition area.

Swim: 1000 meters is longer than a sprint, but shorter than the typical 1500 meter olympic distance, so I wasn't sure how to swim it. So I figured just go out and swim fast. To my knowledge, this is actually the first time I remember drafting someone the entire swim. That really didn't matter, because I felt I was probably going too fast. I came out of the water exhausted and my HR was much higher than it should be coming out of the swim (I estimated it around 175). Coming out of the water there is a 100m run to the transition area. I clocked in a 16:29 swim which is a 1:39/100m pace. I believe that's my fastest race pace to date.

T1: I went sock-less again (second time during a race) and again, I'm loving these transition times. The only thing slowing me down on this race was “walking” on the rocky ground in the transition area. :49sec T1.

Bike: The last two olympic distance races I carried 24oz of gatorade and 20oz of water. That seemed to work for me and I thought it would be fine here. The short of it here is it didn’t work: I was through both aero bottle (20oz Gatorade) & bike bottle (24oz water) before the halfway mark & there was no bottle exchange on the bike (thought there was supposed to be one). I rode the second half w/o anything to drink and my legs started cramping so I knew the run was going to be another tough one. I also had major problems with my HR. My HR was around 180 (94%) when my Garmin 305 started to record my HR (still in transition). I don't know about any of you, but I think that's way too high of a HR coming off a swim and into a transition. Not sure if it was the heat or if I just went out to fast on the swim (fast is relative, I know a 1:39 pace is a cool-down for some of you). The first 8 miles on the bike I averaged a HR of 175, middle 8 it was 171, the last 8 it was 167. This was a relatively flat course, very similar to the trails I trained on. My intensity was higher than normal, but I really wanted to leave it all on the bike course knowing that I only had 5k to run vs. the normal 10k. I was off my bike in 1:09:59 with a 20.3mph average.

This is a minute faster than last year and a new PR at this distance. The only people passing me (and there were many) were guys on TT bikes. To all those who own a TT bike: is it really faster than a road bike w/clip-on aero bars, or is it that making an investment like that “compels” you to train in the saddle that much more?

T2: Great transition for me minus the issues with my Garmin 305. I was out of my shoes before I hit the dismount line. Racked my bike, slipped on my Zoots, and grabbed my gear. I ended up racking my bike with the front on the other side of the rack. This forced me to lean over and clip off my Garmin from the bike dropping it as it snapped off. :38 T2. I need to work on clipping the Garmin out and putting it in my rear jersey pocket before I dismount the bike.

Run: I knew my legs got cooked out on the bike, but I thought I still had enough to finish the 5k strong. As I started to put my stuff on (hat, race belt, & Garmin wrist strap) I noticed I must have dropped the wrist strap in transition. I was pissed because I wanted to keep track of my pace. After about ¾ mile, it didn’t matter. I could tell that it would take everything just to finish the run without walking. I just didn’t want it to turn into something similar to my Bluff Creek run. I made it to mile 1, walked through the aid station and took down some water & Gatorade. That helped reenergize me for another mile, but mile 3 was really hard. My mind games finally won out and I was down to walk/run to finish the race. The first two miles weren’t pretty either, I was averaging about 8/mile (much slower than my prior two races), but mile 3 is where I bonked and it took everything just to finish with an 8:44 average for the 5K. Let’s just say that I was so happy that the race was shortened to the 5K, there is no way I would have been able to complete another loop. Final run time of 27:05; and an overall race time of 1:55:01.

I crossed the finish line very disappointed, and hurt. I was so upset with my performance for the day (struggled on the swim, took everything out of me on the bike, & a 5K that was not fun) I didn’t even stick around to see my official times. It wasn’t until the next day that I felt a little better. It looks like everyone struggled out there in the heat. I ended up 9/28 in my AG (qualified for AG Nationals which I would be crazy to compete in), 112/322 overall. My swim pace improved from 2:06/100meter in ‘09 to 1:39 this year, which is a great improvement. My bike saw an improvement of 1min over last year, and considering the heat that’s a pretty good improvement.

This is my last triathlon of the year. I’m a little bummed out about that, but I need a little change right now. College Football season is less than 3 weeks away, and that means Saturday is going to be reserved for tailgating. William and the rest of my family is requiring more time. And last but not least, I have signed up for the Des Moines ½ Marathon on October 17th. I want to build my run endurance stronger and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do that. The longest I have ever run is 10 miles, so I’m going to commit to a training program that is weighted more on the running. More on this next adventure in my next post.

Crazy Weather & Getting Behind

2010-08-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy week! I have been so busy that this is the first time I've logged onto Blogger since Sunday. I still have a race report to write/post, and I have so many blogger buddies to catch up on. Niether of these are going to happen soon! I just wanted to give a quick update:

This past Sunday's race was reduced down in distance due to the extreme heat (heat index around 102). I'll try and get a race report soon. The quick story is 9/28 in AG, but I struggled soo bad on the run and my HR was way to high the entire race. Something is going to have to change on these longer distances. More on that later.

I have not worked out since the race on Sunday and I don't really have the motivation for it either. Again, this is another sign that something needs to change.

The main thing taking up my time is this:

The building I work in is on the right, and what you see is 4 feet of water in my parking lot surrounding the building. Due to heavy rain two nights in a row, and the fact that this summer has been the wettest summer ever, the creek next to my building went above and beyond the flood plain and got into my building. We had to move out while it is being cleaned and furniture is replaced (this building was brand new in '07.

(If you're not from Iowa just do a Google search of "ISU Flooding" they got it worst than us, but we are down stream from them.)

I am now working out of one of my project job trailers in downtown Des Moines. Welmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield has been building a new HQ down here and will be complete in Dec. I don't plan on being down here that long, maybe 3-6 weeks. Either way, it's been a big pain in the a$$. To put things in perspective, think about a construction company and how much paper/drawings we archive. Now think about what happens to paper when it gets wet...

Getting Nervous

2010-08-02T17:44:00.000-05:00

I don’t feel like I’m prepared for my A race this weekend. Coupled with inconsistent training and my vacation last week, my confidence on leaving Sunday’s race with another PR is low. This is disappointing considering I’ve had my mind on this race all season. I left last year’s race with a goal to break 2:30:00 in 2010. Well, 2010 is here, and that goal just doesn’t seem like a reasonable goal anymore.

The last olympic distance race I did was Bluff Creek, about 9 weeks ago. Since then I have put on some miles in my training, but my speed really hasn’t shown up. What eats at me even more is 9 weeks ago was one of my slowest races to date.

Prior to the first race this year I was following Matt Fitzgerald’s book, “Week-by-Week Training Guide.” I was almost religious to following the plan. Once the 16 week plan was over, I attempted to make up my own training plan with a couple triathlons mixed in. Those triathlons showed improvement (swim/run only) but they were only sprint distances. This weekend’s olympic has me worried about keeping my speed for twice the amount of time.

Last week’s vacation doesn’t help much either. I only did some running, and none of it was structured. It also doesn’t help that many adult beverages were consumed playing yard games and sitting out on the deck with my brothers. I always knew they were a bad influence on me:)

I believe my swim is up to speed. This morning’s pool workout showed promise; my 6x100s were consistently under 1:23. Tomorrow the plan is a 48min bike w/24min threshold, I'm also going to try and sneak in a short 1mile transition run afterwards. Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday will be run, swim, bike respectively. Friday's bike will be 3 very short brick workouts mostly practice of my sockless transitions. Saturday will be day off before the race.

Whatever the mood, I have to believe that I've trained the best I can with the time given to me. I also need to remember that I have a 3 month old baby boy at home that has kind of distracted me this summer. I just need to trust in my training, and most important, have fun.

July Totals & Back From Vaction

2010-07-31T11:19:00.000-05:00

Back from a much needed vacation. I had an absolute blast in Wisconsin Dells, partly due to the resort/cabin we stayed at and partly due to spending the time with my family. I would highly recommend Wilderness Resorts to any families looking for a fun vacation.

I was able to get a lot of running in over vacation. I put in about 20 miles over the 4 days which is more miles than I have ever ran in a week. I didn't put any pressure on myself when running (still did it at 6am). So there really wasn't any specific training goals in mind (negative split, hills, speed). It was nice just to go out and R-U-N.

July is my largest volume month to date. 28 miles & 4 hours over June's Totals.
Here is my July Distance/Time Totals:

Click the table to view the monthly details.

Distance (mi)	325.541
Time (hh:mm:ss)	26:30:16

Wisconsin Dells - Here We Come

2010-07-24T13:14:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning we all leave for the Dells on a 4 night vacation to Wilderness Resort. It's a very large resort that includes several water parks (indoor and outdoor). I believe it is one of the largest indoor parks in the world.

Anyway, when I said "we all" I mean my entire family (Mom, Dad, Sister & Boyfriend, Brother #1 & his family of four, Brother #2 & his family of three, and finally my family of five). We are all staying under the same roof! Not sure how this is all going to turn out, but hopefully the fact that we will be spending most the day out at the parks will help:) Just kidding, it's nice that we all get along and always have. We don't have any of that Mom/daughter-in-law/sibling drama when we get together. I am very thankful that I am blessed with such a wonderful family. This is also the main reason Carrie and I made the decision to move back home from Georgia a few years ago.

Almost all the kids are girls and the cousins love to play together (both of my kids are the oldest). I plan on "attempting" to run everyday and swim some laps if I get a chance. There's something to be said about running in a different local. It always seems to make running a little more enjoyable; new views, new trails, & new scenery.

I did get the "Petersen" studio out a week ago. We had not yet gotten a picture of our family with the new addition. William is getting so big and smiling all the time. I do not remember our girls smiling this much, heck, I barely remember my girls being this small. Where does the time go?

Missing Goal & New Tri Product

2010-07-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

I don’t think I’m going to make the 100 mile goal I set for myself last week. I’m just running out of day light hours to get this done. The mornings are already shorter now compared to June. Starting at 5:15 I only get about 90min on the bike (if it’s not raining which is the theme of summer 2010). Tuesday morning I resorted to spin class, but the spin instructor never showed up (little pissed about that). Thursday is my scheduled swim workout but I’ve decided to do a spin class/swim brick to get a little closer to that 100 goal; I’ll just have to cut back on my swim workout. Friday I’ll get in as many miles that I can in-between sunrise and my first jobsite meeting at 8. Finally on Saturday my planned brick; probably 20min TT on the bike then a 40min run with my new Zoots.

Saturday will be another early morning workout due to my volunteering time at the Ankeny Youth Triathlon. My new local Tri club (TRI: Triathlon Racers of Iowa) is helping out with the kids triathlon. I thought it was a terrific opportunity to get to know some of the other TRI racers, and also an opportunity to help kids get into this great sport. I’m really looking forward to this.

The new Tri product I was referring to is my new (first) aero bottle. I purchased the Profile Design Aqualite bottle. I used it on my last bike ride (20 miles) and was pretty happy with it.

A few things to note:

I ended up needing the separate bracket (additional costs) in order for the bottle to fit on my bars.
The instructions the bottle/bracket come with are meant to be used as toilet paper.
When full the water does splash out.

Overall I think it will stay on my bike during races, but I’ll be using my normal caged bottles during training/normal bike rides. It does help keep my momentum/cadence steady during the entire bike ride and I’m able to stay aero while drinking water. It probably won’t help my bike splits much: I figure during an olympic distance I’m out of aero maybe 10secs per drink of water. I’m guessing I take 5-7 drinks/bottle to finish. That’s only about 2min total out of aero due to hydration. I’d love to hear any thoughts regarding your aero bottles. Leave a comment and tell me what you think and your strategy on using it during a race.

Putting In Some Miles

2010-07-16T17:46:00.000-05:00

Looking ahead at my schedule I have 3 more weeks of training before the Big Creek Triathlon. One of those weeks I'll be up in Wisconsin Dells on a family vacation that I'm looking forward to. The only thing I plan on doing over vacation is running with a little swimming mixed in. Soo, that means I need to put in some miles next week in the saddle. My little goal for next week is 100 miles, which I have never done during a training week (I have done RAGBRAI a couple times).

In preparation of next week's 100 mile week I put in a solid 33 miles this morning. I started off at 5:30 and everything was perfect. The sun was just about to peak over the growing corn fields and the temps were around 70F. The days are already getting shorter because I do remember just a month ago getting on the trail @ 5am. I was able to maintain a 20mph average even with all the stops. I feel my bike strength is improving.

Have I told you this is a perfect TT trail?

Here is my Garmin data of this mornings ride:

Iowa Games Triathlon - Race Report

2010-07-11T19:03:00.000-05:00

Morning started off as a normal race day: 4:30am rise and shine, coffee, oatmeal, banana, & Gatorade. Checked the radar and wasn't surprised at what I saw (considering all the other rainy mornings this summer). It looked like we were going to get rain during the race, bummer.

I drove up to the race site and arrived around 6am, just as transition was opening up. This was great because it wasn't assigned spots, so we got to pick out any spot on the racks. I was able to pick out a spot right at the end of the rack with plenty of room. The rain that I thought we were going to get just didn't show up, and best of all either did the sun. Overall the weather for the race ended up great.

The swim was a quick out and back only 400yards total. Almost a full out sprint the entire time. I got a great starting position and felt like I stayed out close to the front the entire time. I wasn't too crowded considering how large of a wave we had (male 16-35). It helped that I started at the front and on the inside. Total swim time was 7:03.

This was the first race I decided to go sockless, and it helped! I ran into transition, stood on my towel while putting my glasses and helmet on, slipped on my bike shoes and grabbed the bike. Much, much faster than trying to put socks on. T1: 35secs

The bike route was out and back and relatively flat. The roads were still soaked from the early morning rain, so I was a little more careful on the bike around the corners. I could feel the water shooting up my back from my rear wheel. I felt great going out, but most of that was due to a tail wind. One other thing I'll admit: there was a little drafting that occurred between miles 10-12: There were four guys (including me) that were in the same AG that kind of bunched up during those miles. No one broke out of the group and we "innocently" used that for the 6min or so to our advantage. Total bike time was 36:37 which is about 21.3mph average.

Again with the sockless, I don't know why I didn't try this earlier! I was already out of my shoes by the time I hit the dismount line. I only had to rack my bike, slip my new Zoot Ultra TT shoes on and grab my race belt. T2: 23secs

I knew or at least felt like I was pretty close to the front of my age group. Of the four I spoke about earlier, two of them came out of T2 around the same time as me. One took off like a bullet, and the other was with me for the first mile but gradually started to pull ahead the more we ran. I did use my Garmin to keep track of my pace, but this time I wasn't using it to slow me down, I was using it to push me a little harder. I just didn't have as much mojo on this run compared to my Hy-Vee Tri run. Total run: 22:35.

To my surprise I ended up placing 3rd in my AG. It did help that two of the guys in our AG went 1,2 overall so that moved my AG spot up by two. And not to take anything away from my race performance but there was another sprint triathlon in Central Iowa that a lot of other athletes competed in, so that narrowed my field down a little (last year I would have placed 7th with this same time). Overall I placed 3rd out of 28 in my AG.

To sum it up, I'm very happy with all four performances (swim, bike, run, transitions) and I need to build on this for my next race. Big Creek Triathlon is next & it is an A race for me, scheduled for August 8th.

Finally: A Pair of Zoots!

2010-07-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

Ever since I started this crazy triathlon life two years ago I had always dreamed of owning a pair of Zoot Triathlon shoes. I could never justify purchasing a pair of shoes for over $99, especially if a good pair of running shoes with elastic laces does the same thing for me. I also had never spent more than $75 on any pair of shoes I have ever owned.

But how can I resist? They are soo cool looking, they have the Zoot logo tattooed across the side, and they just scream speed. Well the stars aligned, and the timing was right (it also helps to have a hell of a deal). Today I purchased a pair of Zoot Ultra TT shoes brand new for $65! How could any triathlete resist a 50% discount on this shoe!

I already had a plan to practice sockless transitions tomorrow morning, now I get to practice them with my new Zoots. Mostly I just need to break them in before Sunday's race, plus you know the rule "nothing new on race day."

I'll post a product review after I get a few miles on them.

Celebrations & Midwest Region AG Championships

2010-07-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had two celebrations: Our country's independence and my daughter's birthday. So to say the least, we were very busy this past weekend. My oldest turned 7 on the 1st. We had a small cake at home but didn't really celebrate until the 3rd. That's when we typically host a party at our house for the 4th and combine Emily's birthday as part of it. That has worked out pretty well for us for the past 7 years, and I can see that tradition continuing.

On the 4th we headed to my home town in eastern Iowa. My girls were invited to be in the town parade (invited by my parents) and help throw out candy for MidWestOne Bank. Olivia decided at the last minute that she didn't want to ride the float, so her and I took off and got a good spot to watch the parade. I was a little too late getting the camera out to take a good picture of Emily as they went by us throwing candy. After the parade Emily was nothing but smile from ear to ear, she had a blast.

Today I signed up for Big Creek Triathlon. It's an Olympic distance triathlon and one of the oldest in Iowa. This year will be the 30th year of the race, it will also serve as one of the Midwest Regional Championships. Last year at Big Creek was my PR for this distance and my goal is to PR again. It's a very flat course which makes it very fast. Last year I did it in 2:34, this year my goal is sub 2:30. I'm going to be working on my bike a lot this next month with more miles in the upper Z4 area (yes I'm no amateur anymore I now have a heart rate monitor!)

This Sunday is the Iowa Games Sprint Tri for me, race report to follow. Good luck to Dr: TRI'ing 4 Iron he is doing his first triathlon this weekend. Everyone remembers their first!

June Totals & Template Change

2010-06-30T18:36:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to change my Blogger template for some time now, but haven't had the time to look into it. I finally forced myself over the last few evenings to do what I've been wanting to do. I changed the actual template and added some page links at the top.

The photos I edited with CS2 (Photoshop). I'm not the best at Photoshop, most of what I've learned has been through trial & error, along with a little help from Google. It helps to be a little bit of a geek also.

Here is my June Distance/Time Totals:

Click the table to view the monthly details.

Distance (mi)	297.543
Time (hh:mm:ss)	22:11:47

TriSlide Product Review

2010-06-27T11:10:00.001-05:00

I have been using BodyGlide for any chafing areas for the past year. It has always worked well and I have never had any issues. Besides the chafing areas, I've used it on my ankles to help slip the wetsuit off quicker.

A while ago I read a post by a local blogger, LittleRachet, who talked about how well the TriSlide worked. TriSlide is an anti-friction/anti-chafing continuous spray skin lubricant that gives you the freedom of movement by keeping you comfortable. It is very easy to put on (a little more difficult on the underside) just point and spray.

This is now my go-to anti-friction product; I love this stuff. It's especially easier to put on the feet, between toes, and around the ankles. It is very slippery and makes everything it comes in contact with slippery. I learned this the hard way when I sprayed my feet when I was standing over our rug that sits in our garage. That rug is now a new ice rink. Actually not quite, but standing on it barefoot can be a little dangerous.

I did do a brick workout yesterday going sockless (both on bike and run). I used my TriSlide on my feet and smeared some body glide on the inside edges of my race shoes. I am happy to say that it worked great and I'm planning on going sockless in my next sprint on July 11th. My only concern is with shoe stank. My feet sweat badly, and I'm nervous over time that my shoes are going to start to grow legs and arms and walk away on me.

In The Funk

2010-06-23T19:43:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been in kind of a funk. I don't feel as motivated to push hard as I used to be. Not sure if it's the heat, lack of A race coming up, very low hours of sleep, or the fact that my training routine is no more.

Sleep has kind of been at a premium in our house since April 27th. William is getting so big, and I'm very impressed. Already over 11lbs. and looking tall. Most of my "proud daddy" feelings come from my own experiences as a kid (kind of small and not really tall). So I'm hoping that Will gets more "Petersen" genes than I ever did. At 8 weeks old, he's looking pretty good.

Due to the lack of sleep, I've ran over lunch these last couple days (and the fact that it's rained here every morning this week). It's been great workouts if my real goal was to acclimate to the heat, but speed has always been my goal and I seem to be slowing down (blaming that on the heat).

Because of the rain in the mornings I haven't been on the bike since Friday, and now it looks like I'll be doing a spin class tomorrow morning in combination with a swim workout. I'm hoping Friday works out for a planned LONG ride down to Cumming. Also hope to do a nice brick workout on Saturday and practice going sock-less.

Next race is July 11th.: Iowa Games Sprint. Looking forward to this race to see any improvement over the last year. This was the first sprint race I ever competed in two years ago. It's always fun to see year over year improvement, that is if I can get out of this funk!

Hy-Vee Triathlon Pictures

2010-06-18T19:04:00.000-05:00

Why is it that photographers always look to snap a picture with your worst facial expression during a race. Then again, I never here them say, "Say Cheese!" when I'm coming up to them.

Here is the Garmin Connect data from the race:
Swim Bike Run

I ended up wearing the Garmin during the swim (not recommended by Garmin). I've talked to enough people who have worn the 305 during the swim that I wasn't concerned with any damage. The 305 is 1meter underwater rated for 30min. I plan on getting the Garmin Quick Release before my next Olympic distance and not wear it during the longer swim courses.

Hy-Vee Triathlon Race Report

2010-06-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

The night before the race we did not get back from Council Bluffs, Iowa (wedding) until 10:30. Needless to say I did not get to bed until midnight. Three hours later my alarm was going off.

Out of bed
Checked the doppler for any weather (looks like rain so I resided with the fact I was getting wet)
Shower
Eat my oatmeal & banana
Fill my travelling coffee cup
Sip on gatorade all morning
Pack my car
Don't forget anything!
Get down to Vally West Mall for the bus transfer down to the race venue.

My wife thought I was nuts for getting up soo early for a 6am race. I told her I like to figure in extra time for those "un-planned" issues. Well, good thing - the bus I ended up on did not know his way down to the race, so the 20min ride ended up taking 45min.

The transition area was muddy & wet, like a huge sponge. I started to set up my transition area when the race director asked everyone to listen to a very important announcement. "We have been watching the developing storm and have been in contact with the National Weather Service since 2am. The storm has been increasing in size and is heading this direction. Due to safety concerns and the estimated time we believe the storm will reach us, we have decided to change the race format from the original olympic distance to a sprint distance with a time trial start (400Mswim, 20Kbike, 5Krun).”

At the time of the announcement there were about 1200 athletes present and there was a huge disappointed sigh from the transition area. At first I heard a lot of complaining and whining. But soon after when reality hit, everyone started to realize that a sprint was much better than a complete cancellation. I was disappointed and impressed at the same time. The race organizers had only 1 hour to change everything (swim start, swim buoys, bike course, run course, & not to mention preparing everything for the oncoming storm). They pulled it off like they had rehearsed this 10,000 times.

They started the race on time and promptly at 6am. It was a time trial start with everyone being 3secs apart. I really enjoyed this type of start; it spread people out more and didn’t have the typical “bodies on top of bodies.” I did decide to wear my wetsuit, I figured it was a wash as far as time goes (gain about 30sec on the swim, lose about 30sec in transition). I also figured I would come out of the water more rested. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but the swim was longer than 400meters. Using my Garmin I calculated the distance to be about 540yards, this is also more consistent with my expected open water pace. Total swim 9:02.

T1 was not so quick. I forget how big the transition area is and how many bike racks you have to run around to get to your spot. Everything was going as planned until my last sock was put on upside down, so I had to readjust and put it back on. Running out of T1 was slow due to the sponge like surface I was trying to be careful on. I figured I lost about 20-30 sec due to all this. Total T1 2:30.

The bike was a quick out and back course. Only one small hill to worry about, the rest was very flat. A slight breeze, but not much to be concerned with, overall a great morning to be out on a bike. I felt great, with the flat roads I was averaging about 22-23. The only people passing me were those on their TT bikes (gotta get one of those). But I love it when I’m the one passing them. I always get a little grin on my face when I see them look over at who’s passing them. “Yep, that’s me on the road bike and I probably spent less than half what you did.” Actually, I'm kidding around, I’m really jealous of TT bike owners! Towards the end of the course there is a section that is “no passing” and has a few turns in it, which slowed me down a bit. Total Bike 36:31.

T2 again was muddy & wet. It was even worst due to all the additional people who had made it through transition. I had to be careful where I slipped my shoes on because I didn’t want a sock full of mud before I put my running shoes on. In addition, this is the second year in a row that I didn’t visualize where the run start was. I just took off running in one direction and it happened to be the opposite direction of run exit. Total T2 1:25.

The run was great. It was only a 5K so no need for water/aid stations, just run. One of the best parts was running on the blue carpet inside the race grandstands right after transition (just like all the pros do). Running through there made me feel as fast as the pros, but I looked down at my Garmin305 and got a reality check. I was maintaining about a 7:14pace at first. I was passed a few times, but overall I was doing most of the passing (that typically doesn’t happen to me). As the distance went on I started to open it up a little bit more. My last mile was a 6:50split. I was very happy with my run and the fact that it was only 1min off my 5K race PR made things even better. Total Run 22:06

After I finished I met up with my parents (who travelled 90 miles to see me finish). The announcer kept people up to date with the storm and how many more minutes we had till the sky opened up. Sure enough, he was dead on. We had plenty of time to get under a shelter and wait out the storm before we took off for IHOP (great post-race meal).

In the end, I'm disappointed my first A race of the year was cut short, but very happy I still had a race. I'm also very impressed with my run time, it's 2-3min faster than my previous sprint course times. Not sure yet, but next race will be the Iowa Games Sprint (July 11th). I'm going to try and learn to bike/run without socks before this race. I figure I could possibly pick up a minute by doing so.

Hy-Vee "Sprint" Triathlon - Quick Results

2010-06-13T15:42:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post on my results for Hy-Vee, full race report to come. Due to a weather front that was approaching, race directors decided to shorten the distance to a Sprint Distance Triathlon with a time trial start.

Jury is still out on my 9:02 swim, a little disappointed with my 36:31 bike, very disappointed with both transitions, but very happy with my 22:06 run. Overall, great race (minus the shorter distance & T-storm).

More later...

Hy-Vee Triathlon Weekend

2010-06-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

Two days out till race day and I find myself getting all my ducks in a row today. It’s going to be a busy weekend for me.

Today – work or at least try to concentrate enough to work. I am on this little high right now, excited but nervous. Not sure why I get like this, I know I’m not in contention for any awards or podium spots. It’s the competitiveness that always comes out. And who do I find myself competing against: me and my last year’s finish time. He (last year Bret) always makes me push harder every year, and always forces me to focus on goals and breaking those goals. Last year I finished Hy-Vee @ 2:44:46. This year’s goal is 2:31:30. This is as long as it stays wetsuit legal. If water temps go up over the weekend and wetsuits are not allowed, my goal changes to 2:36:00.

This afternoon it’s race packet pickup along with the Tri Expo they hold. Need to pick up some Hammer Gel while I’m there. Weather permitting; I’ll be taking the girls to the pool after the Tri Expo. They deserve a much needed reward for being good for Mom & the Baby the first full week of summer vacation. In addition, I’d like to get in one more “easy” workout. Plan is to get on the saddle for 30min, and practice my moving dismount (new this year). Also get in a 10min jog just to keep my legs loose and stretch them out. Yesterday I got my last swim in with the bonus of it being open water in my wetsuit. The triathlon has opened up several time slots over the last few days where racers can go down to the lake and practice open water swimming.

Saturday – Pack my transition bag(s) and get everything lined up. The plan was to go down to the Kids Triathlon with my oldest (who was going to compete in her first Tri), but we have decided to go to a wedding. So now, I’ll be dropping my bike off at a friend’s on our way to Council Bluffs, IA. That friend (thank you Keith!) will then take my bike down to the race and check it in/rack it up. We won’t be getting back from the wedding until 9 or so, which does not give me enough time to get down and check the bike in myself.

Sunday – First wave starts at 6am, and athletes have to take a bus transfer down to the race venue (limited parking). Plan is to leave my house by 3:30am. Last year I thought I gave myself enough time, but due to the bus transfer and waiting around for buses, my prep time was cut short, and I hate being rushed. I just found out last night that my parents are planning on coming down to the race. They’re leaving around 6am which puts them down there around 8. Enough time to see me cross the finish line. After that I’m hoping to stick around and watch the Elite ITU Triathlon. It’s featuring a boat load of Olympic athletes along with two Des Moines natives, Nathan White (professional debut) and T.J. Tollakson (professional since ‘05) You can read all about that story HERE.

Garmin Connect

2010-06-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

Testing out my Garmin 301 and all the cool features and techy stuff you can do with it. Three workout so far since purchase. I'm not planning on posting "every" workout. I'm just a little gadget happy right now. Garmin Connect is great, finally one place for me to keep track of my workouts.

Upgrade: Garmin 201- Garmin 305 w/HR

2010-06-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

Just made the upgrade to the Garmin 305 from my previous Garmin 201. Few reason why I did so:

I'm a big gadget geek.
I've been wanting a HR monitor for some time now.
A bit smaller.
Suited better for triathlete workouts (workout specific).
My 201 no longer connected to any computers so I couldn't upload my workout information.
Everyone knows in an age of electronics, anything over 5 years old is antique.

I'm kind of anxious to start using the HR feature. I have never trained based off HR zones, I've always trained off pace. Using the HR monitor will add one more variable for me to measure and track. I found a GREAT blog with all kinds of reviews and product info for the triathlete in mind. DC Rainmaker has a great blog, check it out sometime.

Now the question is: what to do with my old 201. It still works great, and is still a great training tool. I'd like to keep it because it has all my run history for the past two years (remember I can't upload it to a computer anymore). But I know it will just sit in a dresser drawer for years before I ever look back at those. I may give it to somebody who is just getting started into running. I always thought tracking your pace/distance made running a little more enjoyable.

By-the-way, this is how I get work done around the house with two girls, a 5 week old, and Mom out for the night with friends:

Wanted to give a shout-out and congratulations to five fellow bloggers who competed in races this past weekend also:

Dam to Dam Race Report - New PR

2010-06-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

Late night for me the night before, William hadn't slept all day and decided to stay up all night also. It can be very frustrating when you need the sleep for the race in the morning, but I can't hold that against a 4 week old. Either way, I finally got my "5" hours of sleep and woke up to rain hitting the roof at 6am.

With my expert Meteorology skills (and the web), I determined the rain would be out of here by the time I drove downtown. Sure enough, the sun started to peek through when I pulled up to the meter. After parking I jogged down to the 5K start. The 20K race (the real race) was just finishing up for most of the runners. I could tell it was a wet run for most, they were soaked head to toe.

I made my way up to the front of the start line, I believe there were close to 2000 runners. I learned from the last few years that I needed to get close to the front if I didn't want to get stuck behind someone slow (most people don't follow the posted pace signs).

Before I knew it, the gun went off and we started. I took my Garmin 201 with me to keep track of pace (very happy I decided to do this). As usual the first half mile was way too fast, about 5:45 pace. I was feeling good, but of course that is only after 1/2 mile. To PR today I knew I needed to keep my pace somewhere below 7/mile.

At mile 1 my Garmin beeped and flashed my first mile pace...6:26! Wow, still feeling good and I managed to build myself a little cushion. I slowed my pace down a little because I knew I still had 2 more miles. Psychologically, this helped soo much. Again, having the Garmin 201 to keep track of my pace was my saving grace. Mile two beeped and that pace was 6:44. Great, now I knew as long as I kept to a 7min pace I would PR! I knew I had this. That last mile I kept glancing down at my pace to verify I was staying under 7min. and had my eyes on the guy 5meters in front of me. The last 100m was a sprint for both of us with me finishing ahead at 21:05!

30th overall, 5th in AG and 50sec faster than last year. The overall winning time was 15:36, wow! So, I'm one step closer to a sub 20min 5K (major goal of mine). I also feel vindicated after my poor run performance at Bluff Creek Tri two weeks ago. Finally all the tempo, interval, & hill workouts have paid off. Next race - the Hy-Vee Triathlon on June 13th.

May Totals & Too Busy To Sleep

2010-06-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

After looking over my totals over the past several months I noticed that May was way down, 28% lower in volume compared to April to be exact. There were two weeks in the month of May that were basically "taper" weeks. The week before Bluff Creek Triathlon and the week after (due to the fact that the race really took a beating on my body). This is not a good trend leading up to Hy-Vee and makes me a little nervous.

I am also not getting the sleep my body needs to recover. This was expected with the new baby, but didn't think it would effect me this much leading up to my A race of the year. I'm finding it harder to find time to sleep, let alone workout. I've found myself sleeping-in just a little or even skipping a day to get a little more sleep. That little more sleep isn't even "good" sleep (you parents out there would understand that).

Added to that is the fact that my local swim pool has closed down due to maintenance for a week. That has changed things up for me also. I'll be swimming at the Urbandale pool over lunch this week so that I don't forget how to swim come June 13th.

Up next for me is the Dam to Dam Road Race. I'm going to be running the 5K on Saturday along with 3000 others in down town Des Moines. I've done this race every year since I started running 4 years ago. It's a lot of fun and a great post-race party.

May Totals:
Swim: 12.2 miles
Bike: 92.1miles
Run: 52.14 miles
Total Time 23.4hours

Humbling Experience - Bluff Creek Triathlon Race Report

2010-05-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

Title says it all - the course took everything out of me. Leading up to this race I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. I know I was better prepared/trained for this race compared to any other race; I worked very hard this past winter/spring to make sure of that. In the end, my bike was 6min slower and my run was on par compared to my first triathlon I did two years ago. Very disappointing!

Woke up at 4:20, made my coffee, ate my oatmeal, packed my car, & was out the door by 5:10. Checked in by 6:30 and started to set up my transition. The bugs were terrible! Even the steady breeze couldn't keep the bugs away. Luckily I had on my hooded sweatshirt and warm-up pants which helped a lot. After the short bus ride over to the beach (swim start) I had some time to get into the water and get that initial shock of the 60deg water over with. This was my first race in my new Xterra sleeveless wetsuit and I'm very happy with my investment.

The swim was great. Plenty of room, didn't get kicked around or swam over. This was a swim PR for me, but I knew going into the swim that wearing a wetsuit for the first time would help. After the first turn, the water was choppy due to the winds (more about that later). In my limited time doing triathlons, I've never swam in water that was this choppy. I just made sure to rotate my head a little bit more when taking a breath. I exited the water with a new PR of 27:53.

T1, there was a longer jog from the lake up to the transition area. Everything went smoothly for me. Rolled off the wetsuit, socks, glasses, helmet, & bike with a time of 1:47.

Up to this point I was feeling great. Fast swim, good transition, and I "thought" I was in good shape for the hill (they call it twister hill) on this course. The hill is part of the Des Moines River Vally. It's about a 7% grade depending on what side of the hill your going up. Lucky for us, the route is out and back, so we got to do both sides of the hill. The bottom of the hill was flat and just long enough so that you couldn't use any momentum from the down hill to help out with going back up. For me it was 45mph down one side and 6mph of grinding up the other. I was not prepared and I was not trained for this type of hill. This wasn't even the hardest part of the bike. It was the 20mph wind that took everything out of me. Sometimes I think a crosswind can be even worst than a headwind. I found myself for the very first time wishing I could get off the bike and start running. I did finish the bike leg using up all 24oz of gatorade, 20oz of water, and two GUs. In the end, it was my slowest 24.8miles to date 1:21:30.

T2, fast and quick. Bikes around me were not lined up correctly, mostly due to the wind blowing them around. I had to move a few bike around just to make room for my bike. Slipped on shoes and grabbed my garmin & belt :46sec.

My run started with the typical heavy legs. Right away I could tell the heat & humidity could become a problem for me. I've been doing all my running in the mornings (50deg or cooler). My body wasn't really trained for this hot of a run yet. I was averaging about 8:15/mile and my body was screaming at me to walk through the first aid station and drink lots of water. Well, that was it for me, after that little walk my legs just started to cramp up. So it was a run/walk the rest of the race. I tried pulling over to stretch out my quad, but as soon as I pulled my ankle back, my hams knotted up. That was the last time I tried that! The run is what I'm the most disappointed in. I've done soo much more run training this past winter/spring and shown improvements in my pacing compared to a year ago. The bike I can blame on the wind, hills, & not being prepared, but I have no excuse for the cramping throughout the entire run. Last race of the year '09 I ran a 49min 10K, now I'm starting '10 with a 58:31. Well, only one direction to go from here. Final official time was 2:50:29.

What I'm taking away from this race:

Race organizers put on a great race, I would recommend this race to anyone. It has both the sprint and olympic distance available. I will be doing this race again next year.
For a non-swimmer like me, a wetsuit is a great tool.
More hill intervals on the bike are needed.
More training in the heat is needed.
Take a full days rest the day before the race. I failed to mention that I did a brick workout on Saturday, not quite sure why I did that to myself. I knew going into the race on Sunday that it's a B race for me and really just a gauge for the Hy-Vee Tri coming up on June 13th.
I feel I have my nutrition down throughout the race. I maybe need another bottle of fluids on hotter days. May need to purchase a Profile Design Aualite for additional fluid storage.
I will be joining Tri Racers of Iowa. It's a my local tri club that I met while at this race. I've always knew I would get around to joining the group, but never pulled the trigger. I had a chance to meet and talk with a few of them at the race. Plus, they'll be my support/cheering crowd for the next few years while I wait for my kids to get old enough to come out and support their dad.

Overall a good prep-race for the Hy-Vee Triathlon on June 13th. Really pointed out my weaknesses. I'll take it easy over the next two days, then follow weeks #14 & #15 build training plan followed by a taper before the race.

Packed & Ready (Pre-Race)

2010-05-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

First I wanted to say thank you to Julie. I can't believe I actually won something for once in my life! I was one of the lucky winners on her first blog giveaway!

Ok, Bluff Creek Tri is tomorrow, I believe I'm ready and packed for my first race of the year. This picture w/list is really a double check for me to make sure I don't forget anything. Plus, this is more typical of my type A personality (if you can't tell).

6am Check-in
8am Race Start
Up by 4:30, 1-1/2 bowls oatmeal, 2-10oz cups coffee (drink over next two hours), banana, & gatorade.
Leave by 5am; hour to drive.

USAT card, Cateye, Plastic Garbage Bag, Black Tape, & Pump are in the car.

Swim:
Race Shorts
Race Jersey
Wetsuite
Flip-flops
Googles
Extra Googles
Body Glide
Gu
Watch

Bike:
2x towels
Sunscreen
Glasses (tinted & clear)
Helmet
Gatorade Bottle
Water Bottle
2x Gu
Bike Shoes
Socks

Run:
Race Belt
Shoes
Hat
Garmin

Week #16 - Taper & No Sleep

2010-05-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

I was looking forward to this taper week, however my body just isn't feeling the "taper." William has been inconsistent at best with his sleeping habits (I wasn't expecting anything better). I knew the new baby would put a hamper on my training and I was planning on it. However, it's so hard to skip a workout when I'm only one week away from a B race, and three weeks away from my A race.

I'm happy to say I haven't missed a workout yet, but my sleep has taken a beaten. I'm down to probably 2-3 hours of "good" sleep a night. Bless my wife, who has it even worst then me. She actually has to stay up to feed him while I get to go back to bed.

Still, I feel ready for this weeks race. Last week I did a 2 hour ride (outside!) and averaged 20mph. That is enough to give me the confidence I needed going into the bike this weekend.

Week #16 Plan:

Monday

Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 5x75 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn

2975yds total

Tuesday

Bike: Spin Class 50min+2-mile run

Wednesday

14min Tempo Run; 34min total run

Thursday

Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 3x200 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn

2600yds total

Friday

Brick: 30min bike 10min run

Saturday

Run/Walk: 30min

Sunday

Bluff Creek Triathlon

Week #15 - Two More Weeks

2010-05-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

Two more weeks till the Bluff Creek Triathlon. I find myself getting a little excited when I start to think about my first race of the year. Questions start to enter my head, "am I ready? will the weather cooperate? how cold will the water be? will I be faster than last year?" I always have to remind myself that this is all in fun, and I'm Just An Age Grouper not competing for a podium spot:)

I found out that a buddy of mine who was going up with me to do the sprint race is no longer able to make it. So I'll be travelling up to Ogden by myself unless I can talk one of my brothers into waking up at 4:30am (very doubtful).

Week #15 marks the last "build" week until my taper the following week. Weather looks questionable, so I'll probably be on my trainer all week. I really need to get out on the roads before the race, not sure when I'm going to work that in though. That is the part that's making me a little worried.

Week #15 Plan:

Monday
Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x100 VO2max w/30sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn

3350yds total

Run: 3miles

Tuesday
Bike: Spin Class 55min+2-mile run
Wednesday
20min Tempo Run; 40min total run
Thursday
Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x300 threshold w/30sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn

3200yds total

Friday
Bike: 2hr 15min

Saturday
Run: 80min

April Totals

2010-05-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

A little late, but here is my April workout log. I did 30hours of workouts in April vs. 25hours in March. April was the month I started working on speed & hills with my runs. I have seen a big improvement since starting those workouts. The transition runs after every bike ride have helped a lot. I don't have the typical "heavy legs" when running off the bike like I used to have.

Compared to a year ago, I feel I'm in much better shape, healthier, and faster. My weight is down to 165lbs, so about 10lbs lighter than when I started my training schedule.

The one thing I'm a little nervous about is my bike. Every bike workout (except for one) has been on either a trainer or spin bike. My life dictates to me a 4:45am workout everyday, and it has been either too cold or too dark to ride outside at that time. So, I don't really have a good gauge as to my bike fitness/speed, and that's the largest portion of any triathlon.

If you haven't seen already, Julie's Running Blog is having her first giveaway. I'm mentioning this because I need body glide and I want another chance at winning it:) No really, I've always enjoyed reading her posts, very entertaining and fun to read.

Week #14 - Adjusting To No Sleep

2010-05-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

William is here and so are the 3hour naps throughout the night. The 4:30 morning workouts haven't been too bad, but I've only had two. I'm sure this odd sleeping habit is going to catch up with me, especially if I don't reduce my workout hours. Plan is to continue until my body starts to tell me differently.

First Triathlon is three weeks away!

Week #14 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x100 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3350yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 55min+2-mile run

Wednesday - 18min Tempo Run; 38min total run

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x300 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3200yds total

Friday - Brick: 90min/30min

Saturday - Run: 60min

A Tempo Swim & A Name

2010-04-29T17:45:00.000-05:00

Have a name: William Carey Petersen, but we'll be calling him Will. It took us a few days to decide, but in the end it's the first name my wife picked out several months ago. Isn't he so cute!

These days off from work are great. I kind of have full range during the day to get in a workout. Today was my swim day and I didn't want to be gone long from my new little guy so I decided to test my swim endurance out and swim the 1.5K Olympic distance at tempo speed. 26min flat in a 25yd pool. I've figured I lose about 15%-18% going to open water which puts me at about 30min for the race (about 6min faster than last year). I haven't yet figured the % gain when using a wetsuit (only swam with a wetsuit once).

Now this was a 26min 1600yds and my right shoulder is sore! I usually put in at least 3000 on my swim workouts, but this 1600 continuous really put a hurt on my shoulders. Because of this I've decided to change my Thursday swims to represent more of this continuous swim rather than 200 or 300 intervals.

New Addition & COFFEE PLEASE

2010-04-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

Well, he's here, and we all could not be happier. As you can see in the pictures, my girls are so proud of their new baby brother. Mother is doing great and a true trooper. It's very humbling to watch what she has to go through and makes me very proud to be her husband.

I stayed at the hospital last night and helped out all night long. As a consequence, I broke down and had myself a coffee this morning. First one in a month; and boy did it really hit the spot. So much so, I went home to clean up and got my run workout in before showering. The coffee in the hospital must be super juice because I ran 5miles with 7:10 splits after only an hour sleep last night. I may just have to get this coffee before my first race.

Week #13 - BIG WEEK

2010-04-25T20:28:00.000-05:00

I feel rested after this past recovery week. Finished the week with a great brick workout on Saturday and held a 7:30 pace after a 22mile bike. I not only cut back on my volume, but my diet didn't follow the normal plan also. I was eating everything in sight, and the fact that DQ had buy one blizzard at regular price get 2nd for $.25 didn't help. I've never had soo many blizzards in one week. My 9 month pregnant wife kept requesting them so who was I to stand in the way, plus I wasn't just going to let that $.25 blizzard go to waste.

This is the big week for our family; we'll be adding one more on Tuesday. We're all very excited around the house, the biggest stress right now is names (haven't picked one out yet). It's down to Caleb or William. I'm still a little anxious as to how I'm going to adjust my training with the new baby in the house. Like everything in life, prioritize, plan, then execute.

Week #13 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x100 VO2max w/60sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3350yds total

-Run: 2-1/2miles

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min+2-mile run or 24min Tempo Ride (65min total)
Wednesday - 16min Tempo Run; 36min total run

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x300 threshold w/60sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn

3200yds total

Friday - Bike: 120min

Saturday - Run: 80min

Week #12 - Recovery Week!

2010-04-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Finally, I need a rest. However, looking at my schedule, it doesn't look like much of a rest to me. Am I missing something in this "recovery" week? My legs have been feeling very heavy, so I'm just going to dial it down a little. However, wednesday's Tempo run I'm planning on doing over a hilly course. I'm just trying to adapt my running legs to hills. My first A race, (HY-Vee), of the season has a very hilly run course. The goal of Saturday's Brick is to get close to my race speed, we'll see how I feel and how that goes.

Only one week until new baby and only one month until first triathlon!

Week #12 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 5x75 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3150yds total
-Run: 2miles

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min+2-mile run

Wednesday - 14min Tempo Run; 34min total run

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x200 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2800yds total

Friday - Bike: 60min

Saturday - Brick: Bike-75min/Run-20min

Long Bike & Long Run

2010-04-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Friday/Saturday I logged my longest miles ever done in two days. I know it's probably warm-up miles for most of you half/full ironman athletes out there, but it's a first for me.

Friday I went into work early so I could take advantage of the 60F temps in the afternoon, only problem was the wind! After picking up a new jersey from Kyle's Bikes, I headed North out of Ankeny with a headwind of 18mph averaging 15mph. The wind was bad, but no gusts, just a steady push making it feel like a very, very, long hill. As soon as I turned around I knew I was going to enjoy the ride back home. With the wind behind me the entire ride, I was able to ride at 32mph on some of the flat stretches. I just wish I had a TT bike to do some of this fun stuff with! Logged in about 40miles in a couple hours, and my legs felt smashed.

Then on Saturday I logged my longest run ever, 10miles. I have never run 10miles continuously before, but I had a 80min run on my training schedule and things felt great the whole run. I grew into athletics as a sprinter, so a 1mile run seemed crazy to me. Now that I have done 10miles, I feel I'm actually getting close to calling myself an endurance athlete.

I was a little nervous thinking about this run due to my last year's attempt at 80min (cut short with a knee injury 4 weeks before my first triathlon). A little sore today, but at least it's my day off and next week is a Recovery week!

One more thing while I'm talking about these 40mile bikes and 10mile runs, I'm following a fellow blogger at IRONMAN.COM as he competes in the New Orleans 70.3. John was one of the first bloggers I started to "follow" as a blogger and have enjoyed his posts. Good luck John!

Week #11 - Just Waiting For A Recovery

2010-04-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

My workouts have felt great these past two weeks, but that has all caught up to me and now I'm dragging. Just have to make it through this week and then it's recovery time.

Two goals that I placed for myself are going well: eating better & no coffee. Beginning in March I told myself I would eat better and eat less; 45days later and I'm down 5lbs. I wonder though how much of the weight lose is due to my increase in volume/intensity of the workouts? The no coffee I started this month, and it's been hard. I haven't had any since the 1st, but I crave it sooo much almost every morning. Even the smell of freshly brewed coffee can play tricks with my head. And my wife said I was addicted to coffee... what does she know:)

Week #11 Plan:
Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 7x75 VO2max w/20sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3300yds total
-Run: 2miles
-Bike: 30min; 4x60sec single leg drills

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min+2-mile run

Wednesday - Hills Run: 7:30min pace; 44min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x200 threshold w/20sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2900yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 2 hours

Saturday - Run: 75min base

Week #10 - Trip to Minneapolis

2010-04-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

Week #10 continues the build up to race pace and volume. Even though the spin class on Tuesdays usually beat me up pretty good, I'm tempted to get on my trainer the night before for a few intervals. The training plan calls out for 80min total time on the bike, but Tuesday's spin class is only 45min long. We'll see how I feel Monday evening.

Friday I have a trip planned for Minneapolis. We have a vendor in the Chanhassen area that is putting us up in a hotel downtown. If you read my "love/hate" post regarding travel you'll understand my feeling about the trip. After we attend the training at their factory, I'm sure we'll be wined and dined with someone other than me footing the bill. This is usually a receipt for a "late night." I'm just hoping I have enough will-power to get myself to bed so I can run the next morning.

I have two blog followers that live in the Minneapolis area, anything going on in Minneapolis that's of interest this weekend?

Week #10 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x75 VO2max w/30sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3200yds total
-Bike: 30min; 4x30sec single leg drills

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min+2-mile run

Wednesday - Hills Run: 7:30min pace; 40min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x200 threshold w/30sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2900yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 75min+30min run

Saturday - Run: 50min base

March Totals

2010-04-01T20:19:00.000-05:00

March was a great month of training. In a sport where consistency is everything, I think I only missed 1 day. I have really felt my swim (finally) improve. My 4x200s are holding good pace from start to finish. I have also logged "good" miles on the runs.

This season looks to be shaping up to be a great year, and I'm looking forward to see how much better I could possibly perform this year. Although, the big question mark on this season is how a new baby in the family is going to effect my schedule. The new baby boy is scheduled (c-section) for April 27th, just 4 weeks away. Unless this baby is not like any other baby in the world, I believe I will be skipping more workouts just to get some sleep in.

Week #9 - Let the Pain Begin

2010-03-31T15:32:00.000-05:00

Week #9 is the first week of the build phase. Lots more intervals, lots more hills, and lots more "push till your ears bleed." My body felt rested going into this week and my prior injuries seem to have silenced.

I'm hoping to get my bike back from Kyle's Bikes before my scheduled long ride on Friday. I took it in to get an annual service, but also asked for them to price up a front crank upgrade. I ended up getting a great deal on a slightly used SRAM Force Carbon crank w/bearing. Looking forward to riding the bike with the larger front chainring.

Week #9 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x75 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3200yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Hills Run: 7:30min pace; 38min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x200 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2800yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 90min

Saturday - Run: 65min base

Hill Workouts

2010-03-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

I've decided to change my normal Wednesday running (speed) workouts to running hills. Several reason:

1. There is a great trail just outside my office which includes a flat warm-up/cool-dn along a wooded trail.

2. I can run over lunch (which means I can sleep in on Wednesday mornings).

3. Weather is warming up to allow for this.

4. My first A race (Hy-Vee Tri) has an elevation profile very close to this trail.

This was only 4.5miles of the trail, there are more hills the longer I run.

Week #8 - Halfway There

2010-03-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

This week (week #8) marks halfway through my training plan from Matt Fitzgerald's Week by Week book. I started using this two years ago when I decided to attempt my first triathlon. It's been a great book to use as a reference, and to keep me on track to the final goal. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especailly anyone who has trouble setting up a training plan, and especially anyone who want to get into triathlons.

Week #8 is a recovery week, but with the run intervals still scheduled it doesn't feel like much of a recovery.

Week #8 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 5x75 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2975yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Interval Run: 14x30sec (6:00min pace) 34min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 3x200 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2600yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 90min

Saturday - Run: 60min base

Missed Workout!

2010-03-20T11:05:00.000-05:00

I knew it was going to happen sometime. I blame it on my brother, & a hotel stay...

So here's the story: Spring break for my girls, so we thought an overnight at a local hotel w/pool would be a fun getaway for them. I did my swim workout Thursday morning and knew that the hotel stay that night would not allow me to get my 90min in on my trainer Friday morning. I figured I would move my trainer time to Friday night after the kids got to bed.

Here's where my brother comes in - I received a text from him Friday telling me him and some other coaches were coming down to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch NCAA Tourney. How could I resist beer, multiple TVs, a bunch of high school coaches, & a break away from everything?

Long story short, I ended up not getting my trainer time in ( I really blame this on the Blue Moon draft). To make things worst, because of the 3" of snow last night, I had to run my 60min on a treadmill this morning.

Week #7 & Intervals

2010-03-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

I looked at this week's schedule and just cringed. It's the workout I despise the most, running intervals. Wednesday I'll be running 14x30sec intervals with 30sec active recoveries. Total run time will only be 34min, but those 14 intervals always hurt the lungs. On the bright side, last Saturday's weather was warm enough to run outside again. I did another long base run of 60mins and with my right knee feeling better, I was able to sustain an 8min/mile pace.

Week #7 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 6x75 VO2max w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
3200yds total
- Bike: 30min trainer @ Moderate

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Interval Run: 14x30sec (6:00min pace) 34min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x200 threshold w/45sec rest; 2x500 cool-dn
2800yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 90min

Saturday - Run: 70min base

Week #6 & Outside Run!

2010-03-09T15:13:00.000-06:00

Knee and left calf are feeling much better compared to a week ago. I've added more time to stretching out my quads and hams before and especially after any workouts. I've even started to stretch while I'm sitting at home watching a little TV with my wife.

The best news from last week was the fact that I finally got to run outside. Saturday morning was around 25F and not much of a wind. I was a little nervous to run outside on sidewalks due to the fact that the last time I have ran on anything other than the "soft" treadmill was back in October. I know in the past moving from the treadmills back to outdoor running always tore up my legs a bit. I was scheduled for a 55min base run and doing 55mins on a treadmill sounded as good as going to the dentist. So I decided to keep it really easy and really slow to save on my left knee. It took some concentration to hold back throughout the whole run. The knee didn't start bothering me until about the 6mile mark. Not sure when I'm going to get back outside, the weather is looking like 40F and rain for the next 7 days:(

Week #6 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 7x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 2x500 cool-dn
3050yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Fartlek Run: 8x30sec (6:30min pace) 40min total

Thursday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 6x100 25easy/25hard; 6x25 sprints; 2x500 cool-dn
2750yds total

Friday - Bike: Trainer 80min

Saturday - Run: 60min base

10 Random Things - With Pictures

2010-03-08T13:54:00.000-06:00

I'm posting my "10 Random Things About Me" in a response from an invite by Dr: TRI'ing 4 Iron. I would like to say this is a first for me. It was nice to step back and analyize the whys and hows about myself.

1 - I am a morning person, ever since 7th grade when I learned to get up early to make it into the weight room. There's no better feeling than getting done with my morning workout at 7am and knowing that the hardest part of the day is already done and I have the rest of the day to enjoy.

2 - I love my two girls. They are the reason for my smile every day. I can't imagine my world without them in it and don't know what I would do without them. I wish only the best for them the rest of their lives, and will do what I can to make sure that happens.

3 - I am the oldest of two brothers & one sister. I owe all my good qualities to my wonderful parents, who in this day and age have raised four children with strong character and morals (the jury is still out on me). I could only hope to be as good of parents as they are. Also want to add that we are all Iowa State University Alumni (I don't think the two are related).

4 - I'm a mechanical engineer who designs and manages commercial building automation control projects. I've only been doing this for 4 years. Before this I worked as a sales engineer selling large industrial air compressors to industrial manufacturers in Atlanta, GA.

5 - Large construction projects fascinate me. Watching them evolve from a design on paper all the way until turn-over to the owner. With the hundreds of companies and the thousands of people the project employs over the course of the project it's hard to see how it comes together in the end.

(Wellmark HQ, my current project)

6 - I was a long sprinter in high school qualifying for state in the 400 & 4x400 my junior and senior year. Now that I'm into triathlons, I wish I would have gotten into longer distances, I think it would have helped.

7 - All through high school and college I was a lifeguard in the summers. Not that good of a lifeguard; I could never swim longer than one length without stopping to hold onto the edge to take a breather. My first experience in competitive swimming was my first triathlon in '08.

8 - I am the biggest geek. I have built my own computer twice, published three personal web pages all in HTML code, and I am capable of having a conversation with a 14 year old about SimCity, Call of Duty, or Halo. Is it wrong for me to still enjoy them at age 33.

(minus the cigarette!)

9 - When I start into something new, I go full throttle, almost to the point of OCD. I just jump in, head first. I figure if I'm going to take the time to do something, I should do it to the best of my ability leaving nothing on the plate to question.

10 - If my kids take one thing from me, I hope it is this: I truly believe that a person can accomplish anything they put their mind to. My biggest accomplishments in life are all due to this mantra. All were accomplished by setting up smaller goals to get to where I wanted to go.

Going through this and forcing me to think about these things was a fun and educational exercise. I believe I've read most of my contact's "10 Random Things" however, without searching through all your posts, I don't know if you have done it yet or not. So if you haven't already, take this as an invite to start your own list and post it so we can read.

Week #5 & Needed Suggestions

2010-03-03T13:34:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to get frustrated: Along with a sore left calf (going on 3-weeks now), the side of my right knee is feeling very sore. None of these issues effect my running, as the pain is very light when running; however sharp pains are felt when I'm not running. To add to my frustration, my perceived exertion while running has gone up. What I mean is that it feels like I'm having to work harder to stay at a run pace that I was able to maintain a month ago. I have 4 more weeks of base training and I'd like my body to feel close to 100% before going into my build phase. I want to slow down my pace so that I can recover fully by then, but I don't want to lose any speed/endurance that I've built up over the past several months. Not sure what I'm going to do, and I guess I'm looking for suggestions.

Week #5 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 6x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 2x500 cool-dn
2900yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Fartlek Run: 8x30sec (7min pace) 35min total

Thursday - Bike: Trainer 75min

Friday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x100 25easy/25hard; 8x25 sprints; 2x500 cool-dn
2900yds total

Saturday - Run: 55min base

Starting My Diet

2010-03-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, it's time to watch what I eat. I'm going to start my diet this month and carry it through until I get to my race weight. I'm currently 173lbs (17.5% body fat) and I feel safe taking it down to 160-163lbs (last year's weight when I was at my fastest). The diet isn't anything ground breaking; I'll just be working on controlling my "portion distortion" problem.

All of the weight gain since last season has come from my Saturday morning tailgating parties in the fall. I noticed as the football season went on, so did the weight. The other issue is my habit of eating more than a typical portion (all the desserts I allow myself to eat probably doesn't help either). I have a distorted view of normal portion size. I never know when to stop or at least I don't listen to my stomach when it says it's had enough to eat.

Last year I did get down to 163lbs about late summer without really doing much of a diet change. Working out 6days/wk for 6months of triathlon training and a great summer of bike rides help in this department. This year the goal is to take more of a proactive approach to my weight so that my running times can improve for the first race. My hope is to carry 13lbs less weight around the course in the first race in May.

So, starting today I'll be working harder at limiting myself to normal portion size meals. By far the hardest thing that I'll be giving up is my Friday morning donuts! I think I love donuts more than Homer Simpson.

February Totals & Home w/Sick Kid

2010-02-26T09:57:00.000-06:00

First I want to post my February totals:

This represents my first four weeks into my training plan that leads up to the first race in May (Bluff Creek Triathlon - olympic dist). I did finally send in the early registration for the race, along with renewing my USAT membership. The running mileage increased the most in Feb. and my legs are feeling it. I've had two issues with my legs (left calf & right knee). Tomorrow's long run (50min) I will be slowing it down to an 8:30/mile pace so that I can fully recover for the second 4-week base period that starts in March.

Changing subjects - I feel terrible this morning, I sent my oldest to school knowing she didn't feel great. It wasn't that I didn't want to take the day off, I just thought she would end up feeling better as the day went on. That didn't happen: I received a call from my wife (2nd grade teacher at the same school) telling me that Emily got sick in the nurse's office. She's a kindergartener, so this was a first for her. She's a little more chipper now, and the fact that she's getting dad's full attention today probably doesn't hurt.

Week #4 & Training with the Olympics

2010-02-22T11:06:00.000-06:00

Last week I finally got the trainer setup in the basement. I've been doing the spin class thing for several months now, and will continue to go at least once/week until the weather warms up (which doesn't feel like anytime soon).

I don't think there's anything that helps me grind through the trainer minutes than watching the Olympics while spinning it out.

Week #4 Plan (Recovery):

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 2x500 cool-dn
2600yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Fartlek Run: 6x30sec (7min pace) 40min total

Thursday - Bike: Trainer 75min

Friday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 4x150 50easy/25hard; 2x500 cool-dn
2600yds total

Saturday - Run: 50min base

Week #3

2010-02-14T09:25:00.000-06:00

Now I know why Week #1 felt great... I pushed it too hard. Week #2 was just the opposite, slower, & more painful.

I can't remember when I first felt it, but my left lower calf became extremely soar this week. Because of this, I did not run the 2-miles after spin class on Thursday. Saturday's 45min run was slower than I wanted, ended up averaging about 7:48/mile. The calf feels a little better right now, but still soar. Note to self - add more calf stretches!

Week #3 Plan:

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x100 base w/50 breast active recovery; 2x500 cool-dn
2750yds total

Tuesday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Wednesday - Run: 45min base

Thursday - Bike: Spin Class 45min; 2-mile run

Friday - Swim: 800 warm-up; 200 drills/kick; 5x150 50easy/25hard; 2x500 cool-dn

2750yds total

Saturday - Run: 50min base

Snow - Really?

2010-02-09T19:26:00.000-06:00

It dawned on me this morning coming out of the YMCA, 6 more inches of snow on the ground and a -9F temp: I'm currently training on week #2 and at the end of week #16 I'll be doing my first triathlon for the year. I just don't think all this snow is going to be gone by then...

Ok, I really didn't take this picture, but it is a great representation of the sidewalk in front of my house. When the snow pile at the bottom of your driveway is 6' high, there's too much snow! I even had to use a shovel to scoop away the snow on the sides of my driveway so the snow blower had a place to throw the snow. The snow was literally higher than what my snow blower is capable of throwing.

Week #2

2010-02-07T11:14:00.000-06:00

Week #1 felt great, the 2-mile runs off the bike were at about a 7:30pace (stronger than I was expecting). I hit 15miles of total run for the week, which is the longest since last summer. Sooner or later I'm going to have to get my trainer out and move from the 45min spin class to a 60min or longer base ride. Outside workouts are not going to be starting anytime soon, Central Iowa is expecting another 4-8 inches of snow this week:( This winter has been tough, it's been over 60 days with more than 5inches of snow on the ground.

Week #2 Plan

Monday - Swim: 800 warm-up
    6x25 Drills
                            4x25 kickboard
                            5x100 w/50 breast stroke active recovery
                            2x400 cool-dn

Tuesday - Bike: Spin class 45min
                Run:     2 miles after spin class

Wednesday - Run: 40mins base run

Thursday - Bike:    Spin class 45min
                 Run:     2 miles after spin class

Friday - Swim: 800 warm-up
                            4x25 drills
                            4x25 kickboard
                            4x150 (50easy/25hard-15sec rest)
                            2x500 cool-dn

Saturday - Run:     50min base run

Week #1

2010-02-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

Here is week #1 training plan. As I've done the past two years, I'm starting from "Matt Fitzgerald's Week-by-Week" and tweaking it slightly. Mostly just adding a little volume to it. This will be my third year following the level 3 olympic plan. 16-Week plan, which puts me at my first race: Bluff Creek Triathlon.

Monday - Swim: 600 warm-up
                           4x25 Drills
                           4x25 Kick board
                           3x100 w/50 breast stroke active recovery
                           500 cool-dn

Tuesday - Bike: Spin class 45min
                Run: 2 miles after spin class

Wednesday - Run: 40mins base run

Thursday - Bike: Spin class 45min
                 Run: 2 miles after spin class

Friday - Swim: 600 warm-up
                       4x25 Drills
                       4x25 Kick board
                       4x100 w/50 breast stroke active recovery
                       500 cool-dn

Saturday - Run: 45mins base run

January Totals

2010-01-29T16:55:00.000-06:00

Posting my last month of "off-season" workouts. This last month I've been working out 6days/week except for a couple snow days that shut the YMCA down. Honestly, I don't think I've missed a single morning spin class since October.

I'll finish January off with a 5mile run tomorrow morning on the dreadmill. I'd like to try and keep it under 37min, but this past week I haven't felt like 100% except for this mornings swim (6x100 @ 1:25/100). I'll be posting Week 1 workout sometime this weekend. Again, I'm using "Matt Fitzgerald's Week-to-Week" to base my weeks off of.

Tri Clothes - $$$

2010-01-24T09:57:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else think the mark up on triathlon apparel is crazy? I think it is, but I still find myself spending the money to get the new race shorts/jersey for the year. Very impractical, but for some reason I feel I need a new pair because last years pair "just won't do." I'm posting this just after a purchase of a new pair of TYR tri shorts. 50% off, and they were still $34, this coming from a guy who doesn't pay more then $15 for everyday shorts.

I left Action Accents feeling guilty because I didn't have the matching jersey (isn't that crazy). I almost talked myself into fitting into a medium so I would have the matching set. In a couple weeks they'll have the '10 clothing out, but I just can't find it in me to spend $68 on a jersey that I will wear 4 times this summer.

Does anyone really pay attention to what other people are wearing when they race? Probably not, but I'm sure I'll still find a matching jersey to wear before my first race. Does anyone else feel they are a little crazy like this or am I the only one?

Swim Coming Along

2010-01-22T08:59:00.000-06:00

I noticed this morning that my swim is improving (ever so slowly). Today I was going to do my normal "speed" work out. This consists of a 400 warm-up, 6x100 at a level 8 effort, then a 15min continuous swim. Today I did the warm-up in 6mins and average 1:28/100 in all 6 of my 100s. I know this isn't that fast in the water, but considering a year ago I would probably be averaging 1:50/100.

I'm getting anxious to start my training in Feb. It will be a much needed change from the "offseason" routine I've been doing for the past 3 months. I think my body needs a change plus I'm getting a little board.

Tired

2010-01-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

This month I started back to working out 6 times per week. This should get me ready to start my Tri training in Feb. Man am I tired! I remember this last year when I started working out 6/wk, the first few weeks of it, I could never get enough sleep. A couple times I even went to bed as soon as I put the kids to bed (7:30).

I'm hoping that this is just preparing my body for next month and I will adapt. I'm going into next month more prepared than the previous two years. Swimming 30min straight at about a 1:45/100 pace - last two years I wasn't even swimming. Averaging about 210watts on a 40min ride, last year I was only doing about 180watts. Running 5miles in 37min compared to last year of 42min.

2010 Goal

2010-01-05T07:59:00.000-06:00

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a big "goals" kind of guy. I strongly believe that a person is more likely to reach their goal if they write it down (one reason I have sticky notes all over my office). By writing it down you have documented your goal, so it can not be changed, adjusted, or removed. So what's your #1 goal of 2010? And I don't mean "race faster," it needs to be something that is quantitative (measureable). Mine: break under 2:30 in an olympic dist tri. Add a comment and write your 2010 down here, remember your more likely to acomplish this goal.

Happy 2010, and good luck!

December Totals

2009-12-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

A few snow days, and a couple holidays kept me away from spin class a few times this month. I did fill the gap with the Y's "Expresso" bikes and my trainer at home. My volume for bike and run is down a bit compared to November.

Going into December my goal was to swim twice a week in order to increase my swim volume. This I did accomplish, almost doubling my time & distance in the water this month. I'm a little frustrated though, I figured I should see some imrovement on my swim splits after a month, but I'm just not seeing it.

Goal for January: increase run volume. I still like doing my 1mile transition run after spin class. That's really the only speed work I'm getting in. I may add a mile jog onto this, or start running on Wednesdays in addition to Saturdays.

Christmas

2009-12-23T15:11:00.000-06:00

Santa should be pleased, I only have one thing on my list this year. Too bad he'll have to refinance The North Pole to pay for it.

Trek Equinox TTX 9.9

Merry Christmas!

2010 - Early Season Goals

2009-12-20T15:54:00.000-06:00

I've already mentioned most of the races that I'd like to complete next year (time permitting). I'd just like to set some goals for 2010 (early season):

Base or Pre-Base workouts in Jan-March: This is my first year working out in the winter months. The last two years I did not swim/bike/run until March; only weight training every so often. In the past I would start working out in March with not much of a cardio base, I believe that's why I peaked later in the summer. This year should be different, or at least that's the plan.

Running: More interval training (fartlek & threshold): Man do I hate these, it's the only workouts I truly hate. Have you ever ran so hard that it feels like your ears are bleeding? That's what these feel like, no pain, no gain, right. I do this because I believe "If You Want to Race Fast... Train Fast."

Bluff Creek Triathlon (Oly): This would be a first time racing here for me. Same location as the Iowa Games, but I believe a different course. I'll have to decide between this or the Copper Creek Triathlon as my early season "warm-up" race. Not having a history here, I'd be looking to finish with the following pace times:
swim: 1:35/100
bike: 22mph
run: 7:45/mile

Copper Creek Triathlon (Sprint): Not sure when this race will be scheduled. As mentioned above, I'll probably need to decide between this race or Bluff Creek.
Last year's time: 1:17:41
2010 time goal: 1:15:00

Dam to Dam (5K Road Race): For a slow guy like me, the last two years I've had a decent run; just under 22min. Ultimate goal is a sub 20min 5K, but I don't think that will be happening this year. A more realistic goal for this year would be a pace of 6:46/mile, which translates to a 21min 5K.

Well, that sets my goals up through the first week of June. I have always believed that every goal is only one step toward some future goal (even if you haven't defined that future goal yet). Big goals are built from smaller goals, smaller goals are built from tiny goals. If you're like me, the smallest goal of the day happens to also be the most important: getting out of bed at 4:45am. Without accomplishing this daily goal, I would never be able to do any of the others.

Ironman World Championships

2009-12-15T20:35:00.000-06:00

If you have not set your DVRs for this, do so now (3:30-5 Central). NBC has always done a great job producing the show for the World Championships. They usually win a few awards for their coverage. Watch Chris Lieto and his 112 mile out-of-this-world bike pace (25.3mpg avg). Name drop alert: I knew two guys who competed; Matt Hoover was a classmate of mine and TJ Tollakson is a local Pro.