TBW'15

So a couple Tri buddies were talking about IM Wisconsin as a possible race road trip for 2015. These are the same guys I road tripped to Spicer MN to race the Green Lake Tri with this past summer. You know, an Olympic distance race that is about two hours of fun. Now they are talking about an Ironman...  

A little back story here, IM Wisconsin and I have a little history with each other. It is the site of my only DNF ever. It is also the site of my only puke and rally episode in a race also (my personal worst Ironman time was in this race). In over 100 Tri races, I have never failed to finish what I started except for IM Wisconsin 2009. After collecting an IV in the med tent, I pretty much swore off the race and seriously doubted I would ever try an Ironman again.  Well, since I got back on the proverbial Ironman horse last year at Lake Tahoe... Why not take another swing at IM Moo.

So, if I am going to race there I want to exact a little revenge on that course. I plan on nailing a good race, with a PR being the result. There is absolutely no reason not to go sub 12 hours. There, I said it. Well, wrote it at least. 

Burrito Union 2014

For this years running of BU, I thought I would try the one-and-done version. One swing though the race course and get a beer to watch all of the 5&10 hour competitors still rolling.

Race morning dawned and it looked nice, although a touch cool with the temp in the upper 40's. 

I cruised over to Pattison State Park just south of Superior Wisconsin and got my stuff setup in transition. Pretty basic setup with it being a sprint course. I then figured I should check out the start of the bike course since it has changed since two years ago. I jogged through the start and saw the grassy and gravel sections we were warned of. Nothing to bad, so it was time to get going. 

Swim

63 was the stated water temp as we watched the ten hour competitors take off. I then slipped into my batman costume, aka wetsuit and waded into the lake. 

Shorter hair, and no beard but you get the idea...

A quick countdown and off we went. Things were going fine until the second buoy. There we turned directly into the sun making the next buoy impossible to see. Swim in the general direction of the woods and hope I was not too far off. Finally into the shade of the trees and I can see I took an amazingly good line. I will call it skill, you can call it luck...  Around the final buoy and out of the water. No watch and no clock so I don't have splits, but it felt ok for time. 

Bike 

Came onto the bike right behind a couple folks, so I had to be patient through the campground as they told us it was a no pass zone. Once on the road I ramped it up. Slight tail wind on the way out, so had to keep pressing hard. By the time it was done, I managed to catch all but one person from our wave.

Run

They had changed the run course since the last time I did this race also. It was still a trail run, so it was a matter a running hard and trying not to trip and fall. There are a lot of steps and a couple times I came at them a touch fast but I managed to stay upright. I ran hard, but could not catch the one guy in our wave ahead of me. 

Recap

In the end, the guy ahead of me was a 5 Hour competitor so I took home the win. It also happened to be a course record. Since I raced the Duluth Tri and the Brewhouse Sprint in addition to the Burrito Union I got a golden growler to go with my finishers pint glass and winners bowl. 

Superior Man 2013 - aka Epic Heat Round 2

I remember saying last year that the high heat and SW winds for the inaugural edition of Superior Man were the worst weather conditions we could see for a late August Tri in Duluth. I was wrong. Very wrong...

Short Version

Swim - epic chop. Felt like we were swimming uphill at times. Toughest swim ever for me. 43:xx. Five minutes slower than Boulder. 

T1 - massive wrestling match with the right wetsuit arm on the run in.  Otherwise smooth and controlled. 

Bike - knew we had a tailwind to start so I went out fast but controlled. Hit Two Harbors in 1:10. Nothing exciting, which is good, and simply fought the headwind on the way home to a 2:32:xx.  

T2 - how much crap do I need to run?  Hat, glasses, race number belt, salt, GPS watch, cold water bottle...  Quick and efficient though.

Run - hot. Beer at Canal Park Brewery aid station, dip in Lake Superior, and lots of ice down the Tri bibs...  Did I mention it was hot?

Long Version

Pre-Race

Alarm at 4:30 and boy does that seem early...  Had a quick breakfast of toast and juice. Threw all of my stuff in my car and rolled out. As I pulled into the DECC the temp reads 79 degrees at 5:30 am.  It was fitting that the song "Hate My Life" came on at that moment...  Just remember, you paid for the opportunity to race today...

Setup my transition spot and chatted with everyone I knew doing the race, and plenty of random others. Lots of excitement, along with anxiety over the heat and wind. 

Swim

Boarded boat number two and headed to the top deck so I could once again jump off dead last. The chop from the wind looked rough and word was it delayed the take off of boat two. The Vista Fleet crew did a great job mooring the boat by Bayfront so we could get our race underway. 

Macarena?!?  That was the last song I heard prior to jumping in...  Thankfully it did not get stuck in my head for the ride...  As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I gave Clint the question and got the ok to dive in again. The one perk I get for going dfl.  And in I went!  

The water felt brisk but not too cold. I quickly got out and into a rhythm.  The chop on the south side was noticeable. About 1/4 of the way down the first leg, a kayak was right by me and asked if everything was ok.  Do I look that bad when I swim?  I kept plugging along and noticed I had a lady drafting off of me.  Not a problem, but I needed to pee and did not want to do that with someone right behind me so I waited. But she was on me like white on rice for the whole first lap.  I finally ditched her after seeing someone swimming the wrong way!?!  He was swimming well and I did not notice him until he was behind me so I did not say anything to him.  

On lap two the chop was even more apparent and it was like swimming uphill at times. There were strokes where my hand was still vertical as I was bringing it around and it would be hit by a wave and be totally under water. I drank plenty of Lake Superior and felt like a sock in the washing machine at times.  But finally the ladder was in sight. 

T1 

Once on dry land I started running because I was happy to not be getting tossed about.  Got to my bike and grabbed a gel while I put my helmet and socks on.  Threw my Gatorade chews in my pocket, flipped the camera and computer on and I was off.  

Bike 

Knowing we would have a strong tailwind up to Two Harbors (and a strong headwind home...), I wanted to make sure I took advantage without going too hard on the way out.  I also wanted to make sure I was drinking because it would be hot for the run and if I came in dehydrated from the bike, well that would suck...  

The chunk through town went by smoothly. I navigated the turns etc with no issues and soon enough was climbing the first hill on the expressway.  Maintain my pace while not going over my power threshold were my thoughts. With such an epically slow swim, I was passing quite a number of folks early on.  With the time trial start, there never seemed to be groups or drafting so that is nice.  

Just after the first aid station I came up behind my friend Caro.  This worried me a bit as I did not expect to see her so soon.  She was borrowing my Cervelo and I hoped it was not causing her issues. As I went by she was in good spirits so that was a good sign.  She would later pass me on the run on her way to third lady overall.  Rocking a great bike and run split using a bike she had never ridden that was less than ideal fitting (it was close, but she wanted her aerobars a little further away from the seat). 

Once we turned the corner at Two Harbors we felt the wind...  So that is why I was pushing 25+ on the flats with little effort...  Stay aero, and keep pedaling. Don't worry about a low speed number, everybody is seeing them...

The wind coupled with the rougher roads after Knife River had me in a little bit of a low spot.  Sore legs, sore lower back,  no energy...  All the things that can creep up on me in longer races. After the water stop I tried to drink a little more and get back into my groove. The wind decided to really smack us around by McQuade harbor. Flat road and 15 mph...  Ouch...  Finally got to London Road and got to ride "against traffic" (on the left shoulder) which is a little odd for a biker but fun too... 

As we approached 40th ave west I saw a guy running his fat tire bike because the tire was flat. Dude.  How on earth did you ride almost 50 miles on a fat tire bike that fast!?!  Thought about throwing him my flat repair stuff but quickly realized it would do him no good...  Yup, that is your brain at mile 50...  Heard later people saw him get back to T2...  Hope he finished.   He is hardcore!

T2 

Where did all of this shit come from?  Slip the bike on the rack, ditch the helmet, on with the shoes.  Pick up my hat, glasses, salt tablets, race belt, water bottle, GPS watch, kitchen sink...  You know it is hot out when a bottle of water frozen over night is not that cold when stored indoors out of the sun for six hours...

Run (Shuffle) 

My plan was to manage the run.  From the get go I panned on walking the aid stations so I could get in plenty of water. I would walk the uphills when that became an issue.  From the get go I kept a nice easy pace, if it was cool and I had not just biked 56 miles after swimming uphill like a salmon for over a mile.  At the aid stations I planned on ice and water at all of them.  Gatorade or Pepsi would be a station by station decision.  

The first lap was steady. Walk the aid stations grabbing water and ice from the great volunteers and staying as hydrated as possible.  The wind that plagued us for the last 27 miles was now going to be our friend at times. Whenever it was a head wind on the run, it did help cool you off.  Heading down railroad street it felt nice as a watched the string of runners ahead of me.  It reminded me of a bunch of semis driving up Thompson hill.  Nobody was moving fast, but we were all moving forward with purpose. At the end of lap one the stint through Bayfront Park was nice as the wind was coming off the harbor and felt cooler.  

Lap two...  I had a plan to dip in Lake Superior at the first aid station if it was really hot.  Well, it was really hot 5-10 degrees ago...  Below is the GPS track showing my little detour for my cool down.

As I approached the first aid station by the Canal Park Brewery, I grabbed my water and ice.  On a whim I asked for beer since it was mile 8 and all...  Low and behold they had Growlers and poured me a glass. I took it and headed for the lake. 

Jumping in felt great. Nice and cool all over. I got out and got back to the run. Same story, run to the aid station, grab ice and water, and get rolling. My mile splits were not great, but I was still running. As we headed back on the Lakewalk, I noticed my doctor volunteering and wondered what the official advice would be on completing a half iron race in high heat and humidity...  

After the final aid station, I got back to pace. Time to run it in to the finish line. I picked off a few racers in the last half mile, and finished with a hard earned 5:45 or so.  

Overall 

Not my best time of the year, but i was very pleased with how I managed the race based on the conditions.  The run in the heat was tough, but I felt like I handled it well.  Not exactly my best run time, but I was still running strong at the finish.

I have to give Clint and the whole Superior Man crew a tip of the hat.  They made some nice changes to the race that were noticeable upgrades; carpet mats for transition to keep us from slipping, taking the bike course off of the railroad tracks, and a new two loop run course.  On top of that, I have never seen a run course aid station setup handle that kind of heat with no problems so well.  They never ran out of ice and the volunteers were great.  

New Bri Tri - Season Kick Off

Short Version

Cold swim, flat tire, solid run. 

Long Version

So after some back and forth discussions with Mike and Clint from Duluth Running Co., we all decided to head out for the New Bri Tri as a season starter. The weather forecast was 50/50 on if it would rain, and in the end we had great race weather. No rain, and the temps were in the mid 60's for the race.

We all showed up early and signed up race morning.  I went to work getting everything set up for the race. Happily I did not seem to forget anything needed for a good race. Mike would be in the first wave, Clint in wave two, and I got to go off in wave three. With two minutes separation, I knew Mike would be up the road the whole time. I figured Clint would be seen on the run out and back, but most likely not able to be caught. 

Swim

Cold.  With our lingering winter around Minnesota, everyone knew the water would be brisk. The RD said 62 degrees. I was glad to have a full sleeve wetsuit for this one. The first few strokes felt a little chilly, but after a minute or two it was just another swim. Since I had not been swimming much so far this year, I focused on staying smooth and straight.  No sense swimming any further than I had to.  When I hit shore, I felt like I had a good swim.  As usual, I totally forgot to hit my watch for a split, but later saw in the results it was a 13:41 for a half mile. Solid for me overall. 

Bike

I have not been biking as much as I would like.  The poor weather has been keeping me from getting out some times. Being in the third wave, and also a little slower in the water, there were plenty of bikers on the road in front of me. Heading out of the park, I had to pass a minivan and got stuck behind a group of slower cyclists taking up the whole lane at one point. 

Once out of the park, I tried to settle in and get a good pace going. This course has a bunch of turns and it helped to have ridden the course last year. Knowing the corners before you got to them helped me carry a little more speed. Just after I passed the half way point as I was navigating the 170 degree corner I hit a pot hole with my back tire. I saw it in time to get the front tire up over it, but the back tire hit it straight on and blew. It was flat within one second. 

I set to changing my tire and in just over five minutes I was back on my way. I was now back in the pack and trying to pass people again. I once again got caught up behind a couple of bikers who would not pass a car that was stuck behind a slower biker. After getting by them, the remainder of the ride was uneventful. 

Run

I was feeling decent for the run, even if the legs were a little heavy. I was hoping that had more to do with it being the first race of the season and the fact that I had not run off the bike much yet this year. After about half a mile and cresting the first hill my legs started to come around. Now I started to pick off the other runners. SKINNYSKI.COM was at the race taking pictures and just after I started getting in my groove I came across the photographer. The following pictures show me coming up on the photographer with the final picture with me front and center looking pretty good for me. 

Far left in the distance.

Under the guys right elbow in the distance.

On the right.

I rarely look this happy during a run...

I kept the pace strong and tried to build as I hit the two mile mark. Right after the far turnaround, I had a lady behind me that helped push me for a half mile or so before she finally passed me, and then just as I came to the finish line someone made a push to pass so I had to give it one last sprint to make sure it did not happen. 

1:17:08 when it is all said and done. Take out the flat changing time and I would be really happy with that time. Bottom line, a good first tri of the season.

Burrito Union Race Report

Pre-Race

Morning of I arrived for setup at about 10 minutes after 6:00 am.  First order of business was to grab a nice spot and a picnic table so we would have a place for 10 hours of transitioning.  I then got all of my bike gear setup so that in the case of a mechanical, I would be able to take care of it quickly.  Clint arrived shortly after I did and he had a wonderful pop-up tent the Duluth Running Company uses at events he was able to bring.  This would be key later to protect us from the intermittent showers and keep us dry.  Lou showed up next and we were ready to go. 

Left to Right, myself, Lou and Clint.

 Strategy

Going into the race our plan was to stay in our specific sport for at least the first 3-4 rounds and then decide after that.  Clint would be our swimmer, I was biking and Lou was running.  For our overall goals, we wanted to win our category, win the 10 hour overall, and therefore also win a growler of beer. 

Start

At the start of the day, all of the 10 hour teams and individuals take off 30 minutes before the 5 hour folks.  Right off the bat, Clint pulled in behind the growler teams swimmer Howie.  He drafted for most of the way.  I had to get prepped so I did not see the finish, but Clint pushed hard to be the first out of the water and into transition.  He sent me out on the first bike ahead of the field.  I wanted to push a little harder on lap 1 to make sure every other team knew we were planning on racing hard.  I was able to stay out in front for the entire ride and sent Lout out first.  On the bike, it was apparent early on that the wind was going to be an issue all day.  It was early morning and it was already blowing pretty hard.  Lou took off and ran well.  We came off the first lap with a good lead on everyone else in the 10 hour race.  So far, so good.

Note the profile and the corresponding speed profile for the first triathlon...

Lather, Rinse, Repeat…

It now became an effort in quick recovery and trying to spot your athletes.  As noted in lap 1, Clint was clearly one of the fastest swimmers here today.  On top of that, he was basically our transition athlete.  So while his event might have been the shortest in time, he was really kicking ass by hammering the transition from run to swim and from swim to bike.  We actually had me setup right at the bike mount line with one foot clipped in and he would sprint the entire way from the lake so that we could take every last second out of transition possible. 

For myself, I would be biking a lot with less than 30 minutes to recover in between.  For me it was all about staying hydrated and fueled while also not having stomach issues on the bike.  As the day went on, it really became an exercise in surviving the wind and the rain.  Talking with athletes throughout the day the wind was what all of the bikers talked about.  Considering it rained on 6 of the 9 laps, you know the wind was bad. 

Running had to be tough.  In the end Lou ran 27 plus miles.  I am not sure it would have been harder to run it back to back as cooling down for 45-50 minutes in between had to make it tough later in the day.  Factor in the cool temps and the hilly course; well I think our runner had a tough task and did well.  I was most impressed with Lou’s ability to strip in no time flat.  More than once I was coming back from the bike and he was still in his warm clothes and he had them off and was out running in no time flat. 

Video from third time through the bike course...

Finish Time

As the time started to wind down we were chatting strategy again.  As Lou was out for our 8^th run it was obvious we would have more than enough time for 9 laps.  There were only two other teams that would be allowed to start their 9^th lap.  Talking to them in transition, neither of them were going to start the 9^th lap.  So, we were guaranteed the overall win for the 10 hour race.  So, go out for 9 or not?  Clint wanted to win in style, so we decided to knock out a 9^th lap.  He hammered the swim as usual and off I went on the bike.  At this point, I had already ridden 114 miles on the day.  I have never ridden that far in a single day ever.  I now was heading out for 14 more…  It went well and I was glad we did it as there were many racers still challenging themselves on the course as the 10 hour time limit was coming. 

In the end, 9 laps was the count.  A nice bowl, and a growler of beer.  Basically a great day of racing with friends.

The Spoils of the Day

Superior Man II

I am officially signed up for the second annual Superior Man triathlon on 25AUG2013.  I am looking forward to see what improvements Clint and the Duluth Running Co. Team come up with.  See everyone there.

Superior Man Race Report

Superior Man Race Recap

Short Synopsis:

Slow but steady swim in 38:XX.  About what I expected.

Solid bike pace, until I got a flat (10 minutes to change) and then got stung by a wasp: 2:45.  Take away the break for changing and I am pleased with my bike time. 

Run…  Not so good.  Over two hours of run, shuffle, walk.  Problems with a side stitch right from the get go.  Need to figure this out.

Long Version:

With a 6:30 start for the first boat, it was going to be an early morning.  I rolled into transition about 5:30 am and set about getting the bike and transition spot ready.  Being indoors made this very easy as it was well lit.  It cleared out as the first boat folks went to board and I took care of the last few things and headed out to watch them jump in and get my chip. 

Swim:

I will be the first to say I was a little disappointed when they changed from a straight in swim to the rectangle arrangement.  After watching the first boat start, and then swimming it myself I will say it was a great decision overall.  From a safety perspective the kayakers and medics on the breakwall were able to watch both  of the long legs of the rectangle with ease.  Also, the spectators were able to watch everything happen right in front of them. 

Once on the Vista Fleet boat I went up top as I wanted to start DFL.  I figured since I got roped into the “faster” wave it would be better to start last in the time trial start so any of the faster folks would not have to navigate around me.  It also worked out well as myself and Adam Swank, the other guy to jump last (two jump doors…) were “allowed” to dive in.  They said for safety purposes everyone needed to jump in feet first in case there was any floating debris.  Adam coaxed Clint into letting us dive by saying after 300 other folks have gone in, it should be clear of debris.  So I gave it a good jump, and realized mid air that with the height I jumped, and the door height above the water I was going to go pretty far under.  No biggie…  It was a pretty sweet way to start.  Kudos to Clint, SuperiorMan, and the Vista Fleet for the boat start.  It was a highlight point of the race.

My swim was uneventful, as it should be.  With the time trial start for each boat load, and the two boat loads, there was very little crowd on the swim.  Of course, it was tough to catch a draft though.  The chop was a little rough for your average swim.  That really was to be expected as Lake Superior is a little larger than your average lake.  I had no problem with the chop overall, I just drank a little lake a couple times; this should test if the lake really was clean enough for us.

T1:

Once out of the water, it was a little bit of a jog to the arena door.  I made a point of running as I did not want to waste a minute of race time.  Once in the arena they were warning folks to walk as the smooth concrete floor and wet feet did not mix.  I kept rolling though.  Bottom line, in a straight line no problem.  Simply slow down when you need to turn the corner…  Saw story with the bike in hand out to start the ride. 

Bike:

The bike started simple enough.  Kept it easy on the out and back over the railroad tracks.  Continued to take it easy through the first miles in town.  Once onto London Road, I tried to get in a groove.  With the tail wind on the outbound leg, I figured I had to be careful to push but not too hard.  Take advantage of the wind while we had it. 

I was passing lots of people the entire bike ride.  I saw absolutely no drafting.  However, there were a couple guys that need to work on their position foul understanding.  I am guessing they thought since they started so late there would not be any strong bikers behind them.  Sorry guys, there is someone who swims worse than you do…

Everything was going to plan until I turned the corner at Two Harbors.  This pavement was brand new, finished only two weeks ago…  Yet for some reason my bike seemed to be bouncing a little.  I checked my tires and it appeared my rear was a little low.  I pulled off and sure enough it was probably at 50 psi and going down slowly.  Better change it…

I took my time because I still had 23 miles to go and did not want to miss some small chunk of whatever that was causing a problem.  Ten minutes later I was ready to go.  Once back on track, I really started to notice the head wind.  It was really making us work.  I paid special attention to my Quark so that I would not be frying my legs before even getting on the run. 

Things were going smoothly and I was staying smooth as I traveled down London Road again.  Just before I get to the bike trail with about 5 miles to go in the bike a wasp/hornet/bee stings me in my right leg below the knee.  A few curse words later and no mishap of bike handling later and my leg hurts like a sonofabitch…  Nothing to do here, so I keep rolling and make my way towards T2.

T2:

I made my way through T2 with my normal quickness.  Nothing good can come of sitting in a nice cool hockey arena when your run is out in the sunny 85-90 degree heat.  Total time was 1:13 in T2.  Only the relay folks were in and out faster than me.  That would be the end of things that went well for me…

Run:

Starting out my legs felt great and I headed out.  I knew the heat would be tough, but I think I started the run a little dehydrated.  Add to that the side stitches that flared up right away, and the fact that my right leg was a little numb from the knee down from the wasp/hornet/bee sting and I knew I was in for a rough afternoon. 

I tried to make the best of the run.  When the opportunity arose I chatted with other athletes.  I tried to thank the volunteers when I could, and even had the luck to be coming under the aerial lift bridge when there were big boats coming in on two of my three laps. 

Finish:

Once I finished I grabbed a cool bottle of water and laid down on the grass.  My side stitch was still pretty bad.  It was so bad I could not breathe in very deep at all.  I said hello to the family and thanked them for cheering me on.  They asked if I wanted to go out for lunch, but I was a dirty, sweaty, salty mess so I said they should just go.  I then chatted with a bunch of other athletes and had my complimentary brat from Canal Park Brewing Company.  Based on the brat alone, I cannot wait for them to be open so I can try the other food and beer they will be offering. 

Overall I will say I thought the race was well run.  Sure, there were a few things they could have done a little better; maybe some carpet for the smooth concrete floor in transition, slight tweak to the run aid station placement, improve the stairs out of the swim.  All of those things were minor issues and for transition they were adding carpets as they could and had a slew of volunteers telling us it was slippery.  For the run aid stations, on the longest hottest stretch without an aid station they had bikes and a golf cart going up and down the road handing out water on the later laps as it got warmer.  So they were doing a good job of identifying these items as they happened and doing what they could to improve them on the spot.  Kudos…

The highlights were many though:

• Swim course – starting from the boat was cool and the course was easy for safety personnel and spectators. 
• Transition – indoors was neat, but the overall organization and assigned rack spots was nice.
• The volunteers were everywhere and did a very good job overall.  People were all over in the water and on the breakwall for the swim, every corner in town had people and signs telling us where to go on the bike, and the run aid stations had smiling volunteers along with many more at the turns and areas where we would be crossing over popular tourist walkways.  If you volunteered, thanks.  I tried to thank many of you, but I know I missed many. 
• Bike – I may be an unfair opinion on the course as I rode it four or five times in its entirety prior to race day so when I say it was easy to follow, well…  I thought they had well educated volunteers telling you about the turns and the areas to take a little extra caution though…  I did see a few flats out there, but since I was starting from the back I probably saw almost all of them, along with getting one.  When you factor in there were 246 finishers, that means there were a total of 13776 miles biked on the day.  Many of those miles were on slightly more fragile tires than your average training tire.  So, I cannot say there was really a flat issue.  I am sure everyone who got one may beg to differ though…
• “Big” Time Race Feel – this is my own interpretation I guess.  The whole venue choice from the arena for transition, to using a boat to start, and having the wonderful Bayfront Festival Park for the finish had a very big time race atmosphere. 
• Logistics – ever go to a race and have no place to park?  Well, if you were willing to pay $5 you could park no more than 100 yards from the front door to transition.  If you did not want to pay, there was a lot one block away that was less than 100 yards from the finish line that was free.  Both had plenty of open spots because they were designed for events with 1000’s of people instead of 100’s of people.
• Cool finishers medal...

Overall, a good race to have as a late season goal race.  See everyone next year,.

Race Weekend Approaching

With Sunday fast approaching, and with it Superior Man, I have been trying to keep my workouts light this week. I have also been going over the bike to make sure it is ready to go also. In addition to that, I finalized the bike course preview video I had been working on (check it out below).

This evening I did the final prep on my bike and cleaned the bike and helmet.  I plan on taking it out tomorrow for the final short ride prior to race day.

The rest of my time prior to race time will be spent watching the weather so I can plan what to have for race day.  I will also be making the final nutrition decisions and having them prepped for transition setup.

Superior Man Bike Course Video

I look forward to seeing all of the inaugural Superior Man athletes at check in day on Saturday as I am volunteering.  Best of luck to anyone racing.

Northwoods Tri Recap

Summary

So in my pre-race post I noted the following goals:

bike - maintain a 250 watt average
run - run sub 7 min/mile pace
overall - top 10 placement

Check, check, and triple check...

Swim - 7:29 (1:42/100 yard)

The swim was about what I can expect from my swim.  Standard pace for me, and with the small number of folks in the waves minimal contact with other swimmers.  As I hit the shallow water and stood up, I had a little trouble with my wetsuit zipper.  So instead of pulling the suit off in the water I ran to my bike with it on.  Once in T1, I tried to move quickly.  Ditched the wetsuit, threw the helmet on and got my socks and bike shoes on.  Onto the bike...

Bike - 34:37 (24.3 mph)

Once on the bike I had some work to do.  I really wanted to work hard to see if I could still run solid afterwards.  I started off well with only a little trouble getting around some slower traffic in the first couple miles.  After a bit I caught up to another biker that began to leapfrog with me.  He was the only biker to physically pass me while on the bike, and even then I came into T2 before him.  Overall, the second fastest bike split and I was pleased with my effort and average of 269 watts which met my stated goal.  Into T2 I took it a little easier running in trying to make sure my shoe did not clip the ground and cause my bike to bounce around like the last couple races.  It worked and then I tried to quickly ditch the helmet and don the running shoes.  I had a bit of a slip with my left shoe, but on the second try got it and off I went.

Run - 20:32 (6:37 min/mile)

As I went out for the run I tried to count the bikes in transition, and there were not many.  This had me feeling good about the potential for a top 10.  As I hit the extremely flat run course I tried to get a good pace going and hang on from there.  The first mile marker showed a 6:3X on the watch which had me feeling good.  As I approached the turn around I had only counted 5 or 6 runners heading at me.  After that I tried to make sure I was keeping the pace up.  At the second mile marker, I once again saw a 6:3X.  So far so good...  On the last mile, one runner did catch me, but he was from the wave ahead, so no loss of placement if I could keep running strong.  I did start feeling a little bit of a side stitch in the last half mile, but I made it to the finish with no issues.  As I approached the finish line I could see it would be close to come in under 1:05 for a total time.  So I put on a little extra push and hit the line in 1:04:59.  Personal best overall finish time on this course for me.

Overall - 1:04:59 (4th overall, 3rd age group)

Yup, I was in the fast age group.  Fourth overall and barely snagged an age group award...  Overall I was very pleased with the race.  I set a new bar for how hard I can really push on the bike and still be able to run strong for a sprint type event.  Now, I need to put in a few last good workouts prior to Superior Man and nail my taper.

Northwoods Triathlon Pre-Race

Tomorrow morning is the tenth edition of the Northwoods Triathlon in Nevis, MN.  It is a sprint distance triathlon with 1/4 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run.  I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Park Rapids relaxing as I make final preparations for the morning.

As with last week, it looks like it will be a cool morning.  Low to mid 50's for pre-race prep, and low to mid 60's for race time.  I am sure it will be a little cool on the bike, but that is great run weather.

My goal for tomorrow will be to see just how hard I can push on the bike portion; I am planning on a minimum of a 250 watt average.  Then follow it up with a sub 7:00 pace on the run if all goes well.  If I can pull that off, I think I might have a chance at an age group top three.

After racing on Saturday morning, I will be getting a run in later in the day.  Sunday my plan is to ride the Superior Man course one last time prior to race day followed by one or two laps of the run course.  Then I will start easing back over the last two weeks prior to race day.

Brewhouse Race Report

So I have not posted in a little while, and I thought writing up a race report for the Brewhouse Triathlon would be the perfect return post.

Ready for the race in the morning.

Synopsis

A real quick run down: cut your foot, swim slowly, fight the wind and rough roads, run like you are being chased, and relax with a smooth root beer...

Details

I woke up early so that I could get to the race site right at 6:30 am to get a good transition spot.  Based on my recon on Saturday at packet pick up, there are better spots even though everyone is assigned a group of racks by number.  It is nice that they group you by numbers to a rack, but it would be better if they had put the same number of bikes on each group of racks.  On Saturday I looked through transition and found that each row was four racks with a sign for which numbers should rack there.  Some rows has 20 numbers assigned, while others (including my row) had 30 numbers assigned.  So, since it would be crowded I figured I should get there early and get a good spot on the rack.

Once I had everything setup in the transition area, it was time to wait.  With the short and long course sharing the same course, they had the short course race start first and then had a very long gap before the long course got going.  The race starts at 8:30, and my wave did not take off until 9:06 or so.  With the cool weather we were having, I basically shed my warm ups and then put my wetsuit on to stay warm as I sat on the beach watching the short course waves start, and even finish the swim portion.

It was fun hanging out on the beach chatting with other long course athletes waiting for our start.  I chatted with a couple and another young lady.  Both of the ladies were competing in their first long course triathlon.  I don't think any of us was a good swimmer and we all were discussing our plan for making our way out of the lake.  The urge to empty my bladder came over me so I decided to wish them all good luck and that a warm up swim was in order.  Emphasize the warm up...  Once that was taken care of it was getting close to the long course wave starts so I stayed in the water waiting.  While waiting I was chatting with another athlete.  Right as the elite wave left he commented that he just missed his wife start.  Turns out they were on their second race of the weekend and his wife had won at Graniteman the day before.  We wished each other luck as our wave was getting ready to go and we both found our spot on the start line.

Swim: 24:46 (74th)

Once the count down was over and we started, I took one step and my right foot found a very sharp rock or zebra mussel and I was immediately swimming...  On the outbound leg of the new swim course we were swimming directly into the waves and wind.  With my poor form, this does not really affect me other than that I took in quite a few mouthfulls of Pike Lake when I would happen to breathe right as a wave was cresting in my face.  When we turned left at the far end of the outbound leg, we turned into the sun and the field immediately spread out searching for the next buoy.  Being the lazy ass that I am, I took a second to sight the next buoy and picked my line and it was way left of the majority of the field.  After the next buoy, we turned left towards the beach and now the waves were coming over our left shoulder and rolling us a little.  Soon enough I was able to stand up and I yanked the wetsuit off and jogged to my bike.

After effects of stepping on a rock/zebra mussel.

Transition was a little hectic as long course athletes were running one way to their bikes, and the short course athletes were running the other way with their bikes or out on the run.  When I got to my bike I quickly sat down to put my socks and shoes on after putting my helmet on.  I then flipped my Garmin Edge 500 and ContourRoam on and headed out.

Bike: 56:31 (10th - 241 watts, 22.6 mph)

Note the discrepancy between my swim and bike performance...  Couple that with starting in the second to last wave and not a single soul passed me on the bike.  As much as I would like to think that is because I am a great biker, I know it has a lot more to do with my slow swimming...  The new bike course was better that last years course for racer flow.  I passed a lot of bikers, both short and long course, and I never had trouble with the course being crowded or having tight turns.  The wind happened to be in our face on the section of pavement that was the smoothest.  This of course then meant that we had a tail wind on the roughest section of pavement.  All in all I was happy with how the bike section went for me.  I pushed hard and set myself up well for the run.

Coming into transition I did my standard flying dismount and for the third time this year my drive side shoe caught the pavement and popped my bike in the air as I was running to my rack.  These instances have all happened since I began using the wheelcover this year and it seems it rubs the cassette just enough to spin the crank and put the shoe closer to the ground after I jump off the bike.

Power File w/Elevation

Run: 34:07 (45th - 6:50 min/mile)

Leaving transition my plan was to run hard and see how long I could hold on.  The cooler weather had me feeling confident I could run strong the whole way.  Immediately out of transition I passed my plant manager who was having a solid race.  Once out of the AAA grounds and onto Midway road I tried to lock onto a strong pace and go.  There were a couple racers up the road that I set my sights on and went after.  They were running strong, so it worked well.  As I rounded the corner onto the old hwy 53 I saw race leader Brian Bich heading in for the win.  He was looking strong and had a big lead.  I grabbed a water at the aid station and kept running.  Mile 2 was kind of boring in a good way.  I held my pace but did not catch or get caught by anyone.  As I turned the corner and headed down to the turn around I was getting closer to the two runners ahead of me.  I managed to catch one just as I hit the turn around.  Once heading back I also saw that there were a couple runners not too far behind me.  As I powered up the hill I wanted to stay smooth and keep ahead of the runners I saw at the turn.  Once back onto the old hwy, I got back up to pace and knew I had two miles to go.  At this point I was feeling the start of a side stitch but kept pushing the pace.  I wanted to see how hard I could push it.  As I turned back onto Midway road with about a mile to go I was doing everything I could to keep the pace high.  The side stitch was starting to be noticeable, but I was confident I could handle one more mile of it.  At this point I could not catch the runner up the road, so I simply focused on running as fast and smooth as I could to the finish line.  In the end, it was about 40 seconds faster than last year on the same run course.

Overall: 1:57:46 (26th)

Once finished, I made a point to congratulate the racer who finished just behind me.  Seeing him at the turn around kept me focused on the return leg of the run and helped push me to a very solid run split.  He made a similar comment that he was trying to chase me down the whole way and it helped push him also.  I then made a beeline to the signature of the Brewhouse triathlon, the free Brewhouse Root Beer they have.  Next to a cold beer, a cold Root Beer is a great after race refreshment.

I wanders around after the race and chatted with fellow racers and familiar faces from the Tuesday night Duluth Running Company tri training nights.  I then cleaned up my gear and loaded it in my truck and headed back for awards.

All in all I am very pleased with my race.  My time was slightly better than last year with a more challenging swim and a longer bike course.  My race execution left me feeling pretty good as I look forward to Superior Man.  I really pushed on the bike and ran very well afterwards.  If I can get some solid workouts in over the next week before my taper I will be ready to roll come August 26th.