Sunday, August 30th, 2009
I finished my first Hood To Coast Relay last night. What a cool experience!
One of my NOR PAC colleagues, Don, has been on my case for years to join up and I finally gave in this year. I thought it would be a good way to finish the racing season, since I did my last triathlon last weekend.
I underestimated how difficult it would be. Surprisingly, my legs felt strong through all three legs, but the sleep deprivation was brutal. It was like having a severe jet-lag while racing at the same time.
Would I do it again? Absolutely.
Thanks to the guys and gals in Van 1. It was a pleasure spending 27 sweaty and grimy hours with you in that Chevy.
I was too tired to use the camera much, but here are some pictures:
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Monday, August 24th, 2009
I don’t have time for a race report, but here are some pictures from yesterday, courtesy of Lisa and Jeff. Thanks, guys!
It was a cool feeling to race in a city, and for all you doubters out there: No, I am still not throwing up or showing any signs of E. Coli after swimming in the Willamette.
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Friday, July 31st, 2009
We just returned from a Monday-Friday vacation in Manzanita on the Oregon coast. If you’re not familiar with that part of the world, here are some facts:
-Enormous, beautiful beaches
-Ice cold water, which means small crowds (in most places)
-Consistently 30 degrees cooler weather than Portland
The last part is the most important, as most of Oregon (including Portland) saw record-high temperatures this week. Watching the daily weather reports on TV made the vacation even more enjoyable.
Here are some pictures:
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Sunday, July 12th, 2009
Yesterday’s sprint race at Hagg Lake was my best triathlon so far, which took me by surprised since I didn’t mark it as a high-priority event. I’ve focused on longer and more endurance-specific workouts this season in preparation for the Olympic distance.
The weather was not optimal for a fast race. It was overcast and 60-something the whole time and I felt stiff on the bike. Comfortable running temperature, though.
A brief race report below the pictures.
Swim – 14:15 – 50th Place
Had secret hopes of breaking 14 minutes but was very pleased with 14:15, which put me in 50th place overall.
T1 – ?
The reason why I don’t have an official time is that I lost my timing chip during a fall on the way up to the transition area. Fortunately, my trusted Timex watch still works, so I was able to keep time myself.
Bike – Right around 34:00 (unofficial) – 5th or 6th Place
Didn’t feel great and held back a bit, trying to save some for the run. Still improved by about half a minute from last year.
T2 – ?
Run – 19:02 (unofficial) – 2nd Place
My best triathlon run ever. Felt OK coming out of T2 and really hit my stride at the 2 km mark. The final kilometer was awesome and I chased down a couple of competitors.
Final Time: 1:11:10 (official) – 4th Overall and 1st in my age group (35-39)!
Off to Portugal tomorrow. Will try to squeeze in a few runs but otherwise take it easy for a week between business appointments.
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Sunday, June 14th, 2009
Today I raced my first Olympic distance triathlon at Blue Lake. I didn’t know exactly what to expect but figured 2 hours and 20 minutes was a realistic goal. If everything fell into place, 2:15 was a possibility.
I finished in 2:13:31. 37th overall (out of 444) and 6th of 47 in my age group. Not only am I very happy with the result, I’m flabbergasted that the swim leg is what made it possible. Here’s how it went down (some pictures mixed in):
Arrived early to set up my transition area and get in a good warm-up. Sipped some GU2 and felt good.
Swim – 1500 m – 27:40 – 181st Place
This is still my weakness and based on pool times I thought 30 minutes was an aggressive goal. If figured if I hit dry land with a time like that, the 2:15 finish was within reach.
Triathlon swim starts are alway chaotic and something always goes wrong. My goal to pace myself to allow for bi-lateral breathing went out the window after ten strokes. So it was right-side breathing on every other stroke. I can’t say that it was easy, but I felt in control throughout and never reverted to breaststroke, which was a first!
I have no way of determining my time when I swim but was sure I had passed 30 minutes when I rounded the last buoy and headed for the beach. Imagine my surprise when I stepped ashore and my Timex showed 27:40. That’s when I realized this could be a really good Olympic debut.
T1 – 2:27
Not much to say. I got rid of the wetsuit and was off with my bike. Didn’t waste too much time.
Bike – 40 km – 1:00:35 – 22nd Place
My strongest leg of the day. I decided to go hard from the start and never slowed down. I might have pushed it a tad too hard because the legs were VERY tight at the end. But it’s the longest part of the race, so this is where you can make up some serious time. I passed a lot of competitors and moved up to 51st place overall. Solid performance.
T2 – 1:46
As soon as I got off the bike, I realized the run would be tough. My legs were not in good shape. To add insult to injury, I must have looked like a headless chicken trying to find my transition area. Maybe there’s a leg-brain connection that causes your brain to short-circuit…
Finally, some helpful spectator pointed out that I was getting warm and I spotted my towel.
A weak transition, but it didn’t really affect my overall position.
Run – 10 km – 41:02 – 33rd Place
This is my strongest discipline and I fully expected to break 40 minutes without much trouble. That’s why 41:02 was the biggest disappointment of the day. My legs were heavy getting off the bike and I never found the speed or the form I’m used to.
Two lessons:
1) Maybe hold back the last 500 yards on the bike and start stretching the calves and hamstrings.
2) Do more bike-run transitions in training.
Finally, I’d like to point out the members of my “support” group who came out to cheer me on. It really does make a difference to have familiar faces and voices shout encouragement as you struggle with the pain and transition from one event to the next.
Xan, the kids, and my two brothers-in-law made up the family contingent. Navy came with cowbell in hand.
Sven and Marcus were there (Sven, I look forward to racing WITH you at Hagg Lake).
Last, but not least, Lisa and Jeff. Without them, I wouldn’t have all these cool pictures (Xan took some, but she has to kids to look after). You guys are awesome and make every race more enjoyable.
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Surfing in Bali.
