Wildflower Long Course Race Report

I'll make this one somewhat short.  Don't race when you're sick.  That's right after 3 months of decent training I was set to fly through the bike course, but unfortunately got sick early in the week.

After a sleepless night camping at Lake San Antonio coughing and blowing my nose (in my tent with the air bed that flatted) I woke up and took to the water for a shockingly decent swim (considering I've barely swam the last month.)  I mounted the bike and as soon as I hit the first little climb knew this was gonna be one long day.  Sheesh.  The moment I started to work the pedals I would start coughing uncontrollably.  The only way I was going to be able to continue was to go easy the whole way --- REALLY EASY.  It was endless, the wind was terrible and I got hot in my Aero helmet on my flashy bike watching people on cheap road bikes go by me.  Very humbling.  The only really happy moment on the bike was when I saw a bald eagle (yes!) perched in a tree right before the infamous climb, Nasty Grade.

I finally got of the bike and as if being sick wasn't enough my back seized up.  I was reduced to a measly shuffle, then walking, then coughing.  I ended up walking 80% of the run and it took forever.  I ended up crossing in about 90 minutes past my time goal, but alas it was not my day.  I am proud I finished as this one was likely the hardest race I've ever done given how I felt.  The big news is that with the finish under my belt I officially "validated" my entry into Kona!  Yes, if you haven't heard, I got in the Ironman Lottery and will be doing the World Championships in October!  The road to Kona begins in a week after several days of much needed rest!  For you, dad.  We're going back to the big island.  That was really the only thing that kept me from dropping out yesterday.

Long Time? I'm back to blogging. Oh goody.

Wow it's been a long time...

I guess I've taken a hiatus on structured training, structured goals and blogging.  It sure is nice to have my life back after 9 months of hard training and a long European vacation!  But I can't complain.

I've done no racing since the big day and have started to plan my 2011 season.  I'm already contemplating another Ironman for 2012, but next year is all about one main goal and two main races.

The Goal:

I want to fly on the bike.  I feel like I have some untapped potential riding and I really love it.  I hesitate to say I enjoy parts of it more than running, but it's a close one.  I think with some hard work (I've learned to be pretty good at working hard!) I can make huge improvements on the bike.  I'm hoping my run doesn't suffer too much as a result, but I've been taking time off that anyway due to some knee issues.  (No big deal, just playing it safe for now...)

The Races:

Wildflower Half Ironman on May 1.  I've never done a half (ironically) and this one is tough.  I guess I like it tough...I'm not sure on time yet, but I'd love to break 2 hours on the run (pretty ambitious for me - it's hilly, as is the bike) and MAYBE, just MAYBE sub 6 hour finish.

Vineman Full Aquabike on July 30.  This is an intriguing idea....an Ironman...but without the run!  This will allow me to go all out on the bike.  I gotta say I'm pretty excited about this idea.

The Bikes:

So...I now have 3 bikes.  You can definitely say I'm addicted.  I have my road bike, my commuter bike (a single speed I use around town on errands and stuff) and the newest addition, my Look 576 Tri-Bike.  It's AMAZING!  I love this thing.  Fun stuff.

The Plan:

I'm cycling from my house in LA to mom's house in Northern SB on Thanksgiving, in part to avoid the car ride with the inlaws.  It's 115 miles and I plan on starting at about 6am.  Should be epic and I'll sure earn my Turkey!  I start training for Wildflower in December and I'm excited to have a bit more structure then.  I'll have some other races along the way, including the LA 13.1 (more on that on the next post) in January and a reverse sprint triathlon in February.

I'm also toying with the idea of doing a road race or two on the bike but must say I'm a little scared of crashing.  (gulp)

We'll see!

Malibu Triathlon Race Weekend/Report

What a blast the last few days.

Friday: Drove up to SB to pickup my new bike (well, new to me.) My bike has had all sorts of probs the last few weeks and I had an opportunity to grab this beautiful titanium Serotta for cheap, so I took it! Unfortunately as many have said, don't change ANYTHING the day before (or of) a race. Opps. Took 3 emergency trips to the bike shop to get it fit correctly for me...long story...anyway, ended up camping 5 miles North of Zuma at Leo Carillo with my LA Triclub friends Tina, Mo, Byron and Roxanne. What a blast.

Saturday: Olympic Distance. Swim went great. Didn't wear a watch at all this entire race - my perceived effort experiment. Final swim time would be 28:51 - a PR! Cool beans. The bike, despite being excited about my new steed, I had decided to take very easy - in hopes of having a strong run. This is my 4th triathlon and I have yet to have a run that I'm proud of. It was a little odd honestly....it felt like recreational pace, but I stuck to the plan. The run...well it felt like SHIT! I tried not to go out too fast, but mile marker ONE seemed far! Uh-oh. I suffered, but I tried to keep moving at a consistent pace. I was hoping I'd low to mid 8 minute miles...but had no idea until I got my splits. Turns out I ran a 53:28 - almost exactly 8:30 - so I'm stoked. Final time: 2:45:53. About +1:30 from my PR for an Oly, but I'm happy. I had a great time the rest of the day hanging out with friends, getting my hair cut (? yes they had a booth for that) and a free massage! Julia didn't make the trip (hates camping) but came up to visit with Henry and we had dinner - that was cool.

Sunday: I was planning on doing the swim portion of the "Classic" distance with the Paramount Tri Team, but got a last minute call to also run the relay...so another day of racing! Yay...We started with the celebrity wave which was kinda cool and funny. It was just a 800 meter swim so I decided I'd go balls out. I've never been so aggressive running into the water - every man for them self! Getting out to the buoy was complete mayhem. But I finally found a rhythm and just wondered if I could hang on. A few short minutes later I rounded the last marker and headed in. Not sure about my chip time, but when I got out of the water my watch said 12:xx (couldn't read it!) After the 50 yard jog up the beach I stopped it at the mats - 13:01. I'm stoked with this. And I think the current definitely helped me out! An hour later I was off for the 4 mile run on my other team. I was hoping to do around 8 minute miles, which I quickly realized I was not up for. Then about a mile out had a bit of a surge. Final time on the run 32:00 - hurray! Funny too - I almost caught Mario Lopez right at the line! I should be right over his shoulder in his finish photos! Hung out some more with friends and the Paramount Tri Team (Awesome brunch btw at the event) and headed home to the wife and dog.

What a fun weekend. Thanks for reading.

Oh, and a silly little video I made of the elites coming through on Sunday.