This past week was rather successful. I got in 64 total miles of running, my highest week in a long time. I did a 16 mile long run at 6:45 pace, my longest long run in a while and I biked 126 miles, the most I've done in a week. One of those rides was a 40 miler and felt rather doable.
On all fronts, things are certainly moving forward! My tempo run on Tuesday was at 5:47/mile pace for 4.5 miles. Though still about 10-15 seconds slower per mile than pre-injury, it is more or less exactly where I was at this exact time last year. Assuming I make progress similar to last year, I am rather confident that a 2:39:59 at Philly is possible.
My long run pace is equally slower, about 20 seconds per mile. However, once again, it is comparable to last year. When I finished that run, and still felt great despite the slower times, I realized that being healthy and able to run was more important than being 100% on top of my game. I'm not forcing any times, and am really just enjoying the steady comeback. This resurgence has really reminded me that times are not everything, miles are not the be all end all...it's all about just being healthy enough to get out there and get done what you can handle!
After that Saturday long run, I got my bike ready for the Lums Pond Duathlon that was to take place Sunday up in Delaware. I "borrowed" a friend's apartment nearby (my former college roommate is the man) and was excited for the fast and flat course. This duathlon was to feature a 2 mile run, 19.5 mile bike, and 3.2 mile run. I had upgraded my bike this week with carbon aero bars and full carbon aero wheels. The aero bars allow me to get into a more aerodynamic position (while sacrificing some handling and control). Though not as good as a triathlon bike since a road bike does not quite have the same geometry, I can still get a pretty good boost on flats and downhills. The wheels, quite a hefty investment, are both lighter and more aerodynamic than my previous set. This wheelset, the Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLs were the perfect compromise between durability, weight, price, and aerodynamic character. They spin up so much easier making it easy to accelerate, stay spinning fast, requiring me to fight less at high speed, and are much stiffer making climbing and cornering easier.
So I've got this sweet bike and bike legs that are starting to click, all ready to go and what happens? Rain, of biblical proportions!! It rained A LOT this weekend and Delaware got hit the hardest. I got to DE 7pm on Saturday night. About 20 minutes after that, it started raining and literally never stopped the rest of the time I was up there. When I woke up at 5:00AM on Sunday to go the race, it was a torrential downpour. I drove through a few washed out roads and somehow didn't crash on my way to the race.
When I finally got there, the rain still had not let up. They finally announced the inevitable...the bike leg for the Du was cancelled, and the swim and bike for the Triathlon were also cancelled. They decided to combine the two run loops and make a 6 mile running race for those that chose to stay.
On one hand, I was a bit disappointed that I would not get to try out the bike and that I paid $110 for what would end up being a running race. On the other hand, I was relieved, because it was dangerous out there. I figured at the least, I could win the whole damn thing now. No way I was going to get out run by some multisport athletes!
A lot of people stayed, creating a rather large field of a couple hundred runners. The plan was to do the first running loop (2 miles), run through transition, do the second run loop (~3 miles), run through transition again, then do the first loop one more time and cross the finish. I know that doesn't equal 6 miles, but a few garmins confirmed that was the distance.
The Du and Tri were to be scored separately despite the mass start (yay timing chips!). Regardless, my plan was simple..beat all these fools! The rain slackened a little for the race but it was so ridiculously wet out there that it really did not matter. The first 2 miles largely to my surprise were on trails. While running through puddles, mud, water, and slipping everywhere, I thought to myself "so I was supposed to do a duathlon, but now I'm in the middle of a freaking trail race, great!!"
I knew everyone would have the adrenaline flowing after all the hoop-la about the changed race, so I made sure not to go out too hard as about a dozen other people did. I was easily 10-12 at the very start. After the first mile, 2 runners had separated themselves and ran close behind the lead vehicle (a yellow ATV...the most bad ass lead vehicle ever!). I did more sliding than running on the trail parts but as the footing got better, I slowly closed on those lead runners and dropped the rest of the fading pack. They looked pretty legit, as oppose to the others that just burned out too fast.
We ran through transition and hit some solid pavement for the next part of the course. I continued closing bit by bit, inch by inch on the leaders. The pair started to break apart and just as that happened, I caught up and went shoulder to shoulder with the overall leader. I would later find out that I blew the duathlon field out of the water and I was only racing triathletes. Though I had already locked up the victory, I fully intended to be the first athlete across the line, period! We made the turnaround to head back to transition and do the first loop over again.
During the race, I did not know for sure that this was the plan, but based on my watch, I figured that was it. Good thing I was right... I poured it on during this part because I knew things would get hairy once we got back to the wet grass and trails. I put some solid distance on my foe, though he stayed in the vicinity the rest of the time.
I was now in an ideal spot. I had not led from the start (I hate doing that) and was now in the lead with less than 1/4 of the race to go. All that was left was to seal the deal. As we ran through transition again, I made the mistake of looking over my shoulder. As I looked back forward, I almost ran into a volunteer who was trying to get me to run over the correct timing mat. I ended up slipping and busting my ass, falling on my left side. I immediately got back up and started running again. It took a few strides to shake off the pain, but I kept going.
I pushed forward, over the grass, through puddles, sliding through the mud, around and around until finally I started heading back towards the finish. My last time through the muddy area was almost horrible as I slid real, real far but somehow stayed upright. I usually slip on my trailing leg which is easy to catch, but at this race I kept slipping on my lead leg which was causing me to almost fall right on my butt every time!
As I rounded one of the final turns on wet grass, once again, I slipped real bad and fell this time busting the right side of my ass. At least it was even now... Before this race, in nearly 14 years of running, I had fallen a grand total of 3 times. Now, over the course of a 34 minute race I fell badly, twice! Talk about an adventure...
Of course I did the same damn thing the last time I fell, got back up and kept running. I didn't feel much pain this time, because I was hell bent on finishing first. Thankfully, I had a big enough lead that my mishaps did not cost me position (though I may have been able to break 34 minutes if it was not for that!).
I ended up crossing the line 1st overall in 34:18, 5:47 pace on a very slippery course in which I fell twice. Talk about a strong run...
For my trouble, I got a big gold medal and actually got to stand on a podium for the first time. Not to mention a lot of kudos from all the tri and duathletes out there. I'm actually quickly becoming known in the multisport world for being such a strong runner. I'm really hoping that I'll someday be comparable on the bike, because then I can really do some damage.
So it was that I won my first "duathlon" even if it turned out to be a run, run, run (yes they actually called it that...) instead of a run, bike, run.
I'll get two more chances to test out my running legs at a BRRC 10K this weekend and the Annapolis 10 Miler next weekend. This race gave me a lot more confidence in my tempo pace! Now let's see what I can do in some real running races. My next duathlon will hopefully be at the end of September, unless I can find one sooner!
Showing posts with label training runs/rides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training runs/rides. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Second "A" Group Ride...slightly better results
I went out for a second attempt at staying with AFC's "A" group for a 35 mile bike ride of torture. My cycling computer decided to not work (the sensor was out of alignment) so I don't have speed data. However, based purely on staying with the pack, I did a bit better.
This time, I survived the first hill and made it to the first area that they sprint. I was stuck in the back, for some reason I never seem to stay in the middle of the paceline since riders are constantly rotating. I guess I have to pay more attention to the flow around me. There is certainly none of this in running! Anyway, just before the sprint I was behind two other riders who fell off the pace a bit so I went around them and dropped the hammer just in time to catch up to the main group.
The actual sprint lasts about 1.6 miles. It seemed like they were in a double file line with the leaders dropping back every so often to allow a fresh cyclist to lead. I never did bother working my way up to the front. It pretty much took everything I had just to barely stay with it. My heart was pounding through my chest and I was breathing about 5K effort hard (some others seemed a bit more comfortable!). My quads and hamstrings felt like they were going to explode out of my legs.
As we neared the end, the pace picked up to another level that I did not have and I slowly lost contact with the pace line. However, I was certainly not the first to do so, as only a small handful of the rather large group actually made it to the end in the line. We regrouped at the conclusion, and I was happy to still be with the group. I had already improved over last week to last this long. Not to mention that sprinting down the road with 10-15 other cyclists is quite the adrenaline rush...
The pace slackened as we approached the first decent hill climb...Lawyers Hill. I don't know how long this hill is, but it certainly feels like it goes on forever. Of course, I thought I was hot shit at this point, still being with the A group this far into the ride. As we climbed the hill, I was able to stay with the group rather easily, especially on the steep part. As the hill started to level out, I once again somehow found myself in the back. One of these days, I'll keep myself in the middle!! Some people started to drop and I was stuck behind them. A gap started to form and I went around to try and close it. However, I seemed to have very little left in my legs as that all too familiar feeling of getting dropped reared its ugly head again!
No matter what I did, the pelaton slowly rode off until they were out of sight. Defeated by the hill!!! A few of us had a rotating pace line going in an attempt to catch back up. I also now finally know what to do in a rotating pace line (definitely still a newb here...). It involves a continuous circle basically. The lead rider moves left and lets the second rider in the line take over while he falls to the end. Then after a few minutes, the new lead rider backs off and so on. In this rotating fashion, everyone gets to hide in the draft to recover and the pace quickens.
Unfortunately it did not work, and I didn't know what I was doing anyway! I went through the next section, the one true hill climb on the course and managed to out climb the 4 riders around me. Just as I was cresting the hill, the bulk of the A group started going off, their rest complete. I had two choices. I could have gone after them with no rest after my hill climb or rested and dealt with either trying to catch them or hanging back with the other stragglers.
Since my heart was about to blow out of my chest, I decided to rest. I went off in an attempt to find the A group but never caught back up. It was irrelevant anyway, I had almost nothing left in the tank at that point. Regardless, I was happy with the results, being able to hang on just a bit longer and being able to push myself harder to the point that I truly was beat.
Talking to one of the other riders, he mentioned my best bet was to just get as many miles in as possible and by the start of the next riding season, I should be able to keep up. This was the last group ride of this season, so now I have until March to get my ass in gear. Very much like running, just riding a lot should really help. Clearly, I just don't have enough in the tank hit the number of hard efforts they make during these 35 mile rides. With some practice on my own and some longer rides, it should all come together!
I found a triathlon club that does duathlon style brick workouts on Wednesdays, as well as another group that rides Tues/Thurs to hold me over for the remainder of the riding season. I even found a group that rides during the winter (much more difficult than running in the winter). Hopefully all of this will continue to develop my cycling skills and by this time next year, I'll be talking about pulling along that A group instead of holding on for dear life! During the winter, spinning becomes a viable option for cyclists but honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to stand it. After my experiences during March/April, I don't know that I could ever use aerobic exercise equipment again!
This time, I survived the first hill and made it to the first area that they sprint. I was stuck in the back, for some reason I never seem to stay in the middle of the paceline since riders are constantly rotating. I guess I have to pay more attention to the flow around me. There is certainly none of this in running! Anyway, just before the sprint I was behind two other riders who fell off the pace a bit so I went around them and dropped the hammer just in time to catch up to the main group.
The actual sprint lasts about 1.6 miles. It seemed like they were in a double file line with the leaders dropping back every so often to allow a fresh cyclist to lead. I never did bother working my way up to the front. It pretty much took everything I had just to barely stay with it. My heart was pounding through my chest and I was breathing about 5K effort hard (some others seemed a bit more comfortable!). My quads and hamstrings felt like they were going to explode out of my legs.
As we neared the end, the pace picked up to another level that I did not have and I slowly lost contact with the pace line. However, I was certainly not the first to do so, as only a small handful of the rather large group actually made it to the end in the line. We regrouped at the conclusion, and I was happy to still be with the group. I had already improved over last week to last this long. Not to mention that sprinting down the road with 10-15 other cyclists is quite the adrenaline rush...
The pace slackened as we approached the first decent hill climb...Lawyers Hill. I don't know how long this hill is, but it certainly feels like it goes on forever. Of course, I thought I was hot shit at this point, still being with the A group this far into the ride. As we climbed the hill, I was able to stay with the group rather easily, especially on the steep part. As the hill started to level out, I once again somehow found myself in the back. One of these days, I'll keep myself in the middle!! Some people started to drop and I was stuck behind them. A gap started to form and I went around to try and close it. However, I seemed to have very little left in my legs as that all too familiar feeling of getting dropped reared its ugly head again!
No matter what I did, the pelaton slowly rode off until they were out of sight. Defeated by the hill!!! A few of us had a rotating pace line going in an attempt to catch back up. I also now finally know what to do in a rotating pace line (definitely still a newb here...). It involves a continuous circle basically. The lead rider moves left and lets the second rider in the line take over while he falls to the end. Then after a few minutes, the new lead rider backs off and so on. In this rotating fashion, everyone gets to hide in the draft to recover and the pace quickens.
Unfortunately it did not work, and I didn't know what I was doing anyway! I went through the next section, the one true hill climb on the course and managed to out climb the 4 riders around me. Just as I was cresting the hill, the bulk of the A group started going off, their rest complete. I had two choices. I could have gone after them with no rest after my hill climb or rested and dealt with either trying to catch them or hanging back with the other stragglers.
Since my heart was about to blow out of my chest, I decided to rest. I went off in an attempt to find the A group but never caught back up. It was irrelevant anyway, I had almost nothing left in the tank at that point. Regardless, I was happy with the results, being able to hang on just a bit longer and being able to push myself harder to the point that I truly was beat.
Talking to one of the other riders, he mentioned my best bet was to just get as many miles in as possible and by the start of the next riding season, I should be able to keep up. This was the last group ride of this season, so now I have until March to get my ass in gear. Very much like running, just riding a lot should really help. Clearly, I just don't have enough in the tank hit the number of hard efforts they make during these 35 mile rides. With some practice on my own and some longer rides, it should all come together!
I found a triathlon club that does duathlon style brick workouts on Wednesdays, as well as another group that rides Tues/Thurs to hold me over for the remainder of the riding season. I even found a group that rides during the winter (much more difficult than running in the winter). Hopefully all of this will continue to develop my cycling skills and by this time next year, I'll be talking about pulling along that A group instead of holding on for dear life! During the winter, spinning becomes a viable option for cyclists but honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to stand it. After my experiences during March/April, I don't know that I could ever use aerobic exercise equipment again!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Mon July 4th - Fri Jul 8th
Monday Morning Run: 5 miles, easy
Monday Late Morning: 26 miles on the bike, 19.9 mph on the Du the 2 duathlon course coming up in August. Some decent hills, but no big killers. Felt decent.
Tuesday Morning Run: 6x800 meter with 1 lap recovery, 7.25 miles total. Times: 2:41, 2:33, 2:33, 2:37, 2:37, 2:39. First one was a bit slow but the rest were good. A bit warm for 5AM, but manageable.
Tuesday Afternoon Run: 7 miles, easy/moderate
Wednesday Morning: 5 mile run, moderate
Thursday: 30.5 mile bike ride, 18.5 mph with some strong winds and a lot of rain after mile 21. Between bursts of rain I pushed the pace hard to try and get back to my car. I hit a good 3-4 mph faster on each section than I usually would, including 27mph on a couple of flat straight aways for a couple of minutes at a time.
I was supposed to do a tempo run that day, but I had strange pains in my left leg and rather than chance it, took it easy just to play it safe.
Friday Morning Run: 5 miles moderate followed by 4 easy.
Friday Afternoon Brick: 5 mile run, 16.5 mile bike ride @ 20.1mph, 5 mile run. I kept the transitions quick, not race quick, but I didn't slack off either. I feel stronger on the bike after a run than starting off cold which probably bodes well for upcoming multi-sport events. I was really able to push it on the bike. Those pains in my leg are gone (I think).
For this weekend...I'm waiting on a 14 mile run until 6pm when it's at least a little cooler out. Then Sunday is my next duathlon! Everything is ready to go. My bike is tuned up (and it sure needed it), my running shoes have a quick lace system on them, and I've got my strategy all worked out. After my run today, I'll clean up the bike a bit, load it up tonight, and hit the race tomorrow hard!
1.6 mile run, 12 mile bike, 1.6 mile run.
Monday Late Morning: 26 miles on the bike, 19.9 mph on the Du the 2 duathlon course coming up in August. Some decent hills, but no big killers. Felt decent.
Tuesday Morning Run: 6x800 meter with 1 lap recovery, 7.25 miles total. Times: 2:41, 2:33, 2:33, 2:37, 2:37, 2:39. First one was a bit slow but the rest were good. A bit warm for 5AM, but manageable.
Tuesday Afternoon Run: 7 miles, easy/moderate
Wednesday Morning: 5 mile run, moderate
Thursday: 30.5 mile bike ride, 18.5 mph with some strong winds and a lot of rain after mile 21. Between bursts of rain I pushed the pace hard to try and get back to my car. I hit a good 3-4 mph faster on each section than I usually would, including 27mph on a couple of flat straight aways for a couple of minutes at a time.
I was supposed to do a tempo run that day, but I had strange pains in my left leg and rather than chance it, took it easy just to play it safe.
Friday Morning Run: 5 miles moderate followed by 4 easy.
Friday Afternoon Brick: 5 mile run, 16.5 mile bike ride @ 20.1mph, 5 mile run. I kept the transitions quick, not race quick, but I didn't slack off either. I feel stronger on the bike after a run than starting off cold which probably bodes well for upcoming multi-sport events. I was really able to push it on the bike. Those pains in my leg are gone (I think).
For this weekend...I'm waiting on a 14 mile run until 6pm when it's at least a little cooler out. Then Sunday is my next duathlon! Everything is ready to go. My bike is tuned up (and it sure needed it), my running shoes have a quick lace system on them, and I've got my strategy all worked out. After my run today, I'll clean up the bike a bit, load it up tonight, and hit the race tomorrow hard!
1.6 mile run, 12 mile bike, 1.6 mile run.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)