nothing specific

The picture above is my daughter, Caty, playing a little ball in the backyard. I love this pic, her focus on the ball is really striking to me. Now we just need to work on that right elbow.

Wildflower is only 4 days away and this week is filled with last minute to-do’s to make sure we’re ready for the trip. Right now, we’re still unsure if we are heading up Wednesday or Thursday. Either way, I still need to get all of our camping stuff ready. It’s going to be a busy week.

Speaking of busy…how about the life of a 4 year old! It’s interesting how much stuff opens up for kids once they turn 4. Caty just celebrated her 4th birthday and we’ve wasted no time in getting her schedule filled up. She started Karate and violin classes last week and did awesome at both. Her violin teacher was impressed that she could write the letters of the strings at such a young age. I was very proud! And she starts soccer on the 10th. Life is going to get hectic around here, as if it wasn’t hectic already.

Last week, training didn’t go quite as I planned. For some reason, I’ve had a mental block about going to the pool. Every time I plan on going to Masters, something has come up or I’ve simply just decided to hit the “snooze” button and sleep in. Strange.

I managed to get out for three rides, including a nice steady to hard effort on Thursday with Coach Mike. We’ve been doing a early morning 40-50 mile hilly mid-week ride for three weeks now, with a bit of intensity thrown in. Here’s the link to the ride this week if you’re curious. This is something I’m going to continue as long as my schedule allows it. It should get easier as the days get longer. I couldn’t ride Saturday morning as I had to take Caty to her martial arts class. The rest of the day was smoked with other family stuff so my only option was to ride my trainer after the girls went down to bed. So I get my trainer set up, my laptop plugged in for some entertainment and some water bottles ready. Pump up my rear tire and POP! Bear in mind, I had a flat on Thursday and a flat the previous Thursday as well…and I’m fresh out of tubes. Damn it! No ride for me.

Good thing I went for a short run earlier in the day or that would have been a zero in the ol’ logbook. Running all week went well, I ran every day, a total of 41 miles with lots of hills. Colt and I did a 10 miler on Sunday morning at 7:25 pace which felt super easy. Good thing we went early, even at 7am it was already hot out.

The family and I spent the rest of the day at the Encinitas Street Fair and at Moonlight Beach. I guess Friday’s shark attack had people spooked, because the beach was not very crowded. Nonetheless, we had fun.

A good week.

A Dark Day

Today was a dark day for the San Diego triathlon community and indeed, the triathlon community at large. Dr. David Martin, a 66 year old retired veterinarian was killed today while swimming with a group of fellow Triathlon Club of San Diego triathletes off of Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach. He was attacked by a shark. Early reports are stating that the bite radius of the wounds and other evidence indicates that the shark was likely to be a Great White. Seals and sea lions in the area have been seen beaching themselves, which could be an indication that a large predator is in the area.

A terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to Dr. Martin’s family and friends. I understand he leaves behind  four children. While I didn’t know him personally, the tri community here in San Diego is pretty tight so I feel like I’ve lost a friend.

Dr. Martin…Rest in Peace.

some geek stuff

A slight diversion from training and racing discussion today. Instead, here is a little something for all you Mac users out there. Don’t worry, it’s triathlon-related. If you have a Garmin and use a Mac you are probably disappointed with the Mac version of Garmin’s Training Center (hereafter referred to as GTC) software. Quite frankly, it sucks. I used a PC when I first picked up my Forerunner 305 and was fairly happy with the PC version of GTC. It’s nothing stupendous, but certainly it does the basics well. Graphing of pace, elevation, HR, along with integration with Google maps, etc. All good. But the Mac version is junk. All you get is a simple graph of your HR, elevation, pace…that’s ok. But the mapping function is worthless. No streets, no topography, no Google map integration. And isn’t the mapping why you bought a GPS in the first place?

When I bought my Mac and discovered just how terrible GTC was on the Mac, I immediately started looking for a replacement. I do upload most of my stuff to Motionbased.com, but I also like to keep an off-line copy of my data since I don’t always have Internet access. On an airplane for instance. And you never know when the Motion-based website will go kaput (it’s soon going to be merged with GarminConnect, btw).

I did some Google searching and found Ascent. This program rocks. It’s not freeware, there is a one-time license fee of $35. But it has all the features you could ask for in a GPS-enabled training diary. (Disclaimer: I haven’t used TrainingPeaks, which supports GPS uploads also, so I have no idea how Ascent compares to that product.)

Within each activity you can track all types of data, including activity type (run, bike, x-country ski, dog sled…whatever), equipment (road bike, Newton shoes, tricycle, Crocs, bare feet, etc.), event type (race, training), weather, body weight, disposition (how you felt-OK, crappy, wonderful, high as a kite), and effort (easy, moderate, gut-wrenching). Each field has an ‘edit list’ option so you can add in your own customized choices. There are also two custom fields so if there is some other relevant data point you want to keep track of, you can easily do it. I personally don’t use this feature to its fullest potential, but it’s pretty nifty nonetheless.

HR, elevation, pace graphing is very nice. You can select individual laps from a pull-down menu so you can over-analyze to your heart’s content. In all seriousness, this is pretty handy for a track workout when you want to see how your HR changed during a single lap (an 800 interval, for example). And in combination with the Forerunner’s auto-lap feature, well…let’s just say you could waste a lot of hours geeking out over the data from your last long run. Hypothetically, of course.

The mapping function is what really sets this apart from GTC. One very cool thing is the ability to color-code your maps with user-defined zones. For example, you can set it up so your route will show up in red if you are running under 7 min/mile pace, green if you are running 7:01-7:30 pace, blue 7:31-8:00 pace…etc, etc. Similarly, you can choose from a pull-down menu to show different color coding for speed, gradiant, altitude, HR zone, even cadence. There is also a pull-down menu so you can see a simple road map, or a topographic, aerial, or hybrid view of your map.

And one feature I really think is cool; within the map as well as the graph screen, there is a pull-down menu where you can directly access all of your saved activity, so you don’t have to go back to the diary screen to check out the map from a different activity. After looking at today’s run, you want to take a look at your run from 2 months ago? No problem, simply got to the pull-down and its right there.

Finally, you can also open your route maps in Google Earth directly from the application (no exporting necessary).

Another great feature is Ascent’s animation engine. From either the map screen or the elevation/pace/chart you can run an animation of your progress along your GPS route. There is a ‘heads-up’ display that shows the HR, pace, elevation and HR zone data for that particular moment in time.

And most importantly getting your data from your device into the application itself is idiot-proof. Simply plug your Garmin into your computer, click ‘Sync GPS‘ from the File menu and ‘voila’, your activities will show up in your main diary screen. If you are migrating from GTC, you can import the .tcx files as well. Easy peasy.

In the interest of full disclosure, my only complaint is that the elevation change data is somewhat suspect…there is a pretty large discrepancy between what I get from Motion-based and what I get from Ascent. My understanding based on what I’ve read is that MB is pretty accurate, so I tend to trust that data a bit more. That said, Ascent is a great tool and has helped me get a lot more out of my GPS device.

Here are some screen shots (click to enlarge):

The main diary screen:

Route map:

Elevation/HR/Pace chart:

I’m sure that I’m missing some of the features of this software tool. But, by all means…download the free trial and give it a whirl for yourself.

looking down the barrel

Holy crap, Wildflower is in two weeks!

I just finished licking my wounds from Oceanside and BOOM! It’s already time to start thinking about Wildflower. Of course, I’ve been preparing for Wildflower…but it hadn’t really sunk in how soon it really is.

A few nights ago, my bud Colt came over for some steaks and beers to share some of his experience from his five successful trips around the Wildflower course. All I heard were things like “Nasty Grade” and “The Pit”. 6K ft of climbing on the bike followed by a leg-crushing 1700 ft of climbing on the run. Add in some afternoon heat and it could be a very tough day out there. His advice: the race begins at the top of Nasty Grade. Stay conservative until then…

I’ve been in Wildflower once before…2 years ago. But all I did was the Olympic distance course. And that was tough. The long course is another animal entirely and suddenly, I’m feeling that I’m a bit under-prepared.

What do I do when I’m feeling under-prepared? Train! And I’ve been doing plenty of that the last couple weeks as I try to bounce back from my sub-par Oceanside performance and get a little redemption.

A few tweaks that I’ve made are:

• Since April 1, I’ve been attempting to maintain a standard of 80 ft of climbing per mile on my rides and runs. For example, today I did a hilly 5 1/2 mile run with 755 ft of climbing. This is tougher than I thought it would be…sometimes its hard to find routes that meet this requirement without simply doing hill repeats. But I’m close. 188 miles on the bike since April 1 - 14,140 ft of climbing, 75 ft/mile. Running is similar…71 miles, 4926 ft of climbing or 69 ft/mile. 8 of those miles were on the track, obviously no climbing there…so for the 63 miles of road running, I was at an average of 78 ft/mile.
• Running in the heat. Whenever possible, I’m running in the hottest part of the day.
• Eating more solid food on the bike. For Wildflower, I’m going to try to eat some solid food during the first part of the bike, instead of relying on liquids/gels only.

Another week or so of heavy training and than it’s taper time.

I can’t wait for the trip…we have a group of about 10 people going with a big-ass camper. It’s going to be a blast.

day at the track

Another Tuesday track workout…felt pretty good. I thought I might be fatigued since I did a twenty mile ride in the morning, but I seemed to recover okay.

6 x 800 w/2:30-2:45 rest (avg HR in parentheses)

• 2:53 (157)
• 2:45 (163)
• 2:44 (165)
• 2:44 (167)
• 2:43 (171)
• 2:39 (173)

1/2 mile easy warmup and cooldown

The middle ones felt great, but the last one stung as we ran the first 400 in 1:17. Faded a bit the last 200. I ran in my Newtons. The toebox is too roomy for track workouts, my feet were sliding around a bit….I’ll go back to my DS trainers for these workouts from now on.

new kicks

Got a pair of these…they are the Newton Motion, which is Newton’s stability training shoe…which simply means they are medially posted. I’ve done a few short runs in them and my first impression is that they are an uptempo shoe, meaning they feel more comfortable when I’m running a bit quicker pace (sub -7/mile). I typically do my quicker paced workouts and races in Asics DS Trainers and my easy-paced long runs in Asics Kayanos. These seem best suited to be a replacement for the DS Trainers. They are certainly light. I weighed them on a digital scale when I bought them…they weighed 11.8 oz in size 13. My Kayanos weigh 15.9 oz. Big difference. The Newtons also feel very ‘bouncy’ and responsive, I really like the feel of them.

Still forming a more concrete opinion about them, but so far so good. I’ll be posting some updates as I get more miles in them.

Happy Tax Day everyone…I hope you all have big refunds coming to you!

an early taste of summer

It was hot here in San Diego this weekend. Did a hot and hilly 60 mile ride yesterday and a 12 mile run this afternoon. I must have drank 3 gallons of water today.

Managed a pretty solid week of training, just under 12 hrs.

Swim: 3000m, 1 hr, Bike: 112.4 Mi, 6:42, Run: 32.8 Mi, 4:10.

Next week will be a bit bigger in terms of volume.

weekday ride

Started my workday a little late today so I could get some weekday bike miles in. Coach Mike and I hit the Del Dios/Elfin Forest loop…I was struggling to keep up, as Mike was keeping the pace high on the climbs. Ouch.

A bit chilly at the start, but it turned into a beautiful San Diego morning. Sorry no pics, you’ll have to take my word for it.

just over 50 miles, 2:55 with 3600 ft of climbing. Not a bad way to start a Thursday.

Here’s the route: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5358885

some changes to my bike setup…

Ok, I’m back. A week out of town and the head is clear. We had a great time, did some drinking…went ATV’ing in Baja (which was awesome), got some sun and generally chilled out. I did think that I would have some big epiphany about the race and why I had a bad day…but I decided I’m not going to dwell on it. I drank too much ocean water and got a little sick. No biggie.

One thing I was happy about was my bike set up. I’ve tried a number of different things over the years with regard to bottle setup, where to put the spare/inflator, etc, etc….I think I finally got a setup that I like and will stick with.

Above is a pic of my set up from 2007.

Notice the rear bottle holders and the tool bag strapped to my Xlab flatwing.

Not that aero and a big-time risk from launching a bottle, especially on rough roads. I saw 3 or 4 guys launch bottles on this year out of their rear holders. Also, two things are missing from the pic that I did use come race-day….first, a gel flask holder that I attached to the stem. Of course, the flask dripped all over my stem and head tube during the race making a sticky mess. The other thing was a spare tubular strapped under my saddle between the Flatwing supports.

This year, I modified the above set up and went with something a bit simpler. Check it out…

No rear bottle holder, no bottle launching. I used a front aero bottle, which I’ve shunned in the past because I hate how they tend to vibrate and rattle when the road gets rough. This time I used both a bracket and single rubber band (strapped from under the aero bars in front and on the top rear of the bottle itself). The combination really helped to minimize vibration, I didn’t notice it at all.

In addition to the front bottle, I had one additional cage on my frame, with one drink bottle that I could swap on the course if necessary. Even that cage is probably unnecessary…but I’m always worried about being completely without fluid. One thing I have noticed that is that a lot of people will stock their bikes with 2 rear bottles, a bottle or 2 on the frame and an front aero bottle. Way too much to carry in my opinion.

I also used a FuelBelt FuelBox to hold 2 gel flasks and a pill dispenser with Thermolytes. I did make one modification in that only one strap would fit under my stem, so I cut off the top strap. It still held securely. I left the box half-zipped during the race and found it easy to access with one hand.

Finally, my friend Matt at Rivet Cyclesport showed me a little trick with a spare tubular. It is simply folded into two halves and my inflator, 2 CO2 cartridges and extra small multitool are wrapped up inside the tire.

Then, the tire is held tight with a piece of duct tape, with the end folded over and left loose for quick removal. I strapped this to my saddle with two velcro straps (the ones that came with my Xlab Flatwing, actually). No need for a tool bag..its all together.

The only other thing different was that I went with a slightly different wheel set up…switching from a 404/disc to a 808/disc (both courtesy of RaceDayWheels). Despite the windier conditions this year…the deeper front rim was no issue. The disc might be kinda heavy for the hilly sections, but I weigh 185…a few extra grams in my rear wheel isn’t going to kill me….the aero benefits outweigh the weight penalty, in my opinion.

I’ll use this set-up again next year.

2008 Oceanside 70.3

Damn, even without having to go very far, getting ready for this race required a very early wakeup call. Since I was catching a ride with my sister-in-law, who was volunteering and had to be at the transition area at 4:30, my alarm went off at the unholy hour of 3am. Ouch. I should have driven myself…not sure what I was thinking…it’s not like I had a long trip. Oceanside Harbor is all of fifteen minutes from my house. Dumb.
I showered and than had a pretty standard brekkie of one strong cup of coffee, two slices of toast and a bowl of cereal. Other last minute prep included a double check of my gear bag, topping off my tires to 110 psi, then out the door at 4:15.

Amazingly, despite the fact that I was at transition at 4:30 and it wasn’t scheduled to open until 4:45, I was not the first person to arrive. There were at least a dozen other bikes in the transition area (and not just the pros who I believe rack their bikes the night before).

Over the next two hours I did the standard pre-race stuff. Set up my gear, got bodymarked, hit the porta potty (twice), did a 15 minute warm up run, chatted with some friends and laid down using my bag as a pillow for about 20 minutes while I listened to my iPod and tried to relax. The time went quickly and before I knew it, it was 6:40…time to get my wetsuit on and get ready for my 7:03 race start.

Swim
The water was not nearly as cold as last year. Once the race got going, I found it quite comfortable actually. I found a rhythm pretty quickly and felt good. The water was nice and calm, but as we neared the mouth of the harbor near the turnaround, the waves were pretty rough. This combined with the rising sun made sighting a bit of a challenge. Once we turned around, a kayaker was yelling at everyone to swim toward the high-rise building on the horizon. This was a big help. Got to the finish with no problems with a time of 28:59. Right on target with what I expected. I swam about a minute faster last year, but I have only been swimming sporadically…so my expectations were very conservative.
There was a long run around the transition area to my bike. I took the time to put on socks, but decided to skip the arm warmers, as it didn’t feel all that cold.

Bike
Once out on the bike, I told myself to race smart. I’ve done very little volume on the bike, and I knew that any pacing mistakes would be disastrous. So, I got into my aero position, sipped on some sports drink and just tried to stay conservative. Plenty of guys flew by me, but I kept the ego in check and let them go. After the first little climb on Stuart Mesa, I started to feel a bit nauseous and by the time I got to the Las Pulgas turnaround…my stomach was in serious distress. I slowed to a stop, pulled over and puked up my entire breakfast (and probably some of the previous night’s dinner as well). Maybe too much ocean water? I’m not sure. I felt a bit better and got going again. My nutrition plan was three gels, one bottle of sports drink (GuH20 + whatever was on the course), and three Thermolyte pills per hour. I had nothing but sports drink before getting sick, so I stuck to my plan and tried to get some calories in my system. The stomach wasn’t having it and I did a nice rolling puke (first time I’ve done that!) at around Mile 25 and again at Mile 40. Despite the puking, my legs felt pretty solid. No issues on the first climb on San Mateo and I spun up the remaining climbs with no real problems. The course was quite a bit windier this year…the descent on Dead Man’s Curve was kind of sketchy, the bike was getting blown around a bit. The headwind coming down Vandergrift was also nastier this year. In 2007, I remember cruising the final 10 miles at 23-24 mph with little effort, this year I was pressing to
maintain 21.
Rolled into T2 with a 2:49 split, about 13 minutes slower than last year. Some of that was due to the wind…and stopping to puke didn’t help either. As I rolled into Hot Corner, I briefly considered calling it a day; knowing that the lack of calories in my system would have dire repercussions on the run. But I figured I paid my 200 clams, I better get my money’s worth! It was time to HTFU.

Run
Quick transition and came out of T2 running on pure adrenaline…managed 6:40’s for the first two miles and hit the four mile marker at 27 even. I saw Andy Potts and Craig Alexander go by me on The Strand…it appeared they had a race going; Alexander was nipping on Pott’s heels. The fans at the finish line were in for a quite a show!
For me, the wheels started to fall off at around Mile 5… I started to cramp and feel pretty faint. I resorted to walking and sipping on Coke and water at every aid station. It helped some and I managed to keep it down and did the ‘jog between aid stations’ routine the remaining nine miles. Run split was 1:43 and finish time was 5:08.
Apparently I looked pretty terrible, because the volunteers escorted me to medical after I crossed the line.
My time was a pretty big drop off from last year (4:45), so I’m somewhat disappointed. But I’m happy that I managed to finish the race in a respectable time despite everything not going as I hoped. I’m still not exactly sure what caused me to have stomach problems…that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me in nearly a dozen 70.3 and IM races.
For now, the wife and I are going on a little vacation for some R&R. When we return, I will probably try to dissect this a bit more and see what lessons I can extract from the experience.
Thanks for reading.