SC Half Ironman Report

First Half Ironman = 5:02:04

This was my scheduled "A" race for the year but following the epic groin pull in late July I was skeptical of my capability in pulling off a good showing. So going in my goals were: 1) Have fun 2) Finish 3) Definitely go under 5:15 4) Possibly go under 5:00.

I got down to Greenwood the day before to get my packet and camp out with the FCAe folks. I like being there the day before so I can get an extra hour or two of sleep. So after picking up the packet and setting up the tent The Dannelley's and I rode our bikes out on the run course to make sure everything was in order. Then we grabbed our wetsuits and went to the swim start. I swam out about 400m and swam back in. Everything seemed to be in good shape. After a great pasta, salad, and bread dinner we turned in. I slept pretty good. Got cold a couple of times, but nothing major. It was a little chilly in the morning...around 50 F. After slowly waking and eating a little, I got on the bike and rode to transition.

I elected to not really warm up and just let the swim be my warm up. I did the pre-race prayer, they played the national anthem and then the elites went into the water. I was in the 2nd wave. Somehow the under 39 men were given the pink pearlized swim caps!

Swim: 35:57, 6th AG

I haven't been in the pool much lately, so I just wanted to go out steady and build into a decent swim without wasting much energy. Pretty much went to plan. I thought I would be about 34 minutes, but honestly my sighting wasn't great so that definitely slowed me down. I did come out the water feeling great and fresh, so I guess mission accomplished there.




T2: 2:06

Took off the wetsuit. Dried off some. Put on jersey (I didn't swim in it because I wanted it dry, remember 50 F). Put on socks, shoes, sunglasses, helmet. I thought this would take about 2 minutes, turns out I was right.

Bike: 2:43:19, 20.7 mph, 8th AG

This segment brought to you by my sponsor Midway BBQ of Buffalo, SC!!!! Jay Allen let me ride his rocketship of a bike and it definitely made a difference. Technology made the flats feel like I was cheating!! I wasn't sure how fast I could do this, so I went by HR only. I knew I needed to hold back in the first 20 mi because all the climbs of consequence happened there. I did a good job of that. The next 36 mi were all about making up speed. My nutrition was a Powerade mix, PowerBar gels, and Endurolyte tablets. I set my watch to alarm every 15 min. I drank every time, took a gel every 45 min, took two tablets every hour. Everything must have worked because I felt great the whole time and ready to run.




T2: 0:53

I racked the bike, dropped the helmet, put on my shoes and FCAe hat, grabbed my number and gels and gone. I thought I'd be around 1 min...right again.

Run: 1:39:50, 5th AG, 7:37/mi avg

This two lap run course is rolling hills and a lot of exposure to the elements. The first lap felt great. I was going by HR again and maintaining about a 7:15 pace. The sun was still behind some clouds so it wasn't hot at all. I managed the hills and made sure I took fluids at every aid station. I was still having fun up to around mile 8. After that my lack of run base caught up to me. I kept my HR in check but I steadily slowed down to the end. I think the last mile was about 8:30. It was all worth it at the end. Julie and her mom brought Ian down in time to see me come into T2 and finish. Ian was near the bottom of the crappin hill that you have to run up to finish. He was cheering and I grabbed his hand. We ran up the hill together and crossed the finish line. It was the best race finish ever!!! The lady at the finish gave Ian my finishers medal and he wore it the rest of the day. Later he told me, "That lady gave me a medal for runnin!"

Greenville Triathlon Sprint Report

This race was a mixed bag of feelings before and after. On the one hand, 7 weeks earlier I pulled my groin so bad that I thought I was done for the year...so just to be racing was a great high. On the other hand, I was "supposed" to be really starting to peak for the year by the end of this month and next and I wanted to kill this course. So I was both excited and disappointed all at once with the day.


I rolled out of bed at 5:00am and had everything ready to rock. Drank some coffee and Powerade and ate some oatmeal. I got to the race site about 5:45am. I got everything setup and had time to run just a bit and get in the pool and swim a little.


Swim: 400m pool swim (50m pool). I turned in a time that was about 10% faster than I thought I would go because the last two years I turned in actual times and had to pass multiple people before getting boxed in behind several folks by the end. This year was just about right. My lane partner and I finished together and we were passed by one person and passed one other. I was swimming blind because my right goggle was completely full of water from the start and the left one fogged up after about 200m. This caused me to slow some, but not too bad. 7:00 with a 50m run to the timing mat. 7th AG, 48th OA.

T1: My T1 is usually longer than T2 but this time, my helmet strap wouldn't stay buckled and I got held up too long. Time of 1:15...should be about 45-50sec.

Bike: 14.4mi bike course moderately hilly. I was really hoping to go about 22mph on the course. I started out pretty good and thought I might pull it off, but the two hilly sections sucked the wind out of me and I slowed way too much on the hills to keep the avg speed up. I made up some ground near the end of the ride and was able to go about 21mph for the course. My time was 41:03 for 6th AG, 51 OA.


T2: I was careful coming off the bike not to aggravate my groin and I jogged carefully through transition. My time was a little slow since I was taking it easy, but it wasn't terrible. 0:48.



Run: I had a great run here last year, but with the iffy groin and the fact that I had only run about 5 times in the last two months, I wasn't expecting any PRs. I used the first 0.5mi to try and get up to speed and see how my leg felt. The legs felt good, but the HR and lungs were not all there. Mile 1 was about 6:20. Mile 2 was not fun and I slowed to somewhere around 6:35. Mile 3 is always the fastest since I can taste the finish and really lay it all out. I think it was somewhere around 6:10ish. I ended up running a 19:19 that was 3rd AG, 16th OA.

I finished in 1:09:23 which was 5th in AG and 30th OA. That was 2 min faster than last year which was basically all on the bike. Again, I can't complain too much, but I think I could have been at least 1 minute faster on the run and maybe 2 minutes faster on the bike if not more. I guess that's what next year is for! I did have a great time after the race hanging out with the FCAe folks and catching up with some of them.

I'm Back!!!

I'm finally back to some decent training from almost 6 weeks down with a nasty groin pull. On Saturday I rode about 27 miles at a decent effort. No real issues there. Sunday evening I did a 5K run in just under 23min. Both of these efforts were with significantly higher HR levels compared to before the injury, so I've definitely lost fitness!! UGH! Good swims Monday and this morning, with a 5 mile run on Tues. I'm going to try a brick tomorrow afternoon.

Overall, I'm happy where I'm at right now. Honestly, when I got hurt, I thought I might be done for the rest of the season. The rest and physical therapy was well executed and I was actually patient with the recovery. I'm going to race Greenville in two weeks and hopefully Tugaloo Olympic and the SC HIM. I know my speed will not be where I hoped to be at this point in the year, but at least I'll be out there!

Injury Update

Yesterday I saw a Physical Therapist (PT) for the first time to evaluate and work on this groin injury. He said he can definitely tell there is swelling still in the area, nearly two weeks out. The treatment consisited of an evaluation then some light stretching (which at the beginning was not going to good). Then he had a massage therapist come in and that hurt but definitely helped. Then the PT came in with an ultrasound unit and some kind of topical creme. After 5 minutes with the ultrasound and the massage, I could tell a difference. The PT then repeated the stretching from before. I would say my range of motion was at least 40% improved! I was very surprised at the difference. After he was finished I asked if they had any stationary bikes because I wanted to ride for a few minutes and test it out. I went 10 minutes at a steady effort with no pain!!!! I have appointments for MWF of next week. I hope to really train some next week. No hard efforts, but I need to get moving some. I think that being ready for the Greenville race in August is a real possiblity.

Hy-Vee Triathlon

I just got to watch the 2009 Hy-vee ITU triathlon on my TiVo yesterday. The ITU style is different from anything I have ever raced because the bike is draft-legal. In many ways I am not a huge fan of the format, but it does give an opportunity for some great finishes.

This year's elite men had a 6 man pack of some of the best runners in the sport coming in the last mile. It was a very technical approach in the last few hundred meters and Simon Whitfield pulled ahead just enough to take the $200,000 purse. Not a bad payday!

If you missed it, there is a highlight video on http://www.triathlon.org/

Warning...graphic image ahead!

I'll make this a two part blog. Part 1: Peru Mission Trip

Last week was my 2nd trip to Peru in the last 5 years. Julie got to come as well which was awesome! (See pic below with our friend Lidman) We have been working with a people group decended from the Inca Indians in an area around Chupa, Peru (in the Puno region on Lake Arapa). They were basically considered an un-reached people group when we arrived. Today, there are at least four well-established home churches and we think around 300 believers. We had 14 people (6 from our church and 8 from New Life Baptist in Union, SC). This was a very big group for this kind of trip. There were only 5 of us on my first journey. Our purpose is simple: we tell people about Jesus and train up leaders in the local churches. No building churches, giving food or clothing...nothing that will cause a vacuum when we finally leave the area.

Our plan was to visit all the local churches in the Chupa area to encourage them and build up leaders. The travel itenerary is to fly to Lima, then to Juliaca, then drive to Chupa. We made it to within 30 minutes of Chupa and the town of Arapa decided we weren't going any further. They had set up a roadblock and "encouraged" us to turn around with rocks, 2x4's and fire. (There was talks of a transportation strikes nation-wide that fizzled out, but apparently they didn't get the message...or they were just bored). We agreed and headed back to Juliaca!

Long-story, short: we got connected with a local church in Juliaca that were already planning on working in Chupa! We spent a lot of time with the leaders in that church. Our pastor friend Julio taught them AWANA, we fellowshiped and worshiped with them, and we all came away very encouraged. The best thing is that this church is only 2 hours away from Chupa and can work very closely, whereas we only come four times a year. God's plan is always better than ours!

Part two: Triathlon training disaster and graphic image.

I know you can't resist looking for the graphic image! On the mission trip we were playing soccer with the locals in a plaza and I pulled my groin like nothing I've ever done before. I could not walk at all for about an hour and then I hobbled around doped up on 800mg of Ibuprofen at a time. It is pretty serious and still hurts to walk five days later. After two days a massive bruise showed up and moved down my leg. (see pic) I don't know how long this will put me down, but I'm not even considering doing anything until next week and then I'll take it day by day. The only up-side is that there is not another Setup Events race for me for 6 weeks. Maybe by then I can at least race. I might not train any between now and then though!!!

Tri The Midlands Race Report

The 2009 Tri the Midlands was the 2nd Setup Events Race of the season for me. I really wanted to put together a solid all-around race and hoped to place in the AG. The forecast was very hot and humid and the weather cooperated with the computer models!! Luckily I finished fast enough to miss the super hot temps.

Swim: The swim is 500 m open water. The 34-under men usually go in the 2nd wave, but we went 3rd this time. It was a very large wave for a race this size too. I started far to the right and didn't encounter any arms and legs until the first turn buoy. I went real hard for the first 150 m and then settled into a pace I thought I could maintain. I had to stop after the second turn buoy and rinse the fog out of the goggles so I could see. I came out of the water in 8:56 for a 1:47/100 m pace. This is almost 20s per 100 m slower than I'm doing in the pool. I just can't seem to get the open swims to go as fast as in the pool. This was good enough for 43rd OA and 7th in AG.

T1: Got my helmet on and left the sunglasses because they were fogging up due to high humidity. I put on the race number belt so I wouldn't forget it again! Ran the bike out of the transition area, about 150 m long. I hopped on and got rolling. Time of 1:10.

Bike: For the 14 mi bike course I was wanting to go out at least 22mph for the course. I was riding a set of Zipp 404s that Jay Allen let me borrow. Thanks man!! I could definitely tell they made a difference in the flats. Once I got up to speed, it was much easier to maitain than my old wheelset. I was crusing in several sections at 27-28mph. Well, I was passed by 3 or 4 in the AG and maybe 1 or 2 others. I did do my share of passing, especially in the first half. In the end I was about 21.4mph for the course, but I had to back off a time or two because my hamstrings felt like they wanted to cramp. A little disappointed but still respectable time of 38:20 for 42nd OA and again 7th in AG.

T2: I threw the bike on the rack, dropped the helmet, put on the shoes

Run: This 5k course has 3 very challenging grades to take on. I knew the heat and hills would be a factor, but I wanted to definitely break 20 min on the run. I caught one in my AG in the first 1/4 mi, but was never able to catch any others. I did have a great effort in the last 1/2 mi where I went after two guys who I thought my be in the AG, but were not. The second of the two guys and I had a fun sprint finish and I left him reading the back of my jersey!! My time of 19:51 was good enough for 7th OA and 1st in AG.

I was happy with my OA time of 1:11:58. This put me 17th OA, but only 4th in AG. The AG was well represented in the top 20 finishers with 5 of us in the top 20 male finishers. Once again, I lost the race on the bike...dang it!!! I can't wait until these bike times come down more!

Clemson Sprint Triathlon Race Report

The Clemson Sprint Tri was a bag of mixed feelings this year. I raced it on '08 and was really dissapointed with my results overall. Last year the swim was anaerobic, the bike was abysmal, and the run hurt bad...oh, and T1 got my wetsuit stuck and T2 had the insoles of my shoes all wadded up twice. This year I set out to improve in all disciplines, race much more in control, and I predicted a 1:07:00 finish time. Here's the rundown:

Swim: Started raining 5 minutes before the first wave. No problem, I'm going swimming! 750m in-water, wave start, 2nd wave. The elites went first, so there was no worrying about catching anyone. The horn went off and I went hard for about 100m before settling into a groove. I was sighting about every 12 strokes except when I got to the turn buoys where I was looking up about every 8 strokes. My sighting was good and I swam pretty straight throughout. I felt like I was right on pace until I exited the water and my watch said 13:00. What the crap happened there?!? I should have been around 11:30-12:00. Either I didn't push hard enough or the course was long. Here's a picture of me looking at my watch in disgust. The total swim time included a 0.2 mile up a hill to transition. 14:27, 7th AG, 60th OA.

T1: Got to my spot quickly. I had hung my yellow Fca-e t-shirt on the end of the rack so I could spot it easily. Wetsuit came off ok. I put on shoes and helmet, but left the sunglasses since it was still raining. Got out and on the bike ok, but not in the pedals fast enough. 1:18

Bike: 11 miles. Last year I averaged 18.9 mph on this course, which stunk!! I was looking for a dramatic improvement. I knew I was doing well because I was actually passing people. I was only passed by one or two from my wave and one or two 40-somethings who where hammering (I heard Jeff B's disk wheel roaring up on me from 50m back!). The course pretty much climbs for 9 miles and then descends for the last two. Nothing major just a lot of steady grades. I tried to keep my HR below 170bpm. I averaged 169 and maxed at 181. Once I got to the downhill I tried to get my speed up and coast in a few spots to lower my HR before T2. I also took in a gel in the last mile. Rain also stopped about midway, but never was a real factor. I was happy with my time of 31:21 for 46th OA, 5th in AG and 21.1 mph. But what a crappy place to set up for a photo. Right in a hard, fast turn. Couldn't they have picked a gentle downhill and got me looking super aero!?!? The look on my face said, "You're taking pictures here?"

T2: Racked bike, slid on shoes, dropped helmet, and off. Was I forgetting something? Oh well...0:34.

Run: This 5k course goes down a smooth hill for a mile, then up a rediculous grade for 100m to a flat dike turnaround and back from whence you came. Last year I charged up that hill and nearly died. This year I was more conservative on the way up and it helped a lot. I picked off two guys in my AG by the turn around and saw a pack of about 5-6 about 500m a head of me at the 2 mile mark. I closed the gap to about 100-150m but could not bring them back by the end. Frustruating because one of them ended up in my AG and beat me by 14 sec! Anyways, back to the T2 comment...as I made the last turn towards the finish I reached back to turn my bib number around and it wasn't there!! This is a 2 min penalty, yikes!! Ok, so the race at the end of last year I remembered not having my number in front at the finish, but I came through in a sprint to catch a few guys and blew through the chute so fast that I didn't get a penalty. So that was my plan, the only problem was I was all alone. Well I went in full sprint mode and crossed the line at a 4:45/mi pace and it worked again!! My unpentalized time was 18:53, 17th OA, 1st in AG.

Total time of 1:06:30 for 34/333 OA and 3rd in AG. Beat my prediction and last year's time by 6:09. So I was definitely pleased, but I was hoping for a better swim time and I felt like I left too much on the run. Not bad for a season opener though...

I'm Running Fast Daddy!!

My two year old son's favorite thing is to "run fast Daddy!" Any chance he can get, he takes off in a dead sprint. Since his stride length is about 1.5 feet in length, his sprints usually don't last long, but he loves it.

I can remember having that same love for running. No agendas, time constraints, or even a destination. Just running.... My favorite running as a kid was through the woods behind my house (at least 50 acres) with my golden retriever. I would go at break neck speed from the porch to the first set of gulleys (maybe 400m). It was a good day when I beat the dog to the creek, but only happened when I caught her off-guard napping.

So to the point! The chiropractor asked me today what my goals were with training and racing. Of the cuff I gave some cliche answer about finding my potential, blah, blah, blah. The more I thought about it I realized why I do this. I'm searching to rediscover that feeling of running through the woods; when everything was right and it was effortless. Some days I find it, others not so much, but man when it happens in a race it is beautiful! I guess it comes around just often enough to keep me going some more. The other reason is because I can. Because God gave me the ability physically and mentally to do things "normal" people think are crazy or impossible. I don't take it for granted.

To my knowledge, not a believer, but still a great quote:

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." -Pre

Redneck Engineering for Triathlon

If you know me, I can be pretty frugal (my wife calls it cheap!), but I have a hard time shelling out big money for things I think/know I can get for less or make up myself. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Anyway...I got a great race helmet from Julie that I really like, the Giro Advantage 2. I've done several training rides in it and it definitely makes a difference.

I really had eyes on the Spiuk helmet, but couldn't stomach the price tag. So I modified my Giro to get what I liked about the Spiuk (clean underside that goes along the back). I was inspired by T.J. Tollakson's homemade aero setup at NOLA 70.3. http://jayprasuhn.blogspot.com/2009/04/tj-tollaksons-new-race-setup-revealed.html

Notice the opening at the point on the end for any air that may make its way in there to escape.

Tools of the modifications: Duct tape, elec tape scissors, synthetic sponges

Now to give it some test rides!

Is My Watch Broken?

Here's a crash course on my athletic background...played every team sport native in North America, culminating in 4 years of Div II soccer from '97-2000. That being said, I was/am more naturally a runner than anything else. I have the most background there. I know how hard I can go for how long, etc, etc.

This whole biking and swimming thing is new to me as of two years ago. The biking part I get: 1) Find a good bike that fits (done, see last post) 2) Get your butt on it and ride, often (still working up to that one!).

Swimming, though, I discovered is so incredibly technical. I was a lifeguard through high school and college. I thought could swim because I was awesome at "Shark" in the deep end! Wrong!!!! Once I started doing actual distance with a clock watching me, I realized how far I had to go. The last three months I've been working more on my swim technique and pushing myself to go harder and faster in the water. It must be working because today I had some crazy times compared to January. Either that, or my watch is slow today!

1/12/2009
150 100 50
2:18 1:34 0:41
2:24 1:37 0:41
2:25 1:37 0:42
2:28 1:36 0:44
2:28 1:37 0:44
2:24 1:36 0:42

4/6/2009
150 100 50
2:14 1:27 0:41
2:15 1:30 0:42
2:16 1:30 0:44
2:19 1:30 0:44
2:18 1:30 0:43
2:16 1:29 0:42

8 seconds off of the 150s and 7 seconds off of the 100s. That's crazy progress in a sport where progress is measured in tenths of seconds. I'm definitely excited to see the jump in speed. Now I need to learn to maintain it over 1500m and more. Now to get the bike speed up too!!

New Bike!

Just picked up my new bike build from Go Tri Sports in Greenville today. It is a new-old-stock Guru Trilite frameset that I picked up on eBay. That means it was a frameset that was in a store that never sold, so they let it go for a steal! I took the components off my old frame and let the Go Tri Sports guys put the pieces back together.

On a side note...I drove to Greenville because I was looking for a bike store that treats you like a person and acts like you're the reason their doors are open and not like you are bothering them. I won't go any further by pointing fingers, but I had to drive 30 minutes to get that. Great bike/tri store, so I highly recommend them if you need any gear!

I love the paint scheme and look of the new frame. It is a more aero frame than the older version I was on and the geometry fits me better. Hal helped me get setup with a fitting, but we basically moved the seat up and tilted down slightly and that's it. It fit well from the start. I definitely ready to get on the road with it to see if there's a performance improvement over the old frame. Now I just need a nice set of carbon tubulars to race on and I'll be set!!!!!!!

Little River Bridge 8K Report

Rain, rain, go away...

After rains all day long, the race started about 15 minutes late but the rain cleared soon after and made for good conditions except for a few large puddles that couldn't be avoided on the course.

This is the third year I've run this event and last year was the first race I ever placed in my AG (2nd). I really wanted to go under 32:00 this year. The course is pretty hilly and knowing where the hills are helped me pace and plan very well. The first 1.5mi is basically up a long grade. I held back as best I could and took the first mile in 6:32. By mile 2 the leaders were nearly out of my sight, but I could see two guys that I thought I could bring back. Mile 2 was 6:20. Mile 3 was 6:25 (caught the first guy) and mile 4 was 6:25 (guy two is about 100yds in front). The last mile goes down a long grade and flattens out with the finish by the river. I caught up with the other guy at the start of the flat. I made the mistake of starting my final kick too soon and he ultimately pulled away at the finish. Last mile was 5:58.

I ended up 8th OA and 1st in my AG. I was happy with the speed since I haven't been doing any significant speed work over the winter.

Ahh...progress.

Alas, I see some positive results! This winter I have done a better job keeping up with my biking (sort of!) and swimming, while continuing the running base. Last two years I did a marathon and the biking and swimming got set aside for a few months. Well two months ago I hired a coach to help plan the training and keep things moving forward. Even with several rounds of colds/sinus infection in the last couple of months, I am seeing progress.

How do I know? Well, all of my run/bike workout efforts are heartrate based. So, if I'm doing the same courses in the same heartrate ranges with faster times, that equals improvement. Which I am starting to see. It's not a huge paradigm shift, but it is steady progress. If I can solidify my base some more, I know I'll have significant race improvement. See, I've survived athletically on my generally high pain tolerance and never say die attitude. It served me well through a collegiate soccer career (never was the most skilled, but definitely the most tenacious) and has showed to come in handy in endurance events as well. I think if I can get back the big base and the metal fortitude, I'll see the paradigm shift I'm looking for. Now to cut back the calories and loose 7-10lbs to get ready to race!

Here's to slow and steady producing fast and ready!

Zebras Do Exist 5k

We're less than two months away from the 2nd annual Zebras Do Exist 5k Charity race that I direct. This event raises awareness of rare medical conditions ("Zebras") and raises money for the medical bills of Nick and Samantha Napier.

It should turn out to be an great event. This year we have chip timing, a certified course, and $1,000 in cash payouts to the top 5 men and women. All courtesy of the nation's largest triathlon production company: Setup Events!

Last year we had about 280 participants and with our sponsor's help raised $10,000 for the Napiers. Sounds like a great first year and a nice amount of money, but it barely scratched the surface of their needs. These two kids have had 5 brain and spinal surgeries that are "out of network", read: "insurance is not paying for it!"

If you're available to run/walk on April 18th in the Spartanburg, SC area then you need to go to www.zebrasdoexist.com and register. If you can't make it, but want to contribute, then you can securely donate to the cause on the same website with your debit or credit card. See you there!

What's goin on...

Pretty much been putting in some base miles/meters in preparation for the upcoming race season, speaking of, it looks something like this:

3/28 Little River 8K
5/16 Clemson Sprint
6/7 Fest of Flowers Oly
6/27 Go Tri Sprint
8/16 Greenville Sprint
9/6 Hartsville Oly (this one's a maybe)
10/4 SC Half
10/17 Hickory Knob Oly

My swimming is getting better slowly and my bike is a little stronger too. Run is pretty consistent, but I'm not working hard to get faster there yet. I really need to get a bigger bike frame because I'm very closed up/cramped on the 51cm I'm currently on. I think getting the right fit would immediately give me a 5-10% power gain or more.

Green Valley 8k Report

First time I have run this 8k race at Furman University. It was a fairly well done event. My only complaint would be the lack of aid on the course. One water station would have been nice. Pre-race, I picked up my number the race "jacket": this tyvek looking thing that I might do a boiler inspection in but not actually wear in public. I ran about 1.25 miles and stretched some. Then I went looking for the bathroom. I had my Garmin Forerunner on which doesn't show the time in training mode, so I let the race start sneak up on me. There were plenty others in the building, but they were running the 10miler that started 15 minutes after the 8k. When I exited the building, I had to sprint out about 200 yds to the start and the gun went off about 10 seconds after I arrived.

The first mile was faster than I wanted to go at 6:09, but it was pretty flat and it was the start. Mile two was closer to where I thought I would run at 6:32. I was feeling pretty good, but then mile three was mostly a slow uphill climb the entire way. I slowed down to 6:50, but I passed at least 10 people that mile. Around there I met up with Hal Outen, a local tri guy and we talked briefly and then kept each other working to the end. There were three guys within site of us and we both agreed to make sure we brought them back to us by the end. Mile four was 6:29 and mile five was 6:14. We caught the group in front on the last little hill before the flat mall finish. I pushed just barely ahead of the group with about 0.4 to go to see what the response would be. They all responded, but no aggressively. I let them all catch up, mostly just messing with their heads, and then at 0.25 to go I took off and put a big gap between them all. My last 300 ft (after the Garmin autolapped) was a 4:51 pace. HR was 197 bpm at the finish...yikes!

Total time was 32:32 and was good enough for a 2nd place in my new AG 30-34! I was pretty pleased with the outcome since I haven't been doing any real hard or fast running in the last few months.

Bummer...

Sinus infection, full-blown. I've been so happy this winter to be sinus infection free...I have a history of chronic sinus problems, but my luck has finally run out. So between MLK holiday (pool closed) and sinus junk, I've been sessile for too long now. Wednesday is usually a rest or very light training day (other time committments with family and church typically supercede training), but I'm going to try and get a swim and a run or bike in to get moving again.

On the upside, I just got my cadence sensor and quick release mount for my Garmin Forerunner 305 today. I'm glad to get that setup on my bike so I can be all anal retentive with even more data! I also like the velcro wrist strap better than the factory rubber one, because the loose end never stayed in the holder and always got on my nerves flapping around. Furthermore...Coach has raised my saddle over 1" so far and I can definitely tell the difference in power. I'm riding the trainer on a higher resistance setting in higher gears than I ever have before. I would love to of had a watt meter to see the difference in output.

Thanks Coach...

Since cycling may be my least favorite sport to train, I suffered through 90 min on the trainer today. I was instructed to keep it at 60% (136bpm), which I did fairly well. Mentally, I was definitely ready to quit at 45 min, but managed to hang on. I put in Ghostbusters DVD, which lasts almost exactly 90 min, so it was a big help. Honestly, without a coach to answer to, this workout would not have happened!!

Found a Coach!

After much searching and deliberation, I finally found a Triathlon coach: Steve Pyle. He's a former pro cyclist and seeing as how that's my weakest link, I'm looking to make some huge gains there. Tomorrow is my first official coached workout session. I'm excited that someone else will be doing all the thinking/planning and that I can be held accountable for my training. To be honest, my training last year was less than adequate in several areas, but still managed to race well. I plan on really tearing up the courses this year. My "A" race will be the SC Half. I want to go in the low 5:XX's maybe even under 5 (stretch goal)!! I also want to qualify for Boston this winter. I'll post a tentative race calendar a little later.