Weber State Turkey Tri race report

What started out as a crummy day turned out to be a good one. I woke up early so I could get up to campus and set up my transition area for the triathlon, but it there was still a ton of snow on the ground and it was still falling. Sure enough, when I checked in, they announced the bike leg had been canceled. I was very disappointed and my heart kind of sank a bit. I've trained primarily for the bike leg, given my knee and shoulder issues restrict my swimming and running, so that was a blow. Obviously, trying to beat my time from last year was out the window since the race was only a duathlon this time around.

Chatting with Kelly and Jess just after finishing.
They were in the first wave, while I was in the second.

However, the weather cleared up a bit just before the race started and when it was my wave's turn to start the race, I was amped and determined to go all out on my run, regardless of pain, knowing I wouldn't have to follow it with a bike leg. It hurt and I was certainly sucking wind, but I gave it my all and didn't stop despite the cold. The swim was cake. I cruised past people in the short 300-yard pool event and mostly, people were conscious of faster swimmers, letting them pass when needed. I really wish that leg was longer, because it's the only place where I have an edge over most triathletes.


Me at the start of the race (in all black). Note the damn snow, just like last year.

I finished in 36:38 minutes, good enough for 5th out of 10 in my age group and 48th out of 112 overall. In the end, I'm still bummed I didn't get to use the bike I went through the trouble of borrowing, but with the time I logged on the other two legs, I'm still confident I would have finished in under an hour this year and possibly finished higher up. However, I did have one of the top 10 fastest swim legs in the whole race. To counter that, I also had one of the top 10 slowest transitions. I probably could have shaved a minute off my race if I didn't take my sweet effing time getting to the pool.

Jess, Kelly and I hanging out during the post-race raffle with our new bling.

Jessica and Kelly each won prizes in the raffle and Jess was given a medal for finishing first in her age group which was kind of cool. She acted very surprised and with good reason, because when the official results were posted today, she actually took fourth in her age group. What a fraud! Haha! Also, ran into some old friends and some acquaintances I work out with at the Roy Rec Center. After the race, I joined Jon McBride and Gentry Reinhart, -- my old pals from The Signpost -- for some lunch at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville and we followed that up with a Weber State football game (also in the snow). The day still didn't end, as I took Jen to an Ogden Mustangs hockey game later that night (also in a cold ice rink).

The famous Shooting Star. My stomach
 didn't sit right for the rest of
 the day, though. Worth it...

What a day... A cold one.

Total distance: 3.1 miles running, 300 yards swimming

Bike ride in the sun

I took the bike out for a test run today, given the Turkey Tri is only a few days away. I borrowed it from Jen's boss and took it to The Bike Shoppe in Ogden where they were offering free bike tune ups. When I took it out today it was a really smooth ride. I was a little bit nervous going down the main drag by my house where there is heavy traffic, but I did my best to follow the traffic rules and stay clear of cars in the lane to my left.

My borrowed ride. It's real nice, so I'm worried about hurting it.

I went to where I thought was three miles before turning around and made great time going back, since it was slightly downhill. The sun was out and I wore a dark shirt, so I felt like I was cooking in the end, but it still turned out to be a nice little workout and test ride. After looking at the map, I ended up going a bit farther than I thought.

Total distance: 6.5 miles cycling

Wedding anniversary triathlon

I didn't have the intention of doing anything special today, but when I got to the gym, I was feeling ambitious. I started out on the treadmill and went a full 3.1 miles and was feeling OK, so I thought, "What the hell?" and hopped right on the bike. I was still feeling good, so after about 10 minutes I decided to go the distance and complete the full 6.2-mile leg of what the Turkey Tri will be.

I immediately jumped off, started my watch and timed myself as I ran down to the locker room, threw on my suit and dove into the pool. I went through the 300-yards as fast as I could before turning off the timer. Adding it all up, including transitions, I did the full triathlon in 59:33, which is VERY fast by my standards. However, realistically, the actual tri is much more difficult with big hills and such. I finished in about 1:08.00 last year and based off how I ran the run leg of the course yesterday, I can't imagine I'm going to crush my time. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock a few minutes off, though. Getting under 1:05.00 would be an accomplishment for me.

It's been a good day, other than upsetting Jen for taking longer than expected at the gym. Today is our third wedding anniversary.

Total distance: 3.1 miles running, 6.2 miles cycling, 300 yards swimming

Slushy run with Kelly

Kelly and I had planned on running the Turkey Tri course today, and based off weather reports, we both knew it was going to be rainy and cold. We dressed warm, though and gutted it out.

If I don't look too pleased with myself, it's because I'm not. Kelly is all smiles, though.

Right after we parked and started stretching I watched someone ticket my car. I don't really care, because I'm not a student, so what are they going to do? Hold my transcripts? I graduated long ago. However, it is really stupid that Weber State doesn't have anywhere for you to park if you are a visitor or a non-student. Sorry, but I'm not going to buy one of your hundred-dollar parking passes so I can park on campus a few times a year.

Anyway, the run was incredibly tough. I tried my best to stay with Kelly the whole way, but I was hurting from the very start. I'm not sure my body was ready to run, considering I'm still sore from last Thursday's hike. Yeah, it's taking that long to heal. My shins were in a great deal of pain before we were even half way done, but any time I tried to stop or slow down, it just hurt worse, so I just trudged forward. My time was a very disappointing 34 minutes, but we did take a slightly longer route. The cold was a bit of a factor and my lungs were burning a bit, but that's to be expected. Hell! It's a triathlon in November! So I have no good excuse there. The rain stopped just before we stopped running anyway, so we did catch a break there.

Next time, I plan to stretch MUCH better and hopefully I can pull off a time closer to my Turkey Tri goal.

P.S.: Why is it already snowing? Ughhhh!!

Total distance: 3.1 miles running

Turkey Tri training

I went for a run at the Roy High track today. The Turkey Tri is only a little over a month away, and I really want to beat last year's time. I'm all registered, so there is no backing out now. However, I haven't been working out quite like I was at this time last year, even though I do think my overall fitness level has improved since then, but I need to kick it into full gear for the next few weeks

Just before starting my run at the Roy High track.

It's a 5k run, 10k bike and 300-yard swim. I finished in 1:08.46 last time and I hope to see at least a three to four minute improvement on Nov. 10. These were my official split times in the 2011 triathlon.

Run: 32:13
Transition: 1:26
Bike: 26.49
Transition: :59

The run is where I want to improve the most. Today I ran three miles in 30:50, which is just shy of a 5k and considering I haven't ran that far in many weeks, I was encouraged. Hopefully, with the right training, I can get that to about 29 minutes. The course is changing this year, too. In 2012 it was a very "hilly" route, which I thought was more difficult. Maybe it will be flatter this time around, which could help with my time. I also was a bit confused during the transitions, giving it was my first triathlon, so I will surely knock off a minute overall between the two of those.

On a side note, I took my nephew, Carter to his swim lessons over the weekend. It was at Layton Surf N Swim, which was where I swam during my high school swim team days. Sort of a blast from the past considering I haven't been in there in almost 10 years. It looked the exact same. Haha! I really do miss the pool, but my shoulder is still screwed, limiting me to no more than one swim per week right now, and short swims at that. Yuck.

I couldn't tell you how many hundreds of hours I spent swimming
up and down that bitch in high school, or how many gallons I puked in the water.

Total distance: 3 miles running

Call me a triathlete

This morning I completed another item on my fitness "bucket list." Kelly, Jessica and I competed in our first sprint triathlon. It was the Weber State Turkey Tri, a 5k run followed by a 10k bike, then a 300-yard swim. It's not a full triathlon, but it was a challenge nonetheless.

On my way up the hill for the second lap of the bike leg

I feared there was going to be a lot of snow on the roads from last night's storm, but the roads were perfect. Kelly and Jess had a hard time getting checked in because the event coordinators lost their registration, so it was a bit of a hectic start. But once they got squared away, we were on.

The run was by far, the most challenging leg of the race for me. In the sprint triathlons, they go in reverse order, so the run was first and I was hoping to finish the 5k in under 30 minutes. I didn't quite get it, and to be honest, cold weather is much harder on your lungs and I was having a rough go at it. I'd been practicing in the cold weather, but this morning it was about 20 degrees cooler than normal because of the snow storm. I crawled into the transition area after about 32 minutes and Kelly's brother Jeff, along with his wife Jenny, were there taking pictures cheering me on. That gave me a needed boost.

I sucked down a gel pack and grabbed my bike, only to go in the wrong direction back out onto the road, so I had to walk back, which cost me about a minute. They changed the bike course at the last minute, due to some icy conditions on the original one, so they had us bike the run route twice for the 10k. Personally, I thought the new course was harder because it had more dramatic climbs and drops, rather than gradual ones, so it was more challenging than originally anticipated. However, I gained some ground on Kelly, who I knew was going to have a very fast run.

Kelly and I chatting with Jessica after she finished.

Once I got back to the transition area, I stripped off my clothes (had a Speedo on underneath), grabbed my goggles and ran into the pool area. The pool was packed with swimmers, and I probably passed about seven or eight people, but most of the triathletes at this thing were new to it as well, and had little pool experience. So when I tapped them on their feet to move over, they didn't budge. I wish the event coordinators would have addressed that better and made people more aware of pool etiquette. I probably had to stop and stand up about 10 times because I was running into other swimmers who wouldn't move over.

In the end, my watch said I finished in about 1 hour and 9 minutes (final results aren't posted online yet). My goal was to get 1 hour and 10 minutes, so I barely hit my mark. Kelly was waiting for me on the pool deck and he ended up beating me by about two minutes. I wasn't able to make up the huge gap he put on me in the run, but I narrowed it considerably. Then, we waited for Jessica to finish and cheered her on during her last lap. She's a pretty damn good swimmer for someone who has only done it a handful of times. She seemed to have the same problem I did and couldn't get slower swimmers to move out of her way.

First-time triathletes. Take that fit people...

Overall, it was pretty fun and a new experience. My shoulder and knees are sore, but they aren't screaming at me like they have been all week, so I'll take that as a small victory. I'll definitely do it again next year and try to best my time.

Total distance: 300 yards (whoopie)

Polar bear swim and tri training

I haven't hit the pool all week until today. Partly because I'm trying to taper for my swim meet on Saturday, but mostly because my shoulder pain has returned. It came out of nowhere over the weekend, which baffles me, because I haven't been logging a ton of yards.


I was scared to death of the 46 degree water.

 

Anyway, I finally hit the pool again today, but took it easy on my shoulder and simply worked on my turns and starts. I haven't been slacking off in the cardio department, though. Kelly and I ran the 5k course for our sprint triathlon on Monday and then we ran the same course on top of doing the 10 bike course yesterday. I did another easy 4 miles on the stationary bike today along with some light weight training before going down to the pool.

Also, I participated in my first polar bear swim with Josh, Gordon and Jake later in the evening at Bountiful Lake. The sun was almost set and I was pretty nervous. Josh measured the water at about 46 degrees and Gordon measured it at about 43. It didn't end up being much of a swim, for I jumped in and simply couldn't bear the cold and I got right out. Not Gordon though. He just dove in and went for it, swimming the 200 yards from the dock to the boat ramp. Yeah I know, I'm a sissy. It was nice to get to meet Gordon and Josh for the first time in person though, although it was under chilly circumstances.

On a negative note, I had my goggles on top of my cap when I jumped in. I must have been too caught up in worrying about the cold that I forgot to strap them over my eyes. I couldn't find them afterward and looked at a video Jen recorded, revealing that I lost them when I took the plunge. I loved those goggles, but they now rest at the bottom of the lake. Sad day....

Total distance: 600 yards

A sweaty afternoon

I got up earlier than I normally do today, so I could get a head start at the gym. I wanted to have enough time to do a long bike workout before I swam. I'm glad I did, because today was fairly productive.

My view from the stationary bike upstairs.

Normally I bike anywhere from 3-10 miles at a leisurely pace, but today I wanted to crank it up a notch in preparation for my sprint triathlon. This way, I could simulate some of the more difficult hill climbs that I'm not accustomed to. I set a hill climb program and it absolutely kicked my butt. I usually sweat a great deal when I do land training, but today it was at a whole new level. I was seriously pouring. The cardio and weight rooms have a nice view of the pool below us, so that provided extra motivation to power through my workout as quick as possible. The cool water never looked so inviting.

I finished with about 8.8 miles after my cool down and I was very relieved to hit the pool. Here's what I did once I got in.

Warm up
200 free
Core
250 free (ladder build up)
500 free
1,750 free (one mile)
2 x 50 sprints
Cool down
100 free easy
100 breast

Overall, I'm starting to feel a little more confident heading into the Masters meet. My speed hasn't increased significantly, but my cardio feels solid and I'm still dropping pounds, so the workouts are starting to get a bit easier.

Total distance: 1.70 miles