In case anyone reads this, I didn't do much this year. 1 Tri - the KC Corporate Challenge. Swam slower than last Year, Biked slower, too. But ran faster - in fact, fast enough to set a new PR! 62:30 for 587 yds Swimming, 9 miles Biking, and 2.4 miles running. Next year I hope to break the 1-hour mark.
Reasons for not doing much this year? Bathroom remodel is at the top of the list. stripped it down to the studs and subfloor, and rebuilt it - new insulation, new wiring, new plumbing - it took me 2 days to play with the copper lines to move them to accomodate the fixture and the waterlines to the washing machine. they share the same cubic foot of space. not fun at all - tiling, and best of all, a marine radio and 23" HDTV behind a 2-way mirror for Lisa to watch while he takes a whirlpool bath. (I must admit I like watching sportscenter when I take a shower after my morning run.)
Well, that's all for now. I'm hoping to return to form next year - I'm already starting to figure what I want to do.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thursday, July 29, 2010
2 down, 2 to go
not so good at keeping up, am I?
well, here's what happened:
Tri #1: like an idiot, decided that a 40+ mile ride the day before would be OK. turns out, it wasn't - Goal time was under 60 minutes for 587 yds swimming, 9 miles biking, and 2.4 miles running. But the lactic acid was still so much in my legs from the long ride the day before that I was gasping for air on the swim, and every time I breathed, I slowed down a little more. I was a little dizzy getting out of the water for the bike, and just didn't have the hill-climbing ability I should have had. Then, on the run, had to stop and walk because again, I got dizzy. Such a weird feeling. But I still set a new time record - 1:06, beating last year's time by...20 seconds.
Tri#2: Having learned my lesson about working out the day before, I was excited to take on a new challenge - new course, new competitors. I had never seen the 547yd/11.4mi/3.1mi course or the lake or any of the area before (I never go over to Lawrence, KS, much less south of it). Predicted heat index for the day was to be about 107. It was 85 degrees already at 4 in the morning when I left my house.
Got to the transition zone, got set up, and went for a light warm-up run. Everything was feeling good. Then I got in the water. Holy hot tub Batman! The water temperature was about 90 degrees - it was warmer than the air. the start zone was getting churned up and bringing cold water up, but once the swim started, it was hot, hot, hot! Time was a little slower, but felt good (other than the water temp).
The Bike course was hilly - everyone was talking about how challenging it was prior to the race. I figured I'd be facing some difficulty, but having dropped 20 pounds this year, and gotten stronger and faster on the climbs near my house, I was excited. Turns out, yes it was hilly, but I managed to turn in the 13th fastest bike time overall...not an easy task for a clydesdale! (Yes, I race in that category). In fact, I think the reduced visibility from the twists and turns of the road at the beginning of the course slowed me down a little more, just because I couldn't see what was up ahead.
Then came the run. Oh, how I suffered. I've been running a crazy hilly 5k distance every other day in less than 26 minutes. But the heat was too much. I had hoped for a run time of about 27 minutes. I took 33. I just couldn't cool down - my legs were fine, but my cardiovascular system was screaming at me. The first mile took me almost 13 minutes! Not until I got to an aid station and poured about 5 gatorade cups of ice-cold water on me did I begin to feel better. I crossed the line and immediately jumped into the ice bath they had set up under the Oakley tent. Final time for the race was 1:22 - goal time was 1:10.
Next race is August 22. Luckily, I've done the course before, though a longer distance. Distances are 528/11.75/3, with a goal time of 1:12. Let's just hope it's a tad cooler.
well, here's what happened:
Tri #1: like an idiot, decided that a 40+ mile ride the day before would be OK. turns out, it wasn't - Goal time was under 60 minutes for 587 yds swimming, 9 miles biking, and 2.4 miles running. But the lactic acid was still so much in my legs from the long ride the day before that I was gasping for air on the swim, and every time I breathed, I slowed down a little more. I was a little dizzy getting out of the water for the bike, and just didn't have the hill-climbing ability I should have had. Then, on the run, had to stop and walk because again, I got dizzy. Such a weird feeling. But I still set a new time record - 1:06, beating last year's time by...20 seconds.
Tri#2: Having learned my lesson about working out the day before, I was excited to take on a new challenge - new course, new competitors. I had never seen the 547yd/11.4mi/3.1mi course or the lake or any of the area before (I never go over to Lawrence, KS, much less south of it). Predicted heat index for the day was to be about 107. It was 85 degrees already at 4 in the morning when I left my house.
Got to the transition zone, got set up, and went for a light warm-up run. Everything was feeling good. Then I got in the water. Holy hot tub Batman! The water temperature was about 90 degrees - it was warmer than the air. the start zone was getting churned up and bringing cold water up, but once the swim started, it was hot, hot, hot! Time was a little slower, but felt good (other than the water temp).
The Bike course was hilly - everyone was talking about how challenging it was prior to the race. I figured I'd be facing some difficulty, but having dropped 20 pounds this year, and gotten stronger and faster on the climbs near my house, I was excited. Turns out, yes it was hilly, but I managed to turn in the 13th fastest bike time overall...not an easy task for a clydesdale! (Yes, I race in that category). In fact, I think the reduced visibility from the twists and turns of the road at the beginning of the course slowed me down a little more, just because I couldn't see what was up ahead.
Then came the run. Oh, how I suffered. I've been running a crazy hilly 5k distance every other day in less than 26 minutes. But the heat was too much. I had hoped for a run time of about 27 minutes. I took 33. I just couldn't cool down - my legs were fine, but my cardiovascular system was screaming at me. The first mile took me almost 13 minutes! Not until I got to an aid station and poured about 5 gatorade cups of ice-cold water on me did I begin to feel better. I crossed the line and immediately jumped into the ice bath they had set up under the Oakley tent. Final time for the race was 1:22 - goal time was 1:10.
Next race is August 22. Luckily, I've done the course before, though a longer distance. Distances are 528/11.75/3, with a goal time of 1:12. Let's just hope it's a tad cooler.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Happy July
wow - I suck at posting. Anyway, Happy July. 1st tri down, 3 more to go. Lessons learned from this year's first tri?? Don't go for a 45 mile bike ride the day before. Found out that all that lactic acid doesn't go away as fast as you think it does, and then you're in the middle of the lake, and starving for oxygen to breakdown the lactic acid, and when you do get out of the water (20% slower than you wanted to because you were swimming crooked) your legs are all shades of wonky, you have no juice in them for the climbs on the bike, and when you do get to the run, you get dizzy and feel like you are walking/running sideways. As in, "I-should-have-had-a-V8" kind of sideways.
Anyway, still managed to post a PR, albeit by only 20 seconds, not the 7-8 minutes I was hoping for.
Oh, and on a recovery run the next day, I blew out my Nike Frees that I had been REALLY digging on for runs. crap. They don't even make them like I want anymore. Now I have to find a new shoe? This sucks.
Anyway, I'll try to post again after my next tri on July 20!
Anyway, still managed to post a PR, albeit by only 20 seconds, not the 7-8 minutes I was hoping for.
Oh, and on a recovery run the next day, I blew out my Nike Frees that I had been REALLY digging on for runs. crap. They don't even make them like I want anymore. Now I have to find a new shoe? This sucks.
Anyway, I'll try to post again after my next tri on July 20!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
first race complete!
Had my first race this weekend - and it was on a NASCAR track of all places! Yep, had a 3-mile time trial on the skirt/apron of the Kansas Speedway - 2 laps, no excuses. I was excited for it since I thought the flat terrain (instead of hills) would suit me. While I didn't go as fast as I wanted, I still did pretty good - 7th overall in my age group, which incidentally, is the fastest age group of them all. I won my division - 45 seconds ahead of the guy that came in second.
Oddly enough, the 2 guys immediately in front of me placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the age group, so when they were reading out times, I heard their times, then mine, and thought I had done miserably (although I was secretly hoping to be in the top 5, if not medal). And the difference between places 4-8 was a total of 8 seconds...grrr!
I guess that just means I have a new target for next year!!!
Like this, but with bikes. Start and finish on pit road. Oh, and nobody was in the stands :(
Oddly enough, the 2 guys immediately in front of me placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the age group, so when they were reading out times, I heard their times, then mine, and thought I had done miserably (although I was secretly hoping to be in the top 5, if not medal). And the difference between places 4-8 was a total of 8 seconds...grrr!
I guess that just means I have a new target for next year!!!
Like this, but with bikes. Start and finish on pit road. Oh, and nobody was in the stands :(
Thursday, April 8, 2010
New Season
Yes, I realize it's been awhile, but I felt bad about bumping Teddy down. But Spring is in the air, our puppies Tarfful and Teebo are loving the backyard, and with the promise of the season of growth, it seemed time to update.
In case anyone still reads this and cares, this year I've signed up for 4 triathlons. None of them are Ironman distance, but I've never competed like this before. Should be challenging.
Oh, and my last month or so has been overtaken by my single-speed project - converting my old steel-frame road bike to a single speed. Of course, I decided that wasn't enough, and since the paint job was going down-hill (ha!), it needed a paint job. Just need the last few coats of clearcoat, and it will be done. Here's a peek sans decals:
In case anyone still reads this and cares, this year I've signed up for 4 triathlons. None of them are Ironman distance, but I've never competed like this before. Should be challenging.
Oh, and my last month or so has been overtaken by my single-speed project - converting my old steel-frame road bike to a single speed. Of course, I decided that wasn't enough, and since the paint job was going down-hill (ha!), it needed a paint job. Just need the last few coats of clearcoat, and it will be done. Here's a peek sans decals:
Friday, August 14, 2009
Summer update
Wow. Um, wow. Been a while. In the worst news of the summer, our dog Teddy died last week. So in memoriam:
Teddy Bair Tomac
2003-2009
Teddy loved to pal around with his buddy Taylor. They did everything together, from wrestling to playing to napping (Ted frequently used Taylor as his pillow). But when Taylor died 3 years ago, Teddy changed. He became our “goth kid.” He was morose, and for a while, he wouldn’t get off the bed, not even to eat. His heart was broken.
Tarfful came along to help keep Ted alive. But Ted had already lost much of his playful side. He and Lisa still mourned the loss of Taylor. Ted now spent his days sleeping, barking at the vacuum, barking at me, barking at Lisa, and barking at me and Lisa. Lately, he had started to become pals with the neighbors’ Yorkie that they rescued. Howie has no kneecaps in his back legs, and Ted had lost so much weight that he had little muscle in his. So they were a perfect couple of buddies. But Ted would only be interested a little at a time.
Ted still had his personality. He was a very insistent dog, from when it was time to go outside, to when it was time to go inside, to when it was time to eat, or when it was time to be picked up (which was often). In fact, he perfected the art of turning 180 degrees to make it easier for you to pick him up seconds after pushing you in the leg with his front paws to let you know that “it is time to pick me up”.
It’s still hard to realize that Ted is gone. We’ll miss you buddy.
Teddy Bair Tomac
2003-2009
Teddy loved to pal around with his buddy Taylor. They did everything together, from wrestling to playing to napping (Ted frequently used Taylor as his pillow). But when Taylor died 3 years ago, Teddy changed. He became our “goth kid.” He was morose, and for a while, he wouldn’t get off the bed, not even to eat. His heart was broken.
Tarfful came along to help keep Ted alive. But Ted had already lost much of his playful side. He and Lisa still mourned the loss of Taylor. Ted now spent his days sleeping, barking at the vacuum, barking at me, barking at Lisa, and barking at me and Lisa. Lately, he had started to become pals with the neighbors’ Yorkie that they rescued. Howie has no kneecaps in his back legs, and Ted had lost so much weight that he had little muscle in his. So they were a perfect couple of buddies. But Ted would only be interested a little at a time.
Ted still had his personality. He was a very insistent dog, from when it was time to go outside, to when it was time to go inside, to when it was time to eat, or when it was time to be picked up (which was often). In fact, he perfected the art of turning 180 degrees to make it easier for you to pick him up seconds after pushing you in the leg with his front paws to let you know that “it is time to pick me up”.
It’s still hard to realize that Ted is gone. We’ll miss you buddy.
Friday, June 12, 2009
KCCC Tri report
Distance: 1/3 mile swim, 9 mile bike, 2.4 mile run
Goal time: under 1 hour
Previous record: 1:16
Yeah, I was trying to make a big leap forward. I got tired of doing worse in the KCCC than I knew I was capable of. And I thought my new-found fitness from the Ironman in November would help. Only problem, is that Ironman was SIX MONTHS AGO. Crap. And I've spent no time in the water.
So 3 swim practices in the week before KCCC weren't going to get me into swim shape, but at least they'd help me remember my form. I was shooting for a 10 minute swim.
And I got tired of the damn Dam Hill kicking my ass and devastating my cycle times. It's tough to watch all these itty bitty people waltz past me on the climb (though I do kick ass on the downhills and flats). The course has a nice 5% grade for about 3/4 mile as one of the first things you get out of the transition from the swim to bike. It's this hill that kept me from doing the bike leg in under a half-hour in the past. But I've been riding a fair amount since the ironman, and was shooting for 25 minutes.
The run goal was 22:30 - much slower than normal, since it also climbs the steepest part of the damn Dam Hill. And I always have problems on the run.
So how'd I do?
First, I could tell it'd been a while since I swam more than a few laps...my shoulders were burning by the time I got 200 yards. But I got into a groove and just kept at it. My swim split was 10:52, about a minute off my goal, and worse yet, I sliced open the underside of my big toe on a rock getting out of the water. I was bleeding all over on my towel in T1, but I wasn't going to pay attention to that when I had a race to finish.
I hit the bike leg with abandon, and thought I'd be able to make up the lost minute with both laps of the bike course. Yeah - I had to summit the Dam(n) Hill twice. I still got dropped by the lightweights, but on the descents, I didn't coast - I kept right at it. There was one guy who called out that he was passing on the left as we crested the hill; poor sap didn't realize that he had lost his chance to pass. I don't think he ever caught back up to me. On the relatively flat mile-and-half backside of the laps, there ain't nobody gonna catch me. I hit 43.3 mph in the race.
But that Dam(n) Hill bit me on the second lap - I need to drop 30 lbs. I ending up losing a little more time on the bike overall, with a bike split of 28:30.
So the Run leg was a one lap of 2.4 miles. If I hadn't just got done being in anaerobic hell for the last 35 minutes, I'd say it was a decent course. But the combination of my running (lack of) skills and the gouge of flesh that was missing from the underside of my big toe, I managed a measly 24:00. Yyeah, I checked after the race and seems a 1-1/4-inch by 1/4-inch section of my flesh was ...missing. My socks and shoes were filled with blood i.e. Curt Schilling.
So total time was 1:06:43, enough to set a new personal record, but also slow enough to realize what I need to work on.
I finished 32nd in my age group (out of 69). I was 30th out of the water, 19th on the Bike, and 57th on the run. So guess what I'm focusing on for the next 12 months? Well, I will when this gouge heals.
Goal time: under 1 hour
Previous record: 1:16
Yeah, I was trying to make a big leap forward. I got tired of doing worse in the KCCC than I knew I was capable of. And I thought my new-found fitness from the Ironman in November would help. Only problem, is that Ironman was SIX MONTHS AGO. Crap. And I've spent no time in the water.
So 3 swim practices in the week before KCCC weren't going to get me into swim shape, but at least they'd help me remember my form. I was shooting for a 10 minute swim.
And I got tired of the damn Dam Hill kicking my ass and devastating my cycle times. It's tough to watch all these itty bitty people waltz past me on the climb (though I do kick ass on the downhills and flats). The course has a nice 5% grade for about 3/4 mile as one of the first things you get out of the transition from the swim to bike. It's this hill that kept me from doing the bike leg in under a half-hour in the past. But I've been riding a fair amount since the ironman, and was shooting for 25 minutes.
The run goal was 22:30 - much slower than normal, since it also climbs the steepest part of the damn Dam Hill. And I always have problems on the run.
So how'd I do?
First, I could tell it'd been a while since I swam more than a few laps...my shoulders were burning by the time I got 200 yards. But I got into a groove and just kept at it. My swim split was 10:52, about a minute off my goal, and worse yet, I sliced open the underside of my big toe on a rock getting out of the water. I was bleeding all over on my towel in T1, but I wasn't going to pay attention to that when I had a race to finish.
I hit the bike leg with abandon, and thought I'd be able to make up the lost minute with both laps of the bike course. Yeah - I had to summit the Dam(n) Hill twice. I still got dropped by the lightweights, but on the descents, I didn't coast - I kept right at it. There was one guy who called out that he was passing on the left as we crested the hill; poor sap didn't realize that he had lost his chance to pass. I don't think he ever caught back up to me. On the relatively flat mile-and-half backside of the laps, there ain't nobody gonna catch me. I hit 43.3 mph in the race.
But that Dam(n) Hill bit me on the second lap - I need to drop 30 lbs. I ending up losing a little more time on the bike overall, with a bike split of 28:30.
So the Run leg was a one lap of 2.4 miles. If I hadn't just got done being in anaerobic hell for the last 35 minutes, I'd say it was a decent course. But the combination of my running (lack of) skills and the gouge of flesh that was missing from the underside of my big toe, I managed a measly 24:00. Yyeah, I checked after the race and seems a 1-1/4-inch by 1/4-inch section of my flesh was ...missing. My socks and shoes were filled with blood i.e. Curt Schilling.
So total time was 1:06:43, enough to set a new personal record, but also slow enough to realize what I need to work on.
I finished 32nd in my age group (out of 69). I was 30th out of the water, 19th on the Bike, and 57th on the run. So guess what I'm focusing on for the next 12 months? Well, I will when this gouge heals.
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