Pains me to have missed all this great running weather in NYC! Anyway, decent 2hr treadmill session at World Gym. :50 easy jog @5.4, :40 jog with random inclines @5.2, :30 walk with random steeper inclines at 3.4mph.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Spin!
Alas, my mega-week is not shaping up very mega! Doing the long ride on Sunday leaves you rather lackluster for the first few days of the new week...
I did the warmup on one of my hard Spinervals disks, but I didn't have vim to do the real workout, so I just rode out the full hour in zone 2. Glad to have gotten in some time on bike, anyway, even if shorter and less intense than I had originally hoped for.
1hr spin (z2)
I did the warmup on one of my hard Spinervals disks, but I didn't have vim to do the real workout, so I just rode out the full hour in zone 2. Glad to have gotten in some time on bike, anyway, even if shorter and less intense than I had originally hoped for.
1hr spin (z2)
Swim!
Hahahaha, I did NOT get up properly when my alarm went off, even though really I was awake - I stood in the living-room like a statue, torn between desire to meet up with sea swimmers and desire to go back to bed - bed won! Then I dallied too long, and by the time I should have been starting my spin, I realized I was quite wheezy (consequence of a mildly stressful phone call I needed to make, I think - it is goofy but true that even minor emotional stress triggers asthma). Will hope to do that workout later if wheeziness subsides, but prudence said that I should just have a nice little swim instead - did 20 minutes of drills in the irregularly shaped pool and then 20 minutes of swimming in the sea.
:40 swim
:40 swim
Thoughts on pacing
(Really I am procrastinating, I need to get outside for a sea swim momentarily!)
Hard to predict Ironman paces - too many factors. The most obvious big one is weather - my bike time won't be affected hugely by warm versus cool weather (though it will be slowed if there's heavy rain due to caution on descents), but it potentially makes a huge difference to run pace.
Running the numbers just now, I'm thinking along these lines.
It's a long transition in Wisconsin, at least 10 minutes for each, maybe longer.
Swim will probably come in around 1:45. I am a fairly consistent swimmer and take a very easy pace on the longer swims; the goal is to come out of the water as fresh as possible. Say 1:40-1:50 anyway. Will hope for some good stretches of drafting.
Bike pace is very difficult to predict. Minimum pace of 14.0mph would yield a bike split of 7:59; realistic maximum pace of 15.6mph yields 7:10. If I have a sub-7:00 split I have ridden too fast and will pay for it on the run! Will use a HR cap for pacing (135-38, mid-zone 2 - 135 for first half, 138 for second), but hills inevitably bump up HR.
Run pace is temperature-dependent and also related to whether or not I have used good judgment on the bike. I am pretty sure I can hold minimum 14:00/mi. pace as a mix of jogging and walking, which would give a run split of 6:06:48 (assuming you make the bike cutoffs, you still have 6:30 to finish the marathon, and I think that I am in good nick as far as making cutoffs goes). If I am having a great day and the weather permits, I would be looking at a top speed of 12:30/mi. (It is very different from running an open marathon - marathon PR is 4:16, and really I should be able to go quite a bit faster than that if I train towards that end, as I was much hampered by undiagnosed asthma - I'm hoping to run a sub-4:00 marathon sometime in the next few years.) That would give a split of 5:27.
Adding in transitions, the absolute best-case scenario is then something like 14:45, with a more realistic finishing time of 16:00-16:20. 17:00 is the official cutoff, and I think I should be able to make it. Now I am just superstitiously hoping that nothing bad happens in the way of illness, injury or other calamity in the intervening weeks!
Hard to predict Ironman paces - too many factors. The most obvious big one is weather - my bike time won't be affected hugely by warm versus cool weather (though it will be slowed if there's heavy rain due to caution on descents), but it potentially makes a huge difference to run pace.
Running the numbers just now, I'm thinking along these lines.
It's a long transition in Wisconsin, at least 10 minutes for each, maybe longer.
Swim will probably come in around 1:45. I am a fairly consistent swimmer and take a very easy pace on the longer swims; the goal is to come out of the water as fresh as possible. Say 1:40-1:50 anyway. Will hope for some good stretches of drafting.
Bike pace is very difficult to predict. Minimum pace of 14.0mph would yield a bike split of 7:59; realistic maximum pace of 15.6mph yields 7:10. If I have a sub-7:00 split I have ridden too fast and will pay for it on the run! Will use a HR cap for pacing (135-38, mid-zone 2 - 135 for first half, 138 for second), but hills inevitably bump up HR.
Run pace is temperature-dependent and also related to whether or not I have used good judgment on the bike. I am pretty sure I can hold minimum 14:00/mi. pace as a mix of jogging and walking, which would give a run split of 6:06:48 (assuming you make the bike cutoffs, you still have 6:30 to finish the marathon, and I think that I am in good nick as far as making cutoffs goes). If I am having a great day and the weather permits, I would be looking at a top speed of 12:30/mi. (It is very different from running an open marathon - marathon PR is 4:16, and really I should be able to go quite a bit faster than that if I train towards that end, as I was much hampered by undiagnosed asthma - I'm hoping to run a sub-4:00 marathon sometime in the next few years.) That would give a split of 5:27.
Adding in transitions, the absolute best-case scenario is then something like 14:45, with a more realistic finishing time of 16:00-16:20. 17:00 is the official cutoff, and I think I should be able to make it. Now I am just superstitiously hoping that nothing bad happens in the way of illness, injury or other calamity in the intervening weeks!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Hot yoga!
Hot yoga was VERY hot. Good class. Finally got some decent-quality sleep last night, though not enough of it (have to get up early this week to execute training plan, figured I'd better start today). My only major complaint about Ironman training is that it means I can't do nearly as much yoga as I would like! I was allowed to do it today because it is a recovery day....
1.25hr hot yoga
1.25hr hot yoga
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Long ride #11
These long rides are admittedly a bit grueling, just in their nature, but this was much better than last week's.
(I was very glum before I went out, I slept too little and very badly last night, but really as soon as I was riding it was all good. Can't leave before 6 as it's too dark still, but it gets mighty hot as the day progresses - but no, really I prefer not to ride in the dark, especially as cars on the road at 5am Sunday morning are probably still under the influence of Saturday night partying.)
The fourth hour was hardest, as my right toes had become agonizingly painful, but I stopped at Colliers Beach around the 3:45 mark for a FOOT BREAK - I also used the bathroom and ate a snack, but the main point was taking off my shoes and crunching and uncrunching my toes and rolling 'em in the sand.
(My mood also lifted at this point when I saw three gorgeous parrots fluttering from tree to tree as they searched for a suitable midmorning kaffeeklatsch location.)
Didn't get nearly as bad again after that - I was concentrating the whole time on "heel down" and easy relaxed pedaling, but really there must be some pressure on the nerve, it gets ridiculously painful if I'm not careful. Rode quite a bit in the aerobars and was able to manage hand discomfort better than last week - hands still not working quite right, but it never become nearly as painful/immobile as last time. Felt very strong for the last couple hours, and happy to be getting good-quality work done.
Best moment not involving parrots: a pack of riders overtaking me before Bodden Town (they ride from Hurley's) and inviting me to hop on the bus! Which I did, and it was exhilarating - 25mph! - but my heart rate was way too high, so I regretfully let myself drop off the back and ride at my own pace. Saw them at the Frank Sound Road gas station a bit later on and we had a nice chat - cyclists are amiable.
A good solid ride, anyway. Only one more really long one after this - I am three weeks out from race day!
102.74mi., 6:03:30
avg speed 17.0, max speed 25.5
avg HR 134, max HR 153
Total hours for the week: a not very impressive (though slightly numerologically sinister) 13:33:30. Nothing to be done about that - other obligations plus residual fatigue were realistic limits on what could or should be accomplished. This coming week's the big week, I've got a much more elaborate schedule that I'm hoping to hew to....
(I was very glum before I went out, I slept too little and very badly last night, but really as soon as I was riding it was all good. Can't leave before 6 as it's too dark still, but it gets mighty hot as the day progresses - but no, really I prefer not to ride in the dark, especially as cars on the road at 5am Sunday morning are probably still under the influence of Saturday night partying.)
The fourth hour was hardest, as my right toes had become agonizingly painful, but I stopped at Colliers Beach around the 3:45 mark for a FOOT BREAK - I also used the bathroom and ate a snack, but the main point was taking off my shoes and crunching and uncrunching my toes and rolling 'em in the sand.
(My mood also lifted at this point when I saw three gorgeous parrots fluttering from tree to tree as they searched for a suitable midmorning kaffeeklatsch location.)
Didn't get nearly as bad again after that - I was concentrating the whole time on "heel down" and easy relaxed pedaling, but really there must be some pressure on the nerve, it gets ridiculously painful if I'm not careful. Rode quite a bit in the aerobars and was able to manage hand discomfort better than last week - hands still not working quite right, but it never become nearly as painful/immobile as last time. Felt very strong for the last couple hours, and happy to be getting good-quality work done.
Best moment not involving parrots: a pack of riders overtaking me before Bodden Town (they ride from Hurley's) and inviting me to hop on the bus! Which I did, and it was exhilarating - 25mph! - but my heart rate was way too high, so I regretfully let myself drop off the back and ride at my own pace. Saw them at the Frank Sound Road gas station a bit later on and we had a nice chat - cyclists are amiable.
A good solid ride, anyway. Only one more really long one after this - I am three weeks out from race day!
102.74mi., 6:03:30
avg speed 17.0, max speed 25.5
avg HR 134, max HR 153
Total hours for the week: a not very impressive (though slightly numerologically sinister) 13:33:30. Nothing to be done about that - other obligations plus residual fatigue were realistic limits on what could or should be accomplished. This coming week's the big week, I've got a much more elaborate schedule that I'm hoping to hew to....
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Spin/swim
Hmmmm, early-morning FAIL - I had everything ready to go out really early so that I could ride outdoors, but when the alarm went off at 5:45 it just seemed too gruesomely dark and early and I went back to bed. On a brighter note, the trainer workout I did indoors later in the morning was really good - it is the hyperbolicallly named Spinervals Quads on Fire. 90 minutes with intervals decreasing in length and increasing in intensity: 2 x 12min, 2 x 8min, 2 x 6min, then 3 x 1min all out, 1min recovery.
Then half an hour sea swim to bring the total workout duration to 2hr.
If I do a short run later on and a swim of some kind tomorrow afternoon in addition to my long bike, I will feel OK about how this week shaped up in the end: really there were just various factors that made it hard to do the volume I wanted mid-week, but this coming week should be better. I am going to sit down with pen and paper and make a serious schedule!
Then half an hour sea swim to bring the total workout duration to 2hr.
If I do a short run later on and a swim of some kind tomorrow afternoon in addition to my long bike, I will feel OK about how this week shaped up in the end: really there were just various factors that made it hard to do the volume I wanted mid-week, but this coming week should be better. I am going to sit down with pen and paper and make a serious schedule!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Long treadmill!
OK, that was infinitely more enjoyable than the one I did the other day. I broke it up better, and also I think I must be significantly less fatigued - book event last night went well, and I slept relatively late this morning, really needed the rest.
1hr steady jog @ 5.6mph (1.5% incline)
.5hr jog with random inclines @ 5.4mph
.5hr walk with random steeper inclines @ 3.4mph
2hr total, c. 8mi jog and a bit less than 2mi walk
1hr steady jog @ 5.6mph (1.5% incline)
.5hr jog with random inclines @ 5.4mph
.5hr walk with random steeper inclines @ 3.4mph
2hr total, c. 8mi jog and a bit less than 2mi walk
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Short sea swim
I haven't done very well this week, training-wise. Partly it's fatigue and partly it's something I'm not proud of, a tendency to make excuses about how it's harder to train in Cayman than in New York! Other people, however, seem to do perfectly well here, and the comparison is clearly not productive!
(Torrential rain yesterday all day caused cancellation of Stroke and Stride race, alas; hopefully I can do the one next week. Masters swim is on August hiatus, and spin classes at Revolutions are also on a limited schedule.)
Hopefully I can make it a good training weekend, in any case. For now, I got over the hump of getting myself into the sea to swim - just half an hour, fairly pleasant. Need to strategize better for next week, though, and really write in more workouts as commitments. The thing that's amazing here is yoga - close walking distance, great classes and teachers - but that is not what I should be doing a lot of right now!
.5hr sea swim
(Torrential rain yesterday all day caused cancellation of Stroke and Stride race, alas; hopefully I can do the one next week. Masters swim is on August hiatus, and spin classes at Revolutions are also on a limited schedule.)
Hopefully I can make it a good training weekend, in any case. For now, I got over the hump of getting myself into the sea to swim - just half an hour, fairly pleasant. Need to strategize better for next week, though, and really write in more workouts as commitments. The thing that's amazing here is yoga - close walking distance, great classes and teachers - but that is not what I should be doing a lot of right now!
.5hr sea swim
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Treadmill slog!
I must confess that I was having very low morale and negative thoughts at various points during this one. Last night it was clear to me that I was so unbelievably and shatteringly tired that rather than trying to run, I would be better off taking a sleeping pill and going to bed at 8:30 when B. did! Which was what I did. (I had to be up at 5:30 - hahaha, this is funny - to be on television to promote my book event Thursday!)
Anyway I came home post-interview (it was very enjoyable) and went back to bed for a long nap. Was on the verge of talking myself out of it, but fortunately B. runs for an hour on Tuesdays in the middle of the day at World Gym, so I walked over with him and tried not to think about how horrible it was going to be!
Bought a three-visit pass that can be used over the next couple weeks (will get another if I need it, wouldn't mind doing some shorter speed workouts especially as I am going so slowly on long ones, but 2 x the 3-visit pass was still cheaper than a 2-week pass, and really I won't be there every day, so that was the way to go).
On the treadmill I always find myself playing a lot of mental games with fractions. If you're shooting for two hours, there are a lot of great moments in the first half-hour: you go from 5min to 10min (1/24 done to 1/12 done) so quickly, and 10 to 15 (1/12 to 1/8!); another particularly satisfying transition is from 20min to 30min (1/6 to 1/4). Then it's a bit of a slog in the middle - I think the middle 40 minutes is the hardest on this sort of indoor workout - then again there is great satisfaction going from 1:20 (2/3) to 1:30 (3/4, a significant chunk closer to completion).
I was throwing out huge gouts of sweat all over the treadmill - it is warm - and having a hard time staying focused.
The total time was non-negotiable (I have been skimping on run training, rightly, due to the prioritizing of cycling, but I do need to get some time on feet), but I knew intensity would be an issue. I did the first 90 minutes in zone 1, I am sorry to say (5.3mph, 1.5% incline), and the only way I could talk myself into the full two hours was by switching to a walking speed (3.4mph) on a high incline (6%).
Meant to run the last ten minutes, but so much sweat was draining out of my drenched socks/shoes that the treadmill belt had become quite slippery, and I dialed it back to the previous walk-on-incline mode.
Anyway, good running chemicals always kick in after you're done, I don't feel too bad about it - but if I can do at least one of the 3 further 2-hour run-walk workouts I would like to complete over the next two weeks OUTDOORS, it would be beneficial, I think!
2hr misc. jog/walk on incline (zone 1)
Anyway I came home post-interview (it was very enjoyable) and went back to bed for a long nap. Was on the verge of talking myself out of it, but fortunately B. runs for an hour on Tuesdays in the middle of the day at World Gym, so I walked over with him and tried not to think about how horrible it was going to be!
Bought a three-visit pass that can be used over the next couple weeks (will get another if I need it, wouldn't mind doing some shorter speed workouts especially as I am going so slowly on long ones, but 2 x the 3-visit pass was still cheaper than a 2-week pass, and really I won't be there every day, so that was the way to go).
On the treadmill I always find myself playing a lot of mental games with fractions. If you're shooting for two hours, there are a lot of great moments in the first half-hour: you go from 5min to 10min (1/24 done to 1/12 done) so quickly, and 10 to 15 (1/12 to 1/8!); another particularly satisfying transition is from 20min to 30min (1/6 to 1/4). Then it's a bit of a slog in the middle - I think the middle 40 minutes is the hardest on this sort of indoor workout - then again there is great satisfaction going from 1:20 (2/3) to 1:30 (3/4, a significant chunk closer to completion).
I was throwing out huge gouts of sweat all over the treadmill - it is warm - and having a hard time staying focused.
The total time was non-negotiable (I have been skimping on run training, rightly, due to the prioritizing of cycling, but I do need to get some time on feet), but I knew intensity would be an issue. I did the first 90 minutes in zone 1, I am sorry to say (5.3mph, 1.5% incline), and the only way I could talk myself into the full two hours was by switching to a walking speed (3.4mph) on a high incline (6%).
Meant to run the last ten minutes, but so much sweat was draining out of my drenched socks/shoes that the treadmill belt had become quite slippery, and I dialed it back to the previous walk-on-incline mode.
Anyway, good running chemicals always kick in after you're done, I don't feel too bad about it - but if I can do at least one of the 3 further 2-hour run-walk workouts I would like to complete over the next two weeks OUTDOORS, it would be beneficial, I think!
2hr misc. jog/walk on incline (zone 1)
Monday, August 12, 2013
Hot yoga
That was good. Heater was malfunctioning and according to teachers it was "freezing," so class was delayed/truncated by fifteen minutes to allow for some further warming up: really to me it is already subjectively extremely warm.
Tonight I'm going to have a first stab at doing my long run in the mid-evening after B. is asleep - it is clearly not working to try and do it first thing in the morning, early evening is hanging-out time and I really prefer not to run on a treadmill unless absolutely unavoidable. But if I can't get out and do it, treadmill is the inevitable fall-back, so wish me luck....
1hr hot yoga
Tonight I'm going to have a first stab at doing my long run in the mid-evening after B. is asleep - it is clearly not working to try and do it first thing in the morning, early evening is hanging-out time and I really prefer not to run on a treadmill unless absolutely unavoidable. But if I can't get out and do it, treadmill is the inevitable fall-back, so wish me luck....
1hr hot yoga
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Long ride #10
That was extremely hard! I came in around fifteen minutes short - I was shooting for 5.5hr, but I just didn't have it in me to go any longer. (Not muscular fatigue primarily, just very sore hands - from death-grip - and sore toes on right foot. And mental fatigue from the effects of cycling for a long time.)
Note to self: ride some stints in aero-bars in first couple hours, because if you leave it till your hands are killing you and you've been on the bike for more like 4hr, you won't be able to persuade yourself it's a good idea, sore hands notwithstanding!
I will need to strategize in order to get the full six hours done next Sunday: HR cap for first half of ride, more calories will both help, but I think these long ones really are just hard to get done if you are not one of life's natural cyclists. It was overcast for the first few hours, which was helpful, but grew increasingly warm as the morning progressed. It was incredibly windy - the first stretch of the East End loop, you're riding pretty much straight into the wind, it's slightly overwhelming (but a good workout). On the other hand, at other points, you're flying.
Other note to self: Jerome's voice is now added to Joanna's. Keep heels down! Jerome said he thought it was more acute as a problem on the right-hand side - you lose power if you're not using your calves - but I think this also may be the root of why the right toes get sore and the left ones don't. The two big mental cues for next week: heels down; ride in the big ring. (Which I did today, and it's definitely good.)
Casualties: one soldier crab. Saw an amazing flock of Cayman parrots, then then a bit later on one almost flew straight into me! Also saw a woodpecker on a pole behind the Frank Sound gas station, but could not tell you what species it was.
The Garmin didn't come on properly till about ten minutes into my ride, so add 10min and appropriate miles to total.
5:06 (+ unlogged :10), 86.70mi (17mph, that's not at all bad), avg HR 140, max HR 153
Total hours for this week (recovery week): 8:16. Two more big weeks, and then I will be tapering....
Note to self: ride some stints in aero-bars in first couple hours, because if you leave it till your hands are killing you and you've been on the bike for more like 4hr, you won't be able to persuade yourself it's a good idea, sore hands notwithstanding!
I will need to strategize in order to get the full six hours done next Sunday: HR cap for first half of ride, more calories will both help, but I think these long ones really are just hard to get done if you are not one of life's natural cyclists. It was overcast for the first few hours, which was helpful, but grew increasingly warm as the morning progressed. It was incredibly windy - the first stretch of the East End loop, you're riding pretty much straight into the wind, it's slightly overwhelming (but a good workout). On the other hand, at other points, you're flying.
Other note to self: Jerome's voice is now added to Joanna's. Keep heels down! Jerome said he thought it was more acute as a problem on the right-hand side - you lose power if you're not using your calves - but I think this also may be the root of why the right toes get sore and the left ones don't. The two big mental cues for next week: heels down; ride in the big ring. (Which I did today, and it's definitely good.)
Casualties: one soldier crab. Saw an amazing flock of Cayman parrots, then then a bit later on one almost flew straight into me! Also saw a woodpecker on a pole behind the Frank Sound gas station, but could not tell you what species it was.
The Garmin didn't come on properly till about ten minutes into my ride, so add 10min and appropriate miles to total.
5:06 (+ unlogged :10), 86.70mi (17mph, that's not at all bad), avg HR 140, max HR 153
Total hours for this week (recovery week): 8:16. Two more big weeks, and then I will be tapering....
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Hot yoga!
It is partly a function of the way that I've scheduled training blocks and recovery weeks this summer - I'm traveling for significantly more races than I usually do - but I was basically just flattened with fatigue this week! Getting ready to leave town for a spell in Cayman is always minorly complex (nothing too challenging in itself, but it's the combination of setting up catsitting, refilling prescriptions, drycleaning an item of clothing for travel, getting library stuff I need for work, etc. etc.), and it was pretty clear to me that there was little point doing any exercise, my body was not going to absorb it. Didn't really sleep Wednesday night due to early departure Thursday, and took a sleeping pill last night to make sure I got a long night of sleep. That may have impacted yoga - I felt acutely queasy during a couple stretches of the standing series - but it was a very good class, I am extremely happy to be back at it! I'll do double spin tomorrow morning and pick back up again with a long ride on Sunday.
1.25hr yoga
1.25hr yoga
Monday, August 5, 2013
Kingdom Triathlon - race report!
My main takeaway from this race is that I have to be much more careful about managing fatigue levels during the days coming in to a big event. In fact it all turned out OK, I had a very nice day particularly on the run course (though I ran it counter-clockwise, incorrectly, and have an asterisk next to my time!). But I thought I was pushing my luck!
(Running the wrong way was not due to fatigue, I really just have a very hard time finding my way in the world - can't recognize places/intersections or make good judgments about them.)
The tiring week kind of crept up on me unexpectedly, though I should have seen it coming. I was out late on Tuesday night at a fantastic party at the Algonquin Hotel. Then I was out later than anticipated on Wednesday - G. and I wanted to wait for my brother before going out to eat post-movie, and that was the right choice, but my brother wasn't home from work till 10:30, so it was after midnight by the time I got home (with also some emotionally draining phone conversation mid-evening with friend in Ottawa about B.'s parents' situation).
I had a busy work day Thursday and then we only left here around 5:45pm, got to Liz's aunt's house after midnight again (details of lovely farm life at my other blog). I took a sleeping pill, because otherwise I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep for hours and I couldn't face that kind of stint of wakefulness in a strange environment, but it doesn't give restful sleep, so I was exhausted all day Friday - we had a long further drive from Randolph up to the Kingdom, were briefly at B&B in late afternoon but then went out to pre-race dinner which involved demanding conversation with strangers - got home around 9.
I was so tired and frazzled this point that I really just couldn't sleep. Tossed and turned horribly, making myself crazy; finally got off for some light restless sleep at 3:30am (not kidding), woke up at 5 about half an hour before alarm was due to go off, realized that I was just going to have to get by on 1.5hr sleep and NOT a week of good rest before that. Am going to try in future to get to race site much earlier the day beforehand so that it's not so overwhelming - insomnia is a lifelong problem for me, and I'm a homebody who never sleeps well when I'm on the road.
It was pouring rain and quite chilly, and I think Liz and I were both rather hoping the race would be canceled - forecast predicted lightning every hour all the way through till noon! But it started to clear up after we'd dropped our run bags at the second transition area (it's a point-to-point race, swim-bike and bike-run transitions in two different locations) and hied our way to the swim start, and in fact it was a very good day for racing - I had quite a bit of rain on the last third of the bike, but it's good for me to ride in the rain sometimes, and it was blessedly cool on the run - this is beneficial for the Davidsonian physiognomy, which overheats easily.
The Kingdom Triathlon is an unusual race. I did the Aquaman option, which "evens up" the standard half-iron distances so that a strong all-round athlete would be spending equal time on each leg. (Conventional half-iron-distance triathlon favors cyclists especially but also runners, and downgrades the swim to almost just a warm-up!) I do not know why I thought it would be easy, it was quite challenging and in particular the bike course was much hillier than I had imagined or understood.
The swim: two loops, 1.75mi each (you get out on the shore and touch the table between loops, with a chance to eat a gel and in my case use asthma inhaler also). Great kayak support on the water. (Only fifteen or so of us racing the Aquaman, it's a tiny race.) More chop and current than I had imagined, particularly on longest leg of second loop. Very glad to come out after almost 2.5hr swimming - this picture shows how happy I am (and also strong wetsuit-induced resemblance to sausage in casing!).
For the first few miles of the bike, my legs were incredibly tired - I've never felt that so much before, and I think it may have been due to relatively cool temperatures. (The water was perfect, by the way - about 70, very comfortable with wetsuit and I rather wished I hadn't been wearing one, it is more relaxing swimming without!) Once I'd warmed up, it was better, but this was where mental fatigue really kicked in. I had only reassembled my bicycle about 20 min. before race start, we had had so much travel and tiring things to do, I did a quick test ride but this is my new bike, all arrangements are new, and my hydration was not actually accessible, nor could I see the face of my Garmin for HR/distance/time - I was also, independently, having a huge amount of anxiety about getting lost on the bike course.
(In a race this small, it's all just modest signage, no volunteers on the course whatsoever, either for bike or run.)
Fortunately there was a guy I'd been swimming with throughout who was also a similar speed cyclist to me, so I had reassurance for quite a while that I wasn't lost, and we exchanged periodic banter and encouragement. I was the stronger climber, but he lost me in the last part of the course, which has a net downhill - by this time it was raining pretty heavily, and I was just completely mentally tapped out. Very much ready for bike to be over - I haven't had this feeling in my three previous races this season, though it characterizes all previous years of triathlon experience, and it was dispiriting to be having it again (partly underfueled, I think, but more just the effect of fatigue).
I was riding my new tri bike as if it were a road bike, mostly! It really is a lovely bike and I am going to keep working on riding it properly. It probably exacerbated fatigue slightly that it wasn't the bike I know really well, but I was super-glad to get such a good chance to get more of a feel for how the gearing works on hills (I just have a big & small plate on this bike, as opposed to a triple on the road bike). I followed Joanna's advice and rode a lot on the big ring, it felt great. By the end I was increasingly sure I had gotten lost, as it all seemed to be taking longer than I had imagined (cautious descending on rainy downhills); hugely relieved to come back to vaguely familiar terrain and realize I had not after all gotten lost.
This action sequence shows how very happy I am to be finishing the bike safely - the face I am making in the last picture is to tell the race support folks how horrible the bike leg was, and how excited I am to be setting off on the run!
Runwise, I made the bad intersection call pretty early on, I wish I'd had the paper map with me but it was so rainy it probably would have disintegrated (I could have had it in a plastic bag). My geographical incapacity means that I can use an actual map but I can't remember what a map said in relation to things I am seeing in the world - so I was already a mile into the wrong-way loop before it became clear (thanks to a helpful racer in opposite direction, but also to race director who was checking out the course in his car). He gave me his blessing just to keep on this way, he thought the course would be well-enough marked (he said later that he was second-guessing himself in hours following, but it worked out OK). The nice part of this was that it meant I saw all the other runners, including Liz at about her mile 8 and my mile 5. I was in a good mood the whole way, actually; 2 volunteers in truck came and found me around my mile 8 and gave me a copy of aforementioned map, with words of advice about which intersections were tricky, and it was all good. (Unmanned aid stations worked well - there is a table with water, Gatorade mix, gels, fig newtons, etc. and you take what you need.)
All in all, a really beautiful day: an unusual race, a stunning location (swim is particularly excellent), and blessedly cool compared to most triathlons I do. I was the last finisher but truly it is a race one should be pleased just to complete! Thanks to Liz for organizing. Resolution for next races: build in more slack so that I am not going into the thing with such overwhelming fatigue! (I really was at the end of my tether by Friday night around midnight - it is a silly situation to get oneself into voluntarily.)
7:45 total time on course; cumulative splits 2:29:17 for swim, 4:48:53 for bike (2:19:35 split), 7:45:53 for run (2:57:01 split). Week 9 total hours: 14:20. (Haven't "built" properly, couldn't fit in any exercise Wed.-Fri. and was traveling again Sun. This week is recovery week, I'm traveling to Cayman on Thursday very early and probably won't sleep much if at all Wednesday night - so I'm not worrying about what exactly I do in next few days, goal is just not to get sick/overwhelmed & to pick up again with double spin Saturday morning and a long ride outdoors Sunday.)
(All pictures from this page. Not sure that this really does justice to the beauty of the surroundings - to some extent, all race photos look the same, lots of wetsuits and swim caps in the beginning, bicycles in the middle and cheery trudging at the end! But amazing backdrop of hills and farms, really beautiful rolling green agricultural country, and a stunning lake with mountain backdrop.)
(Running the wrong way was not due to fatigue, I really just have a very hard time finding my way in the world - can't recognize places/intersections or make good judgments about them.)
The tiring week kind of crept up on me unexpectedly, though I should have seen it coming. I was out late on Tuesday night at a fantastic party at the Algonquin Hotel. Then I was out later than anticipated on Wednesday - G. and I wanted to wait for my brother before going out to eat post-movie, and that was the right choice, but my brother wasn't home from work till 10:30, so it was after midnight by the time I got home (with also some emotionally draining phone conversation mid-evening with friend in Ottawa about B.'s parents' situation).
I had a busy work day Thursday and then we only left here around 5:45pm, got to Liz's aunt's house after midnight again (details of lovely farm life at my other blog). I took a sleeping pill, because otherwise I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep for hours and I couldn't face that kind of stint of wakefulness in a strange environment, but it doesn't give restful sleep, so I was exhausted all day Friday - we had a long further drive from Randolph up to the Kingdom, were briefly at B&B in late afternoon but then went out to pre-race dinner which involved demanding conversation with strangers - got home around 9.
I was so tired and frazzled this point that I really just couldn't sleep. Tossed and turned horribly, making myself crazy; finally got off for some light restless sleep at 3:30am (not kidding), woke up at 5 about half an hour before alarm was due to go off, realized that I was just going to have to get by on 1.5hr sleep and NOT a week of good rest before that. Am going to try in future to get to race site much earlier the day beforehand so that it's not so overwhelming - insomnia is a lifelong problem for me, and I'm a homebody who never sleeps well when I'm on the road.
It was pouring rain and quite chilly, and I think Liz and I were both rather hoping the race would be canceled - forecast predicted lightning every hour all the way through till noon! But it started to clear up after we'd dropped our run bags at the second transition area (it's a point-to-point race, swim-bike and bike-run transitions in two different locations) and hied our way to the swim start, and in fact it was a very good day for racing - I had quite a bit of rain on the last third of the bike, but it's good for me to ride in the rain sometimes, and it was blessedly cool on the run - this is beneficial for the Davidsonian physiognomy, which overheats easily.
The Kingdom Triathlon is an unusual race. I did the Aquaman option, which "evens up" the standard half-iron distances so that a strong all-round athlete would be spending equal time on each leg. (Conventional half-iron-distance triathlon favors cyclists especially but also runners, and downgrades the swim to almost just a warm-up!) I do not know why I thought it would be easy, it was quite challenging and in particular the bike course was much hillier than I had imagined or understood.
The swim: two loops, 1.75mi each (you get out on the shore and touch the table between loops, with a chance to eat a gel and in my case use asthma inhaler also). Great kayak support on the water. (Only fifteen or so of us racing the Aquaman, it's a tiny race.) More chop and current than I had imagined, particularly on longest leg of second loop. Very glad to come out after almost 2.5hr swimming - this picture shows how happy I am (and also strong wetsuit-induced resemblance to sausage in casing!).
(In a race this small, it's all just modest signage, no volunteers on the course whatsoever, either for bike or run.)
Fortunately there was a guy I'd been swimming with throughout who was also a similar speed cyclist to me, so I had reassurance for quite a while that I wasn't lost, and we exchanged periodic banter and encouragement. I was the stronger climber, but he lost me in the last part of the course, which has a net downhill - by this time it was raining pretty heavily, and I was just completely mentally tapped out. Very much ready for bike to be over - I haven't had this feeling in my three previous races this season, though it characterizes all previous years of triathlon experience, and it was dispiriting to be having it again (partly underfueled, I think, but more just the effect of fatigue).
I was riding my new tri bike as if it were a road bike, mostly! It really is a lovely bike and I am going to keep working on riding it properly. It probably exacerbated fatigue slightly that it wasn't the bike I know really well, but I was super-glad to get such a good chance to get more of a feel for how the gearing works on hills (I just have a big & small plate on this bike, as opposed to a triple on the road bike). I followed Joanna's advice and rode a lot on the big ring, it felt great. By the end I was increasingly sure I had gotten lost, as it all seemed to be taking longer than I had imagined (cautious descending on rainy downhills); hugely relieved to come back to vaguely familiar terrain and realize I had not after all gotten lost.
This action sequence shows how very happy I am to be finishing the bike safely - the face I am making in the last picture is to tell the race support folks how horrible the bike leg was, and how excited I am to be setting off on the run!
All in all, a really beautiful day: an unusual race, a stunning location (swim is particularly excellent), and blessedly cool compared to most triathlons I do. I was the last finisher but truly it is a race one should be pleased just to complete! Thanks to Liz for organizing. Resolution for next races: build in more slack so that I am not going into the thing with such overwhelming fatigue! (I really was at the end of my tether by Friday night around midnight - it is a silly situation to get oneself into voluntarily.)
7:45 total time on course; cumulative splits 2:29:17 for swim, 4:48:53 for bike (2:19:35 split), 7:45:53 for run (2:57:01 split). Week 9 total hours: 14:20. (Haven't "built" properly, couldn't fit in any exercise Wed.-Fri. and was traveling again Sun. This week is recovery week, I'm traveling to Cayman on Thursday very early and probably won't sleep much if at all Wednesday night - so I'm not worrying about what exactly I do in next few days, goal is just not to get sick/overwhelmed & to pick up again with double spin Saturday morning and a long ride outdoors Sunday.)
(All pictures from this page. Not sure that this really does justice to the beauty of the surroundings - to some extent, all race photos look the same, lots of wetsuits and swim caps in the beginning, bicycles in the middle and cheery trudging at the end! But amazing backdrop of hills and farms, really beautiful rolling green agricultural country, and a stunning lake with mountain backdrop.)
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