7 month Blog Hiatus

Since I lead a thoroughly uninteresting life, I do not want to bore you with how work was going or any of the menial activities I was involved in.  I will however give you an update on my racing and training over the past 7 months.

February 19, 2012:  HMRRC Winter Marathon - DNF

I went into this with the intention of breaking the 3-hour mark.  I felt really good for the first 10mi and even went through the 13.1mi mark just under 1:30:00.  I was running with someone who was hoping to finish around the same time so we did our best to pace off of each other.  The course was flat, but it was mind-numbingly repetitive (4 laps of a horse shoe course: around the outside, around the inside, repeat, repeat, repeat). Unfortunately, I started to unravel around the 15mi mark and I had to ditch my runner buddy.  Additionally, I had found out the week before that I was going to start work the following morning on the 20th, so I decided to cut the race short so that I wouldn't be "that guy" that runs a marathon the day before I started work.  In the end, it was a DNF by choice (more or less).

Good pacing with the guy in black.

Unfortunately, he started to run away from me around 14mi and I couldn't keep up

April 22, 2012: Delmar Duathlon (2mi R / 10mi B / 2mi R) - 1st Overall - 52:04

I had an absolutely fantastic race.  I started in the first of five waves (organized by ages) and I quickly got into the lead on the run.  The run course was a Figure-8 style loop around the Elm Avenue park, all on soft trails with a few short, steep hills.  I finished the first run with a sizable lead on the other people in my wave, but I had to make sure I was still pushing so that anyone in the later waves wasn't gaining time on me.  Finished the first 2mi in 12:21 at a pace of 6:11/mi, 2nd fastest run split.

Start of the race (I'm in purple).

The bike was a 10 course with no major hills.  There was one long stretch that we had to ride into a strong headwind, but that wasn't going to slow me down anymore than anyone else behind me.  I pushed hard on the bike in hopes that everyone else wouldn't be able to match my speed and so that I could buy some time on the second run.  Finished the 10mi bike in 25:47 for an average speed of 23.3mph, 2nd fastest bike split.

The second run leg was the same course but backwards.  I could definitely tell that I may have pushed it a little too hard on the bike, but it was only a 2mi run and I could definitely push through it.  I ended up running a 13:01 for a 6:30/mi average pace, good enough for another 2nd best run split.

1st overall - 52:04

While I didn't actually have the fastest run or bike split, I had the most consistent.  2nd place was a fast runner but a slow biker and 3rd place was a fast biker and slow runner.  It was pretty cool to win, but it was certainly a cold race morning.  I'm very happy I didn't have to swim that day.

May 20, 2012 - American Zofingen Long Course Duathlon (5mi R / 85mi B / 15mi R) - 8:12:36 - 4th Overall

This race was EPIC!  It felt like a small race that a group of friends decided to put on amidst some of the toughest terrain I have experienced.  Held in New Paltz, NY, in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, this was the most mentally challenging race I have ever done.  Let me first show you the elevation profiles that my Garmin 305 recorded:

Run #1: Single Loop of a 5mi Course in 42:03.  1,150ft elevation gain.

Bike: 3 Laps of a 28mi Course (84mi total) in 4:33:33.  8,900ft elevation gain.

Run #2: 3 Laps of the same 5mi Course (57:53/1:00:34/55:57). 3,900ft elevation gain.

Looks painful, right?  Yes, very, very painful. But also, very, very fun!  I started the first run with a lead group of guys and felt really good.  Then, all of the sudden, we started going uphill.  Three guys tried to take the lead going up the hill but I stayed back with another guy named Mitch.  He told me, "Be careful, this is a long day.  You don't want to push it too hard too early."  I heeded his advice and stuck back with him for the rest of the run.  We finished the run together and then biked the first two loops together too.  We paced really well over the ridiculously mountainous terrain, averaging 19mph for the first two loops. I hit a max speed of 52.3mph going down one of the many long downhill sections of the course and worked really well to stay in control on the climbs.  Unfortunately, I hadn't spent as much time in the saddle as I needed to and the third look really hit me hard.  I dropped to a 17mph avg, lost 13 minutes to my buddy Mitch, and lost my salt pills somewhere on that loop of doom.

Riding my new Felt DA up a very tough climb (1000ft gain over 2mi)

Once I got off the bike I wasn't feeling very good.  I hadn't adequately prepared for the distance on the bike and I was quite unsure of my ability to finish a grueling 15mi run.  Fortunately, I had the moral support of Anna and her family throughout the whole day, plus they were giving me water and coke along the run course. 

Sitting comfortably in the shade and smiling while others suffer

 What I find most interesting about this race is that I was so coherent throughout it all.  During Ironman Wisconsin last year, I don't remember a good portion of the run because I was so distracted by my IT band issues that I was unable to appreciate what I was doing.  Fortunately, this run was completely on trails and very well shaded, not to mention 11mi shorter than the IM run.  Nevertheless, it was wicked hard and I spent a good portion of my time walking up some very steep hills, I averaged an 11:00 min/mile pace.

Start of the 3rd run loop (miles 10-15).  Not pretty.

At the end of each loop we had to run through the finish gazebo (pictured above and below) where the short course racers were already drunk and eating burgers and hot dogs.  It was not pleasant.  However, given the atmosphere of this race, the few moments spent in the gazebo were amazingly motivating.  Had I had been a bit more stupid (or would it have been sensible?), I would have taken a shot of Jameson before the last loop...clearly I was too coherent and therefore not running hard enough.

Finish.  My glorious girlfriend waiting to congratulate me.

 Finally, after 8 hours of the hardest racing I've ever done, I walked into the gazebo and did not have to run out the other side.  It would be difficult to decide if this was harder than Ironman, or even Triple T, because they are completely different beasts.  While I don't feel like diving into a comparison right now, I will certainly say that I plan on doing Zofingen again next year, and mark my words, I will be under 8hrs.

Unfortunately, after American Zofingen, I figured out I had a stress fracture in my right tibia and I had to take all of June off of running.  I slowly worked back into running in July and I have been running between 15-20mi/week now for the past 3-4 weeks with no pain.  Lots of R.I.C.E. on the leg after runs and some NSAIDs really help out.  I have been working with a guy from work on my swimming and I am hitting times in the pool that I used to only dream of.  As it turns out, kicking is very important for swimming fast (I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth).  Additionally, I have been biking a bit more on my PowerCranks and I can't say for certain if they have really helped my run yet since I haven't started running seriously yet, but I will be sure to continue riding them to strengthen my hip flexors in the upcoming off season.

Thanks for your patience, I apologize it has been so long (not like anybody really cares anyway...)