A Distinctly Different View: Texas Star Tri 2012 Race Report

My first serious thought of doing this race came right after completing the Y Freedom Tri several weeks ago. After months of working towards, and completing, Ironman Texas I was completely thrilled with doing a sprint distance triathlon again. While I don't consider myself particularly speedy, I loved the feeling of opening up and going all out. The Texas Star Tri is held in Montgomery Texas, which is the historical home of the Texas Lone Star Flag design.

Race morning began with me getting to the race site just before most of the volunteers and I was able to park about 50-60 feet from the transition area, which really made set up easy. Being a shorter race I had minimal setup to worry about and I was done fairly early. 

 

 

If you look right behind me you can see the exit from the aquatic center pool to the transition area, which was close and allowed for a quick move between the two events.

The swim was a 300 yard seeded swim done in 25 yard lanes and swimmers went off every 10 seconds from both ends of the pool and got out in the center lanes as they switched lanes after every out and back. I had listed 5:20 as my seeding placement time, which I thought might be a tad fast but I was hoping to feel motivated to go fast. As it was I was exiting the pool around 5:10 and officially finished my swim in 5:29.1, including the pool exit and run out the building.

T1: Although I had some minor fumbling with my helmet straps, this was of minimal concern and I was on my way in a T1 time of  49.5 seconds.

Bike: This was listed as a 10 mile course and I had about 10.1 miles on my bike (maybe a shade more) so this was pretty accurate. In a relatively flat area, they seemed to find some decent hills as we seemed to be going up or down a lot. My strategy was to go hard the whole ride--it was only 10 miles, right? Well, I did keep with this plan and passed a fair number of cyclists and was passed by none.I finished the bike in 29:41.6.

T2: I made an effort to be quick in transition and only had a minor issue with my shoes. Then I grabbed my visor and race number belt and put each of those on as I ran off, finishing T2 in 59.2 seconds.

Run: The run was a cross country run around the high school athletic property. Most of the first mile was on pavement but most of the rest was off road, sometimes on somewhat muddy trails. Finally, the last 300 yards or so were on the school track to the finish. My goal was to run as hard as I could for as long as I could, and hold on to the finish. I passed a fair number of runners and was only passed by two others. The first guy who passed me early in the run proved to be the eventual race winner and he ran a 3 mile time under 17 minutes. The other runner who passed me got by me around the half way point and though I was not able to catch him, I stayed near him for the rest of the race and was only about 40-50 feet back of him at the finish line. I pretty much accomplished my running goals and was able to finish in 23:36.3.

This gave me a final time of 1:00:35.9. I had previous supposed a perfect race for me could be done in just under an hour, and I came pretty close to that. What was more important is that this race felt close to the best I could have done in terms of execution during the race, and that made me really happy. I felt that I had run about as strong and complete a race as  had in me on that day, and that also made me feel happy. This was my 19th triathlon to complete since I began doing triathlons in May 2009 and this was definitely the most complete race I had run overall (with last month's race being a close second).

The reason I do events such as these is for reasons of health and fitness, as well as for personal satisfaction. I'd never won awards, nor did I think I would ever expect to win any--although, I would have expected it would be good to win something at some point--but not in any way that made me feel like there was something I needed to prove anything to myself, or to others.

However, this day held something else in store for me. When they called out the name of the winner of the Men's 45-49 age group, the name they called was mine. It did not take me long to get over to the Race Director for my prize (an iTunes gift card, with a more formal award to be sent later after my name is added to it). 

For once, I had the distinctly different view while standing next to the race official and of looking back at the crowd while the cheers were for me---and that really was very nice. Hopefully, I will be able to win another award or two at some point.

However, that still is not the reason I do these races. I do them because I enjoy them and they help me be a better person by keeping me healthy physically and probably also mentally--and I hope I will always do these things for those same reasons for a long time to come.

Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas 2013

After close to 8 weeks of delays the registration for Ironman Texas 2013 opened at noon EDT yesterday. I was ready to register for the 2013 race at the original date registration was to have opened (the day after this year's race), however there were some unanticipated conflicts that had to be resolved......and apparently they were resolved. During the time since then I've been working on other plans, such as considering a later year Ironman race for 2013 and planning a late 2012 marathon for my beat possible race effort. Recently, work has intervened and I will not be able to make the Marine Corps Marathon this October due to scheduling conflicts. I'm currently looking at whether I reschedule to a race in Texas in November for that marathon or if I switch back to a fall triathlon schedule because if I'd do follow through with a fall Ironman next year then it will be 2014 before I can do some of these other races. At the moment Ironman races in Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona are the leading candidates for a group trip with my triathlon training group for fall 2013. However, this post is about Ironman Texas 2013, which opened registration at noon EDT yesterday (11:00 am CDT here). My registration confirmation email arrived 12 minutes later. I'm looking forward to it already!

Y Freedome Tri 2012 Race Report

I was coming into this race with high hopes and set some seemingly (at least to me) ambitious goals for the race, as follows:

Swim: 6:15
T1:1:15
Bike: 31:25
T2: 1:30
Run: 24:30
Total Race Time: 1:05:00

So, just how did I do:

Swim: 6:33.2
I had some minor issues with a couple others crossing over the swim lanes but overall it seems I was on the mark with my estimate, if just behind my goal for the swim. Perhaps, I just didn't quite push hard enough, though since this was a seeded race and I neither caught the guy ahead of me, nor was caught by the guy behind me, then I must have been seeded correctly.

Transition 1 1:07.9
I had a good spot near the bike out location and made the most of it with a quick time here. I really didn't think I could beat last year's 1:11 time, but I did.

Bike 31:01.1
I kept a good quick pace, pushing hard but not too hard. Well, maybe a bit too hard at times, but this is a race after all! I finished with an average speed of 21.3 mph and beat my goal time and cut 1:39 from last year's time.

Transition 2 0:59.2
I had the second fastest T2 time in my age group so I don't know how I could of been much better than that.

Run 24:12.6
I did what I set out to do with this run. I started quick, but not too hard. Then I increased the pace a bit as time went on. My mile times were approximately 8:26, 8:10 and 7:35.

Crossing the Finish Line!

Below is a comparison of my times at this race over the 4 years I have done the race, I think it is fair to say that this chart shows how my fitness has continued to improve over those years.

.........2009.....2010.......2011.........2012
Swim....7:25......6:43.......6:30..........6:33    (swim times include a run to transition)
T1........3:23........2:15.......1:11........1:08
Bike...42:32.....36:14.......32:40......31:01
T2........1:21........1:19.......xxxx........0:59
Run....38:27.....31:35.......xxxx.......24:12
Total.1:33:08..1:18:06.......xxxx.. 1:03:54

As far as this day went, where could I have improved? Well, I had some issues on the swim from other swimmers that slowed me and I swam decently hard but probably not really at a "race hard" level for the whole swim. I was happy with both transition times and maybe could shave a couple seconds off. Doing the relay last year gave me the luxury of going all-out on the bike without having to run. This year I kept something in reserve for the run. I definitely could have gone faster, though I can't say for certain whether I think it would have hurt the run or not to have gone much faster. On the run I probably could have pushed a bit harder earlier, but it was with the same thought about needing to be sure I was able to keep the pace and improve throughout the run. So, maybe I could have been a bit faster, and maybe not in the end, or at least not much.

In the end this netted me my best overall finish by far for this race, and for any other triathlon. In 2009 I finished 19th out of 22 in my age group and 291 out of 380 overall. In 2010 I finished 18th out of 28 in my age group and 218th out of 443 overall.  I finished 4th out of 21 in my age group and 32nd out of 397 overall. I'm just overwhelmed that I could have ever accomplished this considering where I was when I started this sport. In 3 years, I've cut nearly 30 minutes off my time in a sprint triathlon (nearly 1/3 of my time from that year!). I've had a lot of support from family and help from friends and some fantastic coaching advice over the years, but the truth is I don't know that I ever really thought I could be truly competitive in this sport until today.  While the success was mine today, my thanks goes out to any and all that have given me support over the last 5 1/2 years as I have sought to improve my physical condition.

One of those friends was last year's relay partner, Karen, who also did the race today. She finished 7th place in her age group and is already plotting her improvement for next time. Good work, Karen! The theme for the race this year was one of honoring veterans and supporting the military service members. As part of that the finisher awards were replica "dog tags", which you can see on the photo below.

Finally, I ended the triathlon adventure with a well-earned treat for lunch. I had the Darn Good Burger at Black Walnut (their actual name for burger). It was most definitely well-named and quite filling. Tomorrow I can go back to my normal mostly healthy diet but for today, this was my lunch....(and it was great!!!)....

Y Freedom Tri 2012 (Pre-race)

I'm looking forward to doing the Y Freedom Tri next weekend and, at the risk of seeming a bit self-serving, I wanted to do a review of the only triathlon that I've during every year since I've started with the sport. This is a small, low-key race on the other side of Houston from me, but it is also a lot of fun! What they lack in having a pretty unremarkable course, they more than make up for with a first class post-race celebration--including an ice cold towel waiting for you at the finish!

In 2009 the Y Freedom Tri was the second triathlon I ever did and came just under 2 months after my first triathlon. I seem to recall doing at least as well as I expected and finished in 1:33:08.

In 2009 this became the first triathlon that I repeated. I was back with a new bike and more confidence as this was now my sixth triathlon over all and my second for the year. As I recall I had just registered for Ironman Texas 2011 the week before the race. I improved across the board and finished in 1:18:06.

In 2011 I was coming off Ironman Texas and was a bit unsure of my complete recovery for this race at the time of registration. In addition, my friend Karen was becoming interested in triathlon. Karen and I did this as a relay where I did the swim and bike and she did the run. Together we finished in 1:05:55 and got first place in the relay division.

This year both Karen and I are returning, though as individual triathletes. Karen will be doing her second triathlon and I've stopped counting but am probably around 18 by this race  (Wow! Life sure has changed in many ways in that time for me.).

That bring us to this year. Like last year, I am not completely recovered for this race. Although I am certainly recovered enough to complete this race decently well, I can't be sure at this point that I will be able to keep up a race effort for the entire race (though I will try).

My comparisons to the previous race are as follows:

.........2009.....2010.......2011
Swim....7:25......6:43.......6:30    (swim times include a run to transition)
T1........3:23........2:15.......1:11
Bike...42:32.....36:14.......32:40
T2........1:21........1:19.......xxxx
Run....38:27.....31:35.......xxxx
Total.1:33:08..1:18:06

So, what are my goals? First off I would like a big PR over my 2011 time of 1:18:06, and quite honestly I SHOULD do that barring injury or equipment troubles. I estimate that I probably could have finished in the 1:08-1:10 range if I had done a solo race. I'm also reaching a point of diminishing returns in terms of improvement. Maybe I can drop 30-40 seconds off my swim time and I could possibly drop a couple minutes off my bike time from last year. Realistically, however, my run is where I have room for the most improvement and could still drop a good number of minutes from my 2010 time that I last ran the course.
I'm going to take the unusual (for me) step and lay out all my hopes and expectations for this course here we can see how it all shakes out.

Swim: 6:15
T1:1:15
Bike: 31:25
T2: 1:30
Run: 24:30
Total Race Time: 1:05:00

I'll be back next week to report how things went.

Recovery and Getting Back to Training

Ironman recovery is a bit of a bumpy road.I'm slowly getting to where I feel recovered, but at times I can tell that full recovery is a ways off.

Fortunately, I've been able to enjoy more weekend breakfasts with my wife in the weeks since IMTX than I had with her in the previous several months combined. In addition, I've had times where I've felt far more tired than normal, though I've also had times where I've felt completely outstanding. I know this is all normal as my body readjusts and completes recovery. Some days are good and some days remind me just how much more recovery time I need. In the midst of the good days I can tell I have made gains in overall fitness during my Ironman training and the less good days remind me that I am not quite ready to enjoy the fullness of those quite yet.

My workouts have all just started to pick up in intensity this past week. For the first time in many months, I did a short running speed session. My hope for this session was to run the 1 mile time trial in under 7 minutes. After setting a 5K PR last November while averaging around 8 minutes per mile, I was hoping that I could hold a fast pace for a sub-7 minute mile on this day. While I kept an occasional eye on my heart rate I avoided watching the time on my watch. My efforts for this workout were meant to be bound by maximum effort and not a specific goal time, and I didn't want to know what my time was during the workout in case it might alter my effort level during the workout.

This run came at the conclusion of heavy storms in the local area, storms which blew through quickly and knocked down many trees. However, these storms also helped me out a bit by lowering the temperature from the high evening temperatures that are normal this time of year. Throughout this workout I pushed consistently hard, while holding back just enough to be able to complete these laps at the hard effort.

As I came to the end of the workout I hit my watch lap timer to end the mile session and saw what would have otherwise seemed unbelievable--yet, I also knew it to be true. I had completed my 1 mile time trial session in 6:21.

As someone who couldn't run half as fast several years ago, the impact of this workout is a bit of a shock to me. Five years ago, I would have been hard pressed to run a sub-12 minute mile. Times have certainly changed for me in more ways than one. I have put together several years of slow but steady improvements from my now long-gone former very out of shape self. I also found that I took a solid step forward when I cleared the recovery of Ironman Texas 2011 because of the training program that led up to the race. It looks like I am seeing the signs of another solid step forward following Ironman Texas 2012.

I know my current recovery training will likely still have more ups and downs in the next week or two, but for now one thing is certain---this was indeed one of the good days!

Ironman Texas Recovery and Getting Back to Business

Two weeks (actually 15 days, to be more exact) after completing Ironman Texas for the second time I am wrapping up my initial recovery period and will be moving on to a period of active recovery and training. Since IMTX I've done just three workouts--one each of a relatively light swim, bike and run. I have resisted the urge to do more and almost had to force myself at times to be cognizant of the need to rest my body after nearly 6 months of IM training, including a 39.3 mile Goofy Challenge, a 50 mile trail run, my first sub 6 hour half Ironman and a 4:06 PR marathon. I still have more plans for the rest of the year and need to be careful about easing back into training the right way.

My goals for the rest of the year include several more triathlons over the summer--2 sprint distances that I've done during previous years, and perhaps an Olympic distance triathlon. I also want to make a solid effort this fall at setting a new marathon PR. Currently my two main options for this target marathon are the Marine Corps Marathon (October 28) and the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon (November 11). It would be really nice to do the MCM, but it has greater logistical hurdles (and the trip to D.C. would be several times more expensive than a trip to San Antonio).

My goal for that marathon is to push my PR to the best time that I can get. My 4:06 marathon in March was something I would not have believed possible until recent months. Given that I did this while I was in IM training, it is reasonable to expect that I can run under 4 hours, or even better, under more ideal circumstances.

However, my personal growth in my training has led to personal growth in my expectations. I have come to realize that the greatest limits upon me are those that I have placed upon myself. I'd like to try to become more aggressive in my goals and in my results. I fear that setting some goals could become too self-fulfilling, meaning that I could work towards and accomplish a goal that is less aggressive than that which I might otherwise be capable of achieving. Maybe 4:06 will be the best that I could do on a marathon course, but what if I am for 4:00 and hit 3:58, or aim for 3:50 and hit 3:45, .....when I might otherwise have been able to succeed with a time that seems so unreasonable that I would never try to make it a goal.

At this point I'm going to try to accept one thing about my race goals: I will resolve to race at my maximum effort and not be bound by any preconceived notion of a time goal. I will train and race by one philosophy and expectation--NO LIMITS!!

Ironman Texas 2012 – Race Report

Pre-Race: I went into the taper for this race concerned as I felt over-trained (and under-rested going into last year’s race). I spent most of the taper worried that I was not feeling rested soon enough, although in those last few days before the race I finally started to feel right. By race day, I felt ready to go—not just that, I felt great, and I knew that I was ready to go. During the week or so before the race I noticed my craving for saltier foods had increased. Although I did not gorge myself on anything unhealthy, I did allow myself to eat a greater level of these foods than I might normally. I feel that my body may have been craving these foods for a reason. It seems strange that while I did not limit my foods, and likely ate more than normal that week,

It felt great to see the whole OutRival Racing team, and so many friends (whether ORR or not) before the race that morning. In fact that morning set the tone for the whole day for me. Seeing the raw emotion on people’s faces brought together showed the greatness of Ironman—the mix of fear, anticipation, exhilaration and so many other emotions all at once charged the atmosphere. 

Erin and I before the swim. She had an awesome race! I am so proud of her!

 

Swim: Last year I started to the outside and this year I started to the inside—I would say the outside was a better choice. I thought I was generally swimming a good line, though I got angled off course at times by people who kept swimming at angles to the course. I also tried to position myself behind the fast swimmers and in front of the slow ones. Either I put myself too far back or I too many slower swimmers lined up near the front or perhaps I also did not push as hard as I intended or perhaps I just got caught in the crowd. I felt this swim was rougher than last year, though still not that bad compared to some stories I have heard. The few times I got pushed hard I was willing to push back, and the one time some guy tried to swim over me….well, he got pushed sideways towards the canal wall (when somebody wears a wetsuit you can push them away real easily). I took a slightly easier pace for the last 300-400 yards so I could exit the water not feeling out of breath. My swim time was 1:31:30, which was in the range of what I had projected before the race, though I had hoped for faster. It improved over my 1:40:03 from last year. I did have one physical issue during the swim; in the last 1/3 I felt some tightness in my right hamstring area. This was not quite a cramp but was noticeable for a short while. I slowed for a bit and then resumed normal stroking around that time.

T-1: My plan was to take a methodical approach to transition in order to be best prepared for the day. I did not go purposefully slow, though my longer than expected time does make me wonder….. Anyway I got out of the water and ran through the bags and ran to the changing tent. I noticed some minor chaffing and added extra body glide there, plus other potential chaffing areas. I had meant to leave my tri top in the transition bag and swim shirtless but had forgot to place it in the bag, so I had to swim with the tri top. I run out and grab my bike and go off to the next phase of the race with a T-1 time of 10:14 (versus 8:01 last year).

Bike: I felt surprisingly good early on the bike. 

I biked by heart rate though it was not getting that high (or at least not staying that high) until around mile 50 or so. I averaged just over 20 mph for the first 40 miles and hit the half way marker at 2:53:08 (19.41 mph) which is only slightly slower than Galveston 70.3 bike time. I was feeling good at this but also trying to not get excited and focusing on the plan. I stopped at the Special Needs station and took about 5 minutes to change out nutrition, change my socks and rub more anti-chaffing cream on my feet. (My feet were feeling sore from the pedaling by around mile 50 today, something which usually takes 60-90 miles to happen.). I’ve been trying hard to drink plenty of water and feel good about my nutrition plan at this point. I, and my feet, feel refreshed when we start back up and I resume the ride. Strangely it felt like I had a headwind from the west, south and east at times today—from the west by Richards, the south down 149 and 1486 and the east on 1488.  Around the time I turn back on to 1488 is when I notice I am beginning to feel a bit fatigued and losing a bit of focus. I probably lower my heart rate a bit so as not to overtire myself. During this period I notice my mind wandering a bit and I also start to feel some soreness in the lower back/kidney area. For some reason I start wondering if I have been drinking enough water (I had) and if I was having some kind of kidney issues since I had no desire to urinate even though I was drinking enough water to drown a small dog. After a near wreck at the aid station by the school on 1488 I stop to use the porta-potty and regain my composure (and am sure I don’t have kidney issues). Following a 3 minute stop, I am back on the bike and feeling a bit better as well. I bike better through the Westwood area but have a moment of panic when I’m passing another rider and I hear the sound of a tire going flat. After thinking “oh crap” and worse…..then I realize it was the other guy and not me! I feel pretty good getting through until May Valley (around mile 100) but feel like I am tiring as I go back through The Woodlands on the way back to transition and I am also trying to save energy by not going too hard late in the bike. I make it back in 6:13:20, which is well ahead of expectations (also well ahead of last year was 7:24:17, of course that race was having problems by then). 

T-2: Off the bike and kick of bottle and my shoes and run in my socks to get my bag and head to the tent. I change socks and rub Body Glide on my feet. I also decide to change into running shorts for comfort. T-2 is 8:55 versus 11:15 last year. I can’t explain the difference other than I didn’t feel nearly as worn out this year at this point as I did last year. 

Run: The run was like the Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities: it was the best of times and it was the worst of times….. I started off the run feeling good and holding to running between aid stations averaging a little over 11 minute miles. In that time I was seeing my heart rising so I backed off to a 8-2 run-walk, plus walking the aid stations. 

 

This got me through the rest of the first loop before my heart rate started getting too high. According to my Garmin I was averaging about 11:39 through the first 9 miles.

Due to heart rate rising and the start of intestinal cramping and gas, I changed my run rate to a 4-1 run-walk, plus walking the aid stations. A few times in this loop I started to feel the start of cramping in the same area of the right hamstring from the swim but it was not a major problem, though when it started to flare up I did some extra walking. I stopped using the gels during this loop due to the intestinal distress and nibbled a few grapes along the way. 

During one of my tougher moments.

I also used the restroom around mile 11 for a bit of a relief of my distress. Miles 10-18 went by slowly this way with lots of little ups and some big and small downs. I averaged about 13:48 per mile over this loop. I noticed some temporary spikes in my heart rate that just seemed out of place that kept me walking at times. In any case I wanted to be careful enough to not push too hard and risk crashing my race as well. I entered the last loop knowing I needed a nutrition boost but feeling like I was having difficulty taking anything in. I tried a gel early for some extra electrolytes and it did not sit well with me. After that I tried some cola, and that seemed to work well so I stayed with it at each aid station. I stopped at the special needs station at mile 19 to change socks and use the rest room and felt a bit better. Not too far in the last loop I picked up with a friend, Brandon, with whom I had been leapfrogging with for a while. We were both running and walk and stuck together for several miles and helped each other along. I was able to pick up the pace some after that, although my hamstring was becoming more of an issue at times, and during those times I walked a bit extra. 

Brandon and I running along the Waterway with just a few miles to go.

   

Brandon and I stayed together for several miles before he went ahead about 2 miles before the end. My last loop averaged about 13:13 per mile, with a pick up of pace closer to the end. During the last few miles I was thanking cheering fans and volunteers more frequently, knowing I was about to finish and was not coming back. 

Just before the finisher chute!!!

When I came up near the finishing area I paused a bit to allow others to clear the area and I tried to high-five as many people as I could, maybe even more than last year. Then I approached the finish and tried to jump up through it for joy at the end. Run time was 5:37:09 versus 7:12:15 last year. I was hoping to run it a bit faster but it was my 3^rd fastest marathon and only a little over 6 minutes slower than the Disney marathon earlier this year (more walking and less posing for photos).

Post Race: I was caught at the end by my friend Karen, who volunteered mostly to be there for me. 

Post race photo of me and my finish line "catcher" Karen, who is also my good friend, often times training partner and, at least on this date, guardian angle.

I got a big hug from her and felt a bit emotional and then she took me to meet Chrissie Wellington who place my medal around my neck and gave me a big hug and kiss and congratulated me. Talk about a big WOW factor for me! Chrissie really seems so excited and she must have been there for hours! After that I stuck around in the athlete area for a post-race massage, mostly my legs, and to eat. I would go get my bike and gear but I also hung around until after midnight to see the race close down and the last runners come through. 

During the time leading up to this race I had several goals I set for myself. My most specific goal was to improve by at least 2 hours over last year (and this was something I told most people who asked since it was easy to quantify). 

My next goal was to get under 14 hours (which I was less sure about but I knew was possible). 

My desired goal……well, somewhere in early April, I put together I “best case” estimate of what I felt comfortable estimating that I could do on race day. Try to keep it conservative enough to allow that race day would have some issues of its own and would not likely be perfect. Anyway, I wrote these goals down and stuck them to the back wall over my desk at work, where I have seen them as a frequent reminder for many weeks. Below is a photo of that paper:

This wasn't quite how the day went, but it wasn't too far off in the end.

Now, if they will just open up registration for IMTX 2013.......361 days away......