Race Preview - Spring Training Tri

My first Triathlon of the year is coming up next week, to say I feel ready wouldn't be totally true, but I'm hoping to pick up where I left off last year. In other words, ready this year for me means ready to do better than last year. There are a couple of things I'm feeling good about. First I have some serious running under my belt this year. I've run two half marathons and can easily run a 5k now without feeling like death. Last year, even at the end of the year I couldn't run three miles without being in a group without stopping. Second, while my training has been mainly running over the winter, I do feel like I'm starting in a much better place than last year. Last year I didn't even start training until April.

Race Info
The race at Tradewinds park. I've never been there, but my family has and they said they had fun, if that means anything :)

The swim is a point to point swim on a lake. I actually do better in wavy conditions, not because I'm a super fast swimmer in hurricane, but I think because everyone else slows down more than me in choppy water. So no waves means I can pretty much be assured there will be people around me the whole time. But it is point to point, which I have really learned to love. No turns, no people straying into oncoming traffic. All in all the swim looks pretty good. The only downside to the swim, I just got my first swim of the year in... I just can't get super excited about 1/4 mile swim. I've got to get past it though, the swim always bites me.

The bike is a two loop 10 mile course in a park, so it seems guaranteed that it will be flat, which is good, because on the little 12 mile loop I do near my house, there is only one hill, and it's only about 400 yards long. I'm torn on the loop, I now know that having people in front of me who are moving slower than me really helps keep my tempo up, but if there's tons of traffic that won't be awesome.

The run in also a two loop course. I'm excited for the run, they're advertising it as a straight 3 miles (as opposed to 3.1) but I'm going to compare my time to the 5k I just did. Again I'm torn about the loop, on the one hand it will give a really great 1/2 way point which I always feel is missing from courses I don't know, on the other hand traffic from the staggered start.

Goals
My goal is to pick up where I left off. Actually my goal is to do better than where I left off, because I feel like physically I'm in a better place.

	Last Year	Goal
Swim	7:55	6:30
Bike	35:51	35:30
Run	28:20	27:00
Total	1:19:27	1:15:00

I've sped up all the times.

The swim being the most noticeable, last year's swim was in the ocean, and that time was by far the slowest time of the season, we were probably swimming against the tide. 6:30 is sort of middle of the road, that puts me at about 1:35 per hundred pace, which is doable even with hardly any training (I hope :)

The bike, last year's bike course had a mile of steep climbing in the middle, 1/2 mile up, 1/2 mile down, and then turn around and do it again. So I just shaved a little time off, part of me really wants to shave a bunch off because that hill was killer, but the other part of me knows that the bike is probably my weakest part now. And since each uphill was followed by the same downhill, the hill didn't do much except make me tired. The goal time puts me at a 17mph pace which seems fast.

The run, I just did a 26 minute 5k last month, and I'm feeling good on my runs, so I'm thinking 27 after 40 minutes of going hard is doable.

Transition - I haven't been focusing on transition times. I know they are pitifully slow, and that 6 minutes in transition is an eternity. If I thought I'd be within striking distance of the podium, I'd worry about it, but for now I'll be happy to keep it under 6 minutes total.

Closing Comments
I'm probably going to end up going into this race with more swims than any other of the triathlons I've done, so I'm hoping the swim doesn't destroy me like it normally does. Then I'm going to just keep chugging, these goals are all within reach, and I'll be very happy to start this year off better than I finished last year.

Race Review - March 4 Hunger

This was the scheduled event for March - part of the effort to participate in a race every month this year. After chatting about it with everyone else involved, I figured I'd try to see how fast I could finish instead of hang back with my wife, sister and our four kids.

The Training
After the last half marathon I took two weeks off. My knees and legs hurt, and one of my toes looked like I dropped a hammer on it. Also, it's time for triathlon season training to start, so after two weeks I started splitting my time between biking and running, pretty much evenly. The goal was less than 25 minutes, and after my interval run on Tuesday I was pretty sure I could do it. After the Thursday run I wasn't sure at all. Hopefully the other runners at the race would help pull me through :)

Packet Pickup / Race Morning
Packet pickup was the morning of the race and this race was only 2 miles from where we live, so we rolled out of bed around 6, met my sister at the race around 7 and had plenty of time to pick up the race numbers and mull around. It was only about 60 degrees, with wind off the ocean - a year in FL has turned me, that felt down right cold.

The Start
The start was fairly disorganized, I think this was the first race for these people. They didn't really say where the start was until about 3 minutes till the start. It wasn't a big deal though, there were only about 300 people there, so we all just made our way over there, and the race started right on time. There was no real start "line" so I'm pretty sure the time they recorded was just a gun time, instead of a chip time.

The Run
The course was an out and back, on the same stretch of open boardwalk along the beach. There weren't any dividers, and no keeping people off the course, but overall that didn't really pose a problem, it was just a little annoying to pass strolling couples and having bikers speeding down the lane through us.

I tried to find a good pace and stick to it, the group seemed to thin out pretty quickly so I was having trouble figuring out if I was going a good pace or not. The first mile came by and the clock said right around 8 minutes, I was on pace, but I was not feeling strong. I thought, if I can hold on for another half a mile till the turn around the it would give me the home-stretch boost that could keep me in the hunt of my goal. Mostly by this time the group had settled, and the people I was near now would be around for the rest of the race. It was a little surprising though how many people seemed to just hit the wall at a mile - or maybe I picked up the pace, but after looking at my splits, I'm pretty sure they just hit the wall - even more than me.


The Finish
The last half of the race really took it out of me, I seriously thought about walking around the two mile marker, but didn't. I got to the end, felt like death, grabbed some water and a few bananas and waited for the rest of the gang to finish. Overall the finish was a pleasant place, there was loud, but not obnoxious, music playing, and you didn't have to walk a half mile to find a place to sit. The largest problem at the finish was apparently people milling around right at the finish, but I didn't experience that, I only heard someone asking people to move.

The Results

Time	26:03
Overall Place	40 /359
Division Place	4 /15
Pace	8:23

I was running with my phone on my arm with Runkeeper, so I have my splits
7:51
9:03
8:37

The splits tell the story of the race - I went out probably faster than I was expecting, the for whatever reason the second mile just seemed to drag on forever, and the last mile I just kept pushing for the end.

Closing Comments
I am disappointed that I didn't make my goal, when I passed the first mile I was pretty sure I was on pace, but I was not feeling strong. Afterwards my family kept reminding me that I do have a pretty nasty cough that was probably sapping my energy, so that may be part of it. I'm a little reluctant to use it as an excuse, so I'll just have to keep on the training :)


If this was this groups first event I think this was a pretty good event, if they start pulling more people together they'll probably have to figure some stuff out like how to close the course, and put up some dividers. The start could be more organized. But there were several things I liked. The location is awesome, it is a lot of fun to run next to the ocean, and that path is a nice course to run. They had chip timing which is a nice perk, and they had started posting results when I crossed the finish. I would definitely do this race again.

Next up, the first triathlon of the season in early April.

Race Preview - March 4 Hunger

My wife's near years resolution was to have me do one race every month. This month's race is a 5k, it will be me, my wife, my two kids, my sister and brother and their two kids.

Race Info
The race is along the Hollywood Broadwalk. They don't have any course information, so I'll assume it's a simple out and back.

Goals
My goal is 25 minutes or less. I have done 22 on a treadmill, but it's been two weeks since half marathon, and I have only gotten one day of exercise in. One of my toes looks like death, and my knees were really sore, and I didn't want to push it. Also I'm starting to gear up for triathlon season, so I'll be splitting my time this week with the bike. I think 25 is doable - we'll see.

Closing Comments
This is where I live, so the run should be very familiar. The only trepidation I have is that I've not done a 5k with a goal time; they've all been fun runs. So I don't really know how to tackle it, I'm going to take it out right around 8 minutes per mile and just hold on.

2011 Here I come

I just registered for three races
* Spring Training - Sprint Triathlon 4/3
* Trinona - International Distance Triathlon 6/12
* Warrior Dash - Obstacle course 7/24

The season is getting started. My wife made a new years resolution that she'd try to get me into a race every month. So far I'm booked through July!

Race Review - A1A Half Marathon

My second half marathon, a few weeks ago I ran my first and wasn't happy with my time so I immediately signed up for the next one.

The Training
After the ING race I took 4 straight days off, then only rounded the week off with 11 miles over three days. I was really taking it easy. I had some mild IT band pain, and I was trying to figure out good stretches. Since there were only three weeks between races, the next two weeks were pretty easy going. I was able to finally do some full speed runs by the end of the second week, and by the time the race was coming up my pain was gone. The other thing I did was get a new pair of shoes. My others had a few hundred miles on them and had a hole in the side.

The goal was 2 hours, or less. At one point I had convinced myself I might be able to go 1:50 - but I didn't want to get ahead of myself, 16 minutes would be a ton of time to drop :)

Packet Pickup
The expo was at a mall in what was apparently a spare store. It was easy to find, and much smaller than the IGN one. One sort of odd thing was there was no email about what our bib numbers were, but you were supposed to ask for your packet by number. They solved this problem by posting the bib number/name list on the wall outside the expo... not a big deal, but sort of odd.

I got in, got my packet, got my shirt and goodie bag. We took a spin or two around the expo, nothing special and we left. In the packet was the race number and a chip to put on my shoe. There weren't instructions on how to install the chip, and I didn't have any safety pins. No big deal, I think I got spoiled by the ING race that was pretty well put together comparatively

Race Morning
Up at 4 - my sister picked me up at 4:45, and we found parking a little after 5:20. We headed down to the race, there were far fewer people. I think 4,000 or so. We stopped at the bathrooms, medium lines, took some time to stretch. We watched the rollers start, then walked into the start area. There were no corrals, just signs that represented your estimated pace. So what did I learn last time? I didn't want to get stuck behind a bunch of slow runners, and neither did my sister. We situated ourselves just ahead of the 2 hour pace people.

The Start
The group started moving, we didn't hear the start but everyone lunged forward, and then we slowed to a walk until we got to the actual start. The whole process took 30 seconds, that was nice :) I had my ipod along, iPods are allowed for this race, plus I wanted to track my race using Runkeeper. Runkeeper died almost exactly at mile two... That program is losing favor with me. I feel like the starting position was good, some people to pass, some people passing us. The 1:50 pacer came running by, so I decided to try to settle in behind her, it got my legs moving, but I knew I couldn't hold that pace long, I lost her shortly after runkeeper died.

The Run
The course was pretty decent, most of it is along A1A in Ft. Lauderdale, so it's an out and back. I have to admit, the scenery is great, but that setup isn't that awesome. There were plenty of water stops, with water on both sides. The people giving it out were usually pretty good about yelling out where the sport drink or water was. So by mile 3 I was already happier with this race than the last one. Again I don't have splits, but basically I popped out pretty fast, and then settled into about a 9 minute pace until around mile 10. During 10 and 11 I think I did roughly 9:45s. I was starting to doubt my 2 hour goal, up until then I was pretty sure I was going to make it no problem. I hit another water stop and then decided I needed to pick the pace back up. The last two miles I basically kept right around nine minutes.

So there were a couple of things I didn't like about the out and back. First is that it's boring. It's not all on the same street, but most of it is. The other thing is that the half marathon and full marathon overlap substantially at the end of the race. What that means is that the fast marathoners and marathon hand bikers come tearing down the course past average speed half marathoners. I felt bad for those guys, they basically spend the last four miles (or more) of their race yelling at people to move to the right. Mix in people listening to their iPods (allowed in this race) and you get some pretty dangerous situations.


The Finish
The finish seemed to never come, this race really kicked my butt. I knew when I got to the 13th mile I was going to make 2 hours no problem, I was pretty happy. I saw my wife and kids really close to the line and that made me smile the rest of the way in. I picked up a medal, took off my own chip to avoid the relatively slow (but not really annoyingly slow) line to have someone else do it. Picked up some water and headed back to see if I could see my sister finish. The finish is at the beach, so then we hung out in the sand, and talked about the race. Eventually we went back for some food, there was plenty of everything, and decent music playing. Overall the finish was great, it's the highlight of the race for sure.

The Results

Clock Time	1:58:31
Chip Time	1:57:32
Overall Place	788 / 2783
Gender Place	517 / 1233
Division Place	49 / 133
Pace	8:58
5K Time	26:49
5K Pace	8:38
6 55M Time	57:44
6 55M Pace	8:49

It's clear here that I just kept slowing down throughout the race, but I did make my goal!

Closing Comments
This was a much better race than ING. Far fewer people, better start position, better water stops, better finish line. While I may never actually run this race again, I'd recommend it to people. The only real complaint I have is that the out and back course is pretty frustrating, if there was a way to accomplish the same course without have the last five miles of both courses overlapping that'd probably make it great.

Race Preview - Ft. Lauderdal A1A half Marathon

With one half out of my way, and feeling like my lack of experience got in the way of meeting my goals, I immediately signed up for another.

Race Info
The race goes through downtown Ft. Lauderdale, through what appears to be a small park, and along the beach on A1A. It's very flat, so that suites me just fine. According to the website there is a cap on entrants at 6,000; a far cry from the 21,000+ at the last race. I'm really hoping that means it will be less of a zoo, time will tell.

Goals
Overall, my goal is to break 2 hours. I missed by a little more than 6 minutes the last time, but I really believe that if I can settle into my pace in the first mile instead of after three miles I can make that time up. A related goal, get back into some training. I took a few days off this week because my calves were so sore, and the last two runs have been nice and easy. My knees feel a little funny, so I don't want to push my luck. This weekend I'm hoping to get in 8 miles.

Closing Comments
I really like running near the ocean near where we live, so I'm thinking the salty ocean breeze will help motivate me at the end. I'm hoping the coral system gets me in a place where I don't spend too much time passing people and can just settle in to a crowd that runs roughly my pace. Having said that, I do have a little fear that not passing everyone will be a confidence neutralizer. It definitely makes you feel good to pass 5000 runners.

Race Review - ING Miami half marathon

My first half marathon - I can't quite remember when my wife and sister talked me into it, but it is done.

The Training
I trained as well as I knew how, I found a 20 week program to follow that would slowly work me up to the race. The plan was to just finish, without too much walking. Me, my wife, my sister, my wife's sister. It was going to be great. After all, two years ago I couldn't run a mile without stopping.

Somewhere along the line we lost two competitors, for good reason, and I decided that my new target was going to be 2 hours! I was super excited. So that was the goal, 2 hours.

Packet Pickup
The pickup was at a convention center, we showed up early on the 2nd day of the expo, the day before the race. There was a line, it didn't matter we were waiting for my sister who was running behind. We picked up our packets easy as pie, picked up some rail tickets for our return journey, and walked the expo for a bit.

Race Morning
Up at 4. We got dropped off right in front of American Airlines Arena at 4:45, and headed over to the Footworks tent for some sitting and chit-chat. There were plenty or porto-johns, with hardly any lines. We found our way to the corrals around 5:30, that too was easy. There were so many people! I think 21,000 people in the end. My sister and I were in J (as in A-I were in front of us.)

There was plenty of room in the corals, it was warm, and things were going nicely. We heard the wheelchairs start, and then we saw a flair when the elites started.

15 or so minutes later my sister and I start the race, I had tossed my long sleve shirt to the side of the road and was ready to go. THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE! Remember when I registered, the goal was to finish, and then I switched that goal to 2 hours? Corral J is for people expecting about 11 minute miles, to finish in to hours is roughly 9 minute miles. That is a huge speed difference, starting in J was not helping my goal. I am not kidding when I say I spent the entire race passing people. Lesson learned.

The Run
I didn't have a watch, so I don't have splits - but I know now that passing people for 13 straight miles makes it hard to hit your goals :) Again, lesson learned.

The course was decent, super flat. I had done all of my training in a flat area, so I was a little worried about the couple of bridges, but they were nothing to worry about. Also, somehow, the course was layed out so I didn't need my sunglasses really. That felt like a nice touch.

There were plenty of water stops, though they were always on the same side of the road. So when a three lane road full of people suddenly run to the right for water, it causes problems. I was also surprised about the water stops, I was expecting some sort of indication that they were coming, after a while I realized that if you hear loud chattering and a cluster of people, that's enough sign. Also after the first one you pretty much had to hunt for water. The people manning them were very nice though, so I appreciated that.

The Finish
I saw my time on the board, I knew I had missed my two hour goal, but I was happy to finish. I was surprised to find out that my legs didn't want to stop running :) After that I wandered around, picked up my finisher's medal, and some water all within 50 feet of crossing the finish, and tried to find the exit. The finish was not a fun place, tons of sweaty people looking for people they knew. There were lots of barricades up, presumably to keep spectators out of the finish area, but also keeping runners in it. The funnel they created was very slow and didn't appear to have enough people encouraging people to move on.There did appear to be plenty of food, bananas, cookies, Gatorade recovery, you name it.
 
The Results

Clock Time	2:23:11
Chip Time	2:06:27
Overall Place	4845 / 13407
Gender Place	3317 / 6592
Division Place	519 / 976
10K	1:00:31
Pace	9:40

I know for sure the first two miles were slower than 11 minutes, and I think the first mile was close to 13 minutes. so I spent the rest of race making up time.

Closing Comments
I probably wouldn't do this race again. It seems like it's larger than they know how to deal with. Some things I think they could change.

• Add a clock at the start, except for people who start when the gun goes off, everyone else who doesn't have a watch has to guess what time it is
• Put water stops on both sides of the road
• Figure out a way to keep the finish stream lined, keep people moving
• The beginning roads are too narrow to let that many people go at once. Start people slower so there is room to run

I'm happy with my first half marathon, I'm hoping to do the Ft. Lauderdale 13.1 at the end of February.