#hdlstrong

This past weekend, the Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) Triathlon Team raced in the Culpeper Sprint and International Triathlons in Culpeper, VA.  What an awesome and challenging race!  The course was loaded with hills (on both the bike and run course – which is just mean if you ask me) and it was my first lake swim (complete with imaginary sea creatures looking to eat me at any given moment). 

This race was not on my calendar at the start of the year, but my company is gracious enough to contribute to the team’s race registrations every quarter as long as we have six people willing and able to take on the challenge.  We found a race where we had six people willing and able to race, which is no easy task.  Aligning everyone’s schedules is like herding cats.  A huge thank you goes out to the generosity of HDL for their willingness to support their employees in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

At the beginning of the year, I sat down and planned on doing two Olympic-distance races this year (Chattanooga and Outer Banks).  This year I wanted to focus more attention on these longer races rather than sprints because I have a goal of completing a half Ironman race next year.  When we started talking about the Culpeper race, I was thrilled at the chance to add another Olympic race to the list.  I was even more thrilled when the registration did not have to come out of my already strapped budget.  My motto: if they fund it, then I will race it.  

My race weekend started with me teaching a high intensity cycle class at 10 AM on Saturday.  Not really the way you want to prime the legs for a race, but I had a great time in the class and look forward to it every week.  My bags were packed the night before and I was ready to hit the road.  However, I had to check off my first pre-race ritual.  I had to get my haircut.  I just had one not too long ago, but for some reason, I have to have one right before a race.  I can’t explain it so I won’t even try.  I was carpooling with one of my teammates so he came by and picked me up and we were off.  We were meeting one of our other teammates up there because he raced in the sprint that morning.  We were just three guys hanging out in the bustling metropolis known as Culpeper (which is never described as “bustling” or a “metropolis”).  We checked into the hotel (which shares a parking lot with several other hotels – talk about comparative shopping) and eagerly awaited packet pick-up. 

I had researched restaurants before arriving in town (because it is what gastric bypass patients do) in order to check off my second pre-race ritual.  Found an Italian restaurant to get my pasta dinner.  Corey (my teammate that raced the Sprint earlier in the day) has been dreaming about having chicken parmesan since I sent out the menu a week earlier.  I ordered your basic spaghetti and meat sauce (I thought I was pretty safe ordering that and you really have to try and mess up spaghetti and meat sauce) and Corey and Angelo ordered the chicken parmesan.  They brought out their dinner and I just started at it.  It was a little ball of spaghetti noodles, four breaded chicken tenders (that’s right chicken tenders) with melted mozzarella cheese.  It looked like something I would cook when I was in college. 

We headed back to the hotel all carb’d up and ready to get some sleep.  Got back to the hotel and packed the gear back (several times just to make sure everything was there).  I called the front desk for a wake-up call for 4:30 AM.  The lady on the phone said “4:30 AM?”  I chuckled and told her she was correct.

Race morning had finally arrived and I hate race morning.  I am too anxious to really enjoy it.  I found my spot in transition and unpacked my bag and set up my little piece of real estate.  If you were to sit on the outside and watch people set up their transition area, you would think that only severely OCD people participate in these races.  Everything is set up very meticulously and in a specific order.  It’s really funny to think about it.  Everything has its place and more thought has gone into that placement than what seems logical or rational.

After transition was all set up, I walked over to the lake (layered in fog) and stared out at the buoys thinking to myself “good grief those things are far away”.  I have yet to be able to swim an entire swim course without having to result to the breaststroke either out of physical or mental necessity.  My last race, I was able to swim a part of the course using the freestyle stroke and I was proud of myself for doing that much.  This time, I wanted to really swim more of the course.  I was standing there by the lake with my other teammates and tried to keep my nerves in check before I had to head into the dark outdoor pool for a nice 1,500 meter swim.

They sounded the horn and I was off.  I quickly got into rhythm and surprising felt at ease.  My goggles were holding up (not leaking thanks to my teammate Lynn for her advice) and it did not feel like some massive washing machine as we all fight for position.  Before I knew it, I had reached the first buoy.  I made the turn and started out to cross the length of the lake.  I actually held the line pretty well.  Most people were to my far right and I could not figure out why.  I kept looking up to make sure I was on track and the sight buoy was always straight ahead.  It was if I had invisible walls around me and no one was fighting for my spot in the water.  I had the most comfortable open water swim of my life.  I finished the swim in 36:35 and swam the entire course without resulting to the breaststroke.  I got out of the water so proud of myself.  I hope this courage transfers to the Outer Banks next month.  I was 6 minutes slower than Chattanooga, but this was a lake swim, which means no current to help speed up the swim.  Regardless of time, I had a huge accomplishment by swimming the entire course (trying to overcome a big fear of open water).

I had a nice smooth transition out of the water and on to the bike.  Everything worked like it was supposed to.  I had scouted the bike and run course a few weeks earlier with Angelo so I knew the course.  I had a different strategy with this course.  Normally, I stick with the big gears and get down on myself when I have to drop to a lower gear.  This time, I was going to use the gears to my advantage.  This was a very technical course.  The reason is this course very hilly and some of these hills are right after you make hard turns so you have to have the correct gearing on so you don’t struggle getting up the hill with less momentum.  They were different types of hills compared to Chattanooga.  Those hills were long and drawn out.  So I could muscle up those hills without having to drop too much gear.  These hills were steep and persistent (one right after the other).  So dropping the gear when necessary and maintaining a steady cadence was important to me.  I did not want to burn out my legs like I did in Chattanooga (everything after mile 4 in the run was more difficult than it should have been in that race).  I charged up these hills and held my cadence.  Sometimes passing other racers on their carbon triathlon bikes, which always feel good since I am out there on a straight bar hybrid bike (which has to catch some people by surprise).  I finished the bike course in 1:19:46.  I had an average speed of 18.1 mph, which is awesome for me given the difficulty of the course and the type of bike I have.    

This is the point in the race where you have to do whatever it takes to finish.  I have to constantly tell myself that I will not have my normal 10K time.  You are not just running a 10K.  You are running a 10K with whatever is left in the tank.  I felt good going into this run.  The legs were fine and it did not take long to get my legs under me and get that “rubber” feeling out of them.  The only problem is I had a very steep hill climb at the start of the run (again I think this is just mean).  I think one reason I felt good going into the run was because of my nutrition plan.  I had stuck 3 clif bar bloks to my bike and periodically stuck one in my mouth during the ride.  I saved the last blok for the start of the run.  I just kept it in my mouth and let it dissolve throughout the run portion.  I was never lacking for energy and never really got thirsty, which is a good thing because I really had to use the bathroom during the run.  I would grab a shot of water every now and then during the run just to get the sugary taste out of my mouth and wet the lips.  I had a great run (especially since the course was hilly).  I finished the run in 1:01:34.  This is 3 minutes faster than Chattanooga (which was basically a flat run course) and 1 minute faster than last year’s Outer Banks Olympic.  A huge thank you goes out to Robert Flanigan and Ruthie Burke for helping me with my run posture.  I know I still have a problem with keeping my arms down, but I have been making a conscious effort to work on that over the past few weeks and it is getting better.  I am staying more relaxed during my run and I think that is why I was faster in this race. 

I finished this race with a total race time of 3:02:05.  I was 2 minutes shy of meeting my annual goal of finishing an Olympic distance triathlon within 3 hours.  I was so close to making it happen.  This was my fastest race time yet at this distance.  Up next and my last big triathlon of the year is Outer Banks Olympic on September 13th. 

Angelo Montoya heading out for the run.  Enjoyed the high fives as we crossed paths on the run.

Relay Team (left to right): Maggie Barton, Jack Hester, and Lynn Morris.

They took first place in the mixed relay division.  EXCELLENT JOB!  I may need to borrow Jack's abs to wash my tri suit. Maggie had no problem passing me on the bike even though I had a significant head start.  Lynn is the female version of Michael Phelps. 

Wish I had pictures of Corey Reed racing the Sprint.  I should have taken a picture of him with his chicken parmesan.

This morning started like any other morning.  The alarm went off at 5:00 AM (which resulted in snoozing until 5:30 AM).  The scheduled workout (see my earlier blog “Learning to Juggle”) was a run workout.  Two days ago, I did a nice 6.6 mile steady state run along Grove Ave so this morning I had plans for a nice hill run.  Typically this hill run is an 8-miler along Riverside Drive, which should be aptly named Hillside Drive because it is loaded with rolling hills and no view of the river).  However, last night my son asked if I would run the middle school cross country course with him because he wanted to get in some hill work in preparation for his cross country season.  Being a loving and supportive father, I agreed to run the course with him.  I warned him we would be getting up early to run and he agreed. 

Now I dislike trail running because I am a huge klutz.  I am a road runner and like having the sure footing that running on asphalt provides.  However, any chance I get to run with him is a chance I will take because he has a motor on him and I am quickly realizing I will never catch him.  You run with people who are better than you which force you to step up your game and thus results in improved performance.  We get to his school and the sun is rising and it is a beautiful cool morning.  I asked that he “dial it back” because I didn’t know the course and did not want to end up wandering aimlessly through the woods.  This is not the scenario you want.  Some guy wandering through the woods behind a middle school yelling a kid’s name.  You are just asking for someone to call the cops and this is not how I wanted to start my day. 

I thought to myself, “How hard can this course be?  They have middle school kids running it.”  I quickly found out just how hard it is.  I have a newfound respect for my son and his abilities.  The first lap (2 miles) was okay.  He kept his pace in check and I stayed with him.  However, the second lap was a different story.  His motor was primed and I quickly found myself alone in the woods asking myself “do I turn here?”  I only had to call out to him twice where I politely reminded him to back off on the pace.  The hills on this course were monsters.  There is one hill (nicknamed “Gaffney Hill) at the end of the loop where you almost feel you need to put your hands down on the ground to help you get up the hill.  We did 3 laps for a total of 6.2 miles and I was not only proud to see how strong he is but I was proud that I survived.  I asked him on the drive back home “just how much did you hold back”?  He said “about medium”.  I’ll take that.  That course is no joke and I will definitely be returning to that course for more. 

Well the first Olympic triathlon of the season has been completed.  Last Sunday, I raced the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon.  I have never raced this event before and I trained all winter long for it.  I spent a lot of time on the bike getting ready for this event.  After I finished last year’s Richmond Half Marathon, I asked Bob Flanigan what I should focus on during the off-season.  He suggested I focus on getting stronger on the bike.  He told me the benefits from being stronger on the bike would out-weigh the benefits from a stronger run or swim.  I welcomed this advice and set out to get stronger. 

There were three main reasons I selected this particular race.  There were other races going on at the same time that were a lot closer to me than this particular race.  First, I wanted to do more Olympic distance races this year.  I needed more experience in these longer races if I wanted to move up to a half ironman next year.  Second, I knew the bike course was hilly and I needed to get my legs into shape in order to survive the run.  So this would give me the motivation I needed to focus more on the bike during the off-season.  Third, I chose to do this race because my mom and my sister have never seen me complete a triathlon before.  They live in the Chattanooga area so I decided to give this race a try and also get the chance to spend some quality time with them.

We arrived in Chattanooga five days before race day.  I wanted to get into the area early to spend some quality time with my family at the same time giving me a chance to scout the run and bike course and figure out all of the logistics prior to race day.  I thought I was going to be able to ride the bike course prior to race day until my brother-in-law told me the bike course was on US Route 27, where the speed limit is 65 mph.  This means bikes are not allowed on the highway.  So I had to settle for driving the course.  I needed this first-hand experience in order to settle my nerves.  That same morning, I scouted the run course during my morning run workout.   

One of the cool things about this race is they had bike check the night before race day.  We were allowed to drop off our bikes and leave them in transition overnight, which made race morning a lot less hectic.  After my transition area was all organized and ready for the race, I boarded a bus that took me to the swim launch.  The swim course was point-to-point in the Tennessee River rather than a loop, also something I have never done before.  A point-to-point course really allows you to see just how far 1,500 meters really is.  It is freaking far.  The swim was also a single-person start rather than a wave start.  This means we lined up and worked our way to the water.  One person starts and there is a 3-second delay until the next person starts.  This was awesome!  A lot less chaotic and allowed you to settle into the swim rather than fight for position.  This made the swim so much more comfortable, which is a good thing because I am scared of open water.  I was proud of my performance in the swim.  I kept my calm and actually freestyle swam (rather than use the breast stroke) a significant portion of the course (also something I have never done in an open water swim).  Last year, I swam the 1,500 meters in OBX in 34 minutes.  I swam this course in 30 minutes. 

The transition from the swim to the bike was tough.  We had to run a significant distance from the swim exit through transition to get back to the bike.  It took me 3:53 to get out of the water and onto the bike.  All of the advice I have received from Bob Flanigan in how to organize my transition area and the little time-saving tricks was a huge help.  The fact I practiced my transition a few weeks before made me more comfortable and I was able to work out all the little kinks in the process. 

The bike course was challenging with a lot of long and drawn out hill climbs.  I was out there on my little hybrid bike passing cyclists on beautiful tri and road bikes.  It felt awesome!  I muscled up the hills and held my cadence.  Had to drop gear a few times but I reasoned it was more important to drop the gear and get up the hills to save my legs for the run.  I did not want to burn out my legs on the ride so it was a better decision to use easier gearing combinations to get through the hill climbs.  I will say I did not have to get into the small chain ring so I am happy with that.  I finished the bike course in 1:25 (average speed of 18.4 mph, which was faster than my OBX bike speed of 18.1 mph).  I am happy with this performance because the OBX bike course is flat.

Lastly there was the run portion of the race.  I had already run this course once before so there were no surprises.  I knew the course and felt comfortable.  I just had to get my legs to cooperate and carry me the 6.2 miles.  My run was two minutes slower than OBX but I finished the run in 1:04.  My total race time was 3:06:16 (19 seconds faster than OBX).  The fact that I could essentially match my OBX race time is awesome (to me at least) because this race course was significantly harder than the OBX race course. 

I have taken a few days off of training to allow my body to recover and get some much needed sleep.  Helping your mother move the day after a race is tough and does not count as recovery.  Training starts this week for the next race.  I will be racing in the Culpeper Olympic Triathlon with the Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) Tri Team on August 3rd.  Let the good times begin.  

Well the time has come.  I am seven days away from my first major race of the season, Chattanooga Waterfront International.  I have been training for this race all winter.  I have spent what feels like a thousand hours on the bike (both indoors and outdoors) trying to get stronger for this race and I know I am ready.  However, the perfectionist in me says I need more training and I should continue pushing hard during the coming week.  Now I know better than that.  All that does is sabotage everything I have worked so hard for.

Before working with Bob Flanigan and Ruthie Burke, I would have continued training hard right up to the day before the race.  I remember last year when I did the Jefferson Sprint Triathlon (race was on a Saturday), I actually did an intense indoor cycle workout with the queen of RPM (Denise Lester).  She said go easy, but I did not listen.  Now I am learning what it means to enjoy taper week.  Now I will not pack up the running shoes and swim goggles or stow the bike and take the week off.  But I will dial back on the workouts.  Do just enough to keep the muscles engaged and maintain muscle memory. 

There is more to taper week than just easing up on the training.  Nutrition is vital during taper week.  It is very important to continue feeding the body the right stuff.  Start with extra carbohydrates to fully replenish glycogen stores in preparation for the race.  Whole wheat pasta or brown rice with some lean protein is a good place to start.  However, I cannot leave out the occasional bowl of ice cream because I am on vacation.  I am actually below my race weight (my goal was to weight 207 and I am currently hitting the scales at 203).  The race is next Sunday so all bets are off starting lunchtime on Sunday.

Bob Flanigan told us the number one performance-enhancing drug on the market is not something you get at your neighborhood drug store or at GNC.  It is sleep and it is “free”.  The past two weeks have been intense.  I really dialed up the intensity of the training and I have not gotten as much sleep as I could use.  My goal this week is to enjoy my time with my family, get some extra sleep, and just get out and enjoy my morning workouts. 

HERES TO TAPER WEEK!!!!

This week my extremely tolerant and lovely wife posted a question on Facebook that actually caused me to pause and think.  Here is the question:

If anyone knows of any books or articles that address the issue of "balancing your family life with an athletic lifestyle", please feel free to share. I've done my own research, and most of the information that came up addressed young athletes and not married couples with children. This is a growing issue in my family and while it's relatively balanced for now, some things need to change. Thanks in advance for any insight you may have.

One of the main things I love about triathlons is not the actual race (however there is nothing more exhilarating than waiting for that horn to blow and start the swim); it is the journey to race day.  I love the training.  I like waking up at 5:30 AM on a Saturday and Sunday and head out for a bike ride that leads right into a run.  Getting out there under an early sun before the roads are congested with people in a hurry brings peace and tranquility to my brain.  There is nothing boring about multisport training.  However, my wife’s question deserves an answer.  How does one juggle what they love to do while at the same time not alienate those that love them?