Why do I Tri?

Every year I get the same questions. It starts out with "what are you doing this summer?" and moves on quickly into "You are doing a triathlon? Have you lost your mind?"

I got serious about my weight issues back in '05 when my weight peaked at 315 and my cholesterol hit 230. I completed a weight management and lifestyle changing program called the 20/20 Lifestyles program at the Pro Club in Bellevue, WA. It had a profound effect on my life helping me to get back into an active lifestyle. Since then I am down 40 pounds and looking to shed another 40.

In 2006, while hiking in the North Cascades National Park, I got to talking with a friend about biking to work and my newfound interest in running. He went on and on about how biking to work had changed the way he exercises. The highlight of his year was his first Triathlon, a sprint distance. During that week of hiking I asked all sorts of questions and, by the time we came home, I was sold.

The first time I told my boss that I wanted to do a Triathlon his first words were, "Are you kidding? You aren't exactly the body type of a triathlete." ...and he was/is right. I am very squarely in the "Clydesdale" race division. While most triathletes look like Macca or Chrissie Wellington, I am built more like Dick Butkus. In high school I played offensive and defensive lineman on the football team. I was in track and field but as a thrower in the discus and shotput.

Side note: we had a "exhibition event" every so often called the "throwers mile relay". I'll have to write that one up one of these days.

My first tri was quite the experience. My only goals were to finish and not die. Seriously. OK, finishing under 2 hours was also on my list but that was more of a wish than a goal.

So why do I do it? What compells me to jump into frigid water, swim 1/4 to 1 mile, bike 15-24 miles, then run 5-10K? Then, a couple of months later, to do it again? And, I PAY to be able to do this? Race fees usually run $60-80 each so this is not always a trivial task.

It's a rush, that why. There is nothing better than the feeling you get at the end of a race. The endorphin high is amazing but it doesn't beat the feeling of accomplishment you get from finishing an ordeal like that. What makes it better? Seeing my family at the finish cheering me on!Finish line, 2009 Issaquah Triathlon

My main reason for competing in triathlons is not actually the race itself, it is the journey. I have no illusions of winning the race or even placing in my age group. I do it as a goal to keep myself exercising.

One of the things I learned in my time with my personal trainer was that strength training wasn't keeping my weight off. I needed to train more like an endurance athlete which has ended up being much easier to maintain. In the last 4 years of training it has worked a little too well. My weight has been virtually flat for the past 2 years, although my body fat has fluctuated up and down (hopefully more toward the down side). My blood pressure and cholesterol are under control and my energy level and attitude have never been better.

Triathlons are a guage of my fitness level at the time and a goal to shoot for (very important in long-term fitness planning). In order to accomplish this goal, I also -

Should you do a triathlon? Only you can answer that question. I'll write later about my experience going from couch potato to triathlete.

 

First Brick of 2011

Today was my first brick of the year! I did 24 minutes in the pool followed by 48 minutes on a bike at the gym, following Day 2 of Week 1 of my 20-week training plan.

First off: what's a brick? It's a workout where you do one workout followed immediately by another, typically a swim followed by a bike or a bike followed by a run. I did my first brick training for my first tri back in '07 (it wasn't pretty): while in the gym one day I did 20 minutes on a bike and then walked over and tried to run on a treadmill. My calves locked up tight and had to stop walking after 5 minutes and sit down. Much has changed since then. Back to today...

The swim: 24:10, ~800 yards Lap Pool at the Pro Club, Bellevue proclub.com

Yes, I'm slow. My 100m time is somewhere around 2:30. The pool was a 25 yard pool and felt a little on the chilly side. Flip turns continue to elude me but I'll work on that later when I'm not so pressed for time. This was my first swim since my crash back in August. I had a lane in the lap pool all to myself and kept up a constant pace of 28 strokes per 25 yards. On the first lap I had a mysterious foot cramp that was quite painful but went away before my first turn.

The bike: 48:00, 13.5 miles, avg. 17.8 MPH

The bike ride was 48 minutes of the hill profile on a Lemond Trainer. One of these days I'll use the USB feature on the bike and download my ride stats for further analysis. Training Peaks is on my list of things to investigate this year.

Conclusions: Wow, it's been a while. Overall I did pretty well considering I haven't been in a pool in nearly 5 months. No major revelations today but it is only the first week of training for the new year.

Speaking of which, the gym was pretty crowded with all the New Years resolution folks. Sometime around mid-February the gym will be back to the regulars that actually keep resolutions, although by late March I'm doing all my runs and rides outside and by June all my swims as well.

 

 

Race Report: Issaquah Triathlon 2010

This was my 4th time finishing the Issaquah Xterra...

…I mean Issaquah Tri.

It sure felt like an Exterra or Cyclocross event. I have never seen Lake Sammamish State Park with so much water in the grassy areas. The mud was ankle deep in some of the transition areas. The deeper puddles (i.e. small lakes) were roped off and nearly knee deep. The usual run course was completely re-routed onto more solid surfaces both inside and outside the park.

The water temp really slowed me down on both the swim and bike. At the end of the race I recovered much faster than I anticipated which usually means I left a lot of fuel in the tank (i.e. I could have gone faster on the course).

My son was constantly checking the Lake Sammamish water temperature leading up to the race. The temps started out around 60F the weekend before and then dropped down to 56F the night before race day thanks to a very cold and heavy rain storm.

I walked down to the water to warm up about 30 minutes before my start time. BRRRR! Did I mention the water was cold? I think I saw some ice float by...

Biggest surprise: the number of people who didn’t have wetsuits. This was my first race in a wetsuit. I usually count the number of people without suits: the number is usually 3-5 for the entire race but this time it was 3-8 per age group. While I was setting up my transition area I met a guy doing his first race in an old pastel-colored O’Neil waterskiing wetsuit. Well, to each his own.

Swim: 12:10 748/839

As the horn sounded first wave of men started off a bald eagle was started out of a nearby tree, flew a circle around the swim area, and returned to his perch, most likely to sleep off his headache from the air horn. A few minutes later I was shivering in the water waiting for my heat to begin. When my heat finally began my body went into shock. The water was incredibly cold away from shore and seriously prevented me from getting into any kind of freestyle rhythm: I ended up doing the breast stroke for more than half the course. After what seemed like an eternity I staggered out of the water and into T1 nearly 2 minutes slower than last year. The cold water really threw me for a loop and negatively impacted me for the rest of the race.

T1: 4:09

The run into transition was easier than I thought. The muddy ground was quite soft and squishy between the toes. I took the extra time with a water bottle to rinse my feet a bit before putting into my socks which turned out to be unnecessary. As I exited transition in my bike shoes they filled with water and mud.

Bike 48:22 391/839

The bike is typically where I shine, thanks to my bike commute schedule, but not this year. My legs took a VERY long time to warm up from that cold water. The other impacting problem was the very long and narrow exit out and then approach into the park which did not allow for passing. This created about a mile in each direction where everyone was at the mercy of the riders in front of them. In a race staggered start and a duathlon it made for some frustrating minutes lost. I was shooting for 40 minutes or under and was quite shocked at my time.

T2: 2:19

I traded my muddy bike shoes for an old pair of running shoes that I had remembered to bring (i.e. not my nice, newer shoes).

Run: 25:52 612/839Muddy shoes after the run

The run was almost enjoyable. The sun came out and started to warm things up. I even ended up with a bit of a sun burn. The new run course was an out and back loop on sidewalks through the park. I didn't have my GPS running but I swear it was under 5K. I was very happy to be at the end of that race.

Total: 1:32:53 OA: 539/839 AG: 88/113

Once again, it was a fun day. The weather, mud, and cold water made for a very interesting and educational experience.

Lessons learned:

  1. Old running shoes are great for short races if you don't want to get your new shoes muddy.
  2. If the water temp is less than 62F, go for the LONG SLEEVED wet suit.
  3. Do more warm up in the cold water before the race to better acclimate to the frigid temps.

Looking forward to next time!

Race Report: Issaquah Triathlon 2007

I was digging around some old docs and found my old race report for the 2007 Issaquah Tri. This one is important to me because it was my first Triathlon of any distance and a great turning point for me personally.

Report, as written on June 3, 2007-

Wow, I actually did it and achieved my goal (finish in less than 2 hours). I arrived just in time to sit in traffic as the over 1000 participants waited to get into the parking lot at Lake Sammamish State Park at Issaquah, Washington, just east of Seattle. There was plenty of time for me to set up my bike and other things in the transition area and meander over to the starting area. While waiting in the line for the restroom I found a friend of mine from church who was participating in the Tri with his wife. It was nice to know someone else who did the race. They both beat me by at least 10 minutes (way to go!).

The swim start for my heat was at 7:18 am sharp. I stayed in the back of the pack and then did the breast stroke for just about the entire 400m swim. The water temp was perfect (for me anyway) at around 70F.  This was my weakest of the three events by far. My time coming out of the water was about 18 minutes (more on that below). The first transition went well considering I didn’t have a wet suit to fool with. I put on my shirt, cleaned my feet, donned my shoes, and off I went.

As I was just starting my bike run I saw the race leader coming back from his bike run. He won with a time of 58:35, almost 1 hour faster than me. To put that into perspective, I did the bike portion of the race in just over 55 minutes. The next closest competitor to him was almost 5 minutes behind. I did pretty well on the bike. I noticed that a lot of people around me didn’t use their downhill gears: I passed a lot of folks on the downhills with minimal effort. The one hill we had to go over and back on was a slow rise up about 300 feet. Lots of people looked at me funny as I sang Christmas songs to pass the time (i.e. "Walking in a Winter Wonderland", "Frosty the Snowman", and "Have yourself a merry little Christmas"). I was feeling really good coming out of the second transition.

The run felt really good except for one thing: of the entire course, only 1/4 of it was paved. The remaining was over grassy fields, dirt roads, or sports fields. My ankles were really bothering me as I approached the finish. Most of the course was shaded which turned out to be a blessing as the sun came out near the end. As I broke out of the trees for the final time I saw Wendy and the boys there to cheer me on. I sped up and somehow found the energy to sprint across the finish line.

Here are my official results:

Swim 00:18:23.6  T1 00:06:27.9  Bike 00:55:05.8  T2 00:04:37.9  Run 00:27:49.1  Finish 01:52:24.3 

Overall I am very happy with the entire experience and my performance in this, my rookie race. The 5K time is less than the 5K I ran last month (29:37). The only thing that went wrong for me on race day was that I forgot my shoes. I had to turn around and drive home about 3 miles from home. Good thing I remembered. I can race without a shirt; I can race without socks; but I certainly cannot race without shoes.

Recovery Day 1 – Sunday June 3
 
Today went pretty well. Muscle soreness is much less than I expected. Took some ibuprofen before church to make sure I could make it through 3 hours without much misery. The biggest issue so far is the recurring muscle spasm in my shoulder that has been acting up for some time: it got a lot worse starting last night but nothing serious. I am continuing the elevated calorie diet which should return to normal on Tuesday.
 
Recovery Day 2 – Monday, June 4
 
Feeling much better even though the heat at night kept me awake (no one in Seattle has A/C). Shoulder spasms are almost gone.

Race Report: Beaver Lake Sprint Tri 2010

Date: Aug. 21, 2010

Location: Beaver Lake Park, Sammamish, WA

Photo Gallery: Flickr.com set

Total time: 1:59:56, OA: 309/362, AG: 17/19 (Clydesdale)

Swim: 9:15 262/383

T1: 3:28

Bike: 1:00:00 337/383

T2: 2:12

Run: 45:01 323/381

This is my second time. I love this race because it is so close to our house and has excellent scenery to distract me from the pains of racing. This time the wife and boys came along to volunteer at the race. They were in charge of setting up the food area and making sure all the food items were well stocked. Boy #1 had a part-time job as my personal photographer as well.
 
The morning of the race was kind of cold (about 47 degrees) but the lake was around 75! That made for a great scene on the lake with the mist hanging over the water. The boys helped me set up my transition area with my bike, jersey, and shoes.
The swim was a lot of fun, actually. The water was warm enough that I really didn't need my wetsuit, although I did wear it for added buoyancy. I had my best 400 meter swim time ever (9:12). I got out of the water in a very good mood and set out on the bike course.
The bike route took us out of Beaver Lake Park, DOWN Duthie Hill Rd (dropping about 420 feet in 1 mile), along Fall City Rd (Highway 202), and then back up Issaquah-Fall City Rd. That big hill is a long and hard staircase climb back up the 400+ feet back to the lake. I have done this particular climb several times before, most recently about 6 weeks earlier during the Flying Wheels Century, so I know how high it is and when the hill stops. There is a section near the top that drops down quite a ways before climbing back up even higher as you get back to Duthie Hill Rd. This is where my problems began. I was going waaaaay too fast coming into a turn (I missed the 20 MPH turn warning sign) and completely misjudged a turn. I came into it too fast and in the wrong position. I hit my brakes as hard as I could, skidded off the road, hit a rock retaining wall and flipped over into the gravel, landing on my head and then my bottom.
 
Immediately another rider was next to me checking me out, asking questions, and helping. After about 15 minutes of “collecting myself” I got up, dusted myself off, adjusted my bent front brake, pulled some rocks out of my helmet, and got back on my bike. That other racer stayed with me the entire time. I wish I had looked at his race number so I could have thanked him later but I didn't and never saw him again. Since I was already at the top of the big hill I rode slowly back to the transition area at the park.
 
As I entered the park, one of the race officials said, “You must be the guy that flipped over. Are you OK?” I said yes and then continued on to my spot. Without even thinking I took off my bike shoes and helmet, put on my running shoes, stretched my neck a bit, and then went out on the run. The thought of not finishing the race didn’t even cross my mind.
The first mile of the run was very painful and slow (12+ minute pace). Just after the 1 mile mark I was passed by a barefoot guy that was pushing 80. I found out later that he was indeed 80 and finished the race. He passed me and gave words of encouragement. A few minutes later something inexplicable happened: my cramps went away, my neck loosened up, and I was able to increase my pace to 9 minute miles. As I passed Mr. Barefoot he cheered me on. Unbelievably I finished the 4.3 mile run only 2 minutes slower than the last time I ran it. Considering how sore I was that night I have no idea how I even ran 1 mile, let alone over 4.
Aftermath: I didn’t go to the ER but my doctor did check me out. The next day I had spine, neck, and head x-rays which came out clean (i.e no broken bones). I had no concussion, no broken bones, no cuts, only bruises and sore muscles. Since I finished the race it was hard to tell which muscles were sore from normal racing and which ones were sore from the crash. My right knee had a huge bruise swollen to about the size of a grapefruit on the left side of my knee cap. Based on the impact marks and my estimated speed (about 25-30 MPH) the doctor said that my helmet had definitely saved my life and had at least saved me from a fractured skull.
Recovery: The night after the crash it was very hard to sleep. I had a lot of time to think about what had happened. The events of the crash played back in my mind over and over and over. Why did I think I could make that tight turn going so fast? How did I miss that 20MPH sign? Did I use my brakes the right way? Could I have missed that rock? The words of my Red Cross CPR/First Aid instructor kept coming to mind, “If you come across a person who you suspect has a spinal injury, do not let them get up. Have them remain still on the ground while you stabilize their head and neck until paramedics arrive.” I didn’t do that. I got up and finished my race. I should have stayed there and waited for help to arrive but I was too stubborn. I risked my life for a stupid race without thinking about the impact on my family. Eventually I got to sleep but I didn’t rest well until after my x-ray results came back. I got that call on the morning of August, 26th, my birthday. And what a fabulous birthday present it was, too! (negative for spinal fractures)
 
So my racing season for 2010 was over. With a couple of weeks I was doing much better and even completed a couple of short runs (20-25 minutes each). I did physical therapy with a great doctor to make sure that my neck muscles healed properly and quickly. My bike only needed minor repairs and was back in service within a week. Will I race again? Yes. Will I be more careful from now on when it comes to turns? ABSOLUTELY.