5.5 Miles

Ran 5.5 Miles in 1 hour in 82 degree heat this evening. I had started for the Lake T tri, but had an electrical issue with the car, so I had to turn around. Ended up running instead. It was hard, but I kept going. Can't quit.

12 Mile Bike

Got up at 5:30 and road 12 miles in a little less than an hour. I am slowly expanding my route. I would like to eventually have a 25 mile route I can ride. I am still very slow.

2.4 Mile Run

Chevaughn got up and ran with me this morning. I need to get up earlier and run longer.

Madison Mile 6-26-2011

Had my usual pre-race anxiety at home both last night and this morning looking for an excuse to not do the race, which I signed up for on Tuesday. I kept reassuring myself that I love open water swimming, particuarly in the ocean and that it will refresh me and i will feel great when I am done.

I arrived an hour early, signed in and picked up my timing chip. I put on my wet suit and did a short warmup. The water was 64 degrees, and even with the wet suit, felt cold to start, but it wasn't too bad. I swam halfway out to the first buoy and back, then got out and hung out with a couple other members of HEAT. They had two shorter races for little kids and then six waves in the main race -- I was in wave 5 -- the master's men. The first four waves were kids 15 and over and 11-14. The waves went off every five minutes. The course was a horeshoe where you had to keep the buoys on your left the whole way. From the beach, it looks easily marked, but that changes once you get in the water. The sighting from water level through fogging up lenses is much harder. Watching the others go off, it was clear there was a distinct current pushing swimmers to the left. Most of the group, while passing the first buoy on the left, were soon well right of the first and second buoys which were in a straight line out. I took note of this and instead of swimming to the first buoy, I swam far to the right and aimed at the second buoy. I passed well to the left of the first buoy, but on the long trek out to the second buoy, looked back over my shoulder and saw that I still drifted left with the first buoy back behind me to my right, where it should have been on my left because I had passed it quite far to its left.

If I were made ruler of open water swims, I would mandate that all buoys be evenly spaced and there would be more of them. The leg out to the third buoy seemed to take forever. I wasn't swimming badly, nice and easy strokes, not much kicking and sighting every three strokes to try to stay straight. Once I passed the third buoy, I was disoriented and it took me awhile to pick up the next buoy. The kyackers confused me as they were scattered about and I couldn't judge the course from their position, although one was very helpful and kept me from swimming out to sea, by redirecting me. Coming in didn't take very long, although when I was about 100 yards from the last buoy headed right at it, I took three strokes and looked up and I was suddenly far far to its right. I suspect there was a little rip current that just moved me wide there as opposed to a constant steady current throughout.

I finished strong and after crossing the mat, looked back to see how many swimmers were still on the course. Not a lot, but I wasn't last.

I came in in 39:40, which is about what I expect my time to have been on a mile swim in the pool at a similar speed. This placed me 7 out of 10 in the wet suit division. Last year I finished in 45:12(but I think the course was longer then).

The banannas were all eaten by the time I got in, but I did get a powerade and a bag of chips.

Results

2 Mile Run/5 Mile Bike

Ran two miles at the gymn followed by a five mile ride on the bike.

1 Mile Swim

Swam one mile - 72 laps at the pool in somewhere between 40 and 42 minutes.

9 Mile Bike

Road 9 miles this morning at six, averaging 12.9 miles with some hills.

2.4 Mile Stroller Run

Zoey didn't want me to go out running but she agreed to go with me, so after long absence, I pushed her as I ran for 2.4 miles. It was humid and harder than I remembered, but she had a grand time.

11 Mile Ride

Rode for a little under an hour this morning with some climbing. My legs were a little weak. At one point on the main road, i got blown away by five riders in a peleton. Still, it was great being out, I should try to ride every day.

Lake Terramuggus Tri # 2 6-9-2011

A bueautiful day for a triathlon. It wasn't cool or windy like the last race. The swim was shorter. Everyone said last race's swim was extra long do to the wind blowing the buoy out. I took my same transition spot which is leaning my bike up against a tree by a bench so I can sit to change my shoes. While I brought the wet suit, i did not wear it.

The swim went well. I sighted every three striokes, which I think kept me swimming fairly straight. It seemed to go very quick. I had a little bit of a problem in transition putting my shirt on -- I used my bike shirt and it got stuck and wouldn't roll down. I think I need to but a tri top so I don't have to worry about changing a shirt. I don't bother with gloves or flasses as the gloves are hard to put on and the glasses may fog up.

The bike was my main emphasis for this race, and while I took two minutres and twenty two seconds off my last time, I still did not top my record from last August. I need to ride more, and let myself go more. I did feel more confident. This was the first time in a race, the leaders did not lap me. I passed five riders -- all women, who started the race five minutes before the men.

The run I was pretty tired at first and had to run slowly, but then I picked it up somewhat. I was eleven seconds slower than last week. One of these races, I will just let myself put on a move in the last mile and suffer my way in to a record run.

Afterwards, I went for a brief swim in the Lake, which is always an awesome reward for a job well done. I just floated on my back and looked up at the sky.

My times are below. Record for the swim, which is hard to really guage given that the distances are likely approximate. This week's was clearly shorter than the last race. I hope at the next race to break my course record. I was off by 30 seconds this time.

Lake T # 2

Swim Plus T 1 - 13:28 (110 of 161)
Bike - 43:22 ( 147 of 161)
Run Plus T 2 - 32:20 ( 144 of 161)

Total 1:29:10 (141 of 155)

Swim improved 4:35
Bike improved 2:22
Run lost :11
Total improved: 6:46

***

Lake T # 1

Swim plus T 1 - 18:03 (86 of 132)
Bike- 45:44 - (124 of 132)
Run plus T2 - 32:09 (119 of 132)

Total: 1:35:56 (113 of 132)

My Lake T Records

600 yard Swim (Plus T 1) - 13:28 (6-9-2011)
Bike - 41:36 - (8-12-2010)
Run plus T2- 32:09 - (6-2-2011)

Total - 1:28:40 (8-12-2011)

Results

2.4 mile tempo run

Ran 2.4 miles in slightly under 23:00.

5.45 Mile Run

Ran 5.45 miles in 56:36 this afternoon.

Mini Tri

I was suppossed to get up and either run or ride this morning, but I was tired and my back hurt. I felt crappy all day - more psychologically than physically because I felt like a workout slacker.

This evening I took a soak in the backyard pool which is my old hot tub with cold water poured in it. I am getting the tub fixed. An hour later refreshed, I went to the real pool and did a mini tri.

6 miles on bike in 23:00
2 mile run in 19:33
500 yard swim in 11:11

Total time: 53::44

Ended with a true hot tub.

Feeling a little better about my workouts.

8 Mile Bike/open water swim

Rode 8 miles this morning at 6:00 AM. Discovering a nice hilly route with good pavement. i will try to do this more often.

Went to winding trails, swam the 400 yard course three times. The water was great, but my swimming was slow. I am rethinking using the wet suit at the next lake t race. The suit is buoyant but heavy at the same time. My arms get tired. Getting out of the water I was off balance and almost fell trying to get out of the wet suit.

4.4 Mile Run

Ran this morning, untimed. The first mile was rough. I had been battling with the post tri layoff rest versus easy workouts and have been losing the battle by staying in bed. I ate way too much yesterday and need to start getting serious about the workouts and diet.

20 Minute Bike

It was a beautiful day today. I took my training tire off the back wheel and put on the new tire I bought last year. It didn't take me too long to change. I rode for a little bit, felt some bumpiness and then readjusted the tire. Then it rode fine.

Lake Terramuggus Triathlon 6-2-2011

Did the first Lake T of the year. It was hot when I left the house, but by the time I reached the race -- it is about an hour drive during rush hour even by backroads -- it was starting to get chilly. I was number 101 even though I arrived an hour before the race. I laid out my transition next to a bench so I could sit to change my shoes. I didn't bring my wet suit because I thought the swim was going to only be 500 yards, but it was 600 yards, and actually a bit farther due to the wind drifting the buoy out. They let the women start 5 minutes before the men. I was one of only a few not wearing wet suits. I swam nice and easy, and the water was not cold, but the swim seemed to take awhile. I took my time in transition, taking a drink, putting on both a tee-shirt and a fleece. The bike was very windy. I did not ride too fast. At one point going down a hill, the bike seemed to wobble. I passed no one on the bike, and was passed by a few, but not that many. The run was fine, I ran the whole way, a little slow at the beginning, but picking up speed,I passed three runners on the way, finishing a minute faster than last year. Overall, I think I just took my time on this race. My time on the bike was three minutes slower than last year, so I need to see how i do next time when I really start to race. I will also wear the wet suit next time as i think i lost some time without it, more time than I save by not having to take it off.

Here are the results:

Lake T #1

Swim plus T 1 - 18:03 (86 of 132)
Bike- 45:44 - (124 of 132)
Run plus T2 - 32:09 (119 of 132)

Total: 1:35:56 (113 of 132)