Rattler Ramble Trail Run

It’s been a long time…

At the end of October I was asked to help time a trail run near my house. Actually I was asked to time the race two days before the event. I scrambled some pacer friends, procured the club’s clock and decided to race the event. I hoped to finish high enough in the rankings to that I could race and time.

Since the race was just before Halloween I donned the banana suit. I figured that this would give me a pretty good excuse if some of the fast guys showed up for the race. I could always say that I was in a banana suit – what do you expect.

It was a brisk morning, I say brisk but it was really about 50 degrees outside. It was kind of cold standing around but definitely hot while running. I wore an extra-long sleeved shirt while we were milling about before the start of the race. I did get to use all of the banana puns (peel off the extra layers, timing splits, etc.). Funny stuff!

The race started on a slight downhill on a dirt road. I was running fast and wanted to stay at the front. However, there was a girl in front of me. She was running smoking fast down this dirt road. I glanced at my GPS watch and we were in the high 5’s (very high 5’s – like 5:55, but high 5’s none the less). I was not going to put in a pass – this was too fast for me. I fell in behind the girl and stayed about 10 feet back. I was going to stick to the pace as long as possible. Flashing through my mind was a race that had taken place the previous week where a girl won the overall with an 18 high something 5K. I was thinking that if this was that girl then I would have to let her go. Once again, the pace was too fast for me.

I looked at the watch again, we were already a half mile into the race but she was not slowing down. I stayed with her and thought negative thoughts. Something would have to give and soon.

We rounded a corner and saw a long gradual rise before us. Finally, the girl slowed down. She huffed and grunted that she had gone out too fast. I thought – no doubt! I was thankful for the reprieve.

I settled into a very hard but sustainable pace. The route was technical and had many switch backs. I was able to glimpse the second place runner.  I did not want to get into a sprint on these trails.  I kept the pace up sufficiently enough to take the win.

Not my fastest run by far but it was my best race in a banana suit!

Smarter than I used to be

So I had some tightness in my calf.  I really thought that I had hurt myself bad – like a micro tear or something.  Not career ending but career halting.  In years past I would have tried to run on it the next day and dug myself into a deeper hole.  I preach 3 days off will save you 3 weeks; 3 weeks will save you 3 months.  But in reality I have pushed through the pain.  Not smart.

This time I called my friend, a PT and fellow runner PT Dan.  I cannot stress how important it is to see someone that is also an athlete.  PT Dan fit me into his schedule and before even looking at me he questioned exactly what I was doing when I started to feel the discomfort.  Dan knew what and why I was experiencing the pain that I was going through.

He told me that pushing the limits and changing shoes probably caused the pain.  I was experiencing shin splints.  I was dumbfounded!  Me, shin splints?  I am experienced runner who racks up hundreds of miles a month.  Well, the test shoes were minimalists and there was next to no arch support.  On top of that I was a bit fatigued. 

PT Dan massaged, did some ultrasound and next taped my aching calf.  It still hurt some the rest of the day.  However, the next day it was much better.  In fact it was so much better by Sunday that I decided to go ahead and run the First Light Half Marathon that I had already signed up for; al be at a much slower pace (I paced a friend to a PR for the half).

I have become smart enough to know that I depend on my running for so much more than athletic needs (my mental health depends on my running) that I am quick to seek expert advise when necessary.

2011 Sunfish Race Report

I had my alarm set for 3AM. The coffee maker started at 2:45AM. I woke up without difficulty. The truck was already loaded up. I prepared a bowl of oatmeal and had a cup of coffee. I made my way to Lance’s just a couple of miles away.

We were all loaded up and ready to go by 4AM. The drive was uneventful. We had one pit stop about half way to the race site. Robin and I talked about not blowing up on the bike. This was more for Lance then Robin or I.

The Sunfish was my first triathlon ever, back in 2007. I completed it on my birthday. I did not know anyone at the race. Wow, how have times changed.

We arrived at the race site at 5:45AM. The transition was still pretty empty. I got checked in and selected a good transition spot near the bike in and out. The run exit had changed this year. The run exited near the swim exit. My transition was in a good spot.

I jumped in the lake and swam about half way to the first turn. The swim resembled a trapezoid – ( /_\ - turn that upside down). The water was warm like a bath but not near as hot as the heat wave last month. There would not be any problems.

This is a time trial start with each athlete jumping in every 5 seconds. I was number 228. Robin, my nemesis was 233. I would start at 19 minutes after the start and Robin would start 25 seconds back. Robin has run me down in almost every triathlon that we have competed in. I needed a bit of a buffer.

In years past Robin would beat me soundly in the swim and the run. I could put some time into him on the bike and in the transitions. Robin has improved his bike substantially in the past couple of years. His transitions are still lacking.

I started the swim easily and started passing people immediately. My swim has improved much in the past couple of years. I have no fear of struggling in the swim. I’m still not at the pointing end of the pack but I am at least in the pack. I kept to the left of the line of athletes and swam my own race. I did get passed in the swim by Sam and Judy (Sam’s wife). They are fish. Robin later told me that I was just ahead of him at the swim exit.

In transition I ran to my bike and mounted up. As I jumped on my bike I saw Sam just ahead of me starting up the small hill just out of transition. I got in the aero bars immediately and passed several people on the levy. As soon as you exit the park you turn left into a major hill. This is a tough hill and doubly tough for Mississippi. I powered up the hill past a dozen people. There were a few people weaving back and forth and one or two people walking their bikes. This is just the first of many hills in this 16ish mile course. I kept my intensity up the entire ride. I was spinning out on the down hills – this is such a rarity for me. Spinning out of my gears means 40+ MPH. I was attaching each hill. My legs were burning. My heart rate was out of bounds. At about the half-way point I came upon Shawn. I raced with Shawn at the DragonFly last month. It took a little while to overtake him. He was racing on Chris B’s race wheels. These are the race wheels that have plagued him with flats. When I passed Shawn I let out a loud pssss! To get his attention. We would trade places a couple of times. I could get Shawn on the up hills and he could get me on the decline. Eventually I was able to make the pass stick. Once back into the park I moved to the left and few past several athletes. There was still a ways to go before transition.

As I charged up the last small hill to the levy I had to slow way down to avoid congestion. On the levy I kept in a fast gear and pushed the pace until the finish of the bike. I ran into transition and grabbed my gear. I first ran towards the old run exit but quickly got back on course and ran to the back on the transition to start the run. No time was lost.

As I round the transition to start the run I saw Robin dismounting on the bike. This would be a tough run. I charged up the small hill just out of transition and ran across the levy. I was hot. The cold water bottle was not helping much. I kept the intensity high. I was running in the low 7’s. I would have to pick up the pace. My effort was high but my speed did not reflect this. There is a little bit of shade during the first and last miles of the race. It is just a 5k and it is flat but there is no shade for the middle of the run. I was melting. This has been a tough summer for me on the run. I wish I could say that I was simply cooking the bike but my times do not reflect this either. I passed the John P “The Legend” at the 2 mile marker. John ended up getting first in his age group (by 6 minutes)! I grabbed a cold cup of water. I walked a few feet to take the drink. Close by, just behind me, I could hear Robin yelling at me not to walk. I threw the cup down and starting running again. Within a few seconds Robin was around me. I tried to match his pass but it was not happening. I did, however, not walk an additional step. I chugged out the miles as best as I could. I really wanted to run a sub-6 for this race. This is the best opportunity for me to get a win against Robin. All of the other races have a run that is too long. When someone is putting a minute per mile into you on the run, you need a short run.

I charged across the levy and down into the home stretch. I finished strong. I was hot. I ran immediately to the kiddie pool that was full of ice. I placed my fore arms into the freezing cold ice water. I let them linger there for a couple of minutes. I then filled my unitard up with several handfuls of ice. It took about 5 minutes before I had cooled down from my boil.

I had a good race with a poor run. Robin started after me and passed me once again on the run. The results from the past few years are below –

2008 SWIM 10:52 T1 1:17 BIKE 47:41 T2 1:02 RUN 22:26 - 1:23:18

2009 SWIM 08:40 T1 0:57 BIKE 45:20 T2 1:03 RUN 21:15 - 1:17:13

2010 SWIM 10:39 T1 2:00 BIKE 46:32 T2 0:56 RUN 21:38 - 1:20:42

2011 SWIM 09:06 T1 0:53 BIKE 46:28 T2 0:49 RUN 22:43 - 1:19:57

2009 Sunfish Race Report

2010 Sunfish Race Report

For 2011, I finished 5 in age group and Robin once again finished 3^rd. We had a good showing for Hattiesburg.

Sam finished 2^nd overall (by 3 seconds). Ginger finished 5^th female overall. Robin 3^rd in his age group. Shawn and Lance finished 1^st and 2^nd Clydesdale. Jodie R. 2^nd in her age group. Deanne 3^rd in her age group. John P. 1^st in his age group. Todd B. 3^rd in his age group.

This is how Robin and I have stacked up the past couple of years.

2009 (– 51 seconds) – I placed S/B/R – 7/4/7 – TOTAL = 18

5 Robin 3 8:14 1:11 9 46:51 21.5 1:23 2 18:45 6:13 1:16:22 

6 James 7 8:40 0:57 4 45:20 22.2 1:03 7 21:15 7:03 1:17:13

2010 (– 147 seconds) – I placed S/B/R – 6/6/5 – TOTAL = 17

3 Robin 3 09:46 1:13 7 46:41 21.6 1:00 1 19:38 6:30 1:18:15

6 James 6 10:39 0:59 6 46:32 21.7 0:56 5 21:38 7:10 1:20:42

2011 (– 86 seconds) – I placed S/B/R – 7/4/5 – TOTAL = 16

3 Robin 6 9:01 1:20 6 47:26 21.3 1:11 1 19:38 6:31 1:18:34

5 James 7 9:06 0:53 4 46:28 21.7 0:49 5 22:43 7:32 1:19:57

I will do my lessons learned a little later in the week.

Wool Market Duathlon #2 Race Report

I got an email from Sam and Chris about doing the Saturday Wool Market Duathlon. This race was not in my schedule at all. I was planning on doing the Saturday group ride. Anyway, after some coaxing I decided to commit.

Getting ready for a duathlon is so much easier than getting ready for a triathlon. I’m not sure why. Down in the south you rarely get to wear a wetsuit so the extra gear is just a set of goggles. But it seems like so much more preparation.

Since it was a duathlon I decided to wear tri shorts and a tri top instead of a tri suit. I also got to wear socks! No need to run sockless this time.

The Wool Market Duathlon series is super low key. There is not preregistration. You just shop up and pay your $10 (no shirt option). There is no chip timing – it is timed like a small 5k. They take the tab off of your bib number and give you a sticker with your placing. I have timed a bunch of 5k’s this way. Quick and easy.

These Wool Market races have grown over the past few years (just as every multisport race has grown) and it is bigger than its transition can hold. Bikes get propped up against fences, benches and just about anywhere you can put one. I found a nice place next to a brick flower bed. I was able to stand my bike vertical by using the pedal on one of the bricks. No towel in my transition – just a helmet and set of bike shoes.

The format of this race is a 2 mile run / 11 mile bike / 2 mile run. Both runs are out and back and the bike is a loop. The out of the run is mostly downhill which means that you have to run straight back up that same hill.

I wanted to run a steady 6:30 pace for the first run. Hammer the bike. And then give it everything for the last run. Did I mention that it is also towards the end of May in Mississippi? It was hot and humid. The entire drive to the race the air was extremely dense. It was difficult to even see.

The sun came up quickly and the heat came on instantly. Everyone was sweating prior to the race even starting.

The race started right on time. I quickly knew that I was going too fast. Heck, everyone was running too fast. It was because of the downhill. I looked at my Garmin and we were cruising along at 5:30 pace. I was just behind Sam and Chad – both from Hattiesburg. I closed the gap with Chad and said a grunted ‘hey’. But the pace was too fast and I dropped back a little bit.

At the turn around I was able to at least maintain the intensity. I ended up passing Chad and entering transition right behind Sam. My transition location was about the farthest from the run / bike line. That might have cost me a few seconds.

Since the race is not chipped timed and I did not want to mess with timing transitions I do not have my exact splits. I clicked the lap button as soon as I mounted the bike and was on my way.

The first run was completed in a total time of 13:46. Looking at the Garmin file the first mile was 6:00 and the second was 6:37 plus another 1:07 (includes transition). My heart rate averaged 178 and peaked at 188.

I jumped on the bike and was thankful that it went down that same run course, meaning it was downhill. Since I cooked some of that first run the soft pedaling helped immensely.

On the bike I could not look at my Garmin. I was wearing my 305 on my wrist. I never saw Sam or Chad on the bike. Sam was in front of me and Chad was behind me. Chris however came roaring past a few miles into the bike.

The bike was a little quicker for the first half and I could see that I was averaging just over 24 MPH. That would slip to 23 and then to 22. I passed a group of 6 or 7 on the bike. They were riding pretty wide and I crossed the double yellow to pass. I let my frustration get the best of me. I burnt a match or two making that move and the group passed me back pretty quick. I dropped back from the group and watched them slowly pull away. I did see Chris again on the bike walking down the highway with a flat. Tough luck again.

The 11.2 mile bike was completed in a total time of 29:27 at an average speed of 22.8 MPH. This once again includes the transition. My heart rate averaged 171 and peaked at 181.

When I started the second run I could see the group in front of me. I took my time (perhaps too much time) closing the gap. I was trying to bridge the distance between them but no blow up in the process. Just as I was within about 10 feet someone passed me. At the turn around I passed two people. It was hot and they were starting to fade. I was able to keep up my pace. They were just fading. Running downhill the first mile and then back up the hill I was able to negatively split the run. The first mile was 6:44 and the second was 6:41.

I did not run the first mile fast enough. There is no way that I should have negatively split this run; it was downhill for the first mile.

This run was completed in a total time of 13:38 (the first was 13:46 with transition time). My average heart rate was 182 and it peaked at 195.

It was a very hard effort and a very well ran race. I ended up getting 16th overall and 3^rd in my age group (Sam got 1^st in my age group).

Total time for the race (unofficial) was 56:51.

Anxiety times 2

So I have a benchmark half marathon this weekend and I am leaving the country for about a month! I have been ‘just a little’ anxious this week.


I always get race anxiety. I like to set goals. And these goals are usually just out of reach. They are not a sure thing by any means. So I guess I test myself and I do not want to come up short. This is where the anxiety comes in – I do not want to fail. I also know that these races will hurt. They will push me mentally and physically. I have been working on trying to convert the race anxiety to race energy. I think I do a pretty good job. I traditionally race well. The excitement (internal and external) allows for me to put up very good efforts. This will be a good test considering the enourmiously how low my running volume has been (we are talking less than 20 miles a week). That being said, I think I just might be able to squeek a PR out of this race. I mean, what is the point in racing if you can’t throw down a PR!

bravado
bra•va•do (brə-väˈdō)
noun pl. bra•va•dos or bra•va•does
1. a. Defiant or swaggering behavior: strove to prevent our courage from turning into bravado.
b. A pretense of courage; a false show of bravery.
2. A disposition toward showy defiance or false expressions of courage.

For this half marathon tomorrow I hope to be able to throw down a good benchmark that I can base all of my winter paces off. This race will determine my interval paces, my tempo paces and my long run paces. This is important to me. I will retest at another half marathon at the first of December.

I also get some anxiety from traveling. I pack too much. I think about things that I might need. It is excessive. And a trip like this – well, I have some anxiety to say the least. I am trying to change this travel anxiety into race energy. If I can get my mind wrapped around this I should have a fantastic race.
 
 

More stuff.

Making weight!

Planning for a PR - Ole Man River...

I was looking at my heart rate information from the Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon from two weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong – I had a good race – a PR after all – but I know that I can pick up the pace. My heart rate zones are not set in stone – they are in fact pretty generic, but I would like to see a lot more time in ZONE 4 SUB-THRESHOLD. For me that calculates to between 168 – 174 beats per minute. This is where I would like to see all of my time – with the exception of giving everything at the end of the race.

Also, I tried out the ‘virtual partner’ on the Garmin this morning for the first time. I tend to do pretty well in races if I have someone to pace off of – and I am afraid I might be caught in the middle tomorrow. Between Terry who is just too fast for me and Jim who is treating this race like training run. So I just might be able to make this little digital figure on the watch my nemesis for this race. It would also be the first time that I have actually raced by pace. I almost always race short stuff by feel – all out and just try to hold on - and longer stuff strictly by heart rate – never letting myself get too high and blowing up. (Blowing up is a huge fear of mine – it really has not happened BAD yet – I should probably just go out sometime and see what happens – but I really do not want to blow up and FAIL in one of these races).

The weather looks perfect for the race – about 40 degrees and sunny. In addition, this is New Orleans so it should be flat and fast. On top of all of that I am reworking my pre-race routine – this should be a much better race than two weeks ago. I am planning for success!

Half Marathon race plans

I played a little racquetball at lunch on Thursday. After work I jumped back on the trainer and got another 30 minutes. Easy peasy – no sweat (not really – this is the trainer after all).
It was only 30 minutes because I was meeting a group of guys at a local sports bar to discuss this weekend’s race. There are a bunch of us going down to New Orleans for the Ole Man River half on Sunday. There were 5 of us at the table and Charles orders a ‘goal post’ – this is a 120 oz (10 beers) pitcher with a spigot. We had a fun time talking about the upcoming weekend and watching the Colts play. I got some razzing but I did not have a single beer. I did however have a nice grilled chicken salad. Look at me – I’m being good!

After discussions, we unfortunately determined that we are taking about 4 vehicles to the coast (it is only 90 miles – but…). Some are going down on race morning but most are going down the day before. I will be going down the day before. We are staying in a vacant house that is for sale – it has power and water but no furnishings. I am packing an air mattress, blankets, towels, etc.

There is also Saints game on Saturday and we are planning on watching the game in New Orleans – that should be fun. Jim wants to go to the post game radio show – I think I will pass – it will be a late night anyway. For Sunday, there are several heading back but I might just stay one more night and play in the French Quarter. Charles has already got a room near the quarter for him and his step son – Charles said I was welcome – and since I am home alone right now I just might.

I was talking with fast guy Terry during the outing and trying to gauge whether I could hang with him – he said he would be running between 1:25 and 1:30 for the half – (6:30 – 6:51 pace). That is a little too fast for me – however – I have set the bar pretty damn high after my last race. I PR’d with a 1:37:xx under less than ideal conditions. If I do not SMASH that time then … I am working on my game plan.

Setting new goals

So after the race Charles and I went to his parent’s house. He had warned me in advance about the soup. Now the soup is delicious and did warm us up – but it is a vegetable cream cheese soup. I believe the vegetables were in the soup to thin it out. Melted cream cheese. Nothing wrong with that. They seem like very nice people. I guess Charles did not far too far from the tree.


We met up with Eric at the Abita Brew Pub Restaurant in Abita Springs. I had actually wanted to go there for some time. The brew pub has all of Abita’s beers on tap as well as a specialty beer from another brewer – they had Arrogant Bastard - wow. Eric and Charles both had draft Andy Gator’s while I drained several Diet Cokes.

I went for a group bike on Sunday and got to congratulate John “the legend” for his successful completion of his second Ironman in 2009. That is a true accomplishment. On Monday I was undecided what to do at lunch and Jim gives me a call and says “Let’s go for a run.” The legs were a little sore and it was chilling outside – it started to rain on us to boot. Jim has been looking for a challenge as well and we may put together a real marathon run. So, both Jim and Charles are doing the Ole Man River ½ marathon in two weeks (12/20) and have talked me into it. See – and I thought Charles would never invite me to another race again. This half marathon will be a real test - a true PR run.  On a side note - I ended up 4th in my age group for the Baton Rouge Half Marathon...