Race Report: Run The Bluegrass Half Marathon

 When I originally signed up for this race a couple of months ago, I set a goal of 1:25.  I felt it was a realistic goal, yet aggressive enough to push my limits.  As I got into my training, it became clear 1:25 wasn't going to happen, especially on a hilly course.  I just wasn't hitting my times and the weather was making training tough.  I broke through and a couple of really good workouts and hit some of my goal times in the final couple weeks of training, but it was too little too late.  I adjusted my goal to 1:28.

After getting to Kentucky and driving the course the day before the race, I adjusted my goal to 1:30.  I knew the course would be hilly, but I didn't expect it to be THAT hilly.  I clearly had not run enough hills. 

Race Morning at Keeneland.

Race Day-

This has been the worst spring I can remember.  The weather has been absolutely dreadful.  Fortunately, race day was the exception - mostly sunny skies, a high of 60, green grass....exactly what I needed.  A little blast of spring.

The race started and I went out at a 6:50 pace and felt really good.  The course is constant rollers, some pretty steep, with a few big climbs.  I felt good on the rollers in the first couple of miles and was feeling confident I could hold that pace.  

By the halfway point, the hills had taken the snap out of my legs.  They were feeling a little heavy and I had fallen off pace a little.  I knew with several tough climbs left, I wouldn't be able to make up my lost time on the second half of the race so I adjusted my goal to finish with a sub-7 average pace.

A long, steep climb around mile 9 did me in.  I lost several seconds on my average on that climb and struggled to get my pace below 7 after that climb.  My legs were tired and my quads were hurting from the downhills.  This was by far the hilliest course I'd ever run.  All goals were out the window and it was survival mode.

The last 4 miles were really tough.  I felt slow, tired and weak.  Mentally it was tough to keep pushing hard.  I hit the finish line 1:33:30 with my quads threatening to cramp.  I grabbed some food and water from the finish line, did some stretching and found a good spot to watch and wait for Courtney and enjoy the warm sunshine.  My legs hurt more than they do after a half ironman.  

Courtney has always struggled mentally with hills.  They always get the best of her and she ends up walking so her #1 goal was to run the whole thing.  Her other goal was to break 2:20.  I told her the first goal was well within her control.  All she had to do was get really stubborn and flat out refuse to walk regardless of how slow she was running up the hills.  Just don't give in.  The second goal would be tougher, but I believed she could do it.

She conquered the hills and ran every step of that race and crossed the finish line 2:18.  She had a great race.  

Despite coming up well short of my goals, I'm not at all disappointed.  The course was really tough and I had fun.  And I have a new definition of a hilly run course.

Best awards ever.

Even though the course is tough, it's amazing.  I loved it and am considering running it again next year.  It starts and ends at a race track and runs you by some of the best horse farms in the country.  The roads were in great shape and the scenery was awesome.  I saw about 4 spectators out on the course, other than the thoroughbreds, and not a single car. The race was really well-run and the race director was really good.  I highly recommend this race. 

Check out the barrels.  Those are the age group awards.  I think I was about 6 minutes short of taking one of those home.  It makes me want to return next year and see if I can score a barrel...

   
 
 

An Update

It's been a while since I've posted.  So much for my New Year's Resolution of being a better blogger.  Maybe next year.

I've got a few ideas for posts for the next week or so, but I thought I'd start with a quick update since I haven't written in a while.

Winter has been typical.  Training is going well, although my run training didn't go as well as I'd hoped.  I'm training for a hilly half marathon at the end of March, and it looks like I'm not going to be able to hit my goal of 1:25.  I haven't fully given up on it yet, but my training isn't indicating I'm going to hit that time on a hilly course.  

Part of the reason is that I spent too much time on the treadmill this winter.  I tried to avoid the cold weather and paid for it.  I don't care what anyone says, the treadmill does not prepare you for outdoor running.  So as a result, I didn't hit my times on a few key workouts.  Then I got a case of runner's knee that cost me a few days of running.  I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I'm a little behind my plan so I may have to adjust my goals.  The race is just for fun so it's not really that disappointing.  My main focus this year is olympic distance triathlons and my first race is coming up  - Rev3 Knoxville on May 5 - and I feel like I'm on target to hit my goals at that race so all is good.

My cycling is going really well, and I've set some PRs already this year.  I've got a 20K time trail coming up in a few weeks so that will be my first real test of the year so I'm looking forward to that.

Swimming is okay.  I haven't put as much time in the pool as I did last winter, but I just swam my best set of 500s ever yesterday so I'm feeling good about where I'm at with my swimming right now.

That's about it.  Business as usual.
 

 

TrainingPeaks Tip: Workout Codes

I mentioned a few posts back when I announced I made the TrainingPeaks team that I was going to write the occasional post with a TrainingPeaks tip.  This is the first of those posts.  I have no plan for them.  I'll just throw out the random tip from time to time.


Now that I'm getting into coaching, I had to create a new TrainingPeaks account.  You don't just upgrade your personal account.  You create a coaching account and then you can link your personal account to your coaching account.  Talk about the ultimate in self-coaching.

Having a coaching account means my workout library was empty.  I could have shared my personal one with "Coach Mike" but I opted to rebuild it instead.  This was an opportunity to clean things up and set up a better system.

We all have workouts we repeat.  They're workouts, but they're also tests.  These workouts help us track our progress, and can sometimes be a better indicator of progress than official tests because we only test occasionally and if the test doesn't go well, for whatever reason, it doesn't provide a good data point. 

The problem can be finding these workouts, especially if you want to compare current data to previous years.  How do you quickly and easily find all of your 2x20 workouts?

That's where workout codes come in.

Trainingpeaks.com and WKO+ come with search and filter options that help you find these workouts quickly and easily, but you have to set things up on the front end.  If there is a workout you do often that you use to track progress, I recommend giving it a workout code.  Then you can search by that code and pull up all of the times you've done that workout.  

Rebuilding my workout library has had me thinking about workout codes.  I came up with a system and I think will work well.  I'm starting the codes with letters that indicate the type of workout and then I'm adding a dash and numbers to some workouts to add a little more detail.

Here's an example:  BTH-220.  That code is for a 2x20' at threshold workout.  The "B" is for bike (run workouts begin with R, swim with an S).  The "TH" stands for threshold so that indicates it's a threshold workout.  The "220" after the dash stands for 2x20.  

So now that I have a code on that workout, I can easily search for that code and pull up all the times I (or an athlete I'm coaching) have done that workout.  You can also search for partial codes, which is part of the reasoning for my system.  If I want to pull up all threshold workouts I just type in "BTH".  Adding the "-220" to the code allows me the option of narrowing the search down even more and comparing just 2x20 workouts. 

You don't need a code for every workout, recovery workouts probably don't need a code, but I recommend them for key "breakthrough" workouts.  I'm adding them for every workout simply because I'm rebuilding my library and it's easy enough to add a code. And your codes don't need to be as specific as mine.  You could just type in "Threshold" for all threshold workouts. 

Here's a screenshot where I searched for all 2x20 workouts within the last 3 months.  You'll see down on the lower left of the screen where you can type in workout codes.

Searching for all 2x20 workouts in the past 3 months.

Here's a search for the same workout in WKO+.

Searching for workout codes in the calendar view of WKO+

If you're in trainingpeaks.com and you want to add or change workout codes to existing workouts, you can easily do that in the calendar list view.  Just click in the workout code box and add or change a code. 

 

Below you can see where you can add codes (at the top) to the workout builder.  You can get there by either creating a new workout for your library or clicking on an existing workout and then clicking edit.  Once you have workout codes for your library, you just drag and drop those workouts onto your calendar and the codes will be there when you upload your workouts.  Quick and easy.

You can add workout codes next to the title in the workout builder.

 
 
 

A Coaching Offer

Half the fun of triathlon for me is putting together my training plan.  I love reading about training - the different methods, the great coaches, the science, the studies, etc.  In fact, I enjoy that side of the sport so much I've been thinking about getting into coaching for a couple of years now. With my focus being on the Olympic distance for 2013 I'll be scaling back my training hours so I think the time is right to give it a go.

Obviously, a coach needs athletes so I'm looking for a couple of athletes to coach for 2013.  The cost is $35 per month.

What you get:

- A customized annual training plan built around your goals, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
- Weekly workouts
- Feedback/workout analysis
- Power file analysis (if you have a power meter)
- E-mail/phone support
- "A" Race plan - help with nutrition plan, pacing, goals, etc.
- TrainingPeaks Premium subscription


What I want from you:

- To follow the plan.

- Feedback.



Why $35 per month:

- Even as a TrainingPeaks ambassador, the coaching edition won't be free for me so I'll have some fees associated with coaching.
- I believe people take training plans/coaching more seriously if they're paying for them.



What type of athlete am I looking for:

- Someone motivated. Despite the low cost, I would like athletes who are serious about making improvements.
- Someone willing to follow the plan and provide feedback. This is a test to see if I can coach others to hit their goals, and the test is no good if athletes don't follow the plan.  

- Preferably someone training with power and/or gps, although this isn't a must. 


Are you interested?

- If so, shoot me an email at mdwolfgram146 at gmail dot com.
- Include a little about you, your racing/training history, your goals/races for 2013 and if you train with power and/or gps.
- I'll pick a few people that I think will be a good fit and we'll go from there.  To start, I only want a couple of athletes. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.


I hope I covered everything.  If you have any questions, email me. 

   

Planning 2013

I've been itching to do a season focused on short course racing since 2009, and with me not getting a Kona slot and  USAT recently announcing that Age Group Nationals will be in Milwaukee in 2013 and 2014,the timing is right to change directions.  So 2013 is all about Olympic distance racing with no Ironmans on the schedule.

For those unfamiliar, Olympic distance is a 1500m swim (.9 miles), 40K bike (24.8 miles) and a 10K run (6.2 miles).  For me, that means racing hard for 2-2.5 hours.  It also means I'll be able to race a lot more which I'm very excited about.  I love to race.  

I've been so focused on Ironman the past few years I didn't notice all the other options out there.  Planning 2013 began with research - Rev3, Age Group Nationals, 5150, Hy-Vee, Lifetime, Best of the U.S., etc.  Lots of big races out there to shoot for.

I haven't been this excited about a tri season since 2008.

My season isn't set in stone, but so far it looks like this:

3/30 -  Run The Bluegrass Half Marathon - Lexington, KY
4/27 -  Crazylegs Classic 8K - Madison, WI
5/5 -    Rev3 Olympic - Knoxville, TN
5/19 -  Beloit Duathlon - Beloit, WI
6/1 -    Lake Mills Sprint Triathlon - Lake Mills, WI
6/8 -    Capital View Olympic Triathlon  - Madison, WI 
6/23 -  Muskoka Olympic Triathlon (5150 Champs Qualifier) - Huntsville, ON Canada
7/6 -    Janesville Sprint Triathlon - Janesville, WI
7/14 -  Lifetime Fitness Olympic Triathlon - Minneapolis, MN
8/10 -  Age Group Nationals Olympic Triathlon- Milwaukee, WI
9/1 -    Hyvee Olympic Triathlon 5150 Championships - Des Moines, IA
10/13- Rev3 Half Ironman USAT Long Course Championships - Anderson, SC

My key races will be Age Group Nationals and the Hy-Vee race.  I'll also find a few more local races to fill my schedule and will do some of the MATTS time trials, some aquathons, 5Ks, etc.

Right now the tentative plan is to focus on Olympic distance this year switching to more of a half ironman focus next year finishing with a late-season Ironman.  I really liked the late season Ironman, but I don't see myself returning to Cozumel anytime soon so that leaves Florida, Arizona or Western Australia.  We'll see how this season goes first.  I may have so much fun I decide to stick with Olys and halfs.        

 

 

I'm A TrainingPeaks Ambassador

The official announcement came out a few weeks ago, but with Ironman Cozumel and traveling to Mexico I haven't had a chance to write about it until now.  I was selected to be a 2013 TrainingPeaks Ambassador.  

Those who know me or have been following my blog for a few years already know this is the perfect team for me.  I've been using their software, both WKO+ and TrainingPeaks.com, for several years now.  In fact, when they announced they were taking applications for 2012 and again for 2013, several friends forwarded it to me saying it was perfect for me.  I applied both years and made the cut for 2013. 

As an ambassador I'll be sure to pass on any news about new TrainingPeaks features, webinars, good blog posts, deals, etc.  I'm also planning on doing a few blog posts throughout the year showing some ways to utilize TrainingPeaks to plan your training and analyze workouts.   

If you're a TrainingPeaks user, I hope I can be a resource for you.  Don't hesitate to ask questions.  If you're not a TrainingPeaks user and would like to give it a try, contact me and I'll help you out. mdwolfgram146 at gmail dot com.

I'm looking forward to being part of a team after flying solo in 2012.


                

Welcome Home

Mondays view.

So the trip to Cozumel was rough and the race was rough but now I was on vacation and surely that would be easy....right?

Monday was good.  There was plenty of sunshine and I spent a good part of the day sitting in a chair on the beach.

The beach at the resort (Iberostar)

Courtney and I on the beach.

I used a lot of sunblock, but still got burned on race day...

My sunburn.  My neck is torn up from my swimskin. 

My neck from my swimskin.

Tuesday and Wednesday were rainy days.  We wanted to go snorkeling and kayaking but ended up doing a lot of reading instead.  Very disappointing...

Rainy day.

Then came Thursday.  The sun returned and it was a nice day, or so I'm told.  I was in the hotel room with food poisoning.

Food poisoning has to be the worst form of illness.  I must have vomited 50 times.  It was unreal.  I spent about 6 straight hours in the bathroom.  You do learn a few things when you have food poisoning though...

1. Chocolate ice cream tastes the same going down as it does coming up.
2. There are times in life when death is very appealing.
3. You know your vacation has gone to hell when you find yourself with your face buried in a toilet begging for diarrhea. 

"Courtneeeeeeeeey."
"Yes?"
"I need a favor."
"What?"
"I need you to kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you."
"Yes.  I'm ready."


Despite my requests, Courtney decided to spend the day on the beach instead of bludgeoning me to death.

After about 3 hours in the bathroom vomiting I found myself begging the gods of food poisoning for diarrhea.  Pleaaaaaase....let's change gears and empty the bottom half of my system.  That has to be better than this. 

But the gods of food poisoning misunderstood my request.  "Oh...you want diarrhea too?  Done."  

Not in addition.  Instead.  

Now I found myself in the bathroom taking inventory of my resources.  I have a toilet, an ice bucket, a waste basket and a shower.  I can make this work.

Six hours after it started, I vomited up a little bit of blood and thought that had to be the end.  There isn't anything left.

And that was it.  It was 3 pm and I crawled into bed and fell asleep.  If I stayed still, I was comfortable.  If I moved, I got goosebumps and started shivering.  Still better than my 6 hours in the bathroom.  I stayed in bed until Friday morning when I felt good enough to eat a very small breakfast.  Then we had to check out and head to the airport.

Our flight left early.  It's the first flight I've ever been on that left early.  

Message received, Mexico.  You don't want me.

We made it home at 11 pm to a pile of cat puke on the bed.  Welcome home.  

The culprit....Calvin.