Block Island

Block Island Triathlon
August 1, 2015
Results


This would be my third "go around" with the Block Island Triathlon.  My history with this race goes back to August 2012 when I was hanging out on The Block with the cousin for his bachelor party and ran into Jeff Walker and Steve Schonning right after they finished the race.  I told myself that day, "Next year, I want to do this thing."  Having never done a triathlon before, I thought it would be a cool event to try.  Fast forward three years, I'm now consistently doing TRIs and love the training for the sport.  Up until a few weeks before the 2015 installment of the race, it didn't look like this race was going to happen for me.  After a final convincing email thread from Jeff and Chris Garwin, I talked Shara into signing up for the thing on our plane ride home from our honeymoon.


Pre-Race
We took the 6 am ferry over with the WTAC crew.  We had plenty of time to set up in transition and check out conditions.  While the weather may have been hot, conditions were nearly perfect for a triathlon.  Warming up for the race with a jog, I needed to determine how I would run the race due to high tide.  Options included running on thick sand or on a pitched drop.  Talked things over with Shara, Jeff, and Matthew and figured I'd base it off conditions during the run portion.


Swim-7:37, 8th
After a disappointing swim last week, it was my hope that I'd have a strong swim today.  As my wave went off, I worked to get a clean jump into the water so I could get good positioning.   A minute or two of the swim passed and I was feeling smooth.  There was only one guy in my wave ahead of me and I tried to stay as close to him as possible.  Before I knew it, I was almost out of the water and still feeling good. 


T1:1:31, 14th not bad for me!


Bike-38:19, 34th
 I was somewhat nervous about the bike portion of this race.  Knowing the course is hilly, I feared a really poor ride that would greatly impact my overall standing in the race.  Shortly after I was out on the bike, the eventual race winner, John Hirsch, went cruising by me.  I didn't make much of him passing me since I knew he was a far superior cyclist.  I continued to ride on and had a feeling in the back of my mind that my friend and teammate, Chris, would be next to blow by me on the bike.  Sure enough, Chris came.  We offered one another quick words of encouragement and he was off.  In the back of mind, it was highly unlikely that I'd see Chris again in the race.  I continued to ride the rolling course and put my best effort forward.  At various parts of the ride, I became frustrated with traffic out on the course.  A series of slow downs and hairy situations came about and I wanted to focus on the race.  Oh well, it's Block Island. 


T2: hadn't taken water or any nutrition at this point and needed to drink some Gatorade.  I was parched.  Threw on my race belt and off to the most dreaded part of this race--a high tide beach run.


Run-25:13-4th
Going into the run, my biggest concern was my knee.  My running volume has been really low and I knew I needed to gauge my expectations.  One of my main goals going into the race was to remain unscathed on a difficult beach run.  It took me a few minutes to get acclimated to running on a slanted surface.  I started to settle into a groove and was passing a few of the guys who ripped past me on the last portion of the bike.  It's always a confidence booster to catch these guys since it really stinks not to be able to respond to them on the bike.  As I worked to get to the half way point of the run, Shara came blazing by and I knew she was the 1st women.  Awesome!  Keeping on, I felt over heated and slow.  On the upside, I knew the only competitors I needed to worry about on the run were my teammates and one of them was already in front of me.  After turning the flag, I worked my way back to the Benson Beach and wanted to finish strong.  I crossed the finish line and couldn't wait to get water.  I immediately drank 3 or 4 cups of water and someone told me they thought I was 3 or 4th.  At that point, I wasn't sure what to make of the finish due to the staggered start.


Post race
I finished 3rd overall, my highest placing in a TRI ever.  Shara won* the women's race, which was really cool.  Chris landed himself a strong 2nd place overall and was only beat by a professional athlete and 7X race winner.  Jeff finished 7th overall and had the #2 run on the day.  Jeff, I dream of landing a 7th place finish in a TRI in my 50s.  Matthew landed a strong 30th place overall and rocked the run.  Polly finished 112th and had a strong finish in her division.  After awards and shower, the WTAC Crew grabbed lunch and enjoyed a few more hours on the island before heading home on the 3:30 fast ferry.


Thoughts
-Pumped for Shara with her overall win in the race. *Initially Shara was not interested in this race due to the beach run.  I'm hopeful her win and the allure of The Block will make her want to come back in future years.
-I was happy with my 3rd place overall finish, which was my highest ever in a TRI.  I'm not sure if I'll ever place higher so I better enjoy it.
-Had one of my best swims in a race to date
-Disappointed in my riding.  I can't blame my bike anymore.  This one is on me.  I need to keep working on the bike to get stronger and more efficient.  Looking for any tips insights to do so.
-Happy to report I did not have increased pain after the run.  Ice and ibuprofen help.  I wasn't especially impressed with my run.  However, with my current volume of running, I'm not sure how much better I could have done.  Running and competing pain free is more important at this point.
-In general, it was just an awesome day competing and hanging out my WTAC friends on the Block (Jeff, Steve, Chris, Katie, Matthew, Polly, Garv's kids, and Shara-she's my friend, right?).

Great people, great day!

 

Fat Clam

The Fat Clam Sprint Triathlon
July 25, 2015


Results
7th/190
1st 30-34

Pre-Race
Woke up at 430 am to eat some breakfast and double check I had all of my race gear ready.  Shara and I decided we wanted to be out of the house by 530 am to make the trek up to Camp Westwood in Coventry. We arrived at the venue nice and early, picked up our chips and bibs, and set up our gear in transition.  With some extra time on our hands, we decided to check out the temperature of the pond.  The pond felt like bath water.   Shara and I began to contemplate the idea of not wearing wetsuits.  Knowing the wetsuit would offer me some extra buoyancy, I had a decision to make.  On the flip side, my transition out of the wetsuit isn't exactly smooth either.  In the end, I decided to wear no wetsuit.  After my BIG decision, we went down to the beach and waited for the race to start.

Swim-10:46, Rank 34
As I lined up for the swim, I tried to plan out the path I wanted to take.  I took a look at the way the current was flowing, proximity of the buoys, and sized up my competition. Go Time!  I ran into the water, took a quick dive in, and tried to surge to get good position.  Every which way I swam, I ran into someone.  I opted to swim in a straight line and hoped the field would spread out.  Swimming around some of the various buoys, I couldn't see a thing through my goggles.  They were all fogged up.  I told myself to just swim hard and keep pushing.  In reality, I was struggling.  From an effort standpoint, I was giving it my all.  Approach the end of the swim, I knew I was not where I wanted to be.  I ran out of the water and gassed.  Huffing and puffing, I knew that I needed to put the swim behind me and start a new race on the bike.

*Side note: Not wearing the wetsuit was a big mistake.  I also wonder if the my tri shirt created some extra drag (I could definitely feel water entering the shirt).  Lesson learned.

T1-1:03, fastest ever since I didn't have to drop the wetsuit.

Bike-40:02, Rank 23
Pre-race reports of the bike course had me concerned.  I heard the hills on the course were relentless.  After a long trot from transition to the start of the bike course, I mounted on the bike and took off.  The early part of the bike course was downhill.  Competitors were flying.  I was getting passed by a few guys but tried to maintain a steady pace.  After a few miles, the hills began.  Pre-race reports of the bike course were true: relentless.  While I don't consider myself a climber, I was started to pick off some riders on the hills.  Mentally, this was good for me.  The course continued to roll.  Riding along towards the last quarter of the bike course, I thought I was getting another flat.  I slowed up a tad and looked at my back wheel.  It looked fine.  I'm just paranoid about getting a flat after my last race and recent issues on the road. Back on pace again, I was starting to pick off more riders at the end of the ride.  I pulled back into Camp Westwood and shot towards transition.

T2: :45 

Run-18:45, Rank 3
Like Gazelle, Matthew, and Shara, run time is my time in a TRI.  I was really worried about the run.  With my recent knee issues, I was unsure how my knee would respond after completing the first two disciplines of a TRI.  With a very low volume of running lately between my injury and honeymoon, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I knew I'd do okay but did not expect to have my regular advantage.  Running out of transition, I tried to settle into a solid pace.  Feeling taxed from the swim and ride, I wanted to be in control on the run.  Right before the mile, I caught up with the Gazelle.  We exchanged some words of encouragement and tried to pick off runners.  Since Gazelle hammered the  Blessing the night before, I was especially impressed by how strong he looked.  He gave me a little push in the run, which really helped.  BLS, who was also volunteering,  cheered us on as she manned a water stop (Thanks Beth).  Before I knew it, I was headed into the woods for the last 3/4 of a mile of the run course.  Entering the trails, I immediately slowed down trying to avoid the various rocks and roots.  After surviving the trails, the final portion of the run was on the road and I tried to crank it in.  The run was uneventful and I finished strong.

Pros: NO leg pain, no flats, AG win, enjoyed the challenging course, Shara took 2nd, Gazelle & Matthew AG wins, fun day
Cons: struggled in the swim, wish my bike was faster

WTAC Crew..strong showing all around. Photo courtesy of Schonning

 

Congrats Shara on finishing 2nd place overall for females!

Married Man-7/10/15

As I write this post, I now sit as a married man.  I feel very fortunate to have found a truly outstanding, beautiful, athletic, and understanding girl in Shara.  Throughout my final weeks of single life, I'm very thankful to my WTAC and triathlon buds for celebrating my last days as a single man.  I'm most appreciative of the advice offered (Just say, "Yes, dear, or yes, ma'am" and go from there).  In an effort not to incriminate myself or any of my buds, I'll withhold other recommendations offered!

Wedding Day Swim, Run, and Mimosas. Couldn't think of a better start to my wedding day

My brother Steve and best man.

Swim

Beach trot

Surprise Stag Party!  Thanks B for organizing.

June 22-June 28

So far-
Run:1X, 5 miles
Swim: 2X, 3800 yd
Bike: 3X, 95 miles(includes a spin session)


Injury Update
Pain and irritation continue in my knee.  I've figured out that the main trigger point is right below my knee.  If I press on the trigger point hard, I can feel a streak of pain right down my leg. After some consultation and a brief exam from Shara's bridesmaid, who is training to be a chiropractor and visiting us, she's concluding I have tendonitis in my knee.  Treatment recommendations include rest, ice, foam rolling, and putting pressure on the area.  She told me to do what I can and listen to my body.

As pathetic as my running is right now, I am going to stay on course with my plan.  I'll pick my spots of when I can run (most likely one or twice a week) and supplement with swimming, biking, and core.  Up to this point, it's been a down year of training and racing for me.  Despite the frustration,I'm looking at this year as an opportunity to improve my swimming and biking skills. 

*For those of who have followed my injury reports/complaining for the past year, the tendonitis is actually on the opposite knee of where I experienced problems last year.  I'm assuming the area of injury has been aggravated from compensation.

June 15-21

Run: 4X, 15 miles
Bike: 4X, 65 miles
Swim: 3X, 4000 yds

Highs:
-Enjoyed participating in WTAC Tom McCoy Fun Run Wednesday
-Not many swim yards, but still happy with progress

Lows:
-Lingering leg/knee issues.  Lots of current pain on the anterior side of my left leg..not fun.
-DNF at OMG Sprint Tri.  After a solid start to my race in the swim, I flatted out on a grooved road in the zero visibility pouring rain.  I also neglected to bring a tube with me in case of this situation.   A sprint race is over if you land a flat but it would have been nice to change it and try to ride it in.  Lesson learned.  Shara ran a great race.  Gazelle-crashed, flatted and still finished.  Way to persevere. 

June 8-14

Totals:
Bike: 3X, 92 miles
Swim: 3X, 6960 yds
Run: 1X, 3.5 miles
Weights/Core Work: 1X, 45 minutes

Really happy with my bike and swim miles.  I guess that is the upside of my running shutdown.

Observations:
-Fun Saturday group ride with some nice charges at various points
-Did my first open water swim of the season with a BGAME Sunday morning swim.  The water was pretty warm but I did not enjoy not being able to see the bottom.  It also felt weird to do sighting. I'm glad I was able to get one in before racing.
-Went for my longest swim ever-3000m.  A normal day for Shara or Duda but I was happy with it.
-Went for my first run on Sunday in 11 days with a 3.5 miler.  Pace felt okay-still some lingering soreness on inside of left knee and outside of left calf.

June 1-7 Ups and Downs

6/1-6/7

Ups and Downs

Run: 2X, 14 miles
5 and 9 milers

Down
Both runs were at a solid but not pressing pace.  Over the last month or so I've been experiencing discomfort/slight pain in both of my knees and the outside of my right calf.  Symptoms of runner's knee.  While I've continued to push on with this "irritation", I feel this discomfort while walking, getting up from a chair, and doing up/down stairs.  It's gotten to the point where I don't even enjoy running right now because it's uncomfortable.  Therefore, I've concluded it's best to shut my running down until I don't feel any irritation/pain while doing normal life activities.  I'm still not happy that I can't run, but I'm totally cool with my decision.  Doing the same thing is just going to make matters worse.

Ups
Swim: 3X, 5800yds
In one of these efforts, I went for my longest swim ever.

Bike: 2X, 84 miles
14 and 70 mile rides
I went for a 70 miler effort with Duda on Saturday.  While planning it out, we agreed to a comfortably hard pace.  In reality, we rode at a hard pace (at least for me).  Over the ride, I averaged over 18 mph and we hit some serious climbs.  Very happy with this ride.  Longest ride ever.

Core/Weights: 2X, 60 minutes
Did some strength work for my legs, hips, and upper body.  Need to keep up with these workouts in order to improve muscular imbalance/get back to some running.

Plan ahead:
-Going to continue my "shut down" from running.  If it hurts, it's not fun or something I can just push through that will go away.  Hoping to start easy when my body tells me it's okay with some shorter distance runs.
-Continue to  bike, swim, lift, and do core work
-OMG Olympic Tri on 6/21.  Thinking of moving down to the sprint distance.  I think I'd be fine on the swim and bike, but it might not be pretty or the best thing for me to muscle out a 10k on no training and with physical issues.