Loco for MoCo

Last Sunday, a beautiful, chilly, fall morning, Greg and I, along with our friend and teammate Mark, set off to ride the MoCo Epic, a 65 mile supported mountain bike ride in Montgomery County, MD.  All three of us have been enjoying the "off-season" a little too much, so this ride was going to be a tall order.  For me, the MoCo turned out to be a well timed, hard lesson in bad nutrition.  I had a good plan, but didn't execute, and wow did I pay the price.  Fortunately, payment was demanded late in the ride so I was able to enjoy most of the day. 

I didn't go in without a plan.  The plan was:

• A 3-hour bottle of Perpetuem and a baggie of mix to prepare another bottle half-way through the ride
• Water in my camelbak that I could refill at aid stations
• Three snacks in my camelbak (margarita Shot Bloks, a lemon Honey Stinger Waffle,and cheddar cheese Combos) to supplement Aid Station food if needed.  

I figured some nibbles at every Aid Station in addition to routine sips of Perpetuem would do the trick.  Yes, it would, if I acutally put the food in my mouth.  Who knew this step was so darn important?!

How can you not smile mountain biking in fall?

There were warning signs early on.  I tried eating an Egg McMuffin sandwich in the car on the way there.  This is Greg's and my go-to pre-ride breakfast.  Only 300 calories, lots of protein and salt, and tasty!  But for some reason that morning, it wasn't going down.  My stomach was a little upset and I could only get half of it in me. 

We arrived in the dark, threw on our arm warmers and layers, and at first sign of light, off we went.  It was brisk, but dry - perfect mountain biking weather.  The Epic is not notably technical, so fitness is more critical than skill.  The loop is about 80% singletrack strung together with some section of road.  It connects 11 parks in the region.  There are no extended, multi-mile climbs, but enough short very steep climbs, both on road and on trail, to keep you honest.  Not an easy ride by any means.

It must be noted that Mark had not been on a mountain bike in 11 years.  You might ask, who would sign up for a metric century on a mountain bike when he hasn't ridden one in over a decade?  An Ironman, that's who!  Mark, coming off an impressive performance at Ironman Canada in August, was equally impressive on the mountain bike.  Fortunately, Mark has been on the same off-season training plan as Greg and me**, so he couldn't sandbag us.

Has Mark taken that jersey off since August?

So we ticked off the miles.  I sipped my Camelbak water but forgot how challenging it is to sip my Perpetuem bottle on tight twisty singletrack.  I wasn't taking in as much as I anticipated, and at the half-way point wasn't finished with my bottle as planned.  I didn't even bother refilling it, as planned.  I should have noticed my Camelbak water was never depleted, as planned.   And I wasn't snacking at every aid station, as planned.  The aid stations for the most part were a weak spot in the ride.  The MoCo was supposed to be the weekend before, but was rained out.  I gather that when they postponed it they must have lost some aid station sponsors because there were a couple that could barely qualify.  Anyway, you can't ask me to reach into a bag of pretzels after 300 men, who applied chamois cream that morning with the same hand, already have.  Unfortunately the best aid stations came at the very beginning of the ride (when you don't need solid food yet) and the very end of the ride (when you just want to be done already!)

At about mile 30, Mark was starting to feel the fatigue and indicated he was going to cut the ride short.  Whew, an excuse for me!  The 65 mile ride had a bail out option that enables you to do the shorter 50 mile route.  The split, which is about at the 40 mile mark, is where you have to make the call.  The last 10 miles of the 50 mile route is the Seneca Ridge Trail, which is a great piece of singletrack.  If you take the 65 mile route, it is a lot less interesting.  This was another good reason to bail on the full, but it's more fun to blame the Ironman.  When we got to AS 6, at mile 40, it was an easy decision.  50 mile route it would be.

At about mile 45, my "check engine light," as a fellow rider described it, came on.  I was struggling on some of the steeper climbs; my quads were screaming.  At mile 48, my entire dashboard was lit up.  I needed the car and food and a beer and I needed it in a hurry.  One pedal stroke at a time.  Mark was right behind me in what I can only assume was a similar state.  The only one making it look easy was climber-extraordinaire, Greg.  I am convinced he is part mountain goat.  Or maybe he ate his whole Egg McMuffin.

"Will you two pick it up please?"

Finally, we rolled into the grassy parking lot and we were done.  My legs were cramping so badly I couldn't even lift my leg to put dry socks on...even when seated...on the ground!  After we got dressed we stumbled over to the festival and found the desert oasis - the beer tent.  Festival sponsored by Dogfish Head, yahoo!  We grabbed yummy grilled chicken sandwiches and sides, and because I did not want to wait in the super long line again, I went double fisted to the picnic table.  I couldn't decide between the 60 Minute IPA and the Chicory Stout anyway.  I tried to convince Greg to get two also, but he declined.  With the line twice as long and twice as slow later on, I gave him half my second beer - if that isn't love, I don't know what is.  We wrapped up the day having a lovely lunch in the sun with friends.

Islay, displaying how I felt post-ride.

I wasn't 100% convinced my cramping and muscle fatigue was nutrition until the next day -- I wasn't sore...AT ALL.  Now it is day two post-race and I still can't get enough fluids.  I am drinking water constantly and still feel dehydrated.  Glad I got a taste of a poor nutrition plan when it didn't really count, and late enough in the ride where I could still have a great day.  Thanks to my trusty riding companions!

^** Sample off-season training week:

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 1:30 1:00 Spin

Wednesday: CT3 Track workout, 4-6 x 1200 2-4 x 1200

Thursday: 2600 yard swim

Friday: Hour solo run Rest Day

Ironman 70.3 Timberman, 2013: The Latest Race Report Ever

When prepping for Timberman 2013 I found myself scouring the internet for previous race reports and found them immensely helpful in knowing what to expect.  The least I can do is pay it forward to future racers.  Now to remember the glorious details.

First, I'll give you some context about this competitor, because it's all relative:

2nd half iron, 6th triathlon
Category: Age Group F 40-44
Previous (only half) PR: 6:09 (bike mileage for prior race was 58, 72.3 total)
Base Goal: Break 6 hours
Dream Goal: Break 5:45 (40min swim, 3hr bike, 2hr run, 5 minutes of transitions)

Greg and I arrived in Gilford NH in the early evening on Friday, August 16th, after 10 painful hours of I-95/northeast corridor traffic.  Greg, being from western Nebraska, is never deterred by long drives.  8 hours?  No problem.  But he sometimes forgets that when traveling NE from Washington DC, 8 hours is not 600 miles averaging 80mph on open roads -- it is 350 miles averaging 40mph and sometimes finding yourself at a dead stop, break lights everywhere.  We stayed at the Marriott in Gilford, which I would highly recommend for racers.  It is predictable, clean, close to everything, and opens breakfast up super early on race-day morning.  That evening we checked in for the race, picked up some good swag (including an awesome swim bag, which I for two years have been too cheap to buy myself) and assorted Timberman merchandise.

On Saturday, the plan was to sleep in, do an easy warm-up brick, go check out some of the race course, then meet up with our cheering section (the rental units) for the obligatory pre-race Italian, followed by an early night to bed.  The warm-up brick is always interesting for me, mentally.  It feels great, but I can never process how much further I will need to go the following day -- it's like my mind cannot believe my body can do it.  Anyway, we finished it up and took a picnic lunch over to the race site (swim start and transition area).  This was the first in a series of bad ideas.  

We walked over to the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee, next to the huge buoys that had yet to be placed out in the water, and both started to feel queasy.   The lake was, well, ANGRY.  There were waves.  Wind, chop, waves.  Greg started to panic, I started to feel a little faint.  Fortunately, we were told by a local that this was typical afternoon lake action and that by morning it would be like glass. Hmm.   Cautiously optimistic, we ate lunch, dropped our bikes off in the transition area, then we got back in the car to drive part of the bike course.  Once again, this had limited value.  I pride myself in racing smart - knowing the course, planning my attack.  But trying to "know the course" the afternoon before race day is plain old dumb.  I should have just studied the map.  As I heard our car's engine rev loudly up what seemed like insanely steep hills, I started sweating, and yep, crying, like a big baby.  The hills, which were bad enough, looked much worse in the car, and I was starting to doubt all my training and fitness.

We finally abandoned the race course and went to go meet the family for dinner.  We hit up Fratello's, in Laconia, along with about 1,000 other racers.  All I can say is get there early!  The food was average, but exactly what the doctor ordered.  I had worked myself up into such a panicked state that afternoon, I was afraid I wouldn't be much fun at dinner, but the company, too, was exactly what the doctor ordered.  Timberman suddenly became like one of my 6th grade field hockey games...even if I had been the worst one on the field, the fam is still proud. 

Greg and I, collectively, probably got about 5 minutes of sleep that night.

I have to do WHAT today?!?!

At 4 am, we got dressed, got some bagels and peanut butter at the Marriott buffet, and made our way to the race site.  We were told the parking lot would fill up super early, which wasn't really the case.  We could have easily gotten there an hour later than we did.  Instead, we sat in the car, in the dark, and debated a bail-out.  It is hard to admit this, but the thought really did cross our minds to abort the race.  We felt exhausted, stressed, afraid...when we wanted to feel confident, ready, and energized.  Ugh.  Coach is here, teammates are here racing, family is here...can.NOT.bail.  Fortunately, we coaxed each other out of the car and went to set up our transition areas.  As soon as I got to my spot, the woman setting up next to me exclaimed, "WHAT am I doing here?!?"  Gosh, anxiety loves company.  I was so happy someone else felt that way!  I set up a nice streamlined transition area and met back up with Greg.  We got marked, put on our wetsuits, I had a quick snack of Honey Stinger Chews, and headed to the beach for a warm-up swim.  The water felt warm, but that could have been from all of the racers emptying their bladders in the lake before the start.  Oddly, the waves were set up such that after the Pros, the AG's went in descending order, so Greg and I were off relatively early in the race.  Greg's AG wave was right before mine, 4 minutes ahead.

SWIM
The swim was one of my most pleasant tri swims.  I lined up to the far left in the front.  This is my typical strategy.  By lining up on the side, it costs me minimal distance, I get a little more space, and can find my appropriate place in the pecking order and slide in without being run over or worse, stuck behind really slow people.  My F40-44 wave didn't feel crowded and people were calm.  The water was MUCH better than the afternoon before.  Didn't feel any chop until the middle leg, the furthest part out, that runs parallel to the beach.  Swimming in the wetsuit was admittedly fantastic.  I had only done one triathlon (my first, a sprint) in a wetsuit and I hated it.  It was a full-sleeve wetsuit and I felt totally constricted.  Plus getting it off was a nightmare as a newbie.  This time I had a sleeveless, a HUGE improvement.  I felt faster and stronger.  As I came out of the water, I am my usual clumsy and disoriented, but I hear familiar voices calling my name.  I glance at the clock and realize I'm well under 40 minutes.  That's all the wetsuit.  So far so good.  I run towards the transition area and see the wetsuit strippers.  Fabulous.  And one of them, happily, is a former teammate and Clydesdale who will have no trouble getting my suit off lickety-split.  Thanks Adam!!!!  I'm off and on my way. 

Swim time:  37:31, 26/103 in AG

Transition #1, thanks to the wetsuit strip, was a breeze.  Note, there was conflicting information about wetsuit strippers online prior to the race, so I posed the question to the race directors via email, who responded adamantly that strippers were only for 140.6 Ironman races and there would be none at Timberman.  Hmmm.  Not sure how they wouldn't know, but thank God they were wrong.  I grabbed some more Honey Stinger Chews and strapped on my helmet and shoes.  Odds were that I had passed Greg somewhere in the water, and he'd leapfrog me on the bike.  Off I go!

T1: 2:37, Cumulative Time; 40:08.  Still on track.

BIKE
The key to this bike course is patience.  The first 11-12 miles offer some relatively (for triathlon) steep ups and downs of medium length, with a net elevation gain.  I didn't think ahead, just took one hill at a time, and focused on keeping my cadence up -- nice and efficient.  When you finally hit mile 11.5ish, your climbing is done for a while.  You have a fast downhill, then you make that left onto Laconia Rd and this is where you can really drop the hammer.  It is probably a 1-2% negative grade to the turnaround, so you can FLY, with little effort.  There is one section of rough road where I was a little nervous in my aerobars but overall I was probably averaging about 24-25mph in this section.  This was also the section where I started seeing the pros coming back, just incredible to watch.  I was right on track with my nutrition plan, sipping Perpetuem every 10 minutes for fluid and fuel and grabbing some Combos, my fav cycling snack, for easy carbs and edible texture.  The turn around, which basically goes around the block, is a little more than half way through the course.  It is coming back on Laconia that I found myself having to be careful.  Now you've got a +1-2% grade, which looks flat, but clearly is not.  Tried to just maintain a solid, even cadence and stay tucked.  Then comes the hills section again, in reverse. You have some good climbs, some ultra-steep descents, but you can taste T2 at this point.  It was on the first climb off of Laconia, about 44 miles in, that Greg finally comes up on me.  Hooray!  It was so great to see him riding well.  It gave me a little kick of energy, as this is the time where I start getting antsy...I want off that bike so bad, but I had to force myself to stay focused.  Some of those descents are plain old scary...especially as I had M20-24 whizzing past me in their aero helmets in their aerobars at 50mph.  You can hear their Zipp wheels coming a mile away.  I kept having flashes in my head of horrible crashes - I just tried to focus on keeping my weight back, grip relaxed, eyes down the road.  I ride in on the bike, pass coach and our cheering section, and am thrilled when I see the clock.  Dream goal could still be a reality.

Bike is done!  Hooray!

Bike time: 2:57:03, 19mph avg, 29/103 in AG; Cumulative Time: 3:37:11

Transition #2, I come in energized.  I have set myself up perfectly.  I feel like I am flying in and flying out.  Off I go on the run.  I see Greg up in front of me.  He must have been dilly-dallying in T2!

T2: 2:23, Cumulative Time; 3:39:34.  Oh yeah!

RUN
Heading out on the run I know that a 2 hour run would give me my dream goal and then some.  But I've got my work cut out for me.  It's a hilly run course and still a long way to go.  Personally I loved the format: two 10K out-and-backs with lots of aid station and crowd support.  The out-and-back setup gave me three passes of Greg and all my racing teammates which I found incredibly energizing.

One foot in front of the other.

I didn't rely on the AS's for anything other than water and ice sponges.  (The ice sponges are hands-down the best race invention...seriously...love 'em.)  Carried a bottle of Heed and a bunch of Honey Stinger Gels.  My strategy for the run was to walk the upper half of all the hills no matter how good I felt, and power on the flats and downs.  At my current triathlon ability level, this strategy works like a charm.  I can't run up those steeper hills (which on the Timberman course, are fortunately short) much faster than I can power walk them, so there is no sense in burning out.  I finish the first lap in 1:00:03 and I am psyched, but nervous.  I'm starting to feel the fatigue set in and am wondering how the heck I'm going to keep up this pace.  I must stay focused and prevent the wheels from coming off the proverbial wagon.  Keep eating.  I have another gel.  On the return leg of second lap I see Greg up in front of me.  He had increased his lead on the first lap but he is falling back now....boy, do I know how he feels!  But I didn't have the strength at this point to catch him...just kept that bright red & white kit in my sights.  With a mile to go, I know it is downhill from here.  I am beat, but I give it everything I have.  I turn left into the grassy chute towards the finish and hear my coach and Adam yelling "catch him! catch him!" encouraging me to chase down Greg who is right up ahead.

God help me, where is that finish line???

I didn't quite get there, but I was close enough for a great hug at the finish line as we both celebrated PRs and happy finishes.

Run time: 2:04:01, 9:28 pace, 29/103 AG

Official Race time: 5:43:45.

Mission accomplished.  I was pretty surprised to be only in the top 1/3 of my AG with that time.  My time last year would have landed me a 10th place finish out of 75.  The course is definitely not easy so perhaps it was a competitive field?  Who knows.  Doesn't matter.  I'm nowhere near podium material at this stage; I'm just trying to improve at my own pace.  I was pleased, enjoyed myself thoroughly and felt like a dope for being so nervous.  This is a great race and great venue that I'd recommend to anyone considering a 70.3.  Enjoy!

Tickets Please...

Just booked our tickets for travel to Zurich, sure hope this training thing works out ok or else I am going to be eating a lot of chocolate.  The watches are cheaper over there too, right?

Down Dog

You hear a lot of that in our house with the new puppy but it is not always directed at her, actually I think I am hearing it more than Islay, followed by UP DOG.  Like Islay, I am thinking make up your mind and where is my treat?  Every year I tell myself I will focus more on stretching and strength training.  And every year someone tells me I am too tight (or uptight as may be the case) and I need to work on my flexibility.  This happened when I was doing my bike fit three days before Timberman when Clovis at Freshbikes tells me my hips are too tight and it impacts my pedal stroke.  Yes, bike fits can be a bit intimate but what happens in the fitting room, stays in the fitting room and when we are finished Clovis tells me I need to do yoga.  Ok, I get it but it seems like there are more types of yoga then there are flavored vodka and if you know me you know I am not really a fan of either with one exception, Square One. 

I have done yoga in the past but never on a regular basis, primarily because I have not felt any real benefits from it and struggled with a lot of the poses.  Jen convinced me to start doing some yoga sessions with her using some DVDs she has been using for years.  A bit different than my previous experiences but this time I think I may be on to something with the help of this dude.  Sure I would rather be watching Walking Dead but I am surprised at how much I am enjoying the sessions and how I feel the next day. I am sold on this and plan to keep it as part of the regular training rotation.  Hopefully Clovis notices a difference next time as well.

Speaking of new experiences, Jen and I hosted our first dinner party in our new place with our coach and a couple of teammates.  Jen whippped up a tasty batch of enchiladas while I focused on crafting the perfect margarita.  Great company and Ironman conversation made for a fun night.  I judge a party successful when someone loses themselves in the moment and pees on the floor.  Some remember the night  differently than others but it ended late and we were happy to have a holiday the next day.  We celebrated in traditional Columbus Day fashion by making a trip to a gardending center and planting mums.  Unfortunately we did not have enough time to hit Bed, Bath, and Beyond but there is always next weekend.

Big ride on the horizon with the MoCo Epic this weekend, the weather should be beautiful and one of our teammates is going to join us on the metric.  It is his first time on a mountain bike in several years so this should be interesting.   I will be sure to pack the Hoo Ha cream.......

Baby Steps

Only 1 more day of training...this week!  Rule #1 of triathlon, as even a relative newbie like myeslf knows, is to tackle a race in stages.  Same applies with training.  If I start to think about how many training days are between now and Zurich, I will start to hyperventilate.  Best I focus on the week at hand.

Islay takes her friendship with Mulligan one step at a time.

In the books:
Monday - 1:15 spin.  We finally got our trainers set up in the basement, the perfect cave for workouts and the Sopranos DVD box set.  Nothing distracts you from the pain of one-legged-drills like a good mob hit.  We employed Islay's crate for this workout and instead of bouncing around the room she sat quietly chewing on her elk antler.  Success!

Tuesday - 3 mile run, core work, 3 mile run.  Went out a little sluggish, padding behind Greg and grumbling about my bad day at work.  Instructions were to run 3 miles, getting a little faster each mile.  Follow that up with some "core work."  Without more specifics, I could easily interpret this as 10 situps.  But, thanks to some motivational music -- my fave, Sirius XM's 80's on the 8s* -- we cranked out situps, planks, pushups, dips, and reps on some rolling device that Greg must have purchased from an infomercial.  I am still sore.  Next, lace the running shoes back up and run another 3 miles, faster each mile.  It must have been the 80s music, or maybe just the promise of the workout's end, but we cooked!

Wednesday - rest day.  Yay!

Thursday - 1:00 spin.  Blast.  Bad weather = back on the trainer.

Friday - 6 inches of rain this week and still coming down.  Hill repeats in the pouring rain or a manhattan in front of the fireplace?  Yep, that's what we picked, too.

Saturday - Awesome 8 miles at an easy conversation pace.  We chatted it up as we cruised through our out-and-back on the Mount Vernon Trail.

Left To Go:
Sunday - We had the MoCo Epic on the calendar, but with the washout, it's postponed until next weekend.  Planning a 3 hour ride out in horse country Middleburg, VA, instead.

* I know I have found my dream man - he doesn't change the station when Rick Springfield comes on.  And he's even straight!

And so it begins.....

After seeing several CT3 teammates experience great success in the Ironman distance this season, I decided it was time to put my chips on the table and go after that next tattoo.  I also told Jen I get to choose the placement of her Ironman tat, I can assure you it will look great when she is in the tuck position on her tri bike. 

Of course it all sounds fun and glamourous when you are enjoying a manhattan or maybe it was that second manhattan that made me commit.  For now it is a matter of getting back in the proverbial saddle, making sure not to forget the chamois cream, and begin focusing on training again.  I am still not back into training 100% but feeling much better about my swim workouts and enjoying the weekly yoga sessions.

We registered for the LA marathon this weekend after only one of us received an entry for the London marathon.  All for the best as we secured a great hotel right on the beach in Santa Monica and few yards from the finish line.  Now we need to find a good place for sushi and cocktails and our planning for the trip will be complete. 

I hope this blog will continually serve as a good reminder to enjoy the journey I am on, not just for Zurich but every other part of my life as well.

Zurich, baby, Zurich!

Greg and I conceived of this blog when we decided to register for Zurich at the end of July.  If we're going to spend all our time training, we should at least be able to provide our friends and family with proof of, or alibis for, our absenteeism. So it is here we begin our journey, which clearly is much longer than 140.6 miles.  I suspect that after this year, the ultimate 140.6 will seem to go by rather quickly.

All smiles after 70.3**

** Greg the morning before Timberman.  Jen the morning before Timberman.

We finished last season on a high note with two PR's at Timberman 70.3.  Since then, we've been finding every way possible to handicap ourselves going into Zurich training.  I mean, as if training for a full isn't hard enough, let's throw in a new house, a couple of months of slacking, countless trips to our favorite local custard shop, and of course, the pièce de résistance, the latest addition to our household, Islay:

"Training" now consists of us learning how to keep Islay out of trouble, which so far is a much greater feat than any triathlon.  For example, we attempted an hour of yoga this week.  It is very difficult to achieve a Zen state when you have a 14 pound ball of fluff licking your face during down dog and jumping on your back during up dog, barking and bouncing all over the room.  This situation has, in turn, increased our need for stronger recovery beverages, and, well, you can see the downward training spiral that ensues.

We've just registered for a major Zurich training milestone, the LA Marathon, in March.  So it's now becoming real.  Time to get those house projects done, time to eliminate cut back on the recovery beverages, time to get Islay some play dates -- let the training commence!