National Triathlon Week 2018 - Bike Day

It is commonly said that a race cannot be won on the bike, but it can be lost. The bike split of a triathlon is the most technical leg and is also the place where the most things can go wrong. Flat tires, a break down, or a crash can lose a lot of time or end your race entirely. If you bike too easy you can lose a lot of time since the bike is usually the longest leg of the race. If you bike too hard, you can easily use up your legs and not have enough left for the run.

Finishing the bike leg of the Legend Ad Adstra 70 in September 2017
I pushed too hard on the bike resulting in a poor run

As if that is not enough to think about already, the bike is where most of the race rules come into play that can result in penalties or disqualifications. A couple of examples are needing to have your helmet clipped from the time you leave transition until you return, mounting and dismounting at the correct locations, and following the proper no-drafting and passing rules on the course.

Although I do enjoy cycling, I would probably say that it is my least favorite of the 3 disciplines and also the one that I spend the least amount of time training for. That being said, it was apparent from my first race that I had some natural ability on the bike and it turns out that it is BY FAR my strongest discipline. While my swim and run splits often fall in the bottom 25% of all racers, my bike split is almost always in the top 50%. 

Ready to hit the bike course in my first triathlon at the Des Moines
Triathlon in September 2016

When I signed up for my first triathlon in 2016, my original plan was to just ride my old mountain bike and see how it goes. However, it turned out that my uncle Jeff had a road bike sitting in his garage that he had been trying to get rid of for several years. He sold it too me at a "family member discount" and after getting some new wheels and tires on it that first year, it has done extremely well for me. I am now looking into purchasing a triathlon bike within the next year to help take me to the next level on the bike. 

My original training strategy for the bike was to put in miles and get used to riding a road bike. I followed this strategy with quite a bit of success early. That strategy evolved last year as I started to include more speed training and longer brick workouts. That strategy paid off in late summer when I was able to set a PR during the bike leg of the Bluff Creek sprint triathlon.

Heading into T2 after my PR bike split at
the Bluff Creek triathlon in August 2017

I came into this year planning to focus on my swimming and running and with that I conceded that my bike splits might suffer, and they have. I am already planning some big things to bring back the bike going into 2019 though and really look forward to building on what I have already been able to do. 

Heading out on the bike at the Accel Triathlon in July 2017

Flying by at nearly 25 mph at the Hickory Grove triathlon in May 2018

Hustling out of T1 with my bike at the
Iowa Games triathlon in July 2018

National Triathlon Week 2018 - Swim Day

In honor of national triathlon week, I'm going to try to post something each day this week. Day 1 is swim day. When I started out a few years ago, swimming was the one discipline that I had no experience with and I decided to teach myself. My first few trips to the pool were very awkward and I couldn't even make it farther then a full length of a 25 yard pool without stopping for a break. It took several months before I was even able to figure out how to breathe properly. From there I worked on body position in the water and then my stroke.

I have spent countless hours at the Urbandale pool over the past 3 years

Once I finally started to build some confidence in the pool, I decided to tackle an open water swim. That experience was something that I was not prepared for and the panic nearly broke me. I remember that day at Big Creek very well. The combination of not being able to see in the water along with having to sight while swimming got in my head. Luckily, over the next several months I forced myself out to Big Creek a few more times and was able to at least tolerate the open water. 

Another open water swim at big creek

Of course swimming in open water was one thing, doing so with other people hitting, kicking, and swimming over top of you is something entirely different. During my first triathlon in 2016, I learned quickly how to stay calm in that exact situation (I also learned to swim wide around the turn buoys). There are 2 kinds of swim starts for most triathlons. The first is a rolling start, which is my favorite, and involves letting a couple of athletes start every few seconds. The Second is a wave start, where athletes are grouped together in groups of 50+ and sent off in waves all at once. Usually there is a few minutes between each wave to allow for the swimmers to spread out.

Swimming in my first tri at the Des Moines Triathlon in 2016

Ever since that first race I have continued to work on increasing both my endurance and speed in the water. After a few more races, I also became comfortable swimming with people around me. Although I still have a lot to learn and plenty of room for improvement, I am continuing to improve. That first race I averaged 2:45/100 yards (that is very slow), but my race this past weekend I nearly broke 2:00/100 yards. In the past year I have completely overhauled my swim stroke as well and am expecting even more improvement over the next year. I am determined to turn my weakest discipline into a strength, it just takes time and a lot of work. 

I have come to learn that it is swimming that keeps many people from competing in a triathlon. If that is you, I hope that my story might give you the confidence that you need to give it a tri. 

Coming out of the water at the Accel Triathlon in July 2017

In the middle of a 1.2 mile swim at the Legend Ad Adstra 70
in September 2017

Coming out of the water at the Hickory Grove Triathlon in May 2018

A good depiction displaying the chaos of a wave start at the Iowa Games
Triathlon in July 2018

Iowa Games/Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon

This morning I participated in the Des Moines Corporate Games sprint triathlon, held in conjunction with the Iowa Games triathlon. I'm going to just come right out and say that I had my best race of the year so far and I am VERY happy with how I raced today.

I arrived at Big Creek shortly after 6:00 am. The temperature wasn't too bad but it was extremely humid. It was clear at the time, but shortly before start time some fog set in forcing them to delay the race about 15 minutes. The extra time before the race didn't bother me at all, however, because I used the time to warm up and spend time chatting with the 20, or so, other Dupont Pioneer employees that were racing.

Set up in transition

Waiting out the fog with my coworker, Chris

The race consisted of a wave start (my least favorite kind of start). I was in wave 4, which turned out to be the largest wave. The water was very warm and the 1/4 mile swim seemed extremely short. I ended up setting a PR swim pace of 2:01/100 yards which put a smile on my face as I came out of the water. 

My swim wave heading into the water

Out of the water and heading to T1

Abigail got a lot of chuckles holding this sign as
racers got out of the water

I made it through T1 in under 2 minutes which is a great time. The bike course was 20 km (12.4 miles), which is quite short. With low winds and few hills, I was able to log an average pace of 18.4 mph which is my best pace this year and tied for my 3rd fastest pace ever. The one downside of the bike portion was that it was the only time that I experienced some back pain. Getting off the bike was the worst part and I'm happy to say that the pain subsided as I headed out on the run course. 

Heading out of T1

Finishing up the bike course and heading towards the dismount line

My time in T2 was just over 40 seconds which is outstanding and another PR for me. I headed out on the run course feeling pretty tired but I just kept moving. With the air still and sun beating down, I got quite hot on the run course and just never got into a good rhythm. I felt great as I finished strong across the finish line and knew immediately that I had run my best race of the year so far. It also helped that Erin and the girls were waiting for me at the finish line after cheering me on all morning. 

Heading out on the run course

Bridget all wore out from cheering

Coming in for a high five during my sprint to
the finish line

Finishing strong

Proud finisher with my beautiful wife

My official time was 1:2739 and I finished 175/251. I also finished in 4th place in my division/age group for the corporate games which brought home 35 points for Pioneer. 

Official Results

So many things made this race one of my favorites. I was very pleased with my performance today especially coming off a back injury and with little to no training for the past 2 weeks. With how much training I do out at Big Creek, it sort of felt like it was my "home course". It was also great to spend time before and after the race with some coworkers.My favorite part, however, was that Erin and the girls came to watch me race and cheer me on.

My next race is the Des Moines Corporate Games road race in Clive next weekend. I will be running the 5k and hoping to bring home more points for Pioneer. I am 5 weeks away from my next triathlon, which will be at Bluff Creek. My race at Bluff Creek last year is the best triathlon performance that I have ever had. I'm not expecting to replicate that this year because my fitness level is just not at the same level that it was a year ago, but I am planning for a solid performance. 

I Am So Over 2018

Lack of motivation...

Lost confidence...

Regret...

Injury...

These are the running themes for my 2018 season. The plan this year was to fill my schedule with short distance races and to have lots of fun without the large time commitments for training. The truth is, I just haven't been having much fun at all. It is far too early to write off the entire year as a disappointment but it has proven difficult to refocus myself.

All of these struggles were present before I managed to injure my back a little over a week ago. I'm not even sure what I did to injure my back, but I woke up one morning starting to feel some pain in my lower back and 3 days later I could hardly move at all. With the help of some prescription meds from the doctor and some days of rest (including a week with absolutely NO training) my back is feeling better but is still not 100%.

Last night I tried a short 5 mile bike ride followed by a 1 mile run just to see how my back would handle it. Although my back did feel a little sore during the workout I didn't experience any muscle spasms or shooting pain so I'm considering it a success. It was a little stiff this morning but actually felt pretty good after my swim workout and for the remainder of the day. I am definitely not pain free but would say I am at about 80%.

Next weekend I was suppose to race in 2 triathlons, a sprint distance triathlon in Waterloo on Saturday and another in Des Moines on Sunday. The following Saturday I was scheduled to run a 10K road race for the Des Moines corporate games. I have decided to sit out the Accel triathlon in Waterloo and have changed to the 5k road race the following weekend but am still planning to attempt the 2nd triathlon next weekend.

I guess this post is just my way of venting frustrations. Right now I am feeling so many emotions that I don't know what to do with myself. I just want to go to sleep, wake up without any pain, feeling the confidence that I felt just a few months ago, and get back after it. For now, I'm going to do whatever I can to get on the road to recovery and get back on track for the year.

Allergy Control And Breaking Out Of A Rut

For those of you out there who battle seasonal allergies, I can actually say that I feel your pain. Midway through last summer, after a race, I started to experience seasonal allergy symptoms. To that point in my life, I really hadn't run into any issues with allergies and so it took me awhile to understand what was going on. A trip to the doctor resulted in a diagnosis of a sinus infection with a suggestion to take a daily allergy over the counter pill and to use a decongestant as needed. It was late enough in the year that fall soon came and with the cooler weather my symptoms subsided. 

Fast forward to this year and a late spring had me cruising along with no issues. However, as soon as the weather started to warm up my symptoms returned with a vengeance. I started taking my daily allergy pill once again and that kept the sneezing and itchy eyes in check, but the congestion got worse and worse. On top of that, anytime that I swam in open water (including for my races) my sinuses would close completely for a couple of days making it unbearable. For the past 8 weeks I have tried switching medications, popping congestion meds like candy, using nasal irrigation all with little long term success. Exercise and irrigation would provide temporary relief but I just could not shake the constant congestion. With that came loss of sleep, irritability and a drain in energy (not good for a triathlete in training). 

After conversing with family, friends, and co-workers, I was nearly at the point of going to see an allergist and ENT (I'm sure many of you are questioning why I didn't do that before) but within the last week, I have finally found what seems to be working for me. After 4 straight days of relief, I feel comfortable stating that it appears that Allegra-D combined with Nasacort is the right combination for me. With my nasal passages finally clear, I have gotten a couple nights good sleep and the irritability has subsided. In addition, today I had my best day of training since April. A 1,400 yard pool workout this morning resulted in my fastest splits since mid-winter and an average pace of 2:18/100 yards. I followed that up with a 12 mile/3 mile brick workout this evening where I averaged 20.3 mph on the bike followed by 10:08 min/mi on the 3 mile run. My breathing did not hold me back at all and it felt good to push myself again. 

I have less than 3 weeks to go until I have 2 sprint triathlons on back to back days, and even though it was only 1 good day of workouts, it helped me to recover a little of the confidence that I have lost this spring/summer. Hopefully today was a preview of what is to come for me the remainder of the summer. Either way, I'm glad to be back to breathing easier.