Boulder Peak Old Stage vs Me - Rnd 3

Today was my last trip up and down Old Stage before the 2008 Boulder Peak Triathlon on July 20th. I tossed around riding to Old Stage and back from home (44+ mile round trip), riding Boulder Peak Olympic bike course start to finish from the reservoir or doing hill repeats up Old Stage with a 30 min run at the end. I decided on the latter, figuring that the strength work on the hill would satisfy my biking needs and I'd have something left in the tank for a 30 minute run.

Old Stage is not getting any easier, however I have made some observations. The hardest part is the first part. This is the steepest part of the hill and it's really no fun. There's no way around it and stopping is not an option, as I don't think it would be to easy/possible to restart. Once you make it to the "Lefthand Fire District" sign, it's all "downhill". Well, as you can see from the picture, it's not really down hill, but relatively, it's reasonable. From this point, there's a rolling section, two more reasonable hills and then you're done.

The other thing I like about Old Stage is the scenery. It's very brown, but you can't beat the views. When I stopped to take the picture of the reservoir, where the Boulder Peak swim starts, as well as the transition area, I noticed one of the homes has an inground swimming pool. I can't imagine the water bill to keep that full! The climate is so dry around here I have to re-fill my fish tank weekly due to evaporation. I'd imagine that swimming pool has to be refilled weekly also.

Anyway, I did the ride twice, figuring that the second time would simulate what it's going to feel like next Sunday during the race after swimming 1500m and biking 5+ miles out to Old Stage. It wasn't fun, but I made it. I stopped to get a drink at the top after the second summit, unclipped my left shoe but my weight was leaning right and.....yep, I fell over. Luckily I only skinned my knee and elbow, but it was embarrassing. Luckily only one other cyclists witnessed that!

I zipped back down the hill with no major issues. The only thing that was bothering today was GI issues. I was trying out some new nutrition options for the triathlon next week and apparently my body is not to happy with my choices. Prior to the ride I drank some Mix 1, but that gave me some nasty gas and a bit of an upset stomach. Not a good start. Even worse, where's the porta potty when you need one? Not at the trail head I parked at! I wasn't bothered to much, but I wasn't 100%. After the two trips up Old Stage I went for a quick run, where I ran out and back 13 minutes or so for 26 minutes round trip run / walk. As if the Mix 1 issues weren't enough, I threw in a Vanilla Cliff Energy Gel to the mix. I didn't feel worse, but I wasn't feeling better either. I took the time to think about my run goals for the race next week, which I'll discuss in a separate post later this week.

Summary: I've done Old Stage four times now and I have no doubts that I can make it. I just need to make it past the initial incline and look for the Left Hand Fire District sign and I'll be all set. Once I get to the top I'll have 10 to 15 minutes on the downhill to gather myself, breath and get ready for the rest of the race. I'm planning for some more running this week, probably 3 mi Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, open water swim on Tuesday night and a nice flat/fast bike ride probably Wednesday. I'll probably rest the rest of the week and get ready for the big race on Sunday.

5430 Boulder Peak Old Stage vs. Me - Rnd 1

The 5430 Boulder Peak triathlon is less than 3 weeks away and I still haven't rode up Old Stage. Old Stage is the famous 15% grade, 600 ft vertical climb over 2/3 of a mile that starts about 5 miles into the bike portion of the race. I've driven it once and it scared the heck out of me. I've been wondering if I could do it and how I would feel mentally & physically. I've been figuring that I need to ride Old Stage at least three times before the Boulder Peak, to get my legs under me and prove to myself that I can do it.

Old Stage is a very interesting section of the course. As urban as Boulder is, heading out on US 36 and out towards Old Stage you get back to nature really quick, where it's not uncommon to see deer, fox or black bears. Yes, black bears. In fact I know of at least two occassions where cyclists have HIT black bears on their bikes and lived to tell about it. Here are a couple of stories here and here. I can't imagine hitting a bear at 45 MPH on my bike, feet clipped into pedals and flying end over end.

Back to me. I decided that yesterday would be my first attempt at Old Stage. My goal was to just ride Old Stage once and get up with no stopping. I started at the open space trail parking lot on Lee Hill Rd. I took a quick lap around the neighborhood to get the blood flowing and then headed up. The incline is steady and annoying at first. If you were driving, you probably wouldn't even notice, but on the bike it's just annoyingly steep and continuous. I shifted down, down, down on the way up, wondering how I'm possibly going to make it up the hill when I'm already on the small ring? Finally I made it to Old Stage and the hardest part of the hill was facing me dead on. I continued to turn the crank continuously & steady, firmly in granny gear now, breathing heavy and just taking it one turnover at a time. I don't know if this is good or bad, but the hill is deceptively long, where you can't see the next section as your climbing. A rider could be easily fooled into thinking the climb is shorter than it is. I was by no means tearing it up, averaging about 5 mph, where I started to wonder just how slowly do you have to be going to fall over? I continued to push the pedals round and round until I finally made it to the top. It took almost 20 minutes from the trailhead (about 2.5 miles), but I made it with no walking or stopping.

I celebrated for a moment, snapped a couple of pictures and head back down. I quickly picked up speed and started to ride the rear break very hard as to not exceed 25 mph, which isn't easy. At one point I was squeezing down on both the rear and front brakes and still moving at a good clip. I returned to the trailhead in under 7 minutes after an uneventful ride down.

Summary: Round 1 goes to me.

Although I won round one by making it up the hill, I know that race day will be an entirely different challenge as I'll have swam 1500 meters and rode just over 5 miles out to the hill. I didn't see any bears, but I did see two deer. I haven't decided what Round 2 will be yet, hill repeats or riding the entire Boulder Peak course, but I will do both. I definitely want to do the hill at least 2 more times before race day to build up strength and confidence.

5430 Sprint - Race Report

My first 5430 race is in the bag and I can't say it was easy. For some reason, I just wasn't "feeling it" today. It may have been a combination of factors including heat (it was a lot hotter today than last week for Greeley and Bolder Boulder), hang over from Greeley last week, allergies or letting the fact that my wave got changed (4th wave) the day before the race to the last wave (9th wave). For some reason, that last one really bothered me. I didn't want to be last and I was glad when the waves were posted on Wednesday that I'd be in the middle of the pack. I shouldn't have let that bother me, but it did and I think it diverted my focus. Can't let outside factors, particularly those that I don't control, have a negative impact. The one benefit of being the last wave was no line porta-a-potty time. As every racer can attest, there's nothing like waiting in line prior to a race. Last wave, no problem, take your pick and take your time. Ahhh... I just didn't have it today.

So, the day started at 5 am, shower, breakfast (oatmeal, bananna) and I was off to the res with Craig. We got a headstart, with the wives and kids close behind. We got to the res about 6:30 am and there was a line of about 200+ people waiting to get into the transition area. The line went quick, but by the time I got inside, there was no room left in my designated area. The volunteers were scrambling for additional bike racks and I finally got one, right next to the run exit. I setup my stuff and proceeded to wait, which I carried in myt my new transition bag / bucket! Very handy, handles everything I need and something I can sit on to change my shoes. The time difference between the 1st and last wave was almost 45 minutes. (The winner was almost done when I started.) I killed time with the ipod and did some stretching, but I was anxious to get started.

15 minutes before my wave I started putting on the wetsuit and headed down to the reservoir for a quick warm-up. The water temp was just right. I was finishing up my quick warm-up when I noticed a boat on the beach and I immediately thought of Rick & Dick Hoyt and the associated video I had watched earlier in the week. Very emotional, tried to block it out of my head.

Swim:
Finally it was time. I put myself right in the middle of the pack and I was off. It was slower going than I remember from my first open water start at the Sodus Point Triathlon last year, but I managed to escape without any major touching or damage. I've struggled with the wetsuit, just doesn't feel right and about 200 yards or so into the swim I was ready to quit. I was just totally freaked out. I don't know what it is, I just don't like the feeling of confinement. I settled down, got comfortable and it was pretty uneventful from there on in. The buoy turns were fine, sighting was good and I felt good when I reached the end in under 14 minutes. I finished with the Dad pulling his son in the boat, which is absolutely amazing. I was hoping to catch up with him after the race, but I didn't see him on the bike or run.

Bike:
After a quick jog up the beach into the transition area across horribly painful pavement, I transitioned in just over 3 minutes, which I thought was relatively good considering the distance from water, fumbling with the wetsuit and transition position. I felt good getting on the bike and I was off. Felt good on the bike, passed a lot of people on the ride out, which is a steady incline for the first 5 miles. The next 5 miles are a steady decline and I was maintaining 25+ mph tucked down on my aerobars, feeling really good. The next 5 miles I lost some focus and my average speed suffered, but overall pretty happy with the bike and I made it in under 1 hour, 58:59. Still room for improvement, but 2 for 2 on goals so far. And then the RUN. Ugh.

Run:
If you've been reading the blog or know me at all, you know that me and running are like oil and water, it just doesn't work. Despite the nagging back pain on the bike, it only appears on the bike and as soon as I get off, I'm fine, no lingering affects from that. (I've had my bike position checked at CMS and chiropractor visits, just haven't found the problem yet on the bike) I started off good for the first .5 mile or so and then thoughts of walking started to enter my brain and by the end of the first mile, I took my first walking steps. Boooooooooooo. Once you start walking, it's hard to stop. I attempted to restart, but soon after found myself walking again. The course is an out and back on dirt trail around the reservoir with no shade at all and by this time it was getting quite hot. I don't have any good excuses here, just didn't feel like running today and the result was 33 minutes for the 5k.

Overall:
Overall, I finished in 1:53, which exceeded my goal of 1:45. I didn't meet my goals but I still feel good about the race overall. One thing it really brings to light is that I've got a lot of work to do before July 20th and the 5430 Boulder Peak race. I've got to get comfortable in my wetsuit (lots of open water swimming), I need to start training for Old Stage (Yikes!) and I need to start a consistent running program. I also need to consider transition times in my goals, because I spent 5+ minutes in transition.

It was a nice day at the reservoir with family and friends, a great way to spend Father's Day.

5430 Sprint

One day until the first 5430 Triathlon of the year. The weather is outstanding today and expected to be so again tomorrow. We've got 3 vendors selling FamilyFanClub.net gear at the 5430 Sprint Expo and with over 1500 competitors, many of whom I suspect could be beginners, we should have a good sales day. Plus, it's Father's Day, who could resist a Triathlon Daddy t-shirt?

My race preparation has been pretty good. I'm coming off last week's Greeley Triathlon, so the base work is done. I swam Monday and Tuesday, ran on Wednesday and Thursday and took a 20 mile bike ride yesterday. Today I'm just going to be relaxing at Connor's t-ball game and heading to the Boulder Reservoir for packet pick-up and relaxation.

My goals for tomorrow's race are:

* Under 1:45 overall with
* Under 15 minute swim
* Under 1 hour bike
* Under 30 minute run and no walking!

In order to make 1:45 I'll need to go under in one or more of the categories and have fast transitions. My training times and Greeley suggest all of my goals are achievable, I just need to go out and execute and have a great race!

I'll blog more tomorrow to let you know how the race went!

First Open Water Swim of 2008

I figured with less than a week before my 1st Triathlon with an open water swim (5430 Sprint), that I'd actually go out and do at least one open water training session at Union Res, about 10 minutes from my house. Makes sense right? In addition to my first open water swim of the season, it's also my first swim in my new AquaMan wetsuit!

When I got there, it looked like everyone had a similar idea, because there were 30+ people ready to go swimming, typically there's 5 or 6. Normally I'm very comfortable in the water, no problems, but something about being trapped in neoprene leads to hysteria, usually at the farthest point from shore. I think it's just a matter of acclimation, it's just not a normal feeling. At this point, I can't imagine spending more than 15 minutes swimming in the suit and I even started to contemplate not wearing one for the next race, which is 1500 meters. I'll keep practicing, would hate to not wear the wetsuit, I think I just need to get used to it.

I did four laps of the 400 yard course and it felt very good, very comfortable, averaging about 6:30 per lap, which should translate to a 14/15 minute swim this week at the 5430 Sprint. The big difference I noticed for the first swim of the year is how straight I swam. Last year I was all over the course, left, right, way right. This year I noticed that when I maintained a steady kick, I seemed to stay on course. When I got lazy and stopped kicking, off the to the right I went. I'll think of my feet as my rudder until I otherwise disprove that theory and keep kicking. Another challenge is sighing the bouys. I wear glasses and although I'm not blind, I have a hard time picking up the bouys sometimes. I found today that I almost have to stop, sight in on the bouy and repeat as necessary to stay on course. I'm sure that sighting method won't endear me to those swimming behind me, but I've got to do what I've got to do right?

This is one of my favorite videos. I've only done one mass open water swim start and I escaped without a scratch, but everyone has been telling me how aggressive Boulder area swimmers are, so we'll see. My training swim last night didn't get to this level, but maybe next week?

Race Report: 2008 Greeley Triathlon

The first triathlon of 2008 is in the books and I finished within 1 minute of my overall time goal, so I consider my goals met and the race a success. The day started early at my house, up at 5 am for a shower and breakfast to leave the house by 5:30 am for the 40 minute drive to Greeley. This year we all left at the same time, rather than drive separately, just put the kids into the van in their pajamas and we were off. The weather today was chilly, overcast and sprinkling. I'm 3 for 3 on miserable race conditions this year, hopefully this will be the last crummy race day of 2008! We arrived around 6:20, plenty of time to get the Family Fan Club stuff setup and get my transition area prepared. While I was taking care of pre-race activities, I thought of another t-shirt design, which I'll reveal in the next couple of weeks.










I jumped in the pool for a quick 100 meters, felt good and fast. The negative to that approach was that it was cold, so I just stayed in the pool for the next 25 minutes until it was my turn. The thing I like about the Greeley Triathlon is that it's a pool swim, where everyone submits their expected times, everyone is ranked based their submissions and we snake across the pool. As long as everyone submits reasonable estimates, it works really well. This year I passed two people and got passed by one, so the people in my number range did a good job of estimating their times. The swim started strong for me, but around 250 meters I started to get really tired. I've been battling allergies the last two weeks, which I think attributed to the lack of endurance, but I still finished better than last year in the pool. The nice thing this year was that Kim, Connor and Griffin were on the pool deck cheering me on, so I could see them cheering when I was swimming south in the pool. (I've been working on bi-lateral breathing, but when push comes to shove, I only breath on the right)

After the swim, I quickly transitioned to my bike and I was off. It was a bit cold on the bike, but not to bad to start. I was feeling good, loving the aero bars position, but cautious with the slick roads. I got passed by the top 5 or 6 competitors, but otherwise held my position. By the end of the bike my feet and thighs were pretty cold.

After the bike, I transitioned to the run with heavy cold legs, but I felt good. I kept a consistent pace with no walking, running mile to mile. Having done the race last year, I was surprised that the run course had changed slightly, a good reminder to check the course before the race! Compared with last year, the change made the run a bit harder, over rolling hills, which makes my 5k PR time all the more satisfying. I'm looking forward to the next 5k to see what I can do when I only have to run!

Overall, I finished in 1:21 with a 9 minute swim, 39 minute bike and 29 minute run, all PRs collectively and individually. I didn't make the top 3 in the Clydesdale category, 3rd place was 1:18, which will be very reachable NEXT year. Back to this year, I cut 16 minutes off my 2007 time, which is pretty significant for a Sprint race (500 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run).

The organizers do a great job, it's run by triathletes, so they know what needs to be done on race day. I'll definitely be back next year as long as it doesn't conflict with the Steamboat Springs Half-Marathon. The organizers also invited Family Fan Club to return, which we're definitely excited about.













Next race: 5430 Sprint @ Boulder Resevoir on June 15th.