2012 is starting to shape up for races and training. I had a major setback at the end of December while swimming. I was getting lazy with form (and something else), but ended up putting my SI joint out and causing severe pain for a week or so. Because of this, I adjusted my 2012 schedule.
I'm also excited to be apart of the 2012 Eleonore Rocks Ambassador team. The focus is to raise money and awareness for terminally ill children and their family. While my wife was delivering our son Isaac, a family lost their child in the NICU. I had to listen to the nurse make the call to report it...it was horrible. Eleonore Rocks has done a great job and recruited a few big athletes like Andy Potts.
The big races for 2012 will be Rev 3 Quassy, Savageman, and a Rev3 adventure race. I'll do a few sprints and a bunch of road races in between.
I'm still working on some updates to ErgDB, but am happy with where it's at. I'm getting great feedback from users and it's fairly stable. I'm just waiting for the masses to use it.
I've got another project I'm hoping to dig up from the grave. I just need a UI, but it will take a twist on race results and social networking.
Blog about my triathlon excursions.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Winter training starts
Saturday was the last race of the 2011 season. I finished 4th in a 5k with a time of 17:29. I went out way too hard, but was happy with how it went. I'm confident I can go sub 17 next year.
I will be doing a 13.1 in March, so I'm starting the Jack Daniels plan. It's mostly 5 days of easy running and two days of quality workouts per week. The quality workouts can be a long run, intervals, or tempo runs mixed with easy runs.
I started biking again...ouch...I don't even want to know what my FTP is :). The plan is to do easy riding this month and start training hard again next month.
Psyched with the progress on ErgDB. I'm close to launching the standalone mode for people who do not have a Erg trainer. They will be able to download workouts and get a heads up display. Next is "Google Earth Videos" -which will show a route on google earth and synced up to a workout (can't control the device and google earth though).
I will be doing a 13.1 in March, so I'm starting the Jack Daniels plan. It's mostly 5 days of easy running and two days of quality workouts per week. The quality workouts can be a long run, intervals, or tempo runs mixed with easy runs.
I started biking again...ouch...I don't even want to know what my FTP is :). The plan is to do easy riding this month and start training hard again next month.
Psyched with the progress on ErgDB. I'm close to launching the standalone mode for people who do not have a Erg trainer. They will be able to download workouts and get a heads up display. Next is "Google Earth Videos" -which will show a route on google earth and synced up to a workout (can't control the device and google earth though).
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Early 2011 Wrap Up
2011 is winding down, but it's been a great year. I started my training for Chesapeakeman on 1/1/11. The goal the whole year was to peak for that race, but I had some great races in between. My running has finally taken off, and continuing to progress. I wasn't happy with my bike progress, but recognized my weaknesses. Swimming was swimming...just did minimal work.
On Thanksgiving, I did the Turkey Trot at Millersville University, my alma mater. There was a great group there with fast races. I've been focusing on a 5k this weekend, so I started doing more run focus and some speedwork since November rolled around. I finished in 17:39, on a course that was on par with the race against racism. I ran mile 1 and mile 2 exactly the same (5:35), but backed off the last mile since I didn't have my inhaler. I feel sub 17 is in reach next year.
I'm gonna start biking again next month. I'm gonna take it easy for December, then start ramping it up in January. I'm excited to try out some new training tools. I may invest in a sufferfest video for my Saturday workouts, and the ErgDB tool I've been writing will open up workouts and GoldenCheetah is offering some killer features in the 3.0 builds (development).
I'm happy with how my season went. Morgantown 70.3 turned out to be an absurdly hard race, but I'd love to go back and do it again (on a road bike). The local sprints proved I've got some run speed, just need to work on the bike. The 5k's showed me I've got a long way still to go. Chesapeakeman proved my body can do the races, I just need to race and train within my abilities.
2012 is looking to be great. Here are a few goals.
Sub 17 5k
Sub 30 5 miles
Sub 37 10k
~1:25 13.1
Qualify for Boston at Harrisburg Marathon
top 5 OA in local sprints
Get bike w/g to 3.5
Sub 4:40 70.3
I may do a run focus this year and see how the bike works out. I'll be honest, I really wasn't happy with how things went last year on the bike, but a lot were due to fit, neck issues, and "over training". I think if I step back and do a re-evaluation, I'll be fine.
On Thanksgiving, I did the Turkey Trot at Millersville University, my alma mater. There was a great group there with fast races. I've been focusing on a 5k this weekend, so I started doing more run focus and some speedwork since November rolled around. I finished in 17:39, on a course that was on par with the race against racism. I ran mile 1 and mile 2 exactly the same (5:35), but backed off the last mile since I didn't have my inhaler. I feel sub 17 is in reach next year.
I'm gonna start biking again next month. I'm gonna take it easy for December, then start ramping it up in January. I'm excited to try out some new training tools. I may invest in a sufferfest video for my Saturday workouts, and the ErgDB tool I've been writing will open up workouts and GoldenCheetah is offering some killer features in the 3.0 builds (development).
I'm happy with how my season went. Morgantown 70.3 turned out to be an absurdly hard race, but I'd love to go back and do it again (on a road bike). The local sprints proved I've got some run speed, just need to work on the bike. The 5k's showed me I've got a long way still to go. Chesapeakeman proved my body can do the races, I just need to race and train within my abilities.
2012 is looking to be great. Here are a few goals.
Sub 17 5k
Sub 30 5 miles
Sub 37 10k
~1:25 13.1
Qualify for Boston at Harrisburg Marathon
top 5 OA in local sprints
Get bike w/g to 3.5
Sub 4:40 70.3
I may do a run focus this year and see how the bike works out. I'll be honest, I really wasn't happy with how things went last year on the bike, but a lot were due to fit, neck issues, and "over training". I think if I step back and do a re-evaluation, I'll be fine.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
ErgDB
Yesterday I launched ErgDB , a site to generate .erg and PowerAgent .xml workouts. Workouts are entered by a FTP%, then users just put their FTP in and it's custom to them.
I've got another project I'm working on, but I plan on pitching it to a few companies rather then releasing it.
Getting over a sinus infection, so workouts are kidna on hold. Hoping to do a few 5ks this winter and get my FTP up big time.
I've got another project I'm working on, but I plan on pitching it to a few companies rather then releasing it.
Getting over a sinus infection, so workouts are kidna on hold. Hoping to do a few 5ks this winter and get my FTP up big time.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Back to the grind
It's been just over three weeks since Chesapeakeman, but I'm starting to feel better. I've done a few sessions with a running coach, who's also a "Crossfit" guy and minimalist believer.
Surprisingly, he's had the most believable information. He wasn't preaching 5 fingers, instead saying minimalist/barefoot is great for learning "perception" and better form. This is what some of the top guys on slowtwitch are saying. I got some great drills and feedback on form, so I'll be focusing on those and a few 5k's this winter.
Biking is slowly going. I've got a better fit and have focused on working out the issues with my glutes to help stabalize and get rid of some nerve issues I've had.
Swimming is feeling better, I just need to focus on keeping the form for long sets.
2012 is right around the corner, and here are my lofty goals. I'm going to introduce speedwork into my running and more power focus to increase my FTP on the bike.
5k - sub 17
5 miles - sub 30 (haven't done a 5 miler in awhile
13.1 - sub 1:25
26.1 - BQ :)
local sprint races -AG wins or podium spot (will be tough)
sub 4:40 70.3
Surprisingly, he's had the most believable information. He wasn't preaching 5 fingers, instead saying minimalist/barefoot is great for learning "perception" and better form. This is what some of the top guys on slowtwitch are saying. I got some great drills and feedback on form, so I'll be focusing on those and a few 5k's this winter.
Biking is slowly going. I've got a better fit and have focused on working out the issues with my glutes to help stabalize and get rid of some nerve issues I've had.
Swimming is feeling better, I just need to focus on keeping the form for long sets.
2012 is right around the corner, and here are my lofty goals. I'm going to introduce speedwork into my running and more power focus to increase my FTP on the bike.
5k - sub 17
5 miles - sub 30 (haven't done a 5 miler in awhile
13.1 - sub 1:25
26.1 - BQ :)
local sprint races -AG wins or podium spot (will be tough)
sub 4:40 70.3
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Race Report (pulled from slowtwitch)
I'd
like to thank Kiwami and Xterra for supporting me this season. The
Konami tri suit is hands down the best suit I've ever had. I raced all
my races this year in it, from sprints to 140.6. My Xterra Vortex 3 was
the first long sleeve suit I had, and I had 0 jelly fish stings :).
Brian from PBN was a huge help dialing in my nutrition, it was a game
changer for me. desertdude, rroof, barryp (running plan) and others
from the forums answered questions about training/health/etc that kept
me going.
Race day - I woke up feeling great. It had poured the day before and overnight, so I was worried about my bike. Got into transition and my powertap was DOA...so much for riding my target watts. Had issues getting my tires pumped, so I knew the bike was gonna be a long day.
Nutrition - Breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter, then a bottle of gatorade/carbo pro sipped before the swim. On the bike, I had EFS gel and EFS/carbo pro in the water bottle. Sipped/drank those every 15 minutes and chased with water. Was peeing clear the whole bike/run. On the run, I did a shot of EFS gel at every turn (4.4+ miles) and then gatorade/water at every aid station - switched to soda at the half way point.
Swim (1:11) - I lined up at the outside buoy and took it easy. I did the ST method for training and slacked off in July/August. Finished and felt pretty good.
T1 - hot sweaty mess in the changing tent. Didn't wait for my own bag, just grabbed it and got changed (slowely). Need to remember to remove the plastic from the gel flasks
Bike (6:20) - I planned on taking it fairly easy (150 watts), but had to go off RPE since my PT was dead. 10 miles in I'm slowing down and hear a "thud thud thud" at my front tire...yep, first flat. Got it changed and kept going. 5 minutes later, what do you know? Another flat...this time the vavle stem failed. Got going again and a minute later I hear the air bursting out of my front tire...got a pebble in it and it was slashed. I was ready to throw my bike and call it a day, but the SAG wagon wasn't too far away. Waited for them and got a new front tire installed. Who knows how long I lost (30+ minutes), but I just wanted to finish the race. Got to mile 56 and a friend of mine had flatted twice and was DNF'ing. Stopped to see if she needed help and then went off. Hit the special needs and my neck was killing me. I had to sit up and just take it easy the rest of the ride. I'd love to go to Elite and get a good fit from DG to work out my neck and hamstring issues, but can't budget it right now.
T2 - In and out. Someone gave me tums and it was a huge help.
Run (3:48) - Since I didn't push the bike hard, my legs felt amazing. It was a three lap course, and I did the first lap around 1:12. Second lap I was running with a guy in my AG and took it a little easier than I wanted to, but was fine with it. Hit the half way point at 1:48 Third lap, I was still feeling good, but decided to run/walk the aid stations. At mile 20, my hamstrings were getting ready to cramp up and I just didn't have the run base I wanted to. Hit the last turn around and ran into the one and only, Wongstar. She was all smiles during the run. Got to run and chat with her for a few miles (22-24) which was a huge help for the mental side.
Finished in 11:29 and was ecstatic. They even gave my son a call out :) at the finish.
Tri Columbia did a great job as always. I think I'll hold off doing another 140.6 until I can ride longer than 4 hours without having issues.
Race day - I woke up feeling great. It had poured the day before and overnight, so I was worried about my bike. Got into transition and my powertap was DOA...so much for riding my target watts. Had issues getting my tires pumped, so I knew the bike was gonna be a long day.
Nutrition - Breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter, then a bottle of gatorade/carbo pro sipped before the swim. On the bike, I had EFS gel and EFS/carbo pro in the water bottle. Sipped/drank those every 15 minutes and chased with water. Was peeing clear the whole bike/run. On the run, I did a shot of EFS gel at every turn (4.4+ miles) and then gatorade/water at every aid station - switched to soda at the half way point.
Swim (1:11) - I lined up at the outside buoy and took it easy. I did the ST method for training and slacked off in July/August. Finished and felt pretty good.
T1 - hot sweaty mess in the changing tent. Didn't wait for my own bag, just grabbed it and got changed (slowely). Need to remember to remove the plastic from the gel flasks
Bike (6:20) - I planned on taking it fairly easy (150 watts), but had to go off RPE since my PT was dead. 10 miles in I'm slowing down and hear a "thud thud thud" at my front tire...yep, first flat. Got it changed and kept going. 5 minutes later, what do you know? Another flat...this time the vavle stem failed. Got going again and a minute later I hear the air bursting out of my front tire...got a pebble in it and it was slashed. I was ready to throw my bike and call it a day, but the SAG wagon wasn't too far away. Waited for them and got a new front tire installed. Who knows how long I lost (30+ minutes), but I just wanted to finish the race. Got to mile 56 and a friend of mine had flatted twice and was DNF'ing. Stopped to see if she needed help and then went off. Hit the special needs and my neck was killing me. I had to sit up and just take it easy the rest of the ride. I'd love to go to Elite and get a good fit from DG to work out my neck and hamstring issues, but can't budget it right now.
T2 - In and out. Someone gave me tums and it was a huge help.
Run (3:48) - Since I didn't push the bike hard, my legs felt amazing. It was a three lap course, and I did the first lap around 1:12. Second lap I was running with a guy in my AG and took it a little easier than I wanted to, but was fine with it. Hit the half way point at 1:48 Third lap, I was still feeling good, but decided to run/walk the aid stations. At mile 20, my hamstrings were getting ready to cramp up and I just didn't have the run base I wanted to. Hit the last turn around and ran into the one and only, Wongstar. She was all smiles during the run. Got to run and chat with her for a few miles (22-24) which was a huge help for the mental side.
Finished in 11:29 and was ecstatic. They even gave my son a call out :) at the finish.
Tri Columbia did a great job as always. I think I'll hold off doing another 140.6 until I can ride longer than 4 hours without having issues.
Year Report
Well, now I've had a few days to reflect about the race, here is my year report. Just a warning, it will be long.
TRAINING
I started my training on 1/1/11. I rode the Columbia course on my computrainer to see where my bike fitness was. My plan was to do the Computrainer P.I.G training plan for 20 weeks to work into biking, then the BarryP 3-2-1 run trianing plan.
Jan/Feb went and I was making some progress. I was increasing my running mileage gradually and feeling great. Biking was going OK, but I was quickly realizing the Computrainer wasn't worth the money. Some people love the ERG mode, but I'd rather push my own watts then rely on something forcing me to it. The 3d software crashed, wigged out, etc. The real course videos wouldn't register for a month, then Kona had issues and Lake Placid had some "phantom" crazy hard hills. I was dissapointed because the majority of my training was going to be on the CT with Lauren pregnant.
RACE SEASON
Race season came in April, with my first sprint. I had a bad bike fit (self inflicted) and an asthma attack on the bike. I had to run/walk the run...I was not happy with that performance. I realized that my bike wasn't even close to what I was hoping to be at. I think I was in better shape the years before b/c I turned in the same time with better gear...oh well!
I did a local 5k race and finished a tough course in 17:40. I started feeling more confident about my running. I was still taking it "easy" on my runs compared to years before focusing on building base mileage. I did a 66 mile ride outdoor with some friends that felt pretty good, but started to bonk b/c of nutrition.
May had more training and a fast 5k. I ran 17:10 to get 2nd overall. I felt great and was really happy with my run training. My swim training had been going great too. I was only swimming 1-2 times a week, but got up to 3k sets.
June I had a sprint and a 70.3 race. Both I suffered from gearing issues on the bike. I was riding 165mm compact cranks with a 12/27 cassette. I was spinning out on hills and loosing time. The sprint went well, with another solid run. The 70.3 had a tough bike course. I went out too hard and suffered, but had a good run to land me 1st in my AG.
July I started getting PTTD in my right ankle. I had to back off my run training and decided to ride every day the tour did. I enjoyed this a lot. My long rides were on the trainer next to my mother-in-law's pool. I did a few 3 and 4 hr rides where I jumped in the pool to cool off. I did a sprint race and had a solid bike, but was still tired on the run. I missed 3rd OA by 30 seconds.
August came along with Isaac. We were new parents having no idea what was going on. Work gave me 1.5 weeks off, which I took advantage off. I got a 12 mile run, some biking, etc. My training dropped off, but I focused on my running until the race.
Last month I did a few 2+ hr rides, but a 16 and 18 mile run. My swimming dropped off, but I was fine with it. This leads me to the race. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, as my bike training was well below my target. I wanted to have 5 rides of 4 hrs of more and only got two. I wanted to have 4 16+ miles runs and only had 2. Oh well.
Check out my race report to see how I did. I'm doing a 15k in December and maybe another 5k, but will start formulating my training/racing plan for next year. Just waiting to hear back from a few companies about some opportunities. The big focus may be a 4:30 70.3 and a BQ at Philly.
TRAINING
I started my training on 1/1/11. I rode the Columbia course on my computrainer to see where my bike fitness was. My plan was to do the Computrainer P.I.G training plan for 20 weeks to work into biking, then the BarryP 3-2-1 run trianing plan.
Jan/Feb went and I was making some progress. I was increasing my running mileage gradually and feeling great. Biking was going OK, but I was quickly realizing the Computrainer wasn't worth the money. Some people love the ERG mode, but I'd rather push my own watts then rely on something forcing me to it. The 3d software crashed, wigged out, etc. The real course videos wouldn't register for a month, then Kona had issues and Lake Placid had some "phantom" crazy hard hills. I was dissapointed because the majority of my training was going to be on the CT with Lauren pregnant.
RACE SEASON
Race season came in April, with my first sprint. I had a bad bike fit (self inflicted) and an asthma attack on the bike. I had to run/walk the run...I was not happy with that performance. I realized that my bike wasn't even close to what I was hoping to be at. I think I was in better shape the years before b/c I turned in the same time with better gear...oh well!
I did a local 5k race and finished a tough course in 17:40. I started feeling more confident about my running. I was still taking it "easy" on my runs compared to years before focusing on building base mileage. I did a 66 mile ride outdoor with some friends that felt pretty good, but started to bonk b/c of nutrition.
May had more training and a fast 5k. I ran 17:10 to get 2nd overall. I felt great and was really happy with my run training. My swim training had been going great too. I was only swimming 1-2 times a week, but got up to 3k sets.
June I had a sprint and a 70.3 race. Both I suffered from gearing issues on the bike. I was riding 165mm compact cranks with a 12/27 cassette. I was spinning out on hills and loosing time. The sprint went well, with another solid run. The 70.3 had a tough bike course. I went out too hard and suffered, but had a good run to land me 1st in my AG.
July I started getting PTTD in my right ankle. I had to back off my run training and decided to ride every day the tour did. I enjoyed this a lot. My long rides were on the trainer next to my mother-in-law's pool. I did a few 3 and 4 hr rides where I jumped in the pool to cool off. I did a sprint race and had a solid bike, but was still tired on the run. I missed 3rd OA by 30 seconds.
August came along with Isaac. We were new parents having no idea what was going on. Work gave me 1.5 weeks off, which I took advantage off. I got a 12 mile run, some biking, etc. My training dropped off, but I focused on my running until the race.
Last month I did a few 2+ hr rides, but a 16 and 18 mile run. My swimming dropped off, but I was fine with it. This leads me to the race. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, as my bike training was well below my target. I wanted to have 5 rides of 4 hrs of more and only got two. I wanted to have 4 16+ miles runs and only had 2. Oh well.
Check out my race report to see how I did. I'm doing a 15k in December and maybe another 5k, but will start formulating my training/racing plan for next year. Just waiting to hear back from a few companies about some opportunities. The big focus may be a 4:30 70.3 and a BQ at Philly.
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