Today Team Perfect Chocolate Elite announced their 2014 squad of 2 Pros and 4 Amateur Elite athletes. I will be the Male Pro representing them next year! This is a huge honor and I am humbled by this opportunity to race with an incredible group of athletes and promote a quality, natural product.
Since I was made this amazing offer, a few days ago, I have been reflecting on my path to get here. One of the questions PFC asked in my profile questionnaire, and a couple things that have happened today have helped provide clarification to those thoughts. The first thing that happened today was one of my friends, a former swimmer I coached, posted an article - a letter to the editor on the USA Swimming website - from an existentially distraught swimmer. She was asking what the point of swimming countless laps and at the same time, what the point of anything was. The second thing that happened today was a couple of my friends joking that I was independently wealthy while we were out for wing night (a Tuesday tradition). And the question PFC asked was simple - 'what is the moment/accomplishment you are most proud of?'
I'll address these out of order...
No, I am not independently wealthy, at least not in the traditional sense. I don't have a boatload of cash. I spent most of my early and mid 20's working nights and weekends and saving most of what I earned. Didn't have a great social life, but my career coaching swimmers was highly rewarding. I saved most of what I earned and then I went back to grad school, blew through my savings, didn't use my degree and proceeded to start life and career anew at thirty. I went into debt. Friends and family questioned my decisions. I travelled to Hawaii for a race that cost me $1500 to participate in. I amassed significant debt. Friends and family really questioned my decisions. I started a business in 2011, that I paid tax on to "operate." This business earned its first dollar in 2013. I started coaching triathletes, swimmers, cyclists and runners...until six months ago my client list hovered at two while I managed other revenue streams. Long story short, I spent the past three years building revenue streams that work together. Do I make a lot of money? No. Can I make a lot? Don't know. I do know that I can make enough.
The biggest realization is that, YES, I am independently. I do what I want. I operate on my own schedule. I work 80-100 hours a week and to the outside world it seems as though I don't work at all. And you know what, I don't care. By most people's definition, I retired at 29. I love what I do. I can influence my athletes and others' in positive and meaningful ways to live happier and healthier lives. I meet interesting people. I get to travel all over the world. AND I can earn enough to live, and save. I would classify my level of happiness and satisfaction with life as highly wealthy.
Back to the swimmer, who was searching for meaning. Mike Gustafson had a great response, which you can read here, and with which I will not attempt to compete. It did get me thinking, or rethinking, because as Mike noted, almost all swimmers reach that point at some point during their careers. I remember being embarrassed to speak about how much I cared about swimming (to those outside my own family). Since then, I've had conversations that have forced me to question my path, the peril of being one-dimensional, and the worth of what I am doing. Yes, I risk becoming one-dimensional. It is not a risk that worries me. The stars seem one dimensional from Earth, yet the North Star shines brightest; it is still possible to differentiate. I also find that the more I enjoy what I do, the more I work. I work at 6am. I work at midnight. And I work most of the time in between. I'm not bragging. Most of the work I do, other people consider their hobbies. I get paid now, and can legitimately call it work, but I did this when I didn't get paid. Which brings me to my second point. I find my meaning in my own enjoyment, my happiness. This may sound selfish but what happens, for me, is that when I enjoy what I am doing it is no longer work and I don't mind (and frankly, enjoy) spending 100 hours a week at those tasks. I spend more time speaking to people about the charities I'm involved with. I spend more time writing about those charities and planning their events. I spend more time talking to athletes, speaking with them about their goals and helping them devise plans to most efficiently use their time to achieve those goals. To the point where almost all of my "me" time is also about somebody else - and you know what, that makes me enjoy my situation even more!
So, back to the profile question. My proudest moment? Easy. Hands down, my decision to walk away from teaching. I had blown through my savings. I was in debt. I had spent 2.5 years of my life in the Education program, had graduated with a 4.0 and was certified to teach in both English and History at the High School level. The easy choice, the safe choice was to get a job and start paying back my loans. My proudest accomplishment? Sticking to that decision despite what others encouraged, and coming through with a viable career and life I am beyond happy with. Don't get me wrong, I had tremendous support, from a good number of people, but it was a struggle for a long time. And I am forever grateful to everyone who encouraged me and supported me every step of the way!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Race Report: Beach 2 Battleship
This event was the perfect way to end this season. I fell short of my goal to run a sub-3 marathon, but for 7.75 hrs I had a phenomenal race. I cracked on the run, but without pushing those boundaries it is impossible to know how to improve. This race helped me understand what went well with my training this year and where I need to focus going forward. I ended last season with a running injury and as a result spent a considerable time away from that discipline, so cracking in the last 11 miles of the run was not wholly unexpected.
As a result of my running injury, I ended 2012 with a large swim block. The swim is a huge strength for me and I wanted to get a large base so that I could maximize my potential there, with relatively little volume during the race season. My swim volume and intensity was approximately 200-300% higher (peaking at 93k meters in December) from October-January, than it was for the remainder of the year. This allowed my legs time to recover, as I wanted my primary focus for 2012 to be on the bike.
My bike focus had two sub-goals: over the winter I wanted to build strength and speed, then over the summer I wanted to build longer into some mega miles to translate that strength to an Ironman distance bike. I did everything I wanted and was feeling strong on the bike in workouts, and knew that I was ready to bike strong on the B2B course. My fitness level was high than it ever had been and I was getting comfortable putting up higher intensities later in my workouts.
Throughout this time, I was maintaining 15-20 miles per week running. Through my early season races I was actually seeing some good speed, but as I entered August, I noticed that the lack of volume and time was catching up with my run fitness. I had been injury free for many months with no nagging discomforts, so I started to ramp up my miles and maintained 30-45 miles per week through the Fall, until it was time to peak. After a few weeks of this high mileage I felt my run fitness jump. I was running more relaxed and faster than ever, but never peaked over a 2 hour run. I knew that this may catch up with me at the end of the marathon, but I was just not comfortable ramping up my mileage to include a run of that length, that close.
Swim: 48:31
The start of the race was cold. Air temps were in the mid 30's and I was having trouble maintaining feeling in my feet. I warmed up at the condo with stretch cords for 15 min and when we got to the beach I jogged around for 5-10 min. The start was a mass start, on the beach and I positioned myself in the second row of people. When the gun sounded I bolted and got out to an early lead. After less than a minute, I settled in and cruised. I didn't have the warm-up that I wanted so I wanted to ease in and build over the course of the swim. Fairly quickly two guys passed me. I grabbed the feet of the first, but he kept swerving, and the second guy was going a little stronger than I wanted that early, so I let him go. He was out of sight pretty quickly, between his speed and the glare of the sun. Over the next few hundred meters I fell back about 50m on the second place swimmer. I was only sighting on him as there were no sight buoys on this point-to-point swim (only three large buoys that indicated a left turn). I started to feel warmed-up and more relaxed as we passed the halfway point and decided that I wanted to pick up the pace and catch the second place guy around the turn. I still couldn't see this turn but started injecting 50 stroke surges with 25 strokes rest. Just as I caught him I noticed we were right on top of the turn buoys. I took a wider turn than he did, knowing that the dock exit would be on the right side, and hit it harder to ensure he didn't grab my feet. This worked and over the last ten minutes of the swim I put 30" into him to exit the water in second, 1:30 behind the lead.
T1: 3:09
I used the wetsuit strippers that were on the dock, which was so quick. I am usually very slow getting off my suit so this helped immensely! Then there was a lengthy run up to transition where the crowds were amazing. Hundreds of people were packed in, cheering which was extremely energizing as I picked up my bag and ran to my bike. I had packed arm warmers, knee warmers and gloves so that I wouldn't freeze on the bike but, between the atmosphere and knowing I was behind, I decided to shun all this and get out on the bike quick. I am typically 1:00-1:30 slower than my closest competition in T1...today I was THE fastest in transition, and came out on the bike with the lead.
Bike: 5:08:42
In the first few miles, the adrenaline of the transition area subsided, and I settled into my effort. I quickly started to shiver. My toes and feet were numb and started to tingle. By mile ten my hands and fingers had swelled to about 2.5 times their normal size, and the muscles in my forearms and hands were contracting involuntarily. My effort felt good, but I wasn't sure if hypothermia/frostbite would be a problem. Through most of the time between mile 5-20 I was talking to myself....alternately encouraging and berating myself for not taking 30 extra seconds in transition to get the warmer clothing on. My legs felt great, but I was still not convinced I wouldn't have to drop out cause of the cold. As we entered the second hour three people passed me, one at mile 21 and two around mile 27. Around this time, it started warming up...my fingers were still swollen and I was still shivering, but I knew that the forecast called for it to warm up even more over the next hour, so I wasn't as concerned. And there is nothing like a chase that helps focus your thoughts. I didn't want to deviate from my race plan, so I let them go, but noticed that they weren't pulling away as quickly as I would have expected. Knowing my back half was going to be stronger if I just remained patient, I was encouraged. Just before halfway I hit special needs. I had a bottle of calories waiting there. The transition was seamless. I was stopped for no longer than 20-30 seconds. It was absolutely the right decision. I had also opted to have a flask of soy sauce on my bike so that I could swig at that throughout, which was perfect - never had an issue with cramping, despite the cold. After I got going again, I rolled through 56 miles in 2:36:02, averaging a 151 HR.
I immediately upped my effort, and was averaging 154 HR for the next hour. My legs still felt good, but as we made some of the turns to head back home the winds didn't seem to dissipate. I was expecting a tailwind for the last 35-40 miles, but we seemed to only get crosses and headwinds though 100 miles. This got me down a little, but my effort still stayed in zone 2. My legs started feeling a little heavy, but not sapped. At this point I just started encouraging myself in 5 mile increments - 'hold the effort till 90...then 95...' It worked and when we passed the 100-mile, I could feel the winds at my back for the first time. The next ten miles I pushed 24 mph, as the effort remained constant. I was getting excited for the run and hopped out of the saddle a couple times to loosen the legs. I came through the second half in 2:32:40, averaging a 152 HR. I spent only 3:48 above my zone 2 HR, and all of that was in the first 6.5 min, coming out of transition. Additionally, I was able to maintain my effort in zone 2 for almost the entire ride, as well, spending 4:32:00 in zone 2 and a mere 38.5 min in zone 1.
Run: 3:28:06
I hit the run and felt great! We had a short out and back to begin the run. I started pushing hard, in high zone 2. I kept telling myself to relax, as I went through the first mile in 6:32, but it felt good. I wasn't labored aerobically. My calves were screaming, but I knew from experience that this would subside after the first few miles. After the first short out and back we ran past the finish line and would go through two long out and backs to Greenfield Lake. At the turn, around 7.5 miles I noticed I was about 12 min out of first and 9.5 out of second. I knew this meant I was bringing them back. I kept my effort constant, averaging in low zone 2, and went through 11 miles in 1:13:36. All my miles to this point had been 6:55 or faster and I had averaged low zone 2. At this point I started fading a bit. I still went through halfway in 1:28. At this point we ran past the finish to the turnaround and then did everything over again. I was now running in third, 4.5 min out of second and 6 min out of first. I held things together for the next couple miles, but started to feel a little light headed. I pushed up a short steep hill, and as I passed 15.5, felt like I was going to pass out. I had to start walking. I still felt dizzy and knew I needed to get to the next aid station and get some cola. I had started taking cola at the previous aid station. In hindsight, my nutrition plan for the run was inadequate. In my 70.3 races I only use sports drinks, water and cola on the run. This works well for 85 minutes, when I overload on calories on the bike. This is not enough for a 3-3.5 hour run. In the first 1:50:00 I had one gel and some water/sports drinks and found myself in a severe caloric deficit. When I reached the aid station, I pounded five cups of cola. I started to feel a little better and jogged, but between the cola and the walking, I needed a port-o-potty by the next aid station. After a lengthy stop there, I was back on the course. Still wasn't feeling great, but was moving forward. Finally around 18 miles I was feeling good again, and settled into a pace between 7:50-8:10. At this point all the spectators on the course were very much appreciated. The music was wonderful, but I wasn't processing much. Never noticed where people were on the course; just counted down the miles to the finish. The last mile I was able to open up my stride a bit and get into the finish looking strong.
Total Time: 9:31:15, 5th place
I am extremely happy with the effort. It was a total collapse on the run, but considering what I learned about my nutrition and the easy remedy of ramping up my run in training, I am confident that I will be able to come off the bike soon and run a 2:55 marathon. I am also very pleased with how my bike is coming along. I know there is much more work to be done, but it is nice to see the progress and validation of my training, here.
As a result of my running injury, I ended 2012 with a large swim block. The swim is a huge strength for me and I wanted to get a large base so that I could maximize my potential there, with relatively little volume during the race season. My swim volume and intensity was approximately 200-300% higher (peaking at 93k meters in December) from October-January, than it was for the remainder of the year. This allowed my legs time to recover, as I wanted my primary focus for 2012 to be on the bike.
My bike focus had two sub-goals: over the winter I wanted to build strength and speed, then over the summer I wanted to build longer into some mega miles to translate that strength to an Ironman distance bike. I did everything I wanted and was feeling strong on the bike in workouts, and knew that I was ready to bike strong on the B2B course. My fitness level was high than it ever had been and I was getting comfortable putting up higher intensities later in my workouts.
Throughout this time, I was maintaining 15-20 miles per week running. Through my early season races I was actually seeing some good speed, but as I entered August, I noticed that the lack of volume and time was catching up with my run fitness. I had been injury free for many months with no nagging discomforts, so I started to ramp up my miles and maintained 30-45 miles per week through the Fall, until it was time to peak. After a few weeks of this high mileage I felt my run fitness jump. I was running more relaxed and faster than ever, but never peaked over a 2 hour run. I knew that this may catch up with me at the end of the marathon, but I was just not comfortable ramping up my mileage to include a run of that length, that close.
Swim: 48:31
The start of the race was cold. Air temps were in the mid 30's and I was having trouble maintaining feeling in my feet. I warmed up at the condo with stretch cords for 15 min and when we got to the beach I jogged around for 5-10 min. The start was a mass start, on the beach and I positioned myself in the second row of people. When the gun sounded I bolted and got out to an early lead. After less than a minute, I settled in and cruised. I didn't have the warm-up that I wanted so I wanted to ease in and build over the course of the swim. Fairly quickly two guys passed me. I grabbed the feet of the first, but he kept swerving, and the second guy was going a little stronger than I wanted that early, so I let him go. He was out of sight pretty quickly, between his speed and the glare of the sun. Over the next few hundred meters I fell back about 50m on the second place swimmer. I was only sighting on him as there were no sight buoys on this point-to-point swim (only three large buoys that indicated a left turn). I started to feel warmed-up and more relaxed as we passed the halfway point and decided that I wanted to pick up the pace and catch the second place guy around the turn. I still couldn't see this turn but started injecting 50 stroke surges with 25 strokes rest. Just as I caught him I noticed we were right on top of the turn buoys. I took a wider turn than he did, knowing that the dock exit would be on the right side, and hit it harder to ensure he didn't grab my feet. This worked and over the last ten minutes of the swim I put 30" into him to exit the water in second, 1:30 behind the lead.
T1: 3:09
I used the wetsuit strippers that were on the dock, which was so quick. I am usually very slow getting off my suit so this helped immensely! Then there was a lengthy run up to transition where the crowds were amazing. Hundreds of people were packed in, cheering which was extremely energizing as I picked up my bag and ran to my bike. I had packed arm warmers, knee warmers and gloves so that I wouldn't freeze on the bike but, between the atmosphere and knowing I was behind, I decided to shun all this and get out on the bike quick. I am typically 1:00-1:30 slower than my closest competition in T1...today I was THE fastest in transition, and came out on the bike with the lead.
Bike: 5:08:42
In the first few miles, the adrenaline of the transition area subsided, and I settled into my effort. I quickly started to shiver. My toes and feet were numb and started to tingle. By mile ten my hands and fingers had swelled to about 2.5 times their normal size, and the muscles in my forearms and hands were contracting involuntarily. My effort felt good, but I wasn't sure if hypothermia/frostbite would be a problem. Through most of the time between mile 5-20 I was talking to myself....alternately encouraging and berating myself for not taking 30 extra seconds in transition to get the warmer clothing on. My legs felt great, but I was still not convinced I wouldn't have to drop out cause of the cold. As we entered the second hour three people passed me, one at mile 21 and two around mile 27. Around this time, it started warming up...my fingers were still swollen and I was still shivering, but I knew that the forecast called for it to warm up even more over the next hour, so I wasn't as concerned. And there is nothing like a chase that helps focus your thoughts. I didn't want to deviate from my race plan, so I let them go, but noticed that they weren't pulling away as quickly as I would have expected. Knowing my back half was going to be stronger if I just remained patient, I was encouraged. Just before halfway I hit special needs. I had a bottle of calories waiting there. The transition was seamless. I was stopped for no longer than 20-30 seconds. It was absolutely the right decision. I had also opted to have a flask of soy sauce on my bike so that I could swig at that throughout, which was perfect - never had an issue with cramping, despite the cold. After I got going again, I rolled through 56 miles in 2:36:02, averaging a 151 HR.
I immediately upped my effort, and was averaging 154 HR for the next hour. My legs still felt good, but as we made some of the turns to head back home the winds didn't seem to dissipate. I was expecting a tailwind for the last 35-40 miles, but we seemed to only get crosses and headwinds though 100 miles. This got me down a little, but my effort still stayed in zone 2. My legs started feeling a little heavy, but not sapped. At this point I just started encouraging myself in 5 mile increments - 'hold the effort till 90...then 95...' It worked and when we passed the 100-mile, I could feel the winds at my back for the first time. The next ten miles I pushed 24 mph, as the effort remained constant. I was getting excited for the run and hopped out of the saddle a couple times to loosen the legs. I came through the second half in 2:32:40, averaging a 152 HR. I spent only 3:48 above my zone 2 HR, and all of that was in the first 6.5 min, coming out of transition. Additionally, I was able to maintain my effort in zone 2 for almost the entire ride, as well, spending 4:32:00 in zone 2 and a mere 38.5 min in zone 1.
Run: 3:28:06
I hit the run and felt great! We had a short out and back to begin the run. I started pushing hard, in high zone 2. I kept telling myself to relax, as I went through the first mile in 6:32, but it felt good. I wasn't labored aerobically. My calves were screaming, but I knew from experience that this would subside after the first few miles. After the first short out and back we ran past the finish line and would go through two long out and backs to Greenfield Lake. At the turn, around 7.5 miles I noticed I was about 12 min out of first and 9.5 out of second. I knew this meant I was bringing them back. I kept my effort constant, averaging in low zone 2, and went through 11 miles in 1:13:36. All my miles to this point had been 6:55 or faster and I had averaged low zone 2. At this point I started fading a bit. I still went through halfway in 1:28. At this point we ran past the finish to the turnaround and then did everything over again. I was now running in third, 4.5 min out of second and 6 min out of first. I held things together for the next couple miles, but started to feel a little light headed. I pushed up a short steep hill, and as I passed 15.5, felt like I was going to pass out. I had to start walking. I still felt dizzy and knew I needed to get to the next aid station and get some cola. I had started taking cola at the previous aid station. In hindsight, my nutrition plan for the run was inadequate. In my 70.3 races I only use sports drinks, water and cola on the run. This works well for 85 minutes, when I overload on calories on the bike. This is not enough for a 3-3.5 hour run. In the first 1:50:00 I had one gel and some water/sports drinks and found myself in a severe caloric deficit. When I reached the aid station, I pounded five cups of cola. I started to feel a little better and jogged, but between the cola and the walking, I needed a port-o-potty by the next aid station. After a lengthy stop there, I was back on the course. Still wasn't feeling great, but was moving forward. Finally around 18 miles I was feeling good again, and settled into a pace between 7:50-8:10. At this point all the spectators on the course were very much appreciated. The music was wonderful, but I wasn't processing much. Never noticed where people were on the course; just counted down the miles to the finish. The last mile I was able to open up my stride a bit and get into the finish looking strong.
Total Time: 9:31:15, 5th place
I am extremely happy with the effort. It was a total collapse on the run, but considering what I learned about my nutrition and the easy remedy of ramping up my run in training, I am confident that I will be able to come off the bike soon and run a 2:55 marathon. I am also very pleased with how my bike is coming along. I know there is much more work to be done, but it is nice to see the progress and validation of my training, here.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Race Week - B2B
As I write this, it is less than four days till I toe the line in Wrightsville Beach for the Beach to Battleship Ironman. I am extremely happy with my prep this year, and my peaking workouts over the past two weeks has me primed and excited for a great race!
This will only be my second Ironman distance race ever. The difference between the two couldn't be greater, both in terms of preparation and the race itself. In fact, the only thing that is similar is that there were separate transitions. My first race was St. George in 2011. That was an early season race (May 7) while this is late. The bike and run were super hilly (if not mountainous), B2B is completely flat. The swim was freshwater and 59 degrees, this will be salt water and should be a balmy 70. The temps in St. George tapped out at 95, while the forecast in Wilmington is calling for a high in the mid-60's. And in terms of my prep - I have put in no less than 80% of my total lifetime volume on the bike in the 2.5 years since St. George.
Needless to say, my expectations are high. But without a great deal of experience at the distance and almost no experience with a largely flat course, I found it difficult coming up with concrete goals. This time around, I wanted to be strong the entire event - I wanted to be able to race, not just survive. But that's ambiguous. In St. George I was averaging 18mph on the bike at mile 80 and limped in with an overall average of 16.9mph. I ran the first 1/2 Marathon strong in 1:45, but cramped and walked the uphills on the second half and cruised into the finish with a 3:54. I was pleased with the day, then, but shouldn't be too hard to "race" strong in comparison this time. I've structured my training this year to build strength on the bike. I backed off the swim, as that has always been a strength, and due to some late season injuries last year maintained a general maintenance mode on the run, until mid August. That said, I am swimming well and my run has never been stronger or faster, no doubt in part due to the 50% increase in bike volume.
The swim is always tough to establish a concrete goal - will there be current? will the course be accurate - long or short? And especially in a mass start, like B2B, you never know the swimming backgrounds of the other athletes. I just want to be near the front and relaxed, coming out of the water. The lack of a current this year should aid me in that effort.
The bike again, is a total unknown. I've been getting stronger, but the only time I've raced over 56 miles, was in Bend 5 weeks ago and that had 6000 ft of elevation gain. I believe I am much stronger, relatively, on a flat course. We'll see if that is true. My goals for the bike are to monitor my effort and maintain a mid zone 2 HR. I averaged 152 HR in Bend, for 7:13:00. I would like to average slightly above that for this course, as it will be shorter and will not have the variability of large downhills. I will also have to even out my effort, as I peaked into zone 3 for 49:00 in Bend.
My biggest goal is on the run. I don't care about overall pace or time; I want to run a sub-3 hour marathon. I have done a great deal of pace work and intensity runs up to 2 hrs that indicate my fitness level is in line with that goal. I have been planning for that run all year and have hit all my pace goals in workouts over the past few months.
Now all that's left to do is go out and execute, and see what the day brings!
This will only be my second Ironman distance race ever. The difference between the two couldn't be greater, both in terms of preparation and the race itself. In fact, the only thing that is similar is that there were separate transitions. My first race was St. George in 2011. That was an early season race (May 7) while this is late. The bike and run were super hilly (if not mountainous), B2B is completely flat. The swim was freshwater and 59 degrees, this will be salt water and should be a balmy 70. The temps in St. George tapped out at 95, while the forecast in Wilmington is calling for a high in the mid-60's. And in terms of my prep - I have put in no less than 80% of my total lifetime volume on the bike in the 2.5 years since St. George.
Needless to say, my expectations are high. But without a great deal of experience at the distance and almost no experience with a largely flat course, I found it difficult coming up with concrete goals. This time around, I wanted to be strong the entire event - I wanted to be able to race, not just survive. But that's ambiguous. In St. George I was averaging 18mph on the bike at mile 80 and limped in with an overall average of 16.9mph. I ran the first 1/2 Marathon strong in 1:45, but cramped and walked the uphills on the second half and cruised into the finish with a 3:54. I was pleased with the day, then, but shouldn't be too hard to "race" strong in comparison this time. I've structured my training this year to build strength on the bike. I backed off the swim, as that has always been a strength, and due to some late season injuries last year maintained a general maintenance mode on the run, until mid August. That said, I am swimming well and my run has never been stronger or faster, no doubt in part due to the 50% increase in bike volume.
The swim is always tough to establish a concrete goal - will there be current? will the course be accurate - long or short? And especially in a mass start, like B2B, you never know the swimming backgrounds of the other athletes. I just want to be near the front and relaxed, coming out of the water. The lack of a current this year should aid me in that effort.
The bike again, is a total unknown. I've been getting stronger, but the only time I've raced over 56 miles, was in Bend 5 weeks ago and that had 6000 ft of elevation gain. I believe I am much stronger, relatively, on a flat course. We'll see if that is true. My goals for the bike are to monitor my effort and maintain a mid zone 2 HR. I averaged 152 HR in Bend, for 7:13:00. I would like to average slightly above that for this course, as it will be shorter and will not have the variability of large downhills. I will also have to even out my effort, as I peaked into zone 3 for 49:00 in Bend.
My biggest goal is on the run. I don't care about overall pace or time; I want to run a sub-3 hour marathon. I have done a great deal of pace work and intensity runs up to 2 hrs that indicate my fitness level is in line with that goal. I have been planning for that run all year and have hit all my pace goals in workouts over the past few months.
Now all that's left to do is go out and execute, and see what the day brings!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
18 Days Till B2B: Last Big Training Block Completed!
I'm less than three weeks away from the race. As I enter the peaking phase of my training I thought I would offer up a numbers post. I'm always curious to see what others' are doing with their training, so instead of a narrative here is what my last couple weeks looked like in numbers over the last 10 days:
Swimming:
4 workouts
13,200 meters
4.25 hrs
2 days were maintenance
1 day threshold speed (24 x 50 with 15" rest - held 35")
1 day strength pull set (4000m)
Cycling:
6 workouts
275.66 miles
16.5 hrs
3 days were maintenance
1 three hr progression
1 long strength/power - 4.5 hrs with 12.5 mile loop @ IM effort, 12.5 mile loop at 1/2IM effort followed by 6 x 6' hill repeats at Oly effort
1 long ride - 5.5 hrs
Running:
5 workouts
51.97 miles
6.25 hrs
2 days were maintenance
1 speed day (3 x 1 mile with 3' rest)
1 two hour progression run
1 workout with 6 x 2..6 mile @ IM effort with 2' rest (2 hrs)
I was happy with this block. The swim workouts were kind of blah, but I'm really looking forward to the run at B2B and my run workouts were fantastic this week. I had my best results on the 3 x 1 mile workout, the progression run went better than it ever has gone and I was pleased with the long intervals. I fell apart a little bit on the last effort but had good speed to start and held well to the fifth repeat.
I was also pleased with the two long bike workouts. My buddy Ryan Toner, who will also be competing down at B2B came up for the weekend for those workouts. On Saturday we did the bike intervals. I'd never done the tempo intervals followed by the longer high end hill repeats, but was happy with the consistency and power I was able to put out on those. On Sunday we went for a long, hilly, ride in horrible conditions. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone, but those miserable rides are nice to have in the back pocket when the weather isn't perfect at a race. It was after these two days that I ran the long repeats, on Monday.
Now it's peaking time!
Swimming:
4 workouts
13,200 meters
4.25 hrs
2 days were maintenance
1 day threshold speed (24 x 50 with 15" rest - held 35")
1 day strength pull set (4000m)
Cycling:
6 workouts
275.66 miles
16.5 hrs
3 days were maintenance
1 three hr progression
1 long strength/power - 4.5 hrs with 12.5 mile loop @ IM effort, 12.5 mile loop at 1/2IM effort followed by 6 x 6' hill repeats at Oly effort
1 long ride - 5.5 hrs
Running:
5 workouts
51.97 miles
6.25 hrs
2 days were maintenance
1 speed day (3 x 1 mile with 3' rest)
1 two hour progression run
1 workout with 6 x 2..6 mile @ IM effort with 2' rest (2 hrs)
I was happy with this block. The swim workouts were kind of blah, but I'm really looking forward to the run at B2B and my run workouts were fantastic this week. I had my best results on the 3 x 1 mile workout, the progression run went better than it ever has gone and I was pleased with the long intervals. I fell apart a little bit on the last effort but had good speed to start and held well to the fifth repeat.
I was also pleased with the two long bike workouts. My buddy Ryan Toner, who will also be competing down at B2B came up for the weekend for those workouts. On Saturday we did the bike intervals. I'd never done the tempo intervals followed by the longer high end hill repeats, but was happy with the consistency and power I was able to put out on those. On Sunday we went for a long, hilly, ride in horrible conditions. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone, but those miserable rides are nice to have in the back pocket when the weather isn't perfect at a race. It was after these two days that I ran the long repeats, on Monday.
Now it's peaking time!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
4 Weeks Till B2B
I'm four weeks out from my only true Ironman race, this year. It will be only my second attempt at this distance. But with the training I've put in over the last year, as well as my last tune-up, at the Leadman 250 last weekend I am super excited about Beach to Battleship, in Wilmington, NC. The two biggest things I took away from Leadman were that I needed work on the bike and that my run was coming along quicker than expected.
I am very excited about the run course down at B2B. It is perfectly flat and will really allow me to get out there and hammer early without having to worry about cramping on hills. I also like the design of the course being so spectator friendly. My Mom will be down for the race and my cousin is coming in from Alaska for a family reunion of sorts...I have a lot of family in the Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC area that I haven't seen for years. It will be awesome to see them! So, I'm very much looking forward to seeing them multiple times along the course, which isn't possible at some other races.
This week my training hit a bit of a speed bump. Between the travelling for Leadman and the race itself, I was a little worn down and spent most of the week sick. I've tried to train through these things in the past and gone weeks without shaking the sickness. Now I just opt for a couple days of rest and sleep and come back stronger and quicker. That said, I'm still not happy that I've been totally down for 4 days this week. I got in a great base run on Pre's Trail, in Eugene, the day before I left. It was a beautiful trail - mostly flat along the Willamette, through open fields and through patches of forest. Not quite peaceful, as it is busy, but still a very beautiful setting. Was the first time I've been able to average sub-7's for that type of run, which I found very encouraging considering it was less than two days following the race. My only other workout this week was a 30 minute easy run, yesterday.
My plan is to hit the next ten days hard, then taper down over the last 2.5 weeks. Can't wait to see how this last block goes! Looking forward to a couple good long rides and some quality interval training on the run. At this point my swim is in maintenance. I am happy with where my swim is and will back off it for the next ten days, and ramp back up as I start to decrease overall volume.
I am very excited about the run course down at B2B. It is perfectly flat and will really allow me to get out there and hammer early without having to worry about cramping on hills. I also like the design of the course being so spectator friendly. My Mom will be down for the race and my cousin is coming in from Alaska for a family reunion of sorts...I have a lot of family in the Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC area that I haven't seen for years. It will be awesome to see them! So, I'm very much looking forward to seeing them multiple times along the course, which isn't possible at some other races.
This week my training hit a bit of a speed bump. Between the travelling for Leadman and the race itself, I was a little worn down and spent most of the week sick. I've tried to train through these things in the past and gone weeks without shaking the sickness. Now I just opt for a couple days of rest and sleep and come back stronger and quicker. That said, I'm still not happy that I've been totally down for 4 days this week. I got in a great base run on Pre's Trail, in Eugene, the day before I left. It was a beautiful trail - mostly flat along the Willamette, through open fields and through patches of forest. Not quite peaceful, as it is busy, but still a very beautiful setting. Was the first time I've been able to average sub-7's for that type of run, which I found very encouraging considering it was less than two days following the race. My only other workout this week was a 30 minute easy run, yesterday.
My plan is to hit the next ten days hard, then taper down over the last 2.5 weeks. Can't wait to see how this last block goes! Looking forward to a couple good long rides and some quality interval training on the run. At this point my swim is in maintenance. I am happy with where my swim is and will back off it for the next ten days, and ramp back up as I start to decrease overall volume.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Leadman Epic 250 - Race Report
Going into this week I didn't have too many expectations. I hadn't really raced this distance ever...I had completed a couple races of this distance in 2011, but never felt like I had any extra gear to go to, in either. I had chosen this race for two big reasons: I had always wanted to travel to Oregon, and I wanted challenge myself on the bike. The bike is my weakness and I had been spending a lot of time in the saddle this year. I also didn't know what to expect from the elevation. I had never trained or raced at elevation, and the swim and bike were almost entirely above 4500 ft. I really just wanted to go out and be strong the entire way and see how I stacked up against some West Coast competition, with my final race of the season - Beach to Battleship Ironman five weeks away.
The weather reports all week were getting worse and worse for race day. It was going to be cold and rainy. Then, the day before it looked like there could be snow, with temps in the low 30's at the start. Luckily we woke up and it was slightly warmer than expected - high 30's/low 40's. They had warming tents at the start as well, so it was pretty easy to change into my wetsuit and stay warm prior to the start.
5K Swim: 58:51
The swim start was in-water, and required us to swim about 1 min to a buoy away from shore. This little "warm-up" was perfect; my face stung when the water hit and I had to lift my head out a couple times, but we could stand by the buoy and it gave me some time to get acclimated to the chill. There was no warning prior to the start, just an air horn from shore. I was caught bouncing up and down, but I wasn't concerned about hammering the swim. I wanted to take things a little easier and come out of the water fresher than I had in my Half IM races. So I didn't panic. Waited to hit the bottom again and pushed off into a relaxed stroke. I had lined up all the way to the right and noticed a couple people jump out to my left. After a few strokes I sighted and saw the lead kayak, (Yes, this race had a lead kayak. All races should have a lead kayak.) realized I was right on the feet of the lead swimmer, and swimming right past him. It was foggy and it was super to be able to sight off the kayak the entire way. It was very peaceful. I settled in and decided to enjoy this as much as possible. The lake was super clear and that cold bluish green color, that glows, that you only see in mountain lakes. When you came through the first loop you had to exit the water, run up one side of the boat ramp and down the other side. Someone yelled that I was 27 minutes, and I was pretty happy with that. You never know about swim distance and time, until it's over, but that assured me that I would be out under an hour. The second loop was a little less serene, as I swam through some of the 125 participants, and I lost the kayak a couple times as they had to jump out around those swimmers. I felt great the whole swim and exited comfortable. I was cold, and my hands were swollen a bit, but altogether in good shape.
T1: 7:33
I didn't hear a time as I exited and they didn't have a clock set up, so I didn't know exactly where I was. All of our bike gear was in a transition bag that we had to pick up on the way to our bike. I had stuffed the bag full of warm clothes, as I get cold very easily. I ducked into the heated changing tent. This transition took me forever - I had the dexterity of an infant and had made the decision to put my tri top on after the swim, to keep it as dry as possible. In hindsight this was a poor decision that cost me some time as it fits very snug and got caught around my head no less than five times before I successfully pulled it on. Then I had my knee warmers, gloves and jacket to put on, before I ran to my bike. As I grabbed my bike I heard the announcer yell 1:04, so I figured I must have made it out of transition in 65 minutes - between 8-10 min in transition. Yikes!
136 mile Bike - 7:12:52
This course had everything. I was a little nervous heading into the bike, with the long descents and the conditions, but the course was laid out perfectly to ease me into those. The first 30 miles was a long out and back along the Cascade Lakes Byway. There were some gentle downgrades that allowed me to cruise around 30mph for extended periods. We passed through a controlled burn - never seen one. Interesting - cops and officials just sitting on the side of the road watching the forest floor smolder. It smelled good. Around mile 12 I was passed; I was wondering where that put me and how many people had passed me in transition. I was paying attention to my heart rate and was happy with the effort, so I let him go. I realized at the turn a few miles later that I had the lead until that point.
The majority of the bike course was going to be 1.5 loops of Mt. Bachelor. We hit this loop at mile 38, and I made a point of checking my watch. For the next 20 miles we rolled up, then we hit the climb up Bachelor (4.7 miles at an average grade of 3.7%...most of that in the first two miles). The roads were dry through this section and I was beginning to think I might have to ditch my jacket. I was making sure to drink plenty of water and sports drinks, as I was sweating a lot in my rain jacket. Through these sections I was passed by a couple 250 athletes, but decided to stay within myself as it was still early on in the ride. We crested Bachelor - 6400 ft. - at 65 miles into the bike. It started to drizzle. Five minutes later, as we made the turn to Sun River, the skies had opened. The entire descent, for the next 20 minutes there was constant rain, with intermittent downpours and hail. I tend to get skittish on the descents. We don't really have any sustained descents in Connecticut, where I live, and so I popped out a couple times. But what I began to realize was that I had more control of the bike in the aero bars. I couldn't brake, but I wasn't tossed by the gusts as much because of the smaller position and the weight on the front wheel.
This descent was followed by almost ten miles of flats where you could see forever. I had been passed along the descent from Bachelor twice, by the same guy. I knew the section would be fast, and so I skipped an aid station, that he apparently stopped for. Through the flats I keyed off this guy. He had a sizeable lead, but you could see forever along this stretch. When we made the final turn of the loop, onto Forest Road 40, I was in need of some calories and water. I grabbed the bottle and pedaled back up to speed, before I took a drink. Nothing. The seal was still on - great. I jammed the bottle between my aerobars, thinking I could unscrew the cap and rip off the seal. I got that far, but it was one of the unfriendly seals, that you need nails to pry off. I needed the hydration and electrolytes, with a climb ahead, so I stopped my bike. My hands were in gloves so I bit at the seal to try and break it. As I did this the cap fell out of my hand and down a 3 foot gully. Really? I ignore that, punch through the seal and take a big gulp. Then bike in left hand I scramble down the embankment, pick up the cap, scramble up, screw it back on and hop back on my bike. Two minutes later someone blows by me. The whole stretch on 40, after that, was definitely the low point of the race for me emotionally. I wasn't paying as much attention to my HR - I'm sure it dropped. The day started feeling long, and I started all I was thinking about was the monster climb that I had to do again. My legs were also starting to tweak - threatening to cramp.
Just before we turned off 40, at mile 90, we hit the special needs tent. I can fit 1000+ calories into a bottle and not have to worry about a whole lot. I also have the added bonus that I have a strong stomach and I don't typically have any GI issues. I had gone through the bottle I started with and swapped it out for a new one. I also don't like to worry about my sodium intake. In my Half IM races I take a 20ml shot of soy sauce in each transition. For a 10 hour race I added a third shot, which I took now. I also grabbed some solid calories while I was there, which was awesome after surviving on liquids all day! Within a couple miles my legs felt good again.
Another 250 athlete rolled up on me as I entered special needs and we exited together. I was still not in a great place mentally, so I let him go. Shortly after we hit the Cascade Lakes Byway another guy passed me, with authority. He caught the other dude pretty quickly and I could see that they were riding together for a bit. The next few miles drifted by. There was a flat section that led into a decent climb and when I hit this area I started to regain some composure. I was slightly slower than the first time I had been around this section, but I looked up and could still see the two guys off in the distance. This encouraged me and I started to pay attention to my HR again. It was a bit low, and I forced myself to push. I could see fairly quickly that I was pulling the two riders back to me, which motivated me more. At the top of this smaller climb the road leveled off for about three miles leading up to the huge climb. We passed another aid station and I yelled for water. I was fairly parched. I caged it and glanced down to make sure it was secure in the cage. What? A screw top? Really? Thanks. I pushed to catch up to the guy in front. On the last straightaway I passed him and he countered to get back in front of me right at the bottom of the climb. For the next five miles I just keyed off him and stayed 100-150m behind him.
Comparison of duplicated sections:
Lead-up to Bachelor #1 - 1:10:00
Bachelor Climb #1 - 27:00
Lead-up to Bachelor #2 - 1:18:00
Bachelor Climb #2 - 27:00
I was happy with the power and strength I had at the back end of this ride. I was very pleased with the consistency of the ride. And I was very pleased with my last descent. I didn't come out of the aero bars once over the final descent (with the exception of a brief climb mid-way). This was a big step for me and one that I am sure will pay dividends the next time I find myself on a Western course with long descents.
14 mile Run: 1:43:59
I hit the run at the same point as one other guy who I passed almost immediately out of transition. My left hip flexor felt awful. Wasn't necessarily hurting my running, but was distracting and very tight. I figured it would just loosen up and eventually it did. Around the 1 mile mark I saw three guys up the road a little way, and caught them within the next half mile. One was running slow and it looked like the other two had been running together, but one had just been broken. I passed the first two easily and as I caught the last guy, I stepped past him, then decided to run with him. I was pushing hard at this point and was not super comfortable, so I thought I'd ease up slightly and get a running partner. Well, we hit hills right away, and this guy, Jason, was strong on the hills. He would pick up a couple steps and I would catch up on flats and downhills. We ended up running the next five + miles together, until the end of loop 1. There was an extended flat and I held pace. I thought he'd be strong in the hills again, so when I realized that he wasn't with me anymore, I pushed slightly through the rollers over the first couple miles of the loop. I was feeling pretty good at this point, and transitioned from sports drinks and water to Coke and water. I needed the simple sugars and it worked well through the hills. With a little more than 2 miles to go I started feeling dizzy and disoriented and very cold. I imagine when I am able to upload my run data I will also see a fairly significant drop in HR. I reached the last aid station at this point and, for the only time in the run, walked so that I could take down both water and coke. I started running immediately again and was still moving fairly well. Then with about 1 mile to go I was passed. Like the road runner going by a slug...this guy was flying, and there was nothing I could do about it. And I ran even laps:
Lap 1 - 51:00ish
Lap 2 - 51:30ish
There was an extension at the start and finish.
Total Time - 10:05:42
This was my best day racing. Ever. I have always wanted to race this long and felt I was able to finally live up to that. I was able to put forth a consistent effort on the bike and come off and run strong for 14 miles. I know that I have my work cut out for me on the bike. I have built up the volume that allows me to stay strong late into races, but I need more tempo rides and more consistently hard efforts on the bike, in addition to that volume, to reach a level where I can begin to hold the leads I gain coming out of the water. My run exceeded my expectation, with a top-4 split, and I was super pleased with the ease I was able to swim away from the field. I'm looking forward to testing myself on an Iron distance course and seeing how my run holds up over 26.2 miles at Beach to Battleship, on October 26th!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Toughman Race Report
This was my second year in the elite field at the Toughman Half Ironman, in Croton-on-Hudson. I was looking forward to this race as a good indicator of my fitness and as an opportunity to get out and race against a quality field. I had been getting back into race form for a month, since taking the better part of the summer as bike base block.
Swim: 16:40
This race has a notoriously short swim, as you can tell by my time, and there is a slight current that you swim Iwith during the back half. I had a poor start to the race. The water was very shallow for about 2-300 yds and I chose to start swimming very early. My HR tends to spike when I dolphin dive and I wanted to settle in early. Well, I found myself way down on a number of people and overcompensated. I had pulled into second well before the turn buoy, but was rattled and swimming hard. I turned wide as well and was motioned in by several kayaks along the way. But I exited the water only 1:22 down on John Kenny, who is one of the best swimmers in the sport, so I was happy with the effort. The previous year I had been first out of the water against the same people who were behind me, but was passed in transition. While I was still somewhat slow in T1, I held my position heading out onto the bike.
Bike: 2:56:15
I had a hard time getting my HR to settle early in the bike, and about 1.5 miles in you start to climb. I was getting to the top of the climb, just before the 4 mile mark, shifting between chain rings when I dropped my chain. I thought this would be an easy fix, but it was jammed between the crank and the frame pretty good. Thanks to all the police officers/officials who stopped and tried to help! Finally after 20 minutes, the third officer was able to kick it free. At this point, I had been passed by about 150 people and was totally out of the race. I knew I wanted to finish, as my parents had trekked out to watch me, so I reset my bike computer and treated it as a tough training ride from there on out. When you race enough, these types of things will happen. I was pleased with my effort from that point forward. I settled into a good rhythm on the long out and back stretch, to end the first loop, and was passing people frequently. This helped keep my motivation up as I was continually bridging up to the next group. As the second loop started I knew that I wasn't going to be able to shift down to the small chain ring. Normally I don't spend too much time there, while I'm racing, but it would have been nice to spin a little bit more going up the climbs just past the halfway point. I could tell I was exerting myself for no gain, but told myself it was good training for my next two races, which were going to be IM length or greater, on the bike. I had timed my split for the 10 miles in and out of the far turnaround so that I could compare loops. I wanted to maintain the same effort for both loops, and was pleased that my output was the same 75 min apart (with the hills in between).
Run: 1:30:29
Coming off the bike, I decided I didn't want to push as hard as I could on the run. I started off at IM effort and allowed myself to push a little bit more on the hills. My last race of the year will be Beach to Battleship, which is a flat IM distance race in Wilmington, NC. I would like to run approximately 3 hrs there, so I figured this would be a good test to maintain pace. The Toughman run course is very hilly with a net gain on the way out and descent on the way back. It is a beautiful run that ascends, on trails, to an aqueduct that we ran over between 7-8 miles. I averaged 7:05's for the first half, then cruised home at 6:48 pace, and averaged just over IM effort for the entire run.
Total Time: 4:46:30
With a race day like that, it is easy to find what went wrong. Some days it is easy to see what went right. No matter what, there will always be things that can be improved upon and positives to take away. The obvious takeaway here is to make sure my bike is properly tuned and adjusted every race. This was a B race for me, and my bike shop was backlogged with extra work, so I just dismissed what I thought was minor rubbing. But, much of what happened as a result of that mistake was positive. I had time to reflect on my swim effort and as I thought back to most of my races, my HR is exceptionally high coming onto the bike. I think going into my longer races I definitely need to settle down and not push the early leg as hard. I have put in a lot of time on the bike this year, and I noticed the effects while I was out on the course. My leg strength held up for the entire ride, even with the big chain ring push up the hills. That's a positive to take into my longer races. And my run felt good. While I certainly couldn't hold that effort for an IM marathon, on that type of course, I am more confident that I can settle in and hold pace on a flat course.
Swim: 16:40
This race has a notoriously short swim, as you can tell by my time, and there is a slight current that you swim Iwith during the back half. I had a poor start to the race. The water was very shallow for about 2-300 yds and I chose to start swimming very early. My HR tends to spike when I dolphin dive and I wanted to settle in early. Well, I found myself way down on a number of people and overcompensated. I had pulled into second well before the turn buoy, but was rattled and swimming hard. I turned wide as well and was motioned in by several kayaks along the way. But I exited the water only 1:22 down on John Kenny, who is one of the best swimmers in the sport, so I was happy with the effort. The previous year I had been first out of the water against the same people who were behind me, but was passed in transition. While I was still somewhat slow in T1, I held my position heading out onto the bike.
Bike: 2:56:15
I had a hard time getting my HR to settle early in the bike, and about 1.5 miles in you start to climb. I was getting to the top of the climb, just before the 4 mile mark, shifting between chain rings when I dropped my chain. I thought this would be an easy fix, but it was jammed between the crank and the frame pretty good. Thanks to all the police officers/officials who stopped and tried to help! Finally after 20 minutes, the third officer was able to kick it free. At this point, I had been passed by about 150 people and was totally out of the race. I knew I wanted to finish, as my parents had trekked out to watch me, so I reset my bike computer and treated it as a tough training ride from there on out. When you race enough, these types of things will happen. I was pleased with my effort from that point forward. I settled into a good rhythm on the long out and back stretch, to end the first loop, and was passing people frequently. This helped keep my motivation up as I was continually bridging up to the next group. As the second loop started I knew that I wasn't going to be able to shift down to the small chain ring. Normally I don't spend too much time there, while I'm racing, but it would have been nice to spin a little bit more going up the climbs just past the halfway point. I could tell I was exerting myself for no gain, but told myself it was good training for my next two races, which were going to be IM length or greater, on the bike. I had timed my split for the 10 miles in and out of the far turnaround so that I could compare loops. I wanted to maintain the same effort for both loops, and was pleased that my output was the same 75 min apart (with the hills in between).
Run: 1:30:29
Coming off the bike, I decided I didn't want to push as hard as I could on the run. I started off at IM effort and allowed myself to push a little bit more on the hills. My last race of the year will be Beach to Battleship, which is a flat IM distance race in Wilmington, NC. I would like to run approximately 3 hrs there, so I figured this would be a good test to maintain pace. The Toughman run course is very hilly with a net gain on the way out and descent on the way back. It is a beautiful run that ascends, on trails, to an aqueduct that we ran over between 7-8 miles. I averaged 7:05's for the first half, then cruised home at 6:48 pace, and averaged just over IM effort for the entire run.
Total Time: 4:46:30
With a race day like that, it is easy to find what went wrong. Some days it is easy to see what went right. No matter what, there will always be things that can be improved upon and positives to take away. The obvious takeaway here is to make sure my bike is properly tuned and adjusted every race. This was a B race for me, and my bike shop was backlogged with extra work, so I just dismissed what I thought was minor rubbing. But, much of what happened as a result of that mistake was positive. I had time to reflect on my swim effort and as I thought back to most of my races, my HR is exceptionally high coming onto the bike. I think going into my longer races I definitely need to settle down and not push the early leg as hard. I have put in a lot of time on the bike this year, and I noticed the effects while I was out on the course. My leg strength held up for the entire ride, even with the big chain ring push up the hills. That's a positive to take into my longer races. And my run felt good. While I certainly couldn't hold that effort for an IM marathon, on that type of course, I am more confident that I can settle in and hold pace on a flat course.
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