Training Log Archive: nosnhoj

Swam with Nik. Got spanked...and not in a good way.

Run from the top of Blue down the Peaks and home.

Ride to Creemore with JB for a butter tart and coffee...there was nothing closer! Was uphill and into the wind all the way there but the ride back was pretty sweet.

Swim at LA fitness in Burlington. Was a bust...pool was shorter (which made it seem that I was swimming faster!) and the acquafit ladies started pilling into the pool so had to cut the swim a little short (which was fine though!)

Around Milton.

At Kelso.

Run on the U of Cincinnati campus.

Rode in front of the lead runner at the Milton Half Marathon. The winner (plus the top 10-20) were fast!...I had to work to stay ahead at some points! Also swept the course. Most I have ridden my mountain bike all year it seems.

Event: Ironman 70.3 World Championship
 

Woke up at 4:30 to rain! Most people were probably pretty happy as it would not end up being 38 degrees C out but I get cold easily and would rather it be hot. It was still warm out though so it was not a big deal except for the transition closed at 6 am and I did not start until 7:16! Nik, Scott, Julia and I found a spot on the bridge, out of the rain to sit until the Pros started at 6:30. We then when outside to watch the Pros (to get some last minute swimming tips...didn't work!) and the first few waves before I had to go to line up to start. I, and everyone else in my wave, were pretty cold at this point. The good point about this was it made the water seem warm once we got in. The swim start was about 100 m from where we got in so got a bit of a warm up but was still cold when the gun went off.

The swim started well and I quickly found a spot that was not too crowded but there were people in front of me as to get a draft. The first half actually seemed to go quite well and I felt good as I passed the turn around. I guess I started to tire on the back half and my rhythm was disrupted a few times by people passing through. Was happy (as always) when I approached the bridge and could see the finish line. In general, the swim went well; I was expecting a better time but I will take it. It was a fairly long run (through grass turned to mud and then sand) to get to the bike. There were not many bikes around in my age group, but there were some, so I consider the swim a success!

Once out of the water, I was quite excited to be out on the bike. The first part of the course was mostly uphill on relatively rough roads. It was raining pretty good still so I was careful on the downhills (but so was everyone). I was just getting ready to settle into the long part of the ride that would take us into Lake Mead Park when I blew a tire just before going under the highway at the 5 mile mark. I was going down hill and just starting to slow down to make the turn onto the path when I head a big pop; I thought for a second that it was too bad about the luck of the guy in front of me when my bike started to shake pretty violently and realized it was me...CRAP!

I managed to stay upright and accessed the damage...I had a 2 cm gash in the back tire. Right away, I figured I would need the tech support vehicle so knew I was in for a bit of a wait. A marshall said he would radio for the guy but said it would probably take a while. I do carry tire filler and tried this however the hole was too big so it did not work (and just made a mess). I did not carry an extra tire as I have not had a flat in a race and it has been years since having one. (Plus, I run tubulars and probably would not be able to change it anyway!)

So I waited...in the rain. I was speaking to a couple who were watching and thought I was taking this problem rather well. I figured that there was nothing I could do about it anyway and I was just happy to be in the race, so I got over the flat pretty quick. Time was going by and still no support vehicle; I watched Nik and Julia (one after another) go by and Nik was concerned but I smiled and shrugged. I was thinking that Hey, if I can get going soon, it would be fun to try and catch Nik on the bike. Then I waited some more and saw Scott go by (started after Nik). And waited some more! As the number of riders passing me really thinned out, I started to get worried that I would not get help before they closed the course.

Once of the benefits of spectating at this point was I got to see the lead rides going past on their way to T2. You know they were coming since you could follow the helicopter. Where I was standing was a slight downhill, and the lead guy, Sebastan Kienle, flew by as if he was on a motorcycle. He had a pretty big gap on the guys behind him. When they came by they were all perfectly spaced so not to get a drafting penalty...it was cool to see.

Finally the tech support guy, Dave came by on the scooter. He did have extra wheels on the back but not 650s, which I run. It occurred to me that I might be screwed as he would not have a tire to give me but good ole Dave came through. It took about 10 minutes to change but he got it down and I was off. I figure I was stopped for about 50-55 minutes (I didn't time this accurately). As I rode out through the park I was pretty much alone. The course was an out and back and it was cool to watch the other riders going the other way. I passed Nik going the other way about 20 minutes before the turn around so there was no way to catch her..perhaps on the run (but not likely!) She indicated that when she saw me, there were only 5 riders behind me...so I was pretty much last!

The rest of the ride went well and it even stopped raining and started to get quite hot. I still pushed it and rode quite hard but may have even been able to push harder if I was surround but the other competitors. In the end, I was still happy with the bike, despite the issues. Actual bike time was and impressive 3:44!

At the swim start in Lake LV.

Easy run from the hotel.

Rode the start of the bike course. There are some hills!

Swam in Lake Mead. It was beautiful, clear and warm. (And no Piranhas!).

Arrived in Las Vegas and it is like being in an oven...it is great! Instead of heading straight to the casino, (was forced to) ran some of the run course. They were not kidding, it is either up or down. The grade is around 2 or 3 percent, so nothing extreme but the uphills with the heat will hurt. Especially the third time! See you soon to make a deposit Casino!

Terrible run!

Run to Thornbury followed by some ice cream!