Okay, So I haven't been so good about writing like I said I would be. So I'm going to do a whirlwind wrap up of the things I've done since the Boston Marathon. Oh and our cool dog Gretchen wanted to say hey.
The next two weeks was about training and doing a stroke & stride. On June 15th I did the 1st race in the 5430 series, this actually the first time I will have done all three of these races. Anyway, the 5430 Sprint had almost 1200 people if I remember correctly. I went 1:19:07 which got me 42nd overall and 9th in my age group, rather humbling and amazing how many people are really fast and I'm barely even close. This was a 1/2 mile swim, 17 mile bike, and 5k run and was semi happy with how things went speed wise, although it has become very apparent I've lost some speed on the bike, I only average 23.1 mph for this short distance. Just 2 or maybe 3 years ago I was over 24 mph still. Could be the long distance training, I hope.
Another stroke & stride and then Xterra Buffalo Creek on June 21st. I like this race because the course has a fair amount of climbing which really helps bring me in contention with the downhill Kamakazi's. Leslie and I both did some volunteer work for the race director, trying to improve our karma or something like that. Stuffed race bag, painted some signs, and leslie ended up directing bikes on race day. I had a pretty good day going 2:50:07 for 5th in my age group and 44th overall. To put it in perspective I did this race in 2005 and went 2:42:59 for 2nd in my age group and 19th overall. Yeah, I probably rode a little cautiously in a few places like I did in Arizona but this was only the 2nd time I'd been on my mountain bike this year and it really was just a chance to race, build some strength and keep me honest.
I guess since this is getting rather long and I still have more we'll go to part two in a few.
Ciao Drew
You read Leslie did the 18 hrs of Fruita and was pretty happy with how that went. The next week Leslie decided we needed some speed of some kind so we jumped into the Highline Canal 10k. This should have been a fairly nice day and solid training. I ended up having trouble really getting into the mood, maybe just a little to low profile to get worked up about. The gun went off and I was in front with some other guy. Just before the mile mark some kid (I say kid because he was easily 10 years younger than me) came by with his ipod jamin'. That was the race basically, from there I increased the gap on 3rd and he increased the gap on me. It was a rather deceptively uphill course for the first 4 miles or so but it ended up being a good hard effort. I finished 2nd overall, 1st in the 40-49 age group and ran 38:55. I was a little discouraged by the time but not too badly.
That was May 10th, the next week was the Davis Phinney ride on May 17th and then Leslie thought it would be good to get a medium distance had run in. So Sunday the 18th we ran the Colfax 1/2 marathon. This was interesting, I was hoping to run around 1:21 or so and I ended up at 1:25:05. I was 4th in my age group and 13th overall. I was in a tie for 3rd/4th for the first 3 miles then settled down and ran in 4th through 8 miles and right on pace to do something under 1:21. Then I just seemed to not be able to drive through well or something and started fading a bit, one person a mile or so. Then 2 or 3 guys came by and I just couldn't stick with them. It ends up that if I hadn't faded the 1:21 would have put me in 2nd in my age group and 4th or 5th overall. Oh well, can't have it everytime I guess.
Two weeks later, June 31/July 1 was the opening of the triathlon season for me. Leslie went to Dirty Kanza and I went to Show Low, AZ for the Deuces Wild triathlon festival. I like this race, its warm...........ok its hot usually and good honest race courses, plus they give kind of cool finisher medals and have a huge raffle that Leslie and I have yet to get anything good out of. Saturday I did the Olympic triathlon in 2:15:57 for 3rd in my age group and 11th overall, that actually was a slight improvement over 2007 but only a few seconds. My run split was 2nd overall. Sunday I did the Xterra. The mountain bike course has a stretch of big river rock that starts out ridable but if you are close to anyone ends up being a hike-a-bike to the top, then its pretty fast back to the transition with rather wet/muddy culvert crossing. Anyway, I went 2:21:40 for 4th in my age group and 22nd overall, my run was 3rd overall. I ended up riding around 5 minutes slower than 2007 and the only idea I have is in 2007 I crashed pretty hard and I subliminally didn't want to do that again. Oh well!!
The next two weeks was about training and doing a stroke & stride. On June 15th I did the 1st race in the 5430 series, this actually the first time I will have done all three of these races. Anyway, the 5430 Sprint had almost 1200 people if I remember correctly. I went 1:19:07 which got me 42nd overall and 9th in my age group, rather humbling and amazing how many people are really fast and I'm barely even close. This was a 1/2 mile swim, 17 mile bike, and 5k run and was semi happy with how things went speed wise, although it has become very apparent I've lost some speed on the bike, I only average 23.1 mph for this short distance. Just 2 or maybe 3 years ago I was over 24 mph still. Could be the long distance training, I hope.Another stroke & stride and then Xterra Buffalo Creek on June 21st. I like this race because the course has a fair amount of climbing which really helps bring me in contention with the downhill Kamakazi's. Leslie and I both did some volunteer work for the race director, trying to improve our karma or something like that. Stuffed race bag, painted some signs, and leslie ended up directing bikes on race day. I had a pretty good day going 2:50:07 for 5th in my age group and 44th overall. To put it in perspective I did this race in 2005 and went 2:42:59 for 2nd in my age group and 19th overall. Yeah, I probably rode a little cautiously in a few places like I did in Arizona but this was only the 2nd time I'd been on my mountain bike this year and it really was just a chance to race, build some strength and keep me honest.
This week, June 29th was the week all the other races were kind of gearing toward and ultimatel
y Ironman Louisville at the end of August. Buffalo Springs 70.3 is normally just one hot, breezy race that I know I should be able to do pretty well at and yet I always struggle for some reason. Oh yeah, I think that's why I like doing or something like that. Normally in the 90's, breezy to windy, and with a few hills to slow things down a little, and almost no shade on the run. This year was totally different. It ended up being very windy and at times it always seemed to be in your face and it rained almost the entire bike and part of the run. When we left it was basically sunny. I had a decent swim 31:27, probably aided by another first. Everyone ran the first 200 yards out of the beach area. I didn't know that was an option but I sure got in on the deal. I thought I was riding pretty strongly into the wind and even down the very wet and slippery hills on the bike but only managed a 2:50:42 (I'm usually 2:40 here and last year I was 2:36 or so). So out on the run, I felt pretty strong through the first 2 hills, running stride for stride with some other dude and passing many. Well comming up the second hill I lost touch with my running partner and ran into an old friend we made at Great Floridian in 2000 (I think). I ran up on him but we really were running the same pace somehow. I moved on past him at the turn around and really thought I was moving pretty good, especially with the overcast skies, wind/breeze, and rain. I ended up finishing in 5:11:35 for 24th in my age group. I think I may have really worked hard on the bike and that took it out of my legs for the run since I ran 1:46. When I looked at the top guys in my age group and others it seems that everyone had a tough time on the bike because their times weren't out of control and yet their runs should have been faster because of the cool temperatures. Overall I guess I feel like I'm on track but we'll see when it really gets hot in July and August.
y Ironman Louisville at the end of August. Buffalo Springs 70.3 is normally just one hot, breezy race that I know I should be able to do pretty well at and yet I always struggle for some reason. Oh yeah, I think that's why I like doing or something like that. Normally in the 90's, breezy to windy, and with a few hills to slow things down a little, and almost no shade on the run. This year was totally different. It ended up being very windy and at times it always seemed to be in your face and it rained almost the entire bike and part of the run. When we left it was basically sunny. I had a decent swim 31:27, probably aided by another first. Everyone ran the first 200 yards out of the beach area. I didn't know that was an option but I sure got in on the deal. I thought I was riding pretty strongly into the wind and even down the very wet and slippery hills on the bike but only managed a 2:50:42 (I'm usually 2:40 here and last year I was 2:36 or so). So out on the run, I felt pretty strong through the first 2 hills, running stride for stride with some other dude and passing many. Well comming up the second hill I lost touch with my running partner and ran into an old friend we made at Great Floridian in 2000 (I think). I ran up on him but we really were running the same pace somehow. I moved on past him at the turn around and really thought I was moving pretty good, especially with the overcast skies, wind/breeze, and rain. I ended up finishing in 5:11:35 for 24th in my age group. I think I may have really worked hard on the bike and that took it out of my legs for the run since I ran 1:46. When I looked at the top guys in my age group and others it seems that everyone had a tough time on the bike because their times weren't out of control and yet their runs should have been faster because of the cool temperatures. Overall I guess I feel like I'm on track but we'll see when it really gets hot in July and August.I guess since this is getting rather long and I still have more we'll go to part two in a few.
Ciao Drew
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