Oseola Duathlon Photo

A nice shot from a Milwaukee photographer covering the race a few weeks back. Still waiting for the digital copy I ordered 2 weeks ago. Maybe me posting a hacked screen snap will draw his attention.

There are a few things that make it a great photo; The dynamic angle of the body as I'm about to turn is almost perfect. The dark defocused background really makes me and the bike standout. No sunglasses! You can actually recognize who the person is. Some of it's luck but a good photographer makes a certain amount of their luck happen by thinking ahead and being prepared. Nice job Fuad. Full disclosure; I did do a small bit of color and exposure correction on the screen snap I took from his race gallery.

This shot is just as I was heading out on the bike leg. The pylon in the left corner was only about 3 feet from the curb that we had to stay between. It was very tight.

Race Report: Fall Classic Duathlon

Finally, a race other then just time trialing. This is the exact same coarse I've done several times including last Spring. It was a beautiful Fall morning for a race. As I racked my bike in the transition area I noticed that the transition area was about half the size as in the spring. I guess a lot of people were done with multisport racing for the year. I'm just starting!

The race started out fast with me being in the leading pack but sadly watching the others pulling away fast. It was hard to concentrate on my own pace instead of trying to pace with them. I'm just not a fast runner. After the first 3 miles I figured I was in about 18th place which I was happy with. 

I had a little problem with mounting my bike but basically the transition to the bike went smooth and fast. Out on the bike course I was able to catch 5 people in the first 3 miles which contains the mostly challegening hills of the whole 13 miles. It took a while to get comfortable as my legs were still feeling the 3 mile run. But by about midway I felt like I was up to speed. I caught a few more people that I knew were going to be reeling me in on the last run. I needed to add a lot of time on them.  By the time I got back to the transition area I was able to see the race leader heading out on the run. That meant he was only about 3-5 minutes ahead of me. Believe it or not I considered that great. See, the guy is a friend of mine as well as teamate on the Now Sport triathlon team. It also meant that I had pulled myself up to 5th or 6th place. Cool. I think I said "Hey Derrick" as we passed. Like we just happened to passing on the street.

I transitioned to my running shoes smoothing but I was not striding well. I was now paying for that extra effort on the bike. I was quickly caught by a couple guys then later on by 2 more. They just sprinted by with nothing I could do. Frustrating. By the last half mile I was completely alone on the park path. It a weird feeling to be by yourself like that in a race. It's always better to have someone to pace against even if they are creaming you.

I sprinted in alone for a 1:18 finish.

I finished 9th overall and was 1st in the mens 40-49. I turned in the the fastest bike time of the race, beating the overall winner by over a minute (he was the second fastest). That's great and all but both his running times were 4 minutes faster then me! Wow. A good race for me however I actually was faster on this course in the spring. I was hoping to better that mark.

Clearly I need to work on my running this winter. Which is fine because I really enjoy running more then biking. How ironic is that.

Here is a photo of my teammates in the race, Derrick Podratz (overall winner), Mike Davis, and me. Derrick will be heading to Italy to compete in the Duathlon World Championship. He's wearing his USA team jersey. All three of us won our catagories so we're holding up our gold metals.

26.11 mph

photo taken by Clifton Hull.

The final Withrow time trail of the year was a good one. I recorded my best time ever on the course (30:51) but also my fastest ever average speed in any race - 26.11 mph!

The last race was also the largest of the year. Almost 90 riders. My result was good enough for 5th place which I was more then happy with considering the company of the 4 ahead of me. The interesting observation of the top 10 finishers is that only 2 of them were younger then 40. The fastest rider turned 40 this year and one of the top 5 is over 50! FYI I am 43

Take that you whipper snappers!

Race Report: Withrow TT & More

Since my last race report in May I've done 5 time trials. 4 on the 13.4 mile loop of Withrow and 1 7 mile TT at Black Dog in Egan. My last comment was how my first TT of the year was at that point already faster then any in 2007 and that I hoped it would bode well for 2008. I was right.

So far I've had a great Summer of racing. At almost every TT I've been able to better the last time. I finally have been able to average more then 25 mph and even came within 6 seconds of 26mph last week at Withrow. That is averaging 1.5 mph faster then last year. That's pretty good. The thing to remember about bike riding is that the faster you go over about 18-20mph, the more air resistance works against you. And it's exponental so the resistance goes up more and more.

If I had to come up with a reason why this year is going so well I would say it might be a few things. One, I'm much more comfortable (and thereby ride stronger) on my Cervelo TT bike over last year. I spend the entire winter pedaling it on the trainer in the basement. Two, I bought an aero helmet! Not sure that this is a big contributor but they say it's as good as getting aero wheels. Looks cool either way. Three, after attending the aero clinic in May I've really concentrating on applying what I learned to stay aerodynamic. The biggest gain is probably in staying aero while climbing hills.

Here we are lining up for the start of the time trail. That's me in the middle grinning for no apparent reason. Lining up next to me on the left is Anne Hed (wife of aero wheel master Steven Hed.) Behind me is Dave Holden (super fast triathlete, Hawaiian Ironman vet) and Derick Podratz (another fast triathlete who will be heading to Italy for the World Duathlon Championship).

Race Report: Oakdale Duathlon

Last Fall I competed on this very same course in the Fall Classic Duathlon. This year the race was bigger and the competition was faster.

This Spring I joined the Now Sports triathlon team. Some of my teammates were also in the race so we all racked our bikes together and hung out. In the past I was usually at races alone so having buddies to talk with was really nice. It makes the waiting around go fast as well as modivation to do well for the team.

The beginning 3 miles started with a big separation by the fast group of men. I elected to run with that pack of about 12 but I was in the 12th position. I was cruising along just fine.

After a flawless fast transition I was out onto the bike course. As I've pointed out it the past, I know the roads very well because they are close to home. I really felt great on the bike so I was just pouring it on. I past a lot of people along the entire 13 miles. At one point about half way I thought that perhaps I was going too hard and that I might need to save something for the final run. But the body was strong so I gunned it.

2nd transition went fine and now I was finally in the home stretch. And a good stretch was what I was needing. My calves started to tighten. Oh no. Last Fall my gluts tighten, now this. But quickly they loosen - thank god. A few of the guys I had passed on the bike were now catching me. They were all really good runners that had been in the starting group of 12. It always happens to me so I just jealously watch them sprint away from me. I hope they felt the same watching me bike past them! The hardest one to watch was the guy that caught and passed me in the final 100 meters. Damn, he was in my age bracket as well.

So in the end I was 34 overall, 7 of 22 in the 40-49 age bracket, and, best of all, 5th fastest cyclist in the whole race. I'm happy overall but clearly if I could inprove my running I would be highly competitive. Definitely need to work on running this summer.

Race Report: Withrow TT

I attended the first cycling race of the year. It's the same once a month race that I've done for the last few Summers. It was postponed a day due to rain on Tuesday night. But Wednesday was really nice with a favorable northwest wind. That direction helps push us through some of the rolling hills on the course.

I usually rest the day of the race but because it had been delayed, I hadn't been on the bike for 3 days. So I decided to go for a short ride at noon on the day of the race. However, as usually, a light ride with the company group soon became a hard ride. But the legs felt good and I was ready to race.

This year the organizer decided to send us off 2 at a time instead of individually every 30 seconds. The guy I started with was a very strong rider and it turned out that we were about equal. He got off to a fast start but I then caught and past him. Then we went back and forth a few more times. At the final turn we were still together but now we are catching bunches of slower riders. At one point I had the outside line and had to accelerate to make sure the other guy didn't get in front of me and force me wide or slow down to stay out of his draft (which is forbidden in TT races). Once I got around the group of 4 rides I give it all I could for the final mile to the finish. I was able to stay ahead of my starting partner.

The results were posted later that evening and it turned out that my neighbor Jeff Ingham took 1st place and I took 2nd out of 40 riders! My start partner took 3rd. It was my best TT ever. That's a good omen for the first race of the year.

Race Report: Get in Gear 10k 2008

Once again this is the first race of the year. I was going to race in a duathlon but decided to run the Get in Gear instead at the last minute. Unlike previous years I wasn't looking at the race as any kind of fitness indicator for the spring. I just wanted to run a race I really enjoy.

Or I should say usually enjoy. Saturday morning turned out to be cold and snowy of all things! The wind was also howling out of the west. Fun times.

The first part of the race I was mildly sore in the legs which took 2 miles to loosen up. I think I need to do more warm up in the future as this has happened in the past.

The only part of note was when we approached the Ford Parkway Bridge for the final leg to the finish line. The 25mph wind was coming right up the bridge so I scoped out a big guy to draft. It was working until the guy really started to slow as he climbed the rise of the bridge into the wind. So I decided I needed to pass him. As I stepped out of his wake I was hit by the wind like a hammer. No wonder he was slowing! I did my best to sprint up to the next person, then the next. It sorta worked but I was really tired once we were back in the trees in the park.

In the finishing chute I was at a sprint. Suddenly I'm being hit on the shoulder by someone I passed. Turned out to be my friend Dan Lund. What a surprise.

In the end I ran the race strong and felt fine. But my time was a full minute slower then last year. Part of that was because of the conditions but I was also simpler slower as well.

Finish time of 47:41. 438th out of 1800 cold crazy runners. My friend turned in a nice time of 46:37.

Race Report; Twin Cities Marathon, 10 Miler

Last year I did the full marathon. It was a thrill but I wasn't interested in doing it again. Mostly it was the amount of training involved and the cut it made into my bike training. So this year I decided to do the 10 mile race held at the same time as the marathon. We ran the same last 10 miles as the marathoners and finished ahead of them.

It was already 70 degrees at 7 am when the race started. A strange day for Minneapolis but just fine for me. I like the heat. The race started at the Metro Dome in downtown Minneapolis. Linda dropped me off along with my neighbor Angela who was also going to run the 10 mile. Angela also met up with her running partners from work (Medtronic, the race sponsor).

We started in the last wave of 3 which turned out to be a big mistake. All of us were faster then those people so we spent the first part of the race ducking and weaving. It was like trying to run at the half time of a Vikings game. Crazy.

The race was really nice just like last year. Lots of cheering spectators and a beautiful route through St. Paul to the state capitol building. I ran really strong and felt great the whole way.

I finished with a time of 1 hour and 15 minutes which beat my goal of 1:20 by 5 minutes! My average pace was 7:32 per mile. My friend Angela, who I left after about 500 meters due to all the weaving, finished just behind me at 1:20. An awesome finish for her first running race.

The photos at the top were ones I pulled down from a profession photo service that was at the race. If you are so inclined, you are order photos of me here. They are really expensive in my opinion.

Race Report: Fall Classic Duathlon

I haven't done all that much racing this Summer. The usual time trial once a month and a couple 10K races. Nothing all that interesting.

Saturday was a great morning for a duathlon - 3 mile run, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run. It's the very same course as the spring time Oakdale Duathlon. Sunny, almost no wind. I had arm warmers but ditched them at the starting line as it started to warm up. They had 2 waves to spread people out. I was in the second wave of all women and all men over 39.

Within a few minutes after the gun I found myself in 5-6 place and going fast - around a 6:20 pace! Yikes, thats fast so I'm already worried about flaming out. I watched my HR closely and let the leaders pull away a bit. Hoping to catch them on the bike. At mile 2 my left glut starts to tighten but I worked through it and it went away. Little did I know, not forever.

Transition goes well and I'm off on the bike. At this point I'm starting to catch the back end of the first wave. As we exit Lake Elmo Park Reserve, we head right up a hill that's about a 1/10 of a mile long and very steep. Lucky for me this in my neighborhood and I ride that hill every weekend. I know how to ride it AND how to handle the slight climb recovery at the top. A big 'home court' advantage I felt. The rest of the ride was spend watching out for and passing the first wave. I was passed by one one guy that looked really really fast.

At the second transition I had assumed we would enter from the far side but it was much closer so I was not ready. I was still in my shoes (normally I slip out and pedal on top of them). When I jumped off the bike my cleaks took me for a slide on the smooth asphalt. Wee!! I didn't go down but man that was scary.

As I started my last 3 miles my glutt tightened up again right way. Far worse then before. I was really hobbling and thinking I wouldn't make it. But I decided that I would walk if I needed to. After a full mile it started to loosen and by the 2 mile mark I was back to full speed. By this point in the race we were so spread out the few people were around me. One guy that I know was over 50 past me. He had been ahead of me on the first leg but I passed him on the bike. Damn, I was hoping to get enough time there to cover my run. He was a fast runner.

I finished the race very stong and sprinted in alone. The guy at the line told me I was somewhere around 25th. Later in the day I saw on the website that I was 1st place for men 40-49. I was 2nd of all the second wave (behind the 50 year old dude). My effort was all on the bike as I was the 8th fastest there out of 134 finishers. Full results here.

Of course I always have photos. This time thanks to the Linda. The best one is me pointing to where I had ditched my arm warmers. Looks like I'm doing a disco pose.

Flickr Photos

Race Report: Heart of the Summer 10K

I did this race with Linda although she opted for the 5K walk. I did the 10K race then after that I decided to walk with Linda. the temp that morning was cool by my standards but I could have done without the jacket I guess. The photo was nabbed from a site selling prints.

By the time we were done with the walk I was very sore. Almost 10 miles of exercise and the last 2 miles was in the drizzling rain. But it was fun to be with Linda. I can't remember my time on the 10K but I do know that I wasn't all that happy.

6/07 Race Report : Withrow TT

The June time trial was back in the old location that we've used in previous years - unlike last month. The concensis with members was that the roads aren't really that much worse then usual. It was a warm night with a slight SE wind. Great night. There were almost 60 people there which is a really big turnout.

The graph about is the elevation (green), speed (blue), and heart rate (red). Not surprising the speed and elevations are inverse to each other. Speed goes down while climbing hills. What is more interesting is that my heart rate peaks quickly at about 172 bpm then only varies a few beats each way despite the climbing. In the final 2 miles my HR went up to 189 because I really poured it on.

I had a really good result. I nearly beat my personal best over the last 2 years when most everyone else was slowing down. I placed 11th out of about 50 people. Pretty happy with that.

Race Report: State Time Trial Championship

This race took place in St Peter, MN which is about 50-60 miles south west of Minneapolis. A typical quaint Minnesota town. My neighbor Jeff and I carpooled in my Element to the race.

A time trial, or TT, is an individualized race against the clock. This was the first time that I raced in a sanctioned race. Most bikers are licensed by the Cycling Federation but they also allow other people like me to buy a one day license for the race. However we are only allowed to be in the lowest category called 'Cat 5'. Not really a problem for me - I just want to race.

This race was 40K or around 24 miles out and back on the same country road. There is really no story to tell about TTs other then trying to tempo ones effort so you are going as fast as you can but making sure you won't use up all your effort too early. It's a real mind game of enduring pain to a certain point.

The race went very well for me. I felt like I was working hard and had enough left to ride the last 4-5 miles really hard. At one point I had a guy pass me while I was doing about 26mph. He was flying. I looked him up in the results and he ended up being one of the fastest. My finishing time was just under an hour at 59:18. I was pleased. Jeff finished ahead of me at 56:10. Here are all the results.

After I finished the race I grabbed my camera and took some shoots. They are on my Flickr page. There is a great photo of a guy from work that I ride with during the noon hour. Nelson Zamora. Nice work Nelson!

Race Report: Get In Gear 10K 2007

This is a bit out of order as I did this race back in April. I blogged about this same race last year. This year the day was quite different in that it was a gorgeous sunny morning. Other then that it was almost the same race. Strangely so.

I entered the race feeling very strong. I had a good winter of continuous training and after all the marathon training last Summer I assumed I would be faster then last year. The goal was sub 7 minute miles. At the first mile marked I was already 15 seconds behind where I wanted to be. Not good but understandable with so many people. At the second mile I was once again 20 seconds off on that mile. Clearly the race was not going my way. There was nothing special about the rest of the race other then I was able to really gun the last half mile and passed a ton of people. I finish with a time of 46.28.

The real surprise, and frustration, was that mile for mile I ran almost the same race last year, in the rain and supposedly in less shape. My take away is that I need to work more on speed. I've done a lot of work to build my aerobic conditioning but I haven't been much time doing intervals or just running fast.

Race Report: Dewey Kvidt Memorial Duathlon

I love this photo. I assure you that the ambulance was not following me!

I opted to do this race instead of the Oakdale Du because it was in my hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota and I hadn't been back in a while. Plus it would be a small race on pancake flat roads. It ended up being a crazy race.

The first 3 mile run was uneventful. It was hard to judge my place because they were running a concurrent 5K run on the same course. At the first transition the foot racers went to the finish and we turned left to the transition area. I was very pleased to see a majority of the people in front of me head to the finish. But then the fun REALLY started.

Once I got my bike in hand I went for a flying mount which I had never practiced on the new Cervelo. I landed right but I missed the pedal and was weaving all over - or at least it seemed I was. I recovered and was off.

Two miles into the 15 mile bike was a 20 foot patch of gravel where they must of done some construction (they had warned us about it). I grew up on country roads and that little patch managed to represented the worst of every one of them. It was washboard and loose gravel. Luckily I had ridden over it the night before so I was ready with a line through it. But it was really really scary. I did fine.

Then it was 6 mile straight out with only a highway overpass crossing as a distraction. I passed a few people then at a railroad crossing the race volunteers yelled that there are 4 people ahead of me. Excellent!

After a few more miles I finally see the leader coming back so I start looking for the turn around which must be ahead. I started to see a lone man standing in an intersection up ahead. As I get closer I'm waiting for some kind of indication to turn around. But he just looked at me so I blew passed him because clearly that wasn't the turn around, right? One mile past him I start to approach a huge tractor pulling a plow that is spanning the whole road. Oh crap. But I figure everyone else had to deal with it. France has mountains, North Dakota has tractors! I'm wondering if he even notices this speck coming up behind him. Luckily, he started to pull over for 2 cars coming from the other way. I jetted by and gave the farmer a wave. At this point I can see probably a good 2 miles down the road and I don't see anything along the road - and I mean nothing. A sinking feeling takes over me that the guy back 1.5 miles was the turn around. I turn around.

Now I'm really pissed and completely frustrated. Why did that guy let me go by? Where was the sign or pylons? I'm pretty much soft pedaling and swearing. I was trying to decide whether I should even bother with the last run. But then I think about the crazy things that can happen to the people in front of me; flats, the train crossing (they warned us that a train 'might' be coming), and that gravel patch. So I once again cranked it up and was off. At the turn around there were now plenty of people making the turn. Were they just smarter then me? Maybe. I estimated that I tacked on an extra 3 miles total and I think I passed many people for the second time. The rest of the way was fine including the scary gravel which I didn't even slow for this time.

Off the bike and onto the last 3 miles of running. I caught a bunch of people and got to high five the leaders as they were just finishing. Cool guys. I was talking with them before the race.

Ended up 2nd in my age bracket. Not sure about overall as they haven't posted it yet.

And as a good lesson, one guy in front of me did flat on the gravel and he might have been in my age bracket. So never give up.

It was still fun despite the FU.

My buddy Dave, whom I stayed with in Grand Forks, was my photographer. As usually, more photos are on Flickr

Marathon Statistics

Before the race they had these wrist bands with the mile by mile pace you would need to complete the race in X amount of time. I had the 3:50:00 band. Today I was comparing the splits I recorded with my watch to the band when I realized it would be easier to type them in. So here is each mile, the 3:50 pace time, my time in bold, and my per mile pace. It's interesting to see when I started to lose the pace which was at 18 where I lost a 2 minute lead on the pace. It continued to slip for the rest of the race but I already knew I was going to beat my goal of 4 hours. So I was giving into my legs need to slow down. Mile 24 was pretty bad.

There were 3 mile markers that I somehow missed.

1) 0:08:47 - 08:42 8:42
2) 0:17:33 - 16:44 8:02
3) 0:26:20 - 25:04 8:19
4) 0:35:07 - 33:24 8:20
5) 0:43:54 - 42:00 8:35
6) 0:52:40 - 50:41 8:41
7) 1:01:27 -
8) 1:10:14 - 1:08:13
9) 1:19:00 - 1:16:41 8:27
10) 1:27:47 - 1:25:06 8:25
11) 1:36:34 - 1:33:44 8:38
12) 1:45:21 - 1:42:27 8:42
13) 1:54:07 - 1:51:17 8:49
14) 2:02:54 - 2:00:23 9:06
15) 2:11:41
16) 2:20:27 - 2:18:14
17) 2:29:14 -
18) 2:38:01 - 2:36:55
19) 2:46:48 - 2:46:16 9:20
20) 2:55:34 - 2:55:46 9:30
21) 3:04:21 - 3:05:16 9:29
22) 3:13:08 - 3:15:02 9:45
23) 3:21:55 - 3:25:20 10:18
24) 3:30:41 - 3:36:18 10:58
25) 3:39:28 - 3:45:00 8:41
26) 3:48:15 -
Finish 3:50 - 3:55:46

Race Report; Twin Cites Marathon

This was the big one.
This was the race that I've been training for all year. The one I sacrified many of my weekend bike rides for. Last Spring I decided that, if I could run 10-12 miles by April, I would enter the marathon for the first time. Even though they let in 10,000 people, the race fills in a couple weeks starting in April. So I had to decide then. I made the decision and got in.

The basic training for a marathon is to run normally then have one long run per week that gradually increases all summer till just before the race - then tapers off. Because I still wanted to participate in triathlons I had to juggle the 3 sports and do the long run on Sundays. As the runs on Sunday got up into the 12-15 mile range I really starting to not enjoy them. Usually running is my favorite over biking and swimming but it just gets boring to run for 2-3 hours. I bought an Ipod shuffle so I could listen to a few podcasts. That helped a lot.

The week before the race I did very little per the training guides I had read online. It was very hard not to, but the experts say that by that point you are as fit as you are going to be. Any more training won't help and the rest will help you more on race day. I believe that now.

Race day started at 5:30am for me. Because Linda was at school, I had to have my neighbor Kirk take me to the race. I owe him big for getting up at 6am on a Sunday! The race started at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. There were 10,000 full marathon runners plus another 5,000 for the half marathon. It seems half of the people were lined up at the restrooms. I suppose mostly because people are excited and/or nervous about the race. Luckily, I didn't need a bathroom because I'm a cool seasoned runner - plus I made sure to go before I left.
At the starting line the weather was perfect if not slightly cool for my tastes. It was around 60 degrees with clear blue sky at 8am when the gun went off. It took me almost 5 minutes to reach the starting line because of all the people. Everyone had a electronic chip on their shoe so that when we crossed a sensor at the beginning and end, our time was recorded. In the race were official people that ran exact paces. If you stayed close to them you would know exactly when you would finish. So for example, I started right behind the 4 hour pacer then passed him then the 3 hour 50 minute pacer. As long as they were behind me I knew I would finish below 4 hours. Neat huh!

The race itself was mostly uneventful. They make the claim that it's the most beautiful urban marathon and I totally agree. We wound our way through Minneapolis, around several lakes, along the Mississippi, then into St Paul, up to St. Pauls Cathedral, then finally to the state capital. I don't think there was ever more then a block without spectators and usually the streets were packed with people. I've run for 20 years and never seen anything like that. An amazing amount of support.

As for me I had a fairly good race. My energy level was good throughout. I took my gu packs every 6 miles and at least a little water at every water station (around every 2 miles). Around 15 miles my legs started to ache and my motivation started to fall. My parents were at mile 17 which was fun and lifted my spirits a bit. Soon after that I popped a couple Advil I had for the achy legs. I had anticipated that. It made a big difference as I crossed the Mississippi at mile 19. From mile 20 to 23 was mostly uphill and is usually a big challenge for most this late in the race. Revived by the Advil I was able to keep my pace up and powered up the hill. I passed a lot of people near St Thomas University. However I paid a bit for that because at the top of the climb near Snelling Ave my legs were really starting to get heavy. But with only 3 miles to go I struggled on. Reflecting now I was more having to overcoming the mind then the legs. It was very difficult because it's easy for me to talk myself out of uncomfortable situations especially when I was already ahead of my goal. But I pushed on. Miles 24 and 25 were a blur. Linda was along the last 500 feet cheering me on. I was able to sprite the final half mile to the finish line and crossed at 3 hours and 55 minutes. A sub 4 hour first marathon!

I felt fine as I walked through the exit chute but there were other runners littered across the grass. I later learned that many people had a problem with the heat although I though it was fine. I in fact wore a jacket for the first 10 miles and was glad I did. It just shows how everyone is different and you have to adapted the training, and racing, to your own needs.
All in all I'm glad I did it however I have no interest in doing another marathon. It was an amazing experience but I would much rather do the triathlons were I can be moderately competitive. I love running but just not that far. I will probably continue to run an occasional 10 mile but no more 15-20 milers!

Race Report; Heart of the Summer 10K

My company is a major sponsor of the race so I was able to register for free. Can't beat that. It was a 10K race (6.2 miles). The night before I started to get a slight cough and sneeze nose so I was skeptical about the race. As it turns out we are into a major ragweed bloom so allergy suffers are doing just that - suffering. However the race went really well.
At start time I was getting my watch ready when, BANG!, the start pistol went off. I think the suddenness surprised everyone. Usually there is the typical "Welcome, yadda, yadda, yadda". I didn't get my watch set right till mile marker 1 but I got someone to yell out something that sounded like 6:15. Excellent! I continued to clear my thoat for the entire run but otherwise felt really good. I was with a group of young people that maintained a steady pace. I was averaging about 7 minutes per mile so I was feeling good about my goal of sub 44 minutes. On the final lap (we did 2 laps around Lake Nokomis) I saw a big group of people gathering along what I thought was the finish line. So I started to really pour it on. Well, it turns out it was the start of the 5K race. My finish line was a quarter of a mile past it. Oh, no! My heart rate was way up and I was feeling the pain. But I backed off just a little, lowered the HR a few beats, and managed the last stretch. Into the chute I can see the finish clock already at 43:30. 30 seconds left! Can I do it! Yes! I cross at 43:40. A personal best in 10k racing. And with an allergy flareup!

Results: (the overall is only the men not everyone, weird)
overall place: 119 out of 311
age division place: 20 out of 42
gender place: 119 out of 311
time: 43:37
pace: 7:02

Race Report: Withrow TT, Aug

Time again for the monthly time trial in Stillwater. Same course as before. This time out I was more conservative and felt much better on the course. In the first 4 miles I caught the person 30 seconds in front of me and past him. After the 3rd corner, now heading into some good rolling hills, he had caught back up to me and was just behind me. Drafting is not allowed in time trials or triathlons so I was bugged that he was right behind me and staying there. To be fair, he might have been the 15 feet behind me, which is the rule, but it sure felt like he was closer. I backed off a bit and yelled at him about drafting but he didn't feel he was wrong. Who knows who was right. I was annoyed so I sped up to clear him. Now we are starting to catch the guy that's 60 seconds ahead of us and we pass him. 30 second man finally passes me. Then for the next 2-3 miles it's cat and mouse for the 3 of us. At one point I was behind one and boxed in from the side by the other. I decided to sprint clear of both of them but wasn't able to maintain the lead. My heart rate has been around 190 by this point. On the final corner the 30 sec guy is finally clear ahead of me and I make one last push past the 60 second rider and stay there till the finish. My finish time was mostly likely better then the other 2 because I had caught them.


In the end I probably worked harder and rode faster because of the 2 riders then any time I might have lost because of them. At 23.55 mph it was my fastest time of the summer but not my best ever. Steve the organizer took pictures of everyone as they started out. It was a good chance to look at how aerodynamic we all are. As you can see above, my back is hunched over which is bad for aerodynamics although fairly typical of normal road biking. A good aero position would have my back almost parallel to the ground.

After the race there was a raffle for prizes donated from Now Sport. I won a small bike pump.

Race Report #6: Withrow TT-July

I guess I have to report the good and the bad. :-(

I wasn't feeling all that great about the 3rd TT of the Summer. For the last week I've felt a bit sluggish. No energy for running either. One natural excuse would be the heat but I'm rarely affected and actually perform better in the heat. So I can't use that as a reason.

To shake it up a bit, I decided to see just how hard I could go right from the start. Really test my sustained stamina. Plus my little too cocky neighbor was right in front of me so the idea of catching him then just fading was also acceptable. I actually was doing very well for the first third and had Jeff in my sights (thou clearly I wasn't going to pass him) but then on the northern leg (about half way) I started to get the slight twinge of a stitch so I backed off. Then I kinda lost the mental edge and sat up (eased up) on the southern leg. I cruised in without topping 150 bpm. Down from the 175 of the first leg. I finished about 2 minutes slower then usual.

Not my best performance but it was good failure analysis on my system. Max effort failure led to mental motivational failure.

I won a water bottle from Now Bikes after the race.

Race Report #5; Freedom Triathlon

At the last minute I decided to enter the Freedom Triathlon that took place on the 4th of July on White Bear Lake. I was motivated because 2 of my neighbors, Angela and Jan, decided to compete so I was inspired as well. I had not planned to do a tri till September.
It was a spectacular morning just like the whole 4th weekend. 70 degrees with a slight SE wind. The transition area was a mob of athletes trying to find a spot on the racks. There should have been way more racks and more space. I found a spot where 3 towels were spread out like they were going to have a picnic so I just jammed my bike in between two of them and stacked my stuff behind my wheel. When the guys got back they made some comments but I just shrugged and said we all have to compromise. Believe me, they had enough space to have a lounge chair, cooler and a barbeque.

The swim was ridiculous. White Bear Lake has beaches the go out forever. So we had to wade out 100 feet to the start (see photo). That's not a problem until you realize that we will have to run out of it. When my wave. (wave 2) started everyone began running or walking out another 50 feet or so till it was deep enough to stroke. I dove in early but had to get up again because I couldn't swim around the walkers! Good grief! Finally everyone is swimming and heading out to the turn. I'm swimming well but as usually can't find a rhythm due to all the distractions, swimmers, sun, checking for the buoy. As we near the shore people are starting to pop up and walk . I try to swim as far in as I can because I've read that it takes less energy to swim then try to fight the water running. But finally it's just to shallow so I have run out the last 100 feet (guessing here). On the stairs up to the transition area I pull off my cap and goggles when suddenly my obviously cheaply designed goggles fall apart. I was going to leave the parts but decided I shouldn't leave them for people to step on. I stop to scoop them out. 5 second lose of time. Transition is good and finally I'm off on the bike.

The bike leg was 14 mile out and back to the Withrow school where the one a month time trial is held. I know the road and knew that we were in for some rolling hills the whole way. I quickly gave up counting people I passed because there were a lot from the first wave (all men under 35). Instead I starting thinking about who was in front of me. The one nice thing about an out and back race is that you can get an idea how far back you are because you see everyone come back towards you. At the half way turn around I had counted about 20-25 people ahead of me. I couldn't believe it. I had passed the majority of the first wave. On the way back I'm passed by a couple guys who I assumed must have been in my wave. They looked old like me. At the last turn before the transition, I had to deal with a pickup coming up behind be (it was an uncontrolled street). I estimated that if he passed me I would have to seriously slow down to turn behind him. So I signaled and took the lane in front of him. It was a bit rude of me but I figured he should be proceeding slowly anyway given all the activity on the road. As I transitioned off the bike I hear my neighbor Jeff confirm that I've made up great time on the bike. That gave me a boost as I'm off onto the run.

The 3 mile run was flat and uneventful. Once again the road is uncontrolled and there are cars on one side. Just after the turn around someone on a pouch yells out my name "Go Halvorson!" or something like that. I looked at them but couldn't recognize who it was. I figured it was someone from work who recognized my Guidant jersey. 4-5 people pass me in the last mile and half but that's ok. I was expecting a whole lot more. Because I was all alone as I approached the finish line, I had to assumed the course turned the corner to follow the street - however it was actually off onto the grass of the park. Lucky for me there were many MANY people there to tell me "Wrong way!". I only had to correct a few steps to finally cross the line.
Results:
Every triathlete wore a chip to track our progress at every transition. So there are many ways to look at the results. A treasure trove of statistic.
22nd overall of 230 total finishers
5th in the 40-49 year old men's.
57th overall in the swim
10th overall on the bike
54th overall on the run.
All the result can be seen at Pickleevents.com

I was very pleased with all three results. I don't swim all that much so I'm very happy with that. The bike was were I had a goal of a top ten finish which technically I did but I was the 11th fastest because one moose of a guy in the Clydsdale division (those men over 200 lb) beat my time. Good for him! I do take a little pride in the fact that I'm probably the only top cyclist that wasn't on a time trial bike. My run was about average for me although I probably could have tried a little harded. I need to do more speed training on my runs. All photos were taken with my Canon 20D by Jeff Ingham , my neighbor, training partner, and personal photographer.