2010 Multisport racing review

     Back in late 2009 in decided 2010 was going to be a year of variety as far as competing in multi-sport. My first challenge was to "Tackle the Tower". I trained for about 2 months a couple times a week climbing as many stairs I could find including the 19 flights at Rhodes Tower at CSU. I even had two opportunities to practice run the "Tower" race. After the two practice runs I had an idea how to pace myself and what kind of time I could shoot for. My goal was to run sub 5 minutes to the top. The 38 flights of stairs at the Tower at Erieview was in early February. On race day I was amazed how many people showed up and how well the race went off considering we had a staggered start where each person was let off every 10 seconds. I made it to the top in 4:34 for 7th placed overall. It was a lung buster. I remember having the taste of blood in the back of my throat. Even though it's a fast lung busting race I think I'll do that race again in the future.

Next was my attempt of an Ultra-marathon 50K race set at the end of March. The race was on the trails of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the Peninsula area. I didn't train specifically for this race by knocking off countless miles but rather I depended on my aerobic fitness and my previous experience as a pacer for a friend who runs the 100 mile Burning River Run. I've run with him for the past couple years during the night completing 35 to 40 miles. I also figured I've completed two Half Ironman Triathlons this past 2 years in a time of 5:07 and 6:30 and that I should be able to keep moving for that long during the ultra marathon. My goal was to complete it in five to five and a half hours. On the morning of the race the weather was cool with some cloud cover. The rains were expected to come late morning. I completed the first loop in around 2:40 but then the rains came. At times it poured and the trails were thick with mud. The conditions slowed me way down. I finished in 6 hours and 4 minutes. I enjoyed this kind of long running and would do it again but next time spend more time on the trails.

I wasn't about to give up the trails just yet so I entered the Xterra Trail Running Race Series. I signed up for 4 out of the 5 races. The races were in April, May, June, and August at various places in Ohio. At the end of the series the 4 best results of an individual determined who the Regional Champion was in each age group. I also signed up for the 331 NEO Power Mountain Bike Race Series. This also was 4 best out of 5 races to determine champions. The races were one in July, two in September, and one in October. In between trail running races and mountain bike racing I entered a Kayak Triathlon and 2 Sprint Triathlons. After triathlon season I signed up for the Ohio Outside Trail Running Series. Finally, I ran the Reindeer 5K in Lakewood to get an idea what kind of road race shape I'd be in after all the trail racing I did this year.

The results from the series and triathlons were spectacular. But I did pay a price. I twisted my left ankle very badly during my second Xterra race. It happened about a mile into a 4 mile race. I must have hit a hidden root just right and I heard a popping sound and knew I did some damage. I continued run-limping along to win my age group. I completed the Xterra series and won first place in the 50-54 age group regional. I qualified for Nationals in Bend, Oregon but did not go for it.

The mountain bike racing was so much fun. No serious mishaps while racing but during training I did have a couple spills that caused my right ankle and left shoulder some pain. I finished 3rd place in my age group for the overall series. Not bad for my first year mountain bike racing. Next year I will have a mountain bike that fits me and with front shocks that work. I should be faster, I hope.

The Kayak Triathlon was my first kayak racing. The park provided the kayak's for those of us who didn't own one. During the race it was pouring rain. I got out of the kayak 5th and managed to inch my way up in the bike and run to win the overall race. What a surprise. I won a pair of kayak paddles, now I need a boat to go with it.

The Ohio Outside Trail Series races were at Munroe Falls Park. The first one was October followed by November and December. I managed to win my age group for all 3 races. Even the first race I started dead last after everyone was off and running 5 minutes into the race. I was out on a potty pit-stop and didn't have a watch on me. I had fun coming up from the rear blasting by people. Some knew I started late and wished me good luck.

The last time I ran a 5K road race was the summer of 2008. My expectation was to win my age group and not worry about the time. I took first in my age with a time of 18:23. Not bad for no speed training or track intervals.

Life is good and I'm thankful for a great 2010.
And I have to say, oh what fun it was to run, ride, and tri in a variety way.

Triathlon Season Finale

The Findlay Lake Sprint triathlon was my final race for the 2007 season. I think it was the most fun I had in doing a triathlon this year. The morning started out with thunderstorms and heavy downpours at times which lasted until 6:45 am. At that time the clouds cleared and we even saw the sun peak through before 8:00 am.

The lake was warm and calm. We started the swim on the other side of the yellow line and we swam to the yellow buoys on our right until we got to the orange buoy where we turned back to swim to shore. The weird thing about the man made lake was when you first got in you felt like you were sinking in some black miry quick sand. This black sooty stuff floated up your legs and turned the area all black. I just made sure not to swallow any water. After we swam out for about 20 feet the water was normal. I felt strong during the swim and I finished the 1/4 miles in 9:38.

As you can see from the photo, by not have much equipment to mess with in transitions both my T1 and T2's were fast. My T1 was 36 seconds. My last post about transitions helped me to focus on keeping it simple in my transitions. I racked my bike on the last rack near the bike exit. This way I didn't have to run far with my bike.
With all the rain we had the roads were wet. I was very careful to take all corners SLOW. We also had 4 rail road crossings and 1 train that I almost got caught by and two gravel patchy areas we had to ride on. I met people that flatted and slid off their bikes due to the conditions but I managed to have fun and push the pace to finish 14.6 miles in 40:56 averaging around 21 miles per hour. My T2 time was a blazing 13 seconds. Ha, Beat that.

The run was a beautiful wet and muddy undulating trail. I loved running fast on muddy trails slipping and almost falling all over the place. I finished the trail run in 20:58 with an overall time of 1:12:55 and placing 6th out of 111 and 1st in the 45-49 age group. See race results link.

Huntington Sprint Triathlon

This short and fast race was not my A race but I did manage to push myself enough to win my age group division and place 15th overall.

At the start of the swim I spotted my age group competitor and tried to stick with him for the swim but that only lasted about 20 yards. It was kind of hard to concentrate on my swim while trying to follow another swimmer. I decided to just do my swim and to give it my best effort. When I finally could touch the bottom of the lake with my hand, I stood up and began to run out of the lake and found that, "my friend" was right in front of me about 10 yards. I followed him into transition and together we were out on our bikes but he took advantage of the early down hill and put a good lead on me. I was able to keep him in view for about 3 to 4 miles but he kept putting distance on me. He made it back a little over 1 minute into transition. But then came the run...

I don't think he knew I was stalking him the whole race but I wasn't about to let him get away from me on the run. I was a man on a mission. I think I caught up to him about a mile into the run. I told him he was doing great and I ran past him. He didn't put up a fight.

At the finish area I made it a point to introduce myself to "my friend" and to congratulate him on a well run race. Nice to meet you, John. I'm sure we'll have more fun out there on another race course.

Follow this link to see the exciting finish between my 15th place and my friends' close 16th place race results.

For the cool down I ran the 3 mile course at an easy pace. I had fun chatting and encouraging the other runners to finish strong.

I have 2 weeks left of speed and focused quality workouts, and then it's 2 weeks of tapering for my first half ironman race. That'll be my A race.

Greater Cleveland Triathlon

I had some concern for today's sprint distance triathlon. I wondered if my legs would be tired or sore from running yesterday's 13 miler at a 6:44 per mile pace. Normally, I would take the day before a race off but since I'm in the middle of training for the Columbus marathon I didn't want to miss a quality long run, so I ran it. I am glad to say my legs were not complaining in today's race.
The swim was in perfect 74 degree calm waters. I felt like I swam so fast and smooth that I should have past everyone, not. I probably had the slowest time but I felt good anyway.
I had no time to sit around and fiddle and fumble with things in transition. I threw my goggles and cap into my bag, put on sunglasses, helmet and race belt with race bib turn around my back. I ran while pushing my bike to the bike mounting line and hopped on with my feet on top of my already clipped in bike shoes. The trick was to get my feet into the shoes before I had to climb out of the park which was a few hundred feet ahead. My feet made it in before I began to climb up the hill. After about 4 miles into the ride I squeezed a gel into my mouth and washed it down with water. I felt like my legs were flying on the bike. I passed so many people that were not in my age group and I wondered where were all the people in my age group. Only one 55 year played cat and mouse with me. Maybe because his bike cost more than mine he got away from me. I made sure my feet were out of my shoes and on top of them before we had to go back down the hill into the park.
The second transition was even faster. All I had to do was toss my helmet into my bag and slip my already tied running shoes on and go. I heard lots of good cheering from club members at the start of the run but the greatest cheering came from fellow CTC, track buddy, and blogger Elizabeth. Thanks Elizabeth, I don't know anyone that can out do you as a cheering and encouraging fan. I think that's why the first mile flew by. Again, I was looking for all the people in my age group, that did laps around me in the water, as I passed so many people on the run including overall 1st place female (YES!!)
Just to let you know I don't think I'm a meanie. I try to always give my best wishes and congratulations (probably more to the ladies) to all those that I pass. The people I pass become my strength.
I couldn't stick around for the award ceremony but I did notice on the preliminary results posting that I placed 10th overall and 3 rd in my age group. I guess since those 2 other guys got out of the water 5 minutes before me I didn't have a chance to catch them on the 15 mile bike ride or on the 5 K run. That's okay, I was happy my legs held out for a great triathlon race today!
Final results from the Race. The officials adjusted the times for people stopped by a train crossing. I went from 10th to 13th place and got beat by 1 woman, but still held 3rd place in my age group.

Wendy's Triathlon Race Recap.

Do you know why Wendy's restaurants make their burgers square? According to Dave, founder of Wendy's, said that, they do not cut any corners when it comes to making a great tasting burger. I would have to say that would be the same with the Wendy's International Triathlon, that I ran this past Sunday. There were no corners cut in this well run race.

The Swim was in beautiful Alum Creek State park beach. We swam in warm 72 degree water which was warmer than the 62 degree air temperature. It was a 1/2 mile swim from one end of the beach to the other end. Before the race I was debating whether to use my wet suit or not. I didn't want to lose time in transition by fiddling and fumbling with trying to get the wet suit off.
I went with wearing the wet suit. We swam in about 4 to 4 1/2 feet water which some people would stand up and walk through but I didn't want to cut any corners so I swam freestyle non stop. With the buoyancy, comfort, and confidence I gained from wearing the wet suit I was well pleased with my swim results. I managed to get the suit off in no time standing up by using my legs to step on and pull off the suit without much hands.
1/2 mile swim in 14:26 13th out of 28 in my age group.
T1 in 1:29 fastest transition time in my age group. (not too much fumbling around here.)

The Bike was a fairly flat and fast course. Although, I came upon the result of 2 crashes. One was at a sharp left corner and the other was at an intersection where we had to zig then zag around 2 short corners and around cars that were held up by patrol officers. I think 2 maybe 3 people were involved in that one. As I approached these turns I cautiously went through and found a clear open line for me to sprint about 100 yards to regain my speed.
16.8 mile bike in 48:06 (20.9 mph average) 5th out of 28 in age group.
T2 in 1:43 5th out of 28. (fiddled and fumbled with trying to unsnap chip strap with cold and numb fingers) Next time before I get near transition I will shake and squeeze my hands to get blood flow and circulation in them.

The Run was also on a flat and fast course. This was my chance to catch 4 of the remaining 5 guys in my age group. No problem, since I am a runner turned triathlete. I had the 6th fastest overall run time.
5K run in 18:53 (6:03 average pace)
Finish time 1:24:39
2nd place in 45-49
Wendy's web site results

Walking on water!

I was experiencing a triathlon "high" and was able to place 3rd Overall at the Huntington Sprint Triathlon Race this past August!