SBR Utopia ~~~~ Permanently OPEN!! (Page 11)

Wow, that's awesome, Jason!  Congrats -- BIG watts, super fast time, and podium....not bad at all!

TTT this morning....I'd like to do another one with a different team, but learned some valuable information.  RR posted: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=517883&posts=1#M5009118 

Great job with the bike races - excellent stuff from this group.

Jay - Is that your quadricep or a fire hydrant?

Did the Long Course National Championships on Sunday in Grand Rapids.  Had a pretty solid race.

Swim: 33 - went well although it was pretty rough (i.e. slap fest) for the first 500 yards.

Bike: 2:26 (218W - VI: 1.03 - 1100 feet of elevation - pretty flat)

Run: 1:38 (7:30s hoping to be around 7:00 pace)

Total: 4:42

The run was more of a shuffle.  I cannot remember the last time I ran more than 20 miles in a week - late 2013 maybe.  Everything has been so swim/bike focused which obviously paid off.  The next 8 weeks will be focused on bringing my run back up and putting it all together for Steelhead and hopefully 4:30-4:35 could be in the cards.

Qualified for Sweden with 11th AG but not going.

Also, Matt put up a 4:48 I believe which is very solid as well and also qualified.

Nice racing by everyone in the group!!!

My half ironman on Saturday goes into the category "there's a first time for everything".   We got delayed an hour by thunderstorms which threatened a course-shortening but luckily they went thru with a full race. I had a decent swim but since it was my first OWS swim of the season my sighting was a little rusty and I did a lot of zig-zagging. I felt good on the bike but somehow I missed a turn on the second loop of bike. It happened on one of several roundabouts on the bike course. There were people guiding racers on the first loop on a roundabout where we take a right. The next roundabout we go straight thru. There was no one there on the second time around and I mixed up my roundabouts and went straight instead of turning right.  I had passed a lot of racers and was in a stretch of no-mans land so there were no other racers around me to look at to see where to turn. I went almost 4 miles before I realized I screwed up.  When I returned to the roundabout there was a volunteer there so I'm not sure what the deal was on that?   Anyway, I ended up biking 63.38 miles instead of 56. If I figure in the extra 23 minutes I raced I probably would have placed around 24th overall and probably 2nd in AG. Totally my fault so I can't blame anyone but myself. On the bright side, I executed perfectly on my "pee on the bike" technique (2x).   I had a decent swim and ok run so I will still be able to use the data for fine-tuning IM prep as I won't be doing any more races until M-T.

Swim 37:34 not great and lots of zig-zagging

Bike ****63.38 miles**** duh!   2:55:24 in the rain  21.68 mph, NP 223, AP 212, VI 1.05  (CP is 284 right now)

Run  1:34:50   (7:15 min/mi)  Not a great run and probably burned some extra matches on the bike, but I tried to remain mentally positive after the bike screw-up

So, is it possible to 'become' a runner??  I hated running growing up.  Never ran track or played football.  Even faked an injury to get out of running for basketball tryouts once     I have a pipe dream of qualifying for Boston, but internally don't ever see that happening.  But that's my goal....

My swim was always my strong suit, and I can get by with about 10K a week and still come out in the top 10%ish.  I realize I am lucky that way. 

Bike, used to suck, but last two half irons I've come off the bike 10th and 15th AG at Miami and NOLA, couple races I've even gained a spot or two from the swim.  Yesterday (in a swimmer's sprint race distance) I came off the bike tied for 2d AG.  The bike work has come from (I believe) working hard at it for the last 2-3 seasons and training with power.

And then I run my middle of the pack run.  My run is getting better, but I just watch people run away from me.  Best half mary is a 1:47 on a hilly course last year.  Best HIM run is a 1:55 at Oceanside.  My last two HIM runs have been 2+ but in tough conditions for me (heat, etc), and realtively not all that bad in the field (110/330 at Miami and 65 ish /130 ish at NOLA).

I know a lot of it is course/condition/pacing, but is it possible, at 47, to bring my run up to where I've brought my bike?  I am assuming it would take at least a season or two of focused work, but I'd be afraid of losing bike strength, which would be inevitable.  Triathlon is hard that way, balancing the three sports against eachother and keeping our natual talents while developing weaknesses.

Probably depends on the governing body, but are disc covers actually legal for the bike races? Not full discs, just the covers. Somewhere I remember seeing that, but it's just not enforced so much at lower levels? The full discs are (usually?) legal in the other races, but for various reasons mentioned the riders don't really like them so much.

Nice job Ryan! Don't worry about the run because you still managed to beat the old guy!

Chris, I think it's totally possible to become a runner. It can take a lot of patience and persistence to do so. Patience because you can't just load up so much as quickly as the other two. And persistence as it will take time to figure things out that do come up. Some of it can be just luck of the draw. I have several friends who have been picking up running some more. Hardly a significant difference between them and one has been progressing steadily for quite awhile as the next has to deal with aching calf and hamstring problems. Actually the second one was in better general shape at first, and may still be, but had some weak spots hiding in there that running seems to bring out much more so than other activities. Eventually they'll get figured out and dealt with.

I'm also curious about this.  I'm so jealous of people who say things like, "I cannot remember the last time I ran more than 20 miles in a week" and throw down an HIM run leg faster than I can ever imagine running a standalone HM (yeah, rymac, I'm looking at you!!). 

I'm grateful my swimming and biking are decent, but it's a bit disheartening to see people fly by you at the end of the race.

Chris, you and I are extremely alike.  Strong swim, hold my own on the bike, meh run.  I never ran as a kid, didn't start until I got into tris in my mid 30s.

While I wouldn't necessarily call myself a runner, my run has improved tremendously by focusing on it.  As you said, it was a couple of seasons to get there but I was really seeing and feeling the benefits of it over the last couple of months.  The first year I got faster but I think I was still adapting and building up.  This past winter I saw my training paces start to significantly improve and I felt more like I could compete.  I still get my azz handed to me by real runners of course.

My suggestion is to pick a half marathon as a goal race and focus on it.  That was pretty much my main focus over the winter and I think it was effective.  As for the comment about losing power on the bike, I don't think that's a given at all.  My power went up over the winter when I did a short bike focus block while just doing a pile of easy miles running before switching to a solid run focus.

Yes, but it's been awhile. Trying to remember more details. Does this happen much?

Ahem…  Too true.  

Swim: 31:36.  Course might have been a bit long, and definitely a scrum at the start (lots of fasties). Lost the first feet I was following about 2/3 through (too fast) but picked up another pair within a hundred meters.  Happy with the swim, for sure.

Bike:  2:29:33.  PR.  22.5mph, 206AP, 210WAP, 143 bpm (on target).  Might have burnt a match or two to stay legal (although no one else seemed bothered by staying legal - looked like the TdF - I just can't race a tri like that).

Run:  1:43:15.  HIM PR.  Last 4 miles my pace dropped by a minute/mile (I think more from April being a bad month with injury and depth of fitness than the matches burnt biking, but who knows). 

Total:  4:48:58.  PR (helps that this was only my second, I suppose!)

Placed me 27th in AG, 116 overall.  Last year, that time would have been four seconds off the podium (although I maintain I had 4 seconds worth of kick left in me, if it came to that!).  This year a lot of fast old dudes came out (in addition to drawing from all over the midwest, there were people from as far as Georgia and all points in between).  Was very cool to race with those guys, but alas I did not qualify for Sweden.  Nonetheless, a great day of racing and a twelve and a half minute PR for me!  Couldn't be much happier about it.  

Talked with some great folks in the pen at the finish.  Super nice people at this one - I think I need to race outside the NE more often!

And Ryan is just too d@mn fast.  

Matt

Originally posted by JAYCT

Originally posted by Jason N

Managed 57:22 on 269 watts for my 40k.  Very pleased with my time given the windy conditions...which are pretty normal for that part of the island.  I was hoping to average 275-280, but I paced it more by HR and RPE and actually was very even with the exceptions of the first 30 seconds, the turn around, and the last 2 minutes.  It was good enough for 1st in M23-34 (All categories) and 3rd OA.  A few of the big hitters didn't race. 

This race has been deemed the USAC State Championship in the past, but it hasn't had the official title for a few years (I think the race organizers just didn't take the time to register for it).  But they gave out USAC state championship medals...so hmmm...  I know bike racing in Hawaii is not nearly what it is in the mainland, but I'll take what I can get. 

Nice Jason!!! You race who shows up and racing is racing. Great job to everyone this weekend! My update and race report: I ended up having to get new shoes (but they are going to fix my other ones). I ended up with the s-works shoes. I didn't have a chance to test them before the race other than some warming up. They seemed a lot stiffer when the guys at the LBS and I were flexing my old ones vs the new ones. Definitely a good shoe. So the race was a perfect day. It was warming up quick but sun was out and there was a bit of a headwind out of second to last turn but nothing crazy. Pace was pretty decent throughout. All moves were covered aggressively for the most part so the pack stayed together. There were two primes during the race. I decided not to contest the first one and just to watch it from a good seat and maybe mark a couple guys. I took a little flyer a lap later to test people and stayed out front with about a 50 yard gap for 1 lap but didn't bury myself and re-assimilated when I realized nobody was going to jump across to break with me. I made sure not to take to much wind since we were going over 26mph for a few miles it was like hitting a wall coming into the head wind if you were exposed. I did put in a late attack on the second prime when I saw a line opening up headed into the last turn and was able to grab that one at the last second for $20. The guy said after he didn't hear me coming because he usually hears the carbon wheels and that I was stealth but he was just making an excuse. I thought it was funny he was trying to spin my having aluminum training wheels on as some type of advantage. He really just went too early and didn't have the pop to get clear so I slingshotted across a small gap to get by. With a few laps to go, things started getting a little dicey around some of the turns. People were jockying for position. There was some bumping around a few of the turns. On the second to last lap the pace quickened and then headed into the bell lap I found an inside line and made my way up toward the top ten a few rows back. Headed up the riser and into the second to last turn I found myself inside taking the cross wind up the hill which turns into the wind to become a headwind. It wasn't the perfect position but since people were trying to save their legs I had a line. It was still too early for most to think about sprinting as they wait til the last turn and then it is a 20 second sprint usually. I sensed the hesitancy and as my reserves were draining from being in the wind at 30mph I jumped hard on the riser coming around the second to last turn and punched across to hit the last turn first so I could pick my own line. I took the turn hard and then jumped again one last time before getting as aero as I could and hammering the 53/11 for another 20 seconds or so around 37mph to cross the line. It hurt, I never looked back and just fully committed. I later found out I was clear by about 10 yards as I crossed the line with the pack closing hard. I hit a new max heart rate by a few beats. Almost puked a little and then took a victory lap and was congratulated by a bunch of guys on the move and the win. Nutmeg Classic - Connecticut State Criterium Champion: Cat 4 Took home $140 helps cover those new shoes! , a state champion jersey and a couple of medals. Afterwards they were asking me if I was updgrading soon to Cat 3 and when I told them that would be cool but this was actually my first Cat 4 open race. I was pumped. What a day. There is something about bike racing that I really enjoy that I never got from running or triathlon and that is coming down to the last few miles of a race, this huge adrenaline rush and exciting feeling as you are flying down the stretch in the pack. It really is a very different feeling. http://app.strava.com/activities/150573422/overview

  Holy carp, that's fast!

Bold move and well played.  Congrats!

Cat 3 is calling...

Jason, doesn't matter where you're biking, if you bike like that!  Nice race!

Matt