SBR Utopia ~~~~ Permanently OPEN!! (Page 44)

The day started out with cloud cover and the sun really did not come out in full force until about 10 miles left in the ride.  At that point, you could tell it was going to be a hot run.  Car read 86 when I left the site. 

I guess I just need to dial back quite a bit in the heat.  my IF was 0.79 and I ran 1:38 in June on higher power numbers.  I am in way better bike shape than I was then.

Nice job at the races Arend, Chris & Rusty.

AG Nationals seems to be getting alot of positive feedback.  That is just a ferry ride away from me.

Sorry about the race Ryan, not nearly as fast as you but can totally relate on the heat killing a run, and then suffering through the finish....Well done on taking some positives out of it.

It's really just a fantastic race, has a WTC/IM vibe about it, but *slightly* less delta bravo people....  Although I have to say the usual "good jobs" out on the run course only got maybe a 40-50% response.  Usually get a "you too" or something.

I have to thank Adrienne and the folks here that gave me advice on the track workouts.  About 3 miles in, Adrienne's  quote came to me, "save the overachieving for race day," followed closely by "OK, then, it's race day!".

The last two miles is basically a flat, fast straight shot to the finish, real gut check time.  Started picking up the pace the last 2-3 miles, to the point where I was running a solidly fast pace for me and trying to hold form.  About a 1/2 mile in, the track workouts came back to me.  Just focus and hold form was my internal dialog, find someone up the road and pick them off (and I actually was able to do that).  Last few hundred yards just turned it on.

Downloaded the data into training peaks and looked at the peak 800 M and 1K splits.  Both were at the very end.  And were the paces that I've been running the intervals on the track - eerily the 800M pace was to the second pace per mile as the intervals Shane gave me.  Not sure if that was the point, or maybe just coincidence, but I was pretty happy to find that the trainnig directly correlated to racing.  Never had that before.

Ryan, sorry to hear it didn't quite go as planned.  I too know all about melting in the heat, it's tough to deal with for sure!  Still a solid race though!

That's cool Melissa!  Although i don't plan well that far in advance!  LOL

Good stuff Chris!  Nice to finish a race off with a good fast effort like that!

Picked up some new additions for the stable on the weekend.  Yes, they match, no that wasn't on purpose!  It just worked out that way, I would have bought a different one if they had it in my size.

(CaadX bikes.jpg)

What?  They didn't have the SuperX in your size?  LOL.

Jealous...

Your seat fence is too high pink.

Seriously  - very cool Arend! I was was feeling  a little peanut butter for most of the day, but you just made me totally jelly.

Actually, they DID have the SuperX in my size but that was a bit outside my price range.  I would have gotten the Ultegra if they had it.

Totally agree as well. Chris, I know we talked a little bit about this at dinner, but I think the mental strength that both paced track intervals and progressions provide is at leas as (if not more) important to us age groupers than the physiological aspects. And I know I do the same thing in a race: I count down the "laps" on the track: for example when I have a mile to go I might tell myself that I only have four 400s to go, and just focus on each one in progression. For me it seems that when you have done it a million times on the track it makes it juuuuuust a little bit easier to do in a race.

FWIW my coach does give me track paces specifically to prepare me to run those paces in a race. He and I did a little unpacking of the run this morning and he thinks that I actually should have been faster on saturday based on my track intervals he saw a real disconnect from my track intervals/efforts from my last sessions and race day - he thought I should be about 13~14 seconds faster per mile. We talked about all sorts of possibilities, and then he asked me how much weight I gained while on vacation. I said I didn't know so went and got on the scale. I gained somewhere between 6~7 pounds. So there it is, in all likelihood.

Just for the record, that's not my fence.    Just some random fence out on the trail.

While it is a little early to think about next year, I am seriously leaning toward going back again if it is in Milwaukee - like Chris said it really is a great venue with a nice vibe from both racers, sherpas, and spectators. Everyone is just really happy to be there on one hand, but pretty serious about it as well. Not nearly as much drama that you see at a IM, and everyone seems to know what they are doing. 

Sorry the run went south on you in the race - I can attest that you guys have not had much acclimatization this summer - it really was crazy how much the temps came up from the first to last day of vacation just a little north of you. We went from fires and pullovers to board shorts and sunburns within 10 days. And while I don't seem to be bothered by the heat as much as some, it does make a huge difference when you have it at your face vs. the back, especially on a long run. You can get overheated really fast when it is at your back - Craft actually makes a great shirt that I have found works excellently in those conditions - it really ventilates well in the back.

Yeah, and that's not Chris' beer either. 

*edit for brain confusion.

Well, you were right on with the weight gain you mentioned 

But faster?  I know it's all relative and probably 2 years ago I could not imagine running an Oly with  a "7" pace as the first number, but I was just looking at your splits, that is so incredibly fast for me, can't even comprehend going 6:3X, or as your coach wants 6:2X.....   Impressive running ( to me at least).

Interesting that our bike times were pretty close, and we were in shouting distance of Bryan Dunn, he passed me about 10 miles in.  I was happy it took him so long

Well, technically, eventually it was 

Having a turning point like that makes it a really tough call. Sun comes out an hour later and you're largely fine.

I've always extended my arm straighter - just how I was taught.  I think if you swim a more traditional style it works well.  If you swim a higher stroke rate open-water style, then your original motion might work out a little better.

Straightening the arm can slow you down if it's done poorly.  Some people will bring the hand into the water and then dip it upward, which causes a lot of drag.  But if you maintain a good line and don't pause before your catch, I think it's good.

I've never seen a comparison between lots of swimmers to see which way is better.  It's possible you've just corrected an issue in your stroke that you weren't aware of.  Not sure what to tell you about race day.  Since you only tried this recently, you'll probably want to talk it over with Shane and go with your intuition.

You are probable getting more reach with the rotation.  You having increased strength and swim fitness would also account for this.  I would also say you are developing more pull through the stroke.  5 seconds is pretty good but could also be a good day.  Maybe working the muscles a little differently (fresher) is making you a bit faster.  Question is; are you consistently increasingly your swim speed?