Starting off 2012 and TTT

Triple T has come and gone.   It’s like I just woke up missing toenails one morning severely dehydrated.   I have so much going on right now that I completely missed it…sort of. About 6 weeks ago I decided to reorganize my season and focus on one race in September.  Problem was that I had already signed up for TriCharleston half, Langley pond oly, Triple T, Potomac River Swim, and Morgantown half.  All that is squeezed into 8 weeks which is not really conducive of a PR.   As I get a little older and pile on competing priorities I really wasn’t aiming to be a top 5% guy anymore.  All it takes is a crappy race to change one’s mind though.  After Charleston I spoke with Natalie and we decided that I’m going to hand the reigns to my training off to someone else.  Where does that put me now?  Well I will be walking into a 3 month training block under the guidance of a coach.  I will have a pretty massive base and will be prepared to train hard in the southern heat.  These early races are more for fun than pursuing a win.  It’s a little hard for me but, it’s paying off because I’m taking the time to execute a solid race.  Here’s my season summary so far:

TriCharleston-

This was my first perfectly flat half.   I hammered the swim.  Got off the bike in 2:22 and started a good run.  I was 4 miles in and still comfortable at 6:40’s when I stepped off a curb to cross a road and cramped my hamstring.  Standing there in the sun stretching let the engine heat up and it was all over from there.  A lousy 4:50 brought home an upsetting finish.

Langley Pond-

This race was 7 days after TriCharleston and I was 6 days into an anti-inflammatory detox.  I got up and took in 200 calories of green juice and went and raced.   I hammered the swim, I rode pretty good and actually played a little strategy.  I’m usually playing keep away on the bike.  This time I let the #2 guy pass me and I dropped 3 bikes back and paced.  I got off the bike running 6:20 and felt great through 4 miles where I had the lead.  So far I had a total of 400 calories for the day and I began to feel it.  I dropped to 8 min miles and ended with a 3^rd OA.    No cramping!

The Almighty Triple T- Here’s where this blog gets lengthy!

The week leading up to TTT I had averaged 3.5-4 hrs of sleep a night as I was trying to finish of some school work.   We left Athens GA at 5am and headed north.  I ate light all day, mainly fruit and water.  For lunch I had a baked potato and a kid’s fry at Wendy’s.  Once we hit Portsmouth I had about 90 minutes before the first race.  My nerves were a little high but, I had plenty of distractions.  One being Joe and Janet Edwards.  Also, being in Ohio was refreshing.  Soft grass, no stinging ants, the smell of spring still in the air.  However air temps were in the mid 80s.  Just like home.  The super sprint was over before it started.  22:30 flies by when you cram 3 disciplines in.  I was 30^th OA out of 400ish.  We returned to camp lightly sore and eased into the evening by cooking thick cut bacon over a campfire and sharing stories over some swapped beers…Deep South Brewing and Great Lakes.  When I hit a nice little buzz I put my head back to see the trees lighting up with a little treat that I didn’t know I missed until that point.  Lightening bugs.  Off to bed we went.  I was set up on a pretty comfortable layout in the Edwards road lair.  After a solid hour of snoozing I began the process of fully awakening every 45 minutes.  So much for a good night’s rest.

We made it down to Saturdays first olympic with plenty of time.  I was enjoying the crisp humid air and the company of my old Ohio friends.  I had a good swim.  I took it pretty easy because the last thing I wanted to do was suck in a mouthful of that nasty organic black pond water.   Our lakes down south are all sand.  No muck.  If there is muck maybe you shouldn’t swim in it because you just entered the food chain in the middle…  Anyway, out on the bike course I started to take on the hills of the Little Smokies.  I felt good and I kept pace low to conserve for the weekend.  I hit a pretty solid run averaging around 7:05s which is decent for an uphill trail lined with gravel.  I finished 30^th again.  I spent the rest of the day chilling with my legs up trying to hydrate.  The temps were climbing and I was getting worried.  The afternoon race is a changeup from the norm.  We started with the bike which is a climb out of the park and a nice drop into about 7 miles of flat road.  I felt good from the start and hit that 7 mile out and back pushing close to 28 mph.  Then the road started to point to the sky and I realized what I had done.  Dammit!  Just got off the plan.  Once I hit the top I decided to soft pedal the last 7 miles in.  I skipped the wetsuit to save time on the swim.  My legs felt a little tight in the water and I was definitely holding off cramps.  With close to 50m left I took a big Tarzan breath and caught sun right in the face.  Under water I had a big sneeze…Immediately my left hamstring locked up, I flipped over on my back to stretch out and my quad cramped.  As I flopped around in the water my calf cramped and then my right hamstring went.  I couldn’t get it to stop.  I looked at my watch and was at 19:30.  I fought the legs for an eternity.  A lifeguard was eyeballing me and I started to think I wasn’t getting out of the water by myself.  I dropped below the surface and just relaxed everything for a few seconds.  I could hear arms slapping on the surface above me like ticking away like the second hand on a clock.  I was sitting there losing.  After about 10 seconds I could actually take a stroke, then two, and finally I was able to coast into the swim finish.  I looked at my watch and that little ordeal took 10 minutes.  28:45. Geez.  I jogged to my bike and bent over to put my shoes on.  Here we go again.  Quads cramped.  After 4 more minutes I was off running.  Paced the run at 7:30s.  I was just happy I could run.  Finished in the 60s.  Blah.  Returned to camp, ate a pound of thick cut bacon and drank beers. 

Once again I slept horribly. I was up every 30-40 minutes.  Sunday morning came all too fast and the last thing I wanted to do was race anything.  Not even a half Ironman!!!!  I was actually considering bagging the race and staying back at camp to get drunk with Joe.  I didn’t though.  I paced the pathetically short swim.  I was out of T1 in 23:30.  The first loop of the bike felt good but, I kept it within reach.  The second loop was tougher but, I really backed it off.  Too much I think.  Split like a 3:10.  I got out on the run at 8 min pace for the first 4 miles but, I was running low on calories and my feet were on fire.  I started chugging Infinit and waited for the cramps.  I was slowed to 10 min miles then to 11…I was sucking badly.  I hit the 6.5 mi turn around and my pace started to drop.  I brought it back down to 8 min and never cramped.  Was I learning how to control myself?  Add nutrition, back off on the bike?  I tried a lot out and some things were working.  After 150 miles of racing in 3 days I was pretty beat.  I’m talking Ironman beat.  In the end I was 30 minutes slower than last year but, I knew that going in.  This race was more about the people and the weekend.  I never really felt competitive, just homesick.  That’s good.  Makes me appreciate things a little more.