Lake Stevens 70.3 - 21st MPro

The last big hard workout leading to Canada is done. I really wanted to do more at this race, but I encountered 2 big hurdles:

Hurdle 1)The AIR temperature, combined with the water temperature- After warming up, they pulled us out of the water for what seemed like an eternity. So there we were, shivering in the 50F air, soaked to the bone, teeth chattering, shivering and shaking. The RD banned us from using wetsuits, by 0.2degrees. Really? You kidding me? Great judgment call on that one, sir... "So what? Cowboy up, man!" I did, and it made for a miserable first 1.5hrs of racing. By the time I finally stopped shivering, was keeping my nutrition down and could turn the pedals without being in pain, I had been blown out the back and was dead last, way back after the worst swim ever.

uffff.....

Hurdle 2) My body was/is still recovering from last weekend's leg-pounding. My goal was to clock 1:18 on this course, and I was on target at mile 10, just under 60minutes. I then came unglued in the last 3miles. I managed to get past a few of the guys who were fading, and was very happy to get across the mat. Afterwards, I sat down in a shaddy spot at the finish while Donovan poured water bottles over my head.

Happy to get the running legs going...

I would like to thank my kick-ass sponsors who were out on the course, being super vocal- Mike and Shawn from Blue Seventy; Jon from Blue Cycles; Wes from Potentrx; Scott from Nuun and Robert from 1st Endurance where there in spirit. To Theresa & Donovan, thanks for putting up with another really early morning and a long day at the races.

Outstanding job by 8th place Guy Crawford, who's been racking up some awesome races around the globe. Great job as well by my buddy Michael "Mo Powah" Gordon, who finished 20th. I think he was getting back at me for 'beating' him at Boise. He too was just working out. Now let's see how Canada treats us both.

It's taper time. The work is done. Let's see what kind of ROI we get in 2 weeks.

the long slow road to recovery and my big mouth

Last Saturday's little adventure has left me out of running commission for days. Maybe it's a sign of total inexperience with trail running. Maybe it's old age. Whatever the case, it's taken me a while to bounce back. I think I will be fresh again come Sunday morning, but we'll have to wait and see...

Speaking of Sunday, today I was on the phone with my buddy Shawn, who informed he was having coffee with some of my competition. So I said to tell them I was going to hand it to them on Sunday. Little did I know he immediately relayed the message to Luke Mac and Big Matt that I was going to spank them. Great. That's like a casual weekend jogger telling, oh, I dunno, someone like Haile he's going to get schooled.

Let's hope by Sunday my legs help me get most of my foot out of my mouth.

Grand Ridge Half Marathon - 2nd Overall

My buddy Dave has been raving about trail running this and that, and how awesome it is compared to pounding pavement. So this past Saturday I decided to give it a go with a half marathon that had 2,000ft of elevation gain. I figured it would be a really good workout for this build block. Little did I know the leg-pounding fest I was in for.

Post-race, food & drink in hand, happy the pain was over.

My impressions? It sure is different- it is a laid back atmosphere, and it is cool. It is also crazy, especially going downhill: I felt I was running borderline out-of-control, trying to place my foot in the right spot among holes, roots, rocks, branches, all while running as fast as possible without falling face first or injuring something. I almost won the thing too, but a XC runner hunted me down in the last 400m. I'm pretty happy with the result given, IMHO, how tough the terrain and the elevation gain was.

Will I do it again? Not sure. I found it a little dangerous, I felt like I was about to lose it at almost every corner and down section. Maybe there is some technique involved, as I smashed my legs. The workout was awesome, though. Now let's recover for next weekend.

JC

The case of the dissapearing flip flops

Someone stole my flip flops. My $2, all-rubber, gray slippahs (as they say in Hawai'i). From the Greenlake Bath House steps, where lots of people leave wallets, car keys, bags, etc. in full sight. No, they were not picked up as garbage, as there were plenty of other visible garbage items scattered around the steps pre & post swim.

Well, whomever you are, I hope they keep your feet comfy. I mean, if you are taking cheap used flip flops, you probably need them more than I do. I'm more in disbelief than I am angry, honestly.

Federal Escape Olympic - 3rd Overall

I did a small Olympic tri just south of Seattle. It reminded me a lot of when I was starting in the sport, back when I had just started swimming, and had gotten my first road bike. It had that low-key, feel-good vibe about it.

You see this brake thing here, Papa?

You know you are not supposed to use those when you are racing, right?

I got a swift kick to the mouth in the swim, which cut up my upper lip (fat lip in picture). It really messed with my concentration, and I wasn't able to get it together and get back in the game. At some point on the bike ride, the bleeding stopped, and I was able to tear out the big flap of skin that was hanging from my lip inside my mouth. Had I had run splits, I may have been able to do more. I eased off and cruised the last mile, stopping for Donovan to run in with me. "I gotta help Papa finish the race!" is what he says. All in all it was a good high-intensity workout, which is what I was after.

Thanks to Stefan and Melissa, for letting me come out to play. They are the RDs for this race, who put on a great event together. My family and I had a great time, and enjoyed the venue and great post-race food (organic hotcakes, sausages, fruit, granola, etc). As always, thanks to all my awesome sponsors. 2 weeks to the Lake Stevens workout, and then unto IM Canada.

jc

whirlwind weekend

Another weekend of careful universe-balancing moves is in the books. That would be my universe, where family responsibilities meet triathlon dreams, where hot-cakes, cartoons and play time co-exist with obnoxiously long rides and runs, and, now that the weather is nice here in Seattle, swim time with the little fish.

Both Sat and Sun consisted of brick workouts-
Saturday's brick went as follows: a 50mi ride, a 12mi run, followed by lunch, followed by 10min nap, followed by a 1-hr lake swim with the little fish.
Sunday's brick was a little more intense: a 100mi ride, lunch on-the-go, and 1-hr pool swim with the little fish. One thing after the next.

I should add I've been experimenting using considerably less calories, trying to get my body better used to burning fat. So far so good, except yesterday, when I ran out of gas 20mi out, with a nice headwind, a 4-yr old at home, ready to go, and a set pool schedule that waits for no one.

You gotta dig deep sometimes....

jc

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... is this thing on?

I'm excited to announce I've started working with the guys at Potentrx to try and improve my training/racing. If you are in Seattle and are looking for physiological, biomechanical, or muscoskeletal testing (and whole lot more), you should consider the services of the Potentrx team headed by Drs. Tripps and Speck. If you have any questions about my own experience, pls shoot me an email.

Warming it up...

So I had the opportunity to go in to get my VO2 tested. I wanted to obtain data to better fine-tune my bike training and racing. Sean and Wes, super professional yet down to earth, got all the Darth Vader hardware on me, put me on my bike, pointed me to the pain cave, and asked that I go in as far as possible. In I went, no lightsaber. Some 15minutes later, I came out a soggy sweaty mess, seeing spots and feeling a little weak. If they had asked me to keep going for another 30sec, no doubt I would have had to use that garbage can next to the bike.

Uh... guys...? Is it me or is it getting awfully dark in here...?

.

So what did I learn? While the data shows I've done an ok job bracketing racing/training efforts based on my experience, I learned where my little engine is lacking punch and how to improve and do more with what my parents gave me. All in all, it was a great experience, and I very much look forward to having them in my corner.

See how they enjoy watching others suffer? :o)

Thanks a lot you guys!

JC

Burnout & Rebound

This past weekend I was clearly in the valley of post-IM depression, weighed down even more by the dissapointment of a race gone wrong. Zero motivation to keep pushing through training. Having put my (very patient and supportive) family through the rigors of training, to come up empty handed on the day when it counts, well, it made me question decisions, as well as my time management skills (or lack thereof).

So I got off the bike after hardly any work on Sunday, and did a good amount of house work instead, chores I've been neglecting for a long time. I took back the backyard with the weedwhacker, fending off vicious dandelions. After Donovan's bedtime, I opted for a short ez run. I was ready to quit within the first 2-3minutes, my legs feeling super heavy. I stuck with it and very slowly felt the snappy feeling and fast turnover coming back. 30minutes later, my spirits were lifted, and I was happy to return home and spend time relaxing with my awesome wife, enjoying the sunset from our house. We can see the mountain peaks, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Let's see what next week brings.