Xterra East

Xterra East Championship returned to Richmond for it's 13th event.  Being my home trail I figured I would have a good run and possibly finishing somewhat decent, but as you will read it didn't exactly go that way...at all! I'm still trying to piece it all together.

Sunday morning I woke up around 5 AM without the alarm clock.  Had a sprouted whole grain English muffin (Food for Life is kickass) with peanut butter and honey, grabbed my tri bag and rode my bike down to the race, which is about 3 miles from my house.  When I got there I was cool, calm and ready to get after it.  I worked through a bag of Cliff shot roks and a bottle of NUUN as I sat up my stuff in transition.  I wondered around for a bit, met up with Katie, and checked out the swim until it was time to get in the water.

BOOM goes the cannon and the pros are off...2 minutes till game time!  We get going in the swim and I'm feeling decent.  Swim, rock hop, swim, rock hop; this was routine throughout most of the swim.  I was doing great with sighting, not getting too far off track from the current.  Coming out of the water and heading towards transition I was ready to hit the trails.

Our swim taking off

I struggled a bit getting through T1.  I almost forgot my camelbak so that added a few seconds.  Out of transition and off to the Lee bridge.  There was a bit of a climb to get up to the bridge and it got me worked up some which I thought was good because whenever I get started on a ride I have to get the blood flowing to get the jitters out.  We made our way across the bridge and took the Riverside Dr. exit to jump on Buttermilk trail.  Right at the entrance to the trails their was freshly laid mulch and I eat it...hard.  I got up, grabbed my bike, put the chain back on and get moving.  Everyone knows after a good wreck you are a little off, a little embarrassed and humbled a bit.  I ate it again about 1/2 mile from the first wreck.  I was coming down a hill and I think I hit a stump, not really sure.  All I know is my bike stopped and I kept going.  Now that "cool, calm and ready to get after it" was gone.  I fumbled back on the bike and started moving again, at a slower pace.  I just felt off for the rest of the ride, like my reaction time had a quarter second lag time.  Areas that I plowed through when riding any other time I was now struggling with.  2 hours and 24 minutes later I get back to transition.  I did my first fly dismount and came out of T2 hot and high hopes to have a good run...

Getting ready for my first "fly dismount" in a race

Coming out of T2

But the hotness was short lived and hopes were diminishing.  I started dying after about a mile.  Then came the run up the side of Manchester wall , also know as the "Mayan ruins," which was the nail in the coffin. I struggled up it and finished the rest of the course at a walk/run pace of 11:11 min/mile.  Never having walked before in a triathlon I was mentally beat and frustrated.  My finish time was 3:58:47.

Road Rash from the wreck #1

After cooling down I got over scarred ego and decided to enjoy the afternoon with family and friends.  I packed my stuff up and we headed over to Legend's brewery for a pint, some awesome pretzels and nachos.

Dad, Rachel, Jeremy and me

This wasn't my first stab at an off-road tri.  Last summer I did Uwharrie, NC and Charlottesville, VA.  Uwharrie was actually my first triathlon so I can't blame my bang-up performance on inexperience.  I think I will contribute a lot of it to road focused training.  Mountain biking is a different creature compared to road biking.  I compare road biking to running long distance and mountain biking to running sprints.  Having spent the last 5 months on a road bike I don't think I was in mountain bike shape.  Also the 2 crashes in the first 2 miles didn't help, but that comes with the territory of XTERRA.

I have great respect for the off-road triathletes.  The risk of injury is much greater and the mountain biking part is extremely taxing.  I did 19 weeks of training for the Orlando 70.3 without a scratch; with 2 weeks of training for the XTERRA I had 6 stitches, sprained wrist and multiple scrapes and bruises.  But don't let my mishaps be a deterrent from giving one of these off-road threesomes a shot.  I think a lot of my knocks come from having more courage points than skill points; if you're going to try and ride like a nut at least be able to keep the bike on the trails.  All things considered it was a good learning experience and great to have fam and friends there!  I would definitely do Richmond XTERRA again....maybe a few things different but absolutely again!

Orlando Half Ironman

Katie and I arrived in Orlando on Thursday...it was hot!  After we got settled in I did an hour and 30 minute ride, felt okay.  Friday was an off day and we decided since we were there we should do one of the theme parks so we went to Sea World.  It was nice to get my mind of the race for a while.  Sea World is fun because they have a good mix: a few roller coasters, shows, exhibits.  Saturday before going to check in did a 15 minute swim and then a 45 minute ride shortly after that.  Both of those felt rough.

The day before the race.

Checking in was a neat experience, being my first.  They seriously had a little "Ironman Village."  Being in Fort Wilderness, which is part of Disney World, we either had to load our bike on a bus or ride about two miles.  It was raining on and off that afternoon, but not enough to dampen the excitement of the event.  Everyone seemed really nice and talkative.  I will say this now and probably again, I thought the volunteers did an excellent job.  After I signed my releases, got my number and goody bag (magazine, box of Wheaties, eye drops, swim cap in a k-swiss drawstring bag) I headed for the Ironman store.  Picked up a t-shirt, some stickers, a Headsweat visor and a few other nick-nacks.  After that we walked around the village a bit and waiting for the athlete briefing, which ended up being cut short because of a crazy but quick storm.

When we got back from check-in I did a 15 minute run and then it was off to dinner around 6:00.  Reading blogs/suggestions, pizza and pasta came up a lot as the pre-race dinner so I went with pizza.   Went to Giordano's which was awesome.  As far as nutrition goes, I'm beginning to find out what does and doesn't work for me.  Pizza and pasta seem to be okay so far.

Delicious!!!

I think it was around 3:30 when I woke up Sunday morning.  Had a bagel with peanut butter then loaded up and headed to the race.  It started raining when we got to there, which I think was around 4:45 and didn't stop till about 6:00.  This made transition setup a bit messy.  Yes, I know that the first thing is the swim and we're gonna get wet anyways but I wanted to at least keep my shoes dry, which I was able to manage.  Thankfully when the storm finally blew over it was nothing but blue skies!

Water temperature was in the low 80s and it was a dry start.  We ended up starting about 20 minutes late, putting my take-off around/at 7:14.  I felt strong but couldn't find a decent line.  I just kept running into people who were treading water.

Getting through T1 was SLOW, 6m 49s!!!  I didn't do the best job of setting up because of the rain and it took me a few extra minutes to get it together.  I decided to wear socks and sunblock this time because of the distance and time so that took longer.  Also, the run to the transition area from the water was long.


The bike was good except for wrecking in one of the first turns.  The road was still wet from the rain and I slid through the cones and hit a fence.  Decided after that to slow down in the turns.  I had two Accel gels on the ride and several bottles of Powerbar performance sports drink which was being handed out at the aid stations.  I was able to grab it on the move and pour it in my Profile design water bottle between my aero bars.  I made sure I drank a lot because it was hot.  I averaged just under 21 mph, finishing in 2h 40m 22s.

T2 was better but still too long, 2m 52s.  More sunblock, changed my shoes and loaded up with gels, three Hammer and one Gu Roctane.  Grabbed the last Accel off the bike and ate it as I ran out of transition.

The run was a three loops course on and off road.  The off road part was a little rough because of vehicle ruts and dips.  It took about two miles for my legs to make the switch.  I ate all the gels but one and made sure I grabbed water or the Powerbar drink at every aid station because it was HOT.  It started getting tough on the last loop.  At the last aid station on the last loop I grabbed a soda in hope to get a burst of energy from the sugar and I think it worked...or it could of been all the spectators cheering, which definitely keeps you pumped up.   My run time was 2h 3m 37s.

Finishing felt great!!!  My overall time was 5h 33m 14s.  I was shooting for somewhere between 5 1/2 to 6 hours so I was happy with the finish.  I got my medal and a cap, gave a thumbs up to the camera guy and headed for the food tent.  Pizza, cookies, pretzels, and a diet coke...heaven!  I grabbed my share and met back up with Katie to find a spot in the shade to indulge in my post race treats.

We hung around for a while and then headed out.  I decided to ride my bike to the parking lot and Katie rode the bus back which ended up being a bad idea.  They had the original route to the parking lot blocked off for the race and a bunch of athletes and myself had to ride around what felt like the entire theme park to get back.  Eventually got to the parking lot and met back up with Katie.  We headed back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and officially started our vacation!

Hindsight 

First and foremost, the plan I followed definitely prepared me for the event.  I got it from trifuel.com and it was free, thanks to Matt Leito.  It is an intermediate level 20 week program, which I tried to follow religiously.  In my opinion this is by far the most vital part in preparing for this race.  I am going to add more bricks to my workouts in the future.  As I said earlier, it took a couple miles to get into the run from the bike.  I noticed a HUGE improvement in my swimming.  I just need more open water practice and I also want to practice starting fast and then slowing to a maintainable speed.  I feel I'm now a strong enough swimmer to hold my own and need to be more aggressive on the start to get out in front and not have to worry about running into people as much.  Out of the three, the bike is my strong point...just gotta go faster.  A lot more speed work on the bike and run, not just distance.

SuperCARBOfragilisticexpiAMINOdocious

My background, when pertaining to nutrition, has always been based around weight training...consuming amounts of protein that would give a T-Rex G.I. discomfort.  Low carb, low fat, high protein.  When I started looking into gels and noticed  that the thought of protein seemed to faintly exists in the endurance world it was hard to swallow.  The only gel I have found with protein in it is Accel gel made by Pacific Health Labs.  It has a 4:1 carb to protein ratio and has a moderate amount of sugar.  Most gels use maltodextrin, a complex carb, to make up around 70% of the carbohydrates.  The other 30% or so are usually fructose and/or sucrose.  There are also a few out there that use honey, which has it's benefits.

Amino Acids - The Building Block

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which makes up muscles.  There are more than 500 amino acids but humans only use 20.  Their function of protein synthesis usually being the top rave for athletes, these badass molecules have numerous functions in the human body: formation of hemoglobin, formation and use of hormones, balancing mood and sleep, metabolism, immune functions, etc.  The human body can synthesis 11 of the 20, leaving the nine "essential amino acids" that must be ingested.

Essential Amino's:

• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Valine

Of those nine, there are three branch chain amino acids (BCAA) which have been believed consuming higher amounts can help with building muscle.  Isoleucine, Leucine, and Valine combinations can be found at every nutrition store you walk into.  Glutamine, a non-essential, also has a spotlight, and rightfully so.  Glutamine has a huge role in healing, which makes a great supplement in weight and endurance training.  It also has been proven to increase plasma HGH (Human Growth Hormone) levels when ingesting orally by stimulating the anterior pituitary gland...now I have the attention of the bodybuilders!  Arginine, being a precursor for synthesis of nitric oxide, reduces healing time, helps decrease blood pressure, and necessary for creatine synthesis, is another one.  So you will most often see BCAA supplements with the additional Glutamine and Arginine.  

With all this being said, in my journey to iron I will be supplementing with BCAA's and Glutamine.  I have purchased a few mixes that I will be using in my training, Amino Vital's 7500ER and BSN's Volumaize®.  The Volumaize lacks Glutamine, so I purchased that as well to add to the mixture.  Both have maltodextrin to make up the carbohydrates, which I'm cool with.  The Volumaize is crazy sweet so I have to use more water, but the flavor's not bad..  I guess we'll see what happens.  

Oh, and I got 99% of this info from Wiki...I'm not that damn smart.  

The New Machine

Why the FUJI would you do that?

Last summer I purchased a Schwinn Elite road bike that I have been riding/racing.  I bought a road bike instead of a tri bike because everyone I talked to suggested I go with a road bike to start out.  It's a great road bike and I've been very happy with it but wanted to take the next step.  The D6 3.0 is a fully carbon frame equipped with Shimano Dura Ace/Ultegra/105 components (to name a few).  It weighs approximately 21 lbs. and all the cables are internally routed.  Needless to say I'm stoked about the whole ordeal.  

Tri Bike vs Road Bike

So from what I have gathered there are a few notable differences between a tri and road bike.  For starters there is the seat angle.  Tri bikes have a steeper seat tube angle, somewhere around 76 - 78 degrees.  A road bike's seat angle is around 73 degrees.   The road bike is set up for maximum power feed and quick response; one main reason being is riding in packs when road racing.  The geometry of the tri bike is to effective utilize the riders energy and conserve some as well.  The lofty seat angle of the tri bike makes the "aero" position more comfortable.  Another significance of the angle is it engages your quads more, leaving something left in your hamstrings for the run.

My First Ride

I took it out over the weekend and gave it a test drive, 45 miles worth.  My best description is probably the closest your going to get to a recliner with pedals.  Riding in the aero position will take some time getting used to though.  I did noticed more work out of my quads.  As for the carbon fiber part, it definitely makes for a smooth ride.  

The skinny on my blog

I've never been into the blogging craze and have definitely never considered blogging until recently.  The main reason for my new interest in it is due to my attempt at my first half ironman race.  I figured that if I made my pursuit of this event public I would be more apt to stick to it.  Also, I've been spending a majority of my free time researching training, nutrition, gear, etc. and thought I could share the findings with anyone who is interested.  I was hesitant to start one because I didn't want to seem arrogant, but talking it over with a few friends I was assured that it's not as narcissistic as I was making it out to be...thanks Shannon and Jeremy.  Okay, enough with the blithering justification and on with the subject.

The Beginning

Last year was my first debut in the triathlon world beginning with the Uwharrie, NC Xterra. It was an off-road triathlon which consisted of a 500 meter swim, 8 mile mountain bike, and 4 mile trail run.   It was ON from that point!  That summer I did another Xterra, two sprint distance, and one olympic distance.  For those who are not familiar with the distances they are as follows:

• Sprint Distance or "Mini Triathlon" = < 1 mile swim, < 15 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
• Olympic Distance = .93 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run
• Half Distance or "Half Ironman" = 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
• Full Distance, a.k.a."Ironman" = 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run

I never fathomed doing triathlons.  I remember going to a cubs game and sitting behind a guy who had an Ironman jacket on and thinking that it was something I would NEVER even consider doing.  I ran my first 5k about five years ago and thought that was a big deal.  Still remember my time, 30 min 28 sec.  I started running on a regular basis about two years ago.  It wasn't until I broke an hour that I really got hooked.  Now I can't imagine going more than a couple days without running.

Biking is something I've been in and out of since a young lad.  I used to race motocross and did some mountain biking here and there, which is why I went for the Xterra tri.  As for road biking, I never thought I would be one of those guys riding down the road in the tight shorts and jersey.  But after "spandexing up" and hammering out 30 miles at 20 mph I now have a lot more respect for the sport.

Swimming...my nemesis. If I had do characterize myself in water it would be a cinder-block with arms.  I found that the swimming style I did during my first five races was something swimmers do for drills to practice/improve upper body strength; it's called "Tarzan swim" and you swim freestyle with your head constantly out of the water.  Luckily and thankfully, the Gold's gym I go to has added a pool and I have been in it 3-4 times a week turning out laps.  This is also a good example where the research came in tremendously.  I ordered a training video, read articles/blogs and bugged anybody I could about how to improve, or survive the swim.  I'm actually starting to enjoy it.  At first I dreaded when looking at my training program and it said "1000 meter swim."  Now I'm to the point where my warm-up is between 500 and 1000 meters.   Practice, practice, practice!

 THE Race

My obsession with these threesome engagements have driven me to register for the Orlando Half Ironman in May; the 15th to be exact.  It takes place in Fort Wilderness which is a part of Disney World.  I chose Orlando because it was one of the closest races in the Half Ironman circuit that was still open.  My other option was in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania in October, but I've been chomping at the bit since last season to get started and I have a good friend that just moved to Florida that I'm hoping to visit while on my journey.