Genes or Lifestyle Choices?

I recently ran at the Syracuse Festival of Races 5K on October 2, 2011. I was surprised to see some of the great running times of people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s! Often times, people complain that they are too old to do something and say things like, "Well, when you get to be my age, you won't be doing those things." Or "These old bones can't do what they used to." I guess my question is, are these people running such great times because of excellent genes or plain old hard work and active lifestyle choices? I suppose it could be a combination of both, but I'm hoping for the latter because I do not believe I'm blessed with good running genes. Take a look at some of the ages and times below and please comment on what you think to be the case.

Lee Foster Memorial 5 Miler

As I mentioned in my previous post, this race was to serve two purposes. To check out a half marathon pace and to determine my threshold heart rate. I arrived in St Marys an hour before the start so that gave me plenty of time to check-in, warm up and talk to a few other racers. I probably had too much time.

I warmed up with Ean King and it felt like the race had started already. We did a two mile warmup in about 14 minutes. At one point I looked at my watch and we were close to 6:30 pace! He was pushing it pretty good and even started dropping me. It was nice to chat with him and hear what he's been up to over the last 15 years. We were District IX rivals in cross and track while in high school. I don't think I ever lost to him in HS, but he always talked a good game.

Ean and another local high school rival, Andy Micheltree, were both at the race and posed a big threat in my age division. They both had beat me in May 2010 at a local 5k quite handily. I was back to running for just a few short months at the time.

The race was small (50-60) and started as expected with a few taking the lead from the gun, including Ean. Micheltree eventually passed me 1/2 mile into the race and stayed about 30 seconds ahead the whole way. I caught one guy (fellow 30-39er) at 1.5 and ran with him close to the turnaround. He wanted to run sub-31 so I thought we could work together. My splits on the way out were 6:11 and 6:16 en route to a 15:33 at the halfway point. Pretty much right where I wanted to be on this 'tempo run.'

After making the turn, I dropped my pace (and the guy I was with) to sub-6. I held a nice pace around 6 minutes per mile and I negative split the race going 15 flat for the final 2.5. I ended up 4 OA and 3rd AG. Most years my final time of 30:33 would have challenged for the win but not this year. I grabbed my 3rd place trophy early and headed for home.

While this course was fairly flat and the half mary course has some hills, I feel confident in my mile pace goal for the HM. I've got a few more weeks to keep logging the miles and adding some intervals and tempo runs. I'm happy with my progression back as well. I'm confident that I can continue to drop time on my pace and overall splits as I increase my mileage and intensity each year.

I'll save talk about my heart rate test and training zones for my next post.

Train through race

"Racing" a 5 miler tomorrow in St. Marys. It will serve two purposes. 1.) To see how I handle an aggressive half marathon pace and 2.) to do a threshold test for heart rate training.

After considering my fitness gains this year, I have mentally figured on a 6:20/mi pace for my half marathon coming up next month. That pace equates to a :30 second per mile increase from my PR (and only) half marathon last October and would drop my overall time 6 1/2 minutes. My plan is to run 6:20 pace tomorrow for the first 4 miles (or try to!) and then do what I can in the last mile. This will be a great chance to physically test the pace to see if it's reasonable to sustain over 13.1. I then can adjust the goal pace accordingly if need be.

In order to determine one's threshold, a test of some sort needs to be done. One very popular test is to do a 30 minute hard run and use the average heart rate for the final 20 minutes. Tomorrow's race should take 31-32 minutes so this will be near perfect. Once your threshold HR is determined, the appropriate training zones can then be figured.

Weather will be iffy with a 50% chance of rain. Course is flat. Look for a follow-up next week.

Chocolate Milk

Mouth-watering chocolate milk!

You've just finished a long workout. You're tired, thirsty, your bones are brittle, and your muscles feel more like mashed potatoes than lean, mean killing machines. What do you eat or drink to recover? Drop that anti-freeze-colored liquid in a bottle, chuck your powerbars and water to the side, and pick up a refreshing and cool glass of chocolate milk!

Why?

1.Research by Karp et. alia (2006) shows that chocolate milk is a Gatorade. They showed that when carbohydrate content of chocolate milk and a recovery drink were equivalent, individuals could cycle 49% to 54% longer if they drank chocolate milk than if they drank a carbohydrate replacement drink like PowerAde.
2. Chocolate milk is full of carbohydrates and protein, and these two components together improve endurance performance.
3. Chocolate milk has been shown to have a greater effect on post-workout recovery than water alone.
4. Chocolate milk is super delicious.

So, the next time you finish up a long run, a race, or that hard workout at the gym, drink a chocolate milk within 30-45 minutes.

Me vs Myself

As I was reflecting on my last triathlon of the season, I found myself to be somewhat despondent. Upset that I hadn't achieved a goal time that I believed to be reasonable, and probably more upset with being beat by a local competitor by :26 seconds. As I scoured the results to pinpoint my mistakes and the other's advantages over me, I began to question yet again why they don't let us all race one another - together. After all, if that triathlete was in my wave I would have been able to run him down and beat him to the finish. Nevermind the 3-4 other racers within a minute of my final time - one who finished 1st in my age group - who were in other waves.

Triathlon is one of the most demanding physical events that you could ever compete in. A "sprint" is about as short as they get and that includes roughly a 750m swim, a 13-15 mile bike and a 5k run. Mention these distances to most people and they squirm. Ironman distances soar to a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a full marathon of 26.2 miles. That's just downright crazy. Training your body to complete such an event takes 5-20 hours per week of swim, bike and run. Oh, and don't forget to do some core type work and stretch. And eat right. And sleep 8 hours a night. It's no wonder marriages and families become strained by the demands of tri'ing.

Despite all of the physical stress we inflict on our bodies, nothing compares to the stress that needs to be placed somewhere else. I've completed 4 tri's thus far and it finally hit me. Our minds are our greatest and most important weapon when it comes to competing in triathlon. When you run a race everyone toes the line together and they're off in ready, set, go! In cycling, the peloton weaves along the roadways with bikes all around you as you work with one another until a final sprint to the line.

In triathlon, it is Me vs Myself. From start to finish. Sure it's chaos at the start, but you swim by yourself and then you bike by yourself and then you run by yourself. There may be a few people to catch and pass, but big deal. The good guys are in the "other heat." You don't know how you compare to them because they're not there. They started 5 minutes ahead of you or 8 minutes behind you in another wave. If only we had a way to create an apparition of the other racers, just to give us a glimpse of our true standing. But alas, we don't and we can't.

So there I am. Alone. I hear my hard breaths on the bike and I focus on my pedal stroke. My feet slap the road beneath me while I try to keep a rhythm on the run. I've chased all those that I can chase. There are no more in sight - at least in my sight. This is when triathlon gets tough. When your own mind battles against itself. There's no one else to compete against anyway.

You've got to dig deep at this moment and start to realize that every second counts. It may not seem like it at the moment, but you'll realize their importance once the final results are posted and you've lost by :26 seconds. That's 6:22 pace instead of 6:30 over that 5k run. That's two seconds per mile on the bike or 4 seconds per 100y in the swim. And don't underestimate the importance of good transitions.

The mind is a powerful weapon in triathlon and needs to be trained in practice. Solo tempo runs, hill repeats on the bike, intervals in the pool. Pushing yourself to go harder and faster. It's just you and how bad you want it. Mind over body.

Presque Isle Tri Review

The 2011 Presque Isle Tri was held this past weekend. I'm going to change up my report some and just highlight some things and post my times and places for each respective part of the race. As usual, you're welcome to comment and ask questions.

Swim: Hardest to date. 150 in wave all beating on one another. No clear water for the first 200 yards to the first bouy. Spent nearly every stroke taking a look to see where to go and also to find the bouy. Next 200 yds were fairly clear but I was gassed from the start. Felt like I stayed on course well despite being blinded by the sun and not being able to locate the next bouy.

Time: 12:17 (includes run from shore to transition area)
Overall Place: 98/349
Age Group: 8/21

T1: Transition went better than last two races. Wetsuit came off a lot quicker (could have been the BodyGlide I used on ankles). Ground was dirty so that was annoying.

Time: :54
Overall Place: 37/349
AG: 3/21

Bike: Got clipped in a lot better than in previous races. I haven't practiced this so I just got lucky I suppose. Lots of people to catch since I was so far back coming out of the water. Passed a number of people throughout the first 8-10 miles. After that only the "good guys (and gal)" were in front of me. Used a set of clip-on aerobars which I believe helped me to keep a better speed. Went back and forth with a guy for most of the bike segment before putting some time on him in the last few miles.

I was able to get out of my bike shoes towards the end of the ride which helped me in transition 2. See below.

Time: 32:52  (23.7mph average)
OA: 31/249
AG: 4/21

T2: Had a great transition. Didn't waste much time here. Noticed that the bike next to me was still 'out.' It was also gone when I had started the bike leg so I passed him somewhere.

Time: :32
OA: 8/349
AG: 1/21

Run: Took off on the run and it took some time to get my running legs. My goal was to get close to 6min pace for an average. I struggled to get there, but pushed on. I saw one guy just take off on the run. I believe he may have been 1st in my AG. Two others were in striking distance - one guy and one woman. I knew I had plenty of time to make a move on them so I took my time. I caught both of them shortly before the turnaround on the out and back course. The guy was in my AG and finished 3rd behind me. The woman finished 2nd overall in her race.

After getting by these two, I was on my own and all alone. I tried desperately to keep a strong pace whenever I noticed my avg pace slowing down. At first I was pretty bummed with my pace, but a closer look reveals this:

Results show a 6:41/mi pace.
Reported race distance of 3.5mi with my time comes to 6:30 pace.
My watch said 3.57mi and 6:20 pace.

More importantly were my mile splits. 6:27, 6:20, 6:13, 6:23. Pretty happy with that 3rd mile.

Time: 22:44
OA: 12/349
AG: 2/21

Overall: My initial feelings of the race were ones of disappointment. I had set a 'happy' goal of 1:08 and another goal of 1:06 that I felt was attainable. It's tough to set goals like that when you've never competed on the course. After having a few days to reflect on the race, I can't be too upset with it. I put in a good effort and learned a lot of things about this crazy sport.

Kick Cancer 5k

Date: 8/28/11

Location: Port Matilda (Graysdale Park), PA

Weather: Overcast, humid 65-70degrees

Race Results: 2011 Results

There were 359 runners in the 1st annual Kick Cancer 5k. The race proceeds benefit Christina Fetzer who is fighting spinal cancer.

Course: The course wound through Graysdale Park in Port Matilda. The hills were long but not overly severe in terms of the degree of incline. Although there were no mile markers, directions were clearly marked with white arrows and there were volunteers at crucial intersections. There were a few places were the race involved some quick twists and turns, but the footing was good throughout the race.





Race: After taking off a month due to an ankle injury, I ran this race to get an idea of (i) how much overall fitness I've lost and (ii) have a 5k time so that I can set a goal for an upcoming race that Liz and I are running in Syracuse, NY on October 2nd (Syracuse Festival of Races). For a warm-up, I ran a mile and did a few quick strides. The start of the race was very narrow so I ran hard for around 100m to get in front of the pack. Once there, I settled down, relaxed my form, and tried to make sure I ran the 5minutes of the race at a calm, controlled pace. In some previous races, I've found that after 5-10minutes I run at the same pace for the whole race. In this race, I tried to throw in a few surges ranging from 30secs to 1min. Overall, I ran 17.36 and was 2nd out of 311 recorded finishers.

Post-Race: After the race, I ran the course again as a cool down with two other runners. There were baked goods, water, and bananas for refreshments, and a raffle. The male & female winners received a $75 gift certificate to Rapid Transit.

PI Tri Preview

My third and final triathlon of the year is coming up this Saturday. It's held at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA and entry fees go towards the upkeep of the park. I've never been to the park - much to the surprise of most that I talk to. It sounds like a wonderful place for families and kids. With a nice beach area and miles of a paved multipurpose trail, we may have to put this on our destination list for next summer.

The tri was capped at 400 entrants and sold out for the 3rd straight year. It is a .35 mile (616y) swim, 13 mile bike and 3.5 mile run. The bike and run are both flat and fast (highest elevation on PI is 7'). Last week they reported that the water in the bay was a balmy 78 degrees. I still plan to wear my wetsuit (if it's legal) as I feel much more confident in it.

According to initial reports, there will be 5 waves. That equates to ~80 racers in my wave. In my biggest race to date there were ~50 in my swim wave so this will be "fun." We will wade out into the water before getting the GO signal. Based upon the participant list (which isn't always correct), there are ~26 in my age group. This is down from 31 last year. From my research of past results and events, there look to be 3-4 racers that I'll be contending with for a top-3 spot in my group.

Overall my 'happy' goal time is sub 1:08. I believe that if all goes well and smooth that a sub 1:06 time is definitely achievable. Both times should put me in the top 10-15 overall in the race.

Other Bradfordians racing include: Sam Johnson, Sam Johnson Sr., John Marasco and Mariann Kahle. Sam and Sam Sr just recently finished Ironman Lake Placid and are currently training for the Presque Isle Marathon on 9/18. This is John's 2nd tri.

I'll post a race report next week.

"I'm Here to Win" Book Review

I recently finished the autobiography of 2x Ironman champion, Chris McCormack, entitled "I'm Here to Win: A World Champion's Advice for Peak Performance." It seemed I couldn't go a day without someone tweeting about this book on Twitter or creating a thread on the message board that I frequent. I'm not much of a reader (in fact this is the first book that I've finished in recent memory), but I thought I'd give this one a shot.

He takes you on his journey from his Australian upbringing to his training and racing in Europe and eventually to America. Along the way he works his way up through the various triathlon distances - from sprints to the full Ironman - all while winning more than losing. He was a natural talent and he knew it. He let his competition know it too.

McCormack writes mostly about his journey to Kona or Ironman Hawaii, which is the premier event for triathlon. It plays host as the World Championship and served as Chris' biggest challenge. His extreme confidence had him believing he could conquer the lava fields and take home the crown in his first attempt. However, it took him many tries before finally overcoming his demons in 2007 to win. He became the oldest champion in 2010 at the age of 37 when he won for the 2nd time.

McCormack shares a lot his secrets concerning nutrition, race tactics and how to mentally prepare for a race and your opponents. He spends a lot of time explaining how he analyzes his opponents, studying their weaknesses and strengths. He talks of his heroes and his intense preparation. McCormack also shares his biggest trick during the grueling Ironman - drinking Coke.

While I enjoyed the insight into this champion triathletes mind, I didn't care to read about the chip on his shoulder that he seems to carry. He comes across with a 'me against the world' type attitude and just beats on that throughout the book. Always one to point out the fear he could sense in his opponents on the starting line, McCormack seemed to be driven by his own fear of failure (or perhaps to back up his smack talk). It's almost as if he created the animosity of his competitors to give him something to focus his training on.

McCormack comes across very confident in his abilities (read: conceited). I found myself re-reading some of his comments in the book with a "he didn't just say that, did he?" As a person who doesn't care much for those with overly-confident personalities, I found myself struggling to read parts of the book where he was boasting about himself, his abilities and his tactics.

With that said, Macca does have a softer side. He is involved in a handful of charities and foundations. Perhaps his biggest efforts are with the MaccaNow Foundation which raises money for breast cancer research - a disease that claimed the life of his mum at a fairly young age.

I give the book a 6/10.

2nd Fitness Challenge

The 2nd Presidential Fitness Challenge took place at 6PM on Aug. 5th, 2011 at the PSU Outdoor Track. While the 1st Challenge boasted 4 participants, this 2nd Challenge rose to six challengers: Ryan, Deniz, Liz, Rachel, Tugba, and David.

The Challenge consisted of the following events (in order):
1. Shuttle Run (a series of 30yard dashes)
2. 1600m Run
3. V-Sit Reach
4. Situps (60 second time limit)
5. Pushups (until failure)

There were quite a few highlights. Most improved was Deniz, who ran over a minute faster in the mile and did ten more situps than the 1st Challenge. Liz substantially improved her numbers, running over 30 seconds faster in the mile and boasts a 1.5in increase the the V-sit reach. Ryan posted some big scores as usual, running 8 seconds faster in the mile, pumping out nearly 50 pushups, and extending his body 11 inches in the V-Sit Reach. Despite an ankle injury, David ran a 5.20 mile, and thanks to Ryan's lifting training and agility drills, improved his Shuttle Run time by .38s.

The two new participants (Rachel & Tugba) showed that they were no fitness slouches. Whereas Rachel busted out 30pushups and 42 situps despite having eaten some PSUCreamery ice cream before the challenge, Tugba showed some deceptive speed, running a 10.98 shuttle run and completing 40 situps.

The next fitness challenge is Sunday, September 18th. If you are interested, post a message on the blog, and start training!

Herbie's Hometown Loop

Date: 8/20/11

Location: Bellefonte, PA

Weather: Foggy, breaking sun, no wind, 70-75 degrees

Race Results: 2011 Results

198 people came out to Centre County for the 5th Annual Herbie's Hometown Loop- 4 mile run.

The memorial race honored Jeremy Herbstritt, who was a victim in the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. Jeremy attended Bellefonte high school and later Penn State. The proceeds of the race go to funding a community track in Bellefonte.

Pre-Race: We actually arrived earlier than normal! There was no rushing around this time, which was nice. The registration table gave us our goodie bag and 4 raffle tickets that we could place in any buckets on the table, which included the raffle prizes (e.g. gift certificates to various restaurants, stores, local items). More on the results of this later!

We ran into Dave Lloyd, fellow running group member. He was all decked out in the Herbie's bright-red race shirt. :)

Race (Liz): I decided to wear the ol' iPod and I'm glad I made a new running playlist because it made the run less boring. First couple songs on the list: Hall and Oates. Great choice. There's nothing like starting out your first mile listening to the smooth sounds of Hall and Oates. It helps with 1) not going out too fast, 2) relieving anxiety, and 3) adding a few personal laughs to the run.

I ran this race last year, but it didn't make the course any easier. There were a few minor hills, but one very challenging hill. I had to walk up most of it but finished strong. There were little notes on the road that said things like "Almost there!", "Don't look up", "You can look up now", and "You did it!" Then as you reach the top of the hill and go around the corner, it still goes uphill!! And so there was a new message written that said, "Psyche!"

There was one point in the race where the traffic policeman stopped us. We had to stop for traffic for about 20 seconds. About 7-8 people caught up to me, and everyone was mad that we lost time.

I was pretty happy with the fact that I ran 6 minutes faster this year than last year. I'm satisfied with that improvement.

Race (David): I haven't been running for the last month because of an ankle injury but didn't want to miss this race for two reasons. First, in 2010 I hadn't run for nearly 10 years but decided, on sort of a challenge, to run HHL. Having trained nearly all of 2011, I was eager to see how I improved. Despite coming back from an injury, I was happy to have improved roughly 4 minutes (27.20 to 23.32). Second, HHL is a great race because of a monstrous hill at around 1.5miles. The hill puts even some seasoned runners to a standstill.

Overall, great course, great post-race food and festivities (see below), and neat array of prizes. My only complaint is that this race (much like the Herbstritt 5k in April at PSU) was not timed correctly. I give the race a 8/10.

Post-race: TONS of great food. Subway subs, pizza, yummy homemade cupcakes, apple slices (I had one to feel a little healthier), bagels, Gatorade, iced tea, water, and maybe a couple other small things. They had live music, karaoke (I think only one person sang, and she sang "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benetar), door prizes, and awards. I won a $25 gift certificate to the Hofbrau in Bellefonte (awesome pizza!), and David won a Herbie's Hometown Loop bag for coming in 1st in his age group.

Overall, I give this race a 9/10. The course was tough, but everything else was great.

Willow Creek Triathlon 2011

Below is my race report for the 2011 Willow Creek Triathlon. They had their biggest turnout yet - 360 total participants including teams. 133 men did it individually. The race is a fundraiser for the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren County and they raised over $22,000 this year. Overcast skies with heavy rain before the race. The rain stopped for the start of the race and started back up halfway through the bike leg. It stopped for good about 15 minutes after I finished. Feel free to ask questions or make comments.

Willow Creek Triathlon 2011-08-06 Bradford, Pennsylvania United States Disabled American Veterens Precipitation

Triathlon - Sprint Total Time = 1h 06m 28s Overall Rank = 7/133 Age Group = M30-34 Age Group Rank = 1/6

Pre-race routine: Up at 6am and ate a bowl of cereal with a banana. Took a shower and packed up the car. Made sure to grab a few extra towels as it was lightly raining and the threat of heavier showers were in the forecast.

Met Scott from Warren (scottinpa on BT) before the race. I was hoping to catch up with him after the race, but we missed each other.

Event warmup: The worst part of the rain was getting ready for the race. I wasn't able to get my T1 area set up because I wanted to keep things dry. Everything was in a garbage bag in front of my bike and stayed there until after the swim. I was able to run a mile warmup before the rules meeting. I swam for about 5 minutes before lining up to start.

Swim

Comments: Time trial start. I wasn't sure what to expect as this was my first time trial. I started about halfway through the first group (~30 people). My thought process was that this would give me some people to chase on the bike and run. Ultimately, I believe this helped me to a strong finish on the run. After last year's tri, I was worried about my heart rate after running into the water, but everything went great and I settled right into a smooth rhythm breathing wise and stroke wise.

I wore my Xterra suit even though there weren't many wearing suits. I felt that it would help more than hurt - even with the very short swim. Within 100y I caught the woman that started in front of me (a very experienced swimmer and I felt great about this). My sighting was very good, except for my first 1-2 looks where the bouy was blocked by swimmers ahead. After that I was able to locate it each time and keep on line. I caught two more swimmers at the bouy and had to maneuver around them, but there was no real contact. After rounding the bouy I located the white bouy that is at the corner of the designated swimming area. I thought that this was a good landmark to shoot for although doubts were filling my head that maybe that WASN'T the swim area bouy. I went with my first instinct and turned out to be good. Once I got to that white bouy I started to look for the rope that sets the swim area and used that as my guide coming back towards shore.

Overall I feel as though the swim times were fast. Hard for me to believe that I swam 300y plus a run towards transition in 5:05. Most times seemed fast so I'm guessing that the swim was short. At least all of the times were consistent this year.

OA 37/263; Men 23/133; AG 1/6

What would you do differently?: Can't say that I'd do much more different. I worked hard over the last year to improve my swim and I think that came through in the race. I cut nearly 3 min. off of last years swim. The only little hiccup may be around the bouy and got slightly off line coming back to shore.

T1

Comments: They don't have separate timing mats for the transitions. This is a fundraiser for the Disabled American Veterans and extra mats would reduce proceeds raised.

A timing mat is placed on the paved path in front of the bathhouse. Once you cross that mat your bike time starts. I struggled in transition because all of my items were in the garbage bag in front of my bike. I didn't have time to set my gear out right before the race (transition area does not close) so I had to fumble through the bag. This really took some time. Add to that the struggle I had in removing my wetsuit and it seemed like I was there for an eternity. I ended up having to sit down to finally get the suit off. Once I got everything off and on, I ran with my bike for a bit as the start is uphill. I stopped and got on the bike and once again had a hard time clipping in. This added even more time.

What would you do differently?:Really need to practice this transition. I struggled at ATITB and again here. It cost me 6th overall (3 sec back). Need to practice getting on the bike fast and clipping in.

Bike

Comments: Once I got going the bike leg wasn't too bad. My goal was to average 21.7-22mph. The first few miles are probably the toughest so I knew my speed would be down and that I'd have a chance to bring my average up in the middle to end of the leg. I had my bike computer set to show avg speed so I could monitor it.

There weren't as many bikers in front of me this year so there weren't as many to catch. I did catch a handful though over the course, but felt more in no man's land this year than last. I was passed by two Erie guys with about 6 miles to go. I worked to keep contact with them and they helped me to stay focused on racing. This was when the rain started back up again and it was coming down pretty hard. Those guys both had fancy tri bikes so I figured it might be hard to stay with them.

One of them eventually took off. The other stuck around and I would pass him going up the hills, only to be passed by him on the downhills. We did this for a few miles until the Willow Bay area (~2 miles to go). I passed him again and then put a lot of space on him. It gave me a lot of confidence to drop that guy and I kept thinking to myself how much stronger I was on the bike than he was.

I knew the guy in front of me and the one behind had started their swims after me and that both might beat me overall if I didn't put some time on them in the run. I was also contemplating what to do about wearing socks for the run. My feet were soaked on the bike. I knew that putting socks on wet feet would be tough, but I also remembered the blisters I had after ATITB.

The last 2 miles are pretty flat so I cruised into the bike dismount line.

Gregg Reynolds from Ridecarbon.com allowed me to use a set of Gray wheels for the race. He didn't want any rental fee for them so Amanda and I gave a contribution to the DAV on his behalf.

OA 20/263; Men 19/133; AG 2/6

What would you do differently?: This winter will be a 'sufferfest.' I've had two years to get acclimated to the bike and to put some miles in, now it's time to get fast on the bike. I had the worst bike leg in the top 15 (T1 included here) and the top 5 guys were 5-6 min. better. If I want to compete, this is my next step for improvement.

T2

Comments: Again, no transition times. My dismount wasn't the most graceful. Skidded into the line because of the wet roads. I didn't take my feet out of my shoes because I would have had to run across a gravel parking lot to my run gear. Handed my bike off to a volunteer and shouted to another for my transition bag. Slightly frustrating to have to tear into a garbage bag to get run gear out, but everyone has to do it. Guy that passed me on the bike was there when I came in and the guy behind me came in as well so he wasn't too far behind. They struck up a conversation - "Hey Joe! I didn't know that was you on the bike!"

I let my instincts take over regarding the socks and just left them in the bag. With the two guys there on my tail, I didn't want to lose any more time to them.

I had my watch in one shoe (already on and satellites located!) and socks in the other. Threw the shoes on and was gone. Hit start and strapped up the watch on my way out. I left those guys in the dust and knew that my run leg would be tough for them to overcome.

What would you do differently?: Felt as though this was a great transition. Not as much to fumble with. No race belt needed. Based on my total run/transition time and my watch time I believe that my t-time was about :35.

Run

Comments: My goal was to run 6:10-6:15 pace. According to my watch I ran the 5k in 19:14 for 6:11 pace. I kept my eyes up and worked to catch people. I knew the people in front of me started the race before me so passing them definitely put them behind me overall. The two guys from transition were behind me and I had the confidence to know that my run time would be enough to beat them. I passed only a few people on the run, but kept running hard because I knew every second counted. I didn't drink much at the aid stations. It was raining pretty hard at this point and that was enough to keep me cool.

About halfway through the run, I had a couple twinges in my right hamstring. I backed off slightly so I wouldn't cramp and shortened the stride up. This seemed to keep everything OK but I was concious of it the rest of the race. The long straight stretches make it hard to focus so I used my watch to help me keep my pace and was always trying to catch the person in front of me. I was able to push the pace to sub-6 in the last half mile.

OA 1/263; Men 1/133; AG 1/6

What would you do differently?: I believe that I could have pushed a bit harder, but with a lack of people to catch and to stay focused on it was difficult. The long straight stretches make it tough too. Overall I was happy with the run.

Post race

Warm down: Met up with my family and friends that were there to cheer. Talked with them for a bit and then Gregg Reynolds asked if I wanted to run back to get our bikes. Ran back the 3 miles and cheered on those that were still finishing. It was nice to share our thoughts on how the race went. My feet were really starting to hurt though (wet shoes, no socks). After finding all of my gear, I jumped on the bike and rode back to the finish.

What limited your ability to perform faster:Slow T-1 time. I felt flat on the bike. The miles are good, but there's something still missing. I'm getting to a point where the next step has got to be a tri bike. Get a bike fit and practice riding in aero. In order to compete with the big boys, this will have to happen.

does weight-lifting help your running/cycling?

I am interested to know what people think about whether weight-lifting (or some other type of resistance work) helps your running. Specifically, I am concerning with races 5k and up. Also, if weight-lifting does help, what type of weight-lifting do you do?

Here are some thoughts from places around the web, books, and articles:

(1) Don't lift! If you are running 5k and up, you shouldn't do any weight-lifting. What you should do are (i) hills, (ii) abdominal/core work, and (iii) circuit work (e.g. pushups, pullups, one-leg squats, calf raises, etc.), and (iv) strides.
(2) Lift! Do everything in (1) but also do various sorts of weight-lifting for your legs (heavy weight but a small amount of reps)
(3) Lift! Do everything in (1) and (2) except change "heavy weight" for "light weight" and "small amount of reps" for "a large number of reps."

Ta Ta Trot (Sunbury, PA)

Over 300 runners took part in the 2nd Annual Ta Ta Trot 5K in Sunbury, PA on Saturday, July 9th at 9:15AM. The event raised money for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.

Here is our race review:

Registration & Packet Pick-Up

David: Packet pick-up was somewhat disorganized. It took a while to find my race number (because they did not put the bibs in the race bag ahead of time) and because they had you fill out a raffle ticket. This led to long lines. I should have run bandit.

Liz: I want to point out that David's bib number was 1. Before the race, a bystander pointed out his bib no. and made a comment about him living up to his number and coming in 1st. I think David humbly brushed it off.


Starting

David: The race started promptly at 9:15AM to the race director yelling "ready, set, GO!" rather than the bang of a starter's gun or the siren of a blow horn. This caused some confusion for runners who were not in the front of the race. There was plenty of room to warm-up since streets were blocked off ahead of time. In addition, there was a lot of pre-race excitement, e.g. a ceremony, a group stretch, dancing, and yoga. I did my usual warm-up, 7-10 minutes of easy running, followed by some strides, and no stretching.

Liz: People were warming up for the race, but the best dude was the Geico caveman. He was hurdling over the barricade for his warm-up routine. He also left his hair down for the race. I think I might try that next time.

Course & Timing

David: The race was timed using disposable chips by PA runners. The course was two loops with no mile markers. While intersections were blocked off by volunteers, the course was not clearly marked. There were faint, pinkish-purple ribbons spray-painted on the road, but they were difficult to see, and volunteers at crucial turns did not direct runners. This led to some confusion for those of us in the front of the pack. At one point, I asked for directions on a turn and the person blocking off traffic shrugged his shoulders. At another, I was running beside a guy and he went the wrong way. I went the right way but thought it would be unfair to take advantage of this, so I waited for him to catch up.

The second lap posed a different set of challenges. The race consisted of 2laps for the 5k and 1lap for the walk. On the second lap, many walkers took up the whole road, so I was forced to (i) weave through groups of walkers, (ii) run around walkers, or (iii) call out ahead.

In the end, the race was accurately timed.

Liz: I thought that running two loops would be daunting, but it was actually pretty nice. I liked knowing what to expect for the second half of the race. I passed 15 people during the second loop and I think only 2 people ended up passing me. The old me (1 year ago) would've been passed by 50 people in the second loop because I didn't quite understand how to pace myself at that point.

Post-Race Food, Festivities, & Prizes

David: If there was any food, I didn't see it. I won a medal but it was nondescript since it did not indicate what place I came in. No delicious cash prize for winning. The race was also part of the Sunbury Festival, but that was a bust too. After the race, I bought 6 cookies from a little girl for $1. They were tasty.

Liz: Although there was plenty of water at the end of the race, there was no food! :( I resorted to buying a 50 cent brownie from a street vendor. I learned to always pack a cooler of food, just in case. The festival was ok, but the best parts were seeing all the happy little doggies running around and seeing all the bright colors (mostly pink of course). Oh, and a little girl who was telling us about her last name, Schrek. She owns all of the Shrek movies.

After the race, the door prizes and awards started exactly when they said they would: 10:45 am. They gave away 60 door prizes, including $50 gift cards to Giant, and gift cards to Dick's Sporting Goods. Neither of us won. David did, however, win a nice medal adorned with the pink breast cancer logo.

The Verdict
David: 6/10
Liz: 8/10

ATITB Pics

I wanted to add some pictures to the blog for ya to check out.

This first one is me getting body marked before the race. Race number on hand and arm. Age on right calf; specific race on left calf (S for sprint for me).










My transition area before more bikes came in and made it super crowded.

Counter-clockwise swim. Right hand turn at that far orange buoy. Another orange buoy is out of the picture to the right that you made another right hand turn to head back towards the beach.

My wave takes off at 8:32am. 51 racers in my wave: Men 39 and under. I had the 27th best time.

Off the bike at the dismount line. Seconds before jumping a concrete curb and my left shoe falling off.

Hard to see but I am running out of transition to start the run leg - with my bike helmet still on! A race volunteer kindly told me about it and I dropped it in the grass.

Crossing the finish line in 1:15:02. My goal was to break 1:15 so I just barely missed. There were definitely a couple places that I lost time on. Learned a lot from this race.









Some other pictures from our weekend at Evangola State Park.

A Tri in the Buff(alo)

This is my race report from A Tri in the Buff held on Saturday, July 2nd. I copied this from my online training log. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Distances: 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
Final time: 1:15:02
Overall Place: 14/110
Age Group(M30-34): 4/16

Pre-race routine: Stayed on site at the Evangola State Park campground. Didn't have the greatest night of sleep, but I don't believe that it affected me too much. Packet pick-up was at Tri Spot Multi Sports. Amanda and I then went to dinner at the Olive Garden before heading back to the tent.

Friday at 330 I was able to swim in the Lake with my wetsuit for the first time. Water was very choppy at that time, but the wetsuit felt comfortable.

Event warmup: I didn't do much of a warm-up for bike/run and that may have hurt me. I was so focused on warming up for the swim and making sure my heart rate was up at the start of the race. Legs were quite heavy at the start of the bike.

Swim

Comments: Was very focused on going out easy as to stay calm and I think it hurt me in the end. I felt as though everyone from my heat left me in the dust right from the start. It was a wade start and I set up to the left as heats from the Oly race were still in the water and we would eventually merge with them.

I was 27/51 in my wave so I was MOP. If I would have hit my goal pace/time, I would have been 16th.

The good: I didn't hyperventilate! Went out under control and was able to swim the whole distance without much trouble. Got hit a few times and pushed and I was able to deal and keep moving.

The bad: Sighting. Felt I did well for the first half of the race, but coming back to shore I had a tough time seeing the buoys. I felt as though I swam a lot further than I needed to. Definitely need to sight more often, especially as I get tired as I seem to drift more.

Wetsuit: Very happy with the purchase of my Xterra Vortex 4. Gives me peace of mind. Fits perfect.

My back was killing me the next day and I'm not sure if it's wetsuit related or just swim related.

OA 45/110; AG 6/16

What would you do differently?: Sight more often. Go out a little harder. I need to do longer swim workouts to build endurance. I believe my lack of swim endurance really hurt me on the bike and subsequently the run.

Transition 1

Comments: During the race I felt like this transition was 'bad' but in looking at the rest of the times, I was right in line with my AG (6/16). My suit got stuck around my ankles. Skipped the socks, put bike shoes on and ran out of transition.

Had way too hard of a time getting on the bike and clipped in after the mount line. Lost precious time here.

OA 18/110; AG 6/16

What would you do differently?: Not put Garmin watch on in T1 and wait until T2.

Bike

Comments: Bike leg started off rough. Bike shoes were on feet so a flying mount isn't much of an option. Took way too long to get clipped in and I started to get frustrated. Then after getting clipped in I was trying to put my Garmin watch on and that took way too much time as well. Once I was able to get focused on riding, I realized I didn't have much power in my legs. Felt completely trashed and tired - not sure what it could have been. Lack of swim endurance? Lack of nutrition before race? Lack of warmup?

Felt like I was working very hard the whole way. Bike computer was not working so I had no idea of my pace which was frustrating, but I just kept pushing and passing people. Unfortunately, most of the people I was passing were from the Oly. I did not see ANY sprint guys on the bike and that was a deflating feeling. On the other hand, no one passed me on the bike.

Finished with a 20.8 avg. (4/16 in AG) 1st in AG was 22.7. Makes me wonder how many in front of me had tri bikes and what difference it makes with me riding an entry level road bike with no aero bars.

OA 17/110; AG 4/16

What would you do differently?: Swim more!

Transition 2

Comments: I hadn't practiced taking my feet out of the shoes prior to the dismount line, but decided to do it in the race. It didn't go too bad actually and I was able to maintain some speed. I don't have tri specific shoes so it was a bit more difficult to pull off. My one shoe popped out of the pedal as I was lifting my bike up over the curb. I just left it there and kept running into transition.

Ran into T2 with the bike. Was able to get bike racked fairly quickly and get my shoes on. No socks which was a first for me. I took the chance of blisters because I felt like I needed to make up time. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to take my helmet off. Ran out of transition with it on only to have a race volunteer point it out. It slowed me down because I stopped, turned around and started running back until he said I could just throw it on the ground. Did that and I was on my way. Amanda was there to see it all and picked up my helmet for me.

OA 10/110; AG 3/16

What would you do differently?:Take my helmet off in transition. Put Garmin on while running out.

Run

Comments: Run was a bit longer than 5k. I had 3.25m. I didn't like this run course at all! It was a lot like a cross country race, only very difficult to navigate. Ran on some paved paths and roads and a lot of thick grass. The grass made it very difficult to get any sort of speed. Because there were a lot of twists and turns it made it difficult to see the competition in front of you. I ran by myself pretty much the whole way which is hard to do. I love having people to chase within sight.

I did pass a handful of people on the run - and thankfully, finally! - they were sprint participants and also in my AG. Again, no one passed me on the run.

I put below average for my overall performance because I came into this race hoping and expecting to run a better pace than I did. I need to put up good run times to offset my swim.

OA 3/110; AG 1/16

What would you do differently?: Probably could have pushed a little harder throughout, but with no one to chase it made it tough to stay focused and push.

Post race

Warm down: Didn't do anything to warm down. Drank a bottle of water, found Amanda and then tracked down my bike shoe that fell off while entering transition after the bike leg.

What limited your ability to perform faster: Probably my swim endurance. Feel as though it effected the rest of my race and limited my chances at a podium finish.

Event comments: Very nice race. Perfect for beginners - of which there were a ton! Seemed to be very organized and great communication from the event organizers leading up to the race. Probably would have given this race a 5 but the after race meal was pathetic. I bought an extra meal ticket for Amanda - won't be doing that next time.

Running with Music

There is somewhat of a controversy about running with music. Some studies suggest that listening to music can make running feel easier, and it can break up the monotony of running on a treadmill during the winter months. Others argue that listening to music, especially while running outside, can be dangerous. Having headphones plugged inside your ears removes you from the sound of that dude creepin' up on you with a blade, cars whizzing down the road at top speed, and various bodily cues that provide feedback about running speed (e.g. breathing).

Personally, I never run with music. I find headphones uncomfortable and don't like exercising with any additional clothing or items on me. Also, I spend a good portion of my day outside of my body, e.g. absorbed in a book, in front of a computer, multi-tasking appointments, and surrounding by a lot of noise that I need to block out. The activities make me feel out of touch with my body. I find that running helps me reconnect with my body and helps me focus on my immediate physical environment. But, with that said, I do like listening to music before a big race, specifically 70 and 80s classic rock.

So, what do you think? To run or not to run with headphones?

FYI: Here are some informative articles on running with music from Runner's World: Running w/ Music.

Road ID

My Road ID bracelet

http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx

Much thanks to David, I am the proud owner of this snazzy Road ID bracelet. David's door prize at the 5K Time Journey Charity Run held in Lock Haven, PA in April 2011 was a $15.00 coupon to Road ID.

I was so excited about this coupon that I logged onto their site to order my Road ID right away. First I must say that I was totally impressed with this company because they gave a coupon that was basically the whole cost of an item. Not your typical only $1.00 off coupon. I had to pay $2.68 for shipping. That's it! So SCORE for Road ID from the get go. I ordered a bracelet but they have many different options to choose from - wrist ID's, sneaker pouches, fireflys, etc.

Next, their website is very organized and user friendly. If you know me, you know that I am a sucker for order and organization. (Okay, a tad OCD, I know). It was refreshing to log onto a site and not be immediately turned off because there is too much going on.

So, I chose my bracelet, http://www.roadid.com/Common/LearnMore.aspx?PID=42, and was onto the design part - the fun part. Here is where you enter the information that you want someone to know in an emergency situation - your name, who to call and what number(s) they can be reached at and also if you have any medication allergies or any known health problems. I added my personal mantra, Never Ever Give Up" to my bracelet, for me to see when I'm getting ready to run and just don't feel like it that day.

After completing the order for my bracelet, I read a little more about their company and how they started. It's a cool story that you should read when you go to their site to order your Road ID. BEST PART: This company donates proceeds from sales to charity - one of their choices is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. BIG SCORE for Road ID from me.

My order arrived a few days later with a nice thank you note from the company owners (ok, it was a typed letter that I'm sure is standard with all of their orders) but it made me smile. These guys have a great sense of humor and seem so down to earth. I've been wearing my bracelet every time I've ran since I received it. I won't go without it even it I'm not running alone.

So, my final thoughts: Great company, great product and it may save your life. No one wants to think you'll ever need it. But, do it for the peace of mind, if not for yourself then for others.

Thanks again David. I love my bracelet!

Food and Fuel

Stuff I struggle with: Not eating enough or drinking enough before and after running. The result: Lack o' energy. :(

The solution?? Pay attention to this stuff:

CARBS:

I saw a nutritionist today and she pointed out some things about carbs and protein for runners. She said that carbs should provide 60-70% of your total calories... AND... to figure out the total # of grams that is right for you, you should multiply your weight in pounds by 3.2- to give you the number of grams of carbohydrates you should consume per day. I have been eating way under the amount I should be eating.

PROTEIN:

Next, she talked about protein. If you use up all of your glycogen stores, due to inadequate calorie and carb intake, protein is used for energy rather than for muscle growth and repair and may contribute to as much as 10% of the energy needed for exercise. The use of protein in this way is expensive and inefficient. Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.6 to calculate the number of grams of protein you should consume per day. Again, I was low on this.

Stuff to eat if you are anti-bandit runners:

Nike Air Zoom Streak XC2

The Basics
The Zoom Streak 2 is a racing flat for the distances between 3k–10k. The shoe is super light (5.4oz, size 9), has a full mesh upper, minimal overlays, and a low heel-to-toe drop (21mm–18mm = 3mm). Despite its light weight, the shoe has more cushioning than other racing flats of comparable weight. Wha? The shoe’s light weight but ample cushioning is due to the fact that the shoe’s upper is like a feather, thin, light, and questionably durable.

The Wear Test

I ran sockless in the ZoomStreak2 for roughly 50 miles. My running was on roads, track, some grass, and on a cinder trail. I used the shoe for racing and speedwork (intervals, strides, tempo) under a variety of moderate weather conditions, e.g. heat, cold, rain, sleet. Overall, the shoe had good traction, fairly good response, and was perfect for racing and fast training. Nearly all aspects of the shoe are still in near perfect condition. The paper-thin tongue hasn’t ripped, the tread hasn’t worn away, my big toe hasn’t torn through the mesh upper.

However, I did have one problem that led me to banish my ZoomStreak2s to shoe hell. The major problem I ran into was that while running a hilly 5K in the rain, the material on the heel of the shoe began to wear away, and the lack of fabric began to rub against my achilles. At the end of the race, my achilles was a bloody mess. I had to bandage my achilles for the next week, but another race in these ZoomStreak2 led to another shredded achilles.

The Verdict: 3/5 Bandits
Super light, super comfortable, great ride, good wear, but my achilles tendon will never forgive this shoe. R.I.P. Zoom Streak 2.