2009 September | Swim Bike Run Live

Archive for September, 2009

Triathlon Quiz

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

This may be getting way too geeky, but I thought it could be fun.

Can you name what is wrong with this Chicago 2016 Summer Olympics triathlon bid poster.

Image via TriJuice.

Tags: chicago olympics, triathlon poster | Posted in Cycling, Triathlon | 4 Comments »

With Lobsterman and Ragnar done and in the books, I’m entering the end of a of another major training cycle. I’m dropping off my regular training regimen and am just doing simple maintenance to keep the blood flowing and let the brain relax for a while.

For example, rather than doing my regular long bike loop with intervals, I joined up with Sara and Jane from my Wheelworks Multisport crew yesterday morning. We logged a nice easy 38 miles with strategic stops for ice cream and BBQ. The perfect way to spend a cool fall Saturday.

For now, I really like being free of any major training commitments, but I know that this will only last so long before I start to get the racing itch again and sign up for another some winter half marathon.

I have some “fun” races in October and November: some more cyclocross and a marathon relay with Sam. (This time it is a team running one marathon, not multiple marathons like Ragnar. I’m not sure my body is ready for another ultra for a little while.)

I’m sure by December 1, I’ll be itching to get back in the game and will start diving through the 2010 race calendar. Until then, I’ll be focused on spending as much quality time with family and friends as I can.

In the mean time, here are some pics from Lobsterman last weekend. In just about every picture I have a huge smile on my face. Can you tell I was having a blast out there? As much fun as the 2009 triathlon season was, I’m glad to be able to rest the legs and focus on some other things for a little while.

Tags: 2009 triathlon season | Posted in Life, Training Log, Triathlon | No Comments »

Brooks Trance 9 And Gear Review

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Since I was lucky enough to get a ton of gear from Brooks for my training for and racing at Ragnar, I figured I would share my experience with the gear.

The Shoes

Most importantly, the shoes. For the few weeks leading up to Ragnar I was rocking the Brooks Trance 9′s on most of my training runs. It is their flagship support shoe and was all I raced in during Ragnar.

I am coming from running in the Asics GT-2140‘s if that give you any perspective.

They are just about the same weight as my Asics, but feel a LOT lighter. The other thing that I noticed immediately is that I didn’t really have to break them in at all. They just fit. My feet were happy in them. Period. I could have done a +12 mile run for my first time in ‘em and probably would have been just fine. I heard the same thing from a lot of other Brooks runners too.

While the description on the site says that they are super plush, but I still think that the 2140′s win in that category. Hands down. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Extra cushioning in shoes tend to take away from the extra muscle strength that your feet and ankles build up from running.It boils down to the whole barefoot running philosophy that (in theory) I really like.

While the Trance 9′s didn’t need any breaking in, I did notice a little extra soreness in my calfs and ankles from running with less cushioning than I was used to. Extra soreness sucks, but if It means that my legs are stronger because of it and less dependent, I’m all for it.

The mid-sole is also biodegradable and the laces are made from recycled material, so that appeals to the green freak in me.

I’ve been a huge fan of my Asics over the last two years, but training in the Trance 9′s definitely opened up my eyes to some of the different options that are out there.

The Shorts

All the guys got hooked up with Infiniti Notch Short. These would probably be the last pair of shorts that I would ever buy in the store. I always go for the shortest short with the softest fabric that still covers up the naughty bits. (I hold comfort and anti-chafing above modesty).

They are definitely the longest shorts that I own (and Sam definitely loves that) and the fabric is a little stiff. Part of the reason I go with short shorts is because they are less likely to chafe, but because these shorts are longer, stiffer and have a built in boxer-brief rather than just the tighty-whitey style brief inside, they are totally comfortable. Another win.

Night Life Gear

We all also got hooked up with some of their bright night running gear. While it looks a little awkward walking around in daylight, it was a huge confidence booster when I was doing my first leg in the pitch black. Being super reflective made me really easy to be seen by the few cars that I saw out there. Being comfortable and stylin’ was a nice added bonus too.

Tags: #brooksragnar, brooks, brooks sports, night running gear, product review, trance 9 | Posted in Running | 2 Comments »

Lobsterman Race Report

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

Yesterday I closed out the 2009 triathlon season with the Lobsterman Oly. I know what you are thinking. Didn’t you just tear your legs off during the Ragnar Relay just one week ago? Yeah. About that…

The timing probably wasn’t the best as far as planning for a perfectly executed end of season race, but I just couldn’t turn it down. A teammate had registered for the race but couldn’t go anymore. I jumped up and made sure that his tickets to the lobster bake got put to good use too! I’d hate to see those poor little lobsters die in vain.

The venue was perfect. About 2 hours north of Boston in Freeport, Maine. Gorgeous coastline and nice quiet roads all along the course. It even started late (9:30 am) since we were waiting on the tide to come in.

The thing about an ocean swim in Maine in mid-September is that it is guaranteed to be C-O-L-D. A lot of people spent plenty of time in the water warming up, but I thought they were pretty insane. Especially when the water was still probably warmer than the air was early in the morning, I wasn’t going to join them. I dipped my toes in and that was all. My guess was that it was high 50s or low 60s.

After the pre-race meeting, my wave was called up. We walked down the boat ramp into the water and treaded water by the end of the dock until we heard the signal to go off. As we walked down into the water, each one of us gave a little squeal as the water came up above our waist. It is always entertaining to hear grown men squeal like girls, especially when we were all wearing bright pink caps.

I have to admit, I sang a few lines of “I feel pretty… oh so pretty!” while we were waiting for the gun to go off. Always gotta keep the pre-race nerves in check and make sure I’m not taking myself too seriously.

Not my swim wave, but here is the swim exit.

Pretty gorgeous course, right? It was pretty brutal too. It was probably one of the most aggressive swim starts I’ve ever been in and the waves and current made sighting a constant challenge. Thankfully it was a little warmer farther out in the water than it was close to shore.

The bike course was just as scenic. Beautiful country roads and more than enough rolling hills. There was almost a constant blowing wind from the front and the side. For a lot of the downhills I had to squeeze my legs on to the frame to stay stable. I’m usually really confident on high-speed descents, so that is saying a lot.

My legs felt surprisingly good. When I was pounding up the hills or laying it on to pass someone, I could feel a little extra hurtin’ in my quads. I was a little nervous about how running would feel, but I figured there was no reason to hold back on the last race of the season.

Once I made it to the run course, it was a different story. The first mile was all up hill and beat me up from the start. I was getting passed a lot, but was holding a pretty solid pace that I knew was sustainable. I just held on.

At the turnaround, I figured I was doing just about 8:00/mile. Nothing spectacular, and I knew I could have done a lot faster if I was better recovered, but I was happy with it. I turned up the throttle for the last 3.1 and drove it home, catching a few runners that passed me in the first few miles of the run.

My unofficial time was 1:43:33. It is surprisingly close to a PR for me! I’ll have to double check the official results and dig through my past results, but it was a pretty strong way to close out the 2009 triathlon season!

Me and Sunny comparing times.

And the best part, there was a huge post-race lobster bake and free beer! Me and a few other Wheelworks teammates claimed a spot on the grass, soaked up the sun and stuffed our face full of lobster. I went home smelling like Geary’s, lobster, seaweed and sweat. I call that a good day.