Saturday, September 25, 2010

Training and Other Notes

I have not had much going on since Clear Lake at the end of August. I've been training a lot and my endurance level seems to finally be getting back to normal but that's about it. Now, I just need to get race weight. I am not signed up for anymore races this year but I am sure I will do at least one more. As of today I am still considering Longhorn 70.3, Firethorne Sprint and Iron Star Half-Iron. Iron Star is the only one that I am pretty sure I will do. Its a cheap race for a Half-Iron and I like the event. I'll figure it out soon.

As for my coaching duties, I am very encouraged about my team. We are only 2 official practices in but they look good so far. We have a short brick coming up next Saturday and I am excited to see what the team can do. This should be a good event for those doing Firethorne next month.

Bye for now!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Bridgeland Triathlon and Clear Lake International Triathlon

Well its been a little over a month since my last post and I have completed 2 more triathlons during that time bringing my 2010 total to 6. They haven't been my best performances but I finished and that is what counts. Here is a brief recap of both races.

On August 8th I did the Bridgeland Triathlon in Cypress. It was a Sprint Race (50n0 meter swim, 14 mile bike and a 3.5 mile run). For the most part the race was uneventful. I was in the second wave and I started off well. About 250 meters into the swim I swallowed a nasty mouthful of water and I actually had to come to a complete stop until I could get all the water I swallowed out of my system. After a few minutes of not moving I finished my swim and moved on to the bike. The bike was very flat and very fast and I averaged over 22 mph on the ride. The run was the same, flat and fast and I averaged 8:20 per mile. Not my fastest run time for a Sprint but it will do. My finishing time was 1:24:16. Overall a good race and I'm sure I'll race it again.

My second race of August was in Clear Lake on the 28th. This is the 3rd time I have done this race and its one of my favorite events. I started in the last wave for the Olympic which is rare for me but what can you do. I felt really good during the swim despite my slow swim time. I'm not sure what happened but again I felt good in the water. The bike course was mostly flat with the exception of the Kemah Bridge which I struggled getting over because my legs were dead. There was some headwind but it didn't effect me too much. My bike time for the 40 k ride was 1:11:13 which was 20.94 mph. Last year I averaged 22.9 mph but I was also in the middle of my Ironman training and I was much better prepared. The run was the same course, flat and fast. I finished my run in 53:55 which was an 8:40 pace. Not as fast as last year but not too bad. My finishing time was 2:49:15 which is about 10 minutes slower than last year. The good news is that it was my 3rd fastest at the Olympic distance.

My training is going well but I am not signed up for anything else this year. I'm not sure what is next but I'll keep everyone posted.

Bye for now!